The boy stood crying amidst the flames. Before him, a small house was burning, brightly lighting up the night. It was his home. The boy did not understand what had happened, or what the flames meant, he was too young. And yet, he could not help but cry.

“Are you scared, child?” A voice asked. The boy turned to find a man dressed in fine clothes, with a long black hat atop his head. He was staring into the fire; his face revealed by the light. The boy did not know the man, nor had he noticed the man approach.

The boy did not respond. He did not understand the question.

“It is normal to be scared. You are weak. Weakness breeds fear.”

Once again, the boy said nothing.

After a moment, the man looked over at the boy with a gentle smile.

“Would you like to be strong?” The man paused for a moment before turning back towards the fire. “You see, I am also weak. I am also scared. But together, I believe that we can be strong.”

The man reached out his hand to the boy.

“Would you please help me wash away this fear?”

The boy did not respond. He simply continued to cry. He did not understand the man’s words, just like he did not understand the fire. But, the boy felt drawn to take the man’s hand. He did not want to be alone.

The man smiled once again. “Thank you, child.”

That night, the young boy left behind his home and his family. And although he would come to forget many of the things that he had loved, he would never forget the pain of losing them.

The boy remembers little else from his younger days. He remembers his new home, of course. Dark corridors made of stone, visible only by glowing symbols on the walls. There were large rooms and unending hallways, much like a labyrinth. The boy was allowed to explore, but he did not travel far, for fear of getting lost. The man raised the boy well, tending to all of his needs, like food, education, entertainment, and a comfortable place to sleep. The boy even had his own room, with his own bed. The man rarely left his side. In fact, the only time that he would leave home at all was when food ran low. He would leave for a few days and then return with supplies and some new toy for the boy to play with or a new book for him to read. The boy was particularly fond of a board game known as Spade, which involved using a variety of pieces to capture the opponent’s pieces. He played it with the man as often as he could, not that he ever won. The boy was also very fond of the stories that the man would read. Each night, the man would take out a silver pocket watch to check the time, and then he would send the boy to bed for a quick tale. His stories were always about a monster of some kind or another. The monster was always the unexpected hero, sacrificing himself for the good of others. There was one night in particular the boy remembers well.

“You always tell stories about a monster. What kind of monster is it?”

The man smiled. “Do you know what a monster is, child?”

The boy thought for a moment. “I saw them in the picture books I read. They are big and dangerous, and they look kind of scary.”

“Well, many people think that’s true. But that is not what I believe. That is not what a real monster is.”

“It’s not?”

“No, child. A monster is neither a beast nor a person. A monster is something that does not belong. A creature that has no place, not among those that fly in the heavens, or crawl upon the land, or swim through the sea. No matter how hard a monster may fight, or how compassionate it may become, it will never be accepted. It can understand the pain of others better than anyone, but its pain will never be understood. And an empathy that cannot beget empathy is a suffering far colder than death.”

The boy thought for a moment. “I don’t get it.” He said simply.

The man smiled. “That’s okay. You don’t have to understand.”

“I understand a little . . . I think. You are saying that . . . monsters are lonely, right?”

The man laughed gently. “Yes, I suppose they are.”

“Then I will be their friend! Just show me the monsters, and I will be their friend!” The boy stood up excitedly, despite being in bed. The boy knew what it felt like to be lonely. He did not want others to feel the same way, even if they were scary looking.

The man looked at the boy with warm eyes. “When you are older, I am sure you will come to know many monsters. Perhaps you can be the one to understand them.”

“Yeah! I’ll understand them all! I will!”

The man picked up the boy and put him back into bed. “I believe you. I’m sure you will.”

Even though the boy had not understood everything the man had said, he would continue to remember his words for many years to come. He was determined that someday he would discover their meaning.

The boy grew older, coming to love the man as he would a father. The man was his only family. And, as he was never allowed to leave his home, the man was his only source of humanity. But the boy was not lonely for the most part, except on those rare days when the man would leave. Reading and Spade remained the boy’s favorite pass times. The boy had grown so skilled at Spade that he was now capable of winning a game every thirty attempts or so. The boy’s favorite piece was fittingly named “the monster”. The man warned that not many people liked that piece, due to its complicated movement pattern, but the boy ignored him. He could not help it if it was his favorite piece. As for the boy’s education, he was developing at an incredible pace. The boy seemed to be very intelligent and mature for his age, almost unnaturally so. And the man had a great deal of knowledge and wisdom to teach the boy. He taught him of the history of the world, and all the various races and creatures that filled it. He taught the boy how to fight with various weapons and how to use a great many tools. He also taught the boy the basics of language, and gave him many books and stories to read. He taught the boy to cook and clean and live a healthy life. But most of all, he taught the boy of essence, which allowed for incredible feats. The man told him that essence is in all people, but only through script, a language of a forgotten people, can it be used. Script allowed for many spectacles, like water from air or objects that moved on their own. He also showed the boy many different forms of script, finding that the boy had a particular knack for illusions and essence that affects the mind. He learned quickly, and was happy to do so. He knew nothing of the outside world, so his curiosity was greater than most.

Slowly but surely, the boy grew.

Once he had grown old enough to question the world around him, he approached the man with a question as they were playing a game of Spade.

“Why do I not have a name?”

The man turned to the boy. “Do you wish to have one?”

“If you think I should. All of the characters in my books have names. But I don’t need one if you don’t want me to have one.”

“No, I think you should. I was merely waiting for you to grow old enough to desire one. I did not wish to force one upon you. Do you know what you would like your name to be?”

“I thought about that. I want my name to be Sen.”

“Sen? Isn’t that from one of the stories I gave you?”

“Mhm. Sen is a monster that protects other monsters, even though they are mean to him.”

The man smiled. “A fitting name. Although, this is the first time I have come across someone that desired to be named after a monster.”

“I’m special!” The boy, now named Sen, stated confidently.

