Sam and Rupert swung their weapons, only to see them blocked by Theo’s(?) longswords. An amused grin immediately appeared on the visored man’s face – as if the Captain of the Royal Guard was openly mocking the two men’s attempts.

“So, do tell me gentlemen – what’s the proper solution for this kind of situation? A Faceless who betrayed the Order – I’m guessing your friend here will be put to death for his treachery,” Theo(?) proudly asserted.

“Not if everyone knows the true reason for their actions,” Sam responded.

“The truth is irrelevant, boy. Even if the citizens of the Opal Sun were made aware of it, they still need someone to carry the blame. Now, with the prince and princess being untouchable, who do you think will be chosen for that role?” asked Theo(?) before he effortlessly pushed both of his adversaries away. “If you’re going to say the people won’t allow this kid to die, then you are truly deluded. It doesn’t matter whether he had saved the king’s life or protected the kingdom from the threat of the Distorted – at the end of the day, the only truth they care about is that the Captain of the Royal Guard is an Accursed.”

“The First Kings have decreed the four Kingdoms to be neutral zones-.”

“Do you seriously think the law alone could get rid of the hatred and fear these…Reprieved have for the Accursed?” Theo(?) snickered. “Even someone like you is despised by your own peers.”

Sam fidgeted; his eyes widened in shock at Theo’s question. How did he know? He thought to himself. No one else knew about his previous predicament except those who resided in the Tower Nexus. “That’s not always true,” Sam responded before glancing at the elder Nightingale. “There are those who don’t succumb to their hatred – those who judge others on what they do instead of what they are born as.”

“But it still isn’t enough for you, is it? You indeed found those who accept you for what you are and yet, ironically, you cannot accept yourself. You just have, no, need to make sure that you are not the monster others claimed you to be,” Theo(?) further remarked. A grimace soon appeared on Sam’s face; an expression that caused the Captain of the Royal to guffaw maniacally. However, the visored man’s cackle was interrupted by Rupert who suddenly clapped his hands.

“Woo-hoo, yeah, what a great speech,” the elder Nightingale said mockingly. “Can we finally get back to the fighting? All those big words you used were starting to make me sleepy.”

“Huh, that’s quite a change in your attitude. Weren’t you upset when your sister was taken from you earlier? Now, it seems you were unbothered by it – some would say you are being heartless.”

“Nah, I’ve been called worst – and, so was my friend here,” replied Rupert as he pointed his thumb at Sam. “Speaking of heartless, weren’t you the one responsible for whatever it was that transpired at the Edge? As far as I see it, you’re in no position to label anyone as heartless.”

“Hm, you are much smarter than you look, do you know that?” Theo(?) huffed.

“Well, thank you for your compliment. Then, you wouldn’t mind me doing this, right?” Rupert smirked before raising his right hand in the air. All of a sudden, a cold gust of air blew toward the elder Nightingale, followed by a silver gleam passing over Theo’s(?) right arm before landing in Rupert’s hand.

“What the…?” The Captain of the Royal Guard stated before he felt a warm sensation near his neck, along with a familiar sharp pain. He instantly snapped his head to the left and realized there was a large gash near his shoulder, causing his entire sleeve to turn wine-red. “That…was quite an impressive feat.”

Rupert smiled widely after hearing Theo(?) praising him, prompting him to hold his kama forward – its curved blade stained with blood.

“Careful, Rupe. We didn’t come here to kill him,” Sam interjected.

“I know – it was a little payback for the horrible things he said about you.”

“Well, I do appreciate it but that is still Theo’s body. Markus will surely chew us out if we return with a corpse. We just need to incapacitate him, that’s all,” Sam retorted.

“And how are we supposed to do that?”

“I’m…,” Sam paused for a brief moment before he eventually sighed out loud. “I’m still working on it.”

“Better make it quick then!” Theo(?) shouted from across the two men. The Captain of the Royal Guard lowered both of his longswords until their tips were an inch away from the ground. In that instance, his arms were enveloped in a lustrous golden aura – the radiant light looped around his upper limbs like a piece of cloth and ultimately converged in the middle of his chest. A few seconds later, the dazzling illumination disappeared, revealing an extravagant golden-woolled fleece.

“The heck is on his shoulder? It looks like a sash or something,” Rupert spouted.

“It’s not just a normal sash. Look,” said Sam as he gestured at Theo’s(?) arm; the blood on his sleeve had faded away, and reverted back to its former pristine condition.

“Hey, that’s cheating!” Rupert declared.

Theo(?) shrugged his shoulders, completely unfazed by the elder Nightingale’s comment. The visored man then hurled one of his longswords toward Sam and Rupert – the flying blade was soon shrouded by a similar golden glow; its shape changed to resemble a detached bull horn.

