Evil Reincarnated

Essence

Mazavir POV

"You will listen to me, follow every instruction." Vexel states. I take a deep breath and nod. "I will teach you the basics. Don't expect it to be what you saw me do."

"Alright, I think I can handle it." I say.

"Close your eyes and pay attention to your surroundings. Not what's actually going on, but the energy, the feeling of the living things around you. Feel the energy of life." I close my eyes, listening to his voice. I try to focus on more then the sounds of creatures, the distant growl of a monsters the sounds of the wind. Even the rushing water from a near by stream.

Feel the energy of life, but I didn't feel a thing. I take a deep breath. I could feel Vexel's eyes watching me, I could imagine the disappointed look on his face. I try to feel something, anything similar to what he described. I open my eyes. "I don't feel anything."

He frowns, but he didn't look disappointed. "Your scythe, pick it up." He states. I had set it down on the ground where Ezara was. She was watching from a distance. We were still at the makeshift camp Vexel had set up. I walk over to Ezara and pick up the scythe, then back to Vexel.

"What do you want me to do with it?" I ask, confused. He said he would teach me the basics. I assumed he would make me try and try until I could feel the living energy around us.

"I was trying to see if you could feel the essence around us. People rarely are born being able to sense it. Sometimes they need something stronger, something that has a strong concentration of essence." He says.

I furrow my brow. "Doesn't essence only come from something living or dead?"

"Essence can be stored into inanimate objects, such as a weapon or an object close to the person using it. That scythe belonged to Lyzla. Her energy is still within it. It's stronger than the essence around us, and it's something you care deeply about." I nod, holding the scythe with both hands. "Focus on the scythe. Do you feel the energy in it?"

I close my eyes and run my fingers across it's blade, feeling the metal beneath my fingertips. I lift my hand from it, I could feel a tingling sensation. I take a deep breath. I hold the scythe with both hands, tying to block out everything around me.

The longer I stood there holding the scythe, the more aware I became of its properties. If I didn't know the scythe belonged to Lyzla, I would've felt it. It was as if she was still somehow living through it. It felt as if she was standing next to me.

"I lived with her for years." I state, opening my eyes. "I think I understand what essence feels like. It's as if Lyzla is here... within the scythe."

Vexel nods. "Essence is everywhere around us. It's what fuels necromancy. We use essence to command the dead and to use their flesh and bones to our will. Along with those powers, we use the powers of shadow and blood. To understand those powers, you must understand essence and how to use it."

"How do I do that?" I ask. "I can only feel it. I don't think I can manipulate it."

"Not yet, Mazavir." He states. "It takes practice to learn. First you must be able to recognize essence in more than just that scythe. You must be able to feel it everywhere, even the smallest feeling of it. After that, you must learn to harvest it, then use it as magic. You can use your own essence as well, but it will weaken you over time. Corpses also are a fuel source of our power."

"What? Corpses?" I ask, confused. "I know you use corpses against enemies, but what does that mean?"

"We can manipulate them to our advantage. Use them to temporarily disorient or incapacitate our opponents." He responds. "Take some time to recognize essence and to feel it around you. Once you get that down, I'll teach you how to harvest it."