I was revived by my best friend

Book 1

Farskyer City Saga

Kaoseto

Website:

https://kaosfantasy.tuxfamily.org/index-en.html

Work under a Creative Commons By license.

2022, Marina Fernández de Retana alias “Kaoseto”.

mail: kaoseto AT bardinflor P perso P aquilenet P fr

Redaction achieved using frundis and Vim. Books of the saga: I was revived by my best friend (nº1), Ave Zombatory! (nº2) …

1 The day I became an undead was a Friday

When the snow whirls to the sound of a violin…

* * *

The day I became an undead was a Friday.

“I’ve bought a new game, wanna come over?”

“You mean, that game?! Survival Dungeon 3? You bought it? Haha, it’s so convenient to have a rich kid like you as a friend,” I grinned.

“That was honest, Armen.”

“Heh… Oh, by the way, can I have dinner at your place?”

Ray sent me a curious glance from under his orange baseball cap.

“Your big sis is still at it, huh?”

“Gah… If only she let me do the cooking, but lately she’s always like: no, no, let me do it, Armen, you can’t be cooking and studying at the same time, what are you gonna do if you can’t live your youth to its fullest, what am I gonna do if you keep doing all the housework like before, and… Well, I wonder, how can she expect me to study correctly if I just eat broccoli soups and demon-fish brains?”

“That’s so true, at our age, we still need to grow and… W-Wait a moment, you said ‘demon-fish brains’?!”

“That’s the new potion she brewed to make her lil bro grow healthy and smart.”

“… Well, fishes do have a lot of magnesium.”

“Magnesium? Don’t scare me, what’s that?!”

“A chemical element, Armen. Some researchers say magnesium improves learning and memory.”

“For real?!”

“That’s what they say. I’ve also read demonic beings have way more energy and crystal particles than normal beings. Maybe your sis found out a new way to awaken your power?”

“Holy crap, so my big sis is actually the best sis ever! And there I was wondering if she had gone crazy…”

“Don’t cry, Armen.”

“But I barely managed to finish the plate, Ray! I’m feeling guilty now. It tasted so awf… Ugh. I don’t want to even think about it. But I’m sure you know how it tastes since you’re so smart and must have eaten a loooot of demon-fish brains when you were a kid, right?”

“Er… I don’t think I ever ate fish brains, but I do eat demonic fish from time to time. Demonic fish farmers almost always indicate the geographical origin of their product, that’s why.”

“Oooh…”

“Do fish brains taste so bad?”

“Well… It’s not just the fish. Actually… there’re more ingredients in the soup she doesn’t want to tell me about.”

“A secret recipe, huh? Your sis is so cool.”

“Yeah—Wait, the hell are you saying? I’m telling you… I think I recognized a worm in the mixture.”

“Worms are good. They have lots of proteins.” Ray laughed. “Don’t look at me like that, it’s true! But your sis may have taken you for a guinea pig. You should try to say ‘no’ at least once, you know.”

“Ah… I know, but when I’m seeing her cooking so happily, I can’t help but remember she’s doing all this for me, she really wants to help me, and that moves me a lot, so… I always end up eating the whole thing,” I sighed.

“I see. Well, that’s Armen for you,” he approved. “So? How does it taste? Specifically.”

“You… can’t even imagine. I don’t want to eat that thing ever again. Stop laughing, I’ll hit you.”

“Hahaha! You’re scary when you say things like that with a smile, Armen. Well, I can’t leave you starving, so stay for dinner. I’m living alone, anyway. I’ll let you do the cooking and I’ll wash the dishes, how’s that?”

“You’re a lifesaver, Ray. Can I live at your place?”

“You can.”

“Seriously?!” I looked up to the dusky sky, breathing in with high hopes, then breathed out, tilted my head, and confessed: “That’d be nice, but I can’t leave like that, I guess. Sis would miss me.”

“Bet you would miss her more. You once said she has a lot of friends.”

“Hey, you say that like I have no friends. I’m popular at school, y’know. I even got asked out by a girl in middle school.”

“Eh? Ah, you mean, Arkifa. That was two years ago. You told me. Hehe…”

“What are you laughing for?!”

“Nah, I’m recalling that story. She told you, ‘I like you’, and you panicked and ran away screaming ‘I CAN’T, I HAVE TO STUDYYYY!’, hahahargh…!”

He choked on his saliva, laughing. I clapped his back distractedly.

“Bah… I told her ‘sorry’ afterwards. Besides, it was true. I had to focus on my studies since I was repeating a year. Anyway, Arkifa is a good friend of mine now. Did I tell you I asked her out, last year, in the autumn?”

“…!!” Ray’s face calmed down as he stared at me, more seriously. “You didn’t.”

Last year, Ray had gone to study in an elite high school in Europe, so he obviously couldn’t know things I hadn’t told him… nor about Arkifa, nor about the rest.

“She turned me down. Two weeks later, she was dating Ashooka. Well, he’s a nice guy, and way smarter than I am, so I think she did well. Don’t look at me like that, I got over it. Seriously. I guess I still have to focus on my studies before worrying about girls. Maybe if I eat lots of demon-fish brains I will be able to become a genius? Not that I want to be one, but having at least one damn grade above average would be nice. Bet I will have to sacrifice my great palate. Yikes…”

Ray shook his head and smiled slightly.

“Don’t get depressed about your grades, Armen. Do demon-fish brains really taste so bad?”

It was the third time he asked me that…

“You curious? Come over whenever. My sister will gladly poison you.”

“… Maybe I’ll pass…… Oh, now that I think about it, it’ll be best if we’re three.”

“…? Oh yeah, that’s for sure! Three is the best—No, really, Ray, what are you talking about now?”

“Oh, sorry, I mean, Survival Dungeon 3. There’s a multiplayer mode. With two players, it’s fine, but it’s best with three people.”

“What’s the link between my sister and Survival Dungeon 3, I wonder. You don’t intend to invite her, right? We’ll die.”

“She’s better than you at games.”

“I mean, we’ll die of hunger. And she won’t come, anyway. Now she works from home, but she does overtime almost every day for the Nyomin. And, despite that, she does all the chores. I feel a bit useless. No, it’s not only that. I feel oppressed. I know my big sis means well, but lately, she worries a bit too much.”

I realized my voice was tinged with frustration. Ray frowned and took the brim of his cap with two fingers as he cleared his throat.

“That’s because of what happened in summer, right? I mean, the shopping center that got attacked by some gangsters. You even went to the hospital.”

“Ah. That’s right… It’s been, what, four months already, but she keeps worrying. I was just at the wrong place at the wrong time. Big sis is way too sensitive.”

“… Is that so?”

“Hah? Totally. That was on the news. The attackers were from some shady gang or whatever. They’re a natural disaster that can’t be forecast. Even a group of Heroes intervened… What’s up, Ray?”

“Nothing. Say. What would you have done if you had died?”

“Eeh… Obviously, feed the worms. What’s with that creepy question, Ray? You should marry my big sis when you graduate. You guys would make a funny couple.”

“You think? I must say I do like her.”

“Wh-What?! I take it back, stay away from my sister, Ray!”

Ray chuckled.

“You’ve got a sister complex or what? You know, there’s a saying: Love is stronger than Death.”

“So you’re telling me you’re going out with my sis.”

“What?! That’s totally not it! How did you get to that conclusion?”

“Heh… And there I was hoping I’d become an uncle soon—”

“You’re totally getting ahead of yourself!!”

Bzz, bzz. Bzz, bzz.

“Shoot, I forgot to text her… Okay. I just told her I will be at your place.”

“Don’t you feel bad for having her enjoy the demon-fish brains alone?”

“She won’t cook that if I’m not there. Actually, she might forget to have dinner,” I pondered. “I should wrap some of ours to take it home.”

“Heehee, you do care about her after all.”

“That’s a given. She’s my big sis.”

“I’d like to have a big sis too.”

“Too late, you were born first. A little sister or brother should be fine, though.”

“Too late, my parents got divorced long ago,” Ray replied. “But some half-sibling should be fine too.”

“Eh… Your apartment building sure is tall. Have they repaired the elevator already?”

“Thank goodness yes, since Wednesday. I was having a hard time climbing all the way to the seventh floor.”

“Yay. There we go, Survival Dungeon 3! Be ready, zombies, I’m gonna destroy you all, muahahaha!”

“Don’t run in the hall, Armen. By the way, there are also demons in this version.”

“Oh? That’s even better. After being haunted by that demon fish of yesterday, I need to release some stress. How’s the storyline?”

“Mm… It’s based on the Black Hole of Seattle, you know, that historic underground dungeon.”

“No, I don’t know. Where’s Seattle?”

“North of Singapore, Starland continent. The storyline is based on historical events that happened two hundred years ago. A group of Explorers discovered the dungeon and saw it was infested with monsters and full of treasures from before the Big Blend, but no one ever reached the lowest floor, because of a big earthquake that buried everything.”

“That happened in reality? And they stopped digging up the treasures?”

“Kinda. It was an earthquake provoked by Crystal phenomenons, so… the area was deemed too dangerous even for adventurers. The game starts after the earthquake, when a group of adventurers realizes they have been trapped. They have to exit the dungeon, and from the beginning, it’s explained that they have to go down, to a legendary teleportation portal.”

“Oooh… Teleportation! That’s cool. Are those adventurers power-holders and qi masters?”

“Nah, it doesn’t stick that much to reality. Instead, it has a rather simple magic system… It’s a game after all.”

The elevator finally opened, and a woman got out pushing a stroller. The toddler babbled happily, smiling and moving her palm in my direction. So cute! Smiling back, I waved at the little girl, then followed Ray into the elevator.

“Oh, right, there are a lot of fictional species you can play,” he added. “Elves, orcs, and the like. Well, that’s roughly all I know. I just completed the tutorial yesterday. It feels lonely to play the single-player mode. Luckily I have you, Armen!”

“You say it like I’m your only friend.”

“Well, you are. The only friend I can call a true friend.”

“…? Hehe, you’re flattering me! A true friend? Then… your classmates are fakes?”

“Don’t put it like that. I mean you’re the person I trust the most, Armen. Since middle school, you have helped me more than my dad ever did. Without you, I know I’d be a mess of a person right now, so… if I can help you with anything, you know…”

As the elevator was ascending, I was left speechless by Ray’s words. I breathed in and out.

“Wow, Ray… I kinda feel a huge burden on my shoulders right now.”

“That heavy?”

“So much I’m feeling embarrassed.”

“You should, you pressed the button for the eighth floor.”

“… Really? Pfft. My bad, I’ll just press the seven then.”

“Don’t press it like that, you’re gonna break it.”

“Haha, it’s not that delicate, is it?”

“Don’t be a fool, Armen. Stop it.”

“Okay, okay. Also… thanks, Ray. To be honest… you already helped me a lot.”

“…? Did I?”

I grinned, my eyes tightly closed.

“You did.”

We finally arrived on the seventh floor. Bzz, bzz. Bzz, bzz. Ray’s cellphone buzzed as we got off. When he glanced at it, his face froze.

“Ray? Are you feeling unwell?”

Ray looked nervously around, letting out:

“What…! Who…?”

The door of his apartment flew open.

‘Who is there?’ That’s what Ray wanted to say. But it didn’t make any sense to me.

I could barely see them, just some figures moving fast toward us, before a metal bar hit my head. I collapsed. The striking pain made me lose my senses.

When I woke up, my head was throbbing with pain. Someone had drenched me with cold water.

I blinked and coughed. I immediately recognized Ray’s living room. When did we enter? No, more importantly, who were those people?

There were about six of them. I had dropped my eyeglasses and couldn’t see their faces clearly—since that incident in summer, my eyes were like uncontrollable magnifying glasses. Anyway, our attackers were all concealing their faces using masks or balaclavas. They looked just like thugs.

“He’s awake.”

The guy who spoke was the one who had thrown at me the water bucket. A hoarse voice groaned:

“Now, brat, hurry up and tell us the truth. Where is the Lord Necromancer?”

That man that acted like the thug leader was looming over Ray. My friend was sitting in the armchair, deathly pale, as his flickering eyes stared at me.

I was lying on the floor.

“I d-don’t know,” Ray stammered.

I received a punch, or was it a kick? I cursed and coughed as I breathed out:

“Who the hell are you guys?”

That was when I realized they had gagged me: I couldn’t utter a word. I tried to stand up several times, but they wouldn’t let me, kicking and punching me down as the gang leader insisted:

“Where’s your dad, brat? Don’t wanna talk? Guess that guy isn’t a friend of yours after all. Okay, should we cut a finger or two?”

“Stop…” Ray whined. “Stop it! My friend has nothing to do with my dad!”

“Then talk.”

“But I-I don’t know where the Lord Necromancer is! I’m living on my own. It’s been months since I last saw him! I swear!”

“Oh, so you’re really him. That crazy bastard’s son.”

He grabbed Ray by the collar, lifting him.

“Now spit it out! I’m in a very bad mood right now, so bad I could kill a brat or two. Blame your necrodevil dad. He stole my friend’s corpse. He freaking did it. He turned my old pal into an undead! And you want me to spare your friend?”

He threw Ray back into the armchair and spun around to face me. I was shaking like hell as he crouched before me. He seized my red knit cap, flung it away, and clenched his palm on my head. Was I going to die? Were they that crazy? Maybe because I had already experienced pretty bad situations in my life, I felt that those guys weren’t being serious about killing me. They were pretty pissed, but they were thugs, not murderers.

Or so I thought, but when I saw the leader drawing a cutter near my face, I swallowed hard. How? How had it turned out like that? We were just going to play a video game and then… those lunatics attacked us out of nowhere, saying weird stuff about some Lord Necromancer and an undead.

What the hell was going on?!

“Leader!” one cried out. “We’ve been spotted! What do we do?”

“Tch. They’re fast.”

The leader’s breath stank of cigarette and garlic. I felt his grasp tighten around my skull. His hand… Was it human? It felt as if it widened and got stronger. Was it a power granted by a quirk? Was I going to be crushed by a monster’s claws? The mere thought terrified me.

“Retreat.”

His grip loosened, and I breathed out in relief. False hope: suddenly one of them pointed a knife at my throat. It wasn’t the leader.

“Laith! What the hell are you doing?”

“I get that we can’t kill that psycho’s son or else we’re dead, but no one cares about this one, right? I just don’t wanna think we came here for nothing.”

“An eye for an eye, huh?”

“Cut it out and get the hell out of here, you idiots!”

“Yes, sir!”

I heard a giggle.

“Just die,” a voice whispered to my ears.

The last thing I remember is an excruciating pain and the feeling of choking on my blood.

I thought: what an unsightly way to die.

2 Death is boring: contract and rebirth

“Son, if you want me to help you, you will first have to promise you’ll take care of him.”

The Lord Necromancer’s emerald eyes were avoiding the corpse. He had always had a hard time staring at unmoving dead beings. That was one of the reasons he was a necromancer. He despised Death. Death was boring.

“I understand, Dad. I’ll take care of him the best I can.”

His eyes observed his son. Ray was wearing the same orange baseball cap as usual, the one his friend had bought him for his fourteenth birthday. His black hair was a mess, his eyes were red from crying, his skin was almost as pale as an undead’s. Was he eating and sleeping correctly? In a way, this incident had made the Lord Necromancer happy: he finally had an excuse to talk to his son. Ray had requested his help. It was the first time.

He concealed his satisfied smile behind a poker face and continued:

“He will be bound to you by our arts. Should this bond be broken, he will die, never able to come back. Do you understand that?”

“I do!”

“It’s a path that needs a lot of knowledge, talent, and willpower. You can’t go back once you make your choice, for you will forever be cursed once you stray into the darkness. The Death Hunters won’t ever forgive your sin.”

“I understand all of that, I’m your son, I know what a necro-bond implies, and I know you never cared about those ‘sins’. Just help me revive him before his soul vanishes! I beg of you, Dad! He’s…” He fell to his knees, sobbing. “He’s my dearest friend! Please save him!”

“…” He was determined. That was all that mattered. “I’ll help, naturally. How can I let my beloved son down? After so many years of disparagements, you chose my path. I’m proud and relieved. The first bond is the hardest but also the most important. I hope you will soon become a great necromancer—”

“Spare me your nonsense and save him, dammit!”

“All right, all right, son… don’t be impatient.”

He leaned over the young dead, a blond-haired fine-looking seventeen-year-old high schooler. His son’s best friend. Was he that amazing for Ray to be hanging out with him instead of accepting his father’s love?

“Ah…” he sighed. “I’m jealous of your friend. He can be with you but I can’t…”

“Act your age, Dad…” Ray muttered under his breath.

The Lord Necromancer smirked and placed his hands, one on the corpse’s chest, the other one on its forehead. That spell of Soul and Flesh Resurrection was of his own invention. Very few necromancers in history had been able to actually revive someone along with their inner soul and past memories. That required a lot of energy, genius, and patience, but he would have even given up an arm or two for his son’s sake. That was what dads did.

“Well then, I’ll get started.”

3 Don’t cry for the dead

My mind was floating aimlessly in a sea of darkness. I caught a fragrance in the air.

Armen!

Someone was calling my name.

“ARMEN!”

“So noisy…”

I opened my eyes. Ray was kneeling beside the bed I was lying on. That… wasn’t his apartment.

“Ray… Where are we?”

Just what was going on? I couldn’t remember a thing. Why was I half-naked? I didn’t have anything like a hangover so… I didn’t drink, right? Anyway, Ray wasn’t the kind of person to buy alcohol. He didn’t like it.

“Armen! Thank goodness, you remember!”

Ray’s slanted eyes were shining with joy. The heck had gotten into him? I swept the room with my eyes. Bookshelves, a desk, and a clock. I rubbed my eyes in disbelief. My sight… Had it ever been that good?

“Does it hurt anywhere?”

I frowned.

“No. Nothing like that. Why? I don’t remember a thing. Shoot, it’s already midnight?”

“No… Actually, it’s noon. Armen, you… really don’t remember what happened last night?”

“Er…” I rubbed my head and smiled. “Did I do something wrong? I drank, right? Sorry about that…”

“It’s… not like that.”

Ray’s gaze suddenly avoided me. Something felt off. Ever since I met him, when we were twelve years old, he had been a shy child, but whenever he put that kind of face, I could guess right away that something was going on.

“So?”

Ray swallowed, and then, without a warning, his hands began to tremble. I bounced off the bed, lost my balance, recovered it the Holy Gods know how, and asked worriedly:

“Ray, you alright?”

“I… I can’t tell you if you don’t remember!” he cried out, startling me. He stood up and stepped back. His cap hid his eyes as he looked down. “I may have… I may have done something horrible to you!”

What was that supposed to mean?

“I don’t get it. What did you do to me? I’m sure it wasn’t that horrible. First, calm down.”

“…”

“Alright, if you don’t say anything, let me guess. You made me eat a mushroom that causes hallucinations. That would explain why my body feels weird and why my eyes are seeing just fine. All because of a magical mushroom. By the way, those cookies, did you made them?” I took a cookie from the small table and swallowed it. “Yummy.”

Actually, it wasn’t. It tasted like ashes. Why, though?

Ray sighed.

“My dad made them. Also… I’d never make you eat a hallucinogenic mushroom, Armen.”

I grinned.

“You calmed down a bit, that’s good. Now,” I said, sitting at the table and picking another cookie, “I’m a bit curious about what happened.”

“I know. Sorry, I shouldn’t be the one to panic here. It’s just that…”

He paused, sat down in front of me, looked at the cookies on the plate, then at me.

“Are they really yummy?”

“No. It tastes like dust. Your dad sucks at cooking.”

Like son, like father. Well, no, wasn’t it the other way around? Ray smiled sadly.

“Ah… I figured. Sorry.”

“What for?”

“That’s…”

There was a silence.

“You won’t say it, huh? Let me think back.” I concentrated. “We left school at five o’clock, then you invited me over to your place to play Survival Dungeon 3, we were talking about the demon-fish brains my big sis cooked, and, oh, yes, I pressed the wrong number in the elevator, we went to the eighth floor, or was it the ninth? Anyway… it can’t be that you got the wrong door and we entered somebody else’s apartment, yeah? But then why am I half-naked like that? Did we enter a party uninvited, no one else noticed, then we lost our innocence without even remembering? Th-Th-That’s not possible, right? Am I being too imaginative?”

Ray’s cheeks puffed out, and he burst out laughing.

“You’re the same as yesterday, Armen.”

“Huh? Does that mean I’m still a virgin?”

“There wasn’t any party, you moron.” Ray sighed. “It’s a very serious matter.”

I looked at him expectantly. He shivered.

“The truth is… The truth is… You died last night.”

The third cookie, in my hand, fell down on the table.

“I… What?”

“I wouldn’t be telling you that if I thought you could lead a normal life as you are, but you can’t. So you have to believe me, Armen. The truth is… you’re dead. A gangster killed you, and my dad, a famous necromancer in the Underworld, revived you at my request.”

He paused as if waiting for me to chime in. However, at this moment, the memories of last night were coming back to me like a wave of needles, and I could only stare at him in astonishment.

“That’s why your body feels different,” Ray went on. “You lost your human sense of touch. For now, you can feel your movements, but hardly anything more. And you lost your sense of taste. That’s why the cookies you just ate are tasteless. I’m pretty sure right now you’d rather eat this.”

He took out a bag and placed it on the table. As it opened, the delicious fragrance I smelled upon awakening got stronger.

“That’s… meat?”

“Raw pork meat. It’s more effective if it’s raw. It has lifeforce in it.”

Despite myself, I salivated.

“S-So… You say I’m dead.”

“Yes.”

“And you say I was killed by a crazy gangster.”

“That’s right.”

“And you asked your dad to revive me.”

“You got it.”

“No, I got nothing at all! First, you never told me your dad was a necromancer.”

“That’s because I don’t care about my father’s doings.”

“Whatever. You’re saying I’m dead, and yet I’m moving.”

“That’s how an undead is.”

“So I am an undead.”

“You are. S-Sorry for that. I know I acted rashly. It’s my fault you’re like this… I-I was so shocked when that man…! I still can’t believe what happened. It’s so stupid!” His lips quivered. He went on with a hollow voice: “My dad uses his familiars a bit as if they were some obliging children of his, but there’s no way I can do the same. You’re my friend.”

“But you want me to eat raw meat. Never.”

“You’re eating it right now.”

He was right. I was chewing a big slice of meat as I was talking.

“Whatever. It’s yummy.”

“So you believe me.”

“Don’t look so gloomy, Ray. It’s not your fault. Now I remember that bastard cutting my throat… What about you?” I asked worriedly. “Did the gangsters do something to you?”

“No… They just left after t-t-that guy k-k…”

Ray choked on his words. The scene of my death must have traumatized him. I made a face.

