I wish I could say I died a heroic death that day. One where I saved a total stranger from a mugger or a runaway truck. I wish I could, but that'd be a blatant lie. My death was a murder. One that some would have been all too happy to know happened.

  It had been a sunny, warm day and the flowers had begun to bloom. The world was colorful and bright, but it didn't matter to me. I sat there, on the bus stop bench, and stared down at the road. Everything in my life had caved in around me. I had been kicked out of college a year prior and was desperately trying to find a job as the last of my money was drying up. Anger had left months before. Only a dull misery remained.

  As I sat there, trying to be positive, I considered what I could even do. I couldn't even really turn to any friends or family for support through that rough time. That one event had made absolutely sure of that. It was shocking, really, how one could easily be taken down. The horrible truth that one thing can turn everything against someone is something most don't want to consider. In college, I was a decent student and had a few friends. The entire goal was to just keep my head down and get a good job. I wasn't the type to party or anything of the sort. I was just a regular guy, a bit of a nerd certainly, but I wasn't a bad person.

It all fell apart at that party. I had gone, not really wanting to but feeling obligated to sense it was a friend who asked me to show up. It was the worst mistake in my life, not that I'd ever been able to know that. It was the first time I had actually drank anything as well, but I didn't get anywhere near drunk. The taste alone of the stuff had put me off. I ended up talking to this one girl who was obviously a few drinks in. It was really awkward the entire time, so I eventually slipped away. I left the party pretty much unseen. So when, the next day, I awoke to the campus security at my door, I was confused.

That was the day my life began a slow descent into ruin. At some point, apparently, the girl I had been talking to passed out drunk. When the security said I was accused of sexually assaulting her, my stomach turned to an iron knot. Worse still, other people at the party claimed it was me. I wish I knew why I was the one accused. Of course, I didn't have any evidence that I hadn't, but there wasn't any that I had. That didn't matter. In the next few days, I watched in misery as I was condemned for a crime that I wasn't even actually being charged with. My friends began to turn on me. The rumors had spread like a fire, reaching people before I could. They say the first impression of a situation is the strongest. The tide was already moving against me. I knew I was innocent, but there wasn't even going to be a court case to absolve me. No one had even gone to the police about it. I was left to face the court of public opinion. I argued and argued that I wouldn't ever do such a thing, but nothing seemed to reach anyone. The best I got was some people just claimed they couldn't be sure. Eventually, the college had kicked me out.

I didn't even have the money to return home. I didn't even bother trying to contact my family at that point. The shame was too great for me. It was foolish, I know, but I wasn't thinking clearly at that point in my life. My apartment had its lease still and I couldn't just pay that off either. It wasn't long after that when the place I worked at cut me loose. It was like all the lifelines I had were being cut one by one. There came a point when even people I didn't know gave me nasty looks. The entire situation just kept getting worse. Down and down did it keep spiralling. In that time, I won't pretend that many dark wants reach me. A gray misery that slowly strangled from me the very will to continue. Yet I feared not continuing more than that.

I desperately tried to find work to pay off the loan I took to even go to college in the first place. Yet, I had already been condemned and was made persona non grata. No one would hire me. The few who did quickly fired me after people bombarded the place with reminders of what I was accused of. What little money I had went to just scraping by and it was dwindling slowly away. The debt just kept racking up over that year, too. I feared that I would soon become homeless. There, on that bus bench, alone with my misery was to be one of my final hours of life in the world I knew.

Even worse, was how I actually died. I wish it had been at least something else. An accident would have been far better. In truth, it was pathetic. When the bus finally arrived, I had stood up, feeling tired and sure of my life only getting worse. I suppose in some sick, twisted way it was a mercy. At least then it would have been an end to the suffering had I not recieved what I hesitate to call divine aid. A guy walked up behind me as the bus was coming to a stop and said, "Hey! Fucker!"

Turning around, it was some guy I vaguely recalled from the college. I think he had been at that party. He glared at me with hatred I had seen many times. One I had begun to see in my own reflection at that point for entirely different reasons. I barely mustered up the energy to ask, "What is it?"

He then stepped forward and shouted in my face, "Fuck you, you sick piece of shit! You think because you aren't in jail you got away with it?"

My eyes shot down as his arm moved, a flash of metal from his pocket. I was far too slow to dodge it as the blade left forward. I didn't know who he was, but I knew what it was about. I guess I should have left town long before that point, but I was too scared of just abandoning the only stability I had left. It didn't matter, because I was stabbed, right there in front of everyone.

I stared at him as I slowly stepped back, my legs weakening as my gaze turned down to my chest. The red stain grew slowly on my jacket as I fell back, against the side of the bus. Someone screamed, but in that moment all that I could think about was how unfair it had all been. A hatred in that moment seared into my core as I looked up to the guy who stabbed me. Dying for a crime I hadn't done after years of torment. I slide down as he stepped forward, knife in hand. Those around me stared in shock as I felt my heart beating like a drum against my chest. He grabbed me and yelled, "You sick piece of shit! I won't ever forgive you!"

