-Akuji-

Why was I doing this? This might be our only option, but why was I putting my undead life on the line for a man that I hardly knew? Was it because I fancied his daughter? That fact in itself was incredibly wrong. The last person I was with tried to, and did, kill me. But it wasn't really his fault, was it? Did he really have such negative intentions? I found it difficult to believe that Emir would kill me, and I had felt that way since I remembered what happened. It was true that our relationship wasn't a happy one, and it was somewhat forced, but I did really end up loving him.

Maybe it was the fact I wanted to be a hero again. I felt very powerful then I saved that woman if I could call it saving. I wanted to feel that same exhilaration and satisfaction that I had back then.

I sighed and continued to walk through the woods. It was unnerving being out here by myself, even though I had been assured that I wasn't really by myself. The red leaves which surrounded me offered no comfort. The colour reminded me of the blood which once stained my dress. It was also the place where the guards had been found, but I wasn't sure if Neith had picked up on that or not.

Leaves crushed under my feet, and I approached a stream. I didn't have enough time to relish in the sight of the trickling and rushing water, which splashed me a little as I walked south-west. The small compass that I held in my hand was very strange, it didn't seem to work right. It always wanted to point in many different directions before settling on one. With every step I moved, the needle spun around again.

A house soon came into view, and I suddenly felt cold. The house was large and dark, several stories high, and made of stone. There was a black gate which creaked as I opened it. A crow complained at the noise, mimicking it as they flew over my head.

It felt like a lair of an evil villain. Which it probably was.

I hurried down the path and to the door, seeking some sort of comfort from the chill. The sooner I do this, the sooner things can go back to normal.

Before I knocked, it swung open, revealing an angry-looking Musa. "Javed, what-" His eyes widened as he saw me, and he cleared his throat. "Miss Akuji, I wasn't expecting you here." He leant against the door and offered a charming smile.

I became overly aware of my facial expression and my body language. My eyes were wide, and I was shaking with fear and the cold. "Musa, you have to help me," I begged. "I know that it's very sudden and I shouldn't have come here. But I overheard Javed telling Neith where you were, and I had to talk to you."

He sighed. "What has my niece done now?" he asked with a tone of pity. "I swear, she didn't get her social skills from her uncle. Or her magic skills for that matter."

I kept his bragging in mind as I continued, "she's refusing to help me." I clasped my hands together. "She just wants me to continue living my life as though nothing happened, but I can't do that. I need the answers to what happened to me, or what is happening to me. She won't do any research into necromancy or whatever happened."

He gave a booming laugh. "Is that so? Well, I'm hardly surprised. Maybe she copied that trait from her father." He pushed himself off the doorframe and gestured for me to come in. "I'll show you what happened, then you can make your own choices."

I hesitantly followed him inside. He looked like a shadow, barely touching the floor as he walked briskly and without a sound. I didn't dwell on the interior design as I focused on following, making sure I didn't trip and making sure that he didn't pull anything on me.

The silence of the house was disturbing. I thought that Nairn would be shouting and making a scene just like he had back at his house. He would be loud, I even half-expected him to open the door to me. It would mean that I could leave and never have to look at a building like this again.

I was led into a room with several tables. "Welcome to my workshop," Musa said and held out an arm, gesturing inside. "This is where I do all my magical and scientific research. You wouldn't believe half of what goes on in here."

I doubted that. I had spent the last few hours imagining what horrific things were in this house. I stayed quiet and stepped into the room. The tables were covered with white sheets. Some of them had large books placed on top, others had beakers of foaming or steaming chemicals.

"So, what exactly were you interested in?" Musa shifted around me and leant on one of the tables, one of them which held a white sheet, hiding something underneath. "I can tell you many things about necromancy."

I hoped that my flinch wasn't noticeable. His stare was creeping me out, as was the fact he seemed to find enjoyment in the topic.

"What exactly happened to me?" I asked slowly. It wasn't a lie. I wanted to know what happened to me that night. At least, I assumed that it would bring me some peace. I didn't want to know that Emir had been planning this for months, I didn't want to hear that there was something wrong with me.

"How about a demonstration?" he offered. He didn't wait for my response as he stripped the white cloth from the table.

My mouth and eyes widened in horror. I had seen the dead, at least I thought I had. The figure on the table had black hair which held no shine. Their skin was pale and turning a disgusting mix of grey and blue. It was as though they were posting for a photograph. Their posture was stiff, and they didn't move.

The most disturbing thing about them was the fact that I recognised them as Nairn.

"I know, it must be shocking." Musa placed a hand on my shoulder. I couldn't even move away from his touch; I was paralyzed. "It's not difficult to raise someone from the dead, you just need to know the ingredients that you need."

I didn't like how he talked about resurrection as though it was a simple baking recipe.

He started to dance around the room, picking up herbs and candles as he went. "You see, there has to be some emotion into it. Or else it really wouldn't work." He shook his head as he lit some white candles. "Without the emotional connection, the want for the person to wake up and to live could cause emotionless corpses to just rise. That would create mindless beasts."

The information made my head spin even more than Musa's actions. Does that mean that Emir didn't want me dead? Did he even want to kill me? Maybe he was forced to do that, or maybe he just wanted to do whatever he had to do in order to please whoever was orchestrating it. He had blue eyes back then, so surely it wasn't within his control?

"Why is his hair black?" I asked, interrupting his lecture. "It used to be blue."

