I Am Living

[Avin]

"I had this restored as best as I could."

A single, long yew staff was presented to me. On one end was situated a curved, sure, iron blade. The staff was perhaps four and a half feet long, the blade adding another foot and a half atop that. Leather wrapping and ingenious cutting methods bound the blade firmly into place, with more serving to add protection for hands. The whole item had been given a fresh varnish, making it shine with a bright, new life as brave as the new world I lived in.

It was my naginata, my spear upon which in life I had appeared enemies, useful both on foot and on the back of a proud chocobo. Eyes shining I stared at the piece of restored glory, my weapon once more useful to me.

Deeply I bowed as my hands curled around it - and no damage came to the thing, no pain resounded in my body either.

"Thank you my lord," I addressed Vindrexis.

The half-god inclined his head. "I would have you prepared for battle, Avin. Unfortunately we do not have time to restore the other weapons of your burial yet, but they will still be useful."

I glanced over to a bench near where we stood - at the side of the grand temple, in the shadow of the eaves. It happened to be that various small rooms were cleverly hidden behind the walls there, and one of them had been assigned to me. I did not mind the simplicity of it, after all I had no real reason for belongings anymore. All I was was a warrior now. It was my identity, my purpose as assigned. There was not even a bed, just a stool, a bench and a small chest. Upon the bench was a folded aging belt, with three weapons wrapped into it. A katana, a wakazashi, and a tanto - a matching set.

My swords from my life.

I bowed slowly to my master Vindrexis. He softly smiled and laid a hand on my shoulder.

"Avin, I have a task for you. Hence restoring at least one of your weapons."

My eyes drew up to meet his. "You have a mission for me my lord?" I asked, surprised. "Do you deem me ready?"

Vindrexis' hand on my shoulder squeezed. "Avin, you are as ready as you ever will be. I am satisfied that you are powerful enough to begin serving me."

Immediately I threw my gaze down. "My ... Lord?"

He paused. "You are loyal to me, are you not Avin?"

The words resounded around my head. Slowly I took in a shallow breath, despite my lungs no longer needing air. Simply, I did it for old instinct's sake, and the need to run it through my vocal cords to be able to eventually reply. Here I was, undead, standing before a being of legend. He and his comrade, an actual demon, had brought me back from death and beyond for one reason, to help them conquer their enemies.

Why they had chosen me was still uncertain. Vindrexis claimed it was because I was a warrior in my life time, and I knew this to be true. However, the plain reason did not seem all that clear to me - why had they traversed all the way to the Akashima border to find a corpse of a murdered and hunted kenku when any local military cemetery might have sufficed. Was I really that important that it needed to be me? It made me consider that there was some other motive, some truth about my life before this unlife that I could not remember but they knew and were not telling. I tried to reject the thought on the basis that they were essentially deities, though one was from hellish regions and the other could only claim half. They knew more than me, they had a better concept of destiny and truth than me. It was entirely possible and probable that I was chosen because they simply knew that I was the best to carry out their task.

I had laid down my fealty to them, and I knew I had to obey. For the rest of my existence, my unlife. Which was speculatively now forever, or until such a time as they deemed it right to release me. I was honour bound to serve, to carry out any task they deemed right for me to do so. From what they had told me I understood their moralities to be defined and in keeping with a certain understanding of the world. Gods and demons above and mortals below. It made sense, in a way, though it was one of many social orders I had been told of. Still, if that was how it was I had no place to argue. They had created me. They had the right to define the truth.

And I took it to be truth, despite my confusions. Thus, I nodded and saluted with my naginata.

"I am loyal, my lord," I replied.