Never is the Coolest Word of All

Paradoxes, Contradictions, Rants, and Truths

Today I spoke with a student who was worried about being cool or uncool. I said:

It's o.k. to try and be cool as long as you're trying in a way that seems like you're not trying. Then, once you've gotten yourself to a cool level, you must be aware that you are cool. Finally, you must be aware that you are aware of being cool, else you're really secretly uncool.

The student then asked me if I think I'm cool and I said:

I know I'm cool but I also know that I know I'm cool, and that's the only thing that makes me cool.

The student then resolved not care any more about being cool. I told him that I thought that was the coolest. We sat in silence for a few moments and then he said "cool is a weird word." We then sat there, chanting, not in unison, "cool, cool, cooool, cool, cool, cool" over and over until we were hysterically laughing.

I'm never growing up. Ever. Never. Never. Never. never never never.

*yet another re-post of an earlier poem. STOP BEGGING ME TO RE-POST THINGS!!!!!*

My Curse... My Gift

I have a skill
that some would call a gift.
I call it a curse.
Too many times it has come upon me at the wrong time.
although I used it to help protect others.

I have a gift
that is not what it seems
because it is a curse
I am no longer who you think I am.
because this power is not really my own.

I have a curse
the blood that flows through my veins
and is mixed with a substance not of this world:
the transformation of a teenager to a demon.
the hideous strength.

I have a secret
I hid this deep inside me to protect you
but nothing can be hid forever.
your words stung and open wounds that still kill me inside.
"no... You're a demon! all this time you were lying to me!"
your words stabbed deeply through my heart.
and when I tried to tell you the truth
I was no longer me.
you who cared in the moments of my sorrow
turned away when you saw me
as a demon.

now i prowl in the darkness.
waiting for any who try to hurt you.
hoping you would wonder why you are so safe
when your life was forfeit the first time i met you.
that I can do: cheat fate for you.
keep you alive a little longer.
be your unknown bodyguard.
My attempt at redeemtion
which will be ever unknown.

that is my inner demon.
this is my skill.
this is my bane.
this is my gift.
this is my curse.

my life.

H3R0 (re-post)

*ok A few of my friends kept on begging me to re-post this so Im re posting it now with the others.*

"h3r0"

So you call yourself a hero, huh?
I have many who would say otherwise.
a whole city still teeming with swords,
ready to tear at your flesh.
I am among them,
with a dagger ready to give the final blow

So you call yourself a hero, do you?
I can speak to the contrary.
when you hurt the person I cared about,
you made a fatal mistake.
now, come get what you deserve,
reap the whirlwind you have sown.

So you call yourself a hero, yes?
your crime far outweighs anything you could say.
I am not alone.
the people you have hurt cry out for your blood, you criminal!
their strength floods my limbs,
as I prepare a deadly blow.

So you call yourself a hero, huh?
no more sorrow.
i paid for your mistakes.
your time has been borrowed for quite some time now,
and im here to take it all back!

then right when the deed is as good as done,
I turn away.
Killing you would be doing the same as what you did to others.
the cries for blood still ring in my ears.
but I will not be the monster some people make me out to be.
still, I know that you are the source of the pain.
so I do the only thing I can to stop you.

Just sit,
and think how when you could taste death,
someone had a mind of their own.
so tell me now, as you look death in the eye
(oh, I forgot: you CANT look me in the eyes)...

Hero?
No

Light And Darkness (chapters 4-9)

Chapter 4

I leaned on my sword, surrounded by dead bodies. We had gained entrance to the city of Kadara well enough disguised as Silent Prophets, but after Vi and I had reached the city center another Silent Prophet had challenged us. I recognized him: Aran Darkblade, the Dreadlord's lieutenant. I bluffed my way forward, but was recognized and attacked. Not by Aran: he left as soon as he realized that we weren't going down without a fight. The undead that the Silent Prophet had thrown at us were lying mangled in heaps where we had slain them.

They had taken Vi.

The rage at them would only intensify, and give me strength. For that I gripped it, held on to it, fed it, and allowed it to grow. Anger and rage would be my weapons.

A voice spoke in my mind. "This is not the boy I trained. The one I trained would never use the weapons of darkness of his free will." The voice of Reynar Thule permeated me, and for a second I thought of the utter evilness of the tactic I was using.

