Never Dead.

"Liam."

Brianna murmurs under her breath as she snaps back to reality from being lost in the beautiful view of the academy which is also accompanied with the cool breeze.

She hurried back inside and into the dorm's bathroom to freshen up quickly.

She gets out and heads to the closet. She opens it to find out her uniforms were hanged and ready for her to wear.

She's quite puzzled on the number of uniforms as they also had backup uniforms just in case the other gets torn or faces any problem.

She hurried outside to her porch in order to observe the uniform the students were on for the day before heading back inside, picking the correct uniform, and put it on as well as the accompanied boot.

As soon as she got ready, she heard a knock on the door.

At first, she was cautious out of habit but as soon as she realised where she was once more, she approaches the door and slowly opens it.

Before her is a middle aged man, slim in stature, dressed up in same uniform but instead of the emerald green colour for the students, his was black, to be precise, bluish black.

The two's uniform had the military vibe to it, not the ones put on in days of arms but ones put on in days of award ceremonies.

"Hmm."

The middle aged man standing in front of the now suspecting Brianna, contemplates as he folds his arm around his lower chest area, with a tilt head to the right.

"It seems I arrived at the right place this time around. Brianna right?"

The man asks as releases his folded arm and puts forth his hand with the invitation for a handshake.

"Yes, Brianna Longford, and you must be?" Brianna responds as she accepts his handshake.

"I am the lecturer responsible for the first years' studies on survival arts. Call me Mr. Hilts, that's for short though and Hillfort for full."

He responds as he breaks off the handshake before continuing with his statement,

"I'm glad you're already up and ready, now excuse me and do follow me as I will be your guide for the day in the academy."

Brianna nods in agreement and followed behind as she closes the door behind, looks back to take note of her dorm number before diverting her attention towards Mr. Hilts.

The both took their time to take a walk around the whole academy.

The dorms, library, laboratories, lecture halls, staff office, cafeteria, training hall, arena and so on.

After the tour, the returned back to the staff office where Mr. Hilts showed Brianna where to register for her courses before leaving her to take her time.

Brianna on the other end browses through the available options and to her, she is surprised that there turned out to be a lot of courses that points out to the life of one who wants to pursue adventures, knighthood and mercenary.

Amongst the options are general courses such as; history, adventurism and war arts, which students are told to choose two amongst the three.

Second category of options were courses like; martial arts, magic arts, mystic arts, rune arts, artefact technology and medicinal arts, where students are to choose three out of the rest.

Then, the third and final category which is just the mercenary arts and military arts, generally being the foundational war training and the students can choose one or both as well.

After reading through the variety of options, Brianna began making her choices by starting from the obvious ones.

From the first category, she went with war arts and history.

"I literally got raised in the wild, so I don't think there is any need for me to go through a lecture that just points out the things that I already know." She murmurs under her breath while making her choices.

From the second category, her choices were; obviously magic arts and martial arts but she indeed is having a hard time on her third choice.

For the last category, she chose just the mercenary arts and finally went back to the second category as she thinks hard on the choice to make.

"I obviously have no ties with mystical powers although my powers as a parader is a mystery itself but I don't think that anyone would just step in the midst of the crowds to give lectures on the weaknesses, strengths, and existence of paraders.

Hmm, rune arts might be a thing for me, I don't think I have the intellect to research on artefacts or the right temper to become a blacksmith either or any other kind of smith to handle the forging of such delicate items.

Then potion making, just directly tell me to be a doctor walking around with a Warhammer.

I guess it's decided then, let's learn languages and symbols then."

She goes on to make her final choice in the form given to her and then submitted it to the registrar, who gave her a smile on response before heading out.

.....................…

It was all blackout, no sign of light, no noise could be heard except for that of a rapidly beating heart.

All of a sudden, the silence got ceased as a chilly voice echoed in the midst of the blackout,

"How is it, your second time dying?"

"Are you fucking serious? I died and you couldn't do anything to stop his attacks?"

"Are you suggesting for me to expose myself in front of an enemy who is on the verge of being two ranks ahead of you?

You just broke through the pawn rank and got yourself in the knight rank while he, if he is to push himself any further, will suddenly get promoted to the bishop rank.

Are you saying that after keeping you alive, I should make you a prime target of him and a lot more dangerous set?

Your death is even more advantageous lad…"

The clank of chains filled the whole space. It was obvious that heavy chains were being dragged along on the floor as the one responsible approaches closer to the person in whose view is pointed out.

"after all, the chains restricting my movements is now loose although still cuffed on my ankles and wrists."

Just as the speaker was done with its speech, the whole space got lit in blue flames.

No burning sensation was felt but the flames did produce illumination and before the lady's sight was that of the skeletal figure still in its wretched cloth.

Clamped black wings, cuffs on his neck, wrists and ankles in which their chains extends to who knows where.

Most noticeable feature is that of the neck cuff's chain which extended upwards while the others were being dragged on the ground.

The skeleton's eye sockets still glowed with blue flames as ashy smokes escape from every opening from its skull.

"Liam, son of the Falls, I can now guide your movements and …"

"Sorry, the chain cuffed to your neck, where does it extend to?" Liam interrupted and asked out of curiosity.

"Are you for real? That's your concern now?" the skeletal figure asked with a tilted skull as to show its disappointment, as it can't express its emotions facially.

"Uhmm… what's wrong with being curious?" Liam shrugged as he presses on with his curiosity.

"I too don't know but I've tried going upwards with the chain but I couldn't make it, am not even sure if I reached halfway but the chains on my wrists and ankles restricted my movement when I got to a point.

Same thing goes when I follow any of the chains on the ground." The skeletal figure explains as it inspects the chains and cuffs.

"Are you sure that you are telling me the whole truth?" Liam asked with a raised eyebrow.

"With what strength do you have to know my story?" the skeletal figure mocked.

"Wow, right where it hurts, huh? Again, you said this was my second death, I thought this is my first, how did it get to my second?" Liam asked with a serious face and tone in his voice this time around.

"The man on the horse who you warred against, did you think he knocked you out? Did you think that the bodies of your past comrades suddenly turned to bones overnight?"

"Then, why did he tell me that he awaits for me when I seek for revenge?"

"He knew you won't die, after all, that's how paraders of death live through.

He too has an existence that represents death within him and that existence noticed my presence.

Yes, you are not the only one who gets killed and lives again, lad, you are one amongst the few.

Although the man did consume their life essence, it had no major effect on your comrades' fleshes.

But it seems like the more you die while pushing yourself through your limits, I become more free."

"Who are you people then?"

"We? Let's just say, we exist to regulate the paraders, we are what the paraders fear."