Knights of Anathaeum Arrival at the Fabled Knights' Domain

[Nacht]

Nacht clambered down the tree he was hiding in, his dark aura toning down the light from the sun and making the rays simply irritating as opposed to unbearable. As he did, he wondered why he was there in the middle of the woods in the first place. As a person that had to be somewhat shrouded in darkness at all times, waking up in the morning was usually tough, and today was no exception. He sat on a rock nearby the trunk of his temporary home and momentarily panicked, a dark look crossing his face before disappearing. Nacht noticed this happening and took a deep breath, mentally cataloging everything he remembered. Ah, yes, something about a tree, but what?

The doctor of Astenvale, who seemed to know something more than he told me, suggested I search for the Knights for help understanding what's been going on with my magic. I departed from Astenvale to find the Knights at his behest, or at least search for evidence they exist. What was it Old Man Esk said? "Find the tree that dwarfs the sun and casts a mile-wide shadow, but be alert for it's inhabitants." Truthfully, other than this strange task by the Doctor, he only knew of the faction from slight gossip, so this might turn out to be a giant waste of time. Still, that didn't make the trip any less fun, and if the Knights could help him learn to use his magic to an even finer degree, he was eager to continue searching.

Suddenly, he had a thought, turning in a circle and noticing that there were already shadows all around him. Looking up, he'd smile and silently curse himself for being so stupid. Had I simply been unable to understand before because it was dark? Indeed, he was walking below a giant tree, more colossal than he could see with his naked eye, just able to find the trunk shooting into the sky before losing the trunk among the clouds. This must be the arbor the doctor mentioned, since there was no other possible explanation. "The Eldyr Tree, huh? Pretty dramatic, huh, Shade?" He'd ask this to his shadowy familiar, not expecting a particular response, but the feline didn't offer one. Actually, she wasn't there at all.

He turned a full 360 degrees leftward, luckily spotting a jet black paw before it disappeared into a group of trees some ways off. "Always got to make things hard, Shady. Sometimes I swear you do this on purpose." He'd curse, slightly annoyed that his friend couldn't see that there was no time to dally. By sheer coincidence, Shade was accidentally approaching the Astenvale Monastery. That particular place was something of a myth to Nacht, though, so at the present point he was just trying to corral his pet while blindly dodging trees and moving through brush. Finally, like the eighteen and a half year old he is, Nacht decided to just start yelling and hoping it would convince his cat to come back by...second-hand embarrassment?

If his plan doesn't sound very structured, that's because it isn't. "SHADE! SHAAAADE! CHOOSE A BETTER TIME FOR THIS, GOD DAMN IT!" Truthfully, he was super worried, not only for Shade but also himself. There were rumored to be spirits or monsters or something around, Shade was solid, so she could get hurt and he most definitely could too. In the following seconds, he registered two things. Shade came running back, which was good news, but also brought along two wolves that seemed to be hungry and somehow undead. This was less great, and probably meant a fight. Well, it would have, but then one of them started howling and Nacht just kind of marveled at how such a pure sound could come from a torn up throat. This proved to be not too smart on his part, though, as another Wolf came from behind the boy and rammed into him, sending Nacht sprawling to the floor.

He stood up, now surveying the wolves warily. They had taken up a triangle around him, and looked quite hungry. Nacht resolved to fight them off, hoping that in case things took a turn for the worst, his stupid cat had attracted attention from more civilized characters who might help him live through a fight. Noting that they were already in shadow, Nacht used his magic to make the area dark to the point where a normal person would be blindly stumbling around, and wrapped some of that darkness around his now unsheathed daggers. "I hate hurting animals. This sucks." He'd mutter, getting into a battle stance.

 

[Hector]

Fingers pressed down against soft earth. A wolf's print there in. Black ooze pooled about the indentation.

Hector watched the strange liquid. Brow furrowed as he knelt low. A focus and intensity in his eye, as if the stain would leap at him should he look away.

Squire Lemock just sort of watched. Wide eyed and anxious beneath his mop of sandy hair. His blue eyes flit between the knight and the blighted earth.

With a gloved finger, Hector traced a circle about the print. A cruciform of runic seals there soon after. Life upon the north, flame upon the south, and two symbols of the wipd to the east and west. He took a deep breath in through his lungs as his eyes came shut, and his right hand came close to the center of his chest.

