“What are you going to do now?” Seraphina asked.
“I am going back to the mansion.” Malachi immediately ran to the direction where he came from.
Seraphina was confused. He retrieved the book of necromancy. From a logical perspective, Malachi should have run far away from this place and learn the art before slowly regaining his former power. If revenge was what he wanted, he could wait until he gain sufficient strength. With the memories of his past life, that shouldn’t be difficult.
‘So why is he heading back to the mansion now?’ Seraphina pondered.
As Malachi sprinted through the forest, clutching the book of necromancy tightly in his hands, his mind raced with conflicting emotions.
As they neared the mansion, the sounds of rustling leaves were replaced by the distant murmurs of people. The moon's soft glow began to illuminate their path as darkness settled over the landscape.
“Seraphina, fly ahead and inform me if there are any guards.”
“The guards are still patrolling,” Seraphina said. “We'll need to find a way to get past them.”
They navigated through the mansion's grounds, using Malachi’s knowledge of the layout and Seraphina as lookout to their advantage. As they encountered guards, Malachi moved stealthily, utilizing the cover of night to remain undetected.
In no time, Malachi entered the mansion again and he hurriedly ran to a direction.
“Where are we going?” Seraphina asked.
Malachi did not reply before he took a turn and climb down a flight of stairs that led to a dark underground room.
Seraphina frowned after they arrived. “What is this place?”
The ground wasn’t filled with concrete but pure dirt. The square room had no source of lights either, but complete and pure darkness. Yet, Malachi managed to find himself a shovel and started digging.
His child-like body betrayed the strength he revealed as he quickly dug the earth and revealed a bunch of human skulls and bones.
Malachi opened the book and sat cross legged on the floor.
As Malachi sat cross-legged amidst the dim, subterranean chamber, the pages of the book of necromancy seemed to pulsate with an eerie energy. The air grew heavy, charged with an unsettling presence that sent chills to every pores on his skin.
With a deep breath, he began to chant an incantation, his voice resonating with ancient power that seemed to awaken the very darkness within the earth and bones around him. The incantation echoed through the underground chamber, a chilling wind began to stir, carrying with it the scent of decay and foreboding. The room seemed to respond to Malachi's words, as faint whispers and echoes emanated from the walls themselves.
Lily walked along the hallway with two maids following her from behind. She looked through the window with a pout on her faced despite the beautiful full moon.
“Humph! He cannot be more talented than me. I am better than him and it will never change. Isn’t that right?” she looked at the two maids.
The maids looked at each other with struggling expression before they nodded and agreed with her.
“That is correct young lady.”
Lily smiled with pride. “I will beat him today to remind him of his status.”
She made her way to Malachi’s room, but suddenly heard a loud banging sounds. She did not know that Malachi was not in his room and that the guards were ordered to lock him.
“What was that?”
“I think it’s coming from there.” A maid pointed.
Lily looked at the flight of stairs that led down to darkness. “I never went there before. What is it?”
“We also don’t know. We have never been there before.”
“Cih! How useless. You two are maids. How can you serve your master well if you don’t know every corner of this mansion?” Lily showed her disappointment. Despite being a child, her speech was like that of an adult. Perhaps it was the talent that her father given to her.
“Come with me.” Lily approached the stairs before she began to feel fear inside.
‘It’s so dark.’
“Are we going to go inside?” a maid asked.
“Humph! Of course. Do you think I am scared?” Lily took the first step before pushing her fear away and keep going down.
The maid grabbed a lantern hanging on the wall and followed from behind.
As Lily and her two maids descended the flight of stairs, a heavy darkness enveloped them, clinging to their every step like a thick curtain. The air grew colder and more suffocating with each descent, as if the very depths of the earth were swallowing them whole.
“I don’t like this.” Lily felt great fear. Her heart screaming for her to run away immediately from this place. But there was a mysterious force that kept making her body moved forward. It was as if she was being pushed to keep going.
The stairs beneath their feet were worn and uneven, each step creaking softly under their weight. The stone steps seemed to be carved from the very bedrock itself, and the passage downwards was narrow and winding.
