#Such Beauty

Thomas could no longer hear the screams of the people he just recently called family. They still spilled into the air in agony but his mind was elsewhere. He had broken his enclave's number one rule, never go outside. It wasn't the first time, he was an adventurous young man. How could one enclave ever be enough? This time was different however.

He had discovered the creatures and their home on his third excursion, they were terrifying, yet beautiful. Even from faraway he could tell how they towered over him. Their skin was semi-translucent, shiny, and seemed to move unnaturally on its own. They were clearly intelligent, like they always seemed to know exactly where he was. Exactly who he was. Even in the dead of night and from impossible distance. He felt chills of dread and excitement from it. He felt alive when he watched them.

On his last excursion he had found a beautiful ancient figurine set on a pedestal on the edge of town. It seemed to be sculpted out of bone with intricate golden layers embedded into it, highlighting their worship for what must have been some tentacled god. He couldn't resist taking it. It seemed almost a gift. It felt right grabbing it. In fact, since he laid his hands on it his grip could only seen to tighten and his heart pound with ecstasy. Calling it beautiful would have been an insult. It was divine.

He wanted to share this treasure with his enclave. He could hear pairs of thick wet footsteps behind him as he wondered back in a daze. He felt love when his benefactors showed themselves after he reached his enclave. He smiled as the first of his people were slaughtered. He knew they would all make such beautiful figurines.

[WC: 299/300]

Dear diary,

Today was a bad day. Mom and Uncle Rick said we couldn't stay at the bookstore we've been camping in the last few days because the sick people found it. I don't get why they are both always so mean to the sick people. They said it's because they want to hurt us but when I had the flu last year I never wanted to hurt anyone and I made funny noises too. I thought maybe if I brought them some of my favorite books they might see we can get along and it would help them feel better? Mom always said being happy is an important part of being healthy when dad was around. I just want everyone to get along like they used to.

Anyway, I promised Mom and Uncle Rick I'd stay in our secret hideout while they got some stuff we needed but it was super boring and we're leaving soon anyway so I thought it wouldn't be a big deal to go meet a sick person without any mean adults and give them my books and cheer them up a little.

I found a nice looking sick boy and tried to give him my books but it turns out he definitely was mean. He didn't even look at my books and just pushed me over and hit my back a lot and it hurt really bad. I screamed and Uncle Rick found me and hit the boy a lot of times even after he stopped moving. I don't get why everyone is so mean all the time.

Mom and Uncle Rick were really really mean after that. I just tried to do a nice thing like Mom always told me to do growing up and now she keeps crying and yelling. Uncle Rick keeps giving me really mean looks especially. I think him and mom are talking about me because I can't hear what words they are saying except for when mom screams more. I tried to hug them and tell them I'm sorry but both of them didn't even want my hugs this time and mom never says no to my hugs so I think I'm in extra big trouble. I'm going to try and sleep now, see you tomorrow diary!

..

WHOAAA, GUESS WHAT DIARY? IT'S A SUPER SPECIAL TWO ENTRY DAY! ^__^ Mom and Uncle Rick aren't mad anymore! They woke me up and said what I tried to do was really really nice and they love me so so much. They said they weren't mad at me even a little bit! They gave me my own special sleeping spot in my own room even to say sorry for yelling and said tomorrow we can do ANYTHING I wanted. I can't wait to tell you all about it tomorrow!

The five of us laid, some collapsed, on the hill of the graveyard. The smell of singed grass was still coating the air as we laughed and picked bone fragments out of our hair.

"We actually did it." Eric said, a disbeliving grin forming on his face. Back home he was the star of the college football who carried them to victory more times than his friends bothered to keep up with. He was tall, muscular, dirty blonde hair, and full of confidence. In this world he literally carried some of the group a few times as injuries mounted and undead monsters were broken into pieces.

