I had been away from people for far too long, Perhaps the longing for company had made me careless, or perhaps i had simply let down my guard. It all began with a dream tinged in red. In it, i could hear the crackling of fire on burning houses, smell the smoke of char and burnt flesh, and hear the screams of agony and horror as a hundred lives were cut short one after the other by foreign blades. above them all rose the screams of my own family, they cried out for me and yet i found myself unable to move, suddenly flat on my stomach with a spear through my back. i could see my wife clutching our children, shielding them in futility from the descending cold steel. my hand reached out uselessly, as she looked into my eyes one last time before the light in them was snuffed out. Then the red turned to black, and i found myself in a bottomless void, immeasurable in it's scale, A voice, cackling and malevolent, taunted me over my useless demise, my fractured psyche and shattered heart. "I could have saved them" it had said. "I could have given you the strength to destroy them." i remember next a maddening fury, a desire to kill those who took away everything i loved with an unfathomable and vindictive prejudice. i felt like i would lose my mind completely if i did not destroy them utterly for what they had done. So when the cackling voice said "And i still can, if you desire vengeance." I did not hesitate, no. Not then. The dream shifted once more, and i recalled the faces of those who brought down their sword's upon my children's flesh. i remembered the joy of their agonized faces and screams, the pleasure of inflicting as much pain upon them as possible, Before the cackling voice dragged me back from control as easily as swatting away a naughty child. "This is my body now." it had smirked. "That was our pact. Vengeance for your body and soul." And i remembered how readily i accepted that truth, what worth was my body and soul when everything the two had cherished was forever gone? But then, the dream shifted one last time. I stood in a blackened, charred crater where once the great capital of a nation once stood. The banner of Anithorn, burned and dirtied, fluttered weakly off of a ruined tower. My vengeance had been completed, And yet the ruins around me were no different from the ruins of Galath. I had become the very thing i desired such brutal vengeance against. i had spotted a child's doll covered in ash and soot, and i remembered picking it up, causing something within myself that i could never repair to break in response. And suddenly i had found myself in full control of my body again, all the while the voice, no longer smugly cackling, raged violently in protest. but it was no use, i would never allow such a catastrophe again.
The dream ended suddenly, and the inn room drifted slowly back into focus, i found myself on Solace's bunk, my hand's wrapped crushingly tight around his throat as he choked out; "Pull yourself together dammit! i don't want to hurt you!" Panicked, i realized my control had slipped once again, i moved to release him. "I am so sorry, i-" As i began to speak, a flash of metal caught my eye as the pommel of his longsword slammed into my sternum. All of my breath left my body with a gasp, and i fell heavily backwards onto the inn's packed earthen floor. i groaned in pain as Solace stood to his feet, the razor sharp tip of his sword pricking a bead of blood from my throat. "Are you back to your senses then?" He gasped, out of breath himself. I nodded, ashamed. i had harmed a man who only wanted to show me kindness. i could not bear to meet his eyes. "I am, i apologize sir, sometimes i have these vivid dreams and my body acts on it's own." He shook his head, then sighed. "I know about the demon within you, fool. i saw it last night while we ate. and sensed it when i met you at the roadside." I blinked, stunned. He should have executed me on the spot, priests especially did not tolerate those tainted by the abyss. even the possessed. "Why did you not kill me then?" was all i could manage to ask. He managed to smile and said "Look at me." i hesitantly obeyed. he then sheathed his sword and crouched down to meet my eyes. it was then that i really took a good look at the priest for the first time. He was a slightly older man, perhaps mid to late thirties, not yet with grey in his hair, but smile lines around his eyes that said he smiled or laughed often. His eyes were a deep, golden amber, not like the sharp yellow of most Lycans. and his short auburn hair was the same hue as those from the northern mountains of Aken. He had a close cropped stubbled beard, and a scar running from his jaw to his neck which clearly came from a weapon. as well as a small chip in the corresponding ear. He looked me in the eyes and asked in a serious tone; "How much do you know about Demons, Lucien?" i shook my head morosely. "Nearly nothing." I replied flatly. "I have only recently regained my free will." He gazed at me a moment, His amber eyes filled with an unnerving sharpness. "Well that's just it." he said. "You should never have regained it at all." i sat up, ears pricking forward as i asked, surprised; "What do you mean never at all?" He plopped down and scratched his head, searching for an explanation i could understand. "Demons," he explained, "Are formless souls who's flow of aura is inverted. They make their home in the Abyss, the realm of Nyxus, God of the void." I nodded my understanding. "As formless beings," He continued, "They can enter the physical bodies of other races, but cannot violate the law of free will. Thus, they make deals or pacts, to get the consent of their victims in exchange for the victim's body and soul. The soul is sent to the abyss, to become a demon itself. and the body is granted to the demon, to do with whatever it pleases." A pact to give my soul is exactly what i had agreed to. I mentioned this to Solace, and he simply shook his head, shrugging. "Honestly i have no idea how you can resist the demon, especially after having made a pact. you should have no free will at all." i pondered that for a moment, then asked; "What about exorcism, can you not preform one as a priest?" His face darkened as he shook his head. "When you attacked me last night," I flinched. "The aura you emitted was not that of a common demon. It was much, much stronger. beyond my humble ability to repel. In order to have such a being exercised, we would need to speak with the Arch-Deacon of the All-Maker, or the High priestess of the Lunar Temple. However, both of them are all the way in Nova-Valora. Aken's Capital." i slowly grasped what solace was saying. the last two years of my life had been a blur, like a waking dream. What the cackling voice was, what all i had done and who i had killed was still like a faded dream, with bits of clarity. If the voice was truly something strong enough that even a veteran priest could not help me, i could not risk allowing it to break free. especially after seeing what it could do in Anithorn's ruined capital. i stood up, a renewed sense of purpose filling my spirit. i had to get rid of this demon at any cost, before it could overtake me. looking down at solace, i said; "Then it seems i'd best make my way to the capital. Thank you, Solace." as i turned to grab my things, Solace clucked his tongue at me. "Tsk tsk tsk, Going to see the Arch-Deacon without a priest, as a possessed? i'm not sure that would go well." I grimaced. i hadn't thought of that. He appeared beside me with a coy grin. "Don't worry, I'll accompany you on the way and make sure you don't get into any mischief. Besides, i know all the best inn's and campsites. Your idea of a good camping spot is a waterlogged, thorny tree." i couldn't help but smile slightly. This man had a way with turning away darkness. He extended his hand, and i shook it firmly. "Then i look forward to traveling with you, Solace." "Likewise." He replied.