The soles of my feet burned as I ran across hot coals. This was neither a test of fortitude nor a secret training exercise. It was a simple and meaningless game. The bandits laughed as I stumbled my way across their makeshift gauntlet. I finally escaped and fell into my father’s arms. Both of us lay on the ground, it hurt too much to stand anymore.

“Wow, the kid was faster again.” One of the bandits laughed.

“Bull, that man threw it.”

“Then make his punishment harder this time. It’s no fun when we can’t have a fair game.”

I was able to leave early and my father returned later that night. My mother took care of him while I tried to rest. I curled up on the stone floor but no matter how tired I was sleep would not come easily.

“Can’t sleep?” My dad slumped down next to me. “You need to rest while you can.”

“I…I can’t stop thinking about how much my feet hurt.”

“Don’t worry, they’ll heal.”

“And then they’ll hurt us again.”

“Even so, you have to stay strong.”

“Why?”

I had few memories of my life before our enslavement. At this point there didn’t seem to be any point to living. However, my father just laughed and my mother smiled with him.

“Rowan, there’s a thing in this world called karma.” My dad kept smiling. “Even if our lives are painful now, there will be a time when things turn around. As long as you stay alive…you can reach a better place.”

“What about those men?”

“They’ll get what they deserve eventually.” My father tuned away as he spoke. It was dark now but I could see his trembling silhouette. “I swear they will.”

“Right now just do your best to hang on, Rowan.” My mother patted my head. “Go to sleep for now.”

~ ~ ~

I woke up in one of the mercenary tents. It was the first time I’d slept since we entered the forest. Kite’s order to kill the beast was tentatively accepted but that plan assumes that it will come to us. No one is going to enter the woods to lure it out.

After peeking my head outside, I confirmed that it was still the fourth night. Our four watchers showed a disturbing mix of exhaustion and nerves. They teetered around the camp in a sleep-deprived daze, heads swiveling at the slightest noise.

“Hey, I’ll take over for one of you.” I called out and they all froze.

“Oh, you. Uh…sure, take over for me.” O’Malley, the one I fought as a rite of passage, raised a quivering hand.

After O’Malley stumbled into the tent I sighed and sized up the other three. Edil was understandably the worst off. He was white as a sheet and I could guess he still hadn’t slept. Bard wasn’t much better. He stood silently in his full plate armor, minus the helmet. The equipment might make him feel safer but it will only add to his quickly mounting fatigue.

“I hope you at least got a few hours of rest.” Kite sighed. “There haven’t been any cries tonight. It’s eerily quiet.”

Kite was the only one who seemed to have kept his wits about him. With his boastful persona dropped we at least had a capable fighter and leader.

“Tell me about this monster. Did you catch a glimpse of it?”

“No, I only heard it speak.”

“Did it sound human?”

“It…certainly isn’t human.” I replied cautiously.

Kite continued to grill me but there wasn’t much to tell. He sighed once more and turned away. Right now, we’re all terrified of the unknown. However, what bothered me was how calm I felt about this situation. Even if I didn’t know about this monster I could guess how it operated. I didn’t bother discussing my ideas with Kite or the rest but I felt strangely confident.

“HELP!” A desperate cry pierced through this drowsy atmosphere. Suddenly we were all on full alert.

“Was that Oliver?” Bard asked warily.

“Please, somebody help me!”

“It…it is!” Kite exclaimed. “We need to help him.”

“Wait, why is he only calling to us now?” I asked, worried that I was the only skeptic.

“He was probably unconscious until now. We never found a body or even any blood.” Bard retorted.

“It’ll be dangerous to bring the other six while they’re still groggy. Wake them up and then we’ll head out as four.” Kite commanded and we hurriedly obliged.

The voice was close and we had to rescue Oliver before the beast found him. Though, with his caterwauls that might be very soon. With that in mind, all we could think about was grabbing him and leaving as quickly as possible.

“Ah, lights.”

My blood went cold. Our four-man group halted in unison as we heard those words. However, the most disturbing thing wasn’t what he said, it was the voice that said it. That was unmistakably Oliver’s voice.

“I was wondering what to do. What if he was the only light in this forest? That’s a scary thought.”

