error1854

[error1854]

Hi

Umh so I've forgotten that this acc exists and I've tried to cleanse my mind of Blackrock, since I'm already planning like... Three extra seasons after the one I'm currently... Well, was trying to complete like two years ago. And I gotta say that I improved a shit ton and I don't even want to re-read the cringiness I've managed to put to words.

I'm uh... I'm not back. Not sure when I'll have the willpower to redo this whole fanfic, possibly never (though now that its in the back of my mind you can bet I'ma start thinkin' 'bout it more and more with each day, don't expect much), but uh... I'll see if I even can find the papers where I have most of this written. If not, bye bye to this too.

I guess... Enjoy while you can?

[error1854]

After Blackrock - Part 7

Part 1 - 6

(Oh yeah, some bad words)

Rythian leaned back. The check list was done, but he felt no satisfaction. He thought he will celebrate, he thought relief and happiness will bless him with their presence. But all he could do was blankly stare into the entry reading it over and over, waiting for some positive feeling to congratulate him.

He closed the journal and got up from his desk. He flew to the top floors, which he turned into a science lab with computerized control, and headed towards his live specimens. The three skeletons all had a cyborg part. One had robot arms, another had fake legs, and the last one had his torso and head robotized.

Rythian breathed in and spoke:

- You all were experimented on by me, you all went through pain and suffering so I could complete my goal. I have to thank you for that.

No answer.

- I have no need to kill any of you. That’s why, after everything’s done, I offer you freedom.

The monster’s raised their heads up.

- If you wish, I can let you free. If you want, I can kill you. If you don’t desire for either, I wouldn’t mind a bodyguard.

The beasts looked at each other. Rythian thought they somehow managed to communicate telepathically. The one with the cyborg head spoke:

- I will be your bodyguard. The other two want freedom. 

He waited a second, then looked Rythian right in the eyes.

- If that’s okay with you.

- If I will be forgiven, - he mumbled.

He walked over to his computer and typed in a code. All of the tubes the skeletons were kept in opened up and let the monsters out. They slowly got out and carefully looked around, waiting for some trickery to happen.

- I suggest using the ladder, - Rythian quietly said.

Both of the monsters ran to it and left as quickly as possible. He turned to the remaining monstrosity he created.

- Is this all an elaborate trick to kill me?

- I have no need for revenge. You haven’t done anything wrong.

- I... haven’t don’t anything wrong? - he asked confused.

- You were experimenting for a reason. You weren’t torturing us without a goal.

Rythian was surprised by the monster’s mind.

- Is it for someone?

He was caught off guard.

- It... it is.

- A special someone?

Rythian saw no need to hide from his new bodyguard.

- Yeah... a very special someone.

The monster nodded.

- Your dedication is clear to see.

Rythian had to agree. He turned to the computer again and checked on the cyborg blaze’s status. Just like yesterday, it was in perfect condition, alive, awaiting surgery. Now, all he needed was Zoey’s brain.

- I didn’t expect to see you back here again, Rythian.

 They were in the same position again - mad scientist at the top, insane mage at the bottom.

- Well, I have to come by often. See what I can destroy...

- You’re a mad man.

- Possibly. Look who’s talking though.

- A sane person!

- *sigh* stop beating around the bush, Duncan. Let me in and we don’t have to talk anymore.

- You know you can just fly over the gate, right?

Rythian cackled.

- It’s way more fun to watch you squeal. Now open the gate.

Duncan growled loud enough for Rythian to hear.

- Beasts growl in defeat.

He silently opened the gate and disappeared into the End tower. Rythian didn’t mind his grumpiness and headed straight for the Twilight tower. As he descended down the ladder, thoughts of doubt and worry filled his mind.

Come on, you can’t start shitting yourself now.

“For fuck sake, shut up“

He meant it. His guilt voice was as loud as ever, pounding in his head. He wished there would be something - a sign, a feeling, a eureka moment - that would tell him he did the right thing. Internal peace, no guilt-tripping, a short but long awaited message from Zoey - nothing. There was nothing telling him his job was good, that it was worth and his confidence was shattered.

The only... thing that told him something positive, was the skeleton bodyguard. He seemed to understand Rythian’s motives. Not his ultimate goal... well, maybe that too, but he forgave him. Rythian didn’t trust that yet. He will if he lives when he returns home.

