"You think he's dead?"

"I don't know, poke him with a stick"

(poke, poke, poke) "Hey I think he just moved."

"Don't be stupid, he only moved becaus you poked him so hard. Look he has a horse! He musta fell off."

"I get to keep it."

"No way I saw it first"

"Fine, but I get the cool scyfe. I'll be a wawior queen and all you'll have is a stupid horsey."

In a lush meadow Zatch laid beside a dirt road when he was discovered by two small children, a boy and a girl, neither looked more than 6 years old. The little girl reached for Zatch's scythe but he caught her hand and nearly startled them both to death.

"Aya, run!!"

The girl yanked her hand free and they both raced away as fast as they could.

* * *

What was that? Sounded like kids talking, did I dream about it? Impossible, there was no room in my nightmare for a child’s voice.

Slowly Zatch got to his feet and tried to figure out where he was, but the days he spent in the Abyss had taken a severe toll on his body, his vision was blurred and he had trouble keeping his balance.

Let’s see…I think that’s the same mountain that can be seen from the Inn, and if it’s to the north rather than the west as it was there…that means I must be at least 20 miles from where I left, further than I thought I’d get. I must be improving, not that it matters. My magic is now useless to…

"Rasputin!?" He said when he saw his horse, possibly the only animal in the world he would trust "Hey boy, how did you get here?"

Wait, now I remember. When my arm was broken I couldn’t tie him. All these years around me must let him sense my aura, then he just followed it here.

"I don’t suppose you remembered to grab my books on your way out? Well I guess Moryssa’s just inherited a very rare edition of The Philosophy of Myrii. At least now I have some food"

Zatch gave the last of the bread he carried on him to Fenix, as well as his only water skin. The only other food he had was some cheese in the saddlebag, but he tossed it aside after seeing all the mold that had grown on it. "Forgot how long it’s been in there. Some of that stew I promised to make would be very good right now, it’d be even better if I could dine with her…"

Zatch suddenly found it difficult to complete his thoughts, the last of his energy was being consumed just by standing. He was stricken with dizziness and realized he was running a dangerous fever. Fearing that he might not be able to wake up again if he fell asleep Zatch wearily mounted Rasputin in hopes that he could find a surgeon or a healer, but his strength had been entirely depleted and he passed out before he could get very far.

* * *

"Children, please. I wish I could play with you but I have far too much to do." Said a beautiful woman, apparently in her mid-twenties. She had deep brown eyes, blond hair that flowed down to the small of her back. She wore a simple but elegant dress, and as the wind blew through it she seemed to almost float through the air. Zatch had never seen an angel before, but as he laid there in his fevered state he would have sworn she was exactly that.

With neither strength nor will he was only able to keep his eyes open for a few seconds before slipping out of consciousness again. Just long enough to catch a glimpse of the woman. But of all things that Zatch had or would ever see in his life, this would be the one of the last he could ever forget.

"C'mon momma, he's in the grass somewhere. Look there's his horse." The little boy led his mother by the hand, obviously trying to get her to move faster. He and his sister had found Zatch when he was knocked out a short while earlier, but he inadvertently scared them off before they could find out anything about him. The woman was practically dragged from her chores by her children when they ran up to her screaming about a dead body. She didn't look forward to having to make
up for lost time later on, but they were worth it.

"Well you're right about the horse but it probably wondered from the stables a few m...Oh my goodness!" She said upon the sight of Zatch's motionless body.

* * *

"Hello father, it's been a long time hasn't it? I know you swore to kill me if I ever returned here, but I see you're in no condition to make good on that threat." Zatch gave a morbid laugh as he stood in front of the headstone of his father.

HERE LIES RAUL KAR DE TSENG
MAY THE SOUL OF THIS MAN
AT LAST KNOW PEACE

"How did I get here? I guess that's something one might ask." Zatch keeled over having to use the headstone as support. Violently he coughed for several seconds, when he was finished he removed his gloved hand from his mouth to see speckles of crimson.

"Truth be told I haven't the life left in me to start at the beginning, so I'll tell you what happened after I left the company of my….comrades."

* * *

In the plane between sleep and wake Zatch laid in a straw bedroll on the floor, listening to the soft hum of the woman that sat beside him. "Sakura?" he said weakly

"Afraid not, but I'm glad you're finally awake. I've managed to bring your fever down but you had me worried for a time."

He opened his eyes to find himself in a small room bathed in light from the fireplace, he had no idea how long he was asleep, much less how long it was since he was found, but it must have been a while since he could see that it was pitch dark out.