One more to the chest as I slumped in his grip, making not sound beyond the harsh breaths and grunts. The guy was screaming hoarsely as he kept going. Through the pain something caught my attention about the guy as he kept on attacking. He was crying. I didn't even struggle as it happened. Again and Again. Stab after stab. My eyes blurred as I looked to the blue and sunny sky above, feeling the pain disappear and my life slowly fade.

As he stepped back, his breath ragged, the knife slipped through his fingers. The tears running down his face left my mind to wonder why. My assailant screamed out, "You can go to hell! You sick fucker! It's all your fucking fault!"

It was also the memory that invaded my fever pitched mind as I dreamed. Yet, it morphed at some point. I saw The Sorrow Penitent hung from her chains and staring at me, head listed off to the side. Shortly after that, I woke with a start. I was in the grass, the sun was rising over the field. I felt horribly sore, but not like I had when I woke up in the cave. There was a soft feeling below me. Veline looked down at me, her face unreadable as she carely stroked my head. She said, "Awake again. You are awake. It's ok."

I stared at her for a moment, feeling somehow guilty. What a pathetic sight I must have been. Slowly, I got up and looked about. The road was some number of yards away. Looking to Veline once more, she immediately said, "I protected you. You started screaming. You collapsed. What happened?"

I searched her face, trying to find any clue as to what was going through her head, but her face blank. I wondered what it must have been liked to see somehow break like that. I shook my head at her, slowly getting up myself. She floated off towards the road and I followed. I wanted to say something, anything really, but nothing seemed to come to mind that felt right.

As we walked, she eventually floated back so that she was next to me. I didn't look at her as we walked, staring at the dirt ground. Her tail then suddenly grabbed me and forced me to a stop. I looked to her listlessly, and she got extremely close again. She looked my face over and then moved back, floating there. She said, a tone in her voice I could only guess was caution, "Strange. What is it?"

Her face was unreadable still. I felt anger at this and I didn't know why. I just wanted to get away from the entire situation. The entire thing was something I wish I could forget. I asked, not hiding my annoyance, "What is what?"

She tilted her head a few times before asking, "Dead. How not still dead? Why is that? Smell like living. Heart beat. Screaming. Why? How? You whispered in your sleep. Something about chains."

I said, sneering at her slightly, "I don't know nor do I care. I don't want to think about it. I'm hungry, sore, and ever since I got to this place, things have been going terribly."

She floated there for a second before slowly reaching out and taking my face in both of her hands. Veline said, "You are my master. If you hate the world, I will help kill it. Destroy it all or make it bend. Obey."

She gave me a small smile as she floated there, her red eyes sparkling with glee. Slowly her tail unwrapped from me and her hands slid from my face. I stared at Veline for a bit, more in shock at the very idea. I asked, "You will never betray me?"

Veline's grin turned more sadistic and said, "I serve you alone. It's why Deamuri exists. You never die. The best master I could ever want. The world that I taste of forever, yes? I'll give you this world. All. Whole."

I began to say something, but the words caught in my throat as distrust appeared in my mind. I clenched my jaw, trying to crush the flood of emotions that hit me then.

I turned and continued walking. Eventually, in the distance, I did see a village appear. I wished it brought me any joy to see it, but in truth it had a feeling of fear. Still, I moved forward, a single glance to Veline who grinned at me with her sharp teeth. There were some fields surrounding it, the crops growing still. Farms could be seen working, as we reached the edge of the first. It was when I had gotten close enough to be noticed that one of the farmers did see me.

You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

I stopped when I heard the man let out a quick, "Holy Gods!"

I slowly turned to look at him, no doubt looking like a wreck as I did so. An older man who stared at both me and Veline with a look of shock. When I looked back he cleared his throat and said, "O-oh! Good evening. That...that girl...What...?"

I looked to Veline, who gave the man a sharp toothed grin. I said, "She's my magical servant."

Veline floated there and said ecstatically, "Hello!"

The farmer appeared pensive, but somewhat more relaxed, and said, "W-well...good. I take it that you are some kind of mage? E-either way. Good gods, man, you look...awful."

Veline giggle, floating about me and looking around happily. She seemed to be enjoying the attention the other farmers were giving us. The farmers eyed us but made not obviously hostile moves, a few others in the field watched who appeared ready to bolt. I said, "I've been through a bit, yes."

The farmer cleared his throat nervously and asked, "Monsters? Abnaltis soldiers?"

