The fifth chapter of Age I- Age of Darkness begins with the brothers walking alongside Kay Hole. The man asks the two if they happen to know about a certain individual known as the Shadow Horseman, to which they reply that they’ve never heard of him. Kay then proceeds to explain that the Shadow Horseman is the incarnation of evil itself: someone who destroyed entire villages by his own hand and mercilessly slaughtered innocent people without a precise motivation. The bounty hunter also adds that he had the chance to “figure it out upon his own flesh, no less”.
On their way, the trio stumbles upon what seems to be a tavern named The Broken Arrow and Kay explains that it is “An hangout for old friends”. The man enters the place first and greets the people inside, who seem to know him already. He approaches the innkeeper, whose name is Walter, and politely asks to serve him and his guests something to drink as well as something to eat. Walter asks Kay who the two young fellas are and the latter states that he’ll explain everything once the time comes.
Later on, Kay encourages the two brothers to sit, while he will clear up all their doubts and tell them more about the mysterious figure known as The Shadow Horseman. Despite still being somewhat suspicious and distrustful towards Kay, Frederick agrees to listen to what he has to say. The man sits down and starts recalling a certain event which occurred two years prior. He was wondering through a desolate land, when a storm came upon him and, after many hours of walking, he finally found himself in front of a castle: The Shadow Horseman’s mansion. The doors opened in front of his very eyes, as he witnessed the appearance of the owner, who stated that he was waiting for him. Feelings of anger took control of Kay Hole, as he remembered all of the horseman’s terrible deeds and he rushed towards his enemy with killing intent. After putting up a fight, the bounty hunter loses. The enemy reveals that he had taken a girl hostage; that girl being none other than… Miriam herself. Kay charged once more towards the horseman, yet he only managed to grab a small object: the girl’s pendant.
Meanwhile, using the power of darkness, the horseman had teleported on top of the staircase, where he started arguing with himself. Drake, who was trying to take control of his body, tried to rebel against the parasite, as he didn’t want to harm his sister any longer. It was at that moment that Kay heard Drake’s name for the first time and discovered that someone or something had taken over the young lad’s body.
Using the situation to his advantage, Kay attacked the horseman with the elemental technique. The enemy, though, managed to defend himself by using the power of darkness and hit Kay’s left eye. The man fell to the ground, as darkness started taking control over his own eye.
The bounty hunter then reveals that he woke up in a bed some time later, not being able to recall much more. He had lost sight from his left eye, but regained it in the span of a week and later on found out about his unusual ability.
After his meeting with The Shadow Horseman, Kay returned in town, but, not being able to keep his promise of slaying the evil individual, he was met with the disappointment of the townsfolk. It was then that the man decided to abandon his job as a bounty hunter and start searching for clues regarding Miriam and Drake instead. After wondering through the vast region of Tami and asking around for information, he then found out where the two used to live and that they had two more siblings: Frederick and Nigel, who had been involved in a terrible accident years prior. In the end, he was able to find them after further investigating and thus fight against them.
Once Kay is done talking about his memories, Frederick suddenly stands up, visibly upset and demands that the man says more regarding Drake. Kay replies that he will, but that the two may not like what he’s about to say. He reveals that Drake is, in fact, the horseman and that his body has been possessed by an evil entity known as the Dark Lord. The ex bounty hunter also goes on to reveal that the only way to save Miriam and stop the menace is by killing Drake.
Upon hearing this, Frederick raises his voice in a fit of rage, declaring that there must be another way and that he is not willing to kill his own brother. Kay replies that, objectively speaking, there is no other way out of this situation and that they must endure the pain of killing a loved one in order to save many other lives.
Once Kay leaves them alone, the two brothers start arguing over the matter, as Nigel says that he is, instead, willing to kill Drake as long as it ensures their safety and that of innocent people. Frederick later agrees with his brother, though still visibly upset and shocked. Frederick then looks at the palm of his own hand and wonders if he’ll ever be able to end his brother’s life, as the chapter ends.
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