End of Razas, Loss of a Shadow, The

((Just popping in to post something that came to me while packing and studying. Ok, yeah, I'm procrastinating. Whatever. :P))

Loss of a Shadow
 * -''by Razas

Sometime....

Broken. Splintered. The creature that had once been Razas had been reduced to gibbering madness, locked away in the dungeons of the Undercity. Sometimes he spoke of fantastical ideas, formulas, which those who watched him quickly wrote down. Knowledge was power. This man's knowledge was worth more than putting him out of his misery. Or saving him, if it could be done. Despair was nothing new to the Forsaken. Those who could not endure were to be used. That is all.

The guards peered at the raving wretch, who threw himself against his bonds, mouth constantly in motion, spouting random facts. "The quality of air in the Undercity is 9 tenths deadly to a product of humanity. Over a period of time. hours. Weeks."

The guard shook his head at the madman, as the nut fell silent. Pitiful. More and more he spout out nothing useful. The apothecaries were getting tired of his madness. If he was to exist much longer, he would have to come up with something more useful.

Razas looked down at the floor, mumbling.... "Don't they understand? Can't... can't.... what is it.... no.... can't.... seperate the parts.... the sum of the parts is less than the whole...."

"You have that one right." Razas head shot up. Someone, finally, talking to him! His friends had long since abandoned him to madness... Weeks, Days, Years had it been?

"It's only been a few weeks. Not that long. They don't even know you're here, really." Razas's eyes squinted through the darkness. A man. Tall. About 6 foot, it seemed. Razas rasped out, "Who... are you... seem familiar. Quantized body shape. No smell. Symmetry of body good. Hair, brown. Not recognized, not in the memory. Data files corrupted."

"They have always been corrupted, since we died. You've forgotten me, Razas, simply because you wished to. I wished to. I did not want to be remembered. But it is time that we changed that."

"Cannot change, am in Chains! Cannot change am in chains!" gibbered the dead man. His head thrashed back and forth as the human, no, not human something else... spirit? Ghost?

"No no no no .... cannot remember, will not remember. Hurts. It hurts. Hurts too much." Razas thrashed more as the human came close enough to touch. Still no smell. Couldn't smell the human. Not possible. Not. Not.

"It hurts, only because of what we have done. It is time that we start fixing that. It is time that the Nightmare ended, Razas. It's time to wake up." The human grabbbed Razas's head, and forced the agitated dead man to stare straight into his eyes. Jade green eyes. It seemed as if they peirced his soul.... no. It was in his soul. The human was in his soul!

Razas began speaking in a deep baritone. "Get out. We don't want you here. We have our time, still.... out, out out out!"

The human merely replied, "No. You have reigned for far to long in my shell of a body. I'm taking it back."

Razas thrashed more and more as the Human began to turn to smoke, and flow into Razas's eyes. Razas shrieked, and moaned pitifully as the process was completed, then flopped to the floor, only held up by the chains to the wall.

The guard had watched the whole exchange, albeit he could not see the human.... spirit... whatever it was.

He unlocked the door, and walked inside, carefully. His hand was on his sword, in case the prisoner would break his bonds and attempt to escape. The body jerked, and then sat up, gently dusting himself off. He smiled to the guard.

"Hello."

"Uhm..... hi."

"Sorry about that whole madness thing. I'm cured now, you can let me go."

The guard blinked, then chuckled. "Yeah.... right."

Razas smiled. Not an insane smile, not a malicious smile, just a plain smile. "I'm being completely serious, as funny and odd as it does sound. Go get Apothecary Faranell, if you would. I would like to discuss some things with him."

The guard blinked again. That was the first coherent thing that he had heard the prisoner ever say. The prisoner then motioned with a little wave of his hand, "Please go get the Master Apothecary."

The guard nodded, and quickly went out the door, locking it behind him. Razas chuckled, "Eh, poor kid...."

Hours later...

Razas stood at the gates of the Ruins of Lordaeron, scratching his chin. Sanity. It was nice to be sane again. Sure, he wouldn't have the astounding formulas that he had come up with earlier, there is a fine line between genius and madness, after all. Sacrificing that, for a little self control, a little more.... humanity. He could live... he chuckled. Ha, he made a funny. No, he could exist with it. He summoned his mighty dreadsteed, and gently patted the Xorothian on the side of the neck.

The fires of hate still burned in the eyes of the steed, but curiousity now lit them as well. Something's changed in you, master.

"Indeed it has, Bloodfire. Come, let's take a ride. I'll tell you all about it. We've got plenty of time." The firey horse neighed his approval, and sped into the foggy Tirisfal night.

A joyous laugh was heard in the night, a laugh like someone who had just been set free. "All the time in the world...."