Selena sighed with exhaustion and contentment. "Yeah. Barely." She was known for her obsession with chemistry and was hoping to start her career as a scientist in one of the most renown research companies in the world in six months when she would have finished her degree. Her sharp mind quickly picked up the alchemic magic of the world, of course she still didn't believe in "magic" despite being the most skilled in it of the group. To her it was explainable by the science of the world, thus it was simply science.

Ralph brought himself to a sitting position before letting out a yell echoing across the graveyard "WE FUCKING KILLED THE SHIT OUT THAT LICH!" which earned him a swift and playful punch from his girlfriend, Alice "Easy on our eardrums, dork. We don't need to wake any more of the dead with your shouting." The two had been dating longer than the six years the group had gotten together for the first time back in highschool. Ralph was a chaotic punk with fizzy red hair and a lean build. Alice was a short and sassy theater major with half blue, half green dyed hair and a temper that would make even a god apologize - which in fact he did after she chewed him out for teleporting us here against our will. The two made a good pair and brought out the excited passion in each other than made them so fun to be around.

Lastly there was me, Daniel, the weird emo kid of the group. I looked closer to the skeletons than I did to Eric or Ralph. Pale, thin, and slighlty below average height. My clothing seemed to always be exclusively black. Before our dysfunctional little breakfast club had ever come together I never had more than a single friend at a time, always feeling like I never quite fit in or belonged until the group's extroverts: Eric, Ralph, and Alice, adopted me into their party.

I groaned, "Please, don't even joke about it. I'm going to have to shower for hours after this. Did you guys see that newly raised guy? I think I got brains all over my shirt." Eric laughed, "Holy shit that was wild! Ralph basically exploded that dude's head!" I noticed Ralph smile smugly staring at the clouds. He let out a soft and satisfied, "fuck yeah."

Selena rolled her eyes and began to ask "So, what happens n-" when a harsh beam of light poured over the group and cutting off her train of thought. Alice screamed "NO FUCK THIS! NOT THIS FUCKING SHIT AGAIN WE JUST FINISHED THIS STUPID ADVENTURE I SWEAR TO GOD IF WE HAVE T-" and that was the last I remember hearing until we all collectively woke up in a clean porcelain white throne room. The god of this world, Zelaruse, boasted loudly with cheer. "YOU'VE DONE IT, CHAMPIONS! I KNEW YOU WOULD!"

Selena remembered where she left off and asked Zelaruse, "So can we go home now? We did what you asked."

Zelaruse nodded with a smile, "Of course, of course champion. But first a reward. The most powerful magic I can bestow upon you. I can transform your body until any of your dreams. I must warn you however, you should picture only your most ideal self. This is not a spell I will repeat for you, no matter my debt. Transformation magic is dangerous work and changing a body to anything but its ideal form would be far too dangerous." His look was serious now and he looked at each of us in the eye as if to see we had paid our fullest attention. Finally he continued, "Now. Close your eyes and imagine your best self. What will make you happiest."

The group was left in a hushed awe, no one knowing what to really say. We closed our eyes and thought deeply. I'm unsure how much time passed, perhaps it was just a few moments, but it felt like days. I could feel my body shifting and morphing into something else, but there was no pain. If anything, it felt good. It felt necessary.

When we opened our eyes next Ralph was the first to speak. "YOOO LET'S FUCKING GO!!" His body had grown slightly taller. His face had developed a striking jawline. His six pack was obvious through his ripped shirt. He was largely the same, just what he considered to be 20% hotter. Alice giggled but couldn't take her eyes off him, "I could get used to this." Her hair was longer as well as her body. Her weight had shifted from a slight pudge to supermodel thin. Her ears pointed, marking the sure sign of an elf but otherwise she was almost exactly the same. Ralph looked back to her, jaw dropping with only a little exaggeration. "Okay I am definitely into elves now."

"Check it out, check it out!" Eric boasted flexing his massive new muscles. He had chosen the form of a minotaur and looked like he could benchpress the group without breaking a sweat. His dark black horns shined brilliantly in the white room.

