Lord Pierre caught the attention of the Knight's Company as they began to realize the extent of his influence. They noticed its eagle-head pommel, believing that he had acquired it after Grand Capital was rebuilt. They told Aace, but he was unable to remove his sword.
"The Dagger beckons me to take it. But I shall not fall to sin. I am not Hannibal. I'm not Failer. I've lost too many to fall to the will of evil. But I still can't lift my DAMN SWORD!"
Aace's voiced quivered as he began to weep. The Company did not know what to do, seeing as how they did not know how to fight against a pure vessel of evil. Then they heard the screams. The Knights rushed to the balcony of the keep and looked down to see the city burning in the midst of civil war and chaos. The knights rushed down, however they could not find Lord Pierre. Lord Pierre had hidden himself in the keep, reveling in how the city burned and it's people turned against one another.
Aace tried and tried to lift his sword, but couldn't. Then he reached deep within himself. He reached to the very fiber of his being. As Lord Pierre walked in, sword drawn he challenged Aace. Aace was sixty two years old, and he struggled to get up from the pedestal, still reaching within himself, but he still could not lift his sword. Pierre began his attack, and Aace felt that warmth again. The warmth when he escaped from Dragonrock. The warmth when he fought Hannibal. He felt it, and allowed it to take over. A blade of fire manifested from the Firestone. Aace then began his battle with Lord Pierre.
The streets below were filled with chaos. Men raped and murdered each other's wives and children. They fought as if they were animals. The Knights used what magic they could, and they tried to break up and end this chaos. Several explosions went off, destroying homes and killing hundreds.
Aace was old, but he was powerful. Lord Pierre was quick, slicing Aace as he danced around him. Aace's blade of fire began to dim, then Lord Pierre struck down the pedestal, releasing the sword and Feathered Dagger. Aace fell, the Dagger to his left, the sword on his right. He was overwhelmed with temptation to take the Dagger. But he resisted, reaching for his sword. But the temptation of the Dagger beckoned. Lord Pierre stepped in to strike the final blow, and Aace was able to grab his sword, swinging not at Pierre, but at the Feathered Dagger. The Dagger was destroyed and it released a wave of energy, destroying the upper levels of the entire Keep, leaving only the courtyard appearance of the trophy room.
The Knights shielded themselves when the keep exploded, trying to protect people who kept trying to kill them. They would not bend to the chaos. They would not submit to it. They were the hope of Graiigreald, the King's brothers. The Knight's Company. They began to bark out orders, the people beginning to stop fighting.
Aace got up from the explosion, same as Lord Pierre. They began their dance, Aace fully allowing the sword to flow through him, allowing the warmth to well inside him. He fought with the same speed and prowess as he did when he fought side by side with Sir Peter. He allowed himself to be overwhelmed with his nature. He was the Unifer, the Great Challenger, the King of Graiigreald, Lord Knight of the Knight's Company. He was the people's hero, defender of Symphonia, wielder of magic. He was the the one who defeated Hannibal the Tyrannical. He would not allow chaos to rule. He fought with Lord Pierre on the ruined castle, the people fighting below. Then, Lord Pierre prepared his stance. Without a question in his body, he went for the head. Aace's sword cut through the Eagle Sword as if it were not even there, the blade turning into dust, whirling into Aace's sword releasing its bright wave of light as it did so. Lord Pierre lied dead on the floor, his head rolled to a corner. Aace's sword had now four heads on its pommel. Then the pommel began to glow, turning into a globe-like orb, shining with light. Then the light went out and the sword turned to rust with a strong wind blowing the sword to pieces. Aace then felt every wound he had ever suffered. The warmth left him, and he became cold. He dropped to the ground as he began to bleed.
Lord John quickly made it to Aace's side to hear his final words.
"The city will be destroyed. Gather the Company and save who you can of the city. I am going now, but Unity shall not. The Company will protect the land. Be safe, my friend."
Lord John weeped as Aace's life left his eyes. He honored his king's dying words, gathering the Knight's Company and evacuating the city. The entire city then fell into dust. When the smoke cleared, the Misted Lake was all that remained. The people gathered to the shore and looked on as the Company swam to the island in the center, now adorned with a headstone and sword balanced perfectly on top. Lord John the read out the words on the headstone: "Here lies King Aace the Unifier of Graiigreald, the Great Challenger of King Failer, liberator of the people from Hannibal the Tyrannical, Lord Knight of the Knight's Company."
The headstone then spoke a prophesy:
"No wind can sway it. No earthquake can knock it down. No man can wield it. It shall move when evil returns and so it shall be wielded only by the one who is just."
The people then knelt down, and in unison, lead by Lord John, said, "Rest in Peace, Unifer."