THE FATED DAY

Three days later, the fated battle came.

Tis' a fight between two forces, between two princes, two brothers who are now enemies. The skies in Occiden, half colored red with the dragon's flames and blue with the phoenix fighting for the wolf, would soon clear out to be just one color and that last duel shall decide which of the two colors shall win.

Morning came and Kyrian is already standing at the battlefield, his newly made sword, Dansleif in his hands. Unlike the shining Excalibur, Dansleif is dark in color and almost ominous, exuding a smoke of black fumes that is ready to take the life of whoever it touches. Aisling, and his men stood behind him as they waited for the dragon to make his appearance.

Oddly, the wind blew towards the east and Kyrian smelled a minty, cold air touching his face. It seems as if an icy cold presence is coming near them and he took it as a sign that Ezio, his brother is coming.

"Yes, Ezio," he thought. He remembered how he once looked up to the firstborn of the family and he still remembered the disgusted look his older brother would look at him at, the eyes that thundered with so much anger and the lips that only called him "bastard" instead of "Kyrian", his name. He was so much hated by Ezio even before Aisling was born and that hate even after the birth of their youngest brother continued to burst in flame.

The sudden blow of the wind shook Kyrian's thoughts. Ezio is near and he wasn't wrong. His brother is indeed coming. It wasn't that long when the footsteps of a thousand men can be heard- the Occiden army standing behind a man who appoints himself as king and emperor, the first brother of the three and the crimson red dragon who holds Coreisuse, the sword of wrath.

It felt like almost an hour yet less than a second when finally, Ezio and Kyrian faced each other.

"The last time I saw you, it was during your mother's beheading," Ezio spoke.

From Kyrian, the response was only silence. His memories flooded back again to when his mother was ordered to die in front of all the Occiden people. His anger towards the woman who bore him returned, as well as his bitterness towards his father, his brother and the Occiden people who still purged him for his mother's crimes.

"She was our father's second wife, the nephilim who betrayed her own kind to mingle with the humans. Her blood reeks inside your veins!" Ezio said with disgust.

Still Kyrian chose not to say anything. His mind is set on only one thing- to kill the man before him and secure his younger brother's throne.

"I see. You're not going to answer me. I was against it after all, when my predecessor who is also my father took that woman as his concubine. It was an insult to the Queen, my mother. And yet our father, so naïve and so smitten by that harlot…."

"Enough!," Aisling spoke with a thunderous roar. Standing behind Kyrian, he cannot bear any more insults.

"Ah, right. Aisling, my younger brother," Ezio said, and turning to Kyrian, he continued, "my only brother". With a smirk, he looked down on the second prince he never considered his family. To him, Kyrian is the fruit of his father's unfaithfulness and infidelity, an accident who shouldn't been born. Ezio couldn't forgive his father for betraying the Queen, his mother and causing her the deep heartache which she eventually died from after giving birth to Aisling. And to him, Kyrian is an abomination, a man he is so ashamed to call his brother.

"I see you're still here, Aisling," Ezio continued. "It was so cowardly of you to send this boy in front of me to fight for you. You should be ashamed as the wielder of Excalibur. You have tainted the legacy of the kings and emperor who came before you! I don't know what trick you used to make Excalibur choose you but you are no king! You are no emperor!" Ezio said in anger.

"I love you, brother," Aisling said in tears. "I can never kill you."

"Ha! Is that why you sent this bastard to do the dirty work for you?! You are still a weakling! You should be ashamed of yourself!" Ezio answered.

"Stop! Have you forgotten it already that you almost lost the battle three days ago? And yet you come here as if you're the victor when this is your desperate resort to win this ten-years' war!" Kyrian, who could no longer bear it shouted.

"You dare talk back to me?!," Ezio shouted back.

"If you so dare hate me, then why don't we stop bickering and fight already?" Kyrian said, looking straight at Ezio's eyes.

"You are right. I couldn't wait to kill you, after all," Ezio said and even before finishing his sentence, he drew his sword and pointed it's end to Kyrian, who blocked his attack with a swift hand.