I didn’t care. So be it. If I had to use darkness to free Vi, the darkness I would use. If I could find a way to use the powers of darkness for good, then I would do just that. Even if it meant forfeiting my honor.

At that thought, the red and grey colors of shear faded slightly, giving it a darkened color, as if it had been tainted. However, I felt it increase in power, and I wanted all the power I could get my hands on.

I wonder… If using only a small amount of darkness for good gives this kind of power, what would happen if I wanted to rely solely on dark power? I could be the most powerful being in the world, more powerful the a first-class wizard-

I shook my head in disgust. How could I have even considered that? Darkness only led to more darkness. Shaking off the fleeting desire for power, I continued through the ruined city.

I hope I can keep going. I've gotta find Vi! I'm going to make those evil so-called prophets pay ten times for this! If Vi is hurt-

I heard a scream, and whirled towards where it was coming from. As I watched, I saw an orb of darkness appear, and out of it stepped an apparition that I had hoped never to see again.

The Dreadlord.

"Well, Kylar, it's good to see you again. Have you remembered your duties yet?"

"I have no duties to you, Dreadlord." I spat. "Come on; let's settle this once and for all!"

"I am afraid that I have other matters to attend to." He brushed some imaginary speck of dirt from his shoulder. He was wearing black and white robes that seemed to glow, and his long white hair seemed to sway gently. The white hair seemed to contrast with the fact that his face looked about twenty or thirty, many years before your hair should be white. "But if it is a challenge you wish for, here is one you may enjoy. I merely hope that you will remember your duties before she slays you."

With that, he disappeared, and another person appeared in his place. A blonde female, with bladed steel knuckles appeared. She seemed sad.

"I really don’t want to hurt you, Kylar, and I hope you can forgive me for what I have to do."

"Huh?" I was startled. "What do you mean?"

"You mean…" She seemed on the verge of tears. "You don’t even remember me?"

"Wait, I remember who you are, your Arlene Blackclaw, but I don’t see what that has to do with me."

"You don’t even remember that night we spent together? Fine. I see how it is."

"Hold on." I held up my hands. "Can we talk about this calmly? I don’t want to kill you."

Her features softened for a moment. Then another portal of darkness appeared, and Illidan Flamewheel appeared.

"What is going on here?" He snapped. "Arlene, follow your orders and kill him. He has become an enemy to our order."

"No… I can't." She seemed at the verge of tears. "I love him."

Can you say: WHAT?!?!?!

"If you cannot eliminate him," His Charkams glowed with fire, "Then I will."

He charged me and nearly took my head off. I was rapidly blocking his strikes, but was still bewildered by Arlene's words. Was she my girlfriend back then? Were we really in love?I did not know, but I did know that now I loved Vi, and nothing would prevent me from loving her.

That thought distracted me, and Illidan used that distraction to knock Tainted Shear from my hands.

Wait a second. Tainted Shear? When did I start calling it that?

When you allowed some Darkness to mix with the light. Tainted Shear answered back.

Noted. I responded mentally.

The spike from one of Illidan's Charkams was at my throat. I thought I was about to die when another figure bulled him over, dealing him a nice claw pattern on his cheek. Arlene Blackclaw began ripping at him, and ended up throwing him across the street. Right before he hit the ground at a force that might have killed him, he disappeared through a portal of darkness.

"Are you all right?" Arlene asked me.

"I… I think so… Why did you save me?"

"Because I have been having my doubts about the machine that the Dreadlord is building." She seemed conflicted. "If it turns out that he is using it not to help the world, then I will have no part in his scheme."

"You mean you really don’t know?" I said, surprised.

"know what?"

"That he means to wipe out our entire world."

Her eyes widened. "Come. We cannot talk here. I will take you to a safe place." She wrapped her arms around me and teleported us far away.

We appeared in a small room. When we stepped out of the portal of darkness, I stepped quickly away from Arlene. She was beautiful, to be sure, but I didn’t want her kissing me. I loved Vi, and nothing would ever change that.

"What machine is he building?" I asked.

"He wants to build a machine that amplifies his power to use black lightning."

"What's black lightning?" I asked.

"It's this." She stretched out her hand and a bolt of lightning, black in color, raced across the room to burn a hole in the wall. "It's not that hard to do, but it's very devastating. A hundred bolts like that and you could wipe out an entire city."

"That's probably what he means to do." I began. "You don’t know what a Dreadlord is, do you?"

