What Seth found out in the woods didn’t really shock him, but it did confuse him. Two miles out from their camp he found a couple of werewolves skulking about. When they saw him, they crouched and tried to run away. Seth put up a hand, as if to grab them, and they froze where they were in mid-air. It made Seth jump and he looked at his hand as if it were a new appendage, making them able to move again. Seth reached out again but pulled back this time. They came flying toward him as if they were on strings. He caught both by the scruff on the back of their necks and slammed them together a bit harder than he had intended. Their skulls were crushed by each other and they slumped to the ground.

Their bodies slowly morphed back into human beings and Seth was left standing over a man and a woman. Then it occurred to Seth that wolves usually travel in packs. “Jessica!” Seth screamed to himself, before turning and teleporting to the campground. Kasakierin was the only one there and he was surrounded by corpses similar to the ones Seth had left behind, a long silver sword in hand. They exchanged nods and started to look over the camp.

Kasakierin looked over everything before squatting at the edge of the camp, “They went this way.” When he turned toward Seth, he didn’t see the exceptionally fit young man from before. His eyes were glazed over with rage and every single muscle on his body was tensed and ready for action. There was even smoke coming off of his skin like a steamer. Even his hair was quivering.

Kasakierin didn’t even move from where he squatted. He just lowered his head and tried to remember what happened the last time he’d seen someone so enraged. That brought his thoughts to the time he lost his cool and went on a rampage of his own, destroying the local kingdom. As he looked up again, Seth took off in the direction that he’d indicated.

He grunted and stood, “I know how this is going to end.” He started jogging after Seth.

Seth came upon a camp and stopped just outside of the clearing. There were well over fifty werewolves in the camp and they had everyone from camp tied to a massive tree that was in the center. When Seth saw Jessica tied up with scratches on her shoulders, his mind went into another stage of rage and he strode right out into the clearing. All of the werewolves froze and slowly turned toward him. They maneuvered themselves so that all of them were in between Seth and the group tied to the tree.

A few of the werewolves got enough courage to charge him, which was a bad decision. Seth punched them so hard that they flew across the open area to crunch against trees. A few more charged in and the first one died from a punch that decapitated him. The rest started to back away in fear of Seth and he took that as the time to go on the offensive.

Seth produced the six throwing knives that he had in his trench coat and sent them into the skulls of six more werewolves. Then he charged them, brandishing his new sword. Seth was a blur across the battlefield, slicing and dicing from one werewolf to another. When one would try to escape, he would pull them to him with his new ability for the slaughter. He was a blur of fury and rage as he slaughtered them all.

In a matter of seconds, Seth stood alone among a field of corpses, covered in their blood. The lifeless bodies of the werewolves lying at his feet. Seth put his sword on his back and walked over to the tree with his friends. He knelt down and broke the rope that was around all of them. Everyone backed away from Seth except for Jessica, who was still seated next to the tree, eyes closed and tensed. Seth lowered his head and put his hand on her shoulder. She slowly opened her eyes before lunging into hugging Seth. Everyone gasped at the sudden movement, thinking that Jessica was going to slap him. Instead, she started to cry, “They hit us so fast. We didn’t know what was going on and didn’t have time to think.” She squeezed Seth tighter, “I knew that you would come though, so I never gave up hope.” She looked around at everyone and was surprised to find them ready to fight, looking off into the distance. When she looked, there were two werewolves lashed down to the ground.

One was a gigantic beast even though the other wasn’t one to laugh at either. Their hands and feet were tied so that their heads were forced into the dirt. The smaller of the two was pure white with runes covering his entire body and steam slowly seeped out of him. The other was simply massive, with his back coming above eight feet high on his face. All of his muscles were swollen like a bodybuilder. He was snoring and everyone could see the slow rise and fall of his body as he breathed.

Everyone except Seth had drawn weapons and moved to defend him. Seth stood, whispering for everyone to step back, and he strode over to the two bound werewolves. He stood in front of the smaller one and looked over all of the runes that glowed over his body. The runes told a story of a young Norse warrior that had been bitten by a werewolf before being struck by lightning from Thor. The gods had chosen him to become a great hero for the future and sent him into the future. All in all, it was an intriguing story.

Seth snapped one of the bonds and they all fell to the ground. The werewolf stood to its full height, which towered over Seth a few feet. He stretched and looked down at Seth. Everyone thought that he was going to clobber Seth, but instead he dropped to a knee, “I owe you my life and shall serve you however I can for the rest of my life.” Slowly, he started to morph back into his human for, which was about the same size as Seth’s other form. Seth shook his head and saw a pile of equipment next to them.

Seth patted the man on the shoulder, “What’s your name Norseman?”

“Mathos Skorzvic and I am a warrior of the Northern realm.” Mathos stood to his full height, confirming his size.

Seth chuckled, “Why don’t you put on some of that armor over there and we can talk about that.”

Mathos made a nod with his head and strode over to the pile of gear. Seth walked over to the other werewolf, the rest of the group still over by the tree. He shook his head and stepped up to the mass that was the second werewolf. His back towered over Seth’s head a few feet with knots the size of footballs from two-inch hemp rope. The mere size of the guy made an impression on Seth. He tapped a shoulder and the werewolf snorted awake. He stood, snapping his bonds with ease, and stretched out to his full height of twelve feet tall.

