Duel of Honor, Part 1

"Okay...here goes nothing!" Aaron said to himself, drawing out his Blade of Happiness and approaching the staircase.

A menacing silhouetted figure is at the top of the stairway, looking off into the galaxy, not saying a word. It, of course, was Charles. Who else could it have been?

An indescribable feeling flowed through Aaron. It was best described as a feeling of rage...and vengeance…

Of resilience...and bravery...He felt stronger in a way. Like he had hope that he was going to win this duel and emerge victorious against the opponent.

He was going to win this, no matter the consequences. This wasn't the first time he had been in a situation like this.

He walked up a step, but didn't go any further. He didn't want to start the duel immediately.

"Charles...I just don't know what to say at this point," said Aaron. "I mean, you've caused us so much misery that I can't even describe."

"..." Charles was silent.

"It actually begs the question...why did you betray us in the first place? If you could've just been loyal to us and stuck together as one, this would've never happened." said Aaron, keeping a tight grip on his blade.

"..." Charles was still silent.

"You know...I have hope that you can recover. That you can become a better person if you try your best, you know? And I know you may not feel the same way, but you are not like me." Aaron explained.

"..." Still silent.

"You know, I know some things that you don't, and you know a lot more than me. Seemingly, you don't know how it feels to be betrayed," Aaron said.

"..." More silence.

"There is but one point in all of this that you don't seem to understand. If you were to just understand that, we could solve this problem." Aaron kept explaining.

"..." Charles hasn't said a word.

"You see...It's not all about betrayal...it's just the opposite. It's about being faithful and loyal to the people you like most. That part you don't seem to understand. And that's why we're here now." Aaron explained.

Silence followed for a moment, before…

"...if I never had heard those rumors about you all...I wouldn't have gone my separate ways on all of you." Charles explains, vaguely.

"Those rumors were all made up. You can't tell me that you betrayed us solely because of that. Come on, step it up," Aaron said.

"But what I can tell you...is that I hate you and the rest of the Crusaders," said Charles. "Also, how did you and them even get into my temple?"

"Simple, really. We snuck in. Quite the low defences you have, really," said Aaron.

"Those defenses were the best in the galaxy! There was no possible way you could've gotten in!" Charles said.

"But I did. The reason? I'm here to stop your rain on our parade. You've had it your way for far too long." said Aaron, clutching his blade.

"..." Silence then followed.

"However, we could do this another way. You stop, apologize, and return to us, and we will accept you. Or, we will just have to battle it out and see who emerges victorious in this duel of honor. If I win, you and your sensei both will stop harassing me. But if I lose, you get to kill off the rest of the Crusaders," said Aaron, switching his blade to his non-dominant hand, freeing up the opportunity for more power. Strangely, he seemed to handle it just fine. It was as if he was ambidextrous.

Silence for a moment, and then a sigh leaves Charles.

"Do you know what you're getting yourself into? You couldn't beat me the first time, and now you're trying again? What kind of insanity is that?" Charles explained.

"I'm destined to win. There is no stopping me. So long as I am resilient, I shall never lose to someone like you," said Aaron, with a tone of bravery.

"Give me a reason why I shouldn't just cut you in half like I almost did. Your bravery is... simply defective." said Charles, with a snarl.

"I will have to stop you somehow… and if it means acting brave and courageous...then that is what I'll do. This is what I have to do, and you're not going to stop me." said Aaron.

"Do you not realize what fate you will seal for yourself and the Crusaders if you challenge me? Your fate should have been sealed the moment I sent you and the others into the void. And yet...you're still here," said Charles, with a grim tone.

"I refuse to give up. I will always be here. Fighting for the greater cause of The Crusaders. And someone like you is not going to stop me," said Aaron, with a bit of seriousness in his voice. "And you can't even use your void powers to halt my process this time. This is a duel now. A duel of honor..."

A small pause before a brave shout from the resilient crusader.

"...and YOU are GOING DOWN!"

"..." A small moment of silence from Charles.

But then…

"...you know what? Fine. If you so desperately want to fight me, then…"

Charles then reached for his back, and grabbed hold of his blade. The handle was made of a bone, but the rest was a fine, sharp blade. He then slowly pulled it out, as if he was trying to be menacing, then slashed it beside him.

"...Go on. Face me." said Charles, slightly looking at Aaron.

Aaron readies his blade of happiness. He was ready to charge up those stairs.

"I WILL destroy you, if it's the last thing I do!" said Aaron, bravery growing.

"It's your fate...and if you just so desperately want to fight me…"

Charles turned backwards toward Aaron, holding his bone blade outward to his side.

"...Then prove your resilience!" Charles shouted, grasping his blade tightly.

"I WILL DESTROY YOU ONCE AND FOR ALL!" Aaron shouted, taking a step up the stairway.

"We'll see about that…first to five successful hits with a sword wins." Charles readied his bone blade in front of him.