I was sixteen years of age when I joined the ranks of the Paladins. From the
moment I stepped out of the Portal of Fate, I knew that becoming a warrior of
the Light was my destiny in life, though I was naïve to believe I understood
what that would entail. I was soon reunited with my father, an accomplished
Knight, who would mentor and teach me everything he knew about Knighthood and
swordsmanship. I quickly advanced to the Squirehood rank within the guild, yet
it was not till later in my Knighthood path that I began to understand the
Paladin behind the armour, blades, and glory.

Young and unknowing, I spent countless hours sparring, practicing, honing my
fighting technique, dreaming of becoming the best Knight in the lands, but I
was only blinded by ambition to see my efforts were for naught without
principles to uphold the title, values to uphold my strength. Yet I lived my
life in this similar fashion until roughly two and a half years after the
beginning of my Squirehood when something happened that changed my life
forever…

I was sitting on a hilltop in the Northern Mountains late one starless evening,
gazing across the dark-blanketed hills before me. Wind rustling my hair and
only with the occasional bleating of sheep, it was a tranquil scene; nothing
had disturbed my serenity the entire day. As the old saying goes, it was
quiet, too quiet, almost as if an evil was slowly growing, harboring in the
night sky above me. Not even Mother Moon was visible upon the heavens that
night, for the only source of light came from the faint glimmer of the
sparkling dome and star of New Celest in the distance. My mind unraveled in
the peaceful setting, traveling to scenes of far off battles ending in my
triumph over one beast or another; father had always said I was a dreamer.

Yet, my dreams came to a halt and the peace of the night abruptly faded when a
robust voice boomed across the land. "Creatures of the Basin, I am Verion,
Black Knight of Shadow. With my very might, I shall rid this world of the
feeble Light and watch as Celest is razed and burned down to the ground. Long
have I dwelled in the plane of Shadow unable to reach out to the other planes
of existence, cursed to live in a void of darkness forever. Yet here I stand
now, ridden of the curse befallen upon me, and I shall use my newfound
strength, desire, and utter darkness to crush those who oppose me and gain my
vengeance upon those who sought to lock me away ages ago. You can run, but you
cannot hide from Shadow! Join me, creatures of Taint, as I begin my campaign of
destruction."

Alert and tense, I tightly grasped my longsword in hand and focused my mind on
the Pool of Stars, teleporting to New Celest where a congregation of citizens
had already formed. My best friend Julius called out from across the Pool,
"Hey, Zacharias!" and beckoned me towards him with a quick hand gesture. I
jostled my way through the massive gathering to where he and my father stood
enveloped in deep conversation with the others. The air was filled with a
sense of panic and urgency as plans were being formed to deal with the new
threat. "They're thinking of launching an all out attack on this Verion
thing," Julius whispered to me, "All or nothing I say. At least if we die,
we'll die trying, eh? Better than sitting around here and waiting for him to
come knocking on our gates." I silently nodded and listened to the talk and
orders around me.

A story passed down through the generations, legend had it that a young Knight
long ago during the days of old Celest had been spying for the Taint, betraying
his kin. When he was found for the traitor he was, he was taken away to the
plane of Nil where a ritual was cast upon him to seal him away in a dark,
time-less abyss where he could dwell in the darkness alone for eternity. But
this story was only thought to be myth as it was found scribed on a few
wrinkled pages found in the rubbles of Old Celest, almost as if they had been a
part of a book. We soon came to realize that that book must have been a log
journal belonging to one of our ancestors of Old Celest, though we were too
late in this discovery to take prior action.

It was finally decided that every citizen would join to form a militia in order
to combat Verion and his forces, save for a handful of healers to summon those
injured out of battle. I pulled on the leather straps of my armour to tighten
it around my figure, positioned a steel helmet over my head, and armed myself
with a pair of longswords in preparation for the battle. "This is what I've
been waiting for, dreaming of," I thought, "This is my chance, my chance to
prove myself worthy as a fighter."

We citizens marched as a whole towards the Magnagoran gates where Verion and
his allies of Magnagora resided. Whistling of the harsh wind around us was
only accompanied by the sound of clanking armour as we walked on in silence.
The night air was humid, and the landscape became laden in Taint as we drew
nearer to our foes. My stomach churned and ached as I inhaled the foul odor,
gagging and almost vomiting my supper. This was not the first time I had been
surrounded by Taint, yet it was the closest I had been to the city of Magnagora
where the stench of decay was greater than any I had smelled before. Dead trees
and rotting stumps were the only forms of plant life in the desolate area, and
the black sky unleashed a slight drizzle of rain that turned into a raging
storm.

