“So you did go on a killing spree,” Svalken told Darris as they walked through the town of Vanderin.

Darris had gone back to the Rusty Cup once he’d arrived at Vanderin. Luckily, the place was barren; it having been so late at night. No one was there to notice the corpse walking through the tavern. He had wandered into the room of a sleeping Svalken. He didn’t need to wait too long until the sun rose above the horizon and Svalken woke up.

Svalken had cast the same illusion as before upon Darris, once again making him look human, before going into town.

“Yeah, last night I went into the forest and killed some wolves. How can you tell?” Darris asked Svalken.

“You’re stronger.” He said simply. “You’ve consumed a lot of souls.”

“How many souls do you think you’ve collected?” Darris asked.

“Lost count.” The reaper replied.

Darris glanced down at his hands and the illusory flesh encompassed his body. It had only been a day and Darris was already annoyed that he needed to rely on Svalken for him to go out into public. “How can I do this?” Darris asked, gesturing to his illusory skin.

“Use illusions? Just spread a thin layer of souls around yourself, then configure it to look like whatever you need.” He explained.

Darris still stared at his hands. He tried to focus on the souls in his body as he walked. He saw small wisps of golden mist flow from his fingertips. Slowly, the mist began to stick to his skin, flowing along the surface. Then, as Darris concentrated he thought of himself, but older. His skin turning slightly darker and wrinkly. Then the light around his hand that was shrouded in mist began to wrinkle, his skin seemingly tightening around the now soft muscle underneath.

The mist faded, as did the illusion over his hand, when he ran into Svalken’s back, who had stopped suddenly in the middle of the road.

“Why did-” Darris’s voice faded as he looked past Svalken. Svalken had stopped at the edge of a crowd of people near the center of the town. In the center of the crowd stood a large wooden platform on which three people stood.

One was an older man, nearly 60 or so, with a fancy gold and red coat over his shoulders. His hair was black with flicks of pale grey along it. His chin was stubbled with hair, as if it had only been a few days since he last shaved. He stood on the edge with his hands behind his back, standing at attention.

Next to him stood another person, a man with scarlet scales for skin and sharp fangs for teeth. The dragonborn was doused in dried blood and wore rags. His hands were bound in front of him at the wrists. Around his neck rested a thick rope that hung loosely from a beam above the wooden platform.

Behind him was a muscular man. He wore a simple shirt and pants that were both drenched in sweat, as if he’d been pulled from work for this particular event. His black hair was short and thick. He stood next to a wooden lever that was connected to something underneath the platform. Darris couldn’t shake the feeling that he had seen the man before. Darris was snapped from his thoughts as the older man spoke.

“This creature,” The man gestured a hand to the bound dragonborn next to him. “Has spread lies and false information regarding their belief upon this world.” He shouted. “He has been proven guilty of sacrificial murder of three of our townspeople.” He held up three fingers in front of the crowd to emphasize his point. “Now, as Reeve of this town you have committed atrocities against,” He now turned to the prisoner. “I, Sigfried Grumhul, sentence you to be hung.” He shouted before taking a few steps back and muttering something to the man next to the lever.

Darris’s eyes narrowed at the older man. Then a very faint smile grew across his face. His family had become the reeve of the town, a position of great power within the town. Then the dragonborn shouted to the crowd.

“Fools. Fools all of you.” He shouted. His voice was rough, as if his throat had been injured. “Do you think you are safe by virtue of being across the mountains from the hoard of fiends that have ravaged the land to the east? This world will fall to the ruins, and Sige will be the first to be razed to the ground. The Emerald Ruin is the first to enact this new age of Navain. He will-” The dragonborn was cut off when the lever behind him was pulled and the floor beneath him fell away. The dragonborn fell downward, however before he hit the ground, nearly 15 feet below him, the rope around his neck was pulled taught and it tightened around his throat.

A few light gasps and awws were heard from various people within the crowd as the prisoner hung only a few feet in front of them. Then Sigfried stepped forward and spoke once again. “Let this act here be a lesson to those who wish to sully the land in which we reside. We will not fall to the demons and devils that knock on our gates. While we are not on the front lines fighting, we still aid our brethren in other ways. Through the provisions we grow to keep the soldiers of this country fed. Keep up the good work to aid our men who fight.” With that he stepped away and off of the platform, cheers from the crowd roaring in his ears.

Slowly, the crowd dispersed and Darris could finally see the corpse of the prisoner, still hanging from the rope. From underneath his scales, his mouth and even parts of his eyes rose the familiar golden mist of a soul.

