"This Thing Called Life: part 2" by Andrew C. Euston

Ignoring the possibility that someone was still inside the tower even though I had thoroughly searched every room, I removed one of the books I had wrested from the tomb of Rhadamanthus. Placing it on a stand, I began to scan its pages. The tome detailed the many generals, or as Rhadamanthus called them, Archons that served him. Oddest of all, the book was written by Rhadamanthus himself. One entry of the aged book caught my interest the instant my eyes fell upon it. "Archon Sachiel, the Fallen One," I read aloud. A soft yet frightening voice echoed through the room followed by mocking laughter. A human form materialized before the stand where the book sat.

"Archon Sachiel, the Fallen One. No one has dared to speak that name in five hundred years," spoke the figure, his back turned to me. The figure wore a gray hooded robe. It’s him. The one who destroyed the town. I quickly picked up the staff I had taken from Zephyrus and gave it a stern twist. Just as it had done before, the twin scythes exploded in a violent flash of serrated steel from either end of the metallic staff. "You seek to harm me?" the robed man asked, feigning concern. He removed the hood from his head, revealing a ponytail of sandy colored hair. I stepped back, knowing what would come next. A gauntlet clad hand reached around to his shoulder. With one pull, the robe was torn from the man’s body. Under his deceptive cloak he wore a suit of steel armor that was the color of a starless night. The shoulders and elbows were adorned with long metal spikes of the same color. I had never seen a suit of armor so grand, the designs that crossed the chest piece and the ancient symbols that shone with power surrounding his arms caught my eyes. My attention was drawn immediately away though as the last of the tattered robe fell from the figure. From the man’s back protruded a pair of folded wings that were darker still. I knew then that I stood no chance, for what stood before me truly was Sachiel, the Fallen One. "You who have released me from my prison, I feel great power within you. For the great service you have done me, I offer you a place by my side," Sachiel offered with a voice that echoed not only off the stone walls, but in my mind as well. "None have ever been offered such a position and none shall, except you."

"You wish me to follow you? I would be changed into a soulless beast, as you did to the others in the town," I replied.

"You would keep your soul intact. Do not be foolish, young one. I know greater magic than you can imagine. Think of what I may teach you and make your decision," he said with his back still to me. I thought of my advice to Aurelia when she confronted me about the Academia Magicus. I thought of the opportunity to obtain such incredible power. I licked my lips at the thought of crushing even the most persistent enemy under an armored foot. Something suddenly struck me, like a slap across my face. I looked about the light filled room. My eyes fell upon the balcony that extended just outside of the top room we stood in. Memories of my brother came to me. I could see my brother and I standing on the balcony observing the stars as though I was viewing ghosts of my past. I turned back to Sachiel and considered the amount of knowledge I could gather from such an enlightened being. Again, realization came to me as my eyes were torn from the ageless fallen angel. My sight returned to the balcony. In the place of my brother and myself as a child, Aurelia and I stood hand in hand watching the clouds that passed high above our tower. Aurelia turned her head to me, whispering something into my ear and sealing the message with a kiss. Her head rested gently on my shoulder and I held her close to me. The clouds took hold of our spirits and sent them soaring through the endless sea of blue. Aurelia would never forgive me if I swore allegiance to such a heartless being. She could never love the twisted creature that Sachiel’s magic would change me into. Sachiel himself was the embodiment of corruption. His existence was a stain upon the world and an affront to the gods themselves. I could not believe that I had considered such an offer, despite the rewards it would bring.

"No Sachiel, I would never join you. There are things I must accomplish for myself without the aid of power so tainted as yours," I said defiantly. Sachiel turned to me and pointed a sole finger in my direction.

"Foolishness, you mortals persecute each other based on petty differences and become consumed by greed, lust, and hatred. I offer you the opportunity to rise above this and become a human god. To think that you call my power tainted," Sachiel frowned and lowered his hand. "I expected more from you, human. Your potential was great, but you insist on these foolish ways. Before I destroy you, body and soul, allow me the knowledge of why you declined my ultimate gift."

"You would never understand Sachiel," I continued in my defiance.

"What? You speak to an immortal, one who is without age! How dare you tell me that I would never understand the reasoning of such a pitiful form of life such as yourself?" Sachiel raged.

"You, Sachiel, have never loved," I roared. Aurelia gave me strength to fight on. "I doubt you even remember what love means, though I am quite sure you knew before you turned against the gods you served so unquestionably." My words had struck an age-old wound within Sachiel. His face twisted into a mask of hatred as he again raised his hand to me, this time however, he spread his fingers apart and aimed his hand at me palm first. A dark fiery glow gathered about his arm as his lips turned upward in a smile that cut deeper than the sharpest of swords. The cruel lips parted to reveal pearly teeth as a bolt of pure force raced through the air and struck me square in the chest. I was sent clear across the room colliding with a table that collapsed under me as I landed. I lay in the wooden pile that had been a table, my arms crossed at my chest while I attempted to breathe. Slowly and painfully, my breath came back. Sachiel gracefully stepped onto the balcony and turned his head to face me. His deep ruby eyes grew smaller and much darker.

Sachiel spoke in an empty voice that echoed endlessly in my mind, "Listen well, necromancer. I shall teach you the TRUE meaning of this love you speak of. I look forward to forcing what little will be left of your soul from your tortured body." Saying this, he turned to the sky, spread his black wings, and took flight. My struggling ceased as I fell into the welcoming arms of unconsciousness.

I awoke to find myself in my own room. I attempted to sit up and examine my surroundings but was held down by a slender hand. "Do not try to get up, you took a beating that should have killed you," I painfully turned my head and saw that it was Iona speaking to me from a chair by my bedside. I tried to speak only to lose my voice amid a cough. "Just rest for now, you can explain what happened when you regain your strength." For the next day I stayed in my bed. They could not keep me to my bed any longer than that though, for I feared for Aurelia’s safety and would never let that corrupt bastard get to her first. I got out of bed and made my way down to the ground floor. In the main hall, the companions sat around the wide dinner table that was at the center of the great room.

