《Bound by life and death》


 #1 Where one blossoms another shall wilt

    Deep in the middle of an ancient forest ruled by no man was two great trees. The first a withering tree with bark as dark as the abyss, which it''s branches held but a single deep blue leaf which wavered in the wind. The other a tree with a bark of brilliant white which matched that of the heavens, like it''s counterpart it also held a single leaf, but this leaf was dark emerald in colour.


    No one dared to enter the forest as they believed it to be cursed by the gods vita and mortem, and only those who have been chosen by the gods may enter. As what lay within could change the balance of this world and the next.


    This world consists of five separate realms, each closely linked together to form the great pillars of the world, the world I speak of is known as, Terrarum! The five consist of the overworld, this realm is the plaything of the gods, it is devoured by destruction, plagued by poverty and it is a battleground  of supremacy. It is also the home of ferocious monsters. The likes of which give even the most battle hardened warriors nightmares.


    The upperworld, this realm belongs to gods. This is were the gods battle for the throne of kings, granting them the power to rebuild the world as they see fit, but it has sat dormant for over 2000 years, creating mans longest reign since their creation 457,000 years ago.


    The underworld, this realm belongs to demons. it is a wasteland engulfed in fire and drowned in the screams of the suffering, the realm is only hospitable to demons and the undead. They care little of the other realms, refusing to interfere with their wars.


    otherworld, more commonly known as the spirit world. This is where the dead and other spiritual creatures roam freely in a world quite like our own. Most mortals who come here are possessed by spirit, seeking to use them as mediums from which to wreak havoc on the overworld.


    Finally the connected world, the beings from this world are immortal with the ability to resurrect in a nearby town every 3 days after death. They are motivated by money, power and fame they are mercenaries. They are known as slayers.


    The world was in grave danger and without champions to lead it the world would most likely end. Thankfully the gods and devils had already chosen their heros.


    Near the outskirts of the forest lay a shrine to Mortem and Tenebris the gods of death and darkness. This shrine was built within a town belonging to a cult of blood mages and necromancers, who spent there life eradicating those who walked in the path of the light. Within this village a child was born, a champion of light (someone born with light affinity). Around the age of one the child''s powers flourished at an astounding rate. This did not go unnoticed by the cult''s elders and a village wide search was issued for the child. When the child''s mother heard the news she packed and ran from the village towards the forest, she kept running until she could run no more. After a while she collapsed in front of a white tree and lay the child in between some roots kissed it on the fore head and lay by the child''s side smiled and took her last breath before a tear ran down her cheek and she died.


    Meanwhile on the otherside of the forest and many miles away. A holy family who worshiped the goddess of the moon and were the most prominent religious figures in the city, the heads of the family gave birth to their third child a beautiful daughter who unknown to the family was a champion of darkness (someone born with darkness affinity). Soon when they realised the child was born of dark and not light she was seen as an abomination and was capable of toppling all the family had worked for and destroying their image. So it was decided to send the child away, a servant who no one cared for was given the task. She rode day and night until finding a forest, thinking this would be a fitting place to leave the child she entered with the baby. Though the servant girl never returned, she had collapsed by a black tree and with the child in arms, she died.


    As the night grew closer the children grew restless and began to cry they hadn''t eaten since they arrived at the forest, and then the crying subsided as the final leaf from either tree gently floated down and landed on the children. As if it soothed them, the children stopped crying all together and fell asleep once more, and all who looked toward the forest that night, would have seen the almost blinding lights emanating from the forest. The girl woke up very early the next morning, yet did not cry, instead she laughed for what she had found when she awoken was a small fox, it had, a charcoal coloured coat and sapphire blue eyes. It also had deep blue highlights near his paws, at the end of his tail and up around it''s muzzle. It was curled up on ground next to the child.


    Not long after, the boy followed suit waking up and instead of crying like what would of been expected of him at his age, he started to laugh. He was in the same situation as the girl, though at his side was a small pure white wolf it''s left paw and neck wrapped with vines that grew out of his body, his tail was a small bush adorned with many leaves and his eyes were a shade of the most beautiful emerald.


    The two children were from there on under the protection of the animals, who hunted for them, fed them and taught them how to survive in the wild. The children became self sufficient around the age of 10 able to hunt as well as most seasoned hunters. During this time the children had grown extremely close to their companions but even after 9 years without leaving the forest the children never met one another, they always new that someone was nearby but never anything more. A short while after they became 10 something peculiar happened, a small message appeared in front of them it showed information about themselves, the boy was the first to receive the message.


    <table><tbody><tr><td colspan=''4''>Status Window</td></tr><tr><td>Name:</td><td>Damien</td><td>Level:</td><td>1</td></tr><tr><td>Fame:</td><td>0</td><td>Infamy:</td><td>0</td></tr><tr><td>Health:</td><td>150</td><td>Title:</td><td>"none"</td></tr><tr><td>Mana:</td><td>75</td><td>Stamina:</td><td>100</td></tr><tr><td>Race:</td><td>Human</td><td>Intellect:</td><td>12</td></tr><tr><td>Strength:</td><td>5</td><td>Will:</td><td>15</td></tr><tr><td>Endurance:</td><td>10</td><td>Luck:</td><td>5</td></tr><tr><td>Agility:</td><td>5</td><td>Magic Resistance:</td><td>0</td></tr><tr><td>Speed:</td><td>5</td><td>Physical Resistance:</td><td>0</td></tr></tbody></table>


    <table><tbody><tr><td colspan=''3''>Affinities</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''2''>Light:</td><td>10%</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''2''>Dark:</td><td>-15%</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''2''>Earth:</td><td>10%</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''2''>Water:</td><td>0%</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''2''>Fire:</td><td>0%</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''2''>Air:</td><td>0%</td></tr></tbody></table>


    He stared looking baffled by the screen which lay before him.


    "That is a status screen"(???)


    Damien looked around not knowing who spoke to him. He walked back partially afraid and reached out to his close companion, but when he made contact  a light emanated from his hand  *ding* *ding*


    <table><tbody><tr><td>Traits</td></tr><tr><td>Communication


    You have an understanding of this world''s language system allowing you to communicate verbally</td></tr><tr><td>Soul Bond


    You share a bond stronger than any other with Ali, due to this when you are together you feel slightly stronger (5% buff to stats)</td></tr></tbody></table>


    <table><tbody><tr><td>Skills</td></tr><tr><td>Entangle: Active


    Call upon vines to ensnare or attack an opponent (vines last until destroyed)


    Level 1: One vine               Next Level: Two Stronger vines


    Cost: 10 Mana</td></tr><tr><td>Healing Hand: Active


    Summon upon a healing light to heal minor wounds


    Level 1: 10% of max health              Next Level: 15% of max health


    Cost: 20 mana</td></tr><tr><td>Reflective Cloak: Active


    Bend light waves around your body or an object making it less visible for a short period of time


    Level 1: 20 seconds               Next Level: 1 minute


    Cost: 30 mana</td></tr><tr><td>Everlasting Dawn: passive


    During sunlight hours (sunrise to sunset) light abilities are stronger and more effective</td></tr><tr><td>Natures Lullaby: passive


    Beasts are calmer and less likely to attack (only affects animals with a will lower than your own)</td></tr></tbody></table>


    "Damien it is me who spoke to you before"(???)


    This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    He looked at his friend who he had known since he was a baby.


    "Did you just speak to me?"(Damien)


    he had a puzzled face from both his ability to now speak and the idea that his companion was also speaking.


    Due to the fact he grew up with a wolf he never learned to talk, they only ever communicated using body language and howls.


    The wolf nodded in agreement and the child leant against a large tree struggling to comprehend what he had just learned. He was also thought about the strange screen and yet again it appeared in front of him.


    Damien at the age of ten was around 5ft tall with medium length golden blonde hair and eyes matching those of Ali. The boy was smart from a young age developing traps to catch animals instead of using the methods Ari had tried to teach him. Due to this he wasn''t very strong physically but made up for it with his mental capacity allowing him to find more effective ways to hunt. Every so often he would pass the white tree and see the skeleton lying there, when he finally discovered that it was previously his mother and when Ali told him what happened to her. He buried her properly and made a wooden grave marker with simply the word "mother" engraved upon it.


    Meanwhile the girl received her message, the same style as the boys but containing much different information.


    <table><tbody><tr><td colspan=''4''>Status Window</td></tr><tr><td>Name:</td><td>Anastasia</td><td>Level:</td><td>1</td></tr><tr><td>Fame:</td><td>0</td><td>Infamy:</td><td>0</td></tr><tr><td>Health:</td><td>75</td><td>Title:</td><td>"none"</td></tr><tr><td>Mana:</td><td>50</td><td>Stamina:</td><td>50</td></tr><tr><td>Race:</td><td>Human</td><td>Intellect:</td><td>10</td></tr><tr><td>Strength:</td><td>5</td><td>Will:</td><td>10</td></tr><tr><td>Endurance:</td><td>5</td><td>Luck:</td><td>5</td></tr><tr><td>Agility:</td><td>10</td><td>Magic Resistance:</td><td>0</td></tr><tr><td>Speed:</td><td>8</td><td>Physical Resistance:</td><td>0</td></tr></tbody></table>


    <table><tbody><tr><td colspan=''3''>Affinities</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''2''>Light:</td><td>-15%</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''2''>Dark:</td><td>10%</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''2''>Earth:</td><td>0%</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''2''>Water:</td><td>10%</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''2''>Fire:</td><td>0%</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''2''>Air:</td><td>0%</td></tr></tbody></table>


    <table><tbody><tr><td>Skills</td></tr><tr><td>Shadow Form: Active


    Manipulate the shadows to cloak your body or an object making it less visible for as long as the user has mana


    Level 1: 7 Mana per second               Next Level: 6 Mana per second</td></tr><tr><td>Waters Grasp: Active


    Summon upon a small quantity of water that can be moved freely and can leech health off of an opponent


    Level 1: 1% of health per second               Next Level: 3% of health per second


    Cost: 20 mana</td></tr><tr><td>Aurora Eyes: passive


    Your eyes are ever changing allowing you to see through illusions and darkness</td></tr><tr><td>Waters Embrace: passive


    When you are next to water your water abilities are stronger (when in water the effect is doubled plus you regain 3.5% health per second)</td></tr><tr><td>Vixen''s Gaze: passive


    When in eye contact with someone they are more likely to do what you say/ask (more effective to a member of the opposite sex)</td></tr></tbody></table>


    The girl was Anastasia she was the same age as Damien, but was a bit smaller at 4''10. She had long lilac hair which was swept over to one side and piercing sapphire eyes matching those of Hoshimi her companion. The girl was also smart, less so that Damien but she was faster than him so she hunted using a mixture of traps and her own abilities. She also found out who the skeleton that lay near the black tree was, but she scowled and despised the pathetic excuse for a woman who wasted her life for no reason.