As they descended deeper, the faint whispers of satanic and demonic voices began to pervade the air. The voices were hushed, carried on the wind that seemed to echo through unseen chambers. These whispers were chilling, each syllable laden with an unnatural resonance that seemed to resonate in the very bones of those who heard them. The words were unintelligible, a twisted and ancient language that carried a sense of malevolence and forbidden knowledge.Lily's maids clutched onto their lanterns tightly, their eyes wide with both fear and curiosity. Lily herself felt a mixture of trepidation and excitement, her heart pounding as she ventured further into the unknown.
‘I don’t know what kind of feeling this is. A mix of fear and excitement. I wanted to run away yet I also want to keep going. This… this is fun!’Unknown amount of time passed and they finally arrived at the bottom of the stairs.
There, she saw someone she didn’t expect. “Malachi?”
He did not reply. Malachi was sitting cross-legged with a book in his hands, and in front of him were—
“Are those skeletons?! Malachi, what are you doing in here?”
He did not reply.
Lily clicked her tongue and strode towards him with wide steps. “Answer me!”
Her words were replied with silent.
Angered by his lack of response, Lily raised her palm and slapped him on the back of his head. However, before her palm could land on its target, it was abruptly stopped by some sort of invisible force.
“What is this?”
Suddenly, Malachi looked at her and opened his eyes, revealing a deep black color as if one was looking down towards the abyss.
[You have reached level 20][You have learned “Dark Bolt”][You have learned “Shadow Cloak”][You have learned “Soul Reap”][You have learned “Necrotic Aura”][You have learned “Grasp of The Abyss”][You have learned “Necromantic Art: Stygian Blades”][You have learned “Necromantic Mastery: Cursed Affliction”]Lily's heart raced as Malachi's gaze met hers, his eyes now reflecting a darkness that seemed to devour the very light around them. The room felt heavy with an otherworldly presence, and the air grew thick with tension.The maids gasped in horror, their faces pale as they exchanged fearful glances. The whispers of demonic voices seemed to grow louder, swirling around them like a malevolent chorus.“HAHAHAHA!”Malachi's lips curled into a sinister smile, and his voice carried a chilling edge as he finally spoke. "Lily, my dear, you've stumbled into a place you were never meant to see." Lily took a step back, trembling in fright as she couldn’t process what she saw.“W—who are yo
Aldric's heart raced as he sprinted through the cobblestone streets of the town, his mind racing with a singular purpose—to reach the mansion. The urgency of his mission weighed heavily on him, every step a reminder that time was slipping through his fingers. Unlocking the door, Aldric hurried inside, his footsteps echoing in the empty hallway. The mansion felt oddly silent and foreboding, the shadows dancing on the walls as if aware of the impending turmoil. Aldric's steps were purposeful, leading him deeper into the mansion's interior. In the main hall of the mansion, Aldric's inner turmoil raged on. His plans to eliminate Malachi had to be executed with precision and speed. He couldn't afford to underestimate the boy's capabilities any longer. “HELP!”Suddenly, he hear his daughter’s scream. “Lily?”“PLEASE HELP!”The desperate plea sliced through Aldric's thoughts like a knife, shattering his focus and replacing it with a surge of panic and dread. The voice was unmistakably Lil
As Malachi plummeted from the sky, his figure was a dark silhouette against the backdrop of the open air. The wind rushed past him, whipping his hair and clothes as he descended with startling speed.The distance between him and the ground closed rapidly, and the ground below seemed to rush up to meet him with a sense of impending impact. It was a heart-pounding moment as gravity took hold, and Malachi's mind raced to find a solution to his sudden predicament.Just when it seemed like his fall was destined to end in a bone-shattering collision, fate intervened in the form of a tree. His body collided with the upper branches of the tree, causing a cascade of leaves and twigs to scatter in all directions. The impact wasn't enough to halt his descent entirely. Instead, it served to slow him down and redirect his trajectory.With each successive branch, Malachi's fall turned into a chaotic dance of twists and turns. He bounced from one branch to another, his body contorted in unnatural a
