The Aspect of Death

While Khazan was having his brain trying to process everything, Samuel was back home and taking a very nice relaxing bath. There was just something about cleaning oneself in a proper bathtub with warm water.

His headache was still present, but it wasn't something that he felt would kill him. He was more concerned about the fact that he had thrown up that weird black goo again.

"It is definitely something I can live without." He would mumble to himself. Night still wouldn't say anything, so it was eerily quiet.

An unusual feeling for sure, perhaps when they had managed to 'cure' Night of her condition it would always be this calm and quiet.

Speaking of it was one thing, but actually living it again was another thing. He hardly remembered the time before she bonded with him, it seemed to be so long ago.

With a sigh he finally left the bath, all clean and sparkly. He couldn't stop himself from admiring his own body in the mirror, he had worked hard and it had paid off.

He walked out of his room after getting dressed and stopped up to watch every other door to the other rooms where his former teammates had been.

He had lost them all in one way or another, sometimes he found himself making food for too many people and it was something that annoyed him to great lengths.

But this evening he was interrupted by knocking on his door. Thinking it was probably just Zalbas or Vazmarx he casually walked over and opened it.

But he did not recognize the man who stood outside. If anything, Samuel was surprised because the man looked like the most commonly dressed regular person ever.

Not that he judged, but it was a bit odd considering they were at the mage college. "Can I help you?" Samuel asked curiously, without any ill intent.

"Ahh, perhaps you can, but most likely not!" The man chuckled before extending his hand.

"I was sent here because I was told we both have something in common, the name is Yasshan! But if you want, you can call me Yass!"

Samuel didn't shake his hand right away, but he did so when the man told him his name. "We share something in common?" He asked.

Yasshan nodded, "Yes! We are both people who have returned from being... Dead!"

"Alsian sent me by the way, he said if anyone could understand a little bit of what that is like then it would be me."

Samuel stepped aside and allowed the man inside. Where he quickly showed him the table to sit, still a bit confused as he closed the door.

"Tea?" Samuel asked and Yasshan looked pleasantly surprised before clasping his hands together, "Oh I would love some tea!" He replied while looking quite happy.

Samuel prepared some tea and joined Yasshan at the table when it was all done. Yasshan quickly started drinking the tea, "Tastes a little bit like home." The man happily surmised.

"Home?" Samuel asked and the man nodded. "The deserts of Vazmodia, in the Empire of Vazmodan. I lived in one of the port cities where trade was abundant. That is also where I died."

Samuel thought the man had just been brought back by spells. As if he knew what Samuel was thinking Yasshan smiled, "I was brought back after being dead for... Well, two or three days I think, spellcasters that can bring someone back from the dead are rare as dime a dozen."

"I was brought back by the god of death. Apperantely, my father that I never knew was a celestial. Which makes me of celestial blood, although I look like a regular human."

Samuel studied the man closer, he had well trimmed beard that connected with his brown shorter hair. Brown eyes with a cold glare in them, but he behaved nothing like the cold eyes made him seem.

It was almost like... "Like someone returned from being properly dead." Samuel whispered at the thinly built man.

Yasshan simply smiled and gently swirled the tea in his mug by moving the cup. "Regam Doran, the god that currently sits as the holder of balance between life and death. He granted me a mission to help uphold that balance and be one of his tools."

"The gods are plenty mysterious, but it had something to do with my father being a celestial servant of Regam Doran until he died."

Yasshan put down his cup and looked at Samuel, "I am surprised that your ability to return - from what I have been told, has nothing to do with the god of death."

"Not only that, but you seem to be protected from the balance. Which only makes me think that your ability to come back is all part of the balance that connects the world and everything around us."

Samuel looked up and smiled, "Mana." He answered and Yasshan slowly nodded. "I am faintly aware of beings more connected to mana, but that is not something I intend to delve into! I am a fighter of the dawn, like your older cousin."

"I have not been around for more than a year or so, but I am one of the people who also fight against the Darkor Cults."

He picked up the cup and finished the tea in one swift gulp. Samuel offered to pour him more but Yasshan held up his hand to signal that he had had enough tea.

"So how exactly do you intend to... Help me? Or whatever it was you had in mind?" Samuel asked after momentary silence.

"The patience of young ones." Yasshan smiled, "Well! With a little bit of luck I can perhaps understand it a little bit better!" He placed his hand on the table.

"I am an aspect of death, so please give me your hand."

Samuel stared at his hand for a few moments, he didn't quite know what to make of the man, but he could sense no hostility or lies.

So he did as instructed and brought forth his own hand. Yasshan took his hand in between his own hands and closed his eyes.

In his mind an imagine of a skeletal death armored figure flashed. Its eyes burning in a fiery blue blaze. Looking at Yasshan he sat there calm and collected as if nothing was wrong.

Before long Yasshan removed his hands and sighed. "Well, it certainly is interesting. Its like a permanent blocker from death. If it wasn't for the fact that it also heals your body... You would be no more than an undead walking around in a destroyed corpse."

Yasshan let out a laugh after speaking, but Samuel just stared at him wide eyed. "This gift that has been placed on your body, it feels like a curse, but I suppose it all depends on how you look at it. To be completely frank - I don't know if you can ever die."

"But for every thing that exists, there usually exists a counterpart." Yasshan got up from his chair and gave him a nod. Samuel was quick to follow him to the door.

"There is not much I can truly do for you, not now that I have seen it. But I can tell you another thing, your gift, curse, it is evolving."

"I don't know what that will mean, but perhaps you will learn to control it one day. As for what kind of control? I can't really answer that either!"

Yasshan stepped out and took the steps down the stairs, "Only you can decide how you will control it I suppose, thank you for the tea. If you ever have any more questions then just ask Alsian!"

Yasshan spoke quickly and was just as quick to walk away, leaving Samuel with many questions. But he definitely felt like the man was in a hurry to leave. Almost like he was running away from something.

Samuel almost wondered if he had peered into the deep abyss and seen something he shouldn't have. He was definitely going to save some questions.

Feeling too tired still to deal with such things now, he decided to get some more rest. He quickly cleaned up and locked the door before going over to the nearest couch and laying down.

Underestimating just how tired he was he fell asleep quickly, he felt like he had just closed his eyes before he opened them again.

There was this burning feeling which made him sit up and look at his arms that felt like they were on fire, he saw that there were black veins running very visible on his arms.

It was painful for only a few more seconds before calming down, just as quickly they had come - they were gone once more. "This is getting so fucking bizarre." He groaned loudly.

He turned to look at the nearest window and wondered why it looked like it was turning turning darker outside, but it was already going darker outside when he went to bed.

"How long was I asleep?" He asked loudly, hoping that Night would reply. But there was only silence, having no real idea of how long he had slept he could only guess.

He could have been sleeping for an entire day. It was all very perplexing and everything just felt so bizarre, but he felt like he had had enough of dreams as of late.