Corruption

Nolan sat on an empty crate. He looked above the sky in a daze. He heard that the War Maiden has turned cold and yet here he was neglecting that problem. He has been sitting here neglecting his own body. It was like he was unable to get tired. His body has been through a lot of suffering, he knew it too well. But, it never came to his mind that he could be so untiring.

"You are becoming what you hated," an unusually sweet voice sounded out. It was sweet enough for Nolan to cringed at.

"What are even doing now?" he asked. "You are cringing me with your sweet tone of voice. Where's your usual seething one?"

"Do you prefer that one?" she said with a seething voice. "You are odd. You'd refuse being a Knight this around? Quite heartless of you to leave her alone knowing that she thinks that you are dead. Or do you have something in mind?"

"Leave her alone," he spoke in pain. "I should leave her alone. With Kaiser around, I don't think the inner lands needs someone who is in life to take care of them. They'll need a calculating and frosty war maiden."

"Isn't that too optimistic of you?"

He lightly bit his lip, "She's already cold now that she has the incarnations of the War Maidens merging with her. And I know that she'll do fine. She...is the person that I admire most in this world. You know this well...you are not stupid, Tania Of the Obsidian."

"Yes," she smiled. "Someone that is able to go back in time at the time of their death. I do not know how many times have you died. How many heartaches you have suffered throughout this journey."

Her words like thunder. It was like there was a mist flowing out of the ground. Behind her was the image of his own self walking through a wasteland along with a worn and battered group, a look of tiredness came upon their faces, yet there will never be faltered. A storm brewed and flapped their cloaks about. Nolan stared fondly behind Tania with utter loneliness. Then the scenery changed into that of a bloody battlefield. The group that he was walking with laid dead on the ground, he stood intoxicated by his own victory.

"But isn't it wonderful how you are able to stand?"

"Hmph, you are quite cheeky."

He held his eyes with a palm. He snorted, looked at the sky and back to Tania's figure, "You do not know anything."

She smiled brightly. Her eyes felt like she was able to see through him.

"Have you heard of the Tale of the Old Revenant?"

"Huh?"

"The one that fell in love with the Goddess of Light?"

"I know it…but."

Her eyes stayed still. Nolan did not show fear of Tania. Unless she was the overlord or that monster known as Kaiser. He will never falter or doubt his ability because he knew it already. Yet the phantom before him was strange. Ever since he experienced his third sleep, Nolan has noticed something strange going on with Tania.

"Did you knot that there was a lie about that story? Do you know that the Old Revenant could never find the goddess of light? He'll be struck by the light and he will die without being able to take a glimpse of the goddess. The tale has been written and re-written and along the way, there was a change that happened. Was it really the truth? Or did someone change the script?"

"What are you even talking about? How is this relevant? What are you even saying right now?"

Her eyes grew dim. The frosty coldness was gone like the wind.

"Who knows?" she giggled. There was a void in her eyes as she cackles. Then, her eyes turned normal, the darkness that was within and around her vanished altogether.

"You…something happened, didn't it?" he said. "And I can no longer feel that you are resisting…no…what are you doing?"

"That bit of crack in your willpower. That was enough for me to seep into the crevices of your mind and blood. A single blood of mine contains powers and that alone was enough to infect your blood with mine."

"You bitch."

"A little bit payback. But do not worry, Walker. Your soul is still part of me now. If I kill you then I will die as well. Possession won't work considering that you are a man with little fear in death. I am just trying to better my position here."

"I don't get it," he snorted. "Were you confusing with that nonsense to do this?"

She shook her head, "How could that? It took a long time but waking back in this time allowed me to grasp this opportunity. I thank you for this leniency. It seems like a troubled heart after experiencing death is a good way to pierce through the heart of a man. You should be thankful, Nolan. With my power, you are now able to be stronger. You felt it right? The inability of you does not get tired is a sign that you have been corrupted by my blood. You might be able to use some of my blood and shift them into a weapon or a shield. Oh, do not give me that face, Bleak Walker."

"You turned me into a demon?" he drew cold air. "How dare you!"

She snorted, "Power is power. You were helpless again the demon and don't be silly. You were already using my blood to fuel that sword of yours. And you cover yourself with a thick grim that allows you shield that disperses magic and resist force and impact. Getting more devilish power from me, who you bound to your soul means nothing now." She smiled at him. "Well, …you could always free me and let me go. It will be painful but I know that it is nothing to you, Nolan Salvatore."

Nolan clenched his fist so hard that his arm shook, "I almost forgot that I am dealing with a devil. I guess you aren't as stupid as you look."

"Of course," she raised her head. "Even I can cook up a few opportunities to better my situation!"

