1. Alastair

Year 749; Day 102 (Miserabilis Era Calendar)

Attiva: The 1st Village of the Black Circle

Dusk. On this cloudless day, the sky radiates a brilliant orange as the sun hides itself from the world. Were this any average day, I would venture to the far side of town, where civilization ends and the valley begins. The sunset is most beautiful when viewed from atop the hill, before the ground slopes into the vale. It is rarely as perfect as the view on the ocean, but I have never traveled that far, and I have never seen the sparkling waters with my own eyes. However, today I will not linger to watch the sun's descent. Instead, I remain in the marketplace of a small but bustling village, of which I fail to recall the name. The buildings are small and packed close together. Some have cracked windows; others have ivy clinging to the walls. Some are so ramshackle that I almost pity their inhabitants.

The square is filled to the brim with humans, every one of them occupied with something. The sides of the street are lined with merchants, attempting to sell the last of their wares before nightfall. Young children splash in the fountain, the square's centerpiece. Pristine water flows smoothly through cracked stone turned gray with age. Women stand in various areas, gossiping with each other as if they were the wealthy women of larger cities that had no work to trouble themselves with. I notice a few suspicious figures in the corners; a few glare at me as I slip through the crowd. No doubt they are like me and know my purpose for being here. I shiver as I think of what they may be here for.

This village means nothing to me. I would originally have no reason to spend time here. I come only for the valley for which the sun displays its true magnificence. But today, I am here for the great fortress in the distance, a bastion that is thick with the aura of despair and pain. I have never once been curious as to what was inside, to wonder if anyone was insane enough to actually make a home there, or if the mysterious legend behind it is indeed true. If someone had approached me back then and told me I would one day venture inside, I would think them to be crazy. Now, my reasons are perfectly justified, reasons for which my past self would surely accept.

I push through the crowd, not once opening my mouth to mutter an "excuse me". I have "borrowed" a cloak from a merchant stand; they were distracted enough to not notice my hand grasp the brown fabric and pull it towards me. I keep the hood up so no one will see and remember my face. Of course, there is also the slim chance that someone here would recognize me. I receive annoyed glares and frightened gazes as people notice my form. No one in this village hides their face. Everyone is so open and welcoming to each other, that my presence must disturb them. I smirk as I think of how ridiculous I must appear to them. Once I emerge from the square, the road winds through the village, to the back, where an enormous, ornate gate stands, to prevent anyone from entering the fortress. As soon as I turn down the cobbled road leading towards this gate, heads turn and people turn towards each other, watching me as they whisper amongst themselves. I must appear foolish to these people, for anyone with common sense would know to stay away from this area. Nonetheless, I press on, determined to reach the gate. As I arrived, I am hardly disheartened when I notice the large locking mechanism that keeps the gate closed tight.

As a girl, I knew all too well how to pick a lock. The one on this gate is way more complex than the ones in the village, so it will be tough. The lock is bound to the gate via rusted chains, and the mechanism inside the lock is extremely complicated. A key is needed to open it, but according to the ancient text I discovered hiding in the back of the history bookshelf at a merchant's store, the key is forever lost. The metal has been fortunately weakened, for it is thousands of years old, and many coats of thick rust have blanketed it. It was made of weak metal, and I forcefully press one foot against the side of a bar, and push it inward. The bar bends under pressure, and a large gap is created that is wide enough for me to slip through. Any human could do such a thing, right?

The walls of the building are made of dark stone, or rather the stone had been a light shade, but has taken on a darker hue as the years went by. There are windows, with little to no glass. The top most stones are taking on the effects of much erosion, and fall onto the ground, crumbling upon impact. Strange black and red plants grow on the walls, along with dark colored vines growing up towards the first few stories. I notice a few winged, black skinned demons flying above, most resting on the upper turrets. I know that more linger inside. I also have a hunch that they know I am here.

The pathway leading to the front doors of the fortress is damaged beyond repair. The courtyard is completely destroyed, including broken columns, a dried pond, and dusty earth left barren as the grass died, along with many other severe mutilations. I feel forlorn as I stare upon this once beautiful garden, and my head tries to assemble an image of what it may have looked like. I have little time to examine the scenery, so I continue on, thrusting the doors open. They make an awful creaking noise as the rusted hinges are finally forced into motion after many years of lying still. I assume they know I have arrived, so I do not bother being silent as I enter. The large foyer is dark, though I can make out the outline of a chandelier hanging above. It is essential to have the cover of darkness to hide in, so I decide not to light the candles.

This place has a fearful aura about it. I can sense the demons inside, and the emotions of despair, rage, and sadness hang in the air. These feelings are forced into my mind, and I can already see these emotions displayed on the faces of so many innocent people whose lives have been lost in this very citadel.

This place is titled Oblivion's Citadel; a fitting title. The legend that goes with this cursed place is one that is well known by most people in these small villages that surround the castle. It is the reason why the demons invade the towns on a regular basis, and the poor citizens suffer because of it. They live in fear, their happiness eliminated because as soon as things begin to appear more pleasant, the worst happens again. I know from experience.

