《En Perpetua: Undying Flame》


 In the Dark of Night

    It was cold outside tonight, Kaen resting peacefully near his mother¡¯s furnace. Close enough to benefit from its warmth but out of range of any stray sparks. As he rested, he could hear his mother hammering away at the anvil, the smell of baking bread as his father worked his craft. He held his eyes on the light of the furnace, allowing its glow and the waves of its heat mesmerize him. Even as he heard the claws of the cold night trying to claw their way in, heard their howls rumbling the walls, he kept his eyes fixed on the reassuring warmth of the furnace. The way the coals shone and the flames would slip between them before dipping once more beneath their smothering heat. He wanted this moment to last forever. To stay here and forget about the chill of the night.


    Kaen¡¯s eyes shot open when he heard a young boy¡¯s scream, his body carrying him out the door before he had even processed if it was real or a dream. His instincts knew better. Bronz had trained his body well for this work. The chill of the winter air hit him like a bucket of ice water, robbing him of all the warmth that sleeping by the furnace had given him. As he felt the grass crunching beneath his feet with every step, he could hear their steps as well. It wasn¡¯t long before he saw them. There were two of them, bipedal and tall. Their arms were long beyond reason and lithe, their hands curved with their razor sharp claws. Their legs bent backwards at a sharp angle and their heads were downright feral. These were a pair of wolfish monsters known as Vargr. As they jammed their arms into the thorny thicket, they thrashed them about, as though trying to drive out their prey. It was likely that the boy had found shelter within the thicket and got injured in the process, giving the beasts the blood trail they needed to track him. The boy was safe, but trapped. It would only be a matter of time until the beasts chose hunger over safety.


    It wouldn¡¯t take Kaen even a second of thought. There was not a moment of hesitation, doubt, or planning involved. Kaen pulled the heavy metal blade off his back, more like a metal door with a handle than an actual sword, and hurled it at one of the beasts like a Javelin. It¡¯s shape helped it glide and its weight pulled it down with force, pinning the first of the creatures to the ground by its leg. As the second turned to confront him, his eyes began to shine with a blazing orange light and he began to run faster than his body would let him, his bones cracking and his muscles tearing as he ran. While they mended just as quickly, he could feel every step with searing agony, but such a matter wasn¡¯t of concern to him. All thought in this moment was gone. There was only this moment. This fight. To save this one life. He drew one of his short swords and ran to the side of his heavy blade, grabbing its handle as he leapt towards his pinned prey. As his short sword cut clean through the first monster¡¯s throat, his weight pulled his blade behind him, forming a shield against the incoming attack of the second beast. Using his heavy blade like a mobile wall, he dove around his second target. Drawing his second short sword, he used both his blades to hamstring the beast before he cleaved its head from its body. As he watched the body turn to ash and making sure the first had disintegrated as well, Kaen allowed his body to relax, his eyes turning back to the soft hazel they once were.


    Lifting his heavy blade to his back once more, he could feel its all too familiar weight. As he sheathed his short swords next to the long swords that were their sister blades, he said softly, ¡°They are gone now. You can come out.¡± When he saw the young boy, hair as black as night and eyes an ocean blue, he knelt down and said softly, ¡°What are you doing this far out of town?¡±


    The boy said softly, ¡°My cat. She hasn¡¯t come back for a couple days. Grey said he saw her come this way and-¡±


    Kaen laughed softly, ¡°The little Calico? She isn¡¯t in my house right now, but she has been coming back every day. If you want, I¡¯ll bring her to the town library for you in the morning.¡± The boy seemed excited and obviously wanted to ask to see the cat sooner than that but upon remembering how he almost died, he nodded slowly. Kaen offered a hand, ¡°I¡¯ll walk you back to your house, okay? Just to be sure. I¡¯m sure your parents are worried about you.¡± He could see the sudden anxiety on the boy¡¯s face, but it didn¡¯t change Kaen¡¯s plan and as the boy seemed to be thinking about running, Kaen picked the boy up and lifted him to his shoulder, ¡°Nothing for it. Can¡¯t have you out here in the dead of night in nothing but your pajamas. Besides, someone needs to see to the cuts from the thorns.¡± The boy cried out, clearly not wanting to get in trouble, but it was a fruitless endeavor. Kaen said softly, ¡°I know you don¡¯t want to get grounded, but its for your own good. Your parents are trying to protect you and you almost got yourself killed. The fact that you survived two Vargr should be something you are bragging about. Especially because you were so brave and knew exactly where to go.¡±


