Elucard winced as Jetta slowly removed the blood soaked bandages from his side. Dried blood stretched and broke as it was peeled from the surface of his skin.

“I swear to Alue, Elucard, if you break your stitches one more time, I’ll kill you myself!” Jetta said as she examined the slowly healing wound.

Elucard gave her a wry look, “Alue?”

Jetta glanced around quickly before attempting to cover up her misstep, “Alanna… I meant Alanna.”

Elucard prodded her curiously, “Your medical instructor told me you can speak the angel language fluently. My master taught me a bit but I doubt I could speak it so freely. Where did you learn such a skill?”

Jetta sighed, remembering the old priest of Alue that passed through Ravenshore. He was an elderly man, not dressed in fanciful religious garb, but in beggar's rags. Had it not been for her kind ways to offer the man a free meal, she would never have learned of his true nature, “I found a teacher in a kind old man.” She paused and a reminiscent wonder filled her eyes, “Ambrose of the Wandering Winds, a nomad of the cloth. He passed through Ravenshore one rainy autumn’s eve and I had the good fortune of offering him what small comforts I could.”

Elucard was captivated by the idea of such a stranger, “He took you as an apprentice?”

Jetta tightened the bandages around Elucard’s wounds, “Aye. He preached kindness, compassion, and forgiveness. He passed on to me Alue’s words and her lore. Through him I learned to speak Angelic,” Jetta trailed off, lost in a gentler time, “…all useless to me now. The Angel of Mercy is but a weakness in the eyes of the Angel of Death.”

Elucard lifted up her chin to expose her eyes swelling with tears, “Hush now, Jetta. It is your job to show strength to those that need it most. Alanna values that in her Rabbits.”

“Trev Alann zsesh A’lunis O’blivis,” Jetta whispered in Angelic. Her words went unnoticed by Elucard as he limped away.

‘Even Death will seek mercy in the end.’

***

Elucard knelt before Legion and Ryjin within the quarters of the Silent Master. Elucard was still covered in bandages, and despite his weariness, he was more than excited for this moment.

“Elucard, as you know, Vada has yet to return. She is either dead or has joined her traitorous Blade Sister. Either way, a new First Blade must be named,” Legion said, turning to the Silent Master who nodded approvingly from the shadows, “You have shown tremendous growth, prowess, finesse, wisdom, and patience. All of which are required of a First Blade.” Legion took out his own blade and passed it to Elucard, “Rabbit, will you be my First Blade?”

Elucard gazed into his master’s eyes. He cut his hand on Legion’s sword and smeared the blood on his own blade, “I accept, my High Blade.”

***

The clan gathered around the two combatants in the center of the compound. The sun was setting, sundering the azure sky. Elucard stood beside Ryjin, anxious to see his master display the legendary skills he had always known him to have. Even so, a small part of him was afraid that Malady’s malice would give him an advantage in this particular bout. Skill versus drive. It could go either way, and Elucard knew that.

Ryjin held a hand to quiet the clan’s collective chatter, “Legion and Malady. This rivalry has corrupted the unison of this clan. It must cease, for the sake of the Black Rabbits’ future.”

Legion nodded, unsheathing his long sword.

Malady turned and shot a grim smile at his Silent Master, “You were my father, but you never treated me as a son. No, that honor was given to him! Well, Father, I will destroy everything that you love. I will crush him beneath my feet, and when he begs for forgiveness, I will cut out his heart and give it to you!”

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

Legion shook his head in disbelief at the statement, “You never understood, Brother.”

Malady drew two swords from his back, “You dare speak to me as if I don’t understand, Legion? I watched as you snaked your way into my life and into my family! I let it happen. I was a fool! But I shall correct my mistakes!”

“No, it is my mistake to correct. I should have killed you when you begged me to!” Legion roared as he ran at Malady, dragging his edge along the stone ground.

A lightning fast swing connected with the dual swords in a deafening clatter of steel, Legion recoiled, swinging another hefty blow at Malady’s side. Malady parried, countering with his own attempt for Legion’s left shoulder.

