For the first time in what felt like decades, I started to hear something. It was a faint sound just out of reach as if a whisper in the wind. ‘Na! It can’t be it must be my mind playing tricks on me’ But as time passed, the sound got if ever so slightly louder. It was a voice, but it was still too faint for me to understand the contents of the words uttered. But it gradually got louder and louder, until it was loud enough that I could hear the words... Well, gibberish to be more precise!

I could not make heads or tail of what the voice was saying; it was as if... It was some random combinations of words being spit out from an unknown source. Maybe another language? But a speech I had never heard before.

Then suddenly I felt a chill creeping up on me and spreading through my body. Cold? I felt cold! Who knew you could be so happy about feeling cold? Soon after that, my smell gradually returned to me. I could smell some sort of chemicals in the air around me. The smell reminded me of old or burnt plastic with a hint of banana and mixed with the foul odor of death that was lingering in the air. Was I in a hospital? Had I survived and just been vegetated? I was so happy to regain my senses that I had almost forgotten my plan to rid the world of all the people in it... Then again now that I think about it what even is a hospital? And what’s a vegito-something?

The bewilderment in my mind didn't last long as I felt my hand twitched slightly. As soon as I regain a sense of movement in my hand, I tried opening my eyes. As I did, it seemed as if for all this time they had just merely been closed.

I opened my eyes to see a dimly lit room of sort. I stared at the uneven, rugged stone ceiling above me, lying flat on my back on something hard still unable to move the rest of my body. In the corner of my eyes, I could see the stone ceiling in the near distance slowly shaping downwards, connecting to an equally uneven rugged wall.

Mushrooms were sticking out here and there from the walls, glowing in a weakly blue manner. They didn’t emit much light on their own, but the sheer number of them lit the room to a viewable extent. By my easements, I was laying atop of something like a table but couldn’t quite figure it out.

While I started to wonder where I was, I soon realized that the voice no longer spoke in that weird language and I could understand it. It was a gruff male voice, cracking a little as the male spoke.

“Your name shall be...”. He continued in the weird language again; it was a long name because it took him almost 5 seconds to pronounce. He then continued: “...and you shall call yourself Keeper, now rise!” [???]

My body moved on it own by the voice last words as my vision glanced at the ceiling, wall and now a crooked old man. With a beard so long, you would think he hadn’t used a scissor in well, forever as his beard reached the smooth stone floor.

The man was wearing a brown robe reeking of sweat, chemicals and other unidentified smells mixing with the already weird smell in this room.

His hair light gray, evidently showing his old age, as if the wrinkles weren't enough! His deep blue eyes had a glint which was hard to discern. As if overjoyed over something, while at the same time looking at me with glazed eyes. It looked like he could fall asleep at any moment!

Had it not been for the wrinkles I might have been able to recognize if he had any pillows under them. For his age, I could do not but guess. If one could count one’s age by the wrinkles on a man's face, he might have been up to a thousand years old.

“What’s your name?” [Old-man]

“Keeper.” [Keeper]

I said without even thinking about It.

“Wait that's not my name, my name is- Keeper.” [Keeper]

Did I repeat it? Why? My name is... what is my name? I can't remember!

“Hey old man what have you done to me? Why can't I remember my name?” [Keeper]

“Hmm, interesting.... interesting indeed!” [Old-man]

“Hey! Answer me when I'm talking to you!” [Keeper]

I decided to jump at him; this old fool would be my first victim. But I couldn't, it was as if my body was shackled down by invisible chains.

“Why can't I move! Hey! Answer m— ”[Keeper]

“Silence!” [Old-man]

Immediately my voice was rendered silent. I was furious. I couldn’t talk, and I couldn’t move. Just when I got these senses back, they were stolen from me. I stared daggers at the old man as he whispered to himself under his breath, not minding me in the least. Then he coughed two times to clear his throat and continued:

“My name is Maleck; I am the one who gave you your true name in the ancient tongue and thus, that means I am your master. I have done nothing with your name, you have already used it twice. And as for why you cannot move… “[Maleck]

His eyes narrowed, and he looked at me with a dominant piercing glare, and I could swear I saw a smirk under his beard.

“...is naturally because you are not allowed to hurt me. Nor anything in this room for that matter!" [Maleck] He hurriedly added.

“Try to move, and you will see.” [Maleck]

It was as he said I could indeed move, but I was unable to touch anything in the room nor touch him. Perfect, just perfect. My first victim in front of my eyes and I couldn't even pick a hair off his beard.

After I had walked around a bit getting used to the sensation of moving my body again, he continued.

