Sahϊr thought to himself silently as he paced back and forth, his books scattered around once again as he was trying his best to get to the much needed conclusion of what he wanted from them. “This ritual is such a complex mess, it is a wonder that the writers of these damned things have ever succeeded in their goals and ideals. I wonder…” He thought to himself as he gently picked up one of the books, flipping the pages with quick but delicate hands, the books were much older than the village itself and he didn’t want to even remotely damage them, and so the chief was a very gentle man with his books, something that could rarely be said about other people, he wasn’t afraid to strike someone if he must. He nodded as he stopped on a specific page, his paw gently sliding down the book and looking at the lettering on the paper. The book was not in a native language he knew, so Sahϊr had to grab another scrap and start translating, the symbols looked familiar so he had a good feeling this is what he wanted to start. He began writing:


        “The concept alone of making a vessel for the ancient ones is hard as it is, but there is one extra step some tend to forget. The Vessel mustn’t be in the position to fight, one way found by many others was to break the mind and the spirit of the Vessel, so that they are alive, breathing and barely thinking, but are broken enough that they don’t have a will or the proper functionings to fight or stop this process. From there, taking the soul of the ancient and infusing them into the Vessel is as simple as zipping up a zipper, or something in that realm of the mind. The higher the zipper, the more the Vessel is tied to the soul, and once it is complete, the Vessel themselves will die and the soul will instead take their place. From there, they are almost guaranteed to obey, because the physical body is too  weak to fight, so from there one could potentially tame them to obey them to their control.”


        Sahir nodded to himself silently as he continued to transcribe and translate the book, realizing he might finally be onto something as he wrote it down. As he wrote, a woman walked up to his hut and lightly knocked on one of the poles outside the hut. It was faint, nearly quiet, but Sahϊr heard it and glanced up. There was a woman there that was one of his own villagers, she looked like the typical Chit’Vani, a snow leopard, her fur a nice pristine white color, well kept, her eyes were almost as blue as the sky, a beautiful look, she had some light blue stripes around her to match what she was, she was cute, and Sahϊr did think that, but only very lightly as he was more concerned with his own village and his work. “Hello, I just came bearing a letter. The source is unknown and the letter and casing look very ominous, but the others suggested we bring it anyway, saying you might have some use for it.” She said respectfully as she made her way in and placed it on his table, bowing as he gently set his book down and picked up the letter, it was indeed ominous. It was pitch black, with red lining and a symbol with an archaic looking symbol, one that would be believed to have been lost in time. He opened it.


        Inside was a folded up sheet of paper, neat and handled with delicate hands, as far as Sahϊr could tell. It wasn’t your typical letter, this was formal, an invitation of some sort. He looked at it for a moment before he opened the letter, seeing an old fashioned writing waiting for his viewing, a language definitely lost to the history and time of the kingdoms. Sahϊr stood up and made his way over to the bookshelf, curious to see if he even had a book that could help translate it. As if by a stroke of a miracle, Thanatos approached as the woman left them be, after bowing to the orange dragon. Despite being a visitor, Thanatos was treated well and respected as most people misinterpreted his presence as something of nobility or royalty, one he wasn’t going to correct even if it wasn’t correct. “Good evening Sahϊr, What have you there?” He asked, noticing the letter in the chief’s hands as he walked over.


        “As if your timing couldn’t be any more annoying, but also convenient. I am trying to see if I can translate this letter, it was sent to be they believe, but it is in some ancient language that I don’t have a book on.” He said, simply as he handed him the letter, wondering if he’d make himself of some use. Sahϊr still didn’t trust Thanatos to the entirety, but he kept him around for convenience sake as it made spying on Elderitch much easier, but if he had the chance, he’d dispose of Thanatos in a heartbeat, but for now he kept to himself and just left him be for the time being. Thanatos took a seat and looked at the letter for a few moments, his mind wandering as he examined it, as he soon started speaking out loud. “It is an invitation from someone named Nelvona, that is what I can roughly gather, the name is just a guess because I have never seen this spelling but individually, that is what the letters spell out.” Thanatos told him as he handed back the letter, Sahϊr impressed that he was able to decipher it without much outside help, but he wasn’t about to question it.


        “My only issue with this letter is the coordinates to meet this Nelvona person is that she wishes for us to come to Elderitch, which as we know, I refuse to even go near at risk of getting involved with that wretched Alucard, as well as being raised into suspicion by that idiot king Drax. As much as I begrudge the idea, I have a favor to ask of you. I want you to go in my place and meet this person, see what they want and report back to me when you are finished. I hate the idea of being forced to ask for help, especially for an outsider, but it seemed to be my only way out of this.” Sahϊr said, clearly none to pleased with the idea of asking Thanatos, but what other choice did he have, especially when this person made their attempt to go out of their way to request Sahϊr’s presence, but Thanatos just smirked, thinking a bit to himself as he nodded. Thanatos stood as he took the letter, looking at it one last time. “I will do it, we can discuss a way to repay me later though, but for now I will make my way over since the time seems to be today. Kind of short notice and a bit of a pain, but whatever. I will return by the end of the day.” He said and made his way out without much else, Sahϊr watching with disdain but he shrugged it off and got to work.


