'Why is this happening to me? Why does the world have to be so cruel to me? I have gained a new life, a new chance. But the evil fate from the past still weighs on me,' lamented Elrianthe in her mind.

Death. What is death? Not even death can separate me from the curse that rests on me. Wasn't death supposed to be the end? It seems not, since I was reborn as an elf. What will happen if I die once again? I don't want to think about that. I don't want to end up in a world worse than this.

So what about my friends? What about Taygeer? Will they have a chance for a better life?

Even though my life on Earth was hell, I'm used to it. But... why do I have to experience it again? To endure the death of a friend once again?

Is this what you want from me, you shitty universe? Fuck you!

Before my life began to fall apart, I was privileged to meet two people who showed me more interest than I ever deserved.

The first of these people was my school friend, Rafał. He was the youngest of his siblings and by far the most ignored. Strange, isn't it? Usually, the youngest are the most pampered. Well, in his case it was the opposite.

His parents ran a catering business, and their goal was to prepare their children to take over the business, or at least to help it grow. His older brother was a true genius - at the age of just 17, he helped double the value of the company. His sister, on the other hand, was an excellent cook, and her original recipes and sense of customers allowed her to make a fortune in restaurants.

And here was Rafał - a complete counterbalance to his talented sibling. He poured over science, had no interest in the company, didn't help, or even wanted to hear about the business. He was a strange guy who completely stood apart from his family.

This brought our paths together. On the first day of middle school, he sat down with the most isolated student in the class - me.

He didn't want attention. And I completely ignored him at first. Since I was perceived as a freak at the time, others limited contact with me, and he, hoping for similar treatment, stuck close to me. That's how we became friends.

We went to classes together, met after school, and he even took me to dinners at a restaurant run by his sister when my wonderful parents forgot about me. Raphael was a good friend, albeit a bit detached.

So why did the world decide to kill him?! My only friend! Raphael was stabbed to death in some kind of brawl in front of a restaurant. We were both fourteen years old.

After I graduated from middle school, I met a girl named Natalia. She was a modest brunette with glasses who spent most of her day reading books and online novels. I met her on the train when she was forced to sit next to me because the rest of the seats were taken.

She started reading a book about some monster hunter with two swords. This allowed her to ignore the people around her and that was a great idea, I have to admit. So I started reading along with her because I was bored of staring at the glass and had nothing else to kill the boredom.

I did something unbelievable - I asked her about the book. I was interested in the content, and the desire to know it better only increased. It turned out that this shy girl can be extremely open when talking to someone with similar interests.

A month later, we accidentally met in the library. In the meantime, I had managed to read two books from the series she read on the train that day. We talked for so long that the librarian had to kick us out because she was going to close the place, and we kept discussing the adventures of the monster hunter.

As time went on, we started seeing each other more frequently, and I got to know her better and better. Our relationship developed so much that at one point we could already refer to each other as a couple. Sounds wonderful, doesn't it? I had finally found my other half, who gave me honest affection.

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However, one evening Natalia stopped hearing from me. After a few days, I found out that she didn't even leave her room. Her parents did not know the reason for her behavior, accused me of hurting her, and would not let me talk to her. Finally, after all, Natalia opened the apartment door herself. She looked terrible, like a wreck of a person. Crying and with great difficulty, she confessed to me what had happened.

She had been raped by some drunken thugs and was now pregnant.

Fuck. It was like a slap in the face.

I loved that girl. Even if it came to raising her child, I would do it for her. After all, I can't fail more than my parents, right? I was ready for it.

The next day I received only a short message:

“Thank you for everything. I don't want to make your life more difficult with my problems. Maybe we will meet in a better world.”

She died under the wheels of a truck. Suicide. She was only 16 years old.

I thought I was cursed. Did they die just because we started a good relationship? I don't know. Why do I still think about it?

Taygeer. Friend. Another person who lost his life because of me. It reminded me why I haven't had anyone close to me for the past 14 years.

'Will the same thing happen to her?' thought Elrianthe, looking at Alison, who was sitting across from her in a carriage heading to the city of Pershore.

'No. I will do anything to protect those close to me. I will kill anyone, even if the goddess of death herself stands before me!' she vowed.

The top of the mountain...

“Huh? Someone call me?” Morana snapped out of her place, awakened from the sleep she had been enjoying in her dragon form.

“I've been trying to wake you up for hours,” replied an irritated Sybil.

“And it was so good to sleep...” sighed Morana, yawning.

The dragoness turned around, standing on her paws in a wide stride, and began to stretch like a cat. Only then did she look in Sybil's direction, at which not two, but three balls of light were already circling.

“Oh? Your guard didn't make it?” Morana asked surprised.

“That's why I tried to wake you up...”

“So? How did things go?”

“He certainly managed to drive them out, but he doesn't want to confess to me how he died,” replied Sybil, looking suspiciously at the third ball of light.

“Good. I gave my word, didn't I? What kind of goddess would I be if I broke my own promise?” stated Morana, turning toward the ruins of the stronghold.

“Do you want to go there?”

“Of course. I could use a little muscle-stretching. And you,” Morana pointed with her claw at the troll's soul, ‘ you're coming with me.’

The dragoness spread her mighty black wings and, thrusting out with them into the air, raised huge amounts of snow fluff enveloping the mountain. Gliding in a circle around the forest, she finally landed in front of the stronghold.

*Bang*

Settling to the ground, she shook the foundations of the rocky structure, from which several stones fell. Had it not been for her efforts to brake before landing, she might have contributed to the collapse of the stronghold, which was already in a deplorable state.

“Oh, you've really stiffened up from lying on that mountain,” she muttered to herself.

Coming closer, she spotted the collapsed tower, around which lay the corpses of the people the guard had confronted. Her attention was drawn to the bodies lying farthest from the walls.

“The priest of the Five Supreme? What was he doing here? There is also a sorceress. I doubt they belong to a group led by an elf. Why did you kill them?” Morana asked the troll's soul.

However, the troll was not eager to answer. He was afraid of his master's reaction.

After the death of his partner, he was left alone, endowed with immortality by his master. After many years of loneliness, his obsession with women grew to the point that he went crazy even at the sight of a human woman. He longed to have someone for himself, longed to have a partner again. So he began kidnapping women, for which he was severely punished by Sybil, who kept watch over her guards even after her death.

“I see that you are afraid to answer. I understand. You don't have to be afraid. Sybil won't find out,” Morana added, but the troll remained silent.

“That's okay. I'll find out from them,” she said, approaching the body of the fallen sorceress.

< Death's Domain: Summoning the Fallen >