#the worm is eating what little brain my ranger has | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

erintoknow · 5 years

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my body is here and i am inside

fallen hero: rebirth fanfiction Ariadne deals with the aftermath of ‘helping’ Lady Argent find who was responsible for possessing her. ~3.3k words [ao3]

Prev: [maybe it will break and maybe it won’t]

Title from [Panic Attack by Liza Anne]

content warning for uh, suicidal thinking

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The wind whips the ends of your jacket about you. Stubbornly hold the halves together rather than zip up. Let the bay air curl around you, toxic smog and all. The Millennial Span Bridge isn’t really meant for foot traffic. There had been plans once, setting up a mini-mall in the bridge supports but the money had dried up not long after the bridge proper was built and the shops never opened.

But the walkway remained. Just had to hop two locked gates. No razor-wire, no electricity. Hardly a real deterrent. By the halfway point you’re high up enough above the water that you can see the occasional boat passing under. The sun is starting to set at this point – it’s been a long day – but you keep your sunglasses on.

Old L.A. would have have never called for a bridge like this, as far as you understand it. But things change when half your geography drops into the sea. There’s a safety railing to run your hand along, because of course there is. No one wants the bad press of your vanity project becoming a hub for jumpers. But it’s half-assed job. Find a joint that hangs down from the river of cars rumbling over your head and you could climb over it pretty easy.

On the other side and there’s even a convenient lip of metal wide enough for you sit on, let your legs dangle over the void. Kicking freely.

Well.

Here you are, Ariadne.

Now what?

It’s been, what? A few weeks? A month? Meeting Ortega in that diner. You haven’t gone back there since. It felt too portentous. And now the rest of the Rangers know you’re here. And you’re ostensibly alive. Hopefully they believe you about being retired. Hopefully Ortega kept quiet about what you babbled on to her about. She’s always been one to understand your need for privacy, but it’s not like she hasn’t screwed up before in the name of trying to ‘help’ you.

It had been a mistaken to listen to her at all. To let her drag you into somebody’s else’s problem. Why? Because you missed her? You miss plenty of things you can’t have. That doesn’t mean you should go for it. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. And then–

You shudder, hug yourself tight as a wave of nausea washes over you again. God. You’re getting sick of that. Sick of feeling helpless. Sick of feeling powerless. Out of control of your own life. Sick of–

cables, like snakes in the grass,

coiled around your feet. the red threads wrapped

around your wrists pull

tight and move you forward. so much lighter now

that it’s not you that’s moving it

but then who’s driving?

and then there’s herald’s goofy smiling face and

doesn’t he understand that something is wrong?

somebody, anybody, help

Is that what it’s been like for every person you’ve possessed over the past two years? You want to believe Argent just got some unlucky combination; an unusually strong mind and the need to keep her not entirely under. She was just… unlucky. Sorry honey, you rolled snake eyes. Nothing personal, honest.

But Argent is the only mind you’ve actually seen the after effects for. How it has stuck on her like plaque on teeth, eating away at what’s underneath. You’ve never cared before. As long as no one immediately raised the alarm, what did it matter? Possession? Who would believe them? Nobody would. No one’s ever heard of such an ability in all the years the Hero Drug has been around, fucking up humanity.

But the Rangers would believe it.

Because it happened to them.

Because it happened to you.

Because coiled snakes and red strings wormed their way into your head and pointed your own gun at your head. Because the puppeteer tossed you through a window and over the edge.

How many people have you done this to already?

How many will never feel right again for the rest of their lives?

You lean your head back against the metal mesh of the protective webbing that’s supposed to keep you on the other side. Feel the hexagons of steel press against the back of your skull. Cover your face in your hands. You want to cry, can feel it in your lungs. But your throat’s too tight, your eyes are burning, the tears not coming.

Was it that you didn’t know or have you just been running away from the truth the whole time?

This is what you are now. A monster. Or no, a ghost. That’s cute. Maybe that should be your villain moniker. Or fuck it, maybe you won’t bother with one at all. Just roll with whatever the press calls you.

Or maybe they won’t call you anything because your body will have turned up on the beach, another waterlogged victim eaten by the city of devils.

Julia might be sad for a little bit, but it’s hard to imagine. It feels selfish pretending she’d care about you at all. Seven years is a long time. Maybe– maybe the Farm had been lying to you about her, about what she’d done, but that didn’t change the fact that having you in her life would only make Julia’s worse. Any passing pain she might possibly have over your loss again would be worth sparing her what’s coming down the line.

Chen would be relieved, you’re certain. All that talk about being happy you’re alive. You know a sack of bullshit when it’s thrown in your face. He wants you staying far away from his precious Rangers.

Lady Argent would rather just kill you herself. Or would if knew the truth. Maybe you should tell her. Let her have that closure, something you never got. Would that help her or make it worse? You don’t know. And then maybe she wouldn’t actually kill you. Maybe she’d just hand you back over.

Dr. Mortum would be confused about the sudden disappearance of her new favorite business liaison, you’re sure. But she’s been working in the underground for years. People disappear without warning all the time. She’ll have forgotten Jane before the end of the year.

Jane herself… without you to take care of her, she’ll wither and die, comatose as she is. There’s nothing you can do about that. She was a dead woman on life support before you found her. You just staved off the final verdict by a few years is all.

Are you missing anyone? You think that’s everybody. It’s not exactly a compelling list of reasons to stick around.

What reasons do you have to not to step off anyway?

So you can burn the Farm down? Expose the Directive? If you don’t try no one else will. No one else is in a position to even guess at what’s going on like you are. This project has literally been the only thing holding you together since you escaped their clutches two years ago. Sometimes you screw up and fall asleep instead of jumping into Jane and–

You drag your nails against your scalp, force yourself to swallow. You can feel your heart pounding in your chest, rapid shallow breaths leaving you lightheaded.

At least out here there’s no one that can see you like this.

A lot more people are going to get hurt before this is over. Unless you stop now.

But if you stop you die.

The water’s far below you. Far enough? You’ll break bones against the water tension on impact. Enough to put you out? You’re not sure on the math. If you live, you probably won’t be in any condition to swim. You’ve always wanted to swim, but you’ve never actually put this body in water, would you float? You don’t know. Would you be able to stay composed until you run out of oxygen or would the animal brain take over and send you in a blind panic?

You don’t want to hurt but… maybe you’d deserve it.

“Enjoying the view?”

You freeze, head in your hands. Slowly you raise your head to find Herald hovering a few feet in front of you. His complete nonchalance at casually defying the pull of gravity feels a little surreal. You stare at him through your tinted lenses, uncomprehending.

Herald tilts his head with an uneasy grin. “Sorry, I was just passing by and thought I saw someone on the bridge. So…”

You close your eyes, breath out. In a way, this is a relief. You can focus all your anger on him instead. He’s obviously lying. ‘Just passing by’. Please. Bullshit. These assholes. As if you needed more proof the Rangers being aware of you now was only going to fill your life with even more problems.

“Are you okay?” Herald frowns and it’s all you can do not to groan. This is absolutely not a conversation you want to go down, and not with goddamn fucking boy-wonder Herald of all people.

“Were you following me, wonderbread?”

“Of course not!”

