Scrrch.

Alex's boots scraped across the pebbles in front of his alley as he came to a stop. There was one more ritual for the night before he could go to bed. It was the same trial he faced every night since he had come to Grim Aegis.

It was the same reason he avoided Hell Knights during the day. He already had to fight them at night.

Clomp. Clomp.

Metal boots echoed through the alley in front of him, signaling the approach of the same man Alex dealt with every night. Alex stuffed his hands in his pockets as the man made his dramatic entrance.

"We meet again, Alex."

He was tall, about as tall as Jean, though his voice had none of the warmth. His armor blended with the alley's shadows like it was forged out of the darkness. It was segmented and melded to his form, and Alex knew from experience that a Hell Knight's armor was closer to a second skin than just a suit of metal. The armor was built to intimidate, with sharp spikes sticking out of the shoulders and a horned helmet with a glowing red visor.

"We do this every day, Garrick." Alex sighed, holding out his hand and activating his gift.

The world exploded in a bright blue light as bubbles of electricity filled his mind. Power arced from his heart and down his fingertips as he drew a connection down the alley to where he knew his weapon lay in wait. A metal pipe rested in the shadows, and Alex tugged on it, pulling it toward his hand with the practiced ease of a person who had done this daily since he came to Grim Aegis.

Whir. Thump.

Alex caught the spinning pipe as it approached, wrapping his fingers around it before twirling it around him. It felt right in his hands, and given his gift's limitations, it was a perfect weapon. He planted one end on the ground while waiting for Garrick to draw his sword.

"You never question it, do you?" Garrick asked. "The constant repeat of the day-to-day? How many times have we had this fight? How many times have I beaten you into the ground and left you for dead?"

"Yet, I come back every time," Alex tapped his fingers along the pipe. "You don't question that, do you?"

"Maybe this is how I break the cycle," Garrick smiled, grabbing his sword's hilt with his clawed gauntlet. "All I know is hatred."

Alex didn't bother with the question that arose. He didn't know why that hatred was directed at himself, and Garrick didn't know the answer either. They were two people on their respective paths, bound for a fight that neither knew the reason for. Like every person trapped within Grim Aegis, they could not escape the paths they were trapped on.

That was the problem they all faced. That was why Alex visited the same people every day and pickpocketed the same officer every morning. They were all trapped within the same chains.

Shing. Fwoosh.

As Garrick drew his sword, flames licked out from the blade. From the hilt above, Garrick showed the reason for the name of his order. The flames of Hell arched up and down the dual-edged weapon, and Garick held it up in two hands as he put one boot forward.

"Are you ready?"

"Not really," Alex said, holding up his pipe similarly. "But you're not going to stop."

"I'll stop when you've paid what you owe," Garrick said, leaning forward as his armor's legs expanded. "Ignis Cleave!"

Alex would have tried to push back on the metal of the sword or armor with his curse, but he had discovered in the second fight against Garrick that the trick wouldn't work. Something in the armor stopped his gift from working on it. So, instead of standing and taking the horizontal slash that cleaved through the air before him, Alex made his next best move.

Tap.

Alex charged into the strike, slamming his pipe into the ground and throwing himself up in a vault over the knight. Orange-red flames cut through the alley where he had been, cleaving through the shadows for a brief moment before the shadows reclaimed their dominance. Alex immediately spun with his staff, swinging it like a sword at the back of the knight's helm.

Ding.

The shock of the swing rumbled through his arms as the armor stopped the strike. Alex clenched his teeth to stop himself from biting off his tongue. He had learned that during the third fight against Garrick.

"I think you forget I'm wearing armor," Garrick said, standing up from his swing with his burning sword and turning on Alex.

"I don't really have any other options," Alex raised his pipe again, bringing it down on Garrick's helm.

Bong. Clatter.

Stolen story; please report.

Garrick raised a gauntlet, catching hold of the pipe and ripping it from Alex's grasp. Alex stood there, defenseless, as Garrick raised his sword to bring down the flaming blade on his head.

He wished he had a way to move faster. He wished he had a way to increase his strength. He wished he could do so many things, but those things were impossible. All he had was his gift and his natural strength. Garrick had his armor, his sword, and power beyond what any mortal man should wield.

Fire burst from the sword as Garrick raised it to the apex, and Alex looked up at him. He needed to stop pitying himself. He had gotten this far in the daily fights. He just needed to find a way forward. The fight was a repeat of what it was every day. He needed to try something different if he wanted to push beyond this point.

"Ignis Divide!"

Flames burst out from the sword, erasing the alley's shadows again. Alex jumped forward, throwing his entire body into the night with all his weight and strength. The sword came down, but Alex wasn't in the right place anymore. Together, he and Garrick went down in a tumble.

Thud. Clatter.

"Get off me!" Clawed fingers dug into Alex's shoulder, pulling him off Garrik and tossing him to the side.

