Unknown Beginnings Pt. 00: Prelude

"You are mine."

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Chapter 3

I had passed out on the bed in the tavern room; I woke up hoping to find Soren in the room with me in his warm embrace, the last night all just a crazy hallucination, the effect of bad ale. My heart sank when I saw that he was nowhere to be seen, and pain shot from my pelvic region confirming the events of last night. What was Soren? He couldn't have been anything human. The only conclusion I could come up with was that he was something demonic, and during intercourse, had possessed me. I jumped from the bed and hurriedly threw on my clothes. Quietly, I escaped from the tavern without attracting any attention and raced home. Entering the house, I noticed that Renley was home, sitting at the table and eating breakfast. He stood up and walked over to me; I stood in fear of what was to come.

Tightly, he embraced me and kissed my forehead while speaking about how worried he was when I didn't come home, that he had gone out looking in the night for me. He apologized for the all the late nights saying that he had been helping to build the temple since there was such a rush for it to be completed before winter. Because of these extra hours, he would come home exhausted and not in the mood for any sexual acts. Guilt washed over me like a flood; my husband hadn't been cheating on me like I had suspected, and I went out and acted like a whore to get back at him. What had I done? How could I have been so ignorant? I broke off from his warm clutch and lied to him saying I spent the night with one of the other wives whose husband was out on a journey, and that she needed some company. He said he was glad that I was safe now, and continued to say that he would be working on the temple quite often now at night and the next month would probably be more of the same. Leaving for work, he kissed me goodbye and said that he would come home after work for supper, then head out to the temple after from now on so that I needn't be worried about his absence.

When he had left, I leapt up the stairs to our bedroom to change out of these clothes, and to freshen up. I noticed my wedding ring on the dresser; pausing, the brutal memories last night pounded at my conscience. As the first step in righting my wings, I needed to put the ring back on and try to forget that night of deceit and adultery. I reached for the ring, and slipped it on my ring finger. Suddenly, searing pain shot up my arm emanating from the ring. I cried out in pain and ripped the band off and threw it on the ground. My finger was burned and was starting to bleed. I gripped it with my right hand and collapsed to my knees and wept. Not about the excruciating pain pulsing from my finger, but from the realization that I really was possessed by a demon, and could not touch such a holy symbol as a wedding ring.

Hours passed, and when the tears would come to my eyes no more, I pushed myself up from the ground. I was weak, and my legs trembled with every step, but I managed to make it down the stairs and to the hearth. Grabbing the tongs used to move the wood around, I made my way back up the stairs into the bedroom. Slowly, carefully, I picked up the ring with the tongs and felt a slight tinge in my left hand. With haste, I lifted the ring and dropped it into the top drawer of the dresser. Moving some clothes on top of it, I made sure that the ring was out of sight where Renley would not see it. I noticed that the wound on my ring finger was already starting to heal. A crazy idea entered my mind; I sprinted down to back to the fire and put the tongs back in their place. Kneeling down, I reached out my left hand to the small flames flickering amongst the coals. They seemed to beckon me closer; their dance a soft whisper inviting me in.

My fingers came dangerously close to the fire, and I wanted to retract my arm, but something else was pushing it forward against my will. Finally, my hand became immersed in the flames; my head tilted back and my vision went dark. Heat flooded my body, it circulated through my veins, but I knew I was not burning. My vision came back, and my body was wreathed in flames. No sound escaped my mouth; I simply stood up and looked at my reflection in the picture frame above the fireplace. I felt strong, and energy coursed through my blood with every heartbeat. My body was different. It no longer had the signs of age to it that I had been noticing, and all the hair was burnt from my body except that on my head. A soft voice spread through my mind and rang through every nerve in my body, whispering,

"Feel my power."

I willed the flames around me to stop, and they obeyed. The fire followed my orders. I concentrated my thoughts to my right hand and directed the fire there, and behold, they sprang up and formed a sphere in my palm like I envisioned. This new force raging within my bones gave me confidence, and I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that I could not stay with Renley. With even more assurance, I could feel Soren's life force woven into my sinew, I could sense his presence in my soul.

And I loved it.