“I never thought I’d be dying like that. Ugh… That freaking hurt. I’m almost relieved I’m dead. It’s like in the games, right? I can’t even feel pain.”

I scratched my arm with my fingernails. It itched. Ray snorted.

“Are you crazy?! Don’t cut yourself with your nails! And don’t bite yourself!”

I let go of my arm and stood up, amazed.

“Did you see that, Ray? I’m not even bleeding. Wait a moment, that’s the bathroom, right? Oho! And it has a mirror… Mm… I can’t see much of a difference. Did I get a bit paler? Wait, was I that handsome before? Haha, I don’t even need to breathe or blink! So convenient.”

I inspected myself thoroughly, staring at the mirror without blinking. The wound on my throat was gone, not even a scar was left, as if I had never died. I stretched my arms and legs and jumped back to the bedroom.

“I’m stronger!”

“No, you aren’t. You will perhaps if you train and eat well, but as of now, your muscles are the same as yesterday.”

I clenched my fist.

“Okay. I’ve got to level up quickly.”

Ray covered his eyes muttering something under his breath. What? Wasn’t he a gamer himself? I sat down and took another slice of meat.

“So you were worried I would blame you because you revived me?”

Ray blushed.

“I… Your family worships the Holy Gods, right? So, I thought… I may have done something with your soul I shouldn’t have.”

Now that the cat was out of the bag, he was calmer but still worried about my reaction. Actually, it was hard to believe I was dead but… I couldn’t possibly have survived after my throat got cut. And about my rebirth… Well, I had heard stories from my big sis. She worked at a big company that kept records about superpowers, so I was a bit familiar with powers given from mutations. They weren’t uncommon—it’s just that, as a normal guy, I wasn’t blessed with one. As for necromancy… I genuinely thought it was something so rare that I shouldn’t concern myself about it.

“You’re amazing, Armen.”

I turned my gaze at Ray, surprised, as he added:

“You’re calmer than me.”

“Since I’m dead.”

“You’re even able to make lame jokes.”

I laughed. Ray had a quivering smile.

“It’s as if nothing happened at all but… your lack of reaction worries me. You can’t fool me, Armen.” He stared at me with a very serious face. “You’re scared, aren’t you?”

I froze, then relaxed and smiled again.

“What are you talking about?”

“I know you well, Armen. I just have to look at you to tell apart a true smile from a fake one.”

My smile faded.

“Is that so?”

“It is. I don’t know if it’s true that the Holy Gods collect the souls and give them eternal peace within the Crystals, I don’t know either if they really exist. That’s why, if you think I have defiled your soul by reviving you… I’m truly sorry.”

He was. I knew him enough to tell he was blaming himself for what had happened, not only for the resurrection but also for my death. But these gangsters were searching for his dad’s whereabouts, and I knew, without knowing the reasons, how much Ray had tried to avoid his father all these years. He was the last person to blame!

I cleared my throat.

“Do you want me to punch you to take revenge or something like that? You think you will solve anything that way? Don’t cry for the dead, Ray. I understand how you’re feeling, but you don’t have to blame yourself for your dad’s or some gangsters’ wrongdoings. And I’m not scared. I’m just pissed off. The guy that killed me was nuts. His leader told him to scram, but anyway he killed me, a guy who did nothing to him, just because he felt like it. I want to pay him back now.”

The kind of mental guy capable of destroying a life like it was nothing drove me crazy the most.

“About that…” Ray swallowed hard and confessed: “The gangsters that attacked us managed to run away. Actually, we don’t know who they are. My dad said he didn’t revive any human last year, and the last one he revived was a woman, so… it seems it was a misunderstanding.”

“So, I died because of a misunderstanding.”

“I’m… sorry.”

“I’m sorry too but… oh, well, now that I’m dead, I guess there’s no turning back, right? So, let’s not worry about this anymore,” I suggested in a cheerful tone.

Ray stared at me, then muttered:

“So… You don’t care about me reviving you?”

“Not at all. I’m sure the Holy Gods are so busy taking care of the souls that they’ll think I’m doing them a favor by defiling mine. So, it’s all right!”

Ray gave me a curious look.

“I don’t get your reasoning, but anyhow, I’m glad you don’t hate me.”

I smiled sincerely this time.

“I’m glad too.”

“You’re supposed to say ‘we’re best friends, how could I hate you?’ or something like that…”

“Mm. No. I won’t say that, because it’s wrong. I can hate my best friend, after all.”

Ray’s cheeks quivered.

“What?”

I raised my hand covered in pork grease, then put my thumb and forefinger closer like some pliers.

“Let me hate you just a little bit for a moment. Like this.” Bang! I slammed my hand on the table. “You bloody bastard! All these years, you made me think you wanted to live alone apart from your family, but you were actually avoiding a necromancer and you never said a thing, you sly little fox.”

Ray widened his eyes. His face was priceless. I grinned.

“Okay, time’s over. Now let’s be friends again.”

Slowly, Ray held the brim of his cap and lowered it. If he intended to conceal his relieved smile, he failed.

“You…” he said, “you can’t call someone you hate a sly little fox.”

“Oh, you’re right. Let me rephrase it: you archvillain sneaky rogue!”

Ray let out a muffled laugh.

“That’s lame!”

A cheerful silence filled the room. If I had been told yesterday that I would be eating raw pork meat while joking after my rebirth, I would have thought: so cool. But now that I was in this situation, I was baffled at my own reaction. Had I always been so assertive? Well, I wasn’t exactly brimming with self-confidence, but I guess having Ray with me gave me the reason not to think too much about the consequences. And I knew there were. Like, I wouldn’t be able to enjoy normal human food anymore, or…

I stopped thinking and bit into the next slice of pork. It was already the fourth or fifth one. How could it be I was still hungry?

“Pigs will hate me at this rate,” I sighed.

Not that I cared as long as it helped me stay alive.

“Don’t worry, after the first days, you won’t be eating pork anymore. You’re not a ghoul, but a life-reaper.”

“A life-reaper? So you know what I am.”

“You think I wouldn’t? I was brought up by the Lord Necromancer. Even if I don’t want to be a necromancer myself, my dad’s dead set on making me one.”

Those parents that pushed their dreams onto their children, huh?

“Now that I think about it, I saw your dad in middle school, at the festival. He looked like a cool dad.”

Ray’s face darkened.

“Appearances can be deceiving. He’s actually pretty annoying. I didn’t decide to live on my own for nothing. My dad bosses around his familiars, but in fact, it’s because he has to keep a high vigilance over his whole house just in case a danger appears. He’s well-known, so he has to deal with quite a few shady incidents per year.”

“Sounds like being a necromancer is a real pain.”

“It is. Oh, but that doesn’t mean I will be chased for reviving you, of course! If we keep a low profile, you will be able to live almost like before… hopefully. You probably know it, but necromancy is deemed to be a dark art by the World Government. Do you know the reason?”

“Huh… Because the Holy Gods don’t like it?”

“No. The World Government has no religion, Armen. Necromancy is condemned because of the high rates of fatal accidents it causes, but also because it goes against the morality of a lot of cultures. Still… necromancy excites much controversy. And precisely because it’s ethically polemic, the Dark Arts Regulators have a hard time dealing with some questions, such as… is it a crime to give life to a corpse? can corpses be owned? or… is an undead guilty just because it exists?”

“Am I?”

“Of course you’re not! I was the one who revived you along with my dad. But as necromancy works, they can’t easily punish the necromancer without punishing the undead along, so… their Justice hits a wall.”

“That sounds complicated. So those Regulators won’t do anything against me?”

“According to my dad, as long as we don’t cause problems, they won’t bother to do anything. They do try to avoid new necromancy cases, though. They confiscate books, prevent corpse trafficking, and the like… but the most bothersome thing for us is that they work hard on keeping a record of the necromancers and undead living in an area so they can contact them and keep a close eye on them. We don’t want that. And that, for… several reasons. One of them is that being on their list means our names can end up in the hands of other people way more dangerous to us. People like the Death Hunters.”

“… For some reason, I don’t like the sound of it,” I grimaced.

“That’s how necromancers call them. They are fanatics who think that necromancy is a sin; some work in groups, others are lone wolves, but they all have something in common: they track and kill necromancers and undead. For the money, or because of personal grudges or beliefs. They’re the ones we have to avoid at any cost. So… that’s why you can’t say what happened to anyone, not even to your sis. She works for the Nyomin Union, and Nyomins work for the World Government, so you’d just be putting her in a bad spot if you were to tell her or blunder before her. If we want to keep living normally, then… Armen?”

My eyes had gone wide.

“Armen? Did I scare you? Sorry, relax, you don’t need to be afraid!” Ray assured, raising his hands. “I’ll teach you all I know about the undead. As long as we’re careful, you shouldn’t get caught—”

“I’m fine, it’s just that I completely forgot about my big sis,” I groaned, suddenly nervous. Knowing her, she had surely already called the police to search for me and…

“Oh, about that…” Ray held out my cellphone. “Last night, I took the liberty to text her pretending to be you.”

I stared at him in disbelief, and Ray shrugged, uneasy.

“I told her you would stay over at my place. I thought it’d be better if she didn’t have to worry about you.”

“Haha, that’s true. I never expected you to know the password, though. That’s Ray Styxer for you. Did you spy on me?”

“No need. 1111. Did your finger get stuck when you changed your PIN?”

“Oh. I thought it would be better than 1234 or 4321.”

“You’re hopeless. Anyway, I was lucky to get the right number on the first try.”

“Are you a telepath? Oh! You used emojis,” I said happily, reading the messages. “So rare of you.”

“You overuse emojis like a middle schooler, so I did the same. She really believed I was you, I think.”

“Good job, good job.”

My big sis had answered:

‘Sis, yesterday, at 21:56: No prob! Eat well and have a good time, lil bro! 😉’

That was so like her, always wanting me to hang out with friends like it was the best thing I could do during my youth…

‘Sis, today, at 11:04: Still sleeping? 😴’

‘11:04: We’ll have demon-fish brains for tonight~ 🐟’

‘11:05: Just kidding XD’

‘11:05: Last time was an experiment.’

‘12:06: I’ll go shopping in the afternoon for tonight dinner, let me know if u have sth in mind.’

After a pause, I began texting:

‘Armen, 12:22: Plz, spare me your experiments, big sis 😱’

‘12:23: We have midterms soon, so I’m thinking of staying over at Ray’s place a few days to study with him.’

‘12:24: I’ll drop by home this afternoon to get my textbooks.’

The answer came right away.

‘Sis, 12:24: 👍 You sound like a real high schooler.’

‘Armen, 12:24: But I am a high schooler 😅 Thx’

‘12:25: Ray’s a nerd, so I thought if I hang out with him a lot, I’ll get smarter faster then eating demon-fish brains 😎’

‘12:25: Like a chameleon.’

‘Sis, 12:26: lol, ain’t ya clever.’

‘Sis, 12:26: *faster thaaaan BTW 😉’

I rubbed my forehead. That mistake again…

“Then, than, than, then… I can’t tell them apart. Anyway, Ray,” I said, putting the cellphone on the table. “Big sis said it’s okay if I stay here. I’ll bother you. Hope you don’t mind.”

“Not at all,” Ray said rolling his eyes as he put away his own cellphone. “She just told me not to let you take advantage of me.”

“Seriously? You two write so fast.”

“You’re always wasting time searching for emojis, Armen, that’s why.”

“Damn, that’s true. But I can’t help it. Communication is 90% pictures and gestures, after all.”

“Wrong. Don’t throw random numbers just to act cool.”

“Sorry. Is that really wrong? But I heard that…” Bzz, bzz. Bzz, bzz. I frowned as I looked back at my phone. “Who the hell is Darkness12?”

‘Darkness12, at 12:28: Good afternoon. How is my son doing?’

‘12:28: If anything happens to him, I’ll kill you~ 🕱 😊’

I swallowed hard as I read it out loud—though I didn’t have any saliva. Ray snorted and made a call on the spot.

“Dad! Are you crazy? Don’t write death-threatening messages on a cellphone! Do you want to get caught? No, a nickname doesn’t make you anonymous in any way, do I really have to explain it to you? Well, don’t message Armen! How did you get his number, anyway? What? Dammit, don’t be happy because I called you when all I’m doing is scolding you, old man!”

He hung up, out of breath.

“I can’t believe he got your phone number. Anyhow, if he texts you, just ignore him.”

“Yeah…”

My uneasiness clearly showed. The thought that an expert necromancer was talking to me was a bit distressful.

“Your dad’s use of emojis is scary.”

Ray sighed. He didn’t get easily upset, but his dad seemed to be a special case. That was a facet of him I didn’t know. I stood up.

“I’d better go get those textbooks. You’ll tell me the rest when I come back. Where are my clothes?”

“I’ll lend you some. Yours were stained with blood. And your glasses broke. But your school bag and wallet are safe, as well as your knit cap.”

“Oh, thanks. My mother knitted it, so it’d be sad if I were to lose it. But are you sure about lending me your stuff? You’re shorter than me.”

“Tsk. Hardly.”

His glare made me grin innocently.

“Well, some baggy clothes will be fine, I guess.”

As I was getting dressed, Ray said:

“Armen, be careful not to eat anything.”

“I lost my sense of taste, anyway. But why? Is there something like ‘vampires are powerless against garlic’ or—?”

“Garlic is inoffensive. Milk is not.”

“Milk?”

“Yeah. Milk and citrus fruits slow down the transformation of lifeforce into deathforce. Salt too, to a lesser extent. And large quantities of oil or alcohol would obstruct your inner pores, which are essential to absorb lifeforce and transfer it into your core.”

“… You lost me there.”

Ray grimaced.

“Anyway, don’t put anything in your mouth.”

“I got it.”

I put on my red knit cap on my head. Ray added:

“Oh yeah, so you know, this place isn’t in the same neighborhood at all. It’s a two-story house, a traditional one, and it’s pretty near the school.”

“Oh? So far from the Old Docks… And you moved all your things in one night?”

“Not me. My dad’s familiars helped me. Most of them aren’t smart, but a few of them are like you.”

“Ray! Did you call me smart just now?! I’m so happy—”

“Idiot. I mean, they act like humans, even if they don’t remember their past life.”

“Eeh, I see…” I said relaxedly as I followed him downstairs. “Anyway, when I come back, be prepared, Ray Styxer. I’ll ask you a lot of questi—” I stopped dead by the doorway. “It’s fine, right? To step outside even though I’m dead?”

Ray shook his head.

“Don’t worry, no one will notice as long as you act naturally.”

“In novels, the undead smell of rotten corpses—”

“We revived you before your body began to stink. Besides, your body is no longer a corpse but an undead body: as long as it is nurtured with energy, it won’t decay.”

I gulped.

“Ah. I won’t rot then? That’s great!”

“Yes, but you’ll need lifeforce to live on… Ah, right, try to avoid physical contact. The way you are, it’s unlikely that you’ll be able to absorb lifeforce, since you’ve been just resurrected, but better be cautious.”

I stared at him. Absorb… lifeforce? So that’s why Ray said that eating raw meat wasn’t going to be my life sustenance. I didn’t quite get it but…

“Okay, I’ll be off, then.”

I made the door slide on the side and stepped on the veranda. It sure was a traditional wooden house. It even had a little yard on the front with an orange tree bowing down under the weight of its yellowish fruits yet to mature.

The sun was bright and I stepped back subconsciously.

“Th-Th-The sun—”

“Don’t worry. In winter, the sun’s rays are weak. You should be fine. Even in summer, it’s not like you will turn into ashes. That’s a myth.”

I sighed in relief. I couldn’t drink milk, nor oil, alcohol, or anything too salty, but garlic and sun, the undead’s classic weaknesses I had heard of, were harmless in reality. There were so many things I didn’t know! Was it really okay for me to go out like this?

“Er… Armen. Do you want me to go with you?”

My eyes slightly widened. That’s true. Ray was here, with me, and he said I should be fine.

I turned back and smiled.

“Thanks. But I’m fine. I’ll be right back.”

I breathed in—even though I didn’t need to—and adjusting my school bag on my shoulder, I passed the entrance and left the house.

As soon as I was out of his sight, Ray muttered gloomily:

“Armen, you liar. There’s no way you’re fine…”

4 Cute lil bro

I recognized the place immediately. As Ray said, the school wasn’t far off. It was Saturday, and everything was quiet. I headed straight to the subway station, took out my high-schooler card, and went downstairs.

Luckily, my wagon wasn’t so crowded, so I could easily avoid physical contact. It took twenty minutes to arrive at the Old Docks District. All this time, I kept thinking: breathe and blink, act natural, breathe and blink…

I was a wreck of nerves.

But I kept telling myself: I’m fine.

I left the subway station and walked down the main street, in the opposite direction of Ray’s old place. All my senses were assaulted by things I barely noticed before: the sound of fishermen’s voices and jangling ship ropes thrummed my ears; I was dazzled by the clear view of the old buildings in the front line, the docks, the white clouds, and the deep, blue sea; even the scents were new, as if my sense of smell had completely changed and couldn’t recognize the smell of fish or wood.

I stopped and looked at the sea for a moment. I had always been very sensitive to cold, but now, despite the winter wind hissing in my ears, I wasn’t cold in the slightest.

So, it was true. I was dead.

A sudden gust of wind ruffled my hair, but I could hardly feel it. I didn’t blink. I listened to the waves slapping against the docks. Everything around was making noise, but my heart wasn’t. My lips stretched into a ghoulish smile, more angry than cheerful. Laith, was it? That bastard’s name. At last, I remembered it.

I turned away from the sea.

Some minutes later, I reached the Market Street. At that hour, it wasn’t busy. All the idle shopkeepers waved at me.

“Hi, Armen!”

“Hello, Armen!”

“Yo! A school bag on Saturday?” the Seafud’s owner asked.

“Ah…” I waved back. “The midterms are coming up so…”

“Well, well, do your best!”

I smiled sincerely.

“I will!”

Next to the Seafud’s store, there was a narrow staircase. I climbed to the second floor and searched my pockets for the key. Our neighbor had turned the music at full blast again… He was a skilled opera singer and almost exclusively listened to classical music. My big sis and I called him Beethoven. Thanks to him, I was familiar with all the famous classical composers’ works throughout history. But, as a person, I couldn’t take him. He was a jerk.

I was about to open the door when I realized my hand was shaking. I clenched my fists but didn’t feel any relief.

Act naturally. Breathe. Blink. Act naturally. Everything will be fine.

I smiled, turned the key in the lock, and entered.

“I’m home!”

The sliding door of Azritz’s room was wide open, and I saw her sitting on the bamboo floor in front of her computer, muttering and staring at the screen. Her blond hair was shorter than mine. That was because, some weeks ago, she had wanted me to cut it, I made a mess, and she’d had to ask one of her friends for help. I kept telling her I wasn’t good at hairdressing but… Well, I honestly did my best. Luckily, Azritz didn’t get upset.

“Aaaargh! Why are you so slow?!” Azritz growled, glaring at the screen. “Wake up, lazy gastropodous!”

“Hang in there, computer, don’t give up,” I joked as I put down my bag.

Azritz turned her eyes away from the screen and raised a hand:

“Hi, hi! You came sooner than I expected. I was so busy I didn’t even begin to make lunch yet. I put the alarm on, but with Beethoven as deaf as usual, I didn’t even hear it. That jerk.”

“I feel bad for the real Beethoven here. Also, don’t worry about lunch: I told Ray I would be right back anyway.”

“Is that so?” My sister sighed. “Sorry I can’t help. Today is really a busy day.”

“Did something happen?” I asked as I sat down to pile up my textbooks scattered in my corner.

“Grr… It’s the new software they want us to use to keep records of the events. It’s so poorly done that I spent the whole morning dealing with it and I’m not done yet. It’s so slow it drives me mad.” She snorted. “I’m sure even a high schooler like Ray would have done a better software than they did. How is he, by the way?”

“He’s fine,” I said. Where did I put my math textbook again? “That guy ranked first on the mock exams.”

“Oh? Since he’s a third-year, I wouldn’t be surprised if he was scouted by the Nyomin College. I heard that, if you rank among the best in their tests, you can even get a scholarship. So lucky!”

Ah, there you are, I thought as I saw my math textbook on the low table in the center of the room. A sheet had been carelessly left on it. As my big sis was talking about how she had struggled to get into the Nyomin College, I read the first sentences written on the document. My eyes opened wide.

“Azritz!”

My sudden interruption startled her.

“They offered you a post in the Quirk Research Department? You didn’t tell me!”

Azritz froze, then rushed forward, grabbed the sheet from my hands, and crushed it into a ball.

“You misread.”

She threw it into the bin.

I couldn’t believe my eyes. Being a quirk researcher had been my sister’s dream ever since she was a kid. She had come to the city to study hard and enter the Nyomin College. She even took out a loan to pay for her studies but finally didn’t get the post she had hoped for and ended up doing a bureaucratic job for the Nyomin Union. She used to complain about that all the time. But now she was being offered a post of assistant in the very department she dreamt of… and she didn’t want it?

“I definitely didn’t misread.” I glared at her. “Why?”

Azritz turned her back on me raising a hand.

“You don’t need to know.”

I clenched my teeth, because, inside me, I knew. And right now my sister’s acting was seriously getting on my nerves. I had to stop her.

“You think I don’t know. Don’t be a fool. This job is your dream. Are you giving up on your dream just because you think I… I can’t live on my own?”

Sitting in front of her computer, she frenetically clicked the mouse.

“Dreams can be forgotten, Armen. Why is it so slow, dammit!”

I stood up, shaking with frustration.

“Hear me out, sister! What happened last year won’t ever happen again, so stop worrying about me! And stop thinking you being at home all the time makes me happy!”

Azritz looked a little shocked. I fell to my knees again, not even breathing as I muttered:

“How can you think that giving up on your dream would make me happy? Are you stupid?”

There was a silence. Then, my sister clapped her hands on her knees.

“Well. Can’t be helped.” She came back and sat in front of me with a calm face. “Listen, Armen. I understand how you feel. But think that me worrying about you is my own selfish way to forgive myself. You say that what happened last year won’t happen again, but you still don’t want to tell me what exactly happened. If you can’t tell me, that means you didn’t get over it. I can’t let my little bro on his own knowing that.”

Her dark eyes pierced me. She was determined to reject the job request. I couldn’t bear the fact it was my fault.

“Azritz…”

“Yes?”

She looked at me intently. Did she imagine I would be talking about last year like that? As if I could.

I sighed and composed myself.

“Ray just moved next to our high school. I’ll be staying at his place for studying. He even said I could live with him.”

“Are you two getting married?”

I choked.

“What??!”

My sister chuckled as she annoyingly patted my head. Ray said I should avoid physical contact for now, but a pat on the head should be harmless as long as I was wearing my knit cap, right?

“You get flustered so easily. My lil bro’s so cute!”