With those thoughts he entered Zoey’s domain. The same machinery, that same screens and the same emptiness that was under his tower. He asked the same question he did a long time ago - where’s Zoey?

“I suppose Duncan knows my plans... Zoey told him...“

He shook his head.

“I’m doing this for Zoey, not because of Duncan... He has no say in this”

Rythian was deliberately lying to himself to hide and silence the voice of suspicion that has gotten even louder than the guilt voice. He couldn’t shake the thought of Duncan being behind the screen when they were talking about his plan. And the cold, dead atmosphere of the castle certainly didn’t calm him.

Trying to shake the worrying thoughts, he walked behind the monitor. He saw exactly what he was afraid of - a huge tank, filled with blue liquid, completely covered from the front held Zoey’s brain and heart. Rythian wasn’t disgusted, he’s seen too many organs this was worth a grimace, but he was, once again, doubting. Zoey was fine when he asked her about her mechanical condition, but then...

For fuck sake, Rythian, just get what you need and leave!

He shook, but listened to the voice he started to trust. He let the water out and saw that the organs were holding onto metal rods.

He carefully opened the tank and froze the brain with his own made ice gun. He cut off the blood supply and encased the most important part in an iron box.

Rythian didn’t waste time and left, holding the precious box close to him. When he walked out of the tower, he saw Duncan in front of the gate. He looked around and realized that Duncan put up the force field.

“Should have seen it coming“

Rythian got within 2 meters of him and spoke:

- What’s your deal, Duncan?

- The deal is, you have something I want.

His posture and voice was completely different than before. He was rid of his nervousness and slight fear, there was only confidence and a slightly mad smile.

- Please tell me how I can serve you, high scientist Duncan.

- Doing the exact same thing you were planning - except somewhere I can watch you.

- So, you’re nicely saying I’ll be your prisoner?

- Precisely.

- Sorry, no can do. First of all, you can’t make me, second of all, my equipment...

Rythian’s jaw dropped when the End tower split into two and opened like a gate. Inside was everything he had ta the top of his tower. Necromancer gear, surgeon gear, even the empty tanks that once held skeletons were somehow here.

- How... How do you know everything?!

- I have ways, Rythian. Ones that you may never figure out.

He turned to Duncan.

- You were just waiting for me to do this, didn’t you?

- Yeah. It was quite easy.

- You lazy ass.

Duncan laughed. Then he death stared Rythian.

- If only you knew... Oh well, guess you’ll just die in the unknown...

- You plan to kill me? - Rythian wasn’t surprised with that alternative.

- When you’re useless, yeah.

- Typical.

Duncan chuckled.

- And you have nothing to say. You’re in my hands now.

- If that warms your cold, dead heart, keep saying it.

- Keep rebelling, Rythian. You’ll still lose to me.

He didn’t reply. He just turned to the End tower and the walls closed behind him.

As enraged as Rythian was, he can’t say it was a surprise. He expected it like Christmas, but it was still bullshit. He fell for Duncan’s trap and now he’s a lab rat.

“No matter. I’ll just... carry on. Do what I wanted to do“

He turned to the tank that contained the cyborg blaze. Rythian looked closely at it again. Two of the upper floating rods were turned into yellow armored arms. The lower circle had only two rods remaining - both of them enhanced to look more like human legs. The limbs were connected to the inner core - the heart. If the creature was conscious, the rest of the rods would protect the heart by shielding it. Slim, but strong neural cords connected the heart and each of the rods. Following up to the head, which had a Zoey like face, except instead of hair, it had a yellow metal helmet. The monster was sleeping in his tank, waiting for his real owner to take over.

“I am being used by Duncan... what’s next, the world decides to end?”

He carefully carried out the body and let it lie on the surgeon’s table. He injected more sleep medicine into it and opened the back of the helmet.

“I’ll have to be quick... No time to doubt‘

He opened the case that held Zoey’s brain. It didn’t look like anything special - it was more for sentimental value than anything else.

You sure you wanna do this right now?

“What do you mean?“

I mean, don’t give in to Duncan. Don’t show him that he won. You wanna do that already, don’t you?

