posted February 09, 2004 12:56 AM         

-Final Chapter: The Divine Knight and the Legendary Sword-

It had been six days since the unknown Demon Army appeared in Ditreland and began attacking the kingdom. Many lives have been lost and the Royal Army, made up of just Red Mages, were doing little but slowing down the advancement of the Demon forces which were now heading towards the Capital of Ditreland. Princess Serenity resides in the Palace talking with her General and Captains to try and form some kind of plan to defeat the relentless horde of monsters seeking to destroy the peace of the land. “The frontline isn’t going to hold much longer. They won’t last for another night and the Demon Army keeps sending wave after wave of attacks. The food for the frontline has ran out and our soldiers haven’t rested for 3 days. Not even our magic is having much of an effect on the beasts” The General said out loud to the rest of the room. They were sitting in a single room at a well-crafted oak table with a red carpet covering the stone floor. The room was high up in the keep, which was very well guarded by Red Mages.

Suddenly two figures enter the Palace and make their way through the Grand Hall to the main stair case leading up to the High Council Room. “There is no one in the Kingdom left that can stand up against the might of the Demon Army” One of the Captains said. “What about Dias? If anyone is capable of standing up against those monsters he is” Another Captain suggested. “Its true Dias is a very skilled swordsman and is considered by most of the Kingdom as the Hero of Ditreland. However, he isn’t going to just come to our aid and fight off an entire Army. He is after all still considered not part of the military and even if he did agree to help us there is no way one man can challenge such odds” The General commented. The Princess looked down lost in thought from hearing Dias’ name. She was worried about him since the last time she saw him he was badly injured after fighting Necron one of the Demon Army Generals. “Princess? Are you alright?” The General asked with a worried tone. “You fool don’t you remember? Dias was injured during a fight with one of the enemy Generals that was attacking Ceiran Village” A Captain said as he hit the man’s arm. “Yeah he is probably dead now so there is no use in looking for him” A rude Captain said under his breath. “Stop it!” Serenity said as she stood up from her seat and slammed the table with her hands. Tears were forming in her eyes as well as anger from what the men were saying. “Dias isn’t dead. I know he isn’t. He would never lose to those evil monsters. He is alive somewhere I just know it” Serenity said with a tone of determination. “But your highness he was badly injured from what the report says, its possible that he might have succumbed to his injury” The General said trying to reason with her. “No, Dias is too strong to let something like an injury beat him. I know he’s out there alive somewhere” Serenity said.

The room became silent with everyone thinking about what to say. Suddenly, the voice of one of the Red Mages standing guard outside the room could be heard. “Hey you wait, you can’t go in there without permission” The guard said. Everyone in the room had a puzzled look on their faces as they wondered who it was. Then, the door came flying open throwing a slight gust of wind out towards everyone. A lone figure stands in the doorway looking in at everyone. Serenity’s eyes widened as the shadows obscuring the figures face lifted revealing it to be Dias. The General and the Captains gasped as they thought their eyes were playing tricks on them. Serenity without a second thought rushed to Dias and leaped into his arms to embrace him. Tears of joy were streaming down her face as her hope and faith was rewarded. Dias had come back to her at last. “I knew you were alive. You ever do anything like that again and I’ll kill you” She said smiling and crying at the same time. Dias wrapped his arms around her to comfort her. Standing behind Dias was another man wearing a mask with a long red cape and black ninja garbs with silver linings. He was leaning back against the wall with his arms crossed. Strapped to his side was a black metal sheath. In the sheath was a truly evil sword with a demonic appearance. The ninja looking man was Rane, the Tainted Swordsman and Dias’ life long rival. “Dias you can save the romance for after the Demon Army is gone” Rane said with his usual “whatever” tone of voice. The second Rane said this Dias and Serenity quickly stepped back away from each other. Serenity was blushing but regained herself and then walked back to her seat. One Captain got up and got a seat for Dias to sit down on. Rane entered the room shortly after but didn’t sit down. He remained standing with his arms crossed listening to the others speak.

“What is the current situation?” Dias asked. The General stood up and walked away from the table over to a desk in the corner. When he returned he was holding a rolled up parchment which appeared to be old due to the color of the paper. He laid it out on the table revealing it to be a map of the Kingdom. The General then carefully placed his index finger on the eastern edge of the map and slowly ran his finger on the map. “The Demon Army appeared from the east and traveled to Exstrine where they attacked Fort Vanguard. Before we were informed of this the fortress had already been taken over by the enemy. Our scouts say that they have turned the fortress into some sort of demonic stronghold where most of their forces are stationed” The General said as he moved his finger over to the Capital where they all were presently at within the Royal Palace. “A large force of about 8000 are trying to break through our frontlines. Our forces are dwindling, the hope of our soldiers is fading, and the Demon Army keeps sending in reinforcements. It won’t take them long to reach the capital once they clear the frontline” The General stated. Dias examined the map for a few seconds. “Hmm…….how many do you have stationed in the Capital and Palace?” Dias asked. “3000 if we bring in all Palace guards, retired soldiers, and our units from the other towns. Problem though is that it will take at least a day for them to travel here” The General replied. Dias thought for a moment. “If we can reinforce the frontline to hold back the enemy long enough for all our forces to gather in the Capital and setup defenses then we should be able to get enough time to infiltrate their Stronghold and kill their leader. Demons aren’t exactly loyal to each other and can’t really work together properly. Once their leader is gone they will fall apart” Dias said with a firm voice. “But there is no way we can sneak a force in without them knowing about it” A Captain spoke up. “Then we won’t send in a force. I’ll go. It will be easier to get in with only one and it would be a bad idea to send soldiers that would be better off here to help defend the Capital” Dias said showing no fear in his voice and made it sound almost like a challenge to the Demon Army. Serenity looked up at Dias with an expression which didn’t need words to describe. It showed in her eyes that she didn’t want him to go. She almost lost him once and didn’t want to go through that again. “Even if this plan does work how are we going to reinforce the frontline long enough to keep the Demons back for an entire day?” Another Captain said who had been sitting there silently the whole time listening to everyone. Rane uncrossed his arms and walked closer to the table. “I’ll do it. 8000 Demons sounds like a good opportunity to try out some new techniques I was going to use on Dias” Rane said with his low voice. A small laugh at the end of his words gave way to everyone wondering if he meant what he said or if he was simply joking. It was finally decided. Rane would head off to the frontline to give them support in fighting off the Demon forces while the Military would gather all of their remaining forces at the Capital to give Dias enough time to sneak into the enemy stronghold and kill the Demon Army Commander.