“Stop it, big sis…” I complained.

“Heh… So you’re telling me I don’t need to be at home to take care of you because you’re a grown-up now, that’s what you mean?”

“Well, something like that. Also, it will be easier for me to concentrate if it’s quiet and…”

And if eventually my sacrilegious nature got exposed, Azritz couldn’t be blamed for keeping it a secret or whatever. I got up and began to jam my clothes from my closet into another bag.

“Mm. You look determined. Okay, let’s do that,” Azritz said. “By the way, I got a letter from Mom and Dad this morning. They say this winter will be cold, so Mom knitted scarfs this time. She said we could use them before Christmas. Here, that one’s for you.”

It was a black scarf with red lines. I carefully rolled it around my neck.

“It looks good on you.”

I had to admit it. Even though I couldn’t feel any warmth, it felt nice. It made me nostalgic.

“How are they doing?” I asked.

“They’re doing fine! Taking care of the lighthouse. A peaceful life.”

I smiled. A peaceful life. That was wonderful.

“I’ll write them when I get my results.”

“You’re obsessed with your exams, huh? Don’t push yourself too much. Anyway, I told Mom to buy a cellphone, but they really don’t care about this stuff… Sometimes I think I get them! So, you’re going? Take a little more money too, you won’t squat at Ray’s place for free, will you? And take your toothbrush, when you’re at it. Oh, wait a moment, where are your glasses?”

“No need. I can see better now.”

“Whaaat? You serious?” Suspicious, she raised her hand. “How many fingers?”

“Fifteen.”

“Am I a monster?!”

“Heh. My eyesight improved a lot, I swear.”

“Well, I’m really happy about that! So… You’ve got everything you need?”

“I think so…” I took my two bags and put them on my shoulders. I hesitated as I went to the door. “You know, Ray’s a very down-to-earth person. I’ll be fine. So, take the job. If you don’t,” I said, grabbing the doorknob, “I won’t forgive you.”

There was a silence.

“Did you tell Ray?” Azritz asked suddenly. “About last year.”

I frowned and shrugged.

“It’s none of his business. I’m fine now.”

“Okay. I’ll trust Ray.”

I turned as I stepped through the doorway, making a face.

“You can trust me too, you know.”

My big sis grinned and patted my head.

“Oh, Armen, you’re too cute…!”

I wanted to complain but chuckled instead.

“You’re cuter when you smile, big sis.”

“Pfft… Where did you learn to sweet-talk like that? Heehee… Study well and take care!”

“You too!”

She waved cheerfully before mumbling something about the cold outside and closing the door.

I didn’t take the same way to go back to the subway station. The streets around the Old Docks shopping center were crowded and I had a hard time trying not to bump into a passerby. I didn’t get close to the shopping center. I reached a back alley and entered a small bar. Winged Bulls’ lair hadn’t changed. As I thought, the incident four months ago hadn’t affected those guys.

“I’ll be damned!” the barman cried out. “If it isn’t Little Armen!”

A gloomy black-haired man and a gorgeous woman in gothic clothes, both sitting at the counter, turned to look at me. Banjeel, Sora, and Devil, or so they called themselves. I tilted my head, smiling calmly.

“Hi there.”

“We haven’t seen you since last summer,” Banjeel, the barman, went on. “We thought you were dead.”

“Ahaha… Am I?” I said cheerfully as I put down my bags and sat between Sora and Devil.

Banjeel’s red eyes sparkled. He leaned on the counter and placed a glass before me.

“Running away?”

“Kind of.”

“Youngsters nowadays are so carefree,” Devil commented. She ran her fingers on the back of my hand. I kept smiling as I withdrew my arm. Maybe I shouldn’t have sat down between those two… At my left, Sora’s dark eyes were staring at me like a falcon staring at its prey. Out of those three weirdos, this quiet guy always gave me the creeps the most.

They were Winged Bulls. Their small gang made money by doing odd jobs for bigger gangs, like collecting information. They were the ones that had dragged me into the Underworld.

“So?” Banjeel inquired. “What will it be?”

Under their careful eyes, I took out a white sheet and a pen and drew a black flower with six petals.

“Do you know which gang uses this mark?”

I had seen it on Laith’s palm when he had grabbed my face to kill me. I didn’t tell anything to Ray, though. Despite his father being a necromancer, Ray wanted to lead a normal life. I wasn’t going to involve him in something only a resentful loser like me would do.

The three Winged Bulls turned a little pale. Even Sora frowned.

“That’s… a mark from Swallow Prison,” Banjeel said, lowering his voice. “Anyone wearing a six-petal black clover is either a criminal recidivist or… a murderer.”

I frowned. So it wasn’t a mark from a gang but from the prison system. That was disappointing.

“You didn’t know that, huh?” Devil fidgeted with a lock of her black hair as she leaned toward me, her long eyelashes fluttering. “Say, did you see someone wearing that mark?”

“Well, hehe…”

I swallowed. Her face was too close. Realizing I hadn’t blinked or breathed naturally for a while now, I stood up nervously.

“I’ve got to go.”

“Mm. Hey, brat,” Banjeel called out to me, “I don’t know what you’re up to, but remember not to bite off more than you can chew.”

Says the one who introduced me to the former most powerful gang in the Old Docks. I couldn’t help but give him a cold smile.

“Thanks for caring, old man.”

“…? Hey. Hey, ungrateful brat! You calling me old? Come back right now!”

I shut the door and walked away from the alley, carrying my bags. Well, I should have expected that I wouldn’t find my killer that easily.

I took the direction of the subway station, lost in thought. I was arriving at the platform and the next train was just coming in when my phone buzzed. It was a call.

From Darkness12.

5 When I was alive

Because my parents are lighthouse keepers, I spent the first ten years of my life in a stone tower on a single rock cut off far from the shore. We were keeping watch over the water trains and ships crossing the Blazing Sea, in the midst of an endless desert of water. As such, I barely set foot in Bird Island during my early childhood, let alone in the Farskyer Peninsula.

Azritz is six years older than me. At twelve, she attended middle school in Taipei City, in Bird Island, then moved to Farskyer City when she decided to become a quirk researcher for the Nyomin.

When I first came to Farskyer City, both Azritz and I were at different boarding schools and couldn’t meet often. I struggled a lot to keep up with the level of my classmates. I had read more books than most kids my age, and I thought I was somewhat knowledgeable… but I wasn’t used to the education system, nor the damn quizzes. I got the last rank from the very start. When I returned to the lighthouse for the holidays, my family supported me with all they got:

“It’s all right, lil bro, don’t stress over a bad grade or two!”

“Son, you discovered the world-e, made new friends, learned to speak-e Yanganese without my terrible accent-e… and you tell me you failed? You did better than me: I never went to middle school, hahaha!”

My mother calmly added:

“My dear, I know what you mean, quizzes are so confusing. When I was studying, I would always believe the questions were more complicated than they really were.”

“Your mom says that, but she actually was one of the best-e students of her promotion,” Dad bragged. “Well, but you don’t need to follow-e your mom’s or your big sis’ steps. Armen,” he said, laying a hand on my shoulder, a smile on his face. “As long as you keep true to yourself and enjoy your life, your mom and I will be happy. So? Are you still apologizing for your bad grades?”

I swallowed hard and shook my head.

“No. But I’m gonna do my best-e!”

My parents exchanged an amused glance, and my big sis almost strangled me with her arm around my neck.

“That’s the spirit, lil bro!”

When I went back to Farskyer, my heart was filled with confidence. My grades didn’t really improve, but I always kept true to myself, helping my classmates, playing with them, talking a lot even with strangers, and discovering new things I had never seen in my cut-off-from-the-world, sweet home.

When my sister graduated from high school, I moved to her place and transferred to a well-reputed middle school in the Nyomin College District. Ray was my classmate. He always stood aloof from the rest of the class. He was nicknamed Greymatter. I must say I thought they just meant he was smart, but some comrades were actually bullying him. When I realized that, as my parents’ son, I stopped calling him by his nickname, stood up for him, and lent him a hand. We got along pretty fast.

Everything was going fine… except my grades. It seemed that my biggest issue wasn’t just the quiz system: I had a hard time concentrating. At the lighthouse, we had no Internet, no phones, no game console: I could only learn new things through the books on my parent’s shelves or through our long, pleasant conversations. In Farskyer City, a flood of new information was overwhelming me, coming from about everywhere: a bird alighting on a branch outside would make me forget about my teacher’s lesson, a new song I liked would keep drumming on my mind through the evening, some classmates would make me sneakingly play games with them during the classes, or invite me to do some sport or go watch a movie… So, obviously, I couldn’t concentrate on the math formulas, nor on the crystal particles or molecules in chemistry, nor on the historical Magnus Tervel that reigned over the Farskyer Peninsula centuries ago… That led to the inevitable: my grades became so bad that, in the last year of middle school, my homeroom teacher persuaded me to repeat the year in another school. Well, they didn’t really leave me any choice.

Ray went to high school, and I was left behind. It was a great shock to me. I had never thought that my grades could change my life so abruptly. That depressed me quite a bit, and I decided to catch up. I bravely began to say “no” to the classmates that invited me to have fun after classes: all I wanted was to study and go to high school. I put all my efforts into improving my grades.

My sister had finished her studies at Nyomin College and had begun to work. She did extra work at night to pay for the loan she had taken out several years ago for her studies. It wouldn’t have been wrong to say I was living on my own. I hung out with Ray every now and then; he was the one who cheered me up—though Ray would have said I was the one who cheered him up. Anyway, with his help and my determination, my grades finally improved. I got accepted into high school! I went back to the lighthouse for the holidays, looking forward to being in the same high school as Ray in the autumn… Oh, just my luck: only two weeks before the classes started, Ray, who was going to be a second-year now, suddenly disappeared and called me to tell me he had transferred to a special school in Europe. All I could tell him was: “Aw, so lucky. Send me some photos when you get there”. Little did he know how frustrated I was. I also realized then my own selfishness. Ray was wealthy and smart. It only made sense he would pick the best school he could and travel the world.

So I decided to have a good high school life. I made a group of friends and even got a crush on Arkifa, who rejected me—I could only blame myself for having rejected her before. Back then, I was just a naïve lamb having fun like a normal high schooler. But that would soon change. Some weeks after the classes had resumed, when I got home, I found some thugs waiting inside.

They were debt collectors. I told them my sister wasn’t there. They bullied me, waited for two hours, then left with all the money they found. They scared me to death. When I told everything to my sister, she was in shock. She blamed herself for not being able to get enough money to pay. It was the first time I had seen her cry like that.

As my sister began to work in a second job, a part-time one, to make ends meet, I realized how valuable money was in this world. I wanted to help her, at least to pay for my own spendings. I searched for a job.

But I was a country boy and didn’t know the world. Asking here and there, I somehow ended up at the Winged Bulls’ lair. I was underage, so I couldn’t have a proper contract without parental permission, or so they told me. Anyway, I believed them.

“Why do you search for a job, brat?” Banjeel asked then.

“I… My sister has a debt to pay, so… I want to help her.”

“Ain’t you a good bro. Did you tell her?”

I shook my head. Devil and Banjeel exchanged a look.

“Well, where there’s a will, there’s a way, hon,” Devil smiled. “We can’t give you a job, but we can introduce you to people who are in need of handsome young men like you.”

My heart bounced in my chest as I stepped back.

“Y-You don’t mean—?”

“Nothing like that, rest assured!” Banjeel chimed in. “Devil, don’t scare him. We don’t do business with that kind of people. I swear. If you’re interested, come back tomorrow at this hour. I’ll introduce you to a guy who might be able to help you.”

I hesitated to come back, naturally. But seeing the bags Azritz had under her eyes brushed off my doubts. As I was convinced that, at my age, I couldn’t legally have a job, I kept everything from her.

And so, I began to work for the Tiger Clan. The Tiger Clan was one of the biggest gangs at the Old Docks District, if not the most powerful. They dealt in pills that strengthened powers and the like. Though I knew nothing of it until I met them.

“Have you ever experienced a quirk, kid?”

A manager had led me into his office at the Old Docks shopping center. I foolishly felt relaxed upon seeing how the room was tidy and well-kept but… the sudden question about quirks made me give him a worried look.

“Sorry, sir, I’m quirkless.”

“You don’t need to apologize. What about your family?”

“Ah, yes. My dad has a vision skill. He can use his eyes like binoculars. He’s a lighthouse keeper, by the way, so it’s quite useful for him. My big sis’s got a vision skill too, but it’s kinda different. When she activates it, she can see microscopic stuff.”

I didn’t mention she was working for the Nyomin Union and the World Government. I kind of felt it would be a bad idea.

“I see. So, it’s like that. A vision power.” The manager joined his hands on the desk. “What was your name again?”

“Armen Moon, sir.”

“Armen. Do you want to get powers?”

I stared at him in bewilderment. Wasn’t a quirk supposed to be uncontrollable? According to Azritz, a power awakening had everything to do with the absorption of the invisible crystal particles that were floating everywhere in the air, but the conditions to trigger a quirk were yet to be completely understood.

“Is that even possible, sir?”

The manager smiled.

“It is.”

I soon found out that the Tiger Clan was providing special pills to their underlings. I was given one, and it worked: my eyes got superpowers for a few hours. I was able to hypnotize and induce fear just by staring at someone for some seconds. Wasn’t that amazing? I was happy. The pills didn’t seem to have drawbacks either. That was great. I felt like a superman.

I got placed under the care of the Cheetahs, a small gang within the clan. My job was easy: I just had to make some guys crawl in terror and patrol the streets “owned” by the Tiger Clan. After some months, I grew quite attached to the other six Cheetah members. Especially to an energetic and freewheeling girl called Erma and a half-emotional half-reserved guy named Zeeta: the latter was just one year older than me and was a musician like me. He played the guitar as a hobby. Did I already say I used to play the violin at our lighthouse? Well, Zeeta revived my violinist ambition. When the Cheetahs gifted me a violin as a token of my new membership, I was flabbergasted. I cried in front of them.

“I’ll make good use of it!”

“You’d better do,” Ginger, our boss, smiled back. Though he appeared to be a bit gruff sometimes, he was a former Holy Monk from the countryside, and his heart was as big as a castle.

Zeeta gave me a gentle punch on the shoulder.

“Play something.”

“N-Now? What should I play?”

“Auld Lang Syne!” Erma chimed in, her two rose pigtails moving from side to side. “I once heard the song played with a violin. It was super nice.”

Auld Lang Syne… It was a traditional song, so not something my neighbor Beethoven would listen to, but it was coincidentally one of the songs I had played the most during my childhood. It got me fired up.

I straightened up, put my violin against my chin, brandished the bow, and… a strident sound tore the air. The six of them flinched and snorted. Zeeta even covered his ears. I chuckled.

“How nostalgic…”

“In which way?! I thought you were skilled!”

“Well, relax, Zeeta, I’ll practice hard.”

“… I’ll make sure you do.”

That’s how Zeeta and I began to meet more and more often to play on the docks or at my place. We did classical pieces, modern and traditional songs; we even composed some of our own and sometimes tried to follow my neighbor’s music… That was fun.

Just to be clear, we weren’t some idle gangsters who terrified the streets but henchmen from a clan that acted in the Old Docks District like it was its fief. We were patrols that kept “peace” within our district and collected extra taxes. The pay wasn’t bad, and the feeling of protecting my home gave me strength and kept me loyal to my gang.

As a result of our authority, we naturally had quarrels with other groups: the Seagulls, the Black Vipers, or the Fishbombers were regular opponents. At the beginning of spring, the Hell Hounds, a competing group, began to cause us a lot of trouble. Luckily, as my powers weren’t fit for close combat, I always stayed at the back when things went out of hand, and hence I barely ever fought.

And like that, time flew by. I still attended Harvard High School without fail. I didn’t want to flunk out. I kept being the same cool guy as usual for my classmates and even hung out with them every now and then. Arkifa, Woon, Ashooka… They were nice people. One day, I found out Woon was being bullied by a third-year. I caught the bastard in a corridor, dragged him to the nearest room, then punched him good and made him kneel and cry not even using my powers. Only by seeing the astonishment on my friends’ faces, I realized how much I had changed. I didn’t like violence, but bit by bit, things like that had become so natural. I got scared.

Why was I doing all this? Because I wanted to help Sis? Nonsense. The truth is, I was enjoying my new way of life. When I realized that, it was too late. I had already told tons of lies to my sister, and I already considered the Cheetah gang’s members to be close friends.

As final exams were coming up, I put a lot of effort into my studies. Even a teacher praised me when he looked at the notes I was taking. I was all hopes and…

I completely messed up.

As the system went, I would pass to the second year of high school regardless of my grades. Still, I felt down. Well, I was aware all I had done was cramming in the last minute, but I really thought this time I had done better. Was I deluding myself? My sister told me not to take it to heart.

‘Sis, 14:33: It’s just a number on a piece of paper, nothing more, you’re still my cute lil bro! 🎔 🎔’

‘16:46: Hey’

‘16:46: You sad?’

‘Armen, 16:52: I’m fine 😅’

‘16:52: I’m used to it.’

‘16:54: I’ll stay over at a friend’s place to play some games.’

‘Sis, 17:12: I want to play too… 😭’

‘17:12: So much work…’

‘Armen, 17:14: Do your best~ 😇’

That night, some gang robbed a shop that was under the protection of the Tiger Clan, even injuring the shopkeeper. We went to their hideout, and this time I didn’t hold back.

“You’re going all out tonight, Straw Head!” Erma observed.

I kept smiling as I glared at my already beaten opponent. He was shaking and whining in fear. My powers were so useful: he was way sturdier than me, but all his strength seemed to have abandoned him as soon as I had stared at him. Were my powers getting stronger?

“Something wrong, Armen?” Zeeta asked as he inspected the stolen goods.

“Yes…” Smilingly, I pushed the terrified thief away and answered: “The education system.”

Big sis, would you still say I’m cute if you saw me right now?

A week later, as the summer holidays had just started, my sister took some days off. We went home. It had been one whole year since I last saw my parents and the lighthouse. The two weeks I passed there soothed my soul. Some night, my sister snorted, surprised, as she received a fax through the lighthouse’s telecopier. She was told an unknown sponsor had deposited five thousand Corns on her account.

“Why are ya looking-e at me?” Our father rubbed his head. His Taipei accent was as strong as ever. “We wish-e we could give-e ya that much money but…”

“Then who?”

We all shrugged. Who indeed?

“Oh my, oh my, you have a secret admirer!” Mom giggled tenderly. “So romantic!”

“Gifting money is not romantic at all, Mom!”

My sister didn’t even suspect me.

July 22nd, back to Farskyer. I was with Zeeta playing music at the docks when a group of five gangsters from the Hell Hounds recognized us. They flung our instruments into the sea and told us the Tiger Clan was as good as dead before running away. We couldn’t use our powers since we hadn’t eaten the pill, but they couldn’t beat us to a pulp either because we were in plain sight in the main street.

Two days later, the Hell Hounds assaulted the Old Docks shopping center, or more accurately the Tiger Clan’s lair. I was in there at the time. I got caught in the crossfire.

Things went quickly out of proportion.

Some Hell Hounds used explosive powers to force their way into the private rooms, but something went wrong, an influential Tiger member was gravely injured from the start, and both sides went crazy, fatally ignoring the innocent passersby that only went to go shopping.

In the turmoil, I was told to go to the back chamber to get a pill. The one in charge gave me the wrong one. Some minutes later, my eyesight was completely disrupted. It wasn’t myopia. It was as though my eyes had turned into uncontrollable binoculars. As such, I couldn’t fight back at all. When I decided to run away, it was all too late.

I got punched, fell, and hit my head.

I woke up at a hospital. My sister got some days off, but she was having trouble talking to me. Though I didn’t know at the time, she was blaming herself for not taking good care of her little brother. She also wanted to know what happened. But I couldn’t possibly tell her. Was it shame? Or was it just tiredness?

I got discharged from the hospital after three days and got special glasses to correct my strange vision. Since the police had found me on the Tiger Clan’s grounds, they interrogated me.

“What were you doing in there?”

“Ah… Sorry, I don’t remember.”

“You don’t remember?”

“I was badly hit on the head, apparently.”

“So you lost your memories? How convenient for you. Do you happen to know a teenager named Zeeta?”

My smile faded. I had hoped Zeeta wasn’t at the shopping center at that time…

“So you know him. You and he were in the same gang, after all.”

“We’re friends, if that’s what you mean. I play music with him quite often. He has a guitar, and I’ve got a violin.”

“Oh? He was the one who accompanied you in the ambulance and alerted your sister.”

I widened my eyes. So Zeeta was fine.

“You play the violin, you said?”

Since I was underage, the policemen surely thought a gentle approach would give better results. I smiled.

“That’s right. Though they’re broken now. My violin. And his guitar.”

“Why is that?”

“Some bastards threw them in the sea the other day.”

“I see. I’m sorry for that. Do you know who they were?”

“No.”

The policeman that was sitting in front of me sighed as he flipped through a notebook.

“One last thing, kid. You think we policemen have less authority than the gangsters around here, don’t you?”

“…”

“Anyway, I totally get why youngsters like you would want to get into gangs and act cool and all, but stop this. Innocent people have died in this shopping center accident. Do you understand that? I don’t know why you were found in the private area of the building but remember that: you are young. Don’t mess up your own future or you’ll regret it.”

He was right. I had avoided death this time but I had been lucky: the Hell Hounds had completely gone crazy.

In the following days, I tried to contact all the Cheetahs but only got to speak with Erma on the phone. I learned through her that our gang leader had left the Old Docks. Apparently, he had gone back to his hometown.

« Don’t search for the Tiger Clan, it would only mean asking for trouble, » Erma told me.

“… Is the situation that bad?”

« Really bad. »

“Well, I’m glad you weren’t at the shopping center at the time. What about Zeeta? I heard he was the one who found me unconscious in the building.”

« Dunno. I’ve heard he was freed by the police after an interrogation. »

Just like me, then.

“He doesn’t pick my calls,” I grumbled.

« Doesn’t pick mine either, » Erma confessed. « Sorry, Straw Head, but I’m sort of busy now. My sis is calling me. »

“Oh, you did text me yesterday you went back home. Is everything all right?”

« Yeah, well, it’s complicated. My sis is driving me crazy. I don’t have time even to breathe… Crap, she’s coming. Bye, bye, Straw Head, take care! »

“Oh, right… Take care, Lil Witch!”

Coincidentally, that very afternoon, I bumped into one of the Tiger Clan managers in the street: I waved at him and politely asked him if they had a pill to fix my eyesight. The guy ignored me as if he didn’t even know me. When I insisted, he snarled at me:

“Go back to your hole, lowlife.”

