Love and Death

config.style.backdrop: 'black' config.style.page.color: 'white' config.style.page.link.color: 'red-9' config.style.page.font: 'Segoe Script 30' sound.ambient.bensound-ofeliasdream.url: 'https://www.stellacashman.com/nmd343/bensound-ofeliasdream.mp3' sound.ambient.bensound-ofeliasdream.description: 'ofeliasDream' apron: false goggles: false gloves: false syringe: false injectSerum: false -- {ambient sound: 'bensound-ofeliasdream'} [align center] **Love and Death** Stella Cashman Music: https://www.bensound.com/ [[Prologue]]

Dear Reader, You don't know me, but by the time you are finished reading this, you will understand who I am and the decisions that I've made that have made me the way I am. One thing I must make abundantly clear is that I am not a good person. I do not consider myself evil, but you and society at large may consider some of my actions and my thought process unethical. You are free to agree or disagree with them as you please, but I ask you to reserve judgment until the end. Only then can you understand who I am and how I've gotten here. Without further ado, my name is Malvyre Nightpath and here is the tale of how I began my research into the undead. [[Chapter I]] [[Start]]

My family was of noble blood, hailing from the land of Asha. They were about as stereotypical as nobility could get, really: vapid snobs that were as out of touch with the common people as possible and sycophantically loved the royalty. They would make the occasional donation to altruistic causes, but they did so more out of a sense of condescending pity, rather than the genuine desire to help others. I hated being around them with every fibre of my being. When the opportunity to attend the Royal University of Esmia presented itself, I wasted no time taking it. I had always wanted to learn magic and I saw this as my sign to do so. I wrote a letter to the university, espousing my virtues and my skills, like any good merchant would sell their wares. As soon as I got the acceptance letter back, I threw it on my father's desk and said: "So...I got accepted into the Royal University of Esmia. How about instead of constantly berating me for not taking initiative, you pay for my tuition, like any good parent would?" At first, like the stingy bastard he was, he refused; however, after pointing out that not supporting his son and heir to the Nightpath estate would not be taken kindly by his peers, he quickly relented. Now, was that blatant manipulation on my part? Yes, it was. Was I, in a sense, blackmailing him with the loss of his reputation among those whom respected him? Absolutely. That being said, I implore you to spend eighteen years of your life surrounded by ungodly rich narcissists and tell me you wouldn't do the same thing. In any case, once I had made the journey to Esmia and made myself comfortable in my new room in the dormitory. Once I had properly settled in, I dove head-first into my studies...only to find that I was vastly under-prepared for what I had gotten myself into. There were so many areas of research and specialities in magic that it made my head spin. I had no idea where to even begin. I dabbled in a few different disciplines, but I was either never interested in them or I was woefully untalented in that discipline. That was until I met *him*...[[Kyris]]. He told me he was working on a new field of study of an ancient form of magic: necromancy. My eyes lit up with fascination and I immediately told him that I wanted in on whatever he was doing. Whether it was out of genuine interest in the subject matter or my crush on Kyris that lead me to working with him, I couldn't tell you. Either way, he said yes without any hesitation whatsoever. [[Chapter II]] [[Prologue]]

When I began my work with Kyris, there were many things I wasn't prepared for: chiefly among those things was the nature of our work and how Kyris managed to get the university to give him the go-ahead in the first place. The practice of necromancy wasn't sanctioned by them, nor was it legal to practice under Esmian law. "We won't be *practicing* necromancy," he had once said to his academic advisor, "We'll be *studying* it in a clinical, purely academic manner, through reading tomes, interviewing those who have practiced it and writing about our findings." Little did they know, and little did *I* know, we were doing more than just reading and interviewing. One time, Kyris had three bodies laid out in front of us. Kyris looked at me and went: "Could you hold their mouths open? I'll need to have them open completely if I want this serum to go in and work its magic." At first, I felt some trepidation after hearing his request. This wasn't part of our regular studies and was wondering if we were even allowed to do this. I was so desperate to impress him, though, that I did what he asked, despite my feelings that what we were about to do wasn't quite legal. About fourty-five minutes later, one of the bodies moaned and started to get up on its own. You can probably imagine my fear in that moment as this newly-animated corpse began to rise from its bed and stare at me with lifeless eyes. "It worked!" he yelled, his body practically vibrating with excitement, "It actually worked-" As soon he spoke, though, it flopped back down onto the bed like a sack of apples. Kyris' face drooped and his body deflated with a sense of immense disappointment. He looked at me with a great sigh. "I was hoping that would've lasted *a little* longer," he said to me quietly, "But I suppose that's what science is: a lot of failure before *actual* results." [[Chapter III]] [[Chapter I]]

