3.1 Truth Will Set You Free

I was back inside a familiar body once again, my spirit possessing that of the Nhalyri assassin I had created out of nothing one hundred years ago. Her physical form had barely aged over the century, but it had gained a few more scars.

I found myself sitting next to the second person I had brought into the world, Juliana. I had shared her body this time around. Instead of exerting my control out of fear, I had let her take the helm more often, resulting in vastly more interesting interactions. The added benefit was the full use of her powerful magic—something I would simply be unable to achieve on my own.

Across the table sat the three travel companions I had picked up since creating Juliana, their fear and anger directed entirely toward me. Drisnil, the woman I was now possessing, had in fact captured them and kept them trapped. Thankfully, she had not tortured or harmed them—something she was certainly capable of. My challenge now was somehow regaining their trust.

I glanced over at Juliana and noticed her staring at me, a serene smile resting on her face. She quickly looked away, her smile somehow widening.

“I am sorry for the trouble Drisnil has caused you,” I began. “I never asked her to capture you and hold you hostage.”

Igasnov gave me a strange look. “Why are you talking about yourself in the third person like that?”

“Because I’m not Drisnil. My name is Geoff, and I’m just… borrowing her body.”

The confused stares only deepened. Juliana watched them, her expression smug.

“Who’s Geoff?” Toby asked quietly.

Before I could formulate an answer, Juliana leaned forward. “He is the one who made us. He came from another world and gave both me and Drisnil form from his thoughts.”

“Bullshit,” Igasnov spat. “A convenient excuse to fool us.”

“Is it?” Juliana’s voice was pure honey. “He is my god. And until recently, he resided within my body—an honor I miss terribly.”

“If you can create people, if you’re some kind of god like she says, then why didn’t you stop this war before my parents were killed?” Toby shouted, tears spilling down his cheeks.

“I am sorry. I only know how to create and alter things subtly. I certainly do not possess the ability to know everything, and every time I have acted, the backlash has been devastating.”

The memory of my first, most careless act in this world rushed back. I saw a young mother, as white as a sheet in a pool of blood, dying in childbirth because of a stray thought. I had watched, helpless, just like everyone else. I quickly wiped away my tears.

“Please don’t cry, my lord. I know you have been through a lot, but I am certain we can help you achieve your goals,” Juliana said softly.

Igasnov seemed to relax a fraction. “What are your plans now, then?”

“Firstly, I want to end this war Drisnil set in motion. To do that, I will need to release control back to her from time to time, but I will remain in her body to prevent any unnecessary cruelty.”

Toby flashed a look of sheer anger at me, likely blaming Drisnil for the death of his parents.

“Secondly, I want to rescue my wife’s soul from Vorlith; her spirit is being tortured as we speak.”

Igasnov stared at me, his expression twisting in confusion. “And where is this Vorlith? And what is she?”

“Vorlith is the goddess of the Nhalyri. She currently resides in her own hell-like dimension.”

“I’m out,” Igasnov stated immediately. “I’m not going to follow you to hell. I am quite happy with my normal adventuring life, and frankly, I don’t want to take the risk.”

Vera's look of fear began to dissipate. “I am going to follow Igasnov wherever he may go, at least until I give birth to his child.”

Igasnov wrapped his massive arm around her and pulled her closer.

“I’m sorry, Geoff, but I don’t think I will be much help there,” Toby added. “Plus, I feel like I don’t truly know you. I will stay with Igasnov and Vera as well.”

A sharp pang of loneliness weaved its way through my chest. I glanced at Juliana.

She simply smiled back. “I will follow you anywhere, Geoff. Wherever you go, I go.”

I returned the smile. “Thank you. I truly appreciate it.”

Juliana seemed to grow giddy, quickly pulling me in for a tight hug, tears of joy streaming down her cheeks.

It was a far more dramatic reaction than I had expected, but I enjoyed the scent of fresh meadow herbs wafting from her hair.

Igasnov cleared his throat. “In the meantime, we could help you end this war.”

Juliana released me from her embrace.

I nodded. “I would appreciate the help. Now, I am going to release control back to Drisnil; she knows our goal and should aid us in the process.”

I relinquished control to Drisnil. Her posture instantly straightened, and her expression morphed back into its cold, calculating stare.

Everyone in the room resumed glaring at us, their expressions hardening. Even Juliana’s serene smile vanished, replaced by a rare, serious frown.

“As requested by Geoff, I will execute his demands,” Drisnil stated smoothly. “Igasnov, you will be needed in Tyre to step into the power vacuum that has been left. Your adventuring days are done; you are to become a bureaucrat.”

Igasnov clicked his tongue. “I’m an adventurer, not a politician. I’ll die of boredom.”

