The Symphony of Shadow

15: 'The Deathless'

Author's Note: Because of the delay in this chapter, the next chapter will be up tomorrow :) This chapter has lots of plot, but also gwynriel fluff <3 (the next chapter will DEFINITELY be worth the plot dump though...)

G W Y N

Gwyn's eyes widened as she took in the sight of the old, black-leather book upon the shelf: 'The Deathless,' thinking of all of the possible answers it could contain in regards to the ancient mystery that was Koschei.

Although, another part of her wondered where it was this book came from; and how exactly it had miraculously appeared here, when she – a priestess of this very library – had never once come across it before whilst working.

Gwyn ignored these questions however – the thought of being able to provide answers to the Night Court appealing to her on great levels.

She reached out her hand and took the book from the shelf, getting a feel of the cool leather beneath her fingers – the book itself no less than an inch in width.

Upon opening the cover, a pencil sketch of tall, bony man – an ancient man – came into view upon the very first page. He wore grey robes over his eerily long limbs, which connected to the dark chest-plates he wore – the material engraved with what looked like skulls. This man – Koschei – had a pale grey face and a long white beard, which flowed like silk down his stomach.

He also wore a crown of gold; and held a staff holding a luminescent stone of a pale green colour which matched the shade of his eyes – something that seemed to contain some sort of magical ability, Gwyn thought as she scanned the paper for each and every detail.

He looked cruel. He looked wicked. He looked like death in its most evil and malevolent form, someone she would never want to meet.

Turning the page, Gwyn read on.

'In another world, and in another age, lived a cunning and ever so wicked sorcerer, who went by the name of Koschei.

Koschei was a man whom delighted in casting fear in the hearts of his fellow citizens – having the ability to cast spells of all kind, and to shift into the form which affected his victim most. It is noted that no one knows what the sorcerer truly looks like, or his origins – just that he had two siblings: a brother and a sister.

Koschei struck fear upon all his world had to offer, giving the impression that he himself was fearless – and for the most part, he was.

But Koschei had one fear: death. An ironic attribute, considering one day he would become the man known as The Lord of Death.

As he grew old, Koschei's fear grew more and more apparent. And so, the sorcerer utilized his skills of magic and weaved a spell which would allow him to escape death. To allow him to become The Deathless.'

Gwyn's eyes widened at the words – words which told her that Koschei had not always been a God, and that he'd created his immortality. But how?

She turned the page, taking in the sight of another sketch. This time, it consisted of Koschei again, but now sat upon a throne of gold, holding a chest of iron firmly in his hands. In this image, his eyes were black – not that pale green they'd been before. It seemed as though all life had been wholly sucked from him.

The need to know how exactly Koschei had turned himself immortal pulsed through her now, as she quickly turned the page once more to keep reading.

'Fearing death, Koschei cast a spell over his own very soul – a spell which would proceed to remove his soul from his body, and allow it to be stored in a separate entity. This would allow him to live on for an eternity, unable to be killed, even if the little life he had left inside him would be sucked away.