The past few days had seen me and my two new companions settling into a routine of sorts. Every day at about nine, the rail car came around the vicinity of my tower. Sometimes it was empty, other times it was not. The guards had a regular patrol every two days, and they made sure to jeer and make fun of me every time they passed.

Though every time they came by, I would usher in Teluna and Nisi into the tower and have them seal the entrance with a thin layer of earth, to keep them hidden and give an impression that I was still sleeping outside on the ground. The guards; as long as they could see me haggard and miserable they were quite happy and contented. So I made it a point to ways look dirty and hungry.

So far it has been eleven days, my two weeks of pseudo freedom, where I was exempted from working and mining like the other prisoners was almost over. And during that time Asare has only come over once, and even then that was to bring me the rations that my; or should I say the weekly quota Asare took care of got me.

It was not as bountiful as the first bundle, just a few flasks of blood, some bread and water, a basket woven with strips of metal with a strap to hang it on your back, and a mining pick.

And then he left before I could say anything, which would have been extremely frustrating if I was not hiding Teluna and Nisi. So I just made do with what I had and kept my questions for another day. I didn’t once doubt that Asare had superior senses than most if not all the guards I had seen so far, but I like to believe that I was crafty enough to outsmart him.

As for Teluna and Nisi, after much trial and error, I was able to make my old prison cloths fit them both. Though a lot of it was damaged in the process. Teluna got the trousers but his upper body was still bare, while Nisi got the shirt. It was a welcome improvement for the both of them though, even if it wasn’t much. I also had to lay some ground rules; Nisi was not allowed to be a construction worker for not more than two hours everyday. Thanks to the stopwatch that was part of the first bundle we were able to tell the time. So far she has actually completed the reception area I had asked her to build, and she was about to get started on the hallway and the four huge rooms. With the sheer size of the tower Nisi could keep the residual sand and dust in the reception room and keeping with our ruse of this just being an ordinary tower.

Also during this period of eleven days, I had noticed Nisi's ability with her magic increase and become refined. Even she had confirmed it, unfortunately for her, much like the prisoners here but much better she could not see or interact with the way. She had an almost similar rune to mine. But hers read block the sight to Shareath’s way. It was captioned in a more simple and straight forward way. They way or the system actually was still connected to her, it still helped her access the ether and refine Mana. But she could not see it or interact with it. It was much like someone walking around in a dark room and relying mostly on instincts to get by.

I was impressed by her growth so I convinced Teluna to also practice his dark magic everyday for two hours. But only after Nisi was done with her Construction or carving out of the tower. That way should any unwanted situation should arise, one of them would always have enough strength and Mana to escape.

But as far as I was concerned I had made more progress than expected, but I had not moved very far. When it comes to weaving, to properly have the symbols interact with the natural world, the writing instrument used has to be imbued and guided with soul energy. According to the book soul energy could be accumulated by different means. Inside of every weavers body, there’s a point at the base of the spine that served as a doorway to the realm or the space your soul inhabits. And after that, for every joint on your spine a conduit is located to store the soul energy. With every joint you could fill all up to the very base of your skull, your strength and abilities would increase exponentially.

But, the soul of every living being is not infinite. A soul grows larger with everyday that passes and every memory you have. But all this things have an end. Maybe it would be different for me since I was now a vampire and could probably live forever. But for a human, who I should mention where the only race capable of weaving. Could not live past a hundred or a hundred and twenty years old. So in the end it will get to a point where their souls would be to limited and can no longer grow with them.

So there was another way….. Killing. Every living thing has a soul, even a plant with sufficient time or in special circumstances could also have a soul. Weavers are also peculiar in a way that they passively absorb the souls of the dead. It was not nearly as creepy as it sounds, but the soul of anything dead could be used to fill the conduits and keep less strain on the personal soul of a weaver.

But souls did more than just provide energy for weaving. They provided new pieces of the language of the way. The way could be read, and most of those words could be replicated by the weavers and structured into phrases that possessed great power and abilities. But the true way for them to get true symbols of power is from the absorption of souls. Every soul is unique and different so they would be in possession of a unique rune or seal. But not every would provide a rune or seal to the weaver upon absorption, it was completely random.

