Phoenix Flight

The biggest prison in the kingdom was called Nightshade. It was a place where very powerful and very evil mages would end up.

Since magic was so common and practically everyone had access to it, there were a wide variety of bad people who would use their gifts to hurt the innocent. Arcane Knights were not just tasked with hunting monsters and entering dungeons, but also stopping these people. This is because many ‘dark mages’, as they were often called, were people who delved into forbidden magic or ritualistic magic, making deals with magical beasts or, in some extreme cases, even attempting to contact demons or devils.

Davi had a feeling he wouldn’t be sent to Nightshade. The crimes he committed were plentiful and bad, but they weren’t as vile or evil as dark mages. Because of this mindset, he had been pretty confident he’d just serve some time and be able to either escape or leave once his time was up and get back to exploring the world.

The last thing he expected, though, was for Gray to offer him a chance at becoming an Arcane Knight.

Gray stood there, with his hands on his hips and a large grin on his face. “So? What do you say?” The man asked, tilting his head to the side. His eyes bore into Davi, studying the raven-haired man. “Care to become a Knight?”

Davi and Olivia shared a look, both equally stunned as Gray declared the second option. They had only one thing they could think of saying. “Huh?”

Gray’s smug grin just grew. “Look, it’s pretty simple. A majority of the crimes you committed could be covered or hand-waved if you were a Knight. The more severe ones, though, can be fixed by putting in work. You have a debt you need to pay back, mostly from the damages you caused, so you can pay that debt off by serving the community and the kingdom. Knights are given some leeway when it comes to taxes and unlawfully distributing monster corpses. Becoming a Knight would also cover the crimes of entering dungeons and claiming to be a Knight as well.”

“So, because I pretended to be a Knight, you want me to become an actual Knight?” Davi questioned, trying to see the logic in what Gray was saying. “I don’t think it works that way.”

A person couldn’t rob a bank and then turn around and become a cop in order to get rid of the charge they had for robbing a bank. At least Davi was pretty sure.

Gray chuckled slightly and rubbed the back of his neck. “I’ll admit, it does sound a little goofy, but I do have my reasons for it. You’re strong. Not on the level of a Knight, but stronger than your typical mage. Things are a bit tense right now. Not just in our kingdom, but the whole world. Especially with what’s been going on in Mordheim.”

Davi just frowned as he heard the other nation's name. Olivia had a different reaction to the country.

“Mordheim…” Olivia whispered the name and shuddered a bit.

Unlike Estiria, Mordheim wasn’t a kingdom since it wasn’t ruled by a king or queen. Mordheim was a country to the north. It was across the sea, requiring Estiria to sail through a blood ocean to reach it. As in, a literal ocean of blood. That part of the world had a massive dungeon that opened up, and no one had been strong enough to close it, which polluted the waters and corrupted them. This pollution clung to Mordheim, closely blocking it off from most of the world.

Mordheim was often called the Cursed Lands due to all the disasters that were around it. Not only did the country have the blood ocean, which was completely circled around them, but it was also plagued with the most dungeons, with a few hundred opening up randomly each day. Worse yet, though, it was also a nation that was cold and frozen to the bone due to an intense blizzard that had appeared back during the age of Haru. The blizzard never left, leaving the country stuck in the ice ages.

All this was to say, Mordheim was not a good place to live. It was a bitter hellhole and sucked. Most of its people were stuck, doomed to never escape their country, and it was next to impossible to enter the country from the outside. It’s considered bad land by many people, and most recently, it has been the talk of every town, including her village, since the country began to invade Rossum, another of the big four lands.

Even her backwater village was getting reports of Mordheim’s invasion. Many people were afraid the cruel kingdom would soon set its eyes on Estiria. No one knew how it was invading Rossum since, again, it was next to impossible to get out, but what was known was that Mordheim got a new leader, one who was as cruel as the lands he had been born into.

He was simply calling himself the Monarch.

“With the way Mordheim has been, we could use a bit of extra help,” Gray explained, speaking in a serious tone as he stared down at Davi. “To be frank with you, we need stronger Knights. More and more dungeons have been appearing all over the kingdom, and new monsters are starting to show up as well. You’re not the first person I’d go to, not even the second or third, but if we could use the power you have to help the kingdom, I’d be willing to overlook some of your more serious issues.” Gray spoke softly. “You’d still need to repay your debts, and you’d be watched closer than any other Knight, but this is likely the best outcome for you. You’d start at the bottom as a squire and possibly be able to earn the glory you pretended to have.”

