A black feather
1.
A low murmuring. The sound of raindrops against the windows. Even though there were noises, the chapel was still filled with it’s own, undisturbable silence. The slightly flickering candles illuminated the room just barely. Though it was only evening, the storm itself had already darkened the sun and inside of the small church only the light of the candles provided a safe heaven from the impeding darkness.
But even though the chapel was surrounded by the heavy coat of rain and storm and the light itself appeared to vanish, there was neither rain, nor darkness in the mind of the man kneeing at the altar, his hands raised in prayer, his lips moving in near-silent speak.
Time passed on and the evening prayer went on. It required the deafening crackle of a thunder to distract the priest from his clerical passion, causing him to twitch and open his eyes. For a few second he simply sat there, staring through the dull glass at the storm outside, listening to the echo of the recent thunder and the continous streams of water.
He was about to resume his prayer, when he heard a set of strong and hasty knocks on the door. Was somebody joining him for the evening prayer? Even through this sort of storm was laying waste to the surrounding village? With haste, the priest got up and rushed to the door, not intent on leaving a visitor outside in the wet cold.
He quickly pulled back the bar that secured the large, bulky, wooden door from being pushed open by the wind and opened the door, widely. Cold rain, wet air, and the undamped sound of the storm struck against the man as the church’s entrance stood open. Shielding his face with a hand, he stared outside... only to see noone here, no visitor.
Deciding to give it a more thorough look, he stepped out of the entrance, his blue eyes trying to see through the mist of storm, in order to find a visitor who had may tried to find cover under a nearby roof... and as he stepped outside, his foot hit a small basket, laying alone in front of the door. A gift?
The priest picked the basket up, feeling a moderate weight and quickly returned inside, closing the massive door behind, once more bringing near-silence to the chapel’s interior. Carrying the basket to a small table that was located at the righthand side of the church, the priest put the ‘gift’ down there and went over to the altar to get a candle as well. Only then did he unravel the cloth the basket was covered in...
And dropped the candle to the ground in shock, as he saw the content of the basket...

2.
“...and so we shall praise our lord, the Eternal One!” the priest ended his speech, his arms outstretched to those sitting in the small chapel.
“And the Eternal One shall be praised!” the gathered townsfolk answered in chorical unison.
The priest, an elderly man, maybe around 50, his hair already grey and lacking, raised one of his hands, waving the sign of the Eternal One in the air, before stating “Go in peace, children, as our lord is watching our steps.”
As the divine service was officially over now, the church’s visitors got up, started to chat and slowly made their way out of the chapel, the atmosphere filled with contentness. The priest gave the hooded figure, which had been standing near one corner of the large ceremonial room, a quick beck and then hurried off to the church entrance, in order to properly say farewell to everyone.
As the priest stood at the door, saying his personal goodbye to all those willing to listen, occasionally adding some smalltalk with the one or other family, the lone figure started clearing up the room, picking up and sorting the hymnbooks, dousing the candles and gathering the coins, left as donations for the church.
“And... you are really sure about her? It really would be no problem to let the teacher school her with the other children. You don’t need to take on more burdens then you already do, priest Jahn.”
“No, we have already tried this and you do know how the other children react to... her. This is a task handed to me and only me by the Eternal One himself. It’s more a joy then a duty to teach her personally. After all, this means I can finally stop worrying about my successor.” The old priest answered, with a voice wise, strict and yet soothing. Of course it was, after all he had been taught to hold lectures and speeches, to move people with the power of words alone.
“I see the truth in your words. I suppose it was indeed nothing but divine will that caused her to be abandoned in front of a church which didn’t yet have a priest apprentice. Nonetheless, feel free to ask Irmand to help out with your teachings, after all there can’t be a single person that can teach everything a young soul needs to know.” the townsman continued arguing with the priest.
A sly smile snuck upon Jahn’s face. “Do you imply my knowledge is lacking, as result of my age?”
The man joined the smile and started snickering. “Far from it, priest. I just think that everyone, even a priest, should receive an education outside of their clerical one.”
“Don’t worry, I’m teaching her in various subjects. All knowledge benefits the Eternal One and as such, all my knowledge I shall bestow upon her.”
“I see... there won’t be a point in arguing with you. I suppose it’s divine will to have it happen this way, in first place. Live in peace.”
“Live in peace.” the priest responded to the common words of farewell, before returning inside.
He only managed to move halfway across the entrance room when the hooded figure was suddenly standing in front of him, her head lowered, not visible below the hood, her arms wrapped around the long, brown clerical robe she was wearing. “I’m sorry for being a bother to you...”
Instantly, he stepped forward and hugged her closely, the young girl of maybe twelve years barely reaching up to the priests chest. “Aww, please don’t say such things Loreley. You are far from being a bother, you are outright an enrichment to my life! What do you think I would be doing all-day all alone? One can only clean the entire chapel that often in a given amount of time.”

“Really?” the girl asked with a slightly shaky voice.
“Of course, really. I have always wished for a child, but as a priest dedicated to servicing a stationary church it is hard to found a family. I praised our lord when I found you in front of my doors. You’re a present from heaven!”
“But... But... the others always say... they say... mean things...” the girl started to mutter, her face still hidden in the priests’s robe.
“Loreley.” Jahn started, kneeing down to come eye-to-eye with the young girl. “I’ve already told you not to bother with those that insult you for things you have no responsibility off. People are born different. People look different, act different and their destinys differ as well. There is no shame in being different.”
“But... but...” she raised her head to look at Jahn directly, her eyes slightly swollen with surpressed tears.
“No but’s. You should cherish your life and your body as it is. That is the will of the Eternal One.” Jahn said, soothingly. He knew why people kept talking about her. Not about the fact she had been abandoned at the doorstep of a church. That happened all to commonly. Neither about the fact that she was being raised by the priest himself, that was common practice as well. “And, to be honest... that hair looks truly beautiful and adorable, as do your eyes.”
It was the warm, bright, upright smile of the man that seemed to pierce through the sadness of the young female, causing her face to be filled with a slim smile as well. There was the joy of being accepted, sparkling in her eyes, eyes with an unusual, white iris each.
“Thank you!” the girl muttered and hugged the priest once again, her hood flying off in the motion, revealing the stainless, white, shoulder-long hair below.
“Don’t thank me, but the Eternal One, for granting you life and us the destiny to meet. And as your appearance differs, I’m sure the lord is planning quite a special destiny for your future, as well...”

3.
“Granny, granny!”
With a sigh, Loreley leant back against the well’s supporting pillars. “Pff, at least that means I’m more mature then all of you together.”
“Haha, rather I prefer being young and immature then being old and ‘mature’.” One of the boys yelled back.
The girl shrugged, responding: “I’m young and mature, a combination you could only dream about. And my hair isn’t as dirty and shabby as yours.”
“Pff, that’s only because the ‘divine apprentice’ sits around in a comfy church all-day, doing nothing but enjoying time with the old priest, instead of actually working, for example on the fields. My father always says being covered in dirt is no shame, if it originates from hard work.” The boy, 16 years of age, which meant he was about of her age, stated, his chest swelling with proud.
“Well, I’m not stopping you, you’re free to go back into the mud you so value.” Intending to end the conversation, Loreley turned around, pulling the filled water bucket off the stone wall surrounding the well.
“Why don’t you take a bath in said mud?” the boy said, malice in his voice. Loreley noticed way too late how close that voice was and suddenly felt a strong shove from behind, causing her to stumble across the wet ground. Quickly, she lost her footing and fell over, the water bucket right behind her, splashing it’s cold content all across her.
“Oh boys, look at this!” another one of the males yelled and Loreley, still dazzled by the fall, heared steps closing in. “She’s all wet and muddy! And you can even see her underwear from here! And if you look closely”
“Stop it!” another voice yelled and the sound of a blunt impact and some quick steps was heard.
When Lorelei looked up, she saw another guy standing right in front of her. However, instead of staring at whatever may have been revealed below her robe, his back was facing her and he was threatening the other lads with his clenched fist. “Stop bullying her, that’s not the will of the Eternal One.”
“Pff, whatever...” the leader of the ruffians said, before hinting his group to leave.
“Geez, those dumbnuts... I’m sorry for what they did to you.” The remaining boy turned around, smiling at Loreley. Then he spotted just how much the robe slipped due to her fall. With a slight hint of red on his face, he quickly turned his back on her again. “Uhm... you may want to get up...”
It was only now, when Loreley realized she had been laying on the ground with slightly sprayed legs. Quickly she picked herself up and straightened out the, now mud-covered, robe. With her face blushing in high crimson, she could only mutter: “Thanks...”
“You’re welcome. I really can’t stand how you get picked on by those peps.” Peeking across his shoulder, he spotted her in a less akward position and faced her again.
Darius, that was his name. Loreley instantly recognized his face, that with the elegant nose, the fittingly small mouth, the gentle brown eyes, surrounded by short, scrubby black hair, with those cute ears and...
Realizing just how blatantly she was staring at him, she quickly averted her eyes, in order to look for the water bucket she had just dropped. She quickly found it and grabbed it from the ground, lamenting. “Now I will have to fill it another time...”
“Ah don’t worry, I will help you. After all you’re a lady.” Darius quickly reached for the handle of the bucket in her hand and as his skin made contact with hers, Loreley twitched in surprise, causing the bucket to fall to the ground again. “Oh sorry, I didn’t want to scare you.” The boy quickly reached for the bucket and then walked over to the well, knotting the robe around the bucket’s handle and throwing it into the deep hole.

