Elinor’s mind snapped into focus, but she felt odd; her senses were dulled.  A soft breath came in and out of her lips at an even tempo.  She opened her eyes to find the world surprisingly visible for it being near pitch-black, but her vision was blurred, and there seemed to be a hot pressure against her chest.  She looked down at her silk shirt and soft black shorts in confusion.  What was I … was I asleep?

Her vision centered on a long strand of grayish-white hair; her eyes widened as she lifted her arm, and watched an emerald green light flow down her veins to her fingers, shifting to a chartreuse green at the tips before fading.  The light fluctuated with the rhythm of her heart.

She glanced around, frantically looking for help as her heartbeat increased with the pulsing light, but all she saw was an empty room; the walls were concrete, and the ceiling showed old wooden planks.  There was a barred window to the left of the room that was boarded up, and a wooden staircase leading up out of the basement.

There were dust and dirt patches spread across the ground and boot prints that lead to her current position.  She was a little surprised with how bright the room was considering there were only slight slivers of sunlight poking through the boarded window.

Reflexively she tried to swallow but found no saliva in her mouth.  Grasping at her throat, her chest pounding, but all other thoughts vanished from her mind as she watched the flesh on her right arm start disintegrating.

Glowing green veins appeared, illuminating her red muscle and white sinew, but there was no blood; parts of her bones began to poke through the decaying tissue.  The green light pulsing through her veins continued to brighten as more of her flesh and muscle vanished.  She felt no pain, but could still feel her skin breaking down before her eyes; the pressure against her heart, however, increased.

“Wha—what’s happening to me?”  She wheezed a shrill cry, voice a hollow rasp that was unfamiliar to her ears, and that was when the knowledge came with every question.

I’m withering away because my spirit is corrupted; it’s no longer bound to my body.  I need to create a phylactery.  I don’t know what that is!  What’s a phylactery … a vessel that stores my spirit.  How do I do it … I need to pour my desire into an object.

Despite her panicking mind, she found a sense of peace within herself that allowed her to reason; her horror was gradually replaced with temperance.  She got to her feet, brushing back her tangled grayish-white hair with a partially rotted hand, mind working on the problem at hand.

I need something to pour my spirit into, but it can’t be just anything; it must be something that will endure the test of time … I left my earrings in my pocket.  Are they still there?  If they are real black diamonds, then they’ll work.

She felt the skin and muscles across her chest beginning to wither, moving down to her stomach.  Ignoring the small spark in her brain that told her to scream, she brought the back of her fingers to her shorts; even though most of her skin and muscle was gone, she could feel the velvet pouch press against her bony fingers and thigh.

Plucking the pouch out of her pocket, she took a moment to untie the binding before dropping to her butt.  She dumped the contents of the bag in front of her crossed legs, starting to see the muscle, fat, and skin of her legs disintegrate as the pulsing lights increased down her thighs to her toes.

I know I should be freaking out, but … it feels like I need to really push myself to actually scream … it’s hard to feel scared at all.  Why is that … ah, Emotional Loss.  What does it do to me … it’s a Lich Racial Trait that dulls joy, fear, sadness, and trust, but leaves surprise, disgust, anger, and anticipation.  Is there any way to turn it off?  I guess not.  It can be overpowered, though.

Elinor stared down at the jewelry for a moment.  She couldn’t explain what she was experiencing.  Her body was collapsing on her; she was freaking out and completely calm at the same time.

I was in my room, waiting for my parents, and I woke up here.  I woke up dying, and somehow I know that it’s related to my spirit no longer being accepted by my body.  It’s clear I was kidnapped, but I shouldn’t be concerned about that right now; I’m literally withering away … my body’s being destroyed by my own corrupted spirit.

She heard movement upstairs; the creaking floorboards overhead snatching her attention.  The voices were panicked and faint to her fading mind; she couldn’t make them out.

Her focus returned to the jewelry before her, and she willed herself to make these stones her new home.  The world went black as her spirit left her decomposing corpse; the cold stones that welcomed her felt like a tomb, but that didn’t bother her.  After a moment, the tight space even felt right, safe, her own personal sanctuary.

