Nero was awakened to a light hitting his face. It was Stella, she was on the deck shining sun magic onto the sails of ship. Alexander and Aria were asleep. Joshua was on the bow, looking off into the darkness in front of them as the ship sailed. Nero approached Stella, feeling the cool air of the night on his face.

“How long was I sleeping for?”

Stella turned to him and smiled.

“About nine hours. Once the ship started moving you fell asleep fast. We should be arriving in Celshire in around 3 hours.” She replied.

“Did you get any sleep?” Nero asked.

“A little, but when it got dark, I had to get up and give the sun sails a boost.” Stella said.

“How convenient for us.” Nero said with a laugh.

Stella created several orbs of light and they began hovering around the sails. She turned to Nero with a serious expression.

“Why are you here?” She asked.

Nero was silent for a moment, unsure of her meaning.

“I heard you talked to my father, that he made you a knight.” She added.

“I wanted to be a knight; I want to fight. I want to get stronger.” Nero replied.

“But you were exonerated, you could’ve left. You could’ve started searching for answers about your past.” Stella said.

Nero smiled as he looked upon the waters.

“The world is a big place. It could take a lifetime to find a clue. I’d much rather move on and do something I love. Fighting.” Nero replied.

Stella grew quiet for a moment and continued tending to her light magic.

“Well, I’m glad you’re here.” She spoke.

Nero smiled at her. He then looked towards Joshua and approached him.

The captain was tall, well over six feet. He stood with his arms behind his back as his golden cape shifted with the wind. His hair was black with trims of gray. He wore no gauntlets, so Nero could now see the many scars on his hands and arms.

“Is there a benefit to wearing no protection on your hands?” Nero asked him.

The captain did not look towards him, he just looked into the darkness.

“I like to feel the grip of my sword with my own skin.” He replied.

Nero leaned on a rail and crossed his arms.

“I’ve heard some stories about you, captain. I heard you killed 1,000 elves in one battle.” Nero said.

“999, I let one go so he could tell their general what had transpired.”

“That’s badass.” Nero laughed.

As the two looked into the blackness, Nero had an idea.

He reached his hand into the night air beyond the ship and clenched his fist. The captain was now looking at him. He then pulled his arm back slowly and unsheathed his sword, Corvus, from the darkness. The blade was so dark, that even when he held it up the night sky it appeared invisible. Nero then focused on making the blade disappear and it did, in the blind of an eye.

“Black Knight is a suitable name for you after all.” The captain said as he wrote something down in his notebook.

“Say, you write in that a lot. Are you taking notes of us?” Nero asked.

“Yes, I’ve been observing your strengths and weaknesses, likes and dislikes, personality and habits. This will help me mentor you all. On top of the missions we go on, I am also tasked with training you kids.” The captain replied.

“Training sounds fun.” Nero said with a smile.

“Not my training, you all will be wishing you were dead. However, before we do that you would need to survive this mission. It’s going to be a tough one.” The captain said.

Nero laughed at his remark. As if he did not grasp the concept of death.

“Tell me about this Dead Eye gang, sir.” Nero asked.

“They are no ordinary group of scoundrels. They kill, pillage and rape where ever they go. They are always on the move, and they travel in very large packs. There could be at least 60 of them at Fort Highpoint and more in the surrounding area. I’m aware that you are much stronger than your three squad mates. I’m going to need you to be on point. This could take up to a week, or longer.” The captain said.

“You can count on me.” Nero said sincerely.

“We still have some time before we arrive. I suggest you rest up, eat, or pray. I do not care which.” The captain said bluntly.

Nero passed his time by pacing up and down the deck, practicing with his blade and looking up at the stars. Before he knew it, the ship began to stop in a small port town.

By now, everyone was awake and ready to go. The moment the ship stopped, the squad hopped off and thanked the sea-captain for taking them there safely. The sailor left them in the town of Celshire very early in the morning. This place was no Citta Della. There were sick people on the streets, broken down buildings and shifty individuals who seemed to move through the shadows. There was also a bit of a stench in the air. It smelled of manure.