A dozen guards arrived at the underground basement to assess the situation and were horrified by what they saw.“Perfect timing! Head to the east and locate that boy!” Professor Thaddeus ordered.The guards looked bewildered and remained motionless.“Why are you still here?” Thaddeus asked, his anger evident.Aldric stood up, then glanced at his guards before explaining the situation. “Malachi has delved into the forbidden arts of necromancy. He has gone mad due to the evil in his heart. He is no longer the Malachi we know. Necromancy is prohibited in this holy land. Search for him immediately, and eliminate him on the spot!”The guards hesitated briefly before bowing and complying with the order.Suddenly, an eagle entered through the hole in the roof and swooped down into the basement. It flapped its wings to come to a stop as it perched on Thaddeus’ arm.“Thaddeus,” the eagle spoke. “The headmaster is instructing you to return. It is an urgent matter, and you cannot delay any longe
Amidst the dense foliage of the enchanted forest, the air was thick with tension as the moon cast an eerie glow on the battleground. Malachi, his body weakened and dehydrated, stood at the ready. His young form belied the ancient malevolence that resided within him. Eight guards, four skilled swordsmen and four sharpshooters armed with bows, encircled him with cautious determination.As the guards closed in, Malachi's eyes gleamed with a cunning intensity. He knew he couldn't rely solely on brute force in his current state. His fingers twitched as he surveyed the surroundings, his mind calculating every possibility.The first swordsman lunged forward, his blade gleaming with intent. Malachi's shadow cloak engaged, enveloping him in darkness and rendering him invisible. He nimbly sidestepped, letting the swordsman's strike hit nothing but air.“Where is he?!”“Careful! He can hide using the shadows!”Meanwhile, the necrotic aura he emitted took its toll on the guards' focus, subtly wea
In the aftermath of the intense battle that had transpired between Malachi and the eight guards, Lyra, Kael, Sylvia, Finn, and Aria arrived at the battle site. They were Thaddeus' students who were sent to go after Malachi.The forest clearing bore the scars of the conflict, with broken branches and churned-up earth evidence of the fierce struggle. Despite the absence of overt magical residue, the signs of Malachi's mastery over necromancy were unmistakable. Lyra, her sharp intellect as keen as ever, knelt down to examine the disturbed ground. "Look here, the soil appears to be tainted by necrotic energy. This was undoubtedly where Malachi employed his dark arts." Kael, his finely tuned warrior instincts, inspected the nearby trees. "And these shattered branches indicate the force with which Malachi must have engaged the guards. He was clearly the aggressor. The guards must have been on the defensive side after they found him.”Sylvia, with her analytical mind always at work, studi
“So, what’s your name?” the young man asked.“Malachi,” he replied, his head still looking down.The young man noticed his nervousness and chuckled. “My name is Jett Welles. This here is Sansum. He is 6 years old. What about you? How old are you?”“I am 8 years old.”“Hoo, just a few years and you’ll be an adult like me.” Jett smiled and ruffled on Malachi’s head as if he was his little brother. “Do you like hunting?” Sansum asked.“Hunting?”“Hunting animals,” Sansum continued. “Jett is teaching me how to hunt animals so we can feed ourselves, but most importantly, so we can feed others. Everyone else already knows how to hunt except me.”“That’s because you’re the youngest,” Jett said. “You’ll learn sooner or later.”“Yeah, but everyone is making fun of me, especially because of my thin body.”“You’ll get over it. I am as thin as you. Besides, if you can hunt, you can eat more and get big. Oh, look, we have arrived.”Nestled deep within the heart of a dense and ancient forest, the
“You want something she has?” Seraphina asked.“You will understand later.” Malachi smiled. Seraphina was very confused. It had been more than 2 weeks since she accompanied Malachi, but she still did not understand him.‘If he could just say his plan.’ Seraphina sighed.Malachi finished his last cookies and stood up before entering a room. The room looked like an apothecary chamber for creating medicines. There, he saw old Lady Morwen began to put silver rings on each of her fingers. Beside her, an array of iridescent crystals and ancient texts glowed softly, attesting to the powerful magic that coursed through her veins. With a flick of her fingers, she summoned a delicate mortar made from the enchanted bark of the Glimmering Oak, a tree said to capture starlight and infuse it into its wood. Lady Morwen's mortar was paired with a pestle crafted from the heart of the Amberstone Mountain, known for its ability to amplify the essence of the herbs it ground. As she gathered the Moonli