Rane had already set out to the front without saying a word as he usually does. Dias was just getting ready to leave. He walked through the Grand Hall and was just about to walk out but stopped when he heard his name called. The voice was well known by him and was kept in his heart. The lovely voice which sounded as pure as a peaceful day on a wide open field with the sun shining down keeping the darkness of night away. He turned around and saw Serenity running to him. She slowed down and then stopped when she reached him. She looked up at him into his bright blue eyes which were so calm and looked strong that she felt at ease. “You don’t have to do this. You aren’t actually with the army. You can stay here” She said trying so hard to figure out a way to get him to change his mind and not go. She knew that there was a chance he would die and she didn’t know what she would do if that happened. “I must go. I’m the only one capable of doing this. If I don’t then the entire Kingdom will be destroyed and there won’t be anywhere for us to go” Dias replied. He didn’t want to leave either but his words were true. If he didn’t go then everything and everyone would be lost. Dias moved his foot and was about to turn around when suddenly Serenity leaped forward and wrapped her arms around him. Tears formed in her eyes. She didn’t want to let him go and she knew there was no way to stop him. “Please don’t go. Stay here with me. I can’t bear to risk losing you again. Each day without you seemed like an eternity. Please” Serenity said pleading for him not to go. Dias also put his arms around her. Fate had dealt him this path and he wished that there were some way he could prevent it from happening. He placed his strong hands on her shoulders and moved her away from him. “I promise I will protect you and that we will see each other again after all of this is over. Wait for me, I will come back to you” Dias said. His words were calming her. They looked into each other’s eyes deeply. Then Serenity leaned towards him and they kissed while closing their eyes. Serenity then leaned back as they opened their eyes again. Dias backed away and bowed his head to her. He then turned around with his cape flapping behind him as he left the Palace. “Be careful Dias…………”

It had been 10 hours since Dias left the Palace. Rane had been at the frontline enjoying himself while killing Demons. The fact that he was half Demon didn’t stop him from killing them either and it also seemed to give him more pleasure in it. Dias had already passed the frontline and was half way to the stronghold. Night had covered the land and caused the Demons to become more fearsome and violent in their attempts at breaking through the frontlines, which were losing moral and numbers greatly with each passing, second. Not even Rane was able to hold back 8000 enemies all at the same time and he was busy with the west side of the frontline since he was basically the only one still alive fighting there while the east side was still keeping them at bay. However, the center was weakening so it wouldn’t be long till the Demons broke through.

Dias reached the ruined town which was setup around the fortress which had now been twisted into a stronghold with the appearance as evil as its creators. In the town were tents and campfires where a great deal of Demons were residing. They were obviously meant for a final attack on the Capital and they numbered well over 10000. Dias carefully entered the town without the Demons taking notice. He moved through the shadows as swift and as silent as a Ninja would only that should he be caught he would not be able to hide or get away as good as one. He turned into an alleyway and began to run down it. The ground was muddy and stained with blood of men and women with their bodies not too faraway either. A Demon who was on guard duty looked down at the ground near the alleyway and saw a foot print in the mud. It then looked into the alleyway and saw Dias running. It let out a roar and called out to the other Demons. “It’s a Human! Kill him!” It cried out. The voice was so loud that every Demon the town would hear it. Dias didn’t stop and kept on running knowing that the guard was chasing him as he heard the sound of its feet slamming into the mud. Dias run out of the alleyway and was in one of the main roads where he found himself in the presence of 20 Demon soldiers fully armed with different weapons and armor. “That was a bad way to go” Dias thought to himself as he removed his sheath from the left side of his belt and held it at the top with his left hand. His right hand grasped the hilt of the sword as he bent down. Three Demons charged him with spears aimed at his chest. “Blade Rush” Dias said as his eyes flashed and he dashed forward. He came to a halt behind the three Demons who were standing completely still. Suddenly, their spearheads were cut off and their bodies fell to the ground. In what appeared to be one slash of his sword Dias had killed each one cutting their weapons and armor in half. Dias’ main aspect was his focus. It was what made him so deadly. His level of focus and concentration made him seem unstoppable and allowed him to find the weak points in anything making strength and defense worthless against him. He was truly unrivaled by any living being in this aspect. Five more Demons came at him with swords. Dias brought up his metal sheath and blocked the first one which was slashing downwards at him. Dias then countered by pushing the Demon back and off balance by kicking it in the ankle. The Demon stumbled backwards as Dias spun around and took its head off with Althena’s Light (Remember, this is before he left Ditreland so he still has his two original swords). Continuing this action was a swift kick to the temple of the second Demon which sent it tumbling to the ground also dead. The third Demon was much larger and bulkier then the others. It wielder a much larger sword and its actual length became apparent when it was slashed at Dias from the left side. Dias quickly reacted by ducking under the blade and then countering by moving forward and slashing in an upwards arch cutting right through the Demon splitting it in two. Dias jumped up and kicked the broad side of the massive sword sending the sharpened edge of the blade into the fourth Demon cutting its chest in half. Dias landed on the ground and looked behind him to see the fifth Demon coming at him trying to also do a downward slash. Dias turned around and knocked the Demon’s sword to the side to the right while he followed it up by slamming his metal sheath into the Demon’s throat breaking its neck due to the force of the blow at the precise point sending the actual damage of the sheath to the bone in the neck. The Demon dropped to the ground as Dias sheathed his sword and looked at the other Demons running at him. He quickly thought of a way out and suddenly looked at the lowed roof of one of the ruined buildings. He ran towards the Demon and jumped up above them. Dias planted his foot on one of their heads and kicked off of it jumping to the roof where the Demons could not reach him. Without looking back Dias instantly took off again jumping from rooftop to rooftop heading towards the stronghold with every Demon in the town looking for him.