That was when the mass of muscle saw Seth in front of him. A snarl escaped his throat before he swung a massive clawed hand at Seth. Everyone took a step forward except Kasakierin, who crossed his arms and leaned up against the tree. There was a massive blast of air where Seth was, but there was no damage because Seth caught the hand at the wrist. Without thinking, Seth threw a punch into the creature’s gut, sending him flying into the forest. He broke through trees and smashed into a dirt mound.

As Seth walked up to the motionless body, it began morphing back to its human form, which was a small young man. Seth squatted beside him and inspected the marks on his back. There were scars and open wounds that were slowly healing themselves all over. Slowly, the young man’s eyes opened as he looked up to Seth, before looking away with shame in his eyes. “How many did I …”

Seth shook his head and patted the young man on the shoulder, “I wouldn’t know the answer to that question. I found you tied up, so I set you free.”

The young man’s eyes shot up to Seth in confusion, “Why would you do that? Didn’t I kill anyone? You obviously don’t have any wounds.” He sat up, gripping his head with one hand, like he’d just felt the first effects of a hangover.

“I saw you as an animal in pain, so I set you free.” Seth stood to his full height of seven feet and projected his godly image. “I’m not injured because I’m much stronger than you are.” He breathed out and returned to his normal size.

The boy shuffled and started to crawl back, deeper into the mound of dirt, “Then you must be a god or a demon.”

Seth shook his head and sighed, “I’m not a god yet.” Seth looked him over and sighed. “There are some clothes over in the pile of gear over there. Why don’t you get dressed and then we can talk?” Seth started walking back to the group until he sensed, more than saw a figure behind a tree. It was smaller than a werewolf but had similar characteristics and was more curious. As he stopped, the figure bolted for Seth but stopped about ten yards short. It had the head of a wolf, as well as claws and hind legs, but his main body was human.

The creature morphed back into a complete human and draped a cloak over itself. “What have you done to me brother?” He was brandishing a short sword, with a mingled look of fear and rage, almost like he couldn’t decide whether he was pissed or terrified.

Seth crossed his arms and sighed, “Well, I would be able to help if you told me who your brother was, instead of assuming that I know your brother was the young man over there.” He jutted a thumb to the young man that was on the ground in the crater.

The young man shivered as he put his blade away. “Well, thank you for answering my question, but what have you done to him?” He was still in a ready stance even though he put his blade away.

Seth looked from one brother to the other, “Well, he charged at me, so I struck him. Apparently, it was hard enough to force him to revert back to his old self. I have no idea how he got here or what he was doing here. So, if you would like to learn more, please join us over by the pile of gear over there.” Seth waved a hand over to the pile of gear and started walking toward it.

The man crossed his arms as he watched Seth go, “Only if my brother is as well.”

Alex came up beside the man and pulled his shoulder toward him so that he would listen, “Looks like you’re going then, because he’s the first person that we’ve met who can control my form at its peak.” He started to stride after Seth and didn’t wait for his brother.

His brother, on the other hand, tapped his foot in thought a few times before stomping his foot and following his younger brother, “Well, if that’s how you want it to be? I guess we have no choice now.”

As Seth stepped up to the pile of gear, Mathos had donned a leather vest and trousers, but was bare foot and had an axe on his back. He nodded his head, respectfully to Seth as he came by, eyeing the two youngsters. The rest of the group had started to put everything back into the pile that they had before and Seth grabbed three packs from the pile, tossing one to each of the newcomers. There were plenty of clothes in the pile of extras that the werewolves had stashed in the middle of the area, so there was no need to worry about clothes for Alex.

Once everyone was ready and willing to go, Seth paused as he saw all of the expectant looks on everyone’s faces. He thought of how he’d met all of them and a peculiar question entered his head, “Why are all of you following me?” He dropped the pile of bags on the ground as he asked.

Griffin was the first one to step forward, with a question of his own, “What do you mean? We follow you because you are The One.” He seemed confused as though that was reason enough, but Seth didn’t agree at all.

“I mean, why are any of you even here? You act like I’m some great leader, but none of you even knew who I was before I got this great power from my guardian angel, aside from Austin and Jade, who were roped into this because they knew me the most.” He stepped around his pack and leaned on it as he crossed his arms, “My point is that I’ve never met any of you and none of you have ever met me. How can we even trust each other?” He was trying to puzzle it out in his head, but he thought the idea was insane no matter how you looked at it.

This time, Borris stepped up to him, “Seeing that, in a way, you’ve interrogated me. Do you trust my judgment in finding a solution?” He paused to wait for Seth’s answer, which consisted of him adjusting his position and nodding his head, “I suggest a blood binding spell, to bind all their souls to you. Everyone who refuses can’t be trusted.” He was smirking with confidence as he thought of how it would be done.

