The golden flame was fast, and so was the void. The man’s plate armor resounded a deep clang whenever Mido’s hits connect. Mind flatlined because of his rage, he relentlessly conjured fire unto his foe.

The others cannot approach their fiery arena, not one bit. The plaza became a light show of gold and purple, as the beacon above Reiss began to wane its beat.

Aurelia coughed as Woodcarver cradled her.

“Milady! We must get out of here!”

“You’re right… But that man… We mustn’t leave him here. He… will save us.”

The two watched as golden flames circled the armored man plated in ebony. For a moment, he was overwhelmed, but his purple flames sought to ravage the area.

“Who is that?”

“One of the Umbral Knights, Woodcarver. The Knight of Hope.”

“Hope…”

Yes, he is the knight of Hope. But what is hope in the eyes of Alto? Is hope leaking blood? Or is that just the way of things?

“Why did you kill them… Why did you destroy my town, that I don’t even remember!?” He jabbed on the knight’s chest, on an unarmored area. He recoiled backward as Mido readied a fireball on his hand and hurled it against him. The knight lifted his left hand at the right time; a gong-like sound blasted against Mido’s flame, the space in front of him crackled and rippled as it ate the fire, swirling into a mass of void until he clasped his hand, sealing his devouring shield.

“You can’t remember? How… disheartening.”

Standing up, he infused his right hand with dark energies and leaped against Mido.

His feet stood firm. His blood pumping with adrenaline. His mind, clueless of his instinctual actions. Mido heard that story, of Firis, and somehow, channeled that persona into himself. A phenomenon, a divine occurrence, whatever one might call it.

This ability is not his own. But it was the first power that clung to him. It deemed itself compatible with Mido.

Echoes from the past surged his mind, as the ebony knight was slowly looming upon him.

From the clutches of darkness, I will yield no longer!

I am a paladin, as the Father anointed me,

Thus, I will cleanse thy corrupted hearts!

Firis! Conflagration!

As if he projected the sun, Mido was protected by a glowing corona of flame, its apex clashed against the knight’s power. Releasing his hand from the ground, Mido was flung into the air as if hell broke loose from the ground. Golden fire arched along the pavement in a circular manner, and their tongues all pointed against the knight.

Goosebumps enveloped everyone’s skin. No one in D-7 had seen such astounding, yet devilish power. Its tonal capacity to maintain the ability’s manifestations cannot be explained. No one can simply generate tentacles of energetic flames from the ground and call it a day without a significant toll.

Mido honed his flames into spears and positioned all against the knight, whose clothes were now burning. His hood was almost half-burnt, revealing his helmet that had the same accents as the plate armor he wore, and his serpentine, purple eyes. His armor must have sustained searing heat, but surprisingly, he did not faze from its scorch.

“Null, and Void. I can absorb almost every tonal energy, and you have an almost infinite capacity for it, it seems. Truly, our abilities collide!”

He flaunted, brandishing a void-infused sword from his hip. He pointed its tip against Mido and the array of golden spears that faced him.

“You’re more entertaining than that old man…”

“Again, with that old man… Just shut up and die already!” Snapping, Mido unleashed hell upon the knight. His spears darted like bolts of light and boomed like high-pitched gunshots. A hail of fire and plasma enveloped the knight’s position, as Mido shuddered. The immense power he was manifesting went out of control, such as the nature of fire itself. Plumes of fire rained down like sparks, threatening to hit even his comrades.

“The Flame and the void, clashing against each other. Just like what they have seen…” Shear gripped the handle of his sword tightly.

“Everyone! Run!” Fein hastily ordered.

“But Mido—” Wiz cried, but she was pulled by Sora, who had just got to their position with Leva.

“We have to get out of here! He cannot control his flames!”

A roar erupted, and the overwhelmed knight released his own barrier of fire. For a moment, he was bombarded by Sunfire. Now, he managed to negate the damage and defend himself against a stalemate.

“All out, then!” He barked.

Null and Void: Cataphract Armor.

He concentrated as his body was engulfed in purple flames, much like Mido’s state. His visage became more infernal as he grunted, rushing into Mido’s position, skillfully dodging the spears.