"H-Hector?" The squire asked.

When his eyes came open, Hector pushed his right hand forward, an open palm that fed the foci of magick he had just traced with the magick of his own coil.

The seal about the blighted print burned bright, red, then gold, then white. A flame ignited, crackled and hissed, bright as day's light. There and gone in a pulse.

A smile crooked Hector's lips. The stain on the earth contained within the circle was gone. A fertile darkness there in its stead, natural as ash after happy flame. But there were still many more prints, stained with that same darkness.

"Well,' Hector said pleased as he rose up. Looked back to Lemmock. "Just have to do that a thousand more times and we'll get somewhere."

Lemock nod quick. "R-right!'

Hector fixed a quizzical look upon the young man. "Are you nervous?"

"Wh-what? No? Why, why would I be nervous?"

Hector gave a shrug. Smiled easy. "That's why I asked, Lemock," but Hector wagered it was the young man's first blight hunt. "Let's move, stay at my tail, and we'll get through-"


Shouts from the far distance reached his elven ears. Calls for help.

Hector motioned for Lemock to follow, and made for the foreign voice.

 

[Nacht]

Nacht took out a knife and got into a clumsy fighting stance. Before long, there were results. He wasn't even a challenge. In fact, there was a weird noise coming from the pack. As he barely fended off paws and teeth, the wolves started playing with him. A bump from the back sent him stumbling into another wolf and it passed him to the last, every time this rotation including harder and harder bumps. Finally, Nacht got sick of feeling hurt, getting toyed with. Gripping his knife, he would allow himself to be bumped and turn using the force, turn towards the next player in their game. With that, he'd strike downward, morbidly satisfied as one wolf screamed, their left eye no longer working.

However, that was all of his remaining energy, and Nacht looked as some of the bumps flourished to bruises. The three wolves howled in rage. "PLEASE! ANYONE!" he'd shout, only strong enough to hold his hands in front of his body.

Hector

 

[Hector]

A wave of heat shimmered the air betwixt Nacht and the wolves at his frontside. The mantle of magick there, was woven and formed. Shaped.

Quick beats, pulses that turned to bright spark. An infant star, sizzled and hissed, no larger than a fist. The wolves lowered their heads and snarled. Snapped. Ears bent back as they hesitated before the show of light.

"Turn away!" A voice from the thrushes called out.

The bright mote of flame light crackled and spat. Turned to loud whistle and screech, as loud as a horrible bird.

It popped. Banged out in a wash of blinding white light.

Nacht

 

[Nacht]

“Turn away!” Nacht had barely managed to heed the mysterious person’s warning and turn before something behind him exploded with a bang, sending the wolves behind him into a fit of yowling. Capitalizing on the opportunity, he would stand up and look around, mind moving at a mile a minute. Suddenly, that all came to a stop, and it was obvious why: There were few choices in this situation. The only one he could do right now besides run away? Fight.

He had always wondered what the life of a person that didn’t run would be, and damn his naive little mind, he wanted to find out. Trying to be as quiet as possible, the boy would sidle up slowly to a still blind wolf and raise the knife over his head, bringing the weapon down with the adrenaline-infused power of a man given a second chance. This time could be different, no, would be different.

Different it was, as the beast he had stabbed fell to the ground, blood spurting out of its neck and covering Nacht. He stared at the blood on his hands and shivered, noting how real the slowly dripping crimson drops felt on his arms and hands. He dropped his knife, hands shaking.

Killing something for real felt much worse than he could ever have imagined. Why why were the pained whimpers of the wolf he had been too stupid to instantly end now causing him pain? Why was he sick all of the sudden? These thoughts and more he contemplated, frozen in place on his knees, still just quite literally seeing red.

Hector

 

[Hector]

A break from the brush as the wolves still recoiled. Sword drawn, the blade came down fast against the wolf's neck. The wake of flame's flash, a warm cinder in the air, filled his lungs with heat, his blood with rush of strength.

The blade came through clean. The blighted wolf's head rolled and with its wide golden eyes still staring.

Hector set his jaw, his ears heard and felt the wolves before he saw them. The stuttering of yelped pains. The whimpers of suffering mixed with growls, snarls and choked breaths.

