I remember the first time that I saw her..
Her grace enveloped my entire being. It calmed my entire soul, as that moment was nothing but a distant dream.
It was only a fleeting moment, a swift occurrence that should not be that important. But it is..
For her it must've been a normal day, and a usual moment in her life.
Yet I remember it very much, so much to the point that it has engraved itself in my brain.
That memory..
That day..
And the blinding light that she showed me.
*
It rained.
It rained really hard.
The splattering sounds of raindrops bounced on the pavement and flowed down the roofs of the houses in Elrod.
The barren streets were being flooded by the rigorous amount of rain.
But what flowed further down is the crimson liquid of blood.
A pool formed on the floor, mixing itself with the raindrops. A body lay on the ground, lifeless and hollow, its eyes were devoid of any signs of life, and the body was unmoving.
Standing in front of it is a boy, about 12 years old, holding a sharp blade in his hands, all bloodied and messed.
He panted, feeling the adrenaline coursing through his veins.
His eyes were clouded by pure fury and rage, a long lasting feeling that he bottled for as long as he could think.
The rain did well to wash away the blood on his body and on the corpse, it flowed down a drain as if the scene of murder were being hidden by the nature itself.
The boy had a wet light-golden hair, disordered while stretching down his shoulders.
He wore tattered clothing that symbolized his status in life.
Of course, the boy was dirt poor. Basing on his appearance alone, one could already tell that he was someone that was born unlucky in the world or rather.. born from a sinner.
In fact, the body that lay on the floor is his own father which was killed by his own hands.
How could a boy so innocent and oblivious about the world possibly commit such an ominous act of taking another life?
The answer was simple..
A deep contempt and fueled rage.
It was not that deep, the boy hated his father so much to the point where he took his life.
The boy could not express his emotions quite well at that time.
"You..."
Suddenly, a white-haired girl appeared behind him. She wore clean clothing which did not suit the area that she was in and her short hair was wet due to the rain.
But what captivated the boy deeply was her eyes..
It stared at him, testing his Soul and looking straight through him.
For her it was normal to study the boy's intentions and mind.
But to him.. it was the first time that someone had cared for him, even sparing a mere glance at his direction.
He asked:
"Miss.. is this- a dream?"
The girl did not answer for seconds as the surroundings turned hazy for a moment.
His eyesight suddenly turned dazed and blurry as if he had fallen into a deep slumber.
Then.. after a few seconds, the girl let out a soft and warm voice that gave comfort to the boy's Soul.
"It's not." She moved closer to the boy and kneeled down to reach his level.
"This.. is reality."
The boy stared at his bloodied hands and the raindrops washed the viscous liquid away.
"Then, why is it so painful?"
"I know."
He stared at her face with a pained expression, tears rushed out from his eyes.
"From now on, you shall become my knight. Your sole purpose is to serve me and me alone. You will become my blade and I will become your wielder."
She looked directly at the boy's teary eyes.
"This pain of yours should no longer be shared."
The reality cracked as if shattering glass shards exploded out in a second.
Bodies upon bodies lay on top of each other, there were maybe 15 or so people around and the boy with light-golden hair stood in the middle of it.
But.. in his perspective, he was only seeing a single body belonging to his Father.
In reality, he killed his Father and the gang that he brought with him.
The boy cried and cried, yet his voice never came out of his throat.
The boy was born a mute, incapable of speaking nor expressing his emotions through words.
But in this dream.. a joyous dream, he was achieving the thing that he longed for the most.
The white-haired girl spoke out once more.
The rain screamed along with her calm words.
"Rage- and resent everything with your voice. For you are my song and blade, the epitome of my desire!"
"..."
"Rise up.. dear Lancelot, the Dream's Melody."
*
'That's right... I remember now.'
Lancelot, who wore a skin-tight black cloak, sped through the countless of Faceless in order to reach the Seraphim in front of him!
His Lance exploded and destroyed everything in its path.
He gritted his teeth as the sonic shockwaves formed by his speed echoed in his ears and destroyed his eardrums.
'I can't hear anything..'
He has long surpassed the speed of sound and was now moving at a relatively faster pace.
A deep feeling of dread touched his heart and made him falter but he pressed on and continued to head towards the Seraphim.