The man gave a soft chuckle. “Indeed, you are.” As he said this, the man’s eyes took on a quality that Sen had never seen before. Sen did not know why, but he did not like this look.

Feeling rather off put, the boy attempt to change the subject. “Do you have a name?”

“I do, but I decided that I did not want to tell you my name until you had one.”

“Will you tell me now? Should I call you by it? Or should I call you father?” Sen hoped that he would desire the latter. Sen had grown up without a father, but he longed for one. But Sen’s hopes were misplaced.

“My name is Marin. Although I am the one that raised you, it is important that you always see me as an equal rather than a parent.”

“Why?”

“Because, just as I am important to you, you are important to me. We need each other. So, in that regard, we are equals. I ask that you treat me as such.”

The boy simply nodded, but inside he was very happy. The man, Marin, depended on Sen, just as Sen had come to depend on him. Sen was filled with pride at the thought of this. If Sen had known a little more of humanity, however, he would have noticed that Marin wore a dark expression.

Sen continued to grow, focusing almost entirely on his studies. He particularly enjoyed learning of history. He was very skilled with essence as well, but he did not take much interest in it. What use was creating illusions if you did not have any real people to show them to? But that was not the only reason that Sen did not like to practice with essence. Once, when he was attempting to use a new set of script he had learned, Sen accidently generated a small flame instead. He was not injured, but Sen immediately felt terror seize his entire body. Memories of the past filled him with fear. Sen realized that day that he was deathly afraid of fire. But, when Sen told Marin of this, instead of helping him to face his fears, Marin simply told him that everything would be fine as long as he avoided it. Sen agreed, but he could not help but feel a certain distaste towards practicing essence after that.

As for weapons training, Sen did not really mind it, but he did not necessary enjoy it either. Sen found that he favored the mace more than anything. His knowledge and wisdom increased greatly by the day. He was still just a boy, but his mind was developing well. And, despite the fact that Sen had been told to view Marin as an equal, he could not help but continue to think of him as a father.

Even though he did not know much about the world, Sen felt content in life.

However, once he had grown old enough, the simplicity of his life began to change.

When the time came, Marin approached him with a question.

“Have you ever wondered why you are here?” Marin asked.

“Well, of course I have wondered why I am not allowed to leave. And I have wondered why we live here instead of in the outside world. I only vaguely remember my first home, but I have wondered why it was lost. I also do not remember my old family, but I have wondered what they were like. And, I must admit, I have also wondered how we came to know each other. I only remember the night of the fire, but nothing before that. I did not ask about any of it though because I felt like you would tell me when I was old.”

“You are wise, my boy. That time is now. I am going to reveal a great deal to you. Please tell me if it becomes too overwhelming, and we will take a break.”

Sen nodded.

“Do you remember what I said to you when we first met? The night that your house was destroyed.”

The mere thought of that night made Sen shudder, but he tried to remember as best he could.

“I do, somewhat. You said something about being scared and needing strength.”

“Yes. I am scared.”

“Scared of what?”

“Death. I am scared of my own death.”

Sen was seized with freight. “You’re going to die?” He asked with a pale face.

“No, worry not my boy. I did not mean that I am expecting to die. I merely meant that I fear the death that comes with any life. I am scared of the fact that at some point, I will die.”

Sen felt relief at hearing that Marin was not in any immediate danger. He did not know what he would do if he lost his only family. As for what Marin had said about death, Sen did not really know how to feel one way or the other. On the contrary, Sen had never really thought about his own mortality before.

“Why are you scared of death?” Sen asked.

“I do not know why, exactly. I doubt that I was born with this fear. It just grew more and more as I went through life. I have tried to quell my fear through every means imaginable, but to no result. It is because I am weak. Weakness breeds fear.”

“I don’t think you are weak. Why are you weak?”

“It is not a matter of ‘why’. All living things are weak. With life comes fear, and as such, life itself is weak.”

Sen tilted his head in confusion. “I’m not quite sure I get it. We are alive, aren’t we? Does that mean we have to die to become strong?”

Marin chuckled. “No, my boy, quite the opposite. We must conquer death.”

“Conquer . . . you mean, living forever? I did not know that was possible. I have never read about it in the stories you gave me.”

“That is because no one has achieved such a feat before.”

Sen was at a loss for words. Everything Marin was saying seemed to contradict itself.

“Then, what do we do?”

“That is the question I have been waiting for, my dear boy. That is why you are here.”

Marin paused for a moment. His eyes lost the gentle glow that usually accompanied them as his face became sharp. In a different context, it could have been taken as a look of cruelty. Towards what, Sen could not imagine.

“Together, I have found a way for the two of us to wash away our mortality.”

Sen grew pale. The boy did not quite understand why, but the thought of this made him afraid. Up until that point, talk of immortality had not scared him. But one word in particular bothered Sen. Together. Together they would lose their mortality. He had never considered his own mortality. He neither feared it nor welcomed it. But, the thought of losing it, for some reason beyond his comprehension, held great fear.

After a moment, Sen managed to speak a few words in protest. “But, how can I be of help? I only know what you have taught me.”

“You are more important than you give yourself credit for. That is why I had to take you from your parents.”

Sen did not understand the meaning of Marin’s words at first. As they settled, Sen began to feel dizzy. He attempted to speak, but found that he could say nothing.

“Are you okay?” Marin asked.

“You took . . . why?” Sen managed to choke out.

“I cannot answer that question entirely, but I will say this, your parents were not good people. I knew your parents well, before you were born. Although you never met me directly, I watched over you from a young age. I found that your parents did not care for your life. One day, while you were playing outside, I approached your parents in secret. I tried to argue that you should be put into my custody. They were furious. In the resulting struggle, they caused a fire in their own home. I escaped, but your parents did not. That is when we met.” Marin paused for a moment. Sen was staring blankly at nothing in particular. “Would you like to take a break?”

“No, I . . . I don’t remember any of this. I only remember the fire.”