He was always that nice to her. Entirely different from the others. Was that because he was the miller’s son? The miller was a good man, always coming to the church every Lordsday, always donation many of those precious coins he earned with his hard work. For sure it was only natural for his son to be well-mannered like that. And strong, as the miller’s job was for sure tough. And cute... and handsome... and...
Loreley gulped, realizing she had been staring at the young man’s butt all whilst he was now working on the well’s hoist. And again her face started to blush, though now for a different reason.
“Uhm... Darius...” she started, lowly, as the boy just finished lifting the freshly filled bucket out of the well. “I... I... I think I landed on my hand and... could you... maybe... carry the bucket for me. To the church?”
“Oh, ok. I hope you didn’t crack something? Do you want to see the healer first?” he quickly responded, worry audible in his voice.
“No, no... I think... I’ll be fine.”
“Then we should hurry, my father wants me to help with the next load of grain.” the miller’s son said, moving past her, carrying the filled bucket with little effort.
“Ye-yes.” Quickly, she walked after him, nearly stumbling again out of haste.
Loreley wanted to say something else, wanted to start a casual conversation as they were walking along the village’s sandy roads... But even though she was usually throwing witty taunts at those annoying her, she couldn’t find the right words towards Darius. They had already crossed half the way to the church, the building already in sight and coming closer steadily.
“Uhm... Darius... do you... do you...”
“Yes?”
“Uhm... you...” Gah, why was it that hard to say it loudly? It wasn’t that hard of a question? Realizing she couldn’t get herself to spell that word, she decided to approach it the other way round. “Do you... not hate me?”
“Wheter I do not hate you?” Darius asked in slight confusion. “Of course I don’t hate you, what’s that for a strange question? I’m sure noone here hates you, some are just... well, I suppose startled by your hair or something. But not even those truly hate you.”
“I... I’m ugly...” Loreley muttered in sadness. “Everybody says that, everybody thinks like that and”
“Ugly? You’re not ugly. Martha is ugly, the fat daughter of the butcher. And that’s her own fault for lazying about and eating everything she can lay her hands on. You’re just... special. Unique. And for sure not ugly.” Darius said in a casual tone, not even turning around to her.
“Does... does that mean you think I’m beautiful?” Her heart started pounding louder and faster. He did call her beautiful, didn’t he? Even if just indirectly?
Suddenly Darius appeared to realize how she had just interpreted his words and stopped abruptly. Not visible to her, his face had taken on a red hint as well. “Uhm...” Saying she wasn’t beautiful was probably the worst he could do right now, that much was clear to the young man. “I suppose so...”
Darius thinks I’m beautiful! And he doesn’t hate me! Which probably means... “D-darius... do you... l-l-like me?”
Trying to resolve the akward situation as fast as possible, Darius resumed his way towards the chair, maybe in a slightly faster pace then previously. “Y-yes, you’re quite nice to have around, with your sharp tongue and stuff... You would be a good friend if we would hang around more often.”
Friend? “I did.... didn’t mean ‘like’ as in”
“Here we are!” Darius quickly said, his voice noticeably nervous, as he placed down the bucket in front of the church door. “I’ve got to run, my old man is waiting. See you!”
Staring after him when he ran off, Loreley continued muttering: “...as in ‘friend’...”

4.
There was only one single period of the year where one would say the air itself took on a taste and smell, so thick that one could believe it was ceasing to be air. And that was right now, during the apple harvest. The village was renowned for the large quantity of apple trees in the nearby forest and accordingly the days of harvest were followed by days and nights of celebration.
Or rather, said celebration had been introduced by the male townfolk to have a legit reason for getting drunk all over and over again on self-made apple wine and apple brand and anything else alcoholic one could make from apples. Or actually any harvested plant. And right now, tonight, was the main event of said celebration, below the wide sky and the waning moon.
But at least, so did Loreley think, the air wasn’t filled with the smell of alcohol, but with the sweet scent of fresh apples. As much as the male population of the village lived up in brewing, the female part would convert the apples into sweet pies, candy or countless other pleasant things that wouldn’t cause one to wake up with a hangover.
Making her way through the countless tables, barrels, tents and stumbling crowds, Loreley couldn’t but feel glad that she was the apprentice of a priest. Not just because old man Jahn was a great teacher and a caring guardian, but as well because it was, in the Eternal One’s eyes, a sin to molest, insult or harass a priest of the lord in any way. And even when drunken, most of the men were still firm in belief and wouldn’t dare to anger their lord. Just walking across the large meadow serving as location of the celebration was enough to split the crowds: If Loreley approached, the townsfolk quickly gave way to her.
Biting upon her lip, she once again felt remembered that maybe, just maybe, this wasn’t actually related to her occupation... but to her appearance...
Once again that inner conflict of hers started to rise: Why did the Eternal One grant her this white hair and the white eyes? On the one hand it was the blessing of uniqueness, the hint to a unique destiny, a future filled of glory and joy... and on the other hand the curse of being different, stared at by the crowds and feared by the superstitious.
Years ago, she had tried to dye her hairs... with neglectable efforts, but a lot of a mess to clean up. Sometime later, she had again considered it and asked Jahn for advice. ‘Don’t change yourself to cope with the exspectations of others. Embrace your uniqueness. Be yourself.’ Damn, the old man was for sure goood with words... a trait Loreley was still eager to learn from him. Even after all those 17 years she had lived with him in that small church, which was both place for divine service and their home.
Loreley’s thoughts were interrupted when she stumbled across an obstacle on the ground. Staring down, she saw one of the field workers laying in the ground, an empty mug in his hand, his content all across his clothes. The deep and loud snorring obviously hinted why exactly he was laying here.
“Oh geez, somebody get him up and into a bed or something.” Loreley lamented, turning to those nearby. Who were currently busy yelling and singing loudly. With a displeased groan, Loreley raised her left hand above her head and snapped once. With an audible, innatural hiss, a blue-green flare flickered into live on top of her palm, throwing ghostly shadows all around.
Quickly, the nearby group stopped singing and turned around to spot the source of the strange new light. “As I’ve said, please somebody get him off the path and into a bed or into the hay or whereever you can put him.” She said again, trying to make her voice sound strict, authoritarian and yet soothing. It wasn’t possible for her to tell whether latter part actually succeeded, but at least the drunken body was now quickly removed.
Closing her palm, the magic light source disappeared as quick as it had appeared and Loreley resumed her patrol. Or whatever one would may call a priest’s duty to ensure noone on the feast was disobeying the rules of the Eternal One.

Something tugged on her wide, green coat and Loreley turned her head to face said something. It was a young boy, at best seven years old, who was staring up to her with big eyes. “That light... was that... magic?” It was impossible to overhear the excitement in his voice.
With a a pleased smile, Loreley squatted down to eye’s height with the young lad. “Yes, it’s a gift of the Eternal One. If you always stay dutyful, obey the priests and live up to the virtues, you may as well find yourself granted magic, one day.”
“Oh, oh, I’m very fruityful and obey the virtues! I’m a good boy!” the boy quickly stuttered.
“You are? Are you being honest to me?” Loreley asked in a slightly doubting tone.
“Of course I am! I’m always nice to everyone and help my mother with the chores and my father with the work!”
“Well then, I suppose it would be only fair to reward you for such virtue, in the name of the Eternal One. Give me your open hand.”
At first the boy hesitated, insecureness in his eyes, but then he reached out, holding out his right hand to her. “Don’t scare now, nothing will hurt you.” she said, with her most caring voice, before laying her hands around his. Suddenly her hands were engulfed in soft, blue light, the same light as before. And when she pulled her hands back, the symbol of the Eternal One was glowing on the boy’s palm, giving off a gradual, bright light. “Here, as a reward for your virtues. It will only last for a few minutes, but if you are a truly good boy and got talent, it may even last as long as a hour.”
“Oooohhhh! Thank you, priestress Loreley!” the boy squealed in joy, before quickly running off to his playmates, to show off his new, though probably short-lived, treasure.
“I’m not sure whether you should use that gift of yours like that...” a male voice teased from behind her. Turning around, Loreley faced Darius, who was standing just two meters off, leaning against a large barrel, holding a mug of something. Given her slight frown, he quickly added: “Don’t worry, this is just some good and healthy apple juice. No alcohol. After all I have to help the women with the preparations and clean-up. Barely anyone else is responsible enough to do that instead of ending up on the grass like that guy just...”
“But why I shouldn’t utilize magic to aid the villagers, for example by helping the education of the children? That spell won’t harm the boy. Actually it won’t do anything but glow dimly for the next couple of minutes. It’s just a little sleight of hand.” Loreley answered.
Raising the finger of his free hand, Darius said: “A magical sleight of hand. Don’t take magic lightly, Loreley, there are way too many stories and legends of magic going wrong.”
Loreley sighed audibly, staring at her hands. “Maybe you’re rigth. But I can’t understand how people can be afraid of something like this. It just... comes natural to me... But since I’m unnatural in first place, that probably doesn’t mean much.” She turned around, intent on resuming her patrol.
“Wait, Loreley. I’m sorry... I shouldn’t have said it like that.”
She hesitated. This was the perfect moment. It could be the chance she had waited for. By now it was obvious that he knew how she felt about him. And yet he was still keeping his distance, avoiding her questions when they arose. And she knew she couldn’t be free with her words without... Yes, tonight was going to be the night.
“Darius... If you are sorry, then follow me. Please.”
“Follow you? But where...”
She didn’t wait for him to finish that question, but simply rushed off, in a speed that could barely pass as ‘quick walking’.
Darius hesitated for a seconds, staring down into his empty mug. He knew that Loreley had a crush on him. Did she... intend to... Well, it wasn’t like had a choice. Even in ‘worst case’ he would still have the chance to turn her down, as much as that would probably hurt her. But maybe she really just wanted to talk. Or trick him. Or pull a prank or something.
Making up his mind, he placed his mug on a nearby table and rushed after her.

