The Fated Reminiscence

"A pleasant day indeed."

The birds were chirping somewhere in the forest, which lied at the base of the mountain, and the cool breeze nicely opposed the golden rays of light, effectively forming a spring-like atmosphere. That is, as long as one remains near the trees. While people usually had little reason to stray from the well-beaten paths that wind through the foliage and towards Crocus and the Sky Tower, there would indeed be the occasional magus seeking something more than the enthralling beauty of nature or vibrant liveliness of a city square's commerce. In that particular case, the pilgrim was only one and a rather unique cyan-dyed trench coat telegraphed his presence.

Clad in azure, the lone knight had slowly traversed the vastly vacillating paths of the land seeking neither adventure nor fate. His motif was ever-vague, perhaps even to himself at times, however what was known for truth was that while in that area many sought prosperity or joy, he was amongst the few whom held a different, deeper goal leading them there. Indeed, as the swordsman looked over the broad forest from atop one of the mountain's highest peaks, he couldn't help but feel nostalgia's grasp on his heart, for verily, the land some called 'wild' and others called 'green', he called 'home'.

Another stroke of gentle winds moved past him, lightly quavering his coat, and it acted as a sign for the youthful magus that his brief rest was over. Sure enough, he stepped back from the edge, letting go of the dead tree he was holding onto for in case he was to fall, and walked the few metres to the familiar building ahead.
With a gentle creek, the thick mahogany doors temporarily relinquished their purpose to deny entry and immediately after, the sound of soles against the wooden floor echoed through the lifeless, foyer-like main hall of the building. The pacing responsible for the sound didn't falter as the few fallen chairs barred the way, in stead only pausing briefly when the man behind said steps was faced with the terrace overlooking the hall; only to jump up to it before calmly stepping onto a glyph found on its floor. What followed then was a brief and rather dimmed flash of something that resembled light, yet it was, perhaps, only an intro to the view of what would unfold before the knight's eyes for lo and behold, there it was; Sabertooth Guild Hall.

"Heh. Not bad. It actually looks better finished than what I imagined."

With steady steps he then crossed the platform he stood upon, and the following bridge, before lastly pushing open the large pair of doors as they stood crowned with Sabertooth's insignia. The cyan-haired man looked around at first, not stepping in initially in favour of scanning through the lobby full of tables and occupied chairs for familiar faces. With a traditionally carefree smile the swordsman then entered and locked eyes with the one person who would probably never mistake, especially considering his newly-acquired clothing.

"Ah, hey there Zenshin." His rather deep, yet pleasant voice drawing the attention of quite a few other curious loungers. "Nice coat."

"Ah, hey there Zenshin. Nice coat."

The voice rung through the guildhall, somehow cutting through the idle chatter that had been filling the room and causing an almost immediate silence. Everybody looked around at the figure who had spoken. Marick recognised him as Aegis Bright, the former guildmaster. While most of Sabertooth's members stayed where they were, Marick got to his feet and took a few steps forwards. It was a habit he'd gotten into throughout his time spent in the Snuggly Duckling; if someone came in claiming to know someone then it would often turn into a fight. He doubted this reunion would go down that way but he remained cautious nonetheless.

"Thanks. It was a steal. That was quite the Houdini act you pulled. And a riddle? Couldn't you just have told me where to go? It wasn't exactly a cakewalk when I figured out your dammed puzzle either..." Zenshin spoke calmly, but the words were a sheer giveaway that he was at least a little pissed. Marick remained in rooted to his spot, whilst the guildhall remained in still silence excepting Zenshin's footsteps and the words spoken between the two men. Zenshin walked ever closer to Aegis and Marick felt his stomach tighten. It loosened however as he walked straight past the former guildmaster and out to the balcony.

"The least you could've done was tell me, no. Us. Where exactly it was you were leaving to. I've been left here with unbased theories and beliefs, yet here you are, disproving quite a few of them."

Marick sat upon the table behind him and crossed his arms. What're you doing here Bright? he thought to himself as he watched the scene unfold before him. Why would the former guildmaster enter the guild and simply waltz in? Marick doubted he wanted the guild back, and if he did then he'd be in for opposition. There was a motive somewhere that Marick couldn't see.

Suddenly, it all grew eerily quiet. As if there was a gunshot, everyone present suddenly interrupted the peaceful clatter of the hall and turned to face the origin of the sound.

"Hmm...?"