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    When he brought the boy back to his house, Kaen knocked powerfully, his face stoic. When the boy¡¯s father arrived, there were no words exchanged. Kaen handed the boy to the man who nodded in thanks, and Kaen nodded in kind. And as simply as that, Kaen walked away. He knew better than to stay in town. The first rule remained true. Those who hunt these monsters are the same sort that bring them with them, wherever they go. And how fitting the boy almost died coming into Kaen¡¯s domain. As he returned to his family home, the halls dark save for the faint light of the smoldering furnace. He tossed more fuel into it and stoked the billows to get it up to temperature, not only to drive out the arctic chill but in case any lasting harm was done to his blades from contact with those monsters.


    As he did so, his mind went back to the cat. He had seen it hunting field mice in the area, but hadn¡¯t been thinking too hard about it since. He wouldn¡¯t let his little white lie turn into despair for the boy. He had to think of a way to lure the cat in. As he picked up the loaf that had been baking atop his furnace, he took a large bite of it when he saw a small ball of fur walk from behind his furnace, the heat apparently too much for the beast. He laughed at the little Calico and said softly, ¡°You must have run in here when I left the door open.¡± He tore off a small piece of the bread and offered it to the creature. It sniffed it curiously and took it into its mouth before it shook the morsel from its mouth moments later, its entire body recoiling as it tried to escape the food, as though the bread was made of pure evil. Laughing at the sight, glad to have the distraction, he sighed, ¡°I think I have some leftovers from last night. Would you like that?¡±


    The cat looked at him with wide eyed confusion and settled into a sitting position as it wrapped its tail around itself. It gave a curious meow before it locked its eyes with him. He returned its stare, a smile on his face as he stared deeply into its golden eyes. The confusion on the critter¡¯s face brought Kaen a small and genuine smile. He said softly to the cat, ¡°You know, you are a brave little guy, just like your kid. Brave or just very confident. Just walked into my home and now your trying to steal my heart.¡± He reached down to pick up the cat and it quickly uncurled and took a few steps back just out of his reach. ¡°Oh? Brave enough to break into my home, but not enough for cuddles. Okay. If that¡¯s the case, I¡¯ll just go get you a proper dinner.¡± He stood up and for a moment he could tell the cat was worried he was going to try to pick it up, but Bronz taught him better than that. He walked into the kitchen without giving the cat a second look.


    Opening the icebox, he could feel the cat rub against his canvas pants and laughed quietly to himself. ¡°See, that¡¯s what I thought. Brave but selfish. Don¡¯t let me pet you but when food becomes an option¡­¡± He took the remains of his dinner from the night before and put it on the ground. ¡°Some Warg stew. You can have whatever¡¯s left. I don¡¯t have much of an appetite lately.¡± He placed the bowl on the ground and while he could see the gleam of hunger in the cat¡¯s eye, it moved to a safe distance and sat, curling its tail once more. He sighed and rolled his eyes, ¡°Alright, fine. I¡¯ll let you eat alone.¡±


    Kaen left to go back to his bed in the center of his Mom¡¯s old smithy, far enough away from the furnace to not be at risk of being on fire, but close enough for it to warm him during these cold months. A distance he knew all too well by now. As he drifted to sleep, he hoped he could get decent sleep for the night. Some time later, the little calico would make itself known, pawing at the edge of his blanket. He woke up enough to look into its assertive eyes and nodded before lifting the covers for the poor thing. Kaen would finally get a decent night¡¯s rest for the first time since Bronz¡¯ death.