"You are fast," Ezio said.

"Stop talking! Have you forgotten? In battle, only our swords must do that deed!" Kyrian replied.

Ezio's and Aisling's forces each retreated to their post to make room to the two men fighting before them, a battle of which shall determine the Occiden kingdom's future.

The air was filled with the cracking and clacking of the sword, the golden red Coreiseuse against the dark Dansleif, the dragon and the phoenix against each other on the battlefield. Both grunts and breath from both men can be heard even from a distance. Their swords clashing against each other created a ripple of mana that surrounded the battlefield. Golden red and black filled the air. Though the skies were colored red and blue, the black from Dansleif seemed to restore the phoenix's natural black color back to it's place.

After long minutes of fight between the two, Kyrian made a fatal blow. In a swift movement of the sword, he landed the first wound on Ezio, his leg bleeding with blood. Though Ezio's mana is supposed to heal such a wound in no time, Kyrian's Dansleif is a sword whose wounds it inflicts shall never heal. A small wound became a mortal one and Ezio felt the stinging pain, which insulted him. He is one of the strongest nephilims in the kingdom, a wound such as this one is supposed to heal in no time with his mana but because of Dansleif, it made him feel human, weak and broken and whose wounds never heal.

His anger abounded with Coreiseuse as the sword of wrath landed on Kyrian's shoulder, spouting out blood. Another blow from Ezio and Kyrian blocked it. Another blow. Another blockage. Another blow. Another blocking. After many such clashing of their swords, Ezio struck his sword so hard that Kyrian has to block it again. Ezio's strength overpowered him and Danleif, which he used to block Coreiseuse wounded it's wielder with an unhealable wound.

Both men stood in the battlefield after an hour of fighting, both wounded, both tired and desperate. Kyrian knew that he must win. No matter what happens, even if he has to sacrifice his life, he must win. The wound inflicted on Ezio is deeper than his and he knows he can use this as an advantage.

Ezio's pride was torn to pieces. The pain from his wound resounded deeply within that all anger inside him broke loose. "The throne is mine," he said continuously in his thoughts and inside his head, he reminisced the image of his mother, the Queen of Occiden smiling as she died with sadness and with tragedy.

"Ezio, my future king and emperor," he remembered her say to him before she died. To him, taking the throne was his means to avenge her death and give her life meaning. Being king and emperor meant he won the throne for her.

Kyrian, on the other hand mustered all his strength. He tells himself, he must inflict upon Ezio another unhealable wound, another mortal blow that will weaken him more. And Dansleif, feeling it's wielder's strong determination, clouded the skies with black as Kyrian attacked Ezio with a swing of the sword, a strength Ezio himself could not stop and landing on his chest is Dansleif's fangs, bleeding him to death.

The skies started to turn blue, the heavens declaring Kyrian as the victor. The blue phoenix turned black again and the blue wolf appeared in the skies, making Aisling, the brother Kyrian fought for as the final king and emperor.

"It is done," Kyrian said.

"You have lost, Ezio. This kingdom belongs to Aisling. Now that I have defeated you, I must finish the deed and send you to meet our father."

Ezio's body was filled with blood, his weakness overpowering him as he feels the heavy defeat upon his shoulders. His pride torn and broken for having lost to a brother he never considered his own. He tells himself, he mustn't' die. The smiling image of his mother, the Queen once again appeared in his thoughts.

"Not this way…I won't die," he stammered.

As Kyrian lifted his sword to kill him, Ezio used the remaining of his mana to summon the last of the spell he could muster.

"Lacus!", he shouted!

"No!," that was Kyrian's last words.

In front of all that was watching, Ezio and Kyrian disappeared as the transportation spell mysteriously took both of them somewhere else.

That fated day, Aisling's throne was secured. Ezio was defeated but both him and Kyrian are lost. Ezio's transportation spell brought Kyrian to a place unexpected, a place he never thought he would be, a place where he met someone who would change his life forever.

That fated day, the ten-years war was over but it was also on that fated day that Kyrian met her.