Looking at the cold dead body which belonged to her partner, Evelyn was faced with a decision.

Before her was a man who had crumbled to the ground.

Evelyn wielded her own sword above this man, and for just a second a dark thought entered her mind.

'Should I... kill him?'

Evelyn began to slowly walk forward, her own hands trembling as the icy blade seemed to extend, sharpening with her own bloodlust.

She came to the point where she held the sword above the man, lifting it with sincerity.

'I.... should kill him..... shouldn't I?'

However, just as Evelyn was about to bring the sword down on the man, a voice jolted into her head.

It was an imaginary voice- one which she had never before heard. It was not a memory nor an apparition, but rather a delusion based on her own perception.

"Do you think I would want you to kill him? We..... we're knights, aren't we? What would my mother.... no.... what would your mother do?"

Evelyn looked back as tears formed in her eyes, a distraught expression coming across her face.

She looked back to the corpse of her comrade, and began to tremble even further.

The imaginary voice continued playing in her head, based off Evelyn's own perception of what her friend would say.

"We..... spent too much time fooling around. We were supposed to be the Captain and the Vice Captain, weren't we? I...."

Evelyn could not stop her own shaking as a flood of emotions rushed into her like a dam which had burst.

"S....stop....."

"I regret it..... I regret it... I regret not doing more with my life..... hahaha..... drinking? Messing around? We.... really got messed up back then. Perhaps... we went insane with anger, and ignored everything around us. Our duties.... those around us..."

The voice trailed on, continuing to push the stake deeper into Evelyn's heart.

"When are we going to grow up?"

At this point, Evelyn had dropped her own weapon.

Falling to her knees with emotions flaring to the point where she was about to choke, she looked into the face of the man who was now half asleep from the drugs, twitching here and there as electricity flowed around his body.

"You're the Captain of the Knights..... I.... I won't be by your side anymore, and I know this is asking a lot of you..... but I want you to carry my burden as well..... become a Captain that is worthy of the title.... become someone who isn't just a pushover..... this was our responsibility, and I failed..... so now it's become your responsibility."

Reaching into the pocket of her own armor which was made from her icy elemental coating, Evelyn pulled out a pair of handcuffs which were made from a glowing white metal.

She slipped the cuffs onto the man, and the electricity which was raging about him died down, dispelled.

"You..... are under arrest..... you are under suspicion of the murder of that man, and you are charged with drug usage, and the assault and murder of a Knight....."

The man looked up with a dead expression. He was clearly under the effect of the drugs, but being cuffed seemed to dull him further.

Picking the man up and carrying him on her shoulder, Evelyn's icy hair swayed to the side.

She looked at the bodies of the two people near her, and reached for a communication gem in her pocket.

"Hello.... this is the Captain..... requesting backup immediately. A major incident has occurred.... and there are two casualties. The suspect is in custody, but I am requesting a cleanup crew."

"Captain? This sounds serious."

"We're on our way."

The men responded quickly from the other side of the communication device, and Evelyn looked over to the man leaning on her shoulder with a bitter expression.

The man didn't talk and merely looked back and forth lifelessly as his head bobbed about.

Letting out a sigh, Evelyn looked to the sky with sadness.

At that moment, a light snow began to fall.

Speaking calmly, Evelyn spoke towards the sky, and whether her words were aimed at the man on her shoulder or not- even she herself didn't know.

"You have the right to remain silent."

----

A crowd of teary eyes students could barely contain their sniffling and groaning.

A somber atmosphere enveloped the auditorium, and the principal who was listening from the backstage could only hold his breath as he listened to the dreadful story which Evelyn told to all.

"My goodness..... to think she would tell such a tale as a part of her presentation....."

Without interruption, Evelyn had told the story of her own foolishness.

She openly admitted her own halfheartedness, and the years she spent as the Captain of the Knights without a single shred of responsibility.

At the time, she believed that this position was one which was forced upon her, and that this duty existed in name alone.

Without her leadership the Knights were able to manage on their own.

This was the belief she held before this incident.

"However..... on seeing the body of my fallen comrade, I knew that was wrong."

