When Serenity reached the training grounds, he didn’t see Echo or Lancaster. He wandered around a little, looking at the various small groups, until he found Kerr. He was about to head on when she called him over.

Apparently one of her students needed a little one-on-one time with someone who was very good at blocking and could correct the student’s form when she made mistakes.

Serenity had to admit that he fit the bill rather well, and his next half hour was spent with the student.

He saw Lancaster arrive first, but he didn’t call the training session over until Echo was also there. By then, the student was starting to get past the point where training would help her improve anyway, so Serenity suggested that she put the training weapons away, clean up, and head to dinner. She needed a break before she should continue.

Echo seemed quiet as they headed off to dinner. It took Lancaster to break into her concentration. “Echo? What did you find out?”

Echo looked at her feet as she answered. “The attacker’s name is Moira. She’s in the infirmary, ranting about you being a demonic monstrosity set on a path to kill everything. The way she describes you - it’s - “ Echo trailed off.

After a few steps, Echo tried again. “Do you remember the lady who was so upset that Raymond wasn’t available for that first Trial? She was Moira. Apparently she’s run some Trials since then, also spent some time in the Mages’ area, but mostly she’s been hanging out with Raymond. He’s really unhappy with you, and she’s been echoing him.”

“She also seems to have a real hate for the idea of Death magic. At least, some people said she went to see what was at the graveyard this morning, and came back ranting about unholy practices. She keeps calling you an undead monstrosity. As far as I can tell, she’s just gone off the deep end, and focused on you because of Raymond.”

Serenity stopped walking when he realized Echo had said “undead monstrosity.” That was a fairly good description of the Final Reaper, but Echo didn’t know that. No one knew that. Even Rissa and Lancaster didn’t, and they knew more than anyone else. Was it really the Death magic, or did this Moira know something?

“Serenity? What’s wrong?” Echo turned back to Serenity.

“What exactly is she saying about me? No, better idea. Which way is the infirmary?”

Echo bugged Serenity about what he was thinking all the way to the infirmary, but he was lost in his worries and didn’t really notice. All he could think was that Moira knew something about the Final Reaper, and if she could find that out, then so could people who could squish Serenity before he was able to protect himself - or anyone else.

Serenity didn’t want to kill Moira. He didn’t care about her, but it wouldn’t go over well. He knew it was within his right as the injured - nearly killed - party, especially after a sneak attack, but that wasn’t his only concern. If he was to accomplish his plans, he needed to have allies.

Which was another reason to keep his secrets. He was becoming more and more convinced that Moira couldn’t possibly know them, but he still had to check. If she did … maybe her death would be the only solution.

There was also a quiet voice in the back of his head that said he’d taken the hard line last time, and look how it worked out.

When they arrived at the infirmary, Serenity was surprised to see Instructor Ekari sitting outside the room Moira was in.

“Ekari? I wasn’t expecting to see you here.”

“I don’t approve of people attacking my instructors. Especially not when they’re specialists I don’t have replacements for. So I’ve been making sure we have eyes on her. Right now, that means me. She’s been either raving or unconscious since we brought her in, but she keeps asking where they are, so I’m not sure she’s alone. Would you like me to leave while you speak to her?”

Serenity considered the question. He didn’t want Ekari to learn his secrets, but at the same time - for all that he’d been afraid Moira knew, he couldn’t quite believe it. What Heaven’s Order hid stayed hidden. “No, you can stay.”

When Serenity entered the room, he was even more surprised that he recognized Moira. She was the woman who’d wanted to learn “all elements” of magic. She hadn’t stayed long; she’d been the first to leave of the four, although one of the men had left soon after her.

Moira sprawled in a chair with a cast on one arm, a thoroughly black eye, and a split lip. She looked completely depressed, but she still looked up when he entered. “Who - no. You can’t be him! I killed him! No. No. You aren’t him. You can’t be. You don’t feel like him. He was Death incarnate, death alive, death walking. More than the skeletons. He called to me! But I resisted!”

