"Daelin is your companion but I," he explained. "am your mentor. Do you know who I am?"
I studied the face but could not place a name. "No, I know many elders."
"I am Reo. I have come to see that your fate does not befall that of my world's."
I thought back to Reo's first death in Nagrand, "I will take any help I recieve. How did I die?"
"I suppose I can trust you," he breathed. He held his palm up a a flame erupted into an arm blade. "He killed you with this while you weren't looking. I can teach you to counter it. The blade is temporary."
"I must obey my mentor."
"It is not up to me, Zurilod. It is up to you and you alone. I can either teach you to defend yourself or give you the same ability."
"I will do what it takes to destroy Darin."
"It requires me to split your soul," he explained. "In the process, I must kill you." He puled out his blade.
I smiled, "If it will help me, do it." I knelt down at his feet and he placed a hand on my shoulder.
"You will feel some pain. I am sure it is nothing you can't handle." He thrusted the sword through my chest. I fell the floor in excrutiating agony and blacked out.
* * *
A small crystal came from the mouth of Zurilod as he lay dead on the ground. Reo picked it up and slit it down the middle with his blade. He placed the glowing object back into Zurilod's mouth. He grabbed his shoulders and shook him, "Are you in there? Wake up!"
By @Schmelzen
