11 Jul 2019, 20:15
A Friend Like Me
@Kaegen Deathmote
Xailah kept three shoeboxes under her bed. Now theses shoeboxes were for very important things that she wanted to keep. Now, keep in mind she is a klepto, and she has a bit of a hoarding habit, so what might not fit in one hiding spot, will temporarily go into one of the three shoeboxes. So, what exactly did the shoeboxes contain? Well, one contained widgets and gadgets, wind-up toys, and music boxes that sort of thing. The second contained a vast collection of silverware that she had permanently borrowed from some of the parties held at Hogwarts. The third box was the strangest though. At first glance it would seem that it contained nothing of value or of importance. The third box had newspaper clippings.
Unlike many students, Xailah actually enjoyed, and took the time to read the school newspaper. And when she came across an article, or name that was of interest to her; she would carefully cut it out, and save it. That is how she came across the Deathmote boy. One morning she had been reading the newspaper, and opened it to a spot about an explosion in the bathroom; and the student in question was Kaegen Deathmote. She had heard the name here and there, and usually what she heard was not positive. Actually, it was never positive.
So she did her little thing- cut the article, and stuck it in a box. Went on with her day. She would hear the occasional chatter about the event. That was when she realized that some twisted part of her wanted to meet this "villain"- if you will. She would spend the next few months gathering as much information as she could about the boy. Most of it was gossip. But little gossip never hurt anyone.
If there was one thing that could be assumed about the boy, it would be the fact that he was a little off his rockers. This just made things worse. Now all she wanted was to get inside his head. Find out what made him tick. How would she go about doing this? Friendship. She was going to try to befriend the beast. And so she sent him an owl, realizing that she just might be making a huge mistake. In the letter she said to meet her in the boys abandoned bathrooms. A strange request, but there was reasoning behind it.
So why the boys bathroom? Firstly, girls gossiped. Boys did not. At least from what she knew; they didn't. Secondly there was some wack job that guarded the girls toilets, and ate turkey sandwiches in there. Again, this information was gained from rumors that she overheard. Alas she did not feel like encountering a turkey sandwich-eating troll. Therefore the boys bathroom was the most logical solution to this problem.
She had been here one other time. She had followed a student here one night- mistakes were made. People got hurt. What happened here either fell off the radar, or was simply unnoticed. For two years she avoided this room. Until now. It was just as grimy as she had remembered it. The cat Schrödinger accompanied her. He would be a witness to the events were to take place. He waddled along side Xailah. His squished little moon-face pointed upward towards the ceiling. Xailah found a nice, dark little corner to wait in; becoming two eerie yellow eyes. Schrödinger leapt into a nearby sink. His grey-blue formless body molded into the bowl of the sink. All she had to do now was wait.
Last edited by Xailah Alptraum-Leveret on 28 Sep 2019, 17:20, edited 1 time in total.
Before me, you rightly tremble. But, fear is not what you owe me. You owe me awe....
Stamina: 12 ~ Evasion: 17 ~ Strength: 2 ~ Wisdom: 16 ~ Arcane Power: 4 ~ Accuracy: 17
Student Account: Martyr Daeva-Lazarus
25 Jul 2019, 07:31
A Friend Like Me
Why had he showed up? Mostly out of curiosity, but also out of spite. It was dangerous to go and meet someone who had just owled you about a meeting, especially now that people knew who he was. In times long past he saw himself as a protector, but ever since the landslide of current events that all conspired to drag his life through seven shades of hell he had given up on that idea. He was alone, he was a hunter. The newspaper painted him as a madman, the students feared his approach. Something about Kaegen screamed that he was a threat, that he was a monster.
He had wild, tangled black hair, black as black could possibly be, sharply contrasting with his pale skin. But his skin was beyond white. It was greyish, dying. It looked like the sickly skin of a plague victim, of a dying child. His eyes were greyish blue with red rings that circled the very edge of pupils that never seemed to stay perfectly still. He wore a grey scarf over a tattered and fraying black robe, with a cape and huge umbrella tied to his back. Kaegen was very odd, very different, and very, very scary.
You could tell he was in the room even if your back was turned, it was a cascade of icy goosebumps that heralded the arrival of the half-boy. The psychotic ravenclaw that laid waste to a bathroom full of students, the boy who moved to the distant tunes of a song only he knew. Kaegen Deathmote, Terror of the Hogwarts hallways.