Serenity stood in the doorway listening. Moira kept saying the same sort of thing, but it was clear she wasn’t talking about the Final Reaper. That fear had been for nothing.

He wasn’t sure what she was talking about, but eventually he had an idea. He carefully corralled his Concept so that it wouldn’t seep into his aura, and released his aura from the tight confinement he usually kept it in. He couldn’t look back to see how it impacted the others behind him, but he could easily see how it impacted Moira.

“My Lord! You have come!” Moira stood up and started walking towards him. “I knew you would come! I have served you! I will serve you forever!”

Serenity felt an odd resonance as she walked closer to him. He was distracted from her words as he tried to identify what he was feeling, but it escaped him.

He refocused on her and she knelt before him and declared “I am yours, Lord! Forever and always, whatever you desire, flesh and blood, heart and soul, to death and beyond, I am yours!”

Serenity suspected she was quoting something, but had no idea what. It was far too flowery to be a normal declaration on pre-integration Earth. That didn’t matter, though. If she was serious … it might give him the out he’d been looking for. “Do you mean that?”

“Yes my Lord!”

“Will you swear it before Heaven’s Order?” Serenity doubted Moira even knew what that meant yet, but that didn’t matter. Heaven’s Order would judge how strongly she took the oath. If she did not mean it, it simply wouldn’t take.

“I will!”

“Very well then. I accept.” Serenity pulled one of the knives he was carrying and slashed his right palm before handing it to her. “Cut your hand.”

It was convenient that he was out of healing energy. He didn’t want his injury to heal too quickly.

Moira took the knife and clumsily nicked the fleshy part of her palm. Serenity reached out and gripped her palm, making sure the two injuries met. “Let this oath be judged in the Light of Heaven’s Order.”

The words weren’t actually required - and they often varied a bit depending on who gave the oath - but Serenity felt like the formality would be better in this case.

[Fealty Oath Recognized]

[Additional Paths have been opened]

Serenity concentrated on his new follower. There was still a strange resonance. He cleaned the knife and sheathed it while he thought.

It almost felt like he was facing an undead, but she was clearly alive, and hadn’t had that odd resonance this morning. She also hadn’t been nearly so unhinged this morning.

His Affinity sight was fading quickly, but he could still use it. Her strongest affinity was Death. Or maybe it wasn’t exactly her affinity ... there was something off about it.

Again, unlike this morning.

He moved up to her, as though to hug her, and she smelled … delicious. Like the skeleton monster crystals. And she felt a bit like them, too, all over but especially in her chest.

He stepped back. “Hold out your hand.”

He examined where she had cut herself. Unlike his, it had already closed, and there was a small seam of grayer flesh right around the injury.

“Please sit back down - in the chair, please.” Moira had started to sit on the floor right in front of him. “We’ll have dinner sent to you. I’ll also try to get someone in to look at you. Someone who can help.”

“Yes, Lord.”

Serenity pulled his aura in close to himself as he left the room and let the door close behind him. The three others were just looking at him. He was pretty sure he had some explaining to do to Echo and Lancaster, but there was something that couldn’t wait.

Serenity turned to look at Ekari. “I met Margrethe today.”

Ekari looked puzzled.

“Can you get her to come look at Moira?” Serenity didn’t want to go back to Margrethe until morning - she’d been quite clear - but he wasn’t sure how long Moira had. He was pretty sure she’d eaten a lot of skeleton cores.

“But - she isn’t exactly a healer…? And there are no signs of what she is good at?” Ekari obviously glanced at the other two, as if she were trying to hint that maybe they shouldn’t be talking so openly.

Serenity didn’t care.

“Moira’s been eating skeleton cores. By the handful, at a guess. She’s been in here for hours and they aren’t all dissolved yet. I don’t know how long that takes, but I doubt it’s going to get better. Also, her body’s starting to turn.”