A few people from the group gasped or put hands over their mouths to hide how they reacted, even the three newcomers to the little group. However, Austin and Jade were completely lost in the understanding of what was going on. Austin raised a hand and waved at Borris like she was asking a question in school, “Yeah, um, could you explain that to the people who didn’t even know that magic existed, say, a couple of days ago.” She crossed her arms and scowled at Borris as he looked at her with a look that said she sounded idiotic for asking.

Then he smiled and nodded, “Of course, the spell that will be performed will create a connection between all of the souls in the spell to the central recipient, your brother. Once the spell is done, if they betray him in any way, they will suffer a consequence. If they do anything to harm him, they will suffer for it.” He looked over Austin and Jade before asking, “Do you understand the concept?”

Austin scratched the side of her head and chuckled, “So, in a nutshell, they’ll become his servants?”

Borris crossed his arms and tapped his chin as he thought about it and nodded, “Yeah, I guess in a general sense that’s how it will be.” He turned back to Seth to see what he was going to do.

Seth had already gotten up and was thinking about how exactly the spell would be performed and what would go into the spell, but his mind was coming up blank, “How would the spell be performed exactly? I’m not exactly well versed in magic.”

Borris chuckled, “There’s only one being that can perform it, but all the ingredients for the spell are present as we speak, blood from everyone that will join your covenant.” Borris stated as he strode over to one of the trees that still had a shadow from the moon. “Just give me a minute to get a hold of the guy that I need.” He placed a hand on the shadow and it grew and turned to a dark black ooze that gurgled. Borris nodded, “Yes it’s me. I need to talk to my brother.” The shadow gurgled once more and Borris shook his head, “I don’t care if he’s in the middle of his beauty sleep, this is important.” There was a single gurgle as a response and he nodded his approval, “Alright, I’ll wait.” There was another single gurgle and Borris chuckled, “Thank you very much.” He stood there with his hands on his hips as he tapped the ground with his foot, the shadow completely silent.

Then the shadowy ooze began to rise from the ground and take shape into that of a cloaked man. There was still no sound as the ooze fell away to reveal a man completely cloaked in robes that were void of all light. When the ooze fell entirely to the ground, the figure stepped forward and hugged Borris close, “It’s been quite some time brother. You need to call the dark realm more often.” Then he pulled away and clasped his hands behind his back, now serious, “What is it that you need? My man said that it was urgent.”

Borris stepped to the side and waved an arm toward Seth and the rest of the group. The man’s response was putting his hands over his eyes and gasping like someone had blinded him. He chuckled to himself as he slowly turned away from the group, “Well I guess the rumors were true that the last generation has come. I can’t even look at you without seeing the brightness of your soul.”

Seth looked down at himself and cocked his head to one side, “What’s so bright about my soul?”

The man fiddled with something in his hands for a few seconds before turning around with a pair of sunglasses on that were so dark that you couldn’t even see the light that was around his cheek bones. “Well that would be the fact that your soul is as bright as the sun. It is also the reason why you are so easy to track when you’re out in the open.” He placed his hands on his hips and started looking over everyone else in the group, “Alright, who all do we have here? Moss Griffin, Gonza Trimak, Anne Throll, Alex Snarr, Jason Snarr, Ali Zakar, Kaythanos Akamon, Kasakierin the Conqueror, Jade Irsic, Mathos Skorsvic, Austin Conwell, my brother Borris of course, and the one and only Seth Conwell, the last of the godly generations.”

A few people in the group gave a start at the display of knowledge, but mainly Austin and Jade. Austin, who raised her hand as if to ask a question in a classroom, “How exactly is it that you know all of our names?”

The man took a step back with a gasp, “Oh my, I can’t believe that I forgot to introduce myself.” He took a bow and smiled a wicked grin at the group, “I am Death also known as the one who takes and manages the souls of the living.”

Austin gulped deep and felt her knees go weak as she realized who was in front of her. Jade was no help in the fact that she was feeling a bit shaky as well. Borris strode over to them and wrapped an arm around each of them. “Great, you’re here for ten seconds and you send two people into shock just by stating who you are.” He rubbed the shoulders of Jade and Austin and comforted them by saying that he wasn’t here because it was their time.

Seth walked right up to Death and looked him over, “Never thought that I’d get the chance to meet Death himself. It’s a pleasure.” He extended his hand in greeting and Death took it gingerly.

“The pleasure is all mine Seth my boy. I never thought that I would be meeting the last generation so early.” He shook his head at the present surprise before turning back to Borris, “Well, what is it that you need? You know that I can’t stay in the world of the living for long.”

Borris clasped his hands together and looked up at Death with pleading in his eyes, “He needs you to do a soul bonding spell.” Then he lowered his head, his behavior becoming a bit fidgety.

Death’s demeanor changed entirely and he became serious as a heart-attack. He clasped his hands behind his back and turned accusingly to Borris. “And do they understand the gravity of what they have chosen?” He looked up to the group around him, satisfied that almost everyone held a grim expression and responded with a single nod. Then he brought up a hand and a golden intricate goblet appeared in his hand. “For those of you that do not know what a soul bond constitutes, your soul will be bound to Seth and his very essence will go back in time to relive your life with you and will be able to affect it should he be powerful enough. On the upside, you will never die as long as Seth remains. On the downside, Seth will know everything there is to know about you and can do whatever he chooses with such information.” He surveyed the now grim crowd and asked his question, “Does everyone still want to proceed with this ritual?”