As if to telegraph his momentary confusion, a small hum escaped the azure knight's throat. Perhaps the reaction he generated wasn't quite what he expected, but then again he had been gone for about half a year or so. Maybe his home no longer viewed him as a proper resident.

"... You are free to feel and think what you wish of me." A sudden note of seriousness inhabited the swordsman's voice. "We all make choices in our lives. Some are more important than others, but regardless it is our duty towards ourselves to make the right ones. That duty is further amplified if the lives of people you care for may very well be endangered by the wrong choice." The cyan-eyed man winced, crossing his arms as the current guild master stood on the balcony. "I was in pursuit of something very important to me. Answers to questions I have but do not know. Perhaps, answers which you eventually found with the help of Egia."

The cyan recreationist slowly paced along the bar counter as he spoke, his fingers playing casually with a small dagger that had materialised in his right hand. In truth, his own personal pursuits aren't the only reason for his actions, but he felt reluctant when it came to mentioning them. Omitting those facts meant that Zen and Egia might have a greater dislike for him and that was indeed a good thing. It was for their own safety that they distance themselves from the knight and do not look for him.

"I probably won't stay much here either, only occasionally visit. On a side note," he began with a bit of amusement in his voice. "I certainly hope you weren't assuming something as ridiculous as me going off to become a part of Akasha or something. That'd be hilarious!" He said, a grin appearing on his face for reasons known probably only to him and, perhaps, Zen.
Following that remark, the cyan man turned around in a quick burst of liveliness, his coat, a visual replica of the original currently resting on the current guild master's shoulders, fluttering behind him. As he now faced all the people staring at him, some wondering, some worrying, others, like the one standing stiff and battle ready, apparently suspicious of him, the cyan-eyed swordsman crushed the dagger in his hand, returning it to the raw mana it was formed from. Yet, despite the mild violence, what followed was his usual pleasant smile and a bow.

"But I suppose an introduction would be proper. My name is Aegis Bright and I am happy to see new faces here."
A chuckle.
"I hope your guild master isn't being too much of a handful while I'm away, haha."

The knight turned back to face his friend, a small smirk on his lips.

"It is because of that that I need to know it. I must not allow the mistakes of my past happen again, regardless of whose those mistake are." His words came as a stream of identical intonation as if refusing to submit to the overall mood of the topic they were discussing.
"There is also a difference between us. No matter who you are or what I am, those memories are something I already had at some point, but lost. They are far from foreign to me, quite the opposite, they are meant for me to know."

The knight's words were open for a response, but the one they received was unexpected, for as he proceeded to explain, a soft groan of a female voice was heard, just barely.

"Oh...? Curious." Aegis smiled as he heard Egia's guilt-riddled sigh. "But regardless, I came for another reason. Zen, I challenge you to an all-out duel."

The cyan-haired magus grinned, perhaps rather mischievously, but that was something most of the people in the room couldn't see. The echoing sound of footsteps ringed as if wanting to extend the fervent nature of his challenge, passing it onto his body language as well as a show of mild excitement. The swordsman walked straight towards the small portal leading to the arena, as if he knew it was there all along.

"It's been 6 months since your last challenge and now it is finally time for your test." The recreationist spoke, a rising note of zeal in his voice as a 170 cm long katana materialised in his hand.
"I want to see just how much you've learned. How much you've changed and how much you've earned. Haha, show me your drive, Zenshin! Show me how far you are willing to go to fight for what you believe!"
With a smirk, Aegis stepped onto the teleportation area and was instantly transported to what would soon become the sight of strife. He moved towards the far end of the circular arena and spun to face, with Serenity in hand, where his pupil would appear, clearly confident that Zen would indeed follow him there.

Surely, the windy platform would soon become scared eternally. Under the warm sun and the arid gusts, surely, Fate would be challenged as the master and his apprentice lock blades, and one thing is certainly for sure.

Marick eyed Zenshin as he walked to the teleportation lacrima and disappeared from sight. The screens around the guildhall immediately flickered to life, showing the entire arena from various different angles. The one Marick was focused on was in the center of the arena, where most of the action would occur. Were he back at the Snuggly Duckling there would probably have been people taking bets left, right and center. Here though there appeared to be none of that, or at least none he could hear.

