Awaken

"W-what is this feeling … it hurts - so much." The thoughts echo around in a black void.

A skeletal hand rises from the ground as a cloaked figure stands close by. Bursting forth from the earth a skeleton emerges with only its fractured skull, arms, and rib cage. Where the rest of it would be, an inky black body is formed. It's missing its jaw, and a crack leads from between some teeth to the nasal cavity.

The figure steps forward in awe of this skeleton. "Woah, an Abyss Skeleton!" A woman with fair skin, pale blue hair, and a deep green cloak that covers most of her luxurious clothes, approaches the newly arisen.

The skeleton lifts himself out of a simple grave on the top of a cliff, surrounded by a thick forest."Now you can handle those pestering goblins, no problem!" The awestruck woman examines him excitedly while he stands still with a hollow expression.

"Kershee!" The skeleton looks towards the forest as he hears the sounds of a hissing monster. Lurking at the edge of the forest stands a goblin wielding a broken sword. It stares intently at the woman with an animalistic look in its eyes.

The woman finally notices the creature, she frightenedly steps back into an exaggerated pose of shock. "Aieee! Th-that's the freaky thing that has been attacking me!" She quickly hides behind the skeleton, peeking out from behind him to watch the vile creature.

The goblin gives out a cry before lunging at the skeleton. It cleaves through him with a single attack. The woman watches in helpless terror. The skeleton remains standing, unimpressed as the wound mends itself back together. "I really thought that would do more damage." Both the goblin and woman are shocked as the skeleton feels only disappointment.

The goblin goes to strike at him again, but is stopped when the skeleton catches the blade in one hand. "It's a shame really. I was hoping that you could make this excruciating pain go away." The skeleton, still with utter disappointment, grabs and lifts the goblin up by the face with his other hand.

"Gurk." It begins to scream in fear and soon pain as the skeleton begins to crush its head with freakish strength. With the gruesome crunching sound of its skull collapsing, the goblin's blood-curdling screams cease and it limpens pathetically. Its blood pours out from between the gaps in the skeleton's hand, the woman's fear developing into shock as she can't help but watch the brutal event unfold.

The skeleton turns back to her after dropping the body. She stands back up, eyes still glued to the grotesque mess. "Well … thanks for dealing with that …" The skeleton merely stares at her with empty eyes before turning around to descend back into his grave.

He manages to get one leg in before she catches on. "Whoa, whoa, whoa–what are you doing!? There could be more goblins!" The skeleton glances at her before sinking lower into the hole. "Hey, are you listening to me!?"

She lifts her hands forward as they create a mystical glow. "I command you as your master and summoner!"

The skeleton is magically lifted back out of the hole before landing back down in front of the woman, unable to move from his kneeling position as a paper contract manifests before him.

"This bitch …!" He thinks to himself as his expression changes from surprise to annoyance.

She squats down to his level and begins writing on the paper. "Since I'm signing you into this magical contract, I suppose I'll name you …" She stops and thinks for a minute. "I know! I'll call you Skull." She seems pleased with this name, however he looks on in disgust.

Skull peers down at the paper she's working on and skims over some of the information on it. "So that's her name?" He ponders. "Wouldn't think she'd have necromancy magic." The name "Aqua Vi" is signed at the top of the page.

She stands back up and dusts off her outfit before talking. "Alright, it's done, let's go!" The spell lifts and he begins to stand.

Without a moment's notice, Skull beelines for the cliff edge. "Get back here!" She casts the spell again, stopping him dead in his tracks.

"Damn it." He thinks to himself, yearning for the sweet taste of death once again.

The paper vanishes in a blue flame while Skull retrieves a weathered cloak from atop his former grave-post. "By the way I gave you a voice."

"What?" Skull stops in his tracks and touches his throat.

As the sun begins to set, a new figure approaches the grave long after the others had left. "No, no, no! Who did this!?" They cry out at the sight of the empty grave missing its memento.

A trail of dried blood and the signs of a scuffle are the only things that remain. "This has to lead me somewhere." The figure disappears into the forest, unknowingly following the remnants of the murdered goblin, after it was dragged away by wild beasts.