Standing forward, Evelyn captivated the entire crowd with these words, holding her own hand to her blade handle.

"What would have become of me if I hadn't stayed my hand on that day? What would have become of me if I had given into my rage, killing that man on the spot?"

Her expression as serious as death itself, Evelyn's words carved into the hearts of her listeners.

"Would my comrade have been pleased with that?"

Closing her eyes, Evelyn nodded her head.

"I don't know for certain. I cannot say that she would or would not have wanted me to swing my blade. However, I learned something on that day. Something which.... if I had known it then, perhaps I would have been able to stop such a tragedy from happening."

Grabbing hold of the handle, Evelyn gripped it firmly.

"This sword is not meant to kill others. It is meant to protect others."

Turning around, Evelyn began to walk off the stage with her head held high, in the true form of a Knight.

"That is what it means.... to be a Knight."

As soon as she said these words, an eruption of clapping, crying, and cheering could be heard from the crowd.

"Captain Evelyn!!!"

"We love you!!!!"

"Please come speak again!!!!"

Evelyn walked off the stage, the cheers of the crowds behind her.

'I suppose that I've inspired them? I wondered if my words would be effective.... but it seems to have moved many of them.'

It was as Evelyn walked off the stage which a sound was heard from the ceiling.

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The crackling of burning flames, and the shattering of ice.

The smell of smoke and the feeling of humidity enveloped the area.

The crashing sound of a massive block of ice was heard, accompanied with the horrible screams of the thousands of people in the arena.

"AGH!!!!!"

"EEK!!!!!"

"AAAAAAAAAH!!!!!!"

The high pitched screams filled the ears of Evelyn, and at hearing the booming sound she quickly turned about, looking over to see what had caused the commotion.

"Hahaha..... you really do have a talent for that, don't you sister? You're always able to obtain everything that I can't..... even the hearts of these people. How envious I am."

The voice of a woman could be heard all around the arena, however many were screaming and rushing out of the building at this point.

A piece of the roof had been destroyed.

Where it fell, a dozen people had been crushed underneath it's weight, killed instantly.

The mauled bodies of some others who had been partially caught in the structural piece lied on the ground, screaming in horrible amounts of pain.

"AGH!!!!!!!"

"HELPP!!!!!! HELP ME!!!!!"

"MY LEG!!!!!"

"MY BODY!!!!! AGH!!!!!!"

And as Evelyn looked over to the area where the roof had been cut, a circle of flames melted away at the ice of the building.

In the center of this circle of flames was a woman who was clothed in fire.

Her hair was made from flames and formed a zigzagged pony tail which vaguely resembled a more chaotic form of the hairstyle which Evelyn had.

The two were almost identical in terms of looks. The difference between the two was that the one composed of ice had a refined and well taken care of demeanor, whereas the one who seemed to be an incarnation of flames raged with a chaotic smirk from her position as she carelessly destroyed the roof- taking with it the lives of the innocent students.

Evelyn looked up with a face of complete shock, grabbing her sword without hesitation.

The people were now rushing towards the doors in chaos, and screams filled the air.

"Is there something to be so scared of? You children should quiet yourselves. After all..... there has been an imbalance in the world, and I'm here to correct it.", the woman of flames said as she looked down on the crowds.

Evelyn rushed forward, a path of ice forming before her as she swiftly approached the woman who was descending from the ceiling.

"Sister..... why have you come here? Do you even realize what you've just done? You've taken the lives of multiple innocent people without reason. As a Knight..... I cannot simply allow you to escape just punishment for such an action."

"How unfriendly, sister. Not even so much as a hello? Haha! And it looks like you've finally become such a fine Knight, haven't you? Ah, not that I came here because of all that. I've only come to take what is..... rightfully mine."

"Rightfully yours?"

The eyes of Evelyn darkened as she unsheathed her blade, drawing a line of frost in the air.

"The only thing that is rightfully yours is a cell within the city jail. You've.... taken lives right before my eyes. Why would you come to this city just to do such a thing?"

Evelyn spoke with a deep rooted disappointment, pointing her sword at the woman of flames.

