《Wraith-touched》 Prologue Prologue The final blow was struck. The head of the demon king''s general lay rolling on the barren ground, bleeding black ichor from the stump that was once its neck.The deformed, black armor clad body sprawled broken on the fields of battle, yet it was not an easy feat. The man who struck the demon down, Ranvarius, lover of the angel Sophriel, The dragon''s chosen and The king of blades, knelt in exhaustion. He clutched at his stomach, where a wound oozing lethal amounts of blood pained him. "A mortal blow, what a blunder!" He chided himself while laughing ironically. The man layed down slowly, giving up on trying to slow the bleeding from his grievous wound and sighed. He turned his gaze to the sword planted into the ground beside him, a magnificent long sword, Bloodied yet still able to gleam softly even in the darkness.This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. Ranvarius smiled at the sword that served him through many trials and tribulations over the course of his life and thanked it silently from the bottom of his heart. A strange coldness started to take grip on him, making him shiver softly. Knowing full well that his time was nearly up, he looked up towards the sky one last time, a sky filled with darkness and death, a sky where no one could live free and happily. The man silently cursed his luck and whispered the only regret he harbored in his heart, the one thing he wished for the most but never received "Sophie...." . He slowly losed his eyes as the cold started to envelop his whole body, though the last second before his eyes closed, glimmers of light started to pierce through the sunless and deathly sky. As the soft and soothing warmth of the trickling light touched his face, he smiled. The age of darkness and death was finally over, and he nearly felt at peace. In the end, he believed his sacrifice was worth it, after all, he devoted his life to this very pursuit, he gave everything he had until he was utterly spent, he never stopped until his body was battered and broken. He has lived for this very moment, a moment where peace can finally reign and his people freed. Yet, why did he feel so empty? Chapter 1 Chapter 1 The smell of mint and perfume permeated through the air. A thick scent, more than enough to make someone cough upon inhaling it. Rays of sunlight began raining down upon a fallen soldier''s face out in the open desert, starting to heat up and burn his weathered skin. His body was covered in dirt, dust and grime, it was obvious he had layed there for quite some time, almost abnormally so, as none of his body showed any signs of decomposition whatsoever. If one observed him from afar, he could easily be mistaken for a corpse, but upon closer inspection, almost inaudible to the human ear, slight breathing still emanated from the supposed "corpse". Feeling the searing heat of the sun upon his body, the man was awoken from his almost timeless slumber. "ARGHHH" He screamed as he jumped up shaking off the dust clinging to his clothing. Shards of metal fell from his once grand armor fell to the ground, worn down by tear and time, and he himself was still groggy and confused from being suddenly awakened. Breathing heavily, he sat down and looked at the palms of his hands. "How am I still....." He questioned himself in his mind trying to remember details of his past, but only pain greeted him in return. Deep inside, the man knew he should be dead, he knew that ages before, he fought and died, but who he was, what he fought for and why he was inexplicably still breathing escaped him.This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. He touched his stomach through the hole in his armor, a gaping hole, no doubt caused by some monstrous blow. He surmised that this was the wound that felled him, but there was no wound there, he was touching flesh, clear and unharmed,however it was blemished by scars. He sighed and looked around. A field of colorful flowers surrounded him, but immediately after was a large sprawling desert where no plant life existed. These flowers, colored red, blue and emerald green were the ones that emitted the strange scent that flowed throughout the area. The flower petals were crystalline, yet soft to the touch, changing its shade whenever it was held. The scent and appearance of the flowers made him feel at ease, though he did not know why. The man looked up at the sky and saw the grand and blue shimmering heavens above him, along with the blazing sun. Though the heat was uncomfortable, the brightness of the sky filled him with unexplainable joy and hope. He unknowingly cracked at small smile at the sight. Standing up, he stumbled slightly and lost balance for a split second, still unsteady on his feet after his long slumber. A small glint in the corner of his eye caught his attention. He turned