“D–don’t lie to a telepath, genius. Who put you up to this, Ortega?” There’s a tinge of guilt alright. It’s tempting to delve further, just pry the whole thing out of his head. Is Ortega having you tailed then? You didn’t work with her for five years to not have some idea how she likes to operate.

“Ortega has no idea I’m here, honest.” Huh, he’s telling the truth there. You’re not sure what to make of that. But then, that only leaves on other option.

“Oh. S-so it’s Chen then.” Yep, bingo. “What? Did the Marshal want to make sure I got home safe? How kind.” Why can’t these people just leave you alone to die in peace already?

“That’s– that’s not it,” Herald sighs, you can feel his exasperation. There’s a certain satisfaction in getting to knock that unsettling cheeriness out of his head. “Marshal Steel did ask me to look out for you, okay? But I mean it when I say I was just passing by.”

You open your eyes so you can glare at him.

“To be honest… I… kind of lost track of you three blocks from the building.”

“I don’t a–appreciate being followed.”

Herald dips down before returning back to eye level. “How did you know?”

“Of– of course I knew,” you lie, “I’ve been at this for years.”

“Were you always this cautious, back… uh, before?”

You flinch, scratch your neck as you avoid looking at him. “Y–yeah. Absolutely.” He buys the lie, thank god.

“Doesn’t that get tiring?”

Someone laughs, sharp and bitter and you realize it’s yours. Rub your eyes with the back of one hand. “Look. I value my privacy. O–okay?” You try to emphasize the word privacy, hope he’ll get the hint.

“I can respect that,” says Herald, the man who continues to not leave your presence. “Actually, um…” He hunches down, “I’ve been wanted to asking something, if you don’t mind, Sidestep?”

“Okay first; It’s Ariadne. Second; I do mind, actually. B–buzz off.” You flick your finger at him. God, just, go away already. You’ve got short and shorter futures to compare and contrast.

Herald frowns, shakes his head as he drifts a little closer to you. “Sorry, I can’t do that. Actually, uh–” He looks away from you again, scratching his neck. “You’re kind of technically trespassing now.”

“Are–are you kidding me.” You grip the edge of the lip with your hands, the metal cold to the touch. Would he actually try to catch you if you pushed off? “The Rangers really need to stoop to enforcing fucking trespassing signs?”

“If you need a lift somewhere I could carry–”

You cut him off with a hand gesture. “Absolutely not.” You grind your teeth. What do you need to say to make him go away? “You’re a hero, aren’t you wonderbread? Surely you’ve seen people brooding before.”

The spike of worry as Herald drifts even closer suggests that was maybe the wrong tact to try. “I heard you had a rough time today…?” He ventures, “I mean, from helping Lady Argent.”

“It’s n–n–none of your business.” Pinch the bridge of your nose, pushing the sunglasses back up against your eyes. “In fact, speaking of Argent,” you glare at him, “Shouldn’t you be off taking care of her? Isn’t she your girlfriend?”

That gets Herald to back off a little bit, a sudden backwash of unpleasant memories rushing back against you. “We’re on… a break right now, actually.”

“Probably because your– your priorities are so out of whack,” you snap. And yep, that one stings. He flinches and there’s a flush on his face now.

“She’s… been through a lot, and she just needs her space right now.” The way he talks sounds rehearsed, like he’s parroting what someone else told him. Not so confident now.

“I know perfectly well what’s she’s been through, thanks.”

“Was it… that bad?”

“God, Herald, that’s not my place to talk about. Try asking your partner.”

“I just want to… to understand what she’s going though?” Herald gives you a pleading look and you want to melt through the bridge and die. Is this really going to be your last conversation on earth? Playing therapist to some rich jerkward busybody with girl troubles? Really? This is how you go out? This is pathetic.

You run a hand through your hair, feel all the little knots and curls pull and snap. “You want to ‘understand?’ Then just try fucking listening for once.”

“I can’t listen if she doesn’t talk to me!” The genuine anger gets you by surprise. Herald blinks, and then his face turns beat-red. Ashamed of himself? Huh.

Maybe this is your chance. “Look, just leave me alone, okay? Go handle your own shit.”

Herald sighs, sits down next to you on the lip of the bridge. Goddamnit. “Did you and Charge go through phases like this, back in the day?”

You stare at him for a solid thirty seconds trying to process what he meant.

“Sorry, I just, I know you two had a thing and–”

“We absolutely did not!” You voice breaks and can feel your heart pounding in the back of your throat, “We worked together, that’s it.”

“Oh? I guess I got the wrong impression, I’m sorry.” Herald doesn’t met your death glare, the bastard.

You glare at him in silence and then… a morbid curiosity overtakes you. “What in the hell could–could–could have ever given you that impression?”

“Uh…” Herald balks, and suddenly there’s a dozen different thoughts running through his head and you can’t get a read on any of them. Finally he says, “Well, I mean, there had been a lot of rumors on the usenet forum back in the day?” Rumors!? “But to be honest, I never believed any of it until that first time when we were all together at Argent’s request and you and Charge walked in.” Herald shrugs, “And then I was like, ‘oh, well, that makes sense.’”

You don’t have a response to that. Don’t even know how to start parsing it.

It was so much easier not to care when you only knew these people from news reports or memories.

“So, I know you said you’re… fine – and I believe you, honest.” Herald’s lying again. “But in that case, do you mind if I just… hang out with you, watch the sunset? This isn’t a bad spot.”

You take a deep breath. In. Out. Push up your sunglasses while you rub the tears and salt out of your eyes. God. Did you smear your make-up? Are your scars visible? Shadow exposed? You can feel your heart-rate speed up again. It takes an active effort to let the thought go. Who cares? Ortega’s not here.

“Yeah, sure.” You say. “Kn–knock yourself out.”

You don’t give a damn what Herald thinks.

“Thanks.” You can feel Herald relax a little as he sits a few inches away from you. Not crowding, but close enough.

You close your eyes, sag your shoulders as you hit your head back against the metal railing lattice. “I know what you’re– what you’re doing.”

That gets a spike of alarm from him. God, his thoughts are like an open book. You hate it.

“I’m just happy to take a breather.”

“D–don’t bullshit me Herald. We’re both adults here.” You turn your head glare straight at him. “If you breath a word of this to anyone, I will find out where you live and fill your bed with thumbtacks.”

“Okay…” Herald looks away from you, uneasy. “Noted.” He fidgets, hands in his lap. “Hey, can I ask you a question?”

You groan. “I can’t stop you,” you lie.

“Why ‘Sidestep’?”

“Huh?” You blink, stare down at the water far below. little waves beckoning you on down. “Oh, well… Why ‘Herald’?”

He cringes, embarrassed? Hah. “It was my management team that came up with it. Focus testing or something? I was just hap–”

“Stop.” You hold up a hand, dismiss the words with a wave. “I d–d–don’t really care that much.”

“Oh. Uh–okay.”

You sit in silence, kicking your legs up and back under the lip. Take a breath. In. Out. “I wanted people to focus on the fighting skills. That it–it was all trained or something. Reading people’s thoughts is… harder if they know you can do it. Th–throw up obstacles, walls.”

“So it was a strategic thing?”

“Well…” You allow yourself a small smile. Still not looking at Herald. “S–something like that. There… there was, uh… person I–I knew around then. Thought it w–was… too dangerous. She asked if I was g–going to to sidestep my way through every fight. So…”

“So it was… a spite thing?”

