A sensation like being suddenly dropped into a vat of cold water rushed upon me, jolting me awake. In that first moment of panic, I flailed a bit before realizing I that I was upright. About me was utter darkness, my own form lit barely by some unknown light. It would be more correct to claim that I was floating than standing as I examined the void. Then came an immediate sinking feeling. I thought with a bitter feeling of anger boiling into me, *Did they kill me?*

Yet, as soon as the thought came, I saw a figure take form some distance away. It's outline a white fuzzing line about it; that alone gave it any way to be seen separate from the nothingness. It startled and I heard a hiss come from me as it seemed to notice me. Suddenly, from out of the nothing came a massive gloved hand and took grip of the being. With that, it disappeared back into oblivion.

With a jolt I suddenly dropped, landing rough on a wooden, round floor and bright lightly appeared. Each of them floated about the area, pointed directly at me. Still, the situation grew yet ever stranger as I stood, as a loud applause started from all around. Up from the darkness walked something vaguely similar shaped to a human.

Where a head would have been was several floating dramatic masks. I saw everything from the dramatic faces of comedy and tragedy to even those of kabuki theatre. It had countless arms, which busied itself with many small matters of writing or putting things together. Occasionally, an arm would take these items and put it somewhere in the mass only to pull out yet more. Beyond that, it wore a pair of dress pants and shoes, making a bizarre contrast to the rest of the monstrosity. Somehow, it managed to make a bow before holding up a hand, causing the cheering to stop.

The masks whirled about till finally stopping to face me with a somewhat bored looking one as the being said, in a voice that I can only describe as too many things at once, "Hello, then. Might be brave to call upon me, Mr. Moores. Especially when in midst of a performance."

My mind was utterly empty of even the vaguest concepts at that moment. I began to ask who it was but it held up a hand and from itself pulled out a marionette. I recoiled as it toyed with the wooden replica of Veline. The mask whirled about and landed on a devil's face grinning as it continued, "You spoke my name yet know me not. My other, more pitiful self is a poor excuse for a director. She cries all the time. Boring. Call her and she will instantly act. No. I waited and watched as you aimlessly sat there. Curious you are. A fool with imputent rage and futile actions. You struggle against your own script, Mr. Moores. It's dull."

I stared, now growing angered. Once more the masks whirled and landed on a heavily frowning wooden face. The being said, "I am Cathurnalt. I am the cruel poet as the actors so name. A particularly rude one, given it all. I am the director, the artist, the sculptor. I am the singer and band. I am not just some singular poet. I am creation and beauty. And you?" It had the Veline puppet dance awkwardly about on it’s strings as the being stared. "You are but one actor in my plays, upset you broke your prop."

I stood there trying to swallow the anger down, but now struggling with the shame of what he said. It was clear that this was one of the gods. There was no denying that. With a deep breath, I watched as Cathurnalt kept making the puppet dance as the mask turned back to the bored looking one. The god said, "The fact you hold your tongue is interesting, despite all you think. Do you want her back?"

As soon as the thought entered my mind, the mask turned to the tragedy one. Cathurnalt instantly barked out sadly, "I know! Yet my answer is no."

With that I felt as if the air was knocked out of me. My legs weakened and I stepped back in my attempt to steady myself. Clenching my jaw, my gaze fell to the floor. Then the god said, quietly, "My answer is no for a few reasons. I can't just give her back, sadly. Nor will I make you a new one. So here's the deal. You want her back? I am capable of saying how."

I slowly looked up and the mask facing me was now an odd fox looking one. It slowly tilted back and forth as Cathurnalt said, "I have some conditions. One, root out the sickness in your core. Two, learn the ways to bend the basic concepts. Three, develop your character sufficiently. Four? Never say my name again till the other three conditions have been met. Fail that and you won't be back on the stage ever, despite what that sad sop me says. I will remove you permanently from this theatre."

A chill ran down my spine as he spoke the final part. The three things were horribly vague, but the fourth was all too clear in meaning. I felt my breath hitch as the masks shifted as it spoke, leaving me staring at a demonic red face with bared teeth and horns stretching far past it's top. I'd never considered it before, but these gods could actually permanently end my life. After forcing myself to breathe again, I asked, "And you promise me that if I meet your demands you'll tell me exactly how to get her back?"

The masks slid and came to the comedy mask as the thing gave a horrendously loud laugh. Then they quickly shifted again to a very serious one as Cathurnalt said, "Obviously, dear Mr. Moores. I'll give you the exact method and ways to always be able to pull her back."

I took a deep breath, every hair on my body standing at end. It was entirely possible I was standing before the very being that would end my life permanently. Still, I had to accept this deal. So, with one more second to steel myself and to swallow the lump in my throat, I said, "Ok. I'll do what you ask."

The god's entire body stopped and the masks turned till a single, blank one was looking at me. Cathurnalt said, in a monotone, "Very well. Consider this deal properly arranged, dear actor. Have a good rest of your night."