The legend has been passed down for generations, a story told to me by Havily, the woman who would care for me in the orphanage when I was young. I remember her bright emerald eyes, her brunette hair containing silver streaks as she aged, and the kindness and warmth with which she would care for me and the other children. I would always question her; force her to tell me the story behind the mysterious castle that was visible in the distance. She would always sigh heavily, and speak to me of the legend. It was the shortened version that she spoke of to me, but as I became an adult, I discovered the truth.

It occurred thousands of years ago; the exact number of years is unknown. Back then, people lived peaceful lives, their minds not once clouded by fear or despair. No one suffered. Eternity was at its strongest. It may be called by other names elsewhere, but Eternity is what I know it by. It is a realm of spirits covered with light. When a human dies, the realm of Eternity calls to their soul, and it is pulled into the realm to rest forever. Whether you are virtuous and moral, or evil and corrupt, you are always taken to Eternity. There is no violence there, as the peace calms the soul's consciousness. No one can harm each other, simply because they are already deceased. It sounds perfect in every way. Is that why the people of today long for death?

Eternity has no tangible form, because it is not a deity, it is a realm, a world. It rarely interacts with the living. However, it does have a consciousness, for it must to maintain peace and prosperity. The things such a consciousness can achieve are few, but quite interesting.

Of course, the peace and prosperity was broken when the demons invaded on that fateful day. It was unfortunate, I must admit. The demons of Oblivion, black beasts of varying species seemed to come out of nowhere and destroy the villages nearest to the Citadel, which back then served as a large shrine to Eternity. The towns were almost completely destroyed, with few survivors. The humans became restless, and soon instead of being depressed about their village's demise, they were furious. Eternity's consciousness decided to send the brave humans into battle, hoping that they would be victorious. It gifted them with unique weapons and armor for defense. They moved towards the Citadel, now infested with demons. The battle raged for days. Much blood was shed, many lives lost, and many souls taken by the demons. Oblivion's consciousness was a force to be reckoned with, and by ways which I unfortunately do not know, it crippled Eternity, and left it powerless.

The realm of Oblivion is now more present in this world today. I am strongly opposed to it, though most of my kind usually chooses to follow it. It is similar in concept to Eternity, but the only souls there are the ones that willingly come. They were once humans, greedy ones that wanted immortality. They were granted it by Oblivion and became demons. And now, today this Citadel lies in ruin, as the demons do not care for it. I am not here to rebel against them, at least not yet. If they somehow do not know I'm here, then it must stay that way.

I remove the cloak; it would only hinder my progress through the castle. I place it on the ground, not caring what happens to it. I only pray that the demons do not recognize my scent on it. Underneath, I wear silver armor on my upper body, arms and legs, for protection of course. It is decorated with intricate patterns of lines, which are made of a different metal painted red-orange. Around my waist is a brown cloth that forms sort of half skirt, though it does not cover the front half of the area. I wear small men's pants underneath; for in this day and age it is unacceptable for a woman to not wear a skirt. I have had the pants altered so they fit me tightly. My shoes are partially covered in armor. I don't want metal on the bottom of the shoes, because stealth is required here, and the metal would make noise.

The darkness stretches far into the foyer. It is now that I wish I had a demon's sight, for then I could see well in this blackness. I'll have to make do with what I have. I was fortunate enough to go in through the front doors without being noticed. They must think no enemy of theirs is brainless enough to enter this way, which is why I chose it.

"Do not think they won't notice you. Just because you are not on their radar now doesn't mean they won't find out you are here." Her voice echoes in my mind, more of a hiss than a woman's voice. I never forget that she has a hold on my mind. She enjoys treating me like a young child sometimes, as if I don't know what I'm doing. I examine the area quickly and notice that both staircases are broken. Why walk when you have wings to carry you from place to place? Alas, I do not have wings, and thus I am not capable of flight. I observe that one step has come loose, and is hanging freely in thin air. I press myself against the wall, hiding in the shadows, and slowly shift over to it. It appears sturdy enough. I grasp it tightly with my hands, and use it to propel myself up onto the steps. It buckles under the excess weight I put on it, but thankfully I am quick enough before the step falls onto the ground with a thud.

"I know they'll soon find out that I am here. It's only a matter of time." I whisper to her. The aura that presses on my mind is one that is amused. She was eagerly awaiting my reply.

"Don't hurt yourself, child. And stop making noise. At the rate you are going, they'll find you in no time." I hated it when she called me "child". I'm a grown woman of twenty-three, thank you. Her remark makes me realize the floor is creaking loudly with every step I take. I must tread lighter.

"I could always use some battle practice. Demons make perfect training dummies," I replied with a grin. I take softer steps, slowly paced. My heart starts to pound, faster and faster. Am I growing nervous? Perhaps I fear that the floor's noise will alert the aerial demons and send them towards me. I am one person; I can only handle a few at a time. I do not feel like revealing her at the moment. It will save me some pain. I accidentally take a heavier step, and the sound of splintering wood tells me the floor is broken. The noise was loud, and my foot is caught in the broken floor. Well, this is embarrassing.

"Nice going; you are not a very good listener are you?" Her tone is thick with sarcasm.

"Silence! I know what I'm doing!" I must have spoken a little too loudly. I think hear a demon's screech outside in the dead garden. Or perhaps it is my imagination.

