《NECROMANCER》 Part #001: Blackened Souls It¡¯s¡­ Not everyday that you experience death in its most cruelest form¡­ It¡¯s...like a saturization of our self-worth, nestled in a ball of cosmic uncertainty¡­ Frankly¡­ It¡¯s terrifying¡­ A young boy dark in skin, red in eyes, and white in hair, opened his eyes to find he was staring up at a blue sky; a sky that was unfamiliar to him. He sat up slowly, leaning forward, sweat pouring from his temples. ¡°Where am I?¡± He thought as he surveyed his surroundings, only finding dense forest on either side of him. ¡°How did I get here?¡± Memories, of which were fleeting to him, surfaced. He remembered something, or at least a fragment of that something. A voice, an angelic one. Soothing his soul. ¡°You, Filius Agni, are but a lost child. Blackened by the heart of Mundus.¡± ¡°Filius Agni? Lost child? Heart of Mundus? What the hell?¡± These questions boggled the boy¡¯s mind as he began to ponder more on these memories, but his ponderance would soon come to end at the appearance of a beast. This beast, a quadrupedal mammal similar to that of a wolf, emerged from the brush. This wolf-like creature sports several runic symbols across the torso (down to the tail) each seemly etched as if it were apart of its fur. His head had a downward facing crescent symbol also similarly etched. However, the points of the crescent met the eyes, of which were forward facing. ¡°Oh fuck!¡± Thought the boy as he quickly scrambles to his feet, slowly backing away from the runic wolf. The beast snarls and growls as he reared its body, seemingly ready to pounce the boy. The red-eyed boy glanced around, wondering if there was a way to escape. And sure enough, he would find one. There was a break in the trees to his right. He glances between the break and wolf, and immediatelyleapt for the break. The wolf tries to leap for the boy at the same moment as the boy leaps for the break. There was a moment of silence. Time slows as each took their breath, breathing in and out in a rapid succession. And, before long, time would resume with the boy winning the gamble and sliding into the break. However, the boy did not account for the fact that the break in the trees was a downward decline. As such, he found himself rolling down a hill at an increased rate of speed, hurting himself as he went. After about ten seconds of rapid falling, his body finally comes to a stop before a running river, rocks and other hard sediment acting as a beach. He coughs abit, feeling his lungs partially swell as he realized he suffered some major damage. He also felt that some of the bones in his body were broken (particularly a rib, and a bone somewhere in his right leg). He assesses the damage done to his body, only to find that his mobility had been impaired. ¡°I don¡¯t know where I am, or how I got here and I¡¯m already like this¡­ Speaking of which¡­ Why am I like 5?!¡± He has finally gotten around to looking at himself. He could see that he was a boy, and a very young one at that. Nevertheless, the sight of him being merely five years of age did not deter him from trying to figure out how he was going to get out of this mess. ¡°There must be something that I can do--¡± His thought process was interrupted when the snarling sound of a wolf-like beast, appeared from behind him (as the boy was leaning up against a tree at this point). The snout of the creature lurches into his periphery to his right, and its eyes, golden yellow in hue, stares down upon him. He stares up in shock and disbelief. ¡°Is this how I¡¯m going to die!?¡± The runic wolf came around the tree and bit at the boy, who defended himself by lifting up his left arm. As he did this it was caught in the monster¡¯s mouth, ripping it to shreds before long; throwing the boy quite aways. His body lands in the middle of the river, and is carried downstream. He floats there, amongst the water, having lost an arm and dying to blood-loss. ¡°This isn¡¯t what I imagined how I go out.. Dying to some freakishly huge wolf.. Great..¡± His eyes would slowly close as the same blue sky he saw before became watery and eventually murky. ¡ï ¡ï ¡ï When he opened his eyes again, the blue in the sky had become a void-filled black (only counteracted by the wide array of beautiful stars). However, instead of ending up in a place where he was surely to die, he saw a fiery light flickering to his left. ¡°A firepit?¡± He moved his head over to see the fire, and saw that there were other humanoidssitting around it. He would reach out with his left arm, but found that he couldn¡¯t feel anything there. At the realization that his arm was now missing, he screamed in shock; alerting the group to his awakening. ¡°Oh look,¡± one of them said, ¡°The boy is awake!¡± ¡°Quick sedate him!¡± Another exclaimed. A burly gentleman came over and gestured something. Suddenly, the boy became calm and comprehensive. ¡°Geez,¡± one of them sighs, ¡°You really gave us a scare.¡± A woman comes over, caucasian in skin tone but red in hair, she looks to be pregnant. ¡°I almost didn¡¯t think you were going to make it if it weren¡¯t for Sern there.¡± She gestures to the tall, burly, and intimidating-looking man. ¡°However you¡¯re safe now.. There¡¯s no monsters here.. This place of the forest has been cleared of monsters.. Can you speak?¡± The boy thought of if he could speak, and then shook his head at the realization. ¡°Well at least you understand Common,¡± she came over to the boy and sat down in front of him, ¡°Which is good considering where we found you.¡± He tilts his head slightly. ¡°What does she mean?¡± She blinked a few times, obviously surprised by the ignorance of the child, but sighs knowingly. ¡°We found you in the Corrupted part of the forest, where monsters are known to wander in search of mortal flesh.¡± The boy, surprised by this revelation, begins to think back to the wolf he saw. ¡°You encountered a monster didn¡¯t you?¡± He nods. ¡°Was it a wolf with runes along its body?¡± A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. He nods once more. ¡°Then you must¡¯ve faced the Rune Wolf.¡± ¡°Rune Wolf? That¡¯s what that thing was?¡± ¡°The Rune Wolf is the strongest form of naturally born corrupted beasts.¡± Yet another shocking revelation comes to him. ¡°We were surprised that you survived in the encounter. Most travelers who come across a Rune Wolf don¡¯t usually survive, but I can definitely seewhy it made you a target. A small helpless child, all alone? Easy prey.¡± ¡°That doesn¡¯t make me feel any better.¡± ¡°Either way,¡± another voice cuts in, ¡°He¡¯s alive now and under our protection..¡± ¡°But we have to do something about that arm,¡± an elven man, too beautiful to be considered male in stature, came over and examined the limbless socket, ¡°He won¡¯t be able to do anything without a left arm. Even if we bring him to Hollowden.¡± The pregnant redhead sighed softly. ¡°Do you have any spells that could regrow lost limbs Ariendal?¡± ¡°I¡¯m afraid I do not.. I spent my last spell healing this kid¡¯s wounds.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll just have to make a prosthetic for the time being. Sern,¡± she glances over to the burly gentleman, ¡°Build us a simple prosthetic with what materials you have left in the cart.¡± Sern nodded and went off to do as he was ordered. ¡°Ariendal,¡± she looks over to the elf, ¡°You go ahead and start your watch. I¡¯ll stay with the boy, and watch over camp.¡± Ariendal nodded in agreement before packing his things and stepping out of the light of the campfire. As the redhead spoke, the boy gradually became tired and by the time she finished he was fast asleep. ¡ï ¡ï ¡ï In his dreams, the boy was reliving the days events. He woke up in a mysterious place, was attacked by a monstrous wolf, had his left arm ripped off, and nearly died of drowning and blood loss. Then, he was picked up by a group of people who all looked to be from a fantasy game or novel. There was an elf, too beautiful to be considered male. A redheaded human woman who was deep inher pregnancy. And a mountainous man who seemed far too tall to be considered human by normal standards. However, as he was reliving the events, something kept scratching at him. A mental itch that seemed almost too painful to let go. ¡°Who am I? Where am I? How am I this young? Who are these people? What¡¯s a Rune Wolf? What¡¯re Spells? What¡¯s any of this!?¡± These nagging questions kept eating at him. His mind slowly descending further and further into a state of confusion and self-doubt. But before he could be consumed by the inky darkness of his own subconscience, he awoke with a start. He shot up from his place by the fire and saw that no-one was around. As he glanced around the campsite, he could see that his left arm now had a steel contraption that didn¡¯t move and was cold against his skin. ¡°Where did those three people go?¡± He tried to get up, but didn¡¯t realize that he had splint along his broken leg. Thus he had trouble moving properly. He fell forward onto the dirt the moment he got up, but corrected himself as he hobbled around the campsite looking for anyone. He saw that the cart, the redhead spoke of, was still here but everyone¡¯s belongings were gone. ¡°Did they leave without telling me? No¡­ That couldn¡¯t be right¡­ They wouldn¡¯t just leave me like that.. Would they?¡± He looked around and saw that there were footprints leading into the dense brush. He, of course, followed. However before he followed the trail, he scavenged the cart for a weapon of some sort, and found a shortsword that was a little too heavy for him. ¡°This¡¯ll do for now..