The Forever Knight

Destiny

Swords clashing, blood splattering, sweat flying, all the things that Hiro enjoyed on the battlefield. Something he wasn't going to enjoy was the war with his fiancee,"Elizabeth, this... it is not something that we can do any longer." In the year 403, arranged marriages are the most common and to become unengaged was pretty uncommon. Due to this, Hiro was not looking for an arranged marriage, he was looking for something real, someone to share his passion with. Elizabeth was not that person. He wasn't looking for a love story, he was looking for an adventure, and in the end, he got exactly what he wanted. He got even more than what he wanted, he received the greatest legend of all.
Elizabeth's face scrunched up in confusion, then quickly to rage,"excuse me?!" She took a step towards him and jabbed him in the chest,"you dare break it off with me?!" Her light locks seemed to flow with the rapidly increasing wind and the leaves that followed, everywhere but her face,"Hiro Matterson, you have crossed a line, may your life be nothing but a living hell! May you live forever!" With that, a crackle of lightning separated the two, Hiro jumped back, falling on his back, when he sat up Elizabeth was gone,"what the..." he stood up and took what she said as nothing but a threat. Maybe the lightning was god smiting her for speaking so rudely to him, maybe she had been incinerated, if only those maybes could have been true.
Years passed, Hiro didn't age from his 19-year-old body, if he was injured, he would do nothing but heal almost instantaneously. He was doomed. However, his personality wouldn't allow him to become depressed, Hiro decided to do the best with his new found abilities. He became a knight, however, once his hometown became nothing but ash, he became a legend. Hiro understood that he couldn't just mope around and do nothing, if he had to live forever, he was going to do something with his forever. He became the traveling knight, the man who drifted along with the wind, helping anyone in need.
So much time had passed that Hiro had simply stopped counting. He had continued helping, however, he lost his purpose. It was 1939 by the time Hiro finally realized he couldn't just help anymore, he had to act. The world was becoming much, much worse, after the First World War, Hiro worked feverishly, but now, on the brink of the second, he had no choice for he knew the truth. The wars were caused by man, but whenever man clashed, so did the monsters. The monsters are hidden to the human eye but the same monsters influenced all the awful decisions. Little whispers, tiny suggestions, simply passed for the intelligent voice in the mind. Only Hiro knew of these disgusting beings, or so he thought. Hiro fought with these monsters constantly, but he could not be everywhere at once. Once the Second World War started, he helped many of the Jewish, many of the Gypsies, and many more.
He was handing out rations while he was in Weimar, Germany when he first came across the people who would start the gears of his clock once more. He was handing out soup and bread, all that they could offer. He was quite popular among the ladies. He always greeted them with a kind smile, a "how are you" or "you look lovely today as always" he was quite the charmer. He continued handing things out as usual, however after an hour and only halfway through the crowd screams began to echo through the small space, panic erupted, the crowd quickly dispersed but Hiro walked closer to the source of the panic, a little girl.
She couldn't have been more than 14, she had silver hair that reached to her mid back. She had a small figure, making her seem almost childlike, and her eyes were a crystal blue. Her eyes are what gave away the fact she was no mere child. If he were to use an object to describe her, it would be the moon, pure and peaceful. After he admired her beauty, he noticed that blood was soaking her white clothing and her pale skin. She was obviously in shock, her hands shaking and her eyes were wide. The blood on her hands was not her own, there were no injuries to fit it, but she was also not the one who caused the blood to be spilled. Even without talking to her, Hiro knew that her nature was that of a kind-hearted person,"hey, what is with all the blood?" Hiro took a step towards the girl who looked at him and burst into tears,"Alex! Alex n-needs help! She can't fight them o-on her own! I can't get her to stop to t-treat her wounds! P-please help!" She was trying to speak as evenly as possible through her tears. Hiro was taken back by the sudden outburst but gathered himself quickly,"of course, take me to her, but what is your name?" Without a second thought, the girl took off towards an alley,"Haruki! Haruki Waters! Hurry please!"