    She went through the same confusion as Damien when she found out that she and Hoshimi could communicate but was overjoyed all the same.


    That night both children were setting their final traps before calling it a night when the strangest thing happened, they met.


    Damien''s pov


    I had only two more rabbit traps to set when I could hear whistling in the distance, I moved in closer to see what it was. That was when I saw her,  I was mesmerised by the girl who lay before me and I''m sure she was the person who I could feel nearby.


    "Hello"(Damien)


    As soon as I spoke she ran off at great pace and I knew that I would be unable to keep up with her


    "ROOOAAAARRRRRRrrr"(???)


    I turned round to be met by a large black bear which had stood up upon it''s hind legs towering over me at around 7ft tall. Realising I would never be able to outrun the beast I slowly backed off making my way towards the tree behind me when... I tripped over a protruding root, then the beast started to advance on my position rearing to attack when out of panic I shouted.


    [ENTANGLE](Damien)


    A large vine rose from the ground and wrapped around the bears neck keeping it far enough away that it couldn''t attack me. It broke free and was readying to attack when.


    [WATERS GRASP](Anastasia)


    I couldn''t see the origin but a bolt of water came out of nowhere latching onto the bears paw, which had drawn back to attack me.


    Once again I shouted.


    [ENTANGLE](Damien)


    This time the vine went forward at a great speed through the heart of the beast.


    <table><tbody><tr><td>Level Up x 5


    50 new attribute points available</td></tr></tbody></table>


    Anastasia''s pov


    I was collecting my dinner from traps and resetting them while whistling a tune when all of a sudden.


    "Hello"(Damien)


    I ran as fast as I could not knowing who he was, at the glimpse I caught of him. He seemed to be my age, I realised that he never followed and I stopped running and that''s when I heard a roar in the distance.


    "ROOOAAAARRRRRRrrr"(???)


    I ran back the way I came towards the noise and when i had arrived i seen something spectacular. The boy was like me and was controlling a vine trying to suffocate the bear, but the vine broke and the bear was going to attack again. This time it was my turn.


    [WATERS GRASP](Anastasia)


    I shot a bolt of water at the bears paw which he was going to attack with and used the water to restrain it and cause damage.


    [ENTANGLE](Damien)


    The boy pierced the bears heart with another vine.


    <table><tbody><tr><td>Level Up x 5


    50 new attribute points available</td></tr></tbody></table>


    I ran towards the boy who sustained minor injuries looking for something to clean and dress the wounds, then something unexpected happened.


    [HEALING HAND](Damien)


    A white light began to glow from the palm of his hand and the small cuts and scratches slowly disappeared not leaving any marks at all.


    This boy is truly mysterious(Anastasia)


    He looked up toward me and smiled.


    "So you are real"(Damien)


    "GrrrRrrR"(Ali)


    I recoiled as a mid sized wolf with thorny vines wrapped around its tail, leg and neck walked out from the bushes snarling at me.


    "Damien who is this girl and why are you lying on the floor?"(???)


    "Ehhh.."(Anastasia)


    I was stumped for words. I looked at the wolf in disbelief and backed off slowly before turning to run through the woods occasionally looking back at the boy before he disappeared from sight. I have to ask Hoshimi about this very strange creature and the boy, since he knows about all that live within this forest, it was around an hour later before I had reached my camp and I was rather tired.


    "Hoshimi *pant* Hos *pant* himi where are *pant* you?"(Anastasia)


    "Ana are you all right?"(???)


    I looked up to see my faithful friend sitting in a tree.


    "Yes, but there is something that I would like to know"(Anastasia)


    "Anything my dear"(Hoshimi)


    "Do you know of a talking wolf which lives in this forest?"(Anastasia)

 #2 An everchanging world

    "Well Hoshimi?"(Anastasia)


    "I have only ever seen the beast you speak of"(Hoshimi)


    "And what of the boy who accompanies him?"(Anastasia)


    "you, are interested in a boy Ana?"(Hoshimi)


    Hoshimi was surprised, Ana had only ever focused on their self preservation and cared little for the world around them.


    "It''s not like that"(Anastasia)


    "Oh really now?"(Hoshimi)


    Hoshimi gave off a devilish grin.


    "Humph his is abilities to wield magic just peaked my curiosity and that is it"(Anastasia)


    "Always letting your head lead your life, what about your heart?"(Hoshimi)


    "What my head tells me makes sense"(Anastasia )


    "If you say so"(Hoshimi)


    The fox looked over at Ana quizzically before dozing off.


    "I''m going for a walk"(Anastasia)


    She punched a tree as she left causing the birds within to take flight. Meanwhile, over at the other side of the forest the boy was in a totally different predicament.


    "She was looking right at me"(Damien)


    "Yeah, with disgust"(Ali)


    "Really, are you gonna go there?"(Damien)


    Damien threw a small pebble in the direction of the wolf, but the wolf had already moved and the boy hit nothing. "She was beautiful, gentle and I bet you she has a big heart"(Damien)


    "Yeah and a even bigger stomach to look at that face of yours"(Ali)


    "..."(Damien)


    "No wonder she ran away when you spoke to her"(Ali)


    Ali waiting to receive a reaction from the boy instead turned to see that he had vanished.


    "Stupid Ali, all he ever does is make mean jokes and laugh at me"(Damien)


    The boy went to a nearby lake where he begun to practice his magic.


    [ENTANGLE](Damien)


    A small vine raised from the ground, picked up a pebble and skimmed it across the lake. He did this for a good hour or two when suddenly. *ding*


    <table><tbody><tr><td>Skills</td></tr><tr><td>Entangle: Active


    Call upon vines to ensnare or attack an opponent (vines last until destroyed)


    Level 2: Two thorned vines               Next Level: Three Stronger vines


    Cost: 15 Mana</td></tr></tbody></table>


    "What?"(Damien)


    [ENTANGLE](Damien)


    This time unlike before two small vines sprouted from the ground. After practicing for a while Damien was able to move each independently, and began skimming multiple stones at once, working even harder now to develop his magic.


    Damien brought up his stat screen just see if it had changed when he noticed two things, first his earth affinity had risen by 3% and second he had 50 skill points.


    Next to each attribute except from luck was a plus sign. He pressed the one next to Intellect and seen that the number had risen, that''s when he realised that he could develop his body both physically and mentally. He then proceeded to add 15 to Intellect and will plus 5 to the other four.


    <table><tbody><tr><td colspan=''4''>Status Window</td></tr><tr><td>Name:</td><td>Damien</td><td>Level:</td><td>6</td></tr><tr><td>Fame:</td><td>0</td><td>Infamy:</td><td>0</td></tr><tr><td>Health:</td><td>225</td><td>Title:</td><td>"none"</td></tr><tr><td>Mana:</td><td>150</td><td>Stamina:</td><td>150</td></tr><tr><td>Race:</td><td>Human</td><td>Intellect:</td><td>25</td></tr><tr><td>Strength:</td><td>10</td><td>Will:</td><td>30</td></tr><tr><td>Endurance:</td><td>15</td><td>Luck:</td><td>5</td></tr><tr><td>Agility:</td><td>10</td><td>Magic Resistance:</td><td>0</td></tr><tr><td>Speed:</td><td>10</td><td>Physical Resistance:</td><td>0</td></tr></tbody></table>


    <table><tbody><tr><td colspan=''3''>Affinities</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''2''>Light:</td><td>10%</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''2''>Dark:</td><td>-15%</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''2''>Earth:</td><td>13%</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''2''>Water:</td><td>0%</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''2''>Fire:</td><td>0%</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''2''>Air:</td><td>0%</td></tr></tbody></table>


    <table><tbody><tr><td>Skills</td></tr><tr><td>Entangle: Active


    Call upon vines to ensnare or attack an opponent (vines last until destroyed)


    Level 2: Two thorny vines                Next Level: Three stronger vines


    Cost: 15 Mana</td></tr><tr><td>Healing Hand: Active


    Summon upon a healing light to heal minor wounds


    Level 1: 10% of max health              Next Level: 15% of max health


    Cost: 20 mana</td></tr><tr><td>Reflective Cloak: Active


    Bend light waves around your body or an object making it less visible for a short period of time


    Level 1: 20 seconds                            Next Level: 1 minute


    Cost: 30 mana</td></tr><tr><td>Everlasting Dawn: passive


    During sunlight hours (sunrise to sunset) light abilities are stronger and more effective</td></tr><tr><td>Natures Lullaby: passive


    Beasts are calmer and less likely to attack (only affects animals with a will lower than your own)</td></tr></tbody></table>


    <table><tbody><tr><td>Traits</td></tr><tr><td>Communication


    You have an understanding of this world''s language system allowing you to communicate verbally</td></tr><tr><td>Soul Bond


    You share a bond stronger than any other with Ali, due to this when you are together you feel slightly stronger (5% buff to stats)</td></tr></tbody></table>


    Damien noticed both the health, mana and stamina figures increase.


    [ENTANGLE](Damien)


    This time the vines were thicker and seemed stronger beginning to receive a small quantity of miniscule thorns.