It was a first day of the week, at about ten o'clock in the evening. I arrive in the lab to do some research and help Kyris conduct some experiments, as per usual. However, I noticed that Kyris' demeanor was significantly different from every other time we've spent in the laboratory. He approached me with a hop in his step. "Ah! My love," he said in a high, breathy voice, "I've finally concocted a version of the serum that should keep the subjects alive for up to twenty-four hours! And it would be an absolute *honor* if you were the one to help me administer it, my dear..." "Of course," I replied, reflecting his excitement in my smile, "You know I would do absolutely *anything* for you, my love." "As it should be," he finished before planting a soft kiss on my lips and beginning to rattle off directions on how to inject the serum while he prepared the body. I look around the room for the things I would need: my apron, goggles, and gloves, as well as a syringe for injecting the serum. Hanging on a coat rack is the apron and the goggles, while the gloves and the syringe are on a table nearby. [if apron === false] {reveal link: 'I picked up the apron.', passage: 'Apron'] [continue] [if goggles === false] {reveal link: 'I picked up the goggles.', passage: 'Goggles'} [continue] [if gloves === false] {reveal link: 'I picked up the gloves.', passage: 'Gloves'} [continue] [if gloves === false] {reveal link: 'I picked up the syringe.', passage: 'Syringe'} [continue] Once I had on all my personal protective equipment and the syringe at the ready, all I needed to do was draw some of the serum into the syringe and get to work. {reveal link: 'I injected the serum...', passage: 'Inject Serum'}

[align center] <img src="https://www.stellacashman.com/nmd343/kyris.png" style="height: 500px; width: 420px;"> Made in <a href="https://recolor.me/">Recolor</a> [align left] He was a beautiful man with a quarter demon blood. He had dark blue, pearlescent skin, with short horns and a long, arrow-tipped tail matching in color, as well as glowing, blue eyes. He had long, black hair that was always tied up and hung over his shoulder loosely. At the time I met him, he was wearing a smart suit with a waistcoat, cravat and a cummerbund wrapped around his waist. Hanging around his shoulders was a relatively clean, medical apron, though that would not last for long. [[Chapter I]]

Unfortunately, much of the following results for several months were similar to the first results. Some survived a bit longer than the others, but other than that, there was very little progress made. Kyris would often come away from each new experiment disappointed and tired. However, that isn't to say there wasn't *any* happy developments that came from this whole ordeal. Over the course of our time researching, working closely and doing almost everything together, we began to grow closer in a way that I don't think either of us expected. Eventually, after a long night of holding down animated corpses and studying them, we went out for a walk to clear our lungs of the pungent, rotten air. I'll never forget the way that he looked at me as he kissed me under the great, old oak out in front of the main hall of the university. I never wanted it to end...the research and the time I was spending with Kyris. Unfortunately, fate laughs in the faces of those who expect everything to turn out alright. [[Chapter IV]] [[Chapter II]]

injectSerum: true -- "Looks like you're ready," Kyris said to me with a huge smile on his face. I couldn't help but smile back, as the man looked like he could barely contain himself. Not only was I excited for him, but I was also just excitd in general. This was a huge leap of progress and I didn't want to ruin this for him. "On my mark," Kyris said, holding the body down as I readied the syringe in order to plunge it into its neck. "One..." he began, with both of us tensing, "Two...three...now!" I quickly jabbed the needle of the syringe into the cold, lifeless neck in front of me and slowly introduced the serum into the subject's blood stream. Only once the entirety of the barrel was empty did I withdraw the needle from the purple, now-engorged vein. It worked better and faster than either of us could've expected as the thing suddenly shot up and began reaching towards me. I jumped back hard and almost hit my head on the table behind me. "By the gods!" Kyris shouted, trying his hardest to hold the subject down, "It's- It's alright...as long as we don't panic, everything will be fine- Everything will be-" Before he could finish that sentence, the thing managed to wrestle its way out of his grasp and pulled him down towards it. What I saw next would stay in my mind and my nightmares for the rest of my life: the undead fiend biting huge, red, glistening chunks out of the love of my life's neck while he screamed in absolute agony and terror. His face contorted in a look of anguish and shock, desperately trying to claw himself away from his attacker while being too weak to do so. And what did I do? I ran. I ran like the coward I was. I didn't stop until I came across a group of city guards and practically collapsed in front of them in my fear. Through loud, horrendous sobbing, I managed to garble out what had happened in the science building that evening and lead them towards the scene of the crime. I didn't dare to go in there myself. I couldn't bring myself to face what I had done...what *we had done. [[Chapter V]]

apron: true -- I walked over to the coat rack and took the arpon with a graceful motion. I tied it around my waist with the speed of an experienced man of science and adjusted it on my person to make sure it didn't look unfitted or crooked before moving on.

goggles: true -- I went over to the goggles and grabbed them. With a bit of fiddling, I managed to put them over my eyes without too much trouble. They were a little bulky and not very fashionable, but they would keep my eyes safe from any fluids that would come out of the body.

gloves: true -- I went over to the table and grabbed my gloves, sliding them over my hands deftly. They fit my hands perfectly, like any good glove should. They did not impede any of my normal hand movements, allowing me to do precise, delicate work, while also keeping my hands from being burned by the chemicals we used in our research.

syringe: true -- I went over and grabbed the syringe, briefly holding it in my hand for a moment. It was only a little larger than my hand, with the handle, plunger and needle being made of brass, while the barrel was made of glass. The measurements it used were marked out on the side in delicate, white paint, in a clear, organized manner. It felt good to wield it in my hand...to have the power of life and death in my hands.