“Oh Darris, hey.” He was snapped from his thoughts by the sound of a vaguely familiar voice. He turned to see the girl from the fountain who he’d seen reading a book on magical runes, Susain, who was breaking her way through the dispersing crowd.

“Oh hi.” Darris retorted, turning to Susain. “Didn’t expect you to show up to an execution.”

“Well it wouldn’t be ‘polite’ if I didn’t show up to the execution my dad was observing.” She mentioned, pointing back to Sigfried who was waving away a few townspeople who were attempting to ask him questions.

Darris’s eyes widened slightly. “You’re the Reeve’s daughter?” He asked.

Susain simply nodded. “Yep, and my older brother is the one who pulled the lever. I’m pretty sure he was at the smithy just before my dad called.”

“Why do the children of the Reeve need to show up to a public execution?” Darris asked, looking back at the prisoner hanging from the platform; the golden glow of his soul having faded from his body.

Susain shrugged. “Public image I think. My dad just says we need to look controlled and organized. Otherwise people won’t listen.”

Then another, more stern voice rang out. “Darris, come on, we have things to do.” Svalken said, beginning to walk away.

“Where are we going?” Darris asked, turning to look at the dark elf as he continued walking away.

“Provisions. We are leaving soon.” He called back.

“I’m not leaving yet.” Darris demanded, a bit louder than he’d intended.

Svalken hung his head before turning to Darris and taking several steps toward him. “That isn’t for you to decide, Darris.” He said. He glanced toward Susain then back to Darris. “Meet me in town square at sunset. If you aren’t there then I will come to look for you; and I won’t be nice about it.” He said glaring into Darris’s eyes.

Darris saw brief flickers of silver souls behind Svalken’s eyes. Hundreds of them. A large variety of creatures dwelled within him. He saw many laughing goblins. He saw a roaring manticore. Finally, he saw the piercing roar of a dragon. Its scales were pitch black. Its eyes were a slimy green. Two pointed horns thrust forward from the sides of its head. Then the dragon turned and lunged toward Darris. Darris took half a step back and blinked a few times, trying to shake the image of the dragon from his mind. He sighed. “Town square at sundown; fine.” He agreed.

“Don’t forget.” Svalken called before turning and walking away once again.

A few long seconds of silence fell upon Darris. No sounds except the pattering of people’s footsteps on the pavement.

“Was… that your dad? He isn’t a human. He’s a drow right?” Susain asked from behind Darris.

“Oh.. no, he isn’t part of my family; and I think so” Darris responded, glancing back to where Svaklen had disappeared.

“Then where is your family? Do they live in town?” She asked.

Darris glanced passed Susain and toward Sigfried as he faded away into the crowd as he walked away. “My family…. its a bit complicated.” He responded, rubbing the back of his neck.

“Oh, I see.” Susain said. She took a few steps forward and leaned toward Darris, lowering her voice. “He didn’t like… kidnap you or anything, right? I can call a guard or something.” She offered.

Darris took half a step back, barely suppressing a chuckle. “No no, he didn’t kidnap me. I assure you.” He replied, although he didn’t necessarily know if resurrecting someone from their grave is considered ‘kidnapping’.

Susain laughed. “Ok good. Can’t be too careful. But anyways, that man said you had to be here at sundown?”

Darris glanced down to where Svalken had disappeared into the crowd. “Yeah, his name is Svalken. He’s… my guardian, I guess.” Darris explained.

“Alright well we have about 14 hours until you meet with Svalken. Have you been to the Rusty Cup before? It serves great-” Susain began.

Darris finished with a smile. “Seared lamb? Yeah, I’ve been there a few times. its delicious. Me and my brother used to…” Darris’s voice trailed off when he noticed what he was saying.

“You have a brother?” She asked, tilting her head to the side.

Darris looked to the floor then to the sky. “Not anymore, no. He was a hard worker.” Darris said, a sudden solemness clouding over him. “And my sister was sweet, if not a bit annoying at times. My mom was really nice. She made amazing food. And then there was my dad, he was…” Darris’s voice faded as he looked to Susain. She glared at his illusory with a gentle sadness and wonder. Her eyes looked as if they were about to tear up. She had the look of someone who wanted to say something, but didn’t know what. Darris took a deep breath and spoke again. “Your name is Susain Grimhul, right?”

Susain blinked a few times as if she had been in a daze a moment before. “Um, yes my family name is Grimhul.”