    Ahh so by using the skill it levels up and by increasing my stats it strengthens my power but the question is how do I level up, I received 5 levels after killing the bear so maybe I just need to kill. It''s barbaric but i guess it''s a small price to pay(Damien)


    The boy continued studying his abilities but never managed to improve any more. The girl however didn''t train that night, instead she sat in a tree by the lake listening to the ramblings of the boy who was trying to work out this system. Soon dawn would break, and yet the girl never left her post.


    Many days and nights had passed since the boy first met the girl and they had both leveled up a few times, Anastasia leveled 3 times and using her 50 previous attribute points plus her current 30 increased her speed and agility by 20 and increased the rest by 10. She also leveled up her Waters Grasp by 2.


    <table><tbody><tr><td colspan=''4''>Status Window</td></tr><tr><td>Name:</td><td>Anastasia</td><td>Level:</td><td>9</td></tr><tr><td>Fame:</td><td>0</td><td>Infamy:</td><td>0</td></tr><tr><td>Health:</td><td>225</td><td>Title:</td><td>"none"</td></tr><tr><td>Mana:</td><td>100</td><td>Stamina:</td><td>150</td></tr><tr><td>Race:</td><td>Human</td><td>Intellect:</td><td>22</td></tr><tr><td>Strength:</td><td>15</td><td>Will:</td><td>20</td></tr><tr><td>Endurance:</td><td>15</td><td>Luck:</td><td>5</td></tr><tr><td>Agility:</td><td>30</td><td>Magic Resistance:</td><td>0</td></tr><tr><td>Speed:</td><td>28</td><td>Physical Resistance:</td><td>0</td></tr></tbody></table>


    <table><tbody><tr><td colspan=''3''>Affinities</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''2''>Light:</td><td>-15%</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''2''>Dark:</td><td>11%</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''2''>Earth:</td><td>0%</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''2''>Water:</td><td>12%</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''2''>Fire:</td><td>0%</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''2''>Air:</td><td>0%</td></tr></tbody></table>


    <table><tbody><tr><td>Skills</td></tr><tr><td>Shadow Form: Active


    Manipulate the shadows to cloak your body or an object making it less visible for as long as the user has mana


    Level 1: 7 Mana per second                           Next Level: 6 Mana per second</td></tr><tr><td>Waters Grasp: Active


    Summon upon a small quantity of water that can be moved freely and can leech health off of an opponent


    Level 3: 5% of health per second               Next Level: 10% of health per second


    Cost: 30 mana</td></tr><tr><td>Aurora Eyes: passive


    Your eyes are ever changing allowing you to see through illusions and darkness</td></tr><tr><td>Waters Embrace: passive


    When you are next to water your water abilities are stronger (when in water the effect is doubled plus you regain 3.5% health per second)</td></tr><tr><td>Vixen''s Gaze: passive


    When in eye contact with someone they are more likely to do what you say/ask (more effective to a memeber of the opposite sex)</td></tr></tbody></table>


    <table><tbody><tr><td>Traits</td></tr><tr><td>Communication


    You have an understanding of this world''s language system allowing you to communicate verbally</td></tr><tr><td>Soul Bond


    You share a bond stronger than any other with Hoshimi, due to this when you are together you feel slightly stronger (5% buff to stats)</td></tr></tbody></table>


    Whereas the boy he leveled up 5 times allocating his 50 attribute points the same way as before and increased his Entangle to level 4.


    <table><tbody><tr><td colspan=''4''>Status Window</td></tr><tr><td>Name:</td><td>Damien</td><td>Level:</td><td>11</td></tr><tr><td>Fame:</td><td>0</td><td>Infamy:</td><td>0</td></tr><tr><td>Health:</td><td>300</td><td>Title:</td><td>"none"</td></tr><tr><td>Mana:</td><td>338</td><td>Stamina:</td><td>200</td></tr><tr><td>Race:</td><td>Human</td><td>Intellect:</td><td>40</td></tr><tr><td>Strength:</td><td>15</td><td>Will:</td><td>45</td></tr><tr><td>Endurance:</td><td>20</td><td>Luck:</td><td>5</td></tr><tr><td>Agility:</td><td>15</td><td>Magic Resistance:</td><td>0</td></tr><tr><td>Speed:</td><td>15</td><td>Physical Resistance:</td><td>0</td></tr></tbody></table>


    The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.


    <table><tbody><tr><td colspan=''3''>Affinities</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''2''>Light:</td><td>12%</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''2''>Dark:</td><td>-15%</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''2''>Earth:</td><td>15%</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''2''>Water:</td><td>0%</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''2''>Fire:</td><td>0%</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''2''>Air:</td><td>0%</td></tr></tbody></table>


    <table><tbody><tr><td>Skills</td></tr><tr><td>Entangle: Active


    Call upon vines to ensnare or attack an opponent (vines last until destroyed)


    Level 4: 4 razor vines                        Next Level: Morph Entangle


    Cost: 25 Mana</td></tr><tr><td>Healing Hand: Active


    Summon upon a healing light to heal minor wounds


    Level 1: 10% of max health              Next Level: 15% of max health


    Cost: 20 mana</td></tr><tr><td>Reflective Cloak: Active


    Bend light waves around your body or an object making it less visible for a short period of time


    Level 1: 20 seconds                            Next Level: 1 minute


    Cost: 30 mana</td></tr><tr><td>Everlasting Dawn: passive


    During sunlight hours (sunrise to sunset) light abilities are stronger and more effective</td></tr><tr><td>Natures Lullaby: passive


    Beasts are calmer and less likely to attack (only affects animals with a will lower than your own)</td></tr></tbody></table>


    <table><tbody><tr><td>Traits</td></tr><tr><td>Communication


    You have an understanding of this world''s language system allowing you to communicate verbally</td></tr><tr><td>Soul Bond


    You share a bond stronger than any other with Ali, due to this when you are together you feel slightly stronger (5% buff to stats)</td></tr></tbody></table>


    Then one day Damien stumbled upon a cave, a cave which he could of swore wasn''t there before. Unsure of what he should do Damien ran back to camp to ask Ali about the strange new cave.


    "Ali...Ali"(Damien)


    "Yes little one"(Ali)


    "LITTLE ONE"(Damien)


    "Yes I was talking about your....ehh.....brain yeah and how its so small"(Ali)


    Ignoring Ali as if he was not there Damien proceeded to question his companion about the appearance of this new cave.


    "On the western side of the forest near the clearing a cave has appeared"(Damien)


    "Well I maybe should of told you this before but..."(Ali)


    "But..."(Damien)


    "Well you know..."(Ali)


    Ali was now looking down toward his paws.


    "spit it out already"(Damien)


    "The forest evolves to suit your needs"(Ali)


    "...Which means what exactly?"(Damien)


    "Well to put it simply the forest is a training ground for you and as you get stronger it will create new challenges so that cave you saw is most likely a dungeon"(Ali)


    "What do you mean by a dungeon and why didn''t you tell me before now?"(Damien)


    Damien looked puzzled.


    "A dungeon is a complex labyrinth full of hostile monsters with a champion at the end often referred to as a boss they are generally monsters at the peak of their power. They can vary in difficulty but it will definitely be too difficult for us to fight by ourselves"(Ali)


    "So why didn''t you tell me?"(Damien)


    "Well as I said we''d require more people"(Ali)


    "Oh I know, I know we could invite the girl"(Damien)


    "And that''s exactly why I didn''t want to tell you"(Ali)


    Meanwhile in the eastern side of the forest within a large clearing there was strange and powerful aura emanating from a small cave. That area of the forest was the most bountiful hunting zone, but for some strange reason it now lay abandoned. The cave was home to a large underground structure which held 9 floors each populated by powerful monsters and on the last was a power greater than the forest had seen since it was created by the gods. This power could be felt across the forest and brought an unparalleled fear upon those who dwell within it.


    The next few days were tough as the animals had somewhat vanished from the forest, and the children were too cautious to get enough sleep, since there had been lots of low level monsters straying from the entrance of the cave into the depths of the woods. As they are non-sentient and rely on a pack mentality one or two didn''t pose too much threat, but in groups they were alot more difficult to deal with. Damien who was the closest to the cave pushed his camp back towards the center of the forest where the lake was, he had tried to locate the girl but had no luck due to the vastness of the forest so he presumed the lake would be a safe bet as it contained the only food source which had not run away due to having no where to go, fish.


    The lake was a true sight to behold, at dawn it would shine like gold purer than that of the finest craftsmen in any of the 5 worlds while at dusk it would become it''s own universe reflecting the brilliance of each and every star in the night sky. This is where the children would often spend they''re time, when practising they have wasted entire days away by the serene lakeside. The forest which had nurtured and provided for the children had now turned against them.


    That night the boy was skimming stones as he normally would when he seen a fire off in the distance across the lake, hurriedly he created a fire of his own as to alert who he presumed was the girl. As he sat there he pictured the girl, her long swept lilac hair, piercing blue eyes and her soft voice.


    Anastasia pov


    It took me ages to get past the stray monsters towards the lake, I decided to go round the lake to the other side as hopefully the monsters won''t have reached it yet. When i reached it was still and quiet which worried me, frankly I missed the sounds of a lively forest, this silence is just unnatural. Thankfully I have Hoshimi for company.


    "Is the dungeon supposed to have such an intense and intimidating aura?"(Anastasia)


    "Honestly I don''t know, I came into this world the night you came to the forest"(Hoshimi)


    "Do you think we will have to leave the forest?"(Anastasia )


    "One day"(Hoshimi)


    I shuddered at the thought of leaving the safe...eh...well...the forest. I will have to find that boy soon to see if he can help me defeat the dungeon.


    "Set up camp here"(Anastasia)


    "Fine I don''t have the willpower to go any further anyway"(Hoshimi)


    Hoshimi just fell asleep on the spot.


    Arggg that goddamn fox always leaves the hard work to me I can''t stand her sometimes.(Anastasia)


    I walked away to go and gather some firewood.