As hard as I try, my foot will not come completely free of the hole in the floor that I created. The wood was probably rotted through, which explains why it has broken. Something on me is caught on one of the sharp pieces of wood poking out into the open. I look down; it is a rather large piece of wood. The cloth of the pants I wear is trapped onto it; my armor does not fully cover my leg. I feel like groaning, and I can almost see her smile.

"Need some help?"

I frown. "Just be quiet! You were the one who did not want to be caught!" We have known each other long enough that I've stopped being polite with her. We get on each other's nerves quite often. I pull harder and my foot wrenches free. Now to get away before they come to this location. I must move quickly and stealthily. I attempt to remain light on my feet and run at the same time. The landing of the staircase extends into a very lengthy hallway. I dash over to the end of the hall. My blonde hair flies behind me as I run, and I mentally scold myself for not tying it back.

I run past rotten wooden doors, some rooms missing doors completely. It is still dark in this area, but my eyes have adjusted, so I can make out the shapes of objects more easily. I notice the shape of candles sitting in holders on the walls. I long for a match to light the candles so I can see better, but I need the cover of darkness.

"Watch where you tread." Under normal circumstances I would have ignored her warning, but in such a ruined place like this, it is hard to be sure. I stop, just in time to observe that where the hallway would have ended, a large gaping hole is in place of a wall. I sense the air blowing through and I grasp the side of it carefully to stare down below. There is a fire lit in the distance, and I see shapes around it. Two demons, by the looks of it. Their shadows appear humanoid, so they must have been human once. One is using vivid hand motions, so I assume they are conversing. Below is what looks like the remains of a great ballroom. There is mold on the walls and floor, weeds have sprung up between the cracks in the floor, and the ceiling is completely gone. There are several chairs and benches that have vines growing over them. A group of logs are centered in the room, set ablaze. The two demons sitting around it do not sense my presence.

"Hindrances, the lot of them. What will you do?"

"What I always do: kill them."

I reach into the pocket on the side of the pants I wear. Inside is a leather pouch where I keep one of my specialty weapons: throwing daggers. They are small in size, but incredibly sharp and lethal. They are made of a celestial metal which the blacksmith said he discovered in a crater in the valley. They were rather expensive, so after I make a kill, I move to retrieve them. The metal is a lovely silver color, the hilt a rich gold engraved with various designs. I have about twenty of them in my possession.

I position one in my hand, with the hilt grasped inside it, and the blade sticking outward. I aim for the first demon. I must aim carefully and be quick so that when one falls, the other does not pinpoint where the dagger flew from and chase after me. Their shadows reveal that they are indeed winged. I grip an extra dagger in my free left hand, ready to use it in quick succession after the second one. Once I have the perfect positioning, I throw the dagger into the back of the first demon. It stiffens as my dagger successfully hits its mark; I hear it making choking noises as its life is taken away. It falls onto the ground quickly, a pool of glistening black blood forming around it. Its unnaturally white hair is stained with the inky black substance. The other demon hurries to its side, grasping its arm with one hand. It cries out to it, and I hear its pained wail as it mourns the loss of the demon I killed. I have no time to sympathize; these monsters steal the souls of innocent villagers every day. I position the second dagger, and skillfully throw it into the heart of the second demon. I hear its moan, and it falls to the ground, motionless. I have had much practice with this kind of combat. When I throw a dagger, it always hits its mark.

I use loose stones and the benches to land gracefully on the floor. I move over towards the demon's bodies, cringing at the sight of their eyes. They are pure white, with no pupil, and they stare, unseeing at the sky. They are both male. I lean over the pool of blood, not wanting to get the substance onto my footwear. I pull the first dagger out of the chest of the second demon. I use the cloth it wears around its waist to wipe the black liquid off of my dagger. I reach over and grab the first demon underneath both arms and drag it away from the pool of blood, into a shadowy corner of the room, where it will hopefully stay hidden for a while. I find myself becoming disgusted over the fact that it is warm and moist with perspiration in the area underneath its arms where I am dragging it. I flip the body over and tug the second dagger out of its back. I feel sickened at the sight of the tissue beneath the skin in the hole my dagger had created. I wipe the blood off of this dagger and return them both to the leather pouch. The blades were small, but sharp enough to cut through flesh. The blacksmith did his job well.

"Impressive. You have become quite the assassin." I frown as her hissing voice enters my head once again.

"I take no pride in killing others. It is only necessary." Indeed, perhaps I do feel guilt over taking their lives, for they must have been companions. But then I let my thoughts drift back to the many humans I have witnessed the death of, and the many souls devoured by these demons, and I feel they have a good reason to be dead. I must move on. She is starting to grow impatient. I need to find the location of what we came here for. I stand up on my feet, and quickly dart into the shadows. I have no way of dousing the flames, so I press myself into the north eastern corner closest to the doors that lead away from here, for not only is it near my only exit, but it is also dark. It's the perfect place to hide should more demons approach and find the bodies.

I lean into the corner and take in a deep breath. My heart is pounding quickly; I am indeed nervous. These demons are fierce. The ones I killed were not as strong as the aerial demons circling the castle outside. I notice bloodstains on the floor of the ballroom, excluding the ones of the creatures I just killed. These are old and worn, but I can make out that the stains are red; human blood. It is not fresh, so it must be from the great battle that took place long ago. These humans I will avenge. If they simply died, then their spirits must be content that I killed their murderers.