Davi glanced down and bit his lip. This really did sound like the best outcome. It had always been his dream growing up to become a Knight, and now he was just being handed the chance. He couldn’t help but feel as if something was wrong, though. There was more to this than Gray was letting on. Not to mention, he didn’t even know if he still wanted to be a Knight. The more he learned about them, the more they seemed to be the opposite of what he was. He wasn’t some noble hero; he was just a bitter warrior looking to slay the thing that hurt him. A bunch of responsibility came with being a Knight, and he’d get sidetracked a lot from the sounds of it, so it’d be harder to look for the dragon.

That Tori lady had been so busy doing side stuff that it took her years before she had finally been able to reach him, and finding him was far easier than finding the dragon.

If he became a Knight, just like his brother and he used to always talk about when they were kids, would he be happy? No. He was almost never happy. Not anymore. All he would do is stay bitter and hateful but not be able to chase his goal.

It had always been Sieg’s idea to be a Knight, not his. Sieg heard stories of Haru and how great she was, and even though they didn’t live in Estiria at the time, Sieg came up with the goal of becoming one. Most likely because their father, Orion, was the closest thing to a Knight the Mordheim kingdom had. Orion had been a Spell Sword, one of the highest ranks in the country, but threw that all away in order to live a quiet life as a blacksmith and raise his two kids alongside his second wife.

No matter how much Davi tried to think about it, it just didn’t sit right with him. He wasn’t someone that should be a Knight.

“Is there any other option?” He asked quietly.

Gray shook his head. “Not from me. You are either put on trial for your crimes, or you make yourself useful and help the Estiria kingdom out. Which will it be, Mr. Davi? This is your choice to make.”

“Davi?”

He glanced over at Olivia, who had said his name. This was still her dream. Unlike him, who had given up on it and instead walked a needless path of revenge, Olivia still had a noble goal. She was kind and willing to do the right thing. Everything he wasn’t. Despite all her goodness, though, she had set herself up for failure by following him and continuing to do so. There was really only one way he could pay that kindness back.

“Alright.” Davi nodded. “I’ll take the exam and try to pass, but Olivia’s coming with me.” He said flatly. “She and I are buddies now.”

“Of course.” Gray nodded. “The test is a week and a half away from now. You’ll stay right here until the day it arrives, and I’ll personally escort you both to take it and make sure you don’t try anything funny. Also, this goes without saying, but if you do fail the exam, you’ll be thrown back into jail.”

“Guess I won’t fail then,” Davi said simply. If the exam was made up of the typical mages he often fought, then he was confident he could win.

“I like the confidence.” Gray turned away and gave a half-wave. “I’ll leave you two to yourselves and let you chat for a bit. Eventually, a guard will show up to take you to separate cells now that you’re both awake. After all, we can’t have a boy and girl share a cell; they might screw.”

“We would never!” Olivia said, horrified by the thought. “Definitely not in a filthy place like this; I haven’t showered in days!”

“Sure, sure.” Gray chuckled. “Enjoy what little time you have left. Seriously, you better be ready for what’s to come, Mr. Davi.” Gray looked back at Davi one last time. “Also, pray you didn’t make the wrong choice.”

Davi and Olivia both watched the Knight leave down the hallway, finally giving them both a moment to themselves. Olivia let out a sigh of relief and fidgeted with the cloth she wore. “I can’t believe we got such a lucky break.”

Davi gave a half nod. “It feels a little too convenient, though. I mean, he’s offering up a pretty big deal to someone he shouldn’t trust, all because I’m kind of strong?” He even mentioned he was from the Mordheim country, yet Gray didn’t question it or bat an eye? It was as if the man didn’t care. “Something is fishy.”

“Well, you do have an S grade in fishing, so if anyone would know, it would be you.” Olivia gently placed her hand on his back and focused her mana. Some blood began to leak out of her fingers as she muttered a spell. “Row Blood Mend!” Davi flinched slightly as he felt the blood flow over him, and some of his more serious wounds began to mend. “We’ll need to get you feeling better before the exam.”

She could still cast spells even without a wand, though it would use up more mana and be a lot weaker. A wand augmented spells, making them easier to control. Most magicians used a wand for this reason. The staff was even better, making spells cost almost no mana at all. The issue with wands and staffs, though, was that they were costly and hard to maintain. A wand would last a few years and then need to be replaced. She imagined it was why people like Davi never bothered using a wand and would just use the magic on their own.