“Now try chanting a light creation spell for me!” [Maleck]

I looked at him dumbfounded. A light…what?? Did he say spell? A spell, as in magic? As I did not answer him, he seemingly started to get annoyed. Then it seemed like he remembered something.

“You're allowed to speak!” [Maleck]

He said to me, but I still stood silently looking at him with eyes of disbelief, magic!?

“Well... what are you waiting for!?” [Maleck]

He asked as a hint of annoyance started to rise in his voice.

I don't know why... But as he asked me to perform, I took my hands in front of me and held out one hand sideways with the palm facing myself with the tip of the thumb folded down behind the side. Then I place my other thumb bent so that the tip of the thumb appears to be connected to the folded-down thumb with the forefinger bent to cover the joint. And then I separated the two. From Maleck’s point of view, it looked like I had dislocated my thumb. He seemed to be impressed, but only for a second.

“What the hell are you doing!?” [Maleck]

“Eh!? Well I don't know...” [Keeper]

His eyes were furrowing making his wrinkle get wrinkles of their own.

“What!? What do you mean you don't know!?” [Maleck]

“Well you asked me to do magic, and that is what I did” [Keeper]

“Are you mocking me!?” [Maleck]

He said with a deep thundering voice.

“No, no I’m not” [Keeper]

I squeaked, in bone-rattling terror. I was afraid! I was genuinely scared of this old man named Maleck.

“Tell the truth!” [Maleck]

He commanded.

“I swear I didn't mock you; that's the only magic trick I know!” [Keeper]

After that answer, he seemed to calm down.

“Well, a trick it might have been indeed but magic, HA! This, this is magic!” [Maleck]

He reached forth his left hand, his palm facing the roof and in that empty palm, I see a small flicker of... something. Then suddenly a flame emerged the size of a tennis ball, and I could feel a wave of heat on my face. I was so shocked I almost fell over. And I would have if it wasn't for the table behind me covered in scattered documents and vials which I had been ordered not to touch. My body reacts, clamping every muscle, making me bend unnaturally backward in a bow.

I couldn't move!

“Help...” [Keeper]

Maleck seeing me in this condition snorted, going over to a light chuckled. Before he hurriedly stops himself, going over to some rough coughing.

“Hrm... Master!” [Maleck]

“What?” [Keeper]

“Say: Master please!” [Maleck]

I would never- ow, ow, ow, ow, hurts. Oh, to hell with it.

“Master... please~!” [Keeper]

I'm 100% sure that he's smirking right now under his long gray beard.

“You're allowed to touch that.” [Maleck]

And with that I fell, crashing on to the table scattering the already scattered documents and destroying some vials in the process.

“What do you say?” [Maleck]

“Thank you?” [Keeper]

He raised one of his brows.

“Thank you…? [Maleck]

“Thank you... master…” [Keeper]

I swear one day I will kill this old mage.

“Good, now clean up after the mess you’ve made. And be careful with the vials that you didn’t destroy, they are expensive!”

I reluctantly started to tidy up the place. Picking up the broken glass and placing whatever that wasn't broken when I fell back to their original positions as good as I could. At the same time, Maleck had started to whisper to himself under his beard again, looking me up and down. Then without a word he left the room through a door which I just suddenly noticed existed. Thinking about it I hadn't had the time to get a good look around.

I was inside of what seemed to be a human-made cave carved out of the muddy brown cave stone, with only the one door to enter and exit. The room was quite large and in the center of the room was a decorated stone altar with different symbols carved into it. That must have been what I laid on previously — cut out of the same muddy brown colored stone as the rest of the cave.

Around the altar, several tables were spread out in a chaotic yet organized manner. Every desk had something on it if it was not vials and documents. Then they were covered in open books, plants, dissected animals, tools and other things which I had no clue of what they even where.... how I even know this much is a mystery. There were also a few bookshelves with few to no books in them spread out. All in all, it looked like a maze of furniture, all leading to the door.

Then I noticed something, what I saw in front of me was a pale-faced youth about five foot tall. Nude with silky gray skin and not a strand of hair on his body as if recently born into this world. His eyes red as rubies, lips pale white, and several strange bulges on top of his head were shaping what looked like a natural crown.

So this was me?... I watched my reflection in astonishment.

At this moment, the door swung open, and a sizable wooden chest with lightly rusted metallic frames floated into the room making a big thud as it dropped to the stone floor in front of me. Behind it, Maleck emerged rummaging through his beard. He pulled out an old rusted key hanging around his neck, putting it in the keyhole and turning it with a horrendous screeching sound as if it would break at any moment. Then with some struggling of his old bones he tried to open the chest lid, but to no avail.

