《Amthia: Eldon Sul》


 Chapter 1: Awakening

    I awoke. Despite what most people consider normal, I wasn¡¯t expecting this. Moments before, just seconds to my mind, I should have died. My memory was foggy, confused with traumatic memories of pain and sharp metal. I had no real idea what had happened, where I was, or even who I was. I only recalled a single image, a dark room lit by fire as a shrouded figure stood above me. They wielded a wicked dagger, and an instant later it plunged down. I died.


    Obviously, something wasn¡¯t adding up. I turned and reached around myself, wherever I was was dark and I couldn¡¯t see. The floor was cold to the touch, stone maybe, but I couldn¡¯t feel any significant texture. In fact, I couldn¡¯t feel anything at all. I had a sense that I should feel something, panic maybe, the feeling of my skin against whatever I lay upon, a sense that my chest should heave with breath. Yet as I groped at the darkness around me, nothing. I felt absolutely nothing.


    Subtly, it seemed light began to slowly glow, but I realized my eyes were just adjusting. I could start to see around myself, dark pillars and bare rough stone floors. I lay upon an altar on a dias, some strange shrine of stone in a pit as dark as pitch, yet my eyes began to see more and more despite the obvious darkness. The dias was partially carved from a tall wall behind me, stone created and hewn directly from wherever I found myself. A cavern stretched out creating a wall of impenetrable darkness, a wall that even my slightly adjusted eyes couldn¡¯t hope to pierce.


    Wherever I was, it was underground. I began to assess my situation, despite the lack of information. I was cold, in a cavern, awoke after assuming I should be dead, and had no memory of¡­ anything. Yet it occurred to me, I seemed to understand things, things and descriptions flooded to me as my eyes continued to adjust to the darkness. How could I know what a dias was without any memories? Or what cold felt like, the difference between a cavern or a cave? Bewilderment and confusion was seeping in, a warning from my instincts that panic would take hold soon came, but beyond a strange sense of confusion my emotions remained calm; or more accurately I seemed to feel almost no emotion at all. My body seemed to scream for stimulus, a memory of what should be raging emotions and inner turmoil seemed to echo from deep inside. Yet nothing. Just an odd sense of wanting to understand my surroundings.


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    My eyes tried to adjust further to the darkness, but vague silhouette and poor details was all I could manage to see. The stretching cavern before me was empty and seemingly vast, and my vision seemed to have no chance of noticing anything further. Without any other choice, I decided to get up. Just as I stepped from the dias¡¯s altar, a wave of unease hit me suddenly. Nausea? No, slightly different. Before I could identify what it was that affected me, it passed. I wobbled to my feet, not entirely sure if I knew how to stand. Turns out, I did.


    After stumbling a few steps, gathering my footing and almost falling down the short stone steps, I stood tall. Or at least I thought I stood tall, I wasn¡¯t even sure what tall would really qualify as. With my legs beneath me, I turned to what should have been my grave. The dark prevented me from seeing anything beyond an outline. It was as I perceived it before; a stone altar on a dias with long shadows cast from a lack of light.


    With my legs functioning, my eyes as adjusted as they¡¯d ever be, I seemed to have no other choice than to walk in a direction. Attempting to venture forth, I strode down the dias towards the open cavern. When my foot touched the cavern floor, and I stepped off the dias, a sudden memory hit me. I lay upon the altar, torchlight burning tall and hot, dull chanting around me drowning out my own thoughts. My mouth was gagged, I needed to scream but only muffled cries escaped me. The cloaked figure stood above me, holding the wicked dagger high above their head. The figure whispered something, some kind of chant that ran counter to those around it. As my panicked eyes darted from the firelight, to the wall, to the dark figure¡¯s shrouded face, I could barely hear what they whispered, ¡°-in his embrace and by his guidance, I declare thee my sustenance. You will sustain me, and I will reap your time unto my own. By his will and decree, immortality is a lie. To survive, you must wound. I wound you, I steal your everything so that I may live. Die by his dark shroud!¡± Then the dagger fell.

 Chapter 2: A Light Soon Lost

    I walked for a while in the dark. After the memory came, I saw no reason to stay. The dark cavern wasn¡¯t any more welcoming, and I still had no idea where I was going or who I was. The space seemed eerily empty, like there should be creatures or sounds filling the wide open but instead it was silent and cold. One thing that I could feel, apparently, was cold. I tried rubbing my arms, I tried huddling against the ground, even when I broke out into a run just to try and cross the distance faster I never warmed or felt any different. Both the empty space and the emptiness within me was deafening. I was beginning to wonder if I actually was dead, maybe there was some kind of afterlife or other place you are sent to when you die. I didn¡¯t really know what an afterlife is supposed to be, but the thought occurred as I continued in the dark.


    At some point I had realized I had been running at a fast sprint for a while, I am not sure how long. Time was passing in a way that didn¡¯t really make sense, like I was aware of every second but at the same time strangely detached. My body was moving on its own, racing in a direction I had picked at random. Maybe instinct drove me in that direction, but after a while I started to notice slight changes.


    The walls had disappeared a while ago, and I figured I just entered into the chasm proper. Yet as I ran for some unknown amount of time, the walls and ceiling seemed to eventually start to press in. I could feel their distance better than I could see them, mostly because I couldn¡¯t see them. Then I saw it, I saw the first thing that wasn¡¯t shrouded in darkness.


    Suddenly, out of seemingly nowhere, a light popped into existence. Far, far, away from where I was, but it was a light! Some part of me was excited, eager, and my instinct told me to race to the source of light at a more feverish pace than I had already been. I willingly followed this instinct, the light was far but still so close. If I could see it, surely that meant it was reachable. Then, to my astonishment, the light began to move. It raced almost as fast as I did, but it was moving frantically side to side instead of a straight line. I felt my head tilt in curious wonder, was someone holding the light? Was there something moving its source, a trick of a reflective surface on the cavern walls? I almost wanted to find out, but more than anything I felt that urge to follow and chase it.


    As I followed it, closing the distance from it being a tiny speck to the size of a small rock, I could hear sounds. Echoing clangs, hard things hitting the stone floor, clunking claters of something. It all came from a seemingly far away source, and the source was in the direction of the light. I pursued with additional fervor. The light bobbed in and out of vision, obviously passing through, over, and around various changes in the terrain. The walls were getting closer, almost close enough for me to perceive their looming shadows. It didn¡¯t matter, I was getting closer to the light, and even with the odd sounds becoming louder I pursued faster. The terrain was difficult and strange, I couldn¡¯t really see anything around me until it was right in front of me. With the fast pace I almost ran into or fell over several large rocks or strange rocky pillars. When the light dipped out of view, I chased it in a straight line and climbed atop a large hill of loose rock and soft dirt. My first encounter with dirt I think, but I ignored the strangeness and crawled up the hill to pursue my light. As I crested the hill, I saw something I didn¡¯t expect, though I wasn¡¯t really expecting anything.


    Atop the hill I could get a good view of the area, the light was so large it might as well be the size of the altar I laid on. Within the light¡¯s glow I could see figures, many figures. Five, or maybe six or seven, dark figures were framed by the source of the light. The source was a torch, a tall chunk of dark wood alit with a wonderful blaze. Held by a stout figure, light bouncing off shiny clothes. Armor probably, I wondered how I knew what armor was, but I was beginning to stop questioning my collection vocabulary. The others were of various sizes, but all of them raced alongside the firelight. Almost like they were running from something. I wondered if I should be running from something, they seemed so full of emotion with the way they ran with their entire bodies. Stumbling, racing with waving arms or holding weapons close. I wondered why they carried weapons, but then I didn¡¯t really want to find out because they ran away and the light was escaping me.


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    I followed as fast as my legs could carry, thinking about shouting out to them but deciding against it with how frantic they seemed to be. Then I saw them, the others. I first bumped into one, not seeing it because of the thin frame it occupied. We both stumbled, I almost moved to apologize, but the thin figure in the dark crawled over me frantically and began chasing after the light again. I figured they wanted to see the light as badly as I did, so I got up and resumed my own chase. Others bumped into me as I ran and got closer to the firelight. As the light and I got on the same level of bumpy ground, I could see many thin figures chasing the light in front of me. Blinks of light as the firelight ducked over and past obstacles. The things running with me seemed to have no skin or flesh, for the most part. Skeletons I think would be the word. It seemed strange that they were running, but they didn¡¯t seem hostile because they ignored me. We all just wanted to get to the source of the light, but the people holding it were running away.


    I was beginning to get tired of chasing the light, not physically tired, just bored maybe. Despite my slow-growing boredom, I continued to pursue the light. The others did too, and I even saw one of the skeletal figures get close to the light¡¯s edge. We were all very close to the edge of the light now, I was maybe five or six thin figures deep and the skeletal figures in the front were just a little bit away from touching the light. Then, as this lucky thing fully immersed itself in the light, one of the running people turned slightly and a beam of light shot out of their hand! Bright yellowish light in a straight line, illuminating all around them for a single moment before it collided with the lucky skeleton. The poor guy just wanted to see the firelight, probably, and that light coming out of the person¡¯s hand evaporated it. But with the help of that strange light I saw something, something that almost seemed like it should be scary.


    As the light exploded out of the beam, I saw a huge illuminated figure a little ways ahead of the running people. I couldn¡¯t tell if it was skeletal like the other things chasing the light, but it was easily twice or three times as tall as the biggest person running closest to the light. It was probably five times as tall as the person holding the light, because they were pretty short and stout.


    The people running didn¡¯t notice it, and I realized then that maybe the skeletal things weren¡¯t chasing the people to see the light they carried like I was. The huge thing suddenly erupted from the darkness into the middle of the group. Several of the people stopped suddenly, frozen by fear maybe, but two brave and big people charged it. They both held big weapons and big metal disks, shields probably. The big thing didn¡¯t look skeletal like the thin things I ran with, but one of its large arms was missing a lot of flesh and its skin drooped around its body like a too big shirt. The big thing was holding a massive rock in its good hand, and swung the heavy rock at the two brave people. They were flung to the side by the impact, rocketing out of view of the torchlight. I heard the first sound besides running or clanking, a shrill scream and grunting. One of the scared people screamed loudly and the other two that got flung grunted and then hit something hard with a crunchy impact. I could see cleary now, there were six of them total, but two weren¡¯t in the light anymore.


    With the group of people frozen or flung out of the light, the skeletal things charged at them and a few tried to fight back. Something inside me begged and screamed for me to join in. The sight of them so close, something almost called to me to attack them. I felt¡­ Angry? I think anger is the best way to describe it, but watching the people with the light fight against the skeletal things¡­ I didn¡¯t like it, I think, something about it made me upset. I didn¡¯t want to hurt the people with the light like my anger urged me to, but I also didn''t want to fight the skeletal things, and definitely not the big thing which was just standing there quietly watching. So instead I fought my instinct and skulked away to the edge of the light. I didn¡¯t enter it, I saw what happen to some of the skeletal things when they did. Blasts of light and color sprayed out of a few of the people¡¯s hands or appeared suddenly in the air. A battle was happening, the skeletal things were attacking the group, and I watched quietly.


    It didn¡¯t take long. There were a lot more skeletal things than I thought. Once they weren¡¯t running anymore, it was like water breaking through a dam. Flooding with bones and decaying flesh that descended on the people in an instant. The people obliterated and knocked down a lot of the skeletal things. One of them even tried to run away the direction they were already running towards, but the big thing stopped that quickly. Before any real time had passed at all, the people stopped moving. Even the two that were tossed aside got angry attention from the skeletal things. There wasn¡¯t anymore noise after that. Just the sound of clicking bone against the floor.

 Chapter 3: Terrible Realization and Escape

    I watched the skeletal things mingle around for a while. They didn¡¯t seem interested in the corpses of the people, and none of the people were moving anymore. I checked. When the skeletal things dispersed a little bit I approached where I saw the light go out. The light went out pretty quickly after the skeletal things attacked and killed the people. I wanted to see if I could make it work again, I wanted the light not to hurt the people. Yet, for some reason, after the people died I think I became bored.


    Regardless of my strange boredom, I scavenged for the torch. It didn¡¯t take very long, it was underneath the short person who had held it. Though lighting it was a mystery. I searched the short person¡¯s body further, trying hard to look for anything that seemed useful. A sword they didn¡¯t even take out, a dagger, a pouch with some kind of liquid, a bag filled with random nonsense. All of it was useless. How would I even start a fire? Would I know what tool to use if I saw it? It wasn¡¯t like the short person carried a smaller fire with them to make bigger fires, and with my luck they might just light it with those strange lights and colors they conjured from their hands. Then I noticed something dangling from the torch itself.


    On a little string, there was a tiny box dangling. I figured I would open it since I didn¡¯t know what else to try, and inside were two small rocks. I stared hard at them, completely bewildered, but something clicked. I am not sure if it was some instinct, a memory from whatever was before, or my natural smarts, but I cracked the two rocks hard against each other. Then, a spark! A few more cracks of the rocks hitting each other, and pointing the sparks towards the torch¡¯s top, and light was suddenly growing to life on the torch.


    Suddenly, the torch lit up fully from small sparks and sputters. It crackled and fizzed, a portion of it was soaked in something wet and red, I didn¡¯t think too hard about it. I noticed a few of the thin skeletons nearby, they idled in place or wandered in circles. They all looked towards me for a moment, but after a few moments of staring they went about their business. Those people must¡¯ve made them very upset, because they obviously weren¡¯t interested in the fire like I was.


    With fire acquired, I tried to hold myself close to it. I just knew it should be warm, if anything from my memory of how hot the tall torch fire was. Yet even almost burning myself on it, I felt cold. I felt nothing. I didn¡¯t even feel satisfaction at the fire being lit, it was a passing interest in something new. I looked down at myself, wondering why I was so cold, and I realized.


    Looking down at my body, confused and cold, I saw myself for the first time. My chest wasn¡¯t there, only a bare ribcage, the flesh on my arms was gone and replaced with more bone, I was one of those angry skeletons! I stood up suddenly, dropping the torch on the ground. I was disturbed, if that was a heavy enough description. As I stood up and the torch hit the ground, the torch landed in a fresh puddle of red. The gleaming light was caught just right, and in the fresh pool of vital essence I could see myself. I was fully skeleton, dark black bone like char and ash. No flesh, eyes, skin, or anything besides cold and empty bones.


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    I regret what I did next. I panicked, despite my previous cool and cold perspective, I apparently didn¡¯t want to see myself like that for some reason. I scavenged from the corpses, clothes and robes. I donned a heavy robe with thin wrappings of ragged clothes underneath. I put on two big gloves and equally big boots I took from the bigger bodies. One of the people that was smashed to the side by the big creature had a mask, a sort of helmet but it was just the faceplate tied with rope and leather straps. When I peeled it off the person¡¯s face underneath was poxed and blemished like they were sick, but I felt my ailment was worse since they could at least enjoy being actually dead. Wearing clothes that sagged, robes that dragged against the ground, along with boots, gloves, and a mask that barely stayed in place, I almost felt relieved. I don¡¯t know why I needed to cover myself, it was almost a mix of embarrassment, fear, panic, and a sense of indecency.


    As I returned to the torch, picking it up out of the puddle as it sputtered from the liquid, I decided to leave. I needed to escape as soon as possible. As much to hide my disturbing deeds as to flee from the memory of seeing myself. As I quickly walked away, trying to adjust the new equipment with belts and ropes to walk easier, I could see a gust of wind faster than I felt it. Since I still only felt a barren cold even with so many layers.


    When I held the torch closer to my side, a gust of wind blew the flame backwards. I was surprised, there was no sign of an exit, but something told me that wind would only come if there was some way outside. I then realized I had begun walking in the direction the people had been running towards, so maybe they knew an exit was this way? The only way I could find out was to chase after the wind and hope.


    The torch burnt to a crisp before I saw daylight, but my scrambled thoughts and untiring body made for quick time. Even after the torch went out I continued to follow the direction, the walls were closing in and I could easily notice either side now. They only continued to get more narrow, eventually getting close enough I might almost touch them if I stood in the middle of the path I followed. Then I saw it, light. Not one that would move or run, but a beam of light coming from above. I stopped in the middle of the path and searched for the source, and there was a gap in the ceiling. Only ten or twenty feet above me, a gap leading to the sky above, I was almost free of the darkness. I need only climb out to safety.


    I don¡¯t know how long I had been walking with the torch, even less after it went out, but the minutes I took to climb the slick rock wall burned into my memory. It probably wasn¡¯t the exit, the wall was too slick and smooth to properly climb, but that didn¡¯t stop me. With the metal gloves scratching and digging into the stone and dirt, I crawled and scrambled my way up to the gap. The gap itself was barely able to fit me, a person with any real flesh on them would get stuck in the hole, but I forced myself above.


    As I breached the gap, I threw myself forward onto the soft dirt and pebbled ground. I was out, I could see the sky and sun staring back at me. I was gone from that dark pit, that evil altar, and my life laid before me.

 Chapter 4: Distant Titans

    The place I escaped to was a beautiful sight, but after escaping a dark and colorless place anything would¡¯ve seemed beautiful in comparison just for the colors. Dirt, sunlight, grass, and strange ruins. I was in the middle of a thick cluster of ruins, tall pillars of white stone and old graying walls of ancient structures that barely stood the test of time around me. Moss, vine, and nature fought hard to reclaim it and was winning their slow battle. I don¡¯t know who the old ruins belonged to, or where I was, but I was free and that was good enough to me.


    I didn¡¯t really have a plan, I never really have a plan I think. I just picked a direction and started walking again. Around the ruins were more skeletons, and other corpses that walked with a little more flesh than I liked. Neither were pleasant company, and I didn¡¯t even try to talk to them. I simply left, and they ignored me well enough.


    The ruins were in the middle of a thick cluster of forest, the trees slowly infesting the ruin itself and expertly hiding it from normal sight. Regardless of not knowing where I was, I decided to walk aimlessly into the thick woods. It didn¡¯t take long to walk and escape the thick underbrush returning back into the light that was blocked by the tall canopy. Though it was probably several hours, it felt like no time at all with the wonders of nature around me. I was fascinated by every small detail, the twisting roots, hanging vines, chirps of birds, skittering creatures, and even the sticky mud around streams and puddles. I probably spent more time staring and poking at the vegetation and random creatures than I did actually walking.


    When I finally escaped the clutches of dark shadow under the trees, the world opened before me as a vast canvas of rolling hills and blue sky exploded with color. Waving fields of tall grass and colorful flowers covered the ground and billowing wind jostled the plants making the entire place feel alive. Some part of me was almost sad, but whatever feeling it was quickly passed me by. The only thing that kept my attention was the fog of confusion still hanging around me, and the bewildered curiosity that kept pace with that confusion. I still had no idea who I was, what I was, or where I found myself. But then I saw something in the distance, a scene that struck me with a blow of curiosity akin to awe.


    Almost like a foul stain on the beautiful canvas that was nature, a large force of what I later realize were soldiers marched along the farthest hills I could see. Their regalia was purple and black, I almost wanted to know who and what they represented, but it wouldn¡¯t matter soon. As they marched along the hill, coming over the horizon was a massive figure clad in shadow and darkness. It was impossible to judge how tall it actually was, it looked like a normal sized figure from my distance while the soldiers who followed it were smaller than ants. This dark-clad creature held a purple jewel on its chest that glowed with radiant power, and its body jerked and moved as if possessed by something. Then, as the creature emerged from the distance, so did its enemies.


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    The canvas of rolling hills was framed by far distant mountains, ones that were so white with snow you could almost not perceive them at all and see them as part of the cloudy skies. Yet out from these mountains a hot-glowing beacon erupted in a fiery display. From the mountain hundreds of silver-clad dots followed: an opposing army. The two entities beheld each other in the far distance, the massive shadowy figure that reeked of evil and the small beacon of fiery light and power.


    In mere moments the fiery light lunged at the dark entity, its speed so immense it closed the seemingly several mile-long distance in only a few seconds. The dark power took the hit and began to recoil backwards, only to fling its arm towards the small light in rage. A fierce battle began between the two primordial beings, for that was the only thing they could be. It took several minutes of these creatures fighting before the fastest of their armies even engaged in combat. As I watched this battle unfold some part of me knew these entities had to be gods, or creatures of such power they were akin to gods. Yet I hadn¡¯t fully comprehended the notion at the time, what a god was and what it meant for them to fight like this.


    Before an hour passed the battle was done. The armies had clashed almost thirty minutes after the two god-like entities began their own battle. The fiery beacon won, their silver-clad warriors routing the dark army completely. As the dark entity fell, the beacon of fire struck down at its purple jeweled heart, and it exploded in a great dark fog that fell over the area. The light of the rival entity was dimmed after slaying its enemy, but the silver army and their god retreated back into their mountain. The dark fog remaining over the battlefield, and probably still remains over the battlefield to this day.


    I stayed long enough to watch the conflict, but after its conclusion my curiosity was sated and I yearned to continue. I felt no emotion watching those primordial monsters fight, nor after watching one be so brutally slain. I simply continued along my path, choosing to go in a direction that brought me away from the dark fog.


    It wasn¡¯t long until the hilly terrain began to even out on one side of the horizon. By my position, and the noon sun hanging overhead, I had figured I was traveling north. To the east, towards the mountains and dark fog, hills churned into rock and rough mountain cliffs. To the west, open plains of never-ending fields of grass stretched out with a welcoming breeze. My direction was obvious to me, I didn¡¯t think rocks would be easy to traverse, and I didn¡¯t wish to head anywhere in the direction of the dark cloud, so I traveled west.

 Chapter 5: Awakening Rage

    I traveled west for a while, having decided to put as much distance between me and the dark fog as I could. Something about it unsettled me, and still does. So with my direction set, traveling across the rolling hills was simple.


    The hills, after a day, began to transform into bulging plains, and a day more the plains slowly flattened into expansive fields. My body didn¡¯t seem to tire, and I didn¡¯t hunger or thirst. Some part of me thought that those feelings should be normal, that I should be craving something, but few things looked appetizing to my effectively newborn eyes. I didn¡¯t know enough about the world to understand what I should or shouldn¡¯t eat, and since it didn¡¯t seem pressing I ignored my instinct that I should eat something.


    I could sense trouble before I saw the first hint of it. Almost like a compass pointing me towards danger and violence was within me, I began to feel pulled towards a direction. I unconsciously began to follow it, not certain what this new feeling was or what it would lead to. Yet as they had before, without fail, I was led to a new scene of oncoming carnage. One on a larger scale than I had seen before.


    A small town, or maybe a large retinue¡¯s campsite, had cleared out an area among the fields. The place seemed new, and I could see its entirety from my place on one of the few remaining hills. Hidden in the flowing grass I watched the place, and it was actually full with people! Living and moving people!


    To say I was overjoyed would be a vast overstatement, but there was some part of me that was eager to get closer. I had almost missed the brief company of the people running through the cavern, as short as I knew them. Some feeling echoed from deep within me, and it wanted to talk and interact with them. A strange feeling to be sure, but one I wasn¡¯t against satisfying. I saw no potential danger, but then my greater instincts reacted.


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    A sort of jolt bringing my attention towards the distance that was opposite of me, on the farther side of the campsite-town. Then, as my attention focused on the unremarkable distance, a plume of smoke and a spreading fire came from the tall grass and sporadically placed trees. The inferno began its slow march to devour whatever was in its path, and the people below seemed to notice as well. They scrambled to gather supplies to put out the blaze, most of the people rushing in its direction in a remarkably cohesive strategy. Yet that played into the hands of the arsonists.


    As the bulk of the people below organized to deal with the fire, I saw a lumbering group of mutated flesh and twisted bodies approach. Multicolored skin and strange forms creeped out of the tall grass and sparse tree cover. Some creatures held weapons, others held fire and claw. The creatures then descended with screams and yells onto the distracted people.


    A brutal fight ensued, one so close to my hiding place I began to worry about the untamed blaze of fire. I began to wonder if my decision to head west was the correct one. Then, as I watched in unfazed curiosity, I heard a cry. My senses were drawn to the cry, that ancient panic from deep within pulled my entire focus towards it. In the camp I saw the monstrous creatures fighting the people gathered to an almost stalemate, but their warriors were obviously trapped between the monsters and the blaze, while their kin were in the campsite-town proper. As I watched in a growing anger, a monstrous crimson-skinned man-like creature with great black wings pulled a writhing heap of rags onto the blood and filth stained ground. The yelling was coming from that creature, that person, that child.


    The monster stained-red flapped its large wings in triumph, and as it held the child¡¯s arm taught and dangled the wretch inches above the ground, another cry came from the tent the child was retrieved from. A figure charged out, thin and small compared to the ones that had charged to meet the blazing fire, and a single swipe from the red monster¡¯s free hand sent the thin figure flying. Hitting the ground hard, and unmoving after its collision. The wails from the child pierced the sound of pitched battle and blazing inferno, and it called to me. And a red haze overtook me.

 Chapter 6: Immortality is a Lie

    Without any hesitation I charged down the hill I had been watching the carnage from. Some beast possessed my mind and a red haze covered my senses with a pure and tangible emotion: rage. This rage possessed me, and all seemed slowed as my body raced forward like an animal¡¯s.


    I entered the camp through a growing blaze that had fully encircled the camp-town. Landing hard on the tough dirt, I stopped to gather my senses and ascertain where my target was. I don¡¯t know why I was possessed so, some part of me acted without any of my own intent or logic behind it. But for whatever reason, I didn¡¯t even attempt to fight it, but rather I found ways to encourage and enhance my crusade of contempt against that winged monster.