In the sky above, two aerial demons are coming in. They have humanoid bodies, but instead of arms they have large wings. The membrane is a dark red mixed with black, to go with their dark feathers. Their faces are grotesquely shaped; not human at all. They have multiple eyes; four or five little glowing red ones to be exact. None of them have spotted me. Yet.

Staying here would be foolish. I quietly push open the door and move through the threshold into this dark room. I hear voices coming from the next room over. The crack underneath the door is leaking light into this black hall, so this room must be fully lit. I silently move towards the wall right next to the door and press my left ear against the ancient wooden surface. Two distinctly male voices can be heard inside this room.

"What have you found?" one of them asks.

"Bodies, sir, in the western ballroom; two of our kind. There is no trace of a weapon." So they discovered them that quickly. It was an intelligent idea to remove my daggers from the scene.

"Then perhaps they won't find out it was you." I highly doubt that; perhaps she is only trying to lift my spirits.

"Has our kind been fighting each other again?"

"No, sir. You need to know that they bore the scent of an outsider." I stiffen. My heart begins to pound so quickly it may as well burst out of my chest. I need to find what I came here for, and quickly. I hear footsteps inside the room.

"I will investigate this, sir."

"Please do."

Silence. Then more footsteps. I have to hide, now. I duck and run into the room adjacent to this hall. A storage room by the look of it. There are so many odds and ends; I will have no trouble hiding. My scent will give me away though. I cannot stay in one place for long. I hear the footsteps in the hall, and I silently pray to Eternity that he will keep moving towards the ballroom. Even the tiniest trace of my scent will send him straight to my hiding place. They slowly stop, but I hear the creaking in the floor. He is standing in the center of the hall.

"Please don't look in here, please don't look in here," I mumble, willing him to stay away. The steps continue, but unfortunately in my direction. I dart behind an object covered by a gray cloth. A standing mirror perhaps. I hear the door creak open. He knows I am in here. I feel a draft, so there is an exit besides the front door. Perhaps I can hit him with a dagger before I take my leave. I allow myself to take a quick glance at him before I make any sudden moves.

He is so human in appearance I wonder if he is even a demon. His face is not visible beneath the hood of the black cloak he wears. It only comes down to his knees, and it is open in the front, so I can see the outfit he wears underneath. His pants are black and made of a strange leathery material. The front of his brown tunic is covered in some kind of metal armor, although it doesn't seem like it would work very well since it only covers his chest. The rest of his body is an easy target for an arrow or in my case, an ornamental dagger. Not a bad idea, actually. I pull one out and ready it in my hand. His boots are metal tipped, so it is easy to pinpoint his location even though I am not looking at him. He also has a lantern in his hand, so I can tell where he is by the moving light.

If I can throw him off guard, I can make my escape. I notice the hole in the side of the wall, just barely within reach. If I can distract him, I can run for it.

"Why not just kill him? He won't find out about you then!" She always wants to kill everything. I shake my head and throw the dagger at a pile of boxes, my intended target. As expected, the man turns and stares at it.

"You have poor aim," he comments, his voice very monotone. I have a feeling that he is now staring in my direction.

I grit my teeth. There really is no escaping without him finding my location. I watch him lift the dagger into his hands, staring at its every ornate detail.

"This is a very nice weapon. It's a shame you do not know how to use it."

That angered me. I aim another one and launch it for his chest. He catches it by the blade. There is nothing I can do except make a run for it. I calm my breath and ready myself.

"I know you are here. Show yourself."

I run, as fast as my legs will carry me. The exit is just within sight. A demon suddenly flies into the entryway, trying to hinder my progress. I quickly pull out one of my double-edged swords from the sheathe belted to my waist. Daggers are not the only weapon I am capable of using. These swords match the daggers, as they have similar designs on the hilt. The blades are made of the same metal, only I requested to not have ornate designs on the swords, since it would not work as well. Their hilts are a deep shade of blood red. They are still extremely sharp, which is incredibly useful in this situation.

I thrust it into the chest of this demon and shove it aside. I leap through the opening and land on my feet in the next room over. A great hall stretches before me, with torches lining the pillars on each side. Broken benches are scattered around the room. A large altar is at the far end. This must be the shrine to Eternity.

The demons are following me. It is important that I leave here as quickly as possible.

"Leaving are you?" The man has followed me here. I would not have expected any less from him. I ready my blade, pointing it at him. He smirks, and demons fly in from every corner of the room. They surround me, and I let out a groan. I did not see this coming.

"Excellent work, child. You've walked straight into the demon's nest!"

"Silence!" I screech, and pull out my second double-edged sword. I usually fight with two. I swing them around with practiced skill. Feathers fly everywhere, blood coats my swords, and I feel myself take a few scratches every now and again. As hard as I try, more seem to keep coming.

"Face it; you need my assistance once again."