He looked displeased.

“hrmm, it might be rusted shut…” He looked my way and continued: “Keeper, open it!” [Maleck]

He ordered me in a self-important voice, as my body moved on its opening the chest without a hitch. It was not rusted shut, but I was not about to tell him that. I humored myself with how weak this mage was without his magic.

Inside the chest lays numerous weapons and materials made out of iron, metal and other ores.

“Pick a weapon.” [Maleck]

He said casually as he with chalk started to draw something on a more vast part of the floor. I was baffled.

“Why are you giving me a weapon? Are you not afraid I will use it to hurt you?” [Keeper]

He started to mutter to himself loud enough so I could hear, but not bothering to answer me.

“Stupid, incompetent, cost-inefficient and awful memory.” [Maleck]

Rummaging through the rusty chest, I found something piquing my interest. It was a T shaped contraption made of wood and a few metallic pieces.

Although I didn’t know it at that moment, the crossbow loaded with a bolt-arrow -escaping my knowledge- and I soon accidentally pulled the safety and fired the bolt, making it fly through the room bouncing off the walls and flying straight at Maleck who was crouching on the floor. My eyes felt like they lit up bright red for a moment, was I finally able to kill him!?

But no, unfortunately, the arrow bounced off something in midair. It seemed to have hit something invisible, just showing a tint of blue on impact, then dropping down on to the cave floor.

Maleck rose to look at me as I cringed, backing from his icy glare. He walked up to the rusty chest and started to chant in that weird language. Metals and ores of different kinds floated up from the rusty box together with one single sword. The metals placed themselves neatly around the now drawn circle on the floor with several unknown marks decorating it's inner and outer edges. The sword flew towards me, slamming me with its broadside in the chest.

“Brutes with no brain should keep weapons of a similar kind. Now stand in the center of the circle and leave that weapon behind.” [Maleck]

I did what he said and stood in the center of the circle. As Maleck double checked the pentagram, I took a look at my pale gray skin.

“What am I?” [Keeper]

I asked out aloud without intending to, Maleck looked at me with a somewhat bewildered look, then sighing to himself.

“Had I known you would be such a hassle I wouldn't have summoned you...” [Maleck]

He sighed again

“Listen, these are the last things I'm going to entertain you with then you are going to do what I created you to do, period. Got it?” [Maleck]

I nodded reluctantly.

“You're the pinnacle of chimera-topology your species is not one, but many. And as such has had many names, one most common is; Apostle of death. In common folktale, you have also been described as a guardian demon or an evil spirit...” [Maleck]

He paused as if the next words were hard for him to say.

“Truthfully I... no! Your race is an Aberration, alien in nature. There is not much information about your race passed down through times. Your race is older than man and has only been seen a minuscule number of times during the decades." He paused for a second looking at me with those unreadable eyes. "But from all the knowledge that I have gathered of your species, you are nothing like the stories. Either they have become tall tales, or you are deceiving me with your weird act. For now, you are my subordinate, and you shouldn't strain your feeble brain. Now stand still! This is going to hurt... a lot.” [Maleck]

He ended pleased with himself, coughing a somewhat sinister laugh.

Now unable to move my body, he started to chant, and as he did the pentagram started to light up and the metals surrounding it begun to change from their different ore colors to a deep red, deep yellow and then blinding white.

As they slowly melted down to a liquid shape. The liquid then slowly started to creep towards my feet and once connected they went up to my legs. It burned, it burned so much it felt like my body was being roasted alive. The red-hot iron was creeping ever upwards covering every part of my body leaving only a T shape slit at my face for my eyes, mouth, and nose. My skin is making sizzling noise as it gets boiled by the heat.

*AAARRGH!* [Keeper] I screamed in pain!

As the iron finally had covered every knack and cranny of my body and started to cool off; Maleck spoke.

“You’re finished. This is my last and final gift to you. So, don't expect anything more!” [Maleck]

Gift!? He calls this a GIFT??? Now I was covered from top to bottom with a skin-tight layer of black armor, not hiding any of my body's shape or curves as if it was only a second layer of skin.

"You may move!" [Maleck]

Finally falling to my hands and knees breathing heavily, as smoke rose from my body and the smell of burnt flesh filled my nose. I swore to myself; if it so is the last thing I do I will kill him. I will chop him into small pieces and cook him over a fire as he still clings to life; 'he's going to be, dead meat!'