The silence woke me up.

I was never used to silence, it is perhaps the most horrifying aspect in this ghost city. It is a reminder of what is lost and what forever will be.

Never will these streets see the greedy merchant and the busy citizens haggling loudly again.

Never will the Inns know the clamor and clatter one would expect in a night such as this.

Elves weren't particularly loud, but not even the strictest race could hold silent in a travern's night while the minstrels sang heroic tales and the drunkards boasted heavenly powers.

It all gone now, and all I had left was an army of books to fill the void.

Books never intrigued me before, but now as the solitude claimed my spirit, only they answered my hoarse cry for companionship.

Suddenly, I had thousands of thoughts and opinions to reference. I had experiences and thoughts to look upon, and memories of long-lost relatives to guide me through the nights.

Today however, was unlike the others.

As I got dressed in my chamber, the lavishly decorated prince's bedroom, I couldn't help but notice my image staring at me in the mirror. It was unfamiliar, my round face has evolved to a more angular one similar to my father's and my dark hair was longer. What stuck me though, was my skin.

When a Dark elf reaches his fourteenth year, a coming of age ceremony is held where the child experiences a growth spurt, and as the flesh changing to a dark purple, the veins begin to extend even longer, reaching the length of blades.

It was the beginning of adulthood, and I had to face it alone.

Not two fortnights have passed since the bloodbath, but I couldn't remember a speck of it.

Or rather, I wouldn't. I didn't dare to. It was a place in my mind best left untouched lest it destroys the remaining bits of my heart.

So I read, inviting other thoughts instead, distracting myself from the bitter truth.

The illusion was fading however, and i knew I would have to move on eventually.

That came sooner than I expected.

***

I heard the trotting of the horse before I got out of my dad's castle, and from then I was terrified. I couldn't think of company as anything other than hazardous and that was why, I guess, my veins started throbbing.

They sent a comfortable icy feeling to my limps, calming my nerves, but they did nothing to the rage building up in me.

Those humans rode horses

Now it started to become clear, they came back for me. All those deaths weren't enough, they had to get me too. That was fitting for me too though, I never thought to live on anyway.

Like Anduathis said in his books, there is a difference between giving up, and knowing when you had enough.

And it definitely seemed like enough for me.

I made my way out through the gates, taking a detour to the library to return the Fenrir chronicles to it's rightful place, hoping that those barbarians recognize it's value after I'm gone.

I looked back once before leaving, passing an eye on all the books I had held in my hands those past few days. Each and every one of those books has it's own soul, with dreams and hopes and purposes. They were the only thing that held me together when I was breaking apart.

Going through the corridors, I admired the view of the mountains one last time before finally arriving.

The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

This is it, I had my hand on the doorknob, preparing myself for the worst.

With a silent prayer, I got out.

To my relief, and slight disappointment, it was not the army but a lone giant of a man riding a horse twice as big as any I'd seen.

He smiled sadly, more empathy appearing on his face than I thought a man his size can hold.

"I'm guessing you're the leftover they sent me for." He said, breaking the silence.

"You're here to kill me?" I said with the same fear I overcame seconds ago escaping through my shaky voice.

He chucked, and I noticed he was about to say something but my veins reacted faster, plunging their way through my muscles and skin, overcrowding in the extremity of my hands.

Just like father taught me.

I leaped then, my hands emitting an almost unbearable load of pain, and I aimed for his heart.

He wasn't flustered like I anticipated, in fact he was merely amused as he held his sword to his side, and as I came back to my senses I wanted to retreat, but I was far too late.

I rammed into his sword, my breath knocked out of me as I fell on the hard, hard ground.

Holy shit this hurts, was about all that I could bring myself to think about.

"Next time you do that kid, I won't be keeping the scabbard on." He sat on the floor beside me, and I brought my head up to meet his eyes.

I grunted, and he back to the castle, now looking deeply impressed by the architecture.

"I'm not gonna hurt you kid, we clear on that?" He waited a moment, as if to let the thought sink in, "I'm here to offer you something. Think you can get up?"

I did, and the pain only seemed to multiply. The veins had already retreated back to their natural place, so I thought better than to resist.

"Why did they kill them?" I hated my self for asking that question, for weakness and vulnerability radiated with it, but it was well worth it. I needed to know more than I needed my pride.

"It's obvious why kid, they feared them. A more important question would be: what are going to do about it?"

I stared for a moment, "Kill them. I'm going to kill them all."

"Ah, and say you did that. Let's say, you bright down the hammer of justice on every one of them. Would you're family resurrect then? Would that bring them back? Tell me kid, what would you have achieved?"

"Revenge," Was all I could answer.

He sounded sad then, looking down at me and I felt offended at that. No-one likes to be pitied after all.

"Then come with me. I have been sent to you, not to kill you, but to bring you in. If you join us, we would feed you and shelter you, but more importantly, we would teach you how to fight the way you're meant to, using your own skills and abilities."

"What do humans know about the way we fight?" I roared angrily, surprised by his smugness.

"Now," he smiled, "what the hell made you think we are humans?" A grin spread across his face, and it was then that his abnormal size finally made sense to me.

He's a golem, I thought, noticing the cobblestone under the heavy armor. I've read about those.

"So?" He asked, grin lingering on his lips.

"Can I bring my books?"