"Vincent!" Lucretia called, getting up from the table. "Your injuries, you should not…"

"I must get to the Academia Magicus. No one can stop me from getting there before he does," I said with great resolve.

"Who is the "he" you mentioned and what exactly happened here?" Jagger asked.

"He is Sachiel, the Fallen One. He is an angel that has fallen from glory, hundreds, maybe thousands of years old. He aided Rhadamanthus five hundred years ago but now he is free," I explained.

"By the gods! What the bloody hell did he want with you?" Lysander asked.

"It was I who released him from his tomb, he wished to "repay" me for his freedom. I declined his supposed gift and now he seeks to destroy what I love to prove to me that I was foolish to turn down his offer. This is why I must reach the Magicus with great haste, for Sachiel does not know that she is there, but he soon may," I replied with urgency.

"Your cause is a noble one, necromancer," Fianna stated, "You have protected the one I love and in turn I shall help you."

They agreed that the situation was indeed a dire one. For having aided them in the safe return of Lysander and the curing of his vampirism, the group would not let me go at my task alone. I explained Sachiel’s ability to convert people into soulless weapons and his fearsome magical talents. For now, we split into three groups. Iona and Lucretia decided to travel to the elven lands to gather information on stopping such a powerful enemy as Sachiel. Fianna had a similar plan, only she intended to travel to the high temple of the Red Fox. Lysander, Jagger, and I were to travel directly to the Academia Magicus and warn them of the impending attack and above all we would protect Aurelia at any cost. With the legendary swordsmen at my side, we set out.

Fortunately for me, Jagger had a map of the continent that we could easily follow, removing the guesswork that had lead me in prior travels. The journey took many days by foot. As we closed in on the rather secluded school of magic, evidence of Sachiel’s passing became painfully clear to us. The ruins of what had once been an imperial stronghold of Einholtz lay shattered in heaps of broken stone and melted steel. The only bodies we could find were half-buried or otherwise unrecognizable. "Rest these poor knight’s souls," Lysander said solemnly.

"The ones that died here are more fortunate than the others. Do not forget what becomes of those Sachiel changes," I reminded him. "He is massing those creatures that were once men. We will meet them eventually and I’m not certain we will survive, should we find the main force of them."

"None the less, Vincent, we stand by your side, ready to face anything that devil may throw at us," Jagger said, clapping a hand on my shoulder to show his support.

We crossed two more towns in our path that had met similar fates. We even encountered small groups of the corrupted humans that must have been attempting to regroup with Sachiel’s main force. The creatures we fought were, from the look of it, only peasants. Yet they fought as though the legendary imperial guard had trained them. A few more days brought us ever closer to our goal. On the eighth day, we were stopped by the sound of large-scale explosions that echoed through the hills. The noise was coming from a valley that lay before us. We ran full speed to a cliff that overlooked the valley. In the center of the valley sat the grand school of magic, the Academia Magicus. Surrounding it was a transparent shield of magic that protected it from the attacks of Sachiel and his soulless army. Circling above the school like vultures were changed knights that bore the insignia of fortress Einholtz on their armor. Sachiel had granted them wings similar to his and power that had corrupted them to the core. Scores of other corrupted men and women, now indistinguishable from their former selves, surrounded the ever-weakening barrier that protected the large collection of buildings that housed the greatest human minds of this world. "That barrier will not last for much longer. We must get inside, I must protect Aurelia!" shouting, I began to run down the series of paths that wound down into that fateful valley. I did not have to look back to know that Lysander and Jagger were right behind me. I tightened my grip on my staff and gave it a hard twist, causing the pair of scythes to eject from either end. Each curved blade was eager to cut into the flesh of my enemies. Two swords leapt from their sheaths behind me. "Avoid as many of them as you can, our main goal is reaching the school, rendezvous at the front of the school. Remember, they are not expecting us and thus may not pursue us unless we get their attention." As I had anticipated few of the creatures actually noticed our charge and fewer still pursued us. Approaching the main entrance to the school, we were thrown back as an explosion rocked the shield and tore a gap right before us. The creatures under Sachiel’s command rushed at the small opening. Here is our chance, I thought, one in a million, but it’s worth a try. "Get through that break!" I shouted over the grunting and howling of the creatures. Lysander and Jagger nodded in recognition. Mages on the other side of the shield were attempting to close the break in the shield while holding off the invading enemies. Jagger and Lysander leapt through the break that grew smaller by the second. Sadly, once I had finally reached it, the break was too small for me to fit through. My luck had run dry, I though, nothing to do now but wait for Sachiel’s freaks to eat me alive. A mage on the other side rushed to the edge of the shield.

"Vincent! No!" she called, "Someone reopen the seal!" Turning my head to the voice, I saw that it was Aurelia.

"So close, so close…" I mumbled, placing a hand against the shield. "Jagger, Lysander, protect her with your lives. She is worth more to me than anything in this world." The brothers each placed a hand over their hearts and bowed.

"We shall protect her to the death, Vincent, that we promise," the two spoke in unison.

"This…this can’t happen, you can’t die Vincent, you can’t!" Aurelia was crying. "I love you Vincent, I…I love you."

"I know my dear Aurelia. I know. I love you Aurelia, more than life itself. My fate is sealed though and there is nothing I can do about it," I could hear the creatures quickly approaching me as I spoke, "Leave here, don’t ever look back." A fist slammed into my back with the force of twenty. I spun about and cut wildly with my staff but was almost instantly overwhelmed. I was struck a second time square in the chest with equal intensity and could hear ribs crack under the force of the blow. "Au…re…lia…" I managed to say as I fell forward. My last memories of that situation were of Aurelia screaming and pounding on the shield and the feeling of being dragged. Everything after that was darkness.

I awoke to an eerily lit room with gray steel walls. Everything was clean and symmetrical yet at the same time everything was very wrong. I was strapped onto a cold metal table that sat in the center of the room and wore odd fitting white clothes like those given to prisoners. The light was coming from some sort of magical blue orbs that rested on tall stone pillars in the room’s corners. There were other tables throughout the room that had other people strapped onto them. Few of them moved and those that did moved so slightly that I questioned the fact that I saw them move at all. Am I alive? I wondered.

