Zest - Redblack Gate of Diamonds [part 1]

The ancient stone door made no sound as it swung over, and Zest could feel the air from the room inside was warm. No, it was really hot. The trio stood in the doorway, looking at the view before them. The underground chamber was half collapsed, and below the crumbling ground flowed actual, boiling magma, flaming hot. The smokes were trapped inside the cave, making a fog of black and dirty air, almost blinding their eyesight.

But they saw them. Their king, standing straight in front of three people, one was definitely the figure of a tall familiar knight. The king's own royal armor was torn off of his left arm, and the rest were damaged badly, blackened and burnt. King Guinn must have had fought the Witch herself. But where was she? Zest could only see these two elite guardsmen and Sir Burns, standing calmly, facing the King, with his notorious black longsword on his hands.

"Father!" Pearce called out, and the old knight turned to his only son.

"Pearce…"

The soon-to-be-knight approached him, cleansing out his blade of blood with his fingers. Pearce had never been this angry before. "Is this it?" he asked in a trembling voice. "Is this the man who calls himself my father, and betrayed the Kingdom in which he served?"

"You've grown quite well, boy." Sir Burns smiled. "But it seems like your beliefs are still childish, ignorant and naive."

Levia had followed Pearce, her bow ready. But soon she realized Zest wasn't with them, she turned back frantically and called out. "Zest, let's go!"

Zest did not even know why he only stood there. Perhaps it was because of whom their opponent was. That was Sir Burns standing there, and Zest knew the man since he was very little. But then again, it did not matter anymore. He subsequently nodded and went to stand beside his two friends.

"Men," Sir Burns addressed his subordinates calmly. "I leave the King in your able hands. Let me be the one handling these kids. I, after all, know each of them very well."

"Yes, sir." one replied. They nodded to each other and spread out to surround the King with his dangerous greatsword.

"You don't know me," Pearce voiced himself. "You don't know what I have become, father. How hard I have trained all this time. All the time spent in order to erase you from history. So that no one will remember our family as traitors!"

The old knight nodded, the smile never leaving his lips. "And you Levia?" he turned to the girl. "You're not a little girl anymore, are you? You're a woman now. Remember how I taught you to sew your very own little dress that time? How I taught you to shoot apples on the trees? Why are you holding up that bow to me, now?"

Levia gritted her teeth, pulling the string of her bow even further. "Speak to yourself, turncloak!"

"What about you, Zest?" Sir Burns continued, walking to them.

"I respected you, sir." Zest replied. "Yet I never truly understood you."

"I see, it is a pity then." he stopped walking and stared at Zest seriously. "But after this, you may be able to understand. After this, I may be willing to show you the why of it. Perhaps then your questions will be answered. Perhaps then you will listen to reasons, Zest. To the logic and morals behind what I have done. I pray that you will have the patience to comprehend what had actually happened. Unlike Pearce and Levia here, losing their minds in anger and blind loyalties to the man they call King. Shameful, really."

That did it for Pearce. Without warning, he charged forward. "Stop talking about loyalty and shame!" he shouted, sword in hand. "Stop acting like you know anything better than us, old man!"

Sir Burns brandished his black katana in reply.

Pearce sent a straight thrust with his sword, but his father only gave a quick, decisive, tap against it with the side blade of his katana, swaying the attack out of the target.

"Gah!" Pearce grunted. He took his sword for a pull of another lunge attack, before seeing his foe retracting his black longsword, whipping it quick to slash Pearce.

He ducked the fatal attack. Wasting not a heartbeat, Pearce turned his feet around, taking his turn in a swift backflip attack, his sword cutting through the smokes.

In a blink, Sir Burns had moved his katana to meet the cut. The noise of clashing steels cracked loudly. The old man had tried to step back a little to prepare his own attack this time, but Pearce never gave him the chance.

The son slashed again, and so Sir Burns twisted his hands for another block. Then came another one, only to be thwarted again. Pearce stepped up and swung his sword yet again for the third time and then continuously, again and again, bending it high and low. Each of the attacks came quick and deadly, trying to find a hole in his father's defense.

When he finally paused for breath, the knight mocked him. "Tired, son?"

Pearce only grinned. He gripped his sword firmly again and went for another attack. Sir Burns was ready as ever. Only, it was just a feint. The slash was false. As Sir Burns was focusing on it, he was too late to see that the attack had been canceled. Pearce suddenly decided to strafe aside quickly, as Levia released the arrow from her bow.

Sir Burns' eyes widened when he saw death coming swiftly at him. His aura flashed as he used magic to move out of the way, but the arrow was too fast still. Had he not dodged it, it would have taken him straight on his neck. But he had moved so quickly, that the arrow only pierced his shoulder. The old knight shouted in pain.