Back at the frontlines the Demon forces had finally broken through the soldiers and were heading towards the Capital ignoring Rane. “Hey! I didn’t say you could leave yet!” Rane said as he sheathed his sword. “Dark Blade Rush” He said as he dashed towards the Demons who had broken through passing them all. He came to a stop and then spun around to face them. He sheathed his sword the “Devil’s Tear” and right after he did this 500 Demons were thrown backwards with their body parts cut off and their blood shooting out of them. Rane stood in the way of the entire force and smiled. “What is the sense in attacking me with such numbers when not one of you are skilled enough to beat me. YOU PATHETIC FOOLS! Zanmoto…….” Rane said as he slashed his sword out of its sheath releasing darkness which covered the small area. 2000 flashes of light could be seen outside of the darkness. The evil atmosphere faded away and when it did it revealed Rane standing with his back turned to the enemy and his sword just clicking back into its sheath. 2000 Demons lay on the ground without life in them. This was the technique he had created to kill Dias with. Rane turned around and looked at the endless numbers still coming even after he had used his final attack. “That attack used most of my energy. I won’t be able to fight at my best until after I have rested and regained my energy” Rane said as he stepped into the shadows of nearby trees and vanished without a trace. The frontline was gone and the Demons were now heading for the Capital. However, the plan had worked so far and the defenses had been setup. 3000 Red Mages and Knights were gathered in the Capital fully armed and rested for battle. The Demon Army would soon reach the Capital.

Princess Serenity stands alone in her chambers preparing her armor and sword. She would also aid in protecting her people which had all gathered in the Palace. Suddenly, the lights dimmed as a flash of darkness filled the chambers. In a second the darkness lifted revealing a figure clad in red armor with a black cape. In its right hand was a Great Sword with a red blade and an ivory hilt. A red helmet which only showed two glowing yellow eyes which were starring at the Princess hid the figure’s face. “Who are you?” Serenity demanded as she quickly drew her Bastard Sword from its sheath throwing the sheath to the floor as she took up her fighting stance. The figure only laughed and then snapped its fingers. 2 Demonic Ninjas rose out of the shadow of the figure one with a Katana and the other with a Kodachi. Serenity glared at them both and remembered her combat lessons that Dias had taught her. The one with the Katana came first. It charged forward moving across the room like a silhouette running from the light of day. Within seconds it was above Serenity poised to attack. However, Dias taught her better than that. Serenity put her sword up in front of her to block the attack with her left hand resting on the broad side of the blade. The Katana hit the Bastard Sword. Suddenly, as if it were an instinct, Serenity pushed to the right on the blade knocking the Katana aside leaving the Ninja completely open for an attack. Serenity turned and slammed the bottom of her hilt into the side of the Demon’s head. The Ninja released the Katana and fell on the floor along side it, dead. The second Ninja was up now. It wasted no time and instantly dashed at Serenity after seeing the other Ninja drop. Serenity looked to her side and saw the Ninja would soon be upon her. Before it could though she raised her left hand and aimed it at the Demon. Chanting the words within her head she created an Ice Shard to appear in front of it with its sharp pointed end aimed at the Ninja. He shot forward and pierced the Ninja’s armor stabbing right into its chest sending it backwards and pinning it to the wall behind the figure. Serenity resumed her stance and was now focused on the figure. “Hahahahaha! It would seem you are very skilled with a sword. Let’s see how well you measure up to me” The figure said as it stood sideways holding its sword at its side. Serenity sprinted towards the figure with he sword held low by her right side ready to strike. When she got close enough she slashed upward attempting to hit the figure in the left side. The figure stepped back while bringing up its sword blocking the attack. Serenity quickly rebounded by spinning around and slashing from the left trying to cut off its head. However, when she did this the figure reached up and grasped the blade of her sword with its open free hand halting the attack with ease. The figure then turned its hand and snapped the blade in two. Serenity jumped back throwing the broken sword at the figure which easily deflected it away with its own sword. The figure began walking towards her. His appearance made him seem like a large obelisk which had come to life. Serenity closed her eyes as a wind was formed around her. A blue aura appeared surrounding her as he eyes opened. This was Heraldy Magic the lessor form of the magic used by the Heralidic Race an ancient people who were born with the ability to cast magic using life force instead of Mana. A sphere of rainbow light formed in the center of her hands which were parallel with each other in front of her chest. “Estra calester………..Ether Blast” Serenity spoke as she fired the sphere at the figure. The sphere turned the air particles into blue light which wrapped around it. The figure brought its hand up again and braced himself. The sphere was grabbed by the figure surging with energy which violently tried to rip apart its entire arm. The armor of the left arm blew off and the arm itself was being burned and injured from the energy which kept lashing out at the figure. The figure’s eyes suddenly gleamed with a red light as a red aura appeared around him matching his armor. The negative energy gathered around the sphere and overwhelmed it. The sphere was corrupted and became part of the figure’s energy. Serenity backed up one step just as the figure launched the blast back at her. The blast streamed by her missing its target on purpose. The force from the blast was enough to send Serenity flying backwards and smacking up against the wall. The red aura left the figure as it walked towards her. Serenity slowly stood back up only to be punched in the stomach. The blow knocked her unconscious. The figure lifted her up and put her over his left shoulder. “Heh, not good enough. This should prove to be very entertaining indeed. HAHAHAHAHA!” The figure laughed as the darkness filled the room again. A few seconds later the darkness lifted with no trace of the figure or the Princess.