The weaver themselves could have access to new runes from their own souls and unique to them only. It was why the souls only gave runes at random. Every weaver had an area of specialty due to everyone having unique souls, no two weavers are the same. While they are some of them that could achieve similar results as another weaver, the symbols used are always different.

Much like how the way was seen and experienced differently by people, much so were the weavers different as they each used a rune and seal unique to them, almost like having a personal rune language.

But there was nothing for me to kill here, so I had to be contented with drawing power from my own soul. So far even with the seal restricting me, I have had limited success. Every time a weaver channeled his or her soul, the conduit or equipment being used glows. The color it glows is also unique to every weaver. So far I have been able to make my finger tips spark a deep and dark blue multiple times over the past four days. But each time I was left with such a splitting headache it felt like my head was going to explode. It did not take much for me to understand that my mental energy was not enough to carry me through, not to mention the damn seal was still restricting my access to the way, so it was a lot harder for me than any other human that has had to learn how to weave.

But something else has come up in the past few days. A name actually. The name of a girl. Ever since I could connect to my soul, the name Cassie has been on my mind. I though maybe my memories were coming back, but with only a name and no face to it, things has been a little freaky.

It got so bad that everything I went to sleep, I would somehow end up writing the name on the ground, and in symbols and letters I did not recognize. I felt like this was my own personal runes or seals, but they were weird looking. They were all formed by a combination of half circles and strategically place lines. I called this language on a whim English. But that still did not bring down my curiosity on the name Cassie, it got so bad that I would even wake up with mg fingers torn open from writing on the ground all night and a groove made with the name Cassie carved into the ground and filled with my blood.

So far I have been able to keep this a secret from Teluna and Nisi, but I had no idea how long I could keep it up. Because quite honestly I am scared. Very terrified. But I relegated all this to the back of my head and chose to think of and find a way to increase my mental energy since the book did not tell me how. It had said it was cultivated by means only understood by the weavers themselves.

That was just as abstruse and vague as everything weaver like I had come into contact with since I woke up. I think weavers had a fetish for riddles.

“are you ready?” Nisi asked from behind me.

I shifted the basket on my shoulders and picked up the mining pick, spun it in my hands a few times and said to her.

“Do I look an less ready to you.”

“did you remember to take a flask of blood Mr. Hero?”

I had to turn my head in shame as she said that. Over the past few days my relationship with both Teluna and Nisi has only gotten better. Of course they were only children, but with no other person around we had to depend on each other. We would spend hours talking while they both they both told me stories of my past. They helped me come to terms with my lost memories and they have helped me to the best of their abilities, sometimes even doing more than was expected.

It was inevitable that they would find out about my missing memories. And even then all they had chose to do was try to help me remember. It even got so annoying at times when either Teluna or Nisi would just come up from behind me and ask, do you remember when this happened or when that happened.

It was an aspiring effort on their part, and with the constant repetition of the questions and the onslaught of information from them. I learnt a lot about my past and was able to form an appropriate image of each event in my head.

But today I had decided to head to the mine a few days early and very much against Asare's wishes. Nisi had volunteered to accompany me, but we had to leave Teluna behind and sealed in the tower for his safety.

I really just needed to move around and find out about some things that Teluna and Nisi could not explain. Like for example how did both the vampire and dark elf races fall from grace and became nothing more than slaves to humans. So far I understood there was a war, but I had no idea how it went, who started it, how did it end and how in the hell did the vampire and dark elves loose. Also a more serious question, the dark elves are a race of the first sun. Even though they had split themselves from the main faction of the elves they should be nothing more than spectators in this war. But they were all here serving as prisoners and slaves right beside the vampires. And from what I have seen both races are close to each other. I might not have mentioned it, but there was a very good chance that Teluna’s father is a dark elf.

But apart from finding out how deep the histories between both races go, I wanted to poke around and see what I could find out about weavers. So far both races have been able to get news and information from the traveling gnome merchants that ran the market. Nisi tells me there are some of them who sell information. This was an incredibly stupid risk but I was desperate. With every second that went by, I was more and more convinced that the rune on my wrist was more dangerous than it seemed. And the longer I left it on me, the more damage it would cause. Even though I don’t know what exactly it would damage, the fact that the way, Shearath and essence were all mentioned on the same rune freaked the hell out of me.

