As the sun began to set, a small covered wagon passed by the closing city gates, the tired guards waving at the woman in the coachman’s seat. On the inside of the moving vehicle, a small boy in oversized clothes crouched over an old man leaning against the wall, his hands inside the man’s abdomen.

  “Well, at least the remaining of the bandit’s is taken care of now…” - the child smiled happily as his hands moved quickly - “It seems there’ll be no loose ends left behind.”

  “You’re awfully good at this, aren’t you?” - Observing from the other side of the wagon, Noa pointed as he watched Soreq working, his own hand closed tightly - “One would believe this kind of work was beneath you.”

  “One can’t lead without understanding those he’s leading…” - his childish hands covered in thick blood, Soreq moved quickly and expertly inside Domnus' body - “As an apprentice, I was bound to become a FleshWorker, before I fully understood my powers!”

  “Very talented, indeed…” - moving closer to the child, he offered him a small green gem from inside his closed hand, its shine filling the inside of the wagon.

  “That should do it!” - picking the object with his bloodied hand, Soreq inserted it into the man’s body. Carefully moving it until a metallic clicking sound could be heard, as Domnus opened back his eyes, a greenish glimmer on them - “His body isn’t suited to this kind of work, you’ll need to find a specialist once we get back.”

  “Understood.” - Noa put his hand on Domnus’s shoulder, the man silently nodding slowly - “Thank you!”

  “You keep his soul inside a normal body, but send him off as a warrior,” - picking up a thick black needle, Soreq began casually sewing shut the wound on the man’s abdomen, who seemed indifferent to the whole thing - “It won’t be long before the vessel can’t handle the burden, or he is defeated in battle!”

  “Don’t worry, he’s tougher than he looks!” - Noa said, giving the old man a pat on the shoulder before moving towards the front of the vehicle.

  “Master…” - Domnus agreed with a nod, pulling down his clothes to hide his wound as the boy finished his job.

  “I must say, you two have got quite some history together…” - using a wet piece of cloth, Soreq tried to remove the drying blood from his hands - “Not many would take an Acolyte, especially an undead one, as a bodyguard on a mission.”

  “Domnus has been watching my back for as long as I can remember!” - pulling open the front cover of the wagon, Noa let the cold night breeze clean the smell of blood from inside the wagon - “I trust him above all others.”

  On the coachman’s seat, Dahlia turned to him with an accusatory look in her eyes, obviously upset. Witnessing this, Soreq couldn’t hold back his laughter, as even Domnus seemed amused by the woman’s jealousy.

  “How long before the puppet follows his orders?” - Still feeling uneasy about leaving the city before dealing with the old butler, Soreq decided to touch the subject once more.

  “His orders were simple,” - Noa answered nonchalantly, patting Dahlia’s head as an apology - “he’ll set fire to the lord’s mansion during the night, starting from the basement.”

  Starting the fire from the basement had been Soreq’s suggestion, not only a way to ensure the lord’s victims wouldn’t suffer for long, but also to ensure there was no chance the flames would be extinguished.

  “Those poor children…” - remembering the miserable state of the bodies and minds of the other children, forced to endure unspeakable things on the hand’s of the Lord, Noa couldn’t help but feel pity.

  “Trust me, a quick death is the best mercy we could offer them!” - taking a seat beside Dahlia, Soreq threw the blood soaked cloth on the road - “You’re still early on your pilgrimage, you’re bound to see much more of what this world has to offer, both good and evil.”

  As the priest was about to question the meaning behind Soreq’s words, he noticed a faint sound coming from the dark ahead of them, approaching quickly. Squinting his eyes, with only the moonlight and a small lantern to keep the darkness away, he soon located a small bird flying towards the wagon.

  “It seems they decided to check on you, my boy!” - Soreq said jokingly as the bird landed on Noa’s shoulder, all movement stopping the moment it landed - “Guess you don’t have their trust yet…”

  “I was chosen due to the urgency of your rescue, not the Council’s politics.”

  Grabbing the small raven with his hands, the creature remained completely still, its eyes closed. Laying belly up on Noa’s hands, he lifted his index finger, pressing the bird's chest as it started to glow in a deep emerald color.

  “It would seem your mission has been successful…” - the raven’s eyes opened, its beak opening as a clear woman’s voice could be heard coming from it, as it’s body started moving again - “Master Soreq, I’m relieved to see you safe”

  “I may be old but I’m sturdier than I look.” - Seeming more interested in adjusting the lamp, Soreq replied without looking at the bird.

  “A special detail of bodyguards will be dispatched to ensure your safe return…”

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  “That won’t be necessary,” - turning to face the bird, Soreq crossed his arms, clearly not very fond of the creature’s overly polite words - “I’ve already made arrangements for young master Noa to accompany me on my return!”

  “I’m sorry Master, but he’s not…”

  “You dare make me repeat myself?” - the boy’s young voice could not hide the threat in his words, as the raven bowed his head in reverence.

  Staring straight at the raven, Soreq’s eyes were filled with anger, emitting the same emerald shine from the bird’s chest. Despite currently being in the form of a young child, Noa could feel the intense power hiding inside the boy.