The whole thing made me finally stop to think about my situation. I shut myself at home and thought about becoming a secluded hermit. Should I be studying online? Maybe my grades would get better this way. I was wondering about my life and those kinds of things when I finally decided to look at my cellphone. There was a message from Ray. It was from yesterday. For a moment, I stayed in a daze… Then, I started reading.

‘Ray, yesterday, at 18:20: Your sister told me you were at the hospital.’

‘18:23: I saw the explosions in the news. I was very shocked.’

‘18.23: How are you feeling?’

‘18:49: I’m going home. Because it’s holidays, but also, I’ll be studying at Harvard High for the third year. You’re going there too, right?’

Lying on my bed, I stared at the last message, stunned.

‘I’m going home.’

My arm holding the cell fell over my eyes as I groaned:

“I am so stupid. So stupid, stupid, stupid.”

Later, I replied:

‘Armen, 9:01: I’m fine. Apart from my eyesight, I got out with just some scratches.’

‘9:02: Thx for worrying 😊’

‘9:02: Old Docks is scary 😨’

‘9:02: When u get home, let’s hang out like before. 😊’

‘Ray, 9:03: Sure! 😊’

I smiled as I saw his answer appear so quickly.

‘Armen, 9:04: So, how was Europe? A friend of mine told me that people there aren’t humans. 👽’

‘Ray, 9:04: WTH? 😂’

‘9:04: They’re normal people. I sent you photos last month.’

‘Armen, 9:06: u only sent photos of trees and mountains, not people 😂 There were cats too 😸’

‘9:06: Nice photos, though. 😍’

‘9:07: Say,’

I closed my eyes for some minutes. Then I wrote:

‘9:11: We’re friends, right?’

The answer came right away:

‘Ray, at 9:11: Wee ar’

‘9:11: of course we are, aren’t we?’

I grinned, moved. Was he so shaken by my question he posted his first message too soon?

I typed:

‘Armen, 9:13: We are 😊’

6 Death heirloom

‘Darkness12 is calling…’

As the train doors opened and the passengers got off, I stepped away and took the call.

« Lord Necromancer speaking. If you hang up, you’re dead. »

I snorted silently. Such a wonderful way to begin a phone conversation.

“Hi, sir. What do you want?”

« I’m about to enter the house, but you aren’t in there. Why? Did you run away? If you did, I’ll drag you back to Ray no matter what, so don’t even think of escaping. »

Ray’s dad was the Lord Necromancer: I instantly believed him when he said he could drag me back any time.

The train doors closed without me getting on. I leaned on the platform wall and said:

“You don’t need to worry, sir, I’m not running away. I was going to get on the train and head back, but I missed it.”

Because of you, by the way.

« Mm. So you didn’t run away. Well, then, hurry up and come back, or else I’ll— »

“I know, I wish you well too,” I said teasingly, and I hung up with a tight smile. Crazy old man… I understood now why Ray had avoided him until now.

I waited for the next train and got on. Half an hour later, I was in front of Ray’s new home.

I pushed the gate and entered the yard. There was a guy leaning on the orange tree. I had already put a foot on the veranda when it dawned on me. I looked his way. Who could that be? Red-haired, in his late teens, clad in the Harvard High School uniform. He moved away from the tree, his hands shoved in his pockets in a carefree way.

“Hi.”

“Ah… Hi?” I said.

“I suppose you don’t recognize me. My name’s Arkill Miller. I’m in the same class as Ray.”

His voice was brusque, but not hostile. I relaxed.

“I see. You’re a friend of Ray’s? Nice to meet you. I am—”

“Armen Moon. I know.”

Arkill waved to the door.

“You should get in. The Lord and the young master are waiting for you.”

The Lord and the young master… Hey, bud, you come from the Middle Age or what? Then, I finally grasped the situation.

“You work for Ray’s dad, right? So you are…”

“That’s right. I’m a life-reaper like you.”

I stared at him. That guy was dead. I was in front of an undead. I swallowed hard. He raised an eyebrow.

“Aren’t you getting in?”

Mumbling some words, I rushed to the door and shut it behind me. Whew. Ray was sitting at a low table in the living room. I breathed out:

“An undead. Ray, did you know you had a classmate like that?”

Had I been alive, I would have broken out into a cold sweat. My best friend gave me a startled look.

“Ah, you mean Arkill? Well… I knew. He’s, like, stalking me? On my dad’s orders.” He paused, then snorted. “Don’t tell me you’re scared? You’re dead too, you know.”

I froze, then silently put down my bags, sat down on the sofa, and took off my red knit cap as I said:

“You’ve got a point.”

The house was cozy, made of wood, and covered with carpets. There was a large screen in front of the sofa and the low table Ray was sitting at. It was crumbling with books.

“Everything okay?” Ray asked.

“Yeah… Hey, you’ve got some weird books there. Don’t tell me those are necromancy grimoires?” I joked.

“Hum. Dad brought them.”

My eyes popped out of my head.

“Are you for real?!”

Ray sighed as he turned some pages of the book he was holding.

“My dad’s ancestors were necromancers too, but necromancy is not easy to learn. Some of my relatives can revive skeletons, drain lifeforce from a body to get stronger temporarily, and those kinds of things. My aunts are considered good necromancers, and they just have a few ghouls in their necro-family—Well, one of those ghouls became a life-reaper several years ago. However, someone capable of preserving the souls of the dead is on a totally different level. Only a few master necromancers in history managed that. Well, if you are lucky enough to have a special power that helps you in the task, your chances of succeeding are obviously higher. That’s my dad’s case. That’s partly why he was able to preserve your inner soul during the resurrection.”

I listened to him intently.

“So, you’re telling me your dad is an amazing necromancer even among a family of necromancers? No, even among all the necromancers in the world?”

“Creepy, huh?”

We then heard an inner door open and someone singing:

The wipers on the bus go swish, swish, swish!
Swish, swish, swish!
Swish, swish, swish!
The wipers on the bus go swish, swish, swish,
all through the town!

A slender, black-haired man appeared from the kitchen, holding a tray with a steaming pot on it. The Lord Necromancer was wearing a colorful apron while singing a children’s song. As Ray hid his face under his cap, I pinched my lips, then snorted and laughed loudly. Creepy, he said? How, exactly? My undead laugh sounded a bit off.

The Lord Necromancer put the tray on the table and turned to me.

“So you came. The fool who hung up on me.”

The laugh died in my throat. A glow in his eyes made me shiver. I stood up, uneasy.

“Ah, about that… I hung up accidentally.”

The Lord Necromancer raised an eyebrow.

“Did you?”

“Yes.”

“Don’t lie to me. Did you hang up accidentally?”

His glare felt as if lightning had struck me.

“No.”

Why did I blurt out like that? And why did he have to make such a fuss? It was just a phone call! The Lord Necromancer was scary…

“Stop it, Dad!” Ray stepped between us. He was upset. “You said you wouldn’t use that on him!”

“I never said anything like that. Besides,” the necromancer frowned, “I’m disappointed. A liar is never a reliable friend.”

His words shook me. A liar is never a reliable friend. Was he saying I was unworthy of being Ray’s friend? It pissed me off.

“Then, what about you, sir? You said you would kill me if I hung up on you. Or were you lying?” I snickered. “Are you gonna do it or not?”

There was a tense silence. And then…

“STOP!” Ray was trembling. “I said stop that already, you two. Dad, don’t be childish. Armen, just relax and sit down. Let’s have lunch.”

Unexpectedly, the Lord Necromancer smirked.

“I understand you don’t want to tame him because he’s your friend but… you just did it.”

Ray looked shocked as he lowered his eyes on me. I had sat down on the floor, near the table and the tray. My sudden action confused me quite a bit. The Necromancer patted his son’s shoulders.

“It’s all right, son. You’ll get the hang of it in no time. Now, let’s eat!”

Ray was paler than usual. As his dad took out three plates and glasses, we put the books away and joined our hands.

“Thanks for the food!”

They were eating noodles. It looked delicious, but the smell didn’t arouse my appetite in the slightest. The raw pork meat, however, tasted so good that I almost forgot about what just happened.

“I’m sorry,” I said, gulping down. “It was rude of me to call you a liar, sir. I don’t even want to die. Thanks for saving me yesterday. Though I would still be alive if it weren’t for you,” I added in a mumbling tone.

“Are you apologizing or complaining?” the Lord Necromancer snorted.

I smiled innocently.

“By the way, aren’t we going to invite your stalker, Ray?”

Ray hadn’t touched his food yet. He was in a daze.

“My… stalker?”

“Sorry, I mean Arkill.”

“He doesn’t eat meat,” the Lord Necromancer explained as he slurped his noodles like a child. “He’s been an undead for a long time, so he lives by absorbing life energy. As a new-reborn, you still can grow just by eating meat, but as you get stronger, meat won’t quench your needs. That’s why life-reapers have to learn how to eat lifeforce from the living. Ray will teach you when the time comes, won’t you, Ray? Ray? What’s the matter? Don’t you like the food? Do you want me to cook something else?”

“No… it’s fine.”

“Then dig in, dig in! There’s dessert too. I’ve bought you a lot of fruits. You love tangerines, right? When you were little I used to peel them for you. You used to eat quite a lot, back then! You’re so thin, now. Are you on a diet? That’s bad for your health! Your stay in Europe was no good for you, I knew it.”

The Lord Necromancer’s voice filled the room. I felt weird in his presence. He was the one who had brought me back to life. Why had he done something like that? Not for my sake, that’s for sure. Did he want his son to learn necromancy so badly?

As I finished eating, I went to wash my plate in the kitchen. I was lost in thought. Why was necromancy considered taboo? What was exactly this lifeforce both the Lord Necromancer and Ray had talked about? Was it wrong to “eat” it? Why had my senses changed that much? What was I, actually?

All that mattered was that I was still conscious and all but… There were things I had to know.

Still, when I finally decided to return to the living room and ask for answers, I stopped by the doorway. Ray and his dad had pushed the tray away and were leaning on books, discussing actively.

“So that’s why the necro-bond is affected by our emotions. If you want to control it, son, you’ll have to do as this book explains, this one, there. For the energy exchange, I’ll recommend the red-covered book. You already read it? Ah, yes, I once lent it to you. So you read it, I’m so proud! It’s one of the most difficult skills, energy control, bond control… Haha, I’ll teach you all of this!”

Ray was so focused, and the Lord Necromancer was so excited about teaching his son… I thought it was best to leave those two alone. Perhaps love between father and son would finally bloom through a necromancy lesson. My smile twisted.

I washed the dishes to kill time. There were some leftovers and, out of curiosity, I ate a fork of noodles…

Tasteless.

O goodbye, chocolate and ice cream, I won’t forget you guys.

I turned off the tap, dried my hands, and wondered: how did lifeforce taste like?

With that question in mind, I went out to the veranda through the back door and searched for Arkill. He was still in the yard, standing beside the orange tree. I sat on the edge of the veranda and gave him a curious look.

“Hi again. Ray and his dad are busy, so I’m coming here to bother you. Can I ask you some questions?”

The red-haired life-reaper shrugged. I took his gesture for a yes.

“I’ve heard the word ‘bond’ several times already. Do you know what that means? Is that like a magic contract?”

“Bond is bond.”

I blinked. Damn, could it be Arkill was one of those not-so-smart undeads Ray had told me about? Arkill moved away from the tree and came to sit down next to me.

“That’s how resurrection works,” he went on. “The caster establishes a bond between a corpse and his mind. Through this bond, he has control over the corpse and brings it to life.”

Control over…? Had I had a heart, it would have been pounding right now.

“So… it’s just like in the video games,” I muttered. Arkill raised an eyebrow, but his expression remained emotionless. “So… Does that mean Ray’s dad can move my body through his mind?”

“He can. But life-reapers like us are more complex than lesser undead. We can think almost the same way a human does, so we can understand our master’s wishes better. That’s why the Lord can use words to give us more sophisticated commands.”

I shivered.

“So it’s like that…”

I was just told I was a mere puppet in the hands of a necromancer. That could become quite problematic.

“But it seems you got something wrong,” Arkill said. “I heard the one who established the bond with you was the young master, not the Lord. Nevertheless, since the Lord is an advanced necromancer, he can affect undeads that aren’t under his protection, to some extent. Some parts of the necro-core are very vulnerable to necromancy spells, even more so if the undead is still but a newborn like you. That’s why necromancers rarely fight among themselves. Also, I suspect the Lord did something to you during the resurrection to keep some control over you. He’s that kind of person. Never too cautious.”

Arkill sure talked a lot for a dead guy. But I was thankful that he took his time to explain these things to me. I was also relieved that Ray was the real owner of the bond. Now I understood better his talk about not using me as an underling because I was his friend. And I understood why he was so troubled during lunch: he had unwittingly given me an order to sit down. I guessed he was, in a way, more worried than I was. He surely thought our sworn friendship was being endangered by his own lack of knowledge in necromancy. I should reassure him. Because I trusted him.

I gave the red-haired guy a warm smile.

“Thanks, Arkill. It feels good to be talking to a fellow undead. So, tell me…” My eyes caught the flight of a bird with a worm in its beak as I asked: “Is lifeforce tasty?”

7 Ray: great panic! (Two hours back in time)

The high buildings of Farskyer City lined the way. In the deep darkness surrounding them, only Armen’s red knit cap was clearly visible. Ray was trying to catch up with him when, suddenly, a Hero with two long, dark braids appeared in front of them. Armen raised his hand, saying cheerfully, “hi, I’m an undead!”, and the Hero’s eyes widened and pierced Ray as a terrible voice thundered, “WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?!”. In a matter of seconds, everything was engulfed in darkness. His dad’s chuckle faded, even Armen’s smile disappeared, and the camera focused on a sea of shadows that wanted to devour everything…

Ray woke up with a start, covered in sweat.

After spending the whole night reviving Armen with his dad, he had given in to tiredness and fallen asleep on the sofa. He sat up, grumbling.

“Gah… A nightmare?”

His heart was still pounding in his chest. Rubbing his cheeks, he tried to brighten up. What did he dream about, again? As he tried to remember, his uneasiness grew stronger.

Did he just dream about Armen happily announcing his nature to everybody?

Well, but it was just a dream. Normal dreams did not affect reality. Logically. Still…

Ray stiffened, his nails digging into the edge of the sofa. What time was it? Half past two. It had been almost two hours since Armen had left to get his textbooks… He couldn’t have possibly said anything to Azritz, could he? About him being an undead…

His heart began to race again.

Nah. Armen was usually the honest type, but he knew how to keep quiet when he wanted to. Ray didn’t really worry about that. More importantly, maybe he shouldn’t have let Armen go alone? It was his first day living as an undead, and generally, undeads were just babies upon reviving. Even though Armen remembered his past life, his body was new, and all of his senses were altered. Not being able to feel the ground while walking, he was most likely having a hard time keeping his balance at this very moment. He was no longer able to control his strength, nor feel anything even if he touched boiling water… What if he began to eat lifeforce earlier than expected? What if he became a Fury? No, no, but that would probably make him the first undead in history to become one on its first day of life.

The young necromancer was torn between the hopes of keeping his relationship with Armen the way it was before and his desire to help him.

That’s why he had told him not to worry and had let him go back to his home on his own. That’s why he was now biting his nails, trying and failing to convince himself that Armen was fine.

After a while, he realized he was pacing back and forth in the living room. He stopped in his tracks.

“Should I go?” he muttered.

He grabbed his coat… then put it down.

“Dang. I should calm down.”

He breathed in and out, trying to empty his mind…

It was a wasted effort. Ray wasn’t like Armen: his mind just couldn’t seem to stop thinking again and again about all the things that had happened, about the revival process, the insertion of the core, the necro-bond, its functionalities, his own principles, and his unwavering decision of giving his friend all the freedom he could…

DRIIING!

The sound of the doorbell almost gave him a heart attack. Then a wave of relief overwhelmed him as he rushed to the door. He paused for a second, remembering on time that showing his stress to Armen would be a bad idea. He tried to regain some composure, then opened the door more calmly.

“Armen, that was fast…”

His words got stuck in his throat as he saw the slender figure of a black-haired man with a beaming smile on his face. Ray sighed.

“Oh. Dad. It’s you.”

“What’s that disheartened tone for?!” the Lord Necromancer protested.

Ignoring him, Ray waved at the red-haired guy behind.

“Hi, Arkill.”

“Hey,” his dad grumbled. “Aren’t you going to say hello to your dad too?”

“… Mm. Hello.”

“Hoho! Did you just say ‘hello, daddy’?!”

“I didn’t.”

“Heehee, don’t get upset, dear… Cheer up, I’ve brought you a little something…” He pointed at the bulky bag Arkill was carrying. “My beloved books! Hardcore necromancy. Incredible stuff. Oh yeah, I’ve just talked with Armen on the phone. He’s on his way back.”

Was he? An amused glint flickered in his dad’s eyes.

“Did you think I was Armen? You should have known I wasn’t him thanks to your necro-bond, you know.”

He was right. The necro-bond linked both the master and his familiar. Ray would be able to know it the instant Armen got close enough to the house. It felt weird, as if he had an extra limb, or rather, an extra body he could move as he pleased if he wanted to. But he obviously wouldn’t do that. It was Armen’s body, not his. Lost in thought, Ray stared at his dad while this one was walking in and saying, “Arkill, put down the bag and stay outside so you can wait for the newbie”, then he began talking about making lunch.

Dad, do you even realize you never think about Arkill’s will? Ray thought, his eyes fixed on the life-reaper that was obediently stepping out of the house. You may love your familiars, but you don’t treat them as your equals. I will never become like you. I won’t let necromancy change my principles. Not in a thousand years.

“Ooh, your face is screaming, ‘I’m hungry!’,” his dad said.

It was totally not.

“So? What do you want? Yokohama onigiri? Green couscous? Hare à la royale? Qingdao escalope, demonic caviar—?”

“Noodles,” Ray cut his dad off. “Keep it simple. Just noodles.”

His dad smiled.

“Noodles, then! Okay, get some rest, I’ll take care of everything!”

He sure was in high spirits… Ray sighed, and he was sitting down with a book when his dad came back from the kitchen asking:

“Noodles with or without tomato sauce?”

8 The trio gamers

“Gotcha! The boss is at half his HP, get him, guys! What’re you doing, Armen?” Ray asked.

“Argh… That damn monster, is he immortal? My claws deal no damage at all,” I complained.

“That’s because he’s an iron type. Use your curse rod!”

“The… What? I was saving it, you jerk, you just made me use it!”

“Don’t be so tight-fisted. Hey, Arkill, can you use Flame again? … Wow, so effective. Ten points left!”

“Your demon is so cool, Arkill,” I said in a jealous and complaining tone. “I should have picked a demon too. Why are the undead so weak in this game?”

“What are you saying?” Ray grumbled. “Mummies are cool too. You need to find more curses, that’s all.”

“I finished the guy,” Arkill announced in a calm tone.

“Oh, the treasure’s on the altar!” I said, excited. “Please make it so it’s filled with curses.”

“Don’t jinx the box. Wow! I can’t believe it! The Three-headed Sword!” Ray laughed happily. “In Survival Dungeon 2, it was my best companion. I so wanted to own it again! Did you see that, Armen?”

“Bleh. Good for you.”

“There, there, the next level is a tomb apparently, so there should be useful things for a mummy… What?!” he suddenly breathed out. “The Three-headed Sword is cursed? I can’t take it off! And it’s covering me in acid, but my HP isn’t decreasing… What the hell’s going on? My amulet of resistance has broken!”

“What…? Pfft…! Hahaha! You transformed into a slime, what the hell, hahahahahaha!”

Ray cleared his throat, struggling not to laugh as he made his slime character slowly advance in the dark corridor.

“Let’s go.”

“Hahahahahahahaha!”

When I calmed down a bit, I turned and looked at the big, green slime.

“Arkill, there’s a creepy slime following us. Should I curse it?”

“But I’m already cursed!” Ray complained. “And I’m a human!”

I burst out laughing again. His slime was so slow! We just reached the stairs of the dungeon when Arkill coughed for attention.

“Hey, guys, it’s not like I want to spoil your fun or anything, but didn’t you guys said: we finish this level, then we’ll continue studying?”

I felt a sudden lump in my throat. I held my gamepad like a life preserver as Ray said reluctantly:

“Ah… you’re right.”

“You’re damn right,” I confirmed.

Arkill looked at both of us. That gleam in his eyes… Was he teasing us? I sighed. I had been staying in Ray’s place for five days now; we didn’t have to go to school until midterms next week, and I had been studying a lot, but…

“Hey, Ray! I’ve got a great idea!”

“What?”

I gently smiled at him.

“Order me to study please?”

Ray widened his eyes, then snorted.

“Not happening.”

“But why?” I complained.

“I don’t like ordering around.”

“But you just ordered me to use that curse rod.”

“That’s… That’s not the same. It’s a game. And I didn’t do it on purpose.”

“But—”

“Stop it. Besides,” he stood up, “you should be more confident about yourself. You just need willpower. Willpower is the key!” He gave me a thumbs up. “Well then, I’ll be upstairs.”

“Damned slime,” I whispered.

“I heard you!”

I rolled my eyes and began to put all my textbooks on the low table.

“You’re not going to study, Arkill?”

The red-haired guy had just grabbed his coat. He looked somewhat elegant in his outfit but also kind of outdated.

“I don’t need to. I’m just keeping Ray safe at school. I actually already graduated from high school long ago.”

“Oh, you said that the other day. But how old are you anyway?”

Arkill stopped by the doorway and gave me just a glance as he answered:

“My body is thirty-eight. I was revived by the Lord twenty years ago.”

I gaped at him. T-T-Twenty years ago? That much?

“How did you die?”

Arkill frowned.

“Well… I don’t remember. I lost my memories. That’s what happens to most of us, undead people. You could say I’m twenty years old instead of thirty-eight.” He paused as I listened to him, filled with curiosity. Grasping the doorknob, he added: “By the way, asking an undead about his death is quite rude. Don’t do that.”

Dammit. Did I just offend him?

“Sorry.”

“Also, I said I graduated from high school, but I had just received the diploma when I died, so… I can’t help you much with your studies.”

“I… I didn’t ask for your help! I can manage by myself!”

Arkill gave me one of his rare smiles.

“Sure. Protect the young master while I’m out.”

He left, and the room fell silent. I wondered. What did we count when we told our age? The body’s age or the memories’? Should I consider that Arkill was twenty years old since he had to relearn everything from scratch in an eighteen-year-old dead body?

Anyway, this confirmed one thing: undeads don’t age.

That was cool in a way but also kind of disappointing. It meant I couldn’t get any wrinkles. When I was a kid, I loved wrinkles. I used to say to my grandma, when she was alive, that they made her cute. Once my grandpa asked:

“What about me?”

“Baldy, grandpa! Baldies are no cute!”