Being one of the newer members, Marick was very much an unknown entity. In that same regard, Aegis Bright was an unknown entity to him. He'd taught Zenshin, had led Sabertooth and was once a Wizard Saint. But beyond the superficial, Marick knew nothing of the man other than that his magic was based in the same way as Zenshin's. He was powerful, but had Zenshin surpassed him in strength in the former's absence?

It was needless to say that Marick was heavily interested in this duel and what the outcome would be, even if he hadn't said a word.

"You responded quickly. Hah!"

A broad grin sat upon his expression as the knight drove Serenity into the floor, pushing it as deep as half a metre so that its hilt is at about waist level.

"You know, I always wondered about one thing."

In one quick motion, the knight grabbed his coat and tossed it over the edge of the arena, condemning it to a restless descent. The winds slowly began to pick up as several tar-black clouds appeared on the horizon all around.

"Ever since I first met you, I always felt this aura emanating from your heart."

Aegis' scarce clothing was now clearly visible. With his silhouette attaining it's true shape, no longer concealed and altered by the coat, it was now obvious what Aegis' harsh training did to him. While it may be true that Zenshin had endured that same method of self-improvement, it was for a mere 6 months. Aegis lived with it for over 8 years... and it was quite obvious if one was to look at him without his coat on. Even if his torso was covered by a sleeveless vest, its tightness still very accurately outlined the swordsman's lean and incredibly tough body.

"It was like a dormant potential. It's also the only reason why I consented to training you as I did. Yet I couldn't help but wonder..."

The cyan-haired recreationist slowly paced around Serenity as an immense magical pressure began emitting from his presence. A pressure greater than ever before, it was like he was revealing his true nature and it just suppressed everything around him. Even the wind changed in direction to blow away from his location.

"... Why did you never tap into it? It was always like you endured everything out of stubbornness, not conviction. I found it quite disappointing, in fact. I could never fully break you because you seemed so very hollow, there was nothing to break."

An evil, ominous smirk shaped on Aegis' lips while his eyes were locked firmly on his pupil.

"So over time that curiosity of mine grew substantially, and now I wonder yet again. But this time..."



A certain note of... pleasure ringed between his words, just like a madman delighting in his next atrocity, his smug expression gave off a certain level of desire, yet it was never clear for what.

"This time I have no reason..."

Near his face he balled up a fist, finger by finger.

"To hold.... back!"

In one swift motion, he struck the tip of Serenity's hilt like a hammer striking a nail. With that, a massive wave of magical energy passed from his fist through Serenity and drove itself within the platform, causing a strong tremor and completely dispelling the floating arena's self-regenerating properties.

"Ahaha, I do plan on finding out what that drive is, Zenshin. I will beat you down and crush you under foot. I will obliterate you. Relentlessly, I will strike you down until you tap into that power! And if you don't..."

The booming sound of thunder echoed somewhere in the distance.


With his right hand, slowly, Aegis took Serenity's hilt and drew it from the cracked hole it was in. With the ring of its flawless steel, as if awaiting its signal the clouds finally reached the area above the arena. The whole sky was by then concealed behind the thick veil of pure darkness and that same veil was getting more and more restless. As the azure-eyed swordsman prepared his sword by his side, the thick blanket above started to release its rain in a complete downpour. Lighting began arcing from cloud to cloud, occasionally striking the platform, the guild castle or somewhere in the near vicinity. The scene of what once was a sunny afternoon now became far, far more dramatic in every sense of the word.


"So, Zenshin of Sabertooth, second generation Knight of Recreation. Let's see for whom the bell tolls! Let's see the true power of your beliefs!"

There was no reason to wait any more. With those final words, the fight had already begun and Aegis immediately sprung into action. With one of his mana-infused legs he stomped the ground, causing a large block that he had dislodged with Serenity to kick off the ground to about chest level. The knight immediately kicked it with great power, sending it flying towards his adversary while he immediately dashed after it. When the block was nearing Zen, two recreations of Aegis appeared beside the azure knight for just a moment, each firing one of his "normal" arrows with a purposely offset trajectory. If Zen did not move, they would both scrape the sides of his ribcage, but if he chose to avoid to the left or right, the respective arrow would be on a direct course to pierce his heart. After both the arrows and the stone block do their part, Aegis would immediately strike Zen's least defended body part with Serenity, utilising the unique sword's spear-like reach and immense power.
Throughout the whole attack, the cyan-haired magus would make sure that he is in a stable stance, so he is capable of accessing his Defensive stance immediately after the assault is executed.