He moved in to the bathrooms without trying to mask his presence. It wasn't hard to find the two yellow eyes. Finally, something that reminded him of home. Or at least, something that reminded him of the fens. A monster of a different sort, the kind with fangs and teeth was in the corner, not a student, not a death witch in some sneaky guise. No, those eyes were the eyes of a beast from the swamps, and he knew he could fight those. He knew he could win. But did he want to?
"Go. Get back to the fens and abandon this place. You're far worse off in this maze of wrapped terror than you ever were back home. The unknown is here too, you know. Just hidden.
No, he didn't. He missed simplicity, and for him, this creature in the corner reminded him of that. Of the fens, where everything wanted to eat you, true, but they were up front and honest about it. Kaegen stepped to the side, to let the pair of yellow eyes pass. He did, however, prepare for an attack. You never knew how much reason a beast could show.
He had wild, tangled black hair, black as black could possibly be, sharply contrasting with his pale skin. But his skin was beyond white. It was greyish, dying. It looked like the sickly skin of a plague victim, of a dying child. His eyes were greyish blue with red rings that circled the very edge of pupils that never seemed to stay perfectly still. He wore a grey scarf over a tattered and fraying black robe, with a cape and huge umbrella tied to his back. Kaegen was very odd, very different, and very, very scary.
You could tell he was in the room even if your back was turned, it was a cascade of icy goosebumps that heralded the arrival of the half-boy. The psychotic ravenclaw that laid waste to a bathroom full of students, the boy who moved to the distant tunes of a song only he knew. Kaegen Deathmote, Terror of the Hogwarts hallways.
He moved in to the bathrooms without trying to mask his presence. It wasn't hard to find the two yellow eyes. Finally, something that reminded him of home. Or at least, something that reminded him of the fens. A monster of a different sort, the kind with fangs and teeth was in the corner, not a student, not a death witch in some sneaky guise. No, those eyes were the eyes of a beast from the swamps, and he knew he could fight those. He knew he could win. But did he want to?
"Go. Get back to the fens and abandon this place. You're far worse off in this maze of wrapped terror than you ever were back home. The unknown is here too, you know. Just hidden.
No, he didn't. He missed simplicity, and for him, this creature in the corner reminded him of that. Of the fens, where everything wanted to eat you, true, but they were up front and honest about it. Kaegen stepped to the side, to let the pair of yellow eyes pass. He did, however, prepare for an attack. You never knew how much reason a beast could show.
Shade-Beacon, Master of the Castle of Avarice
25 Jul 2019, 22:37
A Friend Like Me
Two months gathering information about this kid, yet she was somehow unable to match a face. That was until now. Two months, looking for a face that matched the descriptions that other children had given to her. She was expecting so much more; a decaying, twisted, monstrosity like one of the creatures from her Lovecraft books. Oh you're a joke. That was all she could think of, as soon as she laid her glistening yellow eyes on the kid. An absolute joke. This kid was not a monster that crouched beneath the beds of sleeping children, waiting among the dust bunnies for the right moment to strike. No. This kid was a Nessie. A Mothman. A hoax.
The squeak of the rusty hinges of the bathroom door would alert her. Schrödinger stirred in his temporary porcelain bed. Four eyes would linger on the door, and then follow the boy Kaegen around the musty space. And while the boy did look...funny, there was still something off. He had the strangest aura. This didn't scare her, but it surely made her wary. But maybe she was scared, somewhere in the farthest corner of her mind; there was a part of her that trembled. Nothing about the boy was truly scary except- except for the fact that at any point in time he could snap and try to take her life. But normal people had a chance of doing that too. She shifted ever so slightly, to make sure she had a clear path to the door; just in case things got a little messy.
This was all too surreal. The situation, the atmosphere; it was like some weird dream that teetered on the edge of being a nightmare. She gave a quiet and airy chortle. He seriously thought that she was one of his creatures that lived in this place called the fens? So be it. She would be a creature. Not from the fens though. She would be something that only the human mind could fathom. "I'm not leaving- not just yet. I went through too much trouble to get a letter ssent just so I could ssspeak with you. It would be ssilly for me to leave." She remained silent for a moment. She blinked. The yellow eyes disappeared for only a second, before flickering back like two dying embers from a campfire. "Are you going to listen to what I have to ask of you, Kaegen? Or will you leave me? Leaving would be a ssstupid thing to do. And I think we both know that you are not ssstupid." The fiery eyes narrowed. Silently scanning his face."Go. Get back to the fens and abandon this place. You're far worse off in this maze of wrapped terror than you ever were back home. The unknown is here too, you know. Just hidden."