"You know, that honestly tracks." Selena smirked. She was the least changed of the group. Her large breasts had shrunken to half their size. She was no longer wearing glasses. Her teeth gleamed with a new found whiteness to them, but aside from that she was almost exactly as she had been.

Ralph managed to tear his eyes off Alice long enough to laugh, "Wait.. Why did you get SMALLER boobs?" She shot back instantly, "Dude, boobs that big hurt! Fuck that, this feels so much nicer. I bet I could run down stairs with these bad boys."

The usually bashful Alice whispered in utter shock, "Guys.. Holy shit. Daniel." The group all looked back at me and their eyes bulging and the quiet densely flooded the room for what felt like an eternity. My face glowed red and I stammered, "W-what?" My voice surprising myself with how light it sounded.

Selena bit her lip and then gently said, "Daniel. Why didn't you tell us you were trans?" My stomach tighted and I felt myself wanting to disappear as I looked back and forth between Eric and Ralph. "You mean you guys like being... Guys? I thought everyone wanted to be a girl and we all just kind of dealt with the hand we got?" I could feel my confidence sinking with each word.

Eric let out a soft, "Dude.. No.." Even Ralph was quiet. "Nah man. Not at all. Like I've never even considered it."

"Oh." I said with tears forming around my eyes.

Alice closed the gap and hugged me tightly as I felt my body wanting to drop and melt into the ground, waves of conflicting feelings gushing through me. "You know we all still love you, right? I'm really happy for you. I just wish you let us know sooner. We would have supported you no matter what."

I gave a nervous chuckle, "I wish I really knew earlier myself. I never really thought it was even much of an option."

Selena piped in, "Hey, how about we call you Danielle now!" Smiling with pride of her idea. I smiled too. "Yeah. That'd be nice I think."

Gregnok stepped into the guild's office and grunted "I am ready for my next mission, sir."

Snelren, sighed. He was at a loss for what to do. Gregnok was going through a contract a day and completing every single one without failure. He should be thrilled. Instead each day was another punch to the gut. Gregnok was the least discrete assassin he had ever come across. He was skeptical of his size, but his kill sheet spoke for itself, or so he thought. Ever since he accepted Gregnok into the guild their reputation had plummeted. From masters of disguise and subtlely, The Shadows Hand had earned their name. Gregnok however, seemed to not know the first thing about either. Worse still, he was convinced he was a master of both.

"Very well. I have your next target here. And please. Gregnok. Try not to be seen." Snelren was honor bound to keep Gregnok's guild membership valid due to his track record, but he wasn't required to hide his disappointment.

"I am invisible. I am stealth. I am the night. Do not worry." Gregnok said flatly.

"Right. Of course. Just be sure? Okay." Snelren said, handing over the black envelope containing his next mark.

"Always." Gregnok said with a nod before loudly running out the door.

The average assassin under The Shadows Hand was lean. They wore dark blue colors to blend into the shadows. Their shoes were custom made with special fabric to dampen footsteps to almost completely silence. They moved with grace. Most were scholars and well educated. Their weapons of choice were poison and daggers. Gregnok was not anywhere near the average. He was 600 lbs of mostly muscle. His green skin caught every shred of light and amplified it. He towered 8ft tall. His intelligence was estimated to be that of a child. And his weapon of choice? A 150 lb spiked sledgehammer.

Gregnok located the compound. Inside was his target. He would have to sneak past the many guards as usual of course. He crouched and began to try and sneak towards the two guardsmen. The first guardsman spotted Gregnok 300 yards away. "HOLY FUCK! LOOK AT THE SIZE OF THAT THING! IS HE COMING HERE???" The second guardsman grabbed the first by the chest and held up his sword threateningly. "Quiet! Are you trying to get us killed? That's Gregnok! He's killed hundreds with just his bare hands. You're insane if you think we're paid enough to try and stop him." The other guardsman looked scared and confused. "What? That's him?"

"Yes. Do you really think there are that many orc giants around? Now quiet! I've heard from half a dozen men in the field he will leave you alone if you pretend not to see him." The guardsman gulped. "Fuck. Alright."

