"Are you guys ready to perform the ritual?" One of the men in a black coat asked his comrades.

"Yes, all the preparation are completed." A next man responded. "All we have to do now is summon  a soul to inhabit this wooden dolls body."

"Well, what are we waiting for... everybody get in position!" The man shouted, raising his hands in the air. " Try to keep all your focus on the magic."

All the men raised their hands towards the heavens and a magic circle appeared around the wooden doll. The men started chanting in a different language and the light emanating from the circle, got brighter and brighter.

They continued until the summon was complete and then they all turned towards the doll, which had transformed into a human.

"Looks like the summoning was a success!" One of the men shouted with a smile on his face, but it quickly disappeared when the doll remained still.

Whispers filled the hall and the men's eyes remained on the doll. Some of the men expressed their disappointment and was ready to leave, but they all were interrupted by a voice.

The voice was female, and assertive with power behind it, which confused the men greatly because, it couldn't come from the fragile human looking doll. Then she stood up and the Mages, stepped back as she stared at their unfamiliar faces.

"I told you that it would work!"

"I never doubted you for a second." Another person shouted.

" Now... let's find out the soul's name."

One of the men, made their way over to the doll and inquired about it's name. The other men waited in anticipation until they heard her response.

"Do you mind repeating that?"

She took a deep breath in and said, "Azreal."

"Wait, isn't that the name of the angel of death?"

"N-No way, it can't be!"

The men pulled out their staffs and started casting attack spells towards Azreal, hoping to send the soul back to the spirit realm.

The impact of the spells caused a big cloud of dust to raise into the air. At first the men lost sight of her and then the cloud cleared and they saw staring at the ceiling of the cave.

She lowered her head and stared at them. "You summoned me and this is how I am treated?" Azreal brought her palms together creating a surge of magic causing her to glow, float up with fireballs appearing around her. She sent the fireballs flying towards the men and they hit the ground loudly, exploding and filling the cave with carbon. Some of the Mages fell unconscious.

Azreal floated back to the ground and eradicated all the Mages. She took a cloak that was left behind and quickly left so no one would be aware she was there.

They had asked for it. Azreal thought wondering what others would think of all the ashes that remained. As she walked she looked down at the old dress she wore and the fact she had no shoes. She needed to get proper clothes and some shoes as soon as possible if she wanted to travel fast.

Azreal walked some distance, but there was nothing but trees. Maybe she should have asked for directions from the Mages before she killed them. The scenery was great, but the animals looked strange. They all looked like a hybrid, a mix and match of different species. How much time had passed? The hybrid birds sang happily in the trees, their singing of a higher pitch that seem to disturb her senses.

She didn't recognize the plants and had to stop and examine a few. Then Azreal spotted a plant that caught her attention because of its strange leaves. When she got closer the ground rumbled and some vine like things shut out of the ground, and towered over her shocked form, the tips widening and separated into two parts. Before she could blink again it engulfed her between them, caging her in like a Venus fly trap. It was sticky and gooey inside and more goo was oozing out onto her as it tumbled her around.

It probably was trying to eat her.

It rolled Azreal all around inside and her clothes seemed to be shrinking or melting or was it being digest. At least it wasn't digesting her. Besides the wet stickiness, she was fine. Was it because she was intially made of wood, why the plant's acid didn't affect her?

Azreal tried to hold on to the rough walls of the plant to stop tumbling. She was tired being in there and needed to get out, she was starting to feel sick. While holding the rough interior she chanted a spell and her palms heated up, dissolving and sinking through, creating a great irritation. The plant shuddered and vomited her out with a big shake and a ton load of goo.

Great. Her clothes had totally melted away and she was naked. Azreal tried to use her hands to hide her exposed parts, looking around to see if anybody was there. When she was sure she was alone, she stared around wondering what to do. All that was available was leaves, so she decided to be innovative and sewed a few together using wild vines. It took some time, but she finally had something she could wear, until she could get better.

There must be a village somewhere around here. She wondered how long it would take to find it. Azreal just walked, where ever her intuition led her and it was hours. Surprisingly, she didn't feel hungry, and hours had passed. Azreal wanted to see if she could still distinguish the taste of things even though she wasn't hungry. The thought just came to her and she picked a small berry looking thing on a plant, praying it wasn't poisonous. It wasn't a berry though she realized on biting it and finding out it was filled with seeds, but she didn’t taste anything else about it. Azreal just spit it out disappointed. She turned and her eyes connected with another pair of eyes.

She was standing there watching them and they watching her, then someone out of the group broke the silence with a question.

"What is she doing this far?" Someone out of the group asked.

" Maybe she's homeless," Another added pointing at Azreal's leafy outfit.

" She sort of looks like she's been through hell." They all looked at her disheveled hair and dirty, sticky looking face and skin.

"Maybe she can join us."

"But we don't know if she's friendly, or hostile or like some kind of wild animal."

"Well go talk to her and see!"

"Why does it have to be me?!" He scrambled back to them when they pushed him forward.

"Because you're good at talking, and you always could understand the wild animals when we don't." He narrowed his eyes at them then sighed, "Ok." He inched closer to her hand raised to show he wasn't a threat. " Uhm, the fruit you just ate is poisonous."

Azreal looked at the plant she just picked from. "Oh, it's a good thing I spit it out."

"You're supposed to be dead. Even though you didn't swallow it, once it goes in your mouth, that was suppose to be it. Dead as a doornail." He let out a nervous laugh.

" Well I'm not dead." She flung her arms wide to show.

"What's your name?" The boy asked.

Azreal didn't answer. Last time she said her name she was attacked. She wasn't looking forward to a repeat. Then she noticed they were all wearing armor as if they were going into battle. Some were on horses with complete sets of armor with some sort of crest on it .

Realizing she wasn't going to tell him her name, he said instead. "Well my name is Shawn, we're heading back to our village. Do you want to come. It's not safe moving around alone." He scratched his head nervously.

" That would be great. I was hoping to find a village before it gets dark."

The crowd of people were relieved that she sounded civilized and could speak intelligently and they relaxed a bit, most especially the Shawn boy who was talking to her.

"How long were you in the forest?"

"I'm not sure."

"So you weren't staying somewhere? I'm just assuming you're lost or something."

"I can't remember."

He frowned and turned and addressed a blonde guy with a big sword in the group, asking if she could come along with them. Blondie, who Shawn called Zane nodded, giving the impression that he was the leader of them. The others weren't so pleased with his decision, but he was the leader, and it seems what he says goes.

Shawn gave her some water to wash and tidy up and then they were on their way. They travelled a good way and the day flew by. Finally, they decided to rest for the day and set up tents. No one invited Azreal to their tent, only Shawn but she was already making herself comfortable in a tree and didn't want to come down.