Musa turned back to look at his brother before turning back to look at me, doing so a few times before he raised his hands. "Well, you're an observant one. It's because the blue is magic." He ran a hand through his hair. "Just like the blueness of eyes, magic can show itself through hair colour as well."

I knew that I just assumed that the magic would always stay with the person. It was even more peculiar seeing him with black hair as opposed to the unnatural blue. I had gotten so used to the happy and lively man; it seemed that all the joy had been sucked out of him.

Oh my goodness, Neith. How would she react if she saw this? She lost both of her parents. She was alone, with nobody but Dalila and a crazed uncle. I was glad that she didn't have to witness this.

I tried to compose myself as rage started to flow through me. My hands balled into fists, and I tried to listen more intently about how life was given to the dead.

"Now, it's time for the show." Musa gestured dramatically to the air. The flames of the candles shot up, as though being given a burst of oxygen, and yet it became darker. It was as though shadows cascaded from the veiling, the very centre of the ceiling became a whirlpool of black and the shadows creeped down the wall, only separating where the lights of the candle reached.

I wanted to run for the door, but I couldn't see it anymore. It was like it had completely vanished. Everything had vanished other than the table and the candles.

Nairn's corpse sprung to life, like he had been pushed forward by an unseen force and looked at me. His eyes were the same blue as mine, and as Emir's when he killed me. It felt like Deja vu had hit me in the face. The lifeless look in his eyes, his pale skin, his dull hair. It all reminded me of Emir and myself.

"Y-you-" was all I managed to get out as I started to back away from the table.

"Me? Yes, I did that." Musa gestured towards Nairn. Something looked wrong. He was leaning heavily on the table. His hair had darkened, which could've been a result of the shadows in the room, and he looked older. Shadows were under his eyes, and his smile had disappeared.

Nairn started to move, one leg swinging over the table.

I jumped back and didn't care about not being able to see the door. I found the handle amongst the darkness and yanked it, swinging the door open and running in any direction I could. It was lighter in the hallways, but I didn't know my way around the large house. The corridors were complex, and I didn't remember where the door was.

I pulled on one of the first doors I came to with the intention to hide inside of the room, but I halted. There were more tables here. Except some of the corpses weren't covered up. I couldn't believe my eyes as Emir's corpse came into view. He stared up at me with his dull eyes, a smile had been etched on his face.

I covered my mouth to stop me from screaming, failing when I heard the door slam shut behind me. I looked around the room for another exit, the windows. They looked promising. Even if I fell, that wouldn't hurt me too much. Surely, since I'm dead, it wouldn't hurt much at all.

The corpses in the room started to rise to their feet, only quickening my escape attempt. One of them swung a fist at me, breaking the window which I was trying to open. I circled around the room, until getting to the window again and ducking out of the way. They smashed the window again. I repeated the cycle until the window was smashed enough for me to get through.

It hurt, but it wasn't the fall which caused the most damage. I had cut my hands and legs getting to the other side, I climbed down the building, trying not to look down at the drop below me. I managed to get to solid ground after jumping from a small shed which was on the side of the house.

I didn't know what direction I was going in; I had dropped the dodgy compass in the room with the corpses. I went in the direction which seemed the safest and free of things which I could trip over.

The slamming of a door echoed through my head. It was as though the sound had a direct link to my ears. I didn't look back, in fear that Musa would be hot on my tail. I just continued to run.

I unfastened and dropped the cloak as I ran, it had become a hindrance. I couldn't move my arms properly whilst I was wearing it. The fabric had threatened to trip me up too many times.

I started to recognise the trees and the structures. I recognised the mill which was to the right of the village, and the large rock which I had leant against the day before. I didn't know what came over me, but I went to the one place that I could navigate. The one place that I knew very well, as Javed taught me everything he knew about the well.

I leaped over the flowers and stood in front of the well. I was stuck, but I also thought that Musa wouldn't be able to get here, I didn't know why. Javed had told me so much about this place, I didn't know what fact or fiction was. I just felt like this was a sensible place for Neith or Javed to be.

"Akuji!" a voice called from behind me. Neith ran from the other side of the circle, but she didn't enter. "What happened in the house?"

I looked between her and Javed, who both had equally panicked expressions. "Musa, he killed them." Tears were streaming down my face, from both the wind and the shock. "We need to get away from here."

A dark laugh reached my ears, and I nearly froze where I stood. Neith's glare made me turn around. Musa was leaning against a tree, his skin paler than ever, his hair bluer than ever.

"Javed, you really told them everything?" Musa asked with a scolding tone. "What have I told you about talking to strangers?"

Javed shuffled behind Neith. I was still the only one within the circle, but at least Musa was on the other side of it.

"What exactly is your plan, Musa?" Neith asked confidently. "What are you up to?" She crossed her arms and held her chin high.

Musa laughed. "Didn't your dearly departed tell you?" his wording made a shiver go down my spine, the memory of Nairn waking up and walking towards me was still fresh. "I want to raise an army."

"No!" Javed shouted. "You won't do it."

Musa tilted his head, a grin crawling across his lips. "Oh? And who is going to stop me?" He raised his hands, now encased with blue flames.

I backed away so that the back of my knees were flat against the stone of the well. I glanced towards Neith and Javed, who were also backing away.

"You're weak," Neith observed. "I can take you."

I was mentally cursing her. She was provoking him. She should be running with Javed, not looking back. This wasn't a part of the plan.

Musa laughed again, his smile growing. It was becoming the expression of nightmares. Insane joy without a single rational thought in his mind. He threw the flames to the ground, and all hell broke loose.