Garden Of The Abyss

"You sense it don't you?"

Roland asked with a smile as if knowing information known to few. It took a moment for the pristine-uniformed knight to peel his eyes away from the iridescent beauty of Joyeus, looking over at the somber-dressed argonaut beside him.

"That blade...It has its own source of mana? Something like that should simply be…"

"Impossible? I don't think anything is impossible when it comes to Charles; part man, part god--the last of his kind within Mastorn yet it has never brought him down. He is simply a person that wishes for the good of the world to defeat the bad; as simple as that. It is unreasonable to believe, isn't it? An immortal such as himself who has lived many lifespans, witnessing the worst that mortal kind had to offer; murder, war...Yet he has never grown jaded, his aspirations have never been dulled by these experiences. I can't say the same for myself, which is partly why I believe I'm so entranced by his existence. That is Charlemagne; the man who is blind to impossibilities."

Speaking of his treasured comrade, the look in Roland's usual dark, gloomy eyes emitted a dash of life through them.

Before Aelius could speak another word, the corner of his eye caught a glimpse of the start of the battle, dragging his watchful gaze back to Charlemagne, who was now rushing towards the armored behemoth with his blade in hand.

"That form; it isn't bad but not that of a master swordsman either…" Aelius couldn't help but analyze the demigod knight's own style as someone who lived by the blade.

Anticipation caused him to hold his breath as he witnessed Charlemagne swing his sword back to prepare for a strike--swiping it horizontally only for the blade to bounce right off of the dense hide of the large dragonkin.

"Huh?"

The simple word was the verbal realization of Aelius' confusion, expecting the strike to completely decimate the beast, only for Charlemagne's strength to be completely insufficient.

"Was his form off? No...It was the power behind his strike," Aelius tried to find an apt reason for this failure.

"Surprised?"

Roland read the blatantly perplexed expression covering the fair face of the young knight, holding a slight smile as he kept his eyes on the battle.

"...No...Well, maybe just a bit."

"There was a reason why Charles chose his human blood over that of his divinity."

"Huh?"

Aelius found it hard to choose between shifting his focus to Charlemagne's combat against the behemoth or Roland's words.

"Amongst his fellow demi-gods, let alone gods, Charlemagne was the weakest of them all. Frail, sickly, and cowardly...He showed no gifts of his divine father. Most of his time as a boy was spent being taken care of by his timid mother; even if he was a half-blood, his weak existence was something condemned by the gods for tainting their image of power. They berated him, treating him like filth…"

The man who clearly loved Charlemagne seemed pained to speak of such a past, his hand trembling at memories that he was likely reluctant to drag to the forefront of his memory. Aelius paused before speaking--watching another set of strikes crash against the behemoth's unmoving hide to no avail; yet the resolve in Charlemagne's eyes didn't dim in the slightest.

"I see...He chose to side with humanity because of how the gods treated him...I can't blame him for despising them."

"That's not it."

"It's not?"

"Charlemagne experienced firsthand what humans had felt secondhand from the gods; knowing the feeling of scorn and belittlement, he wanted nothing more than to offer them reprieve from such cruelty."

The words left his mouth as if being read from a history book; assisting Aelius to come to a realization of his own about the loyal companion of Charlemagne.

"Roland...You talk of these events as if you lived through them. You're…"

"No, I'm not a demigod like Charlemagne. I am a half-blood just as he is though; more specifically, I am one who shares the blood of those who feast upon it and lurk in the darkest corners of Gaia; I am a vampire."

Announcing the identity of his blood, Roland held a sly smile; knowing full-well that this information would come as a surprise to the young knight of legend. To further confirm this, Roland reached under his lip with his black gloves, pulling it up to reveal a fang occupying his set of teeth.

"A vampire?!"

"That look on your face was worth spilling the secret," Roland chuckled, "I'll ask that you don't repeat that bit of information."

"...But the sun…"

Aelius was still caught on this revelation, though he emitted no clear hostility from what Roland could sense; listening to the sound of steel clashing against the rock-bound body of the behemoth as the battle between demigod and beast continued.

"Perks of being a half-blood, I guess. I'm totally immune to the sunlight," As Roland spoke, his gaze shifted back to Charlemagne's battle, "I'd watch him if I were you."

"--What?"

Still taken aback by the existence of a half-vampire, Aelius brought his attention back to the battle, just in time to witness a development from his fellow knight.

It was a sublime movement that completely superseded anything he had displayed previously; a total shift in his eyes was shown, the blue, gentle haze shifting into a determined, battle-hardened azure. A dance was had, evading a strike of the behemoth's pillar of a limb as he spun around with his blade emitting its powerful glow into the form of a radiant cyclone.

"When I said Charlemagne was the weakest of his kind; that was at his birth. He takes a bit to get warmed up, but when he does...Well, you'll see for yourself."

When Joyeus clashed against the bulwark leg of the behemoth, once again, it failed to cut through the sturdy hide it possessed--however, something else happened. Aelius watched with his superb vision; witnessing the serene mana that belonged to the blade propel into the beast's body, resurfacing from under its hide into geysers of cobalt steam that blew apart its rocky exterior from within.

The eruption of magical energy continued to blow chunks of rock from the gargantuan monster's body--soon flinging its smooth, unprotected flesh, coiled in the flaming embrace of Charlemagne's mana. Witnessing this, Aelius' momentary confusion shifted into a smile as he recognized the power belonging to the knight.