He came closer, and Mido’s head started to pound.

“Shit! No… It hurts!” He gasped as the pain compressed his skull tenfold.

Mido felt being lifted.

“MIDO!!!” A scream from a young girl pricked up his ears. He wondered why would an adoring voice scream so much…

It was not a choir, but there were many voices. They yelled as if someone was in pain.

Pain.

Mido felt pain in his chest. As if something went through it. Looking down, his eyes went heavy.

‘Ah…’

Lifted a few feet above the ground, the knight plunged his sword right below Mido’s sternum. His mind raced as well as his heart. Every nerve; from his toes to his fingertips and his lips pricked up like static. He wanted to scream from the pain.

The fire rose around them, a mixture of purple and gold. The same flame he feared and harnessed. The visage of his town went into sight, flickering off and on ethereally like a lightbulb at the end of its lifespan.

He wanted Wizbette’s embrace to be the source of the heat in his chest. But it was not. He clutched the blade as it dug deeper. Mido felt a tingling metallic taste on his mouth. His eyes erratically spun, but not before locking into the knight’s cold, glowing eyes, like prey, looking at its hunter’s sight. His armor was cloaked in purple flames, vigorously dancing.

“That was it, huh…”

Time slowed down, it seemed.

…

…

‘Child. We’re at a library, okay? So, stay silent. Wait a moment…’

It’s that same voice.

The sounds of roaring flames were drowned by a reverberating, yet the smooth echo of leather being whisked by a hand.

‘Here. I’m dusting its cover.’

The dusting of the hard-bound cover of what seemed to be a book permeated his ears. His mind honed to it, but it was still pounding.

‘Hurry… up!”

‘Right. Another story… Oh? It’s… burnt?’

‘What the hell…’

‘I can’t read this… Wait… here’s a passage…’

‘Firis connected to you willingly, but I can you get out of this mess, child.’

‘How… My body is lodged in a sword ignited in flames. You’re just a voice. How can you possibly get me out—’

‘Shush, child. I…’ He paused.

‘I remember now.’

He listened, his consciousness was placed in a ‘seat’ of sorts, gently hovering on the timeless void.

‘I am the Beast of Singularity. And my Codex is your ability. Power passed from era upon era… A Vassal passed me to you. Firis.’

‘You mean, the old man that knight is talking about?’

‘Correct. Your loss of memory was not an accident. Rather, it was a deliberate effort from Firis. To keep us out. But well…’

‘But the story I—’

‘…He was a Faustian Paladin, a paragon during his time, known for wielding the Flame of Faust. Left and stranded on Alto, he retired to a small commune. Mido. As far as I can remember, Firis hid his ability, and in turn, the Codex, from the world. He wanted to silence the Codex, as he knew it would be too dangerous to fall back to the Faustians, his kin.’

‘But why? I heard that these people are seeking to invade this continent?’

‘A lot of machinations, child. Even an entity such as me, the Singularity, cannot grasp my every vessel’s whim. I know, I told you that Firis is just a poem, but it’s not. It’s the name, the story of a man whom you found your way to. In that snow valley, Mido. He took care of you, an unnamed boy, and named you after the town itself.’

‘What…’

Mido’s thoughts went haywire. It was D-7 that gave him his name, but why did the voice recall that it was Firis, the old man who supposedly took care of Mido that gave him that name? His clogged memories suppressed much of the context. But one thing was certain…

A light was shone on his past. The dots started to connect themselves, and he realized that, coincidence or not, Mido was his true name, ever since he was a kid.

‘I have a lot of questions… I have even gone as far as pursuing these Void Vassals that destroyed my home.

‘A lot of evils were faced by Firis. And this knight was his last. Now, it’s our turn to carry the torch.’

‘…I wanted justice. This is my chance now, isn’t it?’

‘It is. And mine too. Firis did not die a gentle death, as he wished. I won’t let you meet the same fate, child. You have a kindred heart to protect, is there not?’

‘…Right. Thank you, Beast of Singularity.’

The beast chuckled.

‘Call me Codex. This old library is part of me too, yet I still have to venture far, having not used much of the books around here. It is all dusty.’