"Not exactly. I was told that it was a being of immense power whose goal was to cleanse their world of destruction."

"Not exactly. A Dreadlord is a man who has made a deal with demons and has thus gained the powers of darkness. He is an extremely dangerous man whose ultimate goal is the total destruction of his entire world."

"I don’t believe you, Kylar." Arlene stuck out her chin. "You could only be saying that because you were sent here to capture a Silent Prophet. I should throw you to the undead, which are actually called krul, in case you forgot even that."

"You don’t believe me? Let me take you to the city of Elanor, in the east." Before she could protest, I grabbed her, and willed as hard as I could for the darkness to take me to the city of Elanor. A wave of black rolled over us, and suddenly we were in front of the inn where the children were taking shelter.

A middle aged man in white robes started up at our arrival, and raised his staff to cast a spell.

"No Mavin!" I yelled before he could act. "She's a friend." He seemed about to speak, but I cut him off. "No time for chatter." I flung open the door to reveal the frightened orphans. "their all orphans, their parents slain by the Dreadlord. Now you have to help us, Arlene, I'm begging you!"

I could see the fear and indecision on her face. I could relate: if I was right, then everything that she had believed since infancy was a lie, and her dreams were now shattered.

"Kylar… Arc…" She hesitated. "I am so, so sorry… If I had known… I mean… It's just…" Then she burst into tears.

When did Arlene Blackclaw get so fragile and emotional? She used to be a vigilant soul in the quest of the Dreadlord. Now she is being swayed to our side so easily?

She threw her arms around me and wept.

Chapter 5

"Come on, Arlene, I'm not going to the darkness, stop crying!"

Arlene was tearing up because she thought that I was going deeper into the darkness.

"You don’t know the dangers, the seductiveness of power!"

"If I can use the darkness against the Dreadlord, it will be enough." I said soothingly. "Do you know who is in charge of the proceedings for the machine that the Dreadlord is building?"

"It’s an undead named Kal-Zurd. But see: you're obsessed with finding the Dreadlord! I like revenge as much as the next person, but this is insanity!" She had been like this for quite a while. I could waste no more time. I left through a portal of darkness, pulling with me two of the last swordsmen in the city, and wondered just how much of myself I was giving to the darkness.

Wait a minute. Kal-Zurd is the one who hurt Vi! When I catch him, I'm going to make him pay for everything he's done! I nursed that though the entire time, holding revenge.

I appeared back in Kadara, near the jail sector. Vi was nearby, I could sense it.

I climbed a ladder to a rooftop and ran towards the center of the jail center. There, in a cell, was Vi.

"Thank god that it's you, Arc!" She sighed. "Can you get me out of here?"

"No problem." I said happily. I was so happy to hear her voice again. I drew out Tainted Shear and with a single slice severed the door from its hinges. Vi gasped.

"Arc, your sword! What happened? It looks as if it's been possessed!"

"It's nothing, Vi." I replied, my good mood evaporating. I did not want to tell her of my growing attraction to the powers of darkness. "I have received information that you might not like. Kal-Zurd is an undead, and he is in charge of the building of a huge machine that the Dreadlord Is planning to use to usher in the apocalypse. I want you to know one thing: We are going to kill him."

"Arc… Whats happened to you? Is vengeance all that’s important to you? What about forgiveness? I've long since forgave Kal-Zurd the wrong he did to me, severe as it is."

"Well I haven’t. And another thing: if you see Dmitri Stafftide, he's mine!"

She stared at me, and for a moment I saw terror in her gaze. I did not want to look into her soul for fear that I might find that she was afraid of me.

"I'm sorry, Vi, but this is something that I must do."

With that I turned my back on my lover and walked into the street. I would hunt down this Kal-Zurd if it was the last thing I did.

Chapter 6

It had taken forever to find him.

I had searched the entire city of Kadara, with the exception of the palace, only to find that he was following us.

It started when he leaped at me from behind. He knocked Tainted Shear from my hands. With impressive swiftness, Kal-Zurd then proceeded to grab my fallen sword from the ground and strike it into my chest. Suddenly, his eyes widened with terror, and blood began to seep from HIS chest. I said, "The sword you hold, the sword which is mine, cannot harm me, the Night Angel." I had made sure to see about this dark power when I had left it lying around and a krul grabbed it and tried to slay me. "As you have learned, any wound which an individual attempts upon me with the sword, wounds the individual, not me."