  “My apologies…” - the woman’s voice was trembling for a moment, before the raven turned towards Noa - “You’re ordered to escort Master Soreq until he’s back safely at the Citadel. We’ll review your pilgrimage at a later time.”

  “As the council commands!” - the priest replied calmly, bowing his head.

  “Upon reaching the next settlement look for the local Inn, an associate there will provide you with supplies for the journey. ” - the raven started closing its eyes, as the light from its chest started to dim - “Head straight west afterwards.”

  “Understood.”

  “I’ll pray for your safe travels.”

  Without another sound, the bird once again stopped moving, growing stiff on Noa’s hands, its beak still halfway open. Holding it with both his hands, the priest’s eyes began to glow faintly.

  “Awaken from your slumber…” - the priest commanded, his voice eerie, the raven shaking for a moment before starting to move like a regular bird again - “I order thee, fly fast and high, to the head of the Council!”

  As soon as Noa opened his hands, the raven took flight, its ebony body quickly disappearing towards the sky.

  “Fucking bitch…” - whispered Soreq as soon as the bird was no longer on sight.

  “Easy brother, she’s just doing her best to protect you…” - rubbing his hands together to remove the numbness on his fingers, Noa could understand Soreq’s frustration.

  “There are those in the Council who may be interested in my safe return to the city,” - Rising from his seat, the boy began making his way back towards the back of the wagon - “She would rather prefer it if I didn’t…”

  “You must be careful with such words…” - the priest felt relief knowing that in the middle of the road, there would be no one to hear Soreq’s accusation.

  “And you need to be more careful with people.” - Taking a seat back on the inside of the vehicle, Soreq crossed his arms and closed his eyes - “Else before long you’ll find yourself becoming a tool in the wrong hands!”

  “You’re imagining things…” - Noa spoke, trying to shake off the uncertainty in his words.

  Turning back to face the road, he could see Dahlia and Domnus staring at him, the woman with a faint worried look on her face. Both of them had been accompanying him since the beginning of his pilgrimage, spending the last six months facing countless dangers on the road.

  “Master…” - grabbing Noa’s right arm, Domnus looked straight into the priest’s eyes, his expression unchanging.

  “It’ll be fine, there’s no need to worry.” - he held the old man’s hand for a moment, before taking a good look at the moon above them - “We better find a safe spot to set up camp for the night…”

  Grabbing the pouch tied to his belt, Noa untied the knot emptying its contents on his empty hand. A small pile of dark dirt, the pristine skull of some small animal, black hair tied carefully with a small rope. Placing his other hand on top of the strange objects, he began murmuring quietly, before a cold breeze started.

  “That should do it…” - carefully placing the objects back on their original container, Noa stared at the breeze - “There!”

  The priest pointed to the left of the road, where a faint green light began moving in the darkness, as if trying to lure others in its direction. Taking the reins from Dahlia, Noa began following the moving lights, as more of them began to appear. As their numbers increased, the lights began increasing in size, taking the shapes of small animals.

  “How far are we?” - he spoke to the spirits that began moving faster towards a large dead three not far away from the road.

  Upon reaching their destination, the glowing spirits began moving around the dead three and the wagon, almost as if dancing. Letting go of the reins, Noa gave Dahlia a pat on the shoulder, making his way to the edge of the wagon.

  “What’s going on?” - rubbing his eyes just like a child waking up from its nap, Soreq came from inside the wagon.

  “We’ll take a rest here for a couple hours…” - Getting off the vehicle, Noa started to check the area around them - “We still have at least a day of travel ahead of us, it’s better to rest before going too far from the city.”

  “I see you scouted the surroundings already…” -stretching his hand towards the night sky, the wandering spirits began to float around it, sensing the boy’s energy.

  “It should be safe for the time being, go back to sleep. I’ll take the first watch.”

  “Fine by me…” - Tapping Dahlia’s shoulder, the boy gestured for the woman to follow him inside - “We’re up next, come!”

  “Take care of the horses, this will be their only rest until we reach the next city.” - taking a seat between the roots of the dead three, its long branches stretching into the dark night above them, Noa started to let his mind wonder about his future.

  Just a few days before he was fulfilling his pilgrimage, happily wandering the land in search of those who might need his guidance, taking the final step in order to be recognized as a Vay’sinir. Being under the direct command of the Council, they were the ones who would act as religious leaders and rulers to their people, both in life and on death.

  If not for the sudden arrival of that raven, appearing in the middle of the night with the urgent order to rescue one of their own, they would still be roaming the lands aimlessly. Now, their journey would take them back to the Citadel, where it all began.

  “Guess we ran out of time my friend…” - he spoke to Domnus, who finished taking care of the horses - “Once we’re back, they’ll call us before the Council, and demand my decision…”

  “Master…” - the man replied as usual, while taking a seat on top of a root beside the priest.

  “Don’t worry old friend…” - Noa placed his hand on the old man’s leg, gathering his resolve - “You once joined me in life, now I’ll join you in death.”