Gregnok was closing in, the guardsmen had seemed to be fighting. Perfect, even easier to sneak past them he grinned. The two guardsmen were now just a stones throw from Gregnok when they neverously resumed talking. "Oh man! Look at that, I think it's a shooting star." The other guardsmen said in a poorly acted line, "Wow, yes, I do think you are right. It's so beautiful. Let's just take a couple minutes to appreciate it. By looking exclusively up. Clearly no one is around to stop." Gregnok was just a couple feet away at this point and stopped to look up. "I don't see it." He said and the two men broke into a sweat. The first guardsman nervously tried a new approach, "uhh.. umm.. Hey, Markin. Isn't it our lunch break actually? We should just go." The other guardsman hastily stammered "wow, yeah, look at the time!" And the two awkwardly stepped around Gregnok as they spedwalked away.

Gregnok resumed his approach into the compound. He must have perfectly timed his approach with the guards lunch schedule. He was a genius. He entered the courtyard next where four guardsmen sat playing cards. One shot up and instinctively yelled "Intruder!" And grabbed his sword before promptly exploding under the force of the orc's sledgehammer. The remaining three guardsmen froze. "H-hey, did you guys hear anything?" The other two quickly yelped "Nope!" Then the first continued "Great umm.. It's.. It's your guys turn, he said wiping brain out of his eye."

Gregnok smugged triumphantly. He had executed the guard before the others could be alerted. Snelren could learn a thing or two from him. Finally he entered his target, Ezral's, personal chambers. "Gods! How did you get in here! Guards, kill him!" The two men standing next to Ezral rushed into combat. Their insides turned to outsides before their arms were even in reach of the brute. Ezral's face turned white with fear and anxiety and collapsed from a panic attack. Gregnok simply walked up to him and crushed his head like a melon with a casual foot step. No can see you if there's no one left to see you. Gregnok smiled. He was invisible. He was stealth. He was the greatest assassin to ever live he told himself as he expertly snuck out of the compound, not a single person noticing him. Snelren will be so jealous.

Debrah opened the door of her office, gently taking a half step out and scanning the room. She was relieved to find it as she had left it. Speech therapy was a stressful process and her next client was Doctor Chaos, a supervillain with a bad habit of, perhaps unsurprisingly, causing chaos. She had accidentally left him waiting five minutes once to step out and see the room reversed, the furniture somehow stuck to the ceiling as it was a floor. Doctor Chaos himself hadn’t even noticed and remained sitting upside down when she called for him then.

Today however, she was fortunate enough to catch him in a better mood. The room remained normal when she called for him. “Loyd, I’m ready for you now.” He was a tall and thin man of German descent. With a graceful flick he shut the magazine with his mind and neatly placed it on the coffee table, standing up in the process. “Thank you, Debrah. Are you sure real names are best here? It feels unnatural.” He asked with plain discomfort.

Debrah smiled softly, “Yes, Loyd. I have found the therapy progresses easier if we can see ourselves as more human and less super.” He sighed in resignation. “You’re the professional I suppose. Shall we?” He gestured into her office. “Yes, please grab yourself a cup of water and we’ll have you sit in the usual place.”

“Excellent.” Loyd nodded as he walked towards the water machine and began filling a cup. “You know I-“ was the last thing he remembered saying. Debrah, or Mindseer, as people most commonly knew her always found it easiest to start the hypnosis when the patient wasn’t expecting it.

It was never permanent, she both lacked the power and the wish for death that would ensure. At least nothing undesired. It simply was a means to an end, a way to safely proceed with the therapy without risk of her insides accidentally becoming outsides. All of the clients knew of the agreement when filling out their paperwork.

“Sit” she commanded.

“Of course” he said, taking his place on the white armchair as she pulled a stool in front of it.

Tell me Loyd, Debrah spoke with her eyes now pure violet instead of a vibrant green, “What is troubling you now? I have already helped you from feeling the compulsion of telling your nemesis the master plan while he can still prevent it from happening. We also helped with your articulation. What more can I do for you?”