A set of stumbling footsteps. A wavering shout as a round shield slammed against wolf's side, and knocked the beast down. Hector's eyes found the wounded wolf fast, half snapping, half cowering. His hand gripped tight on his blade, held firm with two and cut from low to high across.

Wrath saw the second wolf put down.

"On your feet!" Hector gave demand.

Nacht

 

[Nacht]

Whoever this was, they knew how to get someone moving. Nacht cringed at his own state and stood, turning to face his saviors. A younger man, blue eyed and blonde, stood by nervously, his energy quite like Nacht's own. However, there was another, more composed fellow, his aura confident. Brown-skinned with pointy ears, perhaps elf or half-elf, his sword coated in blood that once belonged to Nacht's attackers. "Uh, aah, YES SIR?" He'd say, cringing as the response came out more like a question than a comment.

"Thank you so much. I was just looking for the Knights of-" He paused, looking each of his saviors up and down in one clean sweep. Armor, Magic, how had he not noticed? His rescue was perhaps the luckiest thing that had happened to him, and he decided to confirm. "Hey, this might sound crazy, but I think you're the ones I'm looking for." What a world, if it was true. What a start to his new journey. Maybe he could even join them, and rescue people like his favorite heroes did in their stories. Yes, at age eighteen and a half, Nacht still believed in fairy tales.

 

[Hector]

Lemock panted and huffed. Stared wide eyed at the result of their work.

Hector let out a breath, his heart still hot, his blood warm beyond exertion as his eyes kept on alert, and his one good ear twitched to the sounds of the forest.

Then came the prattling.

His eyes narrowed and cut to the boy. "Quiet!" he rumbled. "Lemock, guard up, on my flank,"

Lemock gulped, nod and hurried over with a jogged step, shield raised to cover him from shoulder to thigh. An old iron headed club in his hand. "Syr, at your right,"

A rustle came from the trees. Lemock gave a small yelp, and held tighter to his shield. Stiffened at the knees.

Hector's grip loosed about his blade wand, his arm could still feel the pull of woven magick, the fabric of their world, set to shimmer by the use of Flame. With breath in and out of his lungs, Hector honed in to the feeling of that shimmer.

Another rustle, the break of branches, and whatever had stalked them from cover broke away.

Sword still at guard, Hector's shoulders eased. After a moment longer, he stood straight, and sheathed his blade. "Don't be so quick to think a thing is over," Hector spoke to both the younger men.

Lemock gave a jerky nod. "Y-yes Syr,"

A smile from the young half-elf as he turned to face the newcomer. Not paying much heed to the words he had spilled forth. People did odd things in the heat of battle.

He himself had almost thought there three wolves, instead of two.

"Are you alright, traveler?" Hector asked beneath the steel brim of his

Nacht

 

[Nacht]

"Well, I am now, anyway. Thank you very much for the rescue." Nacht would somehow manage to get out through his shock. Unbeknownst to him, conditions had been filled to bring forth an appearance by a very special person. (Life or Death: Check. Low on Magic: Check, for he had forgotten to replenish it before going to bed the previous day Strong Emotions: Check, a mix of Adrenaline and Intense Fear. In the Dark: Check, below the Shadow of the Eldyr Tree.) It began as a small pain in the back of his head, too small to notice but there and becoming worse.

Anyway, as of this point, he had bigger problems, such as how to convince someone like the man who had saved him of his reason for being out there. From the dark look of the seer as she explained his task, this was important. The pain continued becoming worse, now causing the boy to grimace but make no noise. "A seer told me to find the Knights of-" A sharp spike of pain wracked his body and Nacht momentarily quit speaking. "Sorry, The Knights of Anathaeum. Her name was Emilee Schen, and apparently, my magic." Another spike of pain brought him to his knees. "My magic is...out of control, so I was going to ask for your-"

A final burst of pain sent his eyes closed, the boy now finishing on a more desperate tone, fearful final words exhaled from his mouth: "Your help. Help me, please!" With that last gasp, the area around them turned dark as midnight in the afternoon, swallowing Nacht. When they emerged, rubbing sleep from their eyes as the darkness faded, the boy would look down and smile with great joy. He was free. "What the hell? It was like I was watching myself but couldn't do anything." Why smile? Well, Liege loved to fuck with people, and he'd enjoy as much time in this body as he could, for he surely couldn't fight these two without losing control. "So anyway, could you guys teach me more about magic and stuff like that? If what just happened taught me anything, I need help."