Coming to a halt, we stood in lines facing the enemy, awaiting first strike.
And there he was, a very foreboding figure mounted upon a black stallion at the
head of the opposing army. I was immediately alarmed by the bright red eyes
that peered out from under his helmet visor as they scanned the scene before
them. He dismounted his steed, giving us a better look at his stature. He was
not of average human height, though his race was undeterminable through the
already impaired visibility of the downpour. Black armour covered his body in
addition to his helm, and a black cape billowed behind him in the strong winds.
The black horse galloped off in the distance at his master's command as Verion
drew his weapons in hand. In his right hand, he wielded a blackened longsword
with a vague black glow outlining the blade which I had assumed was a some
dark, evil energy, and in his left hand was an enormous flail. His deep,
powerful voice rippled through the mist, "So, the rats have come out to play.
Prepare to meet your fate."

Raising his sword in the air, he leveled his blade at us, and the Magnagorans
advanced on us like a black tide. Curses and runes flew through the air as
swords clashed and blood was spilled left and right. With a swoop of his
mighty flail, Verion knocked back five of our men, sending a particular Merian
catapulting back to the sound of a sickening crunch as he slammed into a nearby
tree, the others suffering similar ends. I was amazed by his awesome, yet
terrible power. The Magnagorans pushed through our front lines, and our
organization fell apart, transforming the battle into a massacre of death and
survival. By this time, some of our personal allies of the Serenwilde joined
the fray, yet this only seemed to prolong our inevitable defeat. Beads of
perspiration and drops of rain ran down my face, and my hands ached as I
gripped my sword tightly in my sweaty, bloodied hands. Slashing, swinging,
jabbing for my life, I glanced to my left and right seeing Julius and my father
much in the same predicament. In the thick of my own peril, I watched in horror
as Verion began combating with Julius. A slice to the head and a scream of
agony later, my best friend was dead.

Rage and fear overcame me as I fought down the pain in my heart. My emotions
consumed me, and I foolishly charged at Verion with every strength in my being,
only thoughts of vengeance flooding my mind. I dodged some of his initial
blows, yet I knew he was only toying with me as if I was a mere child. Bored
with his game, Verion sent an inevitable swing to dodge at me, and I raised my
sword in defense of his oncoming blow. Though instead of parrying the swing,
our blades interlocked for a second before my sword was shattered under the
force. I stared in utter horror as he emitted a screeching laugh, sending
freezing chills down my spine and causing my legs to tremble and knees to
buckle beneath me. Predicting my own defeat, I retreated to the farther ranks
away from him but was only to be met by the opposition of Magnagorans. Without
two swords, I was no match for the onslaught of attacks rained upon me, and my
exhaustion and lack of blood took its toll on me as I stumbled and fell,
awaiting my death to take me. Oblivious to the thrumming in the air, I took a
final blurry stare at the battlefield, blinking away rain and blood from my
eyes as I lost consciousness.

I awoke in a haze of blinding light, believing I had been sent before the Fates
in determination of my chance at a second life. My eyes adjusted to the
brilliant light, and I suddenly became oriented as I felt the marble floor
beneath me. Warm, healing hands passed over my body as I was filled with
renewed strength and spirit. I sat upright and glanced about the Pool of Stars
in Celest, recollecting the events that had just occurred. "What happened?" I
stammered, "Is the battle over yet? How did I get here? Where is…"

The Celestian healer raised her hand in motion of silence. "One question at a
time. Your father telepathically asked me to summon you out of the battle as
he said you were in trouble, and they are still fighting now. If you will
excuse me, others are in need of my attention," and she gave me a brief smile
and turned to tend to the others in need. I contemplated the situation for a
moment and decided to venture back to the battle despite my earlier defeat, for
I knew every warrior was needed. Unable to find a suitable teleport target, I
ran across the highways in the direction of Magnagora as fast as my legs would
carry me.

