Sacred tree of death
Throughout the many halls and maze like room a boy was lead down a long hall that went on for a mile. A bright red door with two men wearing black armor but held large purple swords saw them and opened the door. The boy entered but the others did not.
"What now." I said confused looking around in the middle of the room was a tree.
Better yet there was bright green grass in the large tall room. But the tree was different. The wood like a golden brown that gave off a sense of light. But the leafs were the strangest thing. They were bright red and not like in autumn but rather healthy shined like blood.
"Come, sleep my child." A voice entered my mind and I felt tired.
I was drawn to the tree and I sat down. I didn't know what happened but I fell asleep and slowly opened my eyes.
"Finally someone new." A young girl about sixteen said sitting next to me.
"What is this." I asked seeing the room was the same as when I fell asleep yet felt different.
"This is my domain. You see the tree connect to this place." She said tapping the tree and moving to be in front of me.
Her hair was a bright purple and her nails as well. She was stunning yet everything said to run.
"I am death. But you can call me Helia Reaper." She said smilingly.
"Okay." I said blankly.
"Wow they really put you through the ringer didn't they." She said as her smile seemed saddened and she got up.
"But you made it. As such you are to be granted the power of a reaper. But I can't keep doing that. As such I want a deal." She said.
"What kind of deal." I asked.
"I want you to become a death harbinger. The highest ranking above the rest." She said waving her hands upwards.
"What's the catch." I asked showing no emotion as always.
"Right to the point then. You see reapers are like my soldiers. All those black knights you saw are a reaper. Reapers give me power by killing enemies and beasts. But a death harbinger gets more. Just by being around others you convert their magic into a source of power for me. It also grants you all the benefits of a reaper. You but you will have to visit me in order for me to claim it. As such a simple meditation will allow to to enter this place. Now for the bad news. Your life essence will become like mine. Each time you kill you gain half of someone's possible life as your own but also it's like a poison. You will want it more and more as you do it more often. As such you must control that craving." She said walking around me.
"Bedsides you get to see me more often." She said sitting as close as possible to me.
"So I gain power and the only way for me to live is to kill. And if I don't kill I will die." I asked.
"Correct. Also you will have your pathways for me unlocked so you can get stronger. But that's for the future." She said placing her hand on top of mine.
A burning sensation went across my hand and up my arm and as it burnt I felt something taking the skins place. I pulled my arm away as she simple smiled at me.
A small marking was on my hand and small line went up my arm.
"What is this." I asked while it still cooled.
"That is the sign of a reaper changed into a death harbinger. Don't worry it will feel better soon." She said trying to calm me down.
On the top of my hand was a symbol of a sword seemingly on fire. The tip of the sword pointed towards my fingers while the hand to my arm. Strange line like veins formed from the handle it went up my arm all the way to shoulder form what I could tell.
"Thank you." I said.
"Well that's the first anyone's thanked right after that. But your welcome." She said stepping closer.
"Artemis Deathgate I expect great things from you. Now our times has ended here. While it's only been a few minutes here hours have passed in your world." She said placing a finger in my head and I fell backwards.
I jumped as I felt like I was falling but I was actually still sitting. I walked to the door and excited the room. The men looked at me and then pointed down hall. I walked all the way down until I reached the end where a knight in black stood.
"Show me your hand." He asked and I obeyed.
"Another harbinger huh. Guess that makes you my boss in way." He laughed a little and led the way.
"For the next few weeks you will learn magic at a more advanced level than before. So feel free to choose whatever." He said opening a door and waved me in.
He closed the door from behind but didn't enter. But when I looked I saw a huge room that was so big I couldn't even see the end. It was easily eighteen feet tall and what shocked me most where the books. The bookshelves went all the way up the ceiling and covered the walls and created a simple maze made of rows going down.
"Suppose I should start." I said walking.
For the next two weeks. I grabbed books from the shelves and the one I couldn't reach i simpler looked at and the floated down by some sort of magic. They would bring me stew and bread to me once day everyday in large portions then leave. However after I mastered the basics I started looking for more complex spells. I learned spells that created rings of fire that cut through the target and created spears made of water. I learned spells that increased my strength and speed. One made me shadow even. I wanted to learn more and more and I would.
With this world ones skill was grouped in a specific way using magic as the primary. The rankings worked in tiers of nine. There were bronze, iron, silver, gold, diamond, ruby. Ruby being the highest and bronze the lowest. Inside of each were tiered in one of the nine groups.
Another two weeks went and then finally ten weeks since I entered I left the room armed with magic at the highest level. Spells forgotten through time were hidden here and now I knew a few. I was once again in the small office like room with the black knight holding his staff.
"Our job is to protect the world and keep balance. As such we protect mostly royalty but not often." He stated.
"Understood." I said.
"Good. A sword and some dagger will be given to you. And now your first assignment. Your about sixteen making you the perfect age. A royal family by the name of Marcel have a daughter and have asked of a guard for her. They are a duke and as such we can't out right deny them. So you will be sent." He said.
"A packet with all the information will be given to you tonight and tomorrow you will leave." He said waving em to leave.
That night I spent my time reading through the papers. It talked of the family and its enemies. As for the girl it talked about everything of her. She was right handed, sixteen, Iron stage at the fourth tier. It it just kept going. She had blue eyes, a trait of the family, beautiful long silver hair, main weapon was the sword. Her name was Vivian Marcel. Then she had a older sister who was eighteen and a brother who was also eighteen but older by ten months. It talked about there land and had a map of their mansion. I fell asleep after reading all ten pages and three maps.
The next day I was giving a black steel sword and two daggers for being hidden. I would ride in a stage couch for two days stopping at night to eat and let the driver rest. After two days it seemed my hard work would pay off as we arrived to a huge mansion. A large metal fence went all the way around with a large gate at the front. A fountain stood in the middle of the gate and the mansion making a circle for the brick road all the way around it. Flowers bloomed next to the house as the door opened three individuals walked out as four more with sword at their hips and leather armor dyed blue followed.
We came to a stop at the front and my door opened. I hopped out and looked at the three.
"Hello Marcel's, I am Artemis Deathgate. The new royal guard for lady Vivian Marcel." Artemis said with a deep bow.