    As I looked for a path, the tents and temporary structures collapsing or catching fire around me to create a maze, a clash like metal against metal clanged to my left. A large behemoth of a tiger-snake hybrid with black scales for skin was pinning a person in robes similar to mine to the ground. The person fought hard to be free of the creature, but the tiger monster¡¯s neck elongated to slither around the person¡¯s weapon. In a single strike it lunged and clamped onto the figure¡¯s neck, killing them almost instantly. Their long metal weapon clanged against the ground and tumbled towards me as the tiger monster tore at the lifeless body. My body burned with fury, undirected and in need of an outlet.


    Charging forward I flung towards the tiger monster, as I did I grasped the rod weapon that was flung towards me. I waved it like a club, and before it connected to the unaware monster¡¯s head the body of the staff burst into flame. The flaming rod collided hard against the neck of the distracted monster, and when it did a green flame exploded out of the staff and engulfed the monster¡¯s body.


    The surprise was obvious, and the pain seemed severe enough. The creature retreated in confusion and fear, and I ran forward ignoring its yelps. My direction was pointed further in, towards the center, and I pursued my goal to reach the child with whatever haste I could manage. I dashed through crumbling and flaming structure, the sounds of yelling and dying all around me. A man in heavy gleaming bronze armor fell through a building in front of me. I jumped back to avoid being crushed in the momentum, and a pig-man with pale white skin and beady red eyes barreled after the fallen warrior. The warrior got up and charged at the creature, the both of them collapsing further parts of the structure and disappearing from my sight. I ignored the man and his enemy, still following some instinct pointing me towards the center of the camp-town.


    As I raced further into the battle, I emerged suddenly onto the outcropping where the clustered tents had held the child. Before me I saw a scene that channeled all my senses to hate and rage. The child¡¯s cries were silent, blood seeping from a deep cut, the youngling had crawled to the still form of the thin figure. The red-skinned monster flapped its wings in triumph again, but then turned its gaze towards me. Curiosity and eagerness obvious, it had found another plaything no doubt, but I intended no such outcome.


    The thing babbled at me in a disgusting string of yelps and shouts, smug and confident. I ignored the sounds and assessed the area. The child was several feet away from the creature, but still easily within striking distance of its large form, the outcropping was cramped with structures save for between me and where the child already was. Whatever I planned to do needed to be carefully orchestrated to not harm the barely breathing child. I didn¡¯t have a plan, I never do it seems, but as I tried desperately to find one that could protect the fragile creature the heinous monster spat more guttural words towards me. After a moment of realization, it chuckled I think. Waving a hand in the air and speaking more profane words that almost echoed their meaning into me, ¡°Comprehend¡±.


    Then, suddenly, the sounds of shouting and snarls slowly transformed into yells for help, cries of glee and triumph, and death howls. If I could be surprised, now would be the closest I had come to it, but instead I was simply distracted by the sudden flood of language. The winged monster then spoke plainly, ¡°Despicable creature, you cannot even comprehend the common tongue? Disgusting indeed. You come to save your young? Haha!¡± the creature laughed, one without joy or amusement. ¡°You cannot stop me, nor save yourself. Face death, for I have come!¡±


    Before I could react, the now-speaking monster flew forward at an incredible speed. I tried to dodge, but the monster¡¯s speed and reactions were too quick. The dreaded thing¡¯s claws tore at my robes and ripped free a large chunk to expose bone. Surprise and confusion clear on the monster¡¯s face, having not killed me, but apparently not noticing my skeletal underneath. I turned with whatever momentum I could harness to slam my metal polearm towards its head while it was distracted. Rage channeled once more, but instead of erupting flame, a blue sheethe of force covered the body of my weapon. Not expecting whatever it felt with its claw, nor anticipating such a quick rebuttal, the winged monster could only pull up a claw in defense. My weapon collided with its claws, sharp black talons coated in still warm blood, and then they shattered.


    The monster was sent reeling, raising its wounded hand to its face in horror as one of its claw¡¯s talons crumbled into shards. Yet the victory didn¡¯t come without cost, I could almost feel myself exhaust. As if a great amount of my breath was knocked out of me in exchange for the blow I dealt. The monster refocused to me, staring with more hatred and disgust than I could ever hope to interpret, ¡°Mage filth!¡± it spat at me. Then it charged again, but instead of leading with a slash it opened its mouth to let loose a gout of purple flame. It took me only moments to realize our positioning, if I didn¡¯t somehow cover the child with my body, it and the still figure on the ground would be covered in the flames as sure as I would be. Still unsure about my motives or my instinct¡¯s reasoning, I instantly jumped to block the flame from impacting the small child. Holding the weapon I took in front of me, like it would block some amount of the oncoming heat, I flung myself to block all the flame. Yet I didn¡¯t sense its heat or singe.


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    A shimmering wall of white light blocked the violent flame. As the flame spiraled past me I could feel more of myself being sapped by its protection. As quickly as the flames erupted from the monster¡¯s maw, they dissipated into sparks flitting in the air. When the fog of heat disappeared, and the barrier protecting me diminished, I stood in defiant protection over the two figures slumped on the ground. A spasm of anger so powerful a vein seemed to want to burst on the monster¡¯s head appeared. Its displeasure and rage was beginning to equal what I felt at the thought of the child¡¯s potential harm. The monster bellowed in rage like a common beast, yowling so loud the din of battle paused for a few moments. The monstrous creature stared down at me, as if its look should evaporate me where I stood. Yet I persisted, and that enraged the monster even further. ¡°You damned mage-spawn pest! Do you understand who you rail against? I am the chosen immortal of the unborn god! I, Nefelair, herald of fire and bringer of death! You stand no chance¡­¡± The last of Nefelair¡¯s words came out as a growl.


    I ignored the taunt, focusing on trying to find some way to maim and kill the creature. Yet there was also some part of me intensely curious about the effects I produced in the heat of combat. My distraction, and lack of a response more likely, infuriated Nefelair further. The creature lunged forward again, and I charged in response with my weapon ready. As we were moments from meeting, my weapon falling down towards Nefelair, the creature twisted in a way that seemed impossible. The monster seemed to spin around my attack, and pirouetted in mid air. As Nefelair¡¯s spin came to a full turn, the monster¡¯s scaled leg fully stretched and kicked me aside with a force that was equally impossible. I flew like I was a stone being tossed by a giant, and hit a wooden hut only to burst through the other side and into the ground with a powerful slam.


    My body lay confused, my robes and clothes tattered into almost nothings. My body was bare for any to see, and the wooden hut collapsed just in time for Nefelair to witness a full view of my crumpled state. The monster seemed almost taken aback, approaching slowly as some puzzle worked out in its wicked brain. As Nefelair approached I felt a primal and ancient panic, it fought for superiority with the rage that had taken such a strong hold over my actions. Ideas of escape came and went like lightning strikes as I pulled and struggled to reorient myself. My body seemed weak, like it was falling apart at the seams, I was barely holding on to my structure. I hadn¡¯t realized how difficult it was to keep my bones and body moving until now. Nefelair walked closer, confusion giving way to curiosity which gave way to the previous rage, ¡°One of the undying? A chosen of some fake death? A lich? What are you to assault me, so much lower than I you are¡­ yet so much lower these things should be to you¡­ You enrage me with your rebellion!¡±


    I was beginning to get sick of hearing Nefelair speak. I could barely hold myself together, but I seemed to be able to focus myself to move specific parts without too much issue. I focused on my hands, trying to figure out which held the weapon I had taken, my left held tight to my instrument of rage. I focused all of myself on maintaining my grip, holding up the weapon towards Nefelair. The creature took my blatant act of defiance as some comical joke, bellowing in laughter, ¡°You think you can still resist? You surprised me at first, that was my only mistake. You are already dead, and cannot hold yourself together. Your mage-filth cannot save you from my terror, nor can it save¡­¡± turning around, almost coming to a realization and then turning back to face me, ¡°You cannot save the girl. The pathetic child will die. In fact, how about I see her off before I destroy whatever core keeps you alive?¡± Nefelair bellowed in laughter again, so sure of his victory the monster turned his back and began walking towards the silent and bleeding child. I would not allow it.


    Rage built, it returned fully, and this righteous anger commanded a word to come to mind. One that came from the fog of ancient memory and deep thoughts from before. I focused on the thought, and channeled whatever it was into my remaining strength, ¡°Blight¡±. Then, with the realization of a word, magic built and pulled at what remained of my essence, it wasn¡¯t some instinct driven response, or a natural mechanism activated by my actions, but a focused desire to destroy and maim my enemy.


    As the magic gathered to a point, green power sapping what equated to lifeforce from my crumbling body, Nefelair turned once more to face me. Still confident of himself, but noticing the strange energies pulling from my body, Nefelair almost made to brace himself. Then the energy released, the magic pulled to a point, and vanished completely. Nefelair stared, seemingly expecting one last attempt to stop him, but once again becoming confident and beginning to laugh. Yet as his laugh bellowed, dust billowed out of his mouth, his throat caught a cough, and he knelt down to the ground. Clutching at his throat, his reaching arm touched his own skin only to crumble into decay and dark sludge. His left leg gave way next, melding with the scarred earth and breaking free like a rotten log. As Nefelair tried to shout, more dust was pushed out of his mouth, and his remaining limbs began to decay and crumble. His body was slowly succumbing to the blight inflicted upon him, to inflict every pain possible, but it began to slow. The effects slowed as if to prolong his suffering. Then, as his pain became worse, my body became stronger.


    I felt my focus and mind returning to me, rage pointing my remaining energy towards the fiendish monster who had threatened innocent life. His pain became my power, as he was wounded I was granted survival and empowered for it. I pulled myself up, at first limping towards him over the rubble and scarred ground. Then I straightened and walked, and finally I strode beside him as his suffering met its peak. Nefelair was a husk, an arrogant husk who played too long with food that decayed and poisoned him. The fiend managed to croak out one final taunt, struggling through the dust and pain with some misplaced sense of superiority, ¡°Mage-filth! Spawn of unliving! You foolish imbecile, I cannot die. I am a chosen of the god unborn, his herald! I am immortal!¡±


    Then I spoke my first words, recalling what I had once heard, ¡°Immortality is a lie.¡±


    I saw the fear set into Nefelair¡¯s eyes as some terrible realization began to form in his mind. Before the blight and decay could consume him completely, I fell upon him and ripped his throat out with my own teeth, devouring him and inflicting one wound to fulfill another. He couldn¡¯t even attempt to scream, his jaw had already turned to dust and his neck was gored by my sharp teeth. As the fiend decayed into nothing, I felt myself become more, I stole his everything so that I may live. I ended his so-called ¡°immortality¡±.

 Chapter 7: A New Feeling: Sleep

    After I slew Nefelair, I rushed over to the slumped child cradled next to what I assumed was their parent. I didn¡¯t know what to do, nor how to help. I almost hoped whatever power had manifested in me would magically reveal a method to heal and repair the small child, but no amount of concentration or hard thinking produced any effect beyond sparks and fizzles. Whatever I had used to defeat the monster, Nefelair, was exhausted or just couldn¡¯t help with such an injury.


    The rage inside me was fading, quickly flowing back to silent stillness again. I didn¡¯t even feel pity or sadness, I simply felt nothing. A few moments, maybe a minute, passed of my attempts to aid the child, but soon a new danger arrived. Bursting out of the flames and wreckage was a group of warriors. Upon closer inspection they had snow-like fair skin and long pointed ears, large eyes that stared at me in horror and rage. One of them hefted a javelin and tried to throw it towards me, but another warrior¡¯s yells of worry made the weapon waver in the air and fly off course, hitting several feet in front of me. Not taking any chances, I rushed over and past the still bodies of the child and their parent. I want to say I hoped they survived, but at that moment I only felt the need to cover myself and hide my skeletal shame.


    The warriors didn¡¯t pursue me, busy with checking inside the houses and tending to the bodies on the ground. So I fled into the surrounding fields that were still fighting off the consuming flames. My willpower seemed strong in the moment, and so my body raced quickly. I found myself atop a small hill nearby, away from the fires, and watched the campsite town.


    The tenants of the encampment hurried to dampen or cut off the fires. They seemed to have already fended off the attacking monstrosities. Most of the people below hefted weapons or various tools to cut away the fresh grass in an attempt to starve the fire and prevent its spread. A few, however, seemed to channel similar strange effects as I had. Some created gusts of powerful wind that billowed the fires in a spiral to keep them from spreading outward, while others manifested water from nothing and doused the path of the flames. The gathering of strange people seemed effective at curtailing the blaze, and most seemed to have survived the attack of the monsters. I briefly feared what would have happened if such warriors had pursued and fought me, I doubt they would¡¯ve shown the same weakness of arrogance as Nefelair had.


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    I didn¡¯t know what to do, and my curiosity had been sated, replaced with a caution of the warrior¡¯s instant hostility towards my skeletal body. So again without a purpose, I continued to walk into the fields and trees. Following some animal¡¯s path in the underbrush, I began a trek once again into the unknown.


    I don¡¯t know exactly how many hours I walked, it hadn¡¯t yet been a full day and night was quickly approaching, but eventually I had fallen into my next destination. By this, I mean I actually fell. Stumbling through the tall grass, the trees were becoming thicker and more eerie. I could feel myself becoming clumsy and slow, maybe some side effect of fighting Nefelair as hard as I did. As if following me, a heavy and sluggish fog was beginning to set in, obscuring my feet and blocking my sight only a few feet in front of my face. Then I fell.


    Tumbling downward I rolled down a sharp cliff. I suddenly crashed into a hard stone wall, feeling the impact weaken my focus more than it already was. There was almost no way to see where I was or what was around me, as darkness was setting in and fog was all consuming. I could barely see the stone wall I had crashed into, the fog was growing so great. The cobbled stone wall was rough and mossy,  like the stone itself was ancient beyond the ruins I had seen before, and they crumbled into strange shapes while barely holding their structure together.


    Standing up I reached through the fog trying to find my way. Using the wall beside me as a guide I followed it, keeping it always on my right. Unsure where I was being led I followed the wall into the fog, hoping to find some kind of shelter to wait until my sight would return. The wall led me through a long spiral, seemingly deeper into whatever ruin I stumbled into, and eventually the dirt and muddy ground gave way to a decrepit stone tile. As I passed further into the ruin a stone frame was revealed despite the fog. Promising a dark shelter, I ventured within.


    Walking past the threshold, a shadow fell covering what little light glittered through the foggy mist. The interior of whatever stone structure I had entered was rugged and barren, I didn¡¯t sense or hear anything within, so I progressed further inside. I didn¡¯t know why, but I felt myself becoming almost tired. My movements were progressively getting more sluggish, my perception poorer, and a nagging feeling begging me to just stop moving. I couldn¡¯t fight the sensation very well, and didn¡¯t try very hard either, it had been slowing me down and making me clumsy the entire time I had been walking but I simply hadn¡¯t truly noticed until then. So I began to give in.


    A new sensation was curious, and I hadn¡¯t experienced something like this before so I had no idea if it was good or bad. So I followed the instinct. I found a place within the ruin, a spot that didn''t have very much dirt or moss, and I sat down with my back to the stoney wall. Sinking into the feeling, I let myself become lost in the dark as my mind slowly faded into the unknown.

 Chapter 8: A Long Sleep

    I didn¡¯t dream, or at least I don¡¯t remember what I dreamt if I did. Yet I remember awakening. I stirred from my idleness at the sound of a tumbling stone. The clicking rolls of a rock against the stone tile felt like the banging of a drum after my long embrace of silence. My perception returned to me almost instantly, my vision awakening and darting towards the sound of the small rock tumbling towards where I lay. Behind it, a bright light shone through the frame in the structure, sunlight blocking my vision of the outside. Yet as I watched, scanning the path of the rock¡¯s tumble while still unmoving, a figure passed over the bright light to cast its shadow towards me.


    When my vision slowly adjusted, apparently not used to the brightness that streamed through the entrance of the ruin, I saw something that was almost familiar. A person, a small and meek thing with long pointed ears, pale as snow skin, and large glimmering purple eyes. This person stared at me, standing cautiously in the entrance to where I rested, but didn¡¯t move to fully enter. Curious, I tried to get up and move, but I found myself pinned to the ground by something. I craned my neck, and as I forced myself to look down I heard a ripping sound like slowly tearing fabric. When I was able to look halfway down, my head popped free of some kind of restraint. When I saw my body, I was half consumed by moss and a small pile of dirt.


    After my head popped free, and I looked around in confusion, the person in the entryway scuttled away, scared and racing out into the sunlight. I ignored the person who graciously awoke me with the tossing of a stone, and focused on my predicament. I couldn¡¯t force my arms or legs to move, my head could barely turn. The moss and dirt had built up around me to such a degree that I was effectively restrained. I didn¡¯t know what to do. Then they returned.


    Peeking their head back into view, cautiously trying to steal a glance at me, the small person returned to watch my struggle. I gave up trying to break free briefly, looking towards the pointy-eared person. Though as I looked, I thought that maybe they weren¡¯t just small but rather a child. Their face was round and eyes filled with curiosity and innocence, but across their left cheek then streaking over and past their mouth was a grizzly scar. I could see other scars around their collar, wide and cruel cuts or gashes, that had long since healed. They wore a simple brown tunic that flowed past their waist like it was made for someone much bigger than they were, it was almost like a dress.


    The curious child looked at me, and I returned the look as I studied them further. They cocked their head like it would give them some new perspective and I mimicked them thinking that they might be onto something. When I followed their movement they seemed to almost jump in surprise, then they stared at me harder. Leaning in, they moved slightly past the entrance¡¯s threshold. I watched from my mossy prison as they approached a few steps closer, then they turned their head to look towards the wall to my left. They must¡¯ve seen something over there, so I strained my head to look in that direction. Yet it was just another mossy and dusty wall. I turned my head back just to see them staring at me, then they suddenly turned to look at the wall to my right. There had to have been something I wasn¡¯t noticing, so I looked in that direction too. When I was met again with a plain wall, I looked at them to see them smiling. Had something happened? I wasn¡¯t sure if they were amused by my inability to see what was apparently darting around the room or if they just had a pleasant thought.


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    Just then a shout in a strange language echoed far away. The child¡¯s ears perked up and their head turned as they looked backwards with worry. They turned back to me and said, ¡°Im¡¯ll n¡¯Rinn.¡± Whatever that meant, maybe it was their name? Before I could attempt to ask, they turned and left quickly. I could hear another yell echo, and a small-sounding voice returned the call. The child had left, and I was alone to be imprisoned in moss and dirt.


    I don¡¯t know how much time passed. I spent every moment trying to tear free of the tightly packed dirt and persistent moss. My body was too weak to rip its way out, I felt exhausted despite my long sleep. Maybe something was wrong with me, I could vaguely recall my struggle in the small campsite-town and how quickly I ran and with the strength that I could strike. If I could only channel that energy again, maybe I could escape my confinement. Yet no number of days would return my strength, and eventually I began drifting in and out of focus again. I can¡¯t remember how long it took for me to succumb to darkness again, but I think it was raining.


    It felt like a long time had passed before I began to stir once more, once again being awoken by the tumbling of a rock. This time it made clunking clacks against the tile, not a small chunk but a fist-sized stone tumbled towards me as my alarm. My vision slowly returned to me again, searching the room for the source of the noise I spotted another figure in the door. This time the light was lower, like noon had already passed, and the figure was a little taller. Their features were eerily similar, pointed ears, purple gem-like eyes, pale skin, and a scar across their cheek and mouth. The figure wore a light green dress with thick trimmings and rough fabric.


    I could barely shift my head, it had been restrained again and my body was even more thoroughly covered in mossy bindings. The figure stood in the entryway, not cautious like the previous, but stared at me with curiosity all the same. I remembered how the last one left so quickly, consigning me to my mossy fate, so I tried to get their attention by moving my head left and right. When I shook my head this seemed to startle the figure, but they stayed in the entryway. That didn¡¯t seem to persuade them, so I tried to think of what I could do to make them understand I needed help, then I remembered. I could try to talk to them, I hadn¡¯t talked to anyone except Nefelair, and even then it was only a few words, but speaking might be a way to make them understand. As I readjusted my head, I tried to move my jaw, but it was covered in such thick dirt and moss it could only adjust a few inches. All I croaked out was, ¡°-ait, p¡­eas¡­ -elp.¡±


    The figure seemed genuinely surprised by my attempt, but didn¡¯t respond right away. They moved closer, looking at me with a rekindled curiosity. After walking several feet into my small prison, they said more strange words, ¡°Cin ped¡¯Helnuan?¡± I had no idea what that meant, or maybe moss had crept into my skull to disorder my thoughts, so I tried to reaffirm, ¡°Hel¡­p¡­ me¡­¡±


    The figure stared at me for a few more moments, clearly in thought. I didn¡¯t have any choice at this point than to hope they knew what I said and would help dig me out. Yet instead of assisting me they said what the child from before had once said, ¡°Im¡¯ll n¡¯Rinn!¡± Yet they said it with more confidence and conviction. I wondered what those words meant, if it was a name two people apparently shared the same one and I could only imagine the confusion that caused. Before any answer came the figure turned and went out of the ruin into the evening light.


    I didn¡¯t even attempt to break free of the dirt and moss this time, my mind was so unfocused and confused that I could barely move my head back and forth. I supposed my fate would be to sleep in this mossy ruin for the rest of time. Yet I was proven wrong. The next time I awoke, it wasn¡¯t from the sound of a thrown rock, but to the sound of digging.

 Chapter 9: Bloodthirst

    The crunch of dirt, the tumble of gravel, the muffled tear of tight-knit moss. Something was digging at my moldy grave. Then, suddenly light. A patch of soil was torn free from where my head was, letting flecks of light stream into my vision, but it was quickly blocked as more dirt piled and tumbled down on me. Something was trying to excavate my head, but so much dirt and soil had piled up that it seemed difficult.


    I wanted to escape, I wanted to leave this underground prison desperately, so I fought against the heavy pile of rubble I was trapped under. Even minor things, shifting my jaw, twisting my wrist, wiggling my toe bones, anything I did I hoped might loosen the dirt that trapped me. It seemed to have helped, and whatever was trying to unlock me from my prison hefted away a large pile of dirt that caused a small avalanche to pull the soil away from my face.


    Bright sky blinded me, blue as far as I could see, thick treeline foliage spattering my vision and blocking the vast open sky. A figure blocked part of my vision as well. Their pale white skin, a scar twisting across their left cheek and down their lip, wide purple eyes like gemstones, and a new feature; glistening white hair with tints of golden blonde, hanging long almost to her waist, partially dirtied by the dirt, dust, and moss she was digging in. While the person was similar, their hair was new and strange, this must have been someone new from the last two. Yet somehow the figure seemed familiar to me as I stared up at them, so close to their face.


    As sunlight touched my bare bones, and I could see once again, a faint smile seemed to cross the lips of the figure; shrouded in shadow as they leaned over me. The figure continued to dig, almost feverishly, after they met my gaze. Tearing away at the dirt and moss in a frenzy. I helped them as best my weakened body could, moving and shifting to escape the thickly packed dirt, and eventually weakly digging at the dirt myself when my hand was freed. I didn¡¯t ask or question why this person helped me, but I helped them help me in whatever way I could.


    After several minutes I was dug free, and I could see around myself as dirt and moss fell out of my skull to fully unblock my vision. The ruin I had made an unfortunate rest within had fallen, the rubble crumbling around and barely the wall I laid my back against still stood. The surrounding ruins, which had once had tall walls that had guided me to the entrance, were almost all boulders or nondescript piles of rocks. Something must have happened while I was sleeping, maybe more monsters attacked and had destroyed the ruins but left my body alone? I couldn¡¯t even begin to guess. Then I noticed; as I was looking at my surroundings my savior sat and stared at me with an almost awed grin.


    The woman who had freed me had remarkably similar features to the two that I recalled seeing in my haze. Her only difference was being much taller than the other two, even sitting down she seemed taller than the last two were, she wore a simple bronze breastplate and hardened leather under-armor, and her long hair, that glistened like snowfall in a golden sunrise, draped around her like a silver-golden frame. She seemed powerfully built as well, despite her fairly agile and lithe body. I noticed then, she was mumbling something to herself over and over, too small and indistinct to hear. Then she spoke, ¡°You¡­ Are¡­ People¡­ of¡­ Helnuan..?¡±


    I was surprised, I could actually understand her words, though they were slow and strained, ¡°I can understand you?¡± My voice came out like scraping gravel and old sand, barely a whisper.


    ¡°Uhmm!... Understand? Yes! Wait¡­ Need help¡­ You!¡±


    ¡°Do I need help? Or do you? You already saved me.¡±


    She seemed to be getting overwhelmed, or confused, ¡°Wait! No¡­ fast¡­?¡±


    I was beginning to get confused as well, ¡°Thank you.¡± I said, trying to speak slowly.


    ¡°Thank you, you!¡± She paused and looked back towards the crumbling entrance of the ruins, ¡°You¡­ Help¡­ Danger, no you¡­¡±


    I was beginning to think I was understanding her jumbled speech, ¡°Do you need my help?¡±


    A face of glee and excitement, which took me by surprise, suddenly engulfed her face, ¡°Yes! Help, come!¡±


    The woman jumped to her feet eagerly climbing down the pile of dirt and rubble. I was still without any clothes or anything to hide my skeletal shame, but for whatever reason this woman seemed perfectly fine with my appearance. I tried to stand, but my bones and body were weak and barely held together. I tumbled down the pile instead of walking down it, and the woman almost shrieked in fear, running towards me with worry. I was weak, I was tired, my body barely followed my directions. I could hardly even understand what was happening as a haze was still holding sway over my mind.