The next month I spent going through the motions with Renley. He was such a good man, and I struggled with ending our relationship. I wanted desperately to walk out the front door, never to return, but I admit that I knew little of adventuring and what exactly lay beyond Greenwood Forest. So, I practiced creating fire in secret every day, increasing my experience with the little guidance I could sense from Soren moving within me. At night, when Renley was out building the temple, I went to the tavern to talk with adventurers about their quests and journeys. My knowledge of the outlying area grew as I socialized with those passing through, and with the funds Renley had saved I knew I had the means to make it on my own. I wanted to find a tutor, someone who could teach me the art of magic and fire, but no such thing existed in Greenwood Vale, and it would be much too dangerous to practice here as word travels quickly.

Causally, I would search through the markets for any spell books or scrolls without looking too suspicious, but none turned up. I was getting impatient with myself. I wanted to leave now, but there was also another factor holding me to Renley: I missed my cycle this month. I knew that the child wasn't his, since we hadn't been to bed since he started on the temple. Fear and excitement both were at the forefront of my mind when I though about the child being Soren's. I could feel it getting bigger inside me; a deep connection bound us together more so, I suppose, than any regular conception. It felt as though I had Soren nurturing inside me as a babe. I knew it was a boy, and I could feel him growing at a fast rate within my womb, however, my stomach never grew. What plagued my mind was that I knew I couldn't take a newborn out into the woods, which would delay my departure up to a year. I knew I loved the child, and would until the day I died, but I needed to leave soon; I hoped that Renley would take care of him and raise him well, despite it not being his own.

I made up my mind to have the child in Greenwood Vale, then disappear after that. I dreamed that one day I would return to the child, and we would be reunited once more. A deep throb in my gut told me that would never happen. Over the next month, in preparation, I started to create a secret stash of supplies so that I would be absolutely prepared for the day when the child came.

It was less than a month when the temple was finished, and of course I avoided the grand opening. If a wedding band shot pain through my body and burnt a scar into my finger, I didn't want to experience what effect getting near a holy church would have. Paladins and clerics started to flood the town; I stayed hidden indoors, afraid of their holy magic that they would sense the demon inside me. Renley was home every evening now, but thankfully my stomach had not grown at all. I could tell the baby was getting close, very close, like any second I could be doubled over on the floor in agony bringing Soren's child into the world.

Chapter 4

It happened a few days later. I was preparing dinner when if felt like a knife was stabbed into my stomach. Falling to the floor on my hands knees, I took long breaths to try to handle the intense pain. Fluid started to run down the sides of my legs; the contractions were not subsiding, so I fumbled my way onto my back, grasping at the table legs for support. Inside my womb, I could feel the child moving around trying to claw its way out of my stomach. Small swords tempted to tear through my abdomen, so I pushed with all my might to redirect the child so that he would come out the proper way, and not leave a gaping hole in my midsection. I screamed, and my muscles tensed around my cervix, squeezing the child down the birth canal. Through my shut eyes, I could see the bright light from the flames engulfing my body. I was in such agony that flames were spurting from every orifice, burning my clothes and lighting the table on fire.

I could sense Soren inside me. It was as if his hands were leading the child out into the world. It comforted me knowing that Soren wanted this child, and would help me through this excruciating process. Through my desperate screams, I could hear a faint voice telling me to breathe, and to push. Startled, my eyes shot open, afraid to see Renley looming over me. But when I opened my eyes, it wasn't Renley, but Soren, naked, and exactly the way I remember him. His image wasn't a solid form, but seemed to shift and flow. He was kneeling, and leaning over where the baby would come out, yet even though he was visibly apart from me, I could feel his touch caressing my body, trying to keep me calm. Me breathing became less ragged, and I focused on my contractions while staring deep into the silver pools of Soren's eyes. Even though his hands were holding the baby's head that was now protruding from the birth canal, I could feel his fingers interlocked with mine, somehow giving me a solid foundation to clamp onto through each contraction. Soren pulled the baby out with my final push, and as the flames retracted into my body, I noticed that the umbilical cord was split in two, one end attaching to me, and the other to Soren's stomach. The placenta quickly followed, and Soren detached the umbilical cord from the child; the end connected to him slinked back into his abdomen and disappeared from sight. Soren brought the baby to my arms, and I held my beautiful child for the first time.

