After recovering from news his father had dropped upon him, Jason followed his father out of the storage shed. The sun was rising already. He had been practicing a lot longer than he thought. It was not often that he lost track of time when practicing. Looking at Vareth's back, something else had dawned on him. His father knew. He knew that he would practice in secret and where to find him, and it did not seem to surprise him to find his son outside in the storage shed swinging a sword at the crack of dawn. How much did his parents know about the life he had tried to keep hidden from them?
When Jason had entered the house, he saw his father heading down the hallway to one of the back rooms of the house. Jason proceeded to follow his father into the back room, there he saw his mother sitting down with a nervous smile on her face as she is waiting for them.
"Good morning, Mother," Jason greeted her with a big smile, attempting to lighten the mood.
"Jason, you should sit down for this, it is going to be a lot of information we are going to share with you, and it will add a great burden to your shoulders," Lily said. As her eyes seemed to be fighting back her emotions.
Vareth said nothing as he bent down next to the rug in the center of the room. His large hands grabbed the rug and removed it off the floor. Revealing the old hardwood floor underneath. Vareth drew a thin metal tool from his pocket and used it to pry up the wood. Which showed an old metal strongbox with a heavy lock underneath.
Watching his father removed that old strongbox from the hole in the floor. Jason could not help but wonder what kind of secrets his parents had kept from him and how dangerous were they?
Lilly removed her neckless that she had always worn for as long as he could remember. It had a key on it. He used to always fantasize about what it would open as a small child. But now he saw her hand it over to Vareth. He knew it would open that lock.
Once the lock was removed, Vareth had to use the thin tool he had used to pry up the floor to pry open the strongbox because it has rusted shut. When it was finally opened, Vareth reached in and pulled out an old-looking letter with a broken wax seal, a silver ring when a blue sapphire. The design of the ring matched the signet ring design used the seal the wax on the letter. And a black box, with strange markings that almost seemed to move in the candlelight.
"Jason, you should read the letter before we try to explain anything. It will answer some of your questions, as well as leave you with even more," Lily said. She was rubbing her hands together nervously. She was worried. Did they think he was angry at them for waiting to show him this? was he mad? he could not tell yet. His mind kept going to the black box.
Jason looked at both his parents' faces. He could see the emotions flowing in their eyes. Vareth stood up, carrying the items he had removed from the strongbox, brought them over to where Jason was sitting and sat them down on the small table next to him. Jason picked up the letter with shaking hands. His eyes, however, were still on the black box.
The letter felt well-made and of high quality. The old paper felt smooth between his fingers as they shakily moved to unfold it. Revealing the neat handwriting, although he could tell it was written with haste.
"I had but no choice other than to task my loyal guards with the safety of my son and daughter. If they survived the siege and made it to safety, then we did not. However, they would have been the ones to raise you both if they perished and you both still made it out alive. Hopefully to have been raised by someone else, who would be of a noble soul to raised two kids that were not their own. I beseech them to raise my son and daughter right, for they are nobles of the House of Antonius and most likely the last living heirs to the house.
Please give them the best education you can so that they may be ready to lead the noble house.
To my daughter, you are a few years older than your younger brother. Please help take care of him, but do not neglect your own education as well. Because of your mother, I became a baron and fulfilled that role granted unto me by the king. We never planned on raising you like the other noble ladies. We had intended to teach you the art of swordsmanship as well so that you may fight your own battles on the field and in the court through your own intellect.
To my son, if you are reading this letter, your mother and I are dead. The night you were born. The estate was besieged by an unknown enemy. Hopefully, your sister made it out as well and is with you. We sent her away after you. Her name is Emily Antonius. If she is not with you, she still may yet be alive. Please look for her when you have come of age to travel.
Please be strong, my son. Do not rush finding her, for when you see her, if our enemies are still alive, they will be alerted of your presence."
The letter slipped from his grip as his mind raced to process everything it had revealed to him. He had a sister. He had known he was adopted, but his actual family was murdered while he somehow escaped the same fate. Who knows what had happened to his sister Emily? If she was found with him, then she would be here with him reading this letter. But she was not here.
"We do not know what caused your family's deaths, but we have our suspicions. When I found you, it was only you."
Vareth's face dropped to his hands, and he took a deep breath before continuing.