I try to refrain from using her assistance whenever possible. Not yet though. My target is the cloaked man who is watching me struggle. I swing my swords at once, sending multiple demons soaring across the room, their blood splattering everywhere. I run towards the man, one sword prepared to strike. As I swing it downward, it is parried by his blade. It is a very large sword, also double-edged. I actually worry that it will break mine in two. I move to thrust the other into his heart, but he blocks by ramming the hilt of his weapon into my stomach. I am sent backwards, but not too far. I thank Eternity that I chose to wear armor over my upper body. I swing both blades at him, which are again blocked. He counter attacks again, a blow that sends one of my blades flying. I slice at his arm, creating a large wound that begins to bleed instantly. His blood is red like a human, which is rather strange. His hand starts to weaken from loss of blood, and he drops his blade. I smirk and run away, grab my sword off the ground, thrust the doors open, and run through a lengthy hall.

Demons are chasing after me; that much I know.

"Do you need my help now!?"

"Fine! Go for it!" I shout, and will my mind to call out to her. She responds, and I feel the familiar tightening around my arms and legs. Moments later, I hear her demonic screech as she kills the demons with one pain inflicting blow. I hear their anguished cries and the thud as they hit the ground. I cannot run far from the scene when she stays in one place. A bond can do that to you.

Her name is Kali. At first, I knew very little about her, but the more we spent time together, the more I learned about her. She is what scholars call a 'physical manifestation of pain'. Apparently, when a human dies and their soul is ready to drift into Eternity, they may not go if there is one major factor holding them back. According to the scholar I had spoken with, Kali is a creature demonic in nature that had previously experienced much pain in her past life, and became what I know her to be today. When summoned, she takes on many different forms, each one equipped for a specific situation. She is an excellent fighter, and easily kills most enemies, so I refrain from summoning her physical form as much as possible. When not summoned, she lays dormant in the ether, waiting for me to summon her. Our bond allows her to speak into my mind and read my thoughts. I can do the same to her.

I refuse to watch her kill, for she is way more brutal than I. Up ahead, I see the archway where a door used to be. A few candles are lit, allowing me to see the rows and rows of bookshelves. The library. This is where we need to go.

"Come back! We're close!" I shout. She complies and disappears into the void of my mind once again. She was injured though. As large a creature as she is, it makes her more vulnerable to attack. I feel the warmth of blood on my arm as a wound forms, and another one on my face underneath my eye. I stop in my tracks to catch my breath. My blood falls onto the ground, shimmering red in the candlelight.

"You had to use it?" I pant.

"It was necessary."

I loathe the attacks she uses, some of which involve her damaging herself along with the demons. This causes me to bleed as well. Also, if she takes damage, then I do too. It happens quite often, as she is a very large creature in her physical form, and cannot dodge attacks easily. I have grown used to pain though, as it has become a part of my daily life. Her attacks emphasize pain that I do not wish to dwell on. I feel it creep into my mind, soft and light as her attacks were not full force. This kind of dull pain I can ignore. I fight through it and walk to the door way, peering inside. It is indeed a library, with rows upon rows of books kept intact despite the heavy war that goes on around it. Stained glass windows with pictures of prominent figures of old times decorate the walls. Some are broken so I cannot make out what they display. The bookshelves are wooden and designed with ornate patterns, and well stocked with many, many novels. I can't help but stare in amazement; I can feel my mouth drop open. I have never seen a library of this magnitude. It is like a dream.

I leap into the room and began scanning the shelves one by one, moving quickly as I have little time before they discover my new location. Every book is different, and they are not organized well. To tell the truth, I know not the appearance of the novel I am looking for. I only know the title. I pray that I will not need Kali's assistance again. It feels futile, as I hear them coming. I swear under my breath. Will I even find what I am looking for? I grow frantic, my feet carrying me even quicker across the floor, hoping that the novel will show itself. I hear footsteps in the distance, loud because of metal-tipped boots. He has found me. I spin around and hide behind a shelf, pressing my back into it and sliding down it until I am sitting on the floor. I feel like bursting into angry tears as I press my head into my hands. I wonder if Kali believes that I have failed her. My wounds are bleeding even more, and I notice the trail of crimson liquid I have left on the floor. They will indeed find me.

"Over there." Her voice sounds more upbeat that usual.

"What?" I whisper, staring around the dimly lit room. And then I notice it; a dark brown book with gold decoration on the spine, sitting by itself on one shelf. I move slowly, standing on the balls of my feet to avoid making noise. There it is the book we have been searching for. I lift my hand to touch the binding. The title is in the old language: Recidivus Animus. It means "Returning Soul". We have been looking for this book for many months now. I look at it in awe, especially because it is in such good condition. Now that we have what we need, it is time to leave.

I gently grip the book by the binding and lift it off of the shelf. My heart nearly skips a beat when I see the pair of glistening eyes staring at me through the hood of a cloak.

"Found you," he says. If I could see his entire face, I bet he would be grinning. My feet feel rooted to the ground, even though I will them to move and flee his presence. After all, I have what I came here for.

"What are you waiting for girl?! An invitation? Run!"

I feel her frantic aura will me to move and I comply. I run as fast I possibly can, past bookshelves into another hallway, back into the main foyer. There is the exit, and the cloak I left there has not moved. I feel someone grip my right shoulder, and I spin around immediately to face my attacker. It is him again.

