> With his freedom gone, his only choice was to act in the service of life. For the good of us all, he revealed the hiding places of all in service of Sin.

>

> - Of Myth and Legend, Iteri and their use of the Necromancer.

The night had deepened. By the time William and Elena returned to the burned and decaying university, the night had deepened to a deep black, and the moon had drifted far ahead. At the entrance to the tower, they said their goodbyes and promised to continue the search tomorrow. William lingered a bit longer, taking in the decay and disuse of the bottom floor, noting how so much was left behind, uncared for.

He turned and began walking the grounds of the university. He noted the burn marks on many of the buildings. Scorched stone, fallen roofs, and once destroyed greenery that now overran their planters, spilling into the surrounding soil in some cases, and in others failing completely into a dried mess.

Still, William continued walking and thought to himself. He envisioned this school as a place of learning, full of life, people, and the pursuit of greater knowledge and truths. Days of the past that were no more. These thoughts and the lack of people in their hovels of broken brick and stone brought him to the theater.

He walked inside, and Erasmus joined him a moment later. He sang out triumphantly, “there has been progress!” Much to William’s annoyance, Erasmus had yelled right beside him. Erasmus strode forward, confident as always, and made his way through the crowd to the stage. Again, the curtains reminded William of silent guardians that still held nothing of importance between them, and yet Erasmus continued on in his self-important way. “Some of our numbers spotted the Necromancer in a shopping center, but they can tell you for themselves.”

From where William stood, off to the side of the wall, near a ramp that led up to the stage, he spotted the group of three that Erasmus had referred to. Their bodies were covered in layer upon layer of cloth. Some of it clearly had been a jacket at some point, but was later covered by a shirt, flannel, or just a blanket. Their hands were covered and wrapped, as were two of their faces. The lone member whose face was not covered held a pallid complexion, his cheeks and eyes unnaturally sunken. And when he spoke, he spoke as if each breath was difficult. Clearly, he had been this way for far too long.

He recounted sitting on the street with the other two beside him, a box before them, as they had been begging for money. They were going to move from their spot and go to another plaza since nobody was around. When they got up to leave, they saw someone walking around the businesses in a coat.

At first, they thought it was just another person staying out late. Then, as the person kept walking around, they saw how pale he was, the color of his coat matched the description. It was long, and when he turned at the arc of the plaza, to look at an All Souls Festival shop, they saw his necklace dangling from his neck.

This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

At that point, they ran as quickly as they could after him. He didn’t notice anything and continued walking, turning to the back of the plaza where trucks go to drop off goods. When they got there, not long after he turned, he was gone.

“He managed to get away fast,” the man said. “Too fast…to be normal. Must be him. Same look, same way of disappearing.”

William, still at his post against the wall, didn’t shift his body or react to the story. In fact, as the crowd grew into a frenzy, demanding to go to the plaza to find the one who turned them into monsters, he felt less certain about doing anything. These people at the end of their rope, desperate,, and in need of help, were chasing shadows. How fast could these people walk? Chances are that whoever they saw just outwalked them, or noticed them and ran when they could. It was pointless. Senseless.

Erasmus raised his hands in a manner meant to calm them down. The group quickly responded by silencing their cries, looking to him for guidance.

“Worry not,” he began, eyeing each and every one of them. “If we found him once, we’ll find him again. He can’t hide forever, and now that we have confirmation that my information is good, it’s only a matter of time. He was at a plaza, let us focus on these places.”

The crowd began to cry out again, wanting to strike, and search now more than ever. But Erasmus spoke against this, “we will continue tomorrow. The hunt continues. Our need for justice will be quenched.”

The group funneled out. Their cries and protests continued well after they had gone. William strode to the center of the stage and sat down at his usual spot, feet dangling off the stage, looking out at the empty seating area.

“There’s been real progress, Will.” Erasmus stood on the ground. He looked up at William with eager, wild eyes. He felt like today had been a real victory, a step in the right direction.

“I’m glad.” William smiled softly, happy that Erasmus saw progress where he saw continued decline.

“I’m glad, too. Will, if you hadn’t spoken to that girl, we’d still be wandering around alleyways, and dismissing people. I’m sure we would’ve noticed the Necromancer sooner if we had known he was wearing a dam cloak. A few weeks ago, we would’ve written it off as someone who was just a bit too cold.” He smiled at the humor.

William could see it. A man wearing a cloak was suspicious, but it could’ve meant anything. But paired with the necklace, the sickly features, and the disappearance, it became easier to notice.

William shrugs, and Erasmus continues. “Thanks for not being your usual gloomy self. I swear, you were so downtrodden to be dead, I was sure you’d try to set yourself on fire. At least the girl is giving you a reason to get up every night.”

“I’m just glad something good is coming from this,” William replies.

Erasmus bats Williams’s dangling foot. “Don’t worry, Will. We’ll find him, bring him to the church, and then they’ll heal us. They’ll make it right.”

“Are you sure the church can help us?” William replied, almost with hope in his voice. He never believed in the church, but if they managed to undo this, then maybe they’ve made progress and can heal more than superficial wounds.

“If anyone can, it’s the church. They’ve been bestowed the might and majesty of life itself by Sol. I’m sure it’ll work out. It needs to work. I don’t remember anything about myself, Will. I want to know who I am, and go home.”

Erasmus smiles, then turns to leave. On the way out, spoke out, “we’re going to coordinate more searches with the other members.” He said to the room, “keep Elena busy, maybe she’ll drop more clues, but keep her out of our way. We don’t need her asking us too many questions.” And with that, he was gone.

Shade, the black void cat runs out of the shadows, and sits next to William, eager for scratches. As Shade purrs, William wonders what he should do.