“Perhaps you blocked it out. We often do so with particularly painful memories. Or perhaps you simply were too young to remember.”

Sen thought for a long while in silence. It was a great deal for him to take in. But, he wanted to know more.

“So, then, you saved me?”

“I am not sure if your parent’s abuse would have resulted in your death or not. I only did as I thought was best.”

Despite this, Sen felt grateful towards Marin for trying to help him. Sen did not remember his parents, but if Marin had freed him from their abuse, then that was something to be thankful for.

Sen was still troubled though. “You said that I am important. Why? How am I any different from a normal person?”

“The very reason that I had decided to watch over you in the first place was because you are so important. I cannot go into the full details of why this is, but from your birth, I knew that you would be the only person in this world that can help me to conquer death.”

“But how?! Why?!” Sen shouts echoed through the large stone room that surrounded them and into the dark corridors outside. After a moment, Sen took a deep breath. “I am sorry for raising my voice.”

“It is perfectly alright. I understand that this is difficult to hear.”

Sen lowered his head slightly. “Please, I want to know how I am different. I’m scared of not knowing.”

Marin took on a thoughtful look. “I can tell you this much. I possess a power. A power that will grant immortality. However, I can only use this power if I have someone else’s help. And the only person that can help me do this is you.”

“But you can’t tell me why?”

“I’m afraid not.”

Sen looked down at the floor, holding back tears. This was all too much to take in at once. Marin walked over and gently placed his hand on the boy’s shoulder.

“Please trust me Sen. I have my reasons for not being able to tell you. I promise that it is for the best.”

Sen wiped his eyes and thought for a moment. Finally, he nodded. He felt comforted by Marin’s words. He did trust Marin, as he would any parent.

“That is why I have kept you here.” Marin explained. “I did not want to tell you about all this until you were older, but I also wanted to make sure that you were safe until the time came. I was trying to protect you.”

“Protect me from what?”

“There are many dangers in the outside world. I have no control over them. But here, here you are safe.”

Sen remained silent for a few moments. “I understand. But, someday, can you tell me more?”

Marin smiled gently. “Of course. With time, you will learn.”

Sen smiled in return. “Okay.”

Marin gave the boy a warm look. “Such unwavering faith, as always. Your trust could slay a lesser man.”

Sen laughed softly. But, after a moment, another question came to him. “If you only decided to watch over me because I am special . . . does that mean that you would not have saved me if I was a normal person?”

“Now, that is not a fair question to ask Sen. It is true that my decision was guided by my own desires, but I have raised you well, have I not? It is not as if I had known who you would become before your birth. But I have come to know you now, and together we have become as close a family as any other. My desires and our connection are separate matters entirely.”

“Yes, you’re right. Sorry to ask that.” Sen said with relief.

“It is quite alright.”

Sen looked at his feet nervously. Attempting to rid himself of all the stress he had just experienced, Sen felt the need to bring up a separate matter. “Um . . . Marin.”

“Yes?”

“In my stories, there is this phrase that people use when they are talking to people that they care about. I think it is a phrase of affection. Would it be okay if I say ‘I love you’?”

Marin’s expression changed a bit. It was as if he had been taken off-guard, which was a rare sight for someone that seemed to possess such a clear mind. It only took him a moment to regain his composer.

“I do not believe that would be wise.” He replied plainly.

“Why?” Sen asked in disappointment.

“I have told you before. We must see each other as equals. Using such a phrase to remind us of our connection is unnecessary, and will only risk causing unease in the future.”

Sen did not quite understand, but he believed that Marin knew better. Still, he could not help but feel sad that he would not be able to express his affection for Marin in words. This must have been obvious from his expression, because Marin explained further.

“To put it another way, we need no reminders. We will always be connected, I promise.”

This eased Sen’s mind a bit, which he showed with a smile. After a moment, Marin rose, his demeanor becoming serious.

“Now my boy, there is a reason that I have decided to tell you all this. I believe that you are now old enough to take on my power.”

“I am? Wait, what does that mean exactly? We are going to become immortal?”

“That is the plan, yes. I warn you though, this will not be pleasant.”

Sen thought for a moment. Something about this still made him feel uneasy, but he trusted Marin with his life, which included his mortality. If it were not for Marin, he may not have lived past childhood anyway. He would do anything to help him, regardless of his fears.

“I will do whatever it takes.”

“Good. Then let us begin.”

It turned out to be a very simple process. Marin took Sen’s hand, which caused a bright red light to shine. After a moment, the bright red light faded, leaving a symbol on Sen’s hand. Sen did not know what the symbol meant, but it appeared to be something like a character from an alphabet. There was another symbol just like it on Marin’s hand.

“Is that it?” Sen asked.

“For my end, yes. My essence is officially linked to you now.”

“Well, that wasn’t so bad.” Sen said with a cheery sigh of relief.

“I am afraid that this is only the start, my boy. We have a long task ahead of us.”

Marin took a knife from a sheath at his side and asked Sen for his hand. Sen hesitantly held out his palm. Marin took it and made a slight cut across the front. Sen flinched for a moment, but the pain was not that bad.

“Why did you do that?” Sen asked, making sure to keep a polite tone.

“Currently, we both have been blessed with immortality due to our connection. However, the form that your immortality has taken is a bit different from my own. You have the ability to heal all wounds, no matter how grievous. That being said, your body has yet to adapt to this essence. We will have to train your body to accept it.”

Sen grew pale. “In other words . . . you have to hurt me a bunch of times?”

Stolen novel; please report.

Marin took on a sorrowful look, but did not hesitate. “Yes.”

Sen remained silent for a few moments before looking down at his hand. “How long until this heals?”

“I would assume that, at first, it will heal at a relatively normal rate, perhaps slightly faster. It should be better within a week or so.”

“And then we just have to keep doing this until it heals right away?”

“Yes.”