“Hah! Y–yeah. I guess.”

“How did they take it?”

You frown, trying to think back. “I… I don’t know. I can’t remember.” Did it ever come up? There was like, a year between when you started the name and Chelsea left, wasn’t here? It must have. “Wh–whatever. Spite can get you pre–pretty far in life if you use it right.”

“I don’t know about that…” Something’s buzzing just under Herald’s thoughts and you can’t quite get a read on it. Suddenly the boy’s a mystery, go figure.

You stay there for another hour or so, quietly suffering Herald’s little questions about your career, and it quickly becomes apparent he knows way more than someone who wasn’t there for any of it should. You’re not sure how to feel about that. Other then old.

When the sun starts to drown in the ocean, you reluctantly agree to let Herald give you a hand back over to the sane side of the railing. He follows with you back to the foot of the bridge, despite your repeated insistence that you were just going straight home and to buzz off already.

You go through four taxi cabs before you feel confident enough that you’ve lost Herald to actually go home.

Home.

It isn’t much, a singular combined bedroom-kitchenette and a tinier bathroom. Pretty sure the complex had been a tourist trap motel once upon a time. It’s yours though, and there’s something surreal about that. You’ve never ‘owned’ an apartment before. You keep telling yourself you’ll properly decorate one day, but it never happens.

Flip on the lights, greet the cockroach as it scurries under the cabinet “Hi Larry,” stagger over to your bed and fall over face down.

Roll over and grab a pillow, clutch it to your chest, draw your legs up into a fetal position. No more possessions ever again. If you can’t work a mental suggestion or rely on a bribe, you’ll just have to find another way. You’re not inflicting that on another person again.

You bury your head in the pillow.

If Herald hadn’t shown up then, would you be here right now?

You don’t want to think about it.

At least these days, when you don’t feel like being you, there’s a solution.

And you don’t have to worry about Jane being scarred for life; you’re the only consciousness she’s got.

–

next: [the space between the finish and the start]

#fallen hero #fallen hero: rebirth #fallen hero fanfic #fhr #fhr/Ariadne #mc #herald #tw: suicidal thoughts

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deadromance619 · 6 years

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Perfectia Dawnlight

Perfectia Dawnlight's Journal

November 25 Light's Hope Chapel, 6:30 am

Awake before my new-found father because he was explaining what happened to the old dwarven commander Thane and Maria last night, a human that was caring for me like I was her own daughter. I'm starting this journal because it was something I always saw my real mother Kel'Donas Dawnlight do. Soldiers of the Silver Hand were pretty sad when they found out what happened to him and what is worst is that they partially blame me for both of their deaths. When I was younger I would wander off into caves looking for strange forms of energy to drink. At one point I was captured by a troll tribe, but it was nice because they had these strange jewels that tasted like drum music. When I was near it I felt a need to dance, but the trolls kept me in a cage and they kept putting strange smelling things in my cage. Like burnt dead animals, and picked fruit. I didn't know what this was called at the time but humans call it eating, it seemed like a strange practice for me, but I didn't miss the Sunwell when I was with the trolls and sometimes they would let me come out of the cage to dance by the fire with them and that was fun. But my mother came with a few high elves and killed them all like the animals they burnt, except they were alive the whole time, they screamed and I cried.

My mother was a powerful mage but she worked a lot and while I saw a lot of grownups with their kids at work I realized why my mother never wanted me to come with her. I kept one of the jewels to remember the trolls but I drank all the drum energy from it. It recharges sometimes if I wander the forest but not in the Sunwell. Being away from the Sunwell is very scary, the Sunwell always sounds like ladies singing and you can taste it all around the city, but when your near it the pain in your chest goes away and it feels like you can breathe easier, mommy always practiced spells that would make the ground shake, make your skin feel hot or would make you have to put on a sweater, lots of high elves were very powerful near the Sunwell. Not me though, and being around it all the time was sometimes annoying, and after a while you don't notice the singing. But being away from it is scary the first time but you find things with energy, like magic from mommy. It doesn't taste like music and sometimes hurts, or mommy's staff, or the priest that heals wounds, which taste like grownup boys humming. I used to taste that when I was here in the Chapel, so much that it made me, and my dad's eyes turn golden orange, but not anymore. I touched something that I shouldn't have, the Ashbringer, at first, I thought it was the Sunwell, it sounded and tasted like it, but when I came closer I ran into undead that I would see the Silver Hand killing all the time, but they didn't attack me. They were running towards the energy and I thought, "Maybe undead need the Sunwell too."

But when I got closer it was just a human man killing a lot of undead, turning them into ash, but the energy felt good like I was drinking the Sunwells water without actually doing it. But then something happened. The man screamed in pain, it tasted like trolls dying but I felt the stabbing pain like I was drinking it, like I would any energy source but with loud screaming and pain, it made my whole body hurt and I felt like I was dying, but I didn't die. When I woke up the ladies were singing again but they were singing a sad song. It whispered that its name was Ashbringer and I saw that the human man that was killing undead was dead, but I could still hear the man crying among all the singing. He cried, "Betrayed by my order." And the ladies sang those words in chorus. I felt sorry for the man and the sword was asking me for help. And then I heard men with deeper voices start to drown out the ladies' sad song, "Justice, Vengeance," and they hummed an angry song like the warriors in the troll tribes. The troll gem I had was reacting to this energy, drumming to the beat of this angry song but I didn't feel the need to dance, I walked toward it seeing it with my eyes glowing green, but it was scary like demons. Demons that want to kill, I could feel that the sword wanted to kill; the sword wanted me to kill. I covered my ears trying to stop drinking in this awful energy, and that's when Thane, Maria, and my father showed up. The sword killed Thane and Maria and was about to kill my father but I grabbed the sword and the screams from the sword were louder than anything I've ever heard before, I felt its energy burning my lungs, my heart, my brain, and threw my skin, it felt like I was going to explode because of so much bad energy but it changed. I don't think the sword wanted to kill me; it changed back like it did before for a few seconds, it healed my body like the sunwell always did. My father pulled me away from the sword. Now here I am.

I can't be the little girl that wanders around in the forest anymore. Mommy's gone, father-Lachance won't tell me but I don't feel her energy anymore, so I need to do things that mommy did.

I can't do magic, but Maria showed me how to use the Light, so I think I'll keep trying to do that.

November 26 High Elf encampment 8:00 pm.

The Silver Hand didn't want to give us a horse even though they came by in a wagon pulled by horses to pick us up to start training to become Silver Hand soldiers, but father wanted to leave the deep high elf forest to find more of our people. I wanted to join but the driver said he could only take me if I could be useful to the Silver Hand. Father-Lachance didn't like that, his yelling tasted like burnt honey paper as he screamed, "I'm your father, your mother entrusted your life to me!"

The Silver Hand soldiers didn't like him anymore, so they gave me a chance to prove myself by casting a healing spell on an injured rat. I moved my hands the way Maria did and breathed in arcane energy like mommy did, but when I cast the healing spell I killed it. I can't seem to use the Light to heal wounds anymore now that my eyes are green. Argent Dawn driver said he was sorry, but I have to stay with Father-Lachance, but he told my dad that there's a small encampment of surviving High Elves, but they don't like humans, so he can only take us so far.