Ekari looked at Serenity in horror. “How do you know that? You didn’t even ask?”

“You don’t get a decent Death affinity from nothing in less than a day safely. And as for her becoming undead … I can tell.” Ekari didn’t have a high Death affinity, so there was no way she’d know that that wasn’t how he was telling. Serenity didn’t answer how he knew the cores hadn’t all dissolved yet. Margrethe would probably be able to guess, but that didn’t mean Serenity needed to elaborate. What he could explain knowing with his Death affinity was more than enough.

Ekari took a moment to think, then hurried out of the building.

There was a moment of silence after she left, then Lancaster shook his head. “What. The. Hell.”

“I owe you guys an explanation. Unfortunately, there’s a lot of stuff I have to keep secret, so over dinner isn’t a good -” Serenity paused. “You know what, I bet I can get you two into the building my quarters are in. We can grab food in the breakroom, and I can let you in on a bit of it in my room. We only have an hour or two, but I bet I can get through a lot of it in that time.”

The basic rune class went well, but about halfway through it, Serenity decided that he really needed to write down what he was teaching - at least the basic runes and their meanings. Rachel would need the reference, and it would also give him a way to let her practice without him having to be present. It would also let him teach runecrafting during the same time he was teaching Death magic.

He suspected he should make several copies. Once people knew he was teaching runes, more would come.

The end of class was Rachel practicing the first two runes he taught her (“Breath” and “Stay,” because they were relatively safe runes to practice on, didn’t need to be all that precise to give some effect, and would give a good start on the concept) while Serenity wrote out some of the other runes, trying to remember them all. He had a large runic vocabulary, so the problem was more remembering what words existed than what the symbols were. He’d also have to separate them by difficulty and danger, but first he had to think of them.

He told Rachel to come by during the morning the following day; he’d have her working separately on runes, but she could practice while he taught death affinity to others.

Once Rachel left, it wasn’t long before the undead student arrived. He was silent, but Serenity knew exactly where he was. As he walked up behind Serenity, Serenity turned to face him and asked “So, what’s your name?”

The apparent old man flinched. He’d clearly thought himself undetected in the darkness. “How did you see me?”

“I didn’t.” Serenity smiled, knowing the man could see him. “I could be all mysterious, but it’s really very simple. I can sense undead, and you don’t know how to hide. I’ve known you were there since I came back from dinner. I’ll teach you some basic masking techniques, but they’ll take a lot of practice. First, though, your name - and I think you said you have questions?”

“LaCroix … and … what does being undead even mean? I know I don’t have to eat or sleep and I can see in the dark … and the sun’s too bright … but …?”

“A lot depends on exactly what type of undead you are - and you can influence that by choosing the correct Paths in the future. Generally, you do have to eat occasionally, especially if you’re hurt, but most of your energy can come from Death mana as long as you’re careful to stay in areas rich in it …”

Name: Serenity

Species: Human (Altered Template)

Path: Paths Available

Level: 54 (439/550)

Tier: 0, 0/54 Spent

Path History: None

Condition: Crystal Hand, Healthy

Healing Available: Half

Mana: 200/200

Stamina: 200/200

Might: 10

Agility: 15

Phys: 11

Understanding: 9

Will: 15

Mind: 10

Perception: 15

Luck: 11 - 111%

Ev: 6514

Resistances

Pain: 1032 (32 active)

Sleep: 1

Unknown

Affinities

Death: 100.01%

Life: 8%

Mind: 30%

Arcane: 50%

Plasma: 40%

Liquid: 5%

Vapor: 10%

Solid: 15%

Energy: 40%

Void: 60%

Time: 15%

Space: 5%

Concepts

Death

Mind 15%

Time: 5%

Unknown

Aspects: Unknown

Titles

Previous Supreme Existence

Altered Template

Named

Ghost in the System