Everyone was silent as they all slowly took a step forward or remained where they were. Everyone but Jade and Austin stepped forward as they were still trying to process what exactly was supposed to be happening. Death surveyed the group and pulled his hood back, revealing the head of a young man with milky white skin and thick black hair. “Then let us begin.” He motioned for everyone to make a half moon around him and produced a golden knife that matched the goblet. He began to collect all the blood necessary for the rite. Once Death had collected blood from everyone except Seth, he stood in front of Seth and began a chant that would place the appropriate magic over the blood for the ritual. It was in a language that no one knew, but somehow Seth knew what he was saying in the ritual. “The choice has been made. They shall be bound to thee for all eternity. Now join them as one in blood and soul.” Death handed the half full goblet to Seth and said, “Drink in the souls of your coven.”

Seth gently took the goblet and drank the contents with a grimace at the taste of blood. As the blood fell down his throat, the goblet began to glow and Seth’s eyes shut tight at the light. Once he was done, the goblet burst into flames and fell into dust. When Seth opened his eyes, they were a glowing white light that slowly diminished, until his eyes were simply white as if he didn’t have irises. Seth staggered back a few steps, blinking and gasping as he tried to understand what was going through his head. Then, he gripped his head suddenly and fell to his knees in a silent scream that left him unconscious.

Austin, Jade, and Jessica were running toward him, but Death stood in the way. He only shook his head as he looked at the three of them, “You must let it run its course. He is living the lives of everyone in his coven at once.” Austin hugged Jade and Jessica fell to her knees and placed a single hand over her mouth, as tears formed in her eyes.

Then, just as suddenly as he started, Seth dropped his hands to his sides and slumped forward, into the snow. He didn’t even twitch when he hit the ground. When Death stepped aside from their path, Jessica was by Seth’s side immediately, cradling his head in her lap. His eyes were still glazed over with a bright white light and he was as loose as a ragdoll. Jessica felt for a pulse and sighed out a bit of her relief, but there was still plenty left for what was going to happen. “What happened?”

Death knelt down beside her and sighed, “He is in a soul trance. His body remains but his spirit has been catapulted back through the lives of the members in his coven. It will pass, in time.”

A gloomy air filled the group as Death explained what was happening and they all understood just how much pain Seth would be going through. With Seth’s head still cradled in her arms, Jessica pleaded with the only question that was in her head at the time, “Just how many years is he living?” She asked almost accusingly to the group that stood before her.

For a time, no one said anything. Then, Kasakierin stepped forward and knelt down directly in front of Jessica, to stare her in the eyes, “I have lived for over nine hundred years of blood and massacre. I highly doubt that everyone here has seen as much disaster as me.” Then he bowed his head to her and stood, clasping his hands behind his back and starting to walk around the group, almost like a patrol of the area.

As he did so, Borris just tilted his head with a look that clarified his statement even more. Then the two brothers stepped up, almost trying to make her smile again, “He’ll only be living twenty years twice for the two of us.” Jason said as they bowed as well.

Mathos stepped up and crossed his arms with a stern look on his face as he looked down at Jessica, “I have lived fifty turns of the seasons on this world.” Then he stepped away and took up a spot right where he was before.

Griffin came up like he was giving a report and even gave the salute over his heart as he said it, “I have lived for seventy-six years.” Then he did an about-face and stepped right back over to where he was before.

Anne took one of Jessica’s hands and sighed as she gave her answer, “I have lived for three hundred years on this great earth. I hope he doesn’t have to go through much because of me.” Then she kissed her hands and stood, returning to where she was.

Ali was a bit hesitant as she came up, but she took Jessica’s hand as well, “I’ve lived for seven hundred years and they were hard years. I hope that he makes it out of there alright.” Then she stepped aside and made way for Borris, who was fidgeting with his hands as he walked up.

“I have lived upon this world and in others for one thousand, six hundred, and eighty-five years.” He bowed his head to her as he continued, “Like Kas, I have lived through many hardships and battles with mass carnage in my past. Though Kas has had to deal with it more than I have, it is still a long time, and I hope that he’s alright after this.” He stood and took Ali’s hand as they made their way back to the group.

Gonza was almost in slow motion as she strode up to Jessica and fell to her knees, staring Jessica dead in the eyes, unable to give her answer. Then, Jessica reached over and held one of her hands, “Please.” She asked in a quiet voice, pleading with the very fabric of reality.

Gonza took a deep breath and began her explanation, “I may not have much of a reputation for it, but I remain the first and most powerful tri-demon that ever came into being. That was over three thousand years ago, and before that I was living on the surface of the world for two hundred years. I have traveled to every level of hell and traversed every portion of the underworld.” Tears were flowing from her eyes as she explained what Seth was going to have to endure. “I can only hope that he survives such torment.” Normally completely content with torture of pain, Gonza was now linked to a being that held compassion and love, giving her the ability to experience empathy.

Jessica nodded her head, before glaring up at Death accusingly, who simply looked at her as if he had nothing to do with the situation. “Will he live?” She asked through gritted teeth.