“I-... I do...“

Why are you still debating then?!

Rythian shook his head. He carried the body back to the tank. He closed the box and hid it at the top of the tower, right next to the roof.

Just as he landed on the ground, the walls of the tower opened and Duncan walked in.

- Still not done? Man, you are slow.

- It’s only worse for you.

- Yeah. Poor Zoey will die just because you’re stubborn.

- You underestimate me, Duncan.

- Oh, I could exactly what you’re capable of. And exactly how much you may sacrifice... Enderborn.

Rythian tried not to show his surprise.

- You don’t know me.

Duncan cackled.

- I know way more than you think.

At that moment, Rythian blankly remembered his voice from somewhere.

- Let the games begin... Ryth.

He didn’t answer. he just thought how stab-able Duncan’s back is before the tower separated them.

[error1854]

Day 30. Deadline. Morning.

Captured a live blaze       V

Captured test subjects     V

Successful surgeries        V

Cyborg arm                      V

Cyborg leg                       V

Cyborg head                    V

Cyborg torso                    V

Body planned                   V

Body done                        V

The checklist is done. So is my job.

[error1854]

Day 23. Morning

It’s all destroyed. The blaze died. The heart got polluted, even though I kept perfect sanitation.

I have to start... all over again.

[error1854]

Day 23. An hour after midnight

The body is done. At the cost of my sanity, countless lives and destruction I can only blame myself for.

It’s done. All of it for Zoey

[error1854]

Day 21. Evening

I’ve figured it out. It just came to me. I know how cyborg and how much blaze she’ll be. I just need a human heart and the correct parts...

It’s done. I have the heart. I can only do so much with this. Bless the skeletons that will suffer... 

[error1854]

Day 18. Half an hour before midnight

I realized how much science and how little magic I’m using. I never knew I’d be so comfortable doing something like this. Is it just cause of the cyborg part? Or is it my own choice? Should I have used more magic? But how?...

The things you do for the ones you love...

[error1854]

Day 15. Midnight

I can’t help but think of Zoey during all of this. I’m doing this for her, after all. It’s just that... I miss her. We haven’t talked in two weeks and sometimes this all feels so... worthless.

I tried to talk to her. But every time I spend more than ten minutes waiting for her, I feel like I’m wasting valuable time.

I wonder... and I worry.

[error1854]

Day 12. Midday

I look at every specimen each day. It’s just routine now. I tell myself they are just monsters, just test subjects, that they have no soul. Why do I feel guilt. Why do I make them suffer. How much more blood will I get on my hands until I’m done?...

What am I doing?

[error1854]

Day 9. Ten minutes before midnight

I keep forgetting the subjects have to be fully asleep before surgery. Otherwise they move because of pain and I make a crucial mistake. Blood pollutes and the specimen dies. So does my chance to tick off this one annoying line...

Cyborg leg XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

[error1854]

Day eight. Midday

Captured a live blaze                       V

Rebuilt necro gear                           V

Rebuilt surgeon gear                       V

Built tanks                                        V 

Built coding and status computer    V

Captured test subject (skeleton)     V

Body planned                                  V

Body done                                       V

Cyborg arm                                     V

Cyborg leg                                      V

Cyborg torso                                   V

Cyborg head                                   V

Mastered necromancy                    V

It took me four days, with the condenser, to rebuild all that I had before, capture several conveniently shaped and easily robotizable creatures (skeletons) and remember my journal. I have my priorities straight.

[error1854]

Day four. An hour before midnight

What was I thinking when I captured a creeper? Of course he will blow up himself and my top floor!

This is a massive setback. I was too relaxed before, now I’ll have to work double time.

[error1854]

Day four. Three hours after midnight

Success! A live creeper with a healing robotic arm is soundly sleeping at the top of my tower, or, the lab. There’s still a long way to go before the creeper doesn’t suicide around people, but I’m ready to train him.

[error1854]

Day two. Half an hour before midnight

No progress on the body plan. I’m unsure how cyborg I CAN make her. I’m limited.

Besides that, I still want to experiment on other live creatures. I haven’t mastered the resurrection part of necromancy, I’m just adept. And it would be nice to know how to properly attach robotic limbs.