Dias was almost at the stronghold when he suddenly stopped and looked in the distance in the direction of the Capital. A worried feeling came over him as if he could sense something bad had happened. “Serenity………” Dias thought. His mind became flooded with her image and the possibility that this feeling might have been caused by something happening to her. His thoughts came back as he felt he wasn’t safe on the rooftops anymore. He looked to his sides and saw Demons on the nearby roof tops with guns aimed at him. Without even thinking about it Dias instantly started to sprint along the rooftop. The Demons began to fire at him sending bullets streaming towards him. Dias was trying his best to sense each bullet and, thankfully for them not really being that skilled at accuracy, he was able to dodge them regardless of how many of them were actually shooting at him. Suddenly, a loud roaring sound like a large generator being activated could be heard from the east. The wind began to pick up as dust was being thrown into the air from the ash made from the burning houses. A large structure began to rise from the town. At first glance it looked like a large boat. It was an Air Ship which was being built by the Kingdom. This town must have been where it was being constructed and now it was in control of the Demon Army. Dias was still running away from the gunfire while looking at the massive ship which was now flying above the town. Side hatches on the ship’s hall opened with cannons aimed right at him. Without any warning the cannons were fired launching 3 cannon balls towards Dias. The first shot hit the building to his left destroying it as well as killing the Demons with guns on that side. The second shot also was off target and hit the building on his right also destroying it along with the Demons. As said before these Demons weren’t exactly ace marksmen. Finally the third shot was coming but this time it was aiming for Dias. Seeing this, Dias quickly stopped and jumped backwards just narrowly evading it as the blast crashed through the rooftop and into the ruined building. The building began to crack and it was obvious that it wouldn’t be standing for long. The roof was also caving in and soon Dias would have no where to stand. His eyes scanned his surroundings looking for any other nearby roofs to jump to but to no avail. Dias looked at the stronghold and quickly judged the distance. He reattached the sheath with Althena’s Light in it back on his belt and then reached behind and grasped the hilt of the Guardian Blade which was strapped on his back. He quickly drew the Guardian Blade and leaned back with the sword aimed at the large wall of the stronghold. Dias focused his thoughts and senses at a single point on the wall. Wind begins to flow around the tip of the blade. Pure energy is suddenly released from the blade and becomes one with the wind. The energy was spiritual energy that was from Dias. Now the wind looked like a white spinning vortex. “Gale Stab” Dias says as he dashes off of the roof just as the part he was standing on breaks and falls down. He starts to move on air as the white vortex increases in size and soon flows around Dias. He suddenly increased his speed and the wind completely engoulghed him. He took the form of a large white arrow which was being shot at the stronghold at an immense speed. The Demons ran for their lives taken by fear as the arrow blasted into the wall. The stronghold echoed with the sound of the wall being hit. Dust filled the large hole made by the arrow. The new entrance was leading into a hallway. 2 Demons were standing close by and were thinking about just running away after seeing the large arrow blow through the wall so easily. Both Demons were using Halberds and were wearing normal clothes. They carefully nudged forwards towards the dust. Suddenly, an image could be seen within the dust. The Demons summoned up their strength and charged in. They dropped to the ground before they could even finish their attacks. The dust cleared and Dias was revealed standing still with him placing the Guardian Blade on his back strap again. Dias looked around and then decided to follow the passageway to the keep where the Demon Commander was suppose to be. Dias ran through the hallways of the stronghold heading towards the castle keep. The stronghold was designed of 4 large walls with towers connecting them. The walls were very sturdy and 30 inches thick that not even a cannon shot would be able to penetrate. In the center of the walls was an equally large castle with an evil mist covering the base of it. The castle had a truly sinister appearance to it and also gave off the same feeling. Dias sprinted through the halls of the one wall that he had broken into looking for a way into the castle. There were small bridges from each wall connecting them to the castle. Dias quickly found the bridge from his wall leading into the castle and hurried across it. He quickly dispatched the guards of the entrance and began moving up through the castle towards the top. Most of the Demons were outside in the town preparing to attack the capital.

The Air Ship was starting to advance forward towards the Capital. As this was going on the Demons in the town were also starting to head towards the Capital. However, not even before the Air Ship was able to leave the town a figure could be seen in the sky above it. The figure had a long red cape and two black wings stretching out showing their large wing span. The figure’s eyes were golden and it had the muscle size and body structure of a high level Demon. It was made clear to be Rane due to it holding the Devil’s Tear in his right hand. Rane had used the dark powers of his sword to transform himself into his full Demon form. His mask remained on obscuring his face all except for his eyes which showed no emotion other than the urge for destruction. The black feathers of his wings were as sharp as a blade yet moved and flowed in the air like normal feathers of a bird. The Air Ship fired cannon balls at him but Rane remained as if he were wasting his time. Rane’s eyes flashed as he suddenly vanished completely avoiding the cannon fire. The Demons in the ship tried to locate him. Suddenly, Rane reappears in front of the glass windows looking in at the Demons in the bridge who were piloting the ship. Without a single word or second thought Rane lifted his left hand aimed at the captain of the ship and released a surge of dark energy which blasted through the glass shattering it. The attack ripped the ship to pieces blowing it up and sending its remains hurling down into the ruined town as a large fireball. The remains smashed into a large crowd of Demons killing them all. Rane paid no mind to this as he looked at the stronghold. “The rest is up to you Dias” Rane said as he flew down to the ground to take delight in causing more mayhem.