Before me, you rightly tremble. But, fear is not what you owe me. You owe me awe....
Stamina: 12 ~ Evasion: 17 ~ Strength: 2 ~ Wisdom: 16 ~ Arcane Power: 4 ~ Accuracy: 17
Student Account: Martyr Daeva-Lazarus
29 Jul 2019, 06:47
A Friend Like Me
It didn't want to leave, then. It wanted to talk. That much was made clear by it's words, but he didn't much care. He had given the creature an out, an escape, a chance to meet it's fate outside of this enclosed castle. There was nothing he could offer the creature, and nothing the creature would be able to offer him. There was no point to this, why was he even still here? He could just leave, let the creature stay in the gilded cage.
She asked if he was going to stay and listen, or if he was going to leave. Well, right off the bat it seemed as if staying might prove interesting. If nothing else, he found it nice that the creature was so normal. Hissing words and glowing eyes were a common occurrence, they didn't pose much of a threat. Of course, they kept him on his toes, but he was always on his toes. Kaegen found that true terror lay behind the confusion of a terrible smile, not in the clear hostility of whatever snake creature was hiding in a corner.
But then it told him that leaving would be stupid. And it told him that it knew he wasn't stupid, that the both of them knew he wasn't stupid. Why, what did that mean? Why was it stupid to leave? Why was this creature in the corner the absolute authority on what was stupid and what was smart? It didn't sit right, it wasn't something he was comfortable with. People saying that something was something, and something else was something different, or people saying that something was smart or dumb bothered him. How did they know, had they already tried it?
Kaegen took a step back, his eyes narrowed, as his pupils made tiny convulsions. He took a step towards the door, and then another one. He was not going to take this creature at it's word. It didn't explain why it was stupid, it just expected Kaegen to believe it? No, no no no that was not going to happen. He didn't believe people, he observed actions not empty words. He took another step towards the door.
"If you've something to say, say it before I get out the door or it will fall on deaf ears. I've given you more chance than I have given most. You don't belong here."
She asked if he was going to stay and listen, or if he was going to leave. Well, right off the bat it seemed as if staying might prove interesting. If nothing else, he found it nice that the creature was so normal. Hissing words and glowing eyes were a common occurrence, they didn't pose much of a threat. Of course, they kept him on his toes, but he was always on his toes. Kaegen found that true terror lay behind the confusion of a terrible smile, not in the clear hostility of whatever snake creature was hiding in a corner.
But then it told him that leaving would be stupid. And it told him that it knew he wasn't stupid, that the both of them knew he wasn't stupid. Why, what did that mean? Why was it stupid to leave? Why was this creature in the corner the absolute authority on what was stupid and what was smart? It didn't sit right, it wasn't something he was comfortable with. People saying that something was something, and something else was something different, or people saying that something was smart or dumb bothered him. How did they know, had they already tried it?
Kaegen took a step back, his eyes narrowed, as his pupils made tiny convulsions. He took a step towards the door, and then another one. He was not going to take this creature at it's word. It didn't explain why it was stupid, it just expected Kaegen to believe it? No, no no no that was not going to happen. He didn't believe people, he observed actions not empty words. He took another step towards the door.
"If you've something to say, say it before I get out the door or it will fall on deaf ears. I've given you more chance than I have given most. You don't belong here."
Shade-Beacon, Master of the Castle of Avarice
29 Jul 2019, 20:41
A Friend Like Me
"Very well. I will keep this ssshort and sssweet. I-...I need a friend Kaegen." Friend? Was that the right word? Perhaps ally would have been more appropriate. "I say friend, but I think I mean sssomething more along the lines of; quid pro quo. I help you, you help me. Understand?" This was proving to be much harder than she thought it was going to be. She was too proud to admit that she could be weak, or that she lacked friends. But sacrifices had to be made. She was willing to play the part of the weak creature, just this once."If you've something to say, say it before I get out the door or it will fall on deaf ears. I've given you more chance than I have given most. You don't belong here."
"Kaegen, there will be a time in your life where you will need the help of another person. It happens to every one eventually. I am willing to be that person, only if you're willing to do the sssame for me. There is no one to help me here. And I can't go home, not just yet. Here is a dangerousss place. You know it. I know it." None of this was a lie. She had people that would have probably helped her once upon a time, but they were all gone now. They just one day disappeared. No letter or mention of where they were going- they just...vanished. It was kind of sad to think about in a way.