"Sachiel, you bastard, why did you bring me here?" I hissed.

"Did you know that you have a great deal of elven blood in you, Vincent?" Sachiel asked.

"What? What are you talking about? That doesn’t explain anything! B-but how did you know that?" I replied confusedly. Hell, this was news to me. "Both of my parents were human, I couldn’t have any elven blood in me."

"Don’t be so sure. You are a special one Vincent, quite special," Sachiel said, continuing his walk around my table. Just what the hell is he talking about? I again wondered. "What I am talking about is your magical abilities. They are too incredible for human standards and extremely rare in even pure blooded elves. For this, I have granted you the ability to wield magics you could not have hoped to learn in your pathetic human schools. I have even granted you the abilities of my greatest warriors." I thought briefly of the knights Sachiel had taken from fortress Einholtz.

"Sachiel, what have you done to me?" I asked franticly. "What have you made me into?"

"I have done nothing to your humanity as I had done to my other minions. I have only brought about your true potential. You should thank me for what I have done to you; it is only equal payment for my release. I should hope that you are not still hung up on the idea that love shall overcome. You saw the truth with your own eyes when my soldiers attacked fortress Einholtz and your precious Aurelia in the Academia Magicus. You, Vincent Cæruleus, shall be my most deadly creation," Sachiel spoke calmly as though everything that had occurred had been of his planning.

"No! I will never do your bidding! Though I may not, my Aurelia will live. You have failed Sachiel," as I ended my sentence, Sachiel backhanded me with his armored hand.

"You still remain the foolish man that you were when I met you. Despite all I have given you, you still seek to destroy yourself and your love Aurelia by resisting me. It is no matter, I shall make you part of my army whether you retain your soul or not. Perhaps Aurelia would join me if she knew you had, what do you think?" Sachiel asked and promptly broke out into a vicious laughter. Barely conscious from Sachiel’s backhand, I slipped back into my forced slumber.

I suddenly became aware that I was standing in the middle of a ruined fortress similar to Einholtz in its destruction. Before me stood a pair of knights that had, at one time, been human knights that defended the former fortress but now stood before me with black wings and swords drawn. Their wicked shark toothed smiles told me at once that their humanity was quite gone. I took a single step forward and spoke, "What am I doing here Sachiel. I know you are out here, I can feel your presence in the air."

"Good, Vincent, your are utilizing your new abilities. I have brought you here to see what you make of the power I have granted you," Sachiel outstretched his arm and pointed in the direction of the two winged knights that stood atop piles of still cooling rock. The pair of former humans awaited Sachiel’s mental command. "In a matter of moments, I will inform these knights that I wish for you to die. You will fight them and if you chose not to, you will die."

"How is this fair, Sachiel? You, facing me, a mage, against two well armed, expertly trained, and fully armored knights who are able to fly. Your little test will end rather fast for the standards you seem to have set for me," I said, rather displeased about my predicament. "You have taken my robe and my staff from me, how could I ever face these two warriors and hope to defeat even one of them?" Sachiel turned and faced me, showing his terrible angelic smile.

"That robe you wore was quite a feat of magic. I reworked it myself into a magnificent suit of armor. How you came across such a magical garment such as that robe, I would like to know, but for now just know that there were powers instilled within it that I, a being of great power, could not even comprehend. Oh, and I had that pathetic excuse for a weapon melted down by my men and re-forged into a sword. It is more practical that way, swords are a universal weapon you know, they have been around since I was born and continue to show their worth to this day. Now turn and prepare yourself for the fight," Sachiel explained with a wave of his hand. I turned about to find my equipment re-made. My precious robe that Aurelia had created for me had been somehow changed into a suit of armor. Although enraged by the way Sachiel had taken the one thing Aurelia had given me and modified it, I could not deny Sachiel’s craftsmanship. The armor retained the great beauty that Aurelia had bestowed it and shone in the same way the robe had. The onyx colored metal plates curved and met one another, linking together become the robe’s true and final form. Wearing the suit, I could feel the power that the robe had held flowing through my body. The thick steel shoulder guards and the long red cape that hung from them fit me well. The armor itself was very light, though I am not sure if this was due to its magical nature or the strength that Sachiel may have bestowed upon me while I lay unconscious in his care. At the ground next to where the armor had been, rested a long sword in a blue decorative sheath. Attaching the sheath to my side, I pulled the sword from its well-carved housing. The metal of the long blade shone a crystal blue in the few rays of sunlight that escaped through cracks in the thickly clouded sky. I could feel Sachiel’s eyes upon me as he informed the two knights that I was to die by their hands.

Raising my new weapon in a fighting stance, I watched as one of the knights ran headlong at me, his sword aimed to cut out my heart. The other knight leapt into the air with great force and spread her gray wings. What Sachiel had planned for that knight I could only guess. The charging hulk of armor swung his sword with deadly precision. The man’s eyes were hollow and focused on nothing but me. These were the perfect killing machines, no remorse, no anything, I thought. Watching and waiting for the knight to make an error, I easily blocked the many swings of his blade. Catching the knight off guard by somehow catching his blade in my hand as it raced towards my neck, I brought my sword down upon him with great force. He could only turn his sword sideways to block my strike. To my amazement, the knight’s sword was cut clean through allowing my blade access to his arm. My sword continued its arc and sheared through the knight’s thick metal armor. I stood unmoving as I watched the armored limb crash to the ground next to broken hilt of the knight’s sword. Blood poured from the grievous wound and the man howled in animalistic rage. Taking pity on the poor twisted man, I thrust my sword through his chest, piercing what was left of his corrupt heart. The soulless body jerked forward on the sword, forcing it farther into the gaping wound. Removing my sword, the knight fell. The once proud and honor bound warrior now lay lifeless by the remains of his fortress, the death that the man had deserved in place of this servitude. Soft mud and dew laden grass invited the knight back to the earth.