Father-Lachance still cries for Maria, says she was going to be my new mommy, and is unsure what he's supposed to do with me, but I'm smart like my real mommy. It seems like I need to be a mommy for Father-Lachance, but I didn't know why I can't use the Light to heal wounds. Argent Dawn soldiers gave us food for eating. I use to not like eating when I first tried it. Too many colors start dancing in front of my eyes as the food touches my tongue, going down, and chewing hurts my jaw. Health potions are okay, it's just one color the covers everything for a second as it goes down, but cooked food has worms of every color in it and when you put it on your tongue they wanna dance in front of your eyes, very annoying and distracting. But food helps with the pain of being away from the sunwell so I have to get use to the colors, but I haven't felt empty of energy to want to eat anything the whole day, and neither has Father-Lachance. Says we absorbed so much energy from that sword we might not need to eat or seek out other forms of energy at least for a while.

The driver took us to the road that would lead us to the encampment, for the most part the undead left us alone, but I can feel that some of the undead could use arcane magic like so many mages. Father-Lachance goes after them and takes there magic away. Mother told me that Lachance is always unhappy because he cannot use magic like so many high elves, but Lachance could stop a magic spell in it's tracks, maybe because he hates magic. Undead energy taste like dirty melting snow off of a pine tree, I think Father-Lachance was drinking it. I could drink it too but would need something tasting like a blue water song. We showed up to the encampment and their voices tastes like bitter burnt rubber seemly to be resentful and untrusting. They draw bows and arrows and yell, "Leave this place warlock!"

Voices were bitter, so I hid behind Father-Lachance, "I'm not a warlock." He said.

"Those eye's say otherwise." He stated as he walked toward us with his bow drawn, his eyes were still blue like water.

"There's a reason for that. Listen I'm a magic less high elf, I know you rangers don't have as much magic as most high elves, but I can't make a pack with demons, even if I wanted to." He explained with his hands up. I've heard mother use that term "Magicless High Elf" for a lot of the homeless high elves that littered Silvermoon city, but Father-Lachance was a famous explorer, maybe he still was. Why didn't they know him, I wondered at the time, but the High Elves saw me, and asked Father-Lachance what he did to me. Put us both in chains and now we are in their encampment. They took away Father-Lachance's weapons and my book, but I cried and cried until they gave it back.

November 28 High Elf encampment 2:00 pm

Me and my dad have beds now but there is always someone watching us with swords and bow and arrows. Eating and drinking has the strangest side effects I've ever experienced that Maria showed me what to do with. I would get these funny stomach pains, not like a hunger for the sunwell but a need to release something bad, that I needed to sit in a shack with a chair with a hole in it, something came out of me, but it was too dark to see what it was. The first night I stayed with the high elves in the encampment I was covered in this brown paint like liquid, it made flashes of black and white if I got it too close to my face, and that made a lot of high elves upset. I think I remember this happening to me before, but Maria had just recently taught me how to change in and out of clothes myself. Before servants and my mother always changed and cleaned me. They took away all my clothes and wrapped me in a blanket and I spent most of the day naked with only a single blanket to cover my body. I remember on more than a few times I got myself hurt or dirty and my mommy would take me to the sunwells waters to bathe. But these two high elves pulled me to a freezing cold body of water a mile away from the encampment and threw me into the water. Water went into my lungs and I couldn't breathe, it was scary, even more scarier than being away from the sunwell the first time. I moved around but I kept going deeper, I looked up and I could see the sun and bubbles and I sank deeper. One of the female high elves jumped into the water, got me out, and I coughed out the water in my lungs. She washed the rest of the paint off, but the wind still blew, and made me shiver from the cold. Humans said they were untrusting, but these elves were not good people in the slightest. They killed anyone that got to close to the encampment, undead, humans, dwarves, gnomes, and even a few night elves, if it wasn't a high elf they would go after it like some kind of animal, but the smarter ones managed to run away from the encampment. I didn't like these high elves at all; humans and dwarves had always been so nice to us. I wanted to heal them as they were shot down with arrows, but I couldn't. I remembered when I was back with the Silver Hand when someone would die from undead attacks they would burn the body with fire, close their eyes, and say, "We believe that his/her spirit lives on and will continue to watch over us, even as the shadows closes in all around us. His/her light will light all of humanity as long as we honor his/her memory, they will never fade; we are all one in the Light, go with the Light brother or sister."

So, with only a blanket to cover myself I gathered brush and wood from the dying trees and covered their bodies and lit them on fire with the only magic I could muster. As they burned I closed my eyes and recited those words, as I said the words I heard almost a combination of the ladies singing and men humming as the bodies burned, but not like the energy from the sunwell, just the song. It was still nice, so I did it again, and again, I started to hear voices like the man holding the Ashbringer, but they said, "Thank you." and "Go with the Light child." I tried to say something back and I never heard anything back. As I closed my eyes and recited the Silver Hands words, one of the voices said, "LEAVE HER ALONE!"

I opened my eyes and hid my face in defense as a high elf was coming up behind me. She hit me with the blunt part of her weapon, but it bounced off. The high elf looked confused, but this time she used the sharp side of her weapon, but I wasn't afraid as much as I was before. She came down with her sword with all her weight and screamed, "Die demon!"

But she fell back burnt with a fire of golden yellow as I was protected by this clear shining egg, I heard the voice saying, "Run." I ran with my blanket, terrified toward where my dad was being held capture and the shining egg started to fade, but I couldn't find him. The high elf came into the room, saw that I couldn't escape, I thought maybe in chains my dad would be able to protect me from this elf, I could only hold up my hands in defense. The high elf drew her bow and said, "I won't miss this time!"

I was hoping for whatever was able to protect me before could protect me again and I yelled, "I don't want to die!"

She drew her bow as I was crying looking around for something else to come out, and I saw my dad behind her, he grabbed her by her hair and dug two of his fingers into her eyes. She turned around on the ground grabbing onto her eyes as she bled, my dad slammed her head into the ground with his foot and kept it there, "Stop moving or I'll crush your skull like a coconut." He said.

She yelled for help and my dad must of saw more high elves coming because he put his hands up to show he was unarmed, they put him in irons to bind his hands, and one of the other high elves took off their undershirt and covered me with it and carried me to the biggest building in the encampment. And despite all the buildings looking open and elf like this room felt closed in, animal furs laid on the ground with tables of food, and open fires going, it was warm.

The girl that tried to kill me accused me of being a succubus, that's why my eyes were green and that I needed to be sent back to the Twisting Nether. Their leader that I had seen for the first time, a high elf male with white pale skin, white hair, and red eyes, but looked very skinny and sickly and was holding my book, "Do you have any proof of this?" He asked and then coughed.

"Look at those eyes general, they are both corrupted by demonic energy; she was feeding off the spirits of the dead, you remember what happened when we let warlocks into this encampment. What was worst is she managed to summon demons to protect her."

He laughed at her statement.

"Did I say something funny, General. Don't let that innocence fool you, succubus can take whatever form they need to appeal."

The general shook his head, "Yes, but how many demons have you heard about that were able to summon other demons."

"But that spell, I've seen it before, when a warlock sacrifices there 'void walker'." She explained.

The general rolled his eyes, "So there both warlocks then?"