The weather became worst. Nolan bristly walked through a deserted alley, holding on to his coat. He covered his left arm, trying to hide the bloodiness of it. He tried checking the power that he got from Tania. It was efficient but painful to use. He has to let the obsidian blood go run wild to conjure the shifting power he was granted.

Nolan cut through the right of the alley. He marched, moving his legs softly like a puma. His feet didn't make any sound, the rain also drowned out every noise that happened. Under the hood, Nolan snorted his nose and lifted his face, enough for the rainwater to drop on his face.

"The rain shouldn't arrive this early," thought Nolan. He continued down this deserted alley, crossed an intersection and arrived on a tavern with a worn down sign. Taking a step, he sidled towards a stool and sat carefully, leaning his elbow on the counter. Raising a finger, the shopkeeper stretched an arm, poured a glass of alcohol and nodded at him.

The shopkeeper knew how to distinguish eyes. If a patron wanted to talk, they would eye him expectantly. If they don't, they would look just look and give a nod. The shopkeeper didn't bother Nolan. He let him drink his glass and tended to the customers.

Nolan drank two glasses before reclining on the side of the tavern. He ordered a few meals and ate them without enthusiasm. The hubbub of the tavern was whisper-like. The patrons of this particular tavern come in and go. Most of them wore armor, most were ill-maintained.

They did not bother anyone. Most were drinking their sorrows away. He would nod at the fellow wanderers who are busily hunting monsters that entered the inner lands. Once in a while, a fellow Bleak Walker would enter, give a sigil greeting and left without any word.

Nolan stayed for the night. He would come out of the tavern every dawn, hunt down a bounty for any lower monster and go back to the tavern. It was an utterly deprived routine and he would make use of his time to drink. It didn't mean that he became depressed or anything. It was just that he was making use of this to past away time. He didn't have anything to do, and the way work around him was being done was astounding.

The Cold-Calculating War Maiden, that title was now heard all around the inner lands. In a matter of days the precise and concise surgery-like attention that the War Maiden did surprise everyone. The foolish assumption of the nobles that wanted to court her was crushed. Her efficiency in doing her job as the blessed of the War God made everyone who thought of her as a wonderful prize was gone.

Nolan was aware how competent Ciara was, he saw it for himself back in time, and even without her powers as the War Maiden, she was unrelenting and there was no one who was worthy to lead the Light's army than her. If anything Nolan's confidence has been crushed. It was another answer to his question. Would she really need someone like him?

He thought of that time where they danced up at the hill. It was a future that happened but now he neglected that future and now she was far better on her role as a War Maiden. Her heart became cold. He could tell that with how she was acting. It was as if she was running away from a pain that even a War Maiden could not endure.

Nolan knew what that pain was. Despite that, he was going to ignore it, sternly as he could. It was a nice dream for Nolan, becoming her knight and becoming her sword, even for a while, it proved to be a good dream. But he saw how that would lead him into confronting the strongest, the weakest facing the strongest was impossible. Absolute power triumphed over experience. He proved that by dying by the hands of Kaiser, the Strongest Half-Dragon swordsman, guardian of the dragons.

So he turned to this stupid choice. Nolan thought that he should care about his own happiness. But seemingly the world will not be nice. A choice led him to death. It was enough for him to know that a Bleak Walker's path was indeed...bleak.

Tania, who usually would bother Nolan, was unusually quiet. She was sleeping in her own world, inside the sword. Her soul is actually connected to Nolan, but nonetheless, she lives inside the sword, becoming the sword's vessel, allowing Nolan to cut through anything.

Together, they were strong, strong enough to face the half-devil, half-dragon Kaiser even for a moment. She's usually disdainful, but her attitude took a drastic change, as if death changed her way of thinking, the usual Tania was gone, replaced by someone that Nolan could not see through any longer.

Dealing with a devil was something that he'd never do. The Light's army has forbidden that thought when the world dimmed. Nolan and the Bleak Walkers killed every devil they could see with a fanatical zeal. Nolan killed without taking it to heart. So it was a surprise for him to seek power from a devil, knowing that using her as a tool was the same as committing a sin against the Holy City.

But it was too late, not to mention that the Holy City would never bother with a Bleak Walkers. Bleak Walkers has always been considered as eccentrics, an odd group of people that has always been known to carry oddness and weirdness.

There was nothing weird for a Bleak Walker to suddenly come in contact with a devil, turning into one. Being corrupted by a devil or dying because of one was not a rare thing for a Bleak Walker. He had no need to hide the left arm that was corrupted by Tania. But he wasn't a fool to reveal it. It can act as a triumph card, and although he hated it, he can rely on it.

"I should look for Vie and the others," he thought. He remembered Vie, Hannah, and the Sunspawn Knight Todd. If he was correct, then he would like to help them.

Thus, Nolan Salvatore once again ran away from happiness.

What a fool...thought the phantom.