The Shadow Knight stood motionless, a figure carved from darkness itself.
Lucien's hand instinctively went to the hilt of his sword... the simple blade he'd forged in Ahmad's workshop. Nothing special. No skills, no enchantments, just steel and purpose.
He drew it slowly, the metal whispering against the sheath.
Appraisal.
A translucent window flickered before his eyes.
[Item: Standard Forged Blade]
Durability: 87%
Sharpness: Moderate
Mana Conductivity: Minimal
Note: A reliable weapon. Nothing more.
Lucien exhaled through his teeth. It'll have to do.
Behind him, Layla's team had formed a defensive line, weapons raised, faces pale. The healer knelt between two unconscious Hunters, hands glowing faintly as she worked to stabilize them.
"Layla," Lucien said quietly, not taking his eyes off the knight. "Get your people out of here."
"We're not leaving you," she replied, her voice firm despite the tremor beneath it.
"This isn't a request."
The Shadow Knight tilted its head, observing them like a predator watching prey decide whether to run or fight.
"Lucien de Mireval," it said again, the distorted voice echoing through the ruins. "You do not remember me, do you?"
Lucien's grip tightened on his sword. "Should I?"
The knight's helm shifted slightly... almost like a nod. "Perhaps not. The Grail has taken much from you."
The Grail.
Lucien's blood turned to ice. "What do you know about the Grail?"
"Everything." The knight took a single step forward. "And soon... you will remember everything as well."
Layla moved, her spear aimed at the knight's chest. "Stay back!"
The Shadow Knight didn't even glance at her.
"This does not concern you, girl."
"Like hell it doesn't!" Layla lunged, her spear flashing in a perfect thrust toward the knight's exposed throat.
The knight moved.
Not fast... but impossibly fast.
One moment it stood still. The next, it had sidestepped the strike, caught the spear's shaft, and twisted.
Layla gasped as the weapon was wrenched from her hands and hurled aside. Before she could react, the knight's gauntleted hand closed around her throat, lifting her off the ground.
"Layla!" Lucien charged.
His blade came down in a heavy overhead strike, aimed at the knight's shoulder. The Shadow Knight released Layla, letting her drop, and raised one arm to block.
Steel met steel.
The impact sent shockwaves through Lucien's arms. His sword held barely... but the force drove him back a step.
The knight pressed forward, drawing a blade of its own from the void. The weapon materialized in its hand, long and curved, wreathed in shadow that coiled like living smoke.
Lucien parried the first strike. Then the second. The third.
Each blow came faster than the last, each one precise, calculated... familiar.
Lucien's eyes widened. That stance. That footwork.
He knew this style.
He'd trained in this style.
"You're a Templar," Lucien said, breathless.
The knight paused, just for a heartbeat. "Yes."
"Then why are you doing this?!"
"Because," the knight replied, its voice colder now, "I have my orders."
It struck again... a feint followed by a low sweep. Lucien barely blocked in time, his blade trembling under the pressure.
Layla had recovered. She grabbed her spear and charged again, striking from the knight's blind side.
The knight spun, deflecting her attack with its free hand, then drove a knee into her ribs. Layla gasped, the air driven from her lungs, and collapsed to one knee.
"Stop!" Lucien roared.
He lunged forward, blade aimed at the knight's exposed flank. The strike connected... a shallow cut across the armor's side, sparks flying.
The knight didn't flinch.
It backhanded Lucien across the face.
The world spun. Lucien hit the ground hard, blood filling his mouth. His vision blurred, but he forced himself up, sword still in hand.
Layla struggled to her feet beside him, spear raised, breathing ragged.
"We can't beat this thing," she whispered.
Lucien knew she was right.
The knight stood before them, unbothered, its blade still wreathed in shadow. It hadn't even used its full strength yet.
"Layla," Lucien said quietly. "Take your team. Leave. Now."
"I can't..."
"Go." His voice cracked like a whip. "He doesn't want you. He wants me."