5.
He only saw her for a fleeting moment, rushing inside of that famous forest, the source of all the food and drink now present on the meadow just a couple hundred meters off. With a slight chunk in throat, Darius entered the forest as well. This wasn’t looking well. The forest was known to be the location of... mature activities during the apple harvest celebration. There were many who found their first love in the grass below the apple trees, hidden somewhere behind the underwood. Darius prayed to the Eternal One that Loreley wasn’t planning something like ‘that’.
Speaking of which, where did she actually go? In the darkness of night, he could barely see anything. Just as this thought crossed his mind, a faint ligth glimmed up a dozen meters deeper into the forest. He frowned. Didn’t he just tell her how he disliked her careless use of magic? Was she teasing him with exactly that?
He made his way through the few sacre paths that the workers had created during their harvest, quickly finding the source of the ligth to be a small, hovering orb, similar to the one Loreley had create before. As he approached it however, it started to hover off, waving through the air, beckoning the lad to follow it.
And then, he suddenly heard a faint, distant voice. It was soft, delicate... and yet melodic and fulfilling. I was a female voice, singing, somewhere deeper in the forest. He instantly recognized it as Loreley’s voice, though he had never heard her singing like that. Sure, she was always singing in the prayer’s hymns and choirs, but... this melody was something entirely different. It sounded foreign, distant, unreal, melodramatic, uproaring and moving all alike.
For one moment he considered turning around right then. Was she eventually luring him in with her magic? Was that melody part of a spell? Or was it just him being superstitious? Did he start to share the same prejudice as the others? No, he wouldn’t think bad of her like that. That singing voice was not magic, but just the expression of desire coming from the bottom of a love-filled heart.
Realizing that, Darius started to wish it actually wasn’t that way... because it still meant he had to follow this through and then... turn her down... He didn’t want to hurt Loreley. Even though she was respected as an apprentice priestress, she still seemed to be lonely when not around old priest Jahn.
But he was a man and a man wouldn’t step down from his responsibilities that easily. And as well he was sort of a friend to Loreley. The non-loving sort of friend. And friends would go on and be honest to each other!
After making up his mind, Darius continued to follow the glowing orb that always appeared to move the faster the closer he got, keeping him on a short distance, without ever leaving his field of view. And as he made his way through the forest, he tried not to listen to much to the melodic voice halling throughout the woods. It wasn’t exactly a church hymn, but a song telling the legend of a famous and dramatic love story.
As he walked, he noticed how her voice got louder, ever so slightly, step by step and he realized just where he was heading: A small hill, the elders said there was a tomb underneath, a remote clearing in the wide forest.
His foot kicked against something loose and when he looked down, Darius saw... one of her shoes, those thin leather boots she was usually seen wearing. And just a meter further up ahead was the second one. Was she travelling barefoot? That was entireley unresponsible, she could step upon something or get a cold!
Just a dozen meters further, however, he found her robe hanging on the lower branch of a tree and slowly, ever so slowly, it began to dawn on him. That damn girl... she couldn’t just... When he found her shirt next, he realized she was being herself, not caring about what she could and could not do. With a red brush across his face, Darius picked up the shirt and the following pants as well, carrying them across his shoulder, together with the coat.
And apparently the Eternal One wasn’t paying attention to Darius’ prayers, because the next thing he found was her underwear. Trying to be as decent as possible, he quickly stashed it away inside of the bundle of clothes he was carrying, stepping forth onto the clearing. And indeed, there she was, already waiting for him.
Sitting atop of the moonlit hill, Loreley sat in the grass, arms wrapped around her knees, her back facing towards Darius. And she was still singing, the same melodramatic melody. The ghostly orb hovered over to her, landing on her shoulder before disappearing in a sligth hiss.
Trying to find the right words and as well trying to not think about the fact there was an admittedly beautiful girl sitting naked just a dozen meters in front of him, Darius stood there, only capable of listening to her. And he continued to listen, for what seemed like endless minutes, until she finished the song.
And even then, silence remained, as he was still unable to start with the right words. And just then, when he thought he had found them, Loreley suddenly started to move. Darius could only watch, as she slowly stood up, raising her ample... no, he shouldn’t think about that!
“Darius.” her voice was still as melodic as if she would be singing. And it had an entirely different tone to it as well.
“Y-yes.”
“You know why I wanted you to follow me, don’t you.”
“Yes.” What exactly did he want to say again? He had already forgotten it again, damn it! He had to say more then just a single word! “I do.” Oh great, that was much better then a single word...
“But... I just don’t want to hide anymore... I don’t want to hide from you, not a single part of my body. I want you to see me as I truly am, without anything impeding your sight. Without the oppinion of others, without the role of a priestress I’ve taken. Just you and me. Alone, here.”
Slowly, she turned around and Darius quickly turned his head sidewards, knowing he shouldn’t look at her, exposed like that. The Eternal One for sure wouldn’t like him to stare at a priestress of the lord.
“Don’t avert your eyes like that! There’s nothing bad in seeing someone naked if said someone wants to be seen!” she scolded him and, maybe out of habit to obey the priest’s words, he indeed turned his head to face her again.
She was standing on top of the hill, the moon in the sky behind her, causing her shadow to fall directly onto Darius. And even though her front, facing him, was barely lit, he could see enough to make his face fill with a bright red. “T-this...”
“I told you... I want you to see everything of me, Darius. I don’t want to hide anymore. At least not from you.” Sparks of light started to dance across the clearing. And Darius saw the source of the light: It came from behind Loreley’s back. Or more precisely, her shoulders.
Slowly, the light started to spread, thickening and growing larger, a white, glowing mass starting to grow from the girl’s shoulders, sidewards, into the nightly sky. Darius stumbled backwards and fell to the ground, staring at what happened in front of his eyes. This couldn’t be real. This wasn’t real!
Wings. Wide, pristinely white, stainless, perfect, feathered wings.
“Darius... I am... an angel. And...”
Lorely hesistated for a second. Was she really going to do this? Did she have the right to do this... But looking down upon Darius and the way his eyes were staring at her... he wouldn’t leave her any other choice.
“I want you to love me!”

6.
“You seem extraordinary cheerful, my little Loreley...” Jahn said as they finished cleaning the last row of benches. “Actually, you have been like that for a few weeks now. Since the apple harvest festival, to be precise. Did something happen?” There was a joyful squeal, something that was entirely unfitting for Loreley. With a slight frown of worry, the priest turned to face her.
“It’s just that...” There was a slight blush on her face. “Someone confessed to me.”
“Oho!” A light grin filled Jahn’s face. Of course this announcement could as well be a source of worry and discomfort... and as well lonelyness to himself... but he couldn’t but feel glad that there was actually someone else but him who was close to her. After all, most villagers still didn’t seem to fully trust her. “I should have figured it was something like that. After all you’re of age since quite some time now.”
“No lecture or scolding?” Loreley asked in slight disbelief.
“Well, you’re old enough for yourself. Just be careful and... you know when I explained the effects of these herbs to you, the”
“Yes, yes, don’t worry, I don’t intend to become a mother this soon.” There as an audible snicker behind those words.
Jahn didn’t feel entirely fine with the carefree way she was going on about this... but after all he had no reason to believe she was going to mess something up. After all she was soon going to be labelled a full priestress of the Eternal One. And given the vast fields of knowledge needed for that, the field of prevention for sure was covered as well.
“May I ask who the lucky guy is, who managed to steal the heart of my little Loreley? Though of course you’re under no obligation of telling me, I’m just curious.”
The girl snickered happyly. “As long as you don’t spread rumours, I will of course tell you: It’s the son of”
“PRIEST JAHN!” an alerted voice yelled from the outside.
Instantly, the priest rushed over to the wall, reaching for his clerical staff, a polished peace of wood, ornamented with a golden insignia of the Eternal One at the top. Maybe most people only thought of it as a symbol of power, Loreley knew the staff actually was a tool of power, a crafted artifact used to enhance magic. Of course Jahn was able of spellcasting as well, after all he had been the one teaching her magic all those years, next to countless other things.
Though, she had never needed that staff, for anything she did, whereas Jahn could only perform the most basic spells without it. But given her nature... Of course the priest knew about it as well. At her eight birthday, he had told her about her... uncommon origin. The way he had found her, in a basket, wrapped in her own, small wings. And how he had hidden said wings with a spell. A spell Loreley had quickly learnt to control herself. Though, at least around Darius she wouldn’t need to hide them anymore.
Rushing after the running priest, who was now being lead by a young villager, those thoughts were washed away. In the distant, the crowd of townsfolk had gathered, all surrounding the village’s gathering center.
“NO! PLEASE! NOT MY SON! HE IS INNOCENT!” a male voice yelled, filled with panic, disbelief and agony.
“SILENCE!” a different voice sounded, a voice dark and harsh. Finally arriving at the village center and pushing their way through the crowd, Jahn and Loreley attempted to reach the source of the tumult. “I can see it clearly, this soul is possessed, lost in dark fangs. His body’s death will only be the salvation of his otherwise chained soul!”
“Oh no... nonononono...” Jahn started to mutter, becoming more aggressive and rushed with his pushes and shoves. Finally he and his apprentice made it through the crowd. And there, in the middle...
“Darius!” Loreley yelled and was about to rush over to her lover, when an armored warrior obstructed the way.
“Stay behind, young lady. This young man is possessed and possibly dangerous!”
“Loreley? Loreley! I love you!” Darius yelled from behind the warrior, his voice entirely unfitting the situation, filled with warmth.
“No, you got the wrong one, he can’t be possessed, he” Loreley started, but the dark voice sounded up again:
“I’m sorry, but this young man is clearly possessed. And as such, in the Eternal One’s name, you musn’t listen to his false pleas. May he loves you, may it’s just a masquerade of the dark being inside of him. But if you truly love him, you must let him go now. Ignite the fire!”
“NO, DARIUS!” Pushing the warrior aside, Loreley darted forwards. And then felt a strong grip pulling her back, back from Darius, who was sitting on a small pile of wood, smiling warmly towards her. “NO, LET ME GO!”
“Loreley. Come here.” It was Jahn’s voice. Jahn’s hand that was pulling her back. “It’s ok... The inquisitor knows what he is doing... please trust the judgement of the Eternal One.” He pulled her into a strict embrace, resisting all her struggles.
“NO!”
“I love you, Loreley! I love you so much! I will always love you! Forever!”
Unable to leave the priest’s grasp, regardless of her squirming, Loreley had to watch how one of the villagers approached, the torch ready. “NO! YOU CAN’T DO THAT TO HIM!”
The torch fell onto the wooden pile and it’s flames quickly spread. But Darius didn’t scream or flail. He just sat there, smiling at her. “I love you, Loreley. I love you.”
And as the fire grew and his form shrunk, the words he kept muttering over and over again, slowly became lower... and then fell silent. All whilst Loreley was squirming, kicking, screaming... to no avail...
“DARIUS!”