The one thing she didn’t expect was how immobile she was; she was formless, trapped in an endless void, yet pressed on all sides by an unseen force.  She needn't panic, though, she had time.  Her senses were nigh utterly null.  There was no sound, light, taste, or scent, but there was a pressure that kept her inside this space.  She floated in an abyss with no end.

So, I suppose I’m dead … wow, what a thought.  Wait!  Mom … I can’t do that to her; she’d break … is this what it’s like when you’re dead?  Do I just float in an endless purgatory in some stones?  That doesn’t make sense at all … am I really dead?

No … my spirit was corrupted.  How did it get corrupted?  I don’t know … all I remember is going to sleep and waking up here … well, in that basement.  What now?  Now I’m a rock … or am I?

What am I … A Lich Empress.  I remember reading something about a Lich somewhere … was it a game?  I’m an Empress, too?  Huh?  Will you at least tell me what a Lich is … a being that utilizes the death elemental type magic to bind their spirit to an object to obtain immortality.  Okay … so, I’m like, the Empress of Immortality?  Does becoming a Lich corrupt your spirit … it does.  Well, dammit … how the hell did that happen?

The image of her father scolding her about her language flashed across her mind, causing a burst of sadness to break past Emotional Loss.  Her thoughts skipped back and forth, her emotion breaking past her Racial Trait from time to time.

I hope they’re okay.  What if they were killed by my kidnappers?  But I don’t know … don’t they usually ask for like … money or something?  That’s how it is in the movies, but what if … what if it’s like that Taken movie?  What if they’re trying to force me to … no, no, no, don’t think about that!  Just take a deep breath … with no lungs, and think!

Hmm, okay, I bound my spirit to both earrings, but … no, not the metal, just the stones, but wait a damn second!  I can’t just stick my spirit in any old rock.  That means mom must be right.  These are real freaking diamonds, and now my spirit’s trapped in them … I can’t give them back now...

Crap, okay, deep breaths … how does that even work?  So, my corrupted spirit is inside two diamonds.  Hmm, what does that mean if one is broken?  Really … that seems like a really important answer to not give me!

What do I know?  I’m a Lich Empress, and therefore my spirit is corrupted.  My body’s freaking ash, I’m stuck in two diamonds, and I’ve got some kind of computer in my head … spirit … whatever, that’s answering my questions, or not.  I’m stuck in this place and have no clue what’s happening outside.  I was kidnapped … probably, and they’re upstairs.

What if some jungle voodoo-people kidnapped me and they did some crazy soul ritual on me?  Dammit!  I knew we shouldn’t have gone on this stupid trip!  I also like feeling emotion; is there a way I can get rid of Emotional Loss?  Fine … don’t tell me; at least it’s not exactly a no.

Think, think, think … I’m freaking sixteen-years-old!  This is bullcrap!  Freaking jungle-people, freaking humanitarian crap, freaking Lich crap, I don’t want to be in here; I want a body!

Her thoughts died as a heat rose within her core; it wasn’t anywhere specifically, but she knew it was somewhere within her.  She felt as if her mind was expanding as a white light filled her vision; she tried to shut off the light by somehow closing non-existent eyes, but the light wouldn’t fade.

A pressure began to form at her back, and slowly sounds filtered into her mind—a wet sensation permeated her mouth, making her swallow.  A dusty scent birthed into her now awakening senses, and color exploded into sight.

Stunned, she lay in silence as her newly discovered faculties overloaded her mind.  She stared up at the floorboards of the basement she was in before.  A man was shouting, shortly followed by a second voice, both in Spanish.

“You don’t think I didn’t see it?”

“What the hell happened to her?  She’s a damn rotting corpse!  The white hair, man!”

“Dammit, I know; calm down, Raul.  They don’t know she’s dead.”

“It’s that light, man; that light in the sky, and that crystal that appeared in the middle of town!  There’s some supernatural shit happenin’ here, man!  Let’s just tell Armando what happened; we can’t get him back the money.”

“You shittin’ me?  Do you want your mother turned into a rug?  Americans are loaded; we’ll get what we need … we just need to figure out how to get—dammit, how the hell did she turn into a half-rotten corpse in fifteen minutes?”

