Endless Nights: The nightmare of Arikess begins

[Pyrus]

He must hurry now. The words "hurry, hurry" echoes endlessly within the mind of the young elf. Never before had he been so bend on succeeding before; not even in the earlier days in Evereska when he sought to excel above his wizardry peers, for he knew, failure would meant the loss of the one so close to him. Moreover, never had he felt so hopeless; even in difficult days, the aloof elf who have never yielded to anyone had managed to get by without a need to lower himself.

As he flipped through page after page of each book related to necromacy, the undead and outsider demons of the dusty libraries in the keep of the spellweavers, the memories again and again burned through the course of his mind. As hard as he tries to focus on his current task, Arikess just could not help but see the events of the evening unfolding repetitively. They had shared a wonderful evening, secretly to no one's knowledge within the forbidden emerald tower down in the valley of the hins.

The flames of passion burned in the young elf, as he felt her soft lips upon his cheek. That feeling…both physical, emotional have not left yet, feeling as if it had only just occured. It had been so happy, so blissful. Then he remembers, the demoness appeared, right in the rural town, in the center of jiyyd. He stood there with his sword drawn, Hedia the powerful priestess was there as well, but they could both do nothing, as the demoness used her whip to drag Evia by her ankle towards her. "Still no souls, you have only a few more days..." He could not remember every word, but he knows very well what the demoness had meant, if Evia does not turn in souls soon, she may never been seen again.

"I will find a way... Don't worry, I'll protect you."
How meaningless the words were.
"Of course you don't need to worry. You are not the one who is going to have his soul taken away."
How true those words were, Arikess knew of the certain doom that will come upon her, if she fails. She had but two ways, one is to find souls for the demonness to devour, the other was to solve the mystery of "the lost soul who is behind the undead ghouls". He cannot allow her to take souls, having gone through much study, Arikess knew well enough the demoness will only bondage the young elf and force her to become a tool to continue amassing souls, until she is eventually ripe to be disposed. "No! I cannot fail! I..I cannot lose her." Just when the future had been so bright, such misfortune befell upon the most beloved of the elf, being headstrong, he will not acknowledge the fact she is going to be taken away. No matter how powerless and weak he is, he will make use of every ounce he have, to accomplish and find a way to solve this rather impossible mission, because- he cannot imagine the otherwise happen. To lose the one he loved.

What is stirring the ghouls? The undead, who is the lost soul behind it? Arikess seeks to understand. He would go to the kelemvorites for help, he will beg the order of the divine shield to perhaps banish this demoness?
Though in his heart he doubt they have any power to either help in this mystery, or against the seemingly omnipotent demoness. There is only but ONE, ONE person who might have any chance of resolving this. A person who possesses both greater understanding of the undead, and of power than anyone else in the nars possibly would.

But…he remembers what fadia had shared. Her very own testimony that this "saviour" cannot be trusted. That Cheavre, the great keeper and necromancer, had once aided a half orc to kidnap her, who later broke her fingers one by one. Such cruelty! Arikess always had a special concern towards kin, whether they be of the sylvan or the aquatic. Raryldor, the revered priest of his same pantheon, have warned him as well. But there is no time.... no time, Arikess no longer have a choice, the life of Evia is at stake, if he does not act soon, he may never see her face again. After all, what threat can there be in asking someone he is familiar with, who have never done him harm to help? He is not going to get closer with her, he is simply to ask for her aid, surely there can be no wrong in that.

"For your sake, Evia." The young elf prays quietly
"Corellon, save your kindred, grant me victory, if only to save the ones we so treasure." before picking up a number of tomes and moving off.