“You’re still willing to help me out even after everything that happened?” Davi looked back at Olivia. “You’re being a little too nice, don’t you think?”

“Hey, I’m still mad at you for not telling me the truth.” Olivia flicked him on the nose and huffed. “You owe me for not telling the truth. I have just the way you can repay me!”

“Oh yeah?”

“Yeah.” She grinned. “Stone Bull said it himself. We have one week before the exam. I know it’s not a lot of time, but it’s still something.” She reached out and gently took Davi’s hands. “Please. I need to get strong enough to pass the exam. I want to reach the same level as you or at least something close to it.”

“I don’t know if that’s possible.” Davi trailed off awkwardly.

“I have to try.” Olivia shook her head. “I can raise my stats higher if I just work on it; I know I can!”

She knew the difference between her and Davi was vast. She had Mana: Grade D, Endurance: Grade C-, Strength: Grade C, Efficiency: Grade C, and Resistance: Grade A. Most Knights typically had at least two traits that were Grade A or one that was Grade S. Despite her low stats, she was still confident she could reach her goal now more than ever, and that was because of the way Gray had treated Davi.

Davi had Mana: Grade C, Endurance: Grade B+, Strength: Grade A+, Efficiency: Grade D-, and Resistance: Grade E1. He had a high strength score, but that was it. He lacked two Grade A scores or an S, yet Gray treated Davi as if he were someone that would be able to pass the exam. Her Efficiency and Resistance were a higher grade than Davi's as well, so if she could just raise her Endurance and Strength up a bit, she’d stand a chance.

Not to mention, she could improve her other traits, like using knives or basic combat.

Davi finally squeezed her hand, and he stood back up and moved to one corner of the cell. “In that case, I’ll do everything I can. We have a week to improve your blood magic and body and pick up some new tricks.” Davi finally gave a real smile. “Let’s do this.”

Unknown to Davi and Olivia, someone was watching them. A small orb of light stared down at them above the cell, just out of their view. Outside of the stone hallway where the dungeon resided, Lady Tori rested against the wall and scowled as the image was beamed into her mind.

“Blood magic? Really? That girl thinks she can seriously join the Knights with magic like that?” Tori scoffed. “What an idiot. Then again, I’m not shocked that’s what she has. She’s the companion of that bastard after all.” Tori bit her lip as the image of Davi came to her mind. She could see his smile as he leaned against the wall, yapping orders at Olivia. “Damn him.”

“What are you mumbling about now?” Gray asked, letting out a sigh once he opened the door.

The room Tori stood in was just as dirty as the rest of the dungeon. It was at the end of the hallway where Davi’s cell resided and was normally used to watch prisoners, though since Davi arrived, Tori had been stalking about the room, not leaving. It was the kind of place a noblewoman definitely shouldn’t have stayed at, yet Tori refused to leave.

“None of your business, Stone Bull.” Tori spat out. “Did you speak to him, like I asked you to?”

“I did.” Gray nodded. “I offered him a chance to take the exam just as you told me to.” He raised an eyebrow, giving the other Knight an odd look. “Is there a reason you wanted him to take the exam, my lady?” He actually hadn’t planned to let Davi off the hook for any of his crimes and had only made the offer to join the Knights because Tori had demanded it, and she was too important to say no to.

“You keep your enemies close,” Tori mumbled. “The tale of Du’Lac is a cruel one, following the story of the Ebony Knight and his downfall after he betrayed Haru. I think it’s fitting that Davi Hawker has a similar fate. I’ll need him to be extra close for that.”

The Ebony Knight had been defeated by Haru, and that act was what truly made Haru so famous and made many consider her to be the strongest. No matter what Tori did, though, she was always going to be second best to the real thing.

That was going to change, though. She’d create her own famous tale. This time it would be her who slew the next Ebony Knight, and for that, she’d ensure Davi Hawker played his role perfectly.

Back in the cell, Olivia leaned against the wall and nodded her head as she finished listening to Davi's list of exercise tips. They were things she mostly knew already, like doing push-ups, jumping jacks, and cardio, to build up the basics of her muscles, but he also threw in some tips and advice she hadn't thought of before, like using exercise to get her heart to pump more blood for her to use with her spells.

She did her best to pay attention, but it was a little hard due to how she was dressed. The cloth she had been given was extremely short, and that was before it fell apart. Not to mention it was itchy and rubbed all the wrong places.