"Damn you Sachiel, damn you for what you have done to these people!" I called out to the clouded morning sky. Remorsefully, I placed the broken blade of the knight’s sword that I had, to my surprise, caught in mid air across his bloodstained chest. Droplets of water gently caressed my face as the heavens wept. Sachiel only stood with his arms crossed and his black wings outstretched. Truly, Sachiel was devoid of any emotion. His eyes cut through the gentle rain, watching, waiting for my next move. I too watched the second knight circle above me. I held my breath as she brought her wings close and turned downward in a dive. One hand extended before her gathering energy for a magical attack. My mind raced as I scanned my surroundings for some sort of protection from the rapidly descending knight. Nothing! I thought in desperation. Nothing will keep her from hitting me full force. I turned to Sachiel one last time before I engaged my new opponent. "This is unavoidable," I said under my breath. Sachiel heard me; I know this only because of the amused look he returned. Having no other options available to me, I braced for the inevitable. Arms crossed before my face and feet planted as firmly as they could be in the moist soil, I watched the second knight close in and begin to spiral slightly. She released her attack only feet off the ground. My body only tingled slightly as the destructive magic tore through me. Blades of grass and young spring flowers withered and burned while pieces of the earth were pulled out of place and sent in all directions. Despite the apparent destruction caused by the blast, I remained unaffected. Acting on instinct, I sheathed my sword and vaulted directly into the air without so much as a running start, easily clearing the vertical distance between us. We collided in midair sending us both to the mud caked earth. Upon landing, I pulled the knight from the ground by her wings and with one hand sent her crashing into a pile of stone debris. Slowly, I walked towards the fallen knight. Her now useless wings hung limp at her side as she tried to stand. Grasping the knight by her neck, I lifted her from the ground. Staring into her eyes as she dangled in my armored hand, a faint spark of resistance shone.

"Kill me," she said, crimson blood running from her red lips, "end this, please." Then that spark was gone and nothing replaced it. Her defiance brought memories of Aurelia and made me realize just how fragile and precious a thing life was. I loosened my grip on the knight, letting her fall to the cool ground in a heap of bent metal armor. Looking into my hand, dripping with the blood of two people, I could do nothing but look inward and wonder how much of me remained untainted. I turned to face Sachiel who now stood face to face with me.

"You are perfect. Your abilities exceed my expectations. No other has ever performed with such ferocity either, I applaud you," Sachiel said clapping lightly. Rain fell, but somehow not a drop touched Sachiel. "Why don’t you be a merciful warrior and end her life. Look, you see how she is tormented by the pain you have caused her? You must complete what you have started, Vincent."
"Sachiel…y-you monster," I mumbled almost incoherently.

"Remember who allowed you to live and who gave you the gifts that you have made use for in these battles. Come here," Sachiel said, taking me by the shoulder and leading me to a pool of water that sat in what had been the courtyard of the once mighty fortress.

"Look into the water Vincent, there you shall see what the future holds for you. Sachiel waved his hand over the moving water and it was suddenly still. Peering into the water, I saw a vast army marching over fields of burning wheat. I saw castles conquered, whole kingdoms overtaken, thousands dead. A final image was conjured up in the pool. I gasped in horror and clenched my fists and jaw. A temple burned in the distance and all of the friends I had met in my travels lay strewn about and lifeless on the charred ground. Tears welled in my eyes and blurred what I saw next. A different me stood over the body of Aurelia. She had died by my hand. That couldn’t have been me, I thought, That person was far too different. "You really think you looked too different?" Sachiel asked, "Look again." The water rippled as rain again broke its surface. Staring back from the pool was the person I feared most. It was myself. My hair had changed from its natural brown to jet-black and was much shorter in length. My hair was now spiked up as well. My ears were elongated and sharp, appearing to be those of an elf. Resting at the center of my forehead was a black jewel in the shape of a diamond. I ran my hands along the curve of my jaw, feeling the runes that had been tattooed there in light and dark hues of blue. I turned back to Sachiel and my arm thrust out towards him, hand outstretched, palm flat and facing out.

"You are to blame for all of this death and misery! I will be no part of this sick game you play, Sachiel!" I screamed, inadvertently focusing all of my emotions into my arm.

"Calm down Vincent. All shall be made clear to you in time. Everything in this world will belong to you and I soon enough," Sachiel said, calmly staring into me with his dark ruby colored eyes.

"I don’t want everything Sachiel, I only want what I had before you came. Nothing more!" I yelled. The mysterious power contained by the robe Aurelia had given me became suddenly obvious. For a moment, I could feel Aurelia with me. Of course you didn’t understand the power this armor contained, I dared to think, It was made with Aurelia’s love. Tears ran down my cheeks and trickled quietly past the runes that were now a part of me. Every part of me pulsed with power, both the power Sachiel had bestowed upon me and the power Aurelia’s love gave me were channeled and strengthened through the armor. Clasping my right hand onto my left arm, which still pointed at Sachiel, I forced everything I had into one blast. Light bathed the area as I released my grip on the energy I had contained in my left hand. Sachiel’s ruby eyes widened in disbelief.

"…What?!" he screamed in anger as the force of my concentrated power struck him. Sachiel brought his wings before him to protect him and then disappeared entirely into the light. The rain stopped abruptly as the clouds above parted. The resulting explosion destroyed everything in the immediate area. When it was done, I fell to one knee and was forced to catch my breath. My eyes darted about surveying the area, or at least what was left of it. Sachiel was no where to be seen and everything was flattened. Tiny pools of glass remained where sand had once been. I am capable of that? I wondered. By the gods, I knew I had to escape before Sachiel returned. He still lived; I could still feel his presence. If I was able to deliver such a blast, I shuddered to think of what an angered Sachiel was capable of doing. Once I was back on two feet, I ran. I didn’t stop running until nightfall.

