Black Knights' Raid

Lyrus awoke with a start. It was dark and quiet wherever he was, and he didn't like those two things one bit. He can hear the beating of his heart and the loud ringing sound that would fill up one's ears in complete silence. His hands instinctively searched his face and body for any wounds while his mind prepared itself to feel extreme pain surging within his very being. However, there was no wounds, nor pain.

He's fine. He's safe. Lyrus allowed his body to relax as his mind swallowed whole such thoughts. It had been 2 years since he assumed the identity of the prince of Crusdea, and was caught and tortured. He never told Auria but there were times, times like this when he would wake up and for a moment would think that he was back at the dungeons. The damage on his body might have healed but not the one in his mind. He ran his fingers over the scars on his face. While Edrana's balm was able to reduce and even remove some of said scars, he still would touch his face from time to time. The act always calms him down, assuring him that everything had been over, and that everything will be fine.

Lyrus got up and sat on the side of his bed. He remembered now; he was at his quarters inside the castle. Judging from the looks of his surroundings and the amount of moonlight entering his room, he assumed that it was just a few hours past midnight. He wondered if Auria was still awake. Maybe he can go and have a chat with the woman he loves to further ease his mind. He decided against it though. Auria already had a lot of things on her side, having been crowned as Threanas' new queen. His burdens were insignificant compared to hers.

His musings were, however, interrupted when he saw a shadow suddenly stop infront of the door to his room, blocking the moonlight shining underneath it. Lyrus was about to call out the person on the other side but hesitated. The shadow lingered without announcing to whom it belongs and without even knocking. Sensing something was wrong, the knight ran to the side of the door and waited.

It was good that Lyrus went with his instincts since a few seconds later, the door burst open with such force that the knight thought some of its hinges came loose. The figure owning the shadow set its foot inside the room but didn't immediately enter. It was cautious, like it was looking…

Without a moment wasted, Lyrus elbowed at where the figure's face would be. Whoever his late-night visitor was, it definitely was looking for him, taking a moment to scan his room to make sure he was indeed there. Lyrus' attacker stumbled back into the halls of the castle.

"What the…" That was all Lyrus can muster as a sword quickly came swinging by at his face. Fortunately, he was able to dodge in time. With the light coming from the lamps adorning the halls of the castle, the knight can now clearly see who his mysterious opponent was. Yet, the sight that greeted him only made him shudder. His opponent was another knight.

The mysterious figure was wearing a black full plated armor complete with a shield. At first, Lyrus thought that his foe was another knight of Noir but realized that the armor was darker, as if his attacker was wearing the darkness of the night itself. There was no visible coat of arms or insignia on the armor. However, what truly terrified Lyrus was the man, or rather the thing's face. The being had a dark gray skin, similar to a corpse, with black veins and sickly yellowish boils covering the creature's face while its human-looking eyes glowed yellow against the light. It was as if Lyrus was fighting the corpse of a knight who died from a plague.

"Who-who a-are you? What do you want with me?" Lyrus asked but all his mysterious foe can do is utter a grunt before charging at him once again. Knowing that his life is on the line, Lyrus did the only thing he can think of.

"Help! Help! I'm being attacked!" The being stopped on his tracks, as if listening as to whether reinforcements are coming. Lyrus, on the other hand, took the chance to run back to his room and grab his sword. While a sword is practically useless against a full plate of armor, the knight had an idea of a better use for it.

A loud sound similar to a watermelon being smashed echoed across the halls of the castle. The creature made the mistake of running after Lyrus who went back to his dark room. Waiting at the same spot, gripping the edge of his sword with both hands, Lyrus bashed the head of his attacker with the guard of his blade. He felt the sickening crunch of bones as the guard made contact with the top of his foe's head. As the latter stumbled back, he swung his inverted sword once more, hitting the side of his attacker's face.

Lyrus panted as he looked down on his opponent's mangled head. However, before he can even examine closer the dead body before him, Freid had come rushing towards him. "Lyrus! Noir…a-attack..black…knights…e-everywhere. Wa-wait…is that one of them?" Freid inquired between pauses to catch his breath.

"What? Where are the others?" Lyrus hurriedly stripped the corpse before him of mail and parts of the armor he can wear in a haste. There's no time to go back to his room and get everything ready.