Mido was transported to a grand library. Horizontally, it seemed to have no walls, only the dark abyss as far as the eye can see in a never-ending line of shelves. Vertically, rows upon rows of bookshelves were stacked almost to no end. Some were filled with an array of books, each unique in design, each giving an aura of personality.

‘Books?’

‘Abilities, child. Those Vassals who were touched by my hand contributed their stories to my library. In time, your friends will do the same, eventually.’

He wanted to read them. Stories that turn into tones. Powers. It’s as if the Beast is the curator of every Vassals’ abilities that he encounters.

A chair warped in front of Mido, seated by a glowing, golden figure. He seemed to stare at him, but he had no facial features. Just a blank, glowing slate, only accompanied by a voice that seemed to originate from every corner of the ethereal library. On one hand, he carried a black leather-bound book. Upon closer inspection, Mido saw that the dark blotches were in fact, burns.

‘Now, no time to waste, or your blood will dry out!’

Mido instinctively touched his chest, and to his horror, blood oozed from a big vertical wound.

‘Ah... GAH!’ He yelped as the pain slowly registered into his senses. The sudden shock made him curl on the carpet, writhing in pain.

‘Wait a moment, child…’

‘H-Help me, Codex!’ He reached out for the figure, only grabbing what seemed to be his shoes before the Beast started his incantation. He slowly flipped the burnt pages, trying to read their contents.

As he skimmed what’s left of the pages, Codex mumbled in a droning voice. ‘Ah. Paleflesh Vassals. Blood-pacts. Crimsons. Vampires? Now that’s a stretch… Old retainers of… Arcienta… Intriguing… I do not remember this family…’

‘Please! It hurts!’ Mido writhed as his blood-soaked torso redded the otherwise white carpet.

‘Right, right…’

Destined blood, it says.

It heals, yet flails.

For an ancient, occult bloodline,

Men and women, skin white as the ashen snow,

Eyes crimson, as if bathing on a blood moon.

They are Primal, with blood as their blade,

Only their kin can manifest…

‘Well, I beg to differ.’

The figure slammed the book onto Mido’s back. It warped into a crimson liquid and absorbed into his body. Miraculously, his wounds healed. Mido slowly stood up, checking his body at every second. He faced the figure.

‘I feel… The flow of my blood.’ Mido shuddered.

He whisked the air in front of him, and strings of his blood flowed gracefully. He looked, and it came from his wounds.

‘Hemokineses. This story was burnt long ago. But thankfully, traces of it still linger. Make use of it, as, after this, there will be no more of its rare, immense power. Take it, child, and let loose the Codex’s tones against the void!’

The intervention of the Beast of Singularity became Mido’s newfound courage. He found hope, among all things, that he can once and for all uncover his own mysteries, and prove to himself that he is capable of moving forward.

‘You carry your town’s name. Punch that into that knight’s noggin, child.’

‘Thank you… Codex. Firis, that old man… who took care of me… and the people of my town… I won’t let them down!’

‘Go. I’ll keep watch, inside this library of mine.’

The figure snapped, and Mido’s consciousness turned to the knight’s eyes.

…

…

“That was it, huh…”

“You… think!?” Mido gripped the knight’s burning sword as strong as he can, without fear.

‘Fear? It seems so distant…’

Blood spurted out from his hands and crept until to the sword’s hilt.

“Hmph. Valiant…”

Hemokineses!

Needles of Mido’s blood coalesced and pierced the knight’s unarmored parts. Shutting his feeling of pain, he forcefully jutted himself out of the sword as the knight, for the first time, writhed in pain.

“Argh! It’s like… Acid!” The knight was startled so much by Mido’s newfound strength that he did not have time to think and defend himself with his ability.

As Mido released himself from the sword, his blood that spurted to the ground ignited. Mido’s wounds healed rapidly, and soon after, he was back on his feet.

“You killed that old man, incinerated my town, and left me for dead…” With vigor, Mido swiftly rushed and pierced the knight with needles of flaming blood. Golden flames battled against the knight's Cataphract Armor, constantly melting and repairing its infernal visage into disarray.

He gazed against the knight’s eyes. That purple glow in the abyss. He locked with his furious amber eyes…

And he feared no longer.