I awoke to existence violently, my soul ripped from the eternal calm. I did not recognize myself as my bones and cartilage reformed into one, almost magnetic in nature. I was skinless, hairless...featureless outside of the deteriorated armor hanging off my newborn skeletal frame.

Where was I? What is all of this? Somehow my sight formed albeit being eyeless, and I had faint memories of the surroundings I saw in front of me. A dim, wet cave sprawled out in many directions. Signs of battle lay all around me. Blood-stained walls, rusted weapons across the ground, crushed bones and decaying flesh. To my benefit, it did not seem that I could smell the putrid air.

Suddenly, my surroundings shook. Pieces of rock broke and fell to the floor. Instinctively, I grabbed the nearest sword and shield. "Are these mine?" I thought to myself, as I gripped the sword hilt tightly and entered a defensive stance. I must have done this thousands of times.

A glowing orb of light slowly approached through a corridor in the distance, the sound of tens of footsteps followed behind. A passionate rage overtook me as I immediately readied my blade and began marching towards the commotion.

As the shapes of my enemies unfolded before me, I was taken aback into a state of disbelief. It was...me? Multiples of me?! Skeletons of similar armor, weaponry, and stance slowly moved forward. Behind them, a menacing presence.

"My friend, please yield. You are out-numbered."

I saw a white-haired man with a red aura approach, as the other skeletons parted from his path.

"Who are you?" I groaned, difficultly.

"I am Vanta, a necromancer. I am here to expel an ancient evil. It appears as though his dark magic has gotten to you before mine."

Yet again I felt a rush of uncontrollable rage, and began stepping forward as if forced like a puppet. Vanta raised his hand and clenched it tightly, immediately seizing my entire body.

"He who has killed you is now forcing you to fight on his behalf. I give you these options: join me and your fallen brethren, to avenge the evil which took your life in the first place. Or, be crushed here and freed to the ether. Either way, you cannot fully return to life. Both paths are temporary."

The other soldiers did have an odd familiarity to them, and I felt that I once cared about them deeply. Were we warriors, sent to banish whatever lived in this cave? I could not be sure, but in the moment I knew that fighting as many was much better than dying as one.

"I yield."

And again, Vanta clenched his fist. A red aura now surrounded me, and a compulsion to fight banished all other thought.