"Thenan had already rallied the knights but they also got their hands full. Those corpse-looking knights are even inside this castle at this very moment." said Freid as he helped Lyrus put on the fallen knight's breastplate.

Inside? How? The castle's defense is impenetrable considering that the only entrance is protected by a thick iron portcullis. While the same had been unused during Deanor's reign, the Midnight Council deemed it best to resume the use of the portcullis, lowering it when night falls .

Further, there was no banquet or any event as to allow a large number of strangers to enter the castle. The walls of Noir, on the other hand, are now being patrolled heavily once again. The guards at the walls should have seen something. So how? These thoughts flooded Lyrus' mind as he wrenched the heater shield off his dead foe.

"You ready? Once we get out of this hallway, those black knights would be swarming all over us." Freid said, spear in hand.

"Wait. We need to go to Auria's room." Lyrus tightened his grip on his blade. He had a feeling that a knight was also sent to assassinate Auria. Please, let her be okay. The thought ate at him.

"No need. She had been fighting for a few minutes already. Don't worry, Silvia is with her. In fact, she sent me here to fetch you. The majesty had ordered us to clear the castle grounds from the inside and make our way towards the gate. The enemy had taken over the portcullis. We need to open the castle gate and let reinforcements in." answered Freid with a smirk as the two started running. Majesty. Lyrus can't help but smile at his bestfriend's remark. Auria is the queen, and if the queen ordered them knights to recover the castle gate then recover the gate they shall.

Chaos filled the whole castle. Black knights fought against similar-looking knights. Flames had erupted from various parts of the palace. The smell of blood, burnt flesh, and screams permeated the air, making it hard to determine whether the cries of agony where coming from the inside or from the streets of Noir. Nowadays most knights patrol the streets of the capital so the citizens' safety would not be easily endangered by an attack similar to what they are going through. The only problem was it was the castle itself that's now less protected since there's now a smaller number of knights assigned to it. Their enemies seemed to have taken great advantage of such arrangement.

"Watch out!" Freid shouted at Lyrus who was able to dodge just in time as a warhammer flew over his head. The owner of the warhammer was Thenan.

"Sorry lad. Thought you were one of them because of your armor." Apologized the knight commander as he fell another enemy using his weapon.

"It's fine. How are Auria and the others?" asked Lyrus, bashing an attacker's face using the edge of his shield. A sword won't do much damage to their enemies so the knight had resorted to using his blade to maneuver his foe's weapon out of the way then using his stolen heater shield to finish things off.

"They're fine. Silvia is with her and trust me, those two can manage on their own. You have your orders, right? You can take some of my men. They should be finished with that corner of the hallway by now." Thenan answered while evading the attacks of two enemies. Lyrus can't help but be in awe at the knight commander's prowess. He can barely manage a single foe but Thenan makes everything look natural and easy.

"See that dead one there? That one used a mace. Take that. That should make combat easier." Lyrus uttered a quick thanks to Thenan then went to the corpse. The dead knight was indeed using a mace and even wore a full helmet. Thinking that he could use more protection, Lyrus swiped not just the mace but the helmet as well. He then called out to Freid and together the two went to where Thenan's men are.

Loud dull thuds echoed across the hallway near the palace entrance, as heads, helmeted or not, got easily crushed by Lyrus' mace. What surprised him, however, was not the ease of using the weapon but the fact that ever since fighting began, the enemies seemed to notice his presence only when he's mere seconds away from bashing their skulls or faces. Was it because of his armor? Was the enemies' armor enchanted?

Six people. Five knights and a mage were the only one that composed the group to recover control of the portcullis. Lyrus can't help but sigh. Thenan's men, fifteen of them had been killed, only three survived. It appears that their opponents were more skilled than they thought. The group stood inside one of the maid's quarters, the hallway of which leads to the castle's entrance. Time was running out. The longer the battle inside the palace drags on, the lesser the chance of them surviving the onslaught.

"You're Lyrus, right? The Lyrus? The one who defeated the four princes?" the curly haired mage asked with a smile on his face. Lyrus can only nod in reply.

"Looks like we need to improvise something out. Anyone here knows how many we would be dealing against with?" Freid inquired while the mage whom Lyrus surmised to be around Meiro's age squealed with delight. Before Lyrus can even say anything else, the young practitioner of magic had started bugging him with questions about his fight with the other princes.

