My name is Yelena and I am a witch.   These words are not artistic license, nor is this intended to be a work of fiction, though that possibility looms in the mortal mind.   I am over 600 years old, born in what is now modern day Romania. Back then, it was simply the Kingdom of Hungary. My ancestry traces back to various points in Eastern Europe and Russia, in some truly magnificent areas of the world. I have lived many generations with many cultures, and learned many cultures worth of languages. My lineage is a simple one, although technically it ended a long, long time ago.   Sometime around 700 AD my family had made a deal with the devil for a taste of his dark power. My ancestors, tired of living in utter squalor, felt they had to sell their souls to attain the level of comfort only afforded to royalty at the time. They were tired of sleeping with rats and eating like dogs in the harsh winters. We migrated a lot, and my naïve family wished to side with the Nameless in order to create their own paradise on Earth. That poorly thought out decision led to centuries of persecution and pain for those closest to us. Our pact with the devil ended much like all the others.   I spent most of my mortal life fleeing from those seeking to kill me. The Witch Hunters, first allied with the Church, gave chase to us wherever we went. There was never respite; their hunt was relentless. During our exile my grandmother taught me how to read in four different languages. As I grew up, I became a voracious student of all disciplines, and quickly read through thousands of books, hoping to secure an identity for myself, and find some meaning to my wretched existence.   In my search for knowledge, I came across several manuscripts penned by family scholars. One of the languages my grandmother taught me was a variant of something called a thieves cant. It is a language passed on only through my family, and only we know how to read and write it. That collection of manuscripts comprised about 8 volumes on the basics of practicing witchcraft. It taught me everything I needed to know to get started. It taught me protection wards, charms, visions, and curses. I studied those texts for about 20 years, mastering what precious little there was left.   In addition to studying these texts, I also added to them.    In the end, I had discovered through a series of experiments how to extend my own life. I was 44 when I learned how to do this. After some careful thought, I backed my physical appearance to my mid 20s, the apex of my beauty and physical prowess. I’ve retained all the wisdom of my many lives, but also enjoy the fluidity of youth.   After I mastered the art of immortality, I began to expand my learnings even further to prevent an unnatural death of disease or violence from taking me away from this beautiful world. Those 8 precious volumes I found still exist in my apartment today. They lay beside the 4,352 additional volumes I have since added to them over the centuries. So as you can imagine, I’ve grown beyond being a “dabbler” in the Arts.   And yet, I’ve been unable to use that power very often. You see, the pact with the devil was supposed to end after a couple centuries. That was never written into the contract, it was simply an implied outcome, since the mortals would never allow such power to exist in their superstitious societies. Through the Church, he forged a means of disposing of the last of the witches. But his task remains unfinished: I am still alive.   So why would the Nameless care if some unsuspecting twenty something year old witch lives among the mortals? He cares because I draw from his power to weave my spells. Although I have never passed on the trade to another, we no longer live in a society ruled by the superstitious. As generations pass, the probability of acceptance of my craft grows. In time, I could even open my own school and introduce an entirely new generation to the wonders of witchcraft. That open-ended invitation into his power pool frightens him beyond all else.   The contract is still in full effect, so he cannot simply end it. However, there’s nothing to stop him to sending others to end my existence. So he has. For 500 years now he’s attempted to find me and end the drain from his power; to end this one loophole in the contract signed many centuries ago. As long as I use weaker spells, he cannot get a trace on me. Any time I’m forced to use a strong spell, the amount of power consumed is easier to trace. So then I am forced to run, to take on yet another life to evade those that hunt me. I have been running for my entire life. Rarely am I able to find peace, I have to be constantly mindful of the servants of the Nameless.   For they have hunted me with a passion. The Witch Hunters all but exterminated my family, and now they scan the world looking for the one piece to the puzzle that allows them to complete their own deal with the Nameless. They will enjoy all the riches of all the universe if they just complete this one task: my eradication. So they tend to that one task tirelessly, day and night.   It is important to note my powers may seem dark and demonic because I draw from a well of profound darkness. However, it is not entirely accurate. I have found the nature’s manipulations depend entirely on the person wielding it. I have crafted several beautiful things and helped many people through the use of my knowledge. I have healed the sick; given solace to the lonely, and allowed the disenfranchised become empowered through the power of their own minds. And I’ve done all this channeling power from Him. That has, no doubt, expanded his anger significantly, to know I refuse to obey His will.   For now, I am safe. I am one of the world’s largest cities in the United States of America, a new country whose core ideals I value highly. Although there is an unspoken caste system here, there is no social enforcement of action upon the classes. They are free to mingle socially as they see fit, something I’ve not encountered much before. I have tried to find peace here. I’ve had several careers recently, and lead a rather exciting life in a gorgeous 4,000 square feet downtown top-level apartment. How much does such an abode cost? Well not much, actually. I was able to use my charms to get inside the head of the easily swayed landlord. He does a good job of maintaining his highest tiers accommodations, but he is a crooked, corrupt, and morally reprehensible character. While those character flaws prove tiresome for my mortal counterparts, I delight in using them to secure cheap residency for myself. My books and manuscripts line the two libraries of the apartment. There I practice my witchcraft in secret, gaining knowledge of the world around me, as well as exploring power structures unimagined by any of my ancestors.   I have constructed a powerful ward around the apartment, allowing me to practice any manner of spell I choose, without being traced by the Witch Hunters. It works perfectly, except that I still cannot use most of my powers outside my home. But…I’m working on that.   So you might think, from my above description, that I am a bookish nerd that sits all day and pens her dissertations alone. Quite the contrary, I lead an active daily life as well. Over the years, I have held many titles, performed many professions, and interacted with millions of people. Right now I am working as a model. I will never be destined for superstardom, but that is more than all right with me. My career is blooming, the designers are all too willing to accept my lie that I’m only 20, and I am able to find a steady stream of work that I find interesting.