The high elf was hesitant, "No, she's too young, but if the demons were desperate she could- "

"Then this child would be fully grown, if she did take a demon contract, and she isn't. You know of the demonic rituals that took place with the orc warlocks. Also, if you looked outside the encampment every once in a while you'd see that the demons aren't desperate. We are." The general let out a deep sigh, "Listen I know this young girl might have surprised you, but that was no reason for you to try to kill her."

"We kill every day, they are not our people, they're blood elves, and we've never taken in corrupted magic and we never will, we are sworn to protect you Lirath." She shouted.

"Kill her." He ordered

"Thank you, general." The high elf ranger smiled and crossed her arms

The soldiers turned toward us, "Not them, her." He barked.

"Wait no!" She pleaded but the two soldiers holding us ran her threw with swords and she fell to the ground and a guard from the back with an axe cut her head completely off.

"This encampment CANNOT fail, you will keep me protected until I have turned into dust and part of that is protecting my secrets!" Lirath coughed and he stood up. "But she was right about one thing! They know –"

But I had already started reciting the Silver Hand words for the dead high elf that had just died.

"Perfectia? What are you doing?" My dad asked and pulled my shoulder.

"Let her finish!" Lirath ordered, "You two, take me outside." His guards did as they were ordered, held him by his arms, and took the general outside.

When I said, "Go with the Light sister." I didn't need to light her with brush, her whole body took flame and one of the guards walked back into the building where we were.

"The general would like to talk to you both outside." One of the guards said.

We walked outside the building and Lirath was waiting for us holding himself up with a cane, "So since when were you going to tell us that your daughter was a paladin."

"She's not," Father-Lachance stated, "Wouldn't she need training, need to take an oath, wear armor, her mother was a mage, I'm her father but I have no magic, and she knew nothing of the Light until she came to the Chapel of Hope." Father-Lachance asked questionably.

"To be a paladin one only needs to have a strong level of faith in the Light and a strong will to right even the most common injustices." Lirath smiled and thought back, "My father used to say something when he would come by here to see how I was doing. I believed that I was a monster, but he would say, 'The true mind can weather all the lies and illusions and not be lost, the true heart can tough the poisons of hate without being hard. Since the beginning of time darkness has thrived in the endless void but always yields to the purifying of the Light.'(Avatar) So Perfectia. " He looked down on me and got down to my level but struggled a bit. "By the Light that you hold with such strong faith, could you swear to keep my secret for me as long as I live?"

"I swear." And I meant that.

"And one more request, when I die could you send my body away to the Light like you did my fellow high elf." He asked.

"I swear." But I didn't know how long that would be.

"Good, thank you Perfectia." He looked up at my dad, "Lachance, if you tell anyone about this, I'll kill you, slowly and painfully."

Lirath stood up and walked into the building we were just in. The High Elf that tried to kill me had turned to ash and he sat down on the table where he kept his food and invited us to sit. "My full name is Lirath Windrunner."

My dad fell out of his chair, hit the floor, and got back up, "You're supposed to be dead!"

"My full name is Perfectia Dawnlight, nice to meet you." I put out my hand.

Lirath smiled and shook my hand, "A regular greeting is a nice change Perfectia, but most people react the way your father did when I introduce myself. Kel'Donas's daughter?"

I smiled and nodded, "Yep."

"My father tried to set us up when I was of age, but she was a lot older than me, I never thought she would have lain with a magic less high elf." I was a little offended by that, "I'm sorry, I'm sure he's a great father."

I looked at my father eating, he shrugged, and half smiled, "Actually I only found out he was my father a few weeks ago, but he did manage to save me from the attack on Silvermoon."

"So he actually went through with it then." Lirath sighed and shook his head.

"You knew about the attack?" My dad asked.

"Why do you think I'm standing here right now?" he put his hand on his chest and coughed. "Kel'Thuzad brought me back from the dead to use as a bargaining chip. I was a lot more powerful the first time he raised me from the dead, but I couldn't stand being controlled by that necromancer. So, I threw myself from the tallest cliff only to be raised by him again but lesser now."

"Is that why you seem so-" I asked

"Feeble?" Lirath interrupted.

"I was going to say sick." I felt kind of sorry for him and I didn't want to offend him.

"Under Kel'Thuzad's control I was not only forced to do the things he wanted but say the things he wanted. So yes, when Kel'Thuzad raised me a second time he left me by my home free from his control and my father found me in the forest like this. Tried to convince my father that my mother could be revived as well, if the Windrunner family and their army agreed to join The Cult of the Damned, but I convinced him not to." He explained.

"Why didn't you come forward with the truth, why hide?" my dad asked.

"Because we are all one in the Light, the first time I died I was together with my mother, but the second time," He placed one hand on his head, "It wasn't the Twisting Nether but, it was just dark and I couldn't find anyone. I don't want to go back to that place; my thoughts seemed meaningless in that place. I asked my father to kill me, but he said, 'what would my mother say if she found out that he took his only son's life.' " Lirath looked around, "He built this place for me and the soldiers are sworn to protect me from undead, cult members, and anyone else that happens to find out the truth. But since it seems like I have all the time in the world, there will be a time I will come forward with the truth, but it will be on my terms."

"And when will that be?" My dad asked.

Lirath gave my dad an angry look, "You know usually when people take my oath to keep my secret they never ask this many questions, you think this is a game?! I'm hoping that whatever time I have will expire so I never have too. If my sister's found out what happen to me what do you think they would do, all I wanted to do was be a ranger like them, they must know that I died in the pursuit, not this. Do you know what this would do to my family if other High Elves found out that my father's only son was this monster?!." He looked at his hands.

"But your father never saw you to be that way?" I stated.

Lirath slammed the table we were eating at, "I KNOW!" He stood up, "I know, he tried to convince me to let them come, but when the sunwell was destroyed we lost all the children and elders in a few hours but my father wasn't that old, did he survive the attack?"

My dad looked down, "No, he didn't make it, but he wasn't raised as one of those undead. I know that for sure."

Lirath put his head down, I saw blood fall from his eyes but he managed a smile, "Then they are reunited in the Light." Lirath looked up and wiped the blood off his face, "My sisters, they fought bravely?"

"One of them fell on the battlefield, yes." Lirath looked over at my dad but he kept his face down.

"AND?!" Lirath shouted, "TELL ME WHAT HAPPENED!"

"Arthas he- " My dad try to explain what happened, but he was interrupted.

"What does the prince of Lordaeron have to do with any of this?!" Lirath slammed his cane onto the table.

"He can't explain if you keep doing that Lirath. Sit down in your chair and my dad will explain everything, but you're not going to like it, but you're not the only one that is suffering. I lost my mother that day and I nearly died when the sunwell was destroyed." I finally cut in.

"I'm sorry Perfectia, Lachance please tell me everything you saw, I must know everything. I promise no more outbursts."

So, my father explained everything, Arthas, Frostmorne, KelThuzad, Silvermoon, the truth of my mother and me, and even Sylvanas Windrunner, but told him his two other sisters were still alive and well.

He looked like he was in shock, so we left and when we were outside we heard him crying and tiring his throne room apart.

We went to bed, when I woke up Lirath was there, handed me my book, and said, "I put a lock on your diary Perfectia, but I want you to write about yesterday and whatever days find you well. I just need you to cast a healing spell here."