Darris clutched a fist to calm his nerves before releasing it. “Can you come with me for a moment, please? I need to tell you something.” He said. Darris turned and began walking before he even heard an answer.

Susain had begun to speak but stopped before words left her mouth. She then decided to follow Darris. Although she was somewhat nervous as to where he was leading her.

Darris weaved through many buildings and alleyways, moving through the small maze of streets. Susain couldn’t help but notice that none of the turns Darris took seemed random, as if he knew the town. However then he stopped in an alleyway that faced out to the street. Across the street was a large house, one of the few in the town with a yard surrounded by metal fencing. The house was two stories high, the only one of its kind within Vanderin. Considering its space it was often used as much more than a house.

“This is my-” Susain began, stopping just behind Darris, however he spoke over her.

“It was mine too.” He stated, turning around to Susain who now wore a look of confusion upon her face. “My full name is Darris Grimhul, and, as far as my understanding goes, I have been resurrected by the dark elf you saw before.”

“You’re lying.” Susain said, her eyes knit in confusion. “I know my family, and you aren’t-”

“Our family used to be farmers in the northern section of Vanderin. I used to live in that house over there. Albeit its bigger than it used to be. I’m not really sure how our family became the Reeve of the town though. I died over 200 years ago and I've been brought back from the dead. That’s why when we shook hands yesterday my hand was so cold. My blood doesn’t flow through my body.” Darris explained, although even to him the words sounded ridiculous as he said them.

Susain looked more awed and confused then she had a moment ago. “How could… its been so long. I’ve visited the gravestones several times and none of them were…” She paused and began to think. “Prove that you're Darris Grimhul.” She demanded

Darris sighed before reaching forward to grab Susain’s hand, however she quickly pulled it back. Darris glanced up at her. “Just trust me for a moment, alright?” He said calmly. Susain simply looked at him for a moment before letting him take her hand. She shivered as she felt the lack of warmth on Darris’s hand.

Darris moved Susain’s hand up to the side of his head, the side that lacked any form of skin beneath the illusion. Susain felt the ridged bone of Darris’s skull as it touched what she thought initially was skin. “I have an illusion over my body that makes me look alive. Like I have skin. Like I have blood. It makes it look like my heart actually beats like it used to.” Darris explained as he trailed Susain’s hand toward his eye. “My face was torn from when I died.” He said, his voice becoming evermore faint as he spoke.

Darris moved Susain’s hand through his illusory eye. Susain let out a small gasp as her fingers felt inside Darris’s skull. After a few moments Susain drew her hand away. “I’ve been looking at an illusion this whole time?”

Darris nodded. “Svalken casts it on me when I go out. It doesn’t last very long though.” He noted.

“Is that how you actually looked when you were alive?” Susain asked, eyeing his disheveled brown hair, brown eyes and thin build.

Darris glanced down at himself; at his illusory skin. He remembered his hands being slightly scared from many battles with practice blades. He remembered his hands behind more callused than they appeared to be. There was also a scar that was on Darris’s side that Svalken never added, then again it was nearly impossible for him to know it had existed. “its not a perfect recreation. Some parts of me were different. My hair wasn’t as long as it looks. I also had a few small scars on my hands, along with a few other things.” He explained. Then Darris turned to glance at what used to be his home; the house of the Reeve.

“What was it like? Living 200 years ago I mean.” Susain asked, turning to look at her house.

“This town was about half the size it was now. The Rusty Cup has gotten nicer. I actually knew an ancestor of one of the waitresses there. The Mathinnil family. I knew them. I was great friends with one of them. He’d lost his leg and died of old age, so I’ve heard.” Darris explained.

Susain looked at Darris. “You mean Old Elmer?” She asked quickly. “Was it true that he was a great warrior? He said he lost his leg from a demon attack past the mountains. Was that true?” She asked.

Darris chuckled. “I didn’t know him when he was a warrior like you said. I just knew him when we were young kids. I left to be a part of a guild a bit earlier than him.”

“You were part of Fame right?” Susain asked. “You were a warrior too, right?”

“Yes I was part of Fame. I’m surprised you still know after all this time. I’m surprised anyone remembers anyone from 2oo years ago.” Darris stated. I understand how Elmer is still remembered. His family was pretty big when I was alive. Along with that he also had an interesting story to tell,” He said. “And he lived to tell it.” Darris added after a brief pause.

“You were famous too. You appeared in a burst of light on town square. A lot of people thought our family was blessed by the gods; that's why I hadn’t thought you’d been brought back to life. I thought your soul was… protected or something. We still have no idea what exactly happened. We buried you and, overtime, collected bits and pieces of your belongings to put on your grave. As time went by our family got a lot of ‘donations’ from everyone else. About a generation afterward, Darek became the next Reeve of the town. The rest is history.” Susain explained.

