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Radiant Age, March 31, 1127

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After building my cabin, I finally went inside to take a load off. I still had a few things to finish up, but I decided to leave the rest until tomorrow. It was getting dark out, so I made my way inside my home, cooked a small meal, and relaxed before bed.

“This place turned out well.”

I patted myself on the back for a job well done. Tired from the long week of labor, I curled up in my chair with a book in hand. With the warm fire going in my new cabin home, I closed my eyes and fell into a deep slumber.

 

 

---

 

“Feodora…”

A cold yet familiar voice caused me to open my eyes. I was back in the forest from my past. The man who towered over me was none other than Maxwell. I could see those piercing blue eyes through his black mask as he gazed down at me.

“Maxwell?”

I questioned.

“Do as I ordered you to...”

I stared down to see a young girl. She was dead, likely killed by the beast out here. Occasionally, we would discover someone who got lost deep out here and got killed by a beast. Sometimes, the beast would kill them and drag their bodies far into the forest. These were the people I met over my long years within the forest. I’ve only had conversations with Maxwell and corpses. 

“What was I doing, Maxwell?”

I asked.

I noticed my voice was higher, and my body was more petite. I was a teenager, and Maxwell was teaching me how to live. I was in that dirty white shirt that I knitted over the years. And the green cargo pants that I wore were something I found in a dead man’s belongings. He was ripped apart by beasts, but his clothing was brand new, so I took them.

It was a warm day, and this body was decomposing fast. Flies hovered around it, but I was used to seeing dead people by this point in my life. I… probably saw more dead people than living ones at this age.

“I need to know if you’ve truly learned necromancy, Feodora.”

Maxwell said as he turned back to the corpse.

“Okay, Maxwell…”

The deceased girl looked to be younger than me. There was a chance that she might have been in an orphanage just like I was, and she somehow found her way into the forest where the beast got her. Her stomach was ripped open by claws, and her leg was barely dangling from her body.

 

 

The fear in her eyes was evidence that she died afraid. As I looked at her more, I noticed her hair was bleach blonde, almost white. Her eyes were a bright blue that looked like the lake on a sunny day. This girl was beautiful in life, and it was a tragedy to see her in death.

"Feodora, when people are alive… that is when they are most valued. Life is precious, and you have a kind heart."

Maxwell spoke as he held my shoulder.

“But when they are dead… you shouldn’t see them as a person anymore. We are dark vessels that take dominion over the dead. That beautiful child who lost her life too soon… is nothing but a weapon for you."

“Yes, Maxwell.”

It was then I made the symbol that was associated with necromancy. I took out my katana and held it close to my arm. In a swift motion, I cut myself, causing the blood on my arm to rain down on the beautiful girl's body.

 

 

I dipped two fingers into the wound and drew a symbol on her forehead. The sign was a cross with four dashes around it. I channeled darkness into the mark, and the girl's eyes began to blink as she came alive. Rigidly, her body started to pulsate. This girl wasn't the first corpse I brought back to life, but her beauty burned into my memory.

“You feel that connection in your fingers, don’t you Feodora?”

 

 

 

It was like holding a cross brace for a doll to control. As I moved my fingers, her body would follow suit. I… was in control of her in her death.

“As I told you before… this art is illegal, and people will kill you if you got caught using the dead for your own goals. But when you need to… use it to live."

My mentor sternly commanded.

“Yes, Maxwell.”

Slowly, he nodded his head.

“Good, now cut its strings, Feodora.”

Maxwell ordered.

I motioned my hands like playing the harp in the air. My doll stopped and fell to the ground. Thanks to the excess spectrum released from its body, her corpse broke apart even more. Her leg snapped off her body, and her head twisted unrealistically.

“What does the symbol mean, Maxwell?”

I asked as I looked at the cross on her forehead. I knew what it could do, but I didn't know its meaning.

“You don’t need to know that, Feodora. All you need to know is that this symbol is for necromancy.”

I shook my head.

"I don't get that logic! You've taught me so many symbols, Maxwell. I see them in my night terrors but… but these symbols don’t mean anything to me!"

Frustrated, I turned to the side.

“How am I supposed to truly understand what I’m doing… without knowing why I’m doing it?”

He groaned and put his cold hands on my shoulders.

“It’s because I know best, Feodora. You… shouldn’t go looking for those kinds of answers.”

My mentor turned back to the corpse of the girl. Her body was sprawled out and facing the trees that towered over her.

"I know you want to bury her. Go ahead; I won't stop you."

With that, he began to walk away, deeper into the forest. I sat there, annoyed and frustrated that I’ve learned these spells… without truly understanding them.