I hid my hands away from him, "But I can't cast healing spells anymore, since I touched that sword, it burns people now."

He took my hands and placed it on the lock, "Yes you can, just don't think about healing wounds or restoring life. Think about the pain we all feel when we lose someone we love."

I closed my eyes and thought about my mother and Maria, "It hurts to think about them."

"Now pretend that this lock is your heart that hurts, breathe and concentrate your magic on it and feel the pain go away." I felt the light of the sunwell was flowing through me again, but it was being held in my hands and I made the ladies sing and it tasted like sweetbread just out if the oven. I let out the magic and the lock came open. It healed my wounds from being chased but burned Lirath, He dropped the book and yelled, "Ouch!"

I dropped the book and I looked at his hand for burn marks but there wasn't any. "I'm sorry did I hurt you?"

Lirath smiled, "It's okay Perfectia, I'm still undead so the Light does not always agree with me."

I hugged Lirath, "The Light will always be with you Lirath, it will never forget you," I looked him in his face, his white pale skin, white hair, and red eyes, "You're not a monster unless you act like one, and you still have family that misses you."

"How do you know Perfectia?" He asked.

"Because I would miss you if you were gone. I know I'm not a high elf anymore, but I want to at least fight for the Silver Hand when I'm strong enough." I stated.

"That seems noble." Lirath said.

"And I need to look out for my dad." He laughed at that. So that's what's happening, I been writing in this book and as soon as I'm done I'll go to bed and wake up and start heading south.

November 28

Still here at the High Elf encampment, my father seems to have little faith in his own abilities, but he seems to take action when my life is in danger. Before we were about to leave the high elf encampment the High elves gave me a sword to defend myself, but it was really heavy. My father asked them not to give me that and tried to hand me one of his daggers to learn sword play, but my High Elf trainer said by order of the General I was to learn to use this blade. So, I held it with two hands and he told me to attack him. I was hesitant at first, the blade was sharp, but the high elf blocked every attack I made with my heavy blade and even tripped me if I put too much of my body weight into an attack or pushed me backwards if my attacks were too weak. Father-Lachance watched and seemed pretty happy and timed how long I could keep attacking without taking a break or without making a mistake. I did have to do exercises with the blade if I made mistakes and that wasn't fun. I remember the high elf tripped me and I scraped up my elbows and chin pretty bad, I tried to use the Light to heal them. He didn't like that, the high elf interrupted my spell by kicking me in the side while I was down, and said, "Don't do that, you can't use those spells until after you're done."

My dad wasn't happy about that, but the high elf put his hand up, and said, "She is going to need to learn how to defend herself with a sword without magic and that starts now."

The trainer looked at me, but I said, "I don't need a sword to defend myself!" I threw the oversized sword on the ground in frustration and put one hand out, "Attack me." I taunted.

He hit me in the head with the blunt side of his sword; even though it wasn't sharp I felt a deep pain, so hard that I rolled around on the floor trying to heal my head. But I couldn't concentrate the magic, or the Light, nor could I use the protection spell I was trying to do on command. So, I could only bleed and cry, "What did you do that for?!" Father-Lachance asked, but he was laughing a little bit.

"I thought she could do it, I think our lesson is over. Perfectia you can heal yourself now." The high elf yelled at me.

"I can't, I'm bleeding, why did you do that!? Daddy why would you let him do that?!" I screamed as I rolled on the floor covering my head.

"I thought you said you didn't need a sword to defend yourself. I didn't know you were going to get yourself hurt." Father Lachance said but I could tell he was still laughing a bit.

I put my hand on the sword and something angry came over my body, I felt the pain of corrupted energy come over me and I recalled when I first touched that Ashbringer. I stood up, casted a spell and I saw the high elf rolling on the floor like I had been a few seconds ago. Words came out of my mouth but there was something speaking words in sync with me, we said, "I was pure once."

I lifted my sword and I was about to kill this elf, but my dad caught my hand and shook the sword out of my hand, "Perfectia stop!"

I didn't know what came over me, but I had green glowing symbols on my arms and chest like the ones on the Ashbringer before it was corrupted, and they hurt like fire. "Daddy, they hurt!" I cried from the pain.

"Could you get her some water and bandages please." Ordered Father-Lachance. The high elf got up, nodded, and took off, I thought I was going to leave that morning, but I spent another day in bed. My dad rubbed me down on the areas that were burnt with cold water, but the pain eventually stopped. I couldn't see anything but a constant shade of green depending on if my eyes were open or not, but my dad told me to keep my eyes closed because they were too bright, I heard Father-Lachance talking while I was resting to Lirath, "You have to get her out of here, Kel'Thazud is coming back to these lands with a full force of his army, I can feel it. And I think he might be in control of commander Alexandros Mograine, the wielder of the Ashbringer." Lirath stated but he sounded like he was in more pain than usual, " Thane too."

"Maria?" My father asked about her.

"A woman yes," I heard Lirath say, "Blaumeux ring a bell?"

"That was her maiden name." I heard my dad kick something over, "How can you do that. What do they want?!"

"You could say I was one of Kel'Thazud's first projects, he had to put a little bit of his own soul into reviving me, and so we've been linked ever since. I don't know when they'll get here though, my first guess was that they came here to establish a foot hold on the Plaguelands, but if Perfectia took something from the Ashbringer when she touched it, they might be coming here for her." Lirath explained. "You need to get her out of here, I will send a few of my rangers to escort you out of the Plaguelands, but they don't know the areas in the east. I think that's as far as they will be able to take you safely."

"She's blind she can't travel." My dad stated.

"You saved her once when she was dying and Arthas was attacking our city, you saved her when a countless army of endless undead broke through Silvermoon. I think a few of Kel'Thuzad scouts would hardly be a problem and besides your daughters has synesthesia, if there's any strong undead energy she will be able to taste it." I thought at the time all High Elves tasted energy and sound, that's why we didn't need to eat.

"Synesthesia? How could- " My dad asked but was interrupted.

"I've read her diary, she talks about tasting sounds and energy and seeing colors when she eats. Sorry Perfectia."

"You gave me a lock for it, so I forgive you." I said that, but I remember my mother always getting angry when I would try to look over her shoulder and read what she wrote. I had my most private thoughts in there though.

"Perfectia when was the last time you ate anything?" Father-Lachance asked me.

It had really been a long time; I hadn't eaten since the day I showed up to the encampment. Also, I was never really hungry for food, and I disliked eating so much since the side effect of eating was so gross, so I just shrugged.

"You have to eat Perfectia. Is there any food on this encampment, soup maybe?" My dad requested.

"No, I can eat solid foods now. I just don't know how to, I mean you guys don't have one of those." I stated but was interrupted.

"We usually just bury it in the ground; those human shacks fill up fast and draw flies." I heard a voice say, a high elf, but his voice didn't taste as bitter rubber as it was before, it was more like melted butter. "There's a crate of apples over there." He stated.

In all the green I saw the red apple and a figment of it in his hands wrapped around it, I saw him throw it towards my dad, but I caught it. "Perfectia I thought you were blind." My father said.

I didn't respond, with every bite a shade of black or gray showed up. I felt it go down my throat and energize me just a small amount. Then light of white and yellow started to take its places but the apple was gone. "I think I'm still hungry."

"But you can see now?" Father-Lachance asked.