Sen hesitated to ask his next question. He was highly intelligent for his age, so he knew what would come next. It took him several seconds to build up the courage to continue. “And then . . . we have to go further, don’t we?”

“Yes. I have herbs that will dull the pain, but I cannot give you anything that will cause you to lose consciousness entirely. The body processes essence at a slower rate when unconscious. I will use script that will help as well, but I am not very well versed in essence that dulls pain.”

Sen said nothing. He could feel himself shaking.

“If it ever becomes too much for you, we can take a break. However, I would feel safer if we completed this as quickly as possible. I do not know the exact extent of your immorality. If there is a flaw, I would prefer that we discover it and deal with it now.”

“Do we have to?” Sen asked, looking at the floor. “Can’t we just leave it be? I heal my wounds, isn’t that good enough?” Sen had said that he would do whatever it would take to help Marin, which was true, but that did not mean that he wanted to experience pain if he did not have to.

“This is necessary.” Marin replied. “We do not know enough about your essence. We must be safe about this. It will be for the best, for both of us.”

Sen did not reply.

“You are strong, Sen. I trust you to overcome. Will you do this for me?”

Sen looked up at Marin. He was scared, but Marin was relying on him. He had to be brave, for Marin’s sake. “Okay.”

Marin smiled. “Thank you, Sen.”

Sen tried to smile back, but he could not manage. Instead, he gripped his hand, which was still dripping blood onto the stone floor below.

Things proceeded exactly as Marin had described it. It took roughly a week for the wound on Sen’s hand to heal, after which another cut was made. That cut was healed within five days. The following cut took three, followed by one, followed by twelve hours, followed by one hour, followed by a few minutes. Marin finally decided that he was satisfied when Sen’s cut healed within mere seconds of being made. Marin had started using his silver pocket watch to measure the time.

“This is . . . really weird.” Sen said, staring at his hand with a disgusted look on his face.

“It is odd to look at.” Marin agreed. When the cut was made, Sen’s skin had grown to fill the wound.

“I am sure that to experience it must be even stranger still.” He continued.

“Yeah. Looks aside, it just doesn’t feel quite right, having a cut heal so quickly. It feels like my skin is alive. It’s kind of making me feel a little sick actually.”

“I am sure that such nausea will fade in time.”

“Yeah . . . .” Sen looked nervously at Marin. “So, what’s next?”

Marin hesitated for only a moment before continuing. “This time, we will take a finger.”

Sen felt the uneasy feeling in his stomach grow stronger. He had expected that his wounds would become more grievous over time, but he thought the process would take a little longer.

“A finger . . . already?”

“I believe that it would be best to proceed in large milestones rather small ones. It will minimize the amount of pain you must suffer through.”

Sen unconsciously placed his hands behind his back. “How bad does losing a finger hurt?”

“I can say little more than that it will not be comparable to a cut on the hand.”

“Why can’t we just cut my hand a bunch of times instead?”

“That would work in time. However, by my estimation, to fully develop your abilities, that would take somewhere between five and ten years.”

“That long?” Sen looked down at his feet with tears in his eyes.

Marin placed his hand on Sen’s shoulder. “I know this is hard, but as I said, it is necessary. The only reason that I am progressing so quickly is because I know you are strong enough to handle it. I am doing what I believe is best for the both of us. We need to know if there is a flaw with your immortality as quickly as possible, so that it may be dealt with. I will not force you, of course, but if you can manage, I ask you to bear with this for as long as possible.”

Sen looked up at Marin. As he began to cry, he placed his hand on top of Marin’s. “For your sake, I will do the best that I can.”

Marin gave a gentle smile. “That is all that I ask.”

Marin gave Sen some herbs and used a bit of script to dull the pain, shock and nausea, as he had promised. He then used restraints to keep Sen from moving his arm out of reflex. Sen was pale, his whole body shaking with fear. His breathing was almost dangerously shallow.

“Marin?”

“Yes?”

“May I hold your hand?”

“If you wish.”

Marin took Sen’s outstretched hand. After a moment, Marin placed a piece of tightly knotted cloth in Sen’s mouth.

“Bite down on this. It will ease the pain.”

Sen nodded.

“Are you ready?”

With a bit of hesitation, Sen nodded a second time.

Marin took out his silver pocket watch in preparation. He then raised the sterile blade he had prepared. Sen closed his eyes. Without even a hint of hesitation, he brought the blade down, severing Sen’s pointer finger on his right hand.

The pain was immense. It was not quite as great as Sen had predicted, probably due to the numbing effect of the herbs and the essence, but it was still enough to make him yell out. His muffled cries ran through the cloth, and then disappeared as they echoed across the labyrinth of halls.

Sen tightly gripped Marin’s hand, which gave him some comfort.

But Marin’s face was not one of concern or pity. His expression was cold, blank even. Sen knew this did not mean that Marin held no reserves about hurting him. It was simply that, in Marin’s eyes, and now in Sen’s eyes too, this was what needed to be done. It was what was best for them. And from Sen’s perspective, the perspective of a boy that had been raised with only one man that he could rely upon, Marin’s determination was an act of selflessness.

“How long do you think it will take to heal?” Sen asked, the remains of his finger now fully bandaged.

“Well, we have already worked on adapting your body a little bit. It will probably take about a month to grow back, by my estimation.”

Sen looked at the cloth surrounding his wound. The pain was still very present, but Marin had applied herbs to the wound locally that helped to ease his suffering a bit.

“It is going to feel weird probably. Having my finger grow back, I mean.”

“The wound actually began to close the moment I made the cut. Your healing abilities are more impressive than I had originally anticipated. Within an hour or so, the wound should close completely and the pain will fade. However, I expect that there may be some pain from the process of having your finger grow back. It will not be as great as the pain you are experiencing now, but it will likely still be unpleasant. Prepare yourself for that.”

“Okay. I understand. Thanks for telling me.” Sen hesitated for a moment. “Um . . . .”