“This place... is awful.” Aria said.

“Welcome to the human countryside.” Alex said with a chuckle.

“You grew up in a place like this Alex?! It all makes sense now.” Aria laughed.

“No. My home village is beautiful. This place is just poorly kept, I’m sure it has its charms.” Alex replied.

Suddenly, a hooded man jumped from an alleyway and pointed a knife at the group.

“Empty your...” He tried to say.

Upon seeing that the group was made up of knights, he simply cleared his throat and walked back to where he came.

“What a loser.” Aria laughed.

“This place is truly charming Alex.” Nero said.

The group left the town and walked for a few hours. Dawn was beginning to break. When the sun crept over the horizon, Aria and Stella stopped. They faced the sun and just basked in its presence. It was a truly wholesome moment to watch. The two Hevarians were far from home, yet seeing the sun seemed to make them happy. It was giving them strength and courage. After a few moments, the captain began walking and the squad followed him.

“Celshire was a bad city, but this countryside is beautiful. I’ve never seen so much green.” Stella said

Alex smiled at her.

“The forests and grass beat the golden plains of hevaria.” He laughed.

“I wouldn’t go that far.” Stella joked.

The squad made small talk and told jokes during their walk. However, they were being watched.

Around midday, the captain stopped walking.

“What is it capt-” Alex tried to say.

An arrow was shot from the forest, directly at the captain. In the blink of an eye, he cut it out of the air with his sword.

“We’ve been followed by a group for a while now.” He spoke.

“And you chose to tell us now?!” Aria replied with annoyance.

“I was testing you all. It seems you’ve failed.” The captain said.

The bushes by the forest started rustling.

“Show yourselves!” The captain ordered.

10 men emerged from the forest. They were all wearing leather and fur armor and had tattoos of a red eye on their faces.

“Dead Eyes.” Nero said.

One of the men wore a crimson bandana. He stepped forward, showing he was in charge of this group.

“Look boys, we found ourselves some knights. Aren’t they scary? The man said sarcastically.

The group of bandits laughed as they pulled out their blades.

Alex stepped forward.

“Leave now, or we’ll be forced to use force against you.” Alex ordered.

“Leave now, or we’ll be forced to use force against you.” The man imitated.

The bandits laughed again and began slowly walking towards the knights.

“We are here to kill these types of people. Do not freeze. Do not hesitate. Alex and Aria, meet them head on. Stella, try to fight them one on one. Go full strength. Watch each other's backs.” The captain said quietly to the group.

Alex unsheathed his sword and shield and slowly approached the group of men, stowing his emotions. Aria took her warhammer in her hands and joined Alex.

“Captain, what should I do?” Nero asked.

The captain looked at him and smiled.

“Kill as many as you can, quickly.”

“By your orders.” Nero laughed.

Nero became a black flash and charged the bandit leader, who was completely unaware. He raised his leg high and kicked the man in the face with his elevated strength. The bandit flew towards the forest and a loud crack was heard when his head slammed against a tree. He was killed instantly. His three teammates were in total shock. They had never seen someone die before, especially in that grotesque manner. While the bandits were still trying to figure out what just happened, the captain charged one of the men and plunged his sword into his chest. The closest bandit retaliated and swung his axe at the captain, but he used the body of the man he had just killed to block the blow. The captain kicked the bandit's knee, causing him to buckle over. He then delivered a swift strike, decapitating the man.

The seven remaining bandits began charging the group.

One ran up to Aria and swung his sword wildly towards her head, she ducked down and spun her warhammer behind her back. She then quickly stood up and hit the man in the head as hard as he could. Blood splattered on the ground around her as the man fell to the floor. Her hands began to shake as another bandit ran up to her. He struck down at her multiple times. She began to fall backwards as she defended herself with her warhammer. The bandit was about to land a blow on her when Alex sent a swift strike to the man's arm, cutting it off. He then punched the man with his shield and stabbed him in the chest. The man fell over. Alex helped her up and they continued to fight.