Sam quickly shoved Rupert aside before dodging the incoming projectile himself. All he heard before hitting the ground was the bull horn swooping past him, followed by a thunderous explosion. Sam coughed repeatedly; completely rattled by the force of the blast. His arms and legs were quivering; at the same time, he felt a prickling sensation on his back which prompted him to look over his shoulder. The first thing he saw was Theo’s longsword; its blade partially buried in a pile of charred splinters. He was expecting the air to stink of smoke, but all he smelled was a fresh, woody-like scent akin to a bamboo.

“SAM!” Rupert’s grating scream prompted the vermillion-eyed man to dart his head forward where he saw Theo(?) charging toward him.

“You’ve gotta be kidding me,” Sam groaned before swiftly getting to his feet. He raised his katana and barely managed to block Theo’s(?) longsword.

“Huh, for a novice, you are quite persistent,” said the Captain of the Royal Guard. “I noticed something odd about the two of you – you have no idea what this man is capable of, don’t you?”

“What makes you say that?”

“The look of surprise on your faces. Is it safe for me to assume that the Order sent you out here without informing you of the abilities of the Empyreans? Unless…?” Theo(?) gasped before continuing, “Oh, you’re here illegally, aren’t you?”

Sam remained silent, refusing to answer the question.

“O-ho, it seems I was right. The Faceless Order really did send you here to die, didn’t they? Then, I shall not disappoint them,” said Theo(?) as he held out his left hand over his head.

Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

“Shit!” Sam uttered as he felt the air behind him shift; the sound of crackling wood soon followed. He tried to turn around but Theo(?) pushed the vermillion-eyed man down, firmly fixed him in place. However, a brief moment later, Rupert lunged out of the shadows and successfully deflected the soaring longsword before the weapon could plunge itself into Sam’s back.

Theo(?) bared his teeth in frustration at the sudden turn of events, but the distraction gave Sam a window of opportunity to retaliate by lighting his katana on fire. The Captain of the Royal Guard hissed in agony as the abrupt ignition stung his eyes, forcing him to leap away from the Flame Accursed.

“Bro, are you alright?” asked Rupert as he made his way to Sam. “Man, that blast was pretty nasty. My freaking ears are still ringing.”

“Mine too, and I don’t think that’ll be the last time he’ll be doing it,” Sam replied.

“Before that, could you, um, put that out first?” Rupert pointed his finger at the burning katana. “It’s starting to hurt my eyes a bit.”

“Sorry about that,” Sam softly apologized before placing his hand against the blade, extinguishing the lucent fire. As Sam veered his gaze back to Theo(?), he noticed something hovering above the visored man’s head – a black, wavy thread stretching upward into the night sky – the same thread he saw back in the Desert of Ashes. “I think I might have found a way to end this battle,” uttered Sam, causing Rupert to smile exuberantly.

“Well, thank God for that. This fight is starting to get pretty dull.”

SWOOSH!

Both Sam and Rupert trembled as Theo’s(?) longsword flew over their heads before being subsequently caught by its owner. “That was not bad. Not bad at all,” the Captain of the Royal Guard chuckled. The visored man then raised his weapons until they touched his shoulders, triggering the fullers to be filled with purplish treacly liquid. The whole blades were soon coated with the mysterious solution; some of it dripped down, blackening the patch of grass beneath Theo’s(?) feet like the trees after a forest fire.

“That…looks quite dangerous,” Rupert remarked, shortly before Theo(?) rushed toward the two Accursed. The three men clashed once more with the visored man swinging his twin blades viciously, putting Sam and Rupert on the defensive.

“What’s the matter with you! Haven’t you learned nothing from all those years you’ve been with the Order! Haven’t you been taught to face your foes with the intent to kill!” Theo(?) taunted boldly.

“You talk way too much!” Sam countered as he parried one of Theo’s(?) longswords. Soon after, Rupert came forward and planted both of his feet on the visored man’s chest.

Theo grunted; staggering a few steps backward from the sudden dropkick. However, he quickly regained his composure and proceeded to wave his blade around, scattering the tar-like substance everywhere.

“Oh no you don’t!” Rupert exclaimed before swinging both his kama, generating a powerful wind that redirected the venom back to its caster. “Oh shit! I didn’t mean to-!”

The viscid fluid splashed across Theo’s(?) face, and it immediately ate through his skin voraciously, revealing the flesh and muscles underneath. However, the sash around the visored man’s neck emitted a golden gleam which seemingly halted the corrosive effect of the purple liquid. “You’re becoming quite a nuisance, little bird,” Theo(?) snarled, pointing his right longsword toward the elder Nightingale.

KLANG!

A silver crystalline chain shot out from the forest canopy before wrapping itself around Rupert’s neck. “What the fu-? Ugh!” the chain stiffened, tugging the elder Nightingale into the air.