The beast stepped out from behind the cover of trees. Tonight’s full moon shone down through the canopy and we could finally see this monster clearly. As it stood upright with two arms and two legs the beast could almost pass as human. Although, the aura it gave off told a different story. At the end of each hand were five vicious claws, each twice the size of a finger. His grotesquely muscular body heaved up and down with each breath. Golden fur covered anywhere that his torn clothes could not. His face in particular had an abundance of unkempt hair. Two menacing fangs poking out of his upper jaw shone even brighter than his fur underneath the moonlight.

“What a relief to find more.” This time it spoke in a completely different voice.

We’d been had.

“Don’t just stand in a daze!” Kite’s voice roused us from our shock. “Edil, take the left side. Bard, take the right. Rowan, come over with me!”

Under this extreme fear we followed his orders without hesitation. I stood next to Kite and drew my sword. The monster growled and ran forward. In the next instant, something hit my back. I stumbled into the monster and it swung one giant paw to effortlessly knock me away. I flew into a tree and heard my ribs crack. Warm, sticky blood began to pool beneath me and I realized those claws had done more than just push me back. I looked towards the perpetrator.

Kite!

I let my guard down and he didn’t hesitate to kick me towards this bloodthirsty beast. Despite being cowardly, Kite’s decoy tactic was surprisingly effective. He struck the beast before it could react, burying his sword deep into its left shoulder. Unfazed, it swiped at Kite with its right hand and tore through his armor. Edil and Bard jumped into the fray and my vision began to blur.

It would be natural at this point, I assume, to see my life flash before my eyes. Although if I’m at my deathbed then I’d rather dream of the future. Rather than looking at my pathetic past, it would be nice to see myself as a knight. However, I saw neither the past nor the future in my vision.

Instead, I was shown countless images that I had never seen before. Monsters, recipes, people, books, days and nights. An enormous number of memories flowed into my head. Despite my confusion this much was clear: these were not my memories.

“You are a solitary ant. Someone like that will never achieve their goals no matter how hard they work.”

When I had finished processing what I could, I suddenly remembered Elver’s parting words. I certainly understood their meaning now.

“Rowan…*cough*…you still alive?” Edil’s voice brought me back to reality.

“…Yeah, for now.”

“That’s good. Although, I was secretly hoping to outlive you. Or maybe not so secretly.” Edil broke into a coughing fit.

I opened my eyes and immediately regretted it. Glistening blood could be seen on every tree. There was enough to fill one of our largest kegs. Stray armor and body parts lay scattered among the trees. Kite and Bard weren’t moving, they blended in perfectly with everything else that was strewn about.

“I guess you could say I’m pretty torn here.” Edil smiled weakly.

I looked over at him and realized that he wasn’t any better off. A large red pool had formed underneath where his left arm should be. The rest of him was at least intact but certainly not unscathed. He stared back at me, still smiling. I simply froze, not knowing what to think or say. Edil somehow looked...peaceful.

“You know, I never wanted to get to know you. I didn’t like how you looked at us with such disgust when we were the ones who saved you.”

“There was a short time when I really admired mercenaries, but now…”

“-If there’s anything we have in common…” Edil cut me off. “It’s the way our mothers are treated. Although, you at least knew who your father was. If that’s why you came to hate us, then I understand.”

I opened my mouth and then close it.

“I don’t know why I’m telling you this…” Some of the blood on Edil’s face was washed away. “I guess I’m just frustrated that in all likelihood I’m going to die on the same day as my father. Yet, I won’t even know which body is his.”

When he said that I had an ugly realization.

“Edil, where’s that monster?”

“He *cough* followed our tracks back to the camp. Though, that was only a few minutes ago.”

Then everyone’s going to die. It was a thought neither of us dared to voice out loud. Instead it hung in the air like a stillborn spirit. For a while we were both silent.

“Hey Edil…”

“What’s up?”

“If you could trade everyone’s life to kill that monster, would you do it?”

“I don’t really get it…”

“Well, right now it seems like we’re all going to die for nothing. If you at least got revenge would you feel a bit better?”

“What, are you kidding me?” Edil laughed until he coughed up more blood. “I’m a mercenary. If I wasn’t able to kill at least one enemy, then my life was worthless.”

“Right now, I feel the same way.” I found myself grinning as well.

I looked around once more. It was faint, but I could see a white light emanating from both Kite and Bard’s chests. Of course the same light shined within Edil as well as myself. There’s a small trick to seeing it, but anyone can do it.