[error1854]

Day one. An hour before midnight.

I’ve decided to bring back my habit of writing a journal. It helped me a bunch before. Both to keep my goals straight and to not go insane while  simultaneously doing things that make me go mad. Secret thought - maybe that voice will shut up.

Not much progress on the cyborg part. Most of the shit in the theory book was too advanced for me to understand even a word that was there. I spent the day debating whether or not I should just make her arms cyborg, end it with that and mass producing iron, steel and computer chips.

[error1854]

After Blackrock - part 6

Prequel, Part 1-5 

(Am I supposed to warn you about swear words?)

One month later...

Rythian sighed as he pulled out his blade from another lifeless body. That breath contained a mass of sleepless nights, instead filled with “necromancy...” and reading the hundreds of books written on theory about it. That gesture hid unbreakable will and insanity. By a breath he hoped to let out the many worrying thoughts that he had time to get, maybe even forget them, but alas...

He looked at the beast he was working on, It was a spider with a zombie head. He thought about the one time he used magic with necromancy. All of the attempts that followed were powered by a kleinstar. For the whole month he just didn’t have time to waste on a pure happiness moment. 

The many attempts he did merged with one another, he didn’t know how many times he made something paralyzed, born in pain or insane. All of their lives ended as abruptly as they started.

Rythian looked at the blood on his hands. He tried to keep it sanitary and not mix blood, but for the last three weeks he stopped caring. The top of his tower was covered in red and the smell was unbearable.

He set the lifeless body aflame and watched it turn to ashes.

The quiet guilt voice was also silent. But he blamed that on his decreasing sanity. He collected the still burning ashes in his hands and dumped them over his tower’s walls. The wind picked up and scattered them across the forest next to Rythian. He stared at them for a while, but then returned to his messy workplace. He dragged a skeleton’s torso, zombie’s legs and arms and a zombie’s brain.He put the necessary organs in, sowed it all together and pumped the blood in.

Before he could take the kleinstar, he thought for a moment. “It won’t take long...” he tried to convince himself “I’ll just... be there for a second... not longer...”

He shook his head and reached into his pocket. The kleinstar glowed in his hand with a dead light. It wasn’t the bright purple that his magic shined with. Not letting himself think too much on it, he connected the machinery needed and watched the monstrosity come to life.

“Machinery... what has magic come to?”

Rythian pulled out his sword when the beast opened it’s eyes. But instead of screaming, it was silent. Instead of being paralyzed, the creature stood up. Instead of having some insane self - destructive psionic ability, it seemed normal.

- What are your orders, master?

It’s voice cut deep into Rythian’s mind. He remembered that distorted voice, that... voice that associated with so much pain and guilt he never knew he didn’t get over.

Before the beast could say another word, it was penetrated by Rythian’s blade.

“I don’t need him to obey me. He... It has to be of free will“

He tried to convince himself that was the reason it had to die. 

“I just have to try again... Yeah...”

“You’re so close Rythian. You are very close. It’s just a matter of time before you’re sick of waiting and take the risk. You. Will. Break...“

Duncan chuckled to himself.

“I think it’s about time you told her. Don’t you think so, Ryth?“

While he was burning the body, amidst the wild thoughts he heard a sound. A sweet lullaby that reminded him of a person he forgot.

“Zoey...“

Rythian finally recognized the song she was humming.

“But if Duncan then decides

To bring the green man (?) to his side

And activate the switch

That’ll blow this whole place wide...

But if I cut the wire and,

I’ve found I’ve got it wrong

Then our Blackrock story

Carries on...“

He sang the lyrics in his head, remembering how she sang them. Memories of all events flooded his mind. From the very beginning, when she fell from the sky, until Blackrock Manor was built, until Barry was crowned, until Zoey’s lab, until Teep’s capture, until their escape, until their return and until the bomb... exploded.

He remembered her on death’s door so vividly... and he realized how much he cared about her, how sorry he was for shouting at her... and how much he loved her.

He flew down to the first floor and headed for the ladder, all while quietly singing along to her melody.

“But if I cut the wire and

I’ve found I’ve got it wrong

Then out Blackrock story

Carries on”

He touched the cobblestone on the last word of the song. His footsteps echoed across the cave as he walked towards the blue screen. When he got lit up, Zoey gasped.