"Give up already!" I shout, lifting my leg and kicking him in the stomach. He staggers backwards, giving me enough time to slip away from his grasp. He procures his sword, placing it in the other hand since I damaged the other one. He swings and misses right away. I do not even have to side step or guard to dodge his attack. He is clumsy with his opposite hand. I use this to my advantage. I lift one of my swords and aim it for him, the book tucked under my opposite arm. He guards easily with his injured arm, but I can hear him grunt in pain. I smirk, knowing that I will probably be victorious in this battle. I swing the sword for his other hand. He lifts his heavy blade just in time as I nearly strike his limb. For a man as thin as him, he can wield this oversized blade well. It's for the first time that I notice his strikingly black eyes that hold no light within them. As we are here at a standstill, our blades pressed together, I realize how lifeless the expression in his eyes is. No wonder he appears so human; it's because he practically is one.

"You are a Cavus,"I remark, my eyes staring into his.

"So are you," he replies. Well, yes I am. I do a poor job of hiding it.

"I guess we are evenly matched then," I comment, moving to the left and attempting to slice at his other arm again. He fails to block this one, but my blade barely scratches him. It was a poorly executed attack. I feel the wound on my arm burning. It is still bleeding, but it seems to be getting bigger. It appears Kali used a stronger attack than I realized.

"Apologies," She hisses.

I frown, wishing she were in her physical form so I could shoot her a glare. The man moves to attack me, but I am ready and dodge easily. The blade, instead of landing on me, like he intended, went straight into the floor. The point was wedged in there pretty well. I had not realized when I first entered here that the floor was made of wood. It was designed to look like stone. A well thought out ruse. One that, in this case, is not very good for me or the man. He tries to pull his sword out of the ground, and fails miserably.

I can imagine his face displaying pure rage. I shrug, a smile forming on my face. Kali is laughing at how ridiculous she thinks he appears. Unfortunately for us, the large sword is pressed tightly into the ground, and the floor begins to crack like ice, splinters flying everywhere. He stares at me, hiding his eyes underneath his cloak. My own dark eyes grow wide as I watch parts of the floor disappear as the ground breaks. I realize that they are disappearing into darkness, a wide open hole in the ground.

"Impossible! This castle can't be built over a gap!" I say to no one in particular. The man says nothing. The floor falls away into the ground below, as does the sword. I realize my error as the man, unable to flee, falls into the hole. The floor breaks beneath him, and I hear him shout what sounds like a swear. My heart probably skips a beat or two as the floor beneath me also falls away, and I am tossed into the hole. I let out a frightened yell, tightly gripping the floorboards on the edge, trying to stay up here where it is safe. The abyss below me is pitch dark, not one trace of light. It could be bottomless for all I know. I am frightened by the thought of falling forever.

My fingers slip on the boards; I cannot hold onto them for much longer.

"We are in a horrible predicament." My sweaty palms slide off the wood and I plunge into the blackness. It is indeed an excellent disguise; thankfully the gap is not deep enough to do extremely harmful damage. I cradle the book tightly in my arms, pressing it against my chest. I will not let this newly acquired possession out of my grasp. It is too important. We must have been close to the ground when I had grabbed the ledge, because we hit the ground quickly. Unexpectedly, I landed on my stomach, the book flying out of my hands and skidding to a halt on the ground. My face is uncomfortably pressed into the ground, a burning sensation forming in my cheekbones upon impact. I reluctantly ease myself up, sputtering and spitting dirt out of my mouth, rubbing my bruised face, incredibly relieved that I am wearing armor. No bones are broken, since the fall was not high enough, but I am still scraped. Small droplets of my blood land on the ground. I suddenly remember the man and frantically scan the room for him.

The room is dimly lit by a single candle, which I find oddly bizarre. The room is nothing but a round cave with no apparent entrance or exit. The walls are brown stone and the ground has a layer of soft dirt, which must have cushioned our impact with the floor. I find the man sitting in the dirt, unmoving. His cloak is flattened against his back, the hood down. He has dark hair that is rather lengthy, coming slightly above shoulder length. He looks injured, as he sits in a very awkward position. Alarmed, I move over to him, half dragging myself because my legs still burn with pain.

He lifts his head, spitting dirt onto the floor. Black eyes come up to meet mine in an agitated expression. He rubs his injured arm while is eyes stare at my face, examining me.

"Are you alright?" I say, attempting to be kind even though he is my enemy. He glares at me, not speaking a word. I open my mouth again.

"Well, alright then."

"What did you summon back there?" he inquires, most likely referring to when I was surrounded by his demonic companions. I am slightly taken aback at his quick change of subject.

I am not prepared to reveal Kali to him; who knows what he would think of that. If I tell him about the beast, that means I will have to speak of her, which is something I refuse to do. Only I can know that she is linked to me. We are chained together, our bond. It is a physical link as well as a mental link. It remains invisible most of the time, but the chains do become visible when I summon her physical self into this world. We use the chains to our advantage. For example, we can wrap them around an enemy and keep them tied to us, which for some bizarre reason, Kali is doing right now. Normally I would have her wrap the chains around an enemy so I can dispose of it. I do not question her ways though; her anger is something no one should want to experience. Instead speaking of her I come up with a foolish excuse.

"I really do not know to be honest." That is all I have, for I am not the best liar. I stand up to go retrieve the book I have taken from the castle. The cover is intact, the pages still in place but bent and torn. At least it is still legible. I can feel him staring at me still. He does not seem to take his eyes off me. I spin around to face him. His eyes watch me, their expression confused, as if he is puzzled by something.

