"You have to understand, young one. It isn't the nature of it that we rail against, but the very fact that it is.".

I listened in rapt attention. The man standing before me was clothed in garments of purest black. His smile was warm and his eyes strangely bright and wide. I had waited long for this, for the chance to speak with this man. He was dangerous and wonderful at the same time, and I had possessed great fears of this moment. I was welcomed warmly however, and he was showing me nothing but understanding..

"You are thinking?" he asked, smiling..

"Yes, good master." I replied. "I was thinking on how worried I was for this meeting. You see, in town you...well you are known as a murderer, a man who knows only the wild spilling of blood.".

He looked at me, an expression of shock on his face..

"Wild spilling of blood! Murderer? Why child, I am shocked to hear these things." He sighed, shaking his head and looking down..

"My people have long since been looked down upon in the towns and cities of this land. What I try to show you now is that it is unfounded! We do not murder wildly and kill wantonly. We do not hate life! We are not dark masters of evil...we simply think a bit differently then you do.".

I watched him in amazement. Here all my trepidations fell to the wayside. He looked so gentle, so genuinely hurt by what I had said, that I began to feel sorry for him. How was it that a people could be so misinterpreted?.

"Well..." I proffered, desperate to help. "Perhaps...perhaps if you explained a bit more...made your motives more clear. I mean...people are scared of you because they do not see you, and you work in such secrecy. I've tried to find you, or one like you, for five straight cycles now, and I don't even know anything about you, really.".

He picked his head up then, his shaggy hair falling away from his face, and the pale skin reflecting the waning sunlight as some fleshy mirror. He opened his mouth, wide eyes resolute..

"Then I shall tell you.".

"The energy, the very stuff that makes up the souls and hearts of you, your friends and neighbors, even those you hate, that is where the problem lies. Long ago, the child goddess took that energy from the land of the gods...that energy which was not hers to take." "You see, it is not a matter of the fact that it was taken...there is no real meaning to 'theft' among the gods. However, the fire that the child took from her elders had other purposes it was meant for. How would you feel if you'd a hundred perfect apples...all carefully picked and ready for pressing. Of those one hundred apples you were planning to make the most fulfilling, sweetest cider the world had ever tasted, a cider fit for the regent, cider fit for the first ones.".

"Now, imagine three of those apples were taken. Three is not many, but those three were good for at least one full cup of the hallowed cider, the cider which knows no better. If those three apples were then used by the apple thief to make her own keg of watered down, worm ridden cider, how would you feel?".

I blinked, my reverie broken by the question..

"Well," I stammered. "I suppose I'd feel pretty annoyed, I mean, if I could make such a cider and all.".

"Exactly!" He slapped his leg..

"Yes," I said, more strongly now. "Now that I think about it, I'd be quite angry. Who would want to drink the base cider when a mug of mine would be of such a fine quality. Fit for the regent you said. My yes, that would be a fine cider, and one not to be wasted!".

"Yes!" he said. "You see now? In just this way the child goddess has taken the fine fire of the gods and thinned it out, spread it into a base, unimpressive group of individuals who can never hope to be anything but a shadow of the true god that flame might have given life to.".

It was amazing! All this time I'd thought such horrible things of these people...but this man was making such perfect sense..

"I've a question, good master." I said..

"Ah. I do appreciate an inquisitive mind, ask away.".

"Well." I thought. "You follow the god Luren, I understand?".

"Yes," he nodded. "I do.".

"Well, where does he fit in, if I may put forth the question.".

The man grinned widely, his white teeth glimmering in the waning sunlight..

"Luren is the one who has come to reclaim the fire. In the end, it will all be delivered into his arms, and he shall make a shining voyage back to the land of the gods. It is he who is the returner, the one whom we owe our tribute to, and whom we do our most hallowed work for.".

"Your most hallowed work?" This is what I had come to find out..

"Yes, young one. We must return the life flame to Luren.".

"But how? How do you do this?".

He sighed, looking a bit weary..

"By killing, my young man. By taking the flame back to Luren, and out of those who possess it.".

A shiver passed through my body. I had long awaited true talk of the work of a Lurenite. And now, finally, I was hearing of it..

"I've heard Luren gives you great power to do this...".

"Ah," he said, grinning. "Not great power, no I wouldn't say that. But he does help us where he can.".

"How...what does he give you?".

The man watched me now, a curious expression on his face..

"Well, young one. If you must know, he gives us the power of his dim brilliance, his dark light. The fire of Aiia is only a young god's attempt to understand the true power of the gods. Luren is older than Aiia by quite a few ages. He has had the time to come to terms with his self, and with his own power. The dark blaze of Luren, the sable flame, this is the power from which we are given strength. He helps us do what we must to reclaim the stolen power of the gods.".

"You seem to bear quite an interest in this," the man said, watching me closely..

"Yes! I mean, I do sir." I stammered. "I have great interest, after hearing all you have said, it makes sense! I know now what you are about, and your reasons for doing what you do, and they are noble reasons. Sir...".

"Yes, little son?" The man watched me, his eyes seeming to glow from within in the fading twilight..

"I wish to join you, good master. I wish to follow the path Luren has set, to put forth his ways and reclaim the energy that does not belong in this land.".

At this the old man smiled. My pulse was pounding, my mind racing. I had done it! I had finally found a follower of Luren and joined the mysterious sect I had heard so many stories about. It was all that I'd hoped for, and finally it was coming to pass..

"May we go to your home now, good master? I have still much to learn.".

The old man nodded..

"Yes young son, we may go to my home. I am sure Luren will greatly appreciate your dedication.".

I started to walk then. I was so proud!.

"Oh sir, I am overjoyed! When will I be able to wear clothes like yours? I wish to be clad in garment fitting a soldier of the great lord Luren!".

He chuckled then, his voice warm and kind from behind me, the light having faded completely now, though an eery purple brilliance seemed to light the trees around us..

"I think you've become a bit hasty in your thought, young son. You will help Luren's cause greatly, I know this. But you will wear no robes.".

I furrowed my brow at this, walking, a bit of disappointment in my voice..

"Oh? I had hoped to wear the fine clothes you had...I suppose only high priests gain such finery, eh? That is alright.".

"It is true, son. Only high priests wear such finery. But you misunderstand.".

"I do?".

"Yes. You see, my little son, I already have all the soldiers I need.".

I thought that was an odd thing for him to say. As I began to turn to ask him on it a searing pain rent the back of my neck and I felt my warm lifeblood spurt into the night. I cried out, but there was no sound as the air spilled up the back of my hair, useless from my torn neck. I flopped to the ground, a wet and broken thing. As my vision faded, I could see the face of the man, grinning in a deep purple light...a light which spilled from his eyes and from his mouth. The expression was kind...overly kind, and I felt a sort of comfort in the way he bent considerately to me, the pleasant smile on his face, and the attentive, wide wide eyes. .

I then knew nothing more..