They laughed at my comeback, but ever since that day, my grandpa always wore a knit cap. Kids are scary.

The muffled sound of an audio lesson from upstairs startled me.

“Oh, no, no, no,” I said to myself, “I have to study.”

What should I start with? Math? I had already studied literature and history in the morning, but if I began solving equations, my willpower would suffer a critical blow right from the start…

I hit my head with my fist. I hardly felt a prickle of pain. Nothing very satisfying. Anyway, I wasn’t a masochist, so the problem wasn’t there. My mind was the real danger: it couldn’t even focus. The worst thing was that, compared to when I was alive, it hadn’t changed, not one bit.

I opened my math textbook and stared at a definition. Then I looked at the formula and the exercises. So many symbols. There was a teacher, in middle school, who scolded us pupils for using emoticons and contractions in our essays—I was one of those “fools” by the way. Still, math exercises were full of glyphs too, so, in a way, were equations like electronic messages?

I stabbed my hand with my pencil. I broke the nib. Damn.

Why did Ray have to be so strict? Just a little order and I would be studying just fine…

No, no, no, willpower was the key!

I sharpened my pencil and turned the pages of my textbook until I reached the quiz section. Okay, here I go. I closed my eyes. Focus, focus, focus…

What would Ray have done if I had lost my memories? I would certainly not be studying right now, but it would have been really sad. Memories, after all, were what made the character…

I smashed my head on the table.

Dammit. Focus!

* * *

It was almost dinner time when Ray left his bedroom.

“Armen… Did you manage to study?”

As he was going downstairs, I leaned on the table groaning:

“I’m gonna diiiie…”

“Don’t worry, you’re already dead.”

“Ah.” I briefly raised my eyes then buried my face again between my arms. “I told my big sis you would help me study. Was I lying?”

“When you’re asking for help, at least say it directly.” Ray sat at the table. “Okay, I’ll help you.”

“…!” I sat up like a resort. “Really? Ray, I knew you were a friend I could rely on—”

“Yeah, yeah, whatever. What are you struggling with?”

“Well… This.”

“Equations?”

“And this.”

“Functions, huh?”

“And this too.”

“Ah… That too. I see.”

“Yes.”

Ray looked at me. I was afraid of seeing annoyance on his face, but all I saw was an earnest concentration.

“Well. First of all, let’s see what you already know. Which functions did you learn? The math curriculum wasn’t the same at my European school, so I may be wrong but… you probably learned about the natural logarithm, right?”

Natural logarithm? The teacher did talk about that.

“Ah, yes! You mean that tree bending to the right?”

“Well, yes, the one you draw like this, you see? Let’s see what’s in your textbook first…”

Ray kept talking and helped me solve some exercises. He was good at explaining, and I was amazed at how many things I understood.

When I saw him yawning, I realized it was already 11:00 pm. As an undead, I couldn’t get tired, but Ray was a normal human.

“Let’s call it a day,” I suggested.

“Ah… yes, it’s getting late.”

As Ray rubbed his eyes, his stomach growled. He blushed. What for, though? I smiled, amused.

“I’ll cook you dinner. You helped me a bunch today, so you can have anything you want.”

“Huh? Anything? You sure?”

“Just say it.”

Ray hesitated.

“Then fries and scrambled eggs. Is that okay?”

I grinned happily.

“Leave it to me!”

I went to the kitchen and began peeling potatoes and preparing the eggs. I put my whole heart into making a dish that would satisfy Ray. Half an hour later, I placed the steaming plate before him. His sleepy eyes gleamed.

“Wow. It’s like a restaurant dish!”

“Haha, it’s not, really. I can’t taste it, so I hope it’s okay.”

“Thanks for the meal!”

Seeing him gulping down with appetite was quite gratifying. In the past years, I usually had dinner alone. It felt good to eat, but watching Ray eating was definitely better.

“Armen? What are you thinking about?”

“Heh… Nothing much. Can I borrow your headphones? I don’t know where I put mine.”

“Ah… I saw Arkill use them earlier.”

“Oh? He likes music? Well, let me borrow yours. The sound is far more better.” I connected his headphones to my phone and added: “Do you want something for dessert, by the way? Like, ice cream?”

Ray’s eyes sparkled.

“Do we have that?”

I stood up.

“No, but I can go and buy some.”

“Huh? Hold on—!”

“The convenience store at the corner is open all night. I passed there last night.”

“You went out last night?”

“I was bored. Well, I’ll be right back.”

“Wait, Armen, you don’t need to go buy ice cream!”

“But you want it, right?”

“B-But…”

I stopped at the doorway and suggested cheerfully:

“Why don’t you come too? Night walks are fun.”

Then I saw Ray’s troubled face, and I remembered. Ray was afraid of the dark. That’s why he would always avoid going out at night as much as possible. It was a real phobia. According to him, he had it since he was eight years old. He never told me what caused it. I thought, after two years, he had gotten over his phobia but… No, actually, it completely slipped my mind.

“Sorry… That was so stupid of me. I’ll be right back, okay?”

Ray said nothing, and I left the house as I wondered silently how a necromancer’s son could be afraid of darkness. Could it be because of his dad?

I turned the music on and made my way to the store. Ever since my sister decided to work from home, I had stopped wandering on the streets, only going to Harvard High School and back, dropping every weekend by Ray’s place. I had run away from freedom. I didn’t want to make my sister worry about me anymore.

But freedom wasn’t bad at all. Now that I was dead, I realized I regretted nothing about last year. Scaring the hell out of some gangsters who were capable of beating you up to a pulp… Nothing was wrong with that. If anything, I regretted not having kept in touch with some Cheetahs. Especially Zeeta. Who knew whatever had become of that nice guitarist.

“That’s three Corns even.”

“Here you are!”

The storekeeper was half asleep as he handed me the ice cream box.

“Call again,” he said in a spiritless voice.

Dang. The living looked deader than the undead sometimes.

When I came back, Ray had fallen asleep on the sofa, a heavy grimoire lying on his chest. That book must weigh a lot. How could he have fallen asleep like that?

I put the book away and covered Ray with a blanket, then turned on the nightlight and went to the kitchen to leave the ice cream in the fridge. I smiled as I was washing the dishes.

In a way, Ray reminded me of my sister. Both were awfully clumsy when it came to housework—one could only wonder how they managed to live on their own for so many years. Also, both of them were hard-working and good at studying, being able to focus on the most complicated things.

They were worrywarts as well. I was sure that, despite all of my talk, Ray still blamed himself for my death. It was in his nature. As for me, maybe because I wasn’t as smart as him, I was starting to get used to my new life. No tiredness, no sleepiness, no needs other than meat. That wasn’t quite bad. I seldom dreamed anyway; as for the food, Arkill had said lifeforce was tasty. ‘But it’s also risky: you can get drunk and get mad if you’re too greedy,’ he had told me.

Life reapers that were revived as such were rare, but according to Arkill, some ghouls were able to evolve into life-reapers with their master’s assistance, after ingesting large amounts of raw meat. From what I understood, the main difference between life-reapers and ghouls was that the former had a well-formed outer soul inside a high-quality core that allowed them to absorb lifeforce in a much more effective way. I wasn’t told how exactly the absorption of lifeforce worked, but Arkill said it was something so natural for a life-reaper that I would learn how to do it subconsciously when the time comes. He also said that, as long as life-reapers absorbed just a bit of lifeforce from a person, the energy of that person would be replenished in a matter of hours without leaving any trace, aside perhaps from a temporary, slight weariness.

I didn’t want to steal anything from the living, but as long as it didn’t mean to steal their very own lives and become a mass murderer, I didn’t want to die either.

After cleaning up, I sat down at the low table in the living room and opened up my math textbook.

I didn’t want to give up on my sacrilegious life: there were so many things I still wanted to do.

Like enjoying my new life, understanding more about my nature… or proving to myself that I could have good grades if I wanted.

My fist clenched on my pencil. I could do it.

9 A quarteto

Last day before the midterms!

As someone knocked on the door, I went to open it. So early in the morning, who could that be? Arkill? It was. But he wasn’t alone.

The Lord Necromancer raised a hand nonchalantly.

“Good morning, Armen. How’s your master?”

“You mean, my friend,” I smiled coldly. “He’s fine. He’s still sleeping. You’re coming earlier and earlier these days. I’m a bit worried. Don’t tell me you’re having trouble with insomnia, my Lord? That’s too bad.”

I started calling him “my Lord” on my own free will since it sounded so ridiculous it made me sincerely smile at him for once.

That crazy necromancer… He just kept coming every morning to teach Ray the “Dark Path”. The more I listened to his lessons, the more I understood that a real necromancer like him didn’t think twice about ordering his familiars and making use of them, even though he took care of them and cherished them a lot… just like a master loves his pets. In a way, he was like a God for us undead who had been created by him and had no choice but to obey his orders.

The Lord Necromancer smirked.

“I can see you’re as cheerful as ever. Come here.”

He invited me to step outside. I followed him reluctantly to the yard.

“Arkill told me you ate a big bag of meat yesterday. Such a glutton, huh… Eating so much pork like that, isn’t your skin turning a little pink?”

“Hah? I don’t think so. And I’m not eating that much—”

“Be quiet, Armen. Don’t interrupt me.”

I shut my mouth unwillingly. That bastard… He went on:

“Gluttony is the strength of you undead. Don’t be embarrassed. I think it’s time for you to learn how lifeforce works. Arkill will be the one teaching you because I have yet to teach Ray so many things. So, you two will be off now…” He ordered: “Arkill and Armen: go to the Somerville District. Armen, you learn how to collect lifeforce without being noticed. Stay together, don’t mess around, and come back safe at noon. Now go.”

I couldn’t say a word. I’d been ordered to stay quiet. The smile I gave the Lord Necromancer was scarier than many glares. He clicked his tongue as if just remembering.

“Oh. You can talk.”

The restriction was lifted just like that. It was quite disturbing. Ray had told me that orders for the undead were like temporary programs embedded in our brain through the necro-bond. Anyway, that bond was really mysterious. Even Ray said he had just started learning the basics.

Without even a glance at the Lord, I left with Arkill silently.

* * *

Somerville was a district next to the Old Docks, known for its large number of bars and restaurants. I was told once by the Cheetahs’ leader that Somerville was overcrowded, unsafe, and the nest of many gangs and hidden businesses. Actually, I had never been there.

It was Sunday, and with Christmas coming up, my first impression of Somerville was that of a dynamic district with tidy streets and cheerful families. A children’s choir in the Arch Plaza was singing the Great Rebirth of Earth:

To the Holy Gods, my dear,
we give our sincere love.

That Day when They came to Earth
our world turned upside down.
The Pyramids went to Perth,
and New York went to the South.

Oho! Holy Gods, we are
the children of the New World!

Crystals from the Sky fell down.
All the Crystals of the World
are blessings of our gods.

Oh, Holy Gods, oh Holy Gods…!

It was a traditional song that talked about the “Big Blend” of the World that happened two thousand years ago. I had to study that in history class: apparently, the Crystals that were scattered over the Earth had fallen from the sky and caused most of the areas to be relocated. Islands were created, cities vanished from a country to pop up in another, superpowers and new species appeared… It was said that Paris Island was once a European city and that Everest, a four thousand meters crater, was once the highest mountain on Earth. Crazy, huh? As for why those Crystals had fallen, the Holy Church said it was a godly punishment for the terrible sins of mankind.

Nowadays, the Great Crystals scattered around the world were precious, divine things, fiercely protected by the surrounding inhabitants. Usually, the nature of a quirk was based on the thin crystal particles that a person unconsciously absorbed while breathing or eating: orange for gravity, purple for warping, green for temperature changes, white for the soul of the living and qi control, cyan for mind powers, yellow crystals for mutations and body transformation…

What was about the blue, red, and black ones again? Damn memory…

Anyway, Crystals were an essential part of our world. Depending on its composition, each Great Crystal could cause various phenomena around itself, altering the climate, making islands fly, or causing random teleportations. In Farskyer City, the roots of our yellow Great Crystal were so massive and powerful that they spread to places eight hundred kilometers away from here. Our Crystal not only ensured incredibly good harvests and full-up fuel tanks all year round but also granted unique qualities to some trees and plants throughout and around the city; as such, Farskyer City was well-known for its production of tree meat and mirror wood. As a matter of fact, the plaza where Arkill and I had settled had an artistic statue made of mirror wood. It reflected passersby, not in real-time, but with a delay that could range from several seconds to several minutes. It was always a little disturbing to see those delayed reflections, but wooden mirrors were kinda useful too: personally, I always used one to check my back after a bath and also quite enjoyed watching the big mirrors at the shopping centers and making all kinds of grimaces… When I was younger, that is, of course.

I turned to my quiet red-haired companion.

“Arkill… What are we doing exactly right now?”

“We’re eating.”

I paused in shock. Eating?

“No. No, no, don’t try to fool me, Arkill, we’re just sitting on a bench. The whole time we just kept watching the passersby. Well, you did buy bread, and we fed some pigeons, it was quite fun, but… aren’t you a bit bored now? Besides,” I lowered my voice, “weren’t you going to teach me how to absorb lifeforce?”

His arms crossed on his chest, Arkill glanced at me then shrugged.

“There’s plenty of it. Can’t you feel it?”

I widened my eyes. What? Arkill sighed.

“What were you doing all this time? I thought you were eating too since you were so quiet.”

“What?! Are you telling me you’re eating lifeforce right now? Arkill…” I looked at him in dismay. “Arkill, you could have said something!”

“You could have said something. Don’t overreact. Anyway, the Lord once said it’s bad manners to talk when you’re eating.”

Was he kidding me?

“You’re not even eating—”

“I am.”

He glanced at me again, paused, then said:

“Close your eyes. Open your mind to your surroundings. Try to focus.”

Was he going to help me? Yay.

“I’m bad at concentrating. But I’ll give it a try!”

I wanted to eat. I was hungry. It didn’t feel like a hole in the stomach, it was more like thirst, but it was intense.

“So… Now what?”

“Now… just eat.”

We fell silent. Then I sighed and looked at him.

“You suck at teaching.”

He clicked his tongue, a habit he probably borrowed from the Lord.

“Just attract the lifeforce inside you. It’s not that hard.”

Okay. I would try again. I closed my eyes and waited. I thought of those meditation techniques my grandma used to use. ‘Want to sit with me, my dear?’ she had asked one day. I did sit down in front of her, but all I could remember was that we both ended up laughing. I think she tickled me while I was diligently keeping my eyes shut. Those grown-ups that take advantage of a child’s innocence…

Focus.

The Arch Plaza was noisy and lively. I was hungry. I wanted to eat, to absorb life energy as soon as possible.

Then, I felt it. It was around me, stroking me like a gentle breeze. Lifeforce. I subconsciously breathed in, and a pleasant feeling overwhelmed my mind for a moment. I was confused at first, but when I finally caught on, I snorted and turned to Arkill.

“Dang you, you could have told me it was just about breathing!”

Arkill raised an eyebrow then smirked.

“See? It’s easy.”

He was teasing me, that damn bastard.

Anyway, now that I had figured out how it worked, I kept breathing in and absorbing lifeforce. A child passed by running. I asked in a low voice:

“We’re not harming children, right?”

“We’re not.”

Arkill breathed in and faked a yawn. Even though he didn’t remember anything before his death, he was better than me at faking to be alive. He then explained:

“The lifeforce we’re eating right now is the wasted lifeforce that the living breathe out. It’s not an effective method if you’re starving, but otherwise, it is enough if you take it easy and spend several hours a day in crowded places.”

I listened to his words, amazed. So we were eating leftovers breathed out by the living…

“So cool!”

“…”

“But what about windy days? If the air changes, the lifeforce goes away, right?”

“Then just enter some crowded café or whatever.”

“Oh! I didn’t think of that. So… isn’t it more effective indoors?”

“It is. But I like outdoors better,” Arkill replied. “You can’t feed pigeons indoors.”

I smiled, touched by his kinda nice reasoning. I took a deep breath. It was tasty. I wasn’t using my sense of smell, nor my sense of taste: lifeforce went directly to my core then scattered to my body to regenerate it. The more I breathed, the more I liked it. After a silence, I admitted cheerfully:

“I never thought the undead would be social creatures. The Underworld is so interesting.”

It was nearly noon when I realized my hunger was never going to be satiated. I felt as if I could keep breathing in lifeforce for the whole day if I wanted. But…

“It’s half-past eleven,” Arkill said, standing up. “Let’s go back.”

“I thought the order was to come back at noon…”

Shoving his hands in the pockets of his coat, Arkill glanced at me.

“Indeed. But, if we’re coming back now, we will still be on our way back at noon.”

I gaped at him.

“So… so true!” I had never thought about it. I jumped up. “You’re amazing! That’s right! The Lord’s orders have big flaws!”

Arkill’s lips stretched, amused, as he repeated:

“Indeed.” He started walking and, as we reached a less crowded street, he added: “Don’t misunderstand me. I’m ever grateful to my Lord. He brought me up and gave me a life. I do what I’m ordered because I have to, but also because I want to. Unlike other beings brought to life, we’re rational. As such, we are capable of understanding the real wishes of our masters. Don’t forget that.”

He paused.

“You regard the young master as a friend, don’t you?”

I nodded smilingly.

“A friend is way more precious than a master, don’t you think?”

Arkill frowned a bit.

“I don’t think so, but I don’t have friends, so… I can’t tell.”

I stopped dead, astonished. What?

“The hell are you saying? After fighting so much side by side, what do you think we are? We’re friends!”

Arkill looked at me, dumbfounded.

“Fighting side by side?”

“In the dungeon. With a slime at our heels. There’s a saying: those who played together when they were young will forever be friends.”

I raised a fist. Arkill hesitated but finally bumped his fist against mine as he said:

“You sure make friends easily.”

“Haha, I know!”

“That wasn’t a compliment. Also…” He gave me a lopsided grin. “That saying probably only applies to children.”

“It’s not like that, trust me. Gamers in the same dungeon flock together.”

“It doesn’t even rhyme…”

I laughed as we continued going up the street. Arkill looked distant and confident on the outside, but he had been struggling with his own issues. Twenty years under the Lord Necromancer’s shadow… I couldn’t even begin to imagine what his life had been like.

Suddenly, I believed I saw a familiar face in front of a crowded small square. Zeeta? Was it Zeeta? It couldn’t be, right? I scanned the crowd… so intently that I ran into a street lamp. Arkill pulled me aside with a surprised face.

“Hey. Watch your step.”

I rubbed my forehead. It itched a little. Had I been alive, I would have gotten a good bump.

“Haha, sorry, I was distracted. I thought I recognized someone, but it seems I got it wrong.”

We made our way home without any more incidents. The Lord Necromancer was cooking. Ray was grumbling.

“Sorry, Armen. I told my dad not to bother you before the midterms, but he keeps doing as he wants.”

“It’s fine, it’s fine. Arkill and I had a lot of fun, and I just learned how to eat lifeforce. I’m happy I don’t have to bleed somebody dry or eat human meat. I’m even more ecological than living humans. Isn’t that great?”

Seeing me so cheerful, Ray didn’t insist. I spent all the afternoon studying, Arkill left the house at eight o’clock, I cooked dinner for Ray, then he went to sleep saying:

“Don’t study too hard tonight. Undeads can’t sleep, but even they have to put their brain to rest once a day.”

Was he worrying about my health? I grinned.

“The problem here is that my brain rests way more than once a day.”

Ray let out a snorting chuckle. I added:

“Good night, my beloved master.”

“Good night, moron.”

Heh… As I heard the door of his bedroom shut, I took out my cell. Ray had installed an open-source system on it saying it would be safer. I didn’t know much about those things, so I couldn’t tell the difference. Anyway, lately, I barely looked at my cell. My sister had texted me: ‘Do your best tomorrow!’ Woon, that classmate that was bullied by a third-year and whom I had helped in spring, had sent me a quiz that would “most likely” be part of the real test tomorrow… He did the exact same thing last year. Back then, he had screwed up big time and almost got the same grades as I did, placing in the two hundred. I thanked him anyway.

Then I saw a message from Zeeta. I jerked up.

‘Zeeta, 18:32: I saw you this morning in Somerville. It seems you’ve got some good friends. I’m glad.’

So it really was him, the one I saw in Somerville!

I looked at the message, frowning. He hadn’t answered my previous messages, had disappeared for four whole months, and now he just told me he was glad that I had good friends?

I frenetically typed on my cell… then erased everything, went out on the veranda, and made a call.

He wasn’t answering. Oh, right, it was pretty late. He was most certainly sleeping… What was I thinking?

Then I heard his voice through the cell.

« Straw Head? »

“Zeeta!” I cried out. I muffled my voice. “Damn… I was so sure I saw you this morning, but then I looked again and couldn’t find you… So it was you!”

« Yeah… »

“It’s been four months already. How are you doing? You had me worried.”

« Were you…? » He muttered something.

“Sorry, I didn’t quite catch that. What did you say?”

« Were you really worried about me? »

His tone of voice disturbed me deeply. For a moment, I couldn’t say anything.

« Sorry, » he said. « I shouldn’t have bothered you— »

“You had me worried sick!”

My sudden outburst made us keep silent for some seconds. Then I said:

“You were the one who got on the ambulance with me, right? The policemen told me. Thank you, Zeeta.”

« Ah… It was nothing. Honey Frog from the Tiger Clan texted me, so I went to the shopping center, but when I arrived, the fight was already over. »

“What’s the apologizing tone for? Be glad you weren’t inside. Hey… Zeeta? Where are you living now?”

« Ah, well… »

Was he hesitating to tell me or…?

“I’m not a stalker, you know,” I complained. “If you want me to leave you alone, I’ll understand. But so you know, I’m not with the Cheetahs anymore. I’m studying hard at Ray’s place, you know, that middle school friend I talked you about some times.”

« Ah. Was it the one I saw this morning when you crashed into the lamp post? »

I made an embarrassed face.

“You saw that too… Well, no, the red-haired guy was Arkill. Ray’s black-haired.”

« I see. Your life seems pretty lively. »

Rather, my death was.

“What about you?” I asked.

There was a silence. So, he wasn’t doing fine, after all.

« I left the Cheetahs too, » he then said. « I’m doing… fine. »

“You don’t sound like you’re fine. Can I help?”

I stayed silent for a bit, concerned. If Zeeta didn’t want to say anything, what could I do? He was a very good friend I spent a lot of hours with, fooling around, playing music, fighting gangsters and everything… Whatever his situation, I would help him without giving it a thought.

Then, I heard:

« You know, Armen. I feel like dying right now. »

I froze.

His voice was about to break.

« I’m trash. A real trash. »

A sudden muffled sob made my dead heart feel oddly painful.

« I did something awful. »

“Where are you? I come right away!”