- Rythian, what happened?

He looked at himself and noticed the month old blood on his clothes. “Working in a dirty place some of the shit carries on to you”

- This is, uh... It - it’s not what it looks like.

- What have you been doing this month? Bathing in blood?

- No, I’ve... been doing things... It’s...

He sighed.

- Zoey, I’m sorry I shouted at you...

- You had the right to do so.

- No, I didn’t. You were right.

He took a deep breath.

- The End is history. It’s not coming back. I just have to get over it.

He looked at Zoey, who was slightly confused.

- Oh... Well... That’s good...

Rythian laughed. His voice echoed across the cave.

- Yes, it’s wonderful in my opinion.

Zoey smiled, but noticed the blood again.

- Is that... your blood?

- Oh, no, of course not. I’ve... been doing some necromancy recently and...

- That’s what you’ve been up to.

- Yeah.

- I never thought of you as a necromancer.

- Me neither. I just had a thought and...

He wasn’t sure how to say it.

- How comfortable are you in your current state?

- Pretty darn comfy. I don’t have to worry about humanly needs...

Rythian chuckled at how robot - like the answer was.

-... and it’s quite fun to hack, move across electronics.

She looked at him.

- What did you want to hear?

- That doesn’t matter. I’m glad you’ve gotten used to it.

He felt relieved knowing he meant that. Zoey skeptically looked at him.

- Really... What about your sudden interest in necromancy?

- God, subtlety was never my strong suit.

- No, it never was.

They both chuckled at that.

- I... planned to... give you a body- no that sounds wrong!

- It’s easily understandable.

She was thinking.

- Isn’t necromancy meant to... bring back the dead?

Rythian was glad she didn’t instantly say no.

- That’s part of it. But another part is similar to surgery.

- You can... make me human?

Rythian wanted to scream out “Yes!” but it would have been a lie.

- A... human body is... quite hard to preserve. And a surgery, with organ replacement... isn’t impossible, but... you basically switch brains and...

- Got it.

She was deep in thought, looking right through Rythian into nothing. A minute of silence later, she spoke:

- You look insane with all of that blood on you.

- I feel insane.

She giggled, but immediately got serious again.

- I think... a monster’s body is way worse than what I am now.

- Definitely. I’ll... stop the whole necromancy thing...

- Well, you don’t have to stop...

- I do.I have to.

Zoey stared into the back of Rythian’s head.

- Alright... Have fun washing out the blood.

- Yeah, thanks.

She giggled one last time and left. Rythian stared into the spot her eyes were for quite a while. When the screen lit up again, he had to turn away.

- You’re still here?

He smiled.

- All day every day.

- Stalker!

She left and Rythian silently chuckled to himself.

Duncan sighed.

- It was too good to be true.

He stood up from his desk and slowly walked to his bookshelf.

- I thought you were smarter, Rythian. I thought you’d be more driven to save your precious princess from my claws...

He picked up a book on psychology and casually started flipping through the pages.

- I thought you had reason... a reason to live for.

He closed the book and stared at the cover.

- Should I give you one?

A beep came from the computer. Duncan swiftly turned around and read the message on the screen. He sighed.

- If I must do everything myself!

He spat out. Then he walked towards his desk and leaned over it.

- You are so useless, Rythian.

He angrily spoke into the screen.

- So useless to me. I only need you for one thing and you can’t even do that!

The screen didn’t answer.

- Fine. Fine.

He took a deep breath.

- I guess I’ll just have to do this the hard way.

He sat down, ready to type away, when he remembered something.

- What bait could I...

His face lit up and he started writing code.

Rythian was on the slim line between laughing and crying. Not that he would cry, but...

On one side, his month’s work went down the drain. But on the other hand, he didn’t want to perform surgery on Zoey. No matter how much he prepared, he didn’t feel ready to do something so... advanced. What if the machines are hooked up wrong? What if he forgets a crucial detail? If something like that happens, Zoey... dies...

It calmed his heart and mind that she didn’t want to be a monster. She was fine the way she was and Rythian was well on his way to being comfortable with her current state.

He walked out of his bathroom clean and happy. He won’t have to end lives anymore! That in itself was something to celebrate.