Finding an abandoned house in my mad dash I decided that it would be useless to run myself dead tired. Should Sachiel return for me, I would need every ounce of strength that I could muster. I had no trouble sleeping after what I had been through. Dreams came to me that night, but instead of the nightmares I am usually "graced" with, I had dreams of the elven lands of Tèarmunn. I walked about the vast and beautiful forests and the elven capitol that appeared to be carved from a single city sized block of marble. Through the dream, Aurelia accompanied me. The magnificence of the dream was silenced suddenly when I realized that I had never actually been to Tèarmunn. Another question arose when I thought of how I somehow contained elven blood. These realizations caused me wake from the dream and ponder how exactly I knew such details. Figuring the dreamscape to be a sign and being curious to find out more about my mysterious elven heritage, I chose to travel to Tèarmunn. If I had any hope of meeting Aurelia again, Tèarmunn would be the place. From then on, I traveled through the countryside searching for clues as to where I was. The desolation wrought by Sachiel continued to grow as his army’s ranks swelled.

Approaching a tiny mountainside mining town, I saw that it was under siege by Sachiel’s men. Sachiel was not present for the attack and it had merely just begun. Only twenty-five of those things, I thought, Sachiel is getting careless. A young woman ran from a farm building as its roof caught fire. Soon after, a young Dark Elven man bearing a sword and wearing peasant clothing backed out of the building as the fire spread hungrily. Following after him was one of the creatures. It would have appeared almost human if not for the large spear-like claws protruding from its arms. A shriek pierced the thick morning humidity as a second creature cornered the young woman. Breaking away from his struggle with the clawed creature, the man positioned himself between his new enemy and the woman. The man would not last a minute against both of his inhuman enemies. "Such young love…" I said to myself with a sigh. I quietly removed my sword from its sheath and sprinted to the conflict. Closing in on the situation I leapt into the air. All four turned in time to see me land blade first on the newly arrived creature. There was no doubt in my mind that it had died the instant I landed, as half of the creature’s chest had been crushed from the force my landing. My sword dug through the other side of the creature’s body leaving it gouged open and pouring his crimson life-blood onto the tilled soil of the farmland. The other creature rushed me, hoping to slay me before I could pull my sword from his ally’s chest. I yanked the sword away from the carcass as easily as it had gone in and drove it into the ground (it would need to be cleaned before I placed it in its sheath). Now unarmed, the soulless and clawed beast that served Sachiel’s every whim thought me easy prey. He thought wrong. Dodging the creature’s clawed fists; I landed a punch of my own in the creature’s gut. He bowed over in pain grasping at his chest and choking for air. Taking hold of the creature’s torn rag-like clothing I threw it against the flame-engulfed farmhouse. I landed blow after blow on his exposed belly. Feeling ribs snap under my punishment, I continued my brutal assault until the creature went completely limp. A final side kick sent the dying creature through the wooden wall and into the raging inferno inside of the house. Fire lapped over the body and pieces of burning timber that supported the second floor of the building collapsed leaving nothing for me to view but flaming wreckage. Satisfied that the creatures would take no more lives, I turned to the pair that had been under attack by the beasts. The Dark Elf still stood in front of the woman in a defensive stance. Walking back to my first victim and pulling my sword from the soil, I began to clean the blood from it using the creature’s clothing. Might as well put it to good use, I thought.

"I don’t know what you are or even what these people who are attacking us are, but leave her out of this. If you want a fight then I will not run, let Elene live though, that is all I ask," the young Dark Elven man pleaded.

"Excuse me?" I asked, confused by the plea for the young woman’s safety. Tightening the grip on his sword, he turned to the woman behind him whose name I had guessed to be Elene.

"Run Elene, get away from here. I will slow him down, just get to safety!" he yelled.

"No Ryce, I would never leave you behind!" Elene said, holding onto Ryce’s arm. "If you died so that I could live I would never forgive myself!"

"Ok, listen here. I did not come to…" Ryce cut my sentence short as he ran at me hollering and waving his sword daftly in the air.

"Ahhhhhhh! Die you demon!" Ryce screamed. Elene put her arms out and began weeping in anticipation of the gruesome death she figured I would give her lover. Calmly, I caught Ryce by the arm and held him there so that he could better understand what I was trying to tell him. "Escape Elene!" he called as he struggled feebly under my grip. I turned to Elene to attempt to reason with her only to find her pounding on my armor plated back.

"Let go of him you fiend, let go!" she said through her tears. Removing the sword from Ryce’s hand, I let him drop free. Elene ran into Ryce’s arms and they held each other in what they thought was a "final" embrace. "Ryce, please don’t let go of me," Elene whispered, firmly believing that they were to die by my blade.

"You look rather menacing with all of that spiked black armor and matching hair. The way you descended from nowhere onto that one creature also scared the hell out of me," Ryce said, regaining a small amount of his previous bravery.

"The way you took out that other thing bare handed and sent it flying through that wall into the fire freaked me out. Scant few "normal" people are capable of such feats," Elene admitted.

"Yes well, I’m sorry about flaunting my abilities. I do not know my own strength," I said, thinking of the explosion I caused that allowed me my freedom. "What of the rest of the town?" I asked. Elene lowered her head sadly.

"They all lay dead in and around their homes," Ryce replied morosely. I misjudged the attackers, they were finishing up their raid, not beginning it, I thought. Looking about I realized that by the time this fight had started, only the two creatures I fought must have stayed behind.

"You don’t seem too skilled with the sword Ryce, how did you and Elene survive an attack that managed to slay all of the others?" I questioned Ryce, raising one eyebrow.

"We have been here at our house. Those things came into our home and tried to kill us. The sword was my father’s before me. Although I know little of swordplay, I figured that it would be better to fight than to accept that we were to die. Then you came, stranger, and I thank you for protecting us. I also must apologize for mistaking you for one of them," Ryce replied as Elene nodded.

"That’s fine, really. We just need to get out of here. What took place here is insignificant. The few men that attacked this town are part of a vastly growing army," I explained. "If you two have any wish to survive, I suggest that you both go to the nearest walled city."

