Soft warm blankets. I was comfortable, lying in a bed covered in large blankets to keep me warm. I was unable to move and unable to react to the world around me for a short amount of time. The memories of my fight with the Reaper came back to me, and I slowly began to regain movement in my body back. I opened my eyes, and I was astonished to be looking up at a sea blue ceiling. I sat up to look around. The room I was in was not my own. I shifted ever so slowly, still extremely comfortable in the blankets. The room I was in was a bright white, contrasting with the blue ceiling. Curtains were hung around the large bed I was lying in. They were open so I could see the majority of the room. There was a singular dresser across from me with a mirror attached where I could see my reflection slightly. I was still wearing chainmail and everything from the cemetery. I fixed my hair slightly, allowing for my good eye to have the best view.

Curious as to where I was I threw my legs out of the covers and sat on the bed. Getting up slowly I almost immediately collapsed to my knees as my body was very shaky. I was starving. Getting to my feet I noticed that my shoes were sitting next to the door to leave. I quickly put them back on and opened the door to my left quickly. I noticed my linen pants were actually a dark burgundy color

A bathroom filled my vision, a singular toilet, and a sink with a shower in the back of the room. I closed the door, turning around to see another door across from the bathroom entrance. I cautiously approached it and turned the knob opening it. A carpeted hallway with walls painted white and rooms like a hotel were outside the door. I cautiously took a step out, before noticing the girl sitting to the right of my door. I turned my head to face her. She had jet black hair that lay back with a small chunk of hair going over her face and wore a red linen shirt with a white-collar. She had black woolen pants on with a pair of buckled leather boots.

"Oh!" She was started by my presence, immediately jumping to her feet and holding her hand out nervously. She was about 4 or 5 inches taller than me. Her face was young, and she looked innocent, with red cheeks and freckles. She was cute, almost. "You're awake! Hi I'm Stephanie!" She managed. I was confused, as I thought I had returned home, and I've never met this girl before.

"Hi Stephanie.." I said awkwardly while pushing her hand down and away from me. She recoiled back, taking a step away from me and putting her hands behind her back shyly. She had a thin face, as if she hadn't been eating right. I went to place my right hand on my Sabre's handle, however I did not find it on my belt.

"Uh Uhm.." she stuttered nervously like a schoolgirl. "Your guardian will be here soon, I was only in your chambers to rejuvenate you." I looked awkwardly at this girl until I remembered the crazy ball of energy from the cemetery.

"Where am I?" I questioned seriously, taking a step towards her to try and intimidate her. This worked wonders, as she immediately backed up. Despite my small stature and high pitched voice I was able to intimidate someone who was not very confident like this girl.

"You're in the Temple of the Guardians." She said softly. "Your guardian was supposed to inform you of this before you arrived uhm." She stopped to think for a moment. She seemed afraid, so I dropped my aggressive stance, took a step back from her and crossed my arms.

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"Do you mean the weird energy mask?" I asked sternly, still kind of confused and upset because I obviously wasn't home.

The door at the end of the hallway opened up, and the girl immediately turned around. The person I saw enter the door surprised me. It was a man, a taller man. He was dressed head to toe with heavy plated dark purple armor. The armor was very disatured, and almost gray. He had one large shoulder plate on his right side that came to a spiked point. He wore a hood that flowed down his back hooking onto a large fur cape that stopped just past his knees. The cape was torn and tattered. His face was covered by a large plated mask. It was like a hockey mask, however it was flatter, and seemed to hook onto his hood. It had two purple stripes going through his eyes and four black slits on the bottom of it, sliding up to the center of his mask. His hair was a clumpy mess of desaturated dark blue. A large sword was hooked onto his back, and held no sheathe. It was a brown color, as if it had been rusted and used for a long time.

"Ah! Sir Arin, you've arrived." Stephanie said to this man, who she now referred to as Arin. The name didn't seem to fit the dark and intimidating person who stood in front of me. The man nodded, walking closer to me. He stood only a foot away, looking down on me. He was an entire foot taller than me, but I stood my ground continuing to cross my arms.

"Stephanie, you're dismissed." The man's voice was low, just like the masked man in the cemetery. I looked at him with concern and curiosity. Stephanie just nodded, apologized to both of us, and left down the hallway.

"You're the man from the Cemetery." I said questioning him. "Aren't you?"

"Indeed." he responded. I braced myself for a fight, as this man did not look friendly. I started scanning him, looking for weak points in his armor, or possibly some sort of weakness.

"I'm not here to harm you Blighted One." he spoke, almost endearingly. "I am your Guardian." He shuffled himself, bowing down on one knee to me like I was royalty. "And I shall guide and protect you until one of us perish." I felt extremely uncomfortable at this high attention. I was certainly not special. I stared at him with my one good eye.

"No." I said quickly. "Please don't do that." I motioned for him to stand up and he did. "I'm not like a princess or anything." I said, mocking him. "That's really not necessary. I'm nobody special."

"As you wish." he nodded.

"So.." I began awkwardly. "Arin is it?" I asked for his name but also assumed it because of what the girl Stephanie had said.

"That is the name I am called." his voice was so stale, like I was talking to a machine.

"Let me ask this." I began, my tongue getting the better of me as fury boiled my blood. "You led me to believe that after I got out of the cemetery, and defeated the grim fucking reaper, that I would be sent home!" I raised my voice, furrowing my eyebrows. I took a step forward. "Where the hell am I? And how am I supposed to get home?!" I practically shouted.

"I never once said you would go back home after collecting your soul. You can still get home, but we-" He cut himself off, as if he hadn't fully registered what I had said yet. "You." he began. "You defeated the Angel of Death." he sounded almost proud with his words. "How did you do it?" He asked as I felt like he was almost ignoring me. "Someone of your caliber should have been eaten alive." His voice wasn't expressive or excited, but the words he said made it seem like it should have been.

"Wha?!" I replied, feeling confused about his question. "That isn't what is important right now!" I halfway shook my head about how he had completely ignored me.

"Blighted One." he started again with his annoying professional tone. "Follow me, and I will explain everything." he turned around, briskly walking towards the door. I had no other choice but to follow him. I wanted to know what had happened, and how to get back home to my family. To Jake.