Yeah, this'll be fun, He'd think with a grin, the expression on his face and the cause of it two entirely different monsters.

Hector

 

[Hector]

Hector's look of well warranted concern shift to worry. Went wide with shock when the boy fell to his knees.

Sensitive to the flows of the world's magick as Hector was. He could feel the strange swirl of power that coalesced within the youth. Like a dark tempest.

A thing that had been there from the start, but gathered itself into spiral and bluster. When Lemock made to help, Hector’s arm shot out, braced the squire before he could make forward.

The flash of shadow that swelled to consume them, only to blink away only gave him greater reason to worry. The boy before them, almost a new person entirely.

In how he spoke. How he smiled. From agony, to amusement.

Lemock gawked. Hector stared. Made full aware of the weight of his sword. “What are you?” he asked the being before him.

Nacht

 

[Nacht]

"Oh, you- Nothing, Nothing but a fucking fool of human that's lost." DAMMIT, I'M BUSTED. He'd grimace and snarl, a bit grumpy. He'd walk over to the wolf his vessel's knife was residing in and take out the weapon, brightening up. "Losers." he'd chuckle this out before kicking the dead wolf in the teeth and relishing the snap of enamel coming loose. Tossing the knife up, he'd adjust his hand and grab it midair, now with a much more efficient grip, much more classical and less clumsy. The boy's kill had been a bit of luck, but this hold was not. It was almost like whoever was holding the knife had practice.

"Right, so where am I...? The Valen Wilds, for sure, but why is it so..." Liege would wonder before looking up at the giant canopy of tree. "AH! The Eldyr Tree, of course." He'd then notice some wolf blood still on his hand and lick at it, cringing. Blight didn't taste very good, after all. "Damn, blight just doesn't taste good, huh? For such a fun war, it sure left some sad aftershock. Not even an acquired taste, this shit." Of course, he had been referring to the godly war. That little event was an amazingly fun experience, kind of like a game or something. The sadness and death, overall good times.

Suddenly he turned back, any pretense of being who he claimed to be gone. It simply wasn’t worth the wasted effort. "So you guys are Knights, yeah? Well, not that guy Lemock, but you. Huh, didn't think you guys were real! After all, how fun can playing pretend in a forest be?" He'd grin again, not at his quip but at something else. “He didn’t think so either, that stupid fucker, but that’s because he didn’t want to get his hopes up. Poor guy, that boy, being entertained by fairytales. Guess that’s what having no friends does to you.” He’d laugh maniacally, the area seeming to become darker and more gloomy. Still, though, something was weird about the last sentence. It seemed like he was talking about someone else, but Liege’s tone had a casual familiarity you would only have about a significant other or…yourself. He realized this as well, covering his mouth with a hand and shutting up.

Hector

 

[Hector]

With eyes unclouded, Hector watched the being before him. Listened to the way it spat words and pretended to be the boy.

He answered none of its questions, and said not a word as it sussed about. Like a hound, sniffing for scents.

It spoke of the war. Spoke of the blight. Words that quickened the young knight's pulse, but he kept steady all the same. Keenly aware of his own breath, and the mounting panick in the pulse that beat behind him. A jump at the utterance of Lemock's name.

"Lemock," Hector said, "If this being moves, make away, fast," he added. "No matter what happens, do you understand?"

Lemock gulped. Gave a shaky nod of his head. "Ye-yes, Syr,"

Hector forced a smile across his lips. A thing that almost looked easy. "Good," his eyes never left the being before them. His feet never conceded ground.

For now. This thing. This being. Would be watched.

Nacht

 

[Nacht]

"Good advice! He wasn't much contributing to my fun anyway, Half-Elf. However, I'm afraid I must refuse his retreat. Total fear is sublime amusement, don't ya know?" He said with a wink, as though sharing some great secret with the knight. The area got dark as midnight but the boy's voice remained in front of them, his body only visible to those with great sight. "How do we feel about a song? Good? Good. I've been needing to make some friends anyway." Nacht chuckled.

"Carriers of the disease called death, a murder when there are more." the boy sang, his high voice making the notes a bit haunting. The air hummed around the three, as though bracing itself. "Eyeless Watchers flying with the wings of fallen angels, they observe the strong and wait for blood. The weak? The weak , well, they eat." At this point it was obvious what was happening. Even an idiot could tell a spell was being cast. "Watch in wonder as I call the crows." He threw something upward and a caw echoed in the darkness. Suddenly, there was the flapping of wings.