“My brother was a Reeve? What about my parents?” Darris asked.

Susain just shrugged. “Too old, I guess. Everyone still respects our family. From what I know none of our family has had any connections to any deity since then. Even now they think we are blessed. They thought I was when I was younger due to my innate magic, but none of it was divine in any sense, just a bit of frost.” She explained, holding out her hand with her palm facing upward. Suddenly a small glint appeared hovering above Susain’s palm before growing bigger. The small glint became a small shard of ice that Susain then let fall to the ground. The shard of ice quickly turned to water as it fell before evaporating to steam before it even collided with the ground.

Darris glanced down at his own hands, imagining divine light emitting from his palm. He recalled the fight with the Ice Devil at the ziggurat. He didn’t remember much, but he knew that a strange light had given him a burst of energy, but soon faded. “Do you have any idea what deity blessed me?” He asked, turning to Susain.

She shrugged. “No one knew, or, at the very least, never thought it important enough to pass down. Some assume it was some god or goddess of justice or sorrow. But who knows.”

Darris glanced back toward the house ahead of him. “Can I see it?” He asked.

Susain looked at him and knit her brow. “Huh? What do you mean?”

“Can I see inside the house? I haven’t been inside for over 200 years; I want to see how it's changed.” He explained.

Susain studied his face, as if to see if he was serious, then glanced at her home. “What are we going to tell them about you?” She asked.

“What do you mean?”

“You’re-” She gestured a hand up and down to his general figure. “You’re Darris Grimhul, we can’t just say that to them. If they end up believing us then they'll end up just telling everyone in town. That would end up just causing a ton of problems for both you and my family.” She explained.

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“They’re technically my family as well.” Darris replied.

Susain pursed her lips then sighed. “I am just going to introduce you as a friend from the academy who I brought home to study some magic, alright?”

Darris knit his brow. “There’s a mage academy in Vanderin now?” He asked.

Susain sighed again. “Do you want to look at your old house or not?” She asked. Darris simply nodded, before they began walking across the street to the front gate.

It was odd walking to his old home. He remembered when it was still an old hut run by a well-off farming family. He could still see the form of the old hut within what was now a small mansion, which was nearly twice as large. The outside had been painted over in a light blue color. The path up to the house was now neatly paved stone instead of a small and rather vague dirt path that only existed from years of foot traffic. The door, instead of being a rickety wooden slab with a handle and some hinges, was now a finely carved and sanded door with a metal knob along with a silver knocker on the front.

Susain reached up, grabbed the silver ring and slammed it against the wooden door several times before retracting her arm and waiting.

“Why do you need to knock? This is-” Darris was cut off when a small floating eye appeared between the door and them. The floating eye looked toward Darris before a voice rang out from it. “Susain Grimhul, are you aware that you have been followed by a young man?” A middle-aged woman’s voice came.

Susain silently sighed before replying. “Yes, Helda, I’m aware. His name is… David. He’s from the academy. He was having trouble with runes so I offered to help him study.” She replied.

The eye was silent as it turned its gaze to Susain as she spoke. “Why not his own home?” It replied.

Susian opened her mouth to speak but no words came out. Then Darris took half a step toward the eye and spoke. “My parents are a bit strict. They don’t really like me interacting with other people.” He quickly explained.

The eye turned to Darris and floated closer to him, making him lean back as it got uncomfortably close to his face. Then it hovered back to its initial position. “Very well, you may come in.” It said before suddenly shimmering away into the aether.

A faint click sounded from the door as Susain opened it. “You can come in, David.” She offered, giving Darris a light smile.

Darris took a breath before stepping through the door; into the house he hadn’t entered in over 200 years.

It was strange seeing the structure of his old home having been completely altered. The format of the house had stayed, although it was completely unrecognizable from the small hut he’d once known. His vision shifted to his old house. He glanced at the space where the kitchen had once rested. A wooden table with six chairs around it, two on each side and an additional one at either end. He saw his mother making fresh bread within the brick oven that had been there since he was born. A warm fire roared in the back of the oven, making the dough in the oven rise and harden.

He looked to what used to be the common room through a doorway to his left. All it had been was simply a few rocking chairs set to one side of the room with a small hearth on the other side. He remembered the countless times he’d been sent into the nearby woods with his brother to retrieve firewood. He never understood the reason for doing it when he was so young. He never understood why they didn’t buy chopped wood from the market; it was a shorter walk and it was only a few copper pieces for several hours worth of chopping wood and hauling it back to the house.

