AN: It's cold, windy, rainy, and dark – perfect time to write and update, is it not? :'D And we're up to the last chapter! Writing guys in distress is so much fun. I should definitely do it more often. Anyway, big thank you so much to everyone who has read and interacted with this story in some way. I truly appreciate it! And I hope you enjoy reading~

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Chapter 10:

Duran's chest ached and he was so dizzy that he could barely see straight. But having the free movement of his arms and legs gave him a feeling of euphoria. As was the weight of his sword.

The chains were painful, the vines even more so. But those flowers...when they bloomed...

That was a pain he had never experienced before in his life.

The flowers felt as though they cut into his very soul. And from what Agnar had revealed (as little as it was), they likely were attacking his soul. To take away his skills, his strengths, his knowledge of the sword would mean cutting him to his very core.

"You sure you're up for this?" Hawkeye asked him, his concern for him still prevalent.

Truthfully, he didn't feel his best. And was sure he didn't look it either. But he was through being helpless and useless.

Hawkeye and Kevin had done so much for him. It was his turn to do something for them in return. If the only thing he could do was to help in the battle against Agnar, then he would do that. He would do that to the best of his ability.

The pain and discomfort would be sorted with later. It wasn't as important as ending this ridiculous situation.

"I'm all right now," Duran insisted as he and Hawkeye raced outside. "More than able to put an end to this."

Kevin had managed to keep Agnar outside the mansion, often simply grabbing him by his armour and just hurling him back several feet. And yet, despite the clear thrashing he had received, Agnar continued to stand and fight.

It shouldn't be that surprising. He did steal the strength and skills of seven swordsmen. And had the knowledge of black magic.

Defeating him for good wasn't going to be easy.

"Arg, why?" Kevin all but whined, frustrated. "Why can't I defeat you?"

"He is nothing more than a shadow," Shade explained. "A powerful shadow, that is true. His sole focus is the way of the sword. And only a swordsman can finally put this to rest."

Duran nodded his head sharply. "Looks like it's up to me."

"Duran? You ok?" Kevin asked as he paced over to him, still in his beastman form. His previous rage abating when he saw that Duran was free from his prison and up on his feet.

"I'm alright now," Duran insisted as he gave him a hopefully confident smile. "Thanks for weakening him for me, Kevin."

Kevin was undeniably pleased with his reply, his wolfen features, usually quite fearsome, stretched into a happy-puppy smile. But that lasted for only a few seconds, disappearing at another sound. An unfortunately familiar sound of something crawling their way through the dirt and grass.

Zombies.

And Agnar moved to stand tall once again. Though his armour was torn and fractured, he still moved readily. And with a sense of purpose.

Duran immediately wielded his sword before him defensively, mindful of the ground beneath his feet. The very last thing he needed was to be grabbed by those smelly, grubby zombies again. He wasn't in the best state. He only had enough strength to unleash one attack.

He had to concentrate on the real threat.

Agnar was his target.

"Hawkeye, Kevin; I need your help with this. Distract the zombies for me. This battle won't go on for any longer than it already has."

Hawkeye immediately moved to flank his right. "You got it!"

And Kevin moved to his left. "Right!"

As Hawkeye and Kevin easily took out the zombies as they crawled up from the ground, Duran engaged in a stare down with Agnar. Though, stare-down probably wasn't the right phrase, but Agnar was fully focused in on him. Taking slow, methodical, and purposely intimidating steps toward him. Armour battered and torn, sword by his side.

Duran ignored his fatigue and the lingering pain in his chest. He knew, however, that his current energy would not be able to sustain him for very much longer.

One attack. That was all he could manage.

It was all that he needed.

If Agnar was so interested in his skills, there was no harm in showing him!

"Spin Slash!"

With each slash of his sword, each well-aimed attack, amongst the fury of wind he thought about the poor seven swordsmen that lost their skills and their lives to Agnar's bitterness and greed. The pain they had endured. Suffering through the flowers as they bloomed one by one. All alone. No one to help them.

Each swordsman was completely innocent. Simply doing what was right, what they believed in. Taken too soon. Their lives thrown away without a care.