Really?

“Yeah. Now I just have to get over the End and...“

His thoughts were cut off by someone humming. Every time he heard her voice he found another part of it he fell in love with.

Love...

“It’s a strange thing“

He climbed down the ladder and headed towards the blue screen. Instead of her face, that he started liking, he saw a message.

“You succeeded in washing out the blood. Congratulations“

- Took a while, but I emerged victorious.

“Hey, Rythian...“

- Yeah?

“I’ve changed my mind“

He was unsure what she meant.

- You did?

“Yes. I want a monster’s body“

Rythian blinked a couple times.

- Why the sudden change?

“I just wasn’t sure before, now I am“

- Alright...

He took a deep breath.

- Alright then.It’ll take a while though.

“Is a month enough?“

- Depends on how fast I can find a suitable body...

“Cyborg blaze“

Rythian blinked again.

- Sorry?

“Can you make a cyborg blaze?“

- I’ll... see what I can do.

“Thanks, Rythian“

The screen turned black before he could reply.

He thought about Zoey.

But, mainly, how the fuck do you make a cyborg blaze?

He was questioning her sudden change of heart. Just a few hours ago, while it was still day, she said she’s much rather have a mechanical body than a monster’s and yet, now she said the complete opposite. 

Rythian decided not to question her decision and opened up a book about theory on cyborgs.

[error1854]

After Blacrock - part 5

“Prequel“, part 1, part 2, 3 and 4

(Since when are swear words supposed to be censored?)

Rythian was raging at himself for getting distracted so easily. “No matter. I hope she won’t bother me more”

He tried to catch the same thought train that was interrupted by Zoey. Between all of the other, shorter trains that jumped in front, seeking his attention, he noticed the long, run down train, calmly awaiting his turn behind all of the new and short, quickly disappearing and reappearing trains. Rythian headed towards the calm giant and opened it’s doors. 

“Much better“

If Zoey is meant to soften him and make him turn a blind eye to whatever Duncan’s planning, she’s doing a terrible job.

“Guess that proves she’s not just an AI Duncan made. I can trust her... to an extent“

But does that mean Duncan has NO control over her? That she’s talking to him on her own?

“She has freedom. She isn’t a prisoner. But she is completely dependent on Duncan“

He sighed.

“I wish she could depend on me...“

You still love her?

“Of course I do!“

Conditions are she’s not around?

“It’s complicated...“

His inner voice went silent.

If it’s hard for you to love her as a machine, why not try to make her more human?

“H-how?“

The same way she was resurrected from the dead.

“Necromancy...“

If Duncan, a scientist, could learn it, why can’t you?

“It’s fake life. A dark art. It’s not much from different from science“

But you’ve tried it.

Rythian remembered his first attempt at necromancy - it was at the same time Zoey was at the brown mushroom enclave. He tried to revive one of their golems when they died. He succeeded, but the golem was repeatedly screaming of pain until Rythian killed it of mercy.

“That was a failure and I’m not trying that again“

Well, obviously you can’t walk up to Zoey and say “here’s a monster’s body I made and I’m going to put you in it”. You need practice.

“With Duncan probably killing innocents already? I’ve got enough on my plate“

Then tell me what you’re going to do.

“First... I uh... Need to...“

You’ve found out everything you can about his plan already, now you just have to wait for him to make a move. Might as well do something about Zoey. Be smart, Rythian.

“I say to myself as I’m going insane“

Thought you’re used to it?

“Shut up goddamit”

He spent the last few hours of the night in his library. searching for any necromancy books he might have kept. When dawn broke he had a decent pile of them stacked up. He was ready to spend the day comfortably cooped up in the room, reading, when his inner voice spoke again.

You know all of the theory there is. You managed to resurrect a living being. You can do it again.

“When you receive motivation from yourself...“

So relatable.

“I don’t want to do another attempt because I know I’ll fail“

If you don’t fail, you can’t learn.

Rythian sighed and gave up. He flew out of his tower and killed the first zombie that was hiding under a tree. He cut all of it’s arms, legs, head and threw it all next to the tower. Then he found a creeper and it met the same fate. So did an unlucky skeleton, a spider and another zombie. When he stood next to the pile of dismembered bodies he remembered what he forgot to do.

