His staff and his backpack were gone and his golden robes of the conclave had been replaced by a simple grey cotton shirt and grey cotton pants. His pointy hat and shoes were also gone, but his recently frayed beard was back to normal.

"Am I dead?" Seanan said out loud not expecting any answer. After all, there was nothing but ground as far as his eyes could see.

"Szarveenik!" Seanan said while holding out a hand. Nothing happened. "SZARVEENIK!" Seanan said louder with his hand out stretched. Puzzled, Seanan sat on the ground.

"My magic. Its gone" the old man said sadly.

"You'll find that magic does not work here, especially for the dead" a voice behind him said in a sad tone.

Seanan turned around to see a young noble looking man with long black hair wearing black robes. His skin was pale and his expressions seemed very genuine.

"You will find that nothing of what you were remains. This is what is left of you and this is your destiny for the rest of eternity. To walk this realm alone" the man said, again with sadness in his voice that made Seanan feel as if this news troubles this man as much as it did to Seanan himself.

"Who are you?" Seanan asked. "How did I die? Was I eaten by Galeru? Did that red beast feast upon what was left of me?"

"You died from the wounds you obtained from the incident with Maylstrom. You laid in Galeru's lair for a week and then your body gave out and you died. The Dragon did not eat you." The man said while studying Seanan's face. "Galeru was merely acting to his nature, seeking a few easy jeweled eggs in return for finding you helpless and then returning you your towers, but your mages did not want you back."

"That can not be." Seanan said in disbelief. "They wouldn't."

"They did betray you, Seanan. They did indeed. A few offered the dragon the eggs but only in return for your books and not for you. Others said they would only help if the Gods themselves told them too and even then, they undermined you by stating they wish for the red to eat you and that you were not around the towers enough to baby sit them. They wanted you to die, and so you did. In fact, their leaders stated publicly that they would celebrate your death as if you were a tyrant whom had spent your days razing their villages and killing their families."

Seanan's old eyes grew wide. "But I was there to help them! I taught them the ways of Battle Magic!! I had EIGHT other schools of magic to teach them, not to mention many more spells to within their own schools to show them! Why would they do this to me? After all I have seen and sacrificed to make them better and to prepare them for what is to come? How could they betray me? How?"

The pale man smirked. "Old one, the Conclave is not what it was in your day. They are their own worse enemy. Politics takes the place of common goals and egos take the place of a passion for magic and arrogance takes the place of worship. My mother could go and on about this very topic."

"Your mother?" Seanan asked cautiously.

"Drakkara" stated the man. "My mother is Drakkara. We aren't exactly on the best of terms right now, before you start asking."

"So you are Malachive then?" Seanan asked.

Malachive grinned. "I am. And I came here to see you off. You are one of the most powerful wizards in the history of the world, Seanan, and to be honest I was flattered to learn that you came to this time to defeat me. Unlike those in the Conclave, I recognize and appreciate one who made themselves as powerful as you."

Seanan sat and said nothing. He looked off into the nothingness with a blank stare before uttering "You've no reason to flatter me, Malachive." A single tear fell down the old mans face. "Do not be sad, old one." Malachive said with a look of concern. "I too used to live among the Conclave and I too was unwelcome there, despite my mother's wishes. So now, I live in hiding, slowly planning, slowly building, slowly preparing for what is to come. It is a shame you won't be there to see it."

The words rang through Seanan's head. His pain turned to anger and his face flushed with a bright redness.

"It's a fact, Seanan. I am not saying such things to sting you."

Malachive leaned down and studied Seanan's face. His face was red; his eyes were wide and teary. If Seanan were alive, one would worry that he was having a stroke.

"What are you thinking, old one?" Malachive asked politely.

Seanan turned and looked Malachive eye to eye. "I can't believe this is how it is to end for me, after all I have done! How dare those ungrateful little bastards betray their robes and betray me, the only man who could place them back at their previous glory!! If there is a way out of this realm, I will find it and when I do, I will tear down those towers brick by brick by brick by brick!!!!"

Malachive smiled. "I made the same vow myself, you know. When they unwelcomed me, so I understand your thoughts Seanan. It's a shame too, because like it or not, you are dead. Not even I can restore you to your mortal form."

"My mortal form was weak anyway!" Seanan said, again staring out into the nothing. "Even if I could go back as a powerless small child, I would find a way to get my revenge! Those ungrateful bastards deserve what they have coming to them and I want to not only be there to see it, I want to help!"

"Are you asking me for help?" Malachive said, almost grinning.

"I'm no spring grasshopper." Seanan replied. "I know what I'm getting myself into and I know that I've lost favor with Sebatis over the last year or I wouldn't be stuck in this Abyss. But what I know more than anything else is that those bastards in the towers are going to pay for what they did to me. They deserve everything they are going to get and I am going to make them and the moons pay! If you want my soul for servitude, then you have it! If it's either waste away here shunned by every one that I had dedicated my life for and go seek revenge, then I demand revenge!"

Malachive's grin left his face. Muttering "Mother, forgive me" to himself, he placed his hand on Seanan's shoulder and spoke softly.

"Old one, I did not want to see you robbed of your dignity any way. You and I will walk the world together and I will see that you have your chance to get your revenge. But understand that by placing yourself under my will, you will cease to feel things as you have. You will cease to taste things they way you have and you will have to live with the orders in which I give without regret. A better tomorrow awaits all of us if we are only willing to make the tough choices of today. The world below is vile and ugly and only with strength and control can we make it a better place."

"What's to become of me?" Asked Seanan. "Am I to be transformed into a demon?"

"A demon?" Malachive chuckled. "You confuse me for my father for I control no demons. Just consider yourself an agent of Malachive. "Let us begin our journey."

In a blink, Seanan was in a new place. His clothes had been replaced with long grey robes. At his feet laid his own corpse, along side of it was his backpack and his staff. Reaching down, he picked up his back pack and his staff. He noticed the aches and pains of his normal movements were still completely gone. Physically, he felt young again. Looking around, Seanan realized that he had died in what was an abandoned ruby mine. He made his way to the entrance only to be met at the door by a rather large red dragon.

Galeru stood poised for battle. He swiped a claw at Seanan only to have his entire arm jolt from whatever barrier that was protecting Seanan.

"To kill you now would be to kill a fly, simply for flying." Seanan said. "It is not my job to change the nature of a Red Dragon."

Galeru looked at Seanan perplexed as Seanan walked past him, unconcerned.

Turning as if Seanan had just realized he forgot something, he looked at Galeru.

"However, since we now share some common enemies."

Seanan raised his staff into the air and a blue bolt of energy passed from the staff into Galeru. Galeru's muscles grew and hardened. His claws extended and his fangs grew jagged edges between the teeth.

Galeru looked down at his arms, claws and felt his fangs. He looked back to Seanan, but Seanan was gone. Galeru strolled back into his lair and looked at his reflection in a pool of standing water.

What he saw was something Galeru had never seen before upon his face. A grin.