Chapter 0

For as long as I could remember, I saw them, the deceased. As a child, I always asked my parents why these people looked so strange, and they asked me which people I meant, until they stopped answering any questions. Because I found it difficult to ignore the dead, other children and their parents were afraid of me. Every now and then the others would ask me or my parents who I was talking to and probably thought I was crazy. I constantly heard a multitude of voices, both from the living and the dead. I lived in a peaceful village, but in constant solitude. That changed, however, when a Lord came to our village and threatened to destroy everything. The villagers, whom I had never harmed, dragged me before the principalaty's soldiers and told them to leave the village alone. The villagers told the commander that I had special powers that they could not use in the village. The commander then asked me what these powers were, and I replied that I could speak to the dead. A hearty laugh escaped him, and even the soldiers began to laugh. But suddenly everything became quiet, the commander looked at me with interest, and they finally led me away. In contrast to what awaited me, my life was still peaceful. The principality imprisoned me in a cellar and placed magical chains on me that suppressed my magic. While the people of my village always avoided me, I was beaten and kicked by the soldiers whenever they seemed to be in a bad mood. I was rarely allowed out and was only locked in a magical cage on a carriage to work for the principality. I wondered when these days would end...