    She is so laidback, always telling me to relax and follow my heart,  she doesn''t even realise how much i do for her.(Anastasia)


    In my rant I had strayed from my job and wandered a bit further than I planned to go, I only realised this as I had came face to face with the great black tree and the sack of bones which died bringing me here, how weak, she was just a slave to those who abandoned me in this forsaken...I stopped realising that a large quantity of black water had gathered around my hands, I looked at the body once more in disgust before walking back to the camp collecting wood along the way.


    When I got back I built a fire and sat watching the flames flicker and dance, when I noticed another fire open up from across the lake.


    "HELLO?"(Anastasia)


    I shouted as loud as I have could to see who or what replies.


    Damien pov


    I was just in the process of setting up my fire when Ali arrived at my side with a rabbit in his mouth and blood on his fur.


    "Slim pickings today I see"(Damien)


    "No I already had 3 when I was hunting"(Ali)


    "Of course"(Damien)


    I really wasn''t surprised anymore at the news, he is a gannet who more often or not ate most of my share before I ever saw it.


    "At least you brought me something"(Damien)


    "Yeah of course"(Ali)


    Ali just gave me a glance smiling as he did it.


    "I don''t trust that look"(Damien)


    Ali then proceeded to eat the rabbit whole and it was not pretty.


    "But didn''t you say you got that for me?"(Damien)


    "Nope, I said I got you something, which I did"(Ali)


    "So what did you get me?"(Damien)


    "Me, I came back safe and sound and that''s all you could ever want."(Ali)


    "You know sometimes I thoroughly dislike you"(Damien)


    "Well I''m stuffed, I''m gonna head off to sleep."(Ali)


    I just managed to get the fire alight and not long after while I was sitting thinking of how to get Ali back for eating my dinner, AGAIN I heard a voice in the distance.


    "HELLO?"(???)


    It was definitely her I had no doubt about it.


    "HELLO WHO ARE YOU?"(Damien)


    "SOMEONE WHO NEEDS YOUR HELP"(Anastasia)


    "MEET ME BY THE NORTHSIDE OF THE LAKE AT DAWN"(Damien)


    I can''t believe that I get to go and see her again, I mean it has only been a few weeks but...arggh I can''t wait.


    3rd person pov


    The north side of the lake was the highest elevated point within the forest being above the main treeline, at the top you could see the entire forest and the lands beyond. The capital of the kingdom of Sancti from which the young girl was banished, and the village of Umbra the hometown of the boy from which he was also banished, they were worlds apart one being the capital of all that was holy and the other a refuge for those who worship the darker forces in this world.


    From this vantage point you could also see 3 of the other major kingdoms, Anguis, the serpent kingdom home to the 9 great dragons and their cultist followers, Figura, home to the elves and the mysterious race known as shifters who have the ability to change form and Solum, home to the dwarves, gnomes and their autonomous golems.


    But none of that really matters(yet), the reason the boy chose this location was because you could see the entire forest and it was difficult to reach. Looking from above,  the forest was circular with the river and lake almost forming a yin and yang with the two trees where the dots should be.


    At the first light of dawn both children were at the top and were standing face to face.They were both extremely hesitant and even their companions were a bit nervous of those who faced them. Then...


    "I need your help"(Damien & Anastasia)


    They spoke simultaneously and were a bit confused.


    "There''s a cave to the west"(Damien & Anastasia)


    "Well well what do we have here"(Ali)


    "Aww how adorable"(Hoshimi)


    "Don''t say that, you''ll make them blush"(Ali)


    "Akahkahkahkah"(Ali & Hoshimi)

 #3 A path riddled with danger

    <hr />


    "..."(Anastasia & Damien)


    "Well moving swiftly on"(Hoshimi)


    "To preserve this forest we must defeat the dungeon"(Ali)


    They all look out towards the clearing where the dungeon lies.


    "Anyone else got a bad feeling about this"(Damien)


    Everyone nodded in agreement.


    "Well should we plan on how to attack"(Anastasia)


    "Ok but first should we not introduce ourselves"(hoshimi)


    "Ah yes"(Ali)


    "I am Damien and this is my companion Ali"(Damien)


    "I am Anastasia but just call me Ana and this is Hoshimi"(Anastasia)


    "Ok now the introductions are over with we should begin planning our strategy"(Ali)


    They spent hours going over a plan and night began to fall.


    "So me and Hoshimi are support while you two are the vanguard?"(Damien)


    "Yeah just watch our backs and cover us"(Ali)


    "As long as you keep them at distance from us"(Hoshimi)


    "Everyone happy with the plan?"(Damien)


    "Yes so we head out at dawn, get as much rest as you can"(Anastasia)


    Everyone went sleep taking shifts on being lookout, but nothing out of the ordinary happened that night and at dawn they set out towards the cave.


    They began to decend from the safety of their meeting spot, and as rock turned to trees they went on to full alert.  It was a good few hour walk through the dense forest to the cave. They managed to sneak past many patrols of monsters but..


    When they were nearing the entrance, they were spotted by a group of patrolling goblins. They were rank D monsters.


    The ranking system works as follows, E rank being the lowest which includes things such as slimes which are a non sentient and shapeless race, next are D rank which are low leveled beasts such as wolfs and bears.


    after that is C rank which are sentient monsters such as minotaurs a race which is part man part bull, they have raging tempers and are overprotective of their property.


    Then you get B ranks which are strong monsters who make up generals within the monster ranks and in most cases have the ability to speak


    A ranks are simply badass monsters and bosses, S ranks are legendary monsters like the ones that are in old tales such as cthulu.


    Finally there is SS rank which are revered as the gods of all monsters and can take human form(although depending on the race human form could be achieved by A rank).


    The children were face to face with three of these D rank goblins..


    They were 5ft tall, with olive green skin wielding rusted swords and wearing what can only be presumed as armour, they looked menacing. The largest of the three pointed towards them making disgruntled sounds, then they attacked.


    "Ali, Hoshimi get the one one the right"(Damien)


    "Got it"(Ali & Hoshimi)


    They tore off towards the goblins with teeth bared.


    "Ana, we''ll take the other two"(Damien)


    [ENTANGLE](Damien)


    Vines rose from the ground below both of the goblins wrapping their feet and lacerating their legs, these were razor vines, they had small thin ridges which sliced into their legs causing them to bleed and making it painful for them to move.


    [WATER''S GRASP](Anastasia)


    Droplets of water rose up from the surroundings forming into a large sphere which then split, they''re was shadows swirling within the water, the spheres confined the beasts head depriving them of oxygen and stealing they''re lifeforce.


    The sphere turned completely black before bursting, the goblins fell to the floor, dead and the vines retracted back into the ground. Hoshimi and Ali had tore their oponent to pieces and were "feasting". *ding**ding*


    <table><tbody><tr><td colspan=''2''>Skill Morph</td></tr><tr><td>Option 1


    Lifeless Grasp: Active


    A vine that grows directly from your hand and latches on to an opponent and transfers their lifeforce directly to you(effect lasts


    utill destroyed


    Level 1: 2% health from one opponent  Next level: 4% health from one opponent


    Cost 15 Mana</td><td>Option 2


    Constricting Shackles: Active


    Multiple vines grow from the ground and wrap wround their ankles, wrist and neck they tighten preventing the opponent from


    speaking or attacking


    Level 1: prevents speech or attacks  Next level: Causes minor lacerations


    Cost 20</td></tr></tbody></table>


    <table><tbody><tr><td>Skills</td></tr><tr><td>Waters Grasp: Active


    Summon upon a small quantity of water that can be moved freely and can leech health off of an opponent


    Level 4: 10% of health per second and form change               Next Level: Skill Morph


    Cost: 20 mana</td></tr></tbody></table>


    "Huh"(Damien)


    "What is it?"(Anastasia)


    "Well have you noticed that each skill has a level?"(Damien)


    "yes mine just reached level 4"(Anastasia)


    "Well mine reached 5 and a screen with two options has appeared in front of me saying skill morph"(Damien)


    "What do they say?"(Anastasia)


    "Hold on and I''ll show you"(Damien)


    They boy had figured out how to show Ali screens that he could see, such as the status screen and affinities.


    "Here look"(Damien)


    The same screen that appeared for Damien had now shown up in front of Anastasia.


    <table><tbody><tr><td colspan=''2''>Skill Morph</td></tr><tr><td>Option 1


    Lifeless Grasp: Active


    A vine that grows directly from your hand and latches on to an opponent and transfers their lifeforce directly to you(effect lasts


    utill destroyed


    Level 1: 2% health from one opponent  Next level: 4% health from one opponent


    Cost 15 Mana</td><td>Option 2


    Constricting Shackles: Active


    Multiple vines grow from the ground and wrap wround their ankles, wrist and neck they tighten preventing the opponent from


    speaking or attacking


    Level 1: prevents speech or attacks  Next level: Causes minor lacerations


    Cost 20</td></tr></tbody></table>


    "Oh cool you have to show me how to do that"(Anastasia)


    "It''s quite simple you just have to think about showing it to someone"(Damien)


    "SERIOUSLY IT''S THAT SIMPLE?"(Anastasia)


    "Yeah"(Damien)


    "Well what are you going to choose?"(Anastasia)


    The boy looked totally perplexed before finally making his mind up 15 minutes later.


    "Ok so I decided that since I can already heal and in the dungeon we will be getting attacked by multiple opponents, the Constricting shackles will be of more use"(Damien)


    "Finally, were you just waiting until we were spotted again?"(Ali)


    "Would that have really of bothered you Ali?"(Damien)


    "No not really it just means more for me to kill"(Ali)


    "Uggh can we get a move on dog?"(Anastasia)


    "Well now my feelings are hurt"(Ali)


    "You mean to tell me you actually have them?"(Damien)


    They began to laugh before moving on, they were getting closer to the clearing and as it came into view so did the cave well...


    "WHAT IS THAT?"(everyone)


    What used to look like a cave was now a carved stone structure with a small pulsating orb at it''s center.