7.
Jahn felt bad. Not for himself, but for Loreley. Since that day, when the inquisitor had, as so often, visited the village to inspect the church’s work... Never before, at least not under Jahn, there had been a heretic or possessed soul in this village. There had been a few incidents, but he had always been able to resolve them without foreign intervention.
But he didn’t notice the evil spirit afflicting the young miller’ son in time... and now the boy payed with his life. And Loreley... Oh, his poor little Loreley... Why did the Eternal One put such a heavy burden on her? Wasn’t it enough that she was a foreign being living amongst humans? Was it necessary to have her first love to be executed in front of her very eyes?
“Please forgive me for my doubts, oh lord, for I am not able to understand your wisdom.”
Jahn tried to put all the upright humility he could muster into those words, trying to calm his anger. One couldn’t be angry with the lord, for the lord was all-knowing. Whatever happened, had to happen, there was no space for doubts, only for firm belief.
And yet... it was so terribly unfair to put that much burden, stress and pain on a single soul alone. Even more so on the soul of a small girl... Actually, Loreley wasn’t small anymore. And probably she has never been a girl to begin with. She was an angel. A true creature of heaven. A being beyond the understanding of simple humans, a pure, untainted being. As pure and pristine as her hair, her eyes and her wings.
It was unknown to Jahn how the villagers could never see the purity of her appearance. They had always looked down or harassed her for the white hair... yet it had been an obvious indicator of her divine origin. After all humans were fools, weren’t they...
“Please, oh allmighty lord, grant peace to Loreley. Help her to overcome the path of sadness and lead her back into the light of joy. Don’t let your divine children stay alone in the darkness.”
With a sigh, Jahn decided to end his prayer and got up from his kneeling position. Stepping back from the altar, he finally realized there was quite a commotion outside. With slight worry, he walked outside and found countless groups of villagers scattered all around, pointing into the distant sky.
Shielding his eyes from the sun with one of his hands, he as well quickly spotted the source of the commotion: A large pillar of smoke. If he wasn’t wrong, it was emerging from the same direction as the nearby town, where the local bishop and his inquisitor resided.
A fire? Ah well, that happened once and then.
Jahn sent a quick prayer to the lord, begging him to show mercy with those living in the large town, before he returned inside. Deciding this could serve as a distraction for Loreley’s agony, he walked over to the back part of the church, through the door that seperated the public from their private area and to door of her room.
He knocked lightly. “Loreley. Would you like to come outside? There is something you may want to see.”
No answer.
“Loreley?” He knocked again.
It was unusual for her to stay silent. And he didn’t think she was asleep. Carefully, he opened the door and peeked inside. Her chamber was empty. Hmm... where did she go? Well, regardless of where she was, it couldn’t be worse then sulking around in her own chamber...

Once again, Jahn was kneeling in front of the altar, praying in the late evening. And this time he wasn’t just silently reciting the common prayers, but actually praying out of worry. Loreley was still gone. Actually, noone knew where she was. Initially he had thought she had just been taking a stroll, maybe through the nearby forest.
But she wasn’t the type of person that would just disappear for multiple hours without leaving a notice. A worry overcame him. Did she run away? Did the pain prove to unbearable at the end, the village itself reminding her of the loss she had to suffer from? Jahn didn’t think she was this weak but maybe he was mistaken?
Knock. Knock.
A shower of relief ran across Jahn’s back. Who else if not her could be at the door?
“Finally you’re back, Loreley! I’ve been in worry!” Rushing over to the door, he quickly pulled it open. “Please, don’t just leave like that and...” His words stopped when he saw her.
She was covered in ashes and dirt. Her always splendid and pure white hair was now stained with grey and brown. Her robe had countless holes and tears and appeared to be burnt black on a few spots. And there were red sparkles of blood scattered across her clothes, as there were a few wounds visible on her skin.
But the worst of her appearance were her eyes: Gone was the cheerful flare, the bright light usually residing inside of the white eyes. Now they appeared dull, if not grey, filled with sad- and bitterness.
As he saw her like this, tears already rose in Jahn’s eyes. Only then did he notice her wings, folded behind her back, yet plain visible to anyone that would be nearby. The wings as well were covered in grey ashes.
“Loreley... what... what happened to you?”
Without a word, just with a gesture, she pointed off into the distance and Jahn instantly recognized what she was pointing at.
“You were in the town? Did you see the fire? Did you try to help? What happened there?”
With a slow movement, Loreley pulled her hand, previously hidden behind her back, foreward, revealing the priest’s magic staff to him. Without any cue, she let go off it, causing the sacred artifact, it’s wooden staff burnt black, to fall down to the ground.
“Jahn...” she slowly started, her voice rough and as dull as her eyes. “I happened.”
Without a further words, without a gesture, without another look, she turned around and stepped off the church’s entrance. As if to hint her intention, the large wings on her back unfolded again.
“Lore... Loreley... wait...” Jahn muttered, incapable of understanding what was going on.
She hesitated for a moment. “Please... don’t follow me.”
Spreading gusts of wind and scattering ashes all around, her wings flapped once, twice, before her feet left the ground. There was a sparkle of magic energy, only visible to those who were able to control said magic at all, and then she darted off into the sky.
Jahn rushed outside, looking into the sky. And for one second, her shape would pass by the moon and this would be the last time he ever saw her.

8.
Muttered words. Arcane formulas. Whispered phrases. Gestures with bare hands, a wand and some ingridents. All whilst her left hand remained motionless above that incantation circle. And in the middle of the circle was nothing but a small, dead fish.
“Concentration! Focus! Will!” a male voice somewhere behind her ordered.
And she did concentrate, concentrate fully on the magic flowing through her hands, concentrating enough to entirely ignore the words of her teacher.
But even though she concentrated on nothing but the smell, focussed on nothing but the flow of magic and poured her entire will into the conjuration... nothing happened.
After some minutes of constant muttering, at some point the teacher sighed loudly. “This won’t do, it’s not gonna work.” His voice wasn’t disappointed in the slightest. He knew just how difficult this was and how long it taken hin to master even the most simple step. He wasn’t going to blame her, not at all.
The girl didn’t seem to share his oppinion though, continuing without change.
“Loreley. Stop it. Now. I order you to stop.”
A short twitch ran through her body. And then she lowered her hands and stopped her attempt of magic with a displeased expression. “I was so close... I’m sure I was so close... Just a little bit further and I would have succeeded.”
“Just a little bit further and you would have succeeded in killing yourself...” the teacher, a man of about fourty years, his hair unnaturally black, as was his beard, said with a slight grunting noise that could be interpreted as a laugh. “Don’t you remember the first rule? Don’t”
“...overdo it, or your first spell will be your last. I know.” Lorelay said, still staring at the dead fish. She still had much to learn. She had to improve a lot. “What do you think, how much longer will it take for me to master this phase?”
The teacher shook his head. “I truly can’t tell. Not without questioning the future, that is. The first step to this art is extremely difficult. It’s unlike other kinds of magic and you first need to get the hang of it. And not everyone is actually able of doing it at all. Though I of course have faith in you, my dear.” With reassuring words, he caressed across her head.
“Did I do anything wrong? Any mistake I have to correct?” Loreley asked, obviously intent on learning the best she could from this failed attempt.
“No, Loreley, you did everything perfectly. Much better then me on my first attempts.
I suppose you just need more attempts and tries.” A devillish grin ran across the man’s face. “Though, maybe the issue lies in the tools. I think that , just maybe, the incantation circle isn’t sufficiently charged. Given you spend a lot of time training, it actually would be a surprise for it to contain any charge at all.”
Loreley frowned slightly. “Do you suggest we charge it again?”
His hands started to wander across her back. “Yes, it for sure increases your chances of mastering the spell.” He found the knot keeping the upper part of her clothes together and slowly undid it.
Loreley didn’t object as the only layer of fabric to cover her upper body fell to the ground. Quite the opposite, she turned around and laid down on top of the incantation circle, not protesting as the man’s hands started to work on the clothes surrounding her lower body.
It was a nuisance that the circle would need to be charged with emotional energy. And even more since there was only one reliable way to gain this energy. A way she assumed her teacher to enjoy way too much. She let out a small sigh as he removed the last part of her clothing, leaving her entirely naked on the cold rock.
But this was the way she had chosen, that day, years ago... and she wasn’t going to stop following it just because of... a nuisance.

“I’m truly proud of you. Since that time you first mastered to resurrect a dead being, even if just a small fish, you improved a lot. I can’t say I showed your degree of talent when my teacher, the Eternal One may grant him eternal peace, tutored me in these arts.” There was obvious proud and enjoyment in the voice of her teacher.
“It’s as you said, Margul, all it takes to magic is a spark of talent, willpower, determination and even more determination. And a good teacher.” To her surprise, Loreley didn’t even need to feign those words. Margul was, not considering the fact he was a lecherous pervert, definitely a good teacher. And after all he did indeed teach her alot.
“But still, are you really sure you want to go right ahead and try something this difficult?” her teached asked with a slightly displeased and as well worried tone.
Worried I will soon have learned everything I need and leave you alone again? Huh?
“Yes. One cannot advance if one doesn’t set high aims and goals. I can’t be satisfied with just repeating my previous achievements, I need a new challange, a new goal.” Loreley answered, her voice free of any negative feeling.
“Spoken like a master. I suppose you are by now experienced enough to try on something larger. Though that, of course, makes the preparations more complex. I think we should try a dog next. It’s a more complex and larger lifeform, but should be within your reach. After all you already succeeded with squirrels.” the teacher suggested.
“That sounds great. When can I start?” Loreley asked in anticipation.
“Oh, don’t rush it. I first need to prepare the circle, then get the samples, a sacrificial lamb or goat to provide the necessary energy... a few days, at best, probably a week. Don’t give me that look, Necromancy isn’t something one can learn over night. As you saw yourself, just grasping the basics took you two years. You for sure can wait one more week, don’t you?”
Loreley was visibly displeased but nodded in acceptance. “Of course. But after all there is still a long way to go to my ultimate goal. And I don’t intend to waste time whilst getting there.”
“About that...” Margul’s voice was dead-serious. “I’m not sure it’s right for you to aim to learn something like Necromancy for a that... well... personal goal. Usually you’re supposed to study magic in order to master said magic and proceed researching it.”
“It’s none of your concern for what I want to learn something, is it? You just teach me the basics I need. Then I can figure out the rest by myself.” Loreley knew there was no use in getting grumpy, but she couldn’t just take that criticism uncommented. Margul knew what her aim was and how much it mattered to her.
“Alright, alright, we shouldn’t get into a dispute like this... If such a goal gives you the determination you need, it shall be fine to me. If you excuse me now, I will hurry with the preparations so you can start as soon as possible...”