        Thanatos walked off and out of the village, before hearing footsteps racing after him as he blinked a couple of times and turned around quickly, he right claw quickly shooting up to grab his sword, but he relaxed when he saw it was the same woman that was with Sahϊr before, when he had arrived. “I am sorry to catch you off guard sir, I just wanted to get you this before you head out. I was going to give it to the chief before he left, but knowing he isn’t going is a bit of a relief. That letter has some dark magic in it that can’t be explained, and I want you to return to aid our leader. Please, accept this gift.” She said handing him the amulet, it was a weird little thing, a small circle of gold at the bottom, that slowly changed colors every couple of seconds. One of the colors was as green as the trees and the vines, a nature like green that Thanatos didn’t fully understand, but the other color is what really caught his eye, it was pitch black like the paper, and he had a feeling this was meant to protect him, which he appreciated as he thanked the woman, before show bowed and ran off. “Interesting, I wonder why it chose those colors?” He said to himself, and walked, before grunting as he suddenly fell to a knee, the amulet glowing as he looked around, light shrouding him as he was slowly shown a grayscaled look at his former surroundings.


        He gently stood and smelt smoke, looking around in a panic. “What the fuck is going on here?!” He shouted, but realized nothing around him would react. He looked around and saw Inferno, but was confused at what he was witnessing. Inferno was much older, his eyes filled with rage, and the person he was chasing was Thanatos, who had a smirk on his face. “Heh, can’t handle the failure you let happen, can you Inferno?!” The grey scaled Thanatos laughed at him, seeing the rage and anger building up in Inferno, who was breathing heavily, shakily as he looked around, as if looking for someone. His next words sent a shiver down Thanatos’s spine, the dragon shaking a bit in shock, but he wasn’t afraid.


        “Where is he?!” Inferno shouted, louder than anything Thanatos had heard before, the grayed out version of himself just smirking as he gently swung his amulet, as a grey fox was seen walking up, Inferno looking over in shock. “Oh, you mean your son? The one you failed to protect? Don’t you worry buddy, he’s fine. His soul is nice and safe here in my amulet. And as we speak, the old man should be finishing up his side of the deal anyways, so you won’t have to fear for much longer. Any minute now, we will all be seeing a new world, one you have no place in.” He laughed maniacally, the fox looking at Inferno, he clearly resembled Inferno to some degree, the thanatos wearing the amulet noticed, the eyes were lifeless, but they were Inferno’s. “Your son works for me now Inferno, you failed. Joshy, do me a favor, use your vines and snap your old man's neck for me, put him out swiftly. It’ll be easier this way.” He smirked, as the fox raised his hand and was about to, but the world around them shook as a terrible ear splitting shriek of some unknown force was heard, the fox stumbling as his ability was stopped, the grayed out Thanatos growling. “Damn you old man, you told me you’d give me a chance to escape. Fuck! Josh, forget this bastard and run. Meet where we discussed!” Thanatos ordered and ran off, Inferno yelling out in anger as he ran at him, the fox turning and leaving, a barricade of vines stopping Inferno, surrounding him so he couldn’t follow, the Thanatos with the amulet around his neck still with Inferno, watching as Inferno screamed in anger, his mind gone as he screamed, tears escaping as he tried cutting down the vines, he was cursing Thanatos.


        As if like it was nothing, right before his eyes, the world was brought back to normal, color returning to Thanatos as he looked around, realizing he was now back to the normal world. He stood there for a moment, shock slowly setting in as he wondered what he had just witnessed, his head shaking as if on its own instinct. “What the fuck?” Thanatos was able to mutter as he just shook his head once more and started to walk away, heading towards Elderitch. He wondered what he had just witnessed, and what would lead him to face Inferno head on, which to this day he still hasn’t done. Was it some sort of premonition, or was there something more to what he had witnessed? Thanatos had a handful of questions pacing around his mind as he walked, making his way towards Elderitch once more, leaving whatever he saw behind him as he lightly toyed with the amulet around his neck, realizing it was now stuck on just the pitch black color, unsure of what that meant. Whatever that was, it was the work of the amulet, as if a sign for Thanatos. He growled softly and shook his head, finding his way to the kingdom.