Legion leapt backwards and hacked savagely into the ground, creating a thunderous shock wave of air that drove straight for Malady.

Malady rolled to the right as the wave collided into a crowd of dodging assassins. Malady snorted with anger as he lunged towards his opponent, spinning his swords like whirling buzz saws.

The deadly attacks ripped at Legion, catching him in his upper arm. Legion backed away, lowering his blade to examine his wound. Sneering, he charged forth with a flurry of excessive swings, each deflected by Malady’s incredibly fast rotating weapons.

Legion saw an opening as his claymore clanged off a deflection. Thrusting his sword into the ground, Legion heaved himself up and over the blade’s guard and landed a solid kick that sent Malady flying onto the ground.

Recovering his blade, Legion swept his sword, knocking his Blade Brother’s dual swords out of reach. Malady windmilled his legs, spinning himself back to his feet before sliding three new swords into his hands.

“You haven’t lost a step, Legion,” Malady said, admittedly impressed with his Blade Brother’s prowess.

Legion rested his gigantic long sword on a shoulder, “As well with you, Brother. In fact, you’ve greatly improved.”

Malady grinned ruthlessly before taking off and twisting a series of slices with his three blades. Each sparked as they clashed against Legion’s sword.

Legion deftly swiped upwards with his sword and then combined it with a piercing thrust. Malady side stepped and parried the attack before spin kicking into the small of Legion’s back.

The High Blade collided into the ground, but tumbled to recover, kneeling as he caught his breath, “This ends now, Malady!”

Malady dashed forth, mustering his energy to increase his speed. Legion lifted his blade to counter the reckless attack, but Malady knocked Legion’s sword downward with flat of his own blade. With all of his might, Malady drove two of his blades into Legion’s shoulders and laughed wickedly.

Legion gasped in complete agony as he struggled with the pain. Malady twisted both the impaling blades as Legion screamed. Clasping his hands around Legion’s throat, Malady smiled viciously. Legion grunted as he grabbed a dagger from his opponent’s belt and drove into Malady’s side. Malady collapsed backwards, clutching his new wound. Both men sat on the blood splattered ground heaving, staring at each other.

“I took you under my wing. I took you in as my friend, my brother! I am the reason why you are so great! Me!” Malady hissed, too exhausted to raise his voice.

Legion swayed as he struggled to stand. He stumbled as he walked over to Malady and grabbed him by the collar, “Everything I achieved…” He huffed as he began to punch Malady, sluggishly in the face, “Was because of you. You pushed me. You drove me. You were my ambition, you were my sword.” Legion increased his speed as blood sloshed from the raw facial wounds his fists left on Malady’s face, “You are my heart! You are my soul!”

Legion released a half conscious Malady into a pool of his own blood, “You are my Blade Brother.”

Quelled by the emotion, Malady flashed back to the days of meeting Legion, his training with him, laughing, friendship, brotherly love, “W-Where did it go all so wrong…my brother?”

Legion stood over the defeated Malady, “When you held your ego over the love we had.”

“I betrayed my clan. I betrayed you, all for my envy. I am deeply sorry, my brother. Forgive me.”

“Malady, I can forgive you, but this clan can not.”

Malady choked up bubbles of crimson liquid, “Leave me to die. It’s all I deserve now.”

Legion removed the two blades from his shoulder, grimacing greatly. He scanned over the eyes of his kin before finally resting his sight on the Silent Master. Turning back to the surrendered Malady, Legion sheathed his claymore, “This clan has seen too much bloodshed between Rabbits in these last few days. Malady, you will leave the Black Rabbits and this land. You are exiled for all eternity.”

Malady closed his eyes “Do you remember when I took you to kill your father?”

Legion listened to the wind whistling past his ear, “Always.”

Malady turned his head on its side, coughing and wheezing greatly, “You said Alanna gave you a purpose and vindication. What does she give you now?”

“Clemency.”

Even Death will seek mercy in the end.