Layla stared at him, torn between duty and survival.
The Shadow Knight spoke again, confirming Lucien's words. "The woman is correct to hesitate. But the boy speaks truth. I have no interest in the rest of you."
It turned its faceless helm toward Layla. "Leave. While you still can."
Layla looked at Lucien one last time. Her eyes were filled with something... gratitude, regret, guilt... he couldn't tell which.
"I'm sorry," she whispered.
Then she turned and ran, her team scrambling to follow. The healer supported the two unconscious Hunters, dragging them toward the exit.
Lucien watched them go, relief flooding through him.
At least they'll survive.
The moment they vanished into the swirling light of the rift's exit, the Shadow Knight moved again.
This time, there was no hesitation.
It came at Lucien like a storm.
The first strike shattered his guard. The second disarmed him, sending his sword spinning across the ground. The third drove him to his knees.
Lucien gasped, blood dripping from a cut above his eye. He reached for his blade, but the knight's boot came down on his wrist, pinning it to the stone.
"Enough," the knight said. "Come willingly, Lucien. The Master wishes to see you."
"The Master?" Lucien spat blood. "You mean the traitor who stole the Grail?"
The knight's helm tilted. "Traitor? You misunderstand. The Master saved us all."
"Saved?!" Lucien tried to wrench his arm free. "He betrayed everything we stood for!"
"No." The knight's voice grew quieter, almost sad. "He saved you."
Before Lucien could respond, the air exploded.
A gunshot, deafening, impossibly loud, tore through the ruins.
The Shadow Knight staggered backward, black ichor spraying from its shoulder. A chunk of its helm shattered, fragments scattering across the ground.
Beneath the broken armor, a single eye was revealed... human, pale blue, and verry familiar.
Lucien's breath caught.
I know that eye.
The knight turned toward the source of the shot.
At the edge of the rift, standing with her long musket still smoking, was Mira de Beaumont.
Her green eyes blazed with fury, her coat billowing in the wind. Beside her, Renan raised his bow, with glowing arrows forming around them both.
"Lucien!" Mira shouted. "Get away from him!"
The Shadow Knight straightened, unbothered by the wound. Black smoke poured from the hole in its armor, already beginning to seal.
"Mira de Beaumont," it said, recognition in its voice. "The Red Lion of Lyon. Impressive."
It raised one hand, and the black rift behind it... the one it had emerged from... began to pulse violently.
"But you are too late."
The rift expanded, tendrils of shadow lashing out, wrapping around Lucien's arms and legs. He struggled, but they held him fast, dragging him backward.
"Lucien!" Mira fired again.
The shot struck the knight's chest, driving it back a step... but the tendrils didn't release.
Lucien felt the pull intensify, the darkness swallowing him inch by inch.
"Mira... !" he shouted, reaching out toward her.
She ran.
Sprinting across the broken ruins, musket abandoned, her hand outstretched toward his.
But the distance was too great.
The rift closed around him, shadow swallowing light.
The last thing Lucien saw was Mira's face... desperate and anguished as she screamed his name.
"LUCIEN!"
The world went black.
And he was gone.
Outside the rift, in the ruins of the Holy Land, Mira collapsed to her knees.
The rift had sealed completely. No light. No sound. Just empty air where it had been moments before.
Renan stood beside her, his bow still raised, his expression grim.
"Mira..." he said quietly.
She didn't answer.
Her hands trembled, clenched into fists against the scorched earth.
Around them, Association officers began to arrive, rushing toward the scene with weapons drawn. Layla and her team stumbled out of the original rift, battered but alive.
But Mira didn't see any of them.
She stared at the empty space where Lucien had vanished, her voice barely a whisper.
"I let him go once..." she said, tears streaking her dust-covered face. "I won't make that mistake again."
Renan placed a hand on her shoulder. "Then we find him."
Mira nodded slowly, her jaw set.
"Yes," she whispered. "We will."