“Close your eyes, Edil. Don’t worry about anything else. I promise I’ll kill that thing.”

“Ha, you’re going to kill it? If that’s true, then why ask about trading lives?”

“Because you’re all going to help me.”

I began a chant and the blood pooling around Edil slowly began to shiver. Like the rising tide, it gradually made its way towards me. It began to mingle with my own blood, moving delicately at first but then the combined pool started thrashing violently. Finally, it quickly evaporated and when it was gone so were my wounds.

“Hmm, it did exactly what I thought it would…” I muttered to myself. “Although I was half expecting nothing to happen.”

I stood up and turned back to Edil. He lay silently on the grass, there was no longer light in him. I turned towards Kite and Bard, beginning a chant to draw their life force away as well.

The work was simple and quick. My lips moved as though they’d recited these chants thousands of times. This knowledge engraved within my body was a gift from the mark on my cheek. The mark of the sorcerer.

I’m not sure if this really counts, but I guess I technically got to kill you… I thought, kicking Kite’s head for good measure.

“AAAaaah!”

Screams back at the camp reminded me to hurry. I tore my way back through the trees and came face to face with another massacre. I was too late to save them. My hands balled into fists but I stayed calm. A quick look around told me that I wasn’t too late to avenge them.

“So why didn’t you eat them?” I asked the demon.

“…Pardon?”

The beast turned around with O’Malley hanging limp in his grasp. I saw that the rest of the crew were in a similar state. Kayne, Bill and the other two mercenaries who trained me were all either lying on the ground or draped over broken tents like forgotten dolls.

“All of these people still have souls. If you only kill them then your precious ‘light’ will go to waste.”

“Oh, you’re the one from earlier.” The demon stared at me lazily. “After tiding myself over with the first one I’m not in danger of starving anymore. That made me lose some motivation, so I decided to make this into a game. If I kill everyone here, then I’ll be free to eat. If someone escapes, then I’ll continue fasting.”

“So you won’t eat them until I die as well?”

“That’s right~.” The demon took a step forward.

“God, you’re even worse than Kite.”

“Who’s Kite?”

“This is Kite.”

I opened my left hand to reveal a shining white light. With a quick chant, it shot forward and burrowed itself within the demon.

“What did you-!?”

The demon suddenly fell over, writhing in pain. It clawed at its chest, uselessly tearing away chunks of its own flesh. Meanwhile, I started another chant. The five other souls slowly emerged from their previous owners and congregated around me. I opened my right hand to let Bard’s soul join them.

“I’ve seen a lot of people like you…” I gritted my teeth. “Before those mercenaries saved me, I saw people like you every day.”

“People like me?”

The monster slammed its hands into the ground. The shockwave threatened to knock over some trees but it was ultimately harmless. It glared at me with gleaming yellow eyes. A small smile flickered across its face. The beast had begun to recover from Kite’s attack.

“Because of that…I’ve always wanted to do something like this!”

I spat out another chant and the remaining souls surged forward. They struck the demon’s body with enough force to knock him to the ground. He writhed desperately but it was no use. The souls infiltrated his body and he began to scream in pain.

“There are two kinds of sorcerers…”

Watching this scene, I felt a sudden nostalgia. Words bubbled up from my newfound memories just as they had when I was casting spells.

“There are those that warp souls, and those that warp the world around them. Distorting a soul will warp the owner’s body and mind, creating demons. Distorting the world creates magical phenomena, known as sorcery.”

“A…fucking…sorcerer!” The demon barely had the strength to move. It desperately crawled forward but I simply stepped back.

“What I’m saying is…I’m glad I didn’t inherit the skills to create you.”

The demon began screaming unintelligible curses. Its massive claws were reduced to pulling its heaving body forward in a last-ditch effort to reach me. I continued to step back until I ran up against a tree.

“Shit!”

I whirled around to run and suddenly felt very stupid. Turning back, I realized that the beast had already died.

~ ~ ~

By the time I finished burying everyone, the sun had already climbed high into the sky. I wiped sweat from my brow, said some prayers and left the forest on my own. For mercenaries that’s about as extravagant as funerals get. Most of the time you’d just be left to rot on an abandoned battlefield.

I was glad to find our horses grazing near the entrance to the woods. We trained them to do as much but it would have been a real tragedy if that demon’s roars had scared them away.