I heard the sound of shifting earth as Nisi moved loose pieces of rocks and sand to cover the huge entrance on the tower. She made small unseen holes to provide ventilation for Teluna who was practicing his magic in the tower. There was no need to be worried about him being trapped as his magic had enough force to break through the thick walls of the tower.

Almost immediately I heard the tell tale sounds of the rail car coming close, its yellow headlights shone through the dark blue gloom of my area. It came to a stop right in front of my tower and Nisi and I got on. The cart gave a lurch and moved forward, picking up speed with each passing moment until it got to the too speed possible for it.

I felt the wind whip past me, but I had short hair unlike Nisi so I was not worried about my hair flying around the place like she was. But the dark atmosphere had a tinge if excitement running through it. Maybe it was just me, but I found my self eager to see and experience a day among the prisoners of both races.

The rail car made routine stops picking up extra passengers as it made its way to the entrance of the pit. But after the first person came on the entire journey became extremely uncomfortable for me. With each addition to car, I became spectacle as they all watched me and my every move for the duration of the journey. I would wonder how the could recognize me, with the fact that they were prisoners being an obvious factor, they should have only had access to stories of my glorious but rather forgotten exploits as an activist for species equality.

I was most certainly grateful when the awkward ride came to an end. That did not mean the staring stopped as I was now exposed to a wider range of people who all wanted to look at the hero.

With Nisi leading the way we quickly ascended the stairs to the cliff and entrance of the pit. As much as I tried to be inconspicuous and avoid trouble, a lot of guards had taken it upon their selves to bump at my shoulders and trip me down the stairs. I was enraged by all this actions, I wanted to fight back, I wanted to teach the bastards what it meant to mess with me. And based on the looks of anger and outrage on the face’s of both vampires and dark elves that were either going out to mine or just coming back from their shift, I knew they too wanted me to fight back.

But I somehow was able to restrain my anger and think properly, I knew how much of a helpless situation that would be, not to mention this was what they wanted. They wanted to bait me into attacking them, for me to give them a reason to cause me harm and make a ridicule out of me if not outright kill me.

But I was not ready for that. I don’t really know what I was like before, when all my memories were still intact. But I knew the kind of person I was now, or the kind of person I wanted to be. I knew perseverance was a virtue I needed to have, and I had to take into consideration that I had responsibilities to almost five million people of which two innocent kids were included. I could not afford to loose my temper.

When the guards saw that I had no intentions of fighting back, they turned to making fun of me and trying to provoke me. Somehow that worked even better than when they physically hurt me. I couldn’t help my self but reply to one of them.

“You say I am nothing, that my species is filthy and a curse on the land; heh……those are big words coming from you, considering you are as much a prisoner as I am here. You are stuck guarding me, trying to prevent me from leaving, trying to oppress me and belittle me. You’re such a fool, because unlike you I am not alone, no matter how hard you have all tried, the vampires and the dark elves have thrived and survived in this prison of yours. Of course our lives are not easy and that is in fact highly attributed to you and your childish antics.

Antics that gains you nothing but only proves what is most known about werewolves, you’re nothing more than the errand dogs of humans. You betray the dark side for the light, but you end up nothing more than slaves, the elves were made under the light of the first sun, but they are here suffering under the darkness that both you and I were born under.

But they have not lost their honor or their dignity. Because unlike you they are prisoners, not slaves, not dogs, and most certainly not the bottom feeding, trash heap born of a beast that you are. So no compared to any vampire, gnome or dark elves that live here; in the dancing caves of Noxis Nyx, you are nothing.”

I was very sure I heard a pin drop somewhere in the silence that ensued. My eyes never left the face of the guard as I waited for him to make his move. He was angry, very much so. I could see the fur bristling all over his hulking frame. I saw him grew larger as his features took on a more lupine trait. His huge jaws slowly dripping spittle as his disdain for me was etched all over his body.

