I brought down the reaping blade splitting the head of a monster open, like a rotten melon, grey matter and blood flew into the air, the blade moving impossibly fast. I should have felt scared but this struggle was easy. The monster had looked like a goat, mixed with a lion that somehow had the hands of a human and walked on two legs. There were thousands of similarly mismatched creatures around on this battlefield. The darkness was making yet another stand against the army of the light. That wasn't what really brought me to this battlefield, surrounded by the sounds of rage and dying. The fight alone brings me to the field. Sometimes I am not sure which side of the fight I should be on or if I really care. It isn't like my side wants me, or they wouldn't want me. If most of them knew me, most of them would kill me. Well cause me to stop existing, they wouldn't see it as killing. My people don't kill. I flicked my blades to clear some of the blood.

Another monster charged at me, the last mistake that thing would ever make. The shadow spawn wasn't much of a challenge. Being raised in crystal city did mean that I had available the best trainers in the world. Being me meant it didn't matter how available trainers were they probably wouldn't give me the time of day. The head of the charging monster fell at my feet and a quick flick brought down two more behind it. My unit was somewhere on this field but they no longer tried to keep track of me in the heat of battle. It was pointless anyway, they were my mother's people, warriors born and raised. If they knew what the elders knew they wouldn't come within a hundred paces of me. Unless it was to kill me, almost no wonder I didn't feel alive unless I was returning shadow spawn to the shadow. Not killing them as they were not alive by my definition. That was important to the light, we don't kill. Black blood flew into the air as I shook my blades.

We don't kill, guess I still think that way. As I stop my turn I feel the pendant on my necklace fall back against my chest. The city must agree with me still or that wouldn't stay. Every fallen body brings me another step farther out of line and I didn't care. Always so careful not to let anyone see the real me, always alone. Even in a crowd, surrounded and alone. Not too unlike the monsters that fall to my weapons. Though at least it is them returning to their maker and not me, yet anyway.

The commanders of this mutant army were wraith like creatures. They seemed to be made of wind and shadow, they were hardly there at all. The only real sign that they were really there, two glowing red eyes set into the moving black fog. The things were crazy fast and could wield a human sword. There were three commanding the forces of the shadow in this battle. Not uncommon when it comes to final stands to stop the humans from closing a hellmouth. A portal that lets the power of the shadow creep out into the world. Men open them, and then they die trying to close them again. Just one more cycle of creation. Stupid humans.

Another black and twisted body fell and I found myself looking at the back of a human knight. Quickly I moved back out in the mass of monsters before the human turned and saw me. The army of the light wasn't supposed to be seen and known by the outside world. We often turned the tide of battle for the humans but they never really knew we were there. Only fighting against the darkness, never really taking credit. Not really something I have a problem with.

Five more of the twisted beasts fell to my double blades before I realized the wraiths were intentionally leading me somewhere. No doubt they thought to get me to where they had the advantage. Six wraiths had already been dissipated by my blades in my short career. That more then the crystal weapons hanging on my hip was why my unit didn't try to follow me anymore. Well that and the last person who had followed me into the fray had not found his way back out. You don't have to feel bad about him, he was an ass anyway. He hadn't followed me to save me. He wanted to punish me, not an uncommon response I have found from people put in charge of me.

The army of the light was spread into units throughout the human lines. We were very careful about finding our dead before the humans could. The elves, the islee and the women in our ranks would be a dead giveaway that not all was how it should be. Well as the foolish humans thought it should be anyway. There was a bit of a smile on my face as I moved through the sea of black bodies. Parting them like some battle god out of legend.

There wasn't a scratch on me as I neared the back of the shadow's line. All three wraiths converged on me. My focus became keeping their black swords away from my body. You would think that the shadow would have been smart enough to figure out that I was most dangerous alone. I didn't have to hold back, there was no one around who I could hurt. More importantly to me there was no one to see. So I didn't hold back. The reaping blades hit the ground and flashed. As two scimitars appeared in their place. My own speed increased and the wraiths floated back. If they felt emotions I would almost say they were surprised. The crystal that formed the blades started to glow dimly. The blades that had hit the ground vanished. They would go back to the point I had set for them in my rooms. It kept the weapons for falling into enemy or human hands. It was incredibly annoying if the weapons got knocked out of your hands in combat. Fortunately for me masters rarely accidentally dropped their weapons in combat.

My vision seemed to get sharper as I brought the first wraith pain. My sword arched up and through the misty body but it moved before I could come in contact with it's right eye. My other sword caught the black blade that had been racing at my back from it's friend. I jumped to clear a second blade. It was a risky move but the air around me would seem to harden just when I needed it to keep me upright.

As I landed on the dirt again I knew that if any of my unit saw me like this they might scream and run from the field. They were all hardened warriors who had seen the field of battle more times then I had but there were some things that should stay legends. My blade slid right between the eyes of one of the wraith before it could float backwards. I turned the blade and pulled moving on to the next victim of my battle pride.