Death shook his head with a sigh and knelt down next to Jessica, “Any normal person that tried to even attempt this would die, but not Seth. His body has been prepared to receive a great gift from the gods and time itself.” He patted her on the shoulder and smiled, “He’ll actually come back even stronger than he was before.”

The air around the group was completely silent as he finished talking. An eerie fog began to roll over the ground, building until it was over the tall trees that surrounded the group of travelers. Everyone huddled together around Seth and Jessica as the night seemed to squeeze in around them, making them suspect foul play with a side of disaster. The grass around them slowly started to wither and die while the trees creaked and groaned from the decay that was growing within them. All the corpses around the clearing decomposed at an accelerated rate, rotting away until there was nothing else left but maggots and dirt.

As the decay became more pronounced, Death stood and pulled his cloak up around himself. “I’m sorry, but my presence on the mortal plane causes destruction and mayhem. Whenever I stay in one place for too long, my magic seeps out, killing anything that it touches, even people if I stay long enough.” He grimaced as he hunched over a bit, summoning his scythe to lean on. “The only reason that you are all ok is because I am concentrating on keeping my magic away from you.” There was only silence and surprise that greeted him, except for three people. Borris, Ali, and Gonza nodded their heads in the knowledge that they had. Kasakierin, on the other hand, was still slowly making his patrol around the group, not taking any notice of the goings on within his circle.

As everyone thought of what might happen if Death continued to stay, the ground stopped decaying and started to grow and flourish. A light began emanating from Seth and he slowly sat up, looking right at Death. “You know that you have to leave. My soul is the only thing that’s keeping this place alive. It will not take long for my soul to start to affect you.” He did not demand his departure, but there was a tone to his voice that was calming and smooth, but it did not warrant disobedience.

Death nodded and made a small bow before evaporating with the wind. Seth was still looking at where he’d been as he slowly stood and wrapped an arm around Jessica’s shoulders. Then he looked around at the group surrounding him. He’d lived all of their lives with them and knew everything there was to know about each and every one of them. Everyone slowly tilted their heads in confusion or covered their mouths in astonishment at the fact that they remembered him. Then, Seth saw the swelling of tears in Jessica’s face and immediately hugged her close. She welcomed the tight hug and sobbed lightly into Seth’s shoulder.

Seth slowly leaned down and picked her up off of the ground. Even though she was taller than him, it seemed natural that he would carry her should she need it. Jessica wrapped her arms around his neck and sighed out what worries were left in her mind. Seth patted her on the head as he walked over to a tree, “You’re alright and I’m fine. Everything is going to be just fine.” Seth sat with his back to the tree in the middle of the grove and hugged her close. Jessica cuddled up into a ball and nuzzled his chest. Seth kissed her on the forehead and sighed, “Relax.” With that single word, Jessica went limp in his arms and was fast asleep. Seth smiled to himself as he thought about what he had just done, ‘That proves my theory on my magic abilities.’ He slowly made his way out from under Jessica, making sure that she was in a comfortable position. Then he held out a hand to the group and it lit aflame.

In an instant, everyone’s attention was on Seth and he knew in his heart that everything was going to be different now that he understood his powers more than before. He extinguished the flame and looked around at everyone. His expression softened as he turned to Austin and Jade, “Could you come over and comfort Jessica? I need to have a chat with everyone in the group. I’ll talk to you guys later after you’ve processed the fact that magic is a reality.” They slowly made their way over to Jessica and sat down on either side of her. Seth waved a hand over the two of them and they were left in a deep sleep as well.

Seth then turned to the rest of the group, which were looking at him with a mixture of emotions. He looked everyone specifically in the eyes and read their minds passively as he had gained from the soul binding spell. His arms were crossed and his expression was unreadable to everyone. He sighed and nodded his head, “Well?”, was all that he said to them as he stood there.

Everyone was frozen silent as they looked at him, remembering everything from their past that may have involved him. Gonza was the first to step forward, “It was you wasn’t it? The spirit that haunted me in my first days of life. The very spirit that led me to a mage, so that you could learn something from him.” She had her arms crossed and she was smirking as she remembered the events that led to that fate filled day.

Seth smiled, “Yes, that was me three thousand two hundred and twelve years ago.” He took a step forward and looked over at Kasakierin with a somber expression.

All that Kasakierin could muster was, “I remember.”, before turning away from the group with a hand on his mouth and eyes that were about to burst from tears. He was remembering the first time that he ever saw Seth, which was the day that he came to this world, out in the middle of the woods without a single person to call family.

Gonza went on as she remembered the entire experience, “I knew it. You were the imaginary friend that I had when I was just a kid. I would always go running outside to play with you. You were also the one who convinced me to learn magic from a mage that happened to be in town at the time.” Then she glanced at the three young women that were fast asleep by the tree. Then she turned gleaming eyes on Seth, “You used the opportunity to learn how magic works in this world. The mage, he could sense your soul and asked what your purpose is on this world.” She sat down on a root to the massive tree that housed the three women. “I always wondered why he had reacted so emphatically when he found out who you were and taught me everything there was about magic.”

