I stared angrily into the eyes of a girl I thought I'd come to know. The fact that I was being played should not have surprised me, and yet it did.

  "It is not what you think!" Elvira hurriedly soothed, her voice tinged with desperation.

  "How is it not? You had Will powers this whole time," I pointed out, skepticism lacing my tone.

  "I only got those recently," Elvira said, tears welling in her eyes.

  "How could that be possible?" I questioned, struggling to believe her words.

  "It is because I gave it to her," stated a placating voice that emanated from Elvira's mouth yet was not hers. I recognized the voice as the same one that called me the second coming of the Angel of Mercy.

  I was shocked by this turn of events. Elvira's eyes shifted from their lovely amethyst hue to the darkest black.

  "Hello, Mercy. It’s lovely to see you again in the flesh," the familiar voice purred, smooth and seductive.

  "Who are you, and what have you done to Elvira?" I demanded, feeling a mix of fear and anger.

  "Oh, nothing much. This girl always sought my power; it was her destiny, and she was well-suited for it. Originally, she would have sought an immortal, undying body, but as expected, your presence changes things. You are always an agent of change!" the voice explained, a hint of amusement woven into its tone.

  "What do you know of me?" I asked, searching for answers about the entity I was speaking to.

  "I have known you for a very long time, Mercy. Even in your darkest days, you sang sweet love songs to me," the voice cooed, a touch of nostalgia creeping in.

  "Why do you call me Mercy? Was that my name?"

  "No! That is what you are!" the voice exclaimed as if it were the only truth.

  "And what are you?"

  "I am the Goddess of Death, or in your original world, what you called the Angel of Death," the voice claimed, each word resonating with power.

  "Why are you here?"

  "I am everywhere, love, but in this instance, I am here because of you," Death stated, her tone both enticing and unsettling.

  "I don't understand," I replied, my confusion deepening.

  "Of course you don't. You are a confused little thing since you lost a part of your mind. Why do you think I accepted fusing what was left of you into that body when Avo and Skorm asked me to? It was so I could bring you back," the voice said, monotone yet laced with a sweetness that felt almost sinister.

  "If that's true, then why possess Elvira?"

  "I am not possessing her. She is my Avatar! A part of our being has merged, and thus she gained a small part of my power. In exchange, through her heart, I can feel emotions. I can feel what she feels, and just as part of me is her, then I am with you too. You could say that, just like you and that ‘boy,’ we are now one and the same. We are different parts of each other now. She is letting me fully borrow her body momentarily to explain. This is entirely willing on her part," the Goddess of Death elaborated.

  “Wow, you sound like a real romantic!” I scoffed, suppressing the unease that threatened to bubble to the surface. And quite a psychotic loon!

  "You doubt me because you don’t remember how you—only you—were never afraid of my touch! I will not despair, for someday I know you shall remember how you shared with me such sweet sorrow," Death declared, her voice echoing ominously.

  "How could I forget someone so… unique?"

  "Relax, love. I have a gift for you..." Death whispered in my ear as her voice faded away.

  ...

  A moment later, Brom was the first to break the silence. "WHAT THE F@&K?" It seemed even the always calm and collected Brom had a limit.

  This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.

  "Well said, Dad," I added, my own bewilderment mirrored in his expression.

  Scarlet was rocking Kren back and forth, desperately trying to silence the now crying baby, too busy to get involved. I could tell she was equally concerned, though. Sorry, Mom!

  "Look, guys, I’m not a hundred percent certain what's going on, but Elvira always went to Lychfield Graveyard and met the Goddess of Death," Theresa interjected, her brow furrowed in thought.

  "I needed the power to help you and not be left behind. I had no talent; my body was just well-suited to hold her power. She offered more than I could ask for in exchange for very little," Elvira argued, her voice rising in her defense.

  "What, so every time I'm with you, my ex I don’t even remember is getting in on the action? Not to mention she’s the Goddess of Death herself! That’s so creepy!" I shot back, my frustration boiling over.

  "You are technically a little more than just one person, and relationships are complicated," Elvira defended, crossing her arms defiantly.

  "Not like that they aren’t! At least not normally!" I bounced back, exasperated.

  "Well, everyone wants to be with the pretty blonde, but nobody wants to sleep with Death!" Elvira pouted, a hint of vulnerability creeping into her voice.

  "How is that an argument?" I demanded, feeling the tension rising.

  Just then, a voice crackled to life through the guild seal in Scarlet’s hand. "Scarlet Robe! Archmage Maze is looking for you."

  "Bring him here, Mother! I've been expecting him. I’ll have to deal with this later!" I exclaimed, giving Elvira a glare.

  "Scarlet Robe, can you dismiss your family? I need to talk to you about something," Maze said, his tone all business.

  "If it’s about the mysterious wizard that fought Jack, it’s best we stay," I added, knowing our shared history with that monster.

  "How so, boy?" Maze asked sharply, his eyes narrowing.

  "Because I AM THAT MAGE," I replied, my voice steady and firm.

  "HAHAHA," Maze laughed, the sound echoing off the walls.

  "No seriously, who was he?" Maze added, still chuckling.

  "He tells the truth," Scarlet replied, her gaze unwavering.

  "You too, Scarlet? This isn’t funny," Maze grumbled, though I sensed the beginnings of doubt in his tone.

