Ludwig then shook his head in the present, his "mother" Lorenna still throwing the expensive glasses at him to no avail, but he then took a step forward. Lorenna crawled back frantically, before she screamed "DO YOU NOT HAVE A HEART, AFTER EVERYTHING I DID FOR YOU? AND THIS IS HOW YOU REPAY ME?"
"A heart?" His voice became aggressive. "How am I supposed to have a heart when you ripped it from me the moment I learned the truth about what you had done!?" Ludwig yelled back, before swinging his sword in reverse grip at Lorenna.
Ludwig looked down at the dying body of Lorenna, who only had seconds left, but he would feel a single tear pour out of his eye. That single tear ran down his cheek, into the floor stained with blood. Although he deeply resented her, he could not escape the faint echoes of the 'happy' memories they shared. Memories now shattered, just like everything else.
"I should help Elias," Ludwig thought, but as he turned to leave, a violent crash from behind sent him tumbling back. A powerful shockwave blasted through the air, sending him sprawling, but he quickly stabilized himself by thrusting his sword into the ground.
"Lorenna, what a pitiful sight you are!" An unfamiliar, cold voice spoke through the dust cloud. Ludwig then saw a glimmer of light, a reflection from the tip of a blade. The dust still made the person responsible for the destruction hidden, but the light from the outside reflected at Ludwig.
Ludwig's heart dropped. Through the haze, he caught a glimmer of light—a reflection from the tip of a blade. As the dust settled, his shock grew. Upon closer inspection, he recognized the weapon, "Is that.."
"The Azure Family's Heirloom blade, The Moonlit Cleaver, a gift, a weapon forged by the first Azure, an heirloom reserved for.." The unfamiliar voice mocked in pride.
"The head of the family." Ludwig spoke in concern, "but it is such a shame, dear cousin..the prodigy, the one who would've led us to a brighter age." The unfamiliar voice mocked even more, with the dust cloud clearing up completely.
The man had black hair with white streaks, his eyes were slightly blue, but notably, he wore an outfit that resembled absolute royalty. "Ludwig..you were destined to become a man greater than Alwin himself! Yet you threw it all away! Look at you, you with your pitiful dull blade, a blade so dull I doubt it can even cut away the ties you have with this family, disgraceful..NO WONDER WHY YOU LEFT, YOU CARED TOO MUCH ABOUT YOUR DISGUSTING FILTH OF A BROTHER!" He yelled out loud.
Ludwig then saw movement, slow yet urgent crawling behind the wall, holding an arrow drawn at the man. It was Elias, yet he appeared determined, "Bernhard!" He roared as he fired the arrow, but the man slowly moved his head, then killed Elias by slashing him through the forehead.
"Bernhard.." Ludwig muttered, with the man hearing him mutter the name, "that's right, I was born a prodigy, someone with talent so great it rivals Ludwig himself, and that Ludwig is standing before me like a failure!" He said before Ludwig swiftly swung his longsword at him, but Bernhard was slightly faster, with the 2 swords clash making a clashing sound so loud it shattered the windows around them.
Ludwig then pushed him back before opening 2 gates, 1 in front of him and the other behind Bernhard, then he thrusted his sword through it, but he saw Bernhard vanish before appearing at the corner of his eye aiming to swing at his head. Ludwig ducked before kicking him up through the 2nd floor. He then tried to open another gate to do a follow up but Bernhard vanished then reappeared beside him, slashing him in the back.
Before Ludwig knew it, he was bombarded with attacks, around him, with him barely reacting to clash or evade it by opening a gate just in time, "my calibre allows me to teleport instantaneously! I can even travel faster than that starlit gate of yours!" Bernhard laughed.
Ludwig was primarily on the defensive, clashing and blocking every blow from Bernhard, but the bombardment was relentless, there was no opening, like being in the middle of an empty field in the pouring rain. Then Ludwig was stabbed through the side from behind.
"Oh dear cousin, such a sad sight to behold, you chose to live a life outside of the manor, so you fought like an outsider, yet you forgot the supremacy of the Azure Arts." Bernhard sighed in disappointment as he pulled the heirloom out of Ludwig's side, with Ludwig being defeated, falling onto the ground, still conscious yet gave up.