    The children walk forward and touched the orb and suddenly they were in an almost pitch black room lit only by the small quantity of light emanating from two doors at the other end.


    In front of these doors were two guardians and inbetween them was a tablet which read "There are two doors ten feet apart: One door leads to that of which you seek, and the other door leads to eternal suffering, upon the opening of the door the other will disappear and the only way to see what lies within is to enter. In between both doors are the two guardians ; one who always tells the truth, and another who always lies. They will only answer a single question between them so choose wisely."


    The guardians were 9ft tall stone statues whose eyes followed the childrens movements, they both looked identical and wielded giant stone halberds.


    The children were the only ones who made it in as outside the cave, the orb had been destroyed and the two companions were trying desperately to find a way to get in, but to no avail.


    Meanwhile the children were studying the room and were pondering on the question as it may be their only way out.


    Making sure to talk to each other by using the others name in every question they ask so as not to waste their one question by accidentally asking a guardian.


    Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.


    "Anastasia did you find anything over at your end?"(Damien)


    "No I didn''t"(Anastasia)


    They spent hours thinking even with Damiens high intelligence which matched that of a well developed adult. Then ...


    "Ana come here I''ve got it"(Damien)


    "Damien are you sure?"(Anastasia)


    Damien moved in closer to whisper his solution into her ear and as he was close to her face he blushed a little, then after an exchange of words they both nodded and Damien walked over to the guardian on the left.


    "If I asked the other guardian which door leads to eternal suffering, what would he tell me?"(Damien)


    "He would tell you that the door on the left led to eternal suffering"(Guardian #1)


    Damien then proceeded to open the door on the left and both him and Anastasia walked through arriving  at the true dungeons entrance.


    This is what Damien whispered to Anastasia.


    "What we need to ask is, if I asked the other guardian which door leads to eternal suffering, what would he tell me?"(Damien)


    "Damien how does that even work?"(Anastasia)


    Damien smirks.


    "Well the door that the guardian specfies will be the one that leads to safety, so you know the other one leads to suffering.This is because if you asked the guardian who tells the truth this question, he will tell the truth in that the other guardian will lie, and show you the door to safety. If you asked the guardian that always lies, he will lie by showing you the door to safety because the other guardian would show you the door to suffering."(Damien)


    "And here I was thinking I was the brains this whole time"(Anastasia)


    They were now in the dungeon and what lay ahead  was the rest of a large room they were in and a long dark empty tunnel at the end. Like before there was a faint light in the distance but unlike last time it was getting brighter, closer and was accompanied by the thundering sound of heavy footsteps, and alot of them.


    The children stood frozen by fear.


    It was a scouting group of goblins stampeding down the corridor, in a panick the boy created a wall to block the doorway and due to the fact that goblins have low intelligence and a short attention span, they simply shrugged at the poorly constructed facade then moments later the group headed back the way they came, the wall disappeared as the light did *ding*


    <table><tbody><tr><td>Skills</td></tr><tr><td>Light''s Deception: Active


    Redirect light waves to create illusions(only works in the presence of light)


    Level 1: can fool up to D rank opponents               Next Level: can fool up to C rank opponents


    Cost: 10 mana</td></tr></tbody></table>


    "What was that!?"(Anastasia)


    "An illusion but it only works in the presence of light apparently"(Damien)


    "Apparently?"(Anastasia)


    "I don''t know how I did it but I learned a new skill, I guess it was either due to panick or my attributes"(Damien)


    "What if it''s both? maybe the skills are a manifestation of your will, created by you in a moment of need"(Anastasia)


    "Maybe...but we better go we can discuss this further if we get out"(Damien)


    "I agree"(Anastasia)


    "One problem, it''s too dark and I can''t see"(Damien)


    "Don''t worry I can, here give me your hand"(Anastasia)


    She took Damiens hand and led it towards her shoulder for him to hold on to, the boy once again blushed.


    "Are you ok? You look a little red"(Anastasia)


    "Ye...ah...I...I''m..ok just a bit warm"(Damien)


    They began to walk into the tunnel and soon enough they found a large opening, which led into a small room with engraved pillars occupied by goblins, at the end of the room was a large wooden door.


    The children entered the room trying not to disturb the goblins and were sneaking around the the dimly lit room, due to the poorly constructed torches located on the pillars it was easy to hide without having to use their skills, the room contained nine goblins two groups of three patrol goblins constantly moving round the room and another two guarding the large wooden door. Which left one other who seemed to be meditating at the centre of the room.


    He was different from the rest he was almost a foot taller at 5''10 his skin being near orange in colour and wielding a massive steel maul, it was a hobgoblin an evolution within the goblin lines, the children had a bad feeling about him.


    They decided to take out the groups one by one, hiding the bodies and replacing each group with an illusion as to not alert them of their presence, although the illusions were shoddy due to the light level as long as they didn''t get to close to another group they worked. they moved round the room clockwise silencing each group using the Constricting shackles and killing them with waters grasp. Untill only the hobgoblin remained.


    Then when they finally decided to attack, Damien banished all the illusions and...


    [CONSTRICTING SHACKLES](Damien)


    The vines charged up towards the hobgoblin who with quick adjustments to his position managed to dodged all of them.


    The monster then with one swing of his maul smashed through the vines causing them to dissappear, and just like them, he too had dissappeared.


    Damien pov


    We had just defeated the final group of goblins without being noticed and only one remained who stood in the center unmoving, he gave me the creeps.


    And with an exchange of nods between myself and Ana, I dispelled my illusions and attacked.


    [CONSTRICTING SHACKLES](Damien)


    He made small movements and avoided my vines, he then took a step back and with the monstrous hammer he wielded he broke through the vines with an almost effortless swing.


    He then proceeded to dissappear but...


    Only to reappear directly in front of me mid swing about to drop the full weight of the hammer atop my head when...


    [WATERS GRASP](Anastasia)


    A bolt of water flew across the room hitting the beast on the jaw, and it turned for a moment in her direction grinning, as if to say I win, driving the hammer downwards.


    Anastasia pov


    As I looked in Damiens direction I saw he had not moved, as I looked at the stupid goblin''s face I felt only hatred as he swung the hammer down, powering it into the earth.


    "Noooo...."(Anastasia)


    3rd person pov


    She had become full of rage and had drawn alot of water from the surroundings up into a sphere of almost pure darkness, she poured her hatred and spite into the sphere.


    "Kehkehkehkeh..."(???)


    The hobgoblin began to laugh.


    "Foolish child of man, no human can defeat me"(???)


    The sphere broke up into of hundreds of droplets which remained stationary in the air.


    The droplets then began to swirl around her enveloping her in a shroud of darkness before launching at the beast like a swarm of hornets, and for a moment the monster could not be seen *ding*


    <table><tbody><tr><td>Skills</td></tr><tr><td>Bullet Rain: Active


    Create a torrent of high powered rain which leaches small ammounts of health with each hit


    Level 1: Leaches health              Next Level: Dark Bullet Rain which can pass through objects


    Cost: 30 mana</td></tr></tbody></table>


    "Kehkeh..keh...keh Is that everything you got, you are weak, a distracted and useless being"(???)


    He walked out from the blackness sustaining only minor scratches.


    Anastasia fell to her knees, crying, And soon after the water fell to the ground draining into the cracks along with her tears.


    "Ah was he your BOYFRIEND? kehkehkeh"(???)


    He slowly walked towards her, his heavy footsteps echoing in the hall, he looked down at the girl recoiling at what he saw, the girl was smiling.


    "Hahahaha you should see your face right now and you thought I was distracted"(Anastasia)


    "Wha..."(???)

 #4 Roots of responsibility

    <hr />


    The hobgoblin looked around expecting an attack, but there was nothing and when he had Looked back towards the girl she had disappeared.


    He began to curse and shout destroying the pillars and anything in his path, he was frenzied swinging his maul at thin air in the hopes of hitting the girl.


    "HOW DARE YOU RUN FROM ME!"(???)


    In his full rage he would have never been beaten by the children, but it was due to the anger which clouded his vision that Anastasia could escape out of the large door unseen.


    "I WILL CRUSH YOUR VERY SOULS! KEHKEHKEH"(???)


    It was too late she had already escaped his clutches. And was now standing in a large, long hall with only the small area she stood lit, by her sides were two oversized braziers at either side of the door, and ahead was darkness.


    "Oh thank goodness, you made it out"(???)


    "Bit of warning next time, okay?"(Anastasia)


    She recognized the voice almost instantaneously, it was Damien.


    "If I warned you it wouldn''t have worked"(Damien)


    "But wait, how did you get out?"(Anastasia)


    "Magic?"(Damien)


    "..."(Anastasia)


    "Well...eh..more specifically Illusions"(Damien)


    She didn''t look best pleased.


    "So instead of saving me, you saved yourself hoping that I noticed that you were still in the room and run?"(Anastasia)


    "That about sums it up"(Damien)


    She rolled her eyes realizing that was the best response she was going to get.


    "Well where are we now?"(Anastasia)


    The moment she said that some of the fire within the braziers leaped forward into another, which then set alight, this continued revealing the hall bit by bit as the fire made it''s way from one to another down the length of the hall . It had statues of people and animals behind each brazier and they all looked different, some wore armour and others robes, all had a different pet. It was the last two statues which peaked their interest the most, the one on the left was a man in full plate armour with large horns on his helmet, he wielded a longsword and tower shield with a pet dragon by his side, at the base of his statue An engraving read "Titus, king of dragons, slayer of gods and hero to all which is unholy". The other statue was of a female wearing robes and holding a spear, by her side was a phoenix and her engraving read "Saint Anise, protector of light, child of rebirth and deity to those who are holy."


    The children admired the statues before looking ahead to be met by a set of steps, they looked at one another before ascending, and at the top was a gilded alter which held two spheres one an orb of brilliant white and another a void of black, in-between was a scroll.


    The children stepped forward to read the scroll.