"Oh? You don't know? I guess you've been cooped up in this building with all these people for a little while then. You haven't heard about what we've been doing outside?"

"Outside?"

Evelyn's eyes widened, however just as the woman of flames said this, a voice could be heard from her communication gem.

"Captain!!!!"

"They've approached the city!!! An army!!!! They're all waiting outside the walls!!!!"

"What!?"

Evelyn responded quickly, keeping an eye on the woman before her.

"How.... what is the situation? Which wall are they lined at?"

"The Northern wall, facing the mountain! There are hundreds..... no, thousands!!! Flame and earth elementals have gathered and are lined up, ready to attack!!!"

Looking up with a disappointed glare, Evelyn spoke calmly into her device.

"Gather the knights along the wall. I will be there shortly after I take care of the threat before my eyes."

Placing her gemstone in her icy pocket, Evelyn refocused her glance on the woman before her.

The being of flame seemed to lightly swirl her head, her ponytail of flames shaking to the side in the wind.

"Are you done yet? I let you talk with your dogs and everything. They used to drool all over you back then, even when you were nothing more than an upstart brat who didn't have a shred of righteousness in you. Don't you think it's a bit unknightly to ignore the opponent before you? Hahaha.... but that's fine. After all, you probably would be indignant if I didn't even let you perform your role as the Captain.... which you finally seem to be taking seriously. Look at me, sister. It looks like I've finally become a leader of men as well. All. Thanks. To. You."

The person before Evelyn was her own sister, Envidia Flamebroker.

Not allowed to take the last name of her mother as was typical for elementals, she retained a different last name than that of her twin sister- the last name of her father.

She was the head of the house of Envy, and one of the three monster kings.

The Queen of the city of flames- Volaciophus.

"Why have you come here? To wage a war? Do you understand how many innocent lives you will take in doing so, sister? What on earth could have provoked you to make such a move right now? You've been quiet for years, so I believed that we were not on bad terms. Even so, I.... I have never stopped thinking about that day, wondering what happened to you."

Looking up to her sister with sadness, Evelyn softly questioned her.

"I thought that because so much time had passed.... that perhaps you had either forgotten or moved on. And I hoped that you had changed yourself as well, regretting your own actions.

Thinning her eyes, the tone of Evelyn became serious.

"Was I wrong in thinking so?"

"Were you wrong? Sister, you seem to not understand at all.... you don't understand the slightest thing about me. You never did before, and you never will.... but if I were to explain it.... I was jealous."

The being of flames smiled grandly with a chuckle. At this point, the auditorium had been mostly evacuated and only the two remained along with the bodies of those killed from the collapse.

"I was jealous.... but not of you. Not this time. How envious I am..... of some others who decided that they were the true demon lords. Have you not heard the news?"

"Get to the point, sister. Why are you doing this?"

Evelyn stared her sister down, ready to pounce at any moment.

"So impatient. Even though you've finally taken up the responsibility of the Captain, it seems that you're still as rude as ever."

"Rude?"

Evelyn's expression became dark with anger as Envidia made this statement.

"You call me rude when you just slaughtered those people down there like they were flies? Where is your honor?"

"Hahaha.... and now you speak of honor? What a laugh. Oh sister..... you really have changed. So you haven't heard about the exploits of the antiheroes?"

"The antiheroes?"

This was a name which Evelyn knew of due to the legends, yet it was not one which she paid any particular attention to, for to her such a name was nothing more than that- a legend and a fairy tale.

"Yes. The antiheroes. You know they've been going around the world taking over place after place.... enslaving people after people. And..... I suppose I'm a little bit jealous. Haha."

"Jealous?"

At this statement, Evelyn could no longer hold herself back.

"What does that have to do with the innocent lives you just took?"

As she spoke these words she thrusted forward, her own icy blade tearing through the air at immense speeds.

At a similar speed, the figure of flame backed out of the building into the air, retreating back while keeping her face to Evelyn.

"Making a stab at me without listening..... you're so impatient, sister. Did killing a few of these people hurt you that much?"