"Why are you looking at me like that?"

He shakes his head, coming to his own feet. "No reason. We have not met before, correct?"

Now that he mentions it, he does seem to have the appearance of someone I have crossed paths with before my endeavors in this castle. I cannot place it though so I nod.

"Yes, strangers."

He averts his gaze to the opposite corner of the room, where his sword lies in the ground, surrounded by a pile of broken wood. He retrieves it and sheathes it without a word.

"Why is that dusty old tome so important to you?" he asks.

I am surprised by his inquiry. Here we are, conversing normally, when moments ago we were locked in combat. I stare down at Recidivus Animus, my eyes scanning the cover.

"That is for me to know and you to find out."

He chuckles and returns to a sitting position on the ground. I sigh and sit across from him, placing the book next to me. His eyes return to my face, and he notices the dried blood on my light skin.

"I injured you." He sounded satisfied by that fact. If only he had been the one that injured me. It was actually Kali and a group of his soul-eating demons. I shake my head.

"No, it was not you. Sorry to disappoint you." I gently wipe the blood off of my face with my shirt sleeve. I am content that I successfully injured him. I make a point of it by staring at his own wounds on his wrist. He frowns and looks away.

"Unfortunate, this situation. Your poorly executed attack landed us here," I comment, adding to my own list of reasons why we are here in this mess. He stares at me, unhappy. I think I have just dug myself into a deeper hole.

"Mine? We would not be here had you not dodged my attack!" He sounds terribly aggravated now. Why would I purposely injure myself? I would rather be in this hole than lying dead on the ground.

"Yes, but you are the one who pursued me, and thus started this conflict," I retort. My thoughts drift to when he discovered me, in the dark storage room. I remember my daggers; he has two of them in his possession. My efforts to distract him and disable him had both failed. "By the way, I would like my daggers back."

He stares at me with an infuriated expression, his dark eyes staring straight into my hazel ones. "You are the one who chose to enter our castle! Not to mention you murdered some of our own!" His words stung like shards of ice being thrust into me at full force. His castle! It does not belong to any of those monsters! It was rightfully ours, but they stole it from us! How dare he make such a claim! I tried my best to hold back the urge to slap him in the face. He reaches into the inner pocket of his cloak and lightly tosses the daggers towards me. They slide on the ground with a soft metallic screech. Apparently the layer of dirt was extremely thin, which explains why it slightly hurt when I landed on the ground. I snatch my weapons back and slide them into the leather pouch.

"Is your temper always this easily activated?" I say, smirking. He takes on a shocked expression before replying.

"What!?"

"See, there it is!"

He frowns and looks away, apparently not wanting to speak anymore. Kali is laughing at the entire scene. It echoes inside my head. I cannot speak to her though, or this man will think I am insane. I speak to her out loud, not in my mind, since my thoughts are not always strong enough to communicate to her. Though we can read each other's thoughts, mine are apparently not always easy to hear. She can hear me perfectly when I actually speak. I lean back against the wall and flip through the book, not actually reading it, yet. I will when I am physically alone, without this nuisance of a man in the room.

The words are written in an old language, but I have studied it enough to understand what is says. I only skim, pausing to observe diagrams every now and then. Though I searched a long time to find this book, it does not appear to answer the many questions I have on this subject. Kali is disappointed, but proud that this book mentions her multiple times. I wonder if she knows that she is feared, not loved. This author must have regarded her as a demon, like the rest. I close the book and stare at the man, who is sitting up straight, examining his large weapon. I examine him in more detail.

He appears no older than me. His hair falls just above his shoulders, a natural black that has a healthy sheen to it in the dim light, even though it is messy and apparent that he does not care for it that often. His skin is light in complexion, similar to mine though I am much paler than him. No matter how long I stay in the sun, my skin does not grow any darker. His face is actually rather handsome, though scarred along the right side of his face. Though he is a Cavus, his eyes, though lifeless, still glisten. I find it strange. Cavus is what scholars call them; I refer to them by that name most of the time. Translated, the word means empty, because the Empty have no soul. This happens when a demon attacks a human and makes the human's soul as his or her meal for the day. The body left over is still alive, but is pretty much a robotic, lifeless being with no purpose, which is why most Cavus end up dead. When I became one, I felt the same way, but Kali gave me a purpose: to reclaim my own soul.

I often wonder why I experience emotion when I am supposed to practically be a zombie. And here I am, examining someone in the same boat as me. Now that I think back to our first encounter, I realize he behaved as though he was a true Cavus, but his temper proves otherwise. He does appear familiar to me. I must be experiencing déjà vu, but I cannot place it. Everything about him sets off triggers in my mind. I feel as though I am supposed to know this person, but I do not. This leaves me hopelessly confused.

He must notice me staring at him, because he stops examining his sword and looks up at me with a questioning look. I stiffen, realizing I was gazing at him for too long, and try to break the silence by speaking.

"S-so what is your name? I have to call you by something."

He still looks at me with an agitated glare but replies, "I go by Alastair. What about you?"