"It was in the Dark Forest. I went inside the forest after dark to try and find some ore because we were struggling to make it, the ore from the mines cost had gone up, and I needed to do something, for I could not sit by idly and watch my wife wither away to nothing because of lack of money to buy food. So, I went into the forest only to have met with a will-of-the-whisp. I had thought that by creature showing up that I was going to die that night for they either guide you to safety or to your death, but I was not lost, for I had just entered the tree line. I thought about turning back at that point, but I steeled my heart and listened to want it wanted of me. It wanted me to follow, promising me many things if I did. I chose to follow it. It led me deep into the forest. Its presence with me had caused the other creatures of the forest to leave me alone. Near the base of the mountain, we came to a clearing. There it was. It was an old mining tunnel. That son is how I discovered the cold iron mines. The Will-of-the-whisp stopped and looked around before explained to me the deal it wanted me to accept. It told me that the mines had ore still and that if I did one simple task for it, the undead of the forest would leave me alone, and I would be able to come freely to the mines. It refused to tell me what it wanted and pressured me to agree before knowing. I gave in easier than I would care to admit, and it was at that point it told me the task had yet to arrive, and I could explore the mines and mine what I wanted, so that is what I did. When I came, I saw the bodies of dead soldiers that were not there when I entered the mine. That is when I heard you crying. The creature then told me that I must take you with me and raise you. If I failed to do that or abandoned you to someone else, the deal would be off, and I would be hunted by them."
Jason's heart pumped rapidly as he took in the story of his adoption and the circumstances around it. He had waited so long to hear it, but now that he had heard it, he had more questioned than ever. The dead of the Dark forest has wanted him to live. Why though? It had also revealed why his family could always enter the forest and leave it unharmed when others would never return. He had always thought that his father Vareth knew a particular path to the mines that was safe, not that the very inhabitants of the forest protected them and the mines. Now he knew it was all payment to have raised him. It was all about him.
"It is that reason we suspect that your real parents dealt in dark magic, but that also means that magic flows through your blood as well. It doesn't mean that it's dark magic only, but there is only one way to find out."
Jason looked to his mother, Lilly, confusion still very apparent in his eyes, and asked.
"How do we tell if I carry this Dark Magic in my blood? All magic is forbidden in this kingdom, so either way, here I am, a dead man when the mage hunters visit again. Wait, why have they not found me already?
His mind was racing to understand everything that had been dumped on it—his frustration shown in his voice when he spoke.
"The old alchemist is a mage in hiding. Everyone pretends not to know because he heals many people. Plus, being a border town, he could run before they could catch him if someone did rat him out. We think. "
Lilly's words caused a shock to show on Verath's face as well with this new revelation." Lilly explained.
"How did I not know this if everyone knows this" Vareth asked.
"Or maybe it is not common knowledge then or my husband an idiot."
Lilly smiled and shrugged her shoulders while looking towards her husband.
Jason's mind was finally calming down. His parents had that effect upon him. They always seemed to know what to say. While his parents continued to bicker with each other, Jason's urge to pick up the black object covered in strange writing was becoming too strong for him to manage.
"May I be left alone for a while? He asked, his eyes never leaving the box.
If there was anything to tell him if his parents really did practice the dark magic of necromancy, he felt it would be that black box.
Lilly stopped Vareth from objecting to their son's request with a hard smack to his arm and jerked her head, motioning towards the door to leave.
"We understand, Jason, we hid this from you for over 15 years, but we did it out of love, remember that son." with that, she dragged her husband out of the room.
Once Jason was alone, he reread the letter his real father had written. Not finding any hidden clues, he set it down and walked over the black box. he could almost feel as if something inside wanted him to possess it since the moment Vareth removed it from the hidden strongbox. The longer he was in the same room as it. The stronger the urge became. A cold sweat formed on his back as he moved closer, his heart racing. What would this reveal about his real parents?
As soon as Jason's fingers touched the black box, the feeling that was building up vanished, and he felt like something clicked inside of him before a splitting pain came over him. Before he had a chance to scream, his vision dimmed, and he lost conciseness.
When Jason came to, he was surrounded by pure blackness. His head still was feeling some pain from whatever happened by touching that black box. He had no way to tell how long he was out for but this place. It was hard to know if it was a dream or if he was physically there.
"Hello?!" He called out; the shouted question reverberated around the blackness. He tried moving his body around. He could move freely but walking or running made him feel like he was running in place. Jason had no inkling how much time had passed since waking up in this blackness when he finally heard some else.