"Time to adjust...and..." He laughed, taking away a bit of the darkness and making things more visible. On the branches all around them were crows without eyes, each somehow staring at the Knight-Squire pair. With a sweeping gesture and a look of focus, the boy disappeared and reformed behind Lemock, using the squire as a shield from Hector. His hand shook and he looked incredibly pained, but "Nacht" pushed through. Moving to his ear, he would simply state: "Boo. Are you scared yet?"

Hector

 

[Hector]

Lemock shout. Near leapt from his skin as he bumped against Hector and away from the little boy with the strange voice.

Hector stood tall. Firm. His eyes were alight with the trace of Flame. And a sword of fire hung above the strange child. Hissing as its countless tongues of gold licked and leapt.

The pang of its power come to form was lost in the theatrics of this being.

"You are not he first nightmare I've faced," Hector said plainly, "Nor will you be the last," and the sword burned on, burned the shadows around them back. Its point angled for a death blow, ready to fall through the stranger's neck. "Lemock," he ordered. "Make ready, just as I said,"

Lemock gulped. Looked up at the sword of flame that looked every bit as sharp and real as a blade forged from steel. Looked back down to the strange boy. Nod shakily.

Nacht

 

[Nacht]

"HAHAHAHAhaha...ugh?" The boy would hold a hand to his chest and snarl irritatedly. "DAMN IT! DAMN IT! DAMN IT ALL!" he would curse to the sky, falling to his knees. His usage of power had been excessive, and now Nacht's body was making him pay the price. Not only did he use Shadow Dashing, but the chant just added even more to the pile of straw that snapped the camel's back. Scoffing at the sword of magic above him as though it was below him and something to simply step on, he rose and stared at Hector. "Hey, don't kill him just yet. He doesn't deserve it. Whenever I feel like really letting loose, let's have an interesting little rematch," "Nacht" would state with a pained grin, falling down and becoming wrapped in magical darkness. Even to the last second, he refused to be predictable.

"GAH!" Nacht would shout, getting up and backing away a few paces from the sword of fire. "What the heck are these crows doing? They're so creepy." he would continue, looking all around. "So! Sir, can you bring me with you? I'd be very grateful. Apparently my Magic is out of control, as I said." He would state, stretching a bit as though having been slightly cramped. Upon noticing Lemock's look, his face would fall. "Why the intensity? Did something happen? Also, the flaming sword is pretty cool, but also...worrying."

Hector

 

[Hector]

Hector stared plainly at the boy. His voice, back to those chords they had first used. All sweetness and innocence.

"I cannot," he stated, the words fell like stone. "Lemock," he went on, never letting his gaze wander off of the boy. The sword of fire hung in the air. Its blade still alight with bright and rippling flame. "Go now, straight to the Captains, as fast as you can, and tell them what we saw here,"

Lemock stood with his mouth agape, his eyes wide as eggs. He looked to the boy. Looked back to Syr Rookheart, and finally to the sword of flame that hung above the youth, like an executioner's blade, ready to fall. He peeled his eyes away. Gulped down the spit that clung to the sides of his mouth. Nod fast. Turned, and ran.

Hector kept his eyes on the strange boy with two voices. His summoned blade ready to move with magick's will.

Nacht

 

[Nacht]

"Oh, uh. Ok." Nacht stated nervously, obviously intimidated by the harsh, serious words. Now was obviously not the time for questions, even though he was interested in what caused whoever was standing over him to send his...apprentice or something, after the "Captains". Anyway, the point is, whatever had possessed him before was utterly and completely gone. Not that he knew anything had possessed him, which became clear as he confusedly watched the entire interaction go down. Once again moving out of the way of the flaming sword, he considered the situation.

The only things that were clear were two: Hector seemed to be focused on him, but why? Next, that Lemock chap seemed to be very scared. He looked around for any possible threat and found nothing. That left him and him alone. Ugh, did he freak someone out again? It must be Monday again...or Tuesday again....or Wednesday again....or Thursday again....or Friday again....or Saturday again....or Sunday again, he thought dejectedly. "Well, this was cool. I guess I'll go tell Ms. Schen back at town you guys said no. Should be a fun story to tell, at least." he sighed, turning back the way he came before facing Hector once more. "Thanks for not letting me die, Syr," he said with a slight salute.

