Chapter 11: Divine FodderSteisa, momma warned you not to run down the mountains road, you're going to hurt yourself" a young boy called out to his little sister, who merrily skipped along. "you can't catch me..... you can't catch me," she giggled and turned to him, gesturing that he should come closer, the young man of thirteen gave a low groan of frustration, his name was Regolf and his little sister was a handful of worries, she was carefree and very playful, and she had become even more uninhibited since their mother fell sick, and she was smart enough to know that Regolf would never punish her for little misdeeds, so she gleefully took advantage. On his shoulders were piles of firewood, neatly wrapped with fronds, winter was arriving earlier than usual this year, and he wished to stock up on firewood. He was a hardworking lad, and by this time of the year he should have gathered enough wood to last the short winter, but since their mother fell sick, he always had to keep the fire burning, or she gets… strange. He adjusted the wood that was digging into his shoulders and called out to his sister, a tone of frustration coloring his voice, it had not been easy for him recently and the strain was beginning to build up. "Come back here this instant or no more crushed candy for you!" The statement jolted Steisa and pouting she walked slowly to her brother and looked at him with doe eyes. "Oh.... no you don't, this won't work today," Regolf sniffed and looked away from that soul-sucking gaze, "Be good Steisa, the roads are full of stones and bumps, you may fall and injure yourself." In a crestfallen manner, Steisa mumbled, "I won't run anymore Regolf, will you still bring candy for me." she tugged at his shirt pitifully, it was akin to tugging at the young man's heart stings, he quickly relented, and her face lit up, " Yay…. Regolf is the best brother in the world!" The young boy felt his shoulders straighten and he walked more confidently, the happiness of his sister was an affirmation of his handwork and it brought him fulfillment. The joyous laughter of the girl and the quiet reply of her brother followed the duo as they headed towards home. Their home was at the edge of the village and was close to the mountains, the woods were not far from the quiet home, and he could make two more trips before nightfall, and if he was willing to risk it, he could make it three. Their home drew near, and it was surprisingly built with modern bricks and mortars. It was formally a relay station where the soldiers of the kingdom collected posting letters when crossing the Sylvan lakes, and it was now abandoned following the loss of the war with the neighboring kingdom Khoranth. As the siblings approached their home, they noticeably became quieter, Steisa squeezing her brother's clothes and standing behind him, he comforted her with a head rub, as he asked her to sit down by the door, while he went to the storeroom that sat adjacent to their home to store the firewood. Regolf walked back to his sister, "Steisa, I got a kilogram of beef from my masters' wife, I helped her to feed the horses since Tobias fell sick, she commended my work saying I was a hard worker" He patted the satchel on his waist. "I will be cooking a sumptuous meal tonight!" Steisa cheered. Regolf smiled, "Hurry up and wash your hands, so you can assist me in the kitchen, you should learn to cook, as my workload in the smithy is growing, as I am getting better at metal working." Steisa rapidly nodded as she proceeded to clean her hands thoroughly, Regolf watched her with a smile, he was a handsome youth. Both the siblings drew their looks from their mother, they never knew their father, and he died in a hunting accident. When Steisa was barely two months old, their mother Rose became a bastion of parenthood. She made sure they both did not lack, working through the night and holding three jobs, to provide for the family, as she refused to remarry. Regolf gladly became an apprentice to the only blacksmith in Calcutta, so he could help his mother, and for a while the family lived in contentment and happiness until Rose brought back a doll she found in the fields. ●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●● Rowan pulled the surrounding coat, Maeve assisting him in tying the sash around his waist, he could see the questions on her face, but he ignored her, "Thank you Maeve, please take me to my lab." He turned and strode towards the door. Maeve hurried over and took his hand, "Let me carry you, young master…. I don't understand how you healed so quickly, but I know healing of any form consumes a significant amount of your body resources." Rowan swallowed any rebuttal he had, he was not feeling any signs of weakness, his healing seemed not only to affect his body, but he suspected it also healed his mind. But his legs were now short, and he needed all the time he could get, of course, he could run, but he thought that was a stupid idea, Maeve was strong and his lab was on the next floor above him, she would be faster. He was in his last moments after all, for he had already died twice! If Maeve had not returned when she did, he would be dead. Ultimately, he had been very careless, and the presence of the Primordial Record and his healing factor had given him a safety blanket, and he became dismissive of the danger surrounding him. He knew his curiosity and thirst for the supernatural was a weakness, and he told himself that being more careful was not only the smart choice, but it would be the difference between life and death. Dying had been a weird experience, but he at least understood his healing factor better. Killing him would be difficult, for he healed very fast, the Soul Seizer Record he viewed influenced him to kill himself, and he spent a long time slicing through his brain. It was one of the most horrifying moments in his life, to see his body move without his will. The influence the Record had on him was weak, but the problem was that he had no means to defend himself. If he did, he did not know how. Every knowledge of magic that Rowan knew did not help him at all, as his body was moving to the will of those…Monsters. He shuddered slightly, pushing the memory away from his mind presently, he did not trust that he had fully recovered from their influence. With a mental flex, Rowan called up the Primordial Record PᖇᎥᗰᗝᖇᗪᎥᗩᒪ ᖇᗴᑕᗝᖇᗪ Name: Rowan Kuranes Age: 11/11 Strength: 0.2 Agility: 0.2 Constitution: 3.5 Spirit: 1.5 Class: None Title: Plane walker Skill: (None) Passive: Decipher language (complete), Icy soul (level 2) Records: Scion Of Light - level 0 [0/5] Scion Of Darkness – level 0 [0/5] Ouroboros – level 0 [0/1000] Soul Seizer - level 0 [0/1000] Soul Point: 0.0000 Remark: Divine Fodder He was down to the last year, and since the primordial record did not elaborate on the precise time he was going to die, he had no awareness if he had only days or months to live, he could only feel a shroud of death hanging over him, and he could trust that instinct, after all, he was a Scion Of Darkness. The only thing that could save him now from dying was unironically death itself, his Record, Soul Seizer made him a sort of Grim Reaper, he could collect souls and use them to fuel his Records, pushing him onto the Paths Of Dominion, he had to transcend his mortal flesh and become a Legendary to get more lifespan