    "The Ancients built a world in two halves - light and dark, life and death. The gods worked to keep a balance of power. When they were balanced, there was harmony in the world. When they were unbalanced there was chaos. In this world, there is no absolute good, no absolute evil, Good and evil are not fixed stable entities, but are continually switching places. The most important thing is to maintain the balance between the constantly moving good and evil. If you lean too much in either direction, it becomes difficult to maintain. Indeed, balance itself is the good."


    They were completely confused by what was on the scroll. But then... the two orbs began to glow and lifted up off of the altar they then began emanating bright lights, when the lights had faded two objects had appeared, from the white orb a white grimoire with intricate patterns and gold pages, from the other was a scythe with a curved blade as dark as twilight with runes engraved on the handle.


    Damien was drawn towards the book just as Anastasia was drawn to the scythe.


    They picked up the weapons watching them change yet again, the grimoire now had a glowing arcane circle made up of lines and runes on the cover, and the runes on the scythe''s handle had rearranged themselves and began to glow. *ding* *ding*


    *Damien Gains*


    <table><tbody><tr><td>Vessel of the Holy Light</td></tr><tr><td>A grimoire belonging to one of the high seraphs.


    When in the possession of a child of Vitae the user is granted the title of "Champion of light".


    The grimoire allows the user to use an ancient magic known as "Arcane Creation".


    The tome also boosts the user''s will and intelligence.</td></tr></tbody></table>


    <table><tbody><tr><td>Title</td></tr><tr><td>"Champion of Light"


    As a representative of Vitae you gain a 30 boost to will, intelligence and magic resistance</td></tr></tbody></table>


    <table><tbody><tr><td>Craft Unlocked</td></tr><tr><td>"Arcane Creation"


    An ancient art of writing spell incantations and arcane circles</td></tr></tbody></table>


    *Anastasia Gains*


    <table><tbody><tr><td>Whisper of Eternal Damnation</td></tr><tr><td>Created by the god of death to banish the grim reaper.


    When in the possession of a child of Mortem the user is granted the title of "Champion of death".


    The scythe allows the user to use a lost art of crafting known as "Runic Forging".


    The scythe also boosts the user''s strength and agility by 30.</td></tr></tbody></table>


    <table><tbody><tr><td>Title</td></tr><tr><td>"Champion of Darkness"


    As a representative of Mortem you gain a 30 boost to strength, speed and agility</td></tr></tbody></table>


    <table><tbody><tr><td>Craft Unlocked</td></tr><tr><td>"Runic Forging"


    An lost skill of creating mana infused weapons and armour</td></tr></tbody></table>


    Crrrrack. The two statues in which the children were interested in had broken free from the plinth where they previously stood.


    "Child of light and child of dark"(statue #1)


    "You have the power to change the balance of this world"(statue #2)


    "And You will only ever become stronger, and therefore more likely to cause unbalance"(statue #1)


    "You have the responsibility to fix the catastrophes we left behind"(statue #2)


    The children looked up at the monolithic stone constructs.


    "What do we do?"(Damien)


    "Become one with the power you share"(statue #1)


    "You will be the last champions to ever enter these halls"(statue #2)


    "Therefore you are the last hope of this world ever being in balance"(statue #1)


    And at that all the statues within the room crumbled to dust, then the room itself began to shake.


    Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    Damien grabbed the scroll, and suddenly the children found themselves in a marshlike environment.


    "Is this still the dungeon?"(Damien)


    "I would assume so, that''s not natural light above us"(Anastasia)


    "So what do we do now?"(Damien)


    "I don''t know about you but I ain''t gonna spend my life fixing other''s mistakes and problems"(Anastasia)


    She began to look around her environment trying to get away from the conversation.


    "What, do you think you could live a normal life with the power you now have!"(Damien)


    "We couldn''t even defeat an oversized orange goblin, never mind save the world from destruction"(Anastasia)


    "So what will you do?"(Damien)


    "Spend my life the way I want to, and be who I want to"(Anastasia)


    She sliced a tree in half out of frustration.


    "Let''s just find a way out of here"(Anastasia)


    That was the last either of them spoke for a while, as they were walking Anastasia was spinning her scythe, stopping only occasionally to slice a tree in half, it was weird it was as if she had trained with it her whole life, she was highly proficient with the weapon like it was made just for her. Meanwhile Damien was walking with the grimoire levitating just ahead of him, every so often he would hold out his hand and runes from the pages would be drawn out from the tome, forming arcane arrangements in the shape of circles within the air. Most of the pages were blank but a couple held some minor offensive and defensive incantations, these were different from skills as the incantations are sequences of words which must be said in the presence of a arcane circle.


    The silence persisted, well at least until they were attacked by a couple of spriggans.


    Spriggans are malevolent nature spirits appearing as glowing, green humanoid females made mostly of wood. They can restore their health by sinking their roots into the earth, and can call various animals to aid them in battle, even normally non-hostile creatures such as foxes and deer. Spriggans can be an unwanted surprise in seemingly peaceful marshes and forests as they can blend in with the foliage, then attack when you pass them. Some even seem to inhabit the trunks of trees, stepping from within them when one comes too close.


    Spriggans have close roots to nature and will hunt down those who desecrate the lands in which they live, for example when little girls cut down their trees with a large scythe.


    The children jumped back in surprise, as large roots pierced the ground below them Anastasia dashed forward attempting to slice the never-ending roots.


    Damien''s book had risen into the air and an arcane circle was constructed in front of it, he began to chant.


    "ignis solis, catino terrae, accendat flammam ira mea et in ipso conburetis eos qui contradicunt arguere me"(Damien)


    [Fire of the sun, crucible of the earth, ignite my anger and burn those who oppose me]


    The circle began to glow and rotate. And the circle shattered.


    "What? It should of worked!"(Damien)


    Moments later the ground below the spriggans turned red, beginning to bubble, when suddenly a pillar of fire rose from the ground, bursting into the clouds before disappearing. And where the spriggans once stood was a charred hole filled with ashes.


    <table><tbody><tr><td>Level Up x 2


    20 new attribute points available</td></tr></tbody></table>


    He looked at the page which held the spell he used, but it was no longer there.


    He looked at the spine of the book now realizing what the inscription meant. It said "destruction breeds creation, when something falls apart it leaves room for a new beginning" Damien realized that any spell in this book could only be used once after that it would have to be replaced or rewritten.


    "HOW DID YOU DO THAT?"(Anastasia)


    "It was an incantation within my grimoire"(Damien)


    "Do it again?"(Anastasia)


    "I can''t"(Damien)


    Anastasia looked puzzled.


    "Why?"(Anastasia)


    "I can only use each spell once, after that i would have to rewrite it"(Damien)


    "Can''t you just make the circle thingy and say the funny words?"(Anastasia)


    "The book makes the circles, I simply draw them out"(Damien)


    Anastasia stood there scratching her head.


    "Don''t worry I''ll learn to wri..."(Damien)


    The conversation was cut short, the ground began to shake and a large root appeared. The root changed form into a beautiful woman in her early 20s she was tall and slender with long black wispy hair which was down to chest height, she was wearing no clothes instead she had vines growing up her legs with a small leaf covering her.


    "Why do you kill my children surface dwellers?"(???)


    She was crying as she spoke.


    "They attacked us first, strange root woman"(Anastasia)


    "Is that so?"(???)


    In her hand the woman held a sphere of murky water, when it cleared it showed Anastasia cutting a tree in half with her scythe.


    "Every tree you cut, hurt my poor children"(???)


    She moved closer to Anastasia.


    "If you don''t back off, I''LL CUT DOWN EVERY TREE IN THIS GOD FORSAKEN MARSH! THEN I''LL CUT YOU DOWN!"(Anastasia)


    The woman was consumed by an absolute rage.


    "HOW DARE YOU THREATEN ME AND MY CHILDREN, I AM THE LADY OF THE MARSH, AND YOU CHILD SHALL BEG FOR MERCY AT MY ROOTS!"(Lady of the marsh)


    Damien was unable to talk witnessing the pure killing intent released by these two.


    Anastasia smirked before her blade began to glow emanating what could only be described as death,


    She sliced towards the trees at her left side, an arc of black launched cutting down a large section of forest.


    The woman fell to her knees, In her intense silence she somehow screamed with her whole body. The eyes wide with horror, the mouth ridged and open, her chalky face gaunt and immobile, the fists clenched with blanched knuckles and the nails dug deeply into the palms of her hands.


    "J...JUS...JUST...DIEEEEEEEEE!"(Lady of the marsh)


    The woman flew into a blind fury at Anastasia. She launched herself forward, bellowing in anger like the wounded bear she resembled.


    Anastasia''s scythe and title gave her a tremendous amount of speed and strength, allowing her to parry and return the attack of the demon which pursued her.


    The pace at which the battle unfolded made it certain that Damien could not interfere, due to the chance of hitting Ana, all he could do was stand by watching the flurry of attack after attack with only the lesser ones landing, and even they were barely noticeable to the two battling monsters.


    Then Damien had an idea a way to end this, the grimoire''s pages turned at an immeasurable pace, before finally coming to a rest, stopping on a page which read...

 #5 Where the path splits

    "Eclipse of the holy sun" this is what Damien was looking for, this is what could stop them, he immediately began to chant


    "sanctae lumen solis caecus hostibus meis et his qui consistit"


    [light of the holy sun, blind my enemies, and bring them to a halt]


    Ana and the lady of the marsh were still mid conflict, when small sphere of light appeared between them.


    The light expanded at a rapid pace, it soon filled the entire room and rendered all within it temporarily blind and sleeping.


    He ran over to Ana and lifted her up, well kind of. Damien wasn''t very strong, at all, after an hour of constant walking, sitting Ana down for a rest, then proceeding to pick her back up and walk, Damien managed to find a large arch.


    It was filled by some kind of blue miasma, he had no choice, he walked in...


    The room they ended up in was well lit and contained a few beds, and containers, Damien lay Ana down in one of the beds and searched the room for anything useful.


    He had found a set of leather armour and a robe, when he caught a glimpse of something in the corner of the room, it was a bookshelf full of old dusty books, but what caught his attention was a book near the top shelf.


