Young Writers Society

"I do not know, but I am not entirely...alive."

Tottan’s brows raised with increased curiosity and surprise. “Really? How does that work? Is your body in a state of decay?”

"No, I am entirely animate, but many of my characteristics are indicative of being undead. Other necromancers also detect me as undead."

Geist was in the middle of inspecting the lamppost nearest to their little group of three when he heard Thanatos utter the words. He spun around, staring at him with wide eyes. Aliens, he could understand. That was easy. But necromancers? That was impossible! No one could successfully bring back the dead - Sebastian had grilled it into his head the moment he started asking him about what alchemy could achieve.

"I'm going to ignore that impossible bit about bringing back the dead and ask another burning question: you know alchemy?" he incredulously said, giving Thanatos another good look. "Are you one of those state alchemists?"

He cocks his head slightly. "Firstly, reanimation of the dead is entirely possible, if for only few. Secondly, to my knowledge of the term, I am not an alchemist of any kind. Though I must inquire - by your sdefinition, what is an alchemist?"

How could he not know what alchemy was? Everyone knew of it! Some people might have had a better understanding of what it involved, but they had a basic understanding of the concept. Even if Thanatos was from another realm, shouldn't he have heard of it?

"An alchemist is someone who uses alchemy to transmute one thing to another," he started, trying to recall the definition he had given him. "They have to have the same basic core elements, and you have to know what those elements are. And human transmutation is a major taboo - there's nothing that's equivalent to a human soul. That's why your necromancy is impossible. You can't bring someone back to life."

If you could, I would have already done it.

Tottan blinked a few times, his eyes flashing and glowing colors as the two began to explain things that seemed to go over his head - an experience that he hadn't had of this intensity since he was a few hundred years younger.

"I must admit you both have me rather confused. It was my understanding that alchemy and necromancy were fictional things, but you're speaking of them as if they are real. Is it possible your people and culture use those words to simply describe scientific occurrences?"



Okay, so he knew he'd fallen asleep on a park bench, but when he woke up it was a different bench, on a different street, in a different city that he didn't recognize. Altogether leaving him very, very confused. Bo craned his neck up from the hard, metal, strange looking bench.

Everything was bright and blurry and headachey, and unless he was dreaming or just really hungover, the entire city was quiet, and empty. Which was enough to jar him to complete awareness, as he jerked, sitting straight up on the bench. He looked down either side of the street, feeling a sinking feeling in his stomach as his eyes confirmed it was in fact empty... save for two people walking towards him. And one of them was covered in armor.

He gulped.

Did he die? Maybe he'd died. Was this the afterlife?

"Entirely possible," Thanatos answers. "Though I am unsure of how reanimation of the dead occurs, I am sure that there is a way to explain it scientifically. As for you, Geist - define alive. Animate and possessing a soul are two very different things. Undead are as close to alive as most of us can make it, but it is still very much...conscious, as am I."

"Well, that's what alchemy is," Geist said, looking over at Tottan. "It is a scientific occurrence. At least, that's what Sebastian's been telling me. It seems a little too much like magic for my tastes, but it's supposedly just an act of science."

He glanced at Thanatos. Crossing his arms, he finally admitted, "Well, we are from different realms. I guess some things might be possible there that aren't possible here."



Unable to find anything in the building, Sebastian and Engel had returned to the eerily empty streets. It was while they began what Sebastian suspected to be another fruitless search that he spotted another man - young and unfamiliar. Sebastian raised his hand in greeting. He hoped he wasn't the sort of person who was afraid of the military.

The boy has a point. But, were that so, wouldn't he have deanimated? How would he know? To his knowledge, he is not controlled by a necromancer like most undead, so if most undead could not be raised, there is a distinct possibility he would be the exception. Knowing whether or not his abilities could still be used here is important: there is no telling what they could run into.

Wordlessly, the man pulls a small, draconic-looking skull from the pocket of his coat, followed by a spine, ribs, a leg bones, and a tail. The skull itself isn't even as long as his thumb. He places the skeleton on the ground.

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Sirens wailed under the inky city sky. Smog filled the air, stinging her lungs as she ran, bare feet slapping against the hard concrete of the roof. The girl's foot caught on a loose pebble as she crouched to leap for the next rooftop and she stumbled, falling off the roof...

...and lands in the middle of a road under a blue sky. Luckily, she landed mostly on her left arm, so though her leg and abdomen are both throbbing she didn't actually break anything. She pushes herself up to all fours, ear twitching as she hears movement a small ways up the road - two men, one in armor.

Tottan watched as the skeleton was placed on the ground. Now entirely confused, he looked over to face the strange man.

“Is the... dead creature’s skeleton of significance?” He asked.



Bo rubbed his eyes, but the vision of the armored man and his companion still met his sight. Clearly, this was his reality for the time being. In his bleary eyed, half-awakeness, he missed the sihouette of a girl behind them. He cleared his throat, and waved back to the two.

“Hey! Uhh, do ya’ll know where this is? I’m uh... lost.”

"No, but I need to make sure that my necromancy is still valid here."

He stands, holding his hand over the skeleton palm-down before closing his fingers into a fist. As he does so, the eye sockets of the skull begin to glow and the creature stands, looking around and flapping its wings.

Tottan watches in awe as the skeleton becomes animate, with his eyes glowing many colors.

"Oh my word, that's amazing."