"Who do you think they are?" Morgan began, looking at Faris's most recent Fairth.

"I don't know, certainly Faris would have told us?" Alanna spoke.

"But they look real! They aren't like the ones with odd colorations and stylized forms."

"I think I'd remember stories of a man wearing such foreboding armor."

The image they were pouring over was a large tapestry featuring two men locked in a deadly duel, the first man was in a black tunic and breaches, he had blond hair, blue eyes, and fair skin. He defended himself against a taller man in foreboding shiny black armor, with a flowing black cape. The taller man's helmet resembled a skull. The armor looked not like any metal armor they have ever seen, it was too glossy.

"The oddest thing is their swords." Katya stated.

"Perhaps they set the blades on fire?" Nya suggested.

"Using rapiers then?"

The weapons in question were even straight blades of iridescent light, the boy with blond hair's blade was a bright green, the armored man's blade was a deep blood red. Casting him in a sinister light.

"Can you make false Fairths?" Venka turned to Dusan.

"Well, yes, but it's very difficult due to the limitations of the ancient language." Dusan sighed, "That's really amazing though."

They heard the door open, to see Faris walk inside. He looked at them for a bit. "You guys are wearing the gloves I gave you right? Also, don't you have lives outside this room?"

Nya showed her white satin gloves before speaking, "All there is to do is study and train, if you think we're bad students used to sneak out to the pubs and brothels."

"Brothels?" Faris raised an eyebrow. "And is that allowed?"

"Why not? There's little chance a smart mage would catch any of those diseases, and even then, only a few do that, others devote time to hobbies, like gardening, cooking…" Katya began trailing off several different pass times off.

"Alright I get it." Faris sighed, "So, you guys like the Fairth?"

"It's really interesting actually." Seya looked at the two men in the duel. "Who are they?"

"It's a long story, it would take me a long time to explain it, and it takes place in a very far place."

"We noticed some paintings, you are really good with your Fairths, I'm surprised you'd paint at all." Morgan took a sip of his waterskin, careful to make sure it didn't spill or splash anywhere. "And even then, the paintings are pretty decent."

"Thank you I guess?" Faris said, chuckling. "Welp." He closed his eyes. The past week had been uneventful after the encounter with Yacob and his crew, his friends had found out, through Nya, as her sister Celica blurted it out. Hey had confronted Faris and berated him for fighting alone. Venka was the angriest over the situation, Faris ended up teaching them the teleportation spell, and found to his chagrin that they each could manage it at least twice, except for Venka, who after the 12th teleportation Faris exhaustedly told her to calm down a bit. The real reason for the uneventfulness though was the multiple attacks and assassination attempts at his person, he had only recently found out that they had been hired by Rembrant to attack him, and a combined effort of Nya, Seya, and Morgan prevented that from occurring and ousted one of Rembrant's retainers as the one who ordered the strike. While the retainer argued he was solely responsible fingers still pointed to Rembrant and he lost a lot of political power as a result. One could almost feel sorry for the guy. Faris didn't care too much either way. Though he had to the man's surprise vouched on his behalf.

He turned to his friends, they had all progressed in their martial training to the point he could safely believe they could be considered first degree black belt students, after doing so he handed them booklets he made, utilizing the magic of Fairths to print the words and images. He sold to them that these "sacred manuscripts" were where he learned of the martial arts, and they were accurate enough that his friends didn't question him about how he learned. Another thing that happened was his place in the physical activities class lowered again. More students had begun to train in earnest, their naturally larger and healthier bodies overtook his own, Faris found this extremely frustrating, though even now he could still beat most students in sparring matches, but that was just due to his many more angles of approach due to the sheer number of skills he had accrued both from his own personal training and memories, and from the experiences he gleaned from the minds of his enemies, both fellow mages and non-mages alike. Until he got older and got rid of that stamina issue that was still a problem he'd have to face.

The twins were playing with Ventus again, Faris's enchantments had inadvertently given Ventus sapience at almost the level of a human, and so he was very good at learning tricks, getting him to complete those tricks though required work, so far, the twins were best at it, followed by Faris, then Venka, all the way down his list of friends till Seya, who the bird didn't like very much at all. Faris didn't completely blame him. Faris smiled at the sight of Ventus picking up the charcoal pencil and scribbling on a sheet of paper, which delighted the twins quite a bit, elvish laughter was infectious. They had only a few more months before the school year ended and the twins had to return home, he wondered who had taken the sabbatical to Du Weldenvarden, thinking they must be lucky. He yawned, suddenly really tired. He turned to his bed and went to sleep.

Damien looked around confused, his clothes were the ones he wore before being hit by a car, only ragged and torn. "Why am I here? I thought? Was it all a dream?"

"A bastard like you deserves no dreams." He turned to see a woman, bleeding from the ears and nose, an odd smile on her face, her clothing and hair were burning, like each fiber was finely woven fire struggling to free itself from some supernatural binding.

"Anya…" He said, backing up a bit.