“What?”

“Well . . . uh . . . where . . . where is it?”

“Your finger?”

Sen nodded. Sen almost felt as if he did not truly wish to hear the answer. It would be odd to see your own finger separate from your body, after all. Still, whether he wanted to know the answer or not, Sen could not help but ask.

“About that, something unexpected happened.”

“Really?”

“Your finger, once severed, turned to blood.”

“It turned to blood? What do you mean?”

“Your finger became blood.”

“The whole thing?”

“Yes.”

“Are you sure the finger didn’t just turn to dust or something, leaving only the blood behind?”

“I watched it happen. Your finger changed physical forms from a solid to a liquid.”

“Why?”

“I do not know yet. I saved some for later research. Our blood is closely linked to our essence, so it may have something to do with that, but it is odd that it physically changed forms.”

“Hm. Well, at least it isn’t really a problem, right?”

“Yes. It should pose no problems in terms of your development. Still, it is important that we learn everything there is to know about your immortality. Immortality cannot be called such if there is a flaw in its design.”

Marin’s face was unyielding. It seemed to take on this quality far more often since he had explained things to Sen. Sen did not know if the work they were doing had brought out such frightening determination in Marin, or if he had simply been hiding it behind a gentle smile. It did not matter to Sen regardless. It was clear that Marin was now wholeheartedly consumed by his desire to conquer death. And if that was the case, then Sen wished to do whatever he could to ease Marin’s mind. Sen was afraid, of course, but he feared the thought of Marin’s suffering more than his own.

And so, his development continued.

It only took three weeks for Sen’s finger to heal completely. It was a rather painful process, as Marin had warned, especially towards the middle and the end, when his joints were growing in. Sen managed to tolerate the pain though, and with time, it faded. His new finger looked exactly as his old one had in every regard. Even the length of his fingernail was the same as it had been before the injury, as was evident from the fact that it was a different length than the rest of the fingernails on the same hand.

Once Sen had prepared himself mentally, the process was repeated. Marin severed Sen’s middle finger this time, to make sure that his whole body was truly adapting through the process rather than just his pointer finger. Sen’s memory served him well, as the pain was exactly as he had remembered it. Sen did find, however, that the recovery process was a bit more bearable the second time through. It was much shorter as well, taking only a little over a week and a half. The third time, Marin removed Sen’s ring finger, which took five days to heal. The fourth time was Sen’s pinky, which healed in a day. Marin made sure to give Sen a break before continuing, however, as a single day is not much time to recover mentally from having such a grievous wound inflicted. The fifth was his thumb, which healed in three hours. During the sixth, they returned to his pointer finger, which healed within minutes. And finally, the seventh attempt severed his middle finger, which healed within thirty seconds.

Sen had barely finished crying out in pain before his finger had returned.

“Can you move it?” Marin asked.

“Yeah.” Sen said, slowly moving his middle finger back and forth.

“Is there any pain?”

“No, no pain. I do feel a little sick though.”

“Do you still find it unsettling? Watching your wounds heal?”

“Yeah. It hurts having my whole finger grow back all at once, and it feels really weird. I don’t much care for it. But, I’m sure I will get used to it, as I did the pain.”

Sen had found that, with each successive cut, the pain was a bit more tolerable. Sen did not believe that the pain itself was decreasing, but simply that his tolerance for pain had grown considerably. It was still enough to make him cry out, of course, but at least it had lessened to some extent.

“And, how are you doing mentally?”

“Well, I think I am getting used to it. Maybe. I may need a little break before we go any further, but I can keep going.”

Marin smiled. It was the first time he had done so in a while. “You’re very brave Sen.”

Sen was pleased by this compliment.

After a short break, Sen agreed to continue.

Marin decided that thirty seconds was fast enough for the regeneration of Sen’s finger. As Sen had expected, what came next was his hand. What had surprised Sen is that the pain of losing his hand was not much greater than the pain of losing his finger. Sen believed that this was more due to shock than anything. Even though Marin had given him herbs that would decrease the effects of shock, the pain was great enough that it did not matter. Once the shock had worn off though, his wound had already closed, so it was actually rather helpful all things considered. The pain of having it grow back, however, was incomparable to his previous experiences. It took two months for his hand to grow back completely, and the pain was immense, particularly around the time that his hand split off to regenerate his fingers. Once again, his hand was exactly the same as it had been before it was removed. And, once again, during the operation, his whole hand had turned to blood immediately after having been separated from his body. Marin still only had theories as to why this was, but he was working towards figuring it out.

This process was repeated several times. Marin switched from Sen’s right hand to his left every other time to make sure that his whole body was adapting properly. This caused slight problems in terms of Sen’s studies, particularly in combat. Sen was predominantly left handed, but in order to continue training, he had to learn to use his right as well. It took nine attempts in total to get his hand to the point where it would heal within a few minutes. Sen still felt a little sickened by the process, but his tolerance for both pain and unpleasant sensations was increasing by the day. They attempted to shorten it further through a tenth removal, but the time it took remained the same. Marin concluded that a few minutes was simply the fastest his body would be able to heal at that point in time. Sen felt a little frustrated by the fact that he had lost his hand for nothing, but he tried to remain optimistic in thinking that the pursuit of knowledge is worthwhile in and of itself. Admittedly, this helped only slightly.

After another break, during which Sen entered his first, ever, victory streak in Spade, Marin asked Sen to continue. Sen had hoped that they would progress only to the elbow, but he suspected that it would be much worse than that. His fears were justified.

“Next is your arm, to the end of the shoulder-blade.”

Sen grabbed his stomach as it sank. “Shouldn’t we take things a little slower?” Sen asked in a quiet voice.

“If you wish, we can stop just before the shoulder-blade, but then the overall process will take longer. The choice is yours.”

“Can’t we just do the elbow? I’m not sure I’m ready for my whole arm.”

“Doing so would add a few months to your development. Is that really what you desire?”

