Ariston Daxalim

## **Basic Information**

**Full Name:** Ariston Daxalim

**Nickname:** Ari

**Birthday:** September 19th 27BDI

**Species:** Elf

**Purity:** 89%

**Gender:** Male he/him

**Height:** 5 foot 11

**Sexuality:** Pansexual

**Languages Spoken:** All

## **Personality**

**Likes:** nature, animals, socializing, dragons

**Dislikes:** other gods, dark magic, rabbits

**Fears/Phobias:** being trapped

Ariston can be described as playful. He’s not a fan of taking things seriously, and he hates living his life by other people’s rules. That’s not to say he’s a complete rebel, though. He doesn’t really like causing trouble and generally speaking he’ll do his best to avoid putting himself in those kinds of situations. That being said, it’s hard to avoid trouble when there’s so many rules to follow. Gods are held to much different standards than mortals are, and even after all this time he still finds himself learning something new about the ways of the gods.

While he enjoys the company of others, Ariston spends most of his time alone exploring the natural world. Identifying plants and animals is a passion of his, and he enjoys being on the lookout for different species as the time of the year they’re common rolls around. Birdwatching and other similar activities are things Ariston greatly enjoys participating in.

Even though he spends a lot of time by himself, his vaguely chaotic nature does lead him to do some less than moral activities every now and again. It’s no secret that Ariston is an avid womanizer. It’s also no secret that these activities aren’t restricted to just women. He also enjoys using his magic to mess with people on occasion. What’s the fun in being a god if you can’t cause a bit of mischief every now and then?

## **Abilities**

**Strengths:** Navigation

**Weaknesses:** stubborn

**Weapons/Tools:** Multi tool

Ariston is often referred to as the god of Navigation, and all for good reason. Many of his skills are utilitarian, relating to finding your way or traversing the natural world. His magic is centered around locating items, plants, animals, and people, finding the fastest or safest path to travel, repairing things, etc. Anything you’d expect a certified survivalist to be able to do, but with the aid of magic greatly amplifying his capabilities. It’s to the point where you could probably describe somewhere in the world in the vaguest possible terms and he’d still manage to find it.

Ignoring his capabilities in magic, Ariston is also armed with a plethora of knowledge. He’s easily able to identify just about any plant or animal you can think of, and he’s extremely good at learning and understanding animal behaviours. He has great respect for the natural world, and he believes understanding it is the best way to preserve it.

## **Health**

**Addictions:** None

**Mental Illnesses:** None

**Physical Illnesses:** None

**Disabilities:** None

**Allergies:** None

## **Backstory**

Born only 27 years before the great Demon Infestation, Ariston was born in the country of Malivax to his mother Fey Bryna. Fey worked as a spy for the Malivax military in their attempts to overtake the neighboring country of Trixot. Growing up Ariston didn’t see much of his mother. It wasn’t for lack of trying, but given how high the tensions between the two countries were it seemed she was constantly busy. So, much of his early childhood was spent being brought from place to place; fending for himself while his mother was off doing whatever it was she was doing.

While most of his time was spent alone, Ariston never resented his mother for her work. If anything, he admired her for it. Her job was so important that she HAD to leave him in this strange house with these strange people. Otherwise the country they called home would be taken over! The concept of war was a bit too complicated for him to understand at the age of 5, but he knew for a fact his mom’s work was keeping their home safe from any devious villains that may come their way.

Life went on like this for him for several years. Over these years he picked up a myriad of skills. Seeing as his mother often left him in the care of strangers he gained social skills children of his age wouldn’t normally have. By the time he was 7 he preferred the company of adults rather than his peers. Becoming highly charismatic played to his favour. If people liked him they’d be more willing to do things for him. Help him out, or at the very least treat him as if he wasn’t a complete nuisance.

On top of his social skills, Ariston also picked up quite a bit of “fun facts” about different people’s ways of life. Over the course of his travels he learned a fair bit about the lives of Felines, Satyr, and Humans and how each race was different from each other. He always found the instinctual traits of lesser species like Kodin to be interesting, and he’d often use these to his advantage when getting to know them. Smell was something very important to both Satyr and kodin, so if he made himself smell “good” to them they’d often treat him far nicer than they would otherwise. It was fascinating.

In addition to learning the ways of different races, Ariston also took great interest in the natural world. He really didn’t like being cooped up with strangers all the time, so whenever he was allowed he’d be outside exploring the wilderness. He learned how to identify several different types of birds, plants, and other wildlife in whatever region he happened to be in. At a certain point identifying plants and animals became a game to him. How fast he could find a specific animal upon arriving at a new location was one of his favorites.

Things began to change around the time Ariston turned 11. His mother had been working a job in Muria, Trixot’s capital city, for several months now. He knew she’d been doing work with the king, trying to get insider information they could then use against him, but other than that the finer details escaped him. All he knew for certain was his mother was acting very differently. She had been for a while now.

Why she was acting differently became very clear very quickly. Over the next few months it came out that his mother was pregnant. Not only was she pregnant, but it turns out that all her months in close quarters with Trixot’s king vastly altered her perception of him. The two had formed a relationship, and Ariston’s new baby brother was the prince to be. By the time he was 12 they’d been moved into the castle in preparation for the birth of his brother; their old way of life almost immediately forgotten.