Meanwhile, Nero was taking on two bandits that were trying to avenge the death of their leader. They swung their blades wildly, which Nero could easily dodge. Eventually, the two men swung in unison and Nero caught both of their wrists. He began to spin, lifting both men of the ground. He then tossed them into a large boulder nearby and summoned his sword from his own shadow. He charged the men and swung his sword at the both of them as hard as he could diagonally. He struck them both with his slice, cutting them in two, their entrails began to spill on the ground. The rock was now covered with blood and began to slide in half as well. He had cut through that as well.

“Whoa.” Nero said, amazed with himself.

Stella was frozen in the midst of the fight. She had fought duels, but had never killed. She had never seen so much blood. The air itself began to smell of Iron. Suddenly, one of the remaining bandits broke through Alex and Aria’s defense and began charging Stella. All she could do was hold out her rapier, but was unable to move accordingly.

“Stell! Look out!” Alex screamed.

Just before the bandit got to her, he collapsed on the ground. Roaring in pain. Black fire surrounded his head. Nero had shot a bolt of it at the man at just the right time. As Nero walked toward the bandit, the fire grew in intensity and so did the screams.

“Sorry, but she’s off limits.” Nero said.

Nero stomped on the man's neck, and he stopped screaming. He now laid dead at Stella’s feet. Nero looked at Stella and smiled.

“Hey, you have to defend yourself against guys like that, he would’ve killed you.”

She couldn’t speak, she looked at Nero with a horrified expression. She could understand why the captain could kill with ease. But Nero? It came so naturally to him. He even looked like he was having fun while doing so.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of bones getting crushed. Aria had just defeated her next opponent by smashing his head in with her hammer. Only one remained.

The last bandit had pissed himself; he was shaking at the sight of these warriors and the dead bodies of his friends. He turned around to run, but was stopped when he ran into the captain and fell over.

“Please... We didn’t know you were uhm knights... I told them not to do it. I-I swear!” The bandit pleaded with the group.

“Silence! Stella, get over here. Now.” The captain ordered as he put his foot on the bandit's stomach, pinning him down.

Stella slowly walked towards her group.

“Yes... captain?”

“Kill this man.” The captain ordered.

“But... he’s defenseless.” Stella replied meekly.

The captain was visibly angry at this point. He took his foot off the man and walked towards Stella. The bandit tried to crawl away but Nero put his foot on the back of the man's head, pinning him down once more.

“Do I have to spell it out for you?! There is not a living knight who has not killed someone. Once you do this, it will make your life as a knight much easier. You will no longer hesitate. You will no longer be a danger to yourself or your team in battle! Your first kill is nothing special. There is no thinking about it, no avoiding it. It’s not like a first kiss! You need to wake up. Letting this man live will mean more lives lost in the future. Kill him. Now.” The captain commanded.

He then grabbed her arm and led her to the bandit. Aria and Alex looked away; they were just as uncomfortable as she was.

“Kill him, princess.” The captain said softly.

Stella grasped her rapier with a shaking hand and pointed it at the man's head. Tears began forming in her eyes. The bandit looked up at her fearfully.

The tip of her sword began to light up and emit heat.

“I’m sorry.” She said quietly.

A small explosion came from her sword, directed at the man's head. Nero quickly moved his foot out of the way as the blast made impact. Blood and brains splattered behind the bandit's head. When the smoke cleared the man's face had been obliterated and a hole took its place.

Stella put her sword away and turned her to the man. The captain put his hand on her shoulder.

“You’re a warrior now, kid.” He said to her.

The small grassy path they stood on was now covered in blood. The captain began walking down the path towards their destination. The rest of the squad stared down at the bodies beneath their feet. The life they used to live was gone. Something darker had taken its place. Alex and Aria eventually followed the captain, while Nero waited for Stella. She was silently crying and her hands were shaking. Nero reached out and grabbed her hands.

“It’s okay. It’s over now.” He spoke.

His reassurances would not last long though. It seems none of them forgot what brought them there in the first place. Fort Highpoint, which was crawling with over 60 members of the Dead Eye gang.