"Did killing them help you that much?"

With a quick comeback Envidia was slightly shocked at the reply of her sister, who continued rushing forward, slicing with motions which only a practiced professional could make.

Even so, she dodged each and every one of them and began to speak as she dodged.

From the streets it looked like a red and blue streak of light were intertwining, shooting around in the air with immense speed.

"I got jealous of the antiheroes.... after all, I've never been allowed to take over a village and enslave them...."

As the two flew through the air, Envidia continued to dodge, once in a while slapping the sword away with her own molten hand.

"Ah.... it stings a bit to touch. I suppose it's made of ice after all.", she said as her enflamed fingers solidified and crumbled, quickly regenerating in the form of flowing lava which hardened into pulsating rock.

The two continued fighting midair at extreme speeds, yet the conversation of the flamed woman was relaxed.

"Hmm.... I suppose I should start with the children? I have so many adults serving me, but I've never taken children as slaves..... do you think the antiheroes have done such a thing? If they have..... then my jealousy will perhaps react to such a thing."

"I won't let you lay another hand on a child. You've taken.... more lives than is acceptable.... and that was my own fault for not foreseeing this or sensing your presence. Even so.... I can't just allow you to make such a statement."

The swings of Evelyn became even faster, and her sword began to glow with a blue energy as the ice spiked out like a row of thorns, covering more and more area and thrusting forward to hit Envidia in the shoulders and grazing her cheek.

"You..... you've always been annoying, sister. I'm jealous of your sword skills as well.... how long have you been practicing that?"

"NOT LONG ENOUGH!!!!", Evelyn shouted out as she thrusted forward in quick succession, each thrust grazing the quickly dodging elemental.

The flaming hair of Envidia was caught in the icy spikes, immediately melting them yet going out as soon as the melted ice came into contact with the hair.

"Ah..... you've gone and put out my hair!!! Now I have to reignite it. Ah, but you shouldn't be focusing on me right now. After all.... you can't beat me, sister. Don't you have other problems to be worrying about?"

With a smirk, Envidia flew off at an insane speed, disappearing before the eyes of Evelyn who was left alone.

"Where...."

Looking around to see that her sister had escaped, Evelyn bit her lip.

"I allowed her to escape.... I clearly haven't trained enough..... I.... couldn't even protect those in front of me....."

Looking down on the people running through the streets in a panic, Evelyn became firm with resolve.

"But.... there are still more left to protect.... I must do everything I can to do so. Even if I am not good enough.... that is no reason to allow myself to stop moving. Until I have been reduced to nothing, I must force myself forward. For Melissa.... for her mother.... for my own mother.... and for my transgressions even towards you, sister."

With this resolve, Evelyn formed a path of ice in front of her, skating on it like a figure skater as she rushed to the Northern wall where the action was likely occurring.

"I won't allow her to attack this city and harm these people.... this is my duty as a knight, and as the Captain.... I must lead my men."

Speaking to the skies, Evelyn whispered a light prayer.

"To all of those who have gone before me, I can only hope that I will live up to your expectations.... and stop my sister."

Looking down on the panicking people, Evelyn shouted out in a loud voice.

"Students! Civilians! Please head towards safety!! I am headed off to take on the attackers. I understand that my own skills are inadequate, but even so.... I ask that you leave everything in my hands!!! I will fight until my death before the attackers are allowed to breach this city!!"

The people looked up at Evelyn, their panicked hearts calmed slightly.

Before them was someone who gave them hope.

Even if a few people had died before their very eyes, that did not change the fact that the Captain of the Knights was still alive and resolved to fight.

"Please, Captain!!!!"

"We will be rooting for you!!!"

With these shouts of encouragement, Evelyn took off, rushing on the path she created before herself.

'Without a doubt.... my own skills haven't been enough..... but even so, I must fight..... I do not understand why my sister wishes to take these people as slaves, but I must stop her. I cannot allow those innocent children to suffer from such things.'

Resolved to fight, Evelyn soon came upon the wall where many Knights were converging towards.

'My men..... the time has finally come. It is time to show everyone what it really means to be a knight.'