Ariston didn’t quite know how to feel about any of this. In his perception it’d all happened so fast to the point where bringing up any qualms with his new living arrangements just didn’t seem worth it. Not like he could if he wanted to. His mother was busy with the new baby, and the castle workers didn’t seem to like him hanging around certain parts of the castle for too long. He wasn’t royalty, and they made sure to let him know. It seemed like now he saw even less of his mother than he did before.

Life in the castle was weird, to say the least. He was held to all the same standards someone of the royal family would be, but he was treated like any other random commoner or castle worker. He gained access to knowledge and resources he probably wouldn’t in his old way of life, but the constant pressure of it all was almost too much for him.

Things only got worse as his younger brother, Vesstan, got older. It seemed like whenever Vesstan misbehaved he was the one getting in trouble for it. A whipping boy, so to speak. And Vesstan being so young only made things worse. He was constantly on his toes, doing his best to keep him out of trouble while also not pissing off any of the higher ups. It was a painstakingly difficult task which only added to the stress of it all.

Whenever life got too much for him Ariston would usually find some way to escape the castle and wander around outside for a while. This was usually accomplished by offering to run an errand for one of the other servers or sneaking out after dark when no one cared where he was. It was surprisingly easy to get out, but that was partially because he wasn’t royalty and, as a result, didn’t need to take any extra precautions when leaving home. It wasn’t much, but the few hours he got to himself in the peace and quiet of Trixot’s wilderness were enough to keep him sane.

While he never cared much for his brother, Vesstan seemed to almost idolize Ariston. He was constantly at his side. Any chance he got he’d be right next to Ariston, even if it meant sneaking away from his royal duties. That, of course, would only get Ariston in trouble for enticing his brother away from his studies. Vesstan was too young to understand why his brother didn’t like him or why he was so stressed whenever he was around. Vesstan just wanted to help. His brother was upset, so he wanted to make him feel better! Playing games was fun, wasn’t it? Why not sneak away from this boring lesson to play a game with him! He’s just sitting outside by himself bored anyway, he could use the entertainment!

About six years had gone by at this point, and Ariston’s worries were only going to get bigger from here. Around this time the king had appointed a new royal mage. A Kodin by the name of Rasterahz who looked unlike any Kodin Ariston had ever seen before. Given his interest in different cultures and species he immediately took an interest in him. As far as he knew there were only three variants of Kodin, and Rasterahz certainly wasn’t any of them. But given how well he was treated by the kind he was sure he wasn’t a Coguine either. It was a mystery, and Ariston was hellbent on solving it.

The only problem was Rasterahz worked directly under the king, and Ariston wasn’t allowed most places they commonly were. On the off chance they were in the same room together he wasn’t allowed to talk with him. Doing so would be “disrupting his work” and he’d be punished for it. This didn’t deter him, however. Ariston was great at reading people’s behaviours. If he could get Ras to like him he wouldn’t get in trouble for talking with him. But in order to get him to like him he had to learn more about him!

This is where Vesstan came in. Ariston taking an interest in Ras got Vesstan interested as well, albeit for much different reasons. Where Ariston saw a new and mysterious person he could learn from, Vesstan saw a strange looking Kodin that his brother was obsessed with for being different. He made this very well known, often ratting Ariston’s spy attempts out by saying he was “Looking at the weird Kodin again”. This, of course, got Ariston in trouble for teaching his brother to say such horrible things and for spying on royal business.

Despite his efforts, Ras never seemed to warm up to him. Not only that, but it didn’t seem he warmed up to anyone. He was courteous with the king, but the second his back was turned his demeanour turned cold and careless. He was very brash with other castle workers, and he never talked much to anyone. Ariston couldn’t wrap his head around why the king liked him so much. It had to be because of his magic. That was the only thing he had going for him. Ariston’s attempts to learn more about Ras would soon unearth a horrible realization, however.

It wouldn’t be long before Ariston discovered the truth about Ras. One night while he was out on one of his walks he noticed him wandering the halls of the castle as well. It was odd to see Ras up so late, especially given how old he was, so he decided on a whim to follow. They ended up in the lower floors of the castle near the back of the storage area. At first Ariston thought he was simply down here to get something for one of his spells and was going to write it off, but then he saw Ras remove his horn.

As long as Ariston had known him, which admittedly wasn’t very long, Rasterahz had had a single curved horn atop his head. From what he could tell it was attached to him the same way any other body part was, but upon removing it he noticed two things. The first being that the horn resembled something akin to a crude dagger with a massive glow of red magic. When it was fully removed there was a crackle of red sparks, and Ras skin seemingly began to rot and decay until there were several portions of his body that were nothing but exposed bone. He looked like some sort of undead monstrosity!

He almost blew his cover in shock, but Ariston managed to keep his composure. Just because Ras looked scary didn’t mean he was bad, right? Well, continuing to follow him further into the storage area would only prove him wrong. Ras eventually made it to the far wall of the room, where he then used his now removed horn to trace an arch into the wall. The area he traced shifted and warped until it resembled a door, which Ras then entered. Of course, Ariston followed closely behind.

