The Grand Ceremony

"Welcome ladies and gentlemen to the celebration of the new Ace knight. I'm sure everyone is already familiar with the Ace knight to be, but let's not forget the brave knights who have held this title for previous years. Give a round of applause to the previous Ace knights as they enter the stage."

I found myself in the central stadium looking for either Din or Katherine. There was the main stage located at the front end of the stadium while many tables with sets of expensive food were present in rows on the sides.

The place was full of people walking and talking among themselves as the announcer and the Ace knights appeared on the stage. It was impossible to tell where Din could've gone to.

The fear and sorrow I felt from before were clouding around me, but the thought that everything would be all right when I could meet Din again kept me from dreading. At this moment, I was only glad no one could see my teary face through this crowd.

On top of the stage, Ray was the first to appear amongst the other Ace knights.

He was wearing his shiny gold armor with a red cape behind him. The cape matched his equally red hair, which seemed to have been combed just for this event. He normally carried a large lance, but probably decided it to be a nuisance to carry to a ceremony.

"Thank you kindly for everyone being here. I feel truly grateful that so many could join in the celebration of the new Ace knight."

I was able to maneuver through the crowd with ease. This was probably the only time I was thankful of how short I was.

Katherine was sure to be in the waiting room behind the stage so if I could just make it there, I might find Din there as well.

Thundering applause sounded as the next Ace knight stepped up.

It was Grayson.

Liked by many for his charms and quick wits, it wasn't a surprise that most of his supporters were females of nobility.

"As my dearest friend mentioned, I am also pleased as I was one of the first to acknowledge Katherine's talents."

Although he spoke earnestly, he was what people would call a playboy. Even at times, he would sleep with married women. I once heard him brag that it added to the thrill.

He was a man who never took any matter seriously and made the most out of each moment. Someone I couldn't rely on right now.

Before I got too close to the entrance of the waiting room, I noticed many armored guards waiting outside the door to the waiting room. They were fully equipped and on alert, ready for anyone attempting to sneak into the waiting room and for any suspicious activities.

With my eyes the way they were right now, there was no way I could step through. The feeling of being looked at as a monster by my aunt was constantly running through my mind. I had no choice, but to wait patiently for either Din or Katherine to appear. I felt so helpless.

Please Din, I need you to be by my side.

I looked onto the stage once again. There were two other Ace knights that appeared after Grayson. The first of the two was Lenetio Mine. A man with long silver hair and broad shoulders. He seemed to be the eldest out of the Ace knights. He wore a very grim expression as he spoke in a deep voice.

"I do not know much about Katherine, but I expect great things from her."

And just like that, he moved to the back where Ray and Grayson were standing. Lenetio stood straight while his spear was held menacingly tall next to him.

The last Ace knight was Callum Wolvenna. He had long brown hair and had a long scar on his face. He wore dark shades to cover his eyes and was wearing an equally dark overcoat. With one hand on a bottle of rum, he walked to the center stage. He had a full beard but something about his expression just made him seem like mischievous child.

Suddenly, Callum raised his right hand high and pointed to the ceiling while he chugged on the bottle of rum. Right after finishing the bottle, he slammed it onto the ground, shattering it into pieces.

Even those that hadn't been paying attention were turned to him now. For a few seconds, only silence remained. Then just as suddenly, Callum turned around and walked to wait next to Lenetio. Even though his posture hinted him of being drunk, he walked perfectly fine.

As I was beginning to worry about when Katherine would show up, the announcer spoke, "O-okay, I guess that's that. But now, for what you've all been waiting for!"

Right on cue, Katherine walked from behind the curtain towards the center stage. She was wearing a long white cloak that covered both her face and her body. The whole stadium was filled with applause and cheers as Katherine stepped to the center stage.

"Katherine Helen Morrison! Your new Ace knight!"

She stood tall in front of the crowd until the applause finally died down. With a graceful flick, she removed her cloak.

Katherine's beautiful silver hair shone bright along with her armor. Underneath her cloak, she was wearing her usual black lightweight armor along with brown pants and silver boots. Her sword was tucked to her side.

Graceful. Katherine was the embodiment of grace.

The crowd applauded at her beauty, but it was quickly replaced with whispers and murmurs. The other Ace knights appeared confused at the reaction of the crowd. They couldn't see her face.

It was only after she turned around did they understand.

Immediately, Lenetio and Callum drew out their weapons. Lenetio with his spear and Callum with his dual blades.

Ray, Grayson, and the announcer were all stunned.

Katherine's previous beautiful ruby eyes were now the same dirty ghostly color as mine, a circle of white surrounded by pitch black.

She had turned into a demon just like me.

Lenetio immediately charged at Katherine with his spear, but Ray intercepted his charge from the side. With no weapon, all Ray could do was tackle him.

Ray screamed as he held back Lenetio, "Stop—!"

The crowd began to panic and people began running away from the stage. Many began pushing past others to get as far away from the main stage as they could. I was pushed left and right, but somehow managed to stand my ground with only a few scratches. Screams filled the air as the Ace knights readied to fight.

Katherine pulled out her sword. She was immediately attacked by Grayson from the left with a swift swing from his sword but she managed to reflect the attack cleanly.

"What is the meaning of this, Grayson—?!"

Even before she could recover from the attack, Callum was already in front of her. His blades barely missed her throat, but he spun around with the momentum of his swing and kicked her in the stomach. The kick sent her soaring backwards off the stage.

"Katherine—!"

Ray yelled helplessly as he was too busy fighting against Lenetio to assist her.

Katherine crashed onto the crowd of people that were still close to the stage. The people nearby screamed even louder as they made their escape through the crowd. Ray appeared to be having a hard time against Lenetio, but even without his weapon, he was still able to delay Lenetio somehow. Lenetio, unable to get to Katherine, had turned to fight Ray directly.

Grayson and Callum, on the other hand, leapt down from the stage to follow Katherine. Katherine managed to get back on her feet and while holding her stomach with her left hand, she aimed her sword forward with her right hand.

Many guards were rushing towards the brawl but appeared hesitant in joining the fray as they wouldn't be able to keep up with the actions from the Ace knights.

As guards rummaged past the crowd, the crowd pushed back so they could escape. The leftover people started running away from the main stage area. I was pushed in all directions, but I managed to keep standing upright. That was, until an armored knight rushed past me, knocking me to the ground.

The knight halted and turned around after noticing that I had fell. He reached out his hand.

"My apologies, but I must—"

I made a mistake.

I made a big mistake.

I looked up.

Our eyes met.