After the death of my beloved and the ensuing investigation into it, I was expelled for my involvement in the experiment and was exiled from the country practicing necromancy. I was disgraced and my disownment by family also ensured I had no where to go after my exile. In my mind, my only choice of what to do was clear: to right what had been made wrong by bringing my lover back to life. Four years later, I trekked my way through the Willow Grove Cemetery near the border of Esmia. My ruined, ragged, black robes dragged behind me while I dragged the body of my lover, still swathed in burial linens, to the crypt of the one called the [[Evening Glory]]. She was exactly what I needed to restore my love to the way he was all those years ago. Through the thick fog of early morning hours, I finally came across what I was looking for. The crypt itself was carved beautifully out of swirled, black marble and bore the crest of the Evening Glory over the entrance. I smiled bleakly as I slogged my way up the steps and threw the doors open with a big push. The inside of the crypt was ornate, with gilded angel statues and marble everything; truly a crypt fit for royalty. Around me was a court of undead, with all manner of ghouls, spirits and vampires staring at me as I walked in. In front of my poor, weary eyes was one of the most beautiful sights I had ever seen: the Evening Glory herself, a tall woman with long, silver hair like mine, and with a pallor of waking death. She smiled at me with long, sharp fangs and waved a skeletal hand for me to come forth as she sat on her throne of bones. "Welcome, weary traveller," she spoke to me in a soft, soothing voice like out of a dream, "Come rest thyself at my feet, for thou art tired and forlorn." "I assume you know why I'm here, then," I responded to her, continuing to drag the body of Kyris behind me, "Why I have risked everything to stand here before you." "Indeed," she replied, "Thou seeketh mine gifts, yes? To see thine lover reborn anew...to be able to hold him in thine arms once again?" "Yes," I said back to her with an exhausted sigh, "I would give anything - pay any price - to be able to see him again." "Then we should waste not one more moment," she concluded before getting up from her throne, "Do thou sweareth thine life to me, for the rest of eternity? To be mine servant until the world crumbles to ash?" "My whole life," I replied, "Until the death of the world or until death takes me." I knelt before her, looking up at her with a supplicant gaze. She smiled down at me once more before placing her hands on me. Through me, I experienced a sensation I have yet to experience ever again: it was the power of life and death surging through my veins, killing me while also causing me to feel more alive than I'd ever felt. I became something new, something halfway between being alive and dead. I had the power to see my love once again. [[Chapter VI]]

[align center] <img src="http://www.colton3d.com/syrawiki/images/e/eb/Evening_Glory_Symbol.jpg"> Image by <a href="http://www.colton3d.com/dnd/File:Evening_Glory_Symbol.jpg">Dark T Zeratul</a> [align left] The Evening Glory is a goddess of love, even from beyond the grave. Her followers are the dead and dying, as well as lovers who wish to overcome death to remain in love forever. [[Chapter V]]

I walked in a circle around a chalk-drawn circle of magic, surrounded by eight, red, lit candles and with the body of Kyris in the middle, with a vial around his neck. I clutched a stick of incense in my hand as I uttered words of incantation around the man I called my lover. My eyes were shut tight, hoping and praying that the ritual the Evening Glory instructed me on how to prepare would work. After about two minutes, the candles snuffed out on their own as Kyris, my beautiful Kyris, moaned as he came back to the mortal world. My heart beat fast with joy. It worked...but fate has a way of laughing in one's face. "I...I'm alive," he whispered hoarsely, sounding almost nothing like the man that I knew and loved, "No...no, I'm not. I'm..." He looked down at the vial hanging around his neck and his face contorted in rage. My heart sank into my stomach as tears fell down my face. "I'm a *LICH*!" he said with a raised voice, almost growling, "**WHY WOULD YOU TURN ME INTO A LICH?! _HOW COULD YOU?!_**" I fell back on my rear end, dragging myself away from the ritual circle with wet eyes and ragged breath. "Wait, no! Please!" I said to him, sadness in my voice, "I did this for *you*! I did this so we could be together again! Don't you see?!" He ignored me, instead charging at me with a great roar. "**_I'LL KILL YOU, YOU MISERABLE CUR!!_**" he bellowed, his claws reaching out to claw me to death. Before he could reach me, though, my hand reached out reflexively and I screamed incantations in desperation. Before I could take it back, pale, green beams of light shot out of my hand and pierced Kyris straight through the heart. All that was left of it was a huge, smoking, gaping hole, with the vial completely vaporized. He collapsed in front of me in a heap and all I could do was sob miserably. I crawled towards him and cradled the twice-dead remains of my lover in my arms. My wailing was so loud that it probably could've alerted anyone that was nearby...not that anyone would be around at this time in the morning. I felt a cool, skeletal hand on my shoulder and heard a familiar voice whisper softely behind me. "Life beyond death is a heavy burden," she said, "And sometimes...that burden can be too heavy to bear for some. Come, o child of death...thou hath much work left to do." [[Start]] [[Chapter V]]