Inside this new room were a myriad of strange runes, spent magic circles, papers with notes scrawled on them, and jar upon jar of god knows what. Presumably spell components, but Ariston had no way of knowing for sure. At the back end of this room was a cage which housed several small animals. Mostly things like rats and rabbits. Ras pulled out a few note papers and began reading an incantation of some kind. As he did, the red on his dagger began to glow even more brightly. By the time he was done with the spell the light from it was almost blinding! Then, he grabbed one of the small animals and drove the dagger directly into its chest. When he pulled it out, there was a very small blue wisp of magic at the end of it.

Ras repeated this several times, almost as if he were practicing doing whatever it was he was doing. Ariston had to know, so he swiped a few loose papers and began scribbling down Ras’ chant to the best of his abilities. Arkan, the language of magic, wasn’t something he was all that familiar with, so he knew he’d have to get someone to translate it for him. But he had a sinking suspicion that doing so with someone inside the castle would get him in major trouble, so the next morning he opted to run some “errands” and find a mage willing to help him out with this.

It didn’t take long to find someone willing. There were plenty of mages in town, and Ariston had more than enough money to entice them into helping. Translating took quite some time, though. Ariston’s interpretation of this incantation was less than ideal, and by the time they were finished he still wasn’t sure it was quite right. But, while it was butchered, what the spell was was clear. It was some form of necromancy tied to removing someone’s soul. Given what he’d seen Ras do the night before that part seemed right, as much as he didn’t want to believe it.

Knowing the spell was one thing, but knowing what Ras was planning was another. Ariston knew for a fact the castle wasn’t safe. If his mother was able to infiltrate it like she had in the past that meant someone else could. That, paired with his overall distrust for the royal family due to his past, made him quite certain Ras was planning something bad. It was just a matter of what.

The only problem was, he couldn’t just tell people about this. Ras was the King’s royal mage, and if he was caught slandering his “good name” he’d be in a world of trouble. Even if someone did somehow believe him, he had no way to prove what he’d seen. On top of all that, he still wasn’t even sure what Ras was going to do with this spell! So Ariston opted to keep his guard up and keep a close eye on Ras whenever he was around.

Eventually his younger brother had enough of Ariston’s little game. If his brother wanted to know about Ras so badly he’d just go over and ask him himself. It wasn’t long before the two got all buddy buddy with each other, which only raised more suspicion. Ras wasn’t that nice to anyone, and just like everyone else the second Vesstan had his back turned he’d go back to his cold and reserved demeanour. But the fact he entertained Vesstan at all was strange. Whenever he tried to interact with him he was shooed away. Was this just Vesstan’s royal privilege, or was something else going on?

One night when it was rather late Ariston was returning from one of his nightly forest walks. Everything seemed to be as calm as ever, but when he got back to the castle something seemed off. There was a vague unnerving feeling that washed over him as he got closer to his room; a feeling he’d felt before. He got the same feeling watching Ras chant that spell as he ripped the souls from the poor rabbits he had caged up. Concerned, he ran down the hall to go and check things out. As he got closer Ariston could hear a very familiar spell being cast. Indeed it was the soul stealing one he’d seen before. It was too distinct to mistake for anything else. Ariston ran to the room it was coming from just in time to see Rasterahz in Vesstan’s room bent down to his little brother’s level as he cast this spell.

Luckily, the spell was only at the beginning of being cast. It took a bit of time to finish the incantations, but that wasn’t nearly enough time for Ariston to run and get help. So, before he got the chance to get any farther Ariston attempted to cast a spell of his own. He wasn’t nearly as well versed in magic as Ras was, but he’d picked up the basics during his travels. He just had to hope his low powered attempt to dispel Ras’ spell.

His counterspell struck, much to Ras’ surprise. Unfortunately, Ariston’s spell wasn’t enough. Not only that, but his basic and archaic magic ended up reacting poorly with Ras’. A beam of bright red light shot out from Ras’ dagger and struck Ariston dead on. It burned, and he screamed out in pain as whatever Ras tried to do began eating away at him. It quickly became too much for him, and Ariston fell to the floor unconscious as his brother cried out for help.

He wasn’t sure how long he was out, but when he eventually woke up Ariston found himself inside the castle dungeon. How he got there he didn’t know. All he knew was he was in immense amounts of pain. His chest was burning, and when he lifted up his shirt to check he found a large open wound that’d only been half patched up. It was almost as if whoever’d healed him only did the bear minimum to keep him alive. But who did it? And why was he down here? He had to know, so Ariston stood up and began rattling on the door trying to get someone’s attention.

Hours passed, but eventually someone came down to check on him. It was one of the royal guards, followed by the king, his mother, and Rasterahz. Immediately he was barraged with questions and accusations. From what he was able to gather they thought he was the one who’d tried to kill Vesstan and Ras blasted him with that spell in order to save him. It was absurd! Ariston tried to correct them, but it seemed Ras had an explanation for just about everything he said. No one believed a word he said! Not only that, but no one would answer his questions about his brother. He had no clue if Vesstan was ok or not. He knew he was before getting hit with the spell, but it seemed like hours had passed since then. Ras could have easily done something after getting knocked out.

Eventually, after what seemed like forever, everyone dispersed, leaving only him and Rasterahz behind. Like before, the second everyone’s back was turned his entire demeanour shifted. But unlike before, Ras had something to say this time, and he was going to make sure his words were burned into Ariston’s mind. He dropped his disguise and bent down to Ariston’s level. He was 18 by this point, but Rasterahz was quite a lot taller than he was. Ras explained everything that’d happened, as well as everything that was going to happen from here on out.

