“How did this happened?" Alone, without crew, injured, confused, aboard a foreign ship with a precise stop to make on the way: his pyre. Deep inside him, there was something broken, and it wasn't just the rips and internal cuts.

"You are awake," said a female voice said, interrupting his musings, "I thought you were dead."

He looked at her confused

"My name is Gywen, a pleasure to meet you"

"My name is Erik"

"Erik...?"

"Just Erik"

She looked at him confused

"You, too, don't have a surname."

"You raiders always have cool titles"

"I don't have"

 

The two sat in uncomfortable silence, staring into each other's pupils. The slight tilt of her eyes, the strange hair, the worn-out physique, all contributed to that haunted look in her eyes “Typical expression of zealots” Erik thought to himself...

"So...you want to ask me something....?"

"Prisoner upon a golden vessel, heading to be burned at the stake... at best. At worst, to live an ascetic life. There is not much to ask."

"Living an ascetic life isn’t that bad, you could be redeemed."

"Redeemed? What a pity. There is no such thing. If such things existed, then this land wouldn’t be infested by demons and wraiths."

"The Gods gives us those challenges, so we can become stronger, and they forgive us."

"The only thing that they can do, and do, is punishing us for arbitrary sins that happened long ago. Now leave me to burn here, please."

 

So saying, the little girl went away, cursing to herself over the unkept heretic. Erik rolled in humid but warm sheets, trying to absorb a bit of warmth. Before warmth would consume him on the pyre.

 

The light of the little room became darker, the air heavier. "Erik... Erik" a voice called from around him "you have a quest to complete." a hand grabbed his chest, a putrefied raven head appeared "you are one with me. We have to slay this curse that binds us in this body. We have to escape this circle. We have to win. We have to prevail" the grip became tighter, "have you seen them? The lesser demons in hell? Do you remember their faces? Their agony? I did. You can’t die cursed."

 

They called him a few minutes later, they mumbled something about water and purification. Probably they wanted him baptized or something...again.

 

"Do you renounce your demon Lord?" the priest asked in a solemn voice

"Trust me, if I could renounce him I wouldn't be here. He owns me. Exactly as your Lord owns you"

The priest laughed, after a few seconds his expression became serious again.

"We aren't like you, Lord Arathos took all in his farm like lost lambs." so saying, he plunged him deep into the barrel of water that was prepared for him.

"Do you feel cleansed of your corruption now?"

Erik’s face became thorn with agony, "A bit."

They both laughed, and the priest plunged him again into the barrel.

 

After several minutes of plunging, the priest talked to him, "Good. Now go with Gywen, he will guide you to greater and greater highs until you will not be purified of your desires!"

The captain looked at the scene from a distance, giving him a strange, penetrating look of unsure meaning. What was that glance and what meant for him, he didn’t know, but whatever it was, it wasn’t good.