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    The woman rushed to my side, trying to help me up from my tumble. As she grabbed my bare bones I flinched back suddenly, and I nearly pushed her away but my strength was so weak it was barely a playful shove. The woman seemed to feel offense at this regardless, or maybe sadness, as she laid back on the ground as I crawled away. Then I saw it. Blood.


    The woman had tumbled backwards, moreso in an attempt to separate herself from me than my own strength. As she fell her legs were plain to see, tears and rips opening the tight leather and showing still bleeding wounds cut across her once-fair skin. Then I began to focus, my mind heightened with enhanced attention, and I saw her other wounds. A cut just under her breastplate, opening the leather outward and a dark stain coloring the leather black. Her right arm had no sleeve or armored glove like her left did, and her knuckles were bruised and red while scratches and a harsh burn by her elbow were suddenly obvious. She was a wreck, covered in what looked like battle scars, and above all my instincts told me she should become my food.


    A hunger was taking over, one I hadn¡¯t experienced before. I was exhausted, and some part of me told me her blood was what would satisfy that exhaustion. I fought against my instinct to lunge at her, a part of me said to fear this bloodthirst, it was wrong and disgusting to thirst this way. Yet she lay there, confused and unguarded, and I fought against this desire to fall on her in a blood-frenzied rage.


    The woman seemed to notice my stare, despite my lack of eyes I suppose my head tracked her every movement, and she seemed to come to a realization. I think my jaw was open, if I could salivate I would¡¯ve been sitting in a puddle by now. I could think of nothing else but digging my teeth into flesh and entering a frenzy, but I tore myself away. I forced my head to look in another direction, I turned my body to face the ruins that opened to the serene scene of nature around me. The flitting of birds, chirping of songs, blowing breeze, and the passing of slow clouds. I focused on listening, I forced my mind away from the thoughts of blood and flesh. Yet even as I tried to pull myself away, I sensed the woman¡¯s approach. She placed her hand on my leg, and my head snapped to look at her against my will.


    The woman crawled forward, placing her armored glove on my leg and holding her bloodied arm out towards me like an offering. A fire exploded in the cage that was my chest, I felt and experienced a powerful desire. It engulfed me fully, it took over my senses and fought against my better judgment. Hunger. All-consuming hunger. I flung myself at her, wrestling her with a strength I hadn¡¯t had outside the fight with Nefelair. She was powerless, but I don¡¯t think she tried to resist anyway. I pulled her arm up in front of me, holding her down with a knee pushed against her gut. She winced and a little cry escaped her and a memory echoed in my mind at the sound.


    I stood atop a hill, my senses focused on watching a campsite being torn apart by monsters and fire. A horrible monster, a terrible fiend with pitch wings and fueled by sin, tore a child from a small hut. The adult, a thin thing, tried desperately to protect the child. The child. The small thing, defenseless and weak. Both were thrown around like they had no power in them at all. Nefelair, that thing fueled by hate and rage ripped at their flesh and used them for his own amusement. Then I came back to the present.


    I was pinning a defenseless woman to the ground. Pushing out any air in her lungs with my unnatural strength. I pulled her bloodied arm close to me, so hard it looked moments from dislocating. My hands squeezed and tore into her flesh as my claws pierced her delicate skin, my teeth hovering mere inches above what my hunger told me could be a satisfying feast. What was I to become? What would I be if I let primal instinct, unchecked hunger, and personal desires motivate me just because I had the power to let them? I pulled away, ashamed.


    I don¡¯t understand myself. My mind is a mix of forgotten memories, old angers, and new desires. Instinct guided me as often as curiosity and thought. I didn¡¯t know what I was, but I know I didn¡¯t want to be even remotely similar to Nefelair. My mind my own again, and my hunger being pushed as far down as I could manage, I pulled away and crawled to a corner in the ruined wall.


    The woman caught her breath, my strange strength having pushed her so hard she couldn¡¯t breathe properly. Yet even after my attack, she just lay on the ground staring towards me. She got up to a sitting position and still held out her arm towards me like some cruel taunt. The woman tried to speak in her jumbled and slow manner, ¡°Help... You, eat?¡± She was truly offering herself to me, like some kind of sick sacrifice for some unknowable reason. I refused any part of it, trying to pull myself further into the stone to escape her offer, I pushed myself even further into the corner of the ruin. She persisted, approaching closer but putting her arm down so she could crawl against the mossy tile floor. ¡°You eat. Strong. Help, no you¡­¡±


    ¡°What do you want with me?¡± I asked, confused and ashamed of myself, ¡°Don¡¯t offer me this, I don¡¯t want it.¡± I begged.


    ¡°Help, no you¡­ Help¡­ Strong!¡± she said with dedication.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to hurt you¡­ Please just stay back.¡±


    ¡°Grrh!¡± She growled, seemingly frustrated by what I said, ¡°Help! You, come, help!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what I could possibly help with¡­ But you saved me¡­ Do you really need me?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± she said eagerly.


    ¡°Then do not offer me anything like that again. I will help how I am, or not at all.¡± I said with as much sternness as my gravelly voice could muster.


    She thought for a moment, my words delayed as she slowly heard and understood them, ¡°Help¡­ Come!¡±


    The woman stood up and moved to offer her injured hand to me as if to help me stand as well, but she thought better of it and offered her left hand instead. I stood, and with what little strength I could muster I tried to stand tall and proud. I don¡¯t know what I was or what I am, I don¡¯t know why my body craves such blood and gore, but I refuse to give in if it would make me anything like the monster, Nefelair.

 Chapter 10: Satiated Hunger

    My mind was still fuzzy and confused, even as I walked with the injured woman, my timely savior, through the woods. We were heading downhill, and I tripped down most of it despite my best efforts. The woman tried talking to me in her strange language, seemingly hoping I would just magically understand her, but all it sounded like to me was gibberish. She seemed in a rush, but her various injuries made her slow and weak, almost as slow and weak as I was. We were quite the pair of stumbling fools.


    Wandering through the trees, I followed the pointy-eared woman to whatever goal she had for me. I thought about leaving, I didn¡¯t know why I was following her in the first place. She had saved me, but even as I walked beside her and focused on the nature around me; her blood-stained leathers and dried wounds taunted me. I tried to focus elsewhere. I was determined now, I don¡¯t know what about the idea repulsed me but I fought sternly against my feral temptations.


    Despite our slow pace and my distracted thoughts, we eventually began to slow. The woman tried to creep low to the ground, but her injuries only reopened and slowed her down as she tried to sneak. I tried to follow her lead, but between my crackling bones and stumbling into things I wasn¡¯t any more stealthy than her. Eventually our bumbling brought us to a small clearing. One that had a short hill as its centerpiece.


    There seemed to be old discarded weapons laying on or sticking in the ground around the clearing. My senses heightened, something within me said there was the scent of blood in the air. My instincts fought to go into a frenzy, to seek out the bloody source, but I stuffed the feeling down as far as I could force it. My injured companion seemed keenly interested in the field, watching the area carefully and quietly for several minutes. It was torture.


    I sat in the thicket of the treeline with my bloody rescuer, but saw nothing of interest in the open clearing. Then I heard something, a snicker and a short whine. Looking back and forth for the source of the sound, the wilderness seemed to almost go completely silent in fear of the sound. Then it appeared, a short, tar-colored, and scaly thing. It seemed to walk on two legs, but it crawled as it dragged something heavy behind it. Emerging fully out of the treeline, the scaly creature pulled the body of a man similarly dressed as the woman who saved me. Pointy ears, pale skin, light golden brown hair, and covered in wounds.


    As the strange creature dragged its apparent victim closer to the short bulged hill, the body stirred. A groan was let out and the man shifted their weight slightly. The scaled monster reacted angrily, jumping up raising both arms in the air in a yell, only to bring its fists down towards the man¡¯s face and chest to beat him into unconsciousness again. When the man was quiet and unmoving once again, the creature resumed its task to pull the body towards the hill.


    I could tell that the woman was furious. She seethed anger and frustration while staring daggers towards the creature, but she didn¡¯t charge forward in rage. She sat and waited. I think I was beginning to put together the puzzle of what she needed from me. Whatever these creatures were, they were clearly her enemy and she probably wanted as much help defeating them as she could muster. But how she knew where I was, or that I wasn¡¯t some random corpse, still confounded me.


    The scaly creature eventually fully dragged the unconscious and beaten man to the hill, only to suddenly disappear downwards. I was surprised, I couldn¡¯t see some entrance to a cave or anything from where I stood on the treeline, but my wounded companion seemed unsurprised. After a few moments of the creature being gone, the woman turned to me and thought for a moment. Finally speaking again, slowly as she put together her words, she said, ¡°Help!... No you, help¡­¡± She pointed towards the hill, ¡°Kill.¡± was all she said to me after a tense moment.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­ I don¡¯t know if I can help you¡­ Killing would be¡­¡± I paused as I gathered my thoughts, remembering how I nearly lost control just at the sight of fresh blood or my incredible rage against Nefelair, ¡°I don¡¯t think I can help you.¡±


    The woman stared at the hill, like her glare alone would kill her enemies, ¡°Help¡­ Come. Come, help no you!¡±


    I thought we had begun almost understanding each other, but the confused and frustrated words exchanged between us was quickly proving we truly had no idea what the other was really saying. Or at least I had no idea what the woman¡¯s intentions were. My savior, the pointy-eared and gem-like purple eyed woman, stood up and began creeping towards the hill. She waved a hand like that would make me follow her. I had no reason to, there was no benefit. She had already saved me from my moss-covered prison, I could just leave and let her attack the strange creatures on her own. Yet for some reason I didn¡¯t.


    Following behind the woman, we approached the hill carefully. There were various weapons scattered around the ground along the way, both old and a few new. The woman picked up a shortsword and continued forward. I looked around, figuring that if worse comes to worst I might want to defend myself, but nothing called out to me that would be useful. The swords were too heavy and I was still too weak and exhausted, so I left them be and followed forward.


    When we approached near to where the monster and its victim disappeared, we were met with a simple grassy hill. I wasn¡¯t sure how or where the creature vanished, but the woman beside me seemed to have some clue. She searched the area carefully, poking and prodding at the dirt and grass in front of her. Then her sword pierced something, and seemed to push the ground inward like it was made of loose fabric. In fact, it looks like it actually was fabric.


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    A portion of the hill, where a curve suddenly appeared making a sort of small basin, turned out to be a facade. A layer of fabric covered in loose dirt and sewn in grass was covering a secret tunnel entrance. The woman¡¯s long pointed ears perked up, she moved to pull away the grassy carpet that hid the entrance into the underground. I wish I had a way to communicate with her, something about the covering seemed ominous to me. I wanted to tell her to be careful, maybe poke at the covering more with her sword before reaching to grab it. But my thoughts processed too slow, and my words would have only confused her I assumed. But then it sprang on us.


    Just as the woman¡¯s hand touched the grassy carpet, and began to pull it back to reveal more of the hidden entrance, a foul creature erupted from the ground to pounce on her. Blood-red scales, pitch black orbs for eyes, and radiating foulness even I could perceive. The thing tackled the woman easily enough, she was surprised and ambushed, and it screamed a blood curdling call only a few inches from her face, spreading spittel and old pieces of chewed gore on her fair skin.


    The two began to wrestle, rolling back and forth in the dirt to fight each other for superiority. The scaly creature didn¡¯t seem to notice or care about me in the slightest, and I admit that I panicked, not sure exactly what I should do. I could barely control myself seeing the woman¡¯s dried blood when we walked together. I had stayed several paces away just for her safety, but if I joined this fray would I become consumed by a desire to maim just as I developed a hunger when I saw blood? I hesitated, I didn¡¯t even have a weapon and just standing was difficult in my exhaustion.


    Suddenly, the creature opened its maw wide; a den full of razor sharp teeth. It clamped down on the woman¡¯s shoulder in an instant, evaporating any strength she had left in her. Despite its smaller stature, it seemed powerfully built, and now with its teeth holding tight to her left shoulder, it seemed like a predator that finally caught its prey. The creature almost grinned through its bite, its black beady eyes seeming to revel in the pain it inflicted. Tearing its teeth free, in a way to drag them across her skin to cause additional harm, the creature elicited a pained yelp from the woman who now looked so small and defenseless under the monster.


    Something sparked in me when I heard the cry of pain, and even more when I saw the woman laying limp and pathetic on the ground soaking in her own blood. It was too much for my willpower and reasoning to handle. My mind was swirling with anger, hunger, lust even, and blood. I saw nothing but the blood. I was reminded suddenly of Nefelair. The red-scaled creature stood over the wounded woman and stared down at her with a look disturbingly similar to when I saw Nefelair playing with the bodies of the two he had tormented amidst the blaze. This creature was reveling in every moment, it licked its chops clean of the messy blood, and quietly bellowed a deep call of satisfaction.


    This thing didn¡¯t notice me the entire time it had been fighting the pointy-eared woman. It probably didn¡¯t even care at the moment even if it had. All I could do was channel my rage and bloodlust to a productive means, there was no way to curtail it or prevent it. So I focused my senses on crawling behind the monstrous lizard-thing, feeling the ground carefully as I went. My hand crossed the smooth surface of something small, a hard rock just light enough for my weak body to heft but as large as a balled fist to be used as a weapon. The blunt idea of using a rock as a weapon didn¡¯t phase me, I had no reason to use proper weaponry like the pointy-eared woman did, and I had a primal desire to attack and kill.


    Hefting the rock up with both hands, approaching the distracted creature from behind, I tried to remain as quiet and unnoticed in the grass as possible. The creature¡¯s satisfied bellows did a proper enough job to conceal my approach. The red-scaled thing was almost taunting the woman, hissing gruesome-sounding sounds as it was moving to attack the injured woman again, but before it fell on the woman I finalized my own position.


    Rock held high, rage building and barely held in check, I swung down with the not-so-mighty weapon of my choosing. The bludgeoning object fell onto the creature¡¯s head easily enough, the monster¡¯s smaller size made its head an easy reach for my wobbling frame. The rock impacted hard, hitting slightly off target and slamming against the side of its head instead of dead-on like I had aimed. The creature whirled in confusion and daze sideways from the impact. My attempt wasn¡¯t enough to kill it, my strength was too weak and my aim too poor, but that was almost to my benefit.


    The monstrous red-scaled creature turned and twisted until it inevitably fell down, its tongue lolling out of its mouth as it collapsed in a heap on the ground. Some part of me begged me to finish it off, but the lack of a satisfying first strike almost allowed me to hold a semblance of my sanity. Then I saw my odd savior, the wounded woman who had been assaulted by the creature and had freed me from my mossy rubble-covered prison only a little while ago. She lay on the grassy hill, a puddle of her own blood spilling out of the vicious bite wound in her shoulder. I couldn¡¯t tell how deep the teeth had sunk through the thick leather, but the dreadfully familiar sense of bloodthirst was coming over me as I saw the dark leathers tint even darker as blood soaked into the material.


    A dripping sound clicked against something flat. A wet splash every few seconds. My senses heightened again, what little sanity I had was fleeing as bloodthirst and angry haze tried to fight for control again. The moments between the wet landing of bloody drops felt like hours of intense tension. I could almost envision each drop hitting the backside of her breastplate, then sliding down the bottom end onto the muddy ground to water the ground further. The sensation was irresistible. Even more so than before in the ruins, I felt my body moving on its own.


    I knelt down by the wounded woman, she was barely conscious and her eyes fluttered as her mind came in and out of focus. She seemed to notice me, comprehend me, and reached up a hand towards me as I came closer to her. It was no embrace she might¡¯ve hoped for, and I was a captive in my own mind, a mere observer to my body¡¯s actions. I came close to her, carefully removing the breastplate; A glorified metal sheet of scrappy bronze, held together by simple leather and loose nails. The woman¡¯s hand touched my bare skull, she looked at me with a strange tenderness, but my vision was entirely focused on her shoulder, the blood-soaked metal, and wet leathers.


    My mind and conscience fought for control over my body, in rivalry to my baser instincts. I wanted, no I needed, to consume blood. It called to me, and the freshest source was her torn wound. I couldn¡¯t stop the consumption, but I could vie for some control and refocus my efforts on something else. I barely managed to keep my jagged teeth from creating new punctures in her body, but I slid the backplate of her armor away from her body, unceremoniously slumping her on her side as her mind finally drifted into unconsciousness.


    Blood. Vital essence. Sustenance. It pooled like water in a bowl in the backside of the stiff bronze plate. So great it was gathered it was like a washbasin prepared specifically for my use. In grotesque fashion I pulled the bronze armor above me, and consumed. I poured the blood into my mouth, like that would somehow make me ingest it. Yet I felt it. As if I had a mouth and throat. I could feel something coursing within me as I followed my instinct¡¯s profane ritual. I felt stronger, rejuvenated, and powerful. Power enough, that memories returned to me. Words flooded into my mind, ones that contained power and meaning beyond just their own phrase. I felt magic return to me, its definition finally unveiled as the mysterious boon that had slain Nefelair. I coursed with power, power that could bend reality to my whim at the utterance of a single sound. Mana flowed through my skeletal body like vital fluids would any other creature. My hunger was finally sated.

 Chapter 11: Sickening Aid

    I suddenly snapped back to reality. The haze of delight and debauchery lifted as my body continued to feel more and more power once again flowing through it. I dropped the armor plate to the ground, it splashed on the wet dirt that was pooling around me. My reality was torn back into focus, my mind having slipped from control over my own body and insidious instinct taken over. A woman lay before me, bleeding, dying. Someone I should be indebted to was injured, and yet I had been participating in some debauched sanguine pleasure.


    I refocused myself, looking down at the barely conscious woman. She seemed to be holding onto some thread of willpower that kept her alive and focused despite the immense blood she was losing. She had saved me, and I had repaid her with refusals to help and worse still a ugly sampling of her vitality. I needed to save her, she had done just as much for me regardless of her reasoning.


    Bending down to sit next to the woman, her blood and injuries didn¡¯t seem to hold sway over me any longer. The hunger and intense desires I had felt were washed away as my bones thrummed with strong mystical bindings. I could feel the power flowing throughout me, expanding my senses in ways that are hard to describe. First and foremost, I could feel the power I had briefly harnessed hovering around me like a thick shroud; it was even clinging to the woman like a pleasant perfume, an aura of her own subtle power.


    I shook my head again, trying to ignore my new senses. My mind was still distractible despite my sated hunger. The woman lay almost completely still, faint and pained breathing barely able to heft her chest. In my sanguine ritual I had relieved some of the stress on her body, in a crude way, by removing the heavy breastplates from her leathers. Yet I still didn¡¯t know the first thing of what to do for an injury, and I couldn''t fathom what to do about the excessively bleeding wounds.


    I examined the wound on the woman¡¯s shoulder. Her pale and fair skin drenched in drying blood while more still freely ran from the gaping tears in her flesh. The teeth of the scaled creature had torn and scarred her deeply, I didn¡¯t know what to do. I looked at my savior¡¯s face, she was turning paler than her snow-like skin had already been. Her purple eyes were fading fast and losing focus, her mouth barely moved while taking in struggling breaths. I steeled myself, I refused to let her die after I abused her vulnerability in such a way.


    I didn¡¯t know if it would help, but I placed my hands against the wounds. I held tightly, squeezing the leathers together to try and put the shreds of armor tight against her skin like a poor bandage. I knew I had some kind of power and it was replenished by her blood, so it was only right I tried to channel it back into her in some way. Yet I wasn¡¯t sure how. I focused on the woman, I begged the energies flowing inside of me to strengthen and imbue her with the power to live. Without any idea how these abilities even worked, with strange words and thoughts still rushing through my mind as the potent vitality ran through my non-existent veins, I channeled whatever I could into the woman¡¯s injury. I wish I could say something miraculous happened, but what occurred could hardly be called a boon.


    I felt my power complying to my will. Whatever vitality I had stolen from this woman¡¯s blood flowed back out of me and into her. I felt a string of words flooding into my mind. Each one strange and new, begging to be used. What they were is lost on me, as they came and went I refused each one thinking them wrong. I hoped for some unknown knowledge I didn¡¯t know I had, some other effect that would happenstance its way into my mind conveniently to fix this catastrophe. Yet each word that came became less appealing than the last, but then other words came. Groups of words, two, three, even four at a time. Strings of phrases and key terms that promised a less effective, but more diverse pallet of powers.


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    I felt the woman¡¯s life fading. My newly tuned senses could feel her aura, a similar power that now flowed freely within me, was running dry of her. I somehow knew when it ran empty the woman would perish and go into an eternal sleep. I had to choose a beckoning scripture. I had to choose a poison and hope it wouldn¡¯t just kill her, but instead somehow waylay her death with as little pain as possible. Her strength was ebbing fast, and words were fleeing quickly. Some that I barely recalled would¡¯ve fit better, but had already left and I couldn¡¯t enforce them, and the three words I finally found were the best I could do in my panic. Without enough time to think, with no experience on what script meant what. I spoke aloud, ¡°Recall Thy Flesh.¡±


    The words spoken, my choice made, I felt a surge of power forming at the tips of my fingers. Like when I attacked Nefelair with a word, these three words were commanded by my conscious thought into a manifestation of will. As I watched, the woman¡¯s wound began to glow a sickly green. Red gore, bubbles of blood, and pieces of dirt and grime coming along for the ride, all slowly returned to the woman¡¯s wound.


    At first I watched in amazement as my chosen words seemed to be repairing and knitting together the open wound. I had made the correct decision, I thought. Yet as I marveled at my own ability, the flesh that returned and ¡®repaired¡¯ itself gained no color or fair elegance. Sickly patches of scarred tissue reformed and crudely put itself back together. Grime seeping into the seams becoming gross with puss and gnarled scabs. A rapid, cruel, winding back of time took place in a matter of moments. The woman had barely had her eyes open as she was fading out of life a few moments before, but as her flesh forced itself back together she suddenly regained consciousness with a wail of pain.


    Clutching at the wound on her shoulder, confused and newly awakened by her malady, she and I watched in horror as parts of her leathers got caught in the rewinding of skin. She yelled out in pain, and all I could do was keep my hands pressed against her shoulder to maintain the effect, hoping the end result would be less horrific than the process. Halfway through the woman refound her grit, clenching her teeth and rolling over on her side to scream into the earth. An excruciating moment passed as the final pieces of flesh realigned itself, leaving a dark stain on her otherwise perfect complexion.


    The process was over. It had, in reality, only been a few seconds, but it had felt like many minutes of length as I agonized over my crude attempt to save the woman. When it was over, she lay mostly still, quietly shaking as she coped with the obvious pain, her good arm¡¯s hand hovered over the spot of the wound like she was afraid to touch it. She slowly rose to a sitting position, wincing with jolts of pain with even slight movements of her ¡®healed¡¯ injury. ¡°Imn¡­ Te¡¯mel¡­ Cin.¡± the woman said suddenly.


    ¡°I¡­ I didn¡¯t know, I am sorry¡­¡± I stammered.


    The woman looked towards the revealed entrance to the scaled monster¡¯s dwelling, then she turned her gaze towards the monster that had wounded her. Somehow she mustered enough strength to pull herself up to her feet, her left arm limp from the injury of my words. Dragging herself over to her sword, then approaching the unconscious and wounded creature, she raised her weapon and plunged the point into its throat. I said nothing. Her strength of will was enough to stun me into silent compliance, I felt I still owed her despite having barely saved her life. Her limp arm swung as she yanked the weapon free of the gurgling creature, and she winced in pain again. The puddle of blood still stained the ground, and wet red was beginning to crust on the bronze breastplates. My deeds taunted me.


    The woman turned to me, barely enough strength to heft the sword to her side. Using the end to point towards the hole in the hill, she sternly said in my language, ¡°Help.¡±


    Her conviction weakened me, ¡°I will try my best. Yes, I will help.¡± I said, bowing my head in shame.


    As I looked down, avoiding the brave woman¡¯s gaze, I saw my bare bones coated in stains of red and crusting blood. I cringed as the image of the heinous ritual returned to my mind, and I could only hope the woman was too injured to have understood what I was actually doing when I removed her armor plating. I rose from my place on the ground, and knew I must repay the despicable acts I had done. I hated what I had done, and even after I had used the grotesque power I gained to help I felt I only made things worse. I wondered what could be done to repay the violation and scars I had caused simply by being. Yet none of that mattered. A task was before me, if my savior commanded I help her against these beasts I will follow with a dreadful determination. I owed her at least that much now.

 Chapter 12: A Promise

    I led the way into the tunnel. Finding a rusted sword I could hold in both hands. My savior and victim followed behind me, stumbling occasionally. If I turned to check on her, hoping to aid her walking as she stumbled into the tunnel wall, she simply stared forward with a grim determination. Not even fully seeing me, she pressed forward with a clear goal, and I could only venture forward to try and protect her in her task.


    As minutes passed, the woman¡¯s stumbling began to straighten, almost like her strength returned in such a short time, but she still held close to the tunnel wall. The darkness of the passage didn¡¯t seem to affect her, the both of us unburdened by the dark as we progressed further into the dark. After those minutes, the path branched into two new passages. The woman pushed her back to the tunnel wall and looked between the new passages, unsure where to go. Despite her strength apparently slowly returning, she slumped to the ground to rest as she glared at the open tunnels.