Dias reached the top of the castle finally. He stood in front of two large iron doors. Behind them was where the Demon Commander was thought to be staying. Without hesitation Dias placed both his hands on each door and pushed opening them at the same time. A cold draft was let out which bit at Dias. The doors opened the rest of the way on their own. Dias entered the room while keeping his guard up. There wasn’t much in the way of light except for 2 torches. Suddenly, light filled the room. In the ceiling was a large chandelier which was now lighting the room. It had the look of a throne room. A red carpet was on the floor leading from the doors to a throne made of human bones and steel which was painted red with blood. Dias suddenly stopped and his eyes widened when he saw who was sitting on the throne. It was Serenity. Her eyes had no emotion and it seemed as if her soul had been taken away. She was clad in Demon armor along with a Demon’s Claymore. “Serenity what are you doing here?” Dias asked as he regained himself. An unknown voice began to laugh from the shadows. “You must be Dias the one who defeated Necron. I have been closely watching you and I must say I can see how he lost to you. However, he was already dead. He had died once before and I brought his body back to life to serve me in the conquest of this world” The voice said. Dias removed his sheath from his belt again holding it in his left hand while his right hand rested on his sword’s hilt. “Who are you?” Dias asked trying to sense the room for this being. “I was one of the retainers for the Great Lord Desh. After he was defeated I joined Omacron the Demon King and his Demon Army. He sent me on a mission to capture the Aether Gates that lead to other worlds so that once he had taken over he would begin his conquest of other worlds. However, he was killed in the battle against the United Forces. I knew there was no chance for victory so I lead my forces through the Aether Gate I had just recently taken over and this is where it led us. I threw away my given name and took the name of the God of Destruction. The Living Catastrophe, Lomedia” Lomedia said as he walked out of the shadows and stood on the right side of the throne next to Serenity. His left arm was completely healed already and his armor replaced. “What have you done to Serenity?” Dias demanded as his eyes kept looking for a chance to attack but saw that Lomedia had his guard up and was waiting for him to try and attack. “Heh, I removed her will and trapped her soul making her my puppet of death. I know you both have deep feelings for each other. My spies saw you two at the Palace” Lomedia said with a slight laugh at the end of his sentence. “That’s not true” Dias countered. He knew that Lomedia would use their feelings to his advantage. Dias was a bad liar though. “Oh? Then I guess you won’t have any problems with killing her then” Lomedia said with a sadistic tone of voice as he crossed his arms. Serenity stood up off the throne and drew her sword from its sheath. “You bastard” Dias thought to himself as he got into his stance still holding the hilt of his sword which was still sheathed. Serenity jumped up away from the throne and was above Dias. She slashed downwards at him but Dias brought his sheath up and pulled his sword out enough so its blade was out. Her sword hit the revealed section of blade and was stopped. She landed on the red carpet and was trying to push Dias’ guard away to knock him off balance which wasn’t working. “Serenity snap out of it” Dias said trying to reach her. He looked into her eyes and saw nothing. There had to be a way to save her he thought. He started looking around the room for anything that might be the cause of her being controlled. He then remembered what Lomedia said about removing her soul. Dias knew that Serenity was half Heralidic and it would be impossible to control her mind with her spirit present and the only way to remove the spirit of a Heralidic would be to trap it within an item of some sort which was made by a Heralidic. Dias began to sense for her soul. Then his spirit felt calm as if it were reunited with a lost part of itself. Dias followed with feeling with his eyes and felt it coming from the chandelier. Just as he had thought, a blue gem was attached to the bottom of the chandelier. All he would have to do would be to destroy it in order to return her spirit to her body. Dias aimed his focus back on the controlled Serenity. He kicked up hitting her hands causing her to release the hilt of her sword and knocking it away from her. Serenity jumped backwards away from Dias still looking at him with her cold eyes. She began to chant a spell to attack him with. However, before she could complete it Dias had already unsheathed his sword and thrown it at the gem. The blade pierced the gem in the center, cracking it. A blue light came erupting out of the cracks of the gem. “NO!” Lomedia yelled as he raised his left hand up aimed at the sword. A black aura surrounded his hand as the same black aura formed around Dias’ sword. Lomedia was trying to remove the blade. However, Dias also threw his metal sheath which hit the bottom of his sword’s hilt driving the blade into the gem causing it to break and shatter. At that exact instance life returned to Serenity and her eyes went back to normal. She looked around confused not knowing what had happened or why she was dressed the way she was. She then looked up and saw Dias. “Dias!? Where are we?” She asked. Dias remained focused on Lomedia who was a little more than disgruntled about what had just happened. “Bah, its no matter. I wanted to kill you myself anyway” Lomedia said as his attention suddenly went to Serenity. “I no longer need you” He said as he drew his sword from his side and dashed forward at a speed which only Demons had. Serenity was unarmed and wide open not knowing that she was about to be killed. She turned around just as Lomedia was already half way to her with his sword aimed at her. Just as he was able to attack Dias got in the way by standing in front of her. Lomedia’s sword was thrusted into Dias stabbing right through him causing Serenity’s face to fill with fear as she began to think the worse. However, the blade continued to go through Dias and was still heading for Serenity. Dias grasped the blade of the sword with his left hand causing the blade to cut through his glove and into his hand. Dias stopped the blade from moving any further towards Serenity. Pain could be seen in his eyes yet he would not let that stop him from protecting her. Dias reached back and took hold of the Guardian Blade’s hilt and with one swift slash Dias removed the Guardian Blade from his back strap and took Lomedia’s right arm off. Lomedia stumbled backwards in pain holding the stub which was once attached to his arm. Dias pulled the blade out of him with his bleeding left hand causing him to cough out blood as he collapsed onto his left knee while using the Guardian Blade to keep himself up. “Dias……….” Serenity said as she started to move towards him. “Stay back……..it isn’t…….over yet” Dias managed to say as he slowly rose to his feet still holding the Guardian Blade in his right hand by his side. Lomedia removed his hand from his bleeding stub and looked at Dias with a look of hate. “You will pay for this injury human” Lomedia said as his red aura appeared around him intensified by his rage. “Serenity………stand back and find a safe place to stay if you want to insist on staying” Dias said trying his best to ignore his injury. Serenity did as told and backed away from him.