Apparently Ras’ soul was weak. Damaged maybe? It wasn’t clear. What was clear was the fact Ras was some sort of higher power. Kind of like a god, and he intended on using his magic to find a way to repair his soul and finally revive his own kind. In order to heal himself, he had to get to a place known as “the rift”, and that the key to opening the rift required a soul far stronger than his own to act as a “Key”. Vesstan’s soul met the requirements, so he intended on taking it for himself.

But Ariston had stepped in and disrupted his spell. He tried casting it again, but he didn’t have nearly enough mana left to do so. That, and Vesstan’s cries for help had alerted nearby castle workers who rushed to the scene. Now that things were out in the open Vesstan was under much stricter protection. Ras had to place the blame on someone in order to keep his plan in order, so he shifted the blame onto Ariston.

This is when Ras dropped yet another bombshell. As far as the king was concerned Ariston was the one who attempted to assassinate Vesstan, and that he was going to be executed because of it. He was already on pretty thin ice from everything he’d pulled in the past, with his sneaking around, spying, and interfering with Vesstan’s studies and whatnot. No one batted an eye when Ras placed the blame on him.

Ariston didn’t know what to do with this information. Everything was happening so fast. This morning life was fine, everyone was safe, and everything seemed normal. Now he was faced with his impending doom and a god-like figure pulling the strings in the background. What could he do? It’s not like anyone would believe him. At this point if he tried to say anything else it’d only be in a feeble attempt to spare his own life. He couldn’t even say anything in response, he just stared blankly at Ras. He was going to die. They were going to kill him, and he couldn’t do anything to save himself.

Or so he thought. After giving him a moment to let it all sink in, Rasterahz offered him a way out. While he was upset with him for throwing a wrench into his plans, Ras could make some use of Ariston. His magic showed promise, and he could tell Ariston’s magic was vastly different than his own. He could use Ariston’s magic to his advantage, so long as he expanded on his skills. Not only that, but he’d needed a new assistant for quite some time now. In the past he’d sought out the aid of demons, but demon magic was far too similar to his own. That, and he’d intended on sending an assistant through the rift first to “test the waters” so to speak. Scope the place out and make sure it wouldn’t kill him before heading up there himself. Like a lab rat, in a sense.

Ariston didn’t want to help Ras. He could tell he wasn’t a good person, and he really didn’t want to be entrapped by some evil god, but he also didn’t want to die. Sure, all he’d be is a test dummy for whatever the hell Ras was going to do with this rift thing, but if he accepted he’d at least have a chance of escaping at some point. If he refused Ras he was more or less guaranteed to die tomorrow morning. So, Ariston accepted.

Ras held out his hand to confirm their deal, and when he grabbed it Ariston could immediately feel a rush of magic going through his body as Ras cast another spell. When the spell was finished, a dark red mark was left behind on his hand like a brand. This spell bound him to Rasterahz’ service. A security measure to ensure he wouldn’t just run. Ok, so he’d made this deal. But how was he going to avoid his execution? Ras said he’d take care of it, but didn’t explain much else after that. All Ras did was assure him he wasn’t going to die, he just had to trust him. With that he left, leaving Ariston all alone.

The next morning rolled around and before Ariston was even fully awake he found himself being dragged outside in preparation for his execution. Not surprisingly he saw Ras standing right by the executioner’s station. It wasn’t clear if he was going to be the one carrying this out or not, but at least he was there. Hopefully he stuck to his word. The last thing he wanted was for Ras to change his mind as he’s being hung for his crimes. But as he was led up to the gallows he noticed the mark on his hand glowing slightly. As it did, an odd feeling washed over him. It was clearly a spell, but he wasn’t sure what the spell was actually doing. Everything after that point became nothing but a blur. People were talking, his mother was crying, and there was an eerie silence in the air before everything faded to black.

Once again Ariston found himself waking up in an unfamiliar place hours later. His neck was sore, but other than that he felt just fine. Better than fine, actually. The wound on his chest had seemingly been healed during the time he was out, which he found odd. It looked like he was in some sort of church, although the place seemed far too homely to be one. Maybe a monastery of some kind? He wasn’t sure. All he knew for certain was he definitely wasn’t inside the castle anymore.

Not too much later Ras came walking in, this time without his disguise. There was no explanation as to where he was or how he’d gotten there. The second Ras saw him awake they started discussing business. Ras wanted Ariston to expand on his magic. Ras’ wasn’t necessarily niche, but he was more or less forced to only use dark and red magic because the ongoing spells he often cast would fail without enough of it in his mana pool. It’s hard to keep Fiends under your control if you don’t have the magic to control them. That, and Ras specialized in necromancy, which was predominantly dark and red magic. Nothing he did was utilitarian, which is what he wanted to use Ariston for. Tracking people down, storing items, teleportation, navigation. Things along those lines. Sure, Ras could bring someone back to life with his magic, but that could only happen if he knew where the body was.

Ariston still wasn’t on board with any of this, but at this point he really had no choice. He didn’t know where he was, and he was more or less permanently bound to Ras with the mark on his hand. If Ras wanted him to learn magic, so be it. At least the things he was going to learn wouldn’t hurt anybody. Not directly, anyway. Although Ras could easily place the blame back on him if he ever screwed up that badly again.