    It looked silver but it was hard to tell due to it being clad in dust.


    As he picked it up a cloud of dust fell towards the ground claiming spots on some of the neglected objects that were scattered around the floor, he sat the book on the other bed and blew the remaining dust off of it, it had grey leather bindings with silver clouds on the front and a silver adornment on the spine, it was titled "whisper in the wind".


    Damien looked over at where Ana was, she lay there still sleeping, so he decided to start reading the book, as he read he slowly realized that it was a manual on Air magic. After a couple of hours reading he had finished the book.


    He closed the cover over, but as he did the book changed into a small dust tornado, and when it had subsided the book was gone.*ding**ding*


    <table><tbody><tr><td>Affinity</td></tr><tr><td>"Air"


    Air affinity allows the user to redirect and control the wind (+5% Air affinity)</td></tr></tbody></table>


    <table><tbody><tr><td>Skills</td></tr><tr><td>Tempestuous Slash: Active


    Compress air into an arc, the many different air currents within the arc cause it to cut and shred opponents and objects


    Level 1: Single, directional arc                Next Level: Single, controlled arc


    Cost: 25 Mana</td></tr></tbody></table>


    He was shocked at what he had just seen but only for a moment. He grabbed a small wooden chair and sat it in the center of the room.


    [TEMPESTUOUS SLASH](Damien)


    An arc of compressed air appeared and flew towards the chair ripping it into pieces, and then cutting half way into the stone wall behind it.


    "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING"(Anastasia)


    "...eh...well"(Damien)


    "I HAD THAT SWAMP HAG"(Anastasia)


    "Ana calm down"(Damien)


    Damien turned round to see Ana sitting upright in her bed.


    "Where are we?"(Anastasia)


    "I presume the next part of the dungeon"(Damien)


    Ana quickly looked round the room spotting the armour Damien had laid out, and the door. She picked up the armour and walked into a dark corner of the room.


    [Shadow Form](Anastasia)


    She disappeared becoming the shadow, and when she had reappeared, she was changed.


    "That there is the door out of here?"(Anastasia)


    "Yeah but do go ou..."(Damien)


    "I''m leaving right now, you are not to follow me"(Anastasia)


    "And what if I do?"(Damien)


    She stared at him in the eye, making him nervous.


    "Then I will kill you"(Anastasia)


    The boy was in complete shock at what he had just heard, he tried to speak but, was unable.


    "The next time we meet, I will not welcome you as a friend but an enemy"(Anastasia)


    And with that she turned and left, Damien went to open the door but something had blocked it on the otherside.


    What will I do, I am unable to go after her and the door is sealed(Damien)


    He paced up and down in the room thinking about what to do when thud, Damien looked at his feet.


    He was standing on a small rug, but the noise sounded hollow as if there was something below him. He ripped up the rug revealing a hatch door, he managed to lift it up revealing a ladder into a dark passageway.


    He began to descend into it''s depths.


    He found himself in a series of damp tunnels which led out into a cavern, he spends some time searching the cavern before finding a narrow waterfall.


    Beyond the waterfall lies a small, damp room. covered in remains, rubble and dead insects. Even though the room was dark he could make out small prison cells, deteriorated and consumed by time itself.


    Further ahead was three paths, he takes the one on the right. Its twisted trail leads passed several empty rooms and soon he reaches a dank and unpleasant room. Spiderwebs covered everything, and large figures seemed to be wrapped in the same webs.


    What happened in this place?(Damien)


    He slowly walks forwards, deeper into the structures expanse. He passes various different rooms and countless passages, some are dead ends, others led to who knows where, or what. Damien eventually makes it to what is likely the final room. With an ominous granite door which blocks his path. Countless runes are all over it, somehow untouched by both time and the elements. He steps in closer to inspect it and...there was a whisper coming from the otherside.


    He didn''t know why but he was drawn towards this door.


    "Come child be my next meal, open the door and let me devour you"(???)


    Although he didn''t want to he held out his and and touched the door, the granite doors sunk down into the earth and what lay before him was a spiders nest. He stepped forward into the room, but not of his own volition.


    The doors closed and darkness befell the room. Damien blacked out.


    When he had awoken he was in a cocoon of sticky webs, hanging just off of the ground, he was unable to see but he could hear lots of light steps coming towards him.


    "So you came my child"(???)


    He was in a panic, not knowing what was happening around him.


    If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    [TEMPESTUOUS SLASH](Damien)


    The webs were decimated allowing Damien see that he was currently in a Spiders nest, his slash had killed what should of looked like spiders, they were currently mush with bodily parts strewn across the room.


    "The meal fights back, this should be fun"(???)


    Damien was on edge looking around for the source of the voice. When he heard something behind him...


    He jumped out to the side, barely avoiding both the abdomen and the stinger of the giant spider.


    "Hmm interesting, this one is stronger than my normal prey"(???)


    Damien just avoided a second attack when he retaliated by removing the spiders main advantage. The pages of the grimoire flipped to one near the back. The only problem is that he is losing all of the spells of which the previous owner had written. With now only a few remaining.


    "incendite tenebras unde inimicus meus hidis"(Damien)


    [light the darkness from which my enemy hides]


    A bolt of light fired straight up hitting the roof before bursting into floating specs of light, they looked like overcharged fireflies, and soon the entire room was lit by them, Damien could now see his opponent clearly. A massive black spider with a white skull on it''s underside, which also contained a stinger equal in size to a longsword.


    "WHAT DID YOU DO TO MY BEAUTIFUL HOME CHILD?"(???)


    "Just lightened it up a bit"(Damien)


    [TEMPESTUOUS SLASH](Damien)


    He was aiming for the spiders main weapon, it''s stinger, but the spider had moved, and instead he cut one of its back legs.


    It released a screech like that of a banshee, as the leg fell to the ground, the spiders blue blood bubbled as it spilled out onto the stone, leaving a small hole. The blood was corrosive and he would have to be careful not to get any on him.


    The spider was bleeding, dripping the corrosive blood onto the ground below.


    "Feed my children on the flesh of this human"(???)


    Suddenly from small holes in the wall hordes of smaller spiders, rushed out towards Damien.


    [DUST BARRAGE](Damien)


    A wind picked up around Damien, it circled him and was getting stronger and began to pick up small segments of rock and dust, the spiders drew nearer, and were swallowed up by the storm, soon the circling wall of rock had turned blue from the blood of the spiders.


    The tornado turned into a compressed sphere of rock and acidic blood.


    The large spider began to descend quickly towards Damien,  it had turned berserk and flew at him as it neared, the sphere was launched at the spider exploding mid air.


    Damien ran hiding in one of the spider holes near the ground, he looked out at the the ground embedded with corroded rocks and burned by acid.*ding**ding*


    He was looking to see what he had obtained when...


    Anastasia pov


    I wanted to get as far away from that boy as I could, I  barred the door with a large amount of water. Outside was a frozen wasteland and shortly after barring the door the water had frozen.


    I don''t know why I feel so angry, so much has happened, I am a champion supposed to save a world which abandoned me from being destroyed, Damien was getting on my nerves about it, then a marsh hag attacked me for cutting down a stupid tree.


    And when i finally got a chance to vent my anger that idiot blinds me and drags me away.


    When I get out of here I am leaving the forest,  with Hoshimi and I''m going to live a good life, and while I''m at it pay a nice little visit to my parents.


    "Kehkehkehkeh...*cough*.. I  really need to work on my evil laugh"(Anastasia)


    3rd person pov


    She was in a frozen tundra, all that surrounded her was ice and snow she had been walking alongside a frozen lake and was knee deep in snow. When she had spotted a frozen body next to the ice he had a satchel by his side.


    Ana ran over and grabbed the satchel searching for anything she could use. When she found a peculiar object, it was a blood red scroll and what it contained was drawings of some one wielding a staff.


    It was the last image which made her read the scroll, the drawing showed the staff on fire and the man still using it.


    When she had finished she rolled the scroll back up, but as she did it got hot and began to burn. It turned to ash before her very eyes. *ding*ding*


    <table><tbody><tr><td>Affinity</td></tr><tr><td>"Fire"


    Allows the user to create and control flames (+5% Fire affinity)</td></tr></tbody></table>


    <table><tbody><tr><td>Skills</td></tr><tr><td>Arcane Inferno: Active


    covers the blade of the users weapon in fire which can be either launched, until it hits another object or used to add fire damage to each strike


    Level 1: Weak flames                Next Level: Stronger flames


    Cost: 20 Mana</td></tr></tbody></table>


    She smiled.


    [ARCANE INFERNO](Anastasia)


    Her scythe''s blade was set alight and she cut a line in the direction she was walking, towards a frozen tree. As she cut down the flames leaped from the blade in a straight line across the ground until it hit the tree, which turned to charcoal within minutes.


    This cleared a path through the snow allowing her to walk through with little or no effort. she smiled and whistled a happy tune as she walked down the path she created. a large black crow landed on the ground near her, and it began to caw loudly.


    "you interrupted my whistling"(Anastasia)


    The crow cawed again, and Ana''s scythe began to burn again, she slashed sideways at the bird, and let''s just say it never cawed again. she smirked and continued on her way whistling once more.


    She began seeing more and more of these crows, and killed the ones who couldn''t escape her flames.


    she had arrived at a large clearing in front of a glacial cavern, she went to walk forwards when a golem rose up from the snow standing around 8ft tall wielding an axe carved from ice.


    "you are impure and may not enter"(Golem)


    "GET OUT OF MY WAY!"(Anastasia)


    An arc of flames cut the golem in half.


    "I am liking this"(Anastasia)


    She tried to walk towards the entrance but...

 #6 A leap forward

    She tried to step forward, but she was met by the golem once more.


    "SERIOUSLY?"(Anastasia)


    "you are impure and may not enter"(Golem)


    "YOU''RE SPOUTING THAT NONSENSE AGAIN?"(Anastasia)


    He readied his axe for attack when...