"Who… are… you?!" he said

"Tell me what I need to know and it is possible that I can save you." I retorted. The wound was not mortal, but I knew I could play on his fear. Besides, I didn't want to give him a clean death: I wanted him to suffer.

"Of course I will… for a price!"

I picked up Tainted Shear and placed it at his throat. "Is your life a substantial reward?"

Kal-Zurd, recognizing the life seeping from his chest, sighed. "Very well… On the day that most of the men in this city left for war, we – Argh…."

The undead captain flopped forward, a throwing knife in his back.

"The fool… My death will mean nothing in the long run anyway…" he gasped as he died.

I sprinted for cover as blades pinged on the ground. I did not know who had done it, but Vi was avenged either way.

Then, from the shadows of the alleyways below us, emerged a dark figure. It had black wings and a black scepter that glowed with a blinding non-light of its own, and water seemed to swirl around him.

A Silent Prophet.

He merely glanced up, and I realized that my shadow had given me away. However, that was secondary to what I now noticed as for the first time I got a good look at his face.

I knew The Silent Prophet.

He was the drunken man that in the past I had fought at the inn, the day that I had first become a Shaka'Do, and he was the man who bore the X shaped scar on his forehead from the day I first escaped the clutches of the Prophets. My father. Dmitri Stafftide.

Dmitri reached to the side and grabbed a bound figure, holding the point of a large scepter to her throat. A pair of black bat wings that I now recognized as Wings of Darkness sprouted from his back. Then Dmitri launched himself upwards, and flew through the skylight up onto the roof.

I shouted. "What are you doing? Look at the destruction you’ve caused! I am ashamed to call you father!” the swordsmen with me backed off, recognizing that this was something very, very personal.

"I do not jump for joy that you are my son, rebel. You are a disgrace to our order."

"Really? I think I rather improved it." I paused. "You know you can't win here, Dmitri."

"You thought you were so clever to defeat me that time at the inn.” Dmitri mocked. "”It'll be different this time, son!”

"Dmitri… Father…” I said slowly. "You killed my friends…” I held up my left arm, the permanently black skin pronounced by the shadow of the clouds. "You destroyed my world.”

"Really?” Dmitri asked sarcastically, "I didn’t notice. You say that I did all these things to you? I did them with good reason, Arc! You don’t know what you did to me, do you?”

"No I don’t! Unless you're still sore over your forehead.”

"When you destroyed my forehead I had the Mark of Darkness covered by scars. I had to knock a few heads off in the hierarchy in order to regain my status as a Silent Prophet. This was to be my final test of worthiness, and it would have been fine had you not interfered. But I can still pull this off." Dmitri tied Vi to the wall surrounding the palace roof. "And I already have had my revenge. I killed your mother, Arc. Do you know who she was? Her name was Blue. Now I’m going to kill you, my son.”

That did it. He killed Blue. That was the only thing which could induce me to kill him, because somewhere in my mind I had always had a deep seated affection for Blue and a link with her that I now recognized as a mother-son relationship. With a bellow of rage I flew at him, Tainted Shear turning yet another shade darker. We were at it hammer and tongues, in a duel which could only be described as terrible. Tainted Shear served me well. Attack – evade. Counterattack – defend. It was like a physical chess match, but far more severe. And the consequences for losing were dire indeed.

Dmitri hurled a wave of water at me, and I stumbled back. But before he could strike, I grabbed him and we went careening over the side of the roof. Dmitri flew in a crazy pattern, and we landed in the raised yard. He struck at me, and I dodged. I tried a counter attack, and scored a deep slash on his arm. He tried to trip me, and I dodged it. I struck at him, and followed up with a figure-eight. I blocked the next hit. Dmitri started losing, badly. When he saw he could not win, he flew up high into the air, and with a flick of his scepter the debris around us rose into the air, and the courtyard started filling with water. I hurled myself up onto one before it went too high, and jumped to the next one. In this way, I got up to Dmitri’s level. I then hurled myself through the air towards him, and when I reached him I snatched the black scepter from his hands and dropped painfully to the ground below, the water having disappeared when I snatched the scepter from him.

"Wait!” Dmitri yelled wildly. "Son!"

"Done waiting!” I retorted, and I snapped the scepter in two. "Father."

