“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
After the unsettling events of the evening, Malachi made his way back to his room within the estate, his footsteps echoing softly in the dimly lit corridors. Upon entering, he gracefully sank onto the bed, exhaling a calculated sigh of feigned exhaustion. He sprawled there, his posture a picture of weariness, yet his mind was anything but at rest. Malachi was acutely aware of the ever-watchful eyes that monitored his every move, invisible threads of scrutiny woven throughout the noble’s domain.No sooner had he settled than the door creaked open, revealing a maid pushing a cart laden with refreshments: a pitcher of fresh orange juice, an assortment of fruits, and an array of snacks. She approached with a quiet efficiency, placing the cart beside him with a deferential bow before turning to leave, her movements practiced and unobtrusive.Malachi’s gaze followed her departure, a smirk playing at the corners of his mouth, appreciating the predictable routine of hospitality—or perhaps, su
In the moonlit garden of the estate, an air of anticipation and amusement filled the air as Malachi and the tall, blonde nobleman faced each other. The gathering of nobles, drawn by the prospect of a light sparring session between the renowned Malachi and one of their own, stood around in a semi-circle, their expressions ranging from curiosity to outright glee.The nobleman, his rapier hanging elegantly at his waist, introduced himself with a flourish. “I am Lord Edric, a humble practitioner of the blade,” he said, his voice carrying a note of pride. He offered Malachi a slight nod, the gesture a subtle acknowledgment of respect typically given to a commoner by a noble.Malachi, understanding the nuances of the gesture, responded in kind. He bent his knees slightly and bowed his head, maintaining eye contact with Lord Edric. This posture indicated his respect for the noble’s status, yet it also conveyed his readiness to engage fully in the spar.As they prepared to begin, another nobl
As Malachi stepped into the grand hall of the estate, he was immediately struck by the opulence that surrounded him. The room was a dazzling array of colors and lights, filled with beautiful women in flowing gowns and handsome nobles in their finest attire. Each person there held a tall standing, rulers of their own territories, their power and influence palpable in the air.Surveying the room, Malachi couldn’t help but think that this gathering was much more significant than he had initially anticipated. The small, relatively poor town he had been staying in seemed an unlikely place to draw the attention of such high-ranking nobility. His reputation, it seemed, had spread far and wide, or perhaps these nobles were facing a threat so grave that they were willing to use any means to increase their odds of survival.As he mingled through the crowd, a noble approached him. The man carried himself with an air of authority and grace, his eyes sharp and assessing.“Master Malachi, it’s a
In the heart of the city, amidst the bustling training grounds, Malachi was deeply engaged in instructing a group of new recruits. His methods were unconventional, yet highly effective, drawing a crowd of onlookers who watched in awe. The children he had trained stood by, observing and learning from his every move.As Malachi demonstrated a complex maneuver, a soldier approached him, navigating through the crowd with a sense of purpose. The soldier, clad in the city’s guard uniform, carried himself with a respectful demeanor.“Master Malachi,” the soldier called out, drawing Malachi’s attention. The recruits paused, turning to witness the interaction.Malachi turned, his expression calm and inquisitive. “What is it?” he asked, his tone neither welcoming nor dismissive.The soldier bowed slightly, a sign of deep respect. “I bring a message for you, sir,” he said, extending his hand to present a magnificent letter. The envelope was adorned with gold embellishments, its craftsmanship ind
As Garrick, driven by a mix of rage and desperation, charged towards Malachi, the air around them seemed to crackle with tension. Malachi, his expression unchanging, calmly assessed his adversary. He knew the bandit leader was no match for him, but he also understood the importance of making a statement.In a fluid, almost effortless motion, Malachi extended his hand, summoning the shadows around him. A bolt of dark energy, pulsating with malevolent power, coalesced in his palm. With a flick of his wrist, he released the Dark Bolt, directing it straight at Garrick.The bolt tore through the air with a hiss, striking Garrick squarely in the chest. The impact was devastating, the dark energy consuming him in an instant. Garrick’s body crumpled to the ground, lifeless, a look of shock forever etched on his face.As Garrick fell, a notification flashed.[You have killed a bandit].[You have received 20 soul points]. These acknowledgments of his deed were mere formalities to Malachi, insi
The aftermath of the raid was a scene of chilling efficiency. The bandits, with ruthless precision, gathered the trembling women and herded them back to their camp. The night air was heavy with a mix of fear and resignation as the captives shuffled along, their futures uncertain.At the camp, the bandits, with a twisted sense of hospitality, allowed their captives to clean themselves. The women, still in shock, moved robotically, their minds numbed by the night’s horrors.As the women bathed under the watchful eyes of their captors, Malachi observed them with a detached curiosity. His gaze was analytical, searching for any sign of rebellion or escape plans. But all he saw were broken spirits and defeated bodies.Later, as the bandits gathered around a roaring fire, the leader, a burly man named Garrick, made his appearance. His eyes, dark and calculating, scanned the captives with a predatory gaze. “Well done, boys,” he praised his men. “A fine haul tonight.”Malachi, still in his dis
The city, usually bustling with the everyday clamor of its inhabitants, was blissfully unaware of the new threat lurking within its walls. A group of bandits, cunningly disguised as merchants, made their way through the city gates. The guards, diligent but unsuspecting, waved them through without a second glance. But the keen eyes of the street children, who had learned to notice the unusual in their daily struggle for survival, immediately sensed something amiss.Eli, one of the children who had recently started training under Malachi, narrowed his eyes as he watched the carriage trundle through the streets. “Something’s not right about them,” he muttered to his companions. The group of children, their curiosity piqued, decided to follow the disguised bandits at a safe distance.The carriage, instead of heading towards the bustling market square as one would expect from merchants, stopped at a restaurant near the military barracks. The bandits chose a table outside, ostensibly to enj
The following day dawned with a new challenge for the children under Malachi’s tutelage. As the sun rose, casting its golden rays over the barracks, Malachi led them into the dense forest where the soldiers were already engaged in a hunt. The soldiers, formidable and seasoned, moved with precision and confidence, hunting giant bears, wolves, and other fearsome beasts.“Watch closely,” Malachi instructed the children. “Observe their tactics, their coordination. There is much to learn from them.”The soldiers, aware of their young audience, seemed to take pride in their prowess. They displayed extravagant moves, working in pairs to efficiently track and take down their targets. Each move was a blend of strength and strategy, a dance between predator and prey.The children, wide-eyed with amazement, whispered among themselves, pointing out the soldiers’ techniques and the fluidity of their actions. They were particularly impressed by how even in the face of danger, the soldiers maintaine
After the refreshing bath in the lake, Malachi's demeanor shifted from nurturing to demanding. "Now, we run," he announced, his tone leaving no room for debate. The children, still catching their breath from the earlier exercise, exchanged weary glances but dutifully followed as Malachi set off at a steady pace.The run was grueling. Malachi led them over several kilometers of undulating hills, each ascent more challenging than the last. Then, without warning, he veered off towards a mountainous terrain. The children's legs burned with fatigue, their breaths shallow and rapid. The sun, now high in the sky, beat down mercilessly, adding to their exhaustion.Some of the children began to falter, their steps slowing, bodies slumping towards the ground. Voices of protest rose among them, pleading for a respite. Malachi, however, was unyielding. "Keep going," he commanded. "True warriors find strength even in their weakest moments. This training is not for the faint-hearted."His words, t