9.
Calming her breath, Loreley prepared herself for what was to come. She closed her eyes and spread out her left, holding it above the corpse of the poor creature that had, just minutes ago been looking at her with trusting eyes. What a silly dog.
She stretched her right out to the creature on the other side and a weak baa told her that the goat was no doubt afraid, even through the sedatives. Even without actually touching the animal’s body, she could feel the pulse, the small heart pounding relentlessy.
In the next step, she let her mind strive free, creeping across the surrounding area, reaching out and touching everything with invisible, immaterial fingers. She instantly noticed Margul behind her, sitting on a chair and watching her. And she felt the walls of the cellar, her teacher’s personal summoning room. She felt the sacre traces of remaining arcane energy, lurking all acros the chamber. And of course the tickling, buzzing energy that was in the ground below her, in form of an arcane circle, drawn and reinfused with blood.
Kneeing in the middle of that circle, Loreley said in between the two animals, sharpening her mind further and further. Slowly, with a low voice, not more then a whisper, she started to recite the arcane formulas, old chants and conjurations, words meant to bind and form the magic energy flowing within her own body, forcing the mystic energy itself to obey her whim.
When the arcane network surrounding her like an invisible net had become stable enough, brought into form by will and spell, she, ever so gently, laid her hand on the chest of the bound goat, the animal squirming and bleaking in audible panic, realizing something was about to happen.
“Life to be taken...” her right hand clenched to a fist and pulled upward, as if to rip something from the poor animal. And indeed, the goat started to twitch, it’s eyes going wide, before it’s body dropped into the motionless rigor of death. And Loreley felt the life force, previously belonging to the animal, now pulsing in her right fist.
It felt... amazing... like a small sun, a warming fire. It was the literal essence of life. Just holding it was already a feeling undescribeable in itself, an experience worth to kill for. And Loreley knew all too well that it was exactly this emotion that made this dark art so dangerous: The thrill of literally holding the life of a victim in your very hands. Something a simple mind could easily lose itself in.
But she wouldn’t forget what she was actually striving for. With an order of her pure will, she forced the essence through her body, from her right side to the left. She couldn’t resist a slight gasp as she felt the pure warmth striking through her chest, travelling down through her left arm to her hand.
She felt the tickling sensation when the life energy arrived, wavering around her fingers, warming the tips and pleasing her mind. But she knew she had to give up on that feeling, to abandon it, to push it out from her body.
Loreley laid her left hand down upon the dog’s chest and then pressured the life force to leave her body, forcing it to take shape inside of the animal’s corpse. From one moment to another, she suddenly felt weak, cold, unimportant... the feeling of might, of power, of life, all was gone. And she felt how something below her hand started to move.
She breathed out in relieved tension and opened her eyes, just in time to see how the dog was slowly, still shaky, getting up. It didn’t make any sound though, neither a bark, nor a whimper. And when the animal started to look around, Loreley saw the emptyness in it’s eyes.
“Astonishing. I wouldn’t have exspected, not even from you, to succeed in your first attempt of this specific application.” Margul complimented her with audible surprise.
With a grim grin, Lorelay stared down upon the small dog in front of her, or rather the empty hull that had once been a dog and now wasn’t much more then a corpse filled with magic energy to keep him reanimated, even if only for a few days.
Without any gesture or verbal command, she made the dog lay down, with little effort. It was just like the spell intended, the recreated being was fully obedient and connected to her for as long as it lasted.
But... this wasn’t what she was striving, longing for. She didn’t want to reanimate a mere empty hull. She wanted to bring back the being itself, it’s life, it’s soul, it’s memorys. With silent determination, she turned to entirely face the dog, crossing her hand’s over it’s head.
“Loreley, what are you doing? You succeeded, there is nothing else to”
A short and angry harrumph turned Margul silent. Her teacher quickly realized she was up to something. And as much as he disliked that she was going to do something they didn’t plan out before, he knew by himself how dangerous it could be to attempt interrupting her at this stage of practiced Necromancy. Dangerous for both of them.
Obediently, the dog laid flat on the ground, permitting her to place her hands on top of it’s head. Once again Loreley closed her eyes and sent out her mind, her innate power, running deeper then just the material skin of the animal. She was searching for that spark, the essence of the dog’s soul. The thing that differentiated the alive from the dead.
Darkness started to surround her mind, as she pushed deeper and deeper, away from the material realm, past the arcane network the summoning room consisted of, further then the arcane structure of the world itself, down into the void beyond. And she found what she was looking for, a slight spark, a glimpse, a something that, though already gone, didn’t want to let go off the body she was in physical contact with.
Embracing said spark with her mind, Loreley intended to pull herself back into the material world, bringing the soul of the animal with her. But... it was a if she was tugging on an anchored pillar, an immoveable object that couldn’t leave it’s place. And as she clung to the dead soul, she felt how a foreign, hostile chill started to creep into her own mind and body. It was the very breath of death itself.
But if she couldn’t even bring something simple like a dog back to life, she would never succeed in her actual goal. And if she wasn’t going to succeed, her life would lose it’s meaning either way. She wouldn’t give up this easyly.
Pouring more and more energy of her own into the connection, Loreley strengthened the bond between her and the animal’s soul, tugging harder and harder, fighting against the the force holding the spark back, as well as against the cold of death, at once.
She knew that, by now, it wasn’t just about the dog’s soul, but about her own as well. She had trespassed into the realm of the afterlife, a location no living being should ever reach into. She literally felt the ancient powers tugging on her, attempting to drag her deeper, luring with the promise of eternal peace.
She let go of anything that still connected her with her physical body and entirely engulfed her sentient mind in her own soul, a sparkling star in the darkness of the void. She knew that she posessed the necessary strength, energy, power, all by herself. After all, she wasn’t just a weak human.
Like a ray of light, she struck out into the darkness, putting up everything she had against the dark reach of death. And suddenly, she felt how something appeared to shatter under the massive fists of her willpower and the soul, she had reached for, started to move.
Reaching out, she touched her own, physical form again and pulled herself back, passing the borders of the void, darting back through the arcane network and arriving back in her body. And when she felt a something wildly shuffling below her hand, squirming and barking in confusion, she knew she had succeeded.
“L-l-loreley?”
She felt a curious, insecure touch upon her... oh...

Opening her eyes, Loreley saw the solid grey feathers surrounding her. Those feathers belonging to her wings, enclosing her and the animal below her hands in a wide, feathered ball. Slowly, she unwrapped the wings from herself, causing Margul’s hand to quickly dart backwards.
“Loreley... what in the name of the Eternal One...”
It felt strange to her, but she could not just feel the dog’s warm fur below her palm, but as well it’s hesitant, curious, confused mind, as if rubbing against her own. With a low smile, she started to fondle the dog’s head, causing it to pant happyly.
Turning her head over to the sorcerer, she fixated him with her steel-grey eyes. “I suppose I forgot to tell you about this... I’m not a human girl, but an angel.” As if to underline her words, she flapped her wings once, before folding them behind her back. With a single thought she made the large limbs shrink down and simply disappear again, leaving nothing but two ripped slits in her clothes as evidence of their actual existance.
Slowly, Loreley got up, turning to fully face her mentor. “Do you realize what I have done? I didn’t just reanimate a body... I truly revived the crature and it’s soul itself. I did what Necromancy is truly capable of: I overcame the border of death itself.”
“This is... unbelieveable... incredible... such talent, such power... I... I... I cannot even fathom the possible capabilities of this application of Necromancy...” Still obviously baffled, Margul pointed at the dog. “What will we do with this one?”
There was a sly smile upon her face. “Oh, maybe I will make him hunt for the next sacrificial victim. I’m intending to try this again... in a slightly larger scale.”
“You are incredible... and as high as your ambitions are, your abilities seem to be...” Margul muttered, being oblivious of the sinister tone Loreley’s smile had taken.
He only started to worry as she raised her hand and pointed at him. “Attack!” And the dog, without the slightest sign of hesitation, leapt forward, lunging for and biting into the mage’s throat before the man could even react.

10.
Weakness. Numbness. Cold. It took Loreley countless, long minutes to realize she was even alive. Part by part, in scattered pictures, the memorys flooded back into her weakened mind. She looked to her right, only to see the skeleton of her former mentor, surrounded by the dust his flesh had turned into.
She had failed. A single tear ran across her face. Sacrificing the sorcerer’s powerful body, arcane energy and even his very soul... putting all of it forth, combined with her own innate powers... driving a spear of light down into the dark void... she hadn’t be able to reach Darius’ soul.
And yet, she had felt as if she had been incredible close... So close... She had torn through miles of darkness and yet it had felt as if he had been just mere inches away from her grasp. Her hands clenched into fists. She had been this close...
The sad, disappointed on her face turned into grim resolve. And if she had been this close, this deep in the void of death and still managed to emerge alive again... this meant she would be able to do it again. And again. And again if necessary. She wouldn’t give up, but continue until she would succeed in returning Darius’ soul from the realm of death.
She would atone for the death she had caused, by reverting the very death itself. At first she would grasp his soul and carry it back into the world of the living. Actually it would even be enough to simply drag it back into the arcane plane residing behind the borders of the material world.
Then she would return to the village and recover his ashes. She wasn’t exactly sure how to restore his body, but she was sure she would find a bloodmage willing to teach her the necessary basics. After all she was in the realm of the Eternals, it was difficult to find a larger town where one would not stumble upon bloodmages or necromancers.
When she finished recovering both Darius’ soul and body, it would merely require one or maybe two sacrificial lives to provide the life energy necessary to reanimate him, forging soul and body back together... she would bring him back to life, no matter the cost. And then she could apologize for the thing she had done to him...the thing she shouldn’t have done... the spell she shouldn’t have cast, the spell the inquisitor had mistaken as possession, the spell that had lead to Darius’ death.
And they would be united again. Together. And with her new-gained knowledge, they would be able to remain in eternal youth and love for all eternitys. Of course this would take the one or other sacrifice... but maybe she should just reveal her wings, reveal her identity as divine being and then people would voluntary offer themselves as sacrifice for the higher good of the Eternal One?
Why not even take it further... She could claim Darius to be the reincarnation of the Eternal One. Or a prophet, a direct child, a choosen one, celestial being, guided by her as an angel. She could resolve the disputes splitting the realm apart, she would unify the countless churches and cults, she would form one single, powerful belief... with her and Darius on the top. Like gods.
For one second, hesitation crossed her mind. What if god actually existed? What if the Eternal One was looking down at her, right now? Would he tolerate her ambitions? Would he permit her to control his followers?
Then her smile turned into a sly smirk again. She was being superstitious... there were no gods. Because if there had ever been one, he would never had permitted Darius to die. She was sure of it.
Gods didn’t exist. Unless for her future worshippers of course, she would personally take care of that...