"No… How could you…” Dmitri breathed. Then he collapsed to the ground, his wings shriveling up and disappearing. The black on my left arm blew away like sand, and the chain slid off my arm to the ground below. Vi fell from where she had been tied, and I caught her in my arms.

I walked up to Dmitri, and placed my sword at his throat. This was the moment I had dreamed of for the past few days: the Silent Prophet’s death.

Then inside me I felt a hint of doubt.

No.

I couldn’t kill Dmitri. Like it or not he was my father. Besides, if I killed him now, in cold blood, I would be no better then him.

I lowered my sword.

"Keep your life. I don’t want it.” I said as I turned my back on him. I felt him charge me from behind, and I started to turn, but knew that I would be far too late. Then I heard a strangled cry, and finished turning to see Vi's sword emerging through the throat of the former Silent Prophet.

"Thank you Vi." I said quietly.

"No problem." She said.

I turned and picked up the shards of my father's black scepter. I felt the power of it flood into me. Tainted Shear turned another shade darker. Then I saw something grab onto Vi from behind, sprout white angel wings, and fly off with her.

"No!" Vi shouted. "What are you doing?!"

"Leave him!" the figure carrying her yelled back. "He's been infected!"

I ignored both of them. Setting Tainted Shear down, I heard the Dreadlord approach behind me.

"What were my duties?" I asked the demon man.

"You were supposed to be one of the strongest Silent Prophets that ever existed." He told me in a convincing tone. He seemed honest. "You were supposed to gain the title of Dreadlord yourself in time, because of your strength. When you were with us, you were my enforcer, the one who carried out the most important deeds of our order, and made sure they were done correctly. Our aim was to cleanse the land of the living, and before your defection, you had just ensured the safe passage of Arlene Blackclaw to Cuerones, where you had suffered injury and memory loss. We brought you back, with the aid of your father and Aran Darkblade, and placed you in a holding cell until your madness was ended. Unfortunately, you escaped, and have been the cause of much trouble since. But now… Do you choose to return to your responsibilities?"

I remembered the power that flowed into Shear whenever I gave in a little to darkness.Could I really have that much power?

"Yes." I said in a voice not my own. "I accept."

"Then it is done." He touched a hand to my sword, and it seemed to glow for an instant.

"Pick it up."

I took up Tainted Shear once again, and felt something inside me wrench away. Then I felt that I was lifted up into the air as I changed. My black hair grew white, and my grey eyes blazed. I felt my face become pale, and my muscles swelled. My clothes became black and grey, with a single silver line down the center. Shear, once a strangely beautiful red and gray sword, turned black and white with dark red effects, and the rune on its end shone like illuminated ice. The sword seemed deadly cold, very unlike the warmth that the blade had always radiated. It seemed to now possess an aura of white, a cold, deadly, and powerful radiance. The cold seemed to flow through the ice-mark on my hand and into my whole being. I felt power surging through me. This is power. I thought. This is the essence of Dark Shear.

"You are no longer Night Angel Arc Caster. Welcome, Night Wraith Kylar Deatheyes." The ground seemed to echo the words of the Dreadlord. "We have long awaited your return. For a while I had begun to think that you had deserted us entirely, especially now that you have done away with two of my Silent Prophets."

"And I am glad to return, Lord of Silence, and I regret the death of Silent Prophet Dmitri Stafftide, and the defection of Arlene Blackclaw." I said reverently. Such a change from when I had last been here, angry, misguided, and tormented, I had actually taken it upon myself to assault the Lord of Silence. But now I returned to my duty, and I would assist them in cleansing the land of the living.

A memory of Vi stole through my mind, and I immediately dispelled it. I couldn't lose focus now.

The Dreadlord walked around to stand in front of me, with two men flanking him, both dressed identically. "You have been deemed unfit to serve as a Silent Prophet. It is obvious that you are above them in skill. You are my chosen one, the Night Wraith. Your first task of redemption is to retrieve the bones of Kal-Zurd, whom you slew in your time of wandering. His body lies where you left it. You are to soak his bones in the Water of Eternity and resurrect him so that we may eradicate the living."

"You're Majesty, I must ask, aren't we among the living?" I had to inquire.

"You are neither among the living, nor the dead, although you have the opportunity to become either one. But do you not enjoy the power you now have? The strength, the energy, the power?"