She felt yucky wearing it and had to keep tugging at it or adjusting it to make sure she was still modest.

"I hate this thing." She sighed. "Training in it is going to be a pain."

"So, take it off." Davi shrugged.

"Oh, yeah, I guess I- What???"

"If clothes get in the way of training, take them off. I had to remove my training when I was forcing my body to go through various heated environments to build up my resistance to fire. I got tired of my clothes and armor melting constantly, so it was just easier to run around in the nude."

"B-B-B-B-But then I'd be naked? A-A-And you'd see?"

"I've seen lots of naked girls before; it'll be fine."

"S-Seriously?"

"Oh yeah, a lot of women dug the whole "savior knight" role and would throw themselves at me. I would always steal their food after the deed, and it was how I survived and kept myself well fed." Davi shrugged. "The human body is... Well, it's the human body. That's really all there is to it. Men, women, they're just beings covered in flesh, and I've seen all sorts of things on my journeys. Some from stripping the defeated outlaws that tried to slay me but got slain instead, and others from when I decide to indulge myself. I think a lot of people eventually get to a point where it stops mattering and is no longer a big deal."

Olivia gave a soft frown. "That's sad."

"Is it?"

"Yeah." She nodded. "I mean, yeah, looking at pretty men or women is nice and all, but getting to the point where you feel indifferent or uncaring towards them feels a bit cold. Sex should be something done through passion and love."

"Maybe. The world would be a lot better if people cared about each other as much as you do." Davi admitted.

Olivia stepped forward and got closer. "Well... You care about me, don't you?" She reached out and poked him in the cheek. "I mean, you're helping me. You saved my village and my own life multiple times now, and you've done a lot for me. Those are things you had to go out of your way to do, you know?"

Davi hummed. "I guess that's true. It isn't that I don't have the ability to like others. I do like you a lot and have enjoyed my time with you-"

Olivia's lips met his.

She froze, her own impulsiveness catching up to her a second later. Her hands flew up to cover her mouth, her eyes wide with shock and embarrassment. Davi didn't pull away, but he didn't lean in either. He just stood there, still as a statue, his expression unreadable in the dim light of the cell.

"I'm sorry!" she blurted out, her voice muffled by her fingers. "I don't know why I did that!"

Davi blinked slowly. "Huh," he said, the sound more an observation than a reaction. He brought a hand up to touch his own lips, his rough fingertips tracing the spot hers had been. "That was… warm."

Olivia's heart hammered against her ribs so loudly she was sure he could hear it. She wanted to sink into the stone floor, to vanish. The scratchy, inadequate cloth she wore suddenly felt like it was strangling her. She took a stumbling step back, her hands still pressed over her mouth as if she could push the kiss back inside.

Davi lowered his hand. His usual sharp, assessing gaze softened into something she couldn't quite name. Not anger. Not disgust. Not even surprise, really. Just… consideration.

"You're trembling," he noted, his voice low and even.

"I am not," she lied, her own voice quivering.

"You are." He stepped closer, not enough to crowd her but enough that she could sense the heat radiating from him. "You don't have to apologize for wanting something."

Olivia lowered her hands slowly, her palms damp against her lips. "That's not... I mean, I didn't want to make you uncomfortable. Or weird things happen between us. I just—" She struggled to find the words, her mind racing in a dozen different directions. "I thought you cared about me, and I wanted to show it, and I thought maybe you'd—" She stopped herself, biting her lip.

Davi watched her, his head tilted slightly to the side. "You thought I'd what?"

"I don't know!"

Olivia's gaze flickered away, her cheeks burning hot with embarrassment as she struggled to meet Davi's eyes. She was acutely aware of how close he stood, of the way his presence seemed to fill the small cell. She wanted to disappear into the shadows, but at the same time, she couldn't bring herself to step away.

"I thought maybe you'd kiss me back," she admitted finally, her words quiet and hesitant. The confession hung in the air between them, charged with tension. Davi was silent for a long moment, his expression unreadable. Then, slowly, he reached up and cupped her face in his hand, his thumb brushing lightly against her cheek.

"You're a strange one, Olivia."

Olivia's breath caught in her throat. His fingers were rough against her skin, calloused from years of wielding a blade, but the touch was gentle enough that it made her stomach twist with something she couldn't name.

"I know," she whispered, not moving.