Even his name sounds familiar. I am beginning to feel bothered by the fact that I cannot fully recognize him. I attempt to think back to when I could have last met him, but I find nothing. Without hesitating, I answer his question.

"I am Alia." He appears a little surprised when I speak my name, but he instantly hides it. Changing the subject, I add, "So, do you know a way out of here?"

He shrugs and begins to stand up. I see light up at the top, very miniscule in appearance from all the way down here. I grow curious as to why there is a hole underneath the floorboards of the citadel. Alastair does not seem to know so I refrain from asking. Kali remains silent, not once speaking. She must be looking around. Unfortunately, the hole is too deep for us to climb up, even though the drop down was short enough to be survivable.

"Look to your left. There is strange writing on the walls."

I look, and sure enough, there are strange characters carved into the stone wall in a language I cannot read. They seem to fade off at a point, as though they continue but are blocked off by something. So this room was built intentionally. I cannot imagine what it may have been used for. The floor that was broken must have been some kind of hatch, designed to appear like the stone around it but actually made of wood. Whoever constructed it was very clever. I point to the letters. With Recidivus Animus tucked under my arm, I move towards this part of the wall. My fingers gently trace the characters, dust collecting on my fingers as I slide them over the wall.

"What is this?" I mutter, letting my curiosity get the better of me. Alastair watches me cautiously, as if he expects me to conjure something. Not that I would; Kali is too large to fit in this space. The candle on the wall illuminates the characters. I begin to wonder if this is some form of secret passage. As my hand traces the last letter of this series of characters, I hear something click, and the room starts to rumble. Alastair leaps to his feet, glaring at me.

"What did you do?"

I shrug, confused. I have to admit, I did not expect this to happen. Kali remains perfectly calm, as though she expected this to happen. The rock wall slides to the left to reveal an extremely narrow corridor, lit by yet another single candle. There is water dripping from cracks in the hard stone ceiling, and my foot splashes in a puddle as I move forward. Alastair eyes me warily.

"You intend to go in there?"

I nod, thinking it may be a way out. I can tell by the expression in his eyes that he had no idea this was here. I cautiously step forward, inching my way down the corridor. I press my hand against the wall, sliding it across the smooth surface. I am amazed that such a place even exists underneath the citadel. Suddenly, the wall ends, a threshold to another room perhaps. The characters still extend across the wall; how I wish I could read them. I slowly move forward, motioning with my hand for Alastair to follow. My foot bumps against something hard and luckily my armor prevents it from hurting. In this dim light I can see that my foot has brushed against a set of stairs built into the stone, leading upward. I nearly break into a smile; a way out!

I climb step by step, extremely careful, since there is a possibility that some steps could be missing. None are, and we both arrive on the landing, in a small room with a single door in front of us. Wordlessly I grasp the handle and turn it, praying that the door will be unlocked. It turns completely, and I let out a sigh of relief as it opens, revealing a moonlit, decaying courtyard. I suck in a breath of fresh air, happy to feel it even though it is tainted with demonic essence.

"Thank Eternity," I whisper, lifting my head to eye the full moon. No clouds covered it tonight and even from this cursed place, the stars looked amazing. Alastair sighed.

"Well, I guess this is farewell, Alia."

I frown, refusing to look his way. "Not quite, I'm afraid." I silently curse at Kali for extending the chains so they include him in the bond.

"You will see child; he is an asset to our cause."

I pray that she is right.

He watches me, confused. I am sure he was planning on enjoying the rest of his evening without me there to ruin it.

"Let's just say you are kind of… stuck with me," I say, chuckling and smirking innocently. He glares at me and begins to walk away, soon to discover that he cannot. It is literally excruciatingly painful to try to move away from the bond.

"What did you do!?" he yells. Well, there is his temper again.

"I didn't do anything! It was her idea!" I realize my mistake and cover my mouth with my free hand.

"Excellent work, Alia."

I curse and scold myself too many times to count. I am the only one who is supposed to know Kali actually exists physically in this world; no one else.

"Her?" he asks, curious.

I have no choice but to tell him. I pray he already knows who she is, as many scholars do.

"Kali. I am bonded to her."

He seems to understand, though I can tell this will take some explaining.

"The Kali? The great beast of legend? You are mad, Alia. Release me at once!"

"Sometimes I think I am. But it is true, unfortunately. She did on purpose; extended the bond to include you. She sees you as important to her cause I guess. So until she sees otherwise; you are stuck with me. Or rather, I am stuck with you, because I refuse to follow anyone who is affiliated with Oblivion." My stance is strong on this; Kali seems to be proud of me.

He groans, pressing his face into his palms. Clearly he does not want to spend time with me or my companion. I almost pity him. Almost…

"He will just have to learn. In time I think he will come to appreciate this…" Her voice trails off as a hiss in my mind. I hope that someday she will share with me why this man is so important. Until then, I will continue with my ultimate purpose: regaining my soul.

----- Author's Note: I don't know how many times I've had to change Kali's name. I had such a hard time finding something I liked. If you notice a random name in there that seems to have come from nowhere, that is probably the one time I forgot to change her name to the right one. If you notice this discrepancy anywhere in the story, please let me know! Also, for those of you who may have read this before, I did some editing and things to make it better, so I'm re-uploading this story. Thanks for reading and leave a review!