A blue light started to emanate from the Guardian Blade as energy started to surge through the floor around Dias. Dias held the Guardian Blade up above him and the blue light came down flowing into him. He then became engoulghed in blue light. When the light faded Dias had been transformed into the “Sword Mage”. His outfit had changed and his injuries were gone. He was now wearing brown leather battle boots, brown leather sword handling gloves, black pants, and a black long sleeve shirt with a white silk vest over it along with a matching white sash with the crest of the Guardian Blade made of golden thread sown into a purple fabric on the sash. Dias’ eyes were focused on Lomedia who was also transforming into an even more menacing form. Two Dragon heads burst out of Lomedia’s back and rise over his shoulders looking at the Sword Mage. A new arm also rips out of the stub. The arm was very muscular and instead of a hand there was a mighty claw with nails as sharp as a finely crafted blade which has just cooled off after being in the flames of a smithy. “Ready to die mortal?” Lomedia asked, his helmet hiding his twisted grin. Dias made no motion other then getting into his stance. He grasped the second hilt of the Guardian Blade which was in the blade. Now he was holding both hilts with the edge of the blade aimed at his opponent. Lomedia lifted up off the floor using his negative energy while at the same time gathering the same energy into his left hand forming a sphere of destructive force. Lomedia threw the sphere at Dias with great speed. The sphere made ripples in the air as he traveled towards its target. Dias held the Guardian Blade up just as the blast was about to hit him. The power of the blast was more than Dias expected and knocked him back a few steps but wasn’t able to actually hit him. Dias hit the blast away to the side where it hit the wall of the throne room blowing it up. The sound of the explosion rang in the stronghold and the town. Lomedia used this to his advantage and flew at Dias swinging his claw at him. Dias felt the wind move faster around him and knew Lomedia was going to attack. Dias again used the Guardian Blade to deflect the attack but oddly enough the sword did not cut through Lomedia’s claw. There was obviously a power difference between the two. Dias spun around trying to counter the attack by slashing at Lomedia’s head trying to kill him. As the blade neared Lomedia’s head the left Dragon head snapped forward and grabbed the blade in its mouth. Dias was caught off guard and now knew without a doubt that even in Sword Mage form he wasn’t stronger than Lomedia. Lomedia countered by slamming his claw into Dias’ chest knocking the air out of him. Dias regained himself and kicked Lomedia in the chest trying to free the Guardian Blade from the Dragon. However, the Dragon threw Dias up into the ceiling while Lomedia followed it up by slamming his fist into Dias’ face. Lomedia moved back just as the two Dragons blasted beams of the “Force” element at Dias. The attack caused a large explosion which took out the entire roof and walls leaving only the floor. Serenity moved out from underneath some debris from the ceiling and was fine compared to Dias. He slowly stood up using the Guardian Blade to help him. Lomedia appeared behind him slightly laughing. “You don’t stand a chance against me. You were foolish to come here” Lomedia said as Dias turned around only to be punched in the face sending him flying backwards and landing into more wreckage. Dias stood back up and closed his eyes. He had one last thing he could use. Life Energy started to gather from all around the area and was being charged into the blade of the sword. Dias opened his eyes and aimed his sword at Lomedia. “IMPULSE!” He said as all of the charged energy was suddenly released and blasted out of the Guardian Blade right at Lomedia. Lomedia aimed his hand up and a red aura formed around him. He charged a large portion of it into pure negative force that was held in his hand. “Pathetic” Lomedia said as he released his energy which collided with Dias’ attack. Dias struggled to push Lomedia back but he was just too powerful. The negative energy overwhelmed the Impulse attack and hit Dias in the chest throwing him backwards and crashing into remains of the ceiling. Though Dias was being beaten he was always searching Lomedia for a weakness. However, he could see none. Lomedia had him beat in speed, strength, power, and defense. Suddenly, Dias started to think about what Lomedia said. “You were foolish to come here” is what he had said. Dias started to think about it. Why was he here? He didn’t have to come here and risk his life. Serenity had said the same thing. At that moment Dias’ mind became focused on Serenity. He started to remember all the times they spent together. Suddenly, Lomedia, Rane, the Demons, the Kingdom, everything didn’t seem to matter. Only Serenity mattered. He came here because he wanted to protect her. He finally realized at that moment that he truly loved her.