"It appears that by you touching that black box, it removed one of the seals placed upon me. "A voice sounded echoing around just like Jason's own voice, but this one was deep and almost a growling.
"Who are you?! and what do you mean, seals? Do you-"
"Enough!" the voice interrupted with apparent agitation in its voice.
"If you keep asking all your questions at once, how am I supposed to answer, huh?!
Jason looked around before giving a reply. It seemed like whoever or whatever this was talking to him in this black world would answer his questions, but how long would be he be here in this blackness?
That's when it happened. an arm reached up out of the blackness, then another. The arms proceeded to pull a figure up out of the black ground. It looked like a shadow had crawled out of nothing. It was the same height as Jason, but then the shadows started falling away from it, revealing a mirror image of himself, but the eyes were not amber like Jasons but red with black specks mixed in.
The figure bowed towards Jason, revealing a razor-sharp smile… the teeth of his mirror image were more like a beast's teeth. Made to rip the flesh off the bone.
"It appears I can only take the shape of you, Jason. in this place." It said before laughing to itself.
"I do not know how much time I have to fill you in on everything you wish to know, so let us begin. You will be here until you recover from the strain of the seal broken. Even then, we have no way of knowing if Ill still be able to communicate with you after you leave this place.
"You know my name?"
"yes, I do. In fact, I have been with you for as long as you have been alive. I have seen everything, heard every thought, but the seal prevented me from communicating with you. Now let me answer your many questions, some that you might have forgotten, or because of how much has been dumped on you today, you would have just failed the think about asking me." It said in a matter-of-fact tone of voice.
Jason was still trying to wrap his head around the fact that this figure had been inside of him his whole life, every moment of it. It had heard all of his thoughts. But as Jason was still thinking, the figure started to speak again.
"I guess you understand. Just listen for now, for when you wake up, you will have plenty of time to mull over what I am about to tell you.
First things first, Jason Antonious. My name is Balthazar. I do not know how much time we have. I'll leave introductions there. Jason, when you were born, you were dead, for how long? Who knows, but when the being brought you back to life. He also put my soul in your body. I do not understand why it did so, but here I am.
Jason had learned many things today that had reshaped how he saw his life up to that point, but nothing could have prepared him for that one statement. He had died.
"Hold up!" Balthazar waved his arms around, "let me explain before your mind wanders off. You are Jason Antonious, but it came with a change to your soul when you were brought back to life, well, many changes. I included. But you are still you. If you never died, you would be in the same situation as you are now, well, except without me. The being that did this-"
At that point, Balthazar started screaming in utter agony, unable to finish his explanation. Balthazar's figure dropping to its knees, clutching his head.
Jason was too in shock to react to Balthazar's screaming. His mind was elsewhere. His soul changed. He did not know much about necromancy, but it would explain a lot if a necromancer was somehow involved, but he needed to hear it from Balthazar. But he was still screaming.
"Who is the one who messed with my soul?! Jason screamed at the top of his lungs in hopes that Balthazar would hear him and be able to answer his question.
Balthazar's screaming had finally stopped, and Jason could almost hear him panting for breath.
"It appears I am unable to tell you that at this time. But you are right; it was necromancy that was involved. However, I do not see how it makes you upset, for you would never have lived long if that did not happen. Not only that, your abnormal strength and your lack of a need to sleep for long stems from these gifts, for that is what I would call them. But as for why your parents were killed. Well, I can only guess, but I can tell you not even they knew what had happened to you. So, it was not because of necromancy that they got killed. It had to be some political scheme.
Magic does flow through your veins and your soul. I will not reveal everything about that, for you must learn it yourself, But it has already affected your forging abilities. I will not say more, for I do not know what I can and cannot say without a seal causing me pain again.
For your final question, the undead in the Dark forest, well, I take it they can sense that you are like them, not undead but someone who has died before. So, the undead sees you as kin. Normally the undead does not interact with the living. The Goddess of Life does not like the dead, so they are a kill on sight by her. They have their own God, who is known as Death. All the Dark and outcasted races worship him. The Goddess of Life turned her back on them when they became corrupted by Death's influence, so these races have no other God to turn to other than Death itself. "
When Balthazar finished talking, the Black world in which Jason and Balthazar stood started to shake, and a loud rumbling could be heard.
"I guess it's time to find out if I can still talk to you after to wake up." Balthazar's smile was all Jason saw as this vision faded.