Chris Michael Wilson [Wilson - Magium

Our first objectives? Hadrik asks. Did I hear him right?

Thats right, you heard me! Golmyck, the gnome king says, as if he were responding to Hadriks question. I am now going to announce the objectives of the tournaments first round, so youd better pay attention, because Im not planning to repeat myself. Are you ready?

Golmyck makes a short pause before he continues.

Very well, then! he says. Your first objectives are as follows. You will need to each find a glowing pinecone and bring it to the city of Galamir. Glowing pinecones grow only on the continent of Varathia, so most of you may not know much about them, but they basically look just like regular pinecones, except they start glowing brightly when you take them in your hand. There is no time limit for completing these objectives, but the earlier you bring the pinecones to their destination, the quicker you can begin your next objectives, which will give you a head start, compared to the latecomers. Lastly, I would like to mention that in this round you will be allowed to form teams with other participants. A team can have as many members as you want, and if you all confirm that you are part of the same team when you reach Galamir, you will pass the first round together, as long as you have at least one pinecone with you. That would be all for now. Good luck!

What?! Hadrik shouts. He cant be serious! How can they even call this a mage tournament with objectives like that? Whats next? Are they going to tell us to go pick some flowers?

Hadrik Daren says, with a very dark look on his face. I honestly could not give less of a damn about the tournaments objectives right now.

Oh, I almost forgot something very important! Golmyck says. Daren, the healer in armor, and all the members of his group are to present themselves at the gates of the royal castle of Thilias in exactly five hours. This includes the dwarf, the artificial mage, and the lessathi. Failure to do so will result in their disqualification from the tournament. The little girl that travels with them may also join them if she wishes, but she is not required to. Thank you all for listening! Have a nice day!

The gnome then presses a button and the transmission gets interrupted, while the holographic screens in the air start to disappear slowly, one by one.

Wait, how did he know that Barry was a lessathi? Hadrik says. Didnt Barry himself only find out about this recently?

The fact that the king of Thilias knew both about Barrys and Kates true identities strongly suggests that hes been keeping an eye on us for a while, Illuna says. He must have spies that inform him of everything that goes on in his kingdom. I wouldnt be too surprised if he knew about my existence as well.

Ah, crap, Hadrik says. If thats the case, then maybe he also knows about me being a giant. Maybe theyre calling me to the castle to kick me out of the tournament.

Theyre summoning us because of what happened with the noble yesterday, Daren says. They even have bounties on our heads. We shouldnt be too surprised that theyd want to interrogate us. Come on, lets head towards Roses house. Going to the hospital now is out of the question without Rose to guide us, and it would be prudent to get our backpacks before we head towards the castle.

Daren pauses.

One of us will also have to deliver the news of Roses death to her siblings when we get there, he says.

I remain silent for a while after hearing Darens question, and so does everybody else. Kate and Flower are both looking towards the ground, as Hadrik is scratching the back of his head uncomfortably.

Ill do it, I say, eventually. Ill try to break it to them as gently as possible.

Daren gives me a long look for a few seconds. He doesnt appear to be very comfortable leaving this matter in my hands, but he doesnt seem to want to be the one to deal with it either, and neither does anyone else, by the looks of it.

Alright, Daren says, finally. Barry will be the one to give the news to the kids. Any objections?

Everybody else stays silent, as Kate and Flower are still looking towards the ground.

Its settled, then, Daren says. Lets get going. Well take the same route that we took when we came here, to avoid getting lost. Follow me.

Can I have Arraka back, please? Flower asks Hadrik, as we start heading towards the mansion.

Actually, I think Id rather hold on to her a little longer, if you dont mind! Hadrik says.

Well, okay Flower says. But make sure you keep an eye on her.

Dont worry, Hadrik says, as he starts to spin the amulet again. Ill be sure to give her all the attention she needs!

We all follow Daren and go back the way we came, as we slowly begin to leave the slums behind us, and to enter the richer district that Roses house is situated in.

Nobody said a single word while we walked down the alleys, not even Hadrik. Kate in particular seemed to be the most affected by what had happened, and the expression on her face was very painful to watch. Amidst the silence, an enraged Arraka would occasionally start showering us with a variety of insults and threats, as Hadrik ignored her and kept spinning her amulet despite her never-ending complaints.

Will you shut her up? Daren says, after a while. Ive already had enough of Arraka to last me for a week. I dont need to hear her constant yammering the entire trip.

Oh, right, sorry Hadrik says, as he closes the amulet and then continues to spin it by the chain.

Arrakas shouting is still audible, but its more of a mild annoyance now that the noise has become muffled.

I think my wrist is starting to go numb from all the spinning, Hadrik says, a few minutes later. Barry, what do you say? Do you wanna give this a try? I assure you its a very rewarding experience!

I think Ill pass, thanks, I say.

Suit yourself, Hadrik says. But seriously, you dont know what youre missing!

Ive been thinking, Kate says, all of a sudden. Could Rose perhaps not be completely dead? Could she still be somewhere in there, inside her body?

Kate Daren starts to say, but Kate continues to speak, this time raising her voice a little.

Maybe theres still some way to bring her back! she says, looking at each of us in turn, seeking our approval. Maybe if we defeat that follower of Ulruk who stole her body, we can bring her back to normal. We cant know until we try!

Kate, please Daren says, as he stops and looks Kate straight in the eye. Dont make me say this again. Rose is gone. You cant bring back the dead, no matter how hard you try.

But how can you know for sure that shes dead? Kate says, with desperation visible in her eyes. You heard what she said before she left. You all heard her! She told us to take care of her siblings. Why would she say something like that if a part of Rose wasnt still in there, somewhere?

Revenants are born with the memories of their hosts, Illuna says. Because of this, it is common for them to be confused at first, and to have a bit of an identity crisis, as they struggle to differentiate between their own thoughts, and the ones that they inherited from their hosts.

Then maybe we can still Kate starts to say, but Illuna cuts her off.

Even if they may sometimes choose to uphold some of their old hosts values and principles, Illuna says, the revenants are still completely different entities than their bodies previous owners. A revenant cannot be born if their host is still alive. The very fact that this revenant came to be is proof that Rose was already dead when the servant of Ulruk took hold of her body.