“Y’know, this is kinda embarrassing after all that confidence you had before. It’s a bit disappointing, really~“

Grovalt couldn’t decide whether to cry or scream. His thoughts were a tangled mess of questions and furious emotions. “Look, can you just answer the question?“

Maxra sighed and jumped onto the couch next to Grovalt. “It’s real simple, alright? You humans are so unbelievably feeble that even a little too much magic is way too much for your bodies to handle. To stop a reflection, your brain decides in the heat of the moment to give away something valuable rather than let you die.“

“You’re saying… that my body gave away my sense of touch to stop me from dying?“

“Yep. If you didn’t, you’d be a mess of blood, guts and ice right now!“ Maxra began laughing hysterically, all while getting up from the couch and disappearing through a dark gateway in front of them.

Grovalt’s head fell into his hands. No longer could he feel the stubble on his face. No longer could he feel the frost on his hands. No longer could he feel any physical pain. It was a different kind of horror that he had never felt before. It was grief over loss, but over such an abstract idea as losing one’s sense of touch. How is it even possible?

Coming back through the shadowy gateway was Maxra and a short girl with long, messy black hair and one owl-like eye peeking out from under it. She wore a black cloak with a belt wrapped around it. Her hands were small and boney. A dark circle was under the only eye that could be seen. In the awful light of the clock tower, she looked as if she were a ghost.

“Maxra, I know you were in a hurry but he doesn’t look alive to me. Do I have to go get the shovel again?“

“No, no! He’s totally fine. He almost reflected his magic, but he can still function. As long as you don't need his sense of touch, he can still be useful to us.“

“Actually, I did.“ The ghoulish girl became lost in thought for a moment, then her head shot back up. “No worries. We can find another one. I’ll go get the shovel.“

“Alright,“ Maxra replied, taking Grovalt by the throat.

“Huh? No, wait wait wait!!! I can help you. Whatever it is you’re doing, I can still help. I don’t give a damn about this city, or the Imperium. Please!“

Maxra gazed upon Grovalt with luminescent eyes. “Zenzi, why don’t we give him a chance? Just give him another job and we’ll see if he’s really up for it.“

The black-haired girl came back into the room with a shovel in hand. She pondered for a moment, then shot back up again. “Okay. I actually have something for him to do, as a matter of fact.“

“Ah, thank the Goddess,“ Grovalt grumbled as Maxra suddenly let go of his neck. His dull blue eyes finally searched his surroundings, sparking interest in his mind. “Who… who are you guys anyway?“

In her small hand, Zenzi conjured a small purple flame. All the other candlelight slowly died. The room around them became pitch-black, with only their faces illuminated in the violet light. “Who do you think? Didn’t you figure it out on your way here?“

“Actually, he was pretty much catatonic until just now,“ Maxra said.

“I see…“ Zenzi scratched her head, her messy hair wavering ever so slightly across her pale face. “Well, we’re the Ravens.“

Grovalt’s exhausted look turned into one of disbelief, then one of surprise. “You’re the Ravens? The assassins? I thought the Imperium made them up to scare people.“

The two fiendish girls chuckled.

“Well, that’s what we want people to think. In reality, we are the sole reason the Imperium’s been preoccupied as of late. Maxra has drained a great number of their mages over the past few months,“ Zenzi said. A smile formed on her face that sent shivers down Grovalt’s spine.

Maxra reached up to her mouth and pulled down her black mask. Her face was nothing short of beautiful. Her ruby lips contrasted her sharp, emerald eyes. “Speaking of us, I don’t think we had any real time for names. I’m Maxra, and she’s Zenzi. Also, this is our headquarters, Nevermore.“

“Yeah, yeah. And he’s Grovalt. Let’s move on, we’ve got business to take care of for Master. Now listen human: if you fail this, Maxra will eat you. You got that?“

Grovalt gulped. Beads of sweat formed and dripped down his brow. “Yes, ma’am.“

“Good. Good. Okay, so, her job before you messed things up was to assassinate Graves. You do understand that?“

Grovalt nodded.

“You see, it would have been easier for everyone if the leader of the Rumhounds was found dead all of a sudden. All the suspicion that even remotely existed around us would have been snuffed out if the only criminal organization known by the public were to be erased. But, you went and alerted the whole damn city, excuse my language. And now there’s even more suspicion on us. Actually, what were you even doing there in the first place?“

“To be honest… I used to work for him. After the Relic War, there weren’t a lot of legal job offers. And there weren’t any for warriors like us. It was the only thing I could see myself doing for some coin. Anyway, I quit eventually and started doing odd jobs around Aza. He was hounding me with his goons every day since I stopped. I guess… I guess I just got tired of it.“

Zenzi’s owl eye widened and her small mouth opened in surprise. “So, you decided to end his whole career and kill him for a mild annoyance like that?“

“Damn. That’s pretty cold, even for you.“ Maxra chuckled.