“I’ll lay you to rest.”

I leaned over this unknown girl's body. I could bring her back to “life” by using necromancy, but I felt like she… deserved to sleep after the tragedy that she suffered.

“Lila… you look like a Lila to me.”

The memory faded away as I recalled the name I gave that doll that day. Out of all the "dolls" we've come across through those years… Lila stuck with me. She showed me that death could come to anyone at any time, no matter the age.  

Thanks to Lila, my will to live grew stronger that day.

 

When I finished burying Lila, I put a flower on her grave.

“Thanks for being my friend… even if it was only for a few hours.”

The memory melted into a bright haze. A warm feeling washed over me, and for the first time, a dream felt pleasant…

But in an instant, that wonderful memory became a horror show as my night terrors began to assault my mind.

 

---

 

"Settle down, Feodora."

A strange voice demanded.

 

 

My breathing was labored, and I could feel the spiders crawling around my body. They were biting me, eating me piece by piece. I was on the ground in a cavern, and there were spiders and bugs all around me. They crawled up my legs, arms, neck, and every part of my body. The pain was excruciating.

“Arrgg...”

I tried to stop myself from screaming. Above me was a blurry figure that had no shape. It watched me as I was being eaten alive. I couldn’t make out if the voice was male or female because an audible distortion disrupted its tone.

“Do you remember these symbols that you encountered?”

A few symbols floated into my mind….

 

The first one was an arrow that pointed to the right. I recalled seeing it recently, but I couldn’t remember where.

 

 

 

The second one was a circle with a dot in the middle. I couldn’t remember where I saw it recently either.

 

 

The third and last one was a circle with a [X]. There were two dashes on both sides of the mark.

 

 

My mind was trying to remember where I saw this outside of my night terrors.

 

 

As I watched these symbols, the horrible bugs kept assaulting my body. The creatures burrowed into my skin, and the idea of monsters living within me was too much for my psyche to handle, and I quickly fell into madness.

I screamed and rolled around.

“Feodora, focus!”

The voice woke me up from my psychotic break. Slowly, I looked up at the blur above me and tried to focus.

"W-What do you want from me?!”

 

 

I tried to reassure myself, but the pain was too real. Every time I was lost in a night terror... the fear and pain were so vivid that I could barely take it.

“If you want to live… you must learn what these symbols mean! You must learn the truth!”

I thought about the symbols again. I knew the basics of possession and necromancy, sacrificial arts for both animals and people. I trained in how to sacrifice living beings to amplify the dark skills and curses. I know how depraved a dark vessel can be when people become tools for them.

But Maxwell ordered me only to use the symbols sparingly. He told me not to possess anyone unless it's the only way to survive. Maxwell instructed me not to bring back corpses and force them to do my bidding unless it's essential to staying alive. 

Maxwell deemed them as a last resort. I've learned how to draw every symbol in the dark arts. But Maxwell… never wanted me to understand the meaning behind them, just when and how to use them…

“Why did Maxwell teach you this way, Feodora?!”

The voice demanded answers. 

“I don’t know!” 

I screamed back. 

Suddenly, I was back to the day with Lila… the corpse that became my friend. I just buried her hours ago, and once again, I pled with my mentor to tell me more about the dark arts. Maxwell towered over me as I begged him to teach me the meanings behind those powerful spells.

 

---

 

“I won’t teach you the meanings, Feodora.”

“Why?! Tell me why Maxwell?!”

My mentor groaned.

 

“It’s because... when you tap into that level of darkness, it taps back. But unlike me or other dark vessels of your kind, these arts latch on you from the other side.”

"From the other side?"

"If I taught you the meanings behind the symbols I fear you won't just learn their secrets like any other dark vessel."

 

I never could understand what he meant by that. Maxwell would brush me off when I asked time and time again.

I felt as though Maxwell was crippling me by doing this. I can use the dark arts and know what they do, but I don't fully comprehend the core of what they mean. Because of that, my training was fundamentally flawed… and Maxwell knew this…

 

---

The memory faded, and in an instant, I was back in that horrible cave, surrounded by creatures biting into me in a blink of an eye. That disembodied voice spoke again.

"Understand what your mentor wanted to hide!"

The voice commanded, then it brought out the first symbol…

 

“This is the symbol of Subjugation.”

 

 

The ghost brought out the symbol with the arrow. 

“When this symbol entraps a person, they become your slave until death. Unless it’s broken or dispelled, they will follow orders to the bitter end.” 

It was then I realized what this person was trying to accomplish. This entity broke Maxwell’s teachings and showed me the truths behind the dark symbols.

“The symbol of Subjugation is an arrow pointing forwards. 