The two ran for two minutes that seemed like two hours, Hiro's heart began to race, not from the running, but from the upcoming sounds of earth-shattering, fire crackling and air whirling. When they turned the corner, a moment Hiro would repeat in his mind for years to come was revealed. A girl with fiery red hair had her back facing them. Her hair was matted with blood, her clothes soaked in a mixture of blood, sweat, and water. Hiro wasn't quite sure what shocked him more, the fact the girl was still standing, or the fact she held flames in her hands. The pavement around her was up like walls and even though there was no water nearby, the ground was soaked. Something that Hiro recognized was something he saw many years ago, the wind whirled around the girl, causing her hair to fly everywhere but her face.
"Alex!" Hiro was brought out of his trance by Haruki's voice, Alex turned to reveal emerald green eyes, her skin pale like her companions,"Haruki! What did I tell you about running off?" Alex's eyes shifted from Haruki to Hiro,"and who's this?" Her gaze shifted back to Haruki who simply said,"someone who is here to help us." Alex scoffed,"help? I don't need help!" A sword was suddenly beside her but Alex ducked under it as it swiped over the ends of her hair, revealing a skeleton that had a crooked helmet, whose arm was infused with a sword. Alex slammed her hand on the ground and from two directions the earth crushed the skeleton to dust. Alex stood again and smiled,"see?" However, she became wobbly in an instant from suddenly standing and the blood loss. She blinked a few times and was met with another sword beside her, however, it was not a skeleton.
"For someone who doesn't need help, you are pretty close to death." Hiro looked down at the short girl,"Alex, was it? I'm Hiro." He pushed the human-like monster backward,"Hiro Matterson." He smiled. Alex looked back at him, her smile fading only slightly before turning into a smirk,"well Hiro Matterson, I'm Alex Waters." Hiro went wide-eyed,"Waters?" He looked back at Haruki,"so you two are sisters? But... you two are so different." Alex jabbed him with her elbow lightly,"and what's that supposed to mean." Her fist came up and enveloped the monster in flames, burning it to an ash,"just that... Haruki is like the moon, peaceful and calm... you... you are like fire. Dangerous and yet so warm."
Hiro sidestepped around Alex and faced the monsters. Among the skeletons were monsters, almost human, but they walked on all fours and where their hands should have been, were long paw like arms. They were made of flesh and tar, almost like a twisted glue and paper creation. They had heads like humans, but they acted like animals. Hiro had never seen something so hideous, something so monstrous in the entirety of his very, very long life. Alex stood beside him,"well, where you're here and you can see them too, I guess I could accept your offer." She didn't look at him while speaking, keeping her eyes on the monsters. Before Hiro could get the chance to respond, Alex had already taken off towards the many monsters.
Swords clashing, blood splattering, sweat flying, Hiro felt the adventure that he had been looking for, the purpose of why he didn't settle for the mundane life with Elizabeth. He wasn't meant for it, he was meant for this, for fighting, for doing all he could to help others. Hiro slashed through monster after monster. He had zoned out the sarcastic comments of Alex, the worried calls of Haruki who was still trying to get Alex to go to her to have her wounds healed. All he was focused on was slashing through the monsters, watching them die by his hands, it was a side to himself that he didn't even know existed. Something that he would never admit, but he did enjoy it. It was a side to him that he should have probably kept hidden to himself, but was it really him? Or was it the curse?
Alex was just as quick as he was, but she wasn't doing it for the fun of it, she knew exactly why so many had gathered, they had gathered to take Haruki away. Haruki was the vessel to an elite demon called Hadara, a demon who killed their parents when Alex was five and Haruki was four. The monsters wanted to release the demon, but in the process, Haruki would die. Alex didn't care about her own life, but without her sister, she would never last long. She would protect her sister at all costs. She continued to take down the monsters, the thought of them taking Haruki overcame any pain she might have felt.
When all the monsters were taken care of and the street was covered in tar and bones, Alex collapsed, Hiro was breathing heavily as he caught the now unconscious redhead. He looked down at her and then back up at Haruki who stood at the end of the blackened street. He picked Alex up and carried her back to Haruki who checked her out quickly,"alright, she'll be fine until we get back to the hideout." Haruki looked at Hiro,"I have to bother you a little more, sorry." She smiled sheepishly and led him to another alleyway and through a door to a small, underground apartment,"just lay her on the couch." Haruki gestured to the tattered couch. Hiro laid Alex down carefully and Haruki sat beside Alex, lifting her sister's head and placing it on her lap. A gentle teal mist came from Haruki's hand and enveloped Alex. She was healing her.