¡± Thus he followed the trail which flowed through several forested hills, and creeks, the scenery only being lit up by the two moons that hung high in the night¡¯s sky. ¡ï ¡ï ¡ï He traveled for quite a distance before the trail eventually dissipated, leaving him to look around and survey his surroundings. And for the first few moments of searching, he couldn¡¯t see anything. That is, until he noticed a blood splatter against tree and corpse that was torn to shreds at several points throughout the torso. The boy, obviously horrified by the scene, slowly inched over to the corpse; sword shaking as he went. Upon closer inspection, the corpse turned out to be the elf from before. His horror deepened as he began hurriedly limping around to search for the redhead and mountainous man. ¡ï ¡ï ¡ï The searching last for several seconds before the boy came upon the body of the mountainous man. This corpse had its limbs strewn about the forest floor; the main torso being torn upon by vicious claw marks. Disgusted by the visage, the boy vomited. This lasted for about of a minute. A minute of fearful crying and vomiting. After the minute came and went, he gathered himself as he tried to steel himself against the possibility that the redhead might be gruesomely dead as well. ¡°Judging by the claw marks¡­ It must¡¯ve been the Rune Wolf I encountered earlier¡­¡± He wandered around for a while before hearing a gut-wrenching scream from his right. He immediately limped as fast as he could in that direction. But by the time he got there, he was already too late. He came upon the scene of the Rune Wolf eating the woman¡¯s unborn child and then ripping the woman¡¯s head off with its maw. He stood there as the beast laid waste to the defenseless woman before it turned its attention to him. And when it saw him, its fur stood up in a offensive-defensive posture. It seemed afraid of him, but all the while ready to pounce on him if it was provoked. The boy, deep in his own psyche, felt a click. An epiphany. The sight of blood, gore, and dread, made him feel... Satisfied¡­ Like a sort of divine justice was made, and that these ¡°worthless toils ofmortal flesh¡± were nothing more than pawns to push him over the edge. At a very young age as well. The boy stood there, menacingly, watching the Rune Wolf closely before drawing his attention to the trio of dead mortals andinstinctively lifted his hand into air. Suddenly, and without warning, a greenish-blue essence filtered out from the corpses; mummifying them. This essence coalesced into a ball whereby it was jammed straight into the chest of the boy. Seconds passed, and the Rune Wolf did not wait for the boy to do something and proceeded to rush him. Time slowed, and as it did, one could see the limb that he lost was growing back at a rapid pace as was his leg. His eyes glowed a deep shade of crimson, and canines sharpened to that of fangs. His physicalities became near inhuman as he stepped into a dash. Time resumed as he dashed forward, going under the wolf as it leapt over the boy. However, what the wolf didn¡¯t realize was that the boy¡¯s short sword was laden with blood and that the boy had made a strike that was imperceivable to the eye. And, before the wolf even realize what had happened, the creature was reduced to a bloody pile of flesh; leaking into a nearby creek. His white hair, once short and spiky, was now longer (reaching down to his shoulders). And yet, when stood among the moons¡¯ light, his appearance returned to a normal state of being. That being no fangs, no glowing red eyes, and shortened white hair. He quietly stood there as he observed the scene with a surprised expression. ¡°What just happened?¡± ¡ï ¡ï ¡ï He thought about what just occurred as he sat back at the campsite. ¡°What did I do?¡± He thought as he looked at his left hand. ¡°What was that green-blue light? What did I do to that wolf? Who am i!?¡± He threw the sword aside he gripped his head. ¡°You¡¯re a monster.¡± He looked up from his intense inner monologue and saw the fire, that was still lit, flicker violently. ¡°You¡¯re a soul blackened by this world¡¯s corruption.. A child born of the blackest of souls. Filius Agni. Son of the Lamb. First Born of the Methuselah.¡± ¡°What do you mean??¡± ¡°I mean what I say, and say what I mean.¡± ¡°Filius Agni? Is that my name??¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Son of the Lamb? Child of the Methuselah?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°What does that mean?¡± ¡°I mean what I say, and say what I mean.¡± ¡°THAT DOESN¡¯T HELP ME!!!¡± ¡°Of course it doesn¡¯t. I am merely a messenger. I was sent here to tell you who you are. You are Filius Agni. Son of the Lamb. Child of the Methuselah. That is all.¡± The violently flickering fire ceases and there¡¯s nothing more that comes from the fire itself. He sits there, for a few minutes, absolutely mystified by the encounter. Filius Agni was to be the boy¡¯s name. Filius stares off into the night for a minute or two more before picking himself up and walking over to the cart. He could see that the horse was currently rearing to leave at a moment¡¯s notice. He looked over at the campfire and campsite and sighed. ¡°Probably should put out the fire at least.¡± And he did so, which to him even made more time to ponder his existence. Although after this was done, he did eventually leave. Carting off through the forest and down a dirt road. Intrinsically heading the direction of civilization, traveling through the night. Part #002: Kindred Souls ¡°The voice.. Who was that voice?¡± The boy continuously pondered as the travel came to a close with him arriving at a settlement. A city surrounded by several meter-high walls; a mote surrounding said walls. There were various people lined out front towards the gate, and the boy was found at the back of this line. And, when he looked over the line, he could see that guardsmen were stopping everyone coming into the city; checking their wares. ¡°It looks like its a customs checkpoint..¡± He looked over the cart and noticed that supplies he carried looked and smelt of the party (which the boy has a vivid flashback of). There was no mistaking the owners of the belongings. Thatwould also be compounded by the fact that he couldn¡¯t speak a lick of Common. But, he somehow understood the language, which was an odd state of affairs all things considered. Beside this, he needed to figure out how he was going to get past customs. Nevertheless, as he was thinking of ways to slip by, he overheard a conversation between two people of this world. From the conversation, he could understand,therewas something about a country in a foreign land experiencing a sudden influx of undead abominations. These two people argued over whether or not this was to be the Lich Lords¡¯ doing. ¡°Lich Lords¡¯? Undead?¡± He thought about the prospect of their being undead creatures walking among them. ¡°I must be in some kind of fantasy world¡­ But what kind of world this is¡­ I can only guess¡­¡± As the line became shorter and shorter, and his time gradually came to an end, Filius¡¯ only means was to face the customs official face-first. Thus when his cart finally arrived at this portcullis-like construction of a gate, he could see that the official was taken aback by the appearance of both him and the cart. ¡°Excuse me boy,¡± the official started with a bit of a hoarse tone. ¡°Do you happen to know the three-man party known as the ¡®Tristle¡¯s Rose?¡¯¡± The boy simply nodded. ¡°What happened to them? I see you brought their cart back, but I do not see them anywhere.¡± ¡°How do I explain this without being able to speak Common?¡± The boy proceeded to play charades with the custom official, who seemed rather aggravated by this. ¡°I¡¯m not going to be playing twenty syllables with you kid! Ey! You there!¡± He points out a guard who stiffens at the call. ¡°Go and make sure this cart is returned to their homestead and have this kid file a report with the Adventurer¡¯s Guild. They¡¯ll take care of him.¡± ¡°Sir, yes, sir!¡± The guard patted the side of the cart and pointed inside the city-walls. ¡°That was easy.. Almost too easy¡­¡± ¡ï ¡ï ¡ï The guard, whose name was revealed to be Ealdwin of Newberry, brought the cart to a two-story brick home that was nestled among others of the same make. If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. Setting the cart out front, a father and daughter came stepping out in hopes of seeing their beloved mother and company. However, those hopes were quickly shot down by arrows when they saw that it was just Filius and Ealdwin. The father looked particularly disgruntled at this scene and immediately turn his attention to the guard who had a bit of fearful presence about him. To Fillius, this man never liked situations such as this. ¡°Where¡¯s my wife?¡± ¡°We don¡¯t know.¡± ¡°What do you mean you don¡¯t know??¡± The father raising his voice. ¡°Sir,¡± Ealdwin held up his hands in a calming gesture, ¡°We¡¯re trying to get to the bottom of this. Which is why,¡± he gestures to Filius, ¡°We¡¯re having this young lad make a report at the Adventurer¡¯s Guild to give us a better picture as to why he was the only one to return with your wife¡¯s cart.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no need to make a report! It¡¯s as clear as the skies above! She didn¡¯t come back! She¡¯s probably dead out there! Or worse yet, this little runt killed her!¡± He pointed at Filius who seemed increasingly uncomfortable at the escalation. ¡°Sir. We do not know all the details. When we know all the details we will contact you. In the meantime, he¡¯s your cart.¡± Ealdwin gestured for Filius to disembark, in which he did reluctantly for fear of meeting this father¡¯s wrath headon. The daughter, during this, seemed oddly quiet. It looks as though she was stowing her hatred. But Filius could tell that she wanted to know where her mother was, and Filius could do nothing but watch. ¡ï ¡ï ¡ï After a few more minutes of staggered conversation that essentially devolved into shouting match between the two grown men, Filius was whisked away by Ealdwin. The two of them eventually found themselves at the front doors of the Adventurer¡¯s Guild. The building was built with the same materials as most of the other buildings in this city, but it was definitely made to house quite a few more people than what was originally intended. Several windows dot its front, with a thatched roof sloping over the edge by just a half-meter. A single crest hangs just above the door to let passerbys know that this is, infact, the Adventurer¡¯s Guild. The crest has a sword crossed over a shield bolded with an ¡°AG¡± in the middle. After examining the front-half of the building, both Ealdwin and Filius stepped inside to a world that was much different than outside. He was greeted to people having a laugh at several tables, people cheering with drinks, and others strategizing their next quest; lots of merrymaking to go around. ¡°So there¡¯s still light in a dull world.¡± Filius was brought over to the front desk where a male desk clerk was awaiting them with a smile and a bow. ¡°How may I help you today guardsman?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve come bearing some bad news.¡± ¡°Like what sir?¡± The male clerk¡¯s smile dampens slightly. ¡°This young lad,¡± he holds Filius¡¯ spiky white hair, ¡°Apparently arrived at our gates with a cart belonging to the Thistle¡¯s Rose. We dropped off the cart at the owner¡¯s residence, and now this boy here has come to file a report.