Loyd droned in a lifeless stare, “My stuttering. I am a doctor. I have a PhD too, it’s not a meaningless name like some.” A tint of anger slipping out as his water changed to some kind of black oil.

Debrah squinted and raised her hand, pink ethereal tendrils surrounding it. “Focus, Loyd.” His expression reverted back to emotionless.

“I keep stuttering when I get nervous. When it’s just the supes and I have no issues. As soon as there are citizens trying to record the fight on their phones though I get so anxious. I know my speech is going to be posted all over the internet and people will make fun of me. What kind of supervillain am I if people laugh at instead of fear me?”

Debrah was used to this. Supervillains were some of the most anxious people in the world. Fortunately for her, the fix was made rather simple and easy.

She simply looked deeply not at his eyes, but within him. “You will no longer feel anxiety while being recorded. You will not stutter.” That was it. It was draining, but easy and quick.

She closed her eyes and breathed deeply. “Wake.” Her green eyes returned with Loyd’s consciousness.

He looked at her hopefully, “And it’s fixed now?”

“Yes.”

“Thank you, Doctor! Oh thank you!” He beamed.

“You are very welcome. Call my office if you have any further issues.” She said gently.

“Of course, of course!” He said smiled as he strolled out of the room, new confidence in his step. The door clicking shut behind him.

Debrah rested for an hour, gathering herself. She likes to read during this time normally but would take to meditating when her next clients required her degree and discretion more than her power.

She was ready when the appointment time was upon her.

She opened the door again, “Hello. Glad you could make it.” She always felt awkward leaving out her name. “Do you have a preferred name you would like me to call you?” She asked hopefully. The whole world knew and feared “Mr. Mayhem”. The trouble was “Mr. Mayhem” had much rather be “Ms. Mayhem” but lacked the voice to publicly proclaim it.

The girl looked up nervously from her phone and felt a wave of shame run through her and sighed. “No. I guess Adam is still fine for now.” She said with defeat.

Debrah tried to hide the sadness in her smile when she spoke, “That’s okay. You’ve only been transitioning six months and finding a perfect name takes time. There is nothing to be stressed about with me, we both know who you are inside and names are just a formality.”

Adam’s mood improved slightly as she stood up. “Right. Yeah. Thank you, Doctor.”

“Debrah is fine.”

“Right. Thank you, Debrah.”

Debrah motioned towards her office, “Now, let’s get you comfortable and see what progress you’ve made since our last vocal coaching.”

Thanks so much! The part 2 request always feels like the highest compliment here lol. That being said I think I’m leaving this one here. If I were to continue it I think I’d want to rewrite part 1 a bit and turn it into a full length short story but it’s just not quite worth the trouble I’m afraid. x_x

Whoops, no that was 2AM writing, I'll fix it, thanks!

It seemed like everyone on the west coast knew of Buckland's Emporium. It is a small antique looking shop in east Portland. Seemingly aged well beyond its years compared to surrounding buildings and perpetually covered in graffiti from the local teens wanting to tag the hottest place. The staff seemed to be entirely a single old woman who has seemingly never been spotted outside the store despite how rare it has ever actually been open. No one even knew her name, but the community sensibly seemed to agree to refer to her only as Ms. Buckland. The reinforced windows were covered in what seemed to be vanta black paint from within. The door was likewise covered completely save for a small square perfectly cut out to showcase a hand-written sign, reading "Open 7 Days!" It was as if the shop was the exact opposite of what a shop was supposed to be.

Buckland's certainly wasn't open seven days every week. In fact, in the eight years that people can remember it even existing it has only been opened three times. The first opening was the day the store seemed to first appear. Rumor is only a few people even bothered to enter the store, let alone buy something. It's been disputed if anyone at all truly bought a single item that day. The recollections were always roughly the same on the offerings available however. It was what seemed to be your run of the mill snake oil junk sold at ridiculous prizes. A genie lamp promising three wishes for $300. A fuzzy pair of dice meant to hang from a car's dashboard promised fantastic luck to the owner for $400. A beautiful but cheaply made costume jewelry necklace claiming to grant the wearer immortality for $1,000. Every item as ridiculous as the last. When the store didn't open after that most assumed it was just a failed scam.