“It’s the light, man; the light…”

“Shut the hell up,” the man shouted.  “Let’s get out of here; we’ll tell them to give us any valuables they have before telling them she’s here.  Get your mask and clean up anything we’ve left.  I’ll get the truck ready, so we can ditch this hell-hole.”

Elinor listened to their conversation with a wave of deep-rooted anger that flared inside her; she could smell her decaying carcass, but the smell didn’t spark her distaste.  They kidnapped me to pay off some debt?  They’re going to rob my parents and tell them I’m here … without even telling them I’m dead?

The thought of her mother and father finding her half-rotten corpse in a random basement filled her with hate.  The emotional scars it would leave on her parents and the blame she knew they’d feel.

Her mind was shockingly clear, despite fire burning within her.  She lifted herself with her left hand, examining her right; she saw perfectly smooth white skin.  Looking down at her body, she studied her appearance, gauging its functionality. 

She was naked, and her figure was nearly a replica of her previous subtracting all the scars she’d obtained throughout her life; even her tattoos were still in their exact places.  In fact, she thought her curves were even more symmetrical than before, and even showed evidence of light exercise.

One notable change was her hair; it was even thicker than her previous body.  Her bangs were cut evenly just above her eye line, and was perfectly straight, hanging down to her lower back.  The oddest part being the color, her hair was the same grayish-white shade that her previous body reflected.

Getting to her feet, she pulled back her hair and stared down at her remains.  That’s really my body … I suppose I should probably get dressed, but…

She lifted her arm, twisting it around to examine her skin.  What is this body … Artificial Body … a magical construct formed to replicate the user’s desire.  It’s easily destroyed, but I guess I could just reconstruct it if it’s ruined.

Elinor pulled back her hair to brush her fingers against her ears; she felt the cold surface of her earrings in place.  So, these are my real body … not this construct.  That’s so strange.

Looking back down at her previous body, she pursed her lips to the side; the green glow of her veins had vanished, but there was still no blood, only rotting flesh.  I know it’s not the most important thing, but I’d rather have clothes.  I should be glad that there’s no liquid to stain them.

She bent down and shifted her stiffening corpse around to remove her shirt, bra, shorts, and panties, putting them on.  The expression on her corpse was neutral as if dying wasn’t even that big of a deal.  Humming lightly, she sat down, staring at her partially rotted naked body.  

That’s me?  I don’t know how this is possible, but I can’t worry about that right now; what I do know, is that the two men upstairs plan to hurt my mom and dad.  How do I stop them, though?

Am I like a necromancer?  Can I raise the dead … I can ... Raise Skeleton.  Can I make stronger skeletons?  I suppose not yet.

She licked her lower lip, biting the corner as a soft smile lit her cheeks.  I’m like a necromancer; I control the dead, huh?  Is that what a Lich does?  Control the element of death.  Alright, then … I’m an Empress of the Dead … me and what army?

Holding out her left hand, she fed the desire for her old body to rise as a skeleton, and rise it did; she watched in fascination as a green flame seemed to birth from her arm, engulfing her hand as it flowed down to her corpse-like smoke.

The carcass twitched in front of her as the bright green fire burned away the flesh, leaving only her skeleton behind.  The fire seemed to have a life of its own as it fused with the bones, licking off with a silent, menacing glow.  The skull lit with light as its jaw unhinged and a deep eerie breath came from inside.

The skeleton began to rise in a smooth motion; she was a little surprised how fluid it moved.  The soft tapping of bone against concrete echoed around the empty room as it stood still in front of her.

Elinor’s smile turned curious, head tilting slightly; she walked around the skeletal form of her previous body.  It was a little unnerving to see her ribcage and pelvis, linked with her spine; bound by the cold fire that clung to the bones.

This isn’t a dream, right?  I brought my corpse back to life.  That’s actually kind of cool.

She licked her molars, humming softly, but a strange pulse shot through her that sent a warning signal off in her mind.  What’s that feeling?  It feels like something’s warning me to leave; no, it’s more like a command … there it is again.