Davi's thumb traced the line of her jaw, his gaze flicking between her eyes and her lips. "Most people don't just... do things like that on impulse. They think. They plan. They weigh the consequences."

"I'm tired of weighing everything," Olivia said, surprising herself with the honesty. "I almost died multiple times. I watched my village burn. I don't want to spend every second calculating whether I'm doing the right thing."

She felt his hand slide down from her cheek to her chin, tilting her face up a fraction. "Then don't," he said, his voice low. "But actions have consequences. You should know that by now."

"I know," she breathed. "I don't care."

His other hand came up, resting on her shoulder. The touch was firm, grounding. "You might care in a minute."

Before Olivia could ask what he meant, Davi leaned down and kissed her.

It wasn't like her clumsy, impulsive peck. This was deliberate. His lips were dry and warm, moving against hers with a slow, testing pressure. Olivia's eyes fluttered shut.

The kiss was nothing like Olivia expected. There's no gentleness to it, just a direct, measured contact that speaks to Davi's pragmatic nature. He was like a robot, even when he was showing he cared.

His hand tightened slightly on her chin, holding her in place as his lips pressed against hers, firm and persistent. It wasn't passionate or romantic in the way stories describe love. It was nothing like her novels.

Olivia's mind raced. She expected rejection, maybe even anger. In the end, she kissed him back. Even if this wasn't what she expected or how she wanted it to go, this was still Davi.

"D-Davi..."

The word is a muffled gasp against his mouth. His other hand slides from her shoulder to the back of her neck, tangling in her white hair, keeping her close. It's familiar to him. She reminds him a lot of 'her'.

His movements are methodical, like he's performing a task he's decided is necessary. He doesn't deepen the kiss, doesn't try to part her lips. It's a closed-mouth, clinical press that lasts for several heartbeats too long.

Olivia presses back against him, kissing him harder, and her hands roam his body. She has to guide one of his arms up to her chest to get him to touch her.

"Touch me," she breathed against his lips, half-pleading, half-commanding. Davi's hand hesitated for a fraction of a second before sliding down from her neck to her shoulder. His movements remained measured, like he was following a checklist of appropriate responses.

When Olivia guides his hand further, to the curve of her breast, he doesn't pull away, but he also doesn't squeeze or caress with any particular feeling.

Olivia opened her eyes. The dim cell swims around her—stone walls, the cot in the corner, the faint smell of damp earth, and Davi's face is inches from hers, his expression still unreadable. His eyes are open too, watching her with that same detached curiosity. He isn't lost in the moment; he's observing it. Her heart sinks a little, but she doesn't pull away. She wants this to be real, to mean something.

She guided his other hand to her hip, her fingers wrapping around his wrist. "Hold me," she whispered, her voice trembling with a mix of desire and desperation. Davi's fingers curled around her waist, his grip firm and steady, like he's holding a sword.

Olivia pressed hard against him, her own arms wrapping around his neck. She gasped as she felt a heat in her stomach and an ache between her legs.

She had never been with anyone before. She had fooled around with some of the boys from her village, and even a few of the girls, but it never got past the point of kissing or feeling. It never felt this hot either. The burning sensation was growing.

"Davi..." Olivia gasped his name again, and she guided his hand from her chest down past her stomach and right between her legs. "Please I-"

"Um, what are you guys doing?"

Suddenly, Gray's voice filled the room, coming out of an intercom that was mounted on the wall. "You know we have cameras, right? What did I say about screwing each other?"

Olivia suddenly squeaked and flung herself away from Davi, her face a pure red. She could practically feel steam rolling off it. "I- W-We- I- Err- I-"

"Damn. Talk about a perv." Davi snorted and seemed as casual as ever as he leaned against the wall. "I wonder how long he was watching."

Olivia felt mortified and covered her face. "Oh Haru, oh Haru, oh Haru..."

"No more funny business, you two." Gray's voice echoed out again. "I'll be separating you quicker now."

Davi shrugged. "Do what you gotta do."

Olivia finally managed to pull her steaming face from her hands. "That was humiliating."

"It was." Davi agreed with her, though she seemed unbothered.

Olivia sighed and looked back at him before turning her head away. "It wasn't getting caught that was the humiliating part."

"What?"

"Nothing..." Olivia shook her head, but her mind was made up. Next time, she wouldn't do something like this out of desperation or lust. She wouldn't use Davi like a tool either. Next time, it would be something shared between lovers. Something that would make even the emotionless robot feel again.