"Now let's see how you will fare against an actual enemy," Fenrir said, looking into Ash's eyes.
"Honestly, I don't think I would do well in combat, Fenrir, but let's give it a try"
"Good, that's the spirit. Now, before we find your enemy, let me tell you something, Ash, no matter what happens, give it your best, and make sure you don't quit before trying. If there is a need, I will interfere"
"Understood, Master Fenrir. Shall we?"
Fenrir moved deep into the forest and saw a grave emitting an ominous Aura "Is this what I think it is?" "Hey, Ash, break that talisman near that grave", Fenrir commanded. Ash nodded and did as told, and once the talisman broke, suddenly a gust of wind started to blow, and dark clouds started forming above their heads.
Then, with a crack from the ground, a hand rose from the grave. Ash got scared " A ghost? Fenrir, you could've warned me…, I would have brought the evil warding talisman"
Fenrir sighed, "Yes, it is kind of a ghost, but we call it a revenant, A body that does not decay completely due to the attachments or wishes left in the living realm." " And this one is a knight, someone closer to your late mother", Ash Froze, hearing that.
The Revenant Knight crawled out of the grave and stood before Ash.
Ash activated his Eye.
SCANNING SUBJECT
TITLE: REVENANT KNIGHT OF LIGHTBRINGER
LEVEL: HARD
HOST NEEDS TO USE CAUTION.
Ash sighed before taking a stance; unknowingly, he assumed a familiar one, familiar to those who use the Lightbringer sword forms.
The Knight looked at Ash, "Seraphine, is that you?, No. No, you died and left him.
The Knight remembered Seraphine, the one whom he idolised and respected as his battle commander.
It moved; Ash couldn't see him at all, then There Was a Clang, just swords clashing.
A cold fog slithered across the ground. Moonlight flickered through the blackened treetops. Ash stood still, chest heaving, blood already drying on his cheek. His dagger was cracked, chipped at the edge.
Standing across from him: the Revenant Knight.
Blackened armour. No face—just a shadow behind the helm. A crimson greatsword dripping with decay.
Ash muttered, "He's not fast. Not agile. But I can't touch him. Every move I make—he's already there. Like he's seen this fight before."
The knight charged again, sword dragging behind, carving the earth.
Ash sidestepped and slashed. Missed.
The Revenant's elbow drove into his ribs.
CRACK.
Ash stumbled, spitting blood, one arm going limp.
ASH (aloud, gritting teeth)"You're slow as rot, but I still can't... land a single—!"
CLANG! The knight's blade came down. Ash blocked with both arms, barely. The impact drove him into the mud.
The knight then lifted him by the throat. The eye socket was glowing red.
REVENANT KNIGHT: "You fight like her. But you're not her. Just the failure she left behind."
He hurled Ash into a tree. Bark splintered and ash lay there, the body limping, not making a move.
Then....Silence.
Ash tried to stand up.
He pushed himself up on one arm, vision blurred.
Blood dripping from his scalp.
His dagger is gone.
His legs trembling.
And the knight was walking towards him. Slowly. Patiently. Like it was already over.
ASH (internally) Move. Get up. Do something. You're going to die—
But his body won't obey.
The knight raised his sword.
Ash closed his eyes
SPLASH
SPLAT
Blood fountains from Ash's chest. The sword did not go all the way in, but it was close. Too close.
He collapsed. Face-first into the mud. His blood spilt into the roots.
[ BLOOD ECHOES TRIGGERED- ACTIVATING EYE ]
WHIRRR...
The gem in his right eye started to glow.
A pulse like a sonar. And time slowed down
DAMAGE THRESHOLD EXCEEDED
ANCESTRAL TRAUMA DETECTED
INITIATING ECHO ROLEPLAY
Ash's body stayed limp. But his mind activated
The air shimmered in front of him, and then she appeared
[HOLOGRAM REPLAY-SERAPHINE LIGHTBRINGER]
A ghostly version of a battlefield.
A younger Revenant Knight—alive, human, armoured in crimson.
And standing tall against him: Seraphine Lightbringer.
Silver-blonde hair in a tight braid. Armour kissed by sunlight. Eyes blazing with absolute focus.
She moved like lightning.
No hesitation.
No fear.
The Revenant lunged, blade high—
And she spun towards the blow, redirecting it with her elbow, forcing his stance wide—
Then plunged her soul blade into his shoulder, roaring:
"Lightbringer form nine- Lightpiercer Fang!"
A blinding pulse of golden light erupted. The vision ended.
Ash gasped.
His eyes burned.
His hands twitched.
His legs moved.
"New Technique Imprinted: Lightpiercer fang (Phantom Copy – 34% Fidelity)"Instinct override initiated."
"…Move…"
The knight raised its blade for the final blow—
But Ash suddenly spun, low and awkward, channelling Seraphine's form.
