The Blade Keeper

The Duke kicked down the door to the baths with a face filled with wrath. In his hand was a gleaming sword bathed in white light. His eyes narrowed at the blood stained floor and clenched his sword with an even fiercer grip.

The Duchess and Marissa entered after the Duke and let out gasps.

"What in the world happened! Darian!" Asked the Duchess with a pale face filled with worry.

The Duke analyzed the scene for a moment before shaking his head.

"I don't know."

"It looks like someone was murdered in here! Oh no my poor baby!" Cried the Duchess with tears streaming down her face. Marissa was oddly quiet as she stared at a dagger on the floor with a ghostly white face.

The Duke gritted his teeth before picking up the dagger.

". . . . It's Alexander's."

Marissa's already pale face when even paler as she slowly slumped to the ground. Meanwhile, the Duchess heard the faint sound of sniffling.

"Darian-"

"I hear it as well."

The Duke sheathed his sword and made his way to where the source of the crying. In one of the corners of the baths, hugging her legs in order to make herself smaller, was Iris, his daughter. In her hands was a bloodstained rabbit.

The Duchess immediately made her way to Iris and gave her a hug.

"Iris! Are you ok? Are you hurt anywhere?"

The child mumbled incoherently and only hugged the rabbit harder.

The Duke crouched down and held Iris's head gently. He had softened his expression and his eyes were filled with relief and anger.

"Iris, everything is going to be alright."

Hearing the Duke's words, Iris started to shake back and forth while crying in a louder volume. The Duke gently picked her up and patted her on the back.

"I know you are scared, but I really need to know. Do you know where your older brother is?"

Iris grabbed onto the Duke with a fierce grip.

"Please Iris, I need to find your older brother."

Iris slowly stopped her crying before pointing in the direction where the two men had disappeared.

"Bad misters *sniff* took Al!"

The Duke nodded before handing Iris to the Duchess and drew his sword.

"I'll be back with our son," he said to Marissa before flickering towards the direction that Iris gave.

The Duchess reassured Marissa with a sad look.

"Don't worry Marissa. He will find Alex."

Marisa nodded her head but her gaze was fixated on the red rabbit that was clenched within Iris's hand.

——————————

"HOLY F.U.C.K! HE'S CATCHING UP!"

"I KNOW HE IS CATCHING UP! SHUT UP AND JUST RUN!"

Two men were currently flickering through the forest at a speed that could barely be comprehended. One of these men carried a small little boy with black and white hair.

"AHHHG! HE IS GOING TO CATCH UP! WHAT DO WE DO!"

"ABANDON THE KID AND RUN FOR IT!"

"THEN OUR BOSS IS GOING TO KILL US!"

"IF YOU KNOW THAT THEN SHUT UP AND RUN-"

There was a flash of white as several trees far behind them were thrown into the sky.

"HOLY F.U.C.K!"

The two men paled in front of the looming flash of white and decided that they should speak less and run more.

However, even their inhumane focus at running couldn't help them from the impending wrath of a Sword Saint.

"AHHHHH! HE IS GOING TO CATCH US! WHAT DO WE DO!"

". . . ."

"STOP BEING QUIET AND ANSWER ME!"

The quiet man hesitated before stopping. It took the other man a couple of seconds to realize what had happened.

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING! RUN! HE IS GOING TO CATCH UP TO US ANY MOMENT NOW!"

The quiet man took a deep breath before drawing his sword.

"Run for it Bob."

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU SMOKING?" Screamed Bob with a frustrated expression. "WE HAVE TO RUN! IF WE JUST MANAGE TO MAKE IT OVER THE-"

"We won't. We will both die. You already know don't you, Bob?"

Bob gritted his teeth in frustration and sorrow.

"Honestly, I'm surprised that we managed to last this long. I would've expected for the Sword Saint to have caught up to us already."

". . . . Greg."

Greg let out a wry smile.

"We both know that both of us can't get out of this alive. But one of us can."

Bob clenched his fists tightly. Blood started to drip down from where his fingernails pierced his hand.

"Bob, you were my best friend over the years. Through countless missions, long nights. I was glad to have met you."

". . . ."

"Now go Bob. Live on for us. Let me fight for us for the last time."

Bob wiped away the tears that were forming on the corners of his eyes before silently nodding. He then disappeared into the forest without looking back.

Greg let out a sigh before staring up into the sky.

"Is this how I'm going to die? What a heroic ending for a villain for me."

Greg couldn't help appreciate how quiet the night was and how beautiful the stars looked on the inky black sky.

"You can come out now Sword Saint. I know you are there."

Like a ghost, a person flickered in front of Greg, glowing like a holy apparatus. His silvery white hair gleamed with holy radiance and his eyes carried an unmistakable fury.

"Where is my son."

Greg let out a chuckle.

"Are you not curious who we are? Why we kidnapped your son?"

The Duke wore an indifferent expression on his face as he calmly answered Greg.

"Those questions will be answered later. My first priority is my son. Answer me right now, where is my son."

Greg smirked at the Duke in response to his threat.

"I'm afraid I can't disclose that piece of information."

"Then you will die," the Duke replied coldly.

"Perhaps," shrugged Greg while brandishing his sword, "I've always wanted to fight a Sword Saint at least once in my life."

"Congratulations then, this will be your first time going against a Sword Saint, as well as your last."

Greg let out a wild grin.

"Bring it on you son of a bitch!"

There was an explosion of incredible force as both the Duke and Greg released their aura's simultaneously.

The winds howled as white clashed with blue. And then, silence.

Greg glanced at the sword that was planted in his c.h.e.s.t with a wry smile.

He had immediately lost. They were leagues apart.

The Duke pulled his sword out of Greg's c.h.e.s.t and flung the blood off his blade before heading towards the direction Bob had disappeared towards.

Greg chuckled as he lay on the grass slowly bleeding to death. He stared into the night sky as his vision became darker and darker.

The last thing on his murky mind was the face of his best friend, Bob.