"I was not so lucky when I found out that Hogwarts wasn't as sssafe as people made it ssseem." The corners of her mouth pulled themselves into a frown. "2019 Blossom Ball. I was there. You were too. You left early. And maybe if I left too, I wouldn't have to be here talking to you now. Anyway, to make a long ssstory ssshort; sssomeone made an attempt at kidnapping a sstudent. Thats when I ssstarted thinking; what if that was me? Would anyone notice me missing? Would anyone care? No. I would be forgotten. I don't want to be forgotten Kaegen. No one does." She grew quiet, her voice lost the luster that it had before. She didn't exactly fear being forgotten, but it was definitely a concern.
"I don't expect a answer right away. But if you refuse, can you at least promise that you'll watch, since the professors wont. Look for things that are out of place. I have no fucking clue how the professors didn't notice the keeper of grounds go missing- or have a hag move into the cabin for that matter." She tried to maintain a serious tone, one that she thought was most appropriate for the situation. Schrödinger thought otherwise. He jumped- well, more like slid out of the sink. His fat little body vaguely resembled moldy JELLO as he made his way down to the grimy tile. Waow. Waaaoooow. He produced a raspy little sound, that resembled a meow. He found his way to the sickly looking boy, and flopped down at his feet. This could have easily sent Xailah reeling. She had no idea how this boy acted around animals. "I- uh, he thinks you have food."
Before me, you rightly tremble. But, fear is not what you owe me. You owe me awe....
Stamina: 12 ~ Evasion: 17 ~ Strength: 2 ~ Wisdom: 16 ~ Arcane Power: 4 ~ Accuracy: 17
Student Account: Martyr Daeva-Lazarus
5 Aug 2019, 08:22
A Friend Like Me
A friend? No, not this again. He would not do this again, this hell. Two years for a friend that wasn't his friend. Two years of pain and misery and false purpose. He was done with it, done with all of it, done with people. She wasn't really a person, though, but still. It was a hard no. Even when she suggested they simply help each other, he didn't want to. He didn't want people around him, near him. He was done with needing people, or help. They called him crazy or they ran, or they lied.
"I don't work with people. I'd rather worry about the unknown knowing that it is the unknown. A creature you might be, but only barely. You still smell like human. If I die, it will be because I was met with someone stronger, not because someone weaker stabbed me while my back was turned. That said, I'm not going to die. And kidnapping? A hag? Is that all you've seen? This place is full of monsters. People vanish all the time, everywhere. And no one cares, and no one ever will."
The first thought that raced through Kaegen's mind was that he needed to dodge, to move away from the cat. The second thought that raced through his mind was that he needed to kill the cat before it got to him, the third thought that raced through his mind was that it was a creature. A full-on creature without a single devious thought in it's body. It was nice, it wanted food. He had food. An arm vanished up a sleeve, only to reappear soon after with a piece of sausage in his hand. He hadn't had a pet since his had been taken away. Ever since he failed that day in the great hall.
Kaegen tossed it on the ground in front of the cat, and then looked back up at the human-creature. He didn't see many animals anymore, that was something he did find himself missing. One thing from the fens that he didn't want to leave behind.
"Well... you can follow me around, if you want. I'll show you what to watch out for. Bring your cat."
Kaegen turned, and headed out the door. In the end, he wasn't sure what to think. But just someone to follow him around, that wasn't too bad, was it? That probably wasn't too dangerous.
"I don't work with people. I'd rather worry about the unknown knowing that it is the unknown. A creature you might be, but only barely. You still smell like human. If I die, it will be because I was met with someone stronger, not because someone weaker stabbed me while my back was turned. That said, I'm not going to die. And kidnapping? A hag? Is that all you've seen? This place is full of monsters. People vanish all the time, everywhere. And no one cares, and no one ever will."
The first thought that raced through Kaegen's mind was that he needed to dodge, to move away from the cat. The second thought that raced through his mind was that he needed to kill the cat before it got to him, the third thought that raced through his mind was that it was a creature. A full-on creature without a single devious thought in it's body. It was nice, it wanted food. He had food. An arm vanished up a sleeve, only to reappear soon after with a piece of sausage in his hand. He hadn't had a pet since his had been taken away. Ever since he failed that day in the great hall.
Kaegen tossed it on the ground in front of the cat, and then looked back up at the human-creature. He didn't see many animals anymore, that was something he did find himself missing. One thing from the fens that he didn't want to leave behind.