 The Life of the Smith

    Kaen entered the library, the Calico tucked into his jacket as he carried it with his left arm. It had been annoyed when Kaen disrupted its sleep under his cozy blankets to carry it into the open air, but after a simple moment of adjustment, it settled in and began to purr under his arm for the entire walk to the library. A few near escapes, but it had been mostly cooperative. As he entered, he got a slight glare from the librarian, but he motioned to the cat and shrugged. This was sufficient for him to receive only a scoff and an eye roll. That was good enough for him and as he entered with a nervous laugh and a soft smile, it wasn¡¯t long before he heard the boy¡¯s voice, ¡°Leelee!¡± The Librarian scowled at the child as the father and mother hushed the boy.


    Kaen knelt down and offered the cat out to the boy. The cat didn¡¯t seem overly keen on being held by the boy, but as the young man¡¯s father scooped it to safety from the boy¡¯s eager hands, it settled back down. Kaen laughed softly, ¡°I told you. She spent the night near my furnace to stay out of the cold but when I told her she was on her way home today, she couldn¡¯t wait to see you.¡± As the boy walked over to the cat and began petting its purring and relaxed form, he looked between the parents who nodded appreciatively, warmth in their eyes but not a sound from their mouths.


    He nodded in recognition of the situation and began walking for the exit as he said, ¡°Behave yourself and get better at holding your cat.¡± A departing glower from the Librarian for his loud farewell was all Kaen needed as he made his way to the local hardware store, the boisterous and robust man at the counter laughing playfully, ¡°Sorry about the ruckus, boy! I¡¯m sure the kid didn¡¯t mean any trouble!¡± Good Old Dave, as his mother called him, leaned forward with a glimmer in his eye, ¡°You here for the scraps? I got some truly rusty old bits back here.¡±


    Kaen laughed softly, ¡°Well hopefully I can still find some usable metal under it, but yeah.¡±


    Old Dave laughed as he went to the back room, ¡°How you are able to hoist this with neither warg nor man, I don¡¯t rightly know, but that shows the training that that old huntsman has put you through. I just wish ya would leave your gear back at ya house. The extra few hundred pounds can¡¯t be good for your back, lad.¡± It wasn¡¯t long before Old Dave came out with a wooden crate full to the brim with broken pitchforks, hoes, and axe heads as well as various other old or damaged bits of metal from around town. As he pushed the crate into the middle of the floor he lifted up the straps that were looped around it. As Kaen put his arms through the loops and lifted the massive crate like a backpack, his eyes began to shine orange as he felt his muscles aching and snapping tendon by tendon as he lifted it. Old Dave shook his head as he watched in playful disbelief, ¡°Blows my mind every time.¡±


    Kaen laughed softly, ¡°Thanks for letting me have these, Dave.¡±


    ¡°Its no trouble. Saves me the trouble of looking for a new smith from out of town. Keeping it local is how we keep trouble away from our little corner of the world.¡± Old Dave seemed to open his mouth a few times as his gaze became grave. Kaen waited, knowing all too well what he was about to hear and already understanding completely. ¡°Lad, there ain¡¯t a single member of town that doesn¡¯t view you like one of our own. I still remember ya playing with the other kids in the town square before-¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, Dave. It isn¡¯t fun but its fine. Besides, if it keeps the monsters out of town, I don¡¯t mind a bit of solitude. Let¡¯s me work in peace. Probably why mom set up shop out there.¡± He gave a gentle and warm smile to the old man, ¡°I¡¯ll be back tonight with the reforged axe heads and that batch of nails I promised you the other day. Would have brought them last night but I got distracted while preparing the bricks for Jack.¡± Before Old Dave could insist on appeasing his own guilt, Kaen¡¯s hair gained the faintest glimmer of orange as he ran out the door in a steady jog.