Over a third of the monsters that had the humans surrounded just fell to pieces. Apparently I killed the leader first. The problem with this was now a third of the human forces had no targets, they were starting to look around to find what had happened, it would only be a matter of time before they would notice me in this tree line. I don't think they would have noticed the wraith but noticing me would be bad for them. I broke and ran for thicker tree cover.

Normally I stay away from trees, I prefer a good cave or hill to the large overgrown fences. Most likely because my people, or my mother's people, didn't get along with the forces of the army that fight best in those trees. I was a desert dweller, descendant of the youngest brother, master of heat and rocks, an Islee. The people who made up the other half of the Army of light, they were forest dwellers, descendants of the older brother, slaves to fickle air and water, Elves.

There were more of the twisted monsters in the trees. I cut them down as I ran trying to make sure none of the humans noticed me. I stopped in a dark clearing, where the wraith finally got ahead of me. The shadow's mist had no mouth, it didn't need one. The monsters could all hear their bonded commander. They all drank the blood of any creature it came across. The mist could absorb your blood right out of your body. If you didn't have on armor that was magicked to keep them out.

These last two were doing a much better job of keeping me out of arms reach while trying to wear me down. They seemed to be growing frustrated as I still wasn't slowing down. If you could say mist looks frustrated. Suddenly one of the two seemed to get distracted by something in the background, I didn't hesitate. I drove one of my blades between the glowing eyes. I got the impression that the thing smiled at me as the mist fell apart. I turned to block the last one but it wasn't there. A strange silvery arrow was sticking out of the ground where I had expected the wraith to be.

I looked up into the branches of the nearest tree. Lifting my blades in front of me to try and protect myself from what was up there. An elf hopped down like gravity was no problem. I knew those bright green eyes. I had seen them across the sparring arena often enough. He was the only creature I had ever met that could keep up with me, not that we had fought a fair fight. In training, I was always holding back. It was too dangerous for me to let go in the city. Even still he had won more then one match against me, not that I ever thought it really counted, but it was more than anyone else had ever managed. I had lost to a few people but I didn't even count those, not when I had to fight with two arms tied behind my back and normally even more rules on top of that since I was 18. Still this elf was the only person to ever win more than once against me.

I wasn't surprised when he launched himself at me. I was surprised that he dropped his bow first. We struck and the world seemed to flash for a moment. I didn't take the time to get my bearings, the elf was going to kill me. I had no reason to believe his oath would stop him, if he believed I was shadow spawn, which he would because of how I looked, he could kill me.

The oath bound me on the other hand. I still couldn't fight him with the intention of killing him. Not that I would want to, the army didn't need to lose both of their best fighters just because I had gotten caught up in a fight. I wasn't sure what I saw in the bright green eyes that were trying to find a weakness in my stance while not giving an inch. We were rivals and I really didn't want to give this pampered prince the glory of killing me. I was still hopeful his unit would stumble across us while we locked swords and kill me before he got the chance. That would serve him right, dropping his bow. Elves were cowards, and the best marksmen in the world. He had managed to vanquish a wraith with a silver arrow after all. He should have just shot me.

He landed quite a few scratches breaking off a piece of my armor. I returned him blow for blow but somehow I was definitely tiring first. The trees kept getting in my way like they were moving to put themselves between me and him for some reason. I came around another tree and had to stop short, the prince's blade was level with my throat.

Even in this form my skin was not strong enough to stop a crystal blade. I looked up at the prince's green eyes with a racing heart when the blade didn't take my head from my shoulders. I didn't lose very often, not even to my instructors even when I was more focused on keeping my monsters inside then on the fight. When I did lose it was always to him. This was the first time I had been fighting just him, and still lost. The monster in me growled, it had lost this time to someone other then me, I wasn't sure what it was going to do.

The moments stretched out as our breathing returned to normal, "You really should have changed weapons, you never have been as good with a sword." He didn't put the sword he had against my neck down. I still hadn't surrendered after all, but I hadn't really thought surrender would be an option if any one caught me in this form, let alone if an elf did.

"You shouldn't have dropped your bow." I stood up slowly. The prince let me stand but he put a little force on the blade making me take a step back. I felt the bark of the tree against my back. My backplate must have fallen off when he removed the right arm of my armor. He wasn't in great shape and I was recovering a little faster then him.

My eyes widened when he leaned in. I even dropped my swords in surprise as he kissed me. That was not a response I had been expecting. He was my rival, he was always just one step behind me. He had to hate me, right? I hated him. Didn't I? He pulled back and pulled his sword away as well. "I like that look better." He sheathed his weapon, turned his back on me and started to walk away.

I only had two plain knives on me. They were back ups if I dropped all of my better weapons. The reapers had not been my first choice in weapon and I never carried more then three sets of Crystal weapons onto a battlefield with me. "Why?"