“No, no. I knew his men wouldn’t let me at him without a fight, but he’d be okay with that. He doesn’t really give a shit about them. I just wanted to talk with him, but then you showed up-“

Maxra shot a deadly glare Grovalt’s way, and he quickly went silent.

“Alright, then. Getting back to your mission,“ Zenzi continued. “We need you to find someone. Three people, actually. Bring them here, and that’s it. Pretty easy, right?“

“That’s it? Okay, I’ve done that before. What do they look like, these people?“

Zenzi’s eye seemed to widen to a level Grovalt once thought impossible, and she laughed creepily. As if to quell Grovalt’s fears, she also gave him a cute, awkward smile. “Well, let’s just say that you’ll want to talk to them rather than try to force them to come with you. They’ll listen to you, I’m sure of it. When you see them, mention this.“ Zenzi leaned over Grovalt’s left side and whispered something into his ear.

“Okay, but where should I go?“

“There is a mansion not too far from the borders of Aza. Go there, and wait. They’ll come to you.“

Grovalt nodded again. It seems like I’ll have to do this to earn my old, crappy life back.

The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

Zenzi’s flame vanished and the dim candles faded back into view once more. “If you have any trouble, just call my name. I’ll talk to you through your brain.“

“Alright, sounds- wait, what?“

Maxra abruptly opened up the metal hatch and kicked Grovalt into it, his body smashing into the stone stairs before she slammed it closed behind him. “You sure about this? I mean, this guy didn’t even know about reflection. How do you expect him to know anything about Imeldra?“

“Just trust me. And if things go bad, we can just get the shovel again.“

Grovalt grunted and looked back at the hatch with disdain. Just because I can’t feel pain, she thinks it’s okay to throw me into the stairs? Actually, she’d probably do that whether I could feel it or not. He managed to stand, and as he got to his feet he realized that his arms were relatively back to normal. Scars had formed where the symbols had dug into his skin, but he wasn’t bleeding anymore. He remembered the odd ritual that Zenzi had done just before, and thought that maybe she had healed him then without him noticing.

The city streets were even more chaotic than usual. Grovalt heard a few passing conversations about the battle him and Maxra had fought half an hour ago. Mages were stopping people to ask them about anything they knew about the mess. It seemed he had no choice but to head to the mysterious mansion outside of the city gates. Just the idea of getting out of town alone seemed like a good decision at the moment. He dodged the rushing crowds as he made his way up the street, occasionally ducking under the kerfuffle when guards headed his way.

At last, Grovalt made it to the steel colossus that were the Aza city gates. Glowing stones affixed to the top of the walls secreted a dreadful red glow that drenched the darkening streets even more than normal. The sun, like a great firebird, had stopped spanning its wings and now began to take rest beyond the burning horizon. Amidst one of the gates, two guards stood watch. Grovalt casually walked up to them.

“Hello. I was wondering if I could leave the city?“ Grovalt asked them.

“Nope,“ said the taller one. “No one’s permitted to leave the city until we find the culprit for the arson committed earlier this day.“

“I see. Pardon me, then.“ Grovalt awkwardly stepped away from the two men and turned his back to them.

A sharp feeling jabbed at Grovalt’s mind, and soon after a voice echoed throughout its canals. “Human, you could have called for me rather than make yourself look like a fool. Converse with them once more and they will let you pass. Do not stray from your mission again.“

“It’s not like I meant to-“ Grovalt started to say, but he quickly realized she had stopped listening in to his thoughts and turned to talk with the guards once again.

“Hurry and leave human. Do not forget your mission. You are to go to the mansion and bring us three people.“ The tone of the voice was Zenzi’s, but it emanated from the shorter guard’s mouth. The taller guard looked as if he were in a daze of sorts, his jaw slacked and his eyes dull.

“Alright, alright. I get it.“ Grovalt dashed past the guards before any passerby could see him leaving and ran as fast as he could past the wall and out onto the dirt path leading from the city.

Some time later he grew exhausted, but he had made good progress. Aza was now a couple miles behind him. The brilliant ball of light was now starting to hide, and with it the shadows of night slowly crept into view. As he eyed the horizon, he spotted a small dot far along the dirt path. After a while, it grew larger, and larger still, until finally Grovalt could make it out as a wagon. When it finally reached him, he heard the crack of reins and the horses stopped. The man holding the reins was an older fellow with a kind smile and a bald head.