"Well... you can follow me around, if you want. I'll show you what to watch out for. Bring your cat."
Kaegen turned, and headed out the door. In the end, he wasn't sure what to think. But just someone to follow him around, that wasn't too bad, was it? That probably wasn't too dangerous.
Shade-Beacon, Master of the Castle of Avarice
6 Aug 2019, 19:41
A Friend Like Me
"Pity." She bowed her head. Did he not realize that he was lucky? People knew his name. They knew his face. Someone would come along and try to take him out. He was lucky that she came to him first before someone else did. "Well when you come from a sssheltered background, like me; you learn that child-eating Hags are terrifying. Not to mention traumatizing." The grey mass of fat and fuzz, eagerly gnawed at the piece of sausage, that the boy Kaegen had given to him. Where had he gotten it? How long was it in his sleeve. She probably didn't need to know, and Schrödinger didn't seem to really care.
She buried her face in her hands; the soft fabric of her gloves caressed her pale skin. Goodness. Way to introduce yourself there, fatty. She had gotten used to this needy behavior, but she didn't really expect him to beg for food from strangers. Seeing that he often lacked interest in those that passed by. Alas the tubby little feline was full of surprises-... and sausage.
"Well... you can follow me around, if you want. I'll show you what to watch out for. Bring your cat."
It seems that Schrödinger wasn't the only one with surprises. She had expected Kaegen to leave by now. But instead he offered her to accompany him. Did this suggest that he cared to some degree? Whatever. That didn't matter. She was getting what she wanted. She stepped forth from her shadowy little corner. Lead the way cochise. "Come on Schrödinger." The grey mass shook and sneezed, before following after his owner. Waaaaooow. She snaked her way through the door, keeping close to the boy Kaegen. Normally she liked to be the one leading, but she wasn't quite sure if she like the idea of a crazy following right behind her. For now she would be the follower.
Before me, you rightly tremble. But, fear is not what you owe me. You owe me awe....
Stamina: 12 ~ Evasion: 17 ~ Strength: 2 ~ Wisdom: 16 ~ Arcane Power: 4 ~ Accuracy: 17
Student Account: Martyr Daeva-Lazarus
9 Aug 2019, 07:34
A Friend Like Me
"Before breakfast, this corridor is almost always deserted. Five to Twelve students pass by. Mostly Gryffindor. No one of any importance, just humans. Nothing here ever changes. In this whole castle. They keep dying, but more keep coming. It's constant. Always Five to Twelve students, never more than that, never less than that. Do- Do you know math?"
Kaegen paused. He had been walking in an odd sideways step that seemed to suit him, sliding like a menacing shadow along the wall to keep an eye both on his follower, and on the path ahead. She was probably mostly creature, after all. Did dogs do math? No, she didn't remind him of a dog. A cat maybe? Again, no. She didn't feel like a cat. Creatures always had a weird feeling to them, something that you sensed just by being around them. He couldn't tell what she was, but probably not something with any Schooling.
"I can simplify if you need the help."
How long had it been since he had someone following him? Usually he did the following, but he was done with that. Following had gotten him nothing but pain. Now, if anyone was going to be hurt, it wasn't going to be him. He was going to be above it, above everything. Just him and his hate, killing death. It was a nice thought.
Kaegen paused. He had been walking in an odd sideways step that seemed to suit him, sliding like a menacing shadow along the wall to keep an eye both on his follower, and on the path ahead. She was probably mostly creature, after all. Did dogs do math? No, she didn't remind him of a dog. A cat maybe? Again, no. She didn't feel like a cat. Creatures always had a weird feeling to them, something that you sensed just by being around them. He couldn't tell what she was, but probably not something with any Schooling.
"I can simplify if you need the help."
How long had it been since he had someone following him? Usually he did the following, but he was done with that. Following had gotten him nothing but pain. Now, if anyone was going to be hurt, it wasn't going to be him. He was going to be above it, above everything. Just him and his hate, killing death. It was a nice thought.
Shade-Beacon, Master of the Castle of Avarice
10 Aug 2019, 16:47
A Friend Like Me
This was getting stranger by the minute. She could have said a number of things at that moment. Many of which would have probably crushed the small world in which he lived. She had no intention of doing that. Not yet. She was not ready to bring down that hammer. There was a big contrast in the way they two children held themselves. Creatures they might have been, yet neither one was the same as the other. She kept up with his pace, but managed to look graceful whilst doing so. She slunk around, yet she still kept her back straight and her chin high. It was almost as if she was letting him know that she was superior. "I know sssimple addition, and sssubtraction. Along with multiplication and division. I'm not much good at anything else in that ssubject." This was only partly the truth. She knew a bit more than just basic math, but he didn't need to know that.