¡± The male clerk leans over the counter and down at the boy, giving a quick glance over before leaning back and sighing heavily. ¡°I told those three to not head into the forest for that Rune Wolf quest without at least having three more people with them.¡± Ealdwin raised a brow at this. ¡°You mean to tell me that the Thistle¡¯s Rose went on a suicide quest??¡± The male clerk, reluctantly, nodded to the question. Ealdwin gave an exasperated sigh before turning and walking out; not even saying his farewells. ¡°Well that is to be expected when dealing with guardsmen,¡± a voice from behind the male clerk emerges. ¡°Ah! Guildmaster. I¡¯m sorry for the inconvenience. The guardsmen corps dropped this boy off who, apparently, has connections with the Thistle¡¯s Rose who went on that suicide quest.¡± ¡°Hm,¡± the deep baritone voice leaned over the counter and eyed the boy, ¡°Bring him to my office immediately. I want to have a chat with him.¡± ¡°Certainly sir!¡± The male clerk shot up from his seat and proceeded to guide Filius through the halls before arriving at another set of double doors that, when opened, revealed a beautifully put together office with a fireplace and the like. The boy was placed in one of the cushioned seats that sat right in front of the desk. The male clerk leaned down with a facade-like smile, ¡°The Guildmaster will be right with you, so please make yourself comfortable.¡± After that brief statement, the male clerk steps out with silence only filling the brightly lit room. Leaving Filius alone with his own thoughts. Part #003: Meeting the Guildmaster & Lead Clerk The boy quietly sat in his cushioned seat wondering what the Guildmaster wanted to talk about. Was it about what he saw? Or could it possibly be something entirely different? He didn¡¯t know, and that was all the more terrifying for him. It was like a constrictor snake, coiling and then tightening around his lungs. He could barely breathe in the suffocating silence of the room. However just as he was about to pass out from the sheer mental strain of being alone, a door could be heard opening and closing from behind. Filius slowly looked over his shoulder and found that the Guildmaster had came into the room, not even paying the boy any mind. He watched as the Guildmaster came around the desk, and sat at the chair. For a moment, or so, the two of them locked eyes before the Guildmaster spoke up. ¡°I heard you experienced something quite traumatic.. I¡¯m surprised a lad your age hasn¡¯t simply given up on life.. Resilient one you are.¡± ¡°I am surprised myself..¡± ¡°Tell me lad,¡± the burly man leaned on tied fingers his body giving off an intimidating presence. ¡°What is your name?¡± Sensing this presence, Filius immediately cowered. The Guildmaster, sighing at the cowering, released his tension but still keeping the serious tone. ¡°Sorry about that..¡± The boy lowered his guard a little. ¡°Again, what is your name boy? I can¡¯t keep calling you lad or boy every time I see you know can I?¡± Filius gestured in a way that described him not being able to speak. ¡°Charades, hm?¡± It took the Guildmaster a minute or two to follow what Filius was trying to express, but he eventually understood. ¡°So you can understand common, but can¡¯t speak it is that right?¡± Filius nodded. ¡°Annndddd, you witnessed what happened Thistle¡¯s Rose correct?¡± He nodded again. ¡°What happened to them?¡± Filius was about to play another game of charades, but he then realized what he actually did to survive the encounter with the Rune Wolf. ¡°Should I tell him about what happened? Or should I falsify it?¡± There was a moment of indecision before decisiveness took over. He played charades, expressing what he did but exaggerating what happened. In this series of events, Filius was rescued by the ¡°valiant heroes¡± of the Thistle¡¯s Rose as they gave their lives for his escape. ¡°So they died trying to save you.. Heh, definitely sounds like something they¡¯d do.¡± Filius was a bit relieved by that statement, but something didn¡¯t seem quite right. ¡°But, we still have to consider this a serious incident that will require further investigation.¡± ¡°Oh shit¡­¡± ¡°In the meantime, we¡¯ll have you register with the Adventurer¡¯s Guild so that I as well as guild staff can keep a close eye on you to ensure that you were not directly involved with their demise. However it is unlikely you are the culprit seeing as they did save you, but legal codes says that we cannot rule you out as a suspect until I send a team to investigate the site. Which, won¡¯t be for a little while.¡± Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on. Filius¡¯ heart sank. He knew that if this guildmaster was going to send out a team to investigate the site of the deaths, then they¡¯ll come across the mummified corpses and the corpse of the Rune Wolf. Which could put Filius as the prime suspect yet again, getting questioned further. ¡°So here take this,¡± he slides a letter across the table to Filius, ¡°This will allow you to be recruited into the guild and placed in a party.. However you¡¯ll be placed among those in your age group. Arlade will see to that.¡± Filius nodded feverishly and took the letter with hesitation. ¡°One last thing.¡± Filius turned back to the guildmaster after having gained some distance between the two of them. ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡± ¡°F...Filllleeeeeeuuss?¡± ¡°Filius?¡± He nodded. ¡°Hmph.. Odd name. You¡¯re free to go then.¡± Filius quickly made his exit. ¡ï ¡ï ¡ï Filius wandered the halls of the Adventurer¡¯s Guild before, eventually, finding himself in Arlade¡¯s office where he was diligently working on application forms. From Filius¡¯ view, this man looked to be an elf with exceptional physique and sex appeal. One could not tell whether he was female or male. That aside, Filius approached Arlade¡¯s desk cautiously. Arlade didn¡¯t even look up from his forms and called out to whoever was in his office. ¡°If you have some business, please speak now or leave. I am a very busy elf, and do not wish to be disturbed at this hour of the day.¡± (Of which was two in the afternoon mind you) Filius, obviously put off by this snobby-sounding elfman, slipped the letter over the forms he was reading. This caused his eyes to lurch up and meet the red eyes of Filius. He of course was a bit taken aback by the sudden appearance of a child, but looking at the letter he realized what was going on. ¡°You must be the boy my staffers were talking about.¡± Filius nodded. ¡°Well then, let us not dawdle on your recruitment or placement. Follow me.¡± Filius was led into a side room where a orb was on a pedestal in the middle of the room and was surrounded by mirrors in a semicircle facing towards the door. There were six mirrors in total, all standing about one-point-nine meters in height and about one meter in width. These mirrors reflect the visage of whoever was standing at the pedestal, in this case Filius. ¡°This is rather simple boy,¡± said the elfman standing from behind towards the door, ¡°All you have to do is place your hand on the orb and watch the mirrors. Understood?¡± The boy nodded. ¡°Good. You may begin when ready.¡± Filius took a few breaths as he reached his hand forward and laid it upon the surface of the orb. For a moment, nothing happened but a split second later revealed something neither the boy nor the elf were prepared to see. What they saw was all six mirrors turning black simultaneously and nearly shattering. The boy, of course, pulled his hand away from the orb just as the mirrors were on the verge of shattering. Arlade, absolutely stunned (horrified even) by the display of magical power, slowly stepped up to the boy. ¡°This is impossible.. No-one should have that kind of arcanic energy.. Who even are you?!¡± Filius, surprised and scared by this, turned to the elfman and shook his head in confusion; shrugging as well. Arlade pressed his fingers to his chin, thinking about the event in detail; pacing around the room a bit. Filius watched in anticipated silence as usual. ¡°This could mean a few things. One, you may be some powerful mage that wasn¡¯t discovered until now. Two, you may be some kind of abomination, considering where the Thistle¡¯s Rose found you. Or three, you are something else entirely..¡± Arlade glared at the boy, who flinched a bit at the glaring. ¡°Either way, we cannot let anyone other than the Guildmaster know of this. Understood?¡± Filius nodded fervently. ¡°This makes you an adventurer in the eyes of guild, but not in my eyes.. You¡¯re a Corrupted Beast.. A dangerous one at that..¡± Filius felt rather insulted by this, but didn¡¯t show it externally. ¡°I knew that I was different¡­ But a Corrupted Beast? What the hell even is a Corrupted Beast??¡± ¡°Either way, you¡¯ll be placed with the Evangelia. A group with an acolyte, a paladin, a mage, and a warrior. You¡¯ll be with this party for the time being, understood?¡± He nodded again. ¡°They should be in the guild¡¯s meeting hall. Go and find them, and take this with you as well.¡± Arlade walks back into the other room for a moment before coming back with a piece of parchment. ¡°This is a document detailing your official recruitment into the guild. Don¡¯t lose it. And here¡¯s your ID card. Don¡¯t lose this either. Understood?¡± ¡°You say understood a lot.¡± Filius nodded. ¡°Then get out of my sight. May we never cross paths again.¡± Filius walked out of the orb room, and out of his office. He then made his way to the meeting hall to meet his new party.. At least.. For the time being.. Part #004: Before His First Quest ¡°Meeting hall, huh?¡± Filius found himself in the meeting hall, which was where he first started in this building. ¡°We have come full circle hm?¡± The boy looked around for this possible party of his, and before long his eyes spotted a group of children who stood out a little too much. The reason for this was not because they were children but rather they were such a rambunctious group that the teen and adult groups kept a wide berth. Filius, of course, was feeling rather nervous about meeting this party because they all seemed to conflict with each other on a mental level. Synchronicity was something Filius never knew he liked. Nevertheless Filius knew that in order to evade the guild¡¯s prying eyes for as long as possible, he¡¯ll need to keep a low profile. And so, this party was his best bet. As he cautiously drifts towards the table, the conversation came into earshot. ¡°--and dat¡¯s why we gotta hit dat kobold cave!¡± ¡°And we keep telling you that we¡¯d need a senior adventurer for that to even be remotely possible! Even then, they wouldn¡¯t let us because we¡¯re too under experienced!