11.
“You mind if I sit down here?” an exotic, female voice asked.
Before he could even answer, the owner of said voice had already sat down on the other side of the small table, making herself comfortable on the small, leather-covered bench.
As exotic and alluring as her voice was, so was her outer appearance as well. Beautiful, deep black hair, with a few well-placed strains of white-grey color running throughout it. And then there was the well-formed face, the cute little nose, the full, red mouth...
A cold shiver ran across the man’s back as he looked into the solid, black eyes of the woman in front of him. Eyes like pits, deep wells, endless holes. Rifts that emanated an unnatural aura of darkness. He gulped, audibly intimidated by what he saw.
He quickly averted his eyes from her gazes, trying to find something else to focus on. Naturally drawn downwards, his gaze mustered her ample chest, hidden below a vest made of dark brown leather, pronouncing her breasts in a way that made it all too obvious that she probably didn’t mind him to look into her cleavage.
And there, just above said eye-attraction, he saw a strange necklace, made of unnaturally long, black feathers. For sure these feathers were from a foreign bird, from far distant lands, for he had never seen something compareable. More important, however, was the metal insgnia embraced by those feathers, yet visible to a inspecting eye: the symbol of the Eternal One, forged from white silver.
This combination, sign and metal, was in itself an undoubtable prove of this women belonging to the priests of the only lord. The presence of such a divine symbol on her bare skin quickly calmed down the man. There could be no evil emerging from a woman being a priestress of the Eternal One.
Once again, he dared to direct his gaze into her eyes and once again he stared into seemingly endless black pits. But this time said pits didn’t emanate cold darkness, but soft, warm, alluring shadow, promising protection and security from the eyes of the evil.
“You... you got beautiful eyes.” The man stuttered lowly, quickly taking a good mouthful of Ale from his large mug.
“Thank you, dear stranger.” The woman said, in a low, husky tone.
“Are those... uhm... natural?” he cautiously asked. When she raised an eyebrow in surprised annoyance, he quickly added: “I mean the eyes, not... you know...”
Her frown turned into a pleased smile. “Yes, I was born like this. The priest who raised me once said that there is no color in my eyes, to ensure my gaze is not impeded by lies, but always sees down into the soul of whomever I lay eyes upon. And whilst that may be true or not, I can for sure tell that I’m sitting on the same table as a firm believer of our praised Eternal One.”
With two quick glances the man confirmed that indeed only he and this beautiful lady were sitting on this table. He smiled widely. “Of course I am, the Eternal One is the one and only true lord, the constant that keeps this world in balance. Anyone who doesn’t praise his greatness and doesn’t obey his order is a pitiful fool.” It probably wasn’t a great idea to mention he had last been in a church about one year ago... but those eyes of hers didn’t really seem to reveal that either way. “If I’m permitted to ask, how is your name, dear priestress of our lord.”
“The name is Loreley, I’m pleased to make the aquaintance of such a pious and polite man as yourself.”
“The pleasure is one my side, as well. May I offer you a drink? If your highnes actually wants to share the joy of drinking with someone simple as me.” The man responded, overly pronouncing the act of humbleness.

“Of course I want. And please don’t act that self-humilating; whilst being humble for sure is a virtue, you and me and everyone else is on the same level in the eyes of the Eternal One. We only need to show true humility towards our lord and respectful politeness towards each other.”
The man bowed his head. “Wise words, as exspected from a priestress of our wise lord.” He turned around and raised a hand. “Barkeeper, bring one mug of your best ale for this priestress!”
Within a timespan shorter then a minute, the barkeeper arrived and delivered, accompanied by a respectful bow, the requested Ale. Raising her mug, Loreley said “To our health and the glory of the Eternal One.” The man nodded keenly and took another sip of his mug as well.
Loreley continued mustering him for some more seconds, then decided to make her move. “Say, would you be interested in serving me as an assistant? I’m currently looking for a strong, healthy and... devoted male assistant to help with the household, carry heavy objects, help with sacral preparations and... to keep me company.”
Seeing the blood below his skin turning his face red, Loreley had to put all her self-control into not chuckling on the spot. Of course her choice of words, accompanied by her seductive tone had been way enough of a hint of what she actually wanted from him. Or rather, wanted him to believe what she would want of him.
“I... I... I would consider myself honored to be of your service, in any regard.” He responded quickly, without much afterthought. Well, of course he didn’t. This was an offer only a few choosen ones would probably ever experience. As much as priestresses of the Eternal One were saintly persons, they were as well human, with human desires and needs.
Becoming the husband, or even just companion, of a priestress was an incredible honor. And given this particular priestress was for sure far from ugly, it wouldn’t just be honor, but pleasure alike. He sent a silent prayer of gratitude to the Eternal One and promised that he would, from now on, visit the church at the very least weekly.
Tilting her head ever so slightly, Loreley continued to speak, her voice still as seductive and hinting as before. “Hmmm... how about we go upstairs to my rented room and hold an... evening prayer together?” She added the slight touch of a hand on his right leg and she could literally feel the last of any resistance melt away.
“Of... of course... if you wish so...” the man muttered, his face utterly filled with blush and anticipation. He quickly emptied his mug and got up, bowing and gesturing her to take the lead.
With a graceful and elegant movement, Loreley got up and slowly walked over to the stairs and then upwards, putting an intentional amount of sway in her hips. Geez, human males were so easy to control and manipulate, it was close to actually becoming boring again...
It was when the door to her room had closed behind her, that she, in an display of unbound lust, pressed him back against a wall, face to face, just an inch in between her lips and his. And then her face took on a sinister smirk and she whispered, with an entirely unfitting tone:
“I want you to love me!”

12.
The night had come. Loreley raised her head and stared up into the dark sky, easyly spotting the waxing moon, amongst those little stars. She had finished the raw preparations two weeks ago, but more or less confirmed rumors held it that the moon itself always influenced any spell of larger scale. And it was said that for the purpouse of restoration or growth the waxing moon was always the best choice. And given the years that had already passed, she for sure didn’t want to risk losing the moon’s influence just because of one or two weeks...
A low, curious mrewl sounded. And she heard the sound of a powerful, furred tail batting across the grassy ground. With a happy smile, she turned over to the oversized dog, it’s shoulders easyly reaching two meters in height, that was sitting just behind her. She reached out and gently fondled it’s snout, saying: “Yes, Balthar, the time has finally come. Three years passed since I brought you back to live and you know just how much we went through to get to this point. And soon you will see the man I’ve always been telling you about.”
May it appeared strange how Loreley was talking to the unnatural dog, but she had long since noticed that the revived dog had behaved different then others of his kind. She assumed that she had, unintentionally, created a connection between her and him, granting the dog innatural strength, a nose capable of detecting arcane influence and intelligence which probably even surpassed some humans. And after some arcane experiments of hers, he had as well grown far beyond any normal size... and obtained some other, useful traits.
Balthar let out a short bark of excitement, showing his curiousity for what was to come. With quick a gesture, an undefined beck, Loreley hinted her servants to finish the last preparations. With organized haste, without any doubt, the five men laid out the mystic weavery on the shallow hill.
She had crafted those arcane tools with her own hands and those of her willess servants, from finest fabric. For this sort of spell, she needed an incantation circle larger then what any etablished room could provie. Well, maybe except for the greath cathedral of Drikush, but she probably wouldn’t get permission to perform her spell there.
Accordingly, she had invented this way of creating the necessary arcane background: Long strips of plain cloth, embroidered with fine silk, which had been died red with the blood of sacrificed animals, creating an solid arcane net, that was nonetheless agile and easy to change.
Controlled by her will, the servants completed the preparations with perfect coordination, in mere minutes. Then they sat down on the five smaller circles that were embedded in the outlines of the main structure.
For one second, Loreley felt a slight sting in her heart. It felt bad to sacrifice those handsome five men for this... After all it had taken months to find those strong enough in mind and body, as well as fitting to her personal tastes... Ah well, she would for sure find herself a new set of servants in future, since there was barely someone who would refuse her offer. And the combined power of her innate magic and the male’s desire for her was easily enough to turn them into mindless drones.
Unravelling the knots that held her clothes to her bodies, Loreley removed her clothing piece by piece, until it was only her naked body standing in the pale moonlight. Clothes would only disturb the flow of her magic. And since she already spent the one or other playful night with one of her servants, she definitely didn’t feel any shame of their willless eyes seing her naked form.
“Stay back Balthar, I’m not sure whether your arcane patterns could interact with this spell.”
The giant dog barked lowly and lumbered a few meters off, laying down just outside the ring, obviously not intent on distancing himself too far from her.
Stepping into the middle of the circle, Loreley raised her arms to the moon and with a loud flap, her black wings shot forth from her back, spreading out and raising to the sky as well.
Now then... time to break through the bonds of life and death itself...

13.
“You shouldn’t be doing this.”
Loreley blinked in surprise and turned around to the origin of the unknown voice. To her surprise, it was one of her servants, who had stood up. Against her order to sit motionless on the ground?
With a slight glimpse of anger, she gesticulated towards him and mentally ordered him to get back into place again. But the man didn’t move in the slightest. “You don’t mind that I undid that useful spell of yours, do you?”
She could barely see the man’s face in the pale moonlight, but she saw enough to realize that his eyes were closed and his mouth hadn’t moved. Loreley squinted her eyes, turning her head this way and that. “Where are you? Who are you? What are you?”
“Here, me, something.” The voice responded with a slightly amused, teasing tone. Loreley figured out it belonged to a female, though it had a foreign, accented sound to it. Not like the accent spoken by foreigners. It was like an accent to verbal speech itself.
The angel’s neckhairs stiffened up when she realized that she wasn’t just dealing with an disobedient slave or a random bypasser. “Show yourself!”
“Do I really need to? Well, I suppose there is no point in not doing it...” The standing man simply dropped over, to the ground, revealing the figure that was standing behind him. Or rather; revealing that there was someone standing behind him, covered in a dark robe, hiding any features.
Loreley fixated the other person and without any actual command, she noticed how Balthar got up, silently moving around the circle on the ground, getting himself behind the stranger. Reassured by her current situation she continued: “Now the where is resolved, how about proceeding with the who?”
“Usually it would be only fair for me to tell you my name, given I already know your one... but to me, my name is something that cannot be revealed that easyly. You will have to live on without knowing it.” The figure responded. Definitely female.
A slight shiver ran across Loreley’s back, causing her black-feathered wings to twitch ever so slightly. Could that woman be another angel? Or a sorceress? Somebody that could easyly undo her spell of mind control, who could sneak upon her and Balthar unnoticed and who didn’t get intimidated by her own, obviously inhuman, appearance. “How about the what?”
“Mhmm, that’s the better question and here is my answer: I am of your kind.” The tone of the voice left no doubt in Loreley about the truth behind those words.
“Then what do you want? What is your buisness with me?” She didn’t like this situation. She had never before faced someone of her own kind. Actually, she had never considered there to be others like her. Though, in retrospect, it had probably been foolish to assume she was ‘that’ unique.
“I’ve already told you: You shouldn’t be doing this.” The female voice responded, neutral, but relentless in tone and melody.
“What do you mean by ‘this’?” Loreley asked, though it was probably obvious as to what the other female was referring too.
“This spell. No, it’s wrong to call it a spell. You have long since surpassed what the mortals refer to as ‘spellcasting’. It’s more appropriate to call it by it’s more direct name: Magic. You musn’t see through this magic. I’ve come to make you stop with it.” the other being clearly hinted a tone of unconcealed worry.
“Why?” was Loreley’s simple question.

