It was different since she had been bound. Tharion had been holding back before. He still was. The fight was more liberating now. Her lips twitched into a smile as she unsheathed her weapons. She held a dagger in her left and a curved sword in her right. Her left hand came up in a mocking salute and Tharion bowed.

Araatris didn’t run forward anymore. There was no hurry to the fight. Simply skill. There was no point in circling him. He would see her no matter what. She needed to find a way to make herself invisible to him. Natural terrain didn’t help against felsight. It would seek out the demon within her.

But perhaps… she could mask it. Use the terrain to her advantage. Araatris held back the grin she felt. It wouldn’t do to show that she had an idea. She turned her back on him and ran up the hill near the Site of Lessons. He followed and as he crested the hill behind her, Araatris spun on him. She dropped to her knee and swung her leg out in his path.

Despite a slight hesitation, Tharion avoided it. His blade swung down and she parried it with her knife. Her arm trembled with the force of the hit. She rolled to the opposing side to give herself a chance to get on her feet.

They watched each other. Against her better judgment, she thrust her sword at him as a test of his guard. Unlikely, but she hoped that it would create and an opening. Much to her dismay he side stepped to her left and grabbed her dagger hand with his free left hand. It took very little to twist the arm behind her. He placed his sword against her neck.

“Yield.”

“No.” Araatris growled.

The sword pressed more firmly against her neck, creating a thin line of red. “Yield.”

She’d been listening to her demon too much and not paying enough attention to her own openings. It was hard to balance the listening with doing. She tensed and Tharion shifted so that his arm wrapped around her shoulders and pinned her right arm to her side. He simply lifted her off the ground as he stood to his full height. “Hey!”

“Yield.”

“Owww! Watch the arm!” Araatris wiggled as her arm was pressed up slightly causing her to drop the dagger as she flailed.

“What purpose does this serve?”

“Fine!”

Silence.

“I yield, I yield!”

Tharion set her back on the ground and released her. She felt embarrassed and foolish. She wondered if any other demon hunters had ever felt quite so… silly. Her Other was even laughing. Lot of help he’d been.

Araatris sheathed her weapons and rubbed at her sore left arm. “I feel like I’m doing worse than I did to begin with.” She frowned and stared away from Tharion down at the Site of Lessons.

“You are improving.” He stepped up next to her.

A hard jerk on her arm caused it to pop. She glanced at him even though she didn’t need to and snorted with disbelief. “If you say so, I still feel like a five year old fighting an adult.”

The mask twitched, a definite grin. “I am… older.”

Araatris turned to Tharion and looked up at him as if trying to divine his age, “What, a few hundred years?”

“Several thousand.”

She gaped.

“We were immortal once. No longer now.”

Tharion did not turn towards her and the grin was long gone.

Araatris turned back towards the Site and the grin was a bit sadder. “I truly am a child. Always will be to something like that. And Kharendos?”

“Indeed.”

“And I am human.”

He turned towards her finally. “Yes, you are.” Her smile faded, and she thought about how she wouldn’t live to make as much of a difference as they ever would. “But you are also a Demon Hunter.” She glanced over at him in surprise. “It is… interesting what changes that will cause.”

Araatris smiled brightly. “I’ll just have to make the best of it, won’t I?”

“Indeed.” His hand gently patted her head.

The Other had certainly made himself known the previous night for the Lunar Festival. He amused her and terrified her all at once. Araatris Valryss knew that she was much weaker than the others. The death knight who had just recently been bound had been bold and endured much better than she had. She was human and she was young. Had she thoughtless thought she could tread such a path? A night elven path? A kaldorei path?

She was changing. Soon she was sure that she would no longer recognize herself. Yet, the demon cajoled her in a strange way. His barking tone, “What did you expect, brat? We’re attached. Of course you’re going to change. It’s the way you humans adapt.”

It was true. If she truly looked at it, there were points in her life that great changes had occurred. Losing her parents. Meeting Tharion. And now… a demon. Yet, she knew that if she truly thought she was becoming dangerous what she would have to do. She would not be hunted. She would go quietly and with honor.

Araatris walked about the Site of Lessons. It was quiet in the morning light. Her fingers brushed against the books on the shelves, the familiar furniture. It had truly become a home to her. Finally, she stopped circling at the privacy screen and rummaged through her backpack. It took her a few moments, but she finally pulled it out.

She had not told Tharion about this keepsake, but hadn’t thought it truly mattered. However, she knew now that she was not the same person she had been upon entering this place. A child’s purple shirt was grasped in her fingers. She couldn’t see the color now, but she’d remembered buying this shirt with her mother. They’d been so exasperated with her fondness for the purple garment. She remembered sitting with her mother as she sewn on the patch on the upper left front of the shirt. It was the symbol of their family.

An orange and black tiger wound about a shield emblazoned with red and yellow sections, its head peeking out from the left and the tail from the right. Her fingers gently traced over the design. “A goodbye too long waiting. I’m sorry, mama… papa.” The Other was quiet. At times, he seemed to almost rest himself or perhaps he was lost in his own thoughts.

It mattered not. She eased a dagger from her side. It was time. Now, while the demon was quiet. Araatris gripped the dagger firmly. Today, she would bury the Valryss. She firmly thrust the dagger in with a grunt.

“Brat! What are you-” The voice cut off as suddenly as it’d begun.

She wanted no distractions. Araatris drug the knife with care, making a careful cut. Gritting her teeth, she wanted to look away, but she knew she couldn’t. She needed to finish the task she’d started. It would be more painful to do otherwise. Imaginary tears stung at her eyes, and she, now more than ever, wanted a comforting hug. But no was around to ease this pain.