« I’m… at the Kiyomizu temple. But why would you come? You probably don’t want to meet a murderer, do you? »

I couldn’t feel cold, yet his words fell upon me like a freezing shower. Holy Crystals…

“What did you do?”

There was a silence.

« I’ll tell you if you come. »

The Kiyomizu temple was on the outskirts of the city. Even taking the subway and the cable railway, it would take me about two hours to reach the top of the hill. If anything happened…

“You’d better not do anything crazy. I’m coming.”

I heard him breathe out. Then:

« I’m waiting. »

* * *

I only went back to the house to take my scarf and wallet, then left like a whirlwind. The first subway was busy, but the line that headed to the southwest was almost empty.

“Kiyomizu,” the artificial voice announced. “Please remember to take your belongings with you. Kiyomizu.”

It was the last stop of the line. I got off the train. Barely any house was built there. I looked at the cable railway station. It was closed. I should have figured. What on earth was Zeeta doing at a place like that at night?

I began to climb the earthy road leading to the temple. It was barely lighted. My vision had improved compared to before, but it wasn’t really any better than that of a human with good vision. It just didn’t get tired, and changes in light intensity didn’t bother me in the least.

The tall trees on both sides of the road rustled under the wind. Wondering whether nature would also contain lifeforce, I breathed in. I felt nothing. It seemed that a life-reaper needed lifeforce from a human, or at least from an animal.

I picked up the pace. The more I thought about Zeeta’s trembling voice, the more I wanted to reach the top. I finally started running.

The Kiyomizu temple was standing on a cliff. When I arrived, I stopped next to the cable railway station and texted Zeeta.

‘Armen, 02:13: I’m in front of the temple. Where are u?’

I was waiting for the answer when my cell shut down without warning. I couldn’t believe my eyes.

“You’re freaking kidding me!” I cried out. “Not now, don’t let me down like that! I won’t recharge you if you don’t wake up now!”

A sudden snort made me raise my eyes from my dying cell. Zeeta was standing on a promontory used as a panoramic point for tourists. His brown hair was hidden under his pullover’s hood.

“Thank goodness, you’re alive!” I hurried to the lookout.

“You thought I would kill myself?”

His voice was nonchalant, but I knew he was faking it, because I was a bit like that myself, always hiding my most negative feelings. Well, he was an extreme case.

I stopped before him, gasping as if I was out of breath. Mentally I was.

“You’ve really come all the way here,” Zeeta said in amazement. “That’s crazy—”

“You moron!” I shouted. “You scared the hell out of me! You said, ‘I feel like dying’! Who’s the crazy one here? You idiot!”

Zeeta looked at me, speechless, his eyes wide open.

The silence on the Kiyomizu Hill engulfed us. I could clearly hear Zeeta’s unsteady breathing. I turned nervously and leaned on the guardrail. The lights of Farskyer City were like a sea of sparkling, quiet fireflies. I remembered visiting the Kiyomizu temple in middle school, but I had never been there at night. All those districts were so small from up there…

“Hah… You know me so well, Armen,” Zeeta finally said. “When you called, I was watching this view and saying to myself: what a wonderful night to finish my worthless life!”

Zeeta sat on a bench letting out a long sigh. I clenched my fist but said nothing. As expected, he went on:

“I never told you where I lived. Do you remember I told you my dad’s a loser and a drunkard?”

“I do.”

“Well… Three days ago… I killed him.”

10 Black tears

“I killed him,” he said.

The wind suddenly rose as if it wanted to hide his words. Zeeta raised his voice.

“He started to spout nonsense out of nowhere, saying I was a bad son. He heard I was in a gang, and he called me, like, everything under the sun. I told him I was going to find an honest job, but he went crazy. He threw one of his bottles at my head. I could have died. It drove me so mad I punched him really hard. He hit his head with an edge, and he started to bleed a lot more than I did… He wasn’t moving… I called the ambulance with his cell, and… I r-r-ran away.”

He choked on his words. He cleared his throat.

“The craziest thing is that I’m not sad he’s dead. He was a hateful man. I kinda… You know, I kinda feel relieved to know that bastard won’t beat me up anymore. He won’t cover me with bruises or yell at me every freaking day of the year…”

There was a silence. I finally turned to face him.

“How’s your head?”

“Eh? Oh, it’s fine, I guess? I wrapped it up.”

He pulled his hood down, revealing a messy bandage covering half his head.

“You look like a mummy.”

Zeeta breathed out.

“Can’t you take it more seriously?”

“Believe me I am.” I sighed as I sat down next to him. “Did you realize your dad may be still alive? If you called an ambulance, it’s because he was still breathing, right?”

Zeeta looked down at his hands.

“Yeah… He may be still alive on this Earth, but not to me. I never want to see his face again. He wanted me dead anyway. He always said I wasn’t supposed to be born. I was an accident. My mother was underage. She ran away from him. Honestly, I’m glad she did. At least my mom didn’t have to suffer the madness of that bastard.”

I sank my nails into the bench’s edge, cursing myself. Why didn’t I notice he was struggling that much back then? I did know his dad was a drunkard, but since Zeeta almost never talked about him, I thought he was living fine. I felt down. My parents, my sister, my grandpa, were all amazing people I loved with all my heart… but Zeeta had nothing. And yet he hadn’t given up all these years.

“Don’t you want to meet her? Your mom,” I said.

Zeeta gazed up at the starry sky. The stars were invisible from the city, but from up there, they were twinkling intensely.

“I don’t,” he replied. “She’s a stranger. She left me with a drunkard. I won’t run after people who don’t care about me. I learned my lesson.”

I stared at him. I kind of understood him, but…

“Zeeta. From what you’re saying, you’re not a murderer but a victim. I’m sorry I couldn’t be of any help.”

“What are you saying? You did nothing, Armen.”

“Well, but that’s the problem, right? We are friends, yet I didn’t know anything.”

“That’s… because I didn’t tell you a thing.”

“Oh, you’re right, you didn’t tell me anything. Not a thing. You even disappeared in July without a word. I wonder why.” I tried to calm myself, wiped off my tight smile, and went on: “But, if it’s because you didn’t want to have anything to do with the Tiger Clan, I won’t blame you.”

The starlight flickered in Zeeta’s eyes.

“That’s another matter.” His voice wavered. “Do you really want to know?”

“Of course I want to.”

“Huh… Well, it makes sense.” He turned his eyes to the night city. “You know, three days after the shopping center incident, the Tiger Clan tried to take revenge on the Hell Hounds. They asked all the groups to gather and launch an attack on a building to steal some hard disk or whatever. It turned out the building had already been wiped out by the Dark Alliance, you know, that big group of gangs. Well… the thing is the guys from the Dark Alliance were still around. All those bastards were power-holders. They even beat Ginger up.”

I widened my eyes in disbelief. Ginger was the Cheetahs’ leader. He was strong. Even without the pill to boost his body’s strength, he was still damn strong. But to bump into the Dark Alliance… What bad luck.

Zeeta continued:

“At first, we thought they were doing that because they had mistaken us for the Hell Hounds, but it turned out they also were against the Tigers. Those from the DA are big shots in the Underworld. It seems that they didn’t like what happened at the shopping center, so they decided to get rid of both the Hell Hounds and the Tiger Clan. As simple as that. They made us give up on the Tiger Clan when they told us the Big Tigers had already run away, leaving us behind.”

His words were piercing me like daggers. The Tiger Clan had run away? Such a big gang got beaten by the Dark Alliance in a few days?

“So,” he went on, “they suggested that we join them.”

“…! What?” I gasped. “They wanted the Cheetahs to join the Dark Alliance?”

“They didn’t force us. Ginger declined and fled to his hometown. Rock-Beard, Snake, and Erma went their own way. Sunflower and I accepted the deal, but we ended up in different groups, and we haven’t seen each other since that day.”

Holy crap. Zeeta got into the Dark Alliance?

“Isn’t that bad?” I asked. “That gang…”

“It’s a group of gangs, actually,” Zeeta observed. “I joined the Hidden Hall. And the main reason I joined is that… they give a breaking pill to new members. You don’t know about it, right? Breaking pills are different from the pills given by the Tiger Clan. They’re meant to provoke a real quirk. It’s compulsory to eat it if you’re quirkless and you want to join the Alliance. You have to put your life on the line, mutations are no joke… I ate the pill without thinking much. It hurt like hell, but I’m a power-holder now. A real one. My hearing is top-notch. Look, see the Nyomin Crystal?”

He pointed to the gigantic, shining, yellow Crystal that loomed over the Nyomin District from its four hundred twenty meters high. Next to it were the buildings of the governmental company my sister worked for.

“Last time, I used my power to spy on those guys. It’s a bit difficult to place the earbud accurately when the target’s so far away since I can’t control my power without using my eyes, and I have to reactivate it every time I blink, which kinda sucks, but hey, it’s still amazing, ain’t it?”

It was. He already had that kind of power before, but now he didn’t even need pills.

“Amazing but scary,” I said. “If the DA doesn’t use temporary pills like the Tiger Clan’s… what do they do to keep you from quitting?”

“Nothing special. People willing to risk their lives taking a breaking pill are already weirdos, don’t you think? So most of us stay. Besides, if you work hard, it’s well-paid.”

“I see. Not that I want to join but… why didn’t you tell me anything? Not only you, the other Cheetahs as well told me nothing about what happened… I’m not surprised that Snake or Rock-Beard didn’t contact me, even Sunflower, but Ginger was our leader, and Erma… The Lil Witch did text me after the shopping center attack, but she said absolutely nothing about the DA. And then… even she stopped answering my texts. I… don’t understand.”

I realized my voice had turned bitter. There was an awkward silence. I added:

“But it’s true I didn’t insist a lot myself. I only went back to our Workshop twice. Guess I got scared after what happened at the shopping center. I still can’t believe the Hell Hounds attacked a place full of people. That was crazy.”

“Yeah… It was chaotic. Even the Nyomin Heroes intervened.”

“… Mm. So I heard. I didn’t get to see them, though, since I passed out as soon as it started. Next thing I knew, I was at the hospital, and the Cheetahs were go—”

“I asked them not to tell you.” Zeeta’s words made me freeze. He… what? He clutched his knees with his hands and looked at me without batting an eye. “Punch me if you want… I asked them to let you be.” I swallowed my surprise with difficulty. Zeeta had asked the other Cheetahs to ignore me? Even Erma? He continued in a calm voice: “You see, Straw Head… I bumped into your big sis at the hospital. She suspected me and told me to stay away from you. I thought: what a nice person… She cares so much about you. I thought about it a lot of times but… What the hell were you thinking when you joined the Cheetahs, Armen?”

“That’s…” I bit my tongue. Big sis… I knew she meant well but still… I smiled, trying to get a grip on myself. “It was stupid of me, right? To get entangled like that… But know what, Zeeta? I don’t regret it. Those days when the shopkeepers thanked us for protecting their stores and told us we were like true heroes. Also, those times when we talked and played music together… it was so much fun! Remember when I was relearning the violin? I was so bad at it! A fisherman even threw a fish at me, and he got you instead.”

Zeeta stared at me in awe, then chuckled.

“Yeah… We had fish for dinner that day. We cooked it at your place.”

“The next day, we tried to play a Vivaldi’s piece the worst we could to get him to throw us more fishes—”

“But he only threw rotten ones!” Zeeta completed, laughing. “He really hated our guts.”

“Not as much as Beethoven,” I said.

Zeeta burst out laughing.

“That singer neighbor of yours! That time when he knocked at your door, and he went: ‘Stop your racket, don’t insult classical music, you snotty-nosed brats!’” Zeeta tried to imitate the baritone voice of my neighbor. I laughed. “But then you started playing the violin better, and he never showed up anymore.”

We grinned at each other, remembering those days. I saw him shiver. Was he cold? I took off my new scarf and handed it to him.

“Put that on.”

“Huh? But aren’t you cold yourself?”

An undead body was always cold. I kept the thought to myself and smiled.

“I’m fine, but you’re shaking like a leaf.”

“… Well, thanks…” He wrapped it around his neck and curled up on the bench. “It feels nice.”

“Right? My mom knitted it. It’s my present for Christmas.”

“Mm… Must be nice… A Christmas present… I don’t remember the last time I got a gift at Christmas. I usually spent those nights out there, playing the guitar or just wandering around… Well,” he shrugged, “I don’t really care about those traditional events, anyway… You sure you’re not cold? Last winter, you were like an onion wearing a bunch of layers.”

“I’m fine, really.”

We fell silent. We could hear the distant rumble of the city. I put my hands behind my head and asked:

“So… Why did you want to kill yourself?”

Zeeta flinched at the sudden change of subject, hesitated, then let out a grim, nervous laugh.

“It’s not like it’s my first time. Would you think I’m crazy if I told you I tried to kill myself several times already? I started that when I was eight. But finding a peaceful death isn’t easy, so I failed every time. Guess I suck at dying. Oh, but I stopped doing that when I joined the Cheetahs two years ago… Armen, are you shaking? So you were cold, you liar!”

“I’m not… You bastard, you’re making me cry.”

I didn’t know undead could cry. When I rubbed my eyes, I saw my hands soiled in black tears. Black? Yes… They weren’t actual tears. They weren’t liquid. But what were they then? Powder? Some sacrilegious dust?

Fortunately, it was dark enough for Zeeta not to notice. He kept silent for a while, then said:

“Thanks, Straw Head. You’re the only one who would cry like this for me.”

“Then why? Why didn’t you ask for help?”

“That’s because…” He paused. “Precisely because you’re the most important person I’ve ever had in my life. I didn’t want you to know how gross I am.”

I gulped, shocked. My black tears were running down my cheeks.

“But… you’re not gross in any way, Zeeta—”

“I am!” Zeeta cried out. “I am…”

He wavered, then hit his forehead with the palm of his hand and let out a groan of pain. Fool. Had he forgotten he was injured?

“Are you alright?” I worried. “Your wound… you should be resting—”

“I’m fine. I’ll just lie on the bench for a bit.”

As he carefully leaned his head on my lap, I unthinkingly placed a hand on his forehead, just before remembering I couldn’t feel the heat or cold. I couldn’t even tell for sure if I was actually touching him.

“It feels like an ice cube,” Zeeta whispered, closing his eyes.

Did he have a fever? Or was it that my hand was freezing? I couldn’t tell.

On his right earlobe, he was still wearing the same platinum earring I was wearing on my left ear. On the day we put them on, we swore: ‘From now on, the Cheetah Duo Band will make music fly all over Farskyer!’. Almost one year later, thinking back about it was a bit embarrassing… but neither he nor I had taken the earring off. That brought a thin smile to my lips.

His breathing was calming down. I inhaled subconsciously and absorbed Zeeta’s scrapped lifeforce. My hunger woke up. Suddenly, a surge of energy overwhelmed me. After spending one week hardly able to sense anything physically, I had realized how much humans used simple gestures to relieve mental discomfort, such as yawning, stretching, fidgeting, screaming… I could no longer do that. When I had gone with Arkill to Somerville in the afternoon, I had hoped lifeforce would fill the gap and relax me, and it did in a way but…

But what I was feeling right now was completely different. It was bliss… Holy Gods, undeads were so great!

As I thought that, I stopped dead, finally understanding one scary thing: I had been absorbing Zeeta’s lifeforce, not the scrapped one but the one hidden in his body. So… just by touching I could drain a human’s lifeforce? It was so tempting… I restrained myself and stayed still while wondering whether I could give him back the lifeforce I had absorbed. Well, Ray said an undead ate lifeforce and transformed it into deathforce, so I guessed that, as long as the absorption speed of my core wasn’t ultra-fast, there should be some left, but… I had no idea how to give it back. Did I eat too much? Could he replenish the energy I just stole? He was gonna be fine, right? Dammit. It was really not the time to be drawn by my appetite!

Unaware of my own issues, Zeeta broke the silence quietly.

“Straw Head… If I were to tell you something very weird, would you hear me out?”

I kept my hand on his forehead as I calmly nodded:

“I would.” I’m more worried about your health, right now, you know?

“Then…” After a pause, Zeeta confessed: “This summer, when I saw you lying on the ground, covered in blood, I almost lost my mind. The thought that you could’ve died… It scared me so much. I wanted to keep playing music with you, I wanted to keep you safe and prevent any gangster from harming you again… But then I realized how foolish I was. I wasn’t powerful enough to protect you: then what the hell was I doing, thinking of myself as your best friend? What the hell am I even doing here if I can’t protect the things that are closest to my heart? And why is it that I can’t seem to let you be even now, when you’re finally leading a normal life? What the hell’s wrong with my head?! Aaah, I’m disgusting, I’m such a fool, I want to disappear!” he cried out. He sat up, then stood.

If it had been someone else, I wouldn’t have known how to react to his confession but… I knew Zeeta well. I got up, followed him, and leaned on the guardrail.

“Zeeta,” I said. “I’m not sure I understand all of it. But you can’t protect everything. Who knows, in a few seconds, I could inhale some purple crystal particles and be teleported to a desert island or a dungeon. Cases are rare around here, but it happens.”

“What on the Crystals are you saying?”

“I’m just saying life’s unpredictable. Also, it’s only natural for you to call for my help. We’re friends.”

“Friends that only cause trouble are no friends,” Zeeta retorted sharply.

“That’s for me to decide. Believe me, if you get on my nerves, I’ll tell you outright. You know I don’t mince my words with my friends.”

Zeeta stared at me with a glint of disbelief, then tsked.

“You don’t know anything. If I were to tell you some things I did, you’d run from me like a demon horde.”

“How can you be sure if you don’t tell me?”

“Th-Th-That’s… Because it’s obvious!” He took a step away, shaking. “You don’t get it, Straw Head. I’m a weirdo.”

“Oh, is that supposed to be new?”

“I’m completely nuts.”

“I’ve known that since you broke my neighbor’s stereo when I was studying for my exams so he wouldn’t bother me. That’s altruism.”

Zeeta gaped at me.

“You knew?”

“Oh, and that day, last December,” I continued, “when some Seagulls attacked me on my way home and you came to my rescue saying you were just passing by when, in fact, you were following me—”

“That too?!”

“The funniest thing is, you ended up beaten too in the end. That’s solidarity.”

I gave him a thumbs up. Zeeta was flabbergasted. I rolled my eyes.

“Did you think I didn’t know? Seriously, Zeeta. If you were talking about those things, you should rather complain about me not doing enough for you in return.”

There was a deep silence. Then:

“That’s just part of it,” Zeeta whispered. “Did you know I keep a picture of you in my wallet?”

“… That only proves I’m popular?”

“How optimistic can you be?! Plus, you just made a funny face like you were thinking, ‘This guy’s more nuts than I thought’.”

“I… didn’t? Well, even if I did, I can adjust to that. I have a picture of a bunch of puppies in my wallet myself. Am I crazy?”

Zeeta looked at me, annoyed, then blurted out:

“I tied one of your hairs on the Wish Rope for the New Year so you would play music with me this year too.”

“Oh! I thought about doing that too. Now I’m regretting I didn’t.”

Zeeta was losing his patience as he continued angrily:

“I used to stalk you almost every night on your way home to make sure you were safe—”

“Thank you, Zeeta.”

“After the Seagulls attacked you, I went to their hideout and set it on fire!”

“…!” He what?!

“Ah, now I’m scaring you, huh. But I can’t stop being like that. I’m a vengeful, obsessive bastard who clings to his friends like some life preserver, not even thinking about how they feel about my actions… I didn’t want to lose you.” He swallowed under my shocked expression. “So when your sister told me to stay away from you, at the hospital, I got mad. We quarreled, and I pushed her against a wall. Thank goodness, the police got there. They wanted to interrogate me about the shopping center incident. Then… I realized how bad of a person I am. I am no better than my dad. I am just poison to you. So I swore to myself to let you be and got into the Dark Alliance thinking I’d put my power to use but… I don’t enjoy spying on Nyomin conversations, and in my free time, I just spend my days doing nothing… Haha, my dad’s right. I’m such a duffer. A trash. Everything I do is wrong. Now I’ve even sent him to the hospital. Damn, why was I even born? I’m just poison to everyone. It’d be better for me to just disappear… Straw Head, I’m sorry I had you come here to listen to all this nonsense. Don’t blame yourself for what I’m gonna do, okay?”

All my alarms went off when Zeeta drew closer to the railing. No! I blocked his path, and opening my arms, I hugged him tightly. I wanted to cheer him up, I wanted to save him, but how? What kind of horrible life could his dad have made his son live to have such low self-esteem?! Should I tell him, “You’re the best in the world, please stay alive”? No, but that meant nothing at all. Being the best had nothing to do with being positive. Then something like, “You’re a normal guy, Zeeta, life is already short enough for you to stop along the way: let’s have fun together!”? Nah, but Zeeta wasn’t a normal guy. And what did “being normal” mean anyway? Breathing in, I finally said:

“Zeeta. I’m glad you finally spoke your mind. Now it’s all right.”

“…” Zeeta didn’t move a muscle.

“I don’t know what my big sis told you, but don’t mind her, she’s just worried about me. I don’t know either what kind of horrible things your dad told you, but don’t let it get to you: he doesn’t think of you as his son, so his words mean nothing at all. Just think about it: would I have spent a year playing music with a fool that doesn’t think about how his friends feel? You wouldn’t be my friend if you didn’t care about me in the first place. I may not be the best at studying, but Ray says I’m pretty good at understanding people. So believe me, yeah, sometimes you are stupid, you are pessimistic, and obsessive, and you’re awfully awkward with relationships, but you’re still the Zeeta I know, and that’s all that matters. What I said is still true: you had me worried sick. All those months, I even feared you might be dead. I’m glad you’re alive. I’m so glad. So stay with me in this world and don’t kill yourself, okay?”

Zeeta had begun to cry while I was speaking. His relief was pouring down. He sobbed:

“You’re a nice guy, Straw Head.”

“… Thanks. You are too.”

“I’m not.”

“Yes, you are a nice guy.”

“No! I’m crazy!”

“Then a crazy nice guy.”

“I’m a damn stalker,” he wept.

“That makes you a crazy nice stalker. Heh, don’t ask me to erase the ‘nice’, because I won’t.”

“… S-Straw Head. What am I supposed to do with my life?”

“Just live the way you are, do what you want, make some people smile. That’s enough reason.”

“Is it? The way I am… Is it really okay?”

“It’s okay for me. As long as you don’t kill yourself.”

“…”

He had finally cracked. Aware that my own eyes were probably pouring black tears, I rubbed his back the best I could as he kept crying. I had never seen him cry before, but honestly, seeing him like that was a relief. It meant that, deep down, he wanted someone to comfort him. One sometimes has to break into pieces to be able to heal.

“Cry all you want,” I whispered. “Then smile and come back to Farskyer with me. Let’s hang out like before. I promise that, if your stalking habits annoy me, I’ll tell you, so promise me in return that you will let me hear your new songs from now on.”