Yes. The power was exhilarating. I saluted my ruler and turned to go.

"Wait a moment, Night Wraith Kylar Deatheyes." One of the men flanking the Lord of Silence stepped forward, idly holding a fiery Charkam. "I am Silent Prophet Illidan Flamewheel, and I am ordered to assist you in your mission."

"Very well." I said to him. I bowed to the Lord of Silence, and departed with Illidan.

My name was Kylar Deatheyes. I was the Night Wraith. I could see, hear, smell, taste and feel things in the dark far better then before. My agility was heightened to almost superhuman. I was very, very strong. My new resources, plus an amazing amount of endurance, made me a foe to be feared.

I was given command of two platoons of the black skeletons, which I learned were called krul, with two archfiends as their commanders. We travelled night and most of the next day to arrive at the outpost that had been set up around the area where I had slain Kal-Zurd.

One of the swordsmen I had taken here earlier stepped forward, with his two-edged sword drawn. "Is that you, Arc? Why do you betray us this way? What happened to the way the krul massacred people of Elanor? Who do you think you are, to come to us this way? Night Angel indeed, faugh! You are more like a Night Demon!"

A single swing of Dark Shear brought an end to his anger. With a touch, his dead form arose as a mindless krul. I smiled coldly. The enemy's dead only bolstered my own forces.

"Bring me the bones of the Necromancer Kal-Zurd!" I ordered the remaining, terrified swordsman. He ran to obey. When he arrived with the bones, I placed them reverently in a large urn that I had brought for the purpose.

"I told you that my death would mean nothing in the long run." The bones spoke.

"You bear me no ill will for your death?" I said, surprised.

"No. It was the Lord of Silence's will for me to die so that you would become his champion. And am I not here anyway?"

That made sense, although I did not like being manipulated. A shadow of doubt flickered through my mind.

"Kylar Deatheyes, we have company." Illidan Flamewheel's voice cut through me. I turned and saw a company of knights on horseback riding towards us. In front of them was a middle-aged man in white robes.

"Beware of the white one. He's a powerful mage." I cautioned him. "He has captured Silent Prophets before."

"I'll be all right, Kylar." He sounded much less formal now. In fact, his voice carried a tinge of admiration. "I trust that you can handle him."

Looking past the wizard, I examined the rest of their forces, but I saw one among them that made my undead heart freeze. A woman with fiery red hair and sharp green eyes

Vi.

Instantly my heart started pounding.

She stopped when she saw me. I could feel the heat of her gaze as she took in the black clothes, the paleness of my skin, the whiteness of my hair, and the drastic changes in Shear. I saw the feelings that she had for me and felt my eyes flash from a cold deadly grey to an icy blue, and saw the love in her soul that despite the huge odds she still held for me.

Could I be wrong? I wondered. Could all that I have fought for, all that I have sacrificed be for the wrong cause?

It didn’t matter. I was pledged to serve the Dreadlord, and my will could not contend.

I raised Dark Shear in a warrior's salute.

"Greeting's noble mage. I doubt that you will allow us to continue if you can help it. Am I wrong?"

"Arc, what is wrong with you?" Vi cried. "Your face… Your hair… your sword…"

"Quiet, Vi!" Mavin interrupted. "They are undead krul, and not to be trusted!"

"Is that what you think?" I laughed softly. "The Silent Prophets have honor, Mavin. As do I, in case you have forgotten."

"Nevertheless you are now a traitor. I am ashamed to think that you were ever on our side. I am ashamed that one so strong in the light could have been brought to this by the darkness. Know that because of your betrayal I am your enemy!"

"I do not fear you, Mage. You are still only third level." I lifted Dark Shear into a pose for combat. "Every light must fade, and every light return to darkness!"

"Wrong, Night Demon." Mavin said quietly. "Darkness has no physical definition; it is simply the absence of light."

"This may be true," I countered, "But every light has its shadow, and even the brightest candle may be snuffed out."

There were no more words, only the sound of steel on steel as both sides met in the dance of death.

Chapter 7

I leaned on my sword, not tired but merely bored with killing. I had never known that killing could be so much fun, until I had given in to the wish of Dark Shear. Now, as I watched blood drip from its blade, I felt a satisfaction I had never before felt. There was only a single pair of men left, besides Vi and Mavin, who I wished to make a public spectacle of upon our march to the Forbidden Well. I had called back my krul, and we stood surrounding the remaining four.