Drisnil’s smile was all teeth. “Adventurers die in the field. Bureaucrats die in their beds, old and warm. Think of Vera, and the child. This war ends when the right people are in charge. You will be one of them.”

Igasnov’s gaze shifted to Vera, his jaw tight. He let out a long breath. “Fine,” he replied flatly. “But don’t expect me to like it.”

“Oh, I know you won’t be. But that is where Toby comes in; he will be your strategic advisor. You will merely be a puppet, providing his methods with credibility.”

Igasnov crossed his massive arms and sat back in his chair.

“Now, I must leave and sign some orders. It is time for the purge to begin.”

We stood up.

“Do they really all have to die?” Toby asked meekly.

Drisnil smiled down at him. “Yes. Consider this a form of revenge for your parents. They accepted large sums of gold in return for continuing this war, but their usefulness has ended, so they must be disposed of.”

“Okay,” Toby responded quietly.

As we moved to exit the room, Juliana quickly rose and followed closely behind.

Drisnil glanced back and sighed. “Do you really have to follow me?”

Juliana, undaunted, smiled brightly. “Yes, for wherever my lord goes, I shall follow.”

“Fine. But this is not going to be interesting for you; you should go play with some animals instead.”

Juliana continued trailing us out of the house. “I simply cannot allow my lord to remain alone with someone as evil as yourself.”

We walked with purpose back to the temple. Several villagers cast nervous glances in our direction, quickly averting their gaze when we drew near.

Back inside the sanctuary, we bypassed the pulpit and headed straight through a door into a cramped back room. The space smelled musty, with large stacks of parchment piled high in the corners. The solitary desk was littered with scraps of paper, each covered in illegible handwriting—seemingly written in code.

We sat down behind the desk, while Juliana took a seat opposite us on an uncomfortable-looking wooden chair.

Drisnil reached down her cleavage and retrieved a tiny key, inserting it into a small hole nestled among dozens of others along the wall. She twisted it, and an audible click echoed through the quiet room. She then tapped lightly on a piece of wood, causing a hidden drawer to pop out from what had previously appeared to be a solid panel.

Inside lay a heavy metal stamp bearing the symbol of The Black Hand. Drisnil pulled out a stack of fresh parchment and began to write.

The pen scratched across the parchment, condemning whole families. *Thomas Bortha—Eliminate immediately. Rachael Bortha—Eliminate immediately.* Then the Weiss family—Varas, Gale, Tim, Xanthi—all marked for death. At the bottom of each order, she added the same cold instruction: *All deaths must be public and messy.*

She stamped the parchment with the heavy metal die, folded it securely, and dripped hot wax to seal it. Finally, she used her signet ring to press a spider emblem into the cooling wax.

Drisnil continued this grim task until roughly fifty letters were penned. At least two hundred people had been marked for execution, and a chillingly common theme emerged: many shared the same surname.

I seized control of Drisnil's vocal cords. “Why do so many of them share a last name?”

After I released my grip, Drisnil answered coolly. “I have to eliminate the entire bloodline. We can’t have other nobles in power thinking it’s a good idea to push back against our demands.”

It took a moment for the sheer brutality of her words to settle into my mind. Entire families, slaughtered simply because of one person’s actions.

“Can they be spared? I despise the idea of innocent people dying,” I protested.

Drisnil sighed. “Always the soft one. No, if you want this war to end swiftly, it must happen this way.”

“Fine. But if I find out this was unnecessary cruelty, I will revoke the hours I allow you full control. Our agreement to share this body will be over.”

Juliana offered a satisfied nod of approval.

Next, Drisnil began drafting another batch of letters. Each was addressed to names I did not recognise, but they all carried the exact same demand: end the war by whatever means possible, or be replaced.

The poorly veiled threat was highly likely to prove effective following the violent deaths of several of their colleagues.

After hours of meticulous writing, the task was finally complete. Drisnil gathered the massive stack of envelopes and dumped them onto the desk of a subordinate currently working on his own paperwork.

“Please see to it that these are delivered,” Drisnil ordered simply.

The man nodded silently and carried them out of the temple.

“Geoff, you may take control back now. If possible, I would suggest getting some rest.”

I retook control, and a crushing wave of physical exhaustion immediately hit me. I walked out of the temple and navigated back to the small, borrowed house at the edge of town. Entering the sparse guest room, I undressed and collapsed into the narrow bed. Juliana had followed us inside; as I lay under the thin covers, I felt her press against our back, the heat of her naked body seeping through the linen as she curled close.

“Finally, I get to hold you while you sleep. I am so incredibly glad,” Juliana whispered softly into my ear as we drifted off into the dark.