¡± ¡°Experience exshmerience, wot we got compared to wot dos adults got is nothing! We can totally take on a kobold cave wit dat ding you call...uhhhh..¡± ¡°Strategy?¡± Retorted the one. ¡°Common Sense?¡± Retorted another. ¡°Not being an idiot?¡± Retorted a third. ¡°Well all dos are true ¡®n all but come on! I say we use our strategy ding, y¡¯know!? Like tacks ¡®n shit!¡± ¡°Tacks?¡± ¡°I think he means tactics.¡± ¡°Yeah dat ding!¡± ¡°Oh my Goddess¡­¡± Filius finally reaches the table and just by his appearance alone breaks the conversation. ¡°Who dis kid??¡± ¡°We were notified by guild staff that we¡¯d be getting a fifth member,¡± the priestess, who seemed to be the de facto leader of this party, said with an agitated tone. Filius nodded to that and showed his ID which displayed his name, age, sex, hair color, eye color, skin color, height, weight, decided class and party association (where height and weight were left blank and decided class was mage). ¡°Names Filius huh?¡± The boy nodded. ¡°Well can¡¯t say no to em.. So guess we gotta take em!¡± ¡°That was the guild¡¯s idea yes,¡± says the priestess rolling her eyes. ¡°Introductions are in order,¡± says the robed mage, ¡°My name is Tarvyst of Meadshire.¡± ¡°The names Rancort! At ya service!¡± ¡°Sister Flora, a pleasure.¡± ¡°Maxim.¡± Filius took the names and locked them away in his mental vault. He looked between the four of them and bowed slightly in appreciation. ¡°Well, since you¡¯re our new memba¡¯ it¡¯s good to let ya in wot we plannin¡¯ to do!¡± Tarvyst rolls his eyes, ¡°Ran here is trying to get us to go along with him on a quest to a kobold cave, when we should be handling goblins..¡± Filius tilts his head to the side. ¡°So things like Kobolds and Goblins exist.. Hm..¡± ¡°Look Tar, i¡¯m tryin¡¯ to get us on de map!¡± ¡°You¡¯re trying to get us killed Ran.¡± ¡°Flora say somethin¡¯ would ya!?¡± Sister Flora sits back slightly, dejected by the argument. ¡°Why not do a simple quest like gathering plants for some herbalist or something like that?¡± ¡°BUT I WANT TO KILL SOMETHIN!¡± ¡°And you will Rancort,¡± said Maxim as he crossed his arms, ¡°Just hold your murderous tendencies until we¡¯re all strong enough to handle a kobold cave.. We were barely able to get out of that goblin den the last time we faced goblins.¡±Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. Rancort sighed and pouted at the leashing. Filius watched this with a curious expression. ¡°Is this perhaps why most other parties steer clear of them..? Maybe they could be of use? Who knows¡­¡± ¡ï ¡ï ¡ï A couple hours past, and Filius had become accustomed to the idea of simply sitting there and listening to the banter between these four kids. However as he partially listened to the conversation, his own thoughts begun to surface. He began to wonder how all this happened. This seemed a little too fast, and he doesn¡¯t even know what he¡¯s capable of (flashing back to the Rune Wolf encounter). He just didn¡¯t understand. This entire situation he was placed in just didn¡¯t make sense to him. But just as he was pondering his own existence, for the third or fourth time so far, he noticed that the four members of his party were staring at him. Filius, overtly surprised by this, quickly looks between the four of them. ¡°You seemed out of it Fil.¡± ¡°Out of it..?¡± ¡°I concur with Tar, you should probably get some sleep.¡± Fillius shook his head. ¡°Well if he¡¯s dat headstrong ¡®bout not sleepin¡¯ then guess we can¡¯t argue can we?¡± ¡°Of course, but I still think it is a good idea to at least get 8 hours of rest. We know an inn that is close by. I have a silver coin which should be good a for a single night there. We¡¯ll come by and grab you in the morning.¡± Maxim slides a silver piece across the table to Filius, who takes it with some hesitation. Filius, seeing the day drawing to a close on him, decided to take Maxim up on his offer and bowed to the party before leaving the guild and making his way towards the inn. ¡ï ¡ï ¡ï After scouring the city around the Adventurer¡¯s Guild for what felt like hours, he eventually came across the inn that Maxim recommended. ¡°The Bellow¡¯s Goat, huh? Classy.¡± Filius, after pondering whether this was a good idea or not, stepped inside. He was greeted to a rather homely atmosphere that felt familiar but oddly distant. It was like a form a deja vu. A repeating scene that only could only be recreated once or twice in a lifetime. But, just as he was being whisked off by the senses of familiarity, a woman, a mother it would seem, came over and knelt down to Filius. ¡°Looks like another young adventurer has stepped into my inn.¡± Filius nodded a bit solemnly before handing her the silver coin. She looked over the coin before looking at the tanned boy. ¡°You want a room for the night yes?¡± He nodded. ¡°Well you¡¯re in luck, I have an unoccupied room in the back for you. This way please.¡± He nodded once more, and followed thereafter. The motherly woman, whom Filius nicknamed ¡°the Mother¡± in his mind, led him up a flight of stairs unto a second floor where he is then led down a corridor before coming to the last door on the left in that corridor. The Mother opened the door to reveal a rather plain-looking room that has been untouched. The room itself has a single king-size bed, a nightstand, a dresser, and a desk with a wooden chair at it. ¡°You can use this room for the night little one. I¡¯ll be back to call you for supper.¡± And with that, he was left alone with only the clothes on his back and an official piece of guild gear (his ID). He clambered into bed, thinking that the day¡¯s events were chaotic enough to warrant at least a little nap. And, sure enough, he fell asleep without a second to spare. He felt as though his body was being carried away by a current of some sort, as he dreamt. He opened his unwaking eyes to see a familiar (yet unfamiliar) blue sky that had puffy white clouds amongst it. He looked around and saw that his body was floating amongst a vast, endless, ocean. He was oddly calm about the scene, and only hesitated to move. But when he did move, he found himself lying atop the surface; his back to its depths. He took a moment to stand, and when he did he looked around and found no-one but himself. Lost in an ocean that wasn¡¯t his own, in a world that wasn¡¯t his own. ¡°Where am I? How did I get here?¡± ¡°This place?¡± Filius whipped around to find a faceless humanoid that harbored pure white skin and no clothes (or even genitalia or mammaries for that matter). ¡°Who are you?!? Where am I?!?¡± ¡°You are Filius Agni, Son of the Lamb, and First Child of the Methuselah.¡± The faceless being looks around. ¡°And this is your Mindscape. A place that your mind views as a safe haven for all kinds of manifestations.¡± ¡°Mindscape??¡± Filius looks around confused. ¡°This place can create whatever I think up?¡± ¡°Yes. Unfortunately, it¡¯s pretty barren at the moment.. But in time it will be vibrant...or...dull... Whichever you choose in the end.¡± Filius would proceed walk towards the being, but it looked as though he wasn¡¯t gaining any ground (or water in this case) ¡°What is a Methuselah? What is this talk of a Lamb? What is going on in this world??¡± ¡°You¡¯ll have to find out about that on your own Filius~!¡± The faceless being gave an amused chuckle that sounded girly in tone. ¡°I may have all the answers, but where¡¯s the fun in simply telling you those answers? I want to see you learn the truths that were so easily kept from you. Think of me as your little omnipresent bird watching your every move. However, that¡¯s about all the time we have together. Sounds like ¡®the Mother¡¯ is coming to call you for food. Might want to get that unless you want starve tonight! Toodaloo Filius Agni!!¡± Before Filius could even hope to respond, he was jolted awake by the sound of knocking; waking up in a fit of cold sweat. ¡°Supper is ready little one!¡± He gave a parched ¡°MHM¡± to let the Mother know he heard her. ¡°Come down when you are ready.¡± Another ¡°MHM¡± followed. Filius sat there on the bed wiping away the sweat, thinking back on who that faceless entity was. Was it some kind of demon, angel, or even a god? He didn¡¯t know. So, he was going to have to give it a name to at least identify it. ¡°The Being¡­ Sounds about right¡­¡± After contemplating the existence of the Being, he went downstairs, got his supper that he paid for with his lodgings, and spent the rest of the night in deep contemplation before turning in. His subsequent dream was a bit nightmarish. Part #005: His First Quest I The morning came with little fanfare; the sounds of birds waking the boy up from his turbulent sleep. Moreover, he could see the light of the morning sun leak through his windows and unto his weary eyes. But, of course, he looked to not be the morning type. However, the morning wasn¡¯t going to allow him to sleep for very long for a rather loud person came stomping into the room; unannounced one might add. Filius peered over at whoever decided to be this loud this early in the morning. That is, to say, it was Rancort. His clear boisterous exclamations and his energetic attitude was as unique as a winter¡¯s snowflake. As such, it was only a reasonable conclusion to make. A conclusion that Filius did not want to draw. ¡°Hey Fil,¡± said Rancort as he plopped on the bed causing the sheets flurl slightly, ¡°Get up will ya! It¡¯s time to go!¡± Filius groaned. ¡°Aww don¡¯t be like dat! Ya will have fun right? Right~?