It wasn’t much longer before Ras secured a spot at a pretty highly renowned university of magic for Ariston to begin his studies. It was a few countries over. More specifically, it was in the country of Cassinex. Both Trixot and Cassinex had an alliance with one another, and because word had yet to spread about the attempted assasination on Vesstan he’d be able to get in on status alone. Ras would ensure word of what’d happened wouldn’t get out. Ariston would be well taken care of during his stay. He’d essecnailly be treated like royalty; something he’d been cheated out of over the past six years.

Soon enough Ariston found himself at SnakeEye’s school of the Arcane where he’d spend more or less the next nine years studying. His studies would occasionally be interrupted by work Ras had him doing or a halfhearted escape attempt; all of which failed horribly. He hated working for Ras. The emblem he had on his hand meant they were in near constant communication with each other. Ras was watching his every move, and he made sure to make that fact known. Still, while working with Ras was less than ideal, life at the school itself wasn’t all that bad. For once in his life he was treated as an equal to his peers. Any time he got in trouble for anything it was because he actually did do something wrong. He didn’t have to take the blame for anyone else anymore. This newfound sense of freedom was great, even if it was under false pretense. It was an odd situation. He was more free than ever before, but at the same time he was under constant surveillance.

At the tail end of his studies disaster struck. Demons hadn’t been a threat to the world for quite some time, but almost overnight the city was swarmed by them. This attack even took Rasterahz by surprise! It was an all out war, and it threw yet another wrench into Ras’ plans. The “Rift” he was trying to get to was up in the mountains, and the mountains were now demon occupied territory. The world was scrambling as everyone argued over the best way to deal with the demon threat.

Eventually word came out that Muria’s royal family was heading into battle in this new war against demon kind. Not only was the king going to be there leading his armies, but Vesstan was also going to be there fighting against the demon threat. While Ras was left unable to access the rift due to demon occupancy, this DID give him the opportunity to finally take Vesstan’s soul. If they tracked him down and snagged him during battle people would assume he was killed by the demons. Ras formulated a plan to get Vesstan away from the battlefield with only vague input from Ariston. Not like he had much input anyway. Whatever Ras said goes.

The plan was pretty simple. Ariston was going to go and confront Vesstan under the guise of explaining everything that happened in the past. Vesstan didn’t actually know the finer details of what happened, and from what Ras said it seemed like he wanted to know more about the situation. Their mother had kept things from him over the years. With how much Vesstan idolized his brother she didn’t want to shatter his perception of him. It was harmless to let him have an idol, after all. After he made contact with his brother he’d knock him out with a spell and teleport the both of them back to Ras, who’d then carry out his spell. It was simple and straightforward.

He hadn’t spoken with Vesstan in years, which made sense given the situation, but Ariston was a bit nervous to confront him after all this time. The last time he’d seen his brother he was only 6 years old. He’d be 15 now, and a person changes quite a bit between 6 and 15. He wouldn’t be anything like he remembered, but it’d be nice to see him again. At least, before they took his soul. Or maybe he didn’t have to? Maybe he could explain what’d really happened that night and he could get Vesstan’s help to finally escape Ras. But if he pulled that he’d be signing his own death warrant.

With the help of Ariston’s magic the two eventually found themselves in an outpost near the Sanquet mountains in a place called Rowset Overhang. It was a decently large outpost in an area completely flushed with red magic. The demon population here was decently large, but the red ambiance of the place kept just about everyone at bay. It acted as a good enough natural barrier to form a military base, anyway. But none of that was Ariston’s concern. All he cared about was finding Vesstan.

It wasn’t hard getting in the outpost itself. He was very clearly a mortal, so no one questioned his presence there. If anything they just assumed he was another soldier, just like everyone else bold enough to get that close to the mountain range. Ariston’s mind was racing as he made his way over to Vesstan’s tent. He knew what he was supposed to do on paper, but it was so much different in real life. What if Vesstan didn’t believe him? Or what if Ras was wrong and he had been told about the assasination attempt? So much could go wrong, but if push came to shove he at least still had his magic. It’d be easy to just knock him out and be done with it.

Just as he expected, Vesstan was there. The spell he’d used to track him had worked as intended. Vesstan had changed quite a bit since the last time he’d seen him. Ariston remembered his brother as an annoying spoiled child, but the person he was talking to now was anything but that. Sure, he still wasn’t an adult, but he’d matured a lot over the years. The fact he’d opted to fight against the demons up close and personal like this was admirable.

While it took a bit of convincing, Vesstan eventually did believe Ariston was who he said. He was overjoyed to see him again, although he was left to question why he’d shown up now of all times. Still, that was quickly swept aside and the two spent several hours reconnecting. The longer they talked, the less on board Ariston was with Rasterahz’ plan. It wasn’t too late to bail. He could still explain his situation and, hopefully, get his brothers help out of it. Eventually he talked himself into it. He was going to get away from Ras once and for all.