Everything changed when the store re-opened three years later for a second day. A local college girl had recently hit an explorative phase and was trying to hunt down every weird and indie shop she could find for her small blog. The decor of the place was bizarre to say the least. The pictures from her blog showed seemingly random items hanging from the ceiling making it hard to walk. A rainbow colored bicycle. Animatronic heads that seemed to always be looking at the camera. Long strings of Monopoly money hand-sewn together with red string. The items within the shop were stranger than the first time. Still promising extravagant claims impossible to fulfill. The photos showed an old timey phone that claimed you could speak to the dead for $600. A pocket watch that would let you fix any mistake for $400. A black box sealed close that simply said "everything inside" for $2,000. The girl had loved the eccentricness of the shop, it was the weirdest place in Portland she had found yet! Having never heard of it before despite it clearly being open some time and not seeing any other customers she decided with great pain to force herself to support the small business despite the crazy prices. She had found one of the smallest items in the store, a gorgeous gold coin with mysterious symbols carved into both sides. The paper attached to it simply said "CERTAIN VICTORY - $250". That was more than she'd paid for basically any of her favorite clothes but it reminded her of the victory she had finding such a cool place for her blog and motivated her. Besides, it looked like real gold so maybe she could sell it later to a pawn shop for some of the money back.

The blog had barely any entries after that post. However, it would be quoted endless in TV interviews, documentaries, and books since. The author had spent a few days going about business as normal, keeping the coin in her purse as a small token of good luck. She was having a great week. She had won the scholarship she wanted despite feeling her essay was a complete mess. She had won her Tennis match against an opponent who had previously completely out-classed her. She entered the local scratch ticket lottery and won the grand prize with her first ticket. It wasn't long before the pieces starting clicking together for her. She played a game of Chess, a game she never cared for and just barely knew the rules to play and best the AI at it's hardest difficulty just guessing what pieces to move randomly. Every test she seemed to just remember the answers despite not studying, so soon she stopped studying and somehow kept aceing tests. One day she had forgotten her purse in her car and got the worst grade of the year. That seemed to seal the fact to her that the coin wasn't just a piece of pretty junk. She went on to play professionally in several sports, being the undefeatable rising star. She had no hesistation thanking the trinket she bought from her store as well. People showed up often to check if it was open and ask around only to be let down like all the rest. Finally one day she took a private jet to attend a professional tennis match and it simply disappeared over the Bermuda triangle, never to be heard from again.

The store had gained a small cult following, although many still were incredibly skeptical, they couldn't resist the temptation of curiosity. The soft whisper in their ear of "but what if?" A sub-reddit and forum were made discussing theories and potential opening dates. A local nerd and active member of /r/Bucklands coincidentally living across the street from the store had setup a camera pointed across the street and at the door setting it to stream on Twitch so people could casually watch the door while they played their PC games or read a book, hoping one day they might see it open. At exactly 7:06 AM, June 6th, it opened for the third time. It only took 13 minutes for someone to realize it. Then quickly they had posted it everywhere. By 8:15 AM there was a small crowd. SunshineLilly, the most popular YouTuber in Portland. /u/BigCatsBigHats (commonly referred to as "Bigs") the admin of /r/Bucklands. GriftahTTV, the owner of the Twitch streamer who had lived nearby, and a trio of friends - Stephen, Eric, and Melissa - who had talked each other into rushing over after seeing a Tweet with the news. A few arrived just minutes after the last of the group but none managed to enter the store before "Ms. Buckland" started shooing people away saying the store was about to close.