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    Kaen had been testing it since his abilities awoke, but he was thankful for it. Usually, muscles grew stronger after repairing from strenuous exercise. As long as he was careful, this ability to accelerate his body¡¯s natural healing could be used to help him get stronger. It wasn¡¯t more than a couple days ago he could hardly lift his heaviest blade above his shoulder. But last night he was able to hurl it with some measure of precision and he didn¡¯t even feel his shoulders strain to bear its weight. He just had to get stronger. Stronger than he had any right to be. Strong so that¡­ and he ran past his house. Even he was surprised at how far he had over shot it, jogging in place with the heavy metal tools as she saw it twenty feet behind him. He chuckled to himself and carefully jogged towards the back and lowered the box to the ground before removing the straps. Walking into the house, he grabbed the gallon jug of water from the ice box and placed it on the table next to his bed before he laid down and turned his powers off.


    As the second edge to his new sword settled over him, the fatigue took all the power from his bones. To every up, there was a down. In his case, while he was able to heal just about any damage he had taken, it could only last as long as his own stamina. He had passed out while testing this and had nearly drowned in a nearby lake. Still, it would be worth it. It had to be.


    When he came to awareness once more, he heard the familiar sound of the claws of Jack¡¯s wargs as they kicked grass against his house after finishing marking it as theirs. It was no guarantee but Jack insisted it would keep the wild ones away from the place. He heard Jack shout, ¡°Meat¡¯s in th¡¯e chest! Th¡¯ank ya! Red! Sev! Back to th¡¯e sled! We need th¡¯e bricks back before the morn!¡± Kaen laughed softly at the idea of the two beasts, each the size of a wagon, giving him that confused but cooperative look before stepping into their harnesses once more. As he heard them leave, he lifted his weary bones from his oh-so-comfy bed and stretched with what energy he could muster. As his body lurched with every step, he made his way to the front and opened the chest buried in the gilly net and lifted out the three monstrous haunches of warg meat, each one almost as big as he was. Taking the first two into the storage room he had repurposed as a training room, he placed them down before returning for the third. Anchoring it to the training post, he drew his long sword, starting simple with the core blade progression his mentor had taught him, putting only as much force into the blows as he needed to carve the meat from the bone. Some cuts he would take more. Others he would cut it thinner. Each time he would strive to be more and more precise with just how deep he made his cuts.


    When he had reached a point where he could do no better without blunting his blade against bone, he would examine them to see how much meat remained and asking himself if he could do even better on the next one. He would then remove the anchors and grab the next one and repeat the exercise. When each had been carved to their core, he would collect the meat and store it. Most would go in the ice box but the thinner ones would be placed atop the furnace and would crisp up over night, ready for when he first would wake in the morning. Returning to the training room, he struck each bone with the smithing hammer from the workshop, making sure to break it at regular intervals, hollowing them out and jarring the marrow before he would set the bones aside for later use, either boiling them or working them into decoration for something he forged. As his final act of the night, he collected the smelted metal from the night before and poured it into his mother¡¯s old casts. Ingots for the mayor for trade, nails and the various heads for the farming equipment that Old Dave would sell, and finally he would pour it into the molds that he had made for various useful spare parts. Whether it was to service his existing equipment or to have on hand if he had some sudden inspiration. As he settled into his bed for the night, he could only hope that his nightmares were tame tonight. He would rather he only wake up once tonight.

 The Coming Dusk

    Kaen¡¯s eyes shot open and only caught a glimpse of the orange haired figure before his instincts took over, making him roll out of the bed as a large blade cleaved through where his neck had just rested. He went to draw the first of his swords only to have it knocked free and a smear of black driving a strike deep into his gut. Kaen could feel his spine crack as he was driven through the stonework of his home. His eyes began to shine, his semblance healing him as he slid across the frozen grass, rolling to his feet to face his foe. He would see the glimmering purple eyes mere moments before he was forced to roll to the side from another swing of the scythe before his face would meet with a hard impact of an expertly timed kick. As he flew twenty feet before impacting with the frozen ground, he heard a voice like a violin bow dragged across a wine glass. ¡°You got good instincts, kid! And durable as hell! I feel like I could kick you around all day and you would just keep getting up!¡±


