Dread Mage

With a cheerful tune on his lips, Vell and Sonder resumed their journey. Suddenly, he burst into a verse of a song:

“In the land of shadowed dreams,

lurks a figure, or so it seems,

with a cloak that swirls like night,

casting spells with eerie light.”

When the verse ended, Vell reverted to humming as he forgot the rest of the song’s lyrics.

“What is that song?” Sonder asked.

“Oh, it’s nothing, just a little jig I heard once,” Vell responded nonchalantly.

Halting abruptly, he spun around, sensing that something was amiss.

“Sonder, you appear so downcast. Is it because you miss her?”

“I do miss her,” she admitted.

“I understand that saying goodbye is challenging. She may have become like a sister to you over these past months; even if not, severing a teacher-apprentice relationship can be painful if there was mutual respect.”

Sonder responded with a solemn nod.

“This seems like a suitable moment for a serious conversation, Sonder.”

Brushing debris off a nearby rock, Vell seated himself comfortably, gesturing with his staff for Sonder to take a seat on an adjacent rock.

Cutting straight to the chase, Vell probed, “Do you still seek revenge?”

Sonder didn’t hesitate before responding firmly, “Yes.”

“Do you feel there's a deadline for your vengeance? A sort of feeling of a limit?”

“What do you mean by that?”

“You spent half a year honing your physical prowess, and it has paid off.”

He playfully jabbed her midriff with his staff, meeting the resistance of her newfound strength.

“Do you feel like that that was too long? Do you feel like you need to take action as soon as possible. Do you feel any kind of urgency in your goals?”

Sonder furrowed her brow and pondered his words, “Urgency? I guess so. I want to fulfill what I set out to do as soon as possible but I know that I’ve set myself up for something that could take a lifetime to accomplish.”

“So, you wouldn’t mind if it took until your middle age or even your twilight years to bring down the Irath king?”

“I’d prefer to be younger. But occasionally, I experience a fleeting sensation, as if time is slipping away unnoticed. Days seem to merge, but amount it to me trying to cast the thoughts of training day-in and day-out out of my mind. But what are you trying to tell me?”

“I just worry about you. There is a common issue for immortals and long-living races, although they seldom admit it. Their perception of time is often obscured. ”

“But how does that concern me? I’m human, and we don’t live that long.”

“You seem to have forgotten your affliction. You may have been human in the past but you’re an undead now and they can live for a long time. As a banshee, you have absorbed the souls of an elf, abyssal creatures, and the dead from the Irath dungeon. Don’t you think that could affect your… lifespan? It might be prudent to consult an expert.”