It was almost done. She focused entirely on the task at hand. A few moments later, she pulled the knife away and viewed her handiwork. It would do. Araatris tossed the purple shirt onto the fire. In her hand, she held the removed family emblem. She slid the dagger into its sheath and stood.

Araatris had bought a shovel just for this task and she gathered it on the way out. She travelled to a sunny tree quite a ways from the Site. Far from the demons. Looking up, she smiled. “This looked like a spot that you would like to rest. It made me think of you and I came here often when Tharion wasn’t around.” She began digging. “I know you wouldn’t approve of what I’ve done and the risks I’ve taken, but… he’s really tried to prepare me for them.”

She continued digging; wanting to make sure it was deep enough that a stray animal wouldn’t accidently dig it up. “And I know that I haven’t exactly chosen a Valryss path, but I’m going to make you proud of me.” Wiping at some sweat on her forehead, she paused and looked at the tree. “But… I’ll never be the Valryss you wanted. I can’t. Maybe I never could, but rather than sully your name… I’m going to take on a new one some day. For now, I’ll just be Araatris.”

The patch was gently set into the bottom of the several feet deep hole. It was simple work covering it back up and packing the dirt down. Araatris’ fingers caressed the trunk of the tree. “Goodbye Mama. Goodbye Papa. I’ll always be your daughter, not matter the name I carry.” She glanced down at the two flowers she’d quickly transplanted there. Two beautiful purple flowers. She’d been here often enough, to know those flowers were indeed purple, even if she couldn’t see it now.

With a lightened heart, Araatris made her way slowly back to the Site of Lessons. Inside, she could feel the demon mumble a certain amount of approval. Perhaps, he’d had other thoughts about how this day would end. Perhaps, and just perhaps, those thoughts had passed through her mind, but they were fleeting and did not stay.

The young redhead bounded through the woods near the Site of Lessons. Too much was happening, and it was much more than she’d expected. She’d been a fool. Slipping into a tree hollow, Araatris sat in the small space and drew her knees up. Right now, she didn’t want to be found. Gently, she laid her forehead against her knees and wrapped her arms about her legs.

“You are human.

You are young.

Is not everything annoying?”

The words had struck more home than she had time to realize when he said that. Tharion was right. But it wasn’t fair, just because he was a night elf and older shouldn’t mean that it was easier for him. Her hands clenched until the knuckles were white. It hurt… reality hurt. Her shoulders shook, but she knew tears would be denied to her. Araatris had made her choice and the pressure of the blindfold and burning in her eyes was a constant reminder.

“I hate you…,” Apparently, she wasn’t denied a stuffy nose as she sniffled.

“No…” The demonic presence in her mind shifted slipped into her thoughts.

Araatris’ head snapped up. In her horrid embarrassment and melancholy, she’d forgotten about him. She berated herself, but didn’t directly respond to the demon.

“You don’t hate him.” The voice sounded disinterested.

“Yes, I do. It’s his fault!” There was a scurry of creatures as she shouted out to the forest.

“I know you. You don’t hate him.” If a voice could shrug, then that’s what the presence did.

Araatris frowned. It was messing with her again. “What? Because he’s -pretty-?” She tried to glare inside her mind.

“Perhaps, but mostly because you know he never made you do this. If it’s anyone’s fault… it’s yours.” The voice was horridly blunt.

“It’s… It’s… not my fault.” Her shoulders began to shake again.

“Do you want to die?” The voice was sharp, and very intense.

Araatris found a similarity in Tharion’s question when she said that it was easier to not speak with the demon manipulating her thoughts. He’d asked, “Will you be mute?” She wasn’t ready to give up, but it hurt. She sniffled again. “N-no.”

Malorin was silent for several moments. “You aren’t sure.” It was not a question.

The thought made Araatris’ heart skip. Was she really unsure about living? The thought terrified her. She trembled. “I’m… I’m sure.”

“Then why do you hide?” Malorin’s voice had relaxed into a mild disinterest again.

“I’m not…” Araatris paused. “I don’t know…” She glowered. “Why are you being nice?”

“I’m not. I’m simply protecting myself.” He growled, “Without you I no longer exist.”

Ah. So there had been an ulterior motive. “So, you’re lying?”

Malorin huffed, “What good would that do, brat? Then, for all I know you’d just get depressed and commit suicide.”

“So, you don’t know me as well as you think you do.” Araatris grinned slightly through the sniffles.

Malorin grumbled, “I know you as well as you know yourself, which isn’t very good. In your current state, you’re worthless. If you don’t know yourself, then you will never be able to master me. Not that I think you’re capable anyway.”

Araatris stared out of the tree hollow. “Maybe you’re right… maybe you’re wrong. If you have access to me, then I should have access to you. Argh! But he said that there was no you and me… this hurts my head.” She shifted and pressed her fingers into her forehead.

He shrugged, “Not my problem. Anyway, how long are you going to sit here and cry, brat? You’re starting to annoy me.”

She twitched, “Good. Now you know how I feel.”

“And stop talking out loud. You echo enough in this empty place without it.” Malorin grinned amused.

“Shut up!” Araatris fumed.

A deep laughter echoed throughout her mind, “That’s it, brat. Fight!”

Araatris paused and slipped out into the rain from the crevice. “You know what, Malorin… I think I will.” Taking off across the damp grass, Araatris’ feet lead her to the satyr village. Malorin’s malicious laughter echoed through her mind in response.