It's clear that he wasn't sure of what to make of me or Veline, but he clearly was afraid of things we might bring news of. He had this look of concern as he said the part about soldiers. I let out a small sigh and said, "A monster. It was in a cave."

The farmer nodded and said, "Ah, yes. That one. Well, at least you got away. We know about that thing, but it hasn't been an issue."

I said, "I see."

Veline said, with a giggle, "I see lots of things."

The farmer looked at her for a moment, a perplexed look on his face. The entire thing felt extremely awkward and I just wanted to sit down and eat. After a bit of consideration, I asked, "There an inn in this town?"

The farmer nodded lightly and said, "There is. It'll be easy to spot."

I gave a small grunt of acknowledgement and turned to continue toward the village. I wondered how I would even pay for anything, but decided to try my luck and ask to help out in exchange for some food. So far, things were going decently.

Still the idea that priest had killed me floated around in my head. I felt every single one of them start at me and Veline as we headed towards the town. I hated the feeling of it. That mild distrust echoed horribly in me. Such a casual contempt was all too familiar. I kept my eyes out, just on the chance that this was some form of trap. Once I had rested, I knew that I'd leave. Staying in one place might end poorly.

As I entered the village proper, it was dead silent. The streets were almost empty beyond a few people moving about and three armed men standing outside the inn. I hesitated at the edge for the square for a moment as they turned and stared. just standing next to a building with a sign hanging with a symbol of a cow and the moon. I ignored their glare and asked, "Is this the inn?"

One of them nodded and said, "It is. But who are you?"

Before I could answer the door to the Inn flew open, startling everyone but Veline, who was floating on her back watching with a smile. To my utter shock, I recognized the young man. He asked, "You are here?"

Veline watched us both with the kind of fake look one would give a reveal in a bad drama show. I said, guarded and ready to bolt, "You are Martin. Is that right?"

He looked to the armed men, who looked with raised eyebrows. He turned back to me, eyeing Veline, and asked, "How did you get all the way out here?"

I stood silent for a moment before saying, "I wish I knew. I woke up on the road. I don't recall how. Where am I?"

Martin looked at Veline exclusively. There was a look of confusion as he said, "You're in Greenway. My home town, actually. I am here on some manner of official business. Azuro said he went to the church and was told you had disappeared in the night. You say that you were kidnapped from there?"

I said, a bitter tone, "For all I know, I could have been carried off by birds. I've been trying to find anywhere. I'm hungry, sore, and getting sick of waking up in a place I don't know."

The three men looked between us. Martin himself continued to stare at Veline. She gave him a wide grin, an action that caused his face to pale lightly, and said, "Master's friend? Fun."

Martin asked, finally getting the metaphoric elephant, "Who...what is that?"

I said, "Apparently my...magical servant? I don't know. Her name is Veline and she claims she's a Dreamuri."

Martin blinked a few times, then looked down rubbing his chin. He said, "Oh. I don't know what those are really. So you are a magic user then? But hey, that's a better start for finding out who you are then. If you can use magic, that makes you more apt to be part of specific groups."

The young man gave a somewhat unsure smile, but still didn't seem so eager to be near Veline. She floated there, grinning at the guardsman still. I said, "Yeah.. I still don't remember anything, and she hasn't exactly given any information. I don't know if she even knows anything. Apparently my pact with her is still new."

I was trying to be as friendly as possible, but at the same time, give Veline some kind of hint to not go blabbering too much about me being dead. Whether or not she got that, she didn't say much to start with. The idea of her giving away what I was lying about sayed firmly in my mind. Martin nodded somewhat, saying, "Gods helped you today, it seems. Hope that it was the Sparing Grace. Come on in. Alexander wasn't it?"

I said, "Yeah, that's the name I remember, at least."

The armed men seemed to relax as I passed and I heard one whisper, "I am glad that didn't turn into a fight. That thing scares me."

As we entered, I felt my gut twist into a knot as I saw leaning on the bar Azuro, his eye brow raised. He looked me over then Veline. He said, "You look like you got dragged all the way from the city to here."

I nodded and looked to Martin, but he was walking over to the far end of the bar counter. There were a few people in the place that appeared either mercenaries or travelers. Something about the entire situation seemed off, but I couldn't discern exactly what. Azuro let out a long sigh and said, "I thought you might have bolted, but frankly, the way you look says otherwise. Suppose plenty of things could be true."

The older guard looked around casually, drinking from a mug, and nodded to the stool. He said, "Have a seat. Odd creature you've picked up for companionship."

I sat and Veline took the one next to me, giggling lightly as she eyed everything in the room. The bartender walked over to Martin. From the way they talked, I figured they had to be related. Azuro sat drinking from his mug for a moment, said, quietly, "I got questions, but that can wait. I don't think you ran, but can't ask here. Play calm and we'll see you back to the city."