“That’s right.” Seth said as he patted her on the shoulder and made his way over to the group that was waiting for him. Everyone had a look of excitement, grief, or simple bliss. The mixture of emotions froze everyone in silence, except for Borris, who was more intrigued about the soul binding spell.

Borris stepped right up in front of him, “You were the one who gave me hope when my mother died because of my father, aren’t you?” He was scratching his chin at the question, almost wondering why he was asking it, because he already knew the answer.

Seth clasped his hands behind his back and smiled solemnly, “Yes, that would be me.”

Borris simply nodded his head and started pacing back and forth. Mathos looked at Seth quizzically, almost like he didn’t trust his memory, “Just how much do you know?” He crossed his arms as he waited for the answer.

“I know everything.” Seth stated with a wink as he passed. Mathos fell to his knees and stared into the distance like he had been shot in the chest. Everyone was starting to understand the situation and accepted the past as it was, most giving Seth a hug as they had fond memories.

Seth heard a noise come from the tree line off to the east, but paid it no mind, since there was no scent of wolf or anything else that would cause them trouble. However, there was an interesting mixture of smells that identified several creatures that resided in one body, which meant that something very important to Seth had finally come. He wasn’t going to reveal his existence just yet though, because he was a very secretive creature that liked his privacy.

Kasakierin, on the other hand, heard the noise and instantly drew blades ready for combat. Seth put up a hand and he lowered his sword. Seth smiled as he thought of the irony of his previous thought. “He means no danger to us.” Seth faced the forest and smiled, “Why don’t you come out and introduce yourself?”

There was a rustle halfway to the right of where Seth was looking, which made Seth smile, because it was something else that was approaching. He let his secretive friend be and turned to the emerging creature with a smile. The creature in question stood well over seven feet tall, with wide set shoulders and long extremities similar to an ape. It had the head of a gorilla and claws that were a few inches long, with red piercing eyes. “I am Almoakon. I wish to speak with the one who killed the wolves of the moon.” He stopped a good distance off from Seth with his arms still limp at his sides.

Seth stepped up to Almoakon and smiled, “That would be me, Seth Conwell.” He put out a hand for him to shake, but Almoakon didn’t respond the way that he thought.

He looked over to the group of warriors that were grouped around the tree and seemed confused, “Is it true that this small one is the killer of the wolves?” He was asking Kasakierin since he seemed to be the strongest of the warriors.

Kasakierin appeared next to Seth, which made Almoakon flinch. Kasakierin put an arm around Seth’s shoulders and chuckled, “Man, I wouldn’t fight this guy if I was fated to do so by the three fates themselves. He is the most powerful man there is.” Then he patted Seth on the shoulder and made his way back to the group.

Seth brought his hand out again and waited for Almoakon to shake it, which he eventually did. “It’s nice to meet you. How may I be of assistance?” Seth clasped his hands behind his back and waited for the request that he knew was coming.

“I will not waste time.” Almoakon crossed his arms as he went straight to the point. “My tribe needs you. We have been harassed for as long as we know. You, so far, are the only one to challenge them and win.”

Seth stood there without a word, analyzing everything that Almoakon had said. Then Kasakierin drew blade again and stepped up to Seth. “Since you’ve lived my life, you know what I just heard and you know that I’m not putting my blade down until blood is spilled. You know how many there are running around us.”

Seth glanced over toward his secret friend and gave him a signal to stay out of the conflicts that were coming. Then Seth nodded to Kasakierin, “I sense several packs of them on the tree line all around us.” He was completely calm as he spoke the fact. Then, he waved over toward the tree and sighed, “Everyone gather around the tree, while I deal with the werewolves.” Seth pointed a thumb at Almoakon, “You go as well, so that you can witness the power of the one you have requested from.”

Almoakon obliged and followed everyone else to the base of the tree, making a complete circle around the trunk of the enormous tree. Seth raised a hand to the sky and a bolt of green lightning shot from the sky to the base of the tree. As everyone thought of the dangers of electrocution, the base of the tree began to slowly rise into the air, until a platform of thickly packed dirt was suspended above the ground roughly thirty feet. Then a ball appeared in Seth’s hand and he moved to the new base of the tree, with thick roots that were keeping the platform up in the air. He placed the orb of light onto the roots and a rail appeared around the platform and it morphed into a deceptively soft wood that offered comfort. Seth admired his handiwork before turning around and taking a seat against the tree. “Time to wait.” Seth closed his eyes and went to construct things in his dream realm, looking over all that he’d built in the last six thousand nine hundred and sixty years.

He then had an entire world of his own that he’d built and it was well inhabited. Seth walked in the clouds as he observed his creation as a god and carefully watched his world. It had everything that he had ever wanted and it was a marvel to behold, if he did say so himself. The one thing that he didn’t understand was that even though he was the one who created the world, there were people in it that were trying to take it for their own.

To eradicate evil, Seth would help the side that was as pure a heart as could be, or had the potential for a good heart, and fought for the people of the world, not their own means. He wouldn’t do much, Seth would only give a vision or two to turn the tide of the conflict. Usually, there was at least one young supporter that was willing to do anything to save their love, or right the wrong of the world. There were even times when the bad people of the world would turn good, but that rarely happened.