“My songs are nothing special.”

“There we go again. Your songs are special for me, and for the Lil Witch and the other Cheetahs. Isn’t that enough, greedy crazy nice stalker?”

“It’s… far more than enough,” Zeeta admitted, hiccuping.

I smiled.

“And you’re special for me too. So don’t scare me like that anymore. Just say, ‘I promise I’ll ask the Straw Head for help whenever I’m feeling down’, and everything should go well.”

“I promise…” He suddenly hugged me back sobbing: “Sorry. I’m sorry I worried you… I may be v-very awkward with relationships, like you say. Aaah… life’s s-so hard.”

“You had it rough.”

After a while, he calmed down and sniffed:

“Thanks, Straw Head. This time I might really be dead if you hadn’t come.”

“I’d have come earlier if you had called before. You’re such a crybaby.”

“I’m not a crybaby! And… you don’t need to pat my back.”

“There, there—”

“I said I’m fine!”

He pushed me away, embarrassed. It seemed that he wasn’t going to kill himself now. Thank goodness. I sighed in relief. Only then did I realize how much tension I had built up.

I already knew Zeeta got easily obsessed with things, like when he had run after a cyclist all the way to the Financial District because the man was riding too fast and had almost knocked our leader over. He couldn’t catch him and spent two whole weeks scanning the streets in search of the cyclist. He was resentful, surly with strangers, and even with friends, he was unable to talk about his feelings without belittling them out of shyness. However, when he was playing the guitar or composing songs, he was an open book. That’s why I knew him the best.

I got worried when I saw him stagger and fall on the bench.

“Zeeta?”

“I’m just… a bit dizzy.”

Was it because I had absorbed his lifeforce? My hand trembled.

“You’re wounded, you should go to a hospit—Zeeta!”

He had fallen head over heels. I cursed as I turned him face-up. Such a moron. How could he be wandering outside when he was totally feeling unwell? And, to top it all, we were in a remote area.

“My head hurts so freaking bad,” he chuckled quietly. “That’s funny. In the end, I’ve been killed by my dad. Just when I decided t-that I didn’t want to die—”

“You’re not gonna die, you idiot!”

I cried out for help. Fortunately, there were two night watchmen on duty at the temple, and they had a car. One of them kindly accepted to drive us to the nearest hospital. It was my first time getting in a car. Just as in Taipei, cars were tightly restricted within Farskyer City for a question of commodity and space, but since the Kiyomizu temple wasn’t exactly in the city…

“You’re gonna be okay,” the driver said in a friendly voice. “We’ll be at the Union City Hospital in half an hour. What were you guys doing at the temple on a Sunday night, anyway?”

Huh, right… What were we doing? Talking? Hugging? Crying? I said:

“Sightseeing.”

“No,” Zeeta mumbled huskily, lying at the rear. “You know, sir, that guy… has just saved my life.”

I grinned as I watched the trees and road lights go by. I didn’t need to turn around to know that he was smiling.

11 My stalker & my master

“Mm. It says the call number isn’t assigned…”

“So Erma even changed her phone number? How much does she hate me?!”

“She most likely didn’t change it because of you, Straw Head, how self-centered are you?”

“I’m not, I just miss her. Though perhaps not as much as I missed my stalker, heehee…”

Embarrassed, Zeeta averted his eyes towards the window of the hospital room, saying:

“It’s true that you two were quite close. Did you perhaps do something to her in July?”

“Eeh… What do you mean, something? I did nothing. The Lil Witch is our muse, don’t you remember? If we’re going to revive the Cheetah Duo, then we need her too, don’t we?”

“… Right. I’ll try to find her. But it won’t be easy. She hardly ever talked about her family.”

“Her grandma’s a witch from the Hawaii Mountains.”

“Do you want me to comb the countryside in search of an old hag, Straw Head?!”

“Eeh, no, no, I didn’t say that…”

“The Hawaii Mountains cover half of the Farskyer Peninsula, just so you know.”

“Half? That much?”

“Yeah. Anyway, I’ll tell you if I find her.”

“Her grandma?”

“Our muse, moron. Are you doing it on purpose?!”

I laughed. The doctors had already treated Zeeta’s wound, and I was sitting next to his bed at the hospital. We had been chatting for a while now.

“Hey, Straw Head,” Zeeta said then. “It’s Monday, right?”

“Yeah.” I was smiling, even grinning because Zeeta was all right now, both mentally and physically.

“It’s school day.”

“Ah, yeah, I guess it is.”

Then his words struck me like lightning, and I jumped to my feet yelling:

“Holy Gods! The exams!”

Zeeta snorted.

“Are you for real?”

“Zeeeeta… I’m so done!”

“Stop whining and just run! If it starts at eight o’clock, you can still make it. Don’t forget your wallet, you idiot! Oh, and your scarf!”

“I’ll get it back in the afternoon!” I cried out, already in the corridor. “Take care!”

I heard Zeeta calling out:

“Straw Head! Thank you! Break a leg!”

I grinned while running. I rushed out of the hospital like a whirlwind, crossed a street, and hurtled down the stairs of the subway station. I was in Union City District. It would take about three-quarters of an hour to reach Harvard High School.

Although I was dead, I was panicked. Had I studied so hard for nothing? Ray had even spent a lot of time helping me. I had to make it to the school without fail.

As the train reached my stop, I got off in a hurry under the passengers’ surprised gazes. The clock at the station was out, and my cellphone was still low in battery, so I couldn’t know what time it was. I dashed out, running all the way to the school. I wasn’t tired. I couldn’t get tired. That was some nice skill.

When I reached the main gate, I saw the clock on the building. It was fifty-nine minutes past seven. The gate was closing… I sprinted. The gatekeeper was returning to the main building. I yelled at him:

“Please, sir, open the gate!”

The guy glanced at me, then disappeared into the building. The hell? It pissed me off. It wasn’t even eight o’clock when he decided to close the gate, dammit!

Anyhow, a wall wasn’t enough to block my path to my studies.

I grasped the bars and began to climb. The gate was pretty high, about four meters. I was half the way when the gatekeeper rushed out shouting:

“What are you doing?! You mad?!!”

Oh, so he was watching me. I ignored him as he had ignored me earlier.

“Hey! Get down already! I’ll call the vice-principal!”

“Couldn’t care less,” I muttered.

“Huh? What did you say, you brat? Get down I said!”

“Okay, sir.”

I reached the top, passed on the other side, and began to climb down.

“You must be joking!”

The gatekeeper was snorting and calling the vice-principal out. She arrived when I landed on the ground. I looked up. From the classrooms, curious faces were peeping through the windows. I didn’t mean to disturb the whole school, but well…

“Ms. Jawa, that brat climbed the gate!” the gatekeeper said.

“I saw that,” the vice-principal said calmly. She turned to me. “You’re a student at our school, right? Your name and age?”

“Armen Moon, ma’am. I’m a second-year. I’m sorry, but I’ve got important exams.”

“You have some nerve to say that when you’re late, don’t even have your school bag, and aren’t even wearing your uniform. If those exams were so important for you, you should have come in time, like everyone, don’t you think?”

I… had no answer to that. But damn… the exams really were important to me. A frustrated smile appeared on my face as I conceded:

“You’re right, ma’am.”

“But you wouldn’t be climbing the gate if you weren’t motivated.”

I widened my eyes as the vice-principal’s lips went up slightly.

“Come with me, Armen Moon. You’ll be doing the Chemistry test in my office. You’ll be joining your classroom afterwards.”

I breathed in unthinkingly, absorbing her wasted lifeforce. I grinned.

“Thank you, ma’am!”

“But you’ll be punished for what you did.”

“I understand. I’ll do my best in the tests!”

The vice-principal chuckled at my good spirits. As I followed her to the entrance of the building, I looked up at the third floor. On a window, Ray was staring at me. I gave him a thumbs up.

‘You’re unbelievable, Armen, in a lot of ways.’

I jerked up. Did… Did I just hear Ray’s voice in my head? I looked up again in bewilderment. Ray’s face had disappeared from the window, but his hand was still visible. He was holding up his forefinger and middle finger as if saying: good luck.

* * *

“Say, say, Ashooka, what was the answer to question 14? B, right, it was B?” Arkifa insisted.

“For the biology test?”

“Yes, you know, that question about which human species is the most affected by absorbing Orange crystal particles.”

“Ah… yes, that question. I checked C: the foxfolks.”

“No way! I knew it couldn’t be the cyborgs or the dryads, and I was almost sure it was the merfolks!”

“I checked A,” I said anxiously.

“Me too! High five, Armen!” Woon chimed in, raising an arm as he was chewing his bento. “Oh, but Haxton checked D.”

Woon was from a family of four-armed humans. He said his third hand, Haxton, had a will of its own—though according to Arkifa it was just an excuse not to take responsibility. Ashooka shook his head.

“It was a single answer question, Woon.”

“Seriously?!”

“Seriously.”

“Argh, darn Haxton!”

It was one o’clock, we had done five tests already, and only the literature test was left. In two hours, everything would be over… I was at my seat, checking the questions while Arkifa, Woon, and Ashooka were eating. Arkifa’s purple eyes looked at me.

“Armen. You haven’t brought your lunch?”

“I’m not hungry.”

I was, actually. I had been eating my classmates’ wasted lifeforce for five hours now, but I was still hungry. I couldn’t help it: I wanted more.

Swallowing, Woon cried out:

“Oh, right! You were late! I saw you climb the gate. So cool!”

“How is it cool to be late?” Ashooka asked.

“You can’t understand because you’re not a true man, Ashooka…”

Arkifa friendly slapped Woon on the back of his neck.

“Don’t bully my boyfriend, Woon! Anyway, Armen. Did you oversleep or what?”

“Well…” I was staring at the questions. I pushed the sheets away with a long sigh: “Just some crosses on a piece of paper and yet so terrifying…”

“Cheer up! The results will be out soon enough!” Woon said.

So true: feeling down wouldn’t get me anywhere. I clenched my fist stating:

“You’re right! Now it’s all up to the examiners. Don’t let us down, teachers!”

“Teachers, we trust you!” Woon played along.

“Fools,” Arkifa muttered.

I wrote everything I could in the literature essay. After two hours, I felt as if smoke was coming out of my ears. I gave my essay to the teacher with a confident smile. Arkifa and Woon had already left to catch their train. Both lived in Espelette, a town next to Farskyer City. Ashooka, as our class’ rep, was still talking to some classmates. I just gave him back the pen he had lent me, then headed to the lockers. Ray and Arkill were there, waiting for me by the entrance. I smiled at them with a sigh of relief.

“It’s over!”

I felt so liberated. I removed my school slippers and changed into my shoes under their curious gazes. As we were leaving the building, Ray asked:

“So?”

“So… As I thought, second-year midterms are tough.”

“Ah… Well, you worked hard, it’ll be all right, Armen… W-Wait. I wasn’t asking about that! What happened to you this morning?”

“Oh, that… The truth is…”

As we were crossing the school gates, I saw a familiar face leaning on the outside wall, and I fell silent, my eyes wide open. What was he doing here? Still hooded to conceal his bandages, Zeeta stepped away from the wall and handed me my scarf.

“Yo, Straw Head! Did you make it in time?”

“I… did. But weren’t you supposed to rest at the hospital, Zeeta?”

“I’m fine now.” He looked at Arkill with a smirk. By reflex, the red-haired life-reaper had moved between Ray and the suspicious newcomer. Zeeta tilted his head. “So that one’s Arkill, and the other one’s your childhood friend, right?”

“R-Right.”

I had mixed feelings about their meeting, chiefly because there were so many secrets on both sides but… I had enough of that. As soon as I realized that, I felt lighthearted and turned to Ray.

“Zeeta is a very good friend of mine. How about we invite him to your home and have a talk?”

Ray glanced at me worriedly, as if asking: is it really okay to bring a friend of yours to a necromancer’s house? I grinned.

“It’ll be fun.”

* * *

The four of us were sitting around the low table, between the sofa and the game console. I put down the teapot and said cheerfully:

“It’s hot, I think, so be careful.”

“Oh! Straw Head’s tea! So nostalgic!” Zeeta said joyfully. “Ach… I burned my tongue. Water, water…”

“There. You’re too impatient, Zeeta.”

“Hehe… You won’t drink?”

“Ah… I’m not thirsty.”

“…” Zeeta looked at the two glasses I had put on the table, one for Ray, one for him, then glanced at Arkill. He cleared his throat. “Is… that so?”

He had got a little paler. Had he truly recovered from his injury? Then he loosened up and asked bluntly:

“Say, Straw Head, is it me or are Arkill’s heart and yours not beating?”

Ray’s face froze. Wow… I grinned.

“As expected from Zeeta. Your hearing’s the best. He’s a power-holder,” I explained to Ray. “He can place earbuds wherever he looks at.”

And he has made a habit of listening to heartbeats, I added to myself. It was second nature to him. Kind of a way to get to know a person.

Zeeta breathed out.

“And there I thought I was losing my power, last night, at the temple… But it seems I wasn’t wrong.” He stared at me. “Armen… What’s the meaning of this?”

I was calm as I spoke:

“Well, now that you found out, it will make things easier for me to explain. The truth is, last week I—”

“ARMEN!”

Ray shouted. He was trembling. He got up, grabbed my arm, and dragged me to the kitchen.

“What the hell are you doing?” he hissed. “I knew you were up to something, but you’re going way too far. Haven’t you thought you could get him involved? Think about it, I know this situation is all too new for you, but to most of the people out there you are a… a… a monster, Armen. We are evil beings that crossed the red line. I don’t know what kind of person Zeeta is but… even if he’s a good friend of yours, you trust him way too much, dammit. Haven’t you thought that he might betray you?”

He was panting. He had left the door slightly open… I had no doubt Zeeta had heard everything. I shrugged.

“Ray. If you had told me you wanted to be a necromancer like your dad, if you had told me: from now on, you’ll be an undead, so you won’t be able to go to school, nor see your family again or live a normal life… if you had told me that, there’s no way I would have ever brought here a person I knew from my past life. But…” I looked Ray in the eye. “You want to live a normal life, don’t you? That’s why you avoided your dad all these years, that’s why you don’t want to use our necro-bond, so… am I really in the wrong for wanting you to meet a friend of mine? Isn’t that a normal thing to do? Besides,” I smiled, “Zeeta’s from the Underworld, so I’m sure he won’t say anything.”

“That’s not the main reason, you moron!” Zeeta cried out from the living room. “Come back, you guys, I can hear everything, you know.”

Ray was left speechless. I gently led him back to the low table as I added:

“How about this? We tell Zeeta how I died, and I’ll tell you how I ended up working for a gang in the Old Docks for a whole year.”

Ray gasped.

“A w-whole year?”

“Ah… So you already knew I got involved with a gang,” I smiled, uneasy.

“… Azritz told me.”

“It figures,” I nodded.

Ray hesitated.

“… Is Zeeta…?”

“Yes. He was a fellow member. We did odd jobs for our big bosses, protected shopkeepers in exchange for money, brawled with other gangs… and we also hung out together a lot, right, Zeeta?”

“Right.” When Zeeta lifted his glass of tea, his hand was quivering. “S-So, Straw Head. Did you… really die?”

I gave a short nod.

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner.”

Zeeta put down the glass without having taken a sip. A gloomy smile darkened his face.

“I was so self-centered last night I didn’t notice. It was just afterwards when I thought… some things were odd. Like… the fact that your hands were so cold, or the fact that your heart had just beaten once before stopping when we were on the bench.”

Ray started, then looked at me.

“What did you…?”

I made a troubled face. My heart had beaten once? I didn’t remember well because the lifeforce I had absorbed from Zeeta had overwhelmed me for a while. Ray’s reaction confirmed my doubts: the more lifeforce we undead absorbed, the livelier we would become.

“I’m sorry,” I muttered. However… had Zeeta even noticed what I had done to him last night?

“I also saw some black remains on your cheeks when we were at the hospital,” Zeeta went on. “Actually, you still have some in the corner of your eyes.”

“That’s right,” I remembered, turning to Ray. “Last night, I cried, but there was just some black powder coming out of my eyes. Is that normal? Ray?”

Ray was lost in thought. He shook his head.

“I… Let me see.” He leaned, examining my eyes, then blinked in surprise. “I didn’t know an undead could cry. What about you, Arkill?”

Arkill was skimming through a magazine as if bored by the conversation. He shrugged.

“I have never cried. I wouldn’t know where to start. But I know that undeads can cry if they have the reflexes well embedded in their mind or if they remember their past life. The Lord said so. He also said those tears are made of deathforce, so crying is no good. An undead can lose all his energy from crying, then lose consciousness.”

I huffed in shock.

“What?”

“If you’re near, the young master can instill lifeforce into you through your bond so your core won’t die. But it’s still a bad idea to give up deathforce you’ve transformed.”

So our tears were made of what we ate. I pondered then said:

“So crying’s like barfing.”

Zeeta and Ray snorted. Turning to Zeeta with a straight face, I added:

“You made me so sad I barfed for you last night.”

Zeeta burst out laughing.

“So unromantic, Armen! You just spoiled our lovely memory!”

“What lovely? I remind you that you were trying to kill yourself.”

“Heh… Yeah, I guess…”

“Life’s no joke.”

“Says the one who’s dead.”

“You accepted the fact so easily I’m gonna cry again,” I complained. “Am I not your friend?”

“Best friends forever. That’s why I want to know what’s going on here. I’ve heard about the undead. The thing is… I’ve even seen one last month. But he wasn’t acting like a human. You’re moving and acting just like the Armen I know, so I’m relieved, but… you still didn’t tell me. How did you die?”

I paused. Then I told him how it happened. The sudden attack, the supposed misunderstanding about the Lord Necromancer, my death, and my revival.

“But I’m all right, now!” I said, wanting to end it on a lighter note. “These days I’ve been playing a mummy on a video game with Ray and Arkill. I’m super attached to my character. It feels so real…”

My smile died when I saw Zeeta’s eyes. They were glaring. He took a sip of his tea as if trying to calm down. He clicked his tongue:

“Tsk. How ironic. I stayed away from you thinking you would be safer, but you died. So much for my stupid talk from last night… I even told the night watchman that you saved my life… Yeah, right… I couldn’t even save yours. That’s so… unfair.”

“I-I’m fine though—”

“Like hell you are.” He gave Ray a death stare. “Ray, was it?”

His voice was so cold I felt an illusory shiver running down my spine. Ray nodded, a bit stiff.

“Ray Styxer.”

They looked at each other for such a long time that I thought it would be best to intervene when, suddenly, a smile curved Zeeta’s lips.

“Nice to meet you, Ray Styxer. Armen has talked a lot about you. As you already know, I’m Zeeta. I won’t give my last name, ’cause I’m not proud of it. So you’re the Lord Necromancer’s son?”

Ray shuddered.

“You’ve heard of him?”

“Just a bit. So… I guess you’re from the Dark Alliance?”

As Arkill slightly squinted, Ray made a puzzled face.

“The Dark Alliance? What are you talking about?”

“…! You don’t even know about that? Straw Head, is his dad really the Lord Necromancer?!”

“He is,” I assured. “But they weren’t really close until last week.”

“We’re not close!” Ray groaned.

Zeeta snorted then explained:

“The Dark Alliance, the DA, is a coalition of four gangs: the Hidden Hall, the Necro-Haven, the Goal-Ring, and the Coven. They’re super famous in the Underworld because they even pick fights with the Nyomin Union’s base in Farskyer City. Your dad’s one of the bosses. He’s the head of the Necro-Haven. Oh, and I am a new member of the Hidden Hall, by the way.”

Ray swallowed hard.

“I knew it…” No, he totally didn’t. That was the most surprising thing. He abruptly looked at me. “You too?”

“Eh? Wha—No, no, no!” I raised my hands as I assured: “I was a member of a small gang that worked for the Tiger Clan, in the Old Docks. The Tiger Clan got wiped out by the Dark Alliance in summer, so I’m not in a gang anymore.”

Ray looked a bit relieved, as if thinking “phew, Armen’s a normal guy like me, I’m so glad”. I was dead though. He turned to Arkill.

“Did you know about the Dark Alliance?”

Arkill put the magazine down as he answered:

“I knew, of course. I was brought up by the Lord Necromancer.”

Ray looked very troubled as he muttered:

“So was I.” He shook his head. “Well, I did tell him not to talk to me about necromancy, all these years, so… I guess it makes sense I didn’t know anything.”

“So…” Zeeta said thoughtfully, “you avoided your dad.”

“Who wouldn’t avoid a necromancy freak like him?” Ray grunted.

“Haha… I know, right.”

As a teenager who had suffered his own dad’s madness… was Zeeta identifying with Ray? I smiled to myself as my friends went on talking. If I could have those two get along, that would be great. I’d need to buy a violin, so Zeeta and I could play again together. And I’d definitely get Ray to listen to our music. Also, I’d get Zeeta to play video games with Ray and Arkill. If they were to become friends, this place would be so much funnier. Hehe… Just imagining myself spending time with my two best friends was filling me with joyful anticipation.

“Armen?”

“He’s spaced out.” Zeeta waved his hand under my eyes. “Yoohoo, come back to us, Straw Head.”

I snapped back to reality. The three of them were staring at me. Zeeta commented:

“Straw Head’s smiles are scary when he’s angry, but they’re so adorable when he’s on cloud nine like that.”

Ray chuckled.

“What are you saying?” I protested.

“Haha, the Straw Head’s blushing!” Zeeta cried out.

“I’m not, you jerk, I can’t blush anyway.”

“Oh? That’s too bad. So, tell me, what can you do now that you couldn’t do before?”

I hesitated under Zeeta’s curious gaze. What could I do I couldn’t before? I hadn’t thought much about that.

“That’s right,” I realized. “I still have a lot of things to learn about myself. But today’s not the day. I’ve overused my brain for the exams.”

“So your brain didn’t change. And there you got me worried, but you’re the same Straw Head I know, I’m so glad!” Zeeta had thrown his arm over my neck, teasingly. “I remember, last summer, you went berserk against those thieves, just because of some bad grades. You were so pissed off!” he laughed.

I cleared my throat, half-annoyed and half-amused.

“Don’t speak ill of the dead, Zeeta. Besides, I have high hopes for today’s exams.” Before they could comment anything, I added: “Let’s play Survival Dungeon 3, guys. Come on, come on, let’s have some fun!”

Zeeta wasn’t good at games, but after some time of having him just watching, I gave him the gamepad.

“Take care of my mummy. It’s all right, if you lose too much HP, just hide behind Ray and Arkill. You’ll stay for dinner, right?” I was on my way to the kitchen when I thought about a possibility: Zeeta had been out of his dad’s house for four days now. Did he even have a place to stay? I added: “Actually, you stay over.”