-


        In a dark building, somewhere in Edleritch, Arakah paced around a desk in frustration, thinking of what to do now. He was mumbling to himself as he looked around. He was in a lecture room of some sort, like one found in a school. Arakah wasn’t entirely sure what to think as he thought, a scroll opened on the desk. He frustratedly pulled his chair back with force, the momentum and power behind it leaving a pitch black streak against the floor from where the legs of the chair just scraped, showing Arakah wasn’t just a mere mage, he was given his title as the headmaster for a reason, and his skill was unmatched. “Son of a bitch!” He shouted as it echoed off the lecture hall walls, throwing his dagger of the desk in anger as it planted itself deep into the floorboards, the man watching it and rolling his eyes as he reached and grabbed it. “First those absolute pieces of shit kill Drazernon, hindering my plan, they also quickly stop the rebellion, leaving me no time to go and investigate what I need for this experiment. That bastard Inferno is something else, I know that much. It is hard to believe he is the son of Drazeron. He is way too smart to be related to such a braindead fool. Damnit!” He shouted and slammed a hand on the desk, looking at the scroll.


        As he finally stopped himself, he heard one of the doors open as he glanced up, seeing a couple of people, among them was Thanatos. Arakah smirked secretly to himself as he stood up and welcomed them, a gem on the desk under the scroll lightly glowing, as if reacting to something. Arakah noticed this as he looked around, his eyes scanning the handful of people that were making their way in, as if looking for a specific person. He noticed what was going on though as he saw Thanatos. ‘Who is he? I know for a fact someone like him didn’t get the invitation sent out. Sahϊr should be the one with that amulet, that was the plan we foresaw. Damned Chit’vani must’ve predicted this if he was able to quickly send someone in his place. That amulet…’  Arakah thought to himself as he saw a faint glow coming from Thanatos’s amulet around his neck, it was reacting to the gem on his desk. ‘That amulet. It is the final piece of the puzzle. So even without that pesky leopard we may still have our chance. Don’t you fret my dear, sweet Nelvona, in just a few more minutes, you will be free and welcomed back into this waking world, you will get your revenge on those bastards that entrapped you in your eternal prison. Such monsters, who could do such heartless things to such a wonderful entity.’ Arakah looked at the desk, longingly as people took their seats, flustered was the right word for it. Thanatos noticed how he was acting, an air of unease waving over him as Arakah made his way to the center stage, standing now in front of the desk, his hands folded behind his back, his posture perfectly straight, his robes neat. Thanatos was looking at a true professional, even his raven black hair was neatly organized and out of his face, showing off his crimson eyes. Arakah was an old mage, but even in his old age he looked well kept and handsome, despite being an older human, the type the animalistic people usually hated.


        “Hello everyone, I am pleased to see such a turnout. As you have guessed, you are here to witness the power and majestic works of the Scholars of the Dark Arts. I am the man of Blood and Shadows, the headmaster of this school, and the master of all things dark, Arakah Celedora. And today I am going to unveil my most magnificent creation and power, I am going to bring about a being of pure dark energy, the captor of dreams, the lady of the dark. Nelvona!” He said and turned, ripped the scroll away and showed a bright crimson red crystal, to which a lot of people were in awe, even Thanatos despite his lack of affinity to any form of magic. His intrigue was kept as Arakah started chanting a spell, his eyes slowly fading into darkness as he was speaking the same language as written in the letter. This was expected of such a person worthy of the title that was the Man of Blood and Shadow. As he chanted, Thanatos however noticed something, his amulet would glow randomly, as if it was detering something, as he carefully looked around. He noticed a slowly growing sense of fear, and before he knew it, people were vanishing, dying, being absorbed into the gem on the desk. Arakaha had a sinister smirk as he chanted to himself and the chamber was slowly shrinking in capacity, people disappearing, fear as some got up and tried running. Before Thanatos realized it, mass chaos ensued, people screaming, crying, trying to escape realizing they were being sacrificed as the ground around them started glowing, showing a ritualistic symbol upon the floor.


        Thanatos quickly got up and growled realizing what was happening as he ran down to try and stop Arakah. “You piece of shit, what the hell are you doing!?” He shouted as he drew his blade and swung at Arakah, the man stumbling and stopping the chant, his hands stopped glowing and his eyes came back, filled with nothing but unbridled anger as he quickly swung around, grabbed his dagger and punctured it right into the stomach of Thanatos. “You dare interrupt my ritual, years of work, ready to revive my love. How DARE you!” He shouted. “I will show you what happens to those who defy me. I will make this world absolu-... GAH! W-w-w-wha-...” He was shocked, Thanatos grunted as blood hit his face and chest, the man holding his wounds as a pitch black tentacle like thing was pierced through Arakah, his body going limp, as he gasped for air, his hand reaching for Thanatos, either for help, or to run. The man had betrayal in his eyes, his spirit broken, in disbelief as he thought he had succeeded. “R...u...n…, This…. Isn’t….su...sup...posed to...ha-...happ-...” Before he could get it out, he died, his body sliding down the tentacle and slumped onto the floor, the area around him slowly turning blood read as it seeped into the floor boards, his face scared, abandoned, that was the face of one who had been tricked and betrayed.


        Thanatos stood and growled, looking at what did this, a demon shrouded in darkness smirking at him, her hand raised as she slowly approached him.