    As he took in the sight of the man, he could feel the chill of the grave. The man¡¯s attire was all black to an almost comical degree and a shade so dark Kaen couldn¡¯t even make out where any part of it began or ended which he suspected was the point. Even the cape that flowed over the man¡¯s back felt more like the cloak of death itself. The man wielded a scythe with a vibrant red blade, as though it was glistening with fresh blood. He twirled his scythe around him in some form of deadly dance that seemed more like second nature than a conscious decision. The man¡¯s violet eyes matched the dark tone of his cloak. His hair was as orange as the night sky as the sun dipped beneath the horizon. But the one thing that could not be mistaken was the glimmer of madness in his eyes. Hunger and violence dancing on the edge of every aspect of this man¡¯s behavior.


    ¡°They call me Dusk because I¡¯m the last thing before it all goes dark. The very essence of the light dying in your eyes.¡± The man approached Kaen with a hunger for death so strong that Kaen could feel his heart freezing in his chest, his body fighting his every move. Despite this, he drew one of his short swords to try and go on the attack, only to have it kicked from his hand. As Kaen was punched in the throat, he found himself struggling for air and his body began to panic further, his hair beginning to faintly glow as he dove to the side to avoid a kick only to have the whirling blade of the scythe encircle his shoulder and pull him back in. ¡°Wow! Durable and stupid as they come! Bronz was a shit teacher, apparently! No wonder he fucking died!¡± Kaen¡¯s blood ran cold at Dusk¡¯s words which just seemed to spur the man on as he continued to trap Kaen in a flurry of precise and vicious blows, ¡°Fucking idiot raised a shit student but one hell of a punching bag. But that checks out! Dumbass gets his family killed and now you! You are a worthless student to a worthless-¡±


    Kaen couldn¡¯t be sure how he did it, but he landed a blow on Dusk. A firm shot directly to the man¡¯s sternum, and as the force pulled the man away, Dusk¡¯s scythe stayed hooked on the handle of Kaen¡¯s heavy blade, the only thing between him and Kaen¡¯s neck. Dragging Kaen along with him, he could feel the leather and steel from its grip fighting the gleaming edge of the scythe that wanted his head more than anything. Dusk¡¯s unyielding hold on his scythe, even after such a blow, allowed him to respond with a powerful kick aimed at Kaen¡¯s head. Without a moment of fear or hesitation, Kaen lifted his right arm, a hidden blade sliding out of his sleeve as he did so. As flesh met steel, Kaen reached out with his left hand and grabbed Dusk¡¯s throat, ¡°Don¡¯t you ever-¡±


    Kaen¡¯s own retort was cut off by the shimmering and excited eyes of Dusk, like a dog being promised a walk, and it seemed Dusk was keen to test it. ¡°That¡¯s it! Perfect! Let¡¯s keep this fun!¡±


    Kaen¡¯s mind was blank of all thoughts but the flow of the battle and the lay of the land. As he watched Dusk¡¯s moves it was becoming more and more clear how the man fought. While his scythe was dangerous and clearly his means of killing, it wasn¡¯t the focus of his fight. The scythe was used for control, to prevent anyone from escaping his kicks and punches without risking death. Dusk¡¯s eyes glimmered with sadistic glee every time flesh and bone collided. This was a man who lived for battle and dined on the kill. This was a monster in human form but worst of all¡­ he could tell Dusk was holding back. Incomplete followthroughs and blows that seemed almost too eerily close to death blows. But he could feel it. With every passing second Dusk would get more and more daring, testing the limits of Kaen¡¯s durability. Seeing how far he could push the boy¡¯s abilities. A sadistic method aimed only at pushing Kaen to the edge of death for no other purpose than his own sick enjoyment.