"You were very restless in your sleep, did you have a bad dream?

You have no idea, Zatch thought to himself "Who are you?" the moment he finished his sentence he knew he was being rude.

"My name is Delilah, my children found you beside the road a few hours ago. What of you, do you have a name?"

"I am lord Zatch Ka...Actually it's just Zatch."

"Well Zatch it's nice to meet you. You must be ravenous, there's some food for you if you can hold it down."

Such kindness, but if she knew even a tenth about me she would have left me to die.

"Madam please, I wish you wouldn't. I am unworthy of your compassion. In fact I should go now."

Somehow Delilah didn't seem the least bit puzzled by his words. Instead she just smiled and said spoke in a playful voice. " First off, I think I'll decide who is worthy of what in my house. Second, whatever you've been through has put you in no condition to travel. And third, who are you calling madam?"

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to offend you."

"Come, the food is getting cold."

* * *

NEADRID, MARMO
THE GRAVEYARD BEHIND KAR MANOR

"Once I was a boy named Crassus Kar de Raul, who played with a sword. Then I discarded my name and became a young man known as Zatch Kar de Raul, who played with magic. What am I now?"

* * *

THE HOME OF DELILAH RAIN
20 MILES OUTSIDE OF KANON
THREE WEEKS EARLIER
1:00 AM

"Are you a sorcerer?"

That was what Delilah asked Zatch as they talked well into the night. It caught him off gaurd and he wasn't certain how to reply.

"Why do ask that?"

"You were talking in your sleep, saying things about harmony, balance, infinitum, cause and effect. It almost sounded like you were reciting incantations but you were mumbling too much for me to be sure."

"The fourteen laws of magic, for some reason I had so much trouble remembering them so I had to repeat them over and over agian for days, I guess old habits die hard. But yes, I was a sorcerer once, but no more. That path isn't for me." Zatch wanted to avoid any more questions about his magic so he changed the subject.

"Where is your husband? Would he approve of you taking in a stranger? Especially now."

"He's dead. He was a resistance solder fighting Marmo's occupation and was killed last year." It obviously pained her to talk about her husband, yet she still maintained a smile as she talked.

Dammit. "I'm sorry, it was none of my business."

"What of you? Is there a woman out there with your heart?"

"There is, but I don't have hers."

An awkward silence swept into the room as the two could only sit and wait for the other to say something. Eventually it was Delilah that had the courage he didn't.

"So where were you headed?"

"Marmo, I have buisness with the count of Neadrid."

"What then?"

"I don't know, I guess I haven't planned that far." This was a question he was much more unprepaired for than the first. Should the impossible happen and Cray's threat ended, what would he do? What could he do? Could his life be salvaged at all?

"Well I could use a border around here. A strong back and someone to tutor my children in exchange for meals and a bed."

To offer a stranger such kindness...But how could I accept, after all I've done, more important all that I've learned of myself. "My back isn't very strong. Besides, I am a wanderer, I don't know how to anything else."

* * *

Morning arrived at the home of Delilah Rain, but Zatch didn't sleep. Partially because he had slept away most previous day. But also because he knew that with sleep would come the nightmares.

He had to face horrible images of Fenix being impaled over and over again. His friends hunting him down like some rabid animal, their faces twisted with hate and disgust for him.

And then they would catch up to him as they always would. Swords, magic, arrows, and claws would all tear his body apart. Until yesterday he never knew bad dreams could cause actual pain.

And then came the worst part. A mirror or a lake would appear from nowhere so he could see his reflection. Weeks ago he would have seen a proud young man, noble, smart, and the wielder of a power the world had never seen before. But not anymore.

Instead there was only a horrible image. A hideousness beyand all words. Monster, Freak.....Mistake.

That's what he finally learned about himself after all this time. By not bieng able to control his power he had failed to prove he was worthy of it, the only reason he had it was because of some kind of botch in the universe. Zatch was now that which was never ment to be. He wasn't supposed to exist, wasn't supposed to have been born. Never had he been so alone, so lost, and in so much despair.

May the gods have mercy on him.

* * *

Unable to travel for a while Zatch was forced to stay at the house until he recovered. As his strength returned he earned his keep by teaching Bron and Aya to read.

In the few days he spent there he grew very fond of the family, especially Delilah. Every once in a while he would catch himself just staring at her, it wasn't out of lust, even though she was indeed attractive. But the warmth and comfort she could bring to someone was nothing short of amazing, without a doubt there was simply something about her. Little did he know that once in a while she caught herself staring at him as well.

