Magic: The Gathering: Say You'll Haunt Me

Chapter 3: Motivation

Liliana 

"He's just a kid. Give him a break." My demon said as I took off my headpiece.

The Raven Man had taken to harassing me concerning Kerrick, and my patience was wearing thin.

"I was 'just a kid' when I turned Josu into a Grimnant Knight. After Ravnica, I don't think another interplanar threat is going to bode well for the Multiverse." I snapped.

"Okay, maybe it was a good idea to scold him-"

"It was. I don't need your approval to know it was a good idea." I said as I took my dress off.

"He has promise. I'm happy you took him in." The Raven Man told me. "And it was so kind of you. You are, after all, partially responsible for the death of his guardian.".

"This has nothing to do with kindness. Power is-".

I paused. There was almost no point in lying. He is in my head, and I can't do anything about it… not yet, at least.

"Okay, so maybe I did take pity on him. But then again, he was also doing a bit of flattery, going on about how he wanted power like mine." I replied with a smirk.

The Raven Man smiled and nodded. "So you admit it. Now that that's out of the way, was there any other reason you stopped him from answering Yawgmoth's call?" He asked.

He had me again. Of course I was worried about the fate of the Multiverse. I live in it. If Kerrick went to New Phyrexia, those wretched beasts would know immediately. 

The thought of all those horrors getting their claws on him did worry me a little bit. He's the only person I know who would stay with me indefinitely. I would say Jace, but after Gideon came along, yammering about Zendikar and The Eldrazi, he left with barely a second thought.

Kerrick was younger and, if I'm being honest, less aware. That's why he stayed. Jace knew that I was manipulating him. Kerrick, well, to be fair, I haven't started on him.

"Like you said. Power. He has power. Power I could use." I responded firmly. "Anything else?".

The Raven Man melted into shadow, his voice like a distant echo, "That will be all, Liliana.".

As he retreated back into the darker depths of my mind, I sighed and flopped onto my bed. He was always so tiring. Always wearing me down with just a simple exchange of words.

As much as I wanted to sleep, I couldn't help but linger on his words. I did feel some guilt for my lack of empathy toward Kerrick, but pushed the thought aside in an attempt to rest.

The thought returned to me, and I decided I needed to do something to make it go away for good. I got up from my bed and walked out of my room.

As I set foot in the hallway, I realized I was still in my sleepwear. I considered how Kerrick might react to it, and smiled.

I guess I could really start on him tonight.

Kerrick

I spent all the time since we got back to the Manor reading the Bestiary. Every dark secret left me wanting to learn more. Every page pulled me in and grabbed hold of me, not letting go until I read every word.

I decided if I wanted power like Miss Vess, I would also need immortality. Easy to find an answer when you're holding a book full of information on infernal beings intent on striking up a deal.

I eventually stumbled upon a page summarizing the abilities of a demon from Zendikar called The Abyssal Persecutor. It would give immortality to those who made a deal with it, but would then trap those foolish enough in a perpetual hell, tormenting them for all eternity.