"Will you surrender?" I asked while inspecting my clothes to make sure nothing was torn.

"Never!" Vi cried. "How could you be so heartless, so cruel? We did all we could for you, and you turn around and stab us in the back, consumed by rage and violence! What kind of a man are you?"

"Simple: I'm not a man." I picked my fingernails. "I'm a Night Wraith." I began methodically wiping the blood off Dark Shear. Finishing, I stood and motioned for the krul to take them alive. The two swordsmen went down; fighting to their last breath, but Vi was disarmed and captured.

The wizard was another matter.

Beams of light pierced through the ranks of undead. I saw the wizard's sword glowing with the strength of the light.

This one I will take alone.

I stepped forward, raising Dark Shear. "You leave me no choice, Mavin."

"Do your worst!" the man sneered.

I reared back and gave a mighty slash. Mavin's sword raised up to block my blade, its runes flashing in its encasing of light. Then our blades met, and the radiance was extinguished as Dark Shear shattered the blade of my enemy, also cutting off the ring finger of the mage who wielded it.

I turned my back and walked away, leaving the krul to put him in the cage.

A few moments later we were beginning the long trek to the city of Mel-Kora, the city of wizards, where the Forbidden Well lay.

Chapter 8

"Cold enough yet?" I asked the prisoner in the cage. It had been snowing for the past few days as we ventured up into the mountains. Vi had never stopped trying to turn me from my task, and she was getting aggravating. Even worse was the feeling of doubt that she had invited into my mind.

Maybe it's true. I thought. Maybe once you leave something of this magnitude you can't go back.

Shaking the thought from my mind, I turned my attention to Dark Shear. Whenever I started getting the doubts, something strange happened to Dark Shear. It would turn a lighter shade, and seem more like the old Shear before I returned to the darkness.

An archfiend strode up to where I rode on a pale horse, its skeletal walk making it look all the more hideous.

It opened its bone jaws to speak in a phlegm-clogged voice. "We are approaching the Wizard's City, Night Wraith. What are your orders?"

"Assemble the krul in a spearhead formation in order to break through the first wave of attackers when I open the gates." I commanded. I turned to Illidan Flamewheel. "Follow me."

I stood before the gates of the imposing fortress. "Greetings, Wizards!" I called up to the watchman. His only reply was a stream of fire as the gates burst into an inferno.

I nodded to Illidan. With a twitch of his hand, the blazing firewall leapt into the sky. Illidan then placed his two Charkams on the ground, and standing on them, ascended into the firestorm.

The blaze took on the shape of a dragon, sweeping across the walls like a wave. Burning bodies fell from the walls as they crackled and burned.

I raised Dark Shear. A wave of pure darkness rose around me, becoming a fearsome storm of black lightning, not striking from the clouds but from the ground. At a signal from me the krul began to charge. I summoned up all of my powers, and sent a flow of pure blackness, without a single drop of light, flowing at the gates. The gates seemed to shimmer, and then vanished utterly, consumed by the darkness.

The krul washed in, Illidan landed with a wave of fire, I lifted Dark Shear, and the killing began.

By the time the death was dealt and the krul raised, Illidan and I were at the Forbidden Well holding the urn containing Kal-Zurd's bones.

"The Forbidden Well." Illidan said with desire shining in his eyes. "It is said that whoever drinks of this water will live forever, if their cause is right. What can be more right then our cause, to exterminate the living, and thus bring peace to this troubled world? I will drink." He bent towards the well and started to reach for the water.

"No." I blocked his hand with my arm. "We have our orders, to revive Kal-Zurd. Availing ourselves of eternal life is not what we are here for. Besides, this place stinks of magic. I wouldn’t be surprised if a wizard placed a death spell on this place." I did not voice my inner reasons. This had been a place of beauty, and we, in the space of less then an hour, had reduced it to a home of the dead. Only the Forbidden Well was undefiled, and I did not want to do more harm then necessary. He seemed about to argue, but a single blue flash in my grey eyes was enough to silence him.

"If you insist." Illidan was angry but hiding it well, I could see.

"Then let us proceed." I said reverently as he tipped out the remains of the bones of the dead captain. At the same time I grabbed a captured swordsman and threw him down into the well.

There was a large crash, and the water in the well seemed to roil in pain, almost. That was when he emerged, in a new body that the Dreadlord had provided.