Oddly enough, as Ariston began explaining things he began to feel oddly alert. A rush of adrenaline washed over him, and the more he talked the worse it got. Shadows began dancing in the concerns of his eyes that creeped closer and closer, and he felt as if he’d be attacked at any moment. He wasn’t able to say anything intelligible, but whatever effect he was under disappeared when Vesstan asked about the mark on his hand. It was glowing brightly by this point; a sigh that Ras was casting something on him. No doubt he saw this coming, and Ariston knew he wouldn’t be able to get anything done if he was trapped in a never ending stream of paranoia. So, as much as he really didn’t want to, Ariston continued on with the plan.

Knocking out Vesstan and getting him back to Ras was easy. He had no reason not to trust Ariston, so he was completely willing to accept whatever spell he was about to cast on him. Ras chewed him out for trying to bail, but other than that they more or less continued on without issue. Like before, Ras removed his horn and used the dagger to extract Vesstan’s soul. The soul was then encased in a gemstone which would act as the key to open the rift. Getting there would be a challenge given the newfound demon infestation, but that wasn’t of any concern to Ras. He had ways of keeping himself alive well past the average person’s lifespan, as was common for god-like beings such as himself. Now that they had the key they could open the rift at any time. It was just a matter of lying in wait. Now all that was left to do was throw Vesstan’s body into the battlefield and allow his body to be recovered later.

Time went on, and Ariston more or less went back to his new normal way of life. He had no interest in getting involved with the war, and until tensions died down Ras didn’t have much use for him. So he returned to Cassinex where he’d spend the next couple years continuing his studies and pushing the limits of his freedom. Taking advantage of Cassinex’s less than moral activities, Ariston briefly got into gambling among other things. There wasn’t much else to do with the war continually raging on in the background.

It wasn’t until the tail end of the war until Rasterahz made contact with him again, this time with the intention of finally opening the rift. Originally they were going to wait until after the war died down, but during their time apart Ras had managed to find another rift. The one he discovered before was in the mountains, but the mountains were currently demon occupied. But Ras heard rumors of another one in the country of Havenlyn, and after checking things out this was confirmed to be true. He’d already gathered everything they’d need to open the rift, so all Ariston had to do was head to Havenlyn with Ras and enter it. If all was safe, Ras would be able to heal his soul and become even more of a god than he already was.

By this point Ariston was numb to Ras’ evildoings. He knew him getting access to the rift would spell disaster to Mirror Domain, but he just didn’t have the energy to fight him anymore. There was really nothing someone like him could do against a god, so he followed him to Havenlyn without issue. It wouldn’t take long for them to get there, and soon enough the two found themselves in the middle of a small town where this rift was rumored to be. Ariston wasn’t exactly sure what he was supposed to be looking for, but Ras seemed to know what he was doing.

Eventually Ras had set up a very elaborate looking magic circle. Far more elaborate than Ariston had ever seen before, that’s for sure. Not only that, but it was made out of a very strong and very concentrated form of blue magic, which was out of character for someone like Ras. Once the gem was placed in the center of the circle it began to glow brightly. Suddenly, a bright blue beam of light shot into the sky, going well past the clouds. It was daytime when they were doing this, but the amount of light this beam shot out was intense enough to make you question that. Everything around them seemed so much darker by comparison.

After a moment or two the light faded, and floating above the magic circle was what looked like a hole made of torn fabric. It shifted and warped as they looked at it; never holding the same shape for long. On the other side of this tear was a seemingly endless expanse of blue sky and soft white grass covered in a thick layer of fog. An extremely heavy blue ambiance radiated out of this new opening that almost made Ariston dizzy. They’d opened the rift, and now Ariston had to head through it and see what lay beyond.

The other side of the rift was unlike anything Ariston had ever seen before. A bizarre landscape of white barked trees with bright blue leaves was the first thing he encountered. He’d gotten quite good at identifying trees over the years, and these trees were undoubtedly alien. He’d never seen any that even remotely resembled whatever these were, which only piqued his curiosity more. If there were trees, surely there were animals. He trekked on, and eventually Ariston stumbles upon massive pools of crystal clear water. It was amazing.

After wandering for well over an hour Ariston stumbled upon something else. A small yellow and white rabbit who, upon seeing him, immediately ran up to him and began checking him out. It definitely wasn’t a rabbit native to where he lived, but it was undoubtedly a Mirror Domain rabbit. The only difference was a pair of bright yellow wings on his back.

Then, the strangest thing happened. The rabbit began to speak! A bit alarming, but it did seem to have quite a bit of magic inside it. There were a fair few spells that could allow one to talk to an animal. The rabbit asked Ariston how he’d managed to get here. It had a sense of urgency in its voice, so Ariston attempted to explain everything. How Ras wanted to open the rift to fix his soul and whatnot, but this rabbit was not having it. He didn’t care about why Ariston was here. All he cared about was where the rift was. So, Ariston showed him.

The second the rift came into view the rabbit dashed off, using its wings to pick up speed as it ran towards the rift as fast as it possibly could. Ariston didn’t question it at first. If anything, bringing a sapient creature from the rift to talk to Rasterahz could be a good thing. It’d allow him to ask questions and figure out if this place even could heal his soul. But before he was even able to finish that thought there was another bright flash of light, followed by the rabbit jumping back inside the rift as it cracked and sparked with immense blue magic. Moments later the rift had fizzled out of existence.