Dias regained himself and felt the hilt of a sword with his left hand. It was Althena’s Light, his other sword that he used to destroy the gem earlier. Dias stood back up holding both the Guardian Blade and Althena’s Light. “I will………..protect her” Dias said. Suddenly, something within him was sparked. His eyes showed a renewed determination. He would protect Serenity with his life. That one purpose became his only thought. All of a sudden he became willed to bring the two swords together almost as if they knew what he was thinking. Dias held both swords up and they lost all detail becoming golden light. He brought them closer to each other and then put them together. The light surged through Dias as he closed his eyes. Again he became engoulghed by light. The light took shape around him in the form of a sphere which was pulsating. The sphere became larger and continued increasing in size. Then finally the sphere erupted forcing everyone to close their eyes. When Lomedia and Serenity opened their eyes they both looked in amazement when they saw Dias. He had changed once again. He was now wearing a silver chest plate over his white robe which was embroidered in gold with a new never before seen crest on the front of the armor. Instead of battle boots he was wearing silver greaves along with matching silver gauntlets instead of leather gloves. His sash was now lined with gold silk and the crest of the Guardian Blade was gone. Along with these changes was a long red mantle that appeared to have been made to specifically fit him. In his right hand rests an even larger sword than the Guardian Blade. Its well-crafted blade gleamed even with darkness that surrounded it and its red broad side had writing on it in an unknown language. The red hilt also had the look of being crafted by a master Weaponsmith. Serenity gazed at Dias and was reminded of the mythical Knights she had read about in fairytales. Lomedia’s eyes looked on with fear as he knew what Dias had become. “It can’t be! Kilken the great Weaponsmith of the Angel Race forged that sword. The Legendary Sword, Lost Legacy. It was said to be just a myth! The one who is capable of wielding it will be transformed into the Divine Knight” Lomedia said as he backed away. “The sword which is capable of destroying even a God. I must have it!” Lomedia thought to himself as he dashed at the Divine Knight. Dias focused on Lomedia, the wind was reacting to each breath taken and the darkness began to retreat. It was as if Dias had become one with everything. He held Lost Legacy up, the massive sword which resembled a Knight’s Zweihander. The sword appeared so heavy yet it was as light as a feather to Dias. Lost Legacy had chosen Dias as its master and his will to protect Serenity was increasing its power. Lomedia lashed out trying to hit Dias with his claw but failed when Dias quickly cut the arm off again like before leaving only a bloody stub. The blade simply touching Lomedia made his blood burn stopping him from regenerating his arm like before. The two Dragons blasted the same elemental beams at Dias like before. Dias holds Lost Legacy up in front of him and says “Spiritual Grace”. A blue cross forms in front of the blade which repels the beams and reflects them back at the Dragon heads. The beams blast the heads off killing both Dragons and doing even more damage to Lomedia. The tide had turned and now Dias was the larger power. He held Lost Legacy out to the side while still looking at Lomedia causing the cross to vanish. The wind begins to gather around Dias moving his red mantle and blue hair around in the breeze. “Transcended Sword” Dias stated as the blade of Lost Legacy flashed once and then a second time. Suddenly, the blade became transparent yet could still be seen due to the golden light which was surging all over its blade as pure Mana could be seen rising out of the floor in the form of crystals. Dias grasped the hilt with both hands and then started to sprint towards Lomedia who was frozen with fear. Dias brought the sword up over his head and then cleaved downwards cutting through reality. As he did this the darkened sky above was also cut revealing a blue sky and bright sun again. Lost Legacy went right through Lomedia cutting him in two blasting golden light out of his back from where he had been made into two halves. The energy surged through Lomedia’s body paralyzing him as well as ripping his body apart. Lomedia instantly faded away and was erased from existence. The battle was over at last.

Serenity stood up and looked at Dias with a smile. Dias also looked at her and smiled. Suddenly, he went back to normal. His injuries remained and he became weakened by them as well as the fight. He released Lost Legacy as it fell to the floor. His vision became blurry and his pain seemed to vanish. A few seconds later he fell backwards and landed on his back. “DIAS!” Serenity cried out as she ran to him. She sat beside him holding his right hand. “I…..love…..you” Dias smiled and then his eyes closed. Tears started to form in her eyes as she pleaded for him not to leave her. Dias stopped breathing and all life left his body. A teardrop fell from her face and onto his. She leaned closer to him and kissed him as she closed her eyes. Suddenly, the amulet given to her by her mother before she died broke revealing a white glowing orbs. Without Serenity taking notice the orb floated down to Dias and sank down into his chest. A white aura formed around Dias creating a blinding white light which filled the entire area. When the light faded Serenity backed away and opened her eyes at the same exact time that Dias opened his. He began to breathe again and his injuries were gone. They both looked into each other’s eyes. “I promised I would come back to you” Dias said as they both smiled and kissed again……………

