- Black Forest, Alamannia, 875 a.D. -
A Templar rides on horseback, dragging behind him a chained man. They have been traveling for days, only resting when the horse tired. The prisoner barely eats, the horse is behaving well and the Templar feels betrayed for having to escort this man to the edges of Imperial territory. They finally reach the denser part of the forest. The Templar gets down from the horse. They'll go by foot now, taking the horse as well.
– Would it be against your oath to let me on the horse? – Siegfried asks, mocking the knight.
– If you think I'll pay any attention to what you speak, you're absolutely wrong, scum. – the knight replies. – I am a Roman Knight. I am superior to you in every aspect.
– However, here you are, escorting a prisoner to exile. It really is pathetic. You all think you're special, until you have a sword through your chest. Then you remember you're just regular people.
Suddenly, their traveling is cut short, when something mysterious catches the attention of both men. A strange, red light comes from within the forest. It feels warm, just by seeing it from afar. The horse starts to become restless, so the knight ties him to a tree. Both men begin to approach the light, and the closer they get, the more compelled they feel to reach it.
As the knight is healthier, he eventually reaches the light first. He gazes it, almost hypnotized. He feels warm, happy. Some voices echo in his mind, telling him to touch it. Siegfried is feeling things much differently. In his mind, voices scream, telling him he's a failure, that he should've gotten to the light first. He crawls on the floor, unable to sustain the pain he's feeling. The knight's sensations begin to change. The light feels colder, the voices become paranoid, they're telling him he'll die.
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Siegfried is standing behind the knight. The bloodlust can be felt in the air. It's cold, very cold. Death is around the corner. Without uttering a word, Siegfried uses his chains to subdue the knight. They wrap around his neck, and the knight struggles. Siegfried tightens the grip; the chains apply more pressure on the knight's throat. Siegfried slowly crosses his arms. He doesn't know where all this strength comes from. The chains wrap around the knight's neck. His face begins to turn red, then slowly bluish. His lips feel like they'll burst any moment now. His eyes water from the pressure. His breathing is insufficient. He's blacking out. But it isn't enough for Siegfried. One more tug on the chains, one less moment of life for the knight. Starting to get tired, Siegfried brutally swings the chains, breaking the knight's neck.
Siegfried isn't quite sure of what happened. He slowly stumbles towards the light. There are no voices, no warmth nor cold. Nothing. Just a dead silence in Siegfried's mind, and a faint image on his head. When he touches the light, it expands. As if a wave of energy was triggered. Siegfried falls into the floor, without any strength left, he's ready to die.
The day breaks. Birds fly around above the trees. The sun rays penetrate through the forest and reach a body. A man, clad in full black armor, rests. He's alive, as he's breathing. He wakes up, without being sure where he is. He knows something is not right. For a moment, Siegfried still knows who he is. He begins to panic. Why am I in full armor?! Where is the knight?! These questions plague his mind. He goes for the horse, but the animal is scared, and tries to push him away. Siegfried is reminded of old folk. "Animals can see monsters. That's why cats hiss at nothing, dogs bark at night in full darkness, and horses are startled by familiar faces. There are monsters"
– Why? Why did this happen to me? – Siegfried begins to feel dizzy. As if his soul was trying to escape his body. He falls unconscious. The last sound he hears is the chirping of nearby birds, as if singing a goodbye melody to a dying man.
– Schwarzwald... my... grave... – Siegfried whispers, maybe to the forest itself.