Then he looked forward, down a hallway, toward a door that used to lead to his bedroom; his favorite place in the house apart from the kitchen. It was his own little space where he could do things uninterrupted, until he was called to do something at least. He recalled all the times he was in his room, swinging around a dull wooden sword his dad had gotten him for his birthday. He remembered the many bruises he had accidently given himself when attempting a waky sword technique. He saw himself trying to do some flourish and hitting himself in the head with the flat of the blade.

Darris was knocked back to reality in the blink of an eye as he saw the changes within the house. It was no longer a dimly lit hut. It was brightly lit with several lamps hanging from the wall along with a bright chandelier that shone light down from the ceiling. Additionally, there were now stairs leading up to a second floor draped in a dark blue carpet. There were only a few steps that went up before turning along the nearby wall and continuing to elevate up to the second floor. The interior walls, once made of cut logs, were now made of finely carved dark wood. The doorframes were now made of carved and sanded wood along with the now hardwood flooring. In the center of the walkway was a royal blue, square carpet with a white symbol of a bird with bladed wings taking flight.

“So you’re David?” Someone asked from halfway atop the stairs. It was a middle-aged woman in a fine royal outfit. She looked to be in her mid 50s or so. Whisks of gray hair were woven neatly with her mix of brown and blonde hair that ended in a bun on the back of her head. Her face was beginning to show the signs of her age, lines on the side of her lips as well as faint bags over her eyes were the first notable features. Her ears were slightly pointed, however not quite to the point of a pure blooded elf. Resting on her nose were a pair of golden rimmed glasses in a semicircular shape.

Darris looked up at the woman and was about to speak when Susain answered first. “Yes, he’s David. We have our Illusions class together. He was struggling with making-”

The woman raised her hand as she stepped down from the stairs; Susain fell silent. “Your input is appreciated, Susain, but I was asking David.” She said calmly, still glaring at Darris. “So you can perform illusions?” She asked.

Darris simply faintly nodded, arguing with himself over whether he should speak or not.

The woman took half a step back and waved her hand toward Darris. “Alright then, show me something simple.” She ordered, still starring tentatively at Darris; studying him.

Hesitantly, Darris raised his hand and tried to calm himself as he let a small stream of souls flow over his hand. The golden mist arose from his skin and began to gravitate to the surface. Slowly, his illusory skin began to age, wrinkles appearing across his knuckles and his skin becoming pale. Then he let the secondary illusion fade. He glanced up at the woman in front of him.

Her expression had softened slightly as she glanced at his newly formed hand and nodded. “Very well,” She said, taking a step forward and holding out a hand. “I apologize if I made you feel uncomfortable, it's not often I get to see any of Susain’s friends.” She said, granting Darris a slightly forced smile. “My name is Yanavik Boughstross. I am the house mage of the Grimhul estate.”

Darris glanced down at Yanavik’s hand then back to her smiling face. He reached his hand forward and lightly shook it.

Yanavik retracted her hand and gave Darris a smile that looked even more forced than before. “Your… hands are quite cold.” She commented.

Susain quickly stepped in. “That would be partially my fault. Yesterday I left some frozen mephit powder out on the desk and David had gotten some on his hands. It will be a time before it goes away completely.” She explained frantically.

Yanavik glared to Susain and nodded in understanding. “Very well, Susain you said he was here to study. I suggest you do so.” She stated, beginning to walk up the stairs. “Oh, and show him around the house a bit. But keep away from your father’s study, you know how he is about it.” She mentioned before continuing to the next floor.

Darris watched as Yanavik left and disappeared from view. “We have a mage now?” Darris asked.

“No, our family has one.” Susain corrected, beginning to walk down the hallway in front of them. “Yanavik told me to show you around, so I might as well do that. Just don’t wander off. Some rooms my father doesn’t let us in, like his study.” She explained.

Darris followed Susain down the hall, pointing at each of the doors as they walked. The house was much bigger than it looked. There were four bedrooms and two restrooms along with a small library. They walked into the common room as they trailed back near the entrance.

Two chairs sat near a fireplace that lacked any sense of a fire having ever been within it. A fine silk carpet rested in the middle of the floor, similar to the one at the entrance. A painting of a family hung above the hearth. Two older people stood behind two younger children.