I approached the by now blazing battle scene where corpses littered the ground
as far as the eye could see. I ripped a piece of cloth from my cloak and
wrapped it around my head over my mouth and nose to help blot out the smoke and
smell of burning bodies. The forces of Light were almost overrun by Verion and
his forces, and some were even beginning to flee the battle scene. I looked
around in search of my father, and my greatest fear was fulfilled as I saw him
fall, a sword impaling his body to the ground. Full of rage and sorrow, I
charged at my father's murderer and caught him off guard, beheading him with a
swipe of my blade. I rushed to my father's side and felt that itching warmth
in my eyes, tears flowing down my face as I watched my father's last moments.
I wept for the loss of the man who had taught me, given me everything from
supplies to support through thick and thin, for the man who had been such a
great father to me. I startled and stumbled backwards when a faint wisp of
white cloud formed before me and words came echoing from deep within it. "Be
strong, my son, rise and wipe your tears, for they will do you no good now. Do
not let your anger and rage consume you, instead replace it with Courage, for
that is the force you need now. You have always shown skill with the blade,
all you lacked was the mentality behind it. Rise now as a true Paladin, fight
with Honour and Courage, fight for those you love, fight for what you truly
believe in."

And then it was gone, the wisp seeming to dissolve in the air around me. I
closed my eyes and took a deep breath, inhaling the last words of my father and
exhaling the rage bottled up inside me. Calm and collected, I rose to my feet,
gripped my sword in hand, and in my unoccupied hand, I took up my father's
fallen Aegis tower shield. Courage in my voice, I yelled for all to hear,
"Verion! By the power of the Supernals and the Gods above, Justice shall be
served this day. We shall not flee, we will fight until our last breaths are
drawn or this battle is won on this field today. Our ancestors of Old Celest
and the good souls you have slain will be avenged, the Light shall prevail this
day!" Suddenly, my sword flared with a brilliant, white light, purging the
surrounding night air with its luminous glow. "May the Light watch over me."
I then charged at Verion with a strength not my own as if my blade was guided
by a much greater force. The battle between good and evil raged as our blades
of Light and Shadow clashed that early morning. Filled with desire and the
strength of the Light, my sword did not break when it contacted with Verion's,
instead equaling the energy emitted from his dark blade. He swung his flail at
me only to have the spikes of the weapon caught in my shield, leaving us only
with our swords. We continued to exchange various sword maneuvers showing our
great sword expertise. A circle of spectators had formed around us as they
watched the fight with intensity, hoping their fighter would come out
victorious. Nothing disturbed my concentration as I used my hours of sparring
practice in conjunction with my newly found desire and courage to parry and
counter his attacks with my own.

Our swords interlocked once more in a struggle of strength, but we were thrust
backwards by our confronting forces. Verion lowered his sword, and in a
mocking manner, called across the field. "Well, it seems I may have a
challenge before me. Not to worry, it shall only be a matter of time before I
squash you like the vermin you are. Did you actually believe you could defeat
me, ME?" Having had enough of his snide remarks, I resumed the offensive, and
the battle continued.

"But how COULD I beat him?" I thought. "It seems we can counter each other's
moves equally without flaw. This may never end through skill, rather through
weariness or lack of will to go on. No, I will never give up, not until I can
no longer lift my body and blade above the ground." Minutes that seemed like
ages passed by, and, as if by pure miracle, the slight opening I had been
waiting for finally came. I stepped to the right of his sword as he lunged at
me, and with a swift movement, I made a quick slash at his arm, severing it
from his body as he stumbled forward. He fell to the ground, holding his arm
where the blade had sliced and writhing in tremendous pain, blood gushing forth
from the wound. Holding my sword above my head, I whispered, "May the Fates
serve Justice for your sins." And as I brought my sword down upon his body,
Father Sun crept up over the horizons; Verion was no more. Seeing their
champion fall to my blade, the remaining Magnagorans retreated from the battle
scene in a panic.

We stood in silence among the heaps of dead bodies as the white glow in my
sword lingered just a few seconds more before fading to its original metallic
shine. I removed my sword from his body and wiped the blood off that had
collected, and then I stepped back and spoke before the crowd of allies around
me. "Children of the Light, friends of the Forest, I stand before you today
not as a God or messiah, but as a man, an ordinary man. I do not deserve your
praise or thanks, for I am not the hero this day. Honour the men and women who
died, the men and women who gave their lives to protect our city and the Light.
No, we did not win this battle today, for the cost was high, too high to not
leave a scar on our hearts forever. Verion was defeated only because I held to
my beliefs and found my strength in the Light. That is a lesson everyone can
learn from this. Citizens died on that battlefield fighting for the Light, for
what they believed in, and that is more than many can say. That will and desire
that surged through me guided my actions and drove me to the end. All we can
now hope for is that the Fates deem our loved ones worthy and return them to us
soon."

Later that evening, I found myself on that same hilltop, gazing across the
hills into the darkening horizon, my mind filled not with my past frivolous
fantasies, yet with hope. I looked up towards the heavens and was filled with
an inner peace, for I knew Julius and my father would return to me someday; it
was only a matter of time.