His arms, legs, and limbs started to tear apart. Skin by skin, fiber by fiber, and muscle by muscle, his entire body contorted and bled out in great pain.
Effectively, the black cloak kept his physical being intact and in one piece.
He screamed yet his voice was not heard. Perhaps it was due to his destroyed eardrums?
He did not know.
What he knew was he had to kept pressing forward.
One person faced millions of abominations and a Hallowed-rank being.
It could be said to have been suicide.. but in his eyes, it was a final stand.
He exerted his Soul, and surpassed the physical limits of his body. All while he was succumbing to a deep dread and sorrow encasing his heart.
It grew louder and a memory passed by once more.
---------
In it, he was clad in armor and tidied up. A great contrast when compared to a few years back when he lived in the outskirts.
He bowed to the Queen who was sitting atop the throne and showed his respects.
After that, he stood up and received her grace.
"Why did you appoint me as the Head Knight, your majesty?"
"Hmm.."
Her eyes radiated the same warmth as that night where the rain screamed loudly in the streets.
"Because you are the one that aligns perfectly with that role.."
"Even though I am just a mere sinner?" He contested.
She smiled warmly.
"It is precisely because you are a sinner.."
---------
In a second he reached the crater where the Seraphim flew above.
With his momentum, Lancelot leaped and reached heights that had never achieved before!
"RRRRAHHHHHHH!"
He did not know whether a scream was let out of his throat or not. But he still opened his mouth to show his rage, his fury towards the Seraphim.
He held the lance with one hand and pulled it back.
Memories from his life flashed right in front of him.
He saw the memory of his charge towards the Ancient War and how he led his men to victory.
He saw the first meeting of him and Cassius, his right hand man.
He saw the moment when the Queen ascended from Beyond to Hallowed.
He saw the memory of his battle against Titus, the Giant.
He saw the memory of his leadership in..
He saw the memory...
He saw...
He..
..
..
...
I saw the memory of the white-haired girl showing me her grace, appointing me as her first knight.
I became her Song and her Blade.
I became her desire and voice.
She granted me this Path.
She granted me this Attunement.
It was thanks to her that I've even managed to live this far..
But sometimes I ask myself..
Was this a Dream?
Or was it reality?
If so...
Then why is it so painful?
..
...
..
Lancelot threw his lance with great force, piercing through the Seraphim and pinning Her to the ground!
A second passed and a large explosion covered the entire battlefield, engulfing the millions of Faceless and Lancelot in its wake!
The explosion happened for a minute, sending shockwaves throughout the entire city and decimating the outer walls and houses inside.
But the job was done..
The Seraphim was dead, killed by Lancelot's own hands.
Was he still alive? Perhaps so..
He walked through the rubbles and desolation caused by his destruction.
Searching for the Seraphim which he had just killed.
A shining light gleamed in the clouds of dust, Lancelot made his way in its direction.
The runes didn't announce his victory yet.. nor did it announce the death of millions of Faceless.
He got closer to the light.. walking slowly towards it and feeling the warmth of his lance..
"Almost there.."
He walked through ashes of Faceless bodies and bones that were clearly burned to crisp.
"So... close."
His knees weakened as the feeling of dread grew more intense in his body.
"I'm..."
He fell on the ground but did not stop.
Lancelot crawled on the ashen wasteland and struggled to move his weakly body.
And then..
"Finally."
He made his way to the light, engulfing him in its radiance and filling the entire surroundings with a white glow.
*
In that white space, Lancelot saw himself as a kid once more.
He turned back into that wet and kid from the outskirts that did not even know how to read and write yet.
He wore tattered and dirt-cheap clothes, clearly expressing his status in life.
In front of him, was a white haired girl who wore clean clothing that suited the area.
Lancelot was the one wearing clothing that did not suit the white area..
"You.."
He glanced at her, carefully scanning her every move.
Then.. he asked:
"Is this.. a dream?"
The girl turned around to stare at the light-golden haired boy with tattered clothing. Then, she let out a soft and warm voice towards him.
"..Yes."
"I see."
In the blinding light, Lancelot turned back to his current self.
His hair was streaked with blood as it dyed it crimson red. He was wearing the usual steel armor and there was a sheathed rapier on his waist.
He chuckled.
"It's so damn painful..."