The older man, Darris recognized, looked like the current Reeve of the town, albeit with a few less gray streaks of hair. His hand rested on the shoulder of one of the children, a girl.

She was grinning ear to ear glancing forward toward the painter. She wore a blue robe with the Grimhul crest over its chest. Her hair had clearly been neatly combed a moment prior as evident through its elegance. To her side was the other child.

An older kid who seemed no more than 15 at the time. His hair was light brown and combed neatly back. He stood up straight, hands holding what looked like an honorary cane with the emblem of a bird carved into the top. His clothing seemed even more extravagant than the girl’s, similar to the Reeve’s coat. It was lined with golden silk along the edges of the sleeves and trim of the coat itself. Along each shoulder was the white form of a bird. Once again the Grimhul crest shown again.

Finally, he looked at the mother of the painting. An old lady with her silver gray hair tied back in a bun. Her eyes were bright blue. She smiled directly toward the painter. Her face was simple and calm.

“I remember when that painting was made.” Susain noted from behind Darris. She took a step forward and glanced up at the painting, scanning over each person. Her eyes hung on her mother. “Things were better back then.” She muttered.

“Is she nice?” Darris asked, following Susain’s gaze to the woman.

Several seconds went by as the two studied the work of art. Taking in every stroke of a brush that went into it.

“She was.” Susain said.

Darris glanced back at the woman. Suddenly her face seemed darker now; more tired. Yet still joyful for the people around her. Her wrinkles now seemed much more defined, showing her age. Darris opened his mouth to speak, but a voice came from behind them first.

“Who’s he?” They said.

Both Darris and Susain turned to see a well built man leaning against the doorframe, his arms crossed over his chest. He was tall. In fact, Darris only barely reached the center of his chest.

“Gregory, why are you here so early? Don’t you have something to do at the smith’s place?” Susain said, taking a few steps forward and crossing her arms, taking the same posture as her brother.

Gregory didn’t even look at his sister. His eyes glanced straight over her head, glaring right at Darris, as if they saw through everything. As if he saw through his skin and to the corpse beneath. “What is your name?” He called.

Susain took another step forward. “Hey, do you not hear me?”

Gregory stepped forward. Moving Susain to the side with his hulking arm, nearly knocking her down. He stopped in front of Darris, glaring down at him.

As Gregory stepped forward Darris noticed a silver necklace around his thick neck. Along the silver chain was a small pendant of a warhammer. Darris’s eyes flowed up to meet Gregory’s. A strange weight settled between the two. As if both were one in the same. “What is your name?” Gregory asked. His voice sounded calm, but behind his voice was something strange. A force within his words made Darris’s soul quake. Somehow, he felt he was in danger.

“I’m… David.” Darris replied, trying to steady himself from the strange pressure. “I go to the academy with your sister.” He explained.

The large man continued glaring at Darris. Then his expression softened, albeit slightly. He stuck out one of his hands. “Well David, I’m Gregory Grimhul.” He said.

Darris glanced to Gregory’s large hand. Calluses lined his hands from the bottom of his palm to the tips of his fingers. Bits of dirt were still stuck in the grooves of his hand. With a hint of hesitation, Darris reached out and grasped Gregory’s hand, and they shook.

Darris winced lightly as Gregory shook his hand. His grip being much stronger then Darris had anticipated. Gregory shone Darris, a smile that seemed slightly forced. “Don’t cause any trouble.” He said. At those words Darris felt the pressure around him tighten suddenly. Then Gregory let go of his hand and stepped away and the pressure faded. “Don’t do anything stupid.” He called to both his sister and Darris before leaving from the room and disappearing out of sight.

“We… should probably just leave now.” Susain suggested, glancing toward the doorway where her brother had disappeared.

“Your brother is…” His voice trailed away. He turned to Susain. “Is your brother always like that?” Darris asked.

“He’s just protective. He’s not used to new people arriving out of- Darris your hand.” She shouted, pointing at his hand.

Quickly, Darris glanced at his hand, raising it to his face. He watched as the skin around his hand began to fade, becoming translucent and cindering into silver embers, as if burning away like paper. Quickly Darris shoved his hand into the pockets of his pants, however a moment later the illusory skin began cindering away across his arm. He looked to Susain in panic. He opened his mouth to speak but she spoke first.

“Come here, quick.” She ordered. Without giving Darris a moment to reply she grabbed him by his other arm and practically dragged him out of the room.

Susain led Darris through the hallways lined with blue carpet before opening a door and shoving Darris inside before closing the door behind her.