"I…um…well you see, we don’t know our way around. We are both from this town and have lived here our entire lives. I’m afraid we wouldn’t know where to go," Elene said with an air of embarrassment. I put my hand to my mouth to stifle the groan I produced as a response. Looking at the pair of unlucky lovers I was reminded, although very briefly, of Aurelia and I.

"You can follow me," I said, "I am traveling to Tèarmunn, the elven land. My journey will be one filled with incredible danger, so I suggest you part ways with me once we pass a protected city."

"Tèarmunn?" Ryce asked, his eyes widening dramatically. "Where in Tèarmunn are you headed?"

"I am not sure, I have never been there. I must…hey! I thought you said that you have never left this mining town." I replied accusingly.

"My stepmother was an elf," Ryce said. "And you expect me to believe that you have never been to Tèarmunn at all? You being a full blooded elf and all." Ryce turned the attention onto my pointed ears.

"OK, are you coming along with me or not? I would be glad to leave you here, if that is what you want," I answered with arms crossed. Elene took Ryce by the arm and whispered something into his ear.

"We shall follow you then. But tell us, warrior, what is your name? You have saved our lives and even offered to escort us to safety and we do not even know your name," Ryce asked.

"Vincent Cæruleus," I answered, sheathing my cleaned sword and starting down the road I had originally been following. And so, having little choice, they followed.

Ryce turned out to be rather helpful. Despite Ryce’s continued efforts to impress me, he was an excellent hunter and found food with little to no effort, although his knowledge in the use of weapons was limited. Still, by night he would practice sword techniques for hours on end. The way he used the sword felt oddly familiar and sometimes appeared to be the exact ones I knew of only less refined. One night I approached him and asked how he knew of such sword maneuvers. He replied that a pair of swordsman had crossed their town the previous day and he had watched them practice together. He had memorized their movements well but still lacked the formal training to put them to any use. He then explained how one of the swordsman’s platinum hair danced while he practiced with the other. Grabbing him by the arm I asked him if there was anyone with these swordsman or if he had heard them speak of any names. Eyeing me strangely he told me that there had been a woman with them and she had frequently broken into fits of sobbing. His description of the woman fit Aurelia with perfection. The news of Aurelia, Jagger, and Lysander being safe strengthened my resolve and brought Ryce a great deal of pride at his ability to do so. Elene, on the other hand, complained about being tired from the traveling and the numerous sores that her feet now bore. As a matter of fact, the only useful thing she did was to keep Ryce and I on our toes during guard duty with her raucous snoring. Her only hope was that we could eventually reach the city of Tourent so that she could meet with her brother and find a place to settle down in again. Ryce was not too thrilled with the idea and seemed to rather enjoy his time traveling (He, of course, never spoke of this around Elene). One of his life goals, he once told me, was to become a knight and Tourent did have a knight’s guild. Having learned my sword fighting techniques from Jagger and the knowledge that Sachiel had granted me, I soon took up practicing sword maneuvers with Ryce. He was "greatly honored" to be able to practice with me. I figured that needed the practice anyway, knowing that despite the unusual fighting styles Sachiel had taught me through magic and having watched Jagger fight, I still needed to find my own way of using the sword that had been made specifically for me. The new strength and speed that had also been bestowed unto me also took some getting used to due to the fact that I had not been either strong or dexterous while a mage.

We had passed Sachiel’s sphere of influence after a full week of travel. I could tell due to the lack of sacked villages and long trails of metal booted footprints. Another telltale sign was bandits. The bastards were all over the place, eyeing us from the woods and even following us. Elene’s pessimism continued until I told her that if she did not stay quiet, the bandits would target her first. It was slightly mean, but hey, it worked. The bandits finally struck at noon the next day. We came upon the crossroads that would lead us north to Tourent and were stopped when four bandits came up behind us fast. From the direction of Tourent approached two more men. Ryce pulled his sword from his belt and stood ready. "Ryce, watch yourself, these men will do anything for money. Remember that their main goal here is to get rich fast, they will not expect a fight out of us," I reminded him.

"I’ve got these two," Ryce said, motioning north.

"Then leave these four to me. Stay in the middle Elene, we will keep you safe," I said. Ryce and I simultaneously rushed both groups of bandits. Sweeping my sword upwards, I put a gash clear through one man’s chain mail armor. Stunned by the blow, the bandit only stood with his mouth open. Grabbing him by his head, I threw him violently against the oak tree that was behind him. One down, three to go. Turning to the other three bandits, I waited for them to make their move. They looked at me then their fallen friend and then back to me.

"Get ‘em!" one of the bandits ordered. All rushing me at the same time, the bandits swung their weapons wildly in the air for effect. I crouched low and sent my sword into a man’s belly and out his back. Pulling my sword free, I shot upward into a brawny bandit with a large war hammer in mid swing, planting my steel plated elbow into the man’s nose. He reeled backwards and let go of the hammer he was swinging to tend to his face. Dodging the flying hammer, the other bandit turned his back to me all attention turned to getting away from me with his life intact. Not interested in shedding needless blood, I turned back to Ryce who was thoroughly involved with one bandit while the other only stood and laughed. The bandit he fought dodged each of Ryce’s attacks while delivering the occasional small cut and taunting Ryce whenever he swung to wide or was too slow. Soon they will grow tired of this and decide to finish him, I thought, I had better step in. Becoming careless, the bandit was slashed on the leg by one of Ryce’s desperate swings.

"You damned Dark Elf! I’ll teach you good for that one," the bandit said through clenched teeth. Seeing me coming to aid Ryce, the other bandit moved to intercept me. If I have to fight my way past him, I wouldn’t make it in time, I thought, Magic is my only option, I hope I can control it this time. My selection of magical spells had grown greatly and I now realized just by how much it had grown. I decided upon the best spell for my situation and readied it. Stopping only feet from the bandit, I raised my sword to the sky and crossed my other arm over my chest.

