=Vicis=

*What is that?*

I stood at the center of the crater, focusing on the glassy lump on the ground below where the orb had been suspended. Unconsciously my hand moved to my right shoulder.

*It's just like the marks.......*

Silently I watched it, inspecting the surface before finally my thoughts caught up to me again.

"Iszith!"

I dropped to my knees, shuffling closer to the glassy mass before me. Unconcerned about any danger it might pose. I shot my hands forward, expecting it to have the consistency of the orb. Surprisingly my hands met immediate resistance.

Not giving up I ran my hands over its surface trying to inspect it with bursts of energy, noting that like my marks its appearance belies its soft pliable texture.

I could feel how it brimmed with power, but no matter how hard I tried I couldn't find her small spark.

" Iszith! Please Iszith!"

I sent wave after wave of energy through it, desperately crying out for her, reaching for her. Numerous failed attempts later I leaned forward, resting my head on top of it.

"Iszi-"

Pain blossomed from my nose, forcing my head back. I stumbled backwards, warm blood overflowing my nostrils. Pinching my nose to cut off the flow I'm met by a strange sight.

It had started to open up, no, unfold. Arms, legs, the longer I watched it the more that it revealed. Until at last it resembled a human, it's edges precise and defined. Although the features and surface of it stayed as perfectly smooth and flat as before. Now at its full height it stood almost a fort taller than me.

One step.

Another.

I moved closer and closer reaching out my hand to her.

"Iszith?"

=Iszith=

My thoughts swirled, asking me the same question over and over again.

[Is there no one else?]

*There is no one else!*

No matter how many times I denied it and tried to ignore my thoughts again and again settled on that single question.

[Is there no one else?]

*No one...........*

Slowly I started to falter, doubt coloring my thoughts.

[Is there no one else?]

*......They-they ar-*

[Truly?]

*.....…………*

The question danced around my mind dragging my thoughts around with it. Poking, prodding them.

[Is there truly no one else?]

*I......I-I......*

[Is there truly no one else?]

*I don’t know so please…… please just stop……*

I shrunk my presence, trying to escape, trying to ignore the doubts and confusion that pressured me. Farther and farther I shrunk, receding into my own consciousness.

[Is there truly no one else?]

No matter what I did the questions followed, wearing me down. Each taking a small piece of me with it as I cowered.

That's when he reached for me.

=Vicis=

She nearly flung her new body at me, gripping me with trembling arms. My guilt intensified seeing her like this.

"I'm sorry, so sorry."

I apologized over and over again. I returned her embrace, caressing her.

"I'm sorry....."

We stayed like this for a few minutes until she broke the silence.

".......Why did you jump?"

"It was an impulse, a stupid one."

".……Don't do it again." Her arms tightened around me.

"I won't."

==

Separated now we sit across from each other in the dark.

"Do you have to go into town?"

"I do Iszith. I need some clothes and information, another map preferably. Also....."

My hand drifted down to my stomach, the running alone had started to wear on me, not to mention all the energy I poured into her.

".....I need to feed."

".......w-what about me?"

"As you are now you'll stand out, even at night."

She looked down, as if noticing her body for the first time.

"I want you to test it out while I'm gone, see what you can do."

"..…......"

I rise, dusting dirt off myself.

"I'll be back before dawn. Move away from the crater and stay out of sight."

With that I take off, making my way to the nearby town. Within minutes the wooden walls come into sight. Leaping I easily clear them, landing just inside the town I roll as I hit the ground. Leaping as I come out off it on to the nearest roof. Crouching I survey my surroundings.

*Are those…. drums?*

A faint rhythmic beat floats through the air. Leaping from roof to roof I make my way farther into the town, the streets getting denser with people as I go. Their clothing getting more colorful and body paint more plentiful

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*A festival?*

The closer I got to the main square the more people I saw who seemed to be in a festive mood. Dancing, drinking and…… I blushed, hurrying away from an alley filled with intermixing shadows.