It took a moment for Ariston to process what had just happened. The second it closed his hand began glowing, and he could hear Rasterahz demanding to know what the hell had just happened. Looking down at the rabbit it became increasingly clear. Held in the rabbits tiny front paws was the gemstone which acted as the key to the rift. He’d taken it out, causing the rift to close.

Before Ariston got the chance to ask any questions the rabbit darted off past him towards the forest. His only means of escaping the rift was currently in its grubby little paws, so he naturally began to chase it through the trees and past the pools of water. The rabbit led him to a very large city with blue cobblestone paths and a very heavy white and gold theme. It was pretty, but he didn’t have any time to look around. Such a small rabbit could easily get lost from view, especially now that it was darting between the city’s residents. He didn’t want to lose his trail, so he continued his pursuit.

At least, until he ran head first into what felt like a wall. The rabbit passed through this barrier with ease, but it seemed Ariston wasn’t allowed wherever it was he was going. He managed to run into this thing hard enough to daze himself, and soon enough he was laying on the ground as the endless blue sky swirled around him. After a few minutes passed and he’d regained his bearings Ariston was able to get a better look at where this rabbit was going.

Taking a closer look at things the barrier became very clearly visible. A bright iridescent wave of magic shone across the area. It was transparent, but the blue glimmer it gave off was enough to alert anyone paying attention to its presence. Further inside this barrier was a massive roman style building with brilliant golden accents lining it. It was probably the most elaborate building Ariston had ever seen in his life! It was better constructed than the castle for god's sake! The rabbit seemed to have run inside whatever that building was supposed to be, so Ariston took a seat next to the barrier and waited for it to return.

Hours went by. The sun eventually set, but much to Ariston’s surprise the area around him didn’t seem much darker. He could still see quite clearly despite the lack of sunlight. The rabbit still hadn’t come out of the building, and Ariston was beginning to get tired. He didn’t want to miss it, but he wasn’t sure how long he’d be able to stay awake. For all he knew there was more behind this building and he’d never see that rabbit again! Try as he might, he eventually found himself falling asleep near the invisible barrier.

The next morning Ariston was awoken by someone gently nudging him with their foot. Opening his eyes and looking up he saw what appeared to be a Kodin, although their appearance was hidden behind a golden theatre mask and a thick white cloak. It definitely wasn’t anything he expected to see, so immediately he jumped to his feet and questioned who this person was.

Apparently this person was known as “the collector”, and she was a reaper for those who escaped death. She was more or less the Afterlife’s bounty hunter. But that only brought up more questions. Among them was how the hell he’d managed to get into the afterlife. Its existence in general was also alarming, but given the fact he’d been working with a god for several years now it wasn’t that outside the realm of possibility. Another one was how he was going to get out. Ariston wasn’t dead! He couldn’t be here! He had to report back to Ras!

Well, mentioning that name more or less sealed Ariston’s fate. The second it came out he was associated with Rasterahz any semblance of civility was thrown out the window. Almost immediately the Collector was at his throat, but seeing as he was already in the afterlife killing him wouldn’t really do anything. Apparently Ras wasn’t very well liked up here. Not only were there a myriad of stories from mortals about his past evildoings, but even one of the other gods residing here had personal beef with him. Ariston wasn’t going to be going anywhere any time soon.

After they’d calmed down the Collector led Ariston into another part of the afterlife. Somewhere extremely far away from the main “hub” where most of the people up there seemed to gather. It was off in the thick of the blue forest he’d seen upon first entering. There he found a decently sized cabin-like building. It was the collector’s workstation, and they told Ariston he was to stay there until they knew what to do with him.

Well, that would end up being longer than Ariston could have possibly imagined. Days turned into weeks, then into months, then years. A lot happened over the course of the next 600 or so years Ariston was trapped up there. Due to several technicalities and the strict rules the Collector was supposed to follow they weren’t allowed to actually kill him, although at times he really wished they did. But because of several other seemingly arbitrary rules he wouldn’t be allowed to return to the mortal realm either. Knowledge that the Afterlife existed at all was too much for the average mortal, but Rasterahz getting ahold of this information would spell disaster.

Ariston was still in contact with Ras for quite some time. For the next twenty or so years he managed to keep his hold on Ariston’s mind, and even after the connection was severed he still managed to make contact every now and then. It was maddening. Rasterahz was doing everything in his power to keep Ariston under his control, but with a complete lack of ways to physically get to him his threats eventually lost meaning. Even so, the mental torment would haunt Ariston for the remainder of his stay.

There was one funny thing about the afterlife, however. The realm itself was composed entirely of blue magic. The ambiance there was far stronger than the average mortal’s mana pool, let alone the natural ambiance. Having a constant flow of so much magic very quickly began to change Ariston. Any limitations brought on by normal ambiance were completely thrown out the window; allowing Ariston’s mana pool to expand indefinitely. At a certain point it grew well past any mortal could ever dream of. He’d ascended to godhood, or some form of it anyway.

At first being a god was amusing. Seeing as he still had his mortal body the kind of magic he was able to do was almost limitless. He spent pretty much all of his time expanding on his stills and casting spells purely for his own entertainment. Of course, it got old fast. The immense power he now had access to became his new normal, and after a while his imagination waned. That, and half the spells he wanted to do he avoided for fear of somehow accidentally helping Ras.