"Thualilth, Goddess of the Ethereal Blade, guide my reckless steel with your might," I chanted. Moving my other hand to the sword’s handle I spoke the final magical words, "Grant my foes divine justice!" The sword had grown heavier and it took all of my strength to hold in the air. Following the directions laid before me in my mind, I brought the sword down in an arc. The weapon struck the ground, as reality itself seemed to slow for it. A shock wave flew from the point of impact and winged the first bandit in its path. The force of the wave flung the bandit far, tumbling like a rag doll as he finally hit ground. The bandit, whose attention was suddenly turned away from Ryce by my shout of divine justice, was unable to move himself out of the force’s way as the other bandit had. He took the shock wave head on. The visible wall of quickly moving air caught him in the chest and pulled him along with it into the woods. He disappeared completely from view and all I could hear were tree trunks being crushed by the wave. All bandits are dead or incapacitated, I thought, How refreshing. I jogged over to Ryce and held out a hand to him. "Are you ok Ryce?" I asked. He looked at my extended hand and then me.

"How?" he wondered out loud. "How could you have done that? What the hell are you?"

"Its magic, Ryce. I am a mage…or…hmm," I paused, looking at the sword in my hand and the armor I wore. "Well I used to be a mage. Now I am not sure what I am."

"Well, whatever you are, you are the most amazing fighter I have seen," Ryce said, grinning and picking himself up using my hand for leverage. "Elene?" he called, looking about the area for her. We found her lying exactly where we had left her. "Must’ve feinted from all the excitement," he said, breaking into laughter. We waited around until Elene regained consciousness. Ryce and I had taken the chain mail armor from one of the unconscious bandits for Ryce to wear. His new equipment fit him well and brought him closer to knighthood (at least in his own mind).

The rest of our walk to Tourent was uneventful. The guards that protected the outside of Tourent’s thick stone walls warned me of the city’s strict laws about disturbing the peace. My menacing appearance and the fact that I was an elf brought about several other warnings once inside the city as well. Elves did not seem to be well liked around these parts. Tall buildings sprouted over other lower quality housing of various size and composition while poverty ran thickly through the trash laden alleys and trickled into the sewers. The difference between the social classes here was painfully obvious to me. Beggars stood at nearly every corner as well as countless harlots. Traveling to the Merchant’s Quarter we found Elene’s brother within only four hours of searching the large open market. Her brother had done well living the city life. He was a cobbler that tailored to the needs of the city’s wealthy citizens. Elene’s brother gladly allowed Elene and Ryce to stay with him, at least until they could find a place for themselves. He thanked me for escorting his sister and Ryce to safety and offered money but I declined. "Just glad to help," I said smiling. Wishing Ryce the best of luck with the Knight’s Guild, I departed.

Leaving the city was much easier than entering. None of the guards seemed to mind an armed individual such as myself exiting the city. Needing less sleep than others, I made much better time on the road now that I was alone. After three more days of traveling through both woods and barren plains, the road forked. A shockingly tall man stood facing away the right path. He wore full plate armor that shone in the sun with such luster that I had to shield my eyes from the glare. There was calmness about him that I could not explain. The glossy hair that ran down his neck in streams of blond wavy hair shifted in the gentle afternoon breeze. He did not move from his place. I closed the distance between us by a bit and cleared my throat in an attempt to gain the man’s attention. He gave no reply so I stepped closer to him. "Excuse me sir, could you point me in the direction of Tèarmunn? I fear that I do not know my way about this area," I asked with the utmost courtesy. The man turned slowly, revealing his face to me. His features were sharp and his complexion was light. The blond hair fell down into his face in small wisps. What took my breath away were his eyes. The azure orbs sparkled in the light of the sun. Their beauty seemed unreal, like something taken from a painted masterpiece. A single tear ran down his cheek. Before I could ask what was troubling him, he drew his sword and began walking slowly closer to me. Pointing his sword in my direction, he spoke.

"Am I too late? Has all hope been corrupted by Sachiel’s misguided hand?"

"Who are you and how do you know of Sachiel?" I questioned. Even though he was pointing his sword at me, I still couldn’t shake the feeling of serenity that filled me.

"I…am Rifion. I serve under Castimonia, the Goddess of Purity. Tell me, Vincent Cæruleus, who do you fight for, your own desires or for others who are unable defend themselves?" Rifion asked. Castimonia? I pondered, This man appears to be a warrior, not a priest.

"I serve those who need my help. My personal safety is of no importance," my reply brought his sword back to its sheath and seemed to comfort Rifion. "If you must know, then I will tell you. Sachiel did this to my body. He wove his power into my body while I was his prisoner," I said, trying not to re-live the experience in my mind. Rifion lifted his other hand and opened it, revealing a pendant with the holy symbol of Castimonia set into it. It revived old memories of my mother.

"Take this pendant. Remember, Vincent Cæruleus, Castimonia knows of your plight and has sent me to aid you. Know that you are not alone," Rifion said. As I cupped the pendant in my hands, a bright light emanated from the pendant, bathing Rifion and I in its brightness. For a moment, I felt content. I looked to Rifion and saw the truth behind the enigmatic man. Still immersed in the warm light, Rifion now bore angelic wings of the purest white. In that same instant, he disappeared leaving me with the pendant. For once, I felt truly in control of my destiny. I had power beyond that of a mere man and I even had the Goddess of Purity, Castimonia, on my side. Placing the pendant around my neck and tucking it under my armor, I again began my trek towards Tèarmunn.