Darris fell to the floor from the sudden force, causing his head to slam against something hard. When he opened his eyes he saw that he had slammed his head against a bedpost. Looking around the room he fell silent. A window to his side caused the sunlight to flood into the room, revealing light flecks of dust that hovered around the room. Near the window sat a desk magnificently carved from wood and sanded to perfection. Atop the desk rested an opened journal with half a page written on it. Next to it lay a small wooden holder for pens, with only half of the holders filled. Across the room stood a bookshelf with an array of books and scrolls on it of varying sizes.

Susain locked the door to her room before turning to Darris and nearly jumping out of her skin. “You look… ok I have something for that,” She stammered, walking to the bookshelf on the side of the room avoiding looking at Darris.

Darris glanced down at himself to find that the illusion had completely faded. Once again he saw nothing but bones, colorless veins and bits of dead skin.

“I… have… something here… somewhere… to help you.” She mumbled to herself as she looked through several of the books on the shelf before finally pulling one out. “Ok, just give me… one moment.” She mumbled before holding up a finger to the air. Suddenly, the tip of her finger began to flow with blue light as she traced several symbols into the air. The strange arcane symbols floated in the air, rotating and bobbing slightly in the air. At times, some knocked into each other, creating a tiny spark of arcane energy before the two sigils slowly began floating in the other direction.

“Got it.” Susain said, finally, after tracing several more runes. She began grabbing several of the runes from the air and slamming them into themselves. The sigils melding together to form something different. Other sigils Susain gently shoved toward Darris, still without looking at him. “Put this on yourself, tell me how it looks.”

Darris knit his brow (or what was left of them) and grabbed at the sigils. As he reached toward the arcane symbols, the golden mist of his accumulated souls reached and clung to the symbols, pulling them onto his form. As the symbols attached to him, his body changed. Slowly, his skin became more vibrant. As a symbol hit his tattered clothes they turned into silk garbs, complete with a white button-up shirt and blue overcoat. As another sigil floated toward him he reached out and grabbed it; his veins looked to flow with blood again. Then another sigil floated and stuck to his chest; his heart now seemed to beat. Then another sigil stuck to the side of his bare skull; skin and an ear appeared to fill the hole in his head. One final sigil stuck to the top of his head and his hair gained more vibrant colors in light shades of brown.

“Ok… how’s that?” Susain asked, finally glancing over to him.

Darris glanced down at his illusory body once again, then he noticed a small detail along his hands. Thin pale lines across his hands and parts of his arms. Small cuts and scars for his training in Fame. Focussing more on his entire body he began to notice small details that weren’t present before. It looked as if his hair had been trimmed lightly as well as combed lightly. Then, he began to focus and breathe, relaxing his body.

Thin streaks of golden mist began to arise from bits of his body, clinging to his form and changing minute details about it. His hair became slightly less kept, his clothes went from the nice overcoat and shirt to a simpler brown vest and slightly dusty shirt underneath. His eyes changed ever-so-slightly to a light shade of hazel. He imagined his form when he was alive. Perhaps the only person alive who knew how he looked. As the mist finally sank into his skin, finalizing his form, he glanced at Susain.

“You can do magic? Wait, if you could do magic then why didn’t you fix that earlier?” She asked, getting slightly annoyed; her cheeks turning faintly red.

“its not magic… I don’t think so at least.” Darris explained. “Well… I guess its a strange form of magic. But from what I know its not like anything I’ve seen mages do.” He explained. “I’m still getting the hang of how to use it. I hardly even know how to change what I look like. Well… and I can do this.” Darris stood up and held out his hand. Half a second later the shining steel scimitar appeared in his hands.

Susain looked to the scimitar then to Darris, then back to the scimitar. “You can summon weapons?” She asked in amazement.

Darris glanced toward the scimitar in his hand. “Just this as far as I know. I can also empower it too. Um… do you have something I can hit with it?” He asked.

Susain tilted her head to the side before nodding slightly. “I have an idea.” She said, beginning to trace an array of runes into the air once again. She began melding the runes together. The rune grew bigger and more complex as more and more sigils were added to it. Then Susain grabbed the edges of the sigil, now nearly the size of herself, and faced it toward Darris. “Alright, try to break this.” She said, moving away from the sigil. “its a barrier sign. its not especially durable but even so it shouldn’t-” She was cut off as a faint gold mist coiled around the blade of Darris’s blade. He reared back his scimitar and swung down.

As the blade struck the sigil, a pulse of arcane energy shot from it, then the sigil cracked and fell to pieces as the blade followed through in its attack.