"Tell me boy, did it feel good? Killing me? Getting your revenge? I'm sure it did…"

"No! No it didn't! It doesn't feel good!" He yelled, covering his ears as she let out a splitting laugh.

"But you didn't hesitate, didn't you feel my fear? Didn't you let me realize?" She moved closer, "but you made a mistake, you made me part of you."

"Shut up!" Damien turned and struck her, his fist felt like it collided with a hot mirror as she shattered like glass, burning and cutting his hand. He breathed in a panicked way as the glass reformed back into her, now embracing him.

"I should have seen how strong you would be, I always suspected you knew magic, to think you'd be such a talented butcher at such a young age."

"I'm not like you! I don't kill innocent people!" Damien pushed her away.

"Oh? So, you have no qualms killing those condemned by society." Damien fell, tripped by something at his feet, he looked to see three burning skeletons. They were planted into the ground, struggling but unable to pull themselves out, growing from the ashes they dropped were purple flowers that sparked several times.

"Why!?" They screamed. Faris tried to back away but they grabbed unto him, as they did, he began to experience their lives before becoming members of the black hand then Scarlet Heart, none of them had pretty stories, ranging from kidnapping to extortion and slavery, he shut his eyes, trying to drown them out. But more burning skeletons began to swarm him.

Children living in poverty, barely eking out lives, mouths to feed, families lost by plague, desperate pleas to survive no matter what, the most powerful image was a man leading his wife and their newborn albino child out of a village, fighting off what had been previously considered as neighbor and friend, and having to stab his own sister, who had intended to sacrifice the child. As he saw the woman get stabbed, he felt a similar tearing sensation in his chest, as a scarred skeleton with mangled bones stabbed Uglauw's longsword into him. Their goals and aspirations, hopes and loves and fears reverberated in his mind, again and again and again and again, threatening to overtake and destroy him. There were times were he forgot who he was, Damien became Zander, black hand mage, youngest of three, promised the healing of his mother in exchange for his service, then he became Claud, a man broken by others when he was a child himself, and took great pleasure in doing the same to those now in a sick and twisted revenge against the world, each life and vision threatened to take over, to try and destroy him and whatever innocence he still thought he had. Even then Damien fought to retake his identity, pushing against their memories, railing against their hurt with his own hurt, and with his own satisfactions.

"I'm responsible for your deaths! But I won't be taken over by you! I'll learn from all the mistakes those who fell to me made!" He struggled to pull himself from the twisted chain of bones that had threatened to bury him within his own nightmares, inching out bit by bit.

"A very noble cause young man." Anya smiled at him, laughing as he struggled. "But you lack training." She reappeared as Angela, but Faris knew she was fake.

"Shut up."

"Oh?" This time as Elva, "Aren't you especially brave. I thought for certain she'd break you, she almost did the last time you had nightmares."

"We've done this same thing over and over, whenever I'm weak, this happens." Damien said, sighing, ignoring Anya's attempts to break him.

She frowned, this time reforming into Bergan, "Every time you are weak yes, but it's also your foolish choice to carry all these burdens, it's one thing to take everything they know, but you take their entire identity into yourself, I'm surprised you remember your date of birth." Anya stares at him now, smiling, "Or are you just trying to be a big hero?"

"You can't trick me you know." Damien raised his fist, only for more boney fingers to wrap around and attempt to force him down.

"God you are insufferable, you're too softhearted and every time you kill someone or even just that fight against the boy and his friends, you're haunted by it. Despite that you don't despair enough for us to take over, where does this optimism come from?" She was now in the form of Seya, "You died in your old world, a boy beholden and shaped to be his parent's tool." Nya tapped his arms, "And in this new world where you attempt to forge your own path, you're weaker than your friends now on a physical level." Morgan sighed, shaking his head, "And who's to say you won't lose out magically? They're all talented, and you've been teaching them, they quickly learn, sure you have a few years head start, so what, soon you'll be obsolete."

"I don't care!" Damien roared in anger, the force of his emotions blew back the bones and he charged Anya, who had been forced back into her normal form. He almost struck her, only to be blocked again, the chorus of pain and anger even greater than before, suffocating even his heightened level of fury.

"Wow…" Anya now took the form of Alanna, giggling like her, Faris merely got angrier despite the beauty of the elven girl's laugh. "Did I touch a nerve?" She pondered now, "Ah I've got it!" His mother's face smiled at him so tenderly that if it wasn't for Anya's venomous voice, he would have broken down. "You think your experiences in your world set you apart and make you special, and all the little trinkets you have planned will make you big and important right?" She laughed. Now as Uglauw's wife, "That's why you play hero and judge right? You're so much more important than these guys and that of course your 'advanced mind' can handle all of us." Faris turns away from Marla.

"Stop changing forms Anya, this doesn't help whatever case you are bringing up." He coughed violently as Anya struck him in the chest, hard, this false reality felt real to him as it felt like his ribs were close to shattering. Anya then took the time to spider her and over his bruised chest, taking delight in the pain she caused him.