    I made myself useful, she didn¡¯t want me to dote on her, her sternness had made that clear. But It seemed like my vision in the tunnel was more clear than hers. I could see as if it were only dim night after I had adjusted to the dark, my savior still occasionally stumbled or squinted in the dark like she could see but struggled to do so. So with my vision I was able to spot something; tracks in the dirt leading into both passages. The ground up until this point had mostly been ragged and nondescript, but as I saw the two separated paths it became clear to me. The rugged nature of the tunnel so far was a sign of a heavy body being dragged, and this body was taken down the right pathway. Down the left the ruggedness turned away and towards the right, but what looked like one or two sets of feet continued in that direction. I approached the woman, gesturing towards the right tunnel, ¡°Your friend is that way, I think.¡± I said, hoping she understood.


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    The woman stared at me, squinting her eyes like it would help her see me. I could tell, even from a look, that she was running on fumes. What strength I thought had returned must¡¯ve been a fluke of determination. What I saw before me couldn¡¯t survive a fight against those monsters, regardless of how much she wanted revenge. I wondered what to do, above all I wanted to keep her safe, but at least one of her kind was taken down here. I felt myself wanting to help her, it might¡¯ve been some form of guilt but I wanted to help regardless.


    The woman began to stand, obviously wanting to move forward, but I knew she would be useless in a fight. I grabbed her wounded arm, and she looked down at my hand surprised. Unsure if she could understand, or if she would even listen if she could, I begged her, ¡°Please go back up¡­ I will try to find your friend.¡± She stared at my bare skull, probably incapable of seeing much of my dark bones in the barely dim tunnel. She tore her arm away from my grasp, staring down the tunnel. I couldn¡¯t guess what she was thinking, she continued to look hard down the two pathways.


    After a few moments, the woman looked at her arm, wincing in response to just seeing the gruesome scarring. She looked at me again, like she was sizing up my chances. The silent tension filled the space between us, I begged again, ¡°Please. I will get them. Go back.¡±


    She seemed to give way to some tension in her, ¡°Imn¡­ Imn tiri-i e¡¯tenri. Help. Help, not you¡­¡± she said, pointing down the pathway I had shown her.


    The woman, to my surprise, began stumbling back up the passage. Her sword occasionally clanged against the dirt, making small clicks and ticks as it scraped pebbles. I was amazed that my words reached her, and even more so that she dropped her determination to press on. Yet with her blessing, and bound by my own promise, I had to press on in her stead. I wasn¡¯t sure what I could do against those monsters, or if I could really save her friend, but some part of me knew I had to succeed.

 Chapter 13: A Terrible Plan

    I made my way down the right pathway, alone. It was almost strange; the quiet and dark reminded me of when I first awoke, but instead of stumbling in a random direction I had a goal and the dark didn¡¯t disturb me quite so much. Something about being alone soothed me, like I had been on edge up until moments ago. I figured this might¡¯ve been some kind of worry, which was strange. I started to realize, as I crept down the dark tunnel, that after I regained some strange power from my savior¡¯s blood, I think my emotions were growing in power as well.


    A cackling snarl from down further in the tunnel snapped my attention from my idle thoughts. I hugged close to the wall, almost like I could melt into the stone and disappear. A sort of wet cough followed by more cackling echoed up towards me, but I didn¡¯t hear any footfalls. I was distinctly aware of every sound and movement I made, my senses were fine tuned to a degree I couldn¡¯t remember experiencing. After I waited a few moments more, not hearing any more sounds, I was emboldened and crept further down the tunnel.


    As I  turned a slight corner, I could tell from the empty darkness in front of me that the tunnel opened to some degree. I was cautious, my instincts told me the mouth of this tunnel would be a perfect spot to ambush someone, but nothing awaited me. I pressed forward and came out of the tunnel mouth as quietly as I could manage.


    The tunnel mouth opened into a short and jagged cavern, if it could be called such. It was like a bubble had been carved violently out of the stone, but the carver left jagged rocks and high reaching pillars that arched up and across. The far end had crude cubbies scraped out of the wall, and there I could hear the faint sounds of cackling, low snickers, and heavy breathing. My vision wasn¡¯t strong enough to make out figures, but I could see the faint outline of the entire room. It wasn¡¯t large but there was a wide open space in the middle in a small dugout pit. I could hear pained and difficult breathing coming from the pit, but couldn¡¯t see what was inside due to my distant angle.


    There was little movement in the room, I sensed only the occasional movement of creatures laying down on the far side of the place or the occasional sound of a rock tumbling somewhere out of sight. I had figured one of these creatures would be on guard, it hadn¡¯t been very long since one of them had dragged the pointy-eared body down this very tunnel. Yet there was no evidence of any activity whatsoever.


    I pressed forward into the room, there was a small slope that I had to carefully lower myself down from the mouth of the tunnel to not make noise. I made a mental note about the slope, in a rush it would be difficult to run up and escape into the tunnel, but hopefully I wouldn¡¯t need to worry about that. After my labors lowering myself into the rocky room, I crept forward with as much stealth as I could channel. I wanted to peek inside the pit in the middle of the room, I had a suspicion I wanted checked. Yet as I made halfway to the pit, only a few meters of slow crawling, a sudden sound to my left caught my attention.


    A snarl and cough like I heard before erupted to my left. I stopped where I was and snapped my head to look in that direction. I saw the vague outline of a large figure squatting on a flat rock. From the way it was positioned it was looking out towards the pit, but even in the dark I could tell by its bulk and the faint shimmer on its scales; it was one of those creatures. Its long snout moved back and forth like it made some effort to scan the area, but it did so casually as it scratched its head. My diligence had afforded me to avoid detection by this bored sentry.


    I had to make a plan, it could be moments before the creature noticed me. I needed some strategy to avoid this creature, kill it, but also not alert the others within the same room. Nothing I could think of had any real chance of success. I could attack the creature, with it not noticing me I could gain an advantage over it, but the fight would surely awaken anything else in the room or alert them that something was wrong. I could try to lure it into the tunnel, but anything I would do to get its attention would likely make it call out for help. Any thought that crossed my mind was ill conceived and guaranteed a layer of failure that I couldn''t¡¯ risk. Then the whispers returned to me.


    Whispering words, voices of power and knowledge, they crept back slowly to the far distant part of my mind. Then as my worry and anxiety rose the words became more powerful and loud. They once again wanted to be used, but what word could I possibly manifest to quietly dispatch such a creature? Yet I listened, not having any alternative.


    The arcane words always flooded in with the strongest at the front of the wave, but my memory of using a single word on Nefelair reminded me to be cautious. I let the words that yelled the loudest pass me by, I almost managed to push them away and search for anything else that might aid me like I did in my panic to heal my savior. Similar to when my savior had been wounded, the words didn¡¯t fit or were entirely wrong. The arcane whispers seemed to beg for violence, to promise a fountain of blood or some other way to brutalize my enemy. I needed to kill or disable the creature, but in a way that was quiet and the words coming to me seemed to detest stealth or subtlety.


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    As I listened and waited, only moments passing but thousands of words crossing my mind in the short time, the words became phrases, and phrases became sentences. I was realizing that some of the arcane powers had very specific purposes; that was when I found one. A string of power that might actually work for this situation. I focused towards the creature and concentrated on the words, and I whispered into the ether, ¡°May your mind become blank.¡± I quietly commanded, forcing the energy from my vitality into the air with my power.


    The words hung in the air, and for a single moment the creature¡¯s attention snapped in my direction after I spoke. Yet then its body became relaxed and it slowly slumped to the ground with a soft thump. I could hear its strained breathing, but it was quiet and still. I felt the energy in me fade slightly, but the tapping was manageable.


    I quickly used the opening, I didn¡¯t hear or see any other creatures react to the sound of the sentry falling over, I hoped that meant no others were awake or paying attention to the pit. I wasn¡¯t sure how long the effect would last on the sentry, but I didn¡¯t take any chances. I hurried to the pit, still quietly creeping along the floor like some feral animal. Staring into the depression in the ground, it was as I assumed; people of similar build to my savior and the body that was dragged down here lay still, wounded, or terrified at the bottom. The pit was only a short jump down, I would¡¯ve been able to jump out and climb my way out I thought, but I supposed those at the bottom were too wounded or scared to attempt an escape. I suddenly had an issue I didn¡¯t know how to deal with, ¡°How do I get them out of here?¡± I mumbled to myself, accidentally breaking my silence.


    One of the captured seemed to be awake and coherent, they snapped at my small sound and shuffled close to the opposite wall and stared in my direction. Yet it was obvious they couldn¡¯t actually see me. I chastised myself for making myself known, but I would¡¯ve had to reveal myself to them eventually anyway. I tried to muster as quiet a voice as I could, ¡°Shhh¡± I hissed, feeling it was right to try this to beg for quiet. The awake person inside was taken aback, flinching at my sound, but they strained to look towards me with a little less fear than before. I took a chance and spoke in a whisper, ¡°I¡¯m here to help, can you climb out?¡±


    The scared person waited a moment, but whispered back, ¡°Im do¡¯i heni¡­¡±


    Of course neither of us could understand each other, ¡°Here, I¡¯ll help you climb out!¡± I said, bending down to offer a hand down to them.


    I wasn¡¯t even sure if they could see even a hint of my outline, but they seemed to see my offered hand. They looked around at those lying still or injured around them, thinking for a moment that stretched longer than I wanted. I wasn¡¯t sure how long my enchantment on the scaly sentry would last. The captured person came closer, but didn¡¯t take my hand, instead speaking again, ¡°Im tur¡¯t lae hain, glenn ge huav!¡± they whispered urgently.


    ¡°I am beginning to hate this language barrier¡­¡± I grumbled to myself.


    The person seemed confused, ¡°Im sae do¡¯i heni cin¡­¡±


    I could figure out what they were saying by their confused look after I spoke. Yet I got the distinct feeling this person wouldn¡¯t leave the others behind, which made my job more difficult. I saw no way I could defeat even two of these creatures on my own without realizing my powers more accurately. The person lowered themselves down close to another of the captured who began coughing hard, they tried to quiet and ease them but the sudden loud noises made the creatures on the far end of the room stir. I knew my time to scout the area was up, so I made to leave with only a nod to the captured person I had spoken to, but I doubt they saw the gesture in the dark.


    I made my way back towards the tunnel I had entered from, hearing a scuffle from the far side like someone rolling around on the ground and getting up. But then I heard loud footfalls coming down the way I had entered from. One of the creatures was walking down this way! I had to think fast, so I scanned the room once again. I then noticed something I hadn¡¯t before, a slight sort of crack in the wall near the sentry I had debilitated. Even the sentry seemed to be stirring slightly, regaining some of their senses slowly but surely. The crack in the wall behind the sentry seemed passable, for me or someone of similarly thin size, so I scrambled in that direction.


    Crawling into the cramped space I pushed myself into jagged rocks as I tried to escape detection. Then a light started to spill into the room out of the tunnel. Coming out were two of those creatures, one with scales like pitch and the other with an almost leathery blood red hide with only a few dark scales. Behind them they dragged a new body, unconscious but alive. I cursed myself as I realized my insistence to go ahead alone had doomed my savior to capture. As the two creatures dragged the limp body of my wounded savior with them, she seemed unharmed.


    The red-leathered creature held a crude torch while the black scaled one dragged the pointy-eared woman behind them. They both barked out loud calls, causing a scuffle on the other side of the room as the other creatures barked and yipped at each other to scramble to their feet.


    I had failed, I failed in such a gloriously incredible way. The one thing I had wanted was to protect the thing that had saved me from my entombment, but instead I just encouraged them to be captured. I didn¡¯t want to look as they dragged the fresh body towards the pit. So I crawled further into the crack in the wall, descending down some small tunnel fit for a creature such as I, one that crawled on its hands and knees in fear of endangering itself at the cost of others.


    I crawled, and crawled, descending, climbing, and shifting past jagged rocks and jutting stone. Until I fell out of the small tunnel into a small space. A pitch black place, one that I could sit and dwell in my own self pity. I lay in the darkness, reminiscent of when I first awoke and as lonely as when I had been trapped, but I doubted a pointy-eared savior would come to rescue me from myself. Yet then, I saw a glint.

 Chapter 14: Old Stones

    What should have been my pitch-black purgatory was interrupted by a shining something within the small space I fell into. The space was barely a few meters wide and long, but the stone ground seemed smooth and solid compared to the jagged and crumbling crawl space I used to get here. In the back of this sudden space was a glinting shine echoing out of what looked like a sack or bundled cloth. I barely crawled to reach the strange item, and after unfurling it from the cloth wrappings, the strange glow was revealed.


    Causing rays of green illumination was a metal-bound book. Defying what I assumed to be normal, the book itself let out a dull glow that shone on the metal bindings causing a spectral display of spectacular rays to echo around the small space. The book itself held strange curving runes and circular writing, both of which I strangely found myself able to read. Yet the contents of the text made no sense. Creating a spiral on the cover were the words, ¡°Helnuan, by thy word, the world¡¯s law.¡± I muttered to myself. After mumbling the phrase the inner parts of the written letterings began to glow brighter than the book itself, not a blinding light but a more noticeable source of light than the dull ambiance the book held before.


    I was taken aback by the instant response to what I thought were simple words. Letting curiosity distract me, I read a set of words forming a circle on the bottom of the cover, ¡°Power, forge the bones.¡± and like before the words began to glow. Yet in addition the inner parts of the circle glowed like a round gemstone. Eager to see another reaction I turned the book to read the writing along the binding, ¡°Intent, where none else are seen.¡± then the metal bindings clicked, and what looked like thousands of sparkling specks of dust began to illuminate across the metal binds. I turned over the book, searching for another set of words to read, but none were left that I could see. Except for one place.


    Where the book should open there was a large clasp. It was made out of a silvery material with strange swirls of silver-blue twisting and twirling into various unknown icons. On the lock was written a single word, ¡°Release.¡± When the command was spoken the book swung open, illuminating the small space with an array of greens, silvers, and strangeness I couldn¡¯t quite understand. Dark black tendrils seemed to whip out in response, but they seemed more of an effect of the light and shadow than anything real or mystical. As the book¡¯s illumination fully lit the space, I could see what had been safeguarding the strange treasure.


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    The small cubby I sat in seemed, strangely enough, made out of cut and carved stone, however extremely old and ruined. A collapse of precarious rubble completely covered one side of the cubby, balancing in a way that looked like it might suddenly fall at any moment. Sitting in the middle of the cubby alongside me was an ancient corpse. Not unlike myself, it was nothing but skin, bones, and strangely well-preserved cloth robes. The book seemed to have been hidden in the corpse¡¯s hands with layers of cloth covering it. There were strange icons and glyphs carved into the stone behind the corpse on what once might¡¯ve been a wall. Yet their age had long since eroded any semblance of legibility.


    The peculiarity of the situation was not lost to me, somehow, by complete chance I had made my way into a room that seemed to be on the brink of collapse only to find a glowing book. The contents of which, I had only just thought to read. After looting the corpse of its robes, as I still felt shame at my bare bones, I began to sift through the book.


    The strange book was filled with words, unknown, strange, arcane, and entirely illegible. Unlike the outside inscriptions, I could barely even stand to stare at the glowing contents. The brightness seemed to repel me the longer I looked at it. Yet as I searched the pages I found a few lines of text that I could read. Reading quietly, the contents read as random lines of short phrases. One after the other the phrases seemed to respond simply to my gaze, glowing almost in sync with my reading pace. The first few lines read, ¡°Contagion, the flame of hir¡¯eant.¡±, ¡°Gaze, far thy shall reach.¡±, and ¡°Ascertain, forgotten dream and wakeful night.¡±


    As I read the words I could feel a certain pull to them. They seemed similar to the magic I had conjured before, but their grammar and structure were strange. My mind seemed to want me to invoke them, but I worried what tax my body would take from such an experiment. Yet even so, I began to realize that my self pity and idleness would not repay the debt I had to my endangered savior. I didn¡¯t know if this book of spells would help or even work but I had no choice. If the contents of the book weren¡¯t capable of helping me, I must return the way I came and figure out some way to at least recover my savior from that pit of fiends.


    Bundling myself within the ancient robes, I began my crawl out of the rubble. Almost as if awaiting my exit, the wall behind the skeletal corpse began to crumble and collapse to leave no evidence of my interference. There was no turning back. The fiends will feel pain and my debt will be paid.

 Chapter 15: Contagion

    I exited the hole that I had intended to be my new grave, slinking and crawling with all the essence of stealth. The robes I took from the ancient corpse were remarkably durable, I figured they would get at least a few torn holes crawling through the jagged rock but not a single rip or tear was heard. I slithered through the crevice like it was not an obstacle at all, and thanks to my speedy silence I exited onto the floor on the other side without a noise.


    The room was now fully lit by torches, but I still managed to cling to dancing shadows. Similar to the ruined cubby, the floor and walls were actually made from cut and carved ancient ruins instead of a cave. The tunnel I had initially entered from was actually a hallway, and even stone pillars still held fast against the weight of the earth above. Braziers were lit in the center of the room, where a circular pit was still seen. At the back of the room there seemed to be what might once have been indentations in the walls meant to house a grand mausaleum¡¯s worth of coffins and caskets; now it housed crude and vile shredded cloths, blood, and gore that marked it as these fiend¡¯s home and beds.


    The reptilian fiends gathered close to the circular pit. They didn¡¯t bother having anyone guard or watch the hallways, instead they eagerly stared forward or hungrily towards those in the pit. The creatures were of almost any shade of dark color and each wore simple rags, crude bone adornments, and weapons of varying quality. At the front of them, standing in front of the fiend¡¯s bedding, was the largest of their pack. A huge dark-blue scaled beast adorned snout to claw with bones, blood, and entrails. A deep chant reverberated out of the beast¡¯s throat as it almost sat as if in prayer.


    I slinked further into the shadows, circling to the other side of the room with the cloak disguising my travel as my movements were muffled and my form was darkened. As I reached the other side I could peek out from behind a pillar and see the unfortunate captives. It seemed none of the unfortunates in the pit had been greatly disturbed, most cowered in the center to stay away from grasping claws and eager teeth. Yet in front of the praying fiend was my savior. The woman lay on the ground, whatever armor she had before was viciously torn away, only her normal clothes remained. New and fresh cuts, bruises, and blood was obvious even from the other side of the room where I silently stalked. The sight of her harm enraged me.


    The largest fiend started to stand, and another vile creature of similar color hurried to deliver a crude bone dagger into its hands. I realized too late the purpose of this. In the instant the dagger was held in its hands, the crude blade fell and struck into the thigh of the defenseless woman. She woke with a scream, but watching creatures rushed forward to hold her down as she struggled. The blade was removed and blood dripped from it and gushed from the wound. The monster held its arms high once again as if to attack once more, but I would not allow it.


    For the first time I forced words into my mind. Time seemed to slow as knowledge and power beckoned to be used. The words were angry and called out for brutal slaughter or total annihilation. The eagerness of the magic made me hesitate. A single word could easily debilitate me and I got the sense that the wrong word would harm who I wanted to protect just as much as who I wished to slay. I wracked my mind for what would be the correct phrase to use, but none seemed to be without bloodthirst. Yet as I searched the ether for a magic, I felt warmth in the robes I had pilfered. A new and fully real sensation.


    I focused on the warmth and realized it emanated from the book I still kept in a hidden pocket. I didn¡¯t need to take it out or open it to visualize what was inside. The book beckoned and persuaded me, it knew what I wanted and almost seemed to organize the words into a function that it could paint before me. The words that called to me, that could both stop this ritual and harm my enemies, were found. I called the words of power, and focused my intent, ¡°Contagion, the flame of hir¡¯eant.¡±


    I reached out my hand and I felt power force its way towards my enemies. It tried to veer off to the long-eared captives but I chained it to my will and focused its fury. The biggest monster was my first target, and it felt my wrath immediately. Time returned to normal, and the creature who one-too-many times harmed my savior doubled over into a fit. The other fiends besides it and in full view seemed confused, still eagerly awaiting a strike that would never come. The creature fell fully to the ground and writhed in pain on the tile. Fire began to spew out of its mouth, the insides of the creature burned with green flame.


    The other creatures were more than surprised, even I wasn¡¯t fully aware of the intent the magic had. I only had a premonition of what the magic intended, but the creature suffered and its ritual was halted. As I watched, one of the nearby fiends reached towards its leader and the large monster grabbed them by the arm and clawed at its body. Where blood was drawn flickers of green flame started to sputter to life. The newly infected creature clawed at its leader in a terrified response to remove its grip, at the same time trying to bat away the growing fire infecting its own flesh. The fire spread into its body as well, and soon chaos erupted.


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    The fiends clawed and scrambled to avoid each other, scurrying into corners and onto rocks or rubble. The infected were possessed by engulfing fire, their panic drove them to madness and they lurched at anything nearby that moved. A fight quickly began, and almost as soon as it started the scene was over. The creatures who fought each other tore each other to pieces until they too were infected. Once infected the fiends turned on each other quickly and spread the fiery disease to every other in the room. Eventually they all burnt from the inside, but I noticed the fire didn¡¯t last long. Rather quickly the fire went out on its own, leaving the subject breathing but engulfed in pain. They were all still alive.


    There was no time to waste, I may not have been able to kill them but I knew at least one who had no reservations. I rushed towards the injured woman, who had curled into a ball and hidden under the now-unconscious form of the monstrous leader. It was difficult, but I pushed the body off my savior and revealed myself. She seemed surprised, looking at me with panic in her eyes and confusion. She spoke quickly in her native language, likely forgetting my inability to understand. I wasted no time, even as I was moving the body of their leader the fiends were still alive and slowly beginning to stir.


    I took the bone dagger from the ground and thrust it into the woman¡¯s hands. Without words, as they were certainly useless, I pointed at the nearby monster that was slowly attempting to bring itself up again. The woman seemed to understand, but was still watching me with cautious eyes. As she righted herself I rushed to nearby discarded weapons and threw them into the pit. The frightened long-eared captives cowered as they saw me approach. Yet fast words from behind me, from the woman, made them understand. Those that could stand, crawl, and climb, escaped the pit and wielded their capter¡¯s weapons against them. In a fury of savage revenge, the captives slew those that had stolen them away. A few of the fiends attempted to stand and rebel, but the quantity of retaliation was too much for any one of the bulky creatures to fight against.


    In moments the entire room lay silent, and half of its occupants lay dead. The victims helped each other out of the pit and the woman who saved me approached. She began speaking quickly, too fast for me to properly hear any of the words. She watched me cautiously, awaiting a response but I had none to give. ¡°I still don¡¯t understand you.¡± I said.


    She almost jumped back with surprise, I could even see a few other of the long-ears jump in apparent surprise, ¡°Cin ¡®a Helnuan?¡± she asked.


    That word again, ¡°You said Helnuan to me before, what does it mean?¡±


    ¡°Da¡¯rth, gar¡¯min govannen?..¡±


    ¡°I still don¡¯t understand¡­¡± I almost missed her broken language from before, and wondered why she had given up using it.


    ¡°You¡­ Help, not you?¡± She said in words I finally understood.


    ¡°Yes, like you asked me to.¡±


    She thought for a moment, and realization began to spill across her face, ¡°You¡­ dead? You people of Helnuan?¡±


    ¡°I suppose I am dead, I don¡¯t know. I also don''t know what Helnuan is.¡± I said, almost becoming frustrated.


    Then the woman abandoned our conversation, turning around to look around frantically for something. As I watched I saw the others of her kind staring at me with almost a sense of awe, at least the ones who weren¡¯t actively helping the others escape the pit. Eventually the woman found what she apparently was looking for, a chipped and scratched piece of pauldron discarded on the ground. She used her shirt to polish and clean it before taking it over to me. Before I could ask what she was doing she held the pauldron up to my face.


    As I looked into the scratched shine of the metal armor, I didn¡¯t see what I had come to expect; there was no skeletal figure looking back at me. Instead, under the hood of the robe there was simply a dark shadowy silhouette of a nondescript face. Like a normal person hiding their face in a dim room with the shadows of their hood. There was no sign of skeletal features at all. I began to pull back the hood, and as its cover was taken away my skull was fully visible again in an instant. The woman and I were surprised, she grabbed at the hood to pull it back down but I beat her to it to force the hood forward again. None of the long-ears seemed to notice, most of them working or standing behind me where they still only saw the back of the hood.


    The robes seemed to have some strange effect, one that I realized quickly was quite desirable. The woman, now realizing who I was, brightened and smiled slightly. Yet just before she could say anything else she clutched at her leg in pain. Collapsing to the ground, whatever willpower or fear had been driving her until now faded and all that was left was her gaping wound. As I reached down to her, others of her kind rushed to check on her. As I looked at her still-bleeding wound, I could see black veins coursing out of the injury like slowly slithering snakes. I could almost smell the blood gushing out of the wound, but for whatever reason my body was repulsed instead of the usual frenzy. The blood was thick and black, oozing out slowly. I could sense some kind of foul magic coming from the injury, and whatever it was my body rejected it entirely despite the hunger I felt panging in the back of my mind once more.


    As the last of the captives were taken out of the pit, awoken, or bundled onto their fellows I realized my debt was yet to be repaid. I began carrying the injured and bleeding woman, hoping her fellows would let me follow them and that we would be led to a place where she could be helped. I felt my magic ebbing away, the fever that possessed my mind when rage, bloodlust, and magic took hold was dissipating. Yet I needed to do at least one last thing before anything else, I needed to save this woman regardless of what danger I might be put in by doing so.

 Chapter 16: Village No Longer

    The long-ears and I quickly escaped the den of fiends. Whoever could stand helped carry those who couldn¡¯t, whoever could fight carried weapons in case more fiends remained. In total there were twenty three survivors including the woman I carried.