“A tragedy, huh…” I spoke to myself during the lonely ride back. “That’s certainly one way to describe this.”

They weren’t my favorite people but I certainly did grieve for Edil and the others. You can’t grow up around people without caring about them to some degree.

“Seriously though…making jokes on your deathbed. Maybe I did underestimate mercenaries.” I gripped my horse tightly and rode in silence until my eyes were dry. It was a long ride home.

When I arrived my first job was to deliver the bad news. Of course, I left out the part where I killed the monster with sorcery. The whole camp stood for a night in vigil but by the next night it was back to the usual drinking and laughter. My mother seemed to take things the hardest, thanking me for still being alive days after I had returned.

A new leader will be chosen soon. Life moves on. I thought bitterly. By the third night, the remaining veterans were already squabbling over the position. Exhausted with the mood created by this power vacuum, I left to find a quiet spot in the camp.

“Ah, we meet again.”

I whirled around after recognizing that withered voice.

“Elver!” I snarled.

“Don’t look at me like that. What have I ever done to you?” He smiled weakly but I wasn’t buying it.

“I happen to meet a sorcerer and then the next time I leave camp I’m attacked by a demon? Do such coincidences exist?”

“Well, sometimes…” Elver raised his hands in mock surrender. “No, you caught me.”

I drew my weapon but he scrambled backwards.

“Wait, wait! I didn’t create that monster. I merely told Kite about the bounty on it. Of course, I also didn’t mention that it wasn’t human…”

“Why would you do that?”

“To help you see that you’re wasting your potential. Do you realize how rare those marks are? Hell, do you even know what they are!?”

“I have a vague idea.”

“Then let me explain. Do you know what happens when a demon eats someone?”

“They absorb their soul.”

“Yes, and their memories. The amount varies, but when demons eat they not only get stronger but they also learn. That mark works in a similar way. When a sorcerer dies, the mark they prepared passes on to someone else. This preserves their research.”

I wanted to dismiss this man outright but somehow I felt that I had to accept his story.

“Then why did I get the mark?”

“Who knows, maybe one of your parents was near a sorcerer when he died. It can only be properly passed on to a newborn.”

“Well, I’m glad to have one mystery solved.” I sighed. “But you’ve still done something unforgivable.”

“Wait, there’s more!”

Elver furiously dug through his pack and pulled out an object wrapped in black cloth. He unwrapped it to reveal the demon’s severed head.

“You forgot this. That bounty was real by the way. This demon had been terrorizing the people around here for quite a while.”

I blinked slowly. After everything that happened I had completely forgotten why we went into that godforsaken forest to begin with.

“You’re free to use the money however you wish. Though, after you do I have a proposal.”

“What is it?”

“Come travel with me. I’ll teach you more about magic and in exchange you’ll help me with my work.”

“Work? You mean selling junk?”

“No, my actual work. I collect information about sorcerers and rogue demons. Sometimes I’ll also take care of the more dangerous ones.”

“Who would want information on sorcerers?”

Elver dug another item out of his backpack. He revealed a pouch of gold coins with a smug grin.

“You’d be surprised by the kind of people buying this information.”

“I…I guess I would be.” I gulped. That kind of money would make my dreams a reality even if I was a sorcerer.

“Seriously, you have diligence but you’re wasting it on swordplay. Has all that training even helped you once?”

Looking back, it really hadn’t. I trained and trained and my techniques had improved but my body was always weak. Somehow I’d known that fighting wasn’t for me but I stubbornly ignored it.

“I’m not saying it won’t ever come in handy but you owe it to yourself to explore your full potential.”

Elver put a hand on my shoulder but I slapped it away.

“I still haven’t forgiven you.” I glared at him. “But I want to understand my own potential. So I’ll work with you.”

It wasn’t long before I left the mercenary camp for my second time. However, this time would be my last. I gave most of the bounty to my mother as a parting gift. Some of it was also shared with Edil’s mother. The rest of it was left for the other mercenaries, maybe they can finally enjoy some beer that doesn’t taste like shit.

In the end, I left the camp with only a light set of armor, a sword and a horse to my name. It wasn’t the grand exit I was hoping for and it was much sooner than expected. However, from here on out I’ll be walking on a path towards fame and fortune. But that’s a story for another time.

---

Author Note: The next chapter will be a short intermission. Advent 3 will begin in two weeks.