I startled awake when the metal door crashed against the wall. Looking up, I saw the Captain of Lady Lura'mi's personal guard staring at me annoyed with his hand on the door. He was half way into the process of pulling it back to smack it against the wall yet again. Zent rolled his eyes lightly and said, "I've never met a man who took three of those to wake. Had I known, I'd have just gotten a damn bucket of water."

With a moment to catch back up with reality taken, I glared at him and said, "Well, here I am. Leave so I can get dressed."

The foul mouthed soldier raised an eyebrow and replied, "First off, no. Second off? Fuck off, you aren't in any position to give orders."

I looked past him into the hall to see several other members of the staff watching. Slowly my eyes turned back to the man who was returning my annoyance with his own. I said, "Then close the door."

He crossed his arms and asked, "Don't tell me you actually demand privacy for your morning dressing? Oh, forgive me, your highness. I didn't know I was in the presence of a lady."

With that I jump out of the bed, now enraged. As I moved towards him, a woman stepped forward with a weapon drawn. I stopped and stared as she held the sword's tip at me. Her black hair was cut short and, despite the maid dress she wore, the tanned, toned form of her was clear. Captain Zent waved her back and said, "I don't need any damn help with an unarmed half naked man."

Her eyes had a practically wolf-like look to them as she glared at me. After Zent shot her a look of his own, she slowly put away her weapon, saying, "Fine."

Zent let out a huff and said, "Right. So this delicate flower is Anna Timberland. Your personal jail...er...bodyguard. Fuck up and she'll end your life. So, good luck with that. Once your dressed, Misana will be in the library waiting to start your lessons."

With that he left the room and closed the door. Anna crossed her arms and stared at me. Once more, I swallowed my pride and walked over to the dresser. The first thing I tried was to use the door to hide myself as I changed. Without any hesitation she moved to where she could see me. Clenching my teeth and growing red in the face, I asked, "Must you see me doing this?"

The woman's face was boredly blank and lacking any coloring as she said, a sarcastic tone, "Yes. It's not a bother to me."

As we walked down the hall, I tried to ignore Anna as she kept giving short directional barks. She had watched me change without even the slightest bit of concern. Worse was the comments she made sarcastically. I had never been so happy to be told I had arrived at a library. At the door, the guard in a maid dress grabbed my shoulder and spun me around.

Her hand gripped it hard enough to hurt as she said, "You will not do anything stupid. Got that?"

I nodded, glaring at her as she slowly let out. She moved and opened the door saying, "Young Lady, I've brought Mr. Moores."

The room was lit by those magic orbs from above the bookcases, giving the room an oddly cleaner look than the hallways lit by sunlight. In the center was an open area with a low table and several arm chairs and a couch. Notably, it also had a large white circle on the floor surrounding it. In lines, evenly separated where the shelves of books arranged like a sun burst from that middle. At the end of each was a plaque with words I couldn't read. There, with a large book in her hands, was Lady Lura'mi's Daughter.

Standing slightly off to the side was an older man, human by all I could see. His aged eyes shifted up to me as Misana sat absorbed completely in the book. Moving one of his hands in a smooth, clean motion from behind his back, the butler motioned to one of the comfortable looking chairs.

I eyed the circle as I approached, hesitating as I came to it. My so called guardian gave a firm shove over the line with an annoyed grunt. The young elven woman seemed to be far away as she sat with the book; her face was serene to the point of inspiring envy in me as I took the seat the butler looking guy had motioned to. He gave me a small, knowing smile and said, "Do forgive the young lady. I fear her elven nature shows through in oddest ways. Give her a bit and she'll return to us."

With a raised eyebrow, I asked, "Elven nature?"

Anna took up a post by my chair as he did with the young woman’s. The difference in intent was blatant by the way her eyes watched me and never turned to the others. The older man nodded and said, "Elves are long lived but passionate beings. Given to becoming lost in things as much as emotions. Though she is often less so, it still occurs. I do hope you don't mind, Mr. Moores."

I frowned and asked, "Why would I? She's what she is."

The man's expression confused me. There was a barest hint of shock as he regarded me with his tired looking brown eyes. He was well dressed and his hair was slicked back carefully. He asked, "I suppose you would have some sympathy for the unusual, Mr Moores?"

The entire situation was giving me an odd feeling. Looking at her, the only oddity I could particularly note compared to other elves I had met was her eyes, which slowly moved across the pages still. My forehead creased as I tried to actually figure out the exact meaning of his words, but ultimately I knew I had no ability to piece it together. So, with a sigh I said, "Sympathy is not the word. I just don't care."

Anna smacked me lightly on the shoulder, which still managed to hurt somehow. The old man shook his head and said, "Ms. Timberland, do avoid such actions. I will not have you smacking our guests. But anyways, I am Salvester Hazen. Personal attendant to the Young Lady Lura'mi."

I nodded slightly as I rubbed my now shoulder as Misana slowly looked up, her face holding an expression of a dream like daze. Seeing us, she let out something similar to a squeak and slammed the book shut. After a moment, she said hurriedly, "I-I...uhm...S-sorry!"