"Not all the colors are back but yes." I stated.

"Well there's plenty of food in my chambers." Lirath offered, "Join me for one last meal and let me make up for my lack of manners when we first met."

So, we joined him for one last meal, Lirath talked about happier times he had with his sisters and mother, Sylvanas was so harsh and overprotective of him but she was the only sister that would play 'hide and seek' and tag with him. She would always make time to play dice and card games with him but would never let him win. While his other sisters would always act kind, they wanted him to focus on school, and archery. I talked about my mother and times I would wonder off into the forest. My dad told me about his sister Telavani Lightwood who was a priest of the goddess Elune, but went too far into the shadow side and came back quite mad. He had to medicate her with herbs to bring her back into the world again, but she would have these predictions of the future sometimes, which made her useful to her family and other people. But figuring out the predictions and the crazy was a bit of a chore, so no one listened to her when their father fell backwards in his carriage breaking his neck. He thought it was funny when she kept saying, "The life bones will shake, this chance may be your break." That's why my dad was hardly around Silvermoon and he lived his life like any day could be his last, but there were the problems with High Elf politics, which is why he wasn't allowed to use his family's last name. But there was one thing he liked about her, she brewed and drank tea all the time, she liked dressing up small animals in clothes for her 'parties' and would have the strangest riddles from 'the shadows' as she would say. My grandparents let her serve there guest as long as she didn't say anything. So, my dad wasn't that surprised when he found out I was synesthetic. Said I most likely got that from her. After a full meal I was able to see all the colors and shades again, but my eyes didn't glow as much, so it was kind of hard to find our rooms to go to bed. My eyes usually light up the pages when I'm trying to write, but right now I have to use a torch to see.

November 30th

Two hours before sunrise I could see all colors and my eyes had a healthy green glow to see where I was going. So, did my dad's but I brought a change of clothes for changing, my troll gem that one of the high elves made into a necklace, a small shovel for defecating which wasn't easy the first time, trust me, and a grown up sized sword. This time I wanted to use this sword over one of my daddy's daggers.

"We want to fight, I hope they come, we lost a lot of people when the Sunwell was destroyed and we want something more than a few mindless undead." One of the high elves said.

"Two of you will go, anymore and you'll attract too much attention." Lirath ordered.

I felt my father's hand and he carried me on his back and moved without making a sound, the other two weren't so graceful. Two hours of walking I felt something that tasted funny, like sour milk and peaches, not completely foul but odd.

"Perfectia do you feel something?" My father asked taking notice of my movements on his back.

"I taste something, Father-Lachance." I stated.

"You don't have to call me that, it's just dad, daddy or father."

"But you said your title was 'librarian' and you were my 'father' or 'dad', is that your new job now?"

"It's not a job, it's, well it's, your mother was a 'mage' right?" He asked.

"Yes of course, we all have mothers how do you think the baby would come out. Mommies have to have babies whether there mages, hunters, or librarians."

"Well fathers have to be fathers too, once the babies are out, too."

"What do they do?" I asked.

"They protect you from danger, make sure you're near the Sunwell so you can grow up healthy and strong, and teach you right from wrong." He explained.

"Mommy and her servants always did that. Then how come you weren't around to do that, mommy always called you 'librarian' Lachance or 'explore' Lachance."

"Your mother never…" He stopped for a second, "Your right, being your father is my new job."

"Does it pay well?" I asked.

Father-Lachance laughed, "I don't know, I work for you, but I couldn't be happier working for free."

I was relieved, "Oh good, cause I don't have any money."

One of the rangers drew an arrow and shot an undead in the shoulder, "I thought you said the girl could sense them before they came." She drew her swords and the boy ranger drew swords as well.

"I know what I look like but it's not what it seems." He spoke and pulled out the arrow.

"It talks; oh, I've been waiting for this." The high elf started to attack crossing swords with the undead with their own.

"Wait maybe we should listen to what he has to say!" But the High Elves ignored my father.

"Father stop them, he doesn't taste like the others, and his energy sings." I pleaded.

My father grabbed a handful of hard dirt, I let go of his shoulders and he threw it at the boy ranger. There must have been rocks in it because he lost his sense of direction as it landed on his head. The other turned to face him and he put opposite side of his dagger in the ranger girls eye and she screamed out in pain. "Lachance what are you doing?!" she screamed blinded. The undead put his sword behind him.

"I'm sorry; please understand I mean you no harm. Thank you Lachance but I think I could have handled them myself." He stated.

The boy ranger drew his arrow and pointed it at the undead, "Then explain yourself quickly, I have another one waiting for you too blood elf." He ordered.

The undead put up his hands and explained, "I fought Arthus on that terrible day he came to Lordaeron and once raise I killed my brothers and sisters of the Silver Hand and even told him where more citizens could be hiding. But as we passed the farm my wife and daughter lived I was able to keep my mouth shut, but then her kind heart led her to the Chapel of Light as Uther died. I thought I was going to be forced to watch her die, but there was one undead, the one that led her to Arthas. He killed dozens of the mindless undead that threaten to kill my wife. He was able to object, argue, reason, and protect her. I realized that when it comes to matters of the heart Frostmorne has no control over you, I was able to leave Arthas's army and be with my family."

"Okay, but what are you doing here?" The boy high elf asked.

"I'm still controlled by the will of my heart, death knights on horses are hunting you and I can't stand by and let them take you. The roads are not safe, but the forest is littered with lesser undead. I can protect you from them." The High elf put down his bow.

"What's your name?" I asked.

"My name is Sir Zeliek, I'm undead, but I'm still a paladin of the Light." He said with a bow.

"Like me." I replied.

"You seem a little too young to be a paladin, but I sense something about you, and I can see you're carrying a sword so I guess that makes you closer than most kids your age. What's your name?" He asked.

"I'm Perfectia, that's my father, and those two…" I said but was interrupted.

"Don't worry about who we are undead," She shouted, "You caused all of this, I won't exchange pleasantries with you."

Something came over me like something slamming into my head, and the marks on my face and skin started to glow and burn again, "Daddy?" I looked up at him, showing him the marks.

He looked down at me and was shocked, "There coming, we need to move quickly."

"I've been waiting for this, let them come. My arrows are itching for…" The boy high elf claimed.

Sir Zeliek put his hand out and interrupted the high elf, "No, there to powerful and there on horseback we won't be able to out run them, hide in this tree. I'll cover for you."

My father picked me up and took me where Sir Zeliek was and he boosted me up into the tree. My father was able to jump up to a high branch without him and the girl high elf grabbed on the smaller low branches, but they broke. I saw the male High Elf looking out in the distance, "There here." He said.

He ran away but I saw Sir Zeliek take off his sword and slam it into the boy High Elves head making a loud cling sound making him fall over like a sack of potatoes. But the girl was dragged away by an unseen but strong force, I looked out the trees were three of them were and I knew them, it was Thane, Maria but she was wearing a large helmet, probably to keep her head on, and someone holding that awful blade, Ashbringer, I could hear its singing the sad song I heard the first time I saw it in this form, but my skin didn't like this. I tried to hold my voice in, but the pain made tears fall from my face. "You don't see many High Elves in this area." The man with the blade said as he drained the life from her.

Sir Zeliek ran over to where they were, "Good morning horsemen, what brings you to this part of the Plaguelands?"