Just like Agnar himself claimed to have endured.

He had turned into the very thing he hated.

Time to put an end to his greed. And torment.

Duran pivoted on his heel to deliver one final attack. "Cut you down!"

Agnar had somehow managed to endure each furious swing of his blade and Duran feared that he may not have been strong enough. But the very last strike was what finally threw him back several feet. His weapon and fragments of his armour breaking off.

He fell onto his back, landing hard against the ground. His helmet rattled loose and proceeded to bounce across the ground, rolling several feet away. Allowing for his head, or what was left of it, to be exposed.

Duran stabbed his sword into the ground to use as a crutch and heard Hawkeye and Kevin gasp and mutter in surprise. His own reaction was more passive, simply staring down at the white skull as he panted softly. The battle appeared to be over, though he remained tense. His grip tightening on his sword when a low, self-loathing laugh radiated from the skull.

"Haha...how fitting. To be bested by a swordsman."

"What's the truth?" Duran found himself asking as he leaned heavily against his sword. "Why did you do this?"

Agnar didn't immediately answer at first. He laid there in silence, unmoving, his empty eyes and white bones giving nothing away. Until finally, he uttered a noise similar to that of a deep sigh.

"I cannot remember my true motives for this," he returned, his voice unexpectedly sombre and yet sincere. "It was once revenge. Revenge against my old companions who so readily abandoned me. But now? I am not so sure. Maybe a vain attempt to save other knights? As...deranged as the methods appear to be. But...I have lost sight of my reason a long time ago."

That...was what pain did to a person. Made them forget. Made them think of nothing but their pain. To be in such a state...He wasn't the same, was he? With his goal to defeat the Crimson Wizard?

No. He would never hurt another like that. His strength was his own. He would put himself through whatever was necessary to get stronger. He would never force another to sacrifice something on his behalf.

And his companions wouldn't let him sacrifice himself for his goal. They would never leave him, and he would never abandon them. Never.

"You lost sight of what it means to be a swordsman," Duran stated, his voice free from judgement. "That's where it all began."

Agnar fell silence once again before the white skull unexpectedly rolled to the side. In his direction. "I must admit that I am somewhat...jealous of you, Duran. To have such supportive companions willing to fight for you. Companions you trust without compromise."

Slipping his sword upon his back, Duran crossed the short distance between them and approached Agnar. "I'm sorry that your companions didn't stay by your side," he said as he knelt upon the ground next to him. "I can't even imagine the pain and betrayal you felt."

"You are fortunate."

"Yes, I know." Duran's mind was filled with the vision of his companions, of Hawkeye and Kevin fighting valiantly for him. So readily fighting for him. What he would have done without them, he didn't know.

And he didn't want to find out.

"But...I am glad that I can finally rest now." There was a surprising amount of relief and contentment in his voice. "It's been so long. I do regret many things I have done. Perhaps, in my next life, I could return to the ways of the swordsman. And find...redemption. And peace."

And so could the seven swordsmen.

Agnar's skull rolled back upright, as if to stare up at the sky. "One favour I wish to ask of you; destroy my skull. My last link of chain keeping me in this world."

Duran nodded his head and pushed himself to his feet. "Alright."

He lifted his sword from his back and moved to stand above Agnar's skull. Though still expressionless, the eyes nothing but empty sockets, he imagined that Agnar had his eyes closed and was waiting. For the pain to end.

Gripping his weapon in both hands, he raised the blade over his head and brought it down sharply.

The skull immediately shattered into many different pieces, scattering across the grass in a white haze. The armour that housed Agnar's skeleton deflated, crumbling uselessly upon the grass also.

As Duran allowed his sword to rest idly by his side, he heard a voice. A soft, sad whisper.

...thank you...

Duran gave a simple nod of his head in response. A small smile soon appeared across his lips. Finally, Agnar was at peace.

The abrupt sound of snapping, breaking wood caused Duran to snap his head up and spin around. Just in time to watch as the two-story haunted mansion violently furl into itself. Disappearing piece by piece in a sparkling blue light.

"Let me guess; just like with the ghost ship?" Hawkeye stated rather than asked.