Alex landed on his shoulder, the cuts across his right shoulder burning as blood seeped through his jacket. He rolled to his feet, holding the wound as he stood up. Garrick rose to one knee across from him, his hand reaching for his fallen sword. Alex smiled. That was a step forward in the fight. Now, he just needed to push a little further. Maybe this time, he would actually beat the knight.

"You've never said why you come after me," Alex said. "What do you think I owe you? Why do you hate me?"

Garrick stopped, his hand hovering over his sword in hesitation.

"I—I don't know."

"And yet, here we are." Alex stood, holding pressure on his shoulder.

Maybe he would be able to walk away without losing today. He hadn't gotten this far before. He just needed to make sure he pushed the right buttons.

"Why don't I remember?" Garrick still hadn't moved, his helmet's single red slit staring at the ground. "Why do I only know this hate??"

"Think," Alex said.

Garrick's hand started away from his sword. Alex thought to reach out to it, to send it scattering away, but he was finally making progress. If he pushed the sword away, would Garrick forget this salient moment and start his attack again? It was too risky.

Besides, if he failed horribly, he had the comfort that he would go through it again the next day. That was the curse of Grim Aegis, after all. They were condemned to repeat the day again and again with only minor variations in the path.

"She's gone because of you," Garrick whispered.

Alex's eyebrows jumped at that. This was his first time hearing about it. However, if Garrick was talking, they weren't fighting, so he decided it would be best to push there.

"Who?"

"You don't even remember." Garrick shook, his clawed gauntlet dropping and digging into the ground. "Hah. I don't remember either."

Alex took a quick breath as his heart began to race. What was Garrick talking about? What was he forgetting? He didn't know who 'she' was, but as far as he knew, he hadn't killed anyone since waking up on Grim Aegis.

At best, he could be accused of petty theft.

Scrrch.

"The rage is still there," Garrick whispered as his claws dug into the rubble. "Despite everything. I have forgotten your name, forgotten your voice, forgotten your face, but I still remember the rage."

The helmet turned up to Alex, the visor glowing a bright red as the light found him. Alex sensed that the reprieve from the fight was ending. Whatever progress he had made was about to be erased.

"Rah!"

Instead of going for his sword, Garrick charged Alex, his clawed gauntlets flashing as he tried to grab Alex's arms. Alex jumped to the side, landing hard on his shoulder and sending a jolt of pain through it. Alex sucked in a deep breath to combat the pain and started to roll back onto his feet.

It was too late, though, as Garrick fell on him with the full weight of an armored knight. Alex's shoulder flared again as claws dug into it, and his other shoulder felt the same pain as Garrick grabbed full hold of him. Alex pressed as hard as he could against the armor, but it was like trying to push up a slipship with just his hands.

Crack.

Bones popped underneath the pressure, and Alex caved, dropping the full weight of Garrick's armor against his chest and pinning him to the ground. Garrick dug in with his clawed gauntlets, pulling up Alex and slamming him down repeatedly.

"You did it! You're the one!"

Every slam sent a flash across Alex's vision. However, it wasn't enough to knock him out. Alex didn't know why, but his body was more durable than most others. He had found out through their nightly fights that he could take hits that should kill him and walk away. That was just another mystery in his repeating life, though.

"We're going to do this again," Alex said, pulling one arm free and slamming his fist against the visor. "At least it isn't the sword this time."

"My blade is too good for you." Garrick released his shoulder and slashed his clawed gauntlets across Alex's face.

Hot lines of fire cliced through his skin, and Alex's right eye went dark. He didn't know if it was because of the blood or because Garrick had caught his eye with the claws. It didn't matter. It would all be back to normal the next day.

Crack.

Alex raised his arm by instinct alone when the claws came down a second time. His bones didn't break at the strike, but he felt like they shook in his arm as he held the claws off his face. He needed to push Garrick off, but he simply didn't have the strength. Again, he wished that he could just push the knight off with a burst of strength.

With one eye, he saw Garrick push down on his arm, bringing the claws closer and closer to his face again. Alex could just give up, but then it would be over for the night. He would lay in the alley, almost dead, until the next day. He didn't want that. It would be too easy for Garrick.

Besides, there was always the chance that he discovered something new.

Bang. Thud.

Garrick's head snapped back as the sound of a gunshot rang through the alley. The weight on Alex's arm faded for a moment, and Alex pushed as hard as he could to the side. He didn't have time to think, only to act, and he pushed Garrick away and off him moments later.

Alex stumbled to his feet, falling over to the nearby wall and catching it with his free hand. Sore pain shook his arm as he looked down at Garrick on the ground.

"Are you just going to stand there, or are you going to run?"

Alex looked down the alley to see a man in black with a wide-brimmed hat standing there, a smoking gun in his hand. He raised the barrel of his gun, using his free hand to twirl a white mustache that dominated his face. Alex thought he recognized the man for a moment, but it faded as fast as it had come.

"Come on then," the man said, turning away and stuffing his gun in his pocket. "I've got someone who's been looking for you."

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