his gaze towards it and saw a small metal object partially buried beneath the sand behind a crimson flower. Piquing his interest, he knelt down and carefully brushed the sand away, not wanting to harm the beautiful flower. Picking it up, he brushed the sand sticking onto the small metal object and saw that it was a ring, not quite big enough to fit on his fingers but had a string attached to it in order to wear as a necklace. The ring was made of blue metal, engraved with markings of a writing yet unknown to him. He felt that the ring somehow bore great importance for him, something he treasured dearly in his past. Clutching it tightly in his hand, he slowly wore it as a necklace, using the string attached to it. As he did, he heard a small whisper, he couldn''t make out everything that was said except "Ranvarius, I" He sighed "Ranvarius, huh? guess that''s my only lead...." as he set off on his journey to remember who he was, and why he still lives. Chapter 2 Chapter 2 Wandering aimlesly through the desert, drops of sweat streaked down his face. A dry gust was blowing through the area, making his hair, which had gotten uncomfortably long during his slumber, scatter and flutter in the wind. A patch of sand flew and struck his face, but the man simply coughed and wiped it off with his hand. As he travelled, his broken armor fell into even further disrepair, it''s pieces breaking off and left behind to be forgotten on the ever shifting sands Walking further away from the flower fields, the sweet and almost intoxicating scent of mint and perfume started to fade, instead being replaced by a foul stench of rotting meat that assaulted his nose. Large patches of sand were dyed black, forever stained by the demonic beasts that were slain there. Multitudes of scattered bones, both human and otherwise, remain lifeless on the barren and dry surface of the desert. It was clear that a great battle was once fought here. The man pondered if he was also one of the casualties of the conflict and sighed, knowing he would not likely receive anything of importance here. Nevertheless, he grimaced at the sight and smell of the stained sands, his heart throbbing at the sight of countless fallen soldiers. He bowed his head in respect then continued along his way across the field of death. The stench continued to invade his sense of smell and made it almost unbearable to pass through, but he shook his head in defiance and started to hold his breathReading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. The man started to run, trying to cross the field as quickly as he possibly could, but he felt sluggish and weak, falling down onto the sand multiple times. Eventually succumbing to the need for oxygen, he breathed in heavily, once more expecting to be abhorred by the terrible scent of carrion, but was unexpectedly greeted by something else entirely. The stench no longer deterred him, it somehow started to allure his senses. As he looked around and continued to gaze at the death that surrounded him, he felt a strange sensation. A sense of hunger started to grow within him. It was not physical hunger, not like how one would hunger for bread and wheat, instead he felt a strange craving for something else, something he was not familiar with. This new and unknown sense of desire welled up inside him, bidding him to touch the scattered bones on the ground, daring him to consume the essence of humanity and it''s demise. Slowly reaching out towards the remains of the fallen, he quickly pulled himself back at the last moment, somehow resisting the supernatural temptation. He closed his eyes and tried to steady himself, he clenched his teeth and fists while walking towards the edge of the area. It took every ounce of willpower he had within him to resist the despicable hunger he possessed. He staggered as he walked up a mound that separated the field from the rest of the desert. Reaching the top, he fell on his knees and breathed in. He was finally free of the stench that possessed him, and the hunger that mysteriously surfaced within him was still present, though slowly dying down. He raised his head and saw the edge of the dry, barren wastes. The immediate area was surrounded by lush and verdant fields, along with multiple structures in close proximity to each other not far behind. Even further behind it was a grand tower, towering and gleaming in the sunlight. It was tall enough to pierce the heavens and bright enough to be seen even from where the man knelt. The tower, though extremely far, somehow beckoned to him, it tugged at his mind and called for him. With renewed determination, he stood up. With broken armor, but an unbroken spirit, he set out to travel towards what he assumes is a town in the distance. Now with a goal in mind, he set his eyes towards the tower and wondered what fate would await him there.