Sen looked at the ground, still grabbing his stomach. “No.” Sen replied hesitantly.

“Then we must continue.”

Sen said nothing in response. He simply continued to stare at the floor.

“It will just be a little longer Sen. I promise.”

“. . . Okay.”

Sen stood at the ready, his arm outstretched. Over time, he had learned to fight the urge to draw away, so restraints were no longer needed. But that did not mean he was unafraid. Sen’s entire body was shaking. He refused to look at his arm, and instead had his head turned away. As he had said, he was not ready for this. The thought of losing his arm was more than he felt he could handle. But, Marin needed him to continue, and Sen did not want the process to be drawn out any longer than it had to be. He felt that there was no choice in the matter. This was simply what he had to do.

It only took a second for Marin to remove Sen’s arm with the sword he had prepared.

The pain was overwhelming.

The herbs, Marin’s essence, and Sen’s tolerance, all of which helped to deal with the pain, shock, and nausea, were completely pointless in the face of such a grievous wound. Sen immediately let out a cry of pain. Sen stumbled to the corner of the room and knelt down, unable to keep the contents of his stomach down. Sen felt his terror grow all the more, but he did not know why. It was not as if he would suffer in the long term from such an injury, but that did not matter. Logical or not, it is only natural to feel afraid when you are in pain. Sen turned to Marin in hopes of receiving comfort. But as Sen caught Marin’s cold gaze, for the first time in a long time, Sen felt alone. It was the same hardened, unfeeling expression that Marin had worn during all of his operations. But, for some reason, as Sen sat crying, overwhelmed by the pain, he felt that Marin’s distant look took on a different meaning. Even though Marin had stopped smiling as much since they had begun Sen’s development, and even though he seemed less caring than before, Sen felt that this was just due to Marin’s determination. It had actually driven Sen to work harder, so that Marin’s mind would be put at ease. But now, Sen’s perception had changed without warning. Sen was suffering, truly, and yet he felt no sense of warmth from Marin. There was no concern or affection, just a simple acknowledgment that Sen was in pain. This realization cut far deeper than the wound had. And as these thoughts ran through Sen’s head, his consciousness began to slip away. He could feel his wound beginning to close already, but it was not enough. Sen was finally overcome. The last image that he caught before feinting was of Marin’s silver pocket watch.

When Sen awoke, he was in his bed. He immediately looked to his arm. The wound had closed, but there was still an indent of flesh where his shoulder used to be. The pain was great, but not nearly as great as when the wound had been inflicted.

“You lost consciousness.” Marin explained.

Sen turned to find that Marin was sitting by the side of his bed. “I’m sorry.” Sen replied ashamedly.

“It is a natural reaction. The wound had closed by the time that you fell, so your lack of consciousness did not harm the initial healing process. That was what I wanted to observe, so it had no impact on my research.”

“That’s good.” Sen said, feeling relieved. Sen looked at Marin. His face had not changed much. Sen still felt hurt and confused by Marin’s lack of care, but he decided not to think about it. Regardless of whether Marin felt concern for his pain or not, Sen wholeheartedly believed that Marin knew what was best for him. Sen trusted Marin. He decided that Marin had a good reason for being so harsh. This unwavering faith developed from Sen’s lack of experience with the world. Marin was everything he knew, and his love for Marin was the only thing he had. Sen simply did not know any better. And so, he continued without complaint. And yet, as he spent the next few days in bed, despite Marin being by his side, Sen felt a solitude that he had not experienced before. The stones walls that surrounded him seemed a little colder than before. But, because these feelings confused Sen, he chose to ignore them.

Once Sen had recovered his shoulder, he began his studies again. It took about two weeks for his arm to grow back. Apparently, the rate that Sen’s regeneration was increasing was also starting to grow. Sen tolerated the process three more times. The first took a few days to heal, the second took three hours, and the third took the same amount of time as the second. Apparently, the time cap for recovering his arm would be stuck at a few hours. During the second and third operations, Sen passed out again. It wasn’t until the fourth operation that Sen managed to hold onto his consciousness. Sen also found that, although he had never really minded it before, he had started to dislike Marin’s silver pocket watch. Sen assumed that this was because he had started to associate it with his pain. Whenever Marin pulled the watch from his jacket, even when they were not operating, Sen could not help but scowl. Still, it was not necessarily a bad thing, as taking out his frustrations on an intimate object seemed to help a little bit.

After the operations on Sen’s arm had been completed, Marin offered Sen a short break, as he had the times before, but Sen refused. Sen now simply wanted to finish his development as quickly as possible, in hopes that Marin would return to how he had been before.

For the next operation, Marin decided on something far more grievous than Sen had expected. His lower torso was to be cut horizontally. The cut would also reach Sen’s stomach, as Marin wanted to see how Sen’s vital organs regenerated. Sen had prepared for a significant jump, but this had caught him off guard. Sen responded much in the same way he had with his arm. He did not feel ready, but he also felt that he had no choice but to continue.

But despite his determination, on the way to the operating table, Sen almost fell unconscious due to his overwhelming fear. He could barely walk, and Marin had to help him along. Once he reached the table, Marin helped him lay down. This time, Marin felt that restraints would be necessary to keep Sen in place after the wound had been inflicted. Unable to move, Sen simply closed his eyes and waited.

Unlike the other times, Sen barely experienced any pain, because he lost consciousness almost immediately after losing his torso. There was only a moment of surprise, and then he faded away.

When he awoke, he had already healed down to the start of his legs. After regaining his composure, Sen turned to find Marin by the side of his bed, as usual.

“How long was I unconscious for?”

“Three days.” Marin replied.

“Three-“ Sen stopped himself, at a loss for words by the length of his recovery. “That’s never happened before.”

“It has revealed something important. It is my assumption that, as you recover, you will not awaken until all of your major organs have been restored. In this case, you awoke once you regained your lower intestine and the area surrounding it. I do not know how this will work for each individual organ though.”