¡± Filius didn¡¯t want to have ¡°fun¡± he just didn¡¯t want to be thrown in jail. And yet here Filius was, getting dragged out of bed by the least favored member in this shotgun of a party. At least, in Filius¡¯ eyes. ¡ï ¡ï ¡ï After a lengthy five minutes of debate and wittingly unwitty dialogue, the two of them exited the inn and met with the rest of the party who was geared to leave. But, they all seemed to have forgotte a key detail that wasn¡¯t addressed at all yesterday. The boy, Filius Agni, did not have a single bit of gear related to his decided class. As such, the party collectively decided that Filius needs to defend himself. Being that he did not have anything whatsoever. So Sister Flora, being older than him by three years (making her eight), took Filius by the hand and brought him to a district within this town. This district, known as the Treasure District by the locals, contained assorted shops, vendors, and other commercial enterprises. You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version. In seeing the various commercial opportunities, Filius felt a little overwhelmed by it all. He didn¡¯t know that such a vibrant economy could exist (seeing the various humanoid races (these being Dragonewt, Dwarf, Elf, etc.) calling out the best sales they have). However this atmosphere, that was honestly too intoxicating for him, was quickly snuffed when he and company entered a weapons and armor shop called the Bitter Nail. The shop, itself, was reasonably decked out with diverse swords, hammers, and bows of various length and composition. The furniture looked prime and fresh while the floors and walls looked as though they¡¯ve aged quite a bit. The shop clerk, who was a human woman of moderate build and middle age, watched as the children looked around the ¡°child¡± section of the store. Indeed, the weapons and armor here were all neatly accommodating to a child, more specifically a child-sized adventurer. However, the price range on some of the items were a bit too high for some the members¡¯ liking; especially Rancort who whimpered at the fact. Despite this they continued to look around the store in search for gear that was suitable enough for their new party member. The shop clerk, upon seeing their persistent effort, called out to them in hopes of getting their attention. ¡°Anything I can be of help with little ones??¡± And like clockwork, Tarvyst was the one to respond. ¡°We¡¯re looking for gear for our newest member. He¡¯s a mage just like I am.¡± ¡°Ah then I might not have any ¡®magical robes¡¯ for your friend. However I do have assorted leathers for him if he¡¯s looking to keep himself as armored as possible while being as light as possible.¡± The shop clerk responded with the same quickness. Furthermore, these two engage in an economical dialogue that not even Filius was able to follow. Nevertheless, Tarvyst was able to acquire studded leather as well as a backpack, some survival supplies, and a child-sized shortsword (or a long-bladed dagger if one was comedic); giving Filius the most basic kit they can afford for him at this time. ¡°Not bad I guess..¡± Filius swung around the shortsword he had gotten and slipped it into its sheath; looking over to his party who was waiting for him. ¡°Are you ready to go Fil?¡± Sister Flora gave him an affirming smile. Filius nodded. ¡°Then let us not dilly dally! We have herbs to go get.¡± Thus, Sister Flora led the party to the western side of town where they were greeted with a gate. As this gate was open, of course, Sister Flora walked over to one of the gate guardsmen who then nodded, and called another guardsman who then placed himself next to the party as a sort of guardian. Filius looked at the man with a perturbed expressino, but the others didn¡¯t seem bothered by it. ¡°Do guardsmen follow child adventuring parties? If so, then what must be the mortality rate for them?¡± After a moment or two of talk between Sister Flora and the gate guardsman, the party is eventually on their way to open fields just west of town. Though, the scenic vestige of artificial outcroppings such as abandoned buildings and fortifications dotted the rolling hills. It was like nature was taking back the very thing man had once conquered. It was peaceful, it was serene. In contrast to the coming events, it would feel like a dream to Filius. A green, peaceful, dream. Part #006: His First Quest II The trip was a staggered one. But, the countryside was a beautiful one. Although the countryside was beautiful, Filius couldn¡¯t help but contemplate how, or even why, the Guild decided to put him in a party. He knew that he was suspected of killing the Thistle¡¯s Rose, but he couldn¡¯t understand why the Guild Master thought it necessary to slot him into another party. Was he testing him? Or was it blind negligence? Filius didn¡¯t know, and possibly wouldn¡¯t know until the truth of this arrangement came to light. But as he was pondering this strange predicament, he noticed Sister Flora had been glancing his way. He could see that Sister Flora was giving him a passing smile that seemed almost genuine were it not for the fact that he still didn¡¯t have any idea on where the party was going or why they were out here in the first place. And just as he was about to indicate his awareness to her glances, the guardsman chimed in. ¡°Where exactly are you kids going? You didn¡¯t exactly specify to the Gate Captain where you were heading.¡± Sister Flora, looking at the gruff man, gave a small smile of knowing. ¡°We¡¯re heading to Lamberg Hills just a half day¡¯s walk from here,¡± she pauses to take in the sights, ¡±We¡¯re going to collect some herbs for my local monastery. The priestess in charge, Mother Hilda, had personally requested that I take my party to Lamberg Hills to gather some Fire Flowers and Green Leaves.¡± Both the guardsman and Filius were surprised by the detailed explanation of the quest in question. ¡°A personal request huh? I wonder what type of requirements are needed for adventurer¡¯s to take personal requests.¡± Filius thought about the prospect for a bit before seeing the guardsman understand the details and give a firm nod to what he¡¯s been told. ¡°Also I¡¯m getting the feeling there¡¯s a lot of negligent people in this world.. Or perhaps it''s gross incompetence, I can¡¯t quite tell.¡± ¡ï ¡ï ¡ïIf you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. After half a day¡¯s march west from the walled city, the party (in addition to the guardsman) would find themselves standing amongst rolling hills with splotches of forest along their slopes and crests. And in addition to the terrain, one could see that the clouds were growing thicker and thicker with each passing hour. It looked as though it was to rain by the night¡¯s hour. Since evening was upon them, the party wanted to make sure they had enough time to scour the various patches of forest for the two herbs specified by the young priestess. As such, the party split into two teams of three and combed the area within twenty (20) meters of the dirt road that had cut its way through the hills. Thus, Filius, Rancort, and Maxim were in one team while Sister Flora, Tarvyst, and the guardsman were in another. Filius, Rancort, and Maxim began their search with Rancort going on and on, in his broken Common (English), about how he would spend his hard earned gold on a sword that was personally designed for him and him alone. Maxim, of course, only retorted with realism saying, ¡°The only good thing to come out of you spending gold is a dead mount on the side of the road.¡± Rancort, obviously, riposte this by terribly (in the sense of the effort made) insulting the boy¡¯s choice of religion. ¡°Ya dink ya high ¡®n mightay, ¡®ell yo religon ish bad! Ha!¡± The two continued this back and forth before Filius gestured for the two to cease their bickering by shushing and putting a finger to his lips. Rancort huffed at this while Maxim simply went back to his searching. ¡°These two will never be on the same page.. Not in an hundred years..¡± Filius watched the two of them separate further from each other, looking in their own private areas. ¡ï ¡ï ¡ï After an hour¡¯s worth of searching, Filius¡¯ team was able to grab four (4) fire flowers and six (6) green leaves. And as the trio was stuffing the herbs into Maxim¡¯s bag, all three could hear a gut wrenching scream from their front to the right. The scream certainly sounded feminine. ¡°Dat ¡®ust be Flora! ¡®Ets go!¡± Maxim nodded, as did Filius. The trio, accordingly, went in the direction of where the scream came from, hoping to figure out what exactly happened. Part #007: His First Kill Running over to the sounds of chaos and shrilly horror, the boys come to lay their eyes upon a scene the likes of which none of them were prepared to see. The guardsman, who been assigned to the party for extra protection on the basis of them being children, was found having his chin, chest, and right thigh, stabbed through by blade-like protrusions coming from some sort of arachnoid. This arachnoid, who looked to be fairly intent on killing everything within range of its blade-like protrusions, turned towards the screaming Sister Flora; clearly irritated by the shrill. But what were all the boys in the immediate area doing? Well Tarvyst, was clearly shaken by the sudden appearance of the creature, and the other three boys were also just as shaken. However, both Maxim and Rancort stepped in to snap Tarvyst out of it and get him up to his feet (as he was on the ground at the moment of contact). Filius, watching the boys closely, could see that this party was not prepared for something that could fell a grown man in mere seconds. ¡°Dammit! I wish I could speak Common!¡± However, as Filius thought about possibly contingencies, the three boys got into a defensive arc around Sister Flora who was quaking in her boots (per-say). Filius could see that Maxim had taken charge of the situation, and had ordered Rancort to ¡°aggro¡± the creature while he ordered Tarvyst to prepare a spell. The three boys were in seamless cohesion, which, to Filius, meant that they had seen a few battles in their tenure. And due to the cohesion, they prepared to strike the vicious-looking, blade-wielding, arachnoid. ¡ï ¡ï ¡ï When the tension in air erupted into battle, Rancort was the first to move. His motion was swift and without pause as he came in from the creature¡¯s right and swung at one of its hairy legs. However, the creature was a bit faster than him and had came to block the attack from his sword. But just as the arachnoid blocked this attack, another came in from its left without warning. A sudden flash of purple-light zapped through the air with a crack and a boom, afterwhich there was sudden shriek of pain from the creature. What could be seen is that there was a smouldered hole, about a half meter wide, in the creature¡¯s abdomen. This hole pussed with greenish-black coagulent that dripped onto the ground. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it. Even though this was a clear hit, the arachnoid was even more furious about its pain. And as such, proceeded to swing wildly at Rancort who was the closest. This, of course, was too much for Rancort to handle and was forced to back up. But, the creature¡¯s speed and agility was something that was unprecedented. As a result, Rancort was struck through the skull by a flailing blade; cutting straight through the forehead and bridge. At that moment, Rancort was dead. Though with Rancort dead, this caused a spark to ignite inside of Filius. This spark, grew into a black flame and this black flame grew into a black inferno. Filius was pissed. This anger that festered in Filius came forth through the extension of his teeth and hair; his eyes became red slits. His mind, of course, went blank as his anger superseded his conscious thought (of which was questioning why he was getting angry over the death of some kid like Rancort). He took up arms, having unsheathed his blade, and stepped out of the cover he was hiding behind. And, with one swift motion, he was before the creature. He stuck out a free hand, and drained some sort of life force from both corpses; mummifying them in the process. And having taken this energy, he proceeded to call forth a bolt of black-red fire that zigzagged through the air. Indeed it found its target and that was to be the creature¡¯s head. But this blackish-red firebolt did so much damage to the creature, that it blew a meter-wide hole where the left side of its eyes should have been. Once the creature ceased to function, Filius turned towards the remaining members of this party who, of course, were absolutely terrified by the power Filius displayed. And as he stepped forward a few paces, Maxim readied his sword while Tarvyst prepared another spell. ¡°Don¡¯t come any closer Fil!¡± Maxim called out, causing Filius to stop mid-stride. ¡°I...We.. Don¡¯t know what you are, or what you did, but that sure as Hell isn¡¯t coming anywhere near us!¡± Filius, in this state, stared at the remaining members with contempt before continuing to walk towards them; the vegitation experience decay. ¡°I SAID STOP DAM--¡± There was sudden pull of gravity, as Maxim was thrown to the side; his back colided with tree-trunk. There was a distinct snap with the collision. ¡°SHIT! MAXIM!¡± Tarvyst looked over towards the unconscious Maxim, but it was too late for the mage to react as Filius had already drove a blade through the young boy¡¯s chest. This was to be Tarvyst''s death. Sister Flora shrieked as she saw both Tarvyst and Maxim go down without a hitch. Filius, who looked at her eye-to-eye, grabbed her shoulder, smiled, and then proceeded to open his mouth wide; the bottom jaw splitting in half-revealing rows of serrated teeth. A moment later, Filius was gnawing at the face of the Sister who was (futilely) calling for help, muffled by the sounds of gnawing flesh and bone as well as blood-clogged gargles. The sounds of horror, of which there was only one, would fade into the twilight. Part #008: No Rest for the Disturbed It was a failure. A failure of the highest esteem. Filius, upon regaining the necessary consciousness, realized this major fumble with a delayed response. He screamed, at the top of his lungs; shedding tears of anguish. He couldn''t believe what he had just done. He knew this will come back to haunt him. Although, he couldn''t exactly fathom the scope in which this event will expand within. The implications are astronomical to the say the least. But he knew he couldn''t go back to town with just him for the second time. This would immediately count him as a suspect and would have been put in jail without a second thought. And with this entire event now being settled firmly on his shoulders, the sense that the Guildmaster might have known this would be the result of him going with the party was becoming more and more of a reality. "This is a test," he thought, "The Guildmaster must have been testing to me to see if I would strike again as the possible murderer!! Awhhh God... He knew...!!" But while Filius was thinking about this in the darkness of the night, there came the sound of rustling from a set of bushes to his right. Filius, upon hearing the sound, immediately looked in that direction but could not see anything due to the pitch darkness of the night. "Who''s there!?" "Son of the Lamb. First Child of the Methusaleh." "You again!?!" There was tangible anger in his thoughts. "What the Hell are you doing here!?!" "I came to a bring you a message. ''What you seek will be in the mountains.'' That is all." "What you seek will be in the mountains???" "I say what I mean, and mean what I say." There was the sound of rustling as something treads away into the depths of the darkness.Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. Filius, having received this message, finds a tree close by andsat up against it;engrossed inunquenchable anguish. Furthermore, he had cried himself to sleep by the time the morning light came. ¡ï ¡ï ¡ï The following morning resulted in Filius walking back to town, knowing that he''d arrive without any of his party members or the guardsman that would be with them. And just as he arrived at the westerly gate, the Gate Captain from before stopped him. This old-looking man glanced around for anyone else before he looked back down at the boy. "Where is everyone son?" Filius would shake his head, showing a facade expression of sadness. The Gate Captain''s face would grimace at this beforehe took the boy by the shoulder rather firmly and brought the boy to the Adventurer''s Guild, having orderedone of his men to man his post while he was gone. After a few minutes of silent walking, Filius was brought back to the Adventurer''s Guild, but his presence wouldn''t go unnoticed by those in the main hall. "What have I done?" He thought as he can hear the various murmurs of adventurers gossiping. The boy was pushed forward towards the counter before the Gate Captain spoke with a heavy tone and concussive tone. "Bring your Guildmaster here this instant!" The man working the counter leaned back a bit, surprised by the sudden outburst by the guardsman and nodded before having left his counter; rushing into the back. The Gate Captain looked around the main hall at those that were gossiping and said, "You all should be ashamed of yourselves! You let a group of children out in a world as dangerous as ours! What? So you can achieve glory and honor among your peers!? HORSESHIT! This guild should be disbanded for promoting child murder!!" And this monologue was met with a vehement response of boos and "Get the fuck outta here." The Gate Captain stood his ground, though, firm in his statements. Filius, on the other hand, begun to feeleven more guilty than hehad before. He had sunken low against the counter knowing exactly whatoccurred out there. As such, the depths of faultiness continued to stack on his shoulders. However, this faultiness would come to stack a hundred-fold as the Guildmaster arrived with a stern, and even deadly, look upon his face. Moreover, Filius knew this wasn''t going to pretty for him, for this Gate Captain, or even the Guild as a whole. Part #009: The Decision we all Must Make The arrival of the Guildmaster brought with it a sense of growing anxiety. Everyone, say for the clerks who were tending to others at this moment, were in a fit of absolute silence. No-one spoke a word. But, as everyone stared on in anxious silence, the Guildmaster broke said silence with a voice that echoed throughout the hall. "What seems to be issue Gate Captain?" The Gate Captain, who had silently gulped, took his breath and spoke clearly and concisely. "A party of young ones left for the hilled forests to the west a day ago, and now only one comes back alive." The Gate Captain came forward and slammed his hands onto the counter, "Tell me why I shouldn''t report this to the Mayor for the clear negligence on part of the Adventurer''s Guild!" The Guildmaster looked over the counter at the slumped Filius before he looked back at the Gate Captain. "Hm. Well I would be the one to report this to the Mayor as this is connected to a series of deaths that surround this very child." The Gate Captain, surprised by this, didn''t know that this child was under suspicion for the death of another party. "Then this boy must be some kind of herald of death.." "It is certainly possible," the Guildmaster reached over the counter and picked the boy up by the scruff of his collar, "But for now we will take care of him. You need not worry about him as this is a guild matter." "But--" "This is a guild matter guardsman," the Guildmaster glared at the man with deadly ferocity. "Or do you think it wise to step in on guild matters when it is not in your jurisdiction?" This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work. The Gate Captain frowned before he huffed and stomped out. The Guildmaster looked to the hall of those that were watching the situation unfold. He lifted a hand before everyone went about their business, having returned to a sense of normalcy. However, the Guildmaster was clearly angered by the situation and proceeded to drag the boy to his office. Though, Filius had mentally checked out at this point. The boy, deep in his own subconscious, tried to make sense of the coming prosecution. He tried his damnedest to see the light at the end of the tunnel, but all he could see was the proposed darkness that would engulf him at a moment''s notice. Nevetheless, he was propped up in a chair that sat in front of the Guildmaster''s desk. And there was sounds of him shuffling papers, but that would quickly be succeeded by him having cleared his throat. "So, kid, looks like I was right about you." Filius was still checked out. "I was skeptical to think that a boy, at the age of five, was capable of killing grown adults.. But from what Arlade has told me, and now this.. It''s only reasonable to assume that you''re something that could potentially disrupt the status quo here.. And I hate to do this to a kid but, I''ve got to lock you up for a while until we can get this sorted out." Filius sank deeper into his own mind. "And just so we''re clear, I harbor no malice towards you. This is a matter that has deepened to point that the authorities might very well get involved. So it''s only safe to have you behind bars until we can determine whether or not you were the one at fault." Filius nodded slowly, having accepted his fate at this point. And thus, the Guildmaster personally called for two guardsmen who came and took the boy away without any fuss. The next thing Filius knew, he was sitting in a cell with another occupant inside who was sat up against the wall in the back. This left Filius on the cold hard floor, almost dead in position. Part #010: A Darker Serenity A few hours came and went without much fanfare. Filius, whowas fastasleep by this point, woke up with cold sweats after having dreamt a horrid dream. He looked around frantically at first, but then realized that he was still in jail and that what he saw wasn''t a dream. But after having woken up, he could see that there was someone there with him. He couldn''t necessarily