"The case I bring up is that you were stupid enough to take our entire identities, we might as well be alive, fueled by whatever the soul is. And so, we'll keep haunting you like this until you fall." She sighs, and walks behind Damien, who struggles to turn around. "Think about it, you may be stronger than me now, but you'll eventually kill one too many, your guilt in that action is what causes you to take in all of their identity, in your attempt to immortalize their life." She spits on the ground, "Over half these men and women aren't trash worth remembering."

"And what about you?!" He asked angrily, "Do you think that too?"

"Of course, I never held myself highly Faris, not like you do yourself, or that girl you love so much." She walked around to the other side, now as Venka, only in a beautiful red dress, Faris despite himself felt the world slow down around him. She laughed, "You really do care about her."

"Don't talk in her voice!" He hissed angrily.

She morphed into Venka as she was, "Or what?" She said demurely, giving him an impish grin, "Are you scared?" She touched his forehead and Damien felt himself bound in chains, as he turned, he saw that the warden was Venka, even despite all this being fake the image of her face, full of disgust and distrust began to break him inside." The bones began having an easier time in dragging him down. "There, just like that, give up, let us have a ride Faris, you're too soft, with what you know and with a ruthless heart this city would be mine in days." She leaned down, still as Venka, "I'll even let you dream, pretend you're in your own eternal paradise." Faris's thoughts begin to wander to his time back in the village, before he and Venka became rivals, before Anya's visit. "There… just like that…" Anya laughed as the boy's head disappeared into the mound. She turned to the body, "There, just like that I'll… huh?" She tried to move, but could not, the mound of bones began to crack and break apart as Faris burst out. "How did you escape!"

"Well, magic can bolster my mental dueling skills." Faris watched as the skeletons around him began to shatter, as if the light was extinguishing them. Anya looked at him, pure hate on her face as she and all those he had killed retreated into his subconscious.

"Why won't you destroy us?!" She railed against him. "You won't let us take over! So, is this a sick continued vengeance!?"

"You know why." Faris sat down. "I can't forget you all whether or not I take your memories, so I might as well understand you, if I have to deal with this, then it's my penance for murdering you."

"You murdered murderers, who tried to murder you, and yet you're still guilty?" Anya looked tired, "What sort of saint were you on Earth?"

"I'm not a saint, and this is my body! My mind! I'll think whatever I want!" He laughed, "And besides! I have to thank you! Every time you all attack me it's such a great training session for my mind, I'm improving as a mental duelist by leaps and bounds."

"…I hate you and that naivety so much." Anya began to fade out of his mind. "But if you want to keep on playing king, then you better not lose yourself."

"I know." Faris said simply. She smiled cruelly.

"I know as well, don't think this is over, we'll continue to haunt your nightmares until you destroy us or we win."

"I know…" Faris opened his eyes exhausted He scanned the room until he saw Dusan, his eyes glowing in the darkness in mesmerizing way.

"Are you alright? You sounded like you were having night terrors."

Faris smiled. "I'm okay Dusan, thank you, it was just a dream."

The boy nodded, returning to his bed. Faris sighed, staring up at the ceiling, he was a little scared to go back to bed, but he knew he needed the sleep, and his 'ghosts' only attacked once in a while. Eventually, his eyes became heavy again and he fell back asleep.

"Get that sleep out of your eyes guys!" Faris handed out coffee to his friends as they yawned, the sun had barely risen over the horizon as Faris and his friends took their morning jog through the track. His breathing was fast and quick, faster than normal but still carried the excited exuberance he normally had them carry.

"Hey…" Nya backed up a bit to jog beside Venka, who was a few feet ahead of Seya, who stayed at the back constantly. "Venka, did anything happen to Faris last night after we left?"

"No not really, but I understand what you mean, he seems really tired." Venka looked at Faris in concern, he was jogging at an uneven quicker pace, as if each step was bringing him pain. She pushed ahead, "Faris you okay?"

"I'm good." He wasn't though, his right hand throbbed, both at the fist and forearm, and his chest hurt and creaked slightly. She frowned.

"Okay then."

After they finished their morning jog everyone separated to complete their morning drills. Faris was the last to finish like normal. "Don't worry guys, I'll be good, you leave me here all the time."

"But you look a little sick."

"What are you talking about?" Faris attempted to walk forward, collapsing on the ground. An audible snap was heard as several of his already damaged ribs broke and punctured his lungs. He began to bleed as his friends rushed him, Katya began attempting spells, but her panic kept her from concentrating well enough, soon other students and even teachers rushed over.

My favorite exercise shirt. Where his last thoughts before fading to darkness.

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Afterword:

He's haunted by literal psychotic manifestations of those he killed in an almost macabre haunting way, the injuries they happen to inflict on him will reflect in real life,
and he just now almost died. But he's worried about his shirt, that boy's got the right priorities.
I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Sorry it took so long.