“Afternoon, stranger. Actually, it seems to be evening. My, time flies when on the road. I had almost forgotten such a fact, and I’d only rested up for a few days.“

“Hello, sir. My name’s Grovalt. Is there any chance you could take me to the old mansion not far from here?“

“My, I’ve never had such a request before. I’d like to get to Aza before sundown but it seems we’ve a couple more hours until nightfall. You know what? Hop on, and I’ll take ya. It’s a minor detour, anyhow.“

“Ah, you’re a lifesaver mister…“

“Call me Old Man Hadrik, friend. Or just Hadrik, whichever ya like. I’m a traveling merchant, lookin’ to set up in Aza. Reckoned I needed a break from all the trees and bugs, hehe.“

Grovalt climbed up onto the wagon and sat beside the wizened man. His amiable expression set Grovalt at ease. It was the first time he had felt safe in a long while. He realized how much his life had gone off course in just a day’s time. The man slapped the reins again, and the two black stallions pulled the wagon back around.

“So, why are ya off to the abandoned mansion at such a time as this? If you don’t mind me askin’, that is.“

Grovalt leaned his back against the hard oak behind him. Even with the wagon’s never ending bumps and jolts, he could finally relax. He rubbed his eyes, his tiredness making itself known even after his comatose state not long ago. “To be honest, I don’t really know myself.“

“Yeah, I get ya son. City life is nice and all, but soon ya realize how much you miss the lonesome country life. Ya miss the little things, the bugs and the critters and the like. I reckon the city with all those people clumped up is bound to make everybody uneasy. There’s never not a right time to be alone.“

The dirt road eventually settled. There were fewer bumps this far from the city.

“Where did you say you were, before Aza?“ Grovalt asked Hadrik.

“Ah, it’s a little town out by the Greatwoods. Hard to find, that one. The folk there are kind enough, but its got an odd vibe to it. Ymiris’s Rest, they call it. It seems they really believe the Goddess is dead and buried underneath ‘em.“

“And you don’t?“

“Seems everyone wants to believe something different nowadays. My hometown, Altruin, also believes the Goddess is dead. Except they don’t think she’s buried at all. They believe she lives on within all of us, even now.“

“Do you think the same way?“

“I try not to bring up such things. Whenever such discussions came up with my children, and their children, it would only be about convincing each other, rather than debating with each other.“

“That’s just how it is, I suppose. Bias exists in all things we do.“

“You’re one wise young man, Grovalt. I do wish my son was more like you. More open-minded, if you will. If you really want to know what I believe, I’ll tell ya. I believe in myself, and I believe in the people around me. No matter what, that’s what truly matters in this life. Remember to believe in people, no matter how much you may disagree with ‘em. The spirit of people and their ideals last much longer than the physical things around us.“

Stars began to form in the peerless sky. Night was closing in. The shadows grew darker and longer than before. With each hoofprint made by the horses, the great umbral visage grew in size. The mansion, wreathed in darkness, was in sight.

“Do ya know the story of this mansion, dear Grovalt?“ Old Man Hadrik questioned, his face still as cheerful as ever underneath the darkening sky.

“No, I only ever heard about it from different people, here and there.“

“Well, last time I was in Aza I did business with a man who knew a great deal about it. He told me that it was once home to a loving family of four. The mother and father were greatly adept at magic, to the point where they could even understand the writings of an archontic tome.“

“An archontic tome? Those really exist?“

“I dunno, never came across one in all my travels. But supposedly, the father finally understood how to use the magic contained within it one night. My cohort said that he knew him well, and that night he never heard from him again. The night after, the mother went missing. And the night after that, their two daughters also vanished.“

“Was it some kind of spell? Maybe something went wrong?“

“He didn’t know. I asked him whether the father would have killed his family, but he just shook his head and left. Haven’t talked to him since. But that’s why I find it so peculiar that a man such as yourself would dare set foot in a place like that, let alone at night.“

“Trust me, now I definitely don’t want to. But maybe some good could come out of it. Maybe I can find out the truth to such a story.“

“Then, I wish you all the luck in the world, lad.“

To Grovalt’s disbelief, they had already arrived at the foot of the mansion. He could barely see its outline through the cloak of night. The sun had all but evaporated as the light of the moon began to dominate the landscape.

“Thanks again, Hadrik. Maybe I’ll see you in Aza sometime soon.“

“Hopefully so. Be careful, son. Remember that there ain’t no shame in runnin’ if anything worse than that story I told ya rings true.“ With that, the old man gave Grovalt another cheerful grin as he set off down the dirt road once more.

Alone again, Grovalt stood at night’s eve at the mouth of this horrid beast. Its great iron doors sat perfectly still as if they were jaws waiting for their prey. He remembered the old man’s words just now, and a faint smile charmed his gruff face. He entered the old mansion.