Susain held up her hands to guard herself as shards of the sigil burst from the broken runes and fizzled out into the air. She now glanced at Darris, the strange mist around his scimitar faded away as the blade too disappeared to nothingness. She looked at Darris, half in shock and half in amazement. “What the heck was that?” She asked.

Darris glanced at Susain now, staring at the rune as it crumbled. “From my understanding, its souls.” He explained.

Susain knit her brows. “What? Your soul? You can control your soul?” She asked, taking half a step back.

“No, well that too,” Darris quickly explained. “I- how do I explain this normally?” He mumbled to himself. “I’m a Reaper. I can take the souls of dead things. I’ve only become one recently; when I was resurrected.” He explained.

Susain just shook her head. “I’ve never heard of reapers before. Is it some kind of necromancy group?” Susain asked, taking another step back. Then a spec of realization struck her. “Who have you killed?” She asked hastily.

“Just some wolves.” Darris replied quickly, trying his best to lighten the situation. Although he did understand her concerns. “I've only killed wolves. Well… and a zombie.” He corrected. “And, no. its not a necromancy group… I think. I’ve only met one other reaper and-” His voice trailed off as his mind flashed back to the dragonborn covered in emeralds. However he quickly shoved the thoughts away. “Svalken, the elf. He’s a reaper as well.” Darris explained.

“What are you planning to do?” Susian asked. She backed up again, now up against her desk.

“We aren’t planning anything. Svalken may be rude, but he’s not evil. Not that I’ve seen anyways; and I don’t intend on harming anyone if I don’t have to.” He explained.

Susain let out a long sigh and buried her face in her hands. “I don’t understand this.” She mumbled.

“I know its hard to understand. How do you think I felt when I was told all this after being dead?” He asked, then he took half a step back as he noticed his voice rising in frustration.

Susain sighed again, now glancing up at Darris. “How do you use souls? What’s so special about them?” She asked.

Darris thought for a moment. “I’m not sure. I’m still new to using souls. I hardly know how to reinforce my blade and slightly change my appearance. its like… there’s a flame inside me. The souls I take are the fuel. I can control where I put the fuel to make the fire spread. Some souls are better than others. I haven’t felt too much of a difference between all the wolves and-” His voice trailed again as he glanced at the ring around his finger. “Different souls have different amounts of fuel they add to the fire. The more fuel the bigger the fire gets; the stronger I get.”

“What all can souls do?” Susain asked, now moving to near her bookshelf.

“I’m not sure of everything someone can do with them. I’ve been told I can make a barrier with the souls around myself, however I’ve never really tried doing it. Svalken also brought me back to life with souls; so you can do that as well. I can also use souls to change my appearance slightly, although I’ve just recently understood how to do that.” Darris explained.

Susain began to shuffle through more books on the shelf. “Do you think it could be a substitution for mana in some way? Or is it more like a divine thing?” She asked, continuing to take a book from the shelf, flipping through it for a moment before putting it back and repeating the process with another book.

“Well its not divine, I know that much. At least I doubt it is. I don’t know much about magic. It might be similar to it.” Darris explained.

Finally, Susain grabbed a book from the shelf and flipped through its pages, stopping on a page close to the end of the book. She faced the pages toward Darris for him to read.

Darris grabbed the book and skimmed through the pages. The book explained the aspects of innate magic within someone.

Some may find themselves with innate magic within themselves. Unlike many mages these unique men and women have been blessed in a way that they can use the magic within themselves to perform many of the feats that wizards would need to study endlessly to learn. However this innate ability does take much practice to harness. Some ‘sorcerers’, as they are called, have difficulty controlling such abilities. A helpful tool for controlling and manipulating the mana within yourself is to imagine it like an extension of your form. Or like a swirling storm within you that must be controlled and filtered out. Start small. Begin by only attempting simple feats, such as expelling a small bolt of fire or ice from your hand. Then move to other things, such as making a thunderclap through the air. Then onto things such as manipulating stone or projecting yourself with an illusion. As your understanding of your own abilities grows, so too should your potential feats.

Darris glazed back up to Susain. “You think this could help?” He asked.

Susain just nodded. “It did for me. Although I mainly understand my abilities by studying other forms of magic. Runes seem to help me the best.” She explained.

Darris looked to the book in his hands, then to Susain, then to himself. Being able to better control the souls within himself could be very useful. It wasn’t like Svalken was going to teach him anything useful, not anything he couldn’t figure out on his own at least. Darris now looked to Susain one last time. “Alright, let's see what I can do.”