    The other survivors seemed suspicious of me at first, but as the group of them whispered and talked to one another their suspicion seemed to slowly transform into quiet awe. I couldn¡¯t understand what they were saying, but the way they talked in hushed tones while pointing at me made at least the topic of their conversation obvious. I didn¡¯t care or pay attention to them. I would have raced ahead of their group if not for being completely lost without a direction to go. So I followed them, their pace slower than I¡¯d like but faster than I expected their wounded were capable.


    A few of the more brave of the survivors tried to talk to me, only for me to speak back in my own language and them being repelled by the language barrier. That didn¡¯t stop some of them from trying, but I eventually managed to tune out most of the conversations. I focused on my task of carrying and keeping my ward alive.


    It was several hours of a slow jog across the woods before the woodland gave way to rolling fields. The fieldland and tall grass I remembered from the few weeks before were still just as wild and untamed as I left them. I had almost figured the entirety of the grassland hills would have burnt to ash after the intense fire within the village. It was almost comforting, I knew that if the worst came I could flee into the tall grass and hide from most pursers. If another band of fiends, monsters, or something like Nefelair appeared I doubt I would get lucky again in another fight.


    Even while we ran further up the hills within the tall grass I was plotting escape routes. Yet my plans all hinged on my ward somehow not dying to the poison in her blood or being able to deliver her to her people¡¯s camp safely. It seemed, however, that my worries would quickly change.


    As we crossed a golden field, mounting a tall hill bare of grass, I saw what I had thought should¡¯ve been a small campsite or village. Instead I was met with a stone-walled city with high towers and solid gates. A city that clearly resided at the base of the hills I once stood upon while investigating a burning campsite village. The nearby forest was cleared and managed into fields with crops and pens scattered throughout. The spot of the campsite was gone and replaced by an impressive keep, connected to the keep were tall stone walls; at least eight meters high and thick enough for two people to walk side by side at the top. ¡°You all rebuilt fast.¡± I mumbled aloud, surprised and impressed by the sight. As I spoke my ward turned and mumbled in her pained sleep. A strong-looking long-ear came over to investigate, speaking nonsense once again while looking at and checking on the woman in my arms.


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    The strong-looking warrior pointed down towards the nearest gate, talking in their confusing language. The intent was clear, I should go to the gate with my injured ward and go inside. I began racing down the hill, now with a target in sight I could ignore the group¡¯s pace and rush off on my own. I heard the warrior calling out to me but without knowing what they were saying I didn¡¯t bother to stop.


    I crossed the distance at a remarkable speed. Even I thought my legs carried me with a swiftness I hadn¡¯t had since my fight with Nefelair. Rubble, rock, ditch, or mud didn¡¯t slow me as I bounded over the obstacles with ease. Yet as I ran with such haste I could almost feel my energy draining by the moment. Did I invoke some magic without intent? The sensation was strange, but not entirely repulsive. It had been since I drank the blood of my savior that I could feel and experience things other than impulse and rage. The feeling of¡­ exhaustion? I was getting tired, I think, and it was a truly strange experience. Yet as I marveled at the new sensation the pain and uncomfort it produced grew more and more.


    By the time I stopped in front of the nearest gate, I felt myself yearn for air but being incapable of breathing it in. I stood there, wobbling slightly, as my body craved something it could never have. So close to the gate, I could see figures atop it looking down at me and talking to each other. Suddenly the gate opened, two heavy wooden doors swinging inward. Only a single person, barely wearing padded leathers, came out hefting a spear aggressively. They pointed the spear at me as if I was a beast threatening them, I had wrongly assumed these people would accept me since I brought them back one of their own.


    I understood when I wasn¡¯t welcome, so I set my ward down to the ground gently. Making sure to not make sudden moves that might spook the nervous guard. As I let go of the woman she clasped my arm weakly, not even able to open her eyes. I removed her grip and stood up to leave. She was a bloody and incoherent mess, but I couldn¡¯t do anything more for her. My magic didn¡¯t whisper its foul solutions to me like it had before. I only hoped that doing this for her was enough to repay my debt, yet I felt sick remembering how easily I was overtaken by my baser impulses. It might¡¯ve been for the better that I leave, with the smell of wounds and blood coming closer as the survivors rushed down the hill I could feel my hunger piquing once more, the dark poison in my savior¡¯s blood had masked the other survivor¡¯s scent.


    The guard seemed perplexed, some of the survivors called out from behind me as they rushed forward. I didn¡¯t want to take any chances, even if they are grateful now they were so easily distrusting that I knew they would never accept me if my new cloak¡¯s magic failed or was exposed. As the guard began to approach, still cautiously holding their spear, I broke out into a run.


    As fast as I could, not looking back, simply hoping my job here was done. I fled to the trees and into the forest. Perhaps I could find some solitude and peace under the thick canopy amongst nature. My time with these people was at an end, but I almost felt sad knowing I would soon be alone once again.

 Chapter 17: A Chance Meeting

    I ran. Into the forest, over a stream, past ancient ruins. The frenzy that was building up inside of me was moments from bursting. After my first taste I couldn¡¯t stop thinking about that moment of foul ecstacy. If the survivors had been more freshly bled, if the fight with the fiends had drawn out into a brawl, any number of things would have set me off. I felt relieved to be away from my temptations, but felt lost when finally alone.


    At some point I stopped running. My body was becoming more and more slow, sluggish, exhausted. I didn¡¯t understand what was happening to me, what I even was. When I first awoke I simply accepted this body was some strange fact of existence, now as my mind and body continue to develop and change I felt a fear and shame building that was moments from reaching its peak. What was I, why did I crave blood and death, why could I use such strange powers, and why can no one but that woman understand me?


    There were too many questions and no one to answer them. I needed peace, I thought. I found a pond, a serene place of tranquil quiet. This tranquility was ruined by my fell presence. The water was still, barely a bubble in the clear liquid, and I saw myself. A cloaked figure who seemed vaguely alive. A shadowed face and unclear build. Enough I could probably have passed as a person and infiltrated the city. My description was so vague and blurry a thought invaded my mind; I could probably have indulged in some of the diseased or downtrodden to satiate myself and no one would notice¡­


    I stopped. Staring into my own reflection I realized what I had just thought. A sort of shameful terror was setting in, ¡°How could I think something so¡­ foul¡­¡± I said to the water. I removed my hood and the magic disappeared. A blood-covered skull looked back at me. Empty save for an unnatural darkness where eyes should be. As I investigated myself I realized almost every part of my body was coated in a layer of dried blood, it felt foul despite giving me no sensation at all. I decided that I shouldn¡¯t walk around covered in such gore, and the pond gave an easy solution to my woes. So removing the magic robe, then climbing into the pond, I scrapped, clawed, and ground myself clean with a disgusted hand.


    For whatever reason, immersing myself in the water and cleaning the gore made me feel worse. I had to become painfully aware of just how far my carnage and sanguine urges reached. I seemed to be tormenting myself, it felt strange and wrong to hate what I had done in this way. I didn¡¯t know any better, I have no memories, what if this is natural? I thought to myself. Yet my logic wavered against a war with some voice of morality that had no identity. Why did I think in certain ways, who was I before I awoke like this, and why did this happen to me?


    I noticed that, in my dread, night was quickly coming. The dark was almost unnoticed, my vision adapted so naturally as the sun disappeared and the last rays of light fought to enter the forest. I used the last rays of light to dry myself, as my mind was further spun into a whirlwind of chaos and frustration. As the night continued to fall, my chaotic thoughts began to melt away. Something about the dark was almost soothing to me now, despite my eagerness to escape it before. I just couldn¡¯t seem to make up my mind on anything now, my instincts fighting against my mind and both of those being subjugated by some invisible morality I didn¡¯t even understand.


    As the night drew on I instinctively put my robe back on, bundling myself against the night for whatever reason. My body reacted on its own, craving warmth that was impossible and hiding from a cold that wasn¡¯t there. I almost laughed at how strange I was. Some incomplete person in a body that made it a monster, yet unable to become monstrous due to their incompleteness. If I was anything I must¡¯ve been some failed experiment. A mistake of magic and power born into a body that was neither dead nor alive. Yet whatever I was or wasn¡¯t, I was hungry.


    The hunger I felt had been growing since I used my powers after my sanguine ritual. They increased more and more every time I used any magic or exerted myself. I felt that even walking made me hunger for blood and death. Yet I still had enough control over myself to further steer myself deeper into the forest away from the city. I might become deranged, if I did I didn¡¯t want to risk hurting my savior or their kin.


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    The further I journeyed into the dark forest the less light there was. The trees grew tall and their canopy enveloped the sky completely. No rays of moonlight shone through their thick branches. As the trees grew taller and the light dimmer, the ground became easier to travel. Where once bushes, patches of tall grass, and newly grown trees had once been, now bare dirt conquered all. The forest was silent and empty, a perfect place for me to hide myself away again. I didn¡¯t want to be locked in some eternal rest like I had done accidentally in the ruins, but I didn¡¯t trust myself near society with my urges so powerful. The forest will have to shelter me for now.


    As I walked further and further, I started to realize how strange the lack of any sound was. The forest was silent save for the crunching of dirt and dead leaves beneath my boney feet. Some instinct warned me to be cautious, that not everything was as peaceful and quiet as it seemed. As I began to creep forward, suddenly aware of how loud I was in the dead silence, a part of me started to whisper again. Arcane wisps and fell voices tried to enter my mind once more. Yet a bigger influence was calling for my attention this time, the book I held was pining for my attention.


    In a pocket of my robe the book I had taken from that dark grave began to glow. In the dark it was like a beacon, even while covered by my robes. I frantically grabbed it, hoping to silence it. Like before, without even needing to open it or take it out of my robes I could feel the words emanating from the book. The words that came promised their silence once spoken, and my instincts told me not to allow the light to expose me any longer even at the cost of some of my vitality. Speaking the words, ¡°Gaze, far thy shall reach.¡± I channeled the magic from my power through the book.


    In an instant my world changed. The dark, which I thought I could see fine within, suddenly became bright and fully exposed to me. My vision pierced farther than I thought was possible. The detail of every nook and crack on the trees around me was fully revealed, only the quantity of objects stopped my sight from reaching as far as forever. Yet besides what I already saw, but now in more detail, I could also see invisible things. I saw bugs flitting through the air and their insectoid horror, the wind itself carried imperceivable dust making waves curl and blow throughout, I could even swear I saw flits of energy pulsing out of the still living. Trees, bugs, plants, and even water spat out energetic pulses of many colors; almost entirely invisible save for the faintest of impressions. Yet more importantly than that, I saw what was right in front of me.


    Before me sat a spectral beast of titanic size. A nearly invisible cat, lion, tiger, panther, and mighty feline combined into one massive cat-god. Like the amalgamation of what all felines should be, the primal form sat staring down at me with an intense glare. The creature was mighty, taller than any I had ever seen, and it looked furious. It bore a lion¡¯s coat with a panther¡¯s sleekness, but with the fangs of a jaguar and mighty claws of a tiger. The beast was as huge as a building, every part of it was exaggerated for power and strength. With a golden coat, silver mane, and obsidian teeth and claws the specter was the very vision of terror in a forest such as this.


    The spectral cat-god seemed moments from rage, seeing me as its prey. I tried to dodge behind a tree, knowing my only escape could be in an early flight. As I ducked behind the tree I covered myself in my robes. My instincts told me that nothing could stop such a beast, hiding and hope were all that could avail me here. As I awaited my doom, I was surprised that it never came. Peaking out of my robes I was met once again with the staring face of the mighty feline god. Yet instead of furious glares, it stared at me with a type of curiosity that I didn¡¯t think was possible from an animal; but I supposed this creature was anything except a normal animal.


    The spectral beast looked down at me, an intelligence in its eyes that I didn¡¯t expect to find. Its gaze was newly filled with a tint of curiosity; fury and rage having melted halfway. The creature moved slightly, barely shifting its weight, and I instinctively flinched. The beast reacted with a twinge at the corner of its eyes, almost like it didn¡¯t expect me to react. Peering close to me, the beast placed its head directly in front of me. Its head was larger than my entire body at full height.


    The mighty creature seemed as if it was trying to tear me apart with its mind alone, it stared so deeply into me. It felt as if all parts of me were exposed, nothing could hide my being from this creature. When it was satisfied with its investigation it turned away and slowly walked further into the forest. The encounter having ended so quickly that I began to wonder if it really happened in the first place, could I have been hallucinating? The confusion kept with me as I eventually tried to leave in search of nothing in particular.


    As I began to attempt to right myself and continue my travel, I found myself lost. The trees were strangers to me, despite having just traveled them, my mind and memory seemed all turned around from my haste and recent terror. I thought I hadn¡¯t gone so fast I wouldn¡¯t remember my way back, but somehow I found myself utterly misplaced. With no choice but to move forward, I decided to walk in the opposite direction of the spectral cat-god. The creature seemed peaceful now but I didn¡¯t want to push that luck further.

 Chapter 18: Blood and Stone

    I had been walking for hours. Without the energy to run or knowledge to retrace my steps. A part of me was strangely optimistic, ¡°At least if I go feral I won¡¯t harm anyone.¡± I said to the trees. The trees didn¡¯t answer.


    The forest was strangely calming, the lack of life lulled my bloodthirst into a dormant state, but I could tell it was only moments from awakening again. As my bloodthirst dissipated, so too did most of my energy. I walked slowly, barely a crawl¡¯s pace, as I wandered the deep woods alone. The trees seemed identical no matter where I looked, the darkness pressed in as no light escaped the thick canopy, I was so utterly lost I couldn¡¯t begin to guess what direction to go or if I was even walking in a straight line. The image of my exhaustion-induced collapse in the ruins returned to me, the idea of falling asleep once again was terrifying.


    Almost as if on cue with my fears, a marble stone peeked out of the dirt in the distance. The striking contrast of the stone against the black dirt almost seemed to jump out of the forest like a beacon. The white rock reminded me of one thing that seemed to infest this region: ruins.


    As my memory of my fateful sleep bubbled to the surface of my mind again, more white-stone ruined pieces of rock appeared to stick out of the ground. I could have turned and walked the other way, but some part of me preferred the threat of sleep over the maddening sameness of the deep forest. So I continued forward.


    Following the trail of jutting stone, the ruined boulders got bigger and bigger until they began to eventually form into short walls and even small huts. The architecture seemed basic, but the rock material it was made out of was strikingly clean and smooth. I began to wonder why when I stumbled upon a great stage.


    Rising high, higher than I was tall and even then higher than any building or wall I had seen, was a white-stone stage with steps leading up to the top from all sides. The top of the stage was hidden from view, but I thought I saw a glint of something. With no other interests here, and no other direction to go, I ascended the steps.


    The stage was tall, and as I rose up through the steps I got a better view of my surroundings. These ruins seemed to continue forward into a vast once-city that slowly climbed up and behind a distant hill. Besides the direction I had come, the ruined city stretched in every direction as far as I could perceive through the thick forest and dark night. The further the ruins went forward the taller the buildings became and less ruined were the remnants of whatever this place once was.


    As I reached the top of the stage, a grand square platform that could easily fit fifty people standing comfortably, I noticed the source of the glint. A faint glow emanated from the middle of the stage, a green glinting light that almost seemed to beckon me forward. The source was a massive, jagged, dull-emerald gemstone that was easily the same size as I was. Yet beside the gemstone, leaning against it weakly, was what I thought would be another dead body found within these ancient ruins. Yet it still breathed.


    Sitting against the green gemstone was a humanoid dressed in blue. Emblazoned on their chest was a faded gray sword striking a tall stone. The humanoid was also dressed in rusted, crumpling, metal armor. Mighty pauldrons with chain running down the arms to meet sleek gauntlets and plated greaves similarly attached to tight metal boots. The word ¡®knight¡¯ popped into my head from nowhere, and I felt some kind of pity for the rusted knight. Yet then my bloodlust began to awaken.


    Before my rage and thirst fully awoke, the pitiful person turned to face me. Their face was blocked by a square full helm, slits allowing for sight and breathing but which were dark and shadowed by the night. The person seemed to see me despite what I thought should have been pitch black shadow around me. The person¡¯s hand briefly rose, struggling just to lift, but quickly fell back to the ground. Then the person spoke, an ancient growl that barely crackled through the dust and rust of their body, ¡°Has¡¯t thee cometh to killeth me, ¡®o reap¡¯r?¡± Taken aback by their mostly understood words, I didn¡¯t respond. A chuckle escaped the person¡¯s body before they spoke again, ¡°Didst thee bethink I wast dead? I has¡¯t yet did finish this duty of mine.¡±


    ¡°Who are you?¡± I managed.


    ¡°Ah! The reap¡¯r can speaketh, f¡¯rtunate¡­¡±


    ¡°Why do you speak in such a strange way?¡±


    ¡°I speaketh strangely? Has¡¯t thee hath heard how thee speaketh?¡± the knight retorted, chuckling again to themself.


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    The pitiful creature began a coughing fit. Keeling over to one side towards me. As they coughed wet streaks of red spittled out from their helm¡¯s slits and onto the ground. My body instinctively inched forward at the sight, the smell, the weakness. The ease of taking this pitiful knight¡¯s life would be incredible, and my instincts told me to strike. Yet my logic managed to prevail, this was the first person I could hold a stable conversation with, I needed to get answers from them. ¡°How can I understand you?¡± I asked, ¡°Everyone I have met doesn¡¯t understand me and I them, except one person besides you. Yet even then it is a tenuous comprehension.¡±


    ¡°Halcyon yourself. Has¡¯t thee nay idea of the grace and beshrew of the gods?¡± the knight questioned.


    ¡°Gods? I vaguely understand the word, I might even have seen a few creatures fitting the description, but what do you mean by their grace and beshrew?¡±


    ¡°The ¡®most wondrous creat¡¯rs¡¯. To who is¡¯t all but the most vile oweth their existence. Thee and I howev¡¯r? We art most vile to those ¡®gods¡¯.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean? Though, with what little I have experienced I understand why one might think me vile¡­¡±


    ¡°Thy vileness does not cometh from thy expos¡¯d bones.¡±


    I took a step back instinctively. I felt for the hood, but it was around my head and my body shielded from normal sight. How did this person know what I was? Did the magic run out while I was walking? ¡°Aye, I can seeth through thy petty charm. Thy vileness cometh from the nature of thy first birth, and then into thy et¡¯rnal life aft¡¯rwards.¡± The knight declared.


    ¡°Eternal life?¡± I looked down at myself, wondering if this was somehow related to my awakening.


    ¡°Nay. Thy bones art not from thy et¡¯rnal life, yond is something entirely m¡¯re foul.¡± The knight paused to take in a deep breath, ¡°Our people art b¡¯rn of this w¡¯rld and nay god did create us. At which hour we p¡¯rish we returneth to the earth to liveth et¡¯rnally amongst our people and returneth to our eathly moth¡¯r. Yet¡­¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Thee seemeth curs¡¯d foul by something oth¡¯r than gods¡­ What ¡®r who is¡¯t I knoweth not. But I senseth yond thou art mine own people. Thou art ¡®Helnuan¡¯ one of the godless.¡±


    ¡°Helnuan¡­ I was called that before.¡±


    ¡°Aye, t¡¯s oft a beshrew ¡®gainst those who is¡¯t misprise each oth¡¯r, anon yond our people art gone from this w¡¯rld. ¡®r at least most.¡± The knight seemed to sigh deeply and looked towards the green gem they sat against.


    My mind spun with questions and complexities. Gone? My people are¡­ gone? Yet I and this decaying knight still remain, and something has cursed me to be such a monstrous thing? Too many things confused me and the knight¡¯s answers only brought more questions. As I readied myself to ask something else the knight barely managed to lift up a hand to stop me. ¡°Reap¡¯r. Thy timeth is longeth, yet mineth is sh¡¯rt. Asketh thy final question and then doth thy w¡¯rk. If¡¯t be true thee waiteth any longeth¡¯r mine own blood shall beest gone, and I longeth to return to mine own kin.¡±


    I had to think, if this knight was to die soon I shouldn¡¯t have bothered with such hesitation and pointless questions, ¡°Knight. How can I become normal, to no longer crave blood and death? Do you know a way to separate me from this cursed body?¡±


    ¡°Ah, reap¡¯r¡­ To doth yond thee shall reap and killeth many. Thee might not but findeth what ancient rite binds thee. Thee wilt seeketh our earthly moth¡¯r and begeth repentance f¡¯r thy survival and sins, in this life and previous. I bid thee this: findeth the tallest mountain, venture into its depths and commune with the earth. Th¡¯re thee shall findeth h¡¯r¡­¡±


    As the last breath of words left their body, the knight struggled to lift their hands to their helm. Removing the rusted metal mask from their head they revealed a gaunt and ancient face. One so withered and weathered it was impossible to make who they might¡¯ve been. Beautiful, handsome? Strong or lithe? They were almost only bones and barely even skin. Yet a smile spread across their face, and they took a gauntleted finger to pierce and cut their face. Small trickles of thick blood passed from the wound.


    My body had barely been holding back its rage and thirst until now, and with such an invitation nothing stopped me. The rage consumed any reason or morality and I fell upon the crumpled shape of my kinsmen. I controlled myself just enough to end their life swiftly before my body took full control and bathed once more in sin and blood.


    As I ended the ancient knight¡¯s life a streak of green wisp echoed out of their body and entered the dull-emerald gemstone lying next to them. As blood splattered and spilt on the stone stage, what wasn¡¯t taken by me was absorbed into the ground and gemstone. The green gem became brilliant and bright, gaining its own life as it began to levitate into the air. As it shone the memory of the ruin¡¯s past came to life, specters of shape and people echoed around me. The city came to life once more.


    As my rage ended, and the corpse was drained, a spectral figure stood next to me with a content smile upon their face. They stood tall, powerful, and wise. Their armor was the picture of that I had just killed yet spectacular and shining. Their helmeted face looked at me, and i could sense their pity as they placed a hand on my shoulder, speaking words that made no sound. I looked around myself, more figures, knights, warriors, merchants, peasants, and kings stood and lived within the ancient ruins. They saw me, and their gaze made me feel shame. They seemed to be sad for me, to pity what I had to resort to, but they also held a warm love I hadn¡¯t seen before.


    The vision slowly faded, the ancient knight¡¯s specter being the last to disappear back into the emerald stone. With the last vestiges of light and power the emerald stone seemed to reach a tendril of glowing light down towards me. Flowing into me, and then through me to the book I carried, I felt knowledge and power course in a torrent only to collect and wait within the arcane book.


    The stone then fell quiet, and slowly replaced its spot back again onto the ground of the stage. My bloodthirst satiated and my mind energized, I had a distinct course appear in my head. I must first find out how I was cursed, then by who. When I can figure these out I must seek out the tallest mountain. Information trailed through my head, places, people even, and paths I could take to find clues and lead me forward. The first place I realized I must visit were what were known as ¡®Elves¡¯. The children of the forest gods in this realm, who hold healing and spirit in the highest regard. I must return to the village I ran from.

 Chapter 19: Suspicion

    I don¡¯t know how, possibly from the strange power I absorbed from the rusted knight, but I found myself knowing the woods as if I had always lived within them. The trees and paths were familiar, the stones reminiscent of a distant memory. I could traverse these deep woods without any threat of losing my way. I eventually realized, after only a couple hours of walking, that I would soon exit the forest where I had initially entered.


    As I came closer and closer to the forest¡¯s end, I saw more and more signs of disruption. The ground was ruffled, branches broken, leaves displaced, like a horde of people bumbled into the woods completely lost. Thankfully there seemed to be no sign of any relatively recent disturbances, the tracks I had found felt old by several days but how I knew I couldn¡¯t tell, so the forest was still mostly quiet save for the animals. It seemed that it was late evening, the sun just barely past the horizon with wisps of light streaking across the high clouds. I came to the edge of the forest just as night was fully falling, and I wondered how long I had been gone.


    The city was exactly as it was. A part of me wondered if it would¡¯ve tripled in size while I was aimlessly wandering in the forest like it had while I was asleep, but it remained the same. Lights dotted the edge of the tall stone wall, and the gates were still swung open. Two figures stood outside with torches lit, watching the rolling hills ahead suspiciously and occasionally darting their eyes towards the trees.


    I wondered how to approach. The knowledge I absorbed from the rusted knight told me I should rely on the Elves¡¯ wisdom to find what has cursed me, but at the same time I now know they would try to kill me if my curse was revealed. I had to find my savior, not just for my own benefit but because part of me worried if she had recovered from her injuries or not. Yet even as I watched and was deep in thought, I realized the gates were slowly closing. Without any time left to actually debate, I rushed out of the treeline towards the gates. I had to sneak in, or somehow enter to skulk towards my savior, wherever she was.


    The guards saw me almost instantly, I was almost surprised. One called out a shout, and two other guards popped their heads over the wall¡¯s edge to see what was happening. I couldn¡¯t very well scale the wall, they would probably try to hunt me down, I also couldn¡¯t fight my way through without indirectly hurting my savior by harming her kin. So I did what I wanted to do the very least.


    Slowing my pace to a walk, I waved towards the two guardsmen. They were cautious, but stopped shouting. As I approached they tensed and I saw them reach for their swords at their hips. Three other guards suddenly appeared in the gateway, having gathered themselves to meet whatever intruder startled the gatesmen. ¡°Stop!¡± called a feminine guard with a red plume decorated onto the left of their breastplate. I did. I stopped dead in my tracks. Did I just understand them? I questioned myself. The guards seemed almost as surprised as I was, probably not thinking I would listen to them. ¡°Approach slowly outsider.¡± Said the same guard, somehow still I understood them. I did as she demanded, almost entranced by the guard¡¯s knowledge of my language.


