Ryth - The Dark Swordsman (Infinity Blade & Re:Zero Crossover)(Oc x Minerva)

Chapter 1: Preparations

The night sky struck the brink of midnight. A late teenage boy with chrome black hair that shimmered under the sunlight, but was nearly invisible under the moon, who bore a black cloak that covered a lightly reinforced leather vest snuck his way into the Roswaal residence. He used a key to which he had acquired in his many years of living there to open the front doors. He walked swiftly throughout the large halls, and quickly arrived at the master bedroom where the lord of the manor slept soundly.

Once he reached the desired room, knocked on the door and waited for a response.

'Who could be requiring me at this hour...?' Roswaal pondered. It was unlike anyone who had worked or lived at his mansion to wake him up at such a distasteful hour, however due to it being a very uncommon occurrence, he decided to let his curiosity get the better of him.

"Do come in." He allowed.

The one at the door opened it, and stepped in while pulling down the hood to reveal himself. Roswaal only had a look of pure shock and a small shortage breath as he saw the brother of Emilia standing before him.

"Ahhh, Mr. Ryth, I have not seen you in quite some time!! What brings you back here at such an hour?" While still in his bed, he opened his arms wide, welcoming Ryth, gave a small bow in return.

"It's my pleasure to see you again, sir. To answer you question, I have a small request for you, and I didn't want to alert anyone else of my appearance here."

"Hmmm, yes that would make sense I suppose. So, what is this request that you ask of me?"

"I only wish for the location of the Sanctuary as well as the location of Echidna's tomb. As you can imagine, I want to take the the Trials."

Roswaal scratched his chin, giving the request thought. He himself had never heard of anyone who'd ever been willing to take the trials, no less simply try to find the Sanctuary.

"Before I reveal that, may I ask why?"

"Of course, sir. My reason is not extravagant by any means. It's primarily to test my strength. I've heard many a thing about it along my travels, especially regarding it being extraordinarily difficult, as well as being examined by the Witch of Greed herself. With this knowledge, the opportunity was far too great for me to pass up."

Roswaal nodded and stood up from his bed. He motioned for Ryth to follow him to the window overlooking the field below, and waved his hand to display the view in front of them.

"You see, Ryth, this is whole domain has been under the protection of my family for centuries, so I can't simply give this information to any bystander, and it's not just that. Do to your mixed lineage, it will be extensively difficult for you to enter the sanctuary barrier, and even harder to get out. If you attempt to pass through, you'll lose your soul. I can give you something that will let you pass through unharmed, however you won't be allowed out without passing the trial. If that all sounds ok to you, I can allow you entry."

Ryth nodded, giving his approval of the warnings presented. "Tell me all you can. I'm willing to take the risks."

"Alright. I shall give you this stone, which will allow you safe entry through the barrier. I assume that you're fast enough to get there on your own? Having someone escort you may alert the attention you want to avoid."

"As long as it's within your territory, I'll be fine. How do I get there?" Roswaal raised his hand once more and pointed to about 2-o-clock into the trees.

"You'll see a small pile of stones along the trail leading up to the gate that's followed by a second pile stones further along into the trees. If you continue in the same direction, you'll eventually feel faint, which means you're growing near. You should pass out once entering the sanctuary, but once you wake up, you'll be fine. Then walk further in the same direction to the village, and find a pathway leading into the forest in a different direction. Assuming all goes well, you'll find yourself in front of the temple. All you need to do then is walk in." He presented forth a blue stone as he was talking, which was what Ryth required to enter the sanctuary safely. It was beautiful, with a sapphire hue that shone under the moonlight. He slipped it into a small back beneath his cloak and gave the view from the window one last look.