"So..." Hiro sat on the floor across like a child waiting for a story,"will you tell me your story?" Haruki looked at her sister and then at Hiro,"I owe you that much I suppose." Haruki smiled,"Alex and I are 150 and 149 years old, much younger than you, legendary knight." Haruki looked at him with a knowing gleam in her eye,"however our story is just as intriguing, when I was four and she was five, we awoke to find our parents murdered by a demon. Alex had been exploring magic at the time and I offered to be a vessel for the demon. Alex sealed the demon in me, and we left our house behind. When we left, we came across a dragon in a field, he told us he could give one of us strength, and given what had just happened, Alex was skeptical so she said it would be her. The dragon gave her the power to control the elements, and while Alex was fixated on that, he spoke to me privately, telling me that I would either die quickly or lose myself just as fast with the demon inside. He told me that he couldn't give me the power of an angel because that is impossible unless you're dead, but he could give me the power of a fae, the closest thing to a pure angel. I accepted because I could never simply leave her alone. So I gained the power to shrink, fly, and heal, which is what you're witnessing right now. We only aged to the ages of 14 and 15, and then our growth was stopped. We've remained this way ever since." Haruki looked at her sister with a sad gleam in her eye,"we've been wandering since and she always gets into fights because of me. Well, because of the demon." Haruki smiled sadly,"I wish I could have given her a better life."
Hiro had listened intently, when Haruki finished he chuckled,"kid, you couldn't have given her a better life." Haruki looked up in shock,"but... all these fights... it must be tiring." Hiro smiled,"I haven't fought in any of the big wars, I haven't actually fought since my home was destroyed, you know why?" Haruki shook her head,"because I only fight for what I believe in, for what I care about. Of course, I care about the people who have been hurt in every war, but I don't care enough to kill for them. Your sister fights for you because she cares." Hiro stood up and ruffled Haruki's hair a bit,"until next time kid." He went out the door without another word, Haruki couldn't chase after him because of her sister resting so she watched the legendary... no... the kind knight leave.
A few days passed and Hiro was wandering again, he was in a forest close to where he had been, he was alone again. He still replayed the scene of Alex in his head over and over again. He just couldn't get the Waters sisters out of his head. He couldn't stop thinking about the epic fighter Alex and the all-knowing Haruki. The two who were absolute opposites but couldn't have a closer relationship,"so you just left without saying goodbye?" a familiar redhead jumped down from a tree and landed in front of him,"Hiro Matterson, the knight cursed to live forever, the one who broke a witches heart. I remember teaching Haruki about you. Elizabeth cursed you to live forever and then wrote a story about it. You became nothing but a child's tale and an old woman's fantasy." Hiro was taken back, making a mental note that Haruki was definitely smart but because her sister taught her what she knows. How could one woman be so well rounded? He figured Alex would have lacked in intelligence where she thrived in strength. That was obviously not the case.
"Yes, you're right. That is me." Hiro looked down at her,"and how do you know so much about me?" Alex laughed,"because to learn about magic you need to read fairytales. Haruki was given her power which takes little control, I can't just go burning a place down." Alex crossed her arms and shifted her weight to one side,"so, no goodbye and you thought I was stupid." Hiro opened his mouth to object but Alex shushed him,"I really don't care, believe what you will, but I wouldn't mind if you stuck around." She extended her hand to him,"Hiro Matterson, would you like to join my sister and me on an adventure?"
Hiro didn't know what it was, whether it was the girl standing in front of him that seemed as new as sand after a wave passed over it, or if it was the loneliness he had experienced for so long, but he shook her hand and nodded,"Alex Waters, you just made yourself your first ally." Alex laughed,"you underestimate my social network, I have one of the greatest demons on my side, you, my friend, are my first travel companion that isn't related by blood, and that is much more of an accomplishment." Alex pulled her hand away and looked behind her to where Haruki waited,"plus all three of us have a curse to break and I happen to have the most knowledge about curses." Alex shrugged and started to walk towards Haruki. Hiro took a moment to take in what Alex had said before chasing after the two sisters. Who was the great demon? It wasn't Hadara because that demon couldn't be released. What curse did Alex have? What else did this amazing girl have to offer? All these questions raced through his head. However, all would be revealed in time and right now, is not that time.