He redirected the knight's sword—barely, imperfectly—then slammed his knee into its exposed flank.
CRACK.
ARMOUR SPLITS INTO PIECES.
The knight stumbled.
Ash lunged with a broken branch—his only weapon—and plunged it into the exposed joint.
The knight let out a metallic shriek, reeling backwards.
Ash dropped again, wheezing.
[Fenrir leapt out from the Shadows]
"Oi! That's enough of a warm-up, rookie. Let's get your half-dead ass outta here."
He bit Ash's tunic and dragged him into the shadows as the Revenant roared behind them.
Ash leaned against a rock, shaking.
His eye still glowed dimly.
"…I moved like her…"
"You fought like her. Or close enough for a first time."
Ash breathed in, sharp and ragged.
"No. I didn't fight like her. I survived because of her."
He tightened his fists.
"But next time… I will be the one who fights."
It was soon night
Ash slept by a flickering campfire. His breathing was shallow, wounded. Fenrir snored nearby, curled into a ball of fur and muscle.
The world around him began to fade—the crackling fire dissolving into silver mist.
Ash found himself standing barefoot, surrounded by light.
The space was infinite.
No walls. No sky. Just a soft, golden field underfoot and endless air above.
And then—
She was there.
Seraphine Lightbringer.
Not a warrior.
Not a ghost.
Just a woman.
In a white dress, hair loose around her shoulders, face serene. Her eyes—his eyes—watching him with a quiet intensity.
"...You…"
His voice cracked.
She stepped forward. Smiling.
"You've grown… so much."
Ash clenched his fists.
Pain blooming in his chest—not from the wounds, but the ache of never knowing her.
"Why are you here? Why now? After everything?"
Seraphine did not answer. She raised her hand, and light blossomed around them.
"Watch closely, not just with your eyes, open your heart, and let your blood feel the movement."
A sword made of light and energy formed in her hands. The symbol of legacy which has not yet been passed.
She began to move not like a warrior on a battlefield, but like a dancer channelling an ancient rite.
Each step left behind trails of light, forming glowing glyphs in the air—like calligraphy drawn with a blade.
Her footwork carved circles in the ground. Her swings drew constellations in the air.
The air shimmered, reacting to her presence—like it remembered her.
The blade slashed once, and a crescent moon glowed in her wake . She pivoted, and a star ignited beneath her heel. With every movement, the space around her seemed to breathe—light swelling and fading like a heartbeat.
He felt the movements more than he saw them—like echoes in his muscles. His Eye began tracing her motion—automatically recording and mapping the energy flow.
[ LIGHTBRINGER FORM I – SOLAR STEP ]
[ LIGHTBRINGER FORM II – HEAVEN'S ARC ]
[ LIGHTBRINGER FORM IX – LIGHTPIERCER FANG – (34% Imprint Available) ]
He tried to mimic a movement—awkwardly, clumsily.
Seraphine floated toward him, gently placing her hand over his heart.
"The blade does not begin in the hands. It begins here."
Suddenly, he found himself mirroring her; his body moved in tandem, like a child tracing a parent's footsteps in the sand.
His body felt warm. Familiar. Like this is a part of him.
But then the emotion took over.
He looked at her, desperate.
"Why… Why are you teaching me this?"
His voice hardened.
"You didn't even want me. You died giving birth to me. You left me alone. Why the hell do you care now?!"
Silence.
She walked up to him and pulled him into a hug.
Not a warrior's embrace.
A mother's embrace.
She pressed his head into her shoulder, hand gently cradling the back of his neck.
Her voice was like a whisper; it shattered every wall inside him.
"Who told you I didn't want you, my Ash?"
He froze.
"If I truly didn't want you... I could've ended it."
She pulled back slightly, looking into his eyes.
"I had the means. The potions. The right. I was offered them. Again and again. Even begged to take them."
Placing her hand over his chest.
"But I carried you for nine months. Through pain. Shame. Silence. And when the time came… I gave my life for yours."
Ash's lips trembled. His eyes burned.
"…Why? Why go that far?"
Seraphine smiled tears in her eyes.
"Because I saw it, Ash. I saw you. The boy who would rise from nothing. The one who would master the Lightbringer flame… and burn the corruption down to its bones."
She leaned forward, forehead resting against his.
"You will succeed in the revenge I never could. You were born for it."
[The Dream Began to Fade]
Light shattered like glass.
Ash reached for her hand, but his fingers passed through hers.
"Train. Endure. And when the time comes… don't fight like me."
A gentle smile.
"Fight like you."
The campfire's embers were low. The sky is still dark.
Fenrir stirred.
"…Another ghost whispered in your sleep, rookie?"
Ash did not reply.
He stared at the stars.
Eyes wet.
Heart heavy.
But for the first time, he was not feeling alone.