“You’re a genius, Rythian. Sure, just throw all of the parts into a pile and done! You’ve got yourself a living monstrosity!“

Really?

“No goddamit! You need a medical degree for this shit!“

Long story short, when day turned night, Rythian had all of the empty monster parts prepared, together with the blood tanks, necessary organs and a surgeon’s table.

“Necromancer’s“

Surgeon’s

“NECRO - FUCKING - MANCER’S“

SUR- fine. Fine. Put the blade away.

Rythian safely took his katar away from the fragile organs.

“Now, what kind of monstrosity shall we make?“

Spider with zombie head!

“I could, or...“

There are no buts unless you’re having and internal goddamn crisis. I speak and think the same way you do. Now, spider with zombie head.

“Never thought it’d come to this...“

He dragged the spider’s torso on the “NECROMANCER’S” table, took a zombie’s head, spider’s legs and put them all in their respective places. Then he chose a spider’s brain and heart. After he put them in their places, he stitched all holes up.

Disgusting.

“You got me into this“

When the spider - zombie creature was one whole body, he pumped blood into it.

“And that’s the end of the disgusting-ness. Now you get to see some magic!“

He put his hands on the creature and closed his eyes. He blocked out his inner self’s disgust, his worry for Duncan’s plans, his constant arguing with Zoey, his disbelief for his own plan, his slow drift to insanity and just focused on magic. He remembered the first time he used necromancy and smiled when he felt the same power at his fingertips. He didn’t open his eyes, but he knew how the purple lightning looked like. For a few seconds, he allowed himself to think about absolutely nothing and relax. It was a very calm time, when the world was asleep and Rythian soaked in the peace around him. But, he stopped himself. He had work to do and even these moments of forgetting couldn’t push out his feeling of being pressured. He focused on the magic he held and the body he intended to direct it to.

Rythian felt the magic power leave his fingers and enter the lifeless body. He opened his eyes and watched the purple lightning dance as it covered the beast in life. 

Rythian always liked doing magic. Or, the older version of it. It reminded him of the time when he first tried to do a spell. Obviously, he failed. He was ready for the proper punishment from his teacher and begged for forgiveness. But his teacher just laughed and told him to try again. That time he succeeded and got a long lecture about how he should stop fearing everything. Now, Rythian remembers this event with a smile. He, who taught him, was the first person he met after he escaped the End. He was also the person who introduced him to the world... and magic.

Rythian always had a random flashback from the past when using magic. That’s why he prefered to do the older version, rather than the current, simplified way. Of course, he could have just used a kleinstar and given the beast life that way, but that wasn’t much fun. The older version, sometimes confused with witchcraft, he liked more. Rythian didn’t care what it was called either. The satisfaction it brought was enough for him. Sadly, the condensed and simplified version was faster and better, so used more often.

Rythian sighed as the purple lightning faded away. The magic was done and now he had to float back to reality.

Immediately all of his thoughts and feelings hit him like a boulder. He wished he could go back to the calm paradise his mind drifted off to. But he had no excuse for such a luxury and tried to calm his thoughts.

When it seemed like the most dangerous threads of ideas were calmed, Rythian took a look at the beast he created. Chills went down his body from the stare the monster had. It’s eyes were locked on his mask. Strangely, the creature didn’t move, but, it was breathing.

Rythian sighed. He failed.

“Mercy kill“ he thought was his blade cut off it’s head. He burned the remains of the beast and marked it as the beginning of a long, long endeavor.

“Guess I’ll try again...“

“Days will go by in the nether brick tower, they’ll light up the world, nights will go by in the library, thinking of what’s been done wrong and a spectator will watch it all, unnoticed...“

Duncan, ominously lit up by the moon, put his binoculars down and rustled through a pile of papers. When he found the one he was looking for, he read through it and smiled.

“I’ll estimate a couple weeks, before you’re successful“

Purple beams shot up from the tower and Duncan looked at them.

“Right where I want you, Ryth. You think you’re doing this for yourself, but you’re helping me instead“

The light faded away.

“At least, in method you are. Our goals may never align...“

He jumped from a scream that came from the tower.

“A couple... lesser lives have to be sacrificed before anything though...“