A soft breeze hit a cherry blossom tree, making the branches rattle and bristle.

The tree, which stood mightily and proud, the tree's branches seemed quite frail in comparison of the tree. The slight pressure of the breeze caused a pink leaf to fall onto the earth. Drifting ever so slowly, the cherry blossom leaf seemed to have been falling for eternity-seemingly to be lost within time.

However—

The breeze erupted into a violent gust of wind, sending the leaf flying East bound–towards the Eastern Territory. Through the lush green forest's, the rich open grasslands, and beyond, where a large mountain partially blocked the sun. But however… the ground below the mountain was stained with blood and ashes, where bodies of warriors of both the enemy faction, villagers, and the kingdoms army laid on the ash covered fields.

In the fields, laid a boy, who knelt down besides the bodies of the dead. His violet eyes were glazed with sadness and despair, while fresh tears fell from his tear ducts, and down his cheeks. The boy's body shook with violent shudders of the sobs that broke out frequently, while both of his hands were closed into tight balled fists, he punched the ground as he cried in angst. His eyes scanned the faces of the dead, falling upon a woman with dark brown hair and lifeless blue eyes. Beside her, was a small girl– no more than the age of six who faced a horrible death.

…I'm sorry, mother… I… I…

His subconscious managed to send a piercing thought while he cried loudly, his sobs seemed to be the only thing that had broken past the silence of the bloodstained battlefield. With his mind and heart weeping, the boy crawled closer beside the woman's lifeless corpse, grasping her cold hand. The boy remembered the battle that had taken place within the village, where he saw blood rain down from the heavens, followed by the screams of agony, and the shouts of the battling soldiers.

In the midst of the hellish turmoil, where his mother told him and his sister to run to the forest, and to never look back. But without warning, his mother met her demise by a man with pale green eyes, while he pierced her heart with a dagger which he wielded with his left hand. The boy saw nothing, but droplets of scarlet red splattering across the walls.

He was too shocked to do anything afterwards, not even when his sister followed their mother, before her throat was slit, the man violated his sister. The only thing he could hear was the sound of her voice as she cried out his name: "Onii-chan", then his vision was swallowed up within darkness.

Of course, it wasn't long after when he woke up, his eyes were greeted to a horrible scene.

Where blood and ashes were stretched up for fifteen miles, while the bodies of the village guardsmen and villages were scattered about.

And where he found his now deceased family amongst the dead.

—As he laid there, besides the corpses of his family, his eyes were shut tightly as he cried. He wasn't able to see the cherry blossom leaf descend from the sky, slowly falling onto the earth, unburdened and not afraid. It's slow descent to the earth quickly drew its end, falling onto the hands of dead woman.

The slight feeling for the pink cherry blossom leaf, the boy lifted his head up, letting out a small gasp-like sound. His eyes fell upon the strange color, making him stare at the leaf with wide tearful eyes. Then, like a ghost from the past, a nostalgic voice rung clearly through his head. It was a females voice, the soft, and gentle words made his heart cringe at the rememberance of this voice which called out to him softly in the darkness.

『….My son, never give up… You must continue to stand tall, even if the darkness surrounds you, you must be the light that drives away the darkness…』

This voice and it's wise words belonged to his mother, who had told him long ago, when he was small, it was after he fell. The dark brown-haired woman stopped, uttering words of encouragement to him:

『Come on…,–kun. You can do it.』

With his facial expression remaining saddened by the death of his beloved mother, had now turned serious. The boy pushed himself up, grinding his teeth together while he did so, every muscle in his body pulsed while every fiber of his being flared with determination, he raised himself upwards. The voice of his mother kept pushing him forward.

「Stand, …–kun.』

His breathing was heavy and his body felt weak, but he didn't waver.

『Stand, …S…–kun.』

The boy kept replaying three words over, and over within his head as he pushed his body to the very limits.

『Stand, …So–kun.』

"Oooh…!"

His body was still recovering it's strength, causing him to stagger while he tried to recover himself once again. He replayed his mothers voice in his head, one last time.

『Stand, Sora-kun.』

The boy finally stood on his own two feet again, he lifted his head, revealing his eyes once more to the sun's light. His violet eyes shining with renewed strength and determination as he stared beyond the bodies, the blood, and the ashes of the battelfied, but towards to forest.

But within those eyes, there was something more than determination.

There was a thirst for blood and battle.

And a burning desire… for revenge.

The Black Knight