During his time in the Afterlife Ariston did get to know some of the other gods and prominent figures up there. There was the Collector, of course, although he soon came to realise that it was more of a job title rather than true godhood. The Collector he met was not the same collector that’d be there when he eventually escaped. He also got to know Lum, the Rift Keeper. Lum was the rabbit who’d stolen his only key out. That key was now long gone, of course. Everyone figured it was best to return what remained of Vesstan to his home, and the gem his soul was trapped in was returned to the royal family back in Muria.

Speaking of his family, though. Ariston was trapped in the afterlife well over 600 years. While he still cared deeply for his mother, the memories of everything else eventually faded. After all the mental torment he’d been put through  by Ras pretty much everything from before he got trapped was essentially erased. He knew he had a family at some point, but the memories weren’t important enough to dwell on, and eventually they faded away. Ariston’s attention was far more focused on a different task.

A person can only take so much, and after seeing Lum open up the rift on a fairly regular basis Ariston was hellbent on getting out himself. To hell with Ras and whatever he was going to do to him upon escaping, Ariston wanted out. Of course, Lum wasn’t going to let him leave. Lum was told not to, and he stuck to his guns despite Aristons many attempts. He’d have to find some other way out. Some way he could free himself and return to the mortal realm.

One key element to the life cycle of a soul was reincarnation. Souls in the afterlife were able to exit and be reborn at their leisure. Ariston, still technically being alive, wasn’t able to accomplish such a feat. His soul was still in his body, and the only way for it to leave would be for him to die. Or, would it? It was clear his soul was different than most. It was far larger and way stronger than a mortal soul. What if there were some way he could send a small piece of it back down to the mortal realm? If it was his soul, he’d easily be able to make contact with whatever creature it happened to turn into and he could guide it to the rift from there.

It turned out that this not only was possible, but it worked far better than Ariston could have ever hoped. His mana pool was greatly reduced because of his now incomplete soul, but it allowed him access to the reincarnated creature’s mana pool. He could cast spells through this creature; allowing him to make contact with them and guide it to wherever he thought it needed to go. Of course, his first attempts were all failures. It was hard getting the right creature for the job, and once the higher ups caught on to his ploy they took steps to prevent him from doing this. It took about 200 years, but eventually Ariston would get a creature that worked.

His name was Moxie. A small lesser dragon whose family was tasked with the upkeep of some underground ruins. Not only was this a pure and intelligent creature, but he also happened to be guarding the entrance to one of Rasterahz’ shrines! Ras had undoubtedly been gathering more information about the rift over the years. Having access to his research may clue him in to where the rift key was.

Of course, getting the key was no easy feat. Not only was Moxie less than inclined to follow orders, he also mistook much of what Ariston said to him as some form of flirting; which he then reciprocated. On top of that, his family took their duties at the ruins very seriously. Getting him away from his home was difficult enough without everything else going on! He did eventually coax Moxie out, though, and soon enough he’d find the missing piece of his soul, teaming up with a crew that’d eventually seal away Ras and free him from the afterlife.

There was one downside to all of this, though. Something Ariston neglected to tell Moxie until the very end. Because Moxie was part of Ariston’s soul, he’d have to take him back before leaving the afterlife. If his soul remained in pieces after he left he’d forever have a chunk of it barred to the afterlife, and that would cause all sorts of problems. He refused to tell Moxie this for fear of him refusing to cooperate, but the truth had to come out eventually. Luckily for Ariston, though, Moxie was more than happy to comply if it meant sealing away Ras and freeing his dear friend.

Much would happen after Ariston’s escape. Not only would he meet an array of other gods, ones known as “roaming gods” but he’d manage to reconnect with his past and start a new life for himself. Nowadays he resides in the forest near Trixot and Pontyn, spending most of his days wandering the natural world and documenting the plants and animals he finds. After all, given how long he was trapped in the afterlife it’s hard not to appreciate the natural beauty of the world.

## **Relationships**

**Vesstan “Bur” Daxalim:** Ariston’s younger brother and close friend. In their early years Ariston absolutely loathed Vesstan. He was his whipping boy, after all. Of course, 600 years is enough time to change anyone. Not only can neither of them remember their past firsthand, but Bur himself was the key to opening the rift that’d eventually free Ariston from the afterlife. Ever since then, and after learning about their past relationship, Ariston has been trying to keep in close contact with his long lost brother. They get along quite well nowadays, although the major time gap can make things a bit awkward at times. They still try, at least, which is more than most people could ask for when it comes to a sibling relationship.

**Curtana Brimstone:** While Ariston isn’t exactly close with Curtana, the two don’t dislike each other. They only really interact when Bur is involved, as he and Curtana are a couple after all. Occasionally Ariston finds it entertaining to poke fun at the relationship he has with his brother, but it's all in good fun. If it weren’t for that connection, though, the two probably would have never met nor stayed in contact afterwards.

**Cairo Milvok:** Ariston was one of the people directly responsible for Cairo’s ascension to godhood. Like many people, he only met Cairo because of his younger brother. But unlike other people, because of his godhood Ariston and Cairo have made an effort to stay in contact with each other. Their personalities heavily conflict with each other, and Cairo’s closest ally is one of Ariston’s enemies, but the two are able to remain civil because of their shared friendship with Bur. Both hold him very close, and neither of them want to piss him off by causing any trouble.