One shots Twst

Memory

Lilia stood by the arched windows of Diasomnia, the cool evening breeze brushing against his face. His eyes followed Silver, who was in the courtyard below, his sword slicing through the air with precision and grace. The rhythmic clang of steel against steel echoed faintly up to where Lilia stood, arms crossed, his expression unreadable.

Silver had grown into a fine warrior, dedicated and disciplined—traits Lilia had seen before, long ago.

The sight of Silver training should have brought a sense of pride, but instead, an unease crept into Lilia’s chest.

A forgotten sensation stirred within him, something that lurked in the depths of his memory.

And then, the memory hit him...sharp and sudden, like a blade piercing through the fog of time similar to when he was being pierced during the war..

__________________________________________________

Lilia was no longer in the halls of Diasomnia but back in the days of the war between fae and humans. He had been tasked with one of the most dangerous and delicate missions of the conflict: infiltrating the Silvery Owl kingdom to hopefully assassinate its king before the war escalate to much more bloody than it already was.

He remembered the night vividly. His appearance had been altered by magic, transforming his usual wild black hair with red highlights into a sleek, raven-black, tied back tightly to blend with the human nobility and his eyes, once crimson, now gleamed silver, cold and calculating to blend in with the humans.

The robes he wore were rich and elegant, dark silk embroidered with silver thread, similar to what human male wore.

The kingdom was holding a masquerade ball, and it was the perfect opportunity to slip in unnoticed.

Lilia moved through the grand hall, the sound of music and laughter filling the air as masked nobles danced around him, oblivious to the danger lurking in their midst. He could see familiar faces beneath the mask during the battle.

His blood boiled with anger as he tries to keep his mask and not to exposed his identity.

He glided through the ball effortlessly, blending into the crowd with practiced ease similar to flowing of streams in the forest.

He had done this before, infiltrating enemy lines, moving unseen among them, gathering information. But tonight was different...... An assassination...

As the night wore on and the revelry reached its peak, Lilia saw his moment. With silent steps, he slipped away from the ballroom, disappearing into the shadowed corridors of the palace as if he was not there in the first place.

His target lay ahead...the king's chambers.
He could hear moans and laughter from the inside of the rooms despite being faraway.

Just as he approached the ornate door, a sharp feeling when his instinct warned him of danger.

Without hesitation, Lilia twisted his body, narrowly avoiding a strike aimed at his head. He spun around, his hand instinctively reaching for the dagger concealed beneath his robes.

Standing before him was a man. Tall, muscular, with sharp features and a look of intense focus in his eyes.

He was dressed in a white princely outfit that once had seen while traveling before the war happen though his face was partially obscured by the dim lighting.

But something catch his attention.... it was the man's hair. It was gold.....

Like sunlight.....

Lilia’s gaze flicked over the man, noting his strong stance, the way he held his sword
like a seasoned warrior..... it was familiar.

For a moment, neither of them moved, both assessing the other.

The man then lunged forward, his blade slicing through the air with deadly intent. Lilia parried the attack, the clash of steel ringing out in the silence of the corridor.

They fought with precision, their movements swift and calculated, each strike met with a counter. But as the battle continued, something gnawed at Lilia....a sense of familiarity.

This man's fighting style… the way he moved, the way he wielded his sword.

It wasn’t just the skill of an ordinary knight. Lilia had seen this technique before and he was even sure that he fought with it , but not here, not among humans.

Only one person......He knew who could fight with him head on especially with a sword....

Only that person....

' No… it couldn’t be.'

Their swords locked, and Lilia took a moment to study the man more closely.

His silver eyes gleamed in the low light, a glint of recognition flashing across his face as he and the man met eye to eye.

It's eyes was unique... a mix of light blue and light purple colors....like an aurora..

“Knight of Dawn…” Lilia muttered, his voice barely above a whisper.

The man’s eyes flickered, the slightest hesitation breaking his focus for a fraction of a second. That was all Lilia needed to confirm what his instincts had already told him.

It was him. The Knight of Dawn, the legendary warrior who had fought against the fae with unparalleled skill. The same knight Lilia had faced on the battlefield countless times, though never this close, never like this and the same Knight who fought Melanor.

The realization sent a shock through Lilia’s system. He had known the Knight of Dawn to be a formidable opponent, a warrior unmatched by any human he had ever encountered. But now, standing face to face with him, Lilia’s mind whirled with questions.

What was the knight doing here, guarding the king's chambers? And more importantly, he was not wearing armor.

They clashed again, but Lilia’s mind was elsewhere, piecing together fragments of the past.

There had been rumors, whispers among the fae, that the Knight of Dawn was more than just a man but also the Knight had possesed unnatural beauty and an orphaned adopted by the late king.

Now, looking into those auroral eyes, Lilia wondered if there was more truth to those rumors than anyone had realized.

With one final swing, Lilia deflected the knight's attack and stepped back, creating distance between them.

They stood in silence, both breathing heavily, neither making a move to strike again.

For a long moment, they simply stared at one another, the weight of unspoken understanding hanging in the air.

Lilia lowered his blade, a small, almost amused smile curling at the edge of his lips. “I see now,” he murmured. “You were always more than just a knight, weren’t you?”

The Knight of Dawn said nothing, his gaze steady but unreadable as he look at him with seriousness as his golden hair sway from the gentle breeze.

Not knowing he imprinted the scene in his memory..
__________________________________________________

The memory faded, pulling Lilia back to the present. He blinked, his crimson eyes focusing once more on Silver below.

The boy was still training, his movements sharp and precise, much like that of the knight in Lilia’s memory.

He bitterly smile....

Lilia’s heart ached with the weight of a truth that he had locked away deep in his mind.

He turned away from the window, his expression somber.

The past had a way of catching up to the present, no matter how deeply it was buried.