She lifted her left hand as a tremor ran down her artificial bones with the pulse’s return.  Closing her fist, she heard the man upstairs curse, running out of the building.  Damn, I missed my opportunity, but it seems like he’s feeling the same drive to run from something behind the house.

Taking one last look around the basement, she walked up the wooden steps; her skeleton followed, the soft patter of its bony feet clicking behind her.  She proceeded through the open door, surveying the kitchen she entered; the pressure she felt from the pulse kept getting stronger, and she started to notice a second warning signal going off in her head.

If I don’t leave soon, then that pulse will force my skeleton to flee outside my control; so, my minions can be wrestled outside of my control.  That’s not good … I’m basically defenseless without it; this magical construct is just as weak as my human body.

She walked out of the kitchen towards the front door but paused for a moment in front of a living room mirror.  Her eye and lip color had changed; her eyes were now glowing with an eerie green light, her lips were healthy, but pale, and her facial structure had altered slightly.

Well, I’m like a ghostly supermodel, damn, and I thought I was beautiful before.  I look really good considering I’m dead, and why does my default expression look like I’m utterly bored with life?  It’s like whatever I’m looking at isn’t worth my time...

She puffed up her cheeks before letting go of a soft breath.  Honestly, where has my mind gone since dying?  Well, my body died, but I suppose my spirit is immortal as long as it’s contained inside these diamonds.  I’m immortal...

Fighting past the pulsing warnings, she pulled back her hair for a second to view the glittering black diamonds.  Who knew black diamonds were a real thing?

The ominous waves increased, making her wince; she walked out of the open front door, her new follower in-tow.  The dark starry sky met her, but her vision pierced the night as if it was midday.  Oh, look at that; I have night vision … better than night vision!

She seemed to be on the edge of town; there were a few abandoned houses that were beginning to be overtaken by the jungle.  This town must be in hard times; no wonder the building was so bare.  I’m a little shocked that there was a mirror left on the wall, but it doesn’t look like it’s been abandoned for that long.

The threatening feeling she was receiving was coming from behind the house, toward the center of town.  She noticed small crowds of panicked people running out of the area, fleeing into the jungle.  Proceeding into town, she curved away from the ominous waves, and they were quickly diminishing the further she went.

I should find my parents first; if I find them, then those men won’t have any leverage.

She glanced back at her reanimated corpse with a slight frown.  I don’t know how durable it is in a fight, but I guess we might find out soon enough.

Several people caught sight of her, flanked by a blazing skeleton; naturally, they screamed and ran the opposite direction.  She saw a few of the tourists that she remembered on the bus, but they were just as panicked as the townsfolk.

Her lips bunched to the side as she made it to what seemed the market district of the town.  I didn’t really give this any thought, did I?  What are my parents going to think if I’ve got this thing following me?

She turned to stare at her burning bag of bones.  Man, you really are creepy looking … ironic, since it used to be my skeleton.  That’s really me … I turned my own body into a skeleton.  Is this really okay?

Scratching her forehead, she hummed lowly, trying to figure out how to disguise the eerie spectacle; however, before she came up with anything, the sky lit with lights as the heavens seemed to fracture.  The cracks ran down all sides into a dome; the bright flares shining through the cracks shifted between thousands of colors across the bubble, but the starry sky was still visible with the rising moon.

Elinor groaned.  Wonderful, what’s happening now?  That guy was talking about bright lights in the sky; well, there are bright cracks of lights…

Her thoughts froze as a massive pulse seemed to ripple through her, and the ominous waves ceased.  What was that?  She looked toward what she assumed was the center of town, but she couldn’t see anything beyond the buildings.

Deciding she should first worry about finding her parents, she broke into a jog, her skeletal companion following behind her.  She didn’t feel tired at all as she kept an even pace; passing dozens of buildings, she saw very few occupants still inside.  All the lights in the buildings she passed were dead, but she did see several with people lighting candles.

Making it back to the hotel, she was a little disappointed to find it mostly empty.  There were a few screaming people that ran away from her as if she was a white-haired ghost, but it wasn’t her parents, and it seemed most of the townsfolk had already fled this area because of the pulse.

