The Sanctuary of the Immortal Cycle

"Rise, reclaim the life that was taken and be reborn anew." A bell tolled as a woman began to sing in an old and ancient dialect. The bell rang three times before a mass of souls began to form a body. The mass collapsed and out came Aiden, in a ghostly form similar to the one he would enter the void in. He coughed, gasped for air as he felt his body it was whole again. Looking up, he saw the Woman in Black standing over him, strumming her lyre with a gentle smile.

"Welcome back to the world of the living," she gestured for him to rise, which he did but slowly. "First time dying, always the hardest for your kind." Aiden shook his head as he tried to grasp what she was saying, but when he tried to question her, he found he had no voice. That is when her face turned more serious and calm. "You can not speak here, no words other than my own and those that reside here may speak." She turned and walked towards broken statues of knights and mages that circled the area they were in. Each one looked different from the last, as it even had dates at the bottom.

Aiden realized that each date was several centuries old and seemed to keep going. The Woman in Black continued to walk passed them as she said, "Normally, a person given the brand wouldn't show up here for another year or two. Seems your era has some nasty people this cycle." She touched one of the statues which had the head broken in two. "I believe his first time was tripping down some stairs and breaking his neck after a hard fight with a demon. Poor fellow, he was a handsome one back then."

She continued to walk through a hallway which had more statues of more people though unrecognizable as it seemed time had faded their details. As they walked through the hall and came to a large area with what looked like some living people in it Aiden watched as they all looked their way. One was a man who looked to be short in stature with a full beard as black as tar. His head was mostly bald with muscles a man could only dream for.

"Ah this the new addition to the Cycle lass?" The short man said, "He don't look much like a knight or even a well read fellow. Ye sure he's the right choice?" The woman nodded while another man who seemed to be in robes of an old style Aiden had never seen.

"Hush now, you go back to hammering your metals and souls before she gives us more work to do." The short man scoffed then waddled off to return to a massive forge with water and molten metal on each side of the forge while the man wielded a hammer designed in a interesting pattern that showed a symbol of a ram's head. "Now, welcome new one to our sanctuary from the world of mortals, demons, and gods." The tall scholar bowed, his white straight hair dangled down to his knees. But what surprised Aiden was the man's ears were pointed and not curved like his were.

Aiden was led further in to meet two more people that seemed to be here in this strange place. A woman who looked like the tall pointed ear man did, but her slender body and attire were so different in comparison. She wore a type of overalls that had loops with small vials in them and a book hooked to her hip. Tapping away at a glass tube she looked through it and saw the Woman in Black and Aiden approaching her.

"My word, I thought I heard the sound of someone in distress." She quickly walked over after placing the vial in a holder on a table next to her. Circling Aiden like she was studying him closely, "My my, this one has a strong soul, stronger than the last one at this early stage. Tell me, what is today's era like? It's been about a two decades since our last one was hear. I would like all the details on..." The Woman in Black raised a hand to silence the woman.

"All in due time, for now, he is getting a tour of the Sanctuary before he must return to the world of Mortals." The woman bowed and returned to her worktable and started mixing vials as one exploded in front of her face. Aiden was then led to a creature that didn't look human, it was more reptilian in nature but stood on two legs with a form of a human but not. It was sharpening a weapon in its lap as they approached.

Then it began to sniff the air, turning around it looked at Aiden directly, ignoring the Woman in Black as it approached him. Aiden slowly backed away as it got right in his face sniffing him. As it finished it spoke in gruff tone, as masculine as a lizard could speak but clear as if speaking like a human. "This one is different from others," it took another sniff and then grunted, "muddled, hard to tell what it is." Then it turned back around and continued sharpening a massive sword. "When it gets stronger, maybe Gurtz will train it."

"Thank you, I am sure our new Branded One will be an excellent student." She continued to walk forward and approached a statue of a creature holding a soul in its right hand, and a heart in its left. The creature's head looked similar to that of the dragon he sees in the void, but different. Even though he could be wrong and not even be a dragon. "No, you'd be right to think they are dragons." The woman said, plucking her lyre.

"The dragons are the oldest forms of life here on Edar, as that is the name they gave this world when they settled here." She continued to pluck as she spoke, "You are connected to the cycle that links all others before you. It is thanks to the ancient ones that created the Demon's Brand to combat Edar's invaders. You've met one of them already, you will someday meet the other. But be warned, the other one is way worse than any demon you will ever slay. And they mess with your power as a Branded One." Her blindfold fell a little which she readjusted before turning to face Aiden.

"Young soul, bound to the Cycle of the Immortals, you are tasked to rid our world of the creatures. You hold more potential than all others before you, as you hold something the others did not." She smiled, "Though you will find out what that is someday, but not now." She then held out her hand as a black staff manifested in her grip. "I will now send you back as you had just been killed by a mortal about to commit a terrible act that could endanger everyone in that town. If you do not stop him more demons will descend on the village than what are already on their way." Aiden looked worried as his eyebrows rose high on his forehead.

"Oh yes, I forgot to mention, when you die you return here for a brief moment of time. But you also lose a portion of strength that is transferred to the being that killed you. Normally demons are the only beings capable and the other ones as well, but the mortal is almost too far gone, so he will be stronger than before." She tapped her staff to the ground as the eyes on the statue above them lit up, "I will allow you to hold onto your current strength as this is your first death. But everyone after will not be covered. You will lose power the more you die, but you will get a chance to see us, but unable to speak."

Above them, the mouth of the statue began to open as a light started to peek through. "You can find us once you get strong enough to open a portal yourself. For now, death is the only way to be here, so don't die needlessly." The mouth was almost fully open as Aiden could feel his body fading as the mouth grew wider. The woman smiled at him, "And before you go, my name is Eve." Then with that, Aiden felt his body rise up from the ground and sucked into the dragon's maw. Absorbed into the light as flashes of colors went by before he found himself in the bed where he got stabbed.

Aiden looked down at his chest and saw that his clothes had been repaired and his body was healed. Like nothing happened, but when he checked his stats he found that his souls were gone and he saw a message over the screen.

[By the blessing of Eve, the Woman in Black, your level was not reduced, but can not happen again. All souls lost from death, demons will be coming to your location if any are nearby.]

[Quest: Save Mia Destrum from death by Augustus Bronson. Kill Augustus before he becomes an Oni.]