Shade shimmered into view before them, his attention toward the crumbling structure. "Yes. With Agnar no longer supporting the illusion, it has no further use."

"It's...over?" Kevin asked with uncertainty in his voice.

Duran nodded his head slowly. "Yes, it's over now."

It was over...

"You can sleep now, Duran." Luna's voice was soothing and gentle. "You're safe. Everyone is safe. Now rest."

Duran closed his eyes. And crumbled to the ground in a dead faint.

... ... ... ... ...

Duran was in that mansion again. The same endless halls. The same pungent smell of dust and decay. The same dark shadows that hid unknown enemies and danger.

Yet, something felt different. Very different.

No whispering. No feeling of dread. No ghostly hands attempting to drag him down.

A quiet creak of a floorboard behind him prompted him to immediately spin around. Half expecting to find himself prey to those shadowy, ghostly hands. Instead, he found himself confronted by seven figures. Men in armour with swords upon their backs. They were of different ages and of different builds. But all were swordsmen.

Seven white, ghostly souls.

Were they-?

In unison, the seven men dropped down to one knee and bowed their heads toward him in revere. "Thank you for freeing our souls."

They were the seven swordsmen that fell before him.

They were free now, too.

He was glad.

"With your dedication and heart, you will indeed become the greatest swordsman this world has ever seen."

Before Duran could respond, he was interrupted by a bright light. When the light faded, he found himself staring up at a wooden ceiling. A sight that was somewhat familiar and comforting.

But it couldn't compare to the relief he felt when the faces of his companions filled his vision. Kevin to his right, Hawkeye to his left, with Faerie hovering between the two.

"Thank goodness!" Faerie sighed. "You're awake."

"You ok?" Kevin asked, his face creased in obvious worry. "Worried that something else had happened."

"You fainted on us," Hawkeye was the one to explain. "We had to carry you all the way back to the village. Well, Kevin did. You've been asleep for a few hours now. You're not suffering from anything else, right?"

Duran slowly sat up in bed. His muscles ached in protest, a feeling he honestly wasn't all that used to. But he ignored the discomfort to look to his two companions. They both looked tired, haggard even. And he felt a prang of guilt from all the trouble he put them through.

Yet, that guilt was surpassed by gratitude.

"Hawkeye, Kevin; thank you. For everything."

Faerie and the Elementals, too. He didn't want to think about what would have happened if they weren't all there for him.

Kevin gave him a beaming smile. "Of course! We're...friends, right?"

Duran's gaze drifted over to Hawkeye for a fleeting moment before he turned his attention back to Kevin. And gave him a smile and a nod of his head.

Yeah, they were friends.

"Hey, Faerie? Could you and the Elementals keep Kevin company for a bit?" Hawkeye suddenly requested, his voice surprisingly serious. "I want to talk to Duran. Alone."

"Oh?" Faerie turned her attention toward him, her hands planted on her hips. Silence fell as the two simply looked at each other before she finally nodded her head in acceptance. "Alright."

Duran wasn't sure what Hawkeye wanted to talk to him about, but Faerie seemed to understand.

"Kevin, let's see if any of those item seeds we discovered have anything useful for Duran," Faerie requested sweetly.

Kevin nodded. "Ok."

As Kevin readily ran off, the Elemental moved one by one to follow, allowing him some privacy.

Undine was the last to leave, and not before giving him a small piece of advice. "We'll depart for now, but remember; be honest with yourself. Only you know what it is that you truly want and desire."

Duran got the distinct feeling that Faerie and the Elementals knew exactly what it was that Hawkeye wanted to speak to him about. And honestly, that made him a little nervous. Undine had been with Hawkeye during the...trials for the keys. He couldn't help but wonder what she had chatted at him about.

Looked like he was about to find out.

"Something wrong?" Duran asked when he was certain that it was just him and Hawkeye in the room.

Hawkeye didn't immediately reply, which was rather uncharacteristic of him. Instead, he was silent for a moment, to likely mull over what it was he wanted to say. "You had us worried, you know," he finally said.

Duran couldn't prevent a wince. "Sorry."