It means: 

No matter, I will go forward. 

It is an order for the enslaved person to follow thy will until death!"

As if someone turned a gear on within me, I immediately understood the power level behind the subjugation spell. The image of a possessed person came to mind. Their eyes were glowing a bright purple and would happily die for their master.

 

 

 

“Nggg…”

I lunged back as if someone had stabbed me in the heart with an arrow. I could feel something crawling on my chest as a fierce tidal wave of information flooded my mind, all regarding this symbol. I could comprehend the magnitude of Subjugation. Subjugation was a part of me, and the spell held more weight and power because of this entity.

“Before you are distorted and corrupted, Feodora, I will etch these symbols into your heart! Listen well and accept my help.”

The disembodied voice ordered as it brought out another symbol.

 

“This here is the symbol of Vampirism.”

 

 

 

 

The second symbol appeared before me.

"What did Maxwell teach you about this spell, Feodora?”

I was growing weak from the pain of the bugs biting through me. But a desire to learn overshadowed my night terror as I cried out to the blur in front of me.

"Maxwell said… that this symbol could allow me to drain spectrum from my foes. I… I don't understand the meaning behind it, though. I know when to use it and how to use it but not why it’s that spell that does it.”

The entity laughed in amusement as it floated around. 

“Vampirism channels spectrum for the user to use at a later time. It will pull the life out of a person for your desire. The circle represents entrapment. The dot represents the one entrapped by the user.”

I felt like I had a personal connection with the vampiric symbol suddenly. Like the previous symbol, it etched itself into my heart. A floodgate of knowledge surrounding the spell rushed into my mind.

I knew what vampirism was at its core… and I felt that this sign was a piece of me. It latched onto my heart and wouldn’t let go… no matter what.

There were no more hollow understandings of the symbol. In a way… I felt liberated and comforted by this spell.

"Stay strong, Feodora. I will show you the final symbol you came across… and then you can rest."

 

 

“This is the symbol of Body Possession!”

 

 

 

I recalled using this spell before, but my mind was hazy, and I couldn’t remember where. I took over someone’s body and used it to reach my goal... 

The mark was a circle with an “X” on it. Two straight lines were on its side horizontally.

“Body possession is used to entrap someone's soul as you use them as a vessel. The circle is the person. The X represents the possessor taking away their body. The two lines on the sides are walls, preventing the souls from parting."

The shadow hovered over me in the air, watching me suffer in pain as the creatures chewed me piece by piece. But the pain became an afterthought as I absorbed the truth of the spells I’ve learned over these years.

"Feodora, body possession takes complete control over the person. It puts their souls in prison as you take over. You control their life and their death.”

My chest burned as the last spell carved into my heart. The spell of body possession became intimate to me. It wasn't just a surface understanding anymore.

I… became one with the symbol and felt like I wasn’t afraid of using them.

“When you learn more truths of the world, you will return here so I can etch them into your heart, Feodora...”

The voice sounded calming and loving compared to just moments ago.

“W-Who are you?”

I asked timidly. But before the voice could speak again, the pain began to subside, and the world around me shattered. The bugs disappeared, and I found myself falling from the sky. The wind blew my long hair as I descended deeper into the darkness upside down.

Jarringly, my body twisted upright, and the world around me followed. My feet landed on rocky steps. There were beautiful purple flowers all around me, and I was at the foot of an enormous door. The door was made of large square slabs and shined a magnificent bright purple. I could feel an overwhelming dark spell pulsating from it too.

 

 

“Where am I?”

I questioned. 

This place was so dark, cold… and beautiful. Suddenly, the sides of the large door lit up, and symbols that I had just learned about formed around it. I was in awe as I watched the dark signs latch onto the door as if they were pieces of a puzzle. I felt that I was getting closer to opening this massive door. It was then my dream finally began to fade. And an overwhelming sense of calm came over me as I closed my eyes…

 

 

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Radiant Age, April 1, 1127

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“Ah!”

I woke up from my horrible dream, but this one felt vivid and real, unlike my usual night terrors. I knew the meaning of the symbols that were in my dream…

Subjugation.

Vampirism.

Body possession.

 

I had a better understanding of them and felt I could finally use them to their full potential. 

I tapped into them... 

and...

 They latched onto me…

 

“What a dream….”

I whispered as I searched the ceiling. I felt a sense of fulfillment as if I ran a race and came out in first place.

Those marks had a place in my heart, and nobody would take that away from me. That dream… broadened my understanding of who I was as a dark vessel in a single night.

I held my chest as I looked about my destroyed cabin room.

 

"But… When did I see those three symbols outside of my dreams?"