She tried opening their hotel door, but it was locked.  She knocked and listening, but only heard soft scuffling inside, making her frown.  Are mom and dad hiding or something?  I mean, if they looked out, would they even recognize me?  Probably not at first glance...

Taking a quick peek at her skeleton to her left, she judged that it wasn’t in sight of the peephole.  What should I do?  I haven’t even tried to speak yet...

Her vision wandered around the parking lot for answers, cheeks bunched to the side before her vision fixated on a still-running truck just beside the edge of the building.  Mind flashing back to her kidnappers’ conversation, she felt the heat in her chest rise.

Without even being ordered, her skeleton moved to her desires; it bolted forward as she walked out of the way and slammed its bony form against the door, but it merely bounced back.  The bony visage of her previous body ceaselessly hurling itself at the wood put a frown on Elinor’s lips.  I guess it weighs like nothing … there’s no way it can get through it.

She heard shouting inside; it was the men’s voices she’d heard before.

“Hell’s wrong with you?”

“Get out of here before we blow your damn head off!”

Her bright green eyes moved to the front window and her skeleton complied.  Retreating several feet, it ran full force at the window and smashed into it; it gave way, shattered glass showering across the pavement as the men cursed.  She lost sight of her minion, but her desire was clear; save her parents and restrain at least one of the men.

She was about to climb through the window when the door burst open, and a tall, bony man ran out, screaming at the top of his lungs.

“What the … Javier, don’t leave me!  Help!”

Elinor was about to walk inside when a bizarre scene made her freeze; even with Emotional Loss, fear flashed across her artificial body.  A loud thud shook the building as a massive creature seemed to drop out of the sky, sliding down the roof with shingles falling around it.

Javier saw it out of the corner of his eye, causing him to trip and throw up his hands in a futile defense as the creature opened its enormous jaws to engulf two-thirds of the man’s body; Elinor heard the snap of bones as the beast opened and closed its mouth, crushing the man.  She was paralyzed as she watched the creature feast.

It had thick and scaly grayish-brown skin with a lighter undertone to its belly; the creature resembled a mix between a toad and alligator.  Short spikes curved along its back, and webbed, powerful clawed arms and legs tensed as they shifted across the dirt.  It twisted its short-muzzled head to find better positions to chew the still screaming man inside its mouth, blood dripping down its chin to soak into the hard dirt road, nostrils flaring.

The creature’s head and body were shorter than an alligator but longer than a toad’s.  Its sharp fangs glistening red; large yellow eyes swiveled to examine the area as its horizontal pupils dilating.  Its thick, long alligator-like tail flipped to the left, indenting the rear side door of the still running truck, and making the shocks creak as it rocked back and forth.

The sheer horror of the sight and confusion Elinor felt rippled through her mind.  What … what is that?  A monster?

Emotional Loss quickly subdued her panic; she darted inside, shutting the door behind her.  She assumed the man her skeleton was clinging to with a death-grip was Raul; he was screaming bloody murder, but Elinor found her curiosity spike a little at how the green fire didn’t burn or move to him.

The emotion soon faded as the threat outside returned to mind, and she realized her parents weren’t in the room.  She quickly moved around the two flailing figures to check the bathroom; all their luggage was thrown out, and it was apparent that they were trying to find anything valuable in their belongings.  Where did they go?  Did that light bring those creatures?

Raul seemed to be getting tired because his struggles slowed as he caught sight of her.  “What … you’re—you’re that—that girl?”  He wheezed.

Elinor frowned as she looked down at the slightly overweight man.  Let’s see if I can speak.

“A-eh,” she opened her mouth and tried to speak, but her throat was dry.  Clearing her throat, she found a bit of saliva entering her mouth.  “Sh-shut—up,” she rasped, massaging her throat.

The man instantly clamped his lips shut, face white.

Creeping to the window, Elinor was careful to not step on any of the glass shards littering the floor, and peered outside; the creature was still chowing down on Javier’s corpse.  He’d stopped screaming.  There were cries down the opposite street, but she couldn’t see anyone from her angle.

She watched the creature step on Javier’s legs, causing a squelching noise as it ripped off his right arm with its jaws; sinew twisted off the bone as she heard soft popping sounds.  It chewed a few times before swallowing.  After a few minutes, a second figure leaped down from the roof.