"There's twenty of them…I think. Some of them had taken refuge at the guard towers, using arrows and spells to repel incoming knights, while most stood guard infront of the portcullis itself." One of the knight's answered, a cut evident on his cheek. Surveying his comrades, Lyrus saw the all of them were sporting injuries of some sort. It was only him and Freid who appeared to be uninjured.

"So Lyrus…any plans?" Lyrus felt all gazes fell upon him. It was as if he was suddenly voted as the leader of the group. To be honest, he's still not used, and will never be used to his newfound fame. He had been dubbed as the prince slayer, a nickname which he hated due to its implications. Now, everytime someone would introduce or even mention his presence, heads would turn towards him, along with expectations of some profound words coming from him.

"I-I…" Just what are they expecting from him? He had only been a knight for two years and barely seen any combat until now. Lyrus stared at his stolen gauntlets, gauntlets that were as black as night, gauntlets that came from the corpse of the enemy.

"I-I ha-have an idea. But it's a crazy one." Lyrus answered and as if reading his mind, Freid gave him a big grin.

"You know what, even without you speaking, I will already say it…I like your plan." Freid impishly smiled at Lyrus. Lyrus can only scratch his helmet, both in embarrassment and due to nervousness.

The plan was stupid. Lyrus kept berating himself as he and the others, now wearing the enemy's armor made their way towards the portcullis. Bram, the young mage, had started chanting under his breath. They must be prepared for anything, including failure. They only had a few minutes, maybe even a few seconds before the enemy sees through their disguise. If they can take out the two guard towers sitting side by side by the portcullis then perhaps, they would stand a chance of opening the castle gates.

"Lyrus, look!" Freid whispered as they walked closer to the palace's entrance. Another group of knights, this time from Noir, and larger in number than them had rushed towards the portcullis, shields raised. It seems that their comrades had realized the importance of liberating the castle gate. However, before the other band of knights can even close the distance between them and the portcullis, a large ball of fire hit them, setting them ablaze and tossing them into various directions. Screams and the smell of heated metal and burning flesh immediately filled the air. Bram stopped chanting and gagged at the sight.

Lyrus gritted his teeth. It seemed that even the enemies' mages were wearing the black armor, making them blend well into the night. But base on the angle of the spell and the fact that mages wouldn't be the ones in the frontline, the spellcasters would most likely be stationed at the guard tower together with the archers.

Just a few more yards. Lyrus can already see movement at the guard towers. Just a few more yards and Bram can unleash the spell. They would take advantage of their disguise then use the mage to blast the two guard towers to smithereens. The falling debris and resulting confusion should be enough for them to take down the ones guarding the portcullis itself. However, before their group can come close enough for Bram to attack, tragedy struck.

A glowing rune. Lyrus squinted his eyes and saw that one of the knights at the guard tower had raised his hand, unprotected by any armor, exposing his palm. Carved on it was a rune, glowing a bright blue hue. "Bram start casting a barrier spell. Now!" Lyrus whispered to the mage beside him. He didn't like the look of the rune.

"What should we--" asked Freid, tightening his grip on the spear he's carrying. However, before Lyrus' bestfriend can even complete his question, a ball of fire was shot at the group.

"Bram, now!" Lyrus shouted as he dropped his shield then stepped forward infront of their group.

"Etrunr!" Lyrus never had a chance to practice using the spell ever since he fought the other princes so he never really knew how it should work. He felt the familiar warmth sensation leaving his body together with a bit of his strength. Deciding to follow his instinct, he pointed his left hand towards the direction of one of the guard towers as the large ball of flame made its way to his position.

He was right. He can use his hand to direct where the reflected attack will go. Lyrus heard something big crashing against the walls of the guard tower as the blinding light produced by the spell started to envelope them. Without a moment to waste, he ran to where he believed the enemy knights were and started bashing wildly using his mace. He felt the weapon connected a couple of times. He just hoped that all those he fell were enemies and not a comrade who, like him, foolishly rushed forward.

"Easy there. You almost got me earlier." Lyrus' eyes widened as he saw Freid fighting just a few yards from him. He can't help but chuckle at the sight. Freid is his bestfriend alright. Having seen Lyrus use the spell, and being familiar with its effect, the knight ran forward when the light surrounded them.