    Yet as I slowly approached, a whisper began echoing in my head. Not a word of power, or magic begging to be used, but like the echo of a thought that wasn¡¯t mine. The book¡­ It will protect you¡­ It guards knowledge, and I unlock this vault so that you may join us one day¡­ The echoing thought felt familiar, the voice of the ethereal words seemed almost to belong to the rusted knight but without the strange speaking mannerism. As I came closer, the book then began to beg in its telling way. The book asked to be used, and from my mind¡¯s eye I could see words etching into the pages without even looking: Disguise, conceal thy true nature.


    No other words spoke to me, the whispers of magic were quiet, but the book¡¯s new phrase bore a tantalizing opportunity. I had an inclination of what it meant, what the effect might be, I seemed to unconsciously understand what the magic would do now where before I could only guess by the name. I needed to hide myself, my face, from these people to enter the city and see my savior, I needed to be someone else. I whispered the words, I evoked the charm, and I envisioned the rusted knight in their youth as what I imagined was a fit young man. The magic took hold, and I felt it wash over me in an invisible wave.


    The guards at the gate were cautious, understandably so. Whispering to each other after I approached and stood a spear-thrust¡¯s away. The light of the torches barely reached me, illuminating only the barest of features from my hooded robes and basic outline. I likely appeared as a weary traveler, a wandering mage, a ragged soul. The leader of the group, the feminine guard with the plume on her chest, spoke to me, ¡°What purpose do you have here?¡±


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    ¡°I simply seek refuge for a time¡­¡± I quietly returned, my voice had lost its crackle and was firm and bold as a slow rumble.


    The guardswoman seemed almost annoyed by my reply, ¡°I haven¡¯t seen you before and you came out of the deepwood without a torch. Are you trying to seem suspicious?¡±


    A guard from the back poked his head around the small group and recognition flashed in his eyes, ¡°Captain! This is the man who saved the expedition and delivered everyone back here! I saw him escort them here personally about a week ago!¡±


    A week ago? I thought in surprise. How could it have been a week since then, it only felt like hours¡­ maybe a day. The revelation startled me, but the guards didn¡¯t seem to notice. They spoke to each other in hushed words discussing the state of the survivors, all of the guards but the captain who only ignored them and glared at me. As they talked about the survivors and tried to persuade the captain, they revealed that all from the original group of some expedition were alive but many were wounded, according to the young guardsman at least. I sighed in relief, if ¡®all¡¯ of them were alive that meant my savior had survived all this time. The woman noticed my sigh, ¡°Do you have a comment? Some remark to add to their statements?¡± she questioned, still plainly suspicious of me.


    ¡°I am only relieved they are all safe.¡± I bowed slowly, trying to seem non-threatening.


    ¡°My question for you-¡± she stepped closer to hover directly over my bowed head, ¡°-is why you supposedly ran from the gates after delivering a dying woman. Not only did you run, but you refused to listen to the guards and disappeared for a week into the deepwood.¡±


    ¡°I apologize¡­¡± I decided to be truthful, ¡°I have trouble understanding others at times¡­ My language is different from yours.¡± I admitted.


    ¡°Strange. You speak Elvish as if you were a noble¡¯s tutor. I find this unlikely.¡±


    Elvish? My thoughts rang, strange¡­ ¡°Thank you for your compliment, but I still struggle on occasion¡­¡± I deflected her suspicion as best I could.


    The woman hovered over me for a while longer. I imagined her staring daggers into the back of my bowed head. Then she decided to leave me be, suddenly turning her back to me and walking back to the gate. I released my bow, the other guardsmen looked just as nervous as I felt. The captain, this imposing woman, walked back through the gate and simply demanded, ¡°Follow me.¡±


    I did as I was told and began to trail behind the woman. The other guards seemed stunned for a moment before remembering their own duties. The gates were slowly closed shut behind us, and the guard captain led me into the darkened streets of the city.


    We only walked a short while through the remarkably clean dirt road, walking up the main path and heading straight towards the keep of the city. The woman didn¡¯t speak on the walk there, but occasionally glanced at me out of the corner of her eye. I didn¡¯t mind, I knew how suspicious my situation would seem. Despite saving their people, I had apparently disappeared for a week only to turn up in the middle of the night. Not only that, I had completely ignored, to their perspective, talking to any of them or their guards until just now. I felt a strange sense of guilt bubbling back to the surface, having left my savior without any word or attempt to stay with her, the guilt increased when I realized how long I had been gone. Yet I was glad to hear she must¡¯ve been safe.


    The guard captain eventually led me to a second set of gates that entered into the city keep. The keep itself wasn¡¯t much bigger than a doubly large noble¡¯s house, but the exterior and interior walls connected to the structure as a linchpin in their security. The interior gates were already open, and a single guard watched the entrance. When the guard noticed the woman escorting me, he straightened in a snap to be at attention. The woman gave him a nod and he stared at stiff attention until we passed him by completely.


    The keep¡¯s yard was quite simple, a small quartyard looking mostly maintained for guardsmen drill practice. Almost the entire yard was decorated by wooden targets and odd obstacles like a miniature battlefield, weapons were arrayed near the gate on wooden stands that showed clear signs of significant use. Besides the battle-worn quartyard, the doors to the keep itself were quite small and more like a normal house¡¯s entrance. A short stair led up to the doors, and the woman quickly swung them open. As the two of them entered into a greeting room and then into a hallway thereafter she said, without looking back, ¡°If you make a single sound that seems like magic, or twitch in the wrong way, I will kill you.¡±


    I didn¡¯t expect hospitality, but to be greeted with such suspicion so quickly disheartened me a little. I wasn¡¯t sure where we were heading, but I knew better than to talk back or try to disappear from sight. We stopped in front of a new door; having walked through a short hallway left at a split from the entryway. The captain turned to glare at me one last time before opening the doors and leading me through. Standing on the other side, in a wide reception hall elegantly adorned with modest luxuries and silks, was my savior. Leaning against a window, looking out into the night sky, there stood a woman with long snow-colored hair hanging down to their waste and decorated in elegant jewelry molded like flowers intertwined into her hair delicately, a white dress that sparkled with intricate swirling flowers glittering like stars in the torchlight, as a diligent maid waited next to her. Like I had never seen her before, but unmistakably her regardless, my savior stared out into the darkness of the night with worry. The captain announced, ¡°My lady, princess A¡¯seri. I have brought the man you were looking for.¡±

 Chapter 20: Reunited

    ¡®Princess A¡¯seri.¡¯ That is what the guard captain had said. Yet standing before me could be none else than my savior. The woman with glittering hair who had dug me free of my imprisonment and trusted me so unconditionally that they fell victim to my dark tendencies. A¡¯seri, I thought the name to myself. I finally knew her name.


    The princess stared towards me with a level of disbelief and some partial confusion. Then as she gazed at my dirtied robes, and the outline of vague undetailed features, she seemed to come to realize a recognition. ¡°This¡­ This is the man who delivered me and our expedition back to the city gate?¡± A¡¯seri asked, her voice silky and fragile compared to her serious tones from the week before.


    ¡°Indeed. I briefly saw him run away into the Deep Wood while I was stationed atop the wall the day of your return. As well as the guardsman who was on duty at the gate that day recognized him.¡± The guard captain reported.


    ¡°I see. Could you both give me a moment to thank him then? I wish to ask him a few questions.¡±


    ¡°My lady, I beg your pardon but that is completely unreasonable. An unknown man alone with you? Even if he supposedly escorted you and your group back here, I couldn¡¯t leave you in such a state without a guard to watch this¡­ adventurer.¡± the captain said, saying the word ¡®adventurer¡¯ like it was some kind of ill curse.


    ¡°Please Elsie, I trust him. You can stand just outside. Besides, I am not entirely defenseless myself!¡± the princess stated, mimicking flexing her arm with a playful wink.


    The guard captain, ¡®Elsie¡¯, sighed heavily. The maid in attendance chuckled and left the room, gesturing for the captain to follow. Before she left, the captain turned to me, ¡°If I hear a single peep that sounds out of place, or there is even a hint of distress on the air. I will break this door down, and no magic you conjure will stop me.¡± she said, glaring daggers into me as she left.


    The two attendants departed, slowly closing the doors to the reception hall. We were left by ourselves, a quiet tension hanging in the air as both of us seemed to wait for the other to make the first move. Like an awkward game of chess we waited to see what the other might do or say, but A¡¯seri made the first attack. ¡°Are you¡­¡± she hesitated, ¡°Are you truly the same person that brought me to safety? My memory¡­ It is so fuzzy.¡± she inched closer, closing the distance by short centimeters as she questioned me. ¡°I suppose even if you were, it wouldn''t matter, you couldn¡¯t answer me anyway¡­ How did you manage to enter the city though, I wonder. Elsie would almost never let someone unidentified and mute potentially infiltrate the city so easily, unless she¡¯s going soft on me.¡± she continued, musing to herself.


    I had worked up my courage to speak, for some reason feeling more nervous about this interaction than any other event thus far, ¡°I think¡­ It is because I can understand you now.¡± I said carefully.


    A¡¯seri was stunned. Completely and utterly stopped in her tracks, likely not having expected any kind of intelligible response. She paused and her hand reached up to cover her own mouth instinctively; almost like she worried what words might escape now that I could understand them. As I watched, unsure exactly what to do next, I witnessed as her eyes began to sparkle in the torchlight. But that wasn¡¯t quite right, the sparkle came from small tears forming at the edge of her eyes and welling slightly. A single drip fell down her cheek before she rubbed her eyes and tried to prevent the rest from falling. Even I could tell something was wrong with her, but what emotion it was that disturbed her or why she was acting this way was beyond my understanding. I moved forward slightly, unsure what danger or pain possessed her or if I could help her at all. ¡°Are you alright, A¡¯seri?¡± I asked, genuine concern taking hold in place of the nervousness I had moments before felt.


    ¡°Ah!¡± she squeaked out, ¡°You said my name? You can understand me, and I can understand you?¡± she asked, almost like she didn¡¯t believe it herself.


    ¡°Yes, though why I am only barely aware as to why¡­¡±


    ¡°This, all of this. It is like a dream, a fantasy. I had always wondered, dreamt of how this might happen, but for you to actually understand me?¡±


    I didn¡¯t really understand what was happening. My instincts told me she was hurt somehow, somewhere, but I couldn¡¯t identify what had actually happened. I scanned the room, almost thinking something in here could be causing the pain that made her eyes water. I came to the conclusion, ¡°Am I bringing you¡­ discomfort?¡± I asked hesitantly.


    ¡°What?!¡± She abruptly rose her head, her face streaked with tears and her eyes already reddening, ¡°No! I was just surprised by all of this. That is all. I am fine, truly and really fine.¡± she forced a smile.This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    I stood still, not sure exactly what to do. My instincts and newly acquired knowledge told me to seek out the elves; here one was and I was mucking up my chances of getting assistance. Whatever I had done, despite what she claimed, must be troubling her. My mind naturally returned to the state I had put her in when she was wounded, my insatiable desire for blood and death that drew me to her then defenseless body. Then again as I had abandoned her alone in a dark tunnel, where she was captured and so badly hurt because of my inabilities. Even during our last interaction, I had delivered her to the gates of this place like some kind of luggage. Instead of trying to stay and understand these people, to stay and help the woman who had saved me from a potential eternity in the ground, I had just run away and abandoned her. The reason for her pain seemed obvious to me, but I had no other choice but to seek out her help once more.


    A¡¯seri had closed some of the distance between us while I was lamenting my past mistakes. Her eyes welling with watery tears, but her face no longer twisted and hidden by her hands. She looked into my hood, presumably only seeing the vague outline of a face despite the reality underneath. She reached a hand towards my skull, moving as if to touch my hood, ¡°May I?¡± she asked delicately.


    ¡°Of course.¡± I agreed, knowing she deserved to do whatever she wished after my awful actions.


    She gently removed the hood, exposing me from the magic that charmed the robes. She gasped, not expecting what she saw. Stumbling back a few steps. ¡°You¡­ You have a face.¡± she stumbled on her words. I had almost completely forgotten the additional charm I had cast, the one my book begged me to use. I didn¡¯t entirely know what it did, but I had assumed it would make me appear more normal. Her reaction confirmed my suspicions, but I still had no idea what I looked like under the charm¡¯s effects. ¡°I thought I might, but I have no way to tell for sure. I¡¯ve learned a few useful tricks here and there.¡± I said, unsure exactly how to respond, ¡°I felt a creature like me would struggle in any normal society, something told me I would be hated or attacked if I showed myself¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­¡± she seemed dejected at the thought, reaching up towards my face but keeping her hand just above the surface of the charm.


    She almost seemed disappointed in my appearance. Looking at me with pity in her eyes as she analyzed a face I didn¡¯t own. She composed herself after a few more moments. Stepping back to the window, where a small table sat with a few chairs pushed up to it. As she walked towards the table she stumbled and fell, I rushed to try and catch her but I couldn¡¯t move fast enough. The crash and clatter alarmed the captain and maid outside to something happening, they rushed into the room with the captain already wielding their sword at the ready.


    The two worried attendants saw their princess fallen over, leaning against the table and clutching at her leg. I stood over her, as if poised to swoop down on her. The captain didn¡¯t hesitate, she rushed forward with intent to swing her sword at my head. I could barely see the movement, she was so swift that there would have been no way for me to rebel against her even if I wanted to. Yet there was another who was equally skilled; A¡¯seri, my savior and victim, grabbed me by the shoulders and pulled me down with her without a word. Shielding my head and neck with her arms to stop the captain from landing her blow at the last moment. In the brief pause A¡¯seri yelled, ¡°Stop!¡± causing the maid and captain to halt in their tracks, ¡°I only fell over. Don¡¯t be so eager to slay what I have asked you to find for me.¡±


    ¡°My lady¡­¡± the captain said through gritted teeth.


    ¡°I am fine, Elsie. But I am tired. Please prepare a private room for my guest, and stop threatening him at every turn. I know you worry, but he saved my life more than once already.¡±


    The guard captain, Elsie, sheathed her sword and clenched her jaw. All the while A¡¯seri instructed her guardswoman she held me close to her, still clutching at my shoulders and head. I was pushed into the soft clothes and warmth of her body, and it felt strangely soothing. Like the bloodthirst was slipping away just from her touch, and as she held me I knew I could feel her. She radiated warmth like I hadn¡¯t known before, in fact I only now realized how cold I had always been until now.


    As A¡¯seri pulled me so close, I felt some kind of swirling essence inside of me. A new feeling, one that hadn¡¯t been there before. Unlike anything I had felt up until now, I felt indebted to A¡¯seri. I felt I must protect her at all costs. Something within me spoke in ancient words and arcane scriptures, old feelings and echoing thoughts that I didn¡¯t recognize were rambling through my mind. My focus was blurred, my body felt everything around me fully for the first time and in an instant the feelings were gone again. The swirling emotion, emptiness, sensation, and deprivation cultivated inside me until it formed in my gut like a rock at the bottom of a river that refused to move with the current.


    As A¡¯seri released me, and I made to get up, the warmth stayed with me. An overpowering feeling of pleasantness. I tried to tear myself away to stand, but it was like the air from non-existent lungs was forced out of my body and I couldn¡¯t breathe. The new and swirling sensation was so powerful and strange to me that I didn¡¯t know what to do. For a moment I clutched at my neck, not sure what was happening or how to explain my sudden terror. I felt I needed to breathe but I didn¡¯t know how, I had to scream but my voice was gone. Some tearing feeling where my gut should be was fighting to explode out of me. The mixture of warmth, debt, and blood that now made my being was fighting and warring against each other, and the result was making me gasp for air. I briefly saw A¡¯seri and Elsie look bewildered, then A¡¯seri grow panicked and worried. Then I heard it, words spoken clearly in my own language, things I could understand and comprehend as my world slowly fell to black. The echoing voice of a distant life long since gone whispered to me, ¡°And so the pact is complete. A¡¯asan Nilvannan Eluvian. By thy shared blood, by thy bond born, and by thy debt unpaid; be bound to me.¡± The words echoed, but it felt wrong and skewed, like they were meant for someone, or something, else entirely. As I wracked my psyche to trace the words, to understand what they really meant, I felt myself fall. Then I collapsed.

 Chapter 21: Memories

    I drifted. In some unknown sea of thought and distant memory. In a world that was so obviously fake, yet so pleasant my mind tricked me into thinking it was real. The universe had lost its coherence; shapes, ideas, places, and all things twisted and morphed into and out of proper form. Concepts without physical form were born onto legs and walked, while places became as abstract as a state of being. The world had set me adrift in a river of incoherence and curiosity.


    For whatever reason, I knew where and what I was. I was dreaming and the place I was in could only be the scrambled thoughts of the mind. I lay on a cloud of anxiety, fluffed into a pillow for me to float atop. I crossed the river made up of trees and stone. I climbed atop the waterbank constructed of exhaustion and ancient words. I stood in a field of strands of memory, blowing like an invisible breeze pushed them back and forth. An array of thousands of colors stretched out like a field ready to be harvested, strutting up as tall grass embroidered with powerful thoughts and malleable memories.


    This field of thought, stretched out so vulnerable before me, seemed to almost beg me to pluck at the strings and harvest their memories. I walked out, a path growing before me as I stepped, and caressed the first memory in this vast field. Knowledge and images rushed into me, a sudden flood of information.


    As the images flooded into my mind, I saw a world unravelling. Heat. Fear. Panic. Rage. Fire consuming around me, mud coating the ground and working its way onto my body. I look up, only to see the face of the devil I had almost begun to forget. Nefelair.


    The memory was quick, only a few short impressions and a handful of blurry images. Yet the content was unmistakable. The devil I had faced in fire and chaos, the memory of some scene from that encounter. The memory was remarkably detailed, the sensation and feeling so overpowering. I had been so consumed with rage at the time, were there feelings such as these others that I hadn¡¯t noticed in the middle of my battle?


    I walked further, I plucked at another memory. Darkness filled my mind. Confused, cold, and dark. Strange sounds, cackling giggles, and the sound of scraping stone. I felt vulnerable and alone. I grasped forward into the dark, hoping there would be some kind of anything I could grab and feel. I stumbled forward, lost and confused. Some strange sense of fogginess was possessing me as I walked forward in my bewilderment. Another noise, a sense that something was nearby, and then I broke out into a sprint. The memory ended.


    This last memory was strange, it felt so familiar. Like it had always been my memory, but it was slightly strange. I couldn¡¯t place where it had come from. I could only conclude it was some new interpretation of when I had first awoken in the dark underground.


    The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.


    I felt more cautious as I went further into the field. These memories, they felt like they were mine but they were different from what I thought they would feel. My mind was remarkably accurate, or so I thought, and these memories were filled with such vivid sensation and emotion that they didn¡¯t feel like they could be mine. Yet they were so remarkably similar to what I thought they should be, I had no choice but to proceed further. My curiosity taking the reins away from any thought of caution.


    I reached out, hesitant now, and grasped another memory. This one was different. This one couldn¡¯t be me. I was standing on a balcony, a blue and clear sky stretching outward beyond the horizon. A sense of loneliness and grief was swelling in my chest. A dreadful anticipation of something soon-to-be wrong. As I watched the swelling sky, the billowing wind, and vast fields of green, a voice echoed behind me. ¡°-but he has passed away¡­¡± the voice echoed, finishing a sentence I couldn¡¯t know. But an overwhelming feeling of sadness and grief grasped my heart before I let this newest memory free.


    The true strangeness of this dream place was made obvious. That memory couldn¡¯t have been mine, I had spoken to so few people in my time that It was impossible that could have been me. The field of memories was shivering. Something was happening, and soon. I felt the dream place beginning to collapse. My mind was filled with questions after the latest memory. What were these thoughts? Were they mine, someone else¡¯s, or a past life I had forgotten?


    The dream place was collapsing around me. I fled back the way I had come, desperate not to leave yet. I knew that the next memory I touched could be my last. Before the dream place was fully destroyed, I reached and grasped another memory.


    I was once again surrounded by heat, coated in mud, with blood dripping down my body. The fire and mud around me was familiar. I peaked out, covered in something warm and heavy, yet cold and still. As I escaped my confinement I looked out. Before me was a foul demon, one that inspired fear, despair, dread, sadness, and panic. Yet this winged creature, this demonic thing, faced off against an opponent. A figure stood, somehow it stood against all odds. A destroyed building was crumpled in front of it, and it stood despite its injuries and its fight against the foul monster.


    The monster, the demonic thing, bellowed shouts and undecipherable words at its opponent. Yet the figure stood tall, revealing its form fully for me to see. What should have inspired terror or suspicion instead was my sole salvation. A skeletal body, covered in ragged and torn robes, stood wielding a metal staff against the monstrosity. There was no doubt what this was, it was my past self in my fight against Nefelair. Yet from a pair of eyes I was unfamiliar with. The monster, Nefelair, turned its back and began walking towards my new perspective. I became rigid and still, hoping to go unnoticed. Out of the corner of my eye I saw my past self level the metal staff at Nefelair and gather green energy at the tip of the staff. Nefelair noticed too, and turned to brace himself against whatever might come, but the attack never came. I felt my hope disappear, my heart dropped, and my fate was all but assured. Yet only moments later would I witness the complete destruction of Nefelair, as a blight took hold and ate away at his body.


    My past self standing tall against the creature, walking proudly to where the monster now lay. I killed it, and seeing that filled me with such a hope and relief it would be impossible for me to fully understand with my stunted emotions. The memory ended, I was left once again confused.


    I felt the dream falling apart fully now. It was only a matter of time before I awoke. Yet how I had fallen asleep, what any of this was, or if any of it was real were questions I couldn¡¯t answer. As I slowly came back to my senses, and unconsciousness fully began to fade away to my waking mind, I heard a voice calling out to me. Muffled and soft, a voice called me back to my senses. A noise, a firm grip on my shoulder, the touch of something soft against my skull. Then a gentle wish whispered close to where my ear might¡¯ve been, ¡°Please¡­ Please don¡¯t leave me too¡­¡±

 Chapter 22: Queens Regent

    Strangely enough, I awoke. An odd feeling. My mind drifted slowly back into reality, foggy misunderstandings still influencing my vision here and there. What I had witnessed in the dream was fleeting, only vague impressions, confusion, and flashes of intense images still remained. I twisted and turned, pulling myself from the grips of sleep that tried so hard to pull me back down. Yet once I decided to get up, the fleeting sensations and confusion fled and were gone completely. There was no drowsiness that held me after my awakening, and my mind was as sharp as it should be.


    I awoke in an odd circumstance. In a relatively small room, only big enough to fit a bed, small four-person table, and a wardrobe. Glimmering rays of light peaked through a curtain covering a small window over the bed. A comfortable space, with a soft bed, though the luxury was wasted on me as I couldn''t even feel the fabric or understand the softness of the mattress.


    I got out of bed, a tangle of sheets and blankets held me captive as I tried to escape. As I left the embrace of luxury, I noticed my robe was missing. I panicked and looked down at myself; only to realize that I had a body under the wrappings of robes. I had assumed my face would be disguised by the magic I had enchanted on myself before, but my entire body was a pleasant surprise; a fit form with pale skin, slight freckles dotting here and there across my shoulders. As I focused on the magic holding power over me, I sensed a short connection between me and my book. The sensation was like a current of water gently pushing me towards where it wanted me to go. I instinctively knew that my book was stored within the wardrobe next to the bedside. Despite how close it seemed, probably only an arm¡¯s reach from the bedside, I felt the magic struggle and tighten as if moments from snapping entirely.


    Quickly opening the wardrobe and digging through neatly stacked robes, clothes of all kinds, and various grooming items, I found my charmed robes and book stored within a drawer. The moment my hands touched the book it felt as if a weight was lifted off my non-existent heart that had tugged at it and constricted my chest. I felt the book¡¯s connection to me more intimately now that I had almost been separated from it. The strange sense of knowing and tidbits of old knowledge flowing clearly into me once more. I could feel an odd pulling, even after having reunited with the ancient text; the pulling felt deeper than a current¡¯s flow that led me to its hiding place, this was more like an almost unnoticeable wound that bled so lightly and painlessly it would normally go unnoticed. This spiritual wound, it seemed, was draining me of essence and power at a very sluggish rate. The knowledge of ancient words flowing once again into me, I knew this was a price for the magical charm hiding my skeletal features.


    As I continued to stare into the book¡¯s mostly empty pages, focusing on the strange energies and sensations emanating from it and I, the door to the room suddenly opened. Walking in as if they expected no one inside was the lady-captain, Elsie as A¡¯seri called her. She looked at me for a moment before a reddening filled her cheeks and she promptly turned her head to look at the wall. ¡°Put some clothes on if you¡¯re going to stand in the open, damned fool!¡±


    I was perplexed, looking down I only now realized my complete lack of any clothing. My body was more complete than I had originally thought, or intended. I grabbed my enchanted robes and covered myself. I briefly wondered what I looked like underneath the robes when the confusion charm took effect over my body. ¡°Are you dense?¡± Elsie asked, ¡°You don''t expect to walk around nude with just a pile of old sheets to cover you do you? We arranged clothes that should fit you, put them on. I will return in a few minutes, I expect you to be ready.¡± she said, cold and strict.


    I did as I was told. Though the clothes seemed simple, they were surprisingly difficult to put on. My head was put through an arm hole and tangled in drawstrings more than once. I even mistakenly put two legs through one pant leg, nearly falling over. While the enchantment from my book made me look whole and normal, my body was still that of a skeleton¡¯s. Getting used to where my body seemed to be versus where it actually was would take time, and I didn¡¯t have much hope for any talent for putting on clothes quickly.