"I can simplify if you need the help."
"I...think I understand that much. No need to sssimplify it." Was that an insult? Did he think that she was stupid? Should she throw a snarky comment at him? She wasn't sure. If anything it would probably go over his head like a lead balloon. "You count. You're always counting aren't you?" She turned to him, her spooky wedding-ring eyes glistening with curiosity. "You're third year, right? Have you noticed how few of us are left? Do you know why that is?" This was a tricky question, and one of the few that she did not have a good answer for, but maybe he had a answer. Was it going to be a good one? No, probably not. She expected that much. But, an answer was an answer. She wasn't complaining.
Before me, you rightly tremble. But, fear is not what you owe me. You owe me awe....
Stamina: 12 ~ Evasion: 17 ~ Strength: 2 ~ Wisdom: 16 ~ Arcane Power: 4 ~ Accuracy: 17
Student Account: Martyr Daeva-Lazarus
10 Aug 2019, 23:02
A Friend Like Me
Very different, the two. Almost night and day. Kaegen slunk, he moved quickly and smoothly like liquid molasses against the walls, waves and undulations that marked the nature of someone who very much just wanted to not be seen. His feet were placed perfectly, and his eyes looked everywhere they possibly could reach for anything that might be a threat.
His companion, however, simply walked. It was a graceful walk, and a quiet walk, but anyone who looked down the passage would have a pretty decent chance of seeing her, Kaegen assumed she just didn't care. She kept proper posture and poise. Not much of a creature, then. That was the mark of a human, of a dog. Someone with a twisted sense of pride. Or was it vanity that drove them to stupidity? Kaegen wasn't sure. But she reminded him more of a girl entering a ball than a creature.
The subtext was entirely lost on him. The amount of skill it required to walk that smoothly while still being that regal went right over his head, he didn't know of it, didn't recognize it as anything other than what he was doing, but tainted with more humanity. It was the same thing that made people challenge each other, or shout insults. The best analogy he could think of was a dog. Hunting in packs, loud and boastful and terrifying. But lacking skill.
"How few third years? No, that's wrong. There is always plenty of students, in every year. Just not the right ones. Those that fail get replaced. Think about it, if students keep going and going and going, by 7th year there would be only one or two left, and yet students keep graduating as they always have. They simply replace the ones that fail, time and time again. Less of them are interesting, certainly. But the numbers always match up.
Kaegen's worldview was twisted, and it was small. It was warped and dark and mostly inaccurate, but it was far from fragile. Everything he believed, he had some sort of proof for, or at least something he firmly believed in. The opinions he held he believed to be the unalienable truth. Many had tried to shift what he believed in, but all had failed.
His companion, however, simply walked. It was a graceful walk, and a quiet walk, but anyone who looked down the passage would have a pretty decent chance of seeing her, Kaegen assumed she just didn't care. She kept proper posture and poise. Not much of a creature, then. That was the mark of a human, of a dog. Someone with a twisted sense of pride. Or was it vanity that drove them to stupidity? Kaegen wasn't sure. But she reminded him more of a girl entering a ball than a creature.
The subtext was entirely lost on him. The amount of skill it required to walk that smoothly while still being that regal went right over his head, he didn't know of it, didn't recognize it as anything other than what he was doing, but tainted with more humanity. It was the same thing that made people challenge each other, or shout insults. The best analogy he could think of was a dog. Hunting in packs, loud and boastful and terrifying. But lacking skill.
"How few third years? No, that's wrong. There is always plenty of students, in every year. Just not the right ones. Those that fail get replaced. Think about it, if students keep going and going and going, by 7th year there would be only one or two left, and yet students keep graduating as they always have. They simply replace the ones that fail, time and time again. Less of them are interesting, certainly. But the numbers always match up.
Kaegen's worldview was twisted, and it was small. It was warped and dark and mostly inaccurate, but it was far from fragile. Everything he believed, he had some sort of proof for, or at least something he firmly believed in. The opinions he held he believed to be the unalienable truth. Many had tried to shift what he believed in, but all had failed.
Shade-Beacon, Master of the Castle of Avarice