The man with the Ashbringer threw her on the ground but she was breathing but weakened, "An intelligent undead in these parts, I could ask you the same question." He asked.

"I was part of a small scouting party sent to the high elf stronghold; those two are the last of the hunting party that was hunting us for quite some time now. Only I survived."

"He's lying, if you spare my life I'll tell you-" she claimed.

Sir Zeliek drew his sword off his back and cut the girl rangers head clean off, "That was for the Scourge you killed elf."

The man holding the Ashbringer crossed his arms, "I kind of wanted to hear what she had to say. What is your name, undead?"

"Sir Zeliek." He said with a bow.

"I like the way you handled that blade Sir Zeliek. Not many undead can remove a head with a single strike, as you can see were one short of four horsemen." He gestured toward both of them.

"But Mograine, you said once we found the girl Lachance could be the fourth." Maria complained.

"You know how the Lich King feels about those kinds of relationships Lady Blaumeux. How many undead do you know that can remove a head with a single blow, with a dull blade for that matter?" Morgraine claimed.

Sir Zeliek laughed, "I'm sure you can find someone a bit more qualified for the job, but what is this girl you are talking about?"

"That is none of your business, I recognize that armor, it's from the Silver Hand." Thane claimed.

"So?" Sir Zeliek shrugged.

" 'So' if you just came to the right side, our side, you'd be wearin' Argent Dawn armor, but if you were changed earlier, a Scourge armorer would have given you a better set of armor by now." Thane stated.

"I can be much better suited in this armor trust me," Sir Zeliek smiled, "Even though I serve the Lich King, I can still wield the Light to his means."

"That's, actually, quite amazin' really. Mograine, he would make a good addition to the team." Gaining Thanes trust.

"No, we have to find the girl first; the Ashbringer will never be complete until all traces of its Light are destroyed. " Maria ordered.

"Sorry Thane, but I agree with her, the Ashbringer has been acting twitchy since we got here, even more so now." He grabbed hold of the handle.

"I could help in your search, I thought I saw a small group of elves heading south early last night, they must be half way to Lordaeron by now." Sir Zeliek said, putting us in the clear.

"Then lead the way then," Thane scooted forward on his horse, "Get on the back of my horse, despite what Lady Blaumeux would tell you I'm lightest of the three." He said with a laugh.

"Screw you dwarf." Maria spit.

Morgaine stopped, still having his hand on the handle, "Wait a second, do you guys hear something?"

"If we don't make haste they could make it to those damn liberated undead and they won't take too kindly to us." Sir Zeliek hurried them.

Morgraine put out his hand, "No wait, you three don't hear that?"

"I don't hear anything." Thane claimed.

"It sounds like drum music, it's coming from over there." Morgaine looked straight at us.

The necklace. I took it off, threw it into a nearby tree hoping it would hook onto something, but it dropped on the ground.

Sir Zeliek pushed Thane off his horse and rode toward us with it, "Take it and flee, before it's too late!"

My father jumped on the back of the undead horse and rode it, Mograine and Maria gave chase.

Maria's horse ran faster and was running beside us charging up a shadow spell, "We don't want to hurt her, she just needs to give back what she stole."

My father moved his leg up and kicked Maria in the face; she screamed and slowed down, interrupting her spell. But I could feel Morgaine gaining on us, "Daddy put me behind you!" he moved his body, so I could get behind him. I saw Morgarine raising Ashbringer into the air, I pulled out my sword and prayed to the Light, "Please protect us, protect us like you protected us before."

"I will snuff you out little candle!" Morgaine yelled. I saw Ashbringer's green skull come down, I closed my eyes and lifted my sword to protect myself from the blow and heard a loud cling, and singing, peaceful singing. I heard Morgaine make a cry out in pain; I opened my eyes and I was holding the Ashbringer, not the one with the skull, but the one from before. It was three times my size, but it was so light.

"Daddy look!" I shouted, and he looked

"Perfectia where did you get that?!" He said in delight.

"The Light gave it to me." Also, really happy.

We were gaining some ground against the horsemen, but I touched the undead horse with my Ashbringer, it made a cry of pain and came to a sudden stop, knocking us both on the ground. But this Ashbringer protected us from the fall putting us both on our feet.

My body was still glowing from the runes on my face and body, but they didn't burn anymore, I held out the Ashbringer bringing both horses to a stop. Maria backed away but Morgraine moved forward slowly, "Give that back, as I told my son, you are barely of age to be yielding a sword, better yet that blade!"

He jolted forward, and my father threw something on the ground and in a flash, he disappeared, but I was too small, and I was able to duck under his first attack, I strike his horse turning it to ash. Morgraine fell forward on all fours, "The Light gave me the Ashbringer, not you. It will always protect me." I said.

I heard a scream of pain, I looked behind me, my father slit Maria's throat while she was on her undead horse, and the horse ran off the way we came. Morgaine took this chance and strike me with his Ashbringer. I blocked every hit, but I could feel the Light grow weaker with every strike, "You are barely of age to wield the Light." He said as he striked, "You are barely of age to be yielding the Ashbringer. You are barely of age to be fighting undead, you're just a child, a girl, weak, small, your life will end as all life ends, accept it elf, I will snuff you out and all life starting with the Light you stole from my sword!"

I saw my father distracted by a huge plague-ridden bear that littered the forest, it was closing in on him, he actually looked afraid. I could feel the Light fading from my Ashbringer, then all of a sudden, I was holding the heavy grown up sword I was holding first. "You will submit to the darkness, both of you."

He lifted his sword and smiled, I held up my blade one last time, but I could feel his swords terrible energy burn me again, but the bear that's energy tasted funny like lettuce and salted butter milk. It charged forward and bit Morgaine's arm that was wielding his Ashbringer bringing him to the ground, it ripped it out of his hands, and fling it away. The bear ripped at his face with his claws and put its jaws around his head. Morgraine thrashed at the bear but it looked like the bear weighed so much more then him. The bear had a mouthful of his hair and dragged him into the forest, but his scalp ripped clean off, he screamed a high-pitched scream of pain at his now bald and bloody head. The bear spit it out and ran toward us, changed into a cowman, "This is all just wrong, you have to get on."

He said and changed back into a bear. My dad got on his back and so did I.

"Darkness will take you all!" Morgaine screamed as we rode away. I looked behind me and his Ashbringer had a big chunk missing where he was striking me, he picked it up, looked at it, threw it on the ground, and screamed. I saw Thane carrying Sir Zeliek. I didn't want to think what they were going to do with him, but I would try to figure a way to pay him back for his kindness.

The road south wasn't easy, I was so tired by the time we got to Brill and if it wasn't for Starmaster I don't think we would have made it this far. Starmaster was a cow man called a tauren, he was always a druid, and he was able to vouch for us when we came to the liberated undead Sir Zeliek talked about. I had seen pictures of tauren, but I never saw one in real life, when he came up to us my dad thought he was one of the diseased bears we would sometimes see in the woods, but their energy always tasted like rotten eggs. I could taste them a hundred yards away. We found the farm Sir Zeliek was talking about and told his wife Laura that his husband died a hero, but our journey was far from over.

#lirath #perfectia #world of warcraft #world of warcraft fanfiction #world of warcraft fan #fanfic #blood elves

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