    The Guard Captain eventually returned, giving me a few minutes to fumble like she promised. She walked in, this time knocking first, only to find me struggling with a drawstring from my new tunic stuck and strangling my throat. She tutted in disapproval and quickly righted my clothes to be proper. I was nervous her touching me might reveal my enchantment, but even as I knew she touched smooth skull and clicked her gauntleted hand against spinal vertebrae accidentally, she didn''t seem to care or realize anything was wrong.


    When I was fixed and ready to leave, I donned my enchanted robes once more and we departed. Elsie didn''t say anything more after her initial telling me to clothe myself. She simply scowled and jerked her head when she wanted me to follow her. We arrived at the entrance to the reception hall I had previously fallen unconscious in. Elsie glared at me once more, her suspicion of me still as strong as ever, but she opened the door. ¡°Announcing¡­ An adventurer, at request of her majesty, Queen¡¯s Regent Velronica .¡± Elsie said, stepping inside.


    I walked in after her, unsure why she felt the need to announce my entrance and who the person was that had requested me here. That was until I saw the spectacle filling the hall. An assortment of well-dressed and imposing figures were scattered about the place. Drinks in hand and quiet music playing behind them. The people wore elegant dress coats or just as beautiful dresses. The assortment of noble-people¡¯s eyes were drawn to me immediately, judging stares and disappointed scowls met me as I confusedly walked into the event. As I scanned the room, Elsie grabbed my left arm. ¡°Come with me. You are commanded to appear before the Queen¡¯s Regent.¡±


    As I was dragged away, not permitted any questions, I was pulled through an ocean of silks and perfume. There might¡¯ve been more than forty various guests, but the way they were packed in so closely and the pooffiness of their clothes made the space feel even smaller than it should have been. I was quickly pulled through the crowd and placed in front of a short set of steps. Leading up the steps was an assortment of chairs, each with their own figure to sit upon them but one.


    There were two tall chairs, akin to thrones woven out of wooden roots, which were placed in the middle of the small stage. One chair was empty, which was right of the center, while the other sat a woman, who was left of the center. The woman slouched in the chair, leaning against the wooden sides as if she had fallen asleep but her eyes were open. She was dressed in the most elegant and extravagantly designed gown out of any present, yet in her crumpled state it looked like it was thrown on her rather than she actually wearing it.


    Beside the two tall chairs, on the side of the empty seat, was an extravagant throne-like show-piece of woven dark root, etched stone at the base, and flowers in full bloom decorating all across. Sitting atop was a woman. Imperious in her air, hawkish in looks, and full of confidant arrogance. She wore a dress similarly extravagant to the slumped woman, but wore it with pride and a trained grace. She stared down at me with a look of amusement, as if I were a sight entirely hilarious but only she knew why.


    Finally, sitting in a meager and normal white-wood chair with a few decorated engravings of flowers, was A¡¯seri. Wearing the same elegant white dress as last I saw her, she sat next to the slumped woman, and I could now see her reaching a hand out to hold the slumped woman¡¯s limp and drooping hand. She stared at the woman beside her with an intense care and obvious pity, yet beneath there was sadness too. A¡¯seri looked at me, almost seeming ashamed to see me here, or perhaps ashamed of what was going on.


    As I watched the strange setup I noticed the Guard Captain fall to one knee and bow her head. Around me a few others who were close by did the same, while the rest stood at the sides of the hall and watched in a sudden, deafening, silence. The music halted and all attention was now squarely on me. I looked at A¡¯seri again, unsure what was happening, and she gestured quietly by pushing her free hand down and mouthing the word ¡®kneel¡¯. Before I could respond my body instinctively followed the directions. Before I even noticed what she was saying, my body seemed to understand her intent and I followed through to kneel before the assembled. ¡°Ah¡­ So your little savior has some class after all, Princess?¡± said the imperious woman.


    ¡°Queen¡¯s Regent, Velronica, I don''t see why this is necessary¡­¡± A¡¯seri mumbled.


    ¡°Speak up if you have something to say. Your mother will never hear you if you don''t learn to speak clearly!¡± the Regent snapped.


    A¡¯seri flinched at the mere retort of this ¡®Queen¡¯s Regent¡¯. Some part of me began to smolder and it was fed by a growing distaste for the woman. Velronica¡¯s eyes leisurely returned to look at me, lingering in A¡¯seri¡¯s direction with barely hidden distaste. Their glare towards me was one filled with arrogance and mischievousness. ¡°I address you now, ¡®Adventurer¡¯... State your name.¡± The Regent Velronica demanded. I hesitated, looking towards A¡¯seri like she could tell me what to do. The Regent noticed my glance and when she realized I was staring at A¡¯seri her grin widened. ¡°Is your dog incapable of speaking, Princess?¡± Velronica asked.


    ¡°Please, Adventurer, introduce yourself to the best of your ability.¡± A¡¯seri asked, her voice quiet compared to the confidence of Velronica.The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    ¡°Yes, ¡®to the best of your ability¡¯ if you¡¯d be so kind¡­¡±


    Unsure exactly what to say, I decided to leak some truth into the story the Regent apparently wanted, ¡°I apologize¡­ I cannot give you my name.¡± I said.


    ¡°What?¡± Velronica questioned, annoyance and hints of rage in my rejection.


    ¡°I cannot give you my name, because I cannot remember it. I woke up not long ago without any memories.¡±


    A new mirth filled Velronica¡¯s eyes, ¡°Oh? So an amnesiac is the apparent ¡®savior¡¯ of our dear princess. How amusing.¡± she said, trailing her words as she turned to watch A¡¯seri¡¯s face.


    ¡°I apologize for my inability. If there was anything else you needed, please ask me.¡± I said, trying to mimic my imaginary picture of nobility.


    ¡°Oh? Anything you say¡­¡± Velronica continued to watch A¡¯seri¡¯s expressions, ¡°Then, please stay here in our palace. I can think of several needs I have for someone like you, and we can''t very well turn away a soul in need can we? A poor amnesiac who so selflessly saved so many.¡±


    I felt my error in phrasing the moment the Regent began to speak, ¡°I¡­ I couldnt intrude upon your graces like that. I could simply leave-¡±


    ¡°Silence.¡± Velronica cut me off, ¡°I said you will stay here. My word is final.¡±


    I was unsure what to say or do. Looking towards A¡¯seri, I saw her mouthing the words ''don''t talk¡¯. The Regent watched the both of us, she finding some amusement in my hesitation and A¡¯seri¡¯s attention towards me. The Regent stood up, drawing all gazes towards her once again as everyone in the room dropped to a knee, if they weren''t already. ¡°I think our guest is rather tired. They fought off so many foul beasts and had to fend for themselves in the Deep Wood after our cruel captain¡¯s guardsmen refused his entry. Please, retire for the day. I will call for you later to be sure you''re¡­ settling in.¡± Velronica said.


    ¡°Queen¡¯s Regent, my mother is tired from all the excitement. May I be excused to take her back to her room?¡± A¡¯seri asked.


    Velronica gave an annoyed glance towards A¡¯seri again, ¡°Fine. But be quick to return. A princess¡¯s duty is to attend to her people after all.¡±


    At the same time, the Guard Captain grabbed my arm and pulled me up and A¡¯seri and a few attendants got up to help move A¡¯seri¡¯s apparent mother, the dazed and quiet woman. My legs buckled in a kneel, despite the captain¡¯s initial yank. The Regent seemed intrigued by my staying, but as I looked towards A¡¯seri she once more mouthed ¡®go¡¯. As she did I felt my legs loosen and I followed the Guard Captain out of the reception hall. Just as I exited through the main doors I heard the Regent say loudly, ¡°Now then! Let us return to our merriment!¡±


    I followed the Guard Captain out and into the hallway. Being led back the way we had come to the other side of the keephouse where the room I awoke in was. The captain deposited me back into my room unceremoniously, ¡°Stay here. The Princess will surely be here soon.¡± she commanded.


    ¡°Who was that?¡± I asked, curious about the whole experience.


    ¡°Are you dull?¡± she asked genuinely, when I didnt respond that seemed to answer her question, ¡°She was the Queen¡¯s Regent, Lady Velronica. She is the administrative power of the city, in place of the king and queen she manages all affairs and as such is the most powerful person for leagues in any direction.¡±


    ¡°The king and queen¡­ Where are they, why is she in charge and not them?¡±


    ¡°Do you¡­ do you really have amnesia? I would have assumed the gossip of our city had reached as far as the coast at this point.¡±


    ¡°Coast¡­?¡± I asked, confused.


    The Guard Captain looked genuinely surprised, and even a little bit of pity leaked into her expression but it was quickly hidden by her returning sternness. The captain turned, not wanting to entertain my ¡®amnesia¡¯ any longer. Choosing to step outside and close the door as she shook her head.


    After a few minutes of sitting in the small room alone, eventually there was a gentle knock against the door. When it opened, A¡¯seri stepped in and closed it quickly behind her. She looked sad, tired, and even paler than what I thought was normal. Yet as she entered she smiled despite whatever stress plagued her. Seeing her like that, dejected and obviously not well, stirred up the embers that had only just calmed after talking to the Regent. My enchantment must''ve made some kind of interesting expression, because A¡¯seri tilted her head in curiosity as she looked at me. ¡°You are so much more different with a real face¡­ I never thought I would see what you actually looked like, how did this happen?¡± A¡¯seri asked.


    ¡°A lot went on while I was in the forest, apparently.¡± I responded, not sure how much I should actually share.


    ¡°You mean the Deepwood? There are stories of the Deepwood being cursed. Monsters and fiends of all kinds lurk there and sometimes venture out into the plains. The creatures we fought before, they were a Deepwood monster; Lacre they''re called, strange lizard-like monsters that come out of the Deepwood after the winter thaw, or when a Devil-king calls them to raid our lands.¡±


    ¡°The Deepwood, do only evil things live there? Are there any normal creatures?¡±


    ¡°I can''t say for certain, as the farthest most people venture in is still close enough that the edge of the forest is still barely within sight. But there has never once been anything good or normal that has come out of those trees. Only ever monsters, or worse.¡± A¡¯seri¡¯s voice trailed off as she looked into the middle distance for a moment, as if seeing something that wasn''t there.


    As she trailed off, I felt something peculiar. I felt sad. Almost like a distant memory that was tainted with only sad thoughts and cruel pain. I remembered a feeling that wasn''t mine. I thought it might have been some whisper from the magical book I carried, but as I felt it and let my mind¡¯s eye gaze upon it, the feeling felt like it was coming from somewhere else. As faint as the sensation was, I could almost sense that this feeling of an old memory was coming from¡­ A¡¯seri.


    A¡¯seri shook her head. Refocusing her attention back on me. As she did the sensation fled. It was only there for a few short moments, a couple seconds at best. Yet I knew I could feel some quiet echoing pain coming from A¡¯seri, and it made my chest tighten and an anger boil. These new feelings twisting and churning within me were strange, new, and entirely confusing. I yet again must''ve made a strange face, as a small smile crept across A¡¯seri¡¯s face as she came closer to inspect me. ¡°You are so expressive now. Do you even know what you look like?¡± A¡¯seri asked.


    ¡°No, I haven''t had a real chance to see.¡± I replied, trying to wrestle down the strange feelings swirling inside me.


    ¡°We ought to fix that, I think.¡±


    A¡¯seri began to search through the wardrobe. Looking for something inside. She eventually seemed to find what she was looking for. A small circular disk, with a simple wooden frame. The disk reflected light and images, like an impossibly clear and still pool of water. The small disk was no larger than a few centimeters wide, looking small in A¡¯seri¡¯s hands. She pointed it towards me, and from inside the disk a man stared back.


    Firm, straight features, with rugged and worn looks. Long, pushed back, dirty bronze-gold hair that hung to the shoulders messily. A stern face, looking hard at whatever the person was seeing within the disk. Their face twisted in curiosity and confusion, and behind the expressions gleamed bright green eyes. Almost like emeralds, reminiscent of the gemstone I saw in the Deepwood, their eyes scrutinized something beyond my own sight. The face of a man, worn by time but still their youth fought hard to surface, a face grizzled by small scars yet blemished with an assortment of freckles stretching across their cheeks and nose. As I looked into the disk, analyzing the person on the other side, I came to realize. ¡°Is this¡­ Me?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Yes!¡± A¡¯seri said, happy at my realization, ¡°This is what you look like to me and everyone else. Quite striking in these parts. Most of our people have silver, white, or clear blonde hair paired with a shade of blue-colored eyes. Though rarely our eyes sometimes appear violet or black. You are quite the looker compared to the sameness of everyone else in the city.¡±


    ¡°Strange¡­ I look so¡­ real. Yet I can still sense that my body is bone.¡±


    A¡¯seri slowly moved a hand to touch my face, ¡°Yes¡­ My own senses seem to try to trick me into thinking you are real. But if I focus, if I inspect your skin closely by touch, I can feel the hardness of bone beneath. Yet despite this, whatever enchantment that was placed on you is a powerful one. I doubt anyone could tell you are anything but normal unless they knew to look for something.¡±


    I reached up to touch my own face, still looking into the disk that my borrowed memories now explained to me was a mirror. As I poked my face with a finger, the flesh of the illusion bent and pushed as if it were actually there. Yet I knew that my boney finger was dragging and scraping across bare skull, even I was almost fooled by the illusion while I watched it. What could such a seemingly powerful spell cost, and how did it drain so little from me? I wondered. I looked down at my robes, staring towards the spot where my book sat within the robes. The power it took from me was almost unnoticeably small.


    Suddenly the door opened. The Guard Captain stepped in, seeing A¡¯seri¡¯s hand against my face as we stood so close. She looked away briefly, almost as if embarrassed, but spoke quickly, ¡°I apologize for interrupting. My lady, the Regent requests your immediate return.¡±


    A¡¯seri suddenly noticed the closeness between us and stepped back quickly, ¡°Yes. I will leave in just a moment, thank you Elsie.¡± she replied.


    The Guard Captain closed the door, backing out back into the hallway. A¡¯seri¡¯s mood had almost lifted slightly, but the moment the Captain¡¯s words were spoken any hope at a levity was gone. A¡¯seri¡¯s face fell and she straightened her posture and gathered herself. ¡°Thank you.¡± A¡¯seri said, sadly.


    ¡°For what? I have yet to be of help to anyone.¡± I said, bluntly.


    ¡°For coming back¡­ So many people leave of late, this place¡­¡± she looked around herself, ¡°It becomes lonely with so few good people in it.¡±


    I felt a longing to fix her sadness, to fight something that would make whatever hurt her go away, but I didn¡¯t know why or from where the emotion came from, ¡°I have no plans to leave anytime soon. I think¡­ I think I need you.¡± I said, still unsure of how much truth to give.


    A¡¯seri¡¯s face reddened, ¡°Oh¡­ Ummm.¡± she stammered, ¡°Well. I must return to the Regent now. I will try to seek you out the moment I am able to.¡±


    ¡°I will wait for you. If there is anything you need that I might help with, I will aid you. I am in your debt after all.¡±


    A¡¯seri seemed confused, ¡°But wasn¡¯t it you who saved me?¡±


    ¡°That is not how I remember it.¡± I said, grimly recalling my foolishness.


    The Guard Captain opened the door again, ¡°My lady, we really must go before the Regent becomes upset.¡±


    A¡¯seri nodded, making her way out of the room, ¡°We will talk later, okay?¡±


    I only nodded back in return. Then she left. I felt the tightness in my chest intensify, only to then disappear entirely moments later. As she left, I could almost see her walking down the hallway at a brisk pace. Like I was just behind her and able to watch as she went. Yet I stayed within the room. Soon the strange delusion faded, and I was left alone. Once again, I was alone. Yet now, at least, I wasn¡¯t far from a friend¡­ Friend? Do I see her as a friend? I questioned myself. It didn¡¯t take more than a moment for my mind to make its conclusion; yes, I did think of her as a friend. As an important ally. My savior, and to whom I owe a great debt. Whatever happened, I would protect at least her, I vowed once again. This time, I would not fail in this duty.

 Chapter 22.5: Aseri, Suitors

    As A¡¯seri left the room, she couldn¡¯t help but glance back at the door as it closed behind her. The man standing, confused and disoriented, she couldn¡¯t help but care for him. Whatever he was.


    A¡¯seri remembered the first time she saw him vividly in her mind. Her village had been attacked by monsters from the Deepwood. A self-proclaimed Devil-king led an onslaught against her family¡¯s people for weeks. Chasing them from one shelter to another. They hadn¡¯t sought shelter farther east, away from the forests, they couldn¡¯t, the Dwarves would never allow them past the hills and mountain passes. They couldn¡¯t go south, the Gods waged their war across the plains and none survived without divine protection. They couldn¡¯t go east, the Humans warred against foes darker and more sinister than the fiends of the Darkwood, things that made A¡¯seri¡¯s clan¡¯s woes seem trivial in comparison. Their only option was to fight and flee.


    At the last shelter for her family, the final place they could find that still held the blessing of their wayward god, El¡¯uvias. When her clan first set up their war camp in that old grove, she was barely eighty years old, a child who would have just been old enough for proper schooling or entry into the squires. In that last bastion of their people, A¡¯seri¡¯s father was away from the camp, believing their god¡¯s protection would hide it, and he led the remnants of their army to where the bulk of Nefelair¡¯s forces pillaged. Yet none anticipated that Nefelair would strike their hidden camp.


    Despite their bravest attempts, despite the deaths of their veteran warriors, and despite the near-death of A¡¯seri¡¯s mother at the hands of Nefelair; the fiends were slaughtering them completely. Nefelair¡¯s magic and control over his fiendish minions bolstered them to a frenzy that would ignore death and injury. Yet, in the fire and chaos of Nefelair reveling in his victory, a single figure appeared. One that might normally inspire fear and dread. Yet that figure, that skeletal monster, fought against Nefelair and killed the very fiend-lord that had defeated A¡¯seri¡¯s family and clan time and time again. Despite its victory, the mysterious figure ran away, fleeing away into the trees.


    It was a long time before A¡¯seri would see this mysterious figure again. It was several years after her father¡¯s remaining forces finally drove off the last of the fiends back into the Deepwood. A¡¯seri was wandering the edge of the trees, escorted by her caretakers and guardians, when she saw the glint of white stone shining in a morning sunbeam, a sign that would lead her to the resting place of her savior. A¡¯seri admitted to herself that she was afraid when she first saw him. The body of her people¡¯s savior sitting and groaning in the corner of an ancient ruin. Yet as the years went by. As she visited more and more. The creature would look at her, and it would almost talk. Incoherent nonsense, words that didn¡¯t make sense, yet it would sit and speak to her. It would listen to her in turn as well, as she spoke to it the creature would pause and listen despite the years of built-up dirt. A¡¯seri had assumed it picked that spot to sleep, to die, or simply to slowly vanish under the earth. Yet when the time came that she needed help, that she had no one else to turn to, that creature from her youngest days was all that could have saved her. And he did.


    A day doesn¡¯t go by that A¡¯seri doesn¡¯t remind herself of her gratitude. The hope that the creature inspires in her is a deep-seated and unshakeable faith. Regardless of how strange, or even painful, its methods might¡¯ve been. This creature had always protected her like some personal deity, a sworn and immortal knight, a best friend who would always be there to listen and talk.


    A¡¯seri had spent many years under the pretense of ¡®wanting to become a mage¡¯ to study what she thought was the strange language her monstrous friend spoke. When she first began, learning simple incantations and basic grammar, she was ecstatic when she was able to understand random mumbling words when she visited the skeletal creature. Yet her talent for actual magic was close to none, her tutors would remark about the futility of becoming a mage. They couldn¡¯t have known, or even understood, her real reasons.


    Her savior, her hope, and her knight. It spoke the language of magic. The people who created magic, discovering something not even the gods willingly shared with mortals; the Helnuan, the cursed and exiled, the creators of all magic. and an extinct race that hadn¡¯t been seen since myth and legend. Whatever A¡¯seri¡¯s skeletal knight was, he had spoken words of magic as if it was normal language, and he was so different from normal undead that might normally lurk in dark caves and haunted battlefields¡­


    A¡¯seri suddenly snapped out of her reminiscing. A hand grabbed her arm, sweaty and rough, a tight grip that threatened to hurt. Looking up at the owner of the arm was a portly elf, short military-straight silver hair, and eyes that didn''t even attempt to hide his foul intentions. ¡°Lord Nual. What a pleasure to see you once again.¡± A¡¯seri said, trying to carefully pull her arm away.


    Nual¡¯s grip only tightened, ¡°It is Baron now, my princess¡­ I have recently been given charge over the copper mines half a day¡¯s walk from our fair capital.¡± he said, staring into A¡¯seri¡¯s eyes for an uncomfortable amount of time.


    ¡°I am glad to hear of your noble deeds being recognized by our good Queen¡¯s Regent¡­ I am sure you and your family are proud.¡± A¡¯seri finally wrenched her hand free of the man, small red marks left behind where his steel grip once was.Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.


    ¡°Yes, my wife and son are glad indeed. Our new mansion is under construction now that the snow has thawed, perhaps you would care to visit once it is finished? My son always speaks so highly of you, and it would be my pleasure to¡­ host you.¡± Nual pulled his hand back, assuming a noble posture, but his eyes remained fixated on A¡¯seri, he looked down at her with greed and hunger that was so common among the new nobles.


    ¡°Of course, if I have the time away from my other duties. Please let me know once your property is complete. I fear I must excuse myself, our Queen¡¯s Regent has called for me.¡±


    Dismissing herself with a modest curtsey, A¡¯seri pulled away from the conversation. She only caught a glimpse of him as she walked away, but his eyes were that of a predator¡¯s. So many of the new nobles after her father¡¯s death were shameless in their greed. Her people were distraught after the loss of so much land and power from the wars against Nefelair. Even almost two hundred years later, more than an entire generation, they still felt the pains of so many noble men and women dying to protect their families and people.


    As A¡¯seri approached the reception hall once more, she braced herself. Few in these halls could be considered a friend to her or her father¡¯s vision anymore. They only sought to feed their greed, and the Queen¡¯s Regent was a generous chef for new noble titles were handed out like appetizers and her people used like disposable silverware. There was nothing she could do, not until law decreed A¡¯seri the new monarch. Yet for that to happen, would mean her mother¡¯s death¡­


    The doors were opened. Elsie announcing her return. The eyes and glares of pompous nobles and greedy lords were already awaiting her before she even entered. All she could do was maneuver her way to the end of the hall, curtsying, bowing, and smiling the whole way through a sea of hungry eyes and false pleasantries.


    When A¡¯seri finally reached the end of the hall, bowing deeply before the Queen¡¯s Regent, she noticed something odd. Where normally the men and women among the lords and ladies would stand far away from the royal thrones, for fear of being accused of impropriety, now there was a collection of men tending to and speaking pleasantly with Velronica. ¡°Oh! Princess, you¡¯ve returned! Just in time to meet these fair fellows¡­¡± Velronica said, shooing away the young men who fawned over her.


    ¡°My royal Regent¡­ What exactly do you mean?¡± A¡¯seri asked, the acts of debauchery stumbling her thoughts.


    ¡°Oh my, didn¡¯t I tell you? Today is the day you must introduce yourself to your suitors! ¡®Attend your people¡¯ as I said, Princess. These fine fellows are the sons of our wonderful nobles, all who wish to get to know you very well¡­¡±


    ¡°My lady Regent, there are customs and procedures for these kinds of things. This sort of gathering, it can''t be proper to introduce suitors in this way!¡± A¡¯seri said, mustering her courage to speak back.


    ¡°Oh, but any one of these men could be your future husband. Stiff procedure and complicated tradition, those get in the way. I believe in spending time with your potential husband, to understand them without the pretense or barrier of royal titles, to intimately know them before you make your decision¡­¡±


    ¡°But-¡± A¡¯seri was cut off.


    ¡°Silence! I already promised these wonderful boys and their parents a chance to meet you. You will do your duty as the princess, you wouldn¡¯t want your mother to die before seeing her only daughter get married would you?¡±


    ¡°My mother is perfectly healthy! This surely wouldn¡¯t please my father if he were-¡±


    ¡°I SAID!... silence¡­¡± Velronica shouted, bleeding into a quiet demand, the reception hall coming to a complete stop, ¡°You will greet your potentials now. Leave the hall and get to know them why don¡¯t you. Stop complaining, you have your duties and so do I.¡±


    Velronica stood up, the youngest men among the suitors being shaken off her fully. Waving a hand dismissively and refusing to even look towards Aseri. The suitors approached, along with four flanking guards that didn''t wear the royal colors of blue and white. Elsie, quietly furious as she usually is in these sorts of places, placed herself between A¡¯seri and the guardsmen, ¡°What is the meaning of this? What need are there for armed guards for a conversation between the princess and these lordlings?¡± she demanded.


    A large, gray-metal with purple regalia, knight approached directly in front of Elsie, ¡°We were told our lady, princess needs privacy. We are here to make sure she gets it, that is all.¡±


    ¡°I should suit that role well enough. Back off.¡±


    In a sudden lunge, one of the guards pounced behind Elsie and drew their sword into a slash. The Guard Captain was experienced enough on the battlefield to just barely block the blow by parrying the blade against her large pauldron, but the attack was clearly aimed for her head. In the same moment the large knight punched down at Elsie, who barely avoided the attempt by pushing herself to the ground with the momentum from her previous dodge. The final two guards jumped on her, before Elsie could even draw her sword the final two pinned her with their bodies. It was easy work to push the struggling Guard Captain to the ground after that.