After he had been there for a three days he was almost ready to leave. It saddened him to have to go, the short time he spent there was time he knew peace, after a while the nightmares even stopped and he swore to never use his magic again, but as much as he wanted to he just couldn't stay. Either it was a strong sense of duty or his masochistic side, whatever it was it wouldn't let him stop fighting.

On the morning of the fourth day he set out before anyone else was awake, leaving as many coins on the table as he could spare, as well as his scythe. He stood outside, stroking his horse’s neck.

"Thank you old friend, for staying with me all this time."

He then quietly left; traveling east to return to the home and family he hadn’t seen to in almost seven years. He was completely aware that he might have to kill Raul, little did he know however that Kai had already done that a year ago. He traveled less then a mile before a familiar stench hit him.

"Zatch help!!!"

It was Bron yelling from the other side of the hill. As fast as he could he galloped to the source, terrified of what he might find. When they came into view he saw both of Delilah’s children being chased by an undead creature, it moved fast for unholy sin against nature, and soon it would catch up to them. He reached behind his back for his scythe but grabbed only air, he cursed himself when he remembered that he planned to find a more suitable weapon later.

The only thing that came close to a weapon was a 3’ stick that lay nearby. He dismounted and rushed the creature just before it closed in on Aya and Bron. And then dealt a series of blows as hard as his limited strength would allow. But pain receptors and nerve endings no longer served a function within the monsters body, and the stick broke upon its skull, doing little damage. It then launched its hand at Zatch’s throat, squeezing so hard that he would be dead in seconds if he didn’t do anything.

Damnit, what was it that Artor taught me to do for something like this?....Ah, now I remember. Thanks big brother.

With his right hand Zatch grabbed the wrist of the creature, his left hand he clenched into a fist and slammed it into the back of its right elbow. He bruised two of his knuckles but manage to break the creatures forearm clean off. He shoved the monster to the ground, then using a rock he savagely beat on its head into something unrecognizable.

Wasting no time to acknowledge the victory he turned to the to the children. "Where's your mother?"

"She's back at the house with more of those things." Aya said with tears running down her face, they had never been so scared and it made Zatch's blood boil to see them like this. He lifted them up onto his horse, making sure they were secured.

"Listen to me, I want you to go to your grandparent's house. Ride as fast as you can and don't look back. Stay there until either your mother or I come and get you. Do you understand?"

They both nodded and rode to the only haven nearby, it was a good thing Delilah's parents lived less than a mile away. The children would be safe, but soon the true challenge would come.

He got about 80 yards from the house when it came into view.

Seven, no eight of them. Shit, some of them are armed; they must have been solders that were buried with their weapons. Where is she? So help me if she's been hurt!* He ran faster and harder than he ever thought he would have to, his lungs seared with each breath and his legs were on fire. When he got 20 yards from the house when Delilah came out and ran towards Zatch.

Thank Falis she's all right. "Stay behind me!"

"Delilah, when I give the signal I want you to run. Don't think, don't talk, just run. I'll hold them off."

"Are you insane? You don't even have a weapon."

"I can still brawl," A little. Zatch's heart was now racing, adrenaline pumped through him as it never had before. He mentally prepared himself for the dire battle ahead as best he could.

"Get ready....Now! Run!"

"But..."

"I said go!"

Delilah turned and bolted from Zatch's side, she was already exhausted from evading those things, and now her body was begging her to stop and rest, but she knew she'd be dead if she did, so she pressed on.

Meanwhile Zatch exploded with energy, attacking the closest monster with an endless barrage of punches. Zatch's knuckles bled freely as there was nothing but a thin layer of dead flesh to separate fist and bone, but it made no difference. He was driven by the will to protect; and such a will can sometimes allow people to ignore all pain. He gave a final right hook, hard enough to cause the creature to spin around and face the opposite direction.

(Gasp) I might win! But his triumph was short lived; at best Zatch's attacks were only able to stun the monster. It turned around and dealt a powerful backhand, sending Zatch flying through the air several feet. When he landed the rest of the creatures began to beat on him mercilessly.

As Zatch took the beating of his life the world around him seemed to run at slow motion, he wondered if this was what happened to those who are about to die. He tried to see if there was a chance he could defeat his enemies without magic, since he swore to never use it again. But it seemed that overestimating himself was a fatal mistake, even when he took aim and decided it was time to introduce these creatures to the void.

"Enough! A monster I may be. So why don’t I show you what a monster can do!"

"Shadow of darkness…"