Although confident of my allies and my own abilities, I still could not shake the fear of losing my humanity that stuck in the back of my mind like fly in a spider’s web. There were times, in the heat of combat, which I could feel my lust for battle and destruction grow. Only two things stopped that rage that grew inside of me like a disease. Aurelia gave me hope. Although she may have thought me dead, I will continue to follow her path in hopes of a lasting meeting. The other was my meeting with Rifion. Rifion was a true angel, one who knew of Sachiel as I did. Rifion had pledged himself to my cause and I could feel him still within Castimonia’s pendant. I reached the final stretch of land that separated the lands of man from those governed by elven laws. Not a structure stood in the belt of scorched savanna I now crossed. I was not here to sight see, but it was incredibly boring. All of this changed once I reached Tèarmunn. I found myself staring down into the chaos divide. The five-hundred-year-old crater still appeared as though it had been made only days prior to my visit. It was as awe inspiring as those who had seen it spoke of. As I walked along the steep ridge of the crater, movement from the other side caught my eye. Elves or tourists, nothing that concerns me, I thought. Getting closer however, the group consisted of two women and a pair of men. The women stood examining the chaos divide, one in a robe and the other in a black outfit. The men were standing a couple of feet from the women speaking to each other. It could have been anyone; adventurers, sightseers, or even elven border patrols, but something drew me closer. I was still half a mile away from the four people but I could have recognized the robed woman from a full mile. "Aurelia," I mumbled to myself, "My dear Aurelia." I broke into a full speed sprint. Nothing will keep me from her this time, I reckoned, Nothing. Spotting me and pointing, the two men, presumably Jagger and Lysander ran to the two women, also presumed to be Aurelia and Iona, and began speaking to them in a frenzied manner. Jagger and Lysander ran ahead to meet me half way while Aurelia and Iona moved at a slower pace behind them. My hope was blown away like leaves in the autumn wind when both Lysander and Jagger pulled their swords free. No, I thought, they do not recognize me, but then how could they. I halted my advance as they did the same. Standing before them, I was speechless. I had no idea what I could say to convince them of my retained humanity.

"Gods, look at him. He’s a mean one," Jagger said, nudging Lysander in the side with an elbow.

"Yeah, but there are two of us and one of him," Lysander said, turning to Jagger with a grin. "And good always comes through in the end." Lysander moved to my left side while Jagger moved to the right. They were flanking me. Aurelia caught up and surveyed the situation. "Stay back Aurelia, we can not have you getting hurt. This one is one of Sachiel’s elite’s, just stay with Iona," Lysander grumbled and gave Iona a nod. I locked my eyes onto Aurelia. She returned the stare and while doing so, her eyes grew wide and her hands moved to her mouth. Lysander made a series of hand gestures that told Jagger exactly what to do.

"Now!" Jagger shouted. "He’s got his eyes on Aurelia!" Breaking eye contact with Aurelia, I solemnly drew my sword. Leaping backwards I avoided their first attack. Jagger fell upon me as quickly as I had dodged though and I was forced to lock blades with him. Pushing strongly against him, I forced him away from me. Again, I had only a few precious seconds before Lysander was at me with his sword.

"Stop this, please!" I pleaded.

"Begging for mercy already, eh?" Jagger chortled. "You won’t be so lucky, fiend." I took the time I had bought with the conversation and again looked at Aurelia. She began to run ahead of Iona only to be easily stopped again by the elven martial artist.

"Don’t you see?" Aurelia cried, "It is Vincent! He is alive!" Both Lysander and Jagger stopped momentarily to get a better look at me.

"It isn’t really him Aurelia, Sachiel has changed him, corrupted him. It is not the man you loved," Iona told Aurelia, holding her away from me.

"She is right Aurelia, please do not watch this," Lysander said somberly.

"Don’t listen to them Aurelia! It is I, Vincent! Sachiel may have changed me, but I escaped to return to your side!" I called out.

"You expect us to believe that? Look at you, your sword, and your black armor. You even appear elven now. How is it that we could trust that after being so changed, you remain the same man inside?" Iona asked.

"You simply must listen to me. I would never harm any of you. It was my belief that you all were still alive that allowed me fight on even after my capture," I said growing more desperate by the second.

"Hold your tongue!" Jagger shouted, readying his sword once again. The attacks came again. Holding the pair of swordsmen off was growing harder as their tactics alternated so frequently. Fighting to keep them away from me without doing them harm, there was little I could do other than parry each attack while dodging when the opportunity arose. Crouching low and raising my free hand, I caught the blade of Jagger’s sword in my hand. Kicking me in the chest, Jagger threw off my guard and allowed Lysander to strike me. His sword cut between two metal plates that protected my vulnerable side. I breathed heavily through my teeth as blood trickled down my side and onto the black metal of my armored leggings.

Aurelia cried out and broke free of Iona’s grip. Dashing up to me, she knelt down where I knelt holding my bleeding side and held me. My sword fell from my hand and rang out against the scorched stone of the chaos divide as I put my arms around Aurelia. Nothing else mattered at that moment. Should Lysander or Jagger have struck the final blow to me, I would have died in the arms of the one I love. That final blow never came. Watching the scene unfold, Lysander dropped to his knees and I heard his sword fall helplessly as well.

"No…it…it really is him. W-what have I done?" Lysander spoke in a scared voice. He looked down at his sword, the end coated in my blood, and fell forward onto one hand, placing the other against his face.

"How could he have survived, let alone be changed and retain his mind?" Jagger asked, looking to Iona who also had no answer. Aurelia turned her head to face me. I allowed my gauntlets to slide free of my hands. Gently, I moved aside the soft auburn hair that had fallen into her face. Tears clouded my vision when I realized that I had finally reached her and no one, not even Sachiel himself could keep me from loving her.

"I care not about what Sachiel has done to you. You will always be my Vincent, and I will never let you go," Aurelia said, her voice no more than a whisper. She held me tightly as I ran my fingers through her hair and delivered a long awaited kiss to her red lips.

Although the wound to my side was of little importance to me, Lysander felt an extreme amount of guilt for being the cause of it. Telling him how minor the damage was brought him some relief but the guilty feeling seemed to remain. Iona and Jagger were very pleased to see my safe return. Lucretia, who had been scouting ahead of the group, seemed to know exactly who I was at first sight. Both Lucretia and Iona gave me their share of hugs and stories. Apparently, my pace over the last days of my travel had allowed me to catch up with Jagger, Lysander, and Aurelia who were on their way from the now abandoned Academia Magicus to Tuingen, Tèarmunn’s capitol city. Iona and Lucretia had met with them only hours before my arrival.

We traveled to Tuingen with a group of elven guards that Lucretia had told our story to. They were quite adamant on bringing Aurelia and I to see the Council immediately.