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    Kaen felt a chill overtake him. Not one of fear. No. This chill numbed him to his core. This was just another monster bent on death and destruction. Just another beast to be killed for the sake of everyone else. His hair turned bright orange and his body shone with each strike that landed on him. Gripping the shaft of the scythe, he felt the agonizing power of each strike that Dusk was landing on the boy, each one intended to be a killing blow, but he didn¡¯t care. He was going to end this. Tossing the man through the wall of his house, overturning the furnace and scattering its coals across the ground, Kaen drew his heavy blade as though it was just another long sword before charging in after Dusk.


    The sadistic warrior laughed at this new side to the boy and swung his scythe to pull Kaen back into the fight. Kaen met the scythe with his sword, allowing its weight to carry the strike to the side before using the momentum of the horizontal strike to jerk his own body. Leaping with the momentum, he aimed a kick for Dusk¡¯s head which the experienced fighter avoided expertly. As Kaen landed, back facing Dusk, he pulled the blade from its resting position and shifted it to his shoulders only to feel the scythe sail past his ear and watch its tip arc over his shoulder. If Dusk had been a couple inches to the side the blade would have gone clean into Kaen¡¯s head, but this observation wasn¡¯t important in the moment. The fight was all that was important. Coiling all the power he had into his legs, Kaen leapt into the air pulling the scythe with him as he used its hook around his blade to wrench Dusk¡¯s arm. Landing behind the man, he swung the heavy blade only to find Dusk using the weighed down Scythe like a pole to twirl out of the way and to try and circle behind Kaen to kick him in the spine. Following through on the swing, Kaen allowed the blade¡¯s weight to pull him out of the way and did a similar maneuver to Dusk. And so on and on the deadly dance went. Two men using their weapons both as death dealing tools but also as mobile pieces of cover and angles of approach. Lost in the dance of battle. Kaen¡¯s efforts would ultimately fail when his stamina would give out. His vision went black as he saw Dusk¡¯s sadistically laughing face raising his scythe for what would likely be the last time.


    When Kaen would come to, the sun had already set. The morning had only just begun before the fight and now the day was done. He patted himself down, limbs still heavy from exhaustion¡­ but he was still alive. He looked over and saw Dusk sitting by a campfire contently snacking away at what Kaen recognized was the Warg meat from his home. He tried to complain but as he sat up, a familiar searing headache overtook him. Dusk laughed at the sight and said, ¡°You better get used to it! The fact that you can still walk is a better than average day for most in our line of work!¡± Kaen was visibly confused but this just spurred yet more cruel laughter before an envelope was thrown into his face. Kaen hated this man and wanted to demand answers from him personally, but when he recognized the hand writing on the envelope, he stopped. He opened it up and read the last words his mentor ever penned:


    Dear Iosis Albricht,


    I have a student that I would like to endorse for the Scarlett Order. I know that the Crimson Keep is usually rather full this time of year, but he has no family, no home in this village, and I have given him all the training that I can. He needs a chance to form friendships with those who know his pain. His loss. Who can help him to reach his full potential instead of slipping into darkness. I am not the one who can guide him to that. For the sake of our history, please, find what space you can for him and help him to find peace.


    Sincerely,


    Bronz the Phantom


    Kaen closed the letter and looked at the vicious man that threw it and began to process things. He asked, ¡°So what was that? An initiation?¡± He had heard vaguely from Bronz about the Scarlett Order, but this ¡®Dusk¡¯ didn¡¯t strike him as the kind of man they would normally boast about.


    Dusk laughed coldly, ¡°Oh, yeah. For sure! I mean, anyone else would have just seen if you could do some basic sword moves and called it good. But me? I need to know if you are made of the right stuff! Do you know how many kids die in horrific ways every year because no one made sure they could handle it? I mean, almost everyone in the Scarlett Order is orphans. Losing your parents is absolutely the first step to becoming a hero one day. Even the founder herself was an orphan. So when they die, no one misses them!¡± He laughed as though he had told some great joke, but all Kaen could feel was disgust. What was wrong with this guy? Still, whatever was going on with this man, he was taking him where Bronz thought he could do something with his life. Kaen allowed that to sink in as he tried to process this alongside the cruelty of his traveling companion.