This new creature had the familiar shape of a man, but was closer to a toad, and was at least five foot tall, but if it extended its legs it would be much taller; it had dark green and gray stripes that spread across its thick skin in a pattern.  Its forearms were much thicker than its toned biceps and heavy shoulders.  Its muscular toad legs bowed as it crouched next to Javier’s corpse, studying it.  

Elinor couldn’t see the front of the creature, but it wore some kind of plant garb that was sewn together into a makeshift vest, and a small backpack of the same material was strapped to its back; two sheathed bone-hilted curved daggers were attached to the jacket.  A large dark brown wooden spear in its right hand glinted with a black stone like tip; the wooden shaft near the blade was stained red.

Two more toad-men jumped down from the building, joining it, and she saw three large serrated teeth on both sides of their mouths.  They wore a sinister expression and put unease in her stomach.  One of the newcomers had amber eyes while the other had purple with each having different skin markings.  Both carried similar clothing and weaponry as the first.

Their throats seemed to bulge in complex ways as strange sounds rumbled in their throats, obviously communicating with one another.  After a moment the first reached up to rub under the toad-alligator’s bloody chin.  Each one had different facial tattoos or paint, but every design was a glistening red.

She watched with a hint of subdued fear and fascination as the first toad-man reached down and spread its five fingers, dipping them in the blood that flowed from Javier; it then used its webbed thumb to smear a curved cross pattern on its shoulder and pressed its palm against the side of the monster next to it, leaving a bloody palm-print.

Elinor ducked further into the shadows of the curtains as their heads swiveled to observe the lightly lit area, cast with the glowing colors of the overhead phenomenon.  I don’t know if this is a dream or reality!  I’ve never had a dream like this, but if this is real, then this really sucks.  Monsters are attacking…

She turned, putting a finger to her lips as the man grunted, trying to shift his bodyweight; her skeleton kept him pinned on the floor.  I don’t want to know what these things might do to us if we’re found out.  Did mom and dad make it to the jungle?  I get the feeling these things thrive in the jungle, though…

The three toad-men and their creature moved off toward more screams at the edge of town.  It’s like we’ve entered a fairytale warzone.

Turning back to the man, she bunched her lips to the side, pulling her hair out of her line-of-sight.  What to do?  There are monsters outside, it looks like there’s a force field or something around the town, and I have no clue where my parents are … oh, and I’m a Lich Empress, that’s a pretty important detail, but at least I’m royalty.

Slowly moving back toward the man, she sat down before him.  Rubbing her throat, she whispered, “Alright, I’m still getting used to speaking—so give me a second.”

The man looked terrified as he glanced at his right shoulder where he could make out a burning skull.  He cleared his throat, swallowing hard before nodding.

A sad smile touched her cheeks.  “Yes—I’m the girl you—you kidnapped, but apparently, I turned into a—a Lich Empress.”  She said, testing the words out; her voice was becoming more normal as she continued to speak.

“Your friend was just eaten by—some toad—toad-alligator monster thingy—outside, and there are some scary looking toad-men out there too.  I don’t know what—what the hell is going on—I just woke up to my body—my body rotting.  Do you have any ideas?”

He shook his head, swallowing again.  “N-no—I don’t,” he whispered.  “There was a ton of lights—they were all over the sky, kind of like the lights up there now … then a crystal appeared in town.  That’s all I know.  I’m—I’m so sorry about—about kidnapping you.  I just…”

Elinor cut him off.  “Yeah, well, regretting bad decisions in hindsight; am I right?  Anyways, what about my parents?  Where are they?”

He shook his head.  “I don’t…”  He cut off as Elinor’s eyes narrowed and a low eerie growl emanated from her skeletal minion, green light flickering across his face.

“I don’t—they weren’t here … w-we were just going to try and find enough stuff to pay back our—our d-debts and—and ditch t-town…”

“Leaving my parents to search around blindly until what—they found my rotting corpse?”  Elinor growled.

“I—I’m sorry…”  He squeaked.

A low growl rumbled in her throat as she looked down at her crossed legs.  What should I do?

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