“When you first did it, bringing back that cute feral friend of yours... I felt it when you crossed the line between the worlds. Everyone sensible enough felt it. It was like a ripple, spreading across a wide ocean. And then you did it again, more forcefully, though you didn’t seem to return with what you have strived for. Judging by the amount of preparations you have set up, this time would be even more intense. I ask, kindly, of you not to proceed any further, nor to repeat what you have done, ever again. You crossed lines that should have never been touched in first place.”
The words of this foreigner stirred something up inside of her. She was, without doubt, facing a being that was on her level. An angel with the same innate powers, the innate understanding of the arcane, the innate abilities to reach beyond this material world. Was the warning justified? Did the others, this one was talking about, feel something she hadn’t noticed in her focus on her single goal? “But... why do you think what I’m doing is bad? I’ll admit it for sure is a powerful piece of arcane art, something never done before... but why is that supposed to be something negative?”
“You aren’t the first one to do this.” was the simplistic response.
“Yes, I know, there are a lot of humans practicing Necromancy, but that cannot be compaeed to what I am actually doing and”
“No, you missunderstood me. You aren’t the first one to do this.” the voice said, taking on a more sinister, pronounced tone, whilst the figure raised an arm, pointing at the circle surrounding Loreley.
“You mean... somebody else... fully revived somebody in body and soul before? Who?” Loreley asked, with a mix of disbelief, suspicion and curiousity.
“His name would mean nothing to you. And yes, he did bring back the bodys and souls of beings who had been dead for hundreds of years. And even though their new lives were limited to a few years only, the magic he cast was equal to that you are intending to practice now. What he did shook up the bounds between the worlds and was the milestone of a new age to this continent you call Daina. And as such, you musn’t repeat it.”
Loreley frowned slightly. This sounded very vague. “There is no reason for me to believe in your words. And even if I did, my intentions indeed are to create a new age. I will use my magic to revive the one dear to me and then I will reunite the world under our lead. This will be a milestone towards a new age and it will be a glorious age!”
“You’re nuts.” The way the stranger said it, without all that glamour and raised expressions she had used before, made Loreley’s face blush in anger. But it didn’t stop there. “You went entirely nuts. Do you even realize what you’re saying? You say you’re fine to overhaul an age that brought balance to an entirely world for an entire milennia, just for the life of one single person?
This is the exact reason why neither you, nor anyone is supposed to hold such a degree of power! Even our kind falls back into acting like a spoiled child, thinking they can just use their powers however they please. It is this behavior what nearly ended the world back in my times and it is this behavior of yours that will bring doom over our world, once agian!”
“SHUT UP!” Loreley yelled. “I am not a child, I’m a fully adult person and I’m able to justify the decisions I make. And I’m an angel, a divine messenger, gifted with immense power in order to back up those decisions. And I won’t let myself get interrupted by a random stranger who starts lamenting about some weird past apocalyptic legends!”
There was silence for a few moments and Loreley saw how the figure lowered it’s head. “And here I wished I would have been able to end this fight with words alone, before it even started... But if you don’t listen to reasons, I will have to make you listen by force. But take this as a warning, young one; you don’t know what powers you are messing with!”
“Pah!” Loreley responded, permitting wild arcane energy to flare up in her open hands, crackling furiously in the cold night. “Bring it on!”

14.
With a single motion, the robe of the stranger was thrown off, flying far off into the grass. And below it, unnatural skin sparkled in the white moonlight. There was an eruption of arcane energy, an unravel of long-bound and hidden powers, an outburst of a chained beast. Even in the material world, a shockwave of pressure rushed over Loreley as the figure straightened up, it’s wings unfolding, spreading out behind her.
Opposed to those dark-feathered wings of hers, however, the wings of the other one were leathry, in a taint of dark blue and more or less remembered Loreley of the pictures she had seen, those pictures that portrayed the magical beasts known as dragons.
Laying her eyes upon the figure itself, this first impression was underlined by the fact the other woman, if one could even call that thing a woman anymore, was actually covered in scales instead of skin. Dark blue scales, sparkling in the moonlight, ran all across her body. And her face, whilst still remotely humanoid, was more like a reptilic snout.
“You... you are not an angel!” Loreley exclaimed.
“And I never said I am one. I am a demon!” The figure responded with a triumphant, proud and snarling voice.
A demon. Did something like that even exist? But if angels like her existed, so were Loreley’s thoughts, then may demons indeed existed as well? In any case, that thing for sure was entirely unlike her.
The demoness snickered in an unhuman tone. “You look like you think I’ve lied to you. But I told you the truth, I AM of your kind. After all, angels and demons are alike: Both are immortals, beings that transcend common mortals in both lifespan and power.”
“Im... immortals?” Wait... did the demoness just imply that Loreley herself was, well, immortal?! For sure, her own age didn’t seem to progress as fast as that of humans. Her face was still full of youth, though others of her age would eventually start showing the first signs of age. But... immortal... “Then... how old are you?”
A loud, hearty laugher sounded, the sort of laughter that threatened to freeze the hearts of the weak ones just by it’s diabolic sound. “I didn’t even keep track of it myself. But I should be somewhere past the 1500 by now.”
Loreley couldn’t but stare blankly at that revelation. 1500?! That was like... longer then the entire history of Daina! That was even before the Eternal One created the world itself!
A thought crossed her mind... Or... “You... is there... an ‘immortal’ who calls himself ‘the Eternal One’.”
The angel could see a sly smile running across the demoness’ inhuman lips. “No...” Loreley couldn’t but relax at that answer. The thought of the proclaimed god ‘Eternal One’ actually being a living, powerful entity... “But I’ve seen the one being who invented the ‘god’ Eternal One.”
This was... just... it couldn’t be true... Loreley had never been sure of whether gods actually existed. No, she had assured herself that a god like the Eternal One couldn’t possibly exist. And now she was told that there was ‘a being’ that actually ‘made up’ the ‘god Eternal One’? “You are messing with me!” she exclaimed, trying to contain her inner uproar and confusion.
“I’m not. I just feel excited and talkative, seeing an actual angel after all these centuries.You know, even with that old pact, the peace and everything... just thinking about driving my claws below your soft flesh makes me itchy!” There was an unmistakeable hue of bloodlust and raw violence in the demoness’ voice.
“You are... just... vile!” Loreley gave back, before raising one of her arms. In this situation, she for sure didn’t need to hold back. Without limiting herself, she let arcane energy flow into her right hand, emanating it into the air, forming it to a globe of glowing, white energy. “Take that!”

Throwing her arm forward, she propelled the orb of volatile energy towards the demoness. “Now we’re talking!” was the blue-scaled creature’s only response, before she dragged her right claw through the air. There was a buzzing sound of something cleaving through the air, and a large, red crescent of bristling energy cleaved through Loreley’s arcane projectile, tearing it apart, whilst heading directly for the angel.
With a flap of her wings, she propelled herself sidewards, out of the demonic projectile’s reach. And as it passed her just barely, she could literally feel the lust to kill rumoring inside that crescent, before it flew past her, splitting one of her servants into two, digging into the ground behind, creating a rupture of multiple meters lengths.
Apparently the demoness wasn’t exactly holding back either, was she? “Already scared?” a dark, female voice whispered, way too close for Loreley’s taste. The angel could barely turn around to see the demoness coming up behind her. Loreley attempted to dodge, but couldn’t entirely avoid the footlong talons of the scaled demon, tearing a long, painful cut across her left arm.
Conjuring a sudden blast in between them, Loreley catapulted herself and her enemy off each other, before catching herself mid-air with a few flaps of her wide, majestic wings. The demoness did similar on her side, her large dragonic wings quickly raising her to Loreley’s flight height.
And then, to the angel’s disgust, the demoness raised her claw and let her long, slitted tongue drag along the talons, tasting Loreley’s blood, before hissing: “You are different though. Your wings are black, not white. I’ve never seen an angel that was naked with black wings... only those that covered themselves in ‘glorious’ white, gold and silver.”
“I clothe myself however I like, thank you!” Loreley responded, before sending another blast of energy, this time directly aimed at her enemy, forward. The demoness wrapped her large wings around herself, blocking the impact of the arcane explosion. At first she was propelled backwards, but once she unfolded the wings again she quickly stabilized herself. “Hell... I’m enjoying this way more then I should...” she muttered t herself, before striking forth with both claws, sending a cross-shaped double-crescent of red energy towards Loreley.
This time, the angel was prepared and swiftly dodged the projectile, whilst as well keeping her distance to the demoness, not permitting those long talons to come into reach again. And even though this was a small victory in itself, Loreley slowly realized she wouldn’t stand a chance in this fight: Her enemy was strong, to say the least, eventually even stronger then herself, she couldn’t tell. Additionally, the demoness seemed to be much more experienced when it came to fighting on this level. Which probably wasn’t surprising, given her astonishing age...
An idea crossed Loreley’s mind. A quick glance downwards confirmed her that the macic circle was still mostly intact. Of course the strips were not aligned entirely correct anymore and there was one section of the circle that was outright ripped apart... but it was still mostly intact. Enough to utilize the sole advantage Loreley probably had: The advantage of location.
With a flip, she created another orb of arcane energy and hurled it forward. This time, however, the orb scattered into countless smaller ones, spreading out, before arcing back towards the demoness, hailing down on her from multiple sides.
Using the brief moment the bright firework probably gave her, Loreley darted downwards, to the ground, swiftly landing in the middle of the circle, touching the ground below her feet. However, she instantly felt a disturbance: With one of her servants dead, the circle wasn’t balanced anymore! And then... the disturbance slowly ceased to be. Looking up, Loreley saw how Balthar stepped into the circle, sitting down next to the red mass that had previously been one of her servants.
“Balthar...” Lorely whispered lowly. But if anything was in need to be told, the firm glare in the eyes of her unnatural companion said it. She had once given him a second life. And now he was ready to give it back.