Leaping into the air, Charlemagne brought his blade over his head with a joyous smile before bringing the radiant sword down against the sturdy forehead of the behemoth. The impact was backed by his innate magical strength, creating an echo of force that shook the nearby cedar as birds fled from the unknown impact.

"Tell me; how long have you two known one another?"

Aelius asked with an elated smile as he watched his fellow knight's final attack flow through the monster's body from within, ending with an implosion that scattered its stoney hide throughout the forest like a meteor shower.

Looking upon the argonaut half-vampire, Aelius could see it now past the man's young, handsome appearance; those dark, dull eyes of his had long since lost the spark of life that mortals carry with them until they are six feet under.

His question seemed to be ignored as Roland moved towards the victory of the scuffle with the behemoth, giving Charlemagne a pat on the shoulder as the knight, now covered in a shower of red from the beast's interior, allowed his sword to rest within its sheath once more.

"That was truly a sight worth coming out here for; I've never seen a technique quite like that one."

Aelius complimented the dance of steel he had witnessed; giving Charlemagne a firm, congratulatory shake of his arm.

"I find it hard to believe Aelius himself found any of that to be anything more than a flashy display of mediocre strength; but thank you, nonetheless."

"...You're really embarrassing me; my humble strength is nothing special, Sir Charlemagne…"

Once again, Charlemagne and Roland could hardly keep their eyes on the radiant, kindness that embodied Aelius, who seemed to never recognize his own legend.

"Say, Roland, how about we show our companion here some quality grub?"

Looking back towards the quiet argonaut, Charlemagne gave him a beaming smile--a growl releasing from his stomach spoke of his true intentions.

"So, have you always been a connoisseur of fine blades, Sir Aelius?"

Finding himself seated at the bustling restaurant with his two companions, Charlemagne's question caused an eye roll from Roland, taking a large swig of amber liquid to take his mind off of the storm of chattering that is sure to come.

"...Mm, I'd say my love for swords began when my eyes met with the renowned blade belonging to Sir Morgan."

Aelius found his answer after tapping his chin, taking a bite from his savory-looking serving of sauce-covered, roasted chicken.

"Ah, "The Sword that Sings of Death--Schwertod", a beautiful blade, indeed. Well, I've only heard descriptions of it myself; a long, wide greatsword that takes on a dark purple across its length; formed of mythical steel that bathed in dark mana for centuries--dunkore."

"Trust me, it's even more magnificent than the tales of it; clashing steel against steel with that blade, it feels as if it is a living, malicious being. The weight behind it is deceiving; Sir Morgan actually let me hold it once and it was quite light, yet when we practiced, it felt as if I was having to repel a mountain itself."

While the two knights continued their discussion about their love for blades; the waitress continued to refill their alcohol with a shy blush occupying her freckled face, clearly entranced by the presence of the legendary knight himself.

It wasn't a one-way ticket of first-sight romance, however, as whenever the orange-haired waitress had her back turned, Roland caught Aelius' gaze trailing on her.

Taking note of this, Roland decided to put a stop to the constant chattering about steel by stopping the waitress on her next round; raising a single digit to bring her attention.

"Y...yes? How may I help you?"

There was no hiding that scarlet blush of hers; spreading from her cheeks to her ears as she averted her gaze from the radiant sight of Aelius, clearly battling against her own instincts as her olive pupils tried to get a peek at the young man.

"What's your name?"

Following his sly question, Roland took a sip from his mug of golden liquid, watching as the waitress fiddled with her fingers before giving her answer. The half-human argonaut gave a slight nod of his head to gesture to the waitress that this was not for him, but for the white-haired, pearlescent knight.

"...Avidia."

It was as simple as filtering air through his lungs for someone such as Aelius to identify the feelings that emitted from the meek waitress, for better or worse. Some called it a blessing; but to him, a curse--the "Songs of the Wind", one of the many blessings afforded to the prodigal knight by the world.

Still, knowing this wasn't enough to prevent a bit of blush from tinting the young man's own cheeks, earning a triumphant smirk from Roland. Looking at the argonaut seated across from him, one glance between the two men, Aelius knew what he had to do.

"Avidia? That's a wonderful name."

Such a compliment seemed to take the girl by complete surprise as her entire face began to be swallowed by a sea of fluster, shifting into a darker shade of red.

"T...thank you, Sir Aelius."

"Just Aelius is fine."

"--I couldn't! You're an esteemed knight-"

"I insist."

Luckily for the young knight, Charlemagne was too busy in his own world, drowning himself in quality ale while Roland silently spectated the exchange of words between the two innocent souls.

It was an awkward spot for Aelius, who kindly spoke to the lithe waitress, eventually setting up an eventual "dinner meeting" with her at the very same establishment.

"You would think a famous knight would have some game...I mean, you're a handsome guy, so you don't even need it, do you?"

"...I don't know what you're talking about."

Clearly embarrassed by Roland's tactless words, Aelius drowned his flustered state away with a large gulp of water.

"Still, I have to thank you…"

"Huh?"

Roland looked up at Aelius from his mug, raising an eyebrow as he exchanged a look with his brotherly knight--who simply shrugged his shoulders.

"I did take a liking to her, but I've always been lacking in confidence...What I'm saying is, you pushed me to actually take hold of my feelings. Thank you."

"...It's nothing--really. That was all you."

Being thanked by the radiant knight of knights felt like he was being acknowledged by goodness and heroism itself, a feeling Roland wasn't too familiar with as he also covered his meekness with a large drink.

Mission successful. I believe with this, I've acquired a friend most powerful, Barnabas. "Aelius, the Knight of Knights"--just what will you choose to do, I wonder? Charlemagne thought.