“Rupe!” Sam cried out as he tried to seize his friend in the legs but to his dismay, the chain was faster than his reaction. “Damn it!” Sam cursed before he decided to climb the nearby tree. As he made his ascent, he was met with the relentless attacks of the sharp pine branches digging into his face and hands – however, he had no time to dwell on the pain. Sam continued to scale up the tree until he reached a bough above Rupert’s head. Without wasting any more time, the vermillion-eyed man swiftly swung his katana to cut the chain, only to later realize he was barely making a dent.

“There’s no need to waste your energy, kid!” Theo(?) yelled out from below. “The Shackled Maiden is virtually indestructible. Unless I said so, he’ll remain up there like a rabbit in a snare. So, just sit back and watch – the scene of death is always fascinating to see up close.”

Sam ignored the visored man’s comment and continued waving his blade frantically until he heard Rupert gasping, “Forget…about me…You need to get him…”

“Shut up! I almost got it!”

“Tell sis…that I…”

“I said shut up!” the vermillion-eyed man lashed back before setting his sword on fire. As the blade made contact with the chain, Sam felt something heavy hit in the chest and the next thing he knew, he was sent flying into the tree trunk. Sam wheezed as all the air was forced out of his lungs while his arms were shaking from the constant swinging.

“Didn’t I tell you to not waste your energy?”

Sam cast his eyes forward as soon as he heard the familiar voice and saw Theo(?) standing in front of him. The visored man’s face was already healed from its prior injury which Sam deduced to be the work of the golden fleece. He then redirected his focus toward Rupert whose face was gradually turning blue. “I can’t…I must…,” Sam murmured; his right hand clenched onto his katana so tightly that his fingernails started to dig into his palm. Then, he felt it – he did not know whether it was the adrenaline kicking in or something else, but he felt a cold sensation running up his spine. His whole body burst into flame, illuminating the Coniferous Forest with bright orange light.

“Whatever it is you’re planning, it won’t-,” Theo(?) was rendered speechless after seeing the branches around Sam scorched by the mere heat of the flame. Moreover, he could feel his skin drying up as if it were exposed directly to the sun.

“Rupert, Lucy – I will save them, all of them – no matter what,” Sam uttered. As if responding to the remark, the flame started to change its color – from orange to yellow, and lastly to pastel white. He then swung his katana, easily slicing across Theo’s(?) chest.

“What the hell!” The visored man spouted as he felt the searing fire seeped into his bone. Furthermore, he also noticed his wound was not closing which only furthered his bewilderment.

Sam proceeded to hold his weapon with both hands and the white flame swirled away from his body to convene at the blade of the katana. “Be warned, I don’t know whether I can control it yet,” said Sam, glaring at Theo(?) with his vivid scarlet eyes. “So, let’s hope that fleece of yours will withstand the heat.” Putting his left foot forward, Sam waved his sword and the pale fire stretched out like a whip.

Theo(?) crossed his longswords, trying to block the incoming attack. However, the blades instantly repelled each other, making him vulnerable to the fiery whip. “Shit,” Theo(?) blurted out in terror until he saw the lash swooped over his head.

“Got you,” Sam breathed before the whip sliced the floating thread in half.

The visored man began to judder uncontrollably, causing him to release his Core Blades. Dark slime poured out of his mouth while at the same time, the veins on his face and neck receded.

Sam quickly sheathed his katana, dousing the white flame in the process. He then dashed forward to catch Theo before the man fell off the branch. “Crap, that was too close,” Sam exhaled as he slung the visored man over his shoulder.

KRANG!

The crystalline chain suddenly shattered into pieces, and Rupert dropped to the ground with a loud thud. “Oh, for crying out loud!” Sam bellowed as he jumped off the bough. As soon as the vermillion-eyed man landed on his feet, he carefully placed the unconscious Theo on the grass before galloping toward the lying elder Nightingale.

“Oi, Rupe! Rupe!” uttered Sam, tapping his friend on the shoulders.

No response.

“Come on, don’t you dare die on me now!” Sam further as he stacked his hands over his friend’s chest.

A few moments later, Rupert slowly raised his right arm and curled his hand into a thumbs-up. “You should use that flame of yours more often,” the elder Nightingale croaked.

“For goodness’ sake, Rupe. You were almost strangled to death not too long ago, and here you are still cracking jokes?” Sam sighed before helping Rupert sat up.

“Almost, my friend. Almost. Thanks, by the way, for saving my neck – pun intended.”

"You owe me for that. Now-."

BOOM!

The two Accursed shuddered after hearing an explosion in the distance, followed by the roaring sound of rushing water.

“Um, is it me, or is the noise growing louder?” Rupert stated.

“Get up,” Sam retorted after sensing the ground beneath him rumbled. “GET UP, NOW!”