Eight hundred years ago, this dungeon was very different from what it is today, and also much more perilous… And by following such a risky life, entering this place daily, it was only a matter of time before Anita, too, encountered disaster and ultimately perished…
"But…"
Zhang stopped mid-sentence, looking back at Anita, who stood completely still beside him. He then saw a familiar ring on her pale finger; it was undoubtedly the same one he'd given her to propose marriage.
"She seemed alive the whole time, and she'd never harmed me before that day. I even dare say she did it all unaware that she would put me in danger…"
"The obsession she had before her death caused her soul to persevere within the dungeon, and after so many centuries of evolution, her soul evolved until she became a Banshee, one of the most powerful I've ever seen, as she's able to pass herself off as a human even in my eyes and Zha'Thik's…"
"Why is she like this now?"
"She used a lot of power to fight the Reaper while you were unconscious… When she recovers, she'll return to acting like she did before she transformed… Unaware that she's dead, she'll always pursue her dreams from when she was still alive."
"If she's so powerful, why did you let her go free like that?" Zhang asked, seeing that there were no restrictions on Anita's body.
"Yes, she's very powerful, too powerful even to make a contract with you as the dominant one... But she unconsciously protected her soul and used the ring, and probably some promise you made, to establish a commitment of equality... I'm sorry for not realizing all this, little Zhang. Zha'Thik even saw her a few times inside the Necro Tower, but he never realized she was already dead..."
"But she didn't do anything to protect me from her mother, and then you said she fought the Reaper to protect me... That's strange. How does this contract work?"
"Yes, even though she remained neutral when you faced her mother, that's also part of the equality agreement... Don't worry, once your ritual ends in a year, your soul will be strong enough to change the contract and place her under your complete control..."
"I'm not thinking about that. Could feeding her Soul with Golden Dust like my mother help her become more conscious?"
"Perhaps, but no Necromancer has ever evolved a soul monster to that level... It could also be dangerous. If she becomes stronger than you, she could be the one who becomes the dominant one in your contract."
"If I strengthen Anita, would she do that to me?" Zhang thought, not revealing his true thoughts to his master.
"Unlike my mother, right?" he replied to the Immortal.
"Yes, speaking of her, I have to tell you a few more things about the fight…"
***
1 year later…
Zhang finally finished his Secular Ritual after almost a year. Since he was already inside the Central Tower of Stygai, his master took him directly to meet with the Eternal King. But on the way, Zhang had one last request.
"Master, can I send a message to my friends? My messenger is inside the Necro Tower, and I don't want them to worry… I can quickly go there since we're close to the safe time, and I'll be back in less than an hour."
"That won't be possible. The Eternal King is already waiting for us. Use my messenger instead."
As soon as Immortal spoke, a translucent soul appeared, and Zhang wrote a final message to Rafael and Omar, informing them that he was well and was now on his way to meet with the Eternal King to fulfill the promise he made years ago when he accepted the many gifts in advance...
As soon as the messenger took Zhang's message, he dashed toward Asshai, crashing through the walls of the Central Tower. But less than a minute later, Immortal felt his connection with the messenger disappear. He had been destroyed...
"Has the cemetery seal finally fallen? No wonder the Eternal King is in such a hurry…" Immortal thought as he pretended nothing had happened.
Walking in silence, he led Zhang to the depths of the tower where the Ruler of Stygai was. He didn't know what kind of dangers were lurking in that cemetery, but it was best not to tell Zhang about failing to send his letter, as it would only make him more worried at such a crucial moment…
As soon as the two stepped onto the top floor of the Central Tower, they encountered the Eternal King.
Unlike his previous simplistic appearance, he now wore a crown made of bones and a ceremonial black and gold outfit that barely resembled a robe. He sat on a massive throne made of bones and wielded a scythe that was very similar to the Grim Reaper's.
***
Zhang swallowed hard as he took in the Ruler of Stygai's appearance. What caught his attention most were his two faces: the left side of a middle-aged Asshai'i man and the right side of a the right side a face that looked like a rotting corpse with a completely white pupil…*[1]
He had been feeling filled with power since completing his Secular Ritual, but in front of the Eternal King, he felt as if his soul were under the pressure of several Reapers…
"Welcome, Immortal and young Zhang."
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Your Majesty."
Zhang greeted the King and did his best to bow, as his weight prevented him from doing so. Immortal, however, only bowed slowly.
"I've been longing for someone with the same special physique to arrive in the city for some time now. As you may already know, we have a very difficult mission that requires the cooperation of the three of us… I'll let Immortal explain what your mission is this time."
Zhang turned to his master, awaiting the explanation, his nervous sweat breaking out.
"We are inside the Central Tower of Stygai, and behind the Eternal King's Throne, there is a very unique door that can only be opened using a very special method... Our King has been studying it since he became a Necromancer, and he finally discovered that if he could gather three people with the same special Soul and Body physique, he could finally open the door."
Zhang looked behind the throne and indeed saw a gigantic double door there, so large it seemed to have been made for giants, not humans. His master then continued:
"The first part of the mission is simply to open the door we see. But the Eternal King fears that after entering inside, there are still some additional requirements that require our presence..."
"So we need to open the first door and go inside with him to see if there are any other problems that require our physiques again? After that, can I return, and the mission will be accomplished?"
This time, the one who answered Zhang was the Ruler of Stygai himself, letting two glowing square stones that resembled Soulstones fly toward Zhang and Immortal…
"Correct. These two stones will allow you two to leave whenever you want, but it should take a few months or years for it to gather enough energy for you two to return…"
Zhang frowned as he picked up his stone, thinking he didn't have enough food in his bag to spend years inside this place…
"Of course, as soon as we open the first door, I'll give you the full payment I promised you and Immortal. I hope you didn't think those humble gifts I sent you were the true reward for helping me with this…"
Zhang's eyes lit up when he heard there were more rewards to be gained…
"And within this place we're about to enter, there are many rare treasures, almost infinite for Necromancers. It will be a unique opportunity for a talented young man like you… to achieve the title of Master Necromancer within there." It would be simple, besides him keeping hidden some forbidden items that surpass the level of Relics and could defy the norms of our world... But to get one of these, everything will depend on whether you're willing to risk your lives to go after these treasures..."
Zhang's eyes shone with pure greed upon hearing about such a miraculous place with infinite resources. When he heard about something that could surpass the Relics, his heart even raced. But then he realized he still didn't know the name of such an incredible place and found it strange that no one knew of its existence. So he asked:
"Excuse me, Your Majesty, but what incredible place is this where we're going? And if it's so incredible, why have I never heard of it before?"
The Eternal King gave a sinister smile and said:
"Yes, you've never heard of it because the only ones who know of its existence are either dead or missing, and the Immortal and I are the only ones who know. As for the place we're going to, it has many names: The Other Side, Beyond, Spirit World, Astral Plane, Hell and Heaven*[2], World of the Dead, Spirit Plane... But I prefer to call it by a name that makes much more sense to us, Necromancers...
...The World of Souls!"
****
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[1] Remembering that on my Patreon, we have an incredible official image of the Eternal King completely free, just become a member to see it.
[2] A different way to describe the Eternal Light and Eternal Darkness of R'hllor, Valhalla, and Hell of the Drowned God, or the Moral Judgment of the Faith of the Seven.