  "It is not a joke," I insisted as I cast [Dark Visage]. The old man's face contorted into a comically shocked expression.

  "I have mastered magic in ways others in this time have not. There is a part of a hero from another time within me—one who hails from a future where Jack succeeded in destroying the world. He started with Oakvale, but I have prevented its fall this time. I know that in the other timeline, you served him by force and were betrayed. It was a tragic end. I have shown I have the means to defeat him. Give me time and resources, and he won’t stand a chance. I also have other things to offer that even you cannot turn down." I bargained with Maze, my conviction is unshakeable.

  "What can you offer that even I could not refuse?" Maze questioned, skepticism evident in his tone.

  "When you died in the future, you said that for some, defeating death is all there is and that you had failed. I know how to create a spell that can halt aging, but it won’t stop you from dying by blade or spell. The same may be true with life force; once that’s depleted, you may just die from an unknown cause. But until then, your body won’t age," I explained, my resolve hardening. I wasn’t concerned about upsetting Death; if anything, I hoped it would anger her. But she likely wouldn’t care, especially since everyone would eventually die.

  "That is indeed a great offer. Just the fact that I will not need to keep serving that monster is enough," Maze agreed, the weight of my proposition sinking in.

  "Good, because Theresa has Will powers as well and will be joining me at the Guild. Also, I’ll need you to teach me how you perform your short-range teleport. I’m a bit worried about figuring that out on my own since my version of the spell is unique," I negotiated.

  "Of course, I wouldn’t want to hold back on your lessons, and the more, the merrier," Maze chuckled, the tension easing.

  "Are you ready to go now?" Maze asked.

  "Can we make just one stop? I need to get something from the Temple of Skorm."

  ...

  "Welcome to the Temple of Skorm… Oh, Archmage Maze… and two children?" the Skorm priest said, his eyes widening in recognition.

  "Yes, well, this boy has business with your God!" Maze told the priest, a hint of urgency in his voice.

  "Does he?" the priest replied, skepticism lining his features.

  "Pray to your God and ask him if he wants you to give me Skorm’s Bow. He will answer you if you do," I commanded, my voice steady and authoritative.

  "Your joke is not funny, kid," the priest said, his tone dripping with disdain.

  I responded by using force-based light energy to lift the man off the ground, executing a "Darth Vader" maneuver by grasping his throat. "I said ask your God! He is expecting me!"

  The priest complied, dropping to his knees in prayer. After a moment of tense silence, he shot upright, his expression one of awe. "Yes, my Dark Lord!" he exclaimed.

  The priest hurried into another room, rummaging through something. I could hear the sound of multiple locks being undone. When he re-entered, he held Skorm’s Bow—the most powerful bow in the Fable universe.

  The weapon appeared far more sinister than I remembered. The red part of the guard pulsed like a beating heart. Taking this thing might not be a good idea! I hesitated, reluctant to claim my once-favorite ranged weapon from the game. This was real life, and there were consequences to dealing with the devil. I didn’t want the damn thing for myself...

  "It’ll be fine, just take it!" Theresa scolded, tapping her temple next to her eye, the motion indicating she had looked into the future and deemed it safe.

  I accepted the weapon from the priest only to hand it to Theresa once we were out the door.

  "For me? You shouldn’t have!" Theresa squealed in mock surprise, though she seemed genuinely happy to receive the bow. I squinted my eyes at her, trying to gauge her true feelings.

  It is because I gave it to her", stated a placating voice that came out of Elvira's mouth and yet was not hers.

  Hello Mercy, It lovely to see you again in the flesh," The familiar voice purred.

  Oh nothing much, this girl would always seek my power as it was her destiny and she was well suited for it. Originally she would have just sought an immortal undying body but as expected your presence changes things. You are always an agent of change!"

  I have known you for a very long time Mercy even in your darkest days you sang sweet love songs to me," The voice cooed.

  No! That is what you are!" The voice exclaimed as if it was the only truth.

  I am the Goddess of death or in your original world what you called the angel of death," The voice claimed.

  I am everywhere love but in this instance, I am here because of you." Death stated.

  Of course you don't, you are a confused little thing since you lost a part of your mind. Why do you think I accepted fusing what was left of you into that body when Avo and Skorm asked me too. It was so I could bring you back," The voice monotone with what felt like an attempt to sound sweet.

  I am not possessing her. She is my Avatar! A part of our being has merged and thus she gained a small part of my power and in exchange, through her heart, I can feel emotions. I can feel what she feels and just as part of me is her then I am with you too. You could say that just like you and that "boy" we are now one and the same. We are different parts of each other now. She is letting me fully borrow her body momentarily to explain. This is entirely willing on her part," The Goddess of Death explained.

  And quite a psychotic loon!

  You doubt me because you don't remember how you and only you were never afraid of my touch! I will not despair for someday I know you shall remember how you shared with me such sweet sorrow," Death declared forebodingly.

  Relax Love, I have a gift for you...", Death whispered in my ear as her voice faded away.

  Sorry, mom!

  Maybe taking this thing is not a good idea! I was reluctant to claim my once-favorite ranged weapon in the game. This is real life and there are consequences to dealing with the devil. Also, I didn't want the damn thing for myself...

  Still seemed happy to get the bow though, I thought as I squinted my eyes at her.