    "DIE!"(Anastasia)


    She flew at the golem with a blade of fire, turning him into mush at her feet. She sighed with relief, but that relief, didn''t last long.


    "you are impure and may not enter"(Golem)


    Ana smiled this time,  cutting the golem with the normal blade, leaving a mark on it''s arm before destroying him once more.


    "you are impure and may not enter"(Golem)


    Ana looked over at the golem with a smile of pure bliss, the mark had remained.


    "Does it hurt to die?"(Anastasia)


    "No pain is greater than my cause"(Golem)


    As Ana heard this she grinned from ear to ear...the golem took a step back.


    "We''ll see how you''re resolve holds, after I kill you, 1000 TIMES KEHKEHKEHKEH...*cough*...*cough*"(Anastasia)


    Ana''s scythe blade was dancing with flames, this blade of course then severed the golem''s head, many times.


    "Slash, slash, slash, slash, slash, slash, slash, slash..."(Anastasia)


    After it''s 100th death it stoped attacking and TRIED to run away, by the time it reached it''s 200th death, the golem began to beg Ana for mercy, then after that, whenever it came back to life it was crouched down rocking backwards and forwards screaming.


    It began to cry, asking the not so innocent 8 year old to end the nightmares.


    "You can pass, just stop, PLEASE!"(Golem)


    "Nope, I''m enjoying this far too much"(Anastasia)


    And when it had died for the 700th time, Ana had completely broken the guardian, when it next came back it never moved nor spoke as it no longer had the mental or physical capacities to.


    "Awww you couldn''t even make it to 1000, PATHETIC"(Anastasia)


    Ana cut off it''s head one last time.


    "This is boring...Oh well onwards it"(Anastasia)


    And now, where once stood a proud guardian was now, a lifeless husk.


    Ana began walking towards the cave once more when. *clap* *clap*


    "Bravo, bravo young girl"(???)


    Ana continued to walk towards the cave ignoring the applause which came from behind her.


    "You can''t go in there"(???)


    It was a man''s voice, it sounded old and frail.


    "ARE YOU GOING TO STOP ME, OLD MAN!"(Anastasia)


    "Well that depends on your next move"(???)


    "I AM GOING IN THIS CAVE AND THERE IS NOTHING YOU CAN DO TO STOP ME!"(Anastasia)


    "Oh really now?"(???)


    Ana''s eyebrows rose at the "challenge", which was met by a small laugh from the man. The man was in his 50s wearing old robes which cloaked most of his physical appearance. A large two handed blade materialised into his left hand.


    "Are you sure you want to fight me?"


    The sword was around 2m long and looked unwieldy, yet this man held it with ease within one hand. Ana charged at her full speed towards his right side, as the man couldn''t possibly block the strike in time. Well thats what she believed.


    The scythe was met mid air by the sword, with a shockwave that sent Ana backwards into the ground.


    "Is that it?"(???)


    Ana then launched an array of fiery arcs, which hurtled towards the man. Who with a single slash of his sword, cut through the flames while he himself had launched an attack, a solid bolt of purple like an amethyst tore it''s way toward her, Ana barely managed to block the attack which sent her flying into the outside wall of the cave.


    As she stumbled up on to her feet her scythe split up into two smaller blades, one coated with fire while the other was coated with ice. This time wen she attacked it was near impossible to see, the man swung the sword, only for Ana to dance around mid air plunging the two scythes into his neck, or so she thought, the man had disappeared leaving only his cloak upon the ground.


    her scythes merged back into one, and she collapsed falling backwards into the snow, she was covered in scratches and bruises from head to toe and she had overused her mana. *ding*


    <table><tbody><tr><td>Skills</td></tr><tr><td>Sickles of the Sun and Sea: Active


    Create two small scythes coated in fire and ice, these increase the users speed and agility by 1.5x


    Level 1: 10 Seconds               Next Level: 15 Seconds


    Cost: 255 Mana</td></tr></tbody></table>


    Meanwhile...


    Damien had suffered from mana exhaustion as well, but whilst he was unconscious he recieved his new skill


    <table><tbody><tr><td>Skills</td></tr><tr><td>Dust Barrage: Active


    create a fast flowing current of air to pick up stones, opponents and objects, which are compressed into a sphere which can be launched at an opponent


    Level 1: Normal current               Next Level: Razor current


    Cost: 300 Mana</td></tr></tbody></table>


    He awoken several weeks later in a small rusted cell,  it contained a stone bed and what he presumed was a toilet(lets just say it wasn''t very sanitary) there was another 4 cells which he deemed empty due to their pungent smell of rotten flesh.


    He had no clue how he got here or who had captured him, but he wasn''t sticking around to find out. He slowly moved towards the cell door, but as he did he noticed the bolt was on the inner side of the door, he moved closer to look at the other cells.


    "Hello"(Damien)


    His voice echoed, and as he looked out from his cell, he seen that the corridor and all the other cells had been bloodied. He wasn''t sure what had done this or how "this" was even possible.


    He unbolted the door stepping out into the narrow corridor.


    further down the corridor was a silhouette. It was well rounded and appeared feminine in shape, there was a faint cry coming from her direction.


    Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    "Hey, are you okay?"(Damien)


    The cry slowly turned into a laugh.


    "There was a bolt on the inside for a reason child"(???)


    "And why is that?"(Damien)


    "It was the other me, she did it to save you"(???)


    Damien slowly walked forwards toward the woman.


    "What from?"(Damien)


    "THE REAL ME"(???)


    The shadowy figure leaped towards him, revealing her true self, she was tall, her body scaly with a long tail which replaced her legs, she looked snake like.


    She was a lamia, a n¨¡ga which had been taken over by a demon, well known for brutally murdering and devouring the young of all races, most of them have split personalities belonging both to the demon and their former self.


    Damien managed to block her attack with his vines, he used this opportunity to run back towards his cell. He closed the door and was about to bolt it again. But she had reached him and was trying to pull it open with her tail.


    "OPEN THIS DOOR"(???)


    Then she suddenly let go screaming, Damien had cut a small section of her tail off using his Tempestuous slash. Giving him enough time to lock the gate again.


    The lamia''s tail grew back she looked at the cell door, her eyes mixed with both rage and defeat.


    "I''ll get you next time, BOY!"(???)


    Damien was still trying to decipher what just happened. After a few hours trying to keep fully awake and on guard, he dozed off.


    "Hey quick wake up"(???)


    Damien woke up suddenly alert, expecting trouble, and found that the lamia had returned, although something was different.


    "Are you here to kill me?"(Damien)


    "No I''m here to save you"(???)


    Damien was more confused than ever.


    Not too long ago you attacked me, why would you now try to save me?"(Damien)


    "Cause I''m the one who put you in there"(???)


    She unlocked the door and held out her hand.


    "Quick we don''t have much time"(???)


    Damien got up and walked towards her.


    "Time for what?"(Damien)


    "Before she comes back"(???)


    Damien nodded, they left the cell and began to run down the corridor.


    "So whats your name?"(Damien)


    "Netheila, and what of you, to what name do you belong?(Netheila)


    "Damien, who was the other one, the one who tried to attack me?(Damien)


    Netheila paused, looking slightly ashamed.


    "That was Djinbioruhm the demon who shares this body with me, she takes over at night, and I awaken usually in a pile of blood and remains of all sorts"(Netheila)


    "How did you...end up sharing your body with a demon?"(Damien)


    She sighed.


    "I was born and grew up in a small coastal n¨¡ga village, we led a simple life far from the conflict and troubles of this world. Or so we thought. When I was about 12 years old, everything changed and not for the better"(Netheila)


    She paused for a moment, stopping herself from bursting into tears.


    "Then they arrived, a group known as the hands of death, a demon worshipping cult came and destroyed the village. They killed everyone including my parents, and proceeded to take me and the other kids for experimentation"(Netheila)


    Her hands clenched into fists.


    "As if what they had done already wasn''t bad enough, they summoned demons using us as hosts to try and keep them in this world, I was their prized possession, I became a physical embodiment of their goddes Djinbioruhm. For this she rewarded them with full use of my body whenever she wasn''t in control"(Netheila)


    She began moving faster as if to finish the conversation.


    "She tried to break me, whenever I woke it would be in someone else''s blood, and I had enough so i came here keeping her far away from the world"(Nethelia)


    She began to cry.


    "But it wasn''t enough, from time to time adventurers come down here and I put them in the warded cells which she can''t enter, well as long as the bolt is closed, but they always come out and...and they..."(Nethelia)


    Damien stepped forward hugging her.


    "You''ve done all you could"(Damien)


    She gave off a faint smile, before indicating that they must keep moving.


    They traveled through a labyrinth of tunnels, and at last they had reached a ladder which led up to an opening.


    "Arggh...grrr..."(Netheila)


    "Are you ok?"(Damien)


    "She''s coming back, go quickly"(Nethelia)


    She pushed Damien toward the ladder, gesturing for him to climb.


    "What about you?"(Damien)


    "She can''t find out about this entrance, I must head back now"(Nethelia)


    "I can''t leave you here!"(Damien)


    She glanced back at Damien.


    "Go you can''t help me, at least not yet"(Nethelia)


    "But..."(Damien)


    "GO NOW!"(Nethelia)


    Damien looked at the lamia as she sped back down the tunnel, before turning to climb the ladder.


    When he reached the top he was met by an older lady who looked much like...


    Anastasia pov


    I don''t know how long I was out for but I woke up to be met by a man, I think it was the same one I fought before, I thought I recognised him, he was...


    3rd person pov


    "Saint Anise"(Damien)


    "Titus"(Anastasia)


    The two previous heroes had appeared before the children, giving them an offer they could not refuse, they had offered to train them within their own pocket realms.


    They promised the children strength and knowledge to start them on their journey, but it would take many years and even then they wouldn''t be ready to face the evil of the world they also informed the children of their companions current situation and how they would be undergoing training of their own.


    It would be many years before they would return to this world and when they do, it will not be the same but neither will they...