Lyrus looked back as he saw the others joining the fray, leaving Bram completely exposed though as arrows began flying over their heads. "Lift your visors so you don't hit an ally and protect Bram! Bram aim for the other tower!" he shouted as he hit another knight with his mace. Freid, on the other hand, had ran back to protect the young mage, picking up two kite shields from the ground to serve as protection from arrows. Seeing the mage, the enemy knights had focused their attention from defending the portcullis to making their way to Bram.

Lyrus heard a cry and saw two of their group had fallen. He himself was slowly being pushed back by the continuous attacks. He may have fell a lot of their enemies during the first attack but there's no way they'll be able to keep this up. Another fireball, this time aimed at Bram and Freid. Lyrus dropped his mace and ran. Casting multiple spells takes skill and he doubts if Bram can do it. Just by the way the young mage was taking time to cast an attack means that the latter was not that skilled.

"Etrunr!" Lyrus shouted as he barely managed to put himself in between the fireball and Bram. Freid, on the other hand, had ran forward once more, prepared to meet their opponents from the front. The blinding light appeared again but with it Lyrus felt more of his strength being drained. He can barely stand. He felt his knees slowly giving in as he reflected the spell back to the other guard tower. If something happens to Freid then it will only be a matter of moments before he himself is struck down.

The finishing blow never came. As the light dissipated, the enemies charging toward Lyrus were already on the ground, their corpses still burning while rubble from the second guard tower filled part of the portcullis. Freid and their remaining allies stood at the side, who just like Lyrus was in shock at the sight before them. "Did you do this?" Freid asked Lyrus. Lyrus shook his head in bewilderment. They all then turned their gaze towards Bram.

"I used a powerful lightning spell. I was about to use the same fireball attack when I saw a fireball hurled at us. Thankfully, I also saw Lyrus running towards us. I quickly started chanting another spell aimed at those knights charging to our direction since I believed that Lyrus would be able to reflect back the fireball." Bram answered as he himself struggled to catch his breath. Freid can only chuckle in reply. Believed. Had Lyrus been a bit slower, the result of Bram's gamble would have been disastrous.

"Sir we have a problem." One of the knights told Freid.

"What is it?" asked Freid.

"The lever for opening the portcullis was destroyed."

"What? Then why did they bother to guard this if the portcullis cannot be open?" Freid wondered out loud.

So why bother? The thought echoed within Lyrus' mind. Their opponents were skilled knights. Their large number could have been used as reinforcement yet said knights were ordered to defend a broken portcullis. It would take considerable time to open the castle entrance so why bother guarding it at the risk of their own lives. Unless…

"Freid! Where's Auria?!" The whole attack on Noir was a diversion. It was not an invasion but rather an assassination attempt. By occupying the only entrance and exit in the castle, the enemy not only managed to prevent reinforcements from coming but also distracted everyone inside the palace. The castle gate would be the first place where a ruler would concentrate his forces since liberating it assures not just retreat but possible help from the outside. Lyrus didn't wait for Freid's answer as he picked up a nearby blade and ran. "Tell Bram to blast open the portcullis using a large fireball! Look for any mages nearby and asked them for help!" he ordered his bestfriend.

Lyrus ran towards the halls leading to the palace garden. Auria together with Silvia was fighting from the tower where Auria's room is. If that's the case, then they would slowly move forward towards the main hall as they liberate the other areas. However, a terrible sight greeted Lyrus as he neared the main hall. Bodies of Noir's knights lay on the ground, most of them sporting a pained expression, black veins covering their faces, reminding Lyrus of their enemies. He felt his legs slowly collapsing with every step, but he needs to move forward. Somehow something told him that Auria would be at the throne room at the main hall.

"Auria!" Lyrus called out and in the dimly lit throne room he saw her. He saw Auria being choked by a hooded man while Silvia, Thenan, and other knights lay on the floor. Rage swelled inside him and for a moment his legs moved like the legs of a deer, strong and quick, as he rushed to rescue his beloved.