SunshineLilly recorded the majority of the store's experience for her channel. Wanting a more interesting story to give her viewers she peppered the owner with countless questions. Only two pieces of information were given thoroughout the dozens of questions. "Ms. Buckland" was a collector. Customers may only purchase one item per person due to limited supply. SunshineLilly had purchased a small plastic trophy labelled "Ms. Popularity" that looked like it was stolen from a 10 year old ballerina's participation trophy shelf. It was the cheapest item this time costing "only" $350. Bigs bought a dirty Japanese lucky waving cat figure that said "good fortune" for $2,500. Stephen and Eric both reached a similar conclusion roughly equating to, "This is ridiculous. It's a cool looking shop, but I'm not going to drop half my paycheck on a piece of junk because one prodigy girl claimed she got good luck." Finally Melissa was the last to purchase an item, deciding on an old silver mirror that looked as if it would have been considered old during the American Civil War for $700. It's price tag included a brief description of "See your best self". Moments after the last purchase they were all pushed outside - for an old lady she seemed to be packing some muscle in her musty sleeves. The late-comers bombared them all with questions. "What gives? I thought the store was open today? It hasn't even been an hour! I called off work for this!", "Wait, you guys were actually in there? What did you buy?", "I'll pay you double whatever you paid for that cat!".

Soon enough the commotion died down and people returned home. Then sure enough, everything changed yet again. SunshineLilly went from being the most popular YouTuber in Portland to the most popular in the world. She was landing acting contracts and commericals just to play herself. Bigs had gone on to make it onto Forbes' Youngest Billionaires of 2020. Melissa had gone from an overweight frumpy self-proclaimed "potato bod" to one of the most recognizable super-models in the world within six months.

Then, one by one, each mysteriously disappeared by the beginning of 2022. Since Bigs, the last to disappear, had finally gone missing the "Bucklanders" as the community grew to call itself had numbered in the tens of millions. Real estate near Buckland's Emporium had sextupled in price since the store opened. There was always at least a couple people hanging around the store at all hours now. Yesterday recordings from the outside heard rumblings of furniture being dragged and nails being hammered inside. The frequent rumors of a new opening went from active to relentless now. Major new outlets kept trucks on standby. People slept outside of the store and police had to frequently disrupt fights over who was first in line. The store was going to open again, and it was going to be soon.

Oops, thanks. Wrote this at like 2AM and not enough proof-reading lol.

They call me a villain. Why? Because they are ignorant and afraid. Necromancy is a gift to the world. The arcane is but a tool for the worthy to better whatever they please. And black robes adorned with skull imagery? Well that's just plain stylish.

The so-called heroes tried to put up a fight. To protect their precious king. To keep things the same. To keep the people under their thumb, afraid and unquestioning. It wasn't difficult to best them. Believe it or not, it was easy. They ruled mostly out of tradition and image, not true power. Not like me.

My skeletons fight without fear, but not without choice. I bring them back from the dead and offer them the world. A second chance to achieve all of their worldly goals. A second chance at life. A chance that one day their lost family and friends may also rejoin them in continous second life. They beg to help me. To help spread my benevolence. I listen and graciously accept every time.

They tore through the King's Guard in less than an hour. Just boys with sticks compared to a legion of undying passionate soldiers fighting for a cause. The heroes tried casting their own magic back at me, but clearly suffered from never learning about the so called "dark" elements. Their balls of fire and ice just phased through me and got sent to the nether. Once I cast my shadow restraints upon them and banished the king into the nether I offered them a choice to join me or perish. Most joined. Such weak wills they had in the end. The few others will have a chance to reconsider eventually. I always store the remains I collect.

Since then I have taught countless young wizards and witches the art of necromancy so that they may see their loved ones yet again. I taught the people of the arcane. How they can utilize it for their communities. Endless water taps flowing into existence helped irrigate the crops. Nether portals for restrooms ended most of the diaseases not to mention stench of the city. Not to mention the new bussling population of undead who never needed food, sleep, or shelter meant that prosperity all but exuded from the kingdom in mere weeks. The citizens now had the time to pursue their passions loved ones to share it.

The people have never been happier. I am already looking forward to meeting the rest of the cities who think me a villain.