Sinister Knight: Dawn Of A Sinful Calamity

When the red lightening which had suddenly filled the sky disappeared, Selric's mind was brought back to the world of flames which he was currently in.

For several kilometres around him, bright red flames burnt, the scene birthed from the battle between him and Bram and as Selric moved to take a step forward, he collapsed to his knees, the fatigue of the drawn-out battle he had just been in not being the cause but rather the axe he had summoned out of nowhere, the weapons being an extreme stamina drain.

Though Selric didn't know what the axe was, he knew that it was the only reason he had been able to kill Bram.

From the moment Selric had begun battling Bram, though the feeling of death being close to him and then far away from him had always fluctuated with the changes in the tide of the battle, it had never left him, not even when he gained an immense advantage over the fire champion.

Right until the red axe came into his hand, Selric had always felt death hovering over him but with the red axe in hand, he had been at peace and with a surety he had never felt before in his life, slashed at Bram and killed him.

"Releasing a sigh" Selric tried to think about what to do next, but the sadness and sorrow which he had pushed away while he fought Bram came rushing and unable to control his emotions, tears ran down his eyes.

The battle Selric had just had with Bram wasn't their first fight, no it was their third.

Their first fight had happened when Selric was still just 11 years old, back then, he and Bram had clashed after Selric had decided to stomp on his huge ego rather than stroke it.

In that fight, Selric had humiliated the champion of fire, beating him so badly, that his father who was the only one bold enough to disregard the champion's orders that they be left to fight till death had to intervene.

Though to the spectators Selric had been unbeatable, this being how he earned the nickname 'the undefeated', this was the one time he had been truly scared in his life.

"Today would have been the second time of me feeling hopeless fear, it would have been like last time where no matter how hard I beat him, he always got back to his feet full of energy and ready to make breakthroughs as he fought.

Last time I had already run out of stamina and would have been defeated by Bram if Dad had not intervened, and this time with the breakthroughs he kept on making in his fighting style and fire comprehensions I would have been pushed to exhaustion if the red axe had not appeared.

Its appearance took away his fighting spirit, it made him hopeless"

All on his own, Selric had nearly figured out the basic workings of Despair but despite somewhat unknowingly solving this ancient mystery, it didn't change the fact that he had failed to save his family.

Selric's second fight with Bram had involved him first trying to get past Bram and save his family and then when he realized that such actions would lead to him playing to Bram's hand, he had decided to take an extreme route.

Another name for a champion was a hero or so Selric had thought because when he had decided to go on a killing spree of the town, though Bram had engaged him, it had only been done half-heartedly, the man showing that he really didn't care about the lives that were being harvested, all he cared about were the pieces of Selric that were being cut away as he committed such a horrifying act.

Selric's and Bram's second fight had ended with Selric having no choice but to listen to his father's pleading words to flee after his mother and siblings had been burnt to death and he was the only one left.

Unfortunately, though Selric had managed to escape Bram and evade his hunt for a few days, the vengeful champion had still found him and initiated their third battle, a battle which ended with him dead.

For several minutes, Selric just sat collapsed on his knees, letting out the tears that he had been unable to in the last days, not even the approach of a man who wore white robes and a necklace with a fire emblem getting a reaction out of him.

"You didn't fail my expectations Selric, you actually killed him, your father would be proud."

To such pointless talk, Selric kept silent, letting the pain in his heart rampage through his body and mind.

"The country didn't betray your father Selric, it was the church. They are the ones who had him executed.

Though the muscles in his arms and legs were completely unresponsive, Selric found the strength to raise his head and look at the man standing in front of him.

"Are you here to capture or kill me"

"No"

"Are you from the church?"

"Yes"

The man's identity and intention did not match but given his current state, there was nothing Selric could say about it.

After getting the answer to his last question, Selric bowed his head and the man taking this as a sign of acceptance, took another step towards him and collapsed to his butt with a sigh.

"Your father and the country's leader were quite on good terms, I mean he even let your fathers marry his daughter." The man said and seeing Selric raise his head and glance at him once more, he smiled.

"Your mother was born out of wedlock, so her relationship with the crown wasn't something that could be spoken of.

Also, if you're wondering why the crown did nothing about your mother and her family being killed, then all I can tell you is that there was nothing that could be done.

The church is above the king and the king beneath it and, unless he wants to announce to the other human countries that he is a traitor who sides with elves, a situation that would lead to the country falling into war, then he has no choice but to let this happen.

The needs of the thousand come before that if of the few."

Whether or not the words the man in front of him spoke were true or not, Selric didn't care because a relationship with the king or the country was not what he desired. Continue your journey on m|v-l'e m,p| y- r

"Where does all this leave me, I am an elf after all."

"We both know that's not true, your father let the king know that you were adopted."

Wiping the sweat that had accumulated on his forehead, the man was just about to continue talking when Selric spoke.

"As long as your desires don't conflict with my desire to eradicate the church of fire from this world, then we have an agreement of cooperation."

"Oh, I think we will be quite the partners Selric."