"No!" Lyrus picked up another blade from the ground and ran towards the hooded figure. He saw her, he saw Auria held out her hand to him, as smoky black tendrils wrapped themselves around her, as her veins went black and started to appear on her face, as her expression turned from terror to pain, the same expression of those dead knights he saw earlier. He will kill him. It didn't matter how, what's important is he's going to kill the bastard that hurt Auria.

The mysterious foe dropped Auria then faced Lyrus, revealing a black armor similar to the ones that attacked Noir, and a black metallic mask. The mask covered the whole face of the man and was engraved with runes that glowed a dull yellow. "So…you're the prince slayer." The man asked as he pulled out a sword with runic carvings, an enchanted one.

But Lyrus didn't care. He didn't care about the man's question or the latter's motive for attacking Noir. The masked man hurt Auria and he will make his foe pay. Stopping abruptly a few inches before his opponent, Lyrus quickly sidestepped and tried to hit the mysterious figure at the side. To his surprise, the man easily parried his maneuver and with a mere whisper, sent black smoky tendrils towards him.

Lyrus managed to evade the tendrils but was forced to keep his distance. Magic? Didn't matter. The anger inside him continued to boil higher and higher. With a shout, he rushed towards the hooded man once more, unleashing fast stabbing strikes aimed at the unprotected parts of the man.

"Dual wielding? I know of a knight who uses two blades and I'm telling you…he's more skilled than you! The man shouted as he sent one of Lyrus' swords up in the air and slashed at the knight's left arm. With another chant, a black tendril hit Lyrus squarely on his breastplate, knocking him away for a good few yards.

Lyrus spat blood. He felt as if he was just hit by a lance. Looking at his armor, he realized that a lance just indeed hit him, a lance made out of the black tendril. A huge hole was on the breastplate and the mail underneath it. Luckily, it prevented the tendril from impaling him. However, he can already feel a large bruise forming on his torso.

"To be honest, I have no business with you prince slayer. I only came for Auria. You're already injured. I can let you go. However…considering that you impersonated the prince of Crusdea and even wore Crusdean armor, I do think it's better to capture you. I believe you and I have a lot to talk about." said the masked man. The masked opponent had started chanting once more with the runes on his blade glowing brighter as he slowly made his way to Lyrus.

Stand. Move. Lyrus urged his body but it was no use. His legs were shaking badly, he can barely raise his left arm to hold his blade steady, and his torso was experiencing inexplicable pain from what he surmised as broken ribs.

Move. Lyrus gritted his teeth. He remembered how Auria reached out to him for help.

Move. He felt his legs and left arm steady themselves.

Move. He stood up and faced the man who hurt Auria.

Move. His left hand, together with his right tightened its grip on his blade.

Move! Lyrus ran toward his foe.

"You still can move? Then perhaps I should incapacitate you completely." The man chanted once more and wispy black tendrils made their way towards Lyrus.

"Etrunr!" Lyrus shouted with all his might. It felt as if his consciousness itself was projected outward with the spell. Still, he continued to run as the tendrils before him vanished.

"What the…how did you know that spell?!" The masked man suddenly shouted as bright light filled the throne room. Lyrus for his part slid at the last moment to avoid any wild swings his foe might do. There were only a few parts unprotected by the man's armor, and fortunately, his kneecap was one of them. He slashed using both hands and felt the edge of sword connected, not with metal, but with flesh.

"You bastard!" The mysterious foe shouted angrily as he fell down on one knee. The wound across his kneecap was deep. It would take a few months before he will be able to walk properly. He was about to turn his head to look for Lyrus but felt the edge of his sword against his neck.

"Yo-your neck…is unprotected. Mo-move one bit…and I-I'll chop your head off. Fi-fix…Auria.." Lyrus can feel his consciousness fading. He held tightly at his sword. He couldn't let the masked man know that his hands were already shaking badly.

"It's too late. She's cursed. While I would love to know more about you especially where you learned that spell you used, I must go. Our king calls us." The masked man removed his gauntlets, exposing a rune carved on his palm, the very same one Lyrus saw earlier at the guard tower. The rune glowed red and with a flash of red light the hooded figure vanished.

"No-no…So-someone…he-help…help Auria…" Lyrus tried to shout but felt what remained of his strength left him and could only utter a hoarse whisper. He fell on to his knees as his legs finally gave up. He tried to crawl towards the door of the throne room but before he can even move an inch, darkness filled his vision.