Dead man drifting

[Amaterasu]

Had a traveler wandering the Pale Moors ventured off the path leading towards Darkshire and Hogwarts, and had that traveler approached the muddy river that carried its waters parallel to the path for a little distance, and had that traveler in the process passed the overhang created by an old tree's hardened roots and a handful of rocks, they would have seen Iza. Most would have mistaken her for a pile of discarded black rags, only those who tried to grab them would have noticed that there was someone amongst them. But in the Pale Moors few dared to travel and fewer were as foolish as to try drinking from the putrid waters, even if they were dying of thirst.

Iza clung to what little she had that made her feel "alive"... sleeping, eating, breathing and moving around. All those were things that she no longer needed to do. It was part of the curse of undeath that had been placed upon her. She knew not how or why, and she feared the truth. Something deep within told her that she was asking questions whose answers she would not want to hear. It told her that she should move on.

Her dreamless sleep was instead plagued by questions that repeated themselves over and over and tormented her to no end.

Who am I?
Why am I undead?
Why can I not die like other Undead?
Who do the memories belong to that I have? Were they mine?

Already she had attempted to end her suffering, to rather be dead than to live in a world where none accepted her. But as the being who called himself Omni had told her... so long as she interested him, she would be reborn. Reborn as a Lich once again. She was different from the undead that wandered this land. They were lifeless husks, animated with dark magic. And they did not come back once killed. After two attempts she had given up.

And now? Now she was in the Pale Moors, aimlessly wandering in search of the veritable needle in a haystack. A cavern whose entrance she remembered in flashes, as she did for all the memories that dated back to before her... her rebirth. She had a lingering feeling that there would be answers in there. She knew that she would not like them. They were the only lead that she had though, so she had little choice.

Every exhalation spreaded the crust of ice on the ground before her a little, reminding her that, no matter how she shifted her body to look human, beneath the skin she was still a monster. There was no way to escape it... not as far as she knew. There was no cure, no counter-curse, no remedy, unless she could find one. That hope, the hope to find a solution to her issue, to find a way out of the torment of her existence as an inhuman abomination, was the thread that she clung to. Whether it was to make herself alive again or to die for good was another question.

[Amaterasu]

Iza's attention was diverted from the handful of wild carrots that she was just in the process of 'cleaning' in the muddy waters of the moors when she heard two... no, three pairs of feet walking alongside the path further uphill. She hid her prize underneath the tree roots that she had made her 'encampment' for the night and floated up along the hillside, just close enough to the ground that one might believe her to be walking.

"Hoi there, travelers!" she called with the strongest voice that she could, hiding in the shade of the sickly trees all around her. The dark cape and her ragged appearance coupled with the shade made her seem less conspicuous than otherwise. "Can I put... my blade away or do you seek trouble?"

"We seek none, stranger, and we are not armed. You can put your weapon away", a tired reply came. The travelers were a good ten meters away up the path and Iza pretended that she had come the way they were going to go. "Is everything okay? Your voice sounds hoarse."

Iza's voice was more a disembodied spirit's than a fleshy being's indeed... but she could not manipulate it, unfortunately. "Ah yes, I don't feel too well. May I ask where you are coming from?"

"We are refugees fleeing from Darkshire."

"Darkshire? What has happened?"

The traveler spoken to blinked with surprise. "Have you not heard?" she asked. "Darkshire is under attack by the unholy forces of Dracula and his underlings. They seek to devastate the entire city."

"I was not aware of this, but I have lost my path and have been wandering the moors for a while during which I was pretty disconnected from the rest of the world. Where are you going?"

"We hope to find refuge in Camelot, my... husband has some family living there. Had, perhaps. He might already have died... he stayed behind to defend the city, you know."

Iza lowered her head. Hers was not the only sad tale told in these swamps, it would seem. "I have not had any unfortunate encounters on my way here, but I cannot say for certain. Be careful on the way."

"You too, traveler. And avoid Darkshire right now. If it is not yet burnt to the ground, there will be great and powerful Primes attacking and defending it... you do not want to get between them." With that they rushed forward to get past Iza, and she retreated pretending to want to let them pass, but used it as an excuse to hide deeper in the shade.

"Darkshire is not on my route anyway, but I thank you for the advice." She walked out once they were gone and slid back down to gather her prize. Something to chew on while making her way further... if not to Darkshire directly, then into its general direction, in the hope of intercepting one of these Primes. The name... it stirred something inside her but she remembered not what it was. But she needed a lead, a clue on what she was searching. Perhaps someone of great power and influence here in the Moors would know more. And if they decided to kill her instead... well, it was a risk she could happily take.

After all, her curse kept her from true death.