Seth was observing a war over the continent of Africa, when he heard the sounds of the werewolves approaching out in the real world. He closed his eyes and opened them to find the tree at his back and the night sky far overhead. As Seth looked around, not moving from where he was, he saw the werewolves slowly emerging from the tree line. One in particular was running ahead of the others, only making a little more noise to be heard. He carried a sword in one hand and was headed straight for Seth. When he was about ten yards away, Seth stood up abruptly and brushed the moss off of his shoulders, like he’d just risen from a long nap.

Every werewolf that was in the grove froze where they were. The one with the sword was slowly creeping up on Seth, since he was behind Seth. Then he promptly froze when Seth turned directly toward him, arms crossed.

Seth pointed nonchalantly to the sword in the werewolves hand, “What exactly were you planning to do with that?”

The werewolf seemed confused, before leaping forward with a vertical slash headed for Seth’s temple. Seth didn’t even move, he simply stood there and let the blade bounce off of his skin. In his frustration, the werewolf kept banging the blade on Seth’s impenetrable skin, until the blade snapped in two. Seth picked up a piece of the blade and handed it back to the werewolf.

“You can try all you want, but you won’t even be able to bruise my skin.” Then Seth tapped him on the shoulder and sent him flying past the tree line to smash against a tree with a crack. Seth caught the handle and the shard of the sword, before throwing them at two different werewolves, sticking them in their brains. Seth clapped his hands together as he faced off against the horde of werewolves. “Ok, who’s next?” He was more up to testing out all of the combat abilities and magic that he’d learned in the years of the soul bond.

Every werewolf that was in the area bolted for the tree line. Seth frowned and waved a hand, catching all of them in a vine wall that grew along the tree line. All those that didn’t make it in time came to a skidding halt and baulked at the gore before them. The vines had grown so fast that the few who made it were slowly squeezed to death until there were only vines to be seen or heard. Some tried to bowl their way through the wall, but only wound up bouncing off with a sore head. Other’s tried to jump up above the wall, but vines would shoot out to entangle them in the sure grip of death that ensued. All those that had survived slowly turned to find Seth slowly walking toward them. What threw them all off, however, was the sword that he was wielding. It may have looked like a katana, but the blade was as black as the night sky and the skulls on the small hilt shined like the stars overhead. What truly terrified them, however, was the fact that there was a black flame that engulfed the blade as Seth confidently walked toward them.

All of the surviving werewolves shared a worried glance before charging with an expectation of dying. There were roughly twenty of the werewolves left and Seth had it in his head to use both his newfound magic and sword techniques. The sword techniques Seth had gotten from Kasakierin’s life. The first ten, Seth used a different spell or effect to kill each one. Some simply exploded in different types of pain, fire, ice, acid, and a few others. The rest of them stopped where they were in confusion, from a mental attack that Seth made, telling each of them that their fellows were their enemies. Then they turned on each other and killed one another, leaving the final ten in confusion.

When Seth finally hoisted his sword in a fighting stance, the werewolves understood that he was using them to better himself. Seth’s stance was that of the gentleman, known only to those who followed the same master as Kasakierin. It utilized an explosive lunge that could nearly blind any opponent, making it impossible to block any of the attacks. The back draw of the form was the fact that there were no defensive maneuvers, meaning the entirety of the form is offensive.

Before any of the werewolves could even think of what to advance with, Seth was standing on the other side of the group of ten, sheathing his blade on his back. The werewolves looked to Seth in confusion as they slowly slumped to the ground, their hearts having been pierced before they could even react. He had sheathed his blade before any of them had even begun to fall.

He looked over the now empty battlefield and smiled soberingly, as he realized that he had just taken the lives of over a hundred living creatures, without even a thought to the repercussions. He frowned as he walked over to the tree, making a small prayer, “Lord, I know that you are watching my every move, but please make sure that mercy is brought to these creatures. They died honorably and without fear. Let them live out their eternity in peace.”

When Seth made it to the tree, he placed a hand on the trunk of the tree and concentrated. A green light pulsed through the wood and the platform slowly lowered down to the ground. Seth noticed immediately that everyone was asleep on the platform. He clasped his hands behind his back and started walking around the base. He looked over everyone as they slept. Kasakierin was standing straight up with his arms crossed, his nose letting out a light snore. Seth smirked at the fact that everyone else simply was asleep, while Kasakierin was meditating in between his hour long sleep every night. Seth was the only being alive that knew what Kasakierin was and why he could only ever sleep an hour a night, and it was not a happy situation.

Seth shook off the thoughts and continued until he found Jessica in a ball of Austin and Jade. He chuckled and sat cross legged in front of the three of them. He sighed to himself as he thought about all the adventures that the two of them would get to go on. Then he slowly reverted back to the dream world that he had constructed.

