" Please! Free us from the dark. " The old man said. His tear fell to the sand. Aaron quickly let go of his hands.
Disgust. The strong feeling overwhelmed him.
" Stop it. " He said.
" Sorry about that. " The old man apologized. "My heart just melted seeing the sight of you, Hero. Seeing the sand happily dancing. "
The duke frowned. He needed to talk with the leader about their deals. They had to get back before the sun was up as well. Their absence must not reveal in the house. Emperor will get suspicious of them and can take law into the account.
Aaron took another step back. He can feel the sand around him moving. It felt weird. The connection between him and the sand was real. As the old man said, they welcomed him. But it didn't explain the fear he felt during the journey.
Even now his sense was alert. Like he is facing a sharp blade on his neck. Fear of death had overwhelmed him a bit. While he was tracing his thought, the ground trembled. It trembled so heavily that the ceiling broke.
Death!
This word, this feeling came to manifest in front of Aaron. It mocked him. Something was looking down on him. He looked up.
Rock. Large rock from the ceiling fall. They are about to crush Aaron. His feet tensed up as if someone was grabbing him tightly. At that moment he felt the purest form of death. He can't move his hand. He can't activate the force field.
' Who? ' He thought. The question didn't match the situation.
His eyes caught a glimpse of light behind him. Pure white radiating warmth and hope to this shook.
" Slash. " Klytie shouted.
As the sound reached Aaron's ears. The rock in front of him disappeared. No. It transformed into countless dust.
Aaron looked behind. He saw Klytie holding his sword to support himself from falling. His face showered with fatigue.
"Glad. I made it in time. " He said with a smirk.
Aaron looked around. Maybe because the threat had been dealt with, he didn't feel dead anymore. His eyes widened in the face of another feeling, surprise.
The rock ceiling covering the whole village, had now, gone into dust. Aaron coughed. He runs toward Klytie to help him get up.
" That was amazing, Klytie. " Aaron said as he grabbed Klytie's shoulder. Lifting him, warping his body to support.
Klytir laughed. " That was nothing. Thank. I need to untie my flow. A sudden rush of energy ruins my flow so I can move my body much. But man, what was that shook? I feel evil in it. " He explained. His eyes checked every corner.
" Evil? " Aaron said. Although he didn't feel that kind of thing but he sure felt something.
Klytie nodded his head. There was no smile on his face. " I can't explain the feeling but it is condensed wrong. You could simply say evil but it is much more than that. Our Knight can tell right and wrong but reading the surrounding energy. That is the rule of the knight. "
He paused. Digesting his thought, "People's emotions affect surroundings. We, knights, read those emotions. This time all of evil. So evil that I am also a stunt. Otherwise, I can dust up those peddle quickly. " He struggled.
Aaron let go of Klytie's shoulder allowing him to move.
Klytie moved his arms, swinging. " See I recovered. "
Aaron nodded. He didn't surprise that much considering what he heard about knight vitality.
The duke walked toward them. " Why did you all put with that attack? " He asked, with a tone in his voice. He is angered about the situation. " What will happen if the enemy attacks us while you can't move? "
"Because of the innocent, my lord. " Klytie bowed his head. Showing his sorry. " Although my action doesn't meet your expectations, I hope you remember that my lord. Before I become a Ravenwood sword, I am the knight. "
Klytie stared into the duke's eyes. Say the wrong word and he can quit being the sword of Ravenwood. You can't question the knight rule. They are absolute.
" I see. " The duke said softly. "Let's move. If the quake is that strong, it will affect the House as well. We can't risk being weak right now. "
The knight nodded.
Aaron on the other hand looking for the old man. After the dust settle, he could hear the cry of the old man. He slowly walked. There was no moonlight. ' Strange. ' Aaron thought. He looked up again. The sky was pitch black. The earlier moon disappeared from view. Strange indeed.
" It is happening. "
He heard a cry or shout from the old man. For a moment he flinched at this desperate tone. FiFilledith terror. But the courage won the battle as he took another step.
Getting closer to the old man. He was indeed crying. Face planting on the ground. The old mamanolled around.
' Did the rock hit him? ' Aaron thought of a possibility.
" What's wrong? " He asked. Grabbing the dagger tightly under his cloak.
The old man looked up. A pair of grey eyes shone under the darkness. So bright that all the pain he felt disappeared. The old man smiled. He murmured faintly. " Hero. "
" What? " Aaron asked not hearing the word the old man said.
The old man suddenly launched at Aaron's legs. Tightly hugging.
" Hero. I am forgetting that you are here. " The old man laughed. " Ha. Ha. "
His laughter was madness. Losing his sanity. Aaron tried to shake off the old man. But he won't bug a little bit.
" What Hero? Stop it. Huh. You must know what is happening. Tell us. "
Laugh.
The old man stopped laughing. He looked up at Aaron. His face was filled with joy. But the left face was dripping, twitching.
" Seven Hell. The Hell has opened now. " The old man said.
" What Hell? You are mad. " Aaron yelled.
" Previous hero didn't manage to kill Walker. Hell followed Walker. They are awake. And now that hero born into this continent, the Walker will start again. "
" Aaron let's. "
He heard Klytie. The old man let go of his leg.
" Coming. " Aaron shouted. He turned around at the old man. Now the twisting on his face was fully complete. The skin melted the eyes dissolved from the socket.
Aaron saw the full terror of this supernatural phenomenon. He backed away from the old man.
The old man fall to the ground as he lost the support. His body twitched. On his skull, something was moving. No. His whole body is moving.
Something was eating inside the old man. This time Aaron fully took out his dagger.
Under his eyes, the full flesh-breathing old man turned into a skeleton. The skeleton moved its bones with an unknown force.
It stood up. Aaron felt great death from the skeleton. This death was different from the earlier one.
" The War will start now, Hero. " The force said.
Aaron didn't move.
A sudden force struck Aaron. The space around him shattered into million pieces. The dusty dry atmosphere dissolved into those pieces.
Complete darkness made him unaware of things.
Time passed.
Aaron found himself standing on nothingness. In front of him was a tablet of stone. A word of ancient was caved into the stone.
[ Sign Your name.]
The word is written on the tablet. He can read those ancient words.
His breath became louder.
He instantly knew what it mean to write his name on the tablet. Fate will take him into the war.
He scared. Afraid. He hated it.
He always hated everything. Chosen one. Hero.
Bullshit.
He didn't know what is happening. What is this place? He ran. He will be fated to the war.
He will be chained.
Like that night, it was all against his will. He panics. Running into nothingness. Run from the war. From the responsibility. The title hero was so heavy for him.
Aaron was a coward.
That day he lost him. A great heir of Ravenwood. The image he made. The shield he created to protect his inner child. All crumbled.