make out who they were, as they were wearing robes that obscured their face, but he knew that this person was at least conscious enough to stir when he had begun moving. "Who the hell is that?" He thought as he slowly crawled over, and poked the foot of the person who then stirred a little more. And, upon this realization, begunpoking them some more until, eventually, they would wake. "Uhhhuh? Who''s there--" A single eye pierced the obscurity and strayed across the cell before resting upon the boy who was there at their feet. Filius and this stranger locked eyes for a moment before Filius was met with a barefoot to the face. Filius held his nose in pain. "Who the hell are you and why are you touching my feet you perv?" Filius looked at the person and glared at them with a sense of contempt. The stranger didn''t care for the glare, and simply adjusted themselves, seemingly prepared to kick Filius once more if he did not answer. And so, Filius, having sensed there was to be another kick on the way, fixed his attitude and gestured in a fashion that was similar to surrendering.This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. "Hm. Alright then," the voice lowered their guard slightly. "Again, who the hell are you?" "F...ill...ius...." "Filius?" He nodded. "Hm. What did you do to get thrown in jail kid?" Filius gestured in a way that described death. "Murder huh?" Filius rested his shoulders, defeated at this fact. "Well that''s nothing special, if you were an adult, but a kid is definitely an oddity. The names Sybel. Or, at least, that''s what the people at my orphanage once called me." Filius looked over the person, as they revealed themselves, and saw that it was a woman. One of red flowing hair that lengthed down to the shoulders, deep crimson eyes, and complexion that was tattered but still maintained a sense of rugged beauty. Her skin was caucasian, but harbored a paleness to it; possibly due to being locked up for so long. Though Filius, caught off guard by the woman, rolled back a few feet to gain some distance between the two of them. "Heh.. Never seen a beautiful lady before~?" Filius rolled his eyes at this, having noted the sarcastic tone in her voice. "Awh come on, it''s been awhile since I had anyone in my cell before.. The last time someone was in my cell I brutally murdered them; not before exploiting their corpse of course." Filius paused for a moment, processing what she just said. "So a murderer,anda necrophiliac.. Great.." "So tell me Filius, what''s with the whole red eyes, and white hair thing?" Filius gestures towards his throat and makes a talking motion with his hand. "Can''t speak common too well huh? I guess in order to get something out of you, I''ll have to teach you some things.. How does that sound?" Filius nodded fervently. "Well let''s get to it then, eh??" Part #011 - Interlude #1: Let there to be Fire While the young one and his new companion were hard at working understanding the rather simplistic (yet complex) machinations of Common, another person was watching them from a perched point on the corner of some building across the way. "It looks as though he is coming along swimmingly." A voice spoke softly as they observed the two. "Will they be ready?" Another voice interjected from behind as they too observed. "Hard to say. I''d give the boy a little over six (6) years." "Hm. Then we''ll continue to watch over him till he is ready." "It''s exciting!" The voice that arrived scoffed at that.
The Guildmaster looked over three other individuals who sat a table that was decorately designed. He seemed particularly perturbed by the events that have taken place within his Guild. He was fidgeting with his fingers, and mumbling obscenities that were only audible if one paid close enough attention to it. But, as he does this the other three individuals were talking amongst themselves; seemingly arguing what they should do next. "We cannot simply allow this to stand. We should have never allowed children to participate in the Adventurer''s Guild." "Yes, yes," said a voice hand-waving away the statement, "But our economy is failing. After the arrival of the Ouroboros in the eastern states, this country''s infrastructure and economy has taken a massive hit. We were barely able to finish the projects that were proposed for this year. We need every boot we have on the ground to prepare for the inevitable arrival of these things!" You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story. The other individual scoffed at that, and said, "But to put children in harms way only hurts the later generations! We may not even have a generation if all of the children are dying to horrid creatures! And what of those adventurers sitting in the guild right now? What about them? Aren''t they perfectly capable of handling the same amount of work as the children!?" The opposing individual fell silent. The Guildmaster looked between the three and spoke with a heavy-set tone. "Look. I didn''t imagine that the law you put in place would get out of hand this quickly. There is clear negligence on all levels of this administration. However, it would be in our best interest to inform the children that are already in the guild of the dangers, and not allow any more. If they wish to stay after that, they can. How does that sound?" There was a glint of darkness in his eyes. The individuals, who looked to be public officials, looked between each other and agreed with the Guildmaster who gave a sigh of relief. "Next, what of the dark-skinned boy?" The Guildmaster leaned back in his chair, and gave a deep sigh. "He''s currently in holding. Until we can figure out exactly what happened, he''ll remain there." "What have you found?" The Guildmaster leaned forward a bit, "Apparently the corpses of the Thistle''s Rose were discovered as of this morning. However, a disturbing detail was learned in that their corpses were dried out and mummified." "Just like the Ouroboros!" One of the public officials gasped at this revelation. The Guildmaster nods, "We may have a member of the Ouroboros walking among us.." "Then that is a cause for concern!" Said the same official. He nods once more. "Indeed, but the only suspect we have in that case is the boy. And I doubt he''s capable of something like what the Ouroboros are capable of. However, what conflicts with that doubt is what happened with the children. Apparently from the survivor, a would-be knight, the boy was capable of subduing a Blade Spider in one swipe of his sword. However, he proceeded murder the children." "Then he must be hanged." Said another official. "This kind of tragedy must not go unpunished." "I agree with you there," the Guildmaster said, his fists tightening, "However if this child really is a member of the Ouroboros, then we cannot simply hang it as it would possibly retailiate. We need a more subtle way of disposing the child." "Then might I propose assassination?" Part #012 - The Calm before Calamity A month came and went without a second thought. Sybel had a strange, but easy, time teaching the boy Common. It was as though the boy was a sort of mind sponge, soaking up any and all information pertaining to the subject at hand. However when all was said and done, a guard came forth from down the hall; unlocking the cell''s caged door. "Boy! You''re being let out! Same with you, you freak!" "About time! I was starting to wonder when I''d get my last meal." Sybel smiled underneath her cloak. "Y-Yeah..." Filius spoke his first word and, to him, it was a glorious first word. The guard gave a disgusted look at the boy before he gestured for them to get out. Sybel and Filius, of course, left the jail cell and are then escorted by four guards; two in the front, two in the back. "Well this doesn''t look too good," Sybel whispers to Filius with a glare, "We may be reaching the end of the line." If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. "B-But!" "HEY!" The pummel of a sword connects with the back of Filius'' head. "NO! TALKING!" Filius held the back of his head, contempt growing inside him. Sybel looked forward, eyes burning with hatred. The two of them entered a courtyard where a wooden platform awaited them. Filius looked to be fearful, while Sybel looked to be wrathful. Bothlooked towards the platform with wonder. But after having arrived at the platform, and stood within the middle. The two of them were left alone with an executioner who seemed to be inhumanly angry. His body form did not match any known human either of them had seen up until this point. However as they stood and waited forsomething to happen, a group of people came out from one of the many courtyard gates and stepped out into the light. The faces of whom Filius saw among the group were startling, but yet expected given his circumstances. He saw the Head Clerk as well as the Guildmaster from among the people present as this seemingly glorified execution. "S-Syb-bel?" "I know.. Just sit still while I think of something.." She seemed to be examining the courtyard around her for a possible means of escape. Nothing really yielded any favorable results. Part #013 - Necropolis I The possible means of escape were effectively cut. Nothing looked promising to Sybel. As for little Filius, he was absolutely mortified. He couldn''t comprehend the situation as clearly as Sybel, but he understood that where he stood was where others have died. He didn''t know what to do, he didn''t even know what to think. His mind was absent of any real thought other than, "I''m going to die." This same phrase repeated over, and over, and over until it was all that filled the void conscious thought. As the group standing in front of this wooden platform quieted down from a conversation they were having amongst themselves, one of them stepped forward and rolled out a scroll. This person read the following decree aloud for all in the courtyard to hear: "By order of the Ninth Sect, and all subsequent denominations as well as the Queen Regent of our Glorious Country, these two criminals are to be put to death for their crimes against the living and the dead."The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation. "I told you that it''s only a facination with the dead!" "They are to be put to death via executioner." Filius looked even more terrified that, after everything, he was just going to bite the dust just like that. No grand spectacle, no fiery explosions...nothing... This realization of nonexistence began to sit, idled in his stomach. He just couldn''t bear the weight of knowing that he''ll cease to exist after this. He didn''t know where he was or how he got here, but all he knew was that this place was not the world he knew and that he may not get a third chance after this. So he quietly murmured to himself, having fallen into a deep state of despair that he had not reached before. "H-Hey Fil! Stay with me," Sybel whispered over to him in order to try to get him to snap out of it. "FILIUS!!" She whisper-yelled at him to no avail. He was gone, he had completely given up at this point. Part #014 - Necropolis II Sybel and Filius both knew that there wasn''t really a way out of this mess. Sybel frantically looked for a way out, but nothing presented itself. And so, they were doomed to a death that most befitted them. A beheading. As the two of them were put to the slab, all that was brought to the minds of both them was that this would be the last they see each other. The last time they''d talk, even if it was for a short while. "Hey kid," said Sybel who eyed the dead-eyed boy from over her shoulder, "I''ll meet you in Hell!" Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author. The moment came as the axe sliced the very air itself. And there was silence. The blade had sliced clean through the woman''s neck; gushing for blood at an uncontrolled rate. This, of course, caused those watching to either cringe or step away. They knew that a monster was finally done away with. After the blood was roughly cleaned, and the body was discarded, it was the boy''s turn. He, of course, had resigned to his fate by this point. He wasted this life trying to survive, only for him to be made a criminal and put to death weeks into this world. "I cause...It was pointless to fight..." As his head was put to the slab, the executioner brought the axe down upon the boys neck. The boy waited, and waited. And yet..nothing happened... Part #015: Necropolis III & The Beginning Silence... Silence was all that was, and all that ever has been... The twirling cacophony of nothing... And yet, there was an odd tranquility to it all.. A tranquility that the boy, Filius Agni, had never once enjoyed in all his time here on this earth... But even as the consquence of being born as something extraordinary was ever present, he could feel that the winds of fate were most certainly in his favor... And in the violent fervor of past actions, he could now see what had been nagging at the back of his conscience... It was freedom... Freedom to choose, freedom to decide what he wanted to do... Freedom was all that he wanted from this hell-hole he fell into.. As such, as time slowed to a crawl, mere moments before his demise, he pulled his head away from the slab... Looking around at his surroundings... Unsure of what happened... Fillius took a brief moment to understand his surroundings before looking over to the corpse of Sybil; a friend who had taught him a great many things about the world and the language of which he had come to comprehend with some clarity. He could see how everything was in a standstill. Nothing moved, nothing breathed. The world, itself, was frozen in a moment that would have spelt the end. And yet, he tried to process what was happening, but all he could draw were blanks upon blanks. "What is going?" He thought as his words weren''t quite reaching his voice. "This is a byproduct of our intervention." A voice that echoed around him spoke with thunderous appeal. "Intervention? By who!?" Filius looked around, but could not place a sight to the voice. "That is none of your concern at the moment. What is of your concern is you living. You must live. If you are to die then this effort would have been for nothing.. As such, we are intervening this one and only time to ensure your development is as we have prophesized." Filius couldn''t process what he was being told, and simply stood there; mesmerized by it all. "Take the corpse of your mentor, and leave this place. We will handle them." Filius looked to the corpse of Sybil and immediately scrambled to drag her body as a bag suddenly appeared next to the head. "Do not return here until you have become powerful enough to lay waste to your enemies." Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon. Filius fervently nodded, not even taking into account what this voice had just said. All he cared about was taking the head and the body and leaving this place at a moment''s notice. And he did so. However it wouldn''t be until Filius left the town did time resume. He was out in the fields to the south hustling towards the nearest treeline. He wasn''t sure what happened, but all he knew was that he was freed from that prison. The shackles of bureaucracy having been unclamped from his ankles. And yet this realization would not set in until he was a good ten to fifteen miles (sixteen to twenty-four kilometers) away from the town. Even more so did he see a bright light eclipse the horizon. Seconds past and before long a strong gust of wind tore through the area, causing several trees to be knocked over and other debris to be kicked up. "What...the...?" He watched as a dome of white light rippled in his vision before dissipating into nothing. After that, he sat down at a tree (who''s stump remained even though the tree itself had been knocked over). He looked off in that direction as he wondered what he would do after this.. Where was he going to go? Was there anywhere to go for that matter? The answer to this was surprisingly swift and painless as a voice emerge from behind. "A nice day to watch a city get fucking destroyed huh?" Filius shot up with a start as he looked over his left shoulder at the figure. The figure, who looked to be androgynous if such a term was accurate enough, leaned against the downed tree and looked over in the direction of the town. "Yeah.. It''s pretty exciting to know that this world is falling into chaos all because a Methuselah was born. Heh, it''s actually fucking hilarious to think that a little shit like you is that Methuselah. Honestly, I thought you''d be dead by now, but by the grace of the Goddess here you are standing before me." "What...do...you...want?" Filius looked prepared to run at a moment''s notice. "Oh! I almost forgot!" The figure knelt to Filius. "My name is Leom, and I''m an Envoy of the Fifth Index. I''m here to specifically observe, and intervene when necessary, on the development of the fabled Methuselah. And now that the methuselah, by some fucking miracle, is here and has not died yet, I''m going to be bringing you in. Not to arrest you or some stupid fucking shit like that. No. The reason I''m bringing you in is because you''ve got a power that this world doesn''t really find beautiful. In fact, they find it revolting. I for one say fuck them, and fuck what they stand for." Filius was dead silent, his stance lifted softly after realizing that this person wasn''t here to kill him. "Anyway, ramblings aside, if you''ll come with me," they snap their fingers and a tear in the fabric of reality appears behind them, "I''ll get you acquianted the boss-man." ? ? ? ? After following the strange person, and seeing no other option at this point, Filius, with Sybil''s body in toe, arrived in an extravagant foyer that looked to be gothic in construction. The foyer was relatively large, encompassing two flights of stairs on either side towards one end and a chandlier dangling over the top of the central area of the room. The colors were that of red, black, white, and some grey with various cloths varying on the shades of those four colors. There were also furniture and miscenllaneous items scattered about to create a homely feel, even though some areas were definitely decrepit. Nevertheless, Filius was led through the foyer, up the left flight of stairs, and into a hallway that allowed for two people to walk side-by-side. And, looking around, Filius was definitely made aware of how decrepit everything looked. Even though the art and other furniture was surprisingly well kept. He didn''t really like where this was going. But, after walking for what seemed like ages through winding halls, he arrived at double doors that were made of aged wood (with the handles being metal). "Though here is the boss of our little troupe. So you better be on your best behavior you little shit." They gave him a slap on the back as he took Sybil''s body. "I''ll be taking this off your hands for the time being.. Don''t worry, I won''t fuck her corpse.. In fact, I''m just going to give her a pick-me-up." They give a wink that Filius couldn''t tell was genuine or sadistic. Filius, then, returned his sights to the double doors before proceeding to open them, hoping for a breakthrough on the otherside. Part #016: A Whispering Deaf Though there was to be a sort of idle silence in the room, Filius could feel the mounting pressure build. He began to fidget in place as he stood there before a mahogany desk where a sharply dressed old man sat, eyeing him with serious tension. "Filius Agni." The old man spoke with a slow, bass-boosted, tone. "We''ve been watching you since you first made planetfall. We were wondering when a Methuselah was going to grace our world, and lo and behold here you stand before me. A black flame on a dark night." Filius was confused. What was this man even going on about? Black flame? Planetfall? And that damned noun again, Methuselah. What does that even mean!? "That aside, you might be wondering why you''re here. To put it simply, you''re a danger to this world.. A force that cannot be quelled through any ordinary means.. I''m sure you''ve witnessed it.." A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. Filius thinks back to the magic test in the guild, and how the mirrors cracked and the orb almost exploded due to an immense surge of power that came from him or when he killed those kids or that runewolf. But upon returning to reality, he looked at his hands. He knew he was a danger to this world, but he just couldn''t fathom the scope at which his danger covered. "A Methuselah," he pauses for a moment seeing the boy contemplating his power, "Is a being of necromantic origins. You see, they are not like your traditional Lich. Unlike a Lich they do not need to rely a phylactery. They absorb the souls into themselves, and gain power from that. And since these...overliches...are so powerful only one can be created in any given era.. Which is where you come in.. I do not know who brought you here, or why they did so, but your existence means that this era is ending and a new one is just beginning." "So...I...am...a...monster?" The old man nods, "You''re more than a lowly monster.. You''re a mortal god.."