She then took a few breaths and carefully put the book down on the table before us. She was once again refusing to even look at me. It made me suspicious that she hated me enough to not even do so. Yet if she did, it was lesser to what I knew logically was the case. The way she fidgeted was too familiar. I could tell fear was the driving factory. It was more fear than anything else. She cleared her throat a bit and said, "S-so my mother has asked m-me to teach you magic. I...I suppose we'll start with the basics."

Lady Lura’mi’s daughter slowly motioned to Salvester, who calmly walked away to the shelves. She slowly took a deep breath again and said, “Ok. So...magic. What do you know?”

In that moment, I considered how much I wanted to admit to her. The truth was I knew basically nothing, but I still had no desire to give away complete truths to anyone. Especially given how her mother had threatened another bit of info out of me, even if the daughter was so much more weaker, made my caution all the more. I couldn’t trust anyone to not use any small bit of information against me, somehow. So, with that fully in mind, I lied and said, “I know absolutely nothing.”

Misana’s face turned crestfallen as she gripped her hands together. When the butler returned, she took a large book from him and said, “Bare basics th-then. I had...heard you have a p-pact partner, so I had h-hoped they would have taught you something. Irresponsible of them r-”

The color drained from her face as she looked up to see the look on my face. It was nothing short of rage in that second. The silence that fell over the room was thick as I glared hatefully at her. The elven woman gripped the book so hard her hands began to go white and she looked down at it, starting to shake. Quickly Salvester stepped forward and said, “Do, pardon her ignorance, Mr. Moores. If you would please take a moment and step out of the room to calm.”

Anna roughly pulled me from my seat and dragged me out of the room without any consideration, as the door closed, I heard Misana begin to sob uncontrollably as the older man comforted her. With a harsh shove, I found myself up against the wall with Anna growling, “What the hell did I say?”

I sneered back asking with spite, “What in particular did I do?”

Anna let go of me and backed up a bit, grinding her teeth a bit. Slowly she said, “The young lady is particularly sensitive. She can’t help it so you need to be calm around her. Got it?”

I let out an annoyed huff and asked, “So I must cater to the whims of everyone else’s issues but my own must be ignored?”

The maid stared at me for a moment, a raised eyebrow growing as she did so. She slowly turned and looked to the door before saying, “Listen. I don’t know if you are ignorant or actually a moron. Do you know what she is?”

I threw up my arms and asked, “The tormented daughter of an emotionless monster?”

The next thing I remember was the stinging pain in my face and the feeling of the stone floor. My vision swam as I looked around, seeing my prison guard glaring down at me while waving her hand slightly. She growled out, “Your mouth is going to get you killed, you absolute moron.”

Slowly I began to get up as Anna said, “I have half a mind to drag your ass back to your room and lock you in there for a good while. What is wrong with you?”

At that moment it all gave way in my mind. All the anger and hatred I had been hiding had taken its toll and I just couldn’t hold it anymore. I took a step towards her and began screaming, “Me?! Of all the bullshit! I didn’t ask for anything! I didn’t ask to return from the dead! I didn’t do anything! No one tells me shit! They act like I am the monster here because of shit out of my damn control! Tell me, then, what the fuck is wrong with me?! Go on, you fuck!”

She stared in shock at me in that moment, but I didn’t stop. Another step and I was within arms reach. I glared at her, lost to the torrent of my mind. All I could think about was how unfair it was. How much I hated them all. The world had done all it could to stomp upon me again. Every person was an enemy. So as she stood there staring at me in a silent way, I couldn’t even comprehend the expression on her face.

It was like a thousand voices were screaming at me in my head as I began to fail to even comprehend what I was even saying. I only knew that I was angry. That I hated everything. Over and over the choir in my head began to chant. Slowly I began to raise my arms toward her and somehow she failed to keep away. Something was driving me. Something was chanting in my head and channeling itself through me. I couldn’t resist it nor was I even present enough in my own self to stop it.

Around her neck my hands went and I could feel them gripping in. In my head the choir of madness was chanting for death. Kill her. Kill her. Kill her. Kill. Her. The voices barked out like a beating of a drum.

I heard the door open only to see Misana standing there. I can’t say what her face was either, for all I saw in that moment was the perception of what I thought of her. The disgust and hatred I saw was there by that something’s will and not my own. Then I felt the sharp sting of a blade once more.

I roared out as the choir chanted in my head, voice from that thing that was driving me to these actions. I threw the guard away and reached down, gripping the handle of the blade. A sword was driven through me but I barely even felt it. It was a wound that should have dropped me and led to another death quickly, but I couldn’t stop.

Ripping it from my body, I could just barely comprehend my own voice, babbling out my rage and hate. The young elven woman began to slowly step backwards. Raising the sword the choir came to a screaming rhythm, Do it! Do it! Do it! Kill! Kill!

She was yelling something, but it only sounded like insults to me. She gripped the book from before and was retreating slowly, yet I still pursued. The horrible truth in that moment was that I was not there. I had been consumed by something that had been there from the start of it all. The thing I would regret for the rest of my days came to be in that moment. I stepped forward and brought the blade down.