Kenan woke up. He stretched in bed while leaning forward to pet the little white and black fox at his feet. Soon he found there was no such being. He thought the thing must be hunting. No, it wasn’t hunting. What was it doing? Where was his friend? Maybe Lucy or his Father had seen where the trickster had scampered off too.

Then it came back to him in one huge slap. The pain. The desperation. In a emotion he was too immature to comprehend, he clenched his fist to the point his palm bled.

The last thing he remembered was his horse, out of nowhere, waiting for him. He began to question it when he forcefully shoved the thoughts outward. He needed to focus on the now. He was in a simple room, a desk, bed, a nightstand with an un-lit lamp on it, and a window. It was clearly daylight. He wanted check exactly where he was, but he would have to stand. At the moment he wasn't sure he could walk. Then he noticed at the foot of the bed, the Black Blade. Quickly crawling on his bed to grab it, once it was in his clutches, he felt safe. For now.

He uncovered himself from the blankets. He looked at his left side in surprise. No longer was his skin mangled, melted, intertwined with cloth. His left hand was whole again, but his fingers felt… raw. In fact, he now realized he could once again see with his left eye. Giving himself a once over, using his actual touch and his inner eye, all of his injuries were healed. Still, he saw that his body was still taking it’s time to recuperate and build his strength back up. There was only one part of him permanently changed. Now the majority of his left side was tinted in a dark red. Quickly he checked his hair. For the first time in his life, it was short.

The door knob turned. Kenan sprung up, disregarding his doubt of workable legs. He stood in a stance, and unsheathed the sword. All of his muscles slowly failed. After what had happened, he wasn’t sure who to trust.

The door opened to a familiar countenance. Skinny, grinning, and black leathers. Doco. Kenan dropped the sword. “Uncle.” Tears already formed in the corners of his eyes. He couldn’t hold himself anymore and fell.

Doco caught him. Not telekinetically. He knew, now more than ever, the boy needed a hug. For more than a minute Kenan had held on with all the remaining strength he had, caught up in tears and a flood of emotions. Despite it being broken up by brief moments of grief, it felt as though months had passed, and now he finally let the growing tension of his shoulders release. Doco kept silent.

Eventually they parted. Doco, again not using telekinesis, picked him up and brought him to his bed. Then picked up the sword and sheathed it, keeping it in his grasp. He brought a chair from the desk and sat perpendicular to the bed.

“Uncle, they..” Doco put his hand on Kenan’s shoulder.

“I know. When we saw you, first we got you stabilized. Then I and a band of guards rode to the homestead.” Doco stared at the sword. “They are at rest now.”

Kenan too looked at the sword. He thought about the man he killed. He remembered Tyris had assigned Doco to instruct Kenan about the moral compass of killing. Explaining that death should be the last resort, and no matter how many times someone kills. It will never be easier. Yet, there was no guilt on Kenan’s soul, nor did he fully comprehend Doco’s teaching. The man he killed was maybe a father or husband, but if his family knew what he did, would he still be accepted? That man could’ve reformed or maybe had a different life path to become a good person. Still, to Kenan, that didn’t excuse the man's actions. He was guilty, Kenan had killed a bad man, it was that simple. Also, at the end of the day, it was nature. Do wolves feel guilt for killing other wolves invading their territory? No.

His gaze shifted from the sword to Doco. Kenan could see that his uncle was trying his damnedest to hide emotion. Kenan smiled at the thought, but it was replaced by bitterness. He shifted his gaze back to the sword. “No.”

They both had the same thought. Still Kenan continued, “They won’t rest, not until we rescue Lucy, and they pay.”

Still Doco locked his eyes with the sword. “This is not my blade. But I did know the man who carried it. He was my friend, a brother. Someone I would’ve liked you to know. Alas, he died. He died in my arms. It was a shame losing such a good man.

“He treated everyone with respect, unless of course, they deserved none. Still even the smallest of roles in the army, he treated them as though they were the general. He died protecting, covering a retreat.

“Then when you take into account this sword. He was an even better man, a great one. From his father he received it, his father got it from his father, and so on. It is a blade entrusted to their family and their bloodline. In the hands of the wrong person, it can cause them to go insane with blood lust. I saw the struggle he went through everyday, yet despite his troubles he was a good man. He died with no children. In his dying breath he gave me the blade, to find someone worthy enough to wield it.

“I do not know if you are. The problem is, you have already bonded with it, and the only way of removing that bond is death. So my question for you is this. Do you want to punish them out of vengeance, or revenge?”

Kenan took the words and soaked them in his thoughts. Then pondered the question. Actions out of justice or hate? “I would be lying to you if I didn’t want revenge. If I wanted vengeance, then I have already achieved it, you and the guards could eventually sort them out. I also know if we don’t stop them now, they will attack more places.” He thought back to his loss. “I am young. I am weak. I can barely stand as is. But, If I allow bad people to attack good people, It would be me throwing their sacrifices away. I do not care If you would want to stop me. Or the gods! I will not throw their memories to the wind!”

“Are you wanting to go around your whole life protecting the innocent?” For the first time, Doco’s eyes shifted onto Kenan.

“I do not know, all I know is that I want to stop these people. From there, I do not know. With the farm gone, I am lost.”

“What are you willing to do? How far are you willing to go? You seem to not understand, boy. If I give you this blade. You will be hunted and hated. It is a cursed thing, with a demon soul inside of it. Even those who don’t see magic will be wary of you, distrusting. While you might want to protect, you will be an outcast. Just like my friend. He only gained the trust of his comrades after countless battles. Are you willing to be hated?”

“Will you hate me?”

“No…”

“Will Lucy hate me?”

“Of course not...”

“That’s all I need.” Doco had looked at the sword, then back at Kenan. Before finally handing the blade to him. As Kenan once again came in contact with The Black Blade, his eyes changed. All black, with a hundred, thousand different tiny white dots.