    As the sudden attack erupted, A¡¯seri had reached for a dagger she kept hidden strapped to her leg, but one of the ¡®suitors¡¯ had grabbed her from behind. The soreness and pain from the injuries she suffered made her slow, the grappled her from behind as another suitor disarmed her of the dagger. In fits of yelling, begging those watching to help her and Elsie, A¡¯seri was taken away. None present even gave the sight a second glance as the Queen¡¯s Regent entered the fray of the reception hall and made her way to the main hall entrance.


    A¡¯seri and Elsie were dragged off and out of the reception hall against their will. Taken to a quiet corner of the keep, in a private chamber elegantly prepared. A¡¯seri was shoved into the room, followed by seven men, her ¡®suitors¡¯, as Elsie fought and clawed against the four guards outside the door. As the door shut, and she was thrown onto the floor, all A¡¯seri could think about was that hopeless scene from her childhood; a monster killing her friends and family, when all hope was lost there was a single person that could have protected her. Willing every fiber of her being, she begged for her savior to hear her prayers. The prayers that her own god ignored, the prayers that were dashed and torn apart by greed and pain. The only person that could save her now, her personal knight who had secretly saved her people from destruction, she prayed to him and him alone.

 Chapter 23: Framed

    A¡¯seri had left me with an air of confusion and uncertainty. The strangeness of feelings was new to me. The idea of caring for another, in any way, was strange. A contract, a deal, or an exchange of loyalty made sense. Yet, for all intents and purposes, there was no longer any need for me to feel anything towards A¡¯seri. Yet I felt guilt. I felt intense care. I wanted to be of service to her, but I didn''t know why or even how I could attempt it.


    My first friend seemed to live among vipers and spiders. Even I could tell there were hidden meanings behind the actions and words of the Queen¡¯s Regent. If the other fancily dressed people were even a fraction as conniving and cruel as the Regent seemed to be, I couldn¡¯t imagine what it would be like to live here. To always need to think twice about every word for fear of it being used against you. Being constantly cautious of every little meaning, phrase, and movement for hidden intent.


    As I became more frustrated with the world of the ¡°normal¡±, there was a knock at the door. A¡¯seri must have forgotten to say something. Yet I would have expected Guard Captain Elsie to simply open the door without hesitation, like before. As I opened the door, curious what either of them could want after leaving in such a hurry, a stranger was waiting for me.


    Waiting outside my door was a scrawny young boy dressed in simple, yet tightly tailored, brown leathers. He was startled by my opening the door without a word, stepping back a few steps surprised. I hadn¡¯t noticed because Elsie was my same height, but my skeletal frame and illusioned body was quite tall compared to what seemed to be normal here. I stood a head taller than the young boy, he cowered as he looked up at me, barely able to speak, ¡°Excuse me¡­ Sir? The Queen¡¯s Regent, her ladyship Velronica, has requested you return briefly to the reception hall¡­ Would you please come with me?¡±


    I wasn¡¯t sure how to proceed, but it seemed that denying any request from the Regent would be the wrong choice, ¡°Yes, I will follow you. Lead the way.¡± I conceded.


    With a sigh of relief the boy turned and led me out of my small bedroom. Through the long hallways of the keep, to the other side of the complex, I followed the boy back the way I had already gone. As we approached the doors leading into the reception hall, I heard an echoing shout. These people must get rowdy when guests aren''t around. I couldn''t help thinking. Yet as the doors slowly swung open, I felt a faint surge of panic and fear wash over me. Small and difficult to pinpoint why or where, but the feelings surged nonetheless.


    As the door opened, the Queen¡¯s Regent was already waiting on the other side as they talked to and laughed with a group of particularly fancy people. Tall hair and elegant dresses, hordes of jewelry and fine things decorating their bodies, along with sharp glares and judging glances. A crash from somewhere far away, muffled by the many silk-covered attendants, echoed from further into the hall and somewhere beyond. The bodies of well-dressed figures blocking any view of the rest of the hall as they crowded around the Queen¡¯s Regent. ¡°I apologize for bringing you back so soon. I had completely forgotten an important tradition of our people. Though I am certain you don''t mind, do you? So selfless and kind as you are?¡± Velronica said, her voice cutting through the din of murmurs like a knife.


    ¡°Of course. As you command, I will try my best.¡± I said, kneeling in the way the Guard Captain had shown me.


    ¡°Oh how kind of you!¡± Velronica said, approaching and placing a slender hand on my shoulder, ¡°Your amnesia must be so troublesome! When you came you forgot to declare your greetings and loyalty to our elegant queen! I thought it best I take you there now, and ensure your meeting with her goes¡­ smoothly.¡±


    ¡°I apologize for my ignorance. Thank you for your assistance.¡± I said, trying to be as simple, yet respectful, as possible.


    ¡°Very good¡­ Indeed, you¡¯re perfect¡­ Let us go then, the party will continue without us as we comply with this tedious tradition.¡±


    As the Queen¡¯s Regent helped me to my feet, leading me away out a door opposite of the entrance, I felt a twang of sudden pain in my shoulder where her hand touched. Yet it was a phantom pain, like it wasnt mine. As I focused on the feeling, I felt a tugging coming from the opposite direction I was headed. At the far end of the hall, in the direction of the thrones yet past them, I felt something tugging at my mind.


    The Queen¡¯s Regent suddenly grabbed my hand tightly, snapping my attention back to her. Leading me out the door and through another hallway, away from the tugging feeling. She looked at me strangely, gazing at me with hungry eyes as we walked through the hallway hand in hand. I wasn¡¯t sure what was considered normal behavior, or how exactly to approach this situation, so I blindly followed the Regent¡¯s example.


    As we walked, my mind kept tugging and pulling back towards the hall. A strange anxiety was building inside of me, one that must have been visibly distracting me. I caught a glance of Velronica¡¯s face, and she seemed annoyed as she glared at me. Pulling my attention back to her, not sure what to say, I said, ¡°Your city is quite¡­ remarkable. In fact, it''s the first city I have ever seen, at least as far as I remember.¡± I spoke truly, yet with no small amount of awkwardness.


    ¡°Indeed it is remarkable. A jewel hidden in the grassy hills, one kept pristine despite the storms that frequent its resting place.¡± Velronica responded proudly.


    ¡°Yes¡­ That is one way to put it.¡±


    ¡°But let us ignore such meaningless pleasantries. I wish to know something about you, if you¡¯ll indulge me¡­¡± she asked with a wry smile.


    ¡°I will answer any question to the best of my ability.¡±


    ¡°How well do you know our fair princess? The two of you seem almost fond of each other.¡±


    I furrowed my brow, not sure how to answer, ¡°I don''t think we know each other very well. Or maybe she knows me? I am not sure. My mind is so fuzzy, the first thing I remember involving her was helping her fight the monsters that attacked her group. I can¡¯t say if we are fond of each other, she asked for help and I felt inclined to give it because she helped me when I was¡­ stuck.¡±


    ¡°So nothing besides an exchange of help? I wonder if she knew you before you lost your memory¡­¡± her question trailed off, leaving its answer up to the air which had no reply.


    I said nothing, not sure myself how to quantify my feelings towards A¡¯seri. An exchange of help was a good enough way to explain what we had done for each other, a feeling of guilt on my part described it better. But saying the complete truth would bring up secrets that were better left unsaid, just to be safe.


    Velronica finally stopped in front of an ornate white-wood door. Twirling engravings and twisted wooden carvings decorating the door¡¯s surface to resemble a tree¡¯s branches growing out from the handle. As the Regent opened the door, a wall of dark was revealed on the other side. Where the only light came from the hallway as daylight bled through tall windows, shedding only the briefest illumination into the room. Said room was bare of any meaningful accessories, furniture, or utilities besides a large bed to the far left and a tub in the opposite corner.


    Velronica entered, turning as she did to watch my expression of confusion. I hesitantly followed, unsure exactly what ¡®traditions¡¯ we were meant to follow in such a simple and dark room. As I did, my eyes adjusted to the dark quickly, and I saw what looked like a person laying under the covers of the bed. When I fully entered, Velronica shut the door behind me suddenly. If not for my attuned sight I would have been blind, but I could see her circling me like a predator does to trapped prey. With a flick of her wrist and an inaudible mumbling encantation a purple flame erupted from a nearby candle. Then a fireplace ensconced in the wall near the bed, a torch on the wall, and even more candles throughout the room. The entire room glowed with a purple firelight. ¡°You don¡¯t seem terribly surprised. Most people gawk at my little tricks. Though I suppose that means you truly are a mage¡­ Or just remarkably dense in your naivete.¡± Despite the light, Velronica continued to circle me as she spoke.


    ¡°The color is quite interesting.¡± I said, attempting to flatter her the best I could but not knowing how.


    ¡°Oh, thank you. But you needn''t patronize me. I can feel the magicka leaking out of you¡­ You are like an overflowing well that floods a town, a dam moments from bursting, a volcano of unprecedented power¡­ I sensed it when I felt you enter the city. I was intoxicated by it when you walked into my hall¡­ I want that power to stand by my side, and only mine.¡±Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    ¡°I am flattered to hear you say that¡­ But I don¡¯t know how long I plan to stay in the city. I need to rediscover myself, if that makes sense at all.¡±


    ¡°Oh feel free to discover yourself all you want, all I ask is that you stay with me. I¡¯ll even help you, you wouldn¡¯t need to lift a finger if you promised yourself to me.¡±


    ¡°I truly apologize, but I don¡¯t know if I can promise something like that¡­¡±


    Velronica paused, her face grew increasingly annoyed, ¡°You do care for that brat then don¡¯t you? Why else would you deny me? Would you care to know that your dear princess is already spoken for? In fact, I understand that she is partaking in a very debaucherous scene even now¡­ Would you like to see? How quickly she throws you aside for her baser needs?¡± she said, a crooked and evil grin spreading across her face.


    ¡°What¡­ What are you talking about?¡± A pang of fear spread into my gut, a bruise of phantom pain growing in my shoulder and spreading across my sides suddenly.


    ¡°Please, feel free to see for yourself¡­¡±


    As Velronica finished speaking, she produced a small crystal orb. It glowed purple and bright for a few moments before the fire inside the orb calmed. I approached, curious what the magic was conjuring. As the fire completely calmed and subsided an image appeared. Several men around A¡¯seri as she cowered in a corner, she held a candlestick like a weapon pointed at the assailants. Her clothes were torn in places and a bruise across her face and neck was forming. She looked scared. ¡°Oh my! She seems to like playing rough. Should we watch longer? I''m sure even you can understand what comes next, it¡¯ll be very enjoyable I am sure.¡± Velronica taunted.


    ¡°You must stop them! She doesn¡¯t want this.¡± I demanded, fury building.


    ¡°Oh? How would you know what she does and doesn¡¯t want? I almost hoped you¡¯d abandon this pitiful attachment you seem to have, but it looks like I was wrong¡­¡± Velronica waved a hand and the image in the ball disappeared, ¡°Regardless, you have a choice to make¡­¡±


    ¡°What? What are you talking about?¡± I demanded, no longer bothering with fake respect or kindness.


    ¡°You can join me, be my mage and thrall¡­ and I could spare her this torment. Quite easily in fact. Or you can leave, go be a hero or some such. See how far that gets you¡­¡± She snarled.


    What kind of choice is that? A threat? What am I to her that she would do this? I questioned myself in my mind. Yet as I stared into the women¡¯s eyes, I felt something sinister within the promise she made. The way she said, ¡®spare her this torment¡¯ sent a wave of warning across my mind. This woman had no intention of keeping A¡¯seri safe, regardless of what I promised. I felt magic in the air, a spell had been placed here that was tied to words. That much I could tell plainly. I had to be careful of what I said, some instinct told me my words might become binding if I said the wrong thing. Yet I already knew my answer, ¡°I will never help you¡­ Someone who torments others to get what you want. You are no different than the monsters I killed from the forests!¡± I spat out venomously.


    ¡°That¡¯s a shame. I was going to finally kill the princess, and make it painless for your sake. But it seems you¡¯re not interested in my mercy. That truly is a shame.¡±


    Before I could respond or do anything, Velronica raised a hand above her head. As she did she began to enchant magic around her raised hand, ¡°Flame, o¡¯ fire of purgatory. Gather and be my spear. Purge my enemies. Flame. Fire. Burn. Incinerate.¡± she spoke in broken Helnuanian, ¡°Blaze forward.¡± she finished. As she spoke the last words, enticing the ambient magic around her in my native tongue, the fires from around the room shot into her palm all at once. Streaking purple flame flew from around the room to blaze into a fiery bolt. I pulled up my hands in front of me instinctively, wanting to protect myself and conjuring a faint shield without even a word of enchantment. Yet the firebolt didn¡¯t streak towards me, Velronica pointed her hand towards the bed where a sleeping someone lay. The fire streaked across the room with a bright flash and impacted into the body. The person in the bed didn¡¯t writhe, scream, or even react. Yet the impact was enough to turn them over, to expose a blade embedded into their chest. To reveal the dead face of the Queen, of A¡¯seri¡¯s crippled mother. After the bolt spread fire to the corpse and bed, Velronica screamed in feigned horror, ¡°Guards! Guards! Princess A¡¯seri¡¯s Mage has assassinated the Queen! Guards help! Assassin!¡±


    Just then, in an instant so fast that it betrayed their well-rehearsed roles, two heavily armored guards rushed into the room. Their silver plate armor etched with runes and wards that thrummed with power, a power that caused me discomfort to even look at as it warped and twisted the reality around them. Rage built in me. A sense of anger towards this woman¡¯s actions and threats. Yet a greater concern was before me, A¡¯seri was in danger. The men in the orb seemed to hold themselves back awaiting the Regent¡¯s call, but who knows what might happen now that the Regent had planned for the Princess and Queen¡¯s death.


    I sprang into action, ignoring the pain I felt when looking at the guard¡¯s armor. Embracing the feral beast that craved blood and death, I lunged towards the guards. My supernatural strength greater than they had prepared for, clunky and slow in their overly heavy armor, I scrambled over and past them with ease as one fell over with a quick kick from my leg as I clung to the other like some sort of feral animal. The two guards were in disarray despite their preparedness, and I quickly pushed the final one to the ground and dashed out into the hallway.


    Sprinting back the way I came I now realized what the dreadful feelings I had been experiencing were. I could focus my mind¡¯s eye and see through A¡¯seri¡¯s eyes, feel her emotions, and experience her racing thoughts. She called out for me, and scrambled in the pain of her previous wounds and new bruises. I followed the magic that seemed to tie us together, whatever it was or why I didn¡¯t care anymore. I just knew I had to follow the trail and save A¡¯seri.


    I raced through the hallway and burst into the reception hall. The group of nobles and sycophants still gathered and chatted pleasantly, looking surprised but not scared as I burst in so suddenly. Echoing shouts from behind me called forward, ¡°Stop that mage! He killed the Queen!¡± and as the news sank in, after the yelled warning slowly processed, the crowd suddenly burst into yells and shouts as they started to frantically flee the hall. Thankfully, this meant that they were fleeing away from the door that was my target. I ran to the back of the hall and thrust open the door, just as I did the guards chasing me shouted ¡°He¡¯s trying to assassinate the royal family! He is trying to kill the Princess! Stop him!¡± but none of the cowardly nobles would dare to move closer to me.


    Ripping the door open I rushed down the new hallway, going deeper into the keep. A view of a garden quartyard was visible and in it more guards were attracted to the noise and rushed towards me. They seemed confused by my sudden sprint, confused but well-practiced in intercepting miscreants. I ignored the new enemies as I turned the corner. At the end of a hall a bloody scene was displayed for all to see, disturbingly out in the open yet with no guards to investigate. Armored bodies lay in bloody heaps on the ground as a woman, with dismantled armor and a dagger plunged into her side, crawled towards a nearby door with what little strength she had left. The Guard Captain, Elsie had slain a group of five armored men and was desperately trying to gather her strength enough to open the door she crawled up. Racing to her side, she shot a glare up at me and with remarkable strength and speed pulled a dagger close to my throat instinctively, yet she stopped just shy of my illusory skin as she noticed who I was. ¡°Save her!¡± was all she could mutter before she collapsed unconscious.


    I ripped the door open, a magical strength building inside me as rage and fury built more and more as each new scene played out. Yet none could compare to seeing my savior, to seeing my only friend, to seeing A¡¯seri desperately fighting and struggling against a shirtless man strangling her. Several other men stood by doing nothing as the woman¡¯s life slowly drained. Seeing such a sight threw me into a rage more powerful than any I had experienced so far. A feral rage took over completely. Before I even realized what I was doing I had already fallen upon the man strangling A¡¯seri, my sharp teeth ripping out his throat like some angry beast. Then, without a single word of enchantment, green fire accumulated at my fingertips and I poured the flame into the wound with digging and tearing fingers, burning the assailant from the inside out. Then I turned to the rest.


    The scene was bloody and violent. I tore through the pompous nobles like paper and burnt them with just as much fury. Blood and gore spread throughout the room, coating every surface. Even if they attempted to run, a fiery orb of anger would be all that met them as they turned to flee. I soaked and bathed in the blood of these fiends masquerading as men, and as I did power swelled within me. I felt the raw power of a true death soak into my bones and essence. Yet in just a few seconds, a handful of moments, the gory butchery was done. As my beastial mind turned to the only remaining living thing, A¡¯seri, I felt my anger fade as she watched me with a mixture of relief and horror. I could still feel her emotions and thoughts leaking out of her. The thankfulness she felt was rivaled by an instinctual fear. Then I heard the clang of armored boots echoing out the hall, and a shout following. I turned to A¡¯seri with no time to spare, ¡°The Regent killed your mother. We must leave.¡±


    The connection between us seemed to, at least partially, go both ways as I could sense she fully believed me, ¡°I can¡¯t run, go without me.¡± she said, already accepting her imminent death as sadness infected her.


    ¡°No.¡± I said plainly.


    Picking her up into my arms I began to leave the room. As I began to leave, A¡¯seri noticed Elsie and I knew she wanted me to save her Guard Captain as well, a grizzly fate certainly awaited her under the Regent¡¯s reign. With my body empowered by my bloody feast of death moments before, I picked up the partially armored woman with a single hand and slumped her over my shoulder, positioning A¡¯seri to sit precariously in my other arm. I rushed out of the bloody scene with the two women in my arms just in time for a guard to nearly approach the door, just coming to the edge of the bloody battle that had taken place outside. Out of instinct I quickly enchanted, ¡°Wall of fire, block this path. Blaze and burn those who come to pass!¡±


    A blazing wall of fire erupted directly in front of me, green flames spurting out of the ground and up to the ceiling. The man was just barely far enough from where they sputtered to life to dodge the magic, but I heard him shout ¡°The Mage is kidnapping the princess! Lock down the city!¡± Without hesitation I raced further down the hallway, where my path ended with nothing but a window. A window that overlooked an outer part of the keep, a section of the outer keep that had a short cliff which slid down to the city below. With nowhere else to go I leapt through the window, crashing through the glass as I went. Slamming hard against the steep cliff I slid down, barely keeping my balance as my skeletal feet scratched and tore into the dirt and stone beneath me. I slid ten meters at least, my magically empowered body draining more and more as I drove my feet hard into the foundations of the keep. I hit the ground hard, crumpling to my knees, but just barely keeping my two passengers from hitting the ground as I blocked the entirety of the fall with my quickly draining strength and brute force.


    With A¡¯seri and Elsie in my arms, I fled from the city. The guards in the keep were unable to keep up and couldn¡¯t communicate the situation to the rest of the city faster than I could run away from it. Before the guards at the gate could even realize what was happening I had fled out the western gate and darted into the distance as shouts and cries called after me. Knowing they would pursue me if I fled into the hills, I turned sharply north and went once more into the forest. With no other choice, I sought refuge in the Deepwood, and I only hoped nothing strange or dangerous would happen while we hid within.

 Chapter 24: Interesting Developments

    It didn''t take running far to lose sight of the edge of the woods and soon after we did I felt my energy slowing once again to something that felt more normal. The raw and powerful emotions started to bleed away along with whatever excess power I drew from killing those noblemen. Soon the weight of both A¡¯seri and Elsie became too much for me to continue carrying.


    Hoping that we were safe from any potential pursuers, I placed my passengers next to the base of a thick tree and collapsed beside them. A¡¯seri quickly hurried to her guardian¡¯s side and inspected Elsie. The once-guard captain was covered in bruises and small cuts besides the jagged gash that pierced her side. A¡¯seri ripped fabric from her dress to bind and bandage whatever she could but the wounds were extensive. I didnt feel anything particular after the escape, only relieved that A¡¯seri was safe at last, yet small droplets of A¡¯seri¡¯s worry dripped into my mind as Elsie¡¯s wounds refused to close. Looking towards me, A¡¯seri pleaded, ¡°I know you only just saved us¡­ But please, do you know any way to stop the bleeding? I dont know what to do!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know anything about medicine, I am not sure how I would help.¡± I responded bluntly.


    ¡°You were able to heal me before, when I was bitten by the fiend outside the cave. Can you do that again?¡±


    I could indeed stitch the wound back together again, I remembered the words I used vividly, yet ¡°The process takes a great deal of energy from me¡­ I am hesitant to use it on her.¡± I said, feeling no particular reason to further help the guardswoman.


    ¡°Please¡­¡± A¡¯seri pleaded again, ¡°Save her, the bleeding won''t stop!¡±


    I felt no reason to care for the guardswomen, she hadn''t done anything for me to deserve such in my mind. I cared for A¡¯seri and I knew the worry and love she felt towards her dying friend, whatever link between us continued to siphon her emotions into me, yet now that I could tell the difference between our perspectives I could resist her worries. But somehow, when A¡¯seri muttered the words ¡®Save her¡¯ I felt my body resist my own intentions. I moved without any prior thought and knelt next to the bleeding guardswoman. Some other presence controlled my body  and words as I slowly began to enchant power into my speech against my will. I struggled to speak the words I had used before, ¡°Recall¡­ Thy¡­ Flesh¡­¡± my voice chanted despite my conscious mind¡¯s protest.


    I watched as flesh knitted against itself and sinew rebound into tight stitches. The blood soaking the woman¡¯s body coalesced around her wounds and forced its way back where it had come, sealing the openings behind. Her bruises twisted under my care but didn''t seem to heal, along with smaller wounds that would bind together but quickly fall loose once more. Yet, to A¡¯seri¡¯s relief, the large dagger-gash knit itself closed and the bleeding seemed to stop around both large wounds and small. Elsie twisted and squirmed under my mage¡¯s touch, but soon the process finished and she was left to sleep with less labored breaths.The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    I looked down at myself, expecting my body to collapse in exhaustion from the effort, but I seemed fine. My energies felt just as normal as they were moments before. As I looked up from my work I heard a thud against the tree we sat near. Turning, I saw A¡¯seri had grown incredibly pale and fallen against the side of the tree. My debt to her paid by this point, but against my logic and reason I still felt some obligation to her. Unsure what was wrong with her, and worried about what had forced me to use magic, I placed a hand on A¡¯seri unsure what else to do. ¡°What happened to you? Were you hurt when we fled the city?¡± I asked.


    A¡¯seri struggled to speak, ¡°I¡­ I didn¡¯t think I was. After you started healing Elsie¡­ my body started to get tired. I can barely keep my eyes awake now, I don¡¯t know why¡­ But I am glad she is¡­¡± her voice trailed off as she closed her eyes.


    What had just happened? I wondered to myself. I felt fine after using, what I thought was, powerful magic. Yet I was compelled against my will to do so. It didn''t seem too strange for A¡¯seri to become tired after the ordeal she went through, but my own anomaly preoccupied my thoughts. The link between A¡¯seri and I slowly faded until it was completely unnoticeable, and it was then I knew she was fully asleep. When the echoed emotions from A¡¯seri finally snapped and drained away, some part of me realized; had A¡¯seri commanded me to do something, and I did it without any choice? The bond between us was already strange enough, but my actions aligned with what she wanted me to do. Yet despite being forced to use magic I felt fine, while A¡¯seri collapsed from a sudden wave of exhaustion. Thoughts and ideas swirled as I tried to understand what I couldn''t rightly comprehend.


    Despite the strangeness of my situation, I was strangely intrigued by the entire event. To use magic without my own body being drained, without risk of falling into a disrepaired eternal sleep, was intriguing. Yet I wouldn¡¯t be able to learn any more without A¡¯seri, it seemed. For whatever reason she was a key in this puzzle, one that would need to be watched and studied to better understand myself and what I am capable of.


    I wondered to myself what these two would do next, but I had a new mind to follow them. Where before I was only self-interested in A¡¯seri¡¯s protection out of a sense of guilt or duty, a new interest was born from the strangeness that bound us together. I watched the young woman sleep. So frail and small she seemed in her rest, what secrets might be held between us to be discovered?


    A magic fluttered in the air, I could taste it. I didn¡¯t know where from, if it were from me or A¡¯seri, or something else. Yet the tantalizing promise of discovery hovered around our haphazard resting site. If I could unlock these secrets, the power I could wield¡­ I paused, realizing my own thoughts. Strange¡­ I thought to myself, interrupting my own train of thought. The thought of power and magic seemed to be something I should naturally pursue, yet there was no direct purpose beyond power for its own sake. I wondered if some part of my past still lurked somewhere within me, these thoughts and ideas coming so naturally that it seemed almost like the foreign emotions that I felt flow from A¡¯seri. Interesting. I decided. My circumstances, these powers, magic, and all inbetween. They were all interesting for the first time.