If he had known that they would all have to endure such hardships, he wouldn't have insisted on going. But hindsight was a wonderful thing, right?

Hawkeye shook his head as he turned and sat down on the foot of Duran's bed. "Faerie told me what happened. Tough guy, huh? Enduring all that pain on your own. Not knowing what was happening."

"It wasn't easy," Duran admitted. "But I knew you were fighting for me. The least I could do was hold on and wait."

Hawkeye exhaled a puff of air that sounded similar to an amused laugh. "We'll, I'm glad I didn't keep you waiting too long."

"I'm not used to relying on others," Duran found himself also confessing. "But with you, I find it easy."

"Oh?" Hawkeye leaned back on his hands and looked directly at him. "Any particular reason why? Is it my charms? Or roguish good looks?"

Duran rolled his eyes with a smile on his lips. He was clearly looking for a compliment. However, it was a question he wasn't sure he could answer. Or brush off.

"Truth be told, I don't know," Duran began as his gaze drifted down to stare idly at the floral pattern of his bedcover. "There's just...something that I like about you that makes me trust you unconditionally."

"Hm? Like?" Hawkeye repeated. "What kind of like are we talking here?"

Duran didn't answer. He roughly scratched at his hair and turned his face away from Hawkeye in a desperate attempt to hide his blushing.

Hawkeye sighed loudly as he heaved himself to his feet. "Ah, I see I have to be straightforward and blunt. My seductive charms simply do not work on you."

Duran blinked and turned to look up at him. "What?"

He fell silent when Hawkeye placed a knee upon the bed next to him and rested a hand on his shoulder. He then leaned forward, the hand on Duran's shoulder unexpectedly slipping to gently touch the back of his neck.

Though Hawkeye moved slowly at first, allowing Duran ample time to pull away or somehow disengage from him. Instead, he found himself frozen still and watching with unblinking eyes as Hawkeye's face moved closer to his.

And pressed his lips against his.

Duran's breath hitched in his throat, his lips parting just a little in surprise. However, he made no attempt to move. And neither did Hawkeye. With his eyes comfortable closed, he kept his lips against his.

And Duran felt them. Felt the warmth of Hawkeye's lips. They made his lips tingle and his heart flutter in his chest.

It was no denying it. It wasn't an accident or mistake. It wasn't his mind playing tricks on him.

Hawkeye was kissing him!

Duran had no idea how much time had passed as he stared wide-eye at Hawkeye. But, unexpectedly, he felt the distinct feeling of disappointment when Hawkeye slowly leaned back. Removing his lips from his.

"Hm?" Hawkeye was unfairly confident and casual. "Get it now?"

"B-but aren't you-?" In love with Jessica? Interested in Reisz? Always flirting with other women? Pick one!

So why did he...?

"You really are adorable." Hawkeye had the audacity to smile and wink playfully at him.

Duran bristled as a blush flared across his cheeks. "Don't tease me!"

Hawkeye chuckled, quite obviously amused. Though, he didn't pull away from him completely. Nor did he remove his hand from the back of Duran's neck. And Duran himself made no attempt to put distance between.

There was no point.

"Can't help it," Hawkeye said as he purposely leaned toward him again. "Want me to kiss you again?"

"...Yeah."

"There we go~"

When Hawkeye leaned in again, Duran allowed his eyes to close, this time intent on enjoying the feeling of Hawkeye's lips against his. He even allowed for Hawkeye to push him down onto his back, getting comfortable upon the bed.

With a small, almost inaudible sigh, Duran sunk bonelessly into the mattress as Hawkeye crawled over him, his lips not leaving his for any longer than a few seconds. Hawkeye rested heavily on his arms on either side of Duran's head while he simply wrapped his arms around Hawkeye's neck in return. He hadn't the faintest idea what to do, so was content to allow Hawkeye to take the lead and carefully guide him through the tender and meaningful kiss.

He was going to get some loud chittering from the elementals. Teasing him. Congratulating him. Maybe even some more advice. But he would deal with that later.

He just hoped that Faerie could keep Kevin busy for just a little bit longer...