“Does this mean . . . that you have to test my organs one by one?”

“Yes. I will need to determine how quickly they recover. If they recover within only a few minutes, then it should not pose a problem to your ability to remain conscious, even if you lose a few individually. However, I will be putting you to sleep for the remainder of our operations.”

“But I thought that being asleep affects the rate at which I recover.”

“It does. But you fell unconscious almost immediately after your torso was removed, so in that case, it makes little difference. As for your organs, the pain and shock that you would experience from such an operation would overwhelm your senses, along with your mind. You would survive due to your essence, but you would not recover mentally. I would prefer to keep you sane, even at the cost of information.”

Sen felt relieved at hearing this. Both because he would not have to experience having all of his organs removed and because Marin was finally showing some form of concern for his wellbeing, even if it was simply due to the risk of him going insane.

Things progressed as Marin had described them. After he had healed, Sen’s lower torso was removed two more times. Both times, Marin gave Sen herbs that would put him to sleep beforehand. Sen managed to reduce his regeneration to about twenty-one hours. After that, they began work on Sen’s organs. He was put under, as with his torso. After the operation was complete, Sen woke up in his bed with Marin nearby.

“How did it go?” Sen asked, slowly sitting up.

“As expected, most of your vital organs regenerated within a few minutes, with the exception of your heart, which I will get to in a minute. I also tried removing your head.”

“You . . . you what?! My head?! My whole head?!”

“Yes. I apologize for doing so without your permission, but I decided that it would not matter as long as you were asleep.”

Sen unconsciously grabbed at his neck. “I . . . um . . . did it go okay? Well, I guess it must have, because I have my head back. I’m . . . I’m not really sure how to react to this to be honest.”

“I realize that it was rather sudden, but there is no need for concern. It was merely another step in your development.”

“Yeah . . . okay . . . I’ll try not to think about it too much. So, um, what happened exactly?”

“Your head regenerated from your body rather than your body regenerating from your head.”

“Really? Why?”

“When I removed your heart, instead of regenerating your heart, your entire body turned to blood. Then, your body began to regenerate around your heart. In other words, the source of your essence is your heart. Our essence is closely connected to our blood, as I mentioned, so that makes sense I suppose.”

“How long did it take for my entire body to regenerate?”

“Three days.”

“Three days? If that was my whole body, then is that the shortest my regeneration is going to get?”

“Most likely.”

Sen suddenly smiled. “Wait, does this mean that my body has finished adapting?”

“Perhaps. But there are still two more tests that we need to do before we can say that our research is complete.”

“Oh.” Sen said in disappointment.

“It will just be a little longer. You have far exceeded expectations thus far. I am very proud.” Marin gave a gentle smile, which reminded Sen of how Marin had been before his operations. Sen could not help but smile as well.

“What’s next then?” Sen said, determined to continue.

“First, I will need to see the contents of your stomach.”

Sen titled his head in confusion. “Why?”

“There is something I wish to look at.”

“Oh, um, okay. So, how do I do that?”

“I have something here for you to drink.” Marin picked up a glass from the table beside him, and then handed it to Sen. He then handed Sen a bowl.

“Is this . . . going to taste really bad?” Sen asked.

“I’m afraid so.” Marin replied.

Sen took a deep breath and then drank the contents of the glass as quickly as possible. Before he could finish, Sen released the contents of his stomach into the bowl in front of him. Marin collected the bowl.

“It tasted really bad.” Sen explained after several deep breaths.

“I do not doubt it. Sorry about that.”

“It’s okay. As long as I don’t have to drink that a bunch of times, it’s okay.”

Marin smiled. “Fear not. This is a onetime test.”

Sen smiled back. “Good.”

Soon after, Marin left to let Sen rest his stomach. He returned later that day to report his findings.

“Your regeneration is an exact copy of your body before the wound was created.” Marin explained.

“How do you know?”

“The contents of your stomach contained the remains of the same food that you ate before I removed your heart.”

“Oh. So . . . is that good?”

“I suppose it holds no meaning at the moment. But it is good to know, for research purposes.”

“So, what’s the last thing we need to do then?”

Marin took on a serious look. “We need to completely destroy your body.”

“Haven’t we done that already?”

“No. We have removed each part of your body separately. However, we have yet to destroy your entire body at once. This will include your heart.”

Sen thought for a moment. “Wait, does that mean that there won’t be anything left of me?”

“That is correct.”

After Sen thought for a moment, he began to grow pale. He suddenly realized what it would mean to lose his heart, the source of his regeneration. “Can I even recover from that?”

Marin paused. “That is what we will be testing.”

“Why do we even need to test something like that? Hasn’t my body adapted to my essence as well as it can? What will destroying my entire body accomplish?”

Marin looked away. “The reason is a selfish one. It is to overcome my own fear.”

Sen remained silent.

“If you do not wish to do this, I will not force you. However, if I do not know for sure that you are truly immortal, then I will always be in a state of constant fear.”

“. . . Is that what it’s like for you now?”

“It is.”

Sen sat in thought. He already knew that he would be willing to die for Marin, but actually agreeing to such a thing proved more difficult than he had anticipated. Sen looked at Marin. Marin was still staring at the floor. It was the first time that Sen had seen such weakness in Marin, and it struck him deeply. Despite his fear, Sen knew, there was no other answer he could give.

“I understand.”

Marin looked up at Sen and smiled. “Thank you, my dear boy.”

Sen could not bring himself to smile back, but simply nodded in reply.

A few days later, Marin brought Sen to a room that he had never seen before. There were several smaller rooms inside with large, iron doors. It appeared as if the room was originally designed to be a prison. Marin led Sen to one of the rooms. Inside, the walls had been covered in hundreds of sets of script that Sen had never seen before.

“What kind of essence is that?” Sen asked.

