HEY GUYS! Sorry for taking so long to get back into it! I had exam block and I had to study a lot more than I predicted! Hope you guys like these twists!

Seer Seeking

Bliss walked through the trees. He'd been walking for three days. The chirping birds had begun to annoy him two days ago and his sanity was at breaking point. Death had, however, given him a distinct new outlook on the beauty of the world. A deer cascaded through the undergrowth, shaking the morning dew from low-lying branches.

"Gods almighty I hate walking" He thought grimly to himself

The darkness was suffocating, the further he walked the softer the chirping became, the silence that followed was deafening. He could have cut through it with a knife. It permeated through the air, though it made its presence unknown... Unknown, yet calculating.

Suddenly, out of the darkness, a cottage became ever more visible. Bliss didn't slow, though he did assume a look of relief. Even as a ghost, walking sucked. He passed through the trees now, his exhaustion overcome the irksome feeling of being impaled. A warm draft passed through him as he drifted slowly through the front door of the cottage.

It was dark in here too, too dark for the incredible amount of humidity which choked the air. Bliss would have sweat if he still had sweat glands. He kept walking through the walls of the house. It was getting hotter, more difficult to see. Finally he made it to the very middle of the house. It seemed as if the entire building had been built around this room. Steam was cascading to the ceiling. It filled the room till it was almost a solid mass. The floor had seemed solid at first. It wasn't. It was grated. And the only light in the room was coming from below the grate. The hot coals billowed steam as trickles of water fell among them. It was quite eerie.

A woman was kneeling in the middle of the room her back towards Bliss, eyes closed, calm and concentrated. It was the only bit of solid ground. It was marble and gleamed in the morbidly lit room. He knew her, though he'd never had time for her or her kind in his lifetime, they were weak. Never the less, every creature had a purpose in the network of the universe. Even her.

He stood silent for a while, floating above a section of the coals, watching, thinking, calculating. The woman was waiting for something, he wasn't sure what. He'd never seen her practice before, so he simply allowed himself to observe. Her breathing slowed suddenly. Her eyes shot open. Images flashed and wavered upon the steam. They shook into forms and Bliss shuddered. The world had been torn apart. Valkyrie was there, she seemed older, stronger, more sure of herself... But darker, she didn't have emotion on her cheeks, and her eyes were devoid of that curiousness which flashed at Skulduggery. Instead, there was hate. Hate and Death. Lots of Death. In fact from what bliss could see... everything was dead except for Valkyrie. Skulduggery was there, but he isn't really alive anyway.

He'd had enough, he moved forward to leave the room. He walked briskly... A building exploded to his right. Bliss tripped, not over anything, just uncoordinated by the shock of the sudden explosion, but as he fell, his hand brushed through the woman's leg and the images shifted.

He saw his parents torn apart by Malevolent's hate fuelled rage.

China, younger, possibly sixteen, perhaps younger still, running from a grim castle, paper men with solid fists floated after her as she stumbled, her leg was bleeding, he face was torn under her chin.

A hand reached out for him. A woman's voice pleaded. Her face became visible, tears streaming down as she yelled at Bliss to run, he refused. She hurled at him with all her remaining might. He was flung backwards as shadows tore through the woman's body. Vile stepped through her fragmented flesh. Bliss ran...

The scene faded. The coals dimmed and lights turned on suddenly. Bliss was laying where he fell. He was shocked still. A hand passed through him. Cassandra Pharaohs had risen. Her eyes were closed again and concentrated. She felt around, reaching for something. Then stopped suddenly, she stopped right before his heart, then lunged her hand forward. He gasped. She gasped. He'd felt her hand. She'd felt his presence.

"Hello Mr Bliss" She croaked inquisitively

He couldn't respond his compliance.

"I can feel your mind working" she seemed to smile "You're very lost"

He couldn't help feeling worried at what she could see.

"Everything"

Well then.

"Hmmmmm"

You're an old bat.

"You're dead"

Valkyrie destroyed the world.

"She did"

This is odd.

"I agree"

How is this happening?

"I think I just found your soul.

HAHAHAHAHAHA

"Who is Lianne?"

He stiffened. He hadn't thought of that name for a long time. A thousand images flashed in his mind.

"Ahhhhh... My apologies"

Forgiven. I'm dead, but you're talking to me. What am I?

"If I were to guess, I'd say you are and essence, a shadow, a reflection. It happens when people die horrific deaths and leave something to cling to this world for"

China.

"Precisely"

Can I come back.

"Back?"

I want a body, I want magic.

Cassandra thought for a long while. For a very long while. Too long for the answer to possibly be no. She was thinking about whether it was a good idea to give the information up. Ghosts aren't nice creatures, as a general rule.

"It wouldn't hurt to have some more man power" she whispered "Hmmmmm..."

You know I am for you. I don't know what has been happening in our world. But my sister is currently in hospital, I watched her bleed and almost die, and I could do nothing about it. Please. I need to know.

The silence that followed stretched; he expected it to stretch for an eternity. Surprisingly, it didn't. In fact, he concluded that the Sanctuary in Ireland really must be desperate. Because she answered quite promptly.

"Go to the Sanctuary. They have a new doctor there. You may have heard of him" She paused "Doctor Nye"

THE Nye? In the Sanctuary? What happened to Grouse?

"Torn apart by a remnant which possessed his assistant. Any way. The point is. Nye has been in exile, researching the human soul" She paused again "It isn't full proof, in fact I'm not even sure if it will work but it's your best shot"

Thank you. How do I get him to see me? I doubt he'll be able to feel me like you are now.

"You're right. Dying didn't dull your mind. I'll take you there."

You will?

"Yes, as I said. We could use the man power"

I sure hope this works.

"Me too Mr Bliss, me too"

...