▂▃▅▆▇█ I █ L █ L █ I █ A █ N █ T █▇▆▅▃▂

Cʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ Nɪɴᴇ﹕Ｈｉ， Ｍｙ Ｎａｍｅｓ Ｄｅａｔｈ．

Merrick soon pulls my body off his lap and sits me on the ground. He rises to his full height then leans down and picks me up bridal style. In any other situation I would scream, kick, and claw my way out of the persons arms. However, not in the current situation. He sits me down on the steps and the turns back and walks over to the holograms. The Death orb still lays on the ground in pieces. He bends down and pick up the pieces. He leans back up and shoves the pieces into his pants pocket. Merrick walks back to me and once again scoops me up. He slowly walks to the door and manages to press the button to open the door. Everyone turns to look at us while Merrick steps out of the room. The doors snap shut.

"Lilliana?" Charbel strides over to us.

The group rushes after him and soon every one crowds around Merrick and I. Merrick sighs and looks at Charbel then flicker his eyes onto me. I turn my head away and close my eyes, I sense Merrick's gaze on me as I bury my head into his shoulder.

Merrick sighs once again. "Lilliana. You have to tell him.

"Tell me what?" Charbel's voice asks.

Merrick looks at me as if he wants me to tell him. I can't though, I cannot tell them Death chose me. We share a look, but Merrick nods as if he understands.

He stares my father in his eyes. "70251, Lilliana Roam Styark, is now the Praetor over Death."

A collective gasp resounds in the dark room. After the gasp the holograms flicker out immediately and the little source of light in the floor burns out. I feel Merrick adjust me in his arms and my body is suddenly being lowered. I hear feet stepping backwards and through the darkness see Charbel pushing everyone back away from me. Behind me Merrick also steps back. I snap my head around to look at him only for a sudden glow the erupt from the ground between him and I. In front of me is a shimmering image. Death.

She stands tall, her rounded shoulders pushed backwards and her posture perfected. Her head is held high and her arms clasped behind her back. Her attire consists of a navy blue 3/4 length t-shirt, black shorts, and black ankle high boots. Her image flickers and a small groan is heard.

She is speaking. "Man. It's about time I get a new recruit." She reaches forward and her hand touches my chin. She is touching me, a glowing image is touching me.

Charbel clears his throat. "Araceli. My daughter is not your toy."

Araceli flicks her eyes to my father behind me. "Ah. But she is my one and only successor." A grin spreads on her pink lips. "Did you say daughter? Oh man. This is really ironic!"

"How?" I hear Rein's voice.

"Charbel and I had a fling. I was almost little Lilliana's mommy!" She manages to speak while cackling.

Charbel snorts, "As if I would take the bottom of the barrel scraps."

Araceli pouts, "Hurtful, very hurtful Charbel."

I tug my head back and step backwards away from her. I feel a hand on my wrist and look behind me. Rein had wormed past Charbel and stood directly behind me.

"Oh?" Araceli's voice floats into my ears. "You have two brats? A human and an Illiant?"

Charbel sighs, "Twins."

"H-How could you tell I was related to her? We look nothing alike!" Rein grips my wrist tightly.

"You have the same facial structure as Charbel. The same shitty expression's too. So if Lilliana is Charbels daughter you must be his son." She rolls her eyes then turns to face Merrick. "Give me my orb."

Merrick digs the pieces out of his pocket and tosses them to Araceli. They land on the floor beneath her and she groans. She waves her hand and the orb reforms and lands in her hand. She tosses it up and down, then rolls it around in her palm.

"How.." I can feel Rein's stupefied gaze.

Araceli grins at him. "Magic!" She lobs the ball towards Rein.

A yelp comes from beside me and I hear a thud. I look downp and see Rein laying on the ground, the orb resting on his chest.

"Oh my god! I can't breathe what the hell?! Why is this crap so heavy?!" Rein kicks up his legs and arms trying to push the sphere off his chest.

Charbel waves his hand and the sphere goes flying towards Araceli. I turn quickly and watch as her form flickers out and the sphere flies towards Merrick. Merrick holds up a hand and catches the orb. He sighs and tosses it over his shoulder, it shatters again.

Araceli's figure flickers back. "How could you!" She stomps her foot down and the orb pieces fly up and zoom towards her, then reform when they come to a rest on her hand.

"Oh my god... Everyone here is insane..." I hear another thud from behind me.

---

Araceli sits at a square table, or her holograph at least. I sit in front of her as she rolls the orb around on the table. Her chin rests on her left palm as her right pointer fingers rolls the orb back and forth. She looks up and flicks the orb my my direction. It slowly rolls across the table and stops in front of my crossed arms resting on the table.

"Pick it up." She stares me down. "I promise it's not heavy, I took the magic off it."

"Magic?" I slowly pick up the orb.

She nods her head and pulls her head back from her palm. She lowers her arm and rubs the surface of the orb using her pointer finger. I gasp as the orb suddenly gains weight. My hand crashes against the table. I move my fingers but my palm is weighed down on the table. I try to pull it up only for my hand to begin to throb from the weight of the orb. Araceli touches the orb again and it immediately weighs less than a pound. I yank my hand out from under it and massage my palm.

"Every Illiant has a magic capability." She grabs the orb and smiles a sickly sweet smile. "Merrick has lived here for all his life, that is why he was able to catch the orb easily. He was trained by the best of the best."

"How do you know his name?" I keep massaging my palm.

"I see and hear everything Lilliana. I am the walls with eyes that follow you. The ears listening to everything you say." She tosses the orb in the air and locks eyes with me when it lands on her palm. "The ghost following your every move."

I gulp and pull my hands under the table. "Are all the Originals the same?"

She nods. "Yes. Well except for your father and Nix, since their still alive."

"How did you die?" I ask her.

"That is a story for another time." She gazes at the door behind me. "Merrick is right through that door, arguing with Charbel." She points to the wall left of us. "Leon and Rein are in that hallway waiting for you." She stands up and pushes the chair in, her hand glitching.

"How can you touch things, how are you even visible? Let alone aware of your surroundings?" The questions keep coming.

"My essence is sealed in the hologram, the same as the others." She walks over to me and waves her hand. The chair I sit in swings to the side and pulls it's self from out under me and slams into the wall behind it. The left wall.

I catch myself on the table and push myself up. "What the hell?!"

She reaches her right hand forward and places it against my chest. Her navy blue and vermilion eyes shine as a searing pain hits my chest. I feel like I had been punched and couldn't catch my breath. She closes her eyes and I watch in horror as black veins appear on her arms and move into her finger tips, into my chest. I scream a blood curling scream and try to pull back but my feet are cemented.

"Lilliana Roam Styark. You are to become one with Death. Sell your soul to guide Death and it's followers. Learn the good of it and not the terrible it has been shown to give." Her navy blue and vermilion eyes stare me down. "Guide with wisdom and courage, do not cower and hide in the shadows, look forward, not to the past. And whatever you do, never trust anyone. Not even those with the same blood. Blood is not always thicker than water."

She pulls her hand back and she slowly flickers out. I collapse onto the ground and the orb lands beside me. It does not shatter and I turn my head to stare at my reflection. Black lines run across my skin over my veins. The lines seem to sink into my skin and disappear. My eyes begin to grow heavy and they slide shut. I hear the door slide open and the thud of boots and the clack of dress shoes as my consciences fades.