The surroundings grow noticeably brighter with clusters of torches appearing more often as I go on. Now the faint beat from before has become a steady cadence, shaking the air with note. Finally I make it to one of buildings neighboring the main square.

*Whoa.*

Almost double the size of Garten’s square it’s an impressive sight, but what impressed me even more was the sheer volume of people it contained. A mass of people, cloth, alcohol, food stalls and more. Everything blending into a muddled colorful mass that my even my acute eyes had trouble picking detail from.

Within that mad storm of humanity there laid an island of calm. A stage lay in the middle of the whole thing an especially colorful group of individuals setting up strange equipment on it. Finishing all but one leave the stage. Too far to hear anything I can only watch, trying to decipher his wide energetic movement. A roar rises from those closest to him, the rest of the square joining in even if they only heard about as much as I did.

Then he’s off, flinging colored packages into the crowd much to the delight of the children, others of his group mount the stage. They flip and tumble color cloth streaming behind them, behind them the speaker continues to move around gesturing as if narrating their act.

More cheers.

The number of performers keeps increasing, some bearing poles to fling themselves through the air. Others walking the lines they had stretched over the strange. They start to pull on each others streamers throwing themselves and others off balance. Even so they all recover smoothly, tumbling or rolling, not even pausing in their act.

“Kh…..khahahahahahaha.”

I couldn’t help but laugh at the display, while I knew that it must have been a part of the act the sight of them trying to trip each other up cracked me up. The crowd below me vocalised their approval along with me.

The show seems to come to a climax. Each of the performers are now gripping one of their fellows streamers, they lean away from each other pulling it taut making a symbol that I don't recognize as anything appear. From the crowds wild cheers though it seems to be one of importance.

Clapping and yelling along with them it takes me a minute to realize my position. Without thinking I’d moved from the roofs shadowy center onto the brightly lit edge, my legs hanging off of it. Still I don’t pull back, enjoying the atmosphere and the ambient emotions floating in the air. I doubt I’d attract much attention in a crowd like this.

Alarm

Terror

Dismay

Like a hammer these emotions strike my senses shattering my festive mood. Instantly I’m up and scanning the crowds edge. A flash of movement in an alley to my right. With the entire crowd focused on the stage no one had seen it. Clicking my teeth I hesitantly make my way over, gaining more confidence as the scent grows stronger.

On top of one the buildings that made up the alley I crept the edge, lightening my body to avoid making any noise. Below I see a man with greasy black hair tied back into a ponytail, in his arms obstructed by his body I can just make out a child with short blond hair. He continues to drag the child backwards into the alley holding a knife his neck, mumbling as he does. Listening I can only make out a few words.

“Money…...enough….debts…” Unaware of me he continues on.

*Well I need to feed anyways but…..*

Could I do it? Kill someone while in full control of myself?

*Ha, who am I kidding. I’ve got plenty of blood on my hands already.*

*That Revenant I freed, how many did that kill?*

*That old woman that I killed, not to mention I turned her into a Revenant.*

*How much? How much spilt blood have I been the cause of? How many have died because of me?*

*Who am I to hesitate now? Did I hesitate to release two Revenants into the wild? This isn’t a question about whether or not I’m willing to spill blood onto my hands.*

*But rather I’m willing to do it myself. So what if he has family or friends, that child surely has them too.*

Movement catches my eye. The man howls whipping the child, boy I can now see, into a wall next to him, angry red marks prevalent on his hand.

*The Child or Man?*

He presses the boy into wall, lifting him off of his feet.

*Leave another to die or will you finally dip your hands in blood of your own accord?*

He pulls the knife back behind his head, readying a single killing thrust.

*Decide!*

The crowd roared.

==

Aaaaaand done. Chapter 18 is over, few.

Like always I look forwards to your guys feedback and opinions!

Oh and I changed the cover and summary for the story a bit, tell me what you think about them!

Huge thanks to Leon Das for PRing my story and all the advice he's given me!