I never moved, not once. Every word I had spoken to the guard was the truth I have been able to glean from the stories I have been told by both Teluna and Nisi. There was a saying; the truth hurts. If course I don’t really remember who said that, but he or she was right. The truth hurts and I was about to have my face ripped off for speaking it.

But the guard who I spoke to, was not the only werewolf in the squad of guards, there was about five more and two humans mixed among them. But I had successfully pissed each an every one of them off as all six werewolves had increased to double their size and would love nothing more than to find out how easily my flesh would rend from my bones under the pressure of their claws.

As they were about to make their move, one of their human compatriots or colleague quickly laid his hands on two of their shoulders and used his eyes to gesture around him. This sudden action made me shift my focus for a moment, and I noticed the hundreds of vampires and dark elves around me. They were an assortment of all ages, size and colors. And each of them had their mining picks clutched tightly in their hands, while they made no intentions of masking the bloodlust in all of their eyes. The message they sent was very clear, if they werewolves dared make a move, it was going to be a riot and their gazes guaranteed that non of those wolves would leave here alive.

The werewolf who was the initial target of my outburst shook if the hand of the human guard from his shoulder and made his way towards me. The sheer terror of his large frame which towered over me and was twice my size did not stop my sensitive ears from picking up the sounds of tightened grips and speeding heartbeats as both the vampires and night elves around me were prepared to poke holes into this werewolf like the earth they have been mining.

“Remember my name, because it is the name of the beast that is going to send your traitorous life into abyss. From this moment onwards I Uzi the ripper do so swear to do away with your life, before the end of mine. This foolish heaps of nothing will not always be around to protect you lion of Shearath, so better watch out for the day, the hour, the minute and the second you find yourself alone. Because when you look at the shadows I will be there to rip your head off and take it for my trophy.”

When his guttural sounding threat and seriously bad breath had been shifted from my face, I couldn’t help but poke fun at him.

“lets hope your bite is worse than your bark” I called out at his retreating form. Then he turned and said with an extremely nasty grin.

“You will find out soon enough”

“well I guess it’s a date then. You better bring your dancing shoes, because I won’t go down easy. If I even go down at all.”

I was bluffing, seriously and massively Bluffing, but I had to find a way to discourage him from coming after me, at least not until I have the means to defend myself. As I watched him descend the stairs, I could feel my beating heart moving way faster than it ever had since I woke up a Vampire. I felt the strength leave my legs as I almost collapsed to the ground, only to feel someone holding me up. I did not recognize but his wide grin was the most reassuring thing I have seen since I woke up.

A cheer went up around me as the vampires and dark elves surrounded me. Some of them pounding my back, others shaking my hands as they introduced their selves and thanked my for what I had done.

Honestly I felt like a fraud. I had only said all that because I had lost my temper and gotten angry, if not I would never have made an attempt to provoke a werewolf much less one that was supposed to be my prison guard. But this people had perceived my actions as the activist or hero in me. They young boy who refused to stand for injustice against the creatures of the dark and chose to stand for them.

If I was someone who really cared about fame, then my resume was looking really good right about now. A lingering thought about what a resume was passed through my mind, but it left just as quickly as it came.

I could feel Nisi holding my hands like a little girl as we were swept by the crowd into the tunnel that led to the crossroads. Everyone was talking at the same time, and a lot of the little kids around kept on touching my cloths while some really shameless people touched me in less than appropriate places.

The sexual molestation aside, I couldn’t help but feel the energy they all felt, the excitement, the thrill. It felt good to stand up to authority, and much more so when the authority you were standing up to where tyrants. And in the end they could not do anything about it. I had no idea who or what I really was before I lost my memories, but I could see why the old me did what he did. The worship this people offered was intoxicating.

In their eyes, I could see hope, I could see these flickering wisps if joy as my actions had brought them a satisfaction they had not experienced in a very long time. There was a certain feeling that seemed to fill me up to the brim, I couldn’t explain it or really understand it. The closest thing I could compare it with was fulfillment, accomplishment and a deep sense of satisfaction. But whatever happens I was sure of one thing. Being a hero sure was dope.