A beast that must have been sixteen feet tall loomed up from inside the well. It was entirely black, with perfectly round, entirely white eyes. Its claws were three inches long, and I saw six tentacles protruding from its chest. One of these held the unfortunate soldier. As I watched, the other tentacles wrapped around him, and the swordsman slowly disintegrated.

A sepulcher voice emanated from the beast, addressed entirely to Illidan. "Well done. It would appear that you have served the Lord of Silence well. You may leave now, and leave the destruction of this place to me." Still ignoring me, Kal-Zurd turned his tentacles on the city. As the rest of us filed out of the ruined fortress, I glanced back and saw black tentacles tearing down and destroying the fortress. A tinge of regret surfaced in my heart.

Such a waste. Such a waste, all of this destruction just for a single entity. Couldn't there be a better way?

A buried memory surfaced.

"Well, I know who you are, Arc, and you are not one of them." Vi said with surprising ferocity. "I know that you are a good man who wouldn’t ever join them. Never. If you used to be with them, I know that you aren’t now, and that’s good enough for me."

I wondered if I was doing the right thing.

Shaking such thoughts from my mind, I signaled for the krul to erect shelter for the sentient archfiends and us Silent Prophets.

The beast that was Kal-Zurd approached me and Illidan. "You two have played your parts well. We no longer have need of you. You will stay with the krul until I summon you for your next task." He stalked off into the snow.

I turned on Illidan. "Is that it? We are cast away after all that we have done?"

"be calm, Kylar." Illidan replied. "You may still have a part to play in this grand scheme."

"I may have a part to play?" That didn’t sound good. "You have just been used like a tool, Illidan. I don’t know how you feel, but I did not come all this way to be cast aside after being manipulated."

"Relax." He seemed almost serene. "We are not going to be abandoned."

I turned and walked to my tent where I stayed. I sat by the fire, glad of warmth for the first time since I had rejoined the order. I lay back, and allowed sleep to take me.

Chapter 9

My eyes snapped open. A scream had issued from the outskirts of the encampment.

Vi.

I leapt out of the shelter and sprinted towards the cage of prisoners. But where it once was nothing remained: a shear cliff had been gouged out of the mountainside in a large avalanche. There, tumbling down the mountainside, was a metal cage, containing two prisoners.

Reacting instinctively, I hurled myself down the slope. I used my hands and feet to propel me down after the cage, leaping over crashing snow and boulders. Moving faster then the wind, I caught up with the cage, and gripping the metal bars with my bare hands, I lifted it and launched myself back up the cliff. I landed on the edge of the precipice seconds after I had jumped.

I glanced into the cage. "Are you two all right?"

Mavin only glared at me and turned his head, but Vi nodded silently.

"Vi," I began, "I want-"

I was interrupted by Illidan. "What are you doing, Kylar? You know that they must be put to death."

I glared at him, this time probing his soul. "You don't deserve death, Illidan." I growled. "You deserve torture."

Illidan was shocked. "What are you saying? Is this another betrayal?"

"No." I smiled grimly. "Kal-Zurd!" I called. The beast looked my way. "I looked into his soul and I have discovered that this Silent Prophet intends to kill the Lord of Silence! He must be put in chains immediately!"

Krul converged on him from every side. He cried out. "It’s a lie! He's Lying! He's the traitor, not me!" His cries were smothered as he was knocked unconscious.

"Well detected, Night Wraith." Kal-Zurd laughed. "You have a talent for seeing betrayal. But you are not the only one." He signaled to the krul. "I must be going now. You have no further purpose in the Lord of Silence's plan. You will be eliminated. You will not reach the High Rock." He suddenly reached a claw out, rent the bars of the cage, and lifted Mavin out. "I can't just leave him here; he is needed for the machine. Farewell, Kylar Deatheyes." He then disappeared in a cloud of smoke, while krul converged on me.

Vi, I thought, you were right. I do not wish for evil, and so I cannot go along with the Dreadlord's scheme. I will forsake the power of darkness! I glanced at the krul army that advanced upon me. But first I have some unfinished business.

Drawing Dark Shear, I gave the warrior's salute to the pair in the cage. "Wish me luck."

I charged into the giant mass of undead, wielding darkness like a sword. In the background, the sun set, as red as blood.

You forgot one thing, Dreadlord. No one tells me what to do.