There was a king in one of the larger countries, in the largest region of the world, that had mustered an army of dark creatures with a single goal, sate his lust for power. He even convinced a council of mages to fight on his side, so that he could conquer others who wielded magic. He’d already taken over most of the world with his armies but was now faced with a dilemma that Seth had started. In one of the regions that was already conquered, Seth started a rumor about a prophecy that tells of a new leader being born and revolting with a new strength. Then, Seth found three pregnant women who prayed every day and were willing to have their child belong to a higher calling. He’d determined this by visiting them in a dream.

Seth infused a very potent kind of magic in every child, making them stronger and giving them a source of magic, so that they could control an element of the world. One could control fire, while another could control water, and the last could control earth as well as air. Seth hadn’t planned for one to control two elements, but he left it as if was, thinking it as a happy coincidence. All of the families were in poverty, leaving Seth with high hopes that they would be brought up well. He would split himself into three and play as an elderly man, who would watch over the three of them.

Once they reached a certain age, Seth sat back up in the clouds and watched his plans unravel. When the three of them met and became friends in a harsh world, Seth went back to the real world.

Everyone was still asleep, aside from Kasakierin, who was now walking in a circle around the tree. Seth chuckled to himself as he stood and strode over to Kasakierin. “I see that you’re as restless as always.”

Kasakierin made an exacerbated sigh and looked hard at Seth, “You are one of the only people who actually knows that I only sleep for an hour a night.” He grimaced and shivered as he turned away, “You’re the only one, however, that knows that I relive every killing that I have performed in that hour.” He crossed his arms and started walking again.

Seth sighed as he watched Kasakierin go, “I know more than you could possibly imagine.” He said to himself and strode a ways out into the field. He saw all of the bodies of the werewolves, now reverted back to humans. He sat down cross legged and placed a hand on each knee. Seth closed his eyes and thought of the spell that was needed for the task that he was trying to accomplish.

As he thought, the vine wall slowly sank back into the ground and brought all of the corpses with them into the eternal sleep of burial. Then, vines began to curl up around all the other corpses and pulled them below the surface as well. When Seth opened his eyes, all of the bodies had disappeared. Satisfied with his results, Seth started playing with the elements. First, he started to create fireballs that would float around him. Then, he added water and earth spheres until he was basically in a defensive moving ball of the elements. Then a thought occurred to him and the spheres spread out to roughly twenty feet away from him, bouncing and rotating at random intervals.

Seth stood and pulled out a few knives from his trench coat, eyeing all of the targets that were set. Then, quick as a flash, Seth threw almost all of his knives from his coat, piercing every target that he had set, in a single heartbeat. As he sighed and materialized all of the knives back into their sheathes, Kasakierin walked up to him with an incredulous look.

He crossed his arms as Kasakierin approached, “You were just using my style, weren’t you?” Kasakierin asked, not entirely pissed at the situation.

Seth sighed and looked to the skies, “Yes, I have adopted your fighting style because it is the most effective in combat, as far as I could tell from the thousands of years that I lived. You know that there are a lot of people who dislike your methods of fighting.” Seth started walking with Kasakierin.

As they walked, they talked about the way ahead and what they would have to accomplish in the days to come. Then, Seth got it in his head to practice throwing again, embedding a knife into a tree that was only a few yards from where everyone was asleep. With a jolt, everyone was up and wide awake. Then they saw the random stains of blood littered on the ground. Everyone but Kasakierin looked to Seth for answers to the questions that were welling up in their heads.

Seth slowly threw the rest of the knives, drawing a star on the tree while he explained the situation, “They attacked while everyone was asleep, so I figured that there was no need to wake you guys.” Then he looked to Almoakon, “The deed has been accomplished, so you won’t have to worry about the werewolves anymore.”

Everyone was relieved that the werewolves had been dealt with, except Almoakon, who strode right up to Seth and gave him a bear hug, “You have no idea how much this victory changes things within the great forest.” Almoakon was practically jumping around with joy, Seth still in his arms. Then, he promptly placed Seth on the ground and faced him, “I must tell my people of this great deed and thank you, Seth Conwell. My tribe and this forest are indebted to you for as long as there is time to be had.” He bowed deeply, before shooting off into the forest.

Jade and Austin came up to Seth, rubbing their eyes as they watched Almoakon go, “What the hell was that?” Jade shakily asked.

Seth sighed and hugged both of them, making sure that they were comforted, “Not a what, but a who.” Seth began as he looked at the forest around them, “His name is Almoakon and he is the leader of a tribe of apes that have secluded themselves to these mountains, away from the prying eyes of humans. There are several of their tribes scattered among the great forests of the world.”

Austin scratched her chin as she thought of the closest thing that was similar, “Kinda like Bigfoot?”

Seth chuckled as he thought of the idea, “I never thought of it that way, but yes. I guess they are kind of like Bigfoot.” He grabbed his pack and had Austin and Jade sit on top of it. “Well, let’s get going.” He strode over to where Jessica was standing and wrapped and arm around her waist. “You ready for this adventure?”

Jessica giggled as she wrapped an arm over his shoulders, “Why yes, my little shrimp boat. I am”

Seth just shook his head as he grimaced, “Shrimp boat, really?”

Seth made no motion to let the girls know that he could hear them both giggling on top of his pack. He simply smiled and started off through the forest, leading the now stronger and much closer group though the forests of Russia.