Through the blood, I could tell that his skin was slightly red, and he had the same small black scars like his father. His eyes were also a dark silver that I got lost in. Poking from his head were two tiny horns. The child was silent, but breathed steadily; I ran my hand through the small patch of black hair on his head, and I pulled him close. It suddenly dawned on me that I would be leaving this baby behind. I clung to him for dear life, and my tears washed down his body and dripped from his tiny feet. Soren was running his hands through my hair; he was now kneeling behind me and my head was resting in his lap. I wanted to live in this moment forever, but I knew that by stating I was endangering the life of myself, and more importantly, my child. This child was a part of me, and I loved him more than anything in the world, but with me, he would not be safe.

I sat up and turned to face Soren. I kissed him passionately on the lips, proud of the child we had made together; he kissed back, gently, and I could feel his body seeping back into mine. I looked, and he was no more. Shakily, I stood up with the baby in my hands. The table had been incinerated during the birth, and the chairs were charred and black. There was an outline burnt into the floor where I had lain, and to my surprise, the floor was absolutely clean of blood and fluid. I made my way up to the bedroom and wrapped the baby in a blanket, laying him on the bed. He watched me with his big eyes as I darted around the room putting on clothes and gathering my hidden supplies. Finally, I opened the top drawer of the dresser to grab some final items when I remembered my wedding ring, and I got an idea. I ran down to the fireplace to grab the tongs. Carefully, I picked the ring up from the drawer and placed it on top. Then, I grabbed my gold necklace and pulled the jewel from it. Threading the necklace through the ring sent pain shooting up my arms, but I managed to clasp the two ends together, securing the ring in the loop. Now for the final test: Would the ring burn the child?

A small piece of me hoped that the holiness of the ring would not sear my child, that he wasn't tainted like I was. I was running out of time since Renley would be home soon for supper, so I picked up the necklace with the tongs and crept towards the child with it dangling in front. Cautiously, I lowered it towards him; his petite hands reached out for the ring, his eyes captivated by its glimmer and shine. I turned away, afraid to see my child in pain that I had afflicted upon him. Instead, I heard soft coos and the chiming of the chain being twisted and tossed. A tear fell from my eye. My child could still pursue holiness, and the demon inside me was not inside him. The realization dawned on me that I could leave the child to the church, where he could train to be a great warrior, or paladin or cleric, and not be bound to the life of Renley Stormshield, the blacksmith. With a new enthusiasm, I pulled the tongs away from the baby and went down to the kitchen to find a basket. Covering it with a towel, I dropped the ring in the bottom that would hopefully go unseen, and would remain with my child forever. I wanted him to have a piece of me with him; hopefully, he would know that I love him.

I picked up the child from the bed. He had fallen asleep while I was gone, and his skin had turned a darker shade of red, almost a copper colour. I embraced him one last time, then placed him in the basket I had prepared. Throwing on my new cloak, and drawing the hood, I gathered my things and opened the door. Lastly, I picked up the basket with my child in it and left the world of Gretchen Stormshield. A note was left on the bed for Renley explaining that I had left, and was not coming back. That I had discovered a new purpose in life and was off to pursue it. The note ended asking him to please not come after me, for I would not be found. I planned on searching out a new city, far from Greenwood Forest, and studying the arcane arts as Gretchen Darkbound. I had my whole life ahead of me, being in my mid twenties, and I wanted to explore the powers within me. As I approached the temple, my head started to feel like it was being compressed, and my body started to feel warmer with each step. With sheer will, I pressed on, and though I could feel my extremities start to blister, no amount of pain would stop me from my goal. Tears were streaming down my face as I left my child at the door of the temple, from the terrible pain of the holy power surrounding the temple, but mostly from the love of my baby. Even though the streets were dead at this hour with people in their homes enjoying their dinner and conversation, I knew someone would come by the temple soon, and my child would be brought inside to safety. For whoever found him, I left a note in the basket that read,

"This child is special, and has a fire inside of him that hungers for justice. I know that one day he will do great things. Please, take care of my little boy, and raise him to be a strong man. His name is Soren Lightsworn."

End of Prelude.

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