Back to being unwanted, he supposed, until his magic ran amok and probably destroyed a few lives. "What'd I expect anyway?" he wondered aloud more to himself than anyone else, once again turning away. It was a genuine question, and that could be heard in his voice, nothing indicative of an attempt to guilt trip in his tone.

 

[Hector]

"You are not going anywhere," Hector said flatly. Voice unmoved by the pathetic turn of the boy's voice. "I do not care who or what brought you here," the sword came down and sank into the earth with a crunch, impeding Nacht's path. "But after what I have seen, I cannot let you leave,"

The sword burned on. The earth around it steamed and smoked.

"What is your name?" he asked.

 

[Nacht]

"Wait, what?" he said, incredulous. If he couldn't leave, and he couldn't go...did the knight intend to...? He watched with horror as a flaming sword slammed down in front of him. That probably meant, by Nacht's best estimation, "turn the fuck around". Luckily for Hector, Nacht needed no such instruction as he rotated 180 degrees with a startled jump. The choice was obvious. Follow every order, which he was going to do anyway, but especially now that he could die otherwise.

"My name? I'm...uh...Nacht." he said nervously, now more confused than anything like upset. "Please don't kill me. I don't even know what I did!" he said, glancing over to the sword on the floor and visibly cringing. "Wait, why do you want my name?" he asked, curiosity overpowering fear for a split second. Hadn't this knight just soundly rejected him only a moment earlier? Suddenly, a morbid thought struck him: Oh, maybe that's for my headstone.

 

[Hector]

Hector's brow twitched. His lips pulled down at their corners. "Nacht," he repeated, and let the name sit in the fires of his mind.

His heart beat hard and steady. Each pound in rhythm to the flames that pulsed along the forge fire blade.

“I don’t want to kill you,” each word measured. As if the timing was all that let him hold on to his calm. “And my hope is, that it will not come to that, Nacht,”

The sword of fire burned on.

 

[Nacht]

"I dunno if this is unbelievable or something, but i don't want to die either." he said, more hysterical than sarcastic. Pausing and taking a deep breath, he would simply sit there for a second, blocking everything out. "Sorry, yes, Nacht is my name. I am telling the truth." he said, staring down Hector. "I've heard people tend to take proof of truth with a face that does not blink or turn away." In the heat of the moment, he did not even twitch. That was how dead serious he was. He would not lose his life by doing something stupid like being combative.

Still, in a situation so stressful, he broke rather quickly. "Can you please explain what you want without looking quite so murderous? It's scary!" he said while gesturing to the various murder implements nearby, having moved a bit closer. However, Hector had not yet done any harm to him. Perhaps the knight was being genuine? A thoughtful look crossed Nacht's visage. He had many thoughts on the matter. "Actually, wait. I'm confused. I can't come with you, you don't want to kill me, but I can't leave? What's the plan exactly?" he asked, a bit worried now.

 

[Hector]

Hector's stare went unchanged. "We wait," he said. Plain as the dark soil beneath their feet.

The black bile of blighted wolves stunk around them.

 

[Nacht]

"Wait for what?" The knight's response was slightly infuriating. What did that mean? His plain expression said nothing. Completely unreadable. Gathering some darkness in his hand, he would slowly create a black dog, perhaps some game retriever. Bending down to pick up a stick, he chuckled a tad. Things would be fine now that there was an animal around who would actually do something. "Whatever, I guess. I can wait." he said, throwing the stick and watching as his brand new friend ran after the stick, the area still dark...for some reason.

"Good dog!" he said, grinning as the dog came back and licked him on the hand, feeling it's shadowy tongue lap without much texture. Holding out his arm, Shady would leap onto it from his head and hiss, causing the dog to bark a bit. "That's no good! You should be friends." Nacht said in a calming tone, holding out a hand that set both animals to silence. "Alright. That's nice. Here, you two can run around together." He let Shade down and they began fighting instantly, which managed to draw a laugh from their owner. "Nothing to do except watch, I suppose." he'd say to himself with a shrug.

 

[Hector]

Hector stood in silent vigil. The wind rustled through the leaves, and the sword burned on.

 

[Nacht]

Nacht also waited.