15.
She had felt it, twice before. That cold grasp, that utter darkness, the devious void that ached to consume anything alive. Once she had only needed to dip into it shortly, bringing back Balthar’s soul. The second time, she had intended to go deeper, saving Darius... and barely escaped on her own.
On both occasions, the grasp of death had stopped hunting her once she had returned to the material realm. As well, she had always felt resistance when trying to reach the dead ones. It seemed like there was a barrier, a border, a net, just something, that seperated the realm of life from the realm of death. But what would happen if said barrier was broken? Even if just on one location, for a short amount of time.
Closing her eyes, a sly smile ran across Loreley’s face. Time to find out.
She raised her right hand and uttered a few chosen words. It were those few that actually had an arcane effect to them, those few she had figured out across her past years of studying. With ethereal hands, invisible, immaterial, just consisting of arcane energy and her very mind, Loreley started to reach out, seeking for the lives of those five surrounding her.
She felt the circle, even if it wasn’t entirely stable, below her, like glowing lines in a sea of arcane darkness. And she felt those five flickering flames of life. Four of them were alike, whilst the fourth seemed different, duller. It was the reanimated soul of Balthar, for sure.
A slight trace of pity ran through Loreley’s mind. She didn’t want to sacrifice somebody close to her. And whilst she had to admit it sounded strange, she definitely considered Baltar much closer then any of the willless, yet human slaves. But she knew she wouldn’t be able to survive the demoness by conventional means. Balthar knew that as well and had offered himself.
With a single tear on her face, Loreley’s raised right clenched to a fist. There were a set of gasps, a low moan and a pained whimper. And then all those five lights of life ceased to be. And as the souls of those five sacrifices were crushed and destroyed by Loreley’s will, she felt how their essence, their energy, flew towards her hand. Power, power, more power! It was an astonishing feel. It felt as if she would hold the entire world in her hand... and yet it only were five simple beings.
A distant voice reached her ears. “Don’t you dare to...” She as well heard, far away, the flapping of leathry wings. She knew the demoness had seen through the previous distraction.
If there had been any hesitation left in Loreley, the certainity of her impeding death, if not averted, washed it away. Her right struck down, onto the ground and into the arcane circle she had been kneeing on.
In her mind, the entire energy she had gathered from all five souls struck downwards, forming an immense spear of innaturale energy, piercing through everything in her way. This time she didn’t intend to search for something. She didn’t want to save someone. She didn’t want to sneak into the void of death, trying to return with someone else.
Right now, she only wanted one thing: To pierce into the void, rip it’s borders apart and summon the foul of breath itself into the material realm.
Her spear of energy struck downwards, easily dissipating the arcane network in it’s way, destroying the entire incantation circle in the process. Further and further the projectile flew, until reaching and breaching the border to that nameless void of coldness.
She let go of the energy as it dug itself even deeper into the nothingness, not intent on diving to deep herself. Instead, she curled up, her wings forming a protective layer around herself, both in the material and immaterial realm.
And then it came over her: A giant, massive, undescribeable wave of coldness and death. Hidden below her wings, it felt as if said wings itself were freezing, burning, being torn apart and being crushed, all at once. It was a sort of pain unbearable, unbearable enough to even silence her voice, causing her scream to go silent.
She couldn’t do anything. Couldn’t say anything. Couldn’t see anything. There was only a wavering whirl of darkness, decay and death, threatening to cleanse the reality of her existence, if it would only find one small hole in her layer of defensive magic.
Lasting for what seemed like an eternity, Loreley couldn’t, not even whilst suffering the pain of an endless death, shake free of the fear to be impaled by the demoness’ talons any second. Trying to see, hear, just somehow sense the presence of the demoness, she lifted a small part of her protective layer, just for a short glimpse. Instantly, coldness flodded her body from the right side and out of pure instinct, Loreley quickly sealed up her self-created hole again.
Realizing there was nothing left but to wait, she remained there, in the midst of a dark tornado, sitting with her wings wrapped around herself.
And then... it was gone...
The sudden warmth, the blood flowing back in her outer body, her wings awakening from what seemed like an eternal slumber... It was as if she would have been reborn, finally freed from the grasp of death. Slowly, cautiously, Loreley undid the barriers surrounding her and unfolded her wings. And then she opened her eyes.
When she had started her incantation, she had been on top of a small hile, in a light forest. Now she was standing on a small rocky pillar, not many meters in diameter, in the midst of a vast wasteland, a desert without any life. The ground itself was torn apart, the very soil crumbled to dry dust. Any life, plant or animal, was gone, wiped off the plane of existence.
There, in the far distance, a couple of miles away, was a thin line of green, hinting she hadn’t destroyed the entire world. And yet, as she started turning around, it appeared like she had managed to destroy any sort of life in a radius of countless miles.Any sort of life... but the one she had intended to kill:
In front of her, on the ground, laid the demoness, her limbs stretched apart. Her scales had lost any color and were of a dull grey and whilst her eyes were open, even staring at the angel, they had lost the grim, threatening fire from before. But yet, the demoness was still alive.
With shaking, semi-numb legs, Loreley slowly walked over to her. One arm of the demoness twitched slightly, but nothing more. When she opened her maw and started to speak, in a weak voice, the voice of those old enough to die at any moment, it sounded to Loreley as if the reaper was personally speaking to her:
“Just... why did you... do that... Is the life... of one human... worth dieing for?”
“I didn’t die. And I don’t feel like I’m about to die, opposed to you.” Loreley responded. The tone of the demoness’ voice... her immobile body... her fading astral light... she was entirely helpless by now and probably wouldn’t survive for long. “I merely defended myself. Successfully, it seems.”
“That’s... because I used myself... to seal the rift.” the demoness responded. And as unfitting as her words sounded, she didn’t seem to be lieing.
“Why would you do that?”
“You... as I’ve said.... you are messing with powers... better left untouched...” A short, dry cough. “I wanted to stop this from happening. They told me that the opening of the gate to the void of death... it would be the first sign of the apocalypse... the end of the world as we know it. The end of... this era.” The demoness closed her eyes and appeared to flow back in time, remembering distant times. And her face spoke of deep, serious sadness. “I didn’t realize... they meant my death would be the cause of the apocalypse... I though that the rift itself would be the cause... and I sacrificed myself to close it... but now I realize... that it was the wrong way...”
Her eyes opened half-way and stared upwards, trying to find Loreley, but unable to see anything anymore. “You... Loreley... you wanted to know my name... I am... the Warden.”

16.
The Warden? Loreley had heard this term before... only in rumors, though: The Warden were a group of people, assassins, warlords, mercanerys, thieves, priests, sorcerers... actually nobody knew what exactly they were... Even their existence in itself was doubted and, by the various realms, never offcially aknowledged.
Yet, events had taken place. Events of mysterious, unexplainable nature; an army of masked riders fighting to turn the tide of war. The sudden death of rulers and generals. The disappearance of powerful and malignant spellcasters. And often, all those events were connected with a term: the Warden.
“You... you belong to the Warden?”
“No. I am the Warden. I am the one being that raised, commanded and controlled all those key figures of history, throughout the past millenia. I was the one immortal left at the realm of mortals, in order to preserve balance. I’ve been watching and protection this realm for the entirety of it’s age, the ‘Age of the Wheel’.
But my death... there is a pact, ancient as all of the current civilizations together. A pact between demons, angels... and those above. We agreed to leave the mortals alone, for the sake of peace. Only I and my brother should remain, to stand guard and ensure the prosperity of the mortals as whole. Of course there always were those few, exspecially demons, who didn’t abide by this pact and tried to reach their sinister goals and who crossed the border to this realm... but I stopped them, every single of them... till today.
With my death, the pact is broken. Immortals will once again roam the realm of mortals.
A new Dark Age of war will begin... We all hoped it would never come, never happen... but we knew it would, at some day. And we prepared.”
“What does this all mean?! Why should I believe your words? Are you just trying to get me to save you?! I for sure won’t fall for that!” Loreley exclaimed, pointing her right hand towards the laying demoness.
Only now, she realized her right arm... was... well... It had taken on a black color, the skin not smooth, but dry and fissured. Touching it with her left, Loreley realized the limb in itself was numb. Nothing, neither touch nor warmth, reached her nerves. Even more, the tips of her fingers were gone, leaving only her bare bones sticking out of the black flesh.
Loreley realized, that the moment of curiousity, the quick glance she had wanted to throw outside... had cost her the right arm. Even though it was still attached to her body, though she could still move it by force of her will... it was essentially dead. Nontheless, she could feel the arcane force bristling, gathering at the tip of one finger, pointed towards the demoness.
“I hoped you would may change your oppinion and indeed save me... but it was just that, a distant hope. No, my life is over. And as much as I loved to secretly rule the world... I’m fine with dieing. I have seen enough... I am ready to step through the door the mortals call ‘death’. I’ve seen how one of my brothers had passed it before me, voluntaryly... I’m not afraid.
And yet... I feel regret, for not seeing my younger brother again. We’ve been seperated for centurys, then found back together for a year and then had to go apart again... And now I will have to go onwards without him... he won’t forgive me for that.
And he won’t forgive you, either, Loreley. You said you want to revive this one dear to you and then erect a new world for you two to rule in? Do so. Turn yourself into a figure of divine rulership. That will make it easier for him to find you. It doesn’t matter how long it takes. But he will be there and with him, there will be judgement...
Maybe, just maybe, we’ll meet in our next life, fallen angel Loreley...”
Loreley didn’t want to continue listening to this weird nonsense. With a single thought, the arcane lightning, gathered in her finger, struck forwards, impaling the demoness’ head.
A slight ripple ran through her body, before the gray scales turned black and then dissipated into dust. The demon was slain.
And now it was time to rebegin the preparations...

- Epilog -
Was this death? It didn’t feel bad at all. Softness... warmness... dim, white light...
She didn’t do anything, just drifted in the feeling. If it was a ‘feeling’ in first place, after all she couldn’t even feel her own body anymore.
And even though she had neither a body to feel the warmness, nor eyes to see the white light, nor an ear to hear, she noticed how someone, something, was speaking to her:
“And like this, the age is going to end... You have served us well... you gave them one thousand years of peace. And they will never know you have even existed... We decided to reward your deeds... Awaken, Cyraminon, and join us...
After all... there is still one last guardian left... and you don’t want to miss your brother’s appearance, do you?”