The dark clouds obscuring the light were breaking apart as rays of sunlight blasted through them shining down upon the land again. The Demons in the town looked up and knew that Lomedia had been defeated. They became overwhelmed with fear and threw their weapons to the ground as they ran out of the town in different directions into the wilderness seeking refuge. The darkness was gone and light was restored. Serenity held Dias’ hand and helped him up off the floor. They both stood together side by side gazing at the town which had once been covering with darkness and Demons. The light from the sun set the spirits of those who had died to rest and the once glorious town that had been ruined by war had regained peace. Serenity and Dias looked at the horizon and everything before now seemed like a dream. Just as they thought it was over the castle began to shake as the large walls surrounding it trembled. The castle was being charged by the dark powers of Lomedia and now that he was gone the castle would soon follow suit. Serenity held onto Dias’ right arm thinking what would happen to them. Suddenly, the castle started to break apart. The floor that Dias and Serenity were standing on caved in. Dias picked Serenity up holding her in his arms as she remained holding onto him. Dias started running up the floor which was turning sideways as it neared another unstable floor which was further down in the castle. Lost Legacy began to slide down the floor towards Dias and Serenity. As he was about to pass by it Dias reached out with his left hand and grasped the hilt of the sword. He quickly placed Lost Legacy on his back strap and used his left arm to brace Serenity. Lost Legacy was still weightless to him even though he wasn’t in Divine Knight form anymore. Dias reached the other side of the floor just as it slammed into the stone surface below breaking in two. The walls of the castle began to cave in now which were falling down with Dias and Serenity below them. “Hold on!” Dias told Serenity as he jumped up off of the floor and onto a falling support beam which was meant to keep the walls up. He began to run along the beam over to the other side and then kicked off of it just as the beam was smashed in two by a falling section of the wall. Dias landed on a falling concrete block which had come from the wall and then jumped to another one. He continued jumping from block to block heading back up to the top of the castle. Dias landed on a small ledge and then looked around. There was nothing left to jump to and the ledge was starting to crumble as the final section of wall was beginning to crack. Both of them knew it was end yet it didn’t seem to matter. They were together and didn’t fear the end as long as they faced it together. Suddenly, Rane appeared in front of them. “What are you two doing? You do realize this place is coming down right?” Rane said mocking Dias for the fact that he wasn’t able to fly or teleport like he could. “You can laugh about it all you want after we get out of here” Dias said knowing Rane would remember this forever. “Now that is something I look forward to” Rane said as he placed his left hand on Dias’ shoulder and closed his eyes. Their images started to fade and then vanished into thin air just as the ledge gave way and broke off. The castle came crumbling down and the 4 massive walls fell down on it throwing dust and smoke into the air. The Demon stronghold was no more.

The next day the sounds of people cheering and laughing filled the Capital as the Royal Army had succeeded in driving away the Demon forces. The city had come to life with people celebrating the victory and end of the Demon War. Drums and horns cried out in rhythm with the cheers. The Palace gleamed in the sunlight and its beauty became even more majestic by the lightened hearts and spirits of the people outside and inside the Palace. Rane was standing alone on the top of the Palace with his arms crossed and his back leaning up against the flag pole looking up at the sky back in his normal form. Soldiers paraded the main street in a grand display which brought peace and the reassurance that the fighting was finally over to the minds of the people. Dias and Serenity were also enjoying the peace which had been won. They were in the Palace garden walking along the stone path with the many flowers growing on the sides. They walked over to a large tree which was nestled on a small patch of land which was in the small lake being connected to the garden by a land bridge which also had a stone path laid on it which ended once it got to the small island. The tree was very old and flourished with life. Dias and Serenity sat down on the well-crafted bench which was made of white clay which had been formed by a Heralidic Mage. The calm breeze swept through the garden causing the tree to gently sway back and forth. The water was still and peaceful adding to the serene state of the garden. Dias and Serenity gazed out at the lake which was sparkling due to the light of the sun. Tall mountains and forests could be seen in the distance and it made them both think how something like the Demon War could have happened to this place and that this was all almost destroyed. “Its beautiful here. Like a paradise one can only visit in their dreams. I never tire of being here” Dias said as he looked up at the blue sky. “Yes” Serenity agreed as she also looked up at the clear sky which seemed enchanting. “Its sad that even in this peaceful place my soul still aches from the lose of my parents” Dias said. “I can’t stay here. I can’t be at peace until I have come to terms with my past. I’m sorry…..” Dias was about to finish but was stopped when Serenity placed her finger on his lips. “I know. For now let’s enjoy this time. I just want to stay like this for a while longer” Serenity said as he leaned closer and rested her head on his shoulder as they both remained looking up at the sky.

The next day Dias was ready to leave. Serenity and a group of Royal Knights had come with Dias to the cave where the Aether Gate was which he used to get to this world before. Dias turned around and looked at Serenity with a smile. “When I have said goodbye to my past I will return here to you. I promise” Dias said to her. “I am leaving Lost Legacy here to protect everyone should the darkness ever return” Dias added. Serenity nodded her head as two Knights walked up to him each carrying a different sword. “Take these gifts as a token of our gratitude on behalf of the Kingdom” The one Knight said. Dias took both swords. One was a Long Sword named “Moonlight” and the other was a Great Sword named “Einhander”. Each had been forged by Heralidic Weaponsmiths and infused with Magical powers. Dias placed both swords to the straps where the Guardian Blade and Althena’s Light use to be. Serenity walked over to Dias just as the Knights stepped back and got into their formation with the other Knights. “Please don’t take forever to return like you did last time” She said jokingly. Dias smiled though his eyes showed sadness. He didn’t want to leave her but he knew that if he stayed he would only cause her grief until he could put his past to rest. “I shall love no one else” He said as he got closer. “I shall always wait for you” She said as she leaned closer placing her hands on his chest and he wrapped his arms around her. They both kissed and then backed away. Dias turned around and started into the cave knowing that if he looked back at her he would feel worse about leaving. As he went deeper into the cave his image became hidden in darkness until he went out of the sight of Serenity and the Knights.

Dias continued walking deeper into the darkened cave. Suddenly, he saw a light. He walked towards the light and came upon a rainbow glowing portal. It was the Aether Gate which had brought him to this land of myths and legends. With one final breath Dias walked into the portal and vanished. All was quiet until a shadow was seen creeping through the shadows avoiding the light of the portal. The figure also entered the portal so fast that the only thing that could be seen was a red cape which also vanished into the portal.

Serenity stands alone in her chambers with sorrow in her eyes as she looked through her window at the garden. Her eyes were suddenly filled with hope as she smiled. Serenity was looking at the old tree where her and Dias were sitting together yesterday. In front of the tree was Lost Legacy the legendary sword that Dias had left there as a promise to her that he would return some day. “I’ll always wait for you Dias, so please………please come back soon”.