“It is script for an essence know as ‘emptiness’. It can remove any physical form without trace. It is not a very common form of essence, because it requires a great deal of concentration and accomplishes very little on its own. One set of script might remove a finger nail at best. With this many in one place, however, it should affect your entire body.”

Sen did not reply. He stood, staring at the room covered in lines of unfamiliar text.

Marin placed his hand on Sen’s shoulder. “Are you ready?”

Sen stood in silence for a few seconds. Suddenly, he turned and grabbed Marin by the waist. “I know that you told me not to say this, but I love you Marin. Just in case I do not recover this time, I wanted to at least say that much.”

Marin looked down at Sen. His eyes were sorrowful. “. . . I care for you as well, Sen.”

After a moment, Sen moved away from Marin and stood in front of the open door.

“I think I’m ready now.”

“Then let us proceed.”

Sen stood in the center of the room. Marin shut the door. Despite everything that he had already experienced, Sen could feel his legs shaking. There was a possibility that this would lead to his death, after all. But, Sen did not waver. He had decided that even death would not stop him from setting Marin’s mind at ease.

After a moment, the script in the room began to light up. A red glow filled the room. Sen held himself tight, ready for whatever may come.

It was over in an instant.

Sen remembered nothing of the experience. Everything was simply gone in one moment, and then back again in the next. There was no pain, no feeling of any kind really.

And yet, when Sen awoke, there were tears in his eyes.

He felt wrong. He did not know why. He had experienced nothing, he remembered nothing. But, not being a part of the world, even for only a moment, should not have happened. Sen could feel it, the unnatural power that had returned him to the world. He could not explain why, but it filled him with terror. This was not the way that people were meant to be. Sen remembered the tales of monsters that he had been raised on. He remembered Marin’s words specifically, how monsters were creatures that had no place.

Sen did not understand why, but he suddenly felt that the powers he had received were wrong. He felt that he no longer belonged in this world. He felt that he had become unnatural. He felt that he was a monster.

Sen knew in that moment that he would never forget that feeling, not for as long as he lived.

Marin came into the room holding his silver pocket watch. The walls, the floor, and the door had all been eaten away. The room was now just a large, round hole of empty space. Sen did not notice. He simply laid on the cold, stone floor, crying to himself. Marin watched the boy, completely healed in every regard, and smiled gently.

Their work was done.

Two weeks passed. For the first few days, Sen refused to speak or eat. When Sen finally began to speak again, he said nothing of what he had experienced. He felt that such thoughts were his own problem, and that he should be the one to deal with them. Although Sen had told Marin that he was simply feeling ill, the next eleven days or so were actually dedicated to Sen’s mental recovery. His state of mind did not change, but he managed to work past its hindrance to his daily life. On the outside, at least, Sen returned to normal. Marin seemed to return to normal as well, as if a weight had been lifted. His gentle demeanor and caring nature had returned. Sen had accomplished his goal in helping Marin, but at great cost to himself.

Eventually, the day came for Marin to tell Sen what had happened.

“At first, there was nothing. But, after a moment, blood began to take form on the ground below. Your heart took shape from this, and then your body regenerated at an incredible rate. You returned within seconds.”

“How did blood form from nothing?”

“It is your essence. Your body can be obliterated, but your essence cannot. When your body is destroyed, your essence returns it.”

“So, I really am immortal then?”

“As far as I am capable of testing, yes.”

Sen thought for a moment. “Why did I regenerate completely within a few seconds?”

“I do not know. At the time though, I seemed to lose a great deal of my essence. If that is the case, then you may have absorbed the essence from the surrounding area as a defense mechanism.”

“Why does that not just happen every time?”

“Absorbing essence can kill people if it takes enough. Perhaps the essence simply functions to avoid that.”

“You are talking about essence as if it were alive.”

“It is not. However, all essence that is used for a purpose was designed to suite that purpose in one way or another. That is why we use script. Your essence is no different.”

“Were you the one that designed this essence then?”

“I was not. I cannot reveal who did, but in time, you will learn.”

“I will? How long do you think it will be?”

“I do not know yet. I will tell you more when I believe you are ready.”

“Okay. I’ll try to be patient then.” Sen paused. “Can I ask one more thing?”

“Of course.”

“How does my immortality help you?”

“That is what I wish to show you next. Luckily for you, this time I will be the one to be injured.”

Marin showed Sen into another room. Taking a knife, Marin removed his own finger. Marin grasped his hand in pain, but did not cry out. Sen flinched slightly. He had gotten used to his own pain, but he did not like to see Marin hurt.

Marin reached out his hand, exposing his wound.

“Now concentrate on the symbol on your hand.”

Sen did as he was told. After a moment, the symbol glowed white. Immediately, in a bright flash, Marin’s finger was returned. Sen looked at Marin in a state of awe.

“Due to my essence, you have the ability to heal my wounds. Even if I were to disappear entirely, you would be able to bring me back, much in the same way that you were brought back. Because you are immortal, I am also immortal.”

“Then, why did you need me? Couldn’t you have just given the essence that you gave me to yourself?”

“As I mentioned once before, my essence only works with two people. I cannot be the one to have powers of immortality, it must be the one I am connected with. That is just how it functions.”

“Then, why did it have to be me? You said it had to be me specifically.”

“I cannot tell you that yet. But, for various reasons, you are the only person that my essence would work with. That is all I can say.”

“Right, okay, patience, patience.” Sen reminded himself. “So then . . . what’s next?”

“Next? We continue to work towards overcoming our weakness.”

“I thought that’s what we just did.”

“No. Although I no longer feel afraid, I am still weak. We are still weak. To truly conquer our fear, we must gain the strength to defend ourselves from the world that surrounds us.”

“What does that mean?”

“It means, my dear boy, that now the time has come for us to carve out a place for ourselves.”

“Carve out a place for ourselves? I still don’t get it. You are using complicated phrases again.”

“My apologies. Put simply, we are going to take over a city.”

“Oh . . . huh?”