He then slapped my back lightly as Martin and the tender walked over. The innkeeper looked me over as Martin was telling him that he knew me. The keeper stood in front of us and said, "You gave the entire village a hell of a scare appearing with that girl. People began to wonder if you were one of those demon cultists or even one of the Abnaltis people. But if Azuro doesn't distrust you, guess I won't either."

I to the bartender and asked, "The Abnaltis?"

Azuro cleared his throat and said, "Get this guy some food. I'll pay."

The innkeeper nodded and said, "Right, but don't bother paying. Martin's friend in need is my friend in need."

The guy then walked into the back through a door and Martin said, "Ah! Yeah. Alexander, that was my uncle. He runs this inn."

I nodded and looked at Azuro. He was drinking casually and then said, "We're actually here just to make sure of a few things. Message running and what not. You asked about Abnaltis yeah? The war is going on still, but we are nice and far from that mess. Still, mercenary groups and what not have been going through the region to go fight."

Veline said, "Master's friends. Good. So not kill?"

Martin gave Veline a shocked look and Azuro rolled his eyes lightly. I reached over and flicked her forehead which made her just give a small laugh. He said, "Dreamuri, was it? I had an encounter with one before now." He let out a long sigh. "A mage had one in Garnalt some time ago. Gods, it'd have been nice to know that when we raided his house. I don't know what's up with yours, though. I don't recall the other showing any sort of emotion."

Martin took the seat next to Azuro, said, "Come on, Azuro. Be more cheery. I'm sure this one won't do whatever that one did."

Azuro took another drink and with a calm, even tone said, "I am cheery."

Veline floated behind us, I felt her lean onto my shoulder and asked, in that strange speak, "Corner. People. Watching you."

My eyes narrowed lightly, but I didn't look. Then, I felt Azuro and Martin staring at me and her. Azuro asked, "Don't suppose you can understand that gibberish?"

I looked at him, his face a bit more stern than normal. I answered, dryly, "Yes. Why?"

Martin leaned on the counter listening intently. Azuro said, "It's just not every day I meet someone who can understand that stuff."

I gave him a quizzical, tired look. He fished off whatever his drink was and said, "She was speaking Wander Tongues."

Martin was eyeing me, trying to not to appear as if he was somewhat scared of what was happening. He said, after hesitation, "It's said to be dangerous."

Azuro gave Martin a quick annoyed look, then turned his attention back to me. He said, "It's spoken by things from beyond our world. I wish I knew how you had learned any of it."

Veline giggled suddenly, startling Martin by tapping his shoulder with the flat part of her tail. She said, floating back a bit, "Bonds share more than magic."

Martin seemed to relax a bit. He said, with a sigh, "Ah. So your contract allows you some understanding?"

I nodded, knowing nothing, but asked, "I take it it's common enough to be known of, but what of things from outside the world?"

Martin looked away, a look on face that looked more sad than scared. Azuro turned around on the stool, looking into his cup with disappointment, and said, "They are said to be brought by the gods, usually. The churches are very scared of champions appearing." I looked at him, but before I could question that he continued. "You may not know, but the gods aren't exactly rational beings. Many are singularly minded and unable to understand things that are the opposite of them. So a champion's 'gift' would often be a horrid curse as well. The church has a policy about capturing such people to prevent them from becoming a real threat."

I nodded lightly. That brought up many questions and somewhat confirmed a suspicion I had as well. Was I really one of those champions? Was that why the church tried to kill me, if that was the case? I narrowed my eyes and said, "I see."

The innkeeper walked back in, a plate of food in hand. He sat it in front of me, eyeing Veline, and stepping back. There was a chicken leg, a small wedge of whitish colored cheese, and a few small bread rolls on the plates. I felt my stomach growl, but I looked at the food for a moment. The bartender then sat a pint down next to the plate, a kind smile on his face. A small suspicion ran through my mind, reminding me that the priest might have poisoned me through food. Yet, would it matter if I could return from death if it was poisoned again? Slowly, hesitating before the first bite, I began to eat.

The innkeeper talked to Martin about several random things. How some family members were, how the business was going, and so on. Azuro sat quietly and, having ordered another pint, continued to drink. He sat facing away from the bar, but seemed to not be even getting a mild buzz. The two off to the side remained quiet, but I was aware of them watching me as I ate. Veline floated behind up, giggling lightly to herself. Every so once in a while, she'd tell me what the two were doing. The food, at least to me, was the best tasting thing I had ever eaten at that moment. It felt good to know if I was to die here, it would at least not be to water and bread alone again again.

After I finished, Azuro got up and stretched, looking at Martin. They both nodded and Martin said goodbye to his innkeeping uncle. Azuro tapped my shoulder and said, "Let's go. For now you can come along with us. You still need to get to the city, and we've got to pick something up." He then said quietly, "We're likely to need to leave fast."