“Wh-What? Huh… But isn’t that Ray’s house?”

“It’s my dad’s,” Ray said, clearing his throat. “Anyway, you can stay for a night.”

“You stay,” I nodded.

Zeeta twitched.

“Ah… haha… Yay. I’m staying at a Lord Necromancer’s house…”

He might not look so happy about that, but he didn’t turn the offer down either. His eyes glued to the screen, Arkill informed:

“If you keep going this way, your mummy’s gonna die from the fire plants.”

“Crap! How do I stop? How do I stop?!”

“Too late.”

“Argh… Sorry, Straw Head, I died.”

I laughed.

“Don’t sweat it. You guys just have to repeat the level.”

“Huh… Hold on, how about you take care of the mummy and I make dinner?”

“You suck at cooking, so no. Plus, you’re wounded. Do your best, Zeeta!”

I opened the fridge. Well then, what will I make? Something well-balanced. Ray wasn’t picky, but Zeeta was kinda vegetarian, so meat was out. Cheese was okay. How about a pizza? Okay, let’s make that!

I was chopping some veggies when I heard Zeeta shouting “save me!” as a bat was attacking him. Arkill went to his rescue, then Ray gave him some pointers.

“Oh, I see, I see, so that’s how it is… But what’s with the crappy stats of this mummy!”

I whistled cheerfully as I put the pizza into the oven. When I brought their dinner, both Ray and Zeeta almost drooled. Their reaction was funny to watch. Were they that hungry? I felt happy, but also a bit envious. Because…

I was starving.

And raw meat barely placated my hunger.

The same night, as Arkill had already left and Zeeta and Ray were sleeping in their bedrooms on the second floor, I grabbed my cell and went outside. I was a bit nervous, but that didn’t prevent me to make the call. The Lord Necromancer picked it up rather quickly.

« Armen? Is that you? »

“It’s me.”

« What’s going on? Has anything happened to my son?! »

Huh… What is he panicking for?

“Ray’s doing fine.”

« … Oh. Is that so. Thanks. Well then, good evening. »

“Don’t hang up!”

« Why? Do you have something else to report? »

I made a face. Did he seriously think I would call him just to tell him Ray was doing fine? Good grief… I looked up at the crescent moon and said:

“I have a request.”

12 The Lord Necromancer’s revelations

« A request? » the Lord Necromancer echoed, surprised. « What is it? »

I leaned my elbows on the gate. The street was deserted.

“It’s about those guys who attacked us last week. Do you… really not know who they were?”

« Mm. Why? Seeking revenge? »

“Yeah.”

There was a brief silence.

« I see. Interesting. Actually, a budding necromancer from my group happened to mess with the wrong person while collecting corpses. The matter has been mostly settled now, but… if I were to tell you about the one that was behind that bad joke, what would you do? »

I frowned.

“I’m not planning on helping you take care of your enemies. I just want to know who’s the crazy bastard who cut my throat.”

« That’s all? »

“That’s all.”

Suddenly, the Lord Necromancer hung up. I widened my eyes. What. The. Hell. The cellphone buzzed. ‘Darkness12 is calling…’ I took the call.

“What was that for?!”

« Oh, sorry, the cat stepped on the phone. »

The cat?!

« Sand is an undead cat, by the way. Just like you. »

No, sorry, I’m not a cat. I sighed.

“So, what’s your answer? Are you gonna help me?”

The Lord Necromancer chuckled.

« Well… I can help you, of course. But there’s a saying around here: nothing’s free in the Underworld. Do you understand? »

A smile stretched my lips.

“I understand well enough, my Lord. But you won’t put your son’s best friend at risk, will you?”

« Trust me, trust me. As long as you want to help my son on his new path, I won’t cause you any problem. I’ll call you when I know your killer’s address. »

“His name was Laith, I think.”

« They even gave away their names? So lame… Well. I suppose you don’t want to say anything about this to Ray, right? »

“That’s…”

« I got it. My son is such a softie. Ah, but he’s fine the way he is. As his dad, I’ll back him up no matter what, even if I have to turn all his acquaintances into undead… heh… Ahem. Well, is that all you wanted to talk about? »

“Actually…” I paused as I heard a meow on the other end. So there was a cat. I shook my head and went on: “I’ve heard about the breaking pill used in the DA. I… Well, I wanted to know… Is there a possibility for an undead to awake his powers?” I hesitated. “Or is it hopeless?”

« Hoho… So you’re not only resentful but also greedy. Good, good. You’ll be happy to hear that: I always try my best to awake my familiars’ powers during the resurrection process, so… you should already have them. Oh, and just so you know, the breaking pill doesn’t work on undead people. »

My hands were shaking. I couldn’t believe my ears. I… already was a power-holder?

« Now, now, Sand, stand still, I’ll give you food. Armen, I’m hanging up, okay? I’ll call you. »

“O-Okay.”

He ended the call. I stayed by the gate for a long time, still as a rock, not even blinking… then I shoved my cell in a pocket and left the house. I was just wearing a hoodie. Well, whatever. I wasn’t cold, anyway. Instead, I was starving so much I was uselessly breathing hard. It felt weird. Really weird.

I didn’t know much about undeads, I was just a newbie, but there was one thing I knew: I must satiate my hunger before it got worse.

* * *

“Good morning, Ray!”

“Huh… Morning…” Ray rubbed his eyes as he walked into the kitchen, then he woke up suddenly and cried out: “You made a cake! It smells so good!”

“Is that so?” I grinned. “It just smells like chimney smoke to me. Well, dig in!”

“Yeah… I feel bad to eat when you’re not.”

“What are you saying? I’ll feel bad if you don’t eat.”

“Then…” He joined his hands. “Thanks for the food!”

As he was eating breakfast, I asked:

“Is Zeeta still sleeping?”

“It seems so,” Ray chewed.

“Well, I’m glad. He needs to rest. He was injured and all.”

“Yeah… He told me what happened with his dad.” He paused. “Say… Did he really tried to kill himself?”

I raised my eyebrows.

“Yeah. He did. But he kinda promised me he would stop that. So it’s all right now. I trust him.”

Ray’s eyes stared at me.

“Why do you trust him so much?”

I tensed up a bit. Obviously, Zeeta didn’t look like the reliable type to Ray. Why? Because he was a gangster? I had been one too up until not so long ago. Because he was the suicidal type? There was no way the kind-hearted Ray would give someone the cold shoulder because of that.

Ray sighed.

“To tell you the truth, Arkill stayed in my bedroom last night because he didn’t trust Zeeta. I told him not to report anything of this to my dad, but… well, Arkill insisted on investigating your friend. Apparently… Zeeta entered the Hidden Hall four months ago, as he told us yesterday. He’s working under a boss nicknamed the Beholder. That guy’s not in very good terms with my dad but not in bad terms either—”

“Wait a moment, Ray,” I cut him off, in disbelief. “Are you implying Zeeta got into this house because of a mission given to him by this ‘Beholder’?”

Ray looked troubled as he admitted:

“It seems he didn’t get any mission like that from the Hidden Hall. Don’t look at me like that. The one being more watchful was Arkill, not me.”

I shook my head.

“It’s all right. I understand. It’s just… I know him well, Ray. You asked me why I trust him. The fact is, I know he’s one of those guys I can trust whatever the situation. Isn’t that enough?”

Unlike Zeeta or even me, Ray was unable to trust people easily. He was probably wiser than us doing so, and that’s why he had succeeded in staying in his own little world for so many years but… was that really okay?

“That’s… great,” Ray finally said. He took another big piece of cake as he nodded: “If you trust him, then I’ll trust him too.”

His words moved me more than I would have thought. ‘If you trust him, then I’ll trust him too.’ Wasn’t that some wonderful trust?

“…? Armen? What’s wro—? Whoa! You’re really crying black tears! Why are you smiling too, though?”

“I’m just happy…”

“Huh? Geez… You’re wasting deathforce.”

“Ah… It’s all right, I ate a lot tonight. I can keep crying, heheheh…”

“That’s not even funny. Wait, did you really go out?” Ray asked worryingly.

I nodded as I inspected the powdered black tears.

“I went to a night pub in Somerville. Actually, they wanted to hire more waiters for the Christmas season, so I applied for the night, and the boss hired me right away. I was paid in cash. Twenty-five Corns! When I’m serving drinks to the customers, I eat their wasted lifeforce, but they still pay me. Isn’t that nice?”

“Did you… sign a contract?”

“What for?” I laughed. “I told them I’d come when I can, they told me they’d hire me when they needed me. That’s how things work.” I put the black powder in my mouth and made a face. “It tastes weird.”

“Armen… Don’t do that when I’m eating, please. Anyway, I’m glad you don’t get bored at night.”

I smiled and turned to look at the window. The sky was gray and it was raining. A perfect day to stay at home.

Wait a sec… At home? Since when did I consider Ray’s place as my home? Heh… That was funny.

Then, I heard the doorbell, and a voice painfully familiar broke the quietness of the morning:

“Ray, son, it’s me!”

Ray and I exchanged an eloquent look as his dad went on:

“Son, wake up, sleepyhead!”

Ray’s cell buzzed.

“So clingy…” Ray snorted. He drank up his cup of milk before standing up and groaning: “Coming, coming…”

The Lord Necromancer had bought a pie in the hopes of surprising his son and giving him a delicious breakfast. Without even tasting it, Ray sneered.

“Sorry, I prefer Armen’s cake.”

Oh, my. I was immediately glared at by the Lord. He was so annoyed he went:

“Armen, throw your cake in the bin!”

My body moved by itself, doing as asked. Ray cried out:

“Armen, don’t! Dad, you… you… Get out of here! Now!”

Holy crap. Don’t throw him out, Ray, the Lord will hate me even more…

Calmly playing a single-player game on the console, Arkill ignored us as if we weren’t even there. Not making a sound, I put the cake back on the table and sat next to my red-haired fellow. The Lord Necromancer had frozen in place.

“Son…”

His voice was pitiful. Ray was panting.

“Dad. Don’t ever use my friend as your toy. And don’t be jealous because he made a cake. You’re pathetic.”

Whoa. The air in the room was getting heavier. I whispered to Arkill:

“I kinda feel sorry for the Lord, there.”

Arkill smirked without even averting his eyes from the screen.

“I meant well,” the Lord protested. “How did it turn out like that? Armen…”

“Don’t take it out on him!” Ray snarled.

It was so unusual to see Ray losing it that I couldn’t help but turn around to face them. The Lord’s pale face was shaking with frustration. That was bad. If he were to leave like that… there’s no telling what would happen to our deal. I bravely chimed in:

“Ray. It’s all right. I kind of understand him, you know, he was hoping so much that you would enjoy the pie… It’s only natural that he got a little irritated. I-I’m sure his pie is better than my cake, why don’t you taste it?”

Ray looked daggers at me. Wh-What? Why was he mad at me now?

“Stay out of this, Armen. Sorry, but my dad won’t get it if I don’t shout at him like that. Or are you okay with him ordering you around?”

His eyes were glowering. I flinched.

“Ray…”

I was barely able to utter his name. Even though Ray hadn’t realized it, he had just given me the order to “stay out of this”. Wasn’t he contradicting himself? Anyway, he was making such a fuss over a mere cake…

Suddenly, Ray said:

“Dad, let’s go out. You guys, don’t worry, just stay here.”

They took their umbrellas and left just like that. Well, I was glad they didn’t go their separate ways. They surely had a lot of things to talk about. I took a gamepad.

“Wanna play some bike racing game?”

Arkill nodded.

“Sounds fun.”

Zeeta didn’t wake up until lunchtime. He went cheerfully:

“Morning, guys!”

“Afternoon, Zeeta,” I teased him, raising a hand.

He looked completely recovered. He was brimming with energy as he ate half of the Lord Necromancer’s pie and half of my cake. At least someone enjoyed the Lord’s gift. Though, when he asked “where’s Ray?” and I told him about the argument, he swallowed hard, nauseated.

“I’ve just eaten a necromancer’s pie…”

“He bought it in a supermarket.”

“A necromancer in a supermarket… I can’t picture that in my mind.”

I laughed.

“What are you planning to do today?”

Zeeta shrugged.

“Nothing special. Well, I guess I should rent an apartment.”

“I can ask Ray to let you stay—”

“Thanks, but no.” Zeeta shook his head. “I don’t think we’ll get along.”

My face darkened.

“Why not? He just said this morning, ‘if you trust him, then I’ll trust him too’.”

Zeeta widened his eyes.

“Really? Well… Maybe we can get along, after all. But I still think it will be better for me if I rent a flat. The Hidden Hall could get the wrong idea if they knew I’m staying at a Necro-Haven’s house.”

Oh. I hadn’t thought about that.

“But aren’t the Necro-Haven and the Hidden Hall part of the same alliance?”

“They are,” Arkill intervened. “But being allies doesn’t mean they’re friends.”

So the Dark Alliance had its own inner quarrels. Well, it wasn’t surprising. I wanted to accompany Zeeta, but then Arkill reminded me in a whisper:

“Didn’t the young master tell you to stay here?”

I blinked. What? Then I remembered Ray’s words: ‘You guys, don’t worry, just stay here.’ Did he say that as an order? Just to make sure, I tried to go out. I made it to the veranda, and even to the fence, but then my body refused to move forward and just stood still under the misty rain. It felt really weird. So… it seemed like my mind interpreted Ray’s words as a “don’t leave the house”, and I couldn’t change it. So bothersome.

“What’s the matter, Armen?” Zeeta asked, already in the street. “Are you coming or not?”

I smiled, embarrassed.

“Sorry… I just remembered I had something to do.” Like, stay at home.

“Oh? Never mind. Searching for a place to rent is a pain, anyway.”

“True.” Also, come to think of it, Zeeta would most likely want to go to the hospital to make sure his dad was still alive. But he wouldn’t go if I were to tag along so… it was definitely better this way. “Heh… Be careful on your way. Just come back here if you don’t find anything. Even if you find something, you can come any time.”

“That’s what I was planning.” Zeeta gave me a thumbs up, grinning. “But what about your friend?”

“Ray won’t mind: he’s already struggling with a guy way more troublesome than you.”

“You mean… his dad?”

“He’s a hopeless case,” I sighed, nodding.

“Wow… When I think you can handle dark mages just like that… I’m in admiration, Armen.”

“Don’t be.”

Zeeta’s face got serious.

“If anything happens, let me know.”

“The same goes for you. See ya.”

Zeeta walked away in the opposite direction of the subway station. Was he heading to Somerville? On foot? He didn’t even have an umbrella. But I couldn’t run after him to give him one. I sighed and went back into the house. Arkill was still playing. The order didn’t apply to him, because he didn’t share a necro-bond with Ray, and since the Lord didn’t tell him anything, I guessed he was staying there because he wanted to. We decided to spend the afternoon playing video games.

“Oh, right,” I thought out loud at some point. “Did the Lord ever talk to you through your mind?” Without averting his eyes from his speeding bike, Arkill nodded. “Seriously? I thought I had imagined it. I mean… is it like telepathy? Can I talk to Ray too?”

“You can’t now. You could if you learned how to.” So cool! My eyes sparkled. Then Arkill added: “But seeing how you struggle with simple equations, you won’t learn it any time soon.”

His words burned down my hopes.

“Is it that hard?”

“Well…” He caught up with the first bike on a bend, dodged a spiky destructor cat, and threw a teleporting bomb at its pursuer before answering: “It is. I can’t do it either. But the Lord is able to talk to us from hundreds of meters away. Anyway, if he wants to, he can hear through our ears and see through our eyes, so if I speak out loud while he’s listening, I’ll be able to communicate from a certain distance.”

I was taken aback. A necromancer could even hear through our ears? Was Ray able to do that too?

“That… sounds like an incredible skill,” I snorted.

Arkill’s lips slightly sneered.

“The Lord is way more incredible than that. He’s able to control over a hundred undead birds, several dogs, cats, butterflies, bats, rats, even cockroaches. Also, he has several skeletons, human ghouls, and five life-reapers. Every one of us is tied with a bond. It takes him a lot of time and energy to take care of his family and fulfill his duty as the Necro-Haven’s head. That’s why,” he said, looking at my astonished face, “when he goes to visit his son every morning and have him watched twenty-four seven, it shows how much he cares about him, don’t you think?”

I stared at him, speechless. I had seen the Lord every day for a week now, but maybe because I had just watched him messing around, cooking meals, and getting worked up about his son’s lessons… to me, he never looked as great as Arkill was picturing him. However, it seemed that he was an amazing necromancer, after all. And maybe also an amazing dad in his own way. He was just the obsessive type like Zeeta, on an even more frightening level.

“Yeah… I think I understand better why Ray can’t stand him.”

Arkill raised an eyebrow. Then smirked.

“In a way, those two look pretty much alike.”

“You think so? Well… I can’t agree with that. You know, because I can’t imagine myself being buddy-buddy with the Lord.” I paused. “By the way, Arkill, when was the first time you met Ray?”

“The first time?” The red-haired life-reaper won the race. Crap, I had almost forgotten we were playing. I had even got a flat tire because of a destructor cat, falling behind even the slowest bikes… “I didn’t really meet Ray. Well… I’ve been serving the Lord for twenty years, so I was already there when Ray was born.”

My gamepad fell from my hands. It had never crossed my mind. That Arkill had known Ray since he was but a newborn. On an impulse, I grasped his shoulders and looked at him in bewilderment.

“You know Ray since he was born?!”

“Since I was revived before.” Arkill looked a bit annoyed. “Can you let go of me?”

“Oh. Yeah. But you have to tell me! What was he like when he was a kid?”

“Huh… Well…” Under my shining and intensely curious gaze, Arkill said: “He was shorter.”

“You…!” I snorted.

A flickering smile appeared on Arkill’s face.

“Well, he had growth issues until he was ten or eleven years old. But also, back then, I was mentally a child too, so I remember thinking it was strange to see the young master grow when I was not even growing an inch myself.”

There was a brief silence. Arkill’s childhood… sure must have been weird.

“Did you… meet his mom?” I asked hesitantly. Ray hardly spoke about her. It seemed like a really sore spot.

Arkill was choosing a new race. He stopped for an instant.

“I got to see her once from afar but never talked to her. The Lord would always make me leave whenever she was visiting. Guess she doesn’t like us undead.”

“I see. She lives in Europe, right? Ray said the high school he went to last year was a recommendation from his mom. From what he told me, she’s even more annoying than his dad. Guess it’s related to why he decided to go back to Farskyer.”

“You sure worry about Ray’s life.”

I shrugged, taking back my gamepad.

“Call me nosy if you want. But what I actually wanted to hear were the funny parts. Say, do you have an album of photos…?”

The door suddenly opened, and we turned to see Ray coming in along with the Lord. Thank goodness, they looked like they had made up.

“Welcome back!” I said.

“Did you see?” Ray asked. “It’s snowing outside.”

“Whaaat?” I excitedly peeped through the window to see the snowflakes. At the lighthouse, the weather was always warm, so I had never seen snow until I was twelve. Though I was very sensitive to cold when I was alive, I loved snow. I asked: “Do you think it will stick? I want to make a snowman!”

“How old are you?” Ray replied.

I just got an idea and answered straight away:

“Seventeen years old. Can’t I go out and make a snowman?”

Ray snorted, amused.

“No one’s stopping you.”

I grinned. Bingo. At first, I wasn’t sure if it would work, but it did: I felt that Ray’s words had just nullified the order not to go out. I’d rather solve the problem that way than tell him he was being reckless with his words. Knowing him, he was capable of starting to worry about every little sentence he would make.

‘So shrewd.’

With a start, I looked at the Lord as he sat on the sofa. His eyes sparkled. Then he frowned at the view of the already half-eaten pie, but he surprisingly said nothing about it. He was in a good mood.

“Where have you been?” I asked them curiously.

Ray rubbed his neck as he answered awkwardly:

“We went to an exposition of video games, then we ate together at a restaurant. Sorry for our stupid argument, by the way. I didn’t want to shout at you, Armen.”

“It’s fine, it’s fine, as long as you made up already. Knowing you, I bet you enjoyed the exposition.”

“… It was fun,” he admitted. The Lord looked at him happily. Was he a dog? Ray cleared his throat. “What were you guys doing?”

“Actually,” I chuckled, “we were talking about you. I didn’t know you were raised along with Arkill. So, naturally, I wanted to know if you did some funny things back then like you did in middle school.”

Ray blushed.

“What did you told him, Arkill?”

“In middle school?” the Lord intervened. “What funny things are you talking about, Armen? Tell me the truth.”

I gave him an annoyed smile. That guy… Couldn’t he just ask without making it an order?

“Well, Ray’s surprisingly good at doing unexpected things.”

“For example?” the Lord wanted to know.

“Hey…” Ray pouted.

“For example, the time when we were reading some sentences out loud in literature class,” I remembered. “We were taking turns, and a girl called Janet chose Ray to read an exclamatory sentence. Since he was so shy and all, we all wanted to hear him shout. The sentence he had to read was ‘I don’t like chocolate!’ and Ray, he… hahahaha!”

“Don’t laugh at my son, insolent brat. What did he do? Did he scream?”

“Oh, he did, with all his strength, ‘I DON’T LIKE JANEEET!’.”

The Lord guffawed, banging his fists on his knees. I chuckled:

“We took some seconds to catch on.”

Ray cleared his throat.

“My mind just mixed up the chocolate and the girl. You sure enjoy these kinds of things, Armen—”

“There’s more,” I grinned.

“Don’t bring out old stuff like that!” Ray protested.

“But I want to hear it!” the Lord objected joyfully. “Go on, Armen, go on.”

“As you wish, my Lord,” I said, throwing an arm over Ray’s neck. “Do you remember, Ray? The day you put your uniform from elementary school, a teacher took you all the way to your previous school… and you didn’t correct him because you were too much embarrassed to say anything.”

“Puahahahaha!”

The Lord was cackling uncontrollably. Arkill had a wry smile. Amused despite himself, Ray grumbled:

“You, too, could have told that teacher I was a middle schooler, you jerk.”

“Sorry, I only realized what was going on afterwards.”

The Lord said:

“I want more, more!”

“No way, Dad! Armen, stop! Do you want me to talk about that day you just learned what ‘give the finger’ meant and wanted to share your knowledge with a classmate? You made him cry, you bully. At twelve years old.”

“Haha… I was but an innocent country child at the time…”

“Sure. And what about the day when you—?”

“Not interested,” the Lord cut him off.

“That’s harsh!” I laughed, leaning back.

Ray was right: I was enjoying this a lot.

“Well, let’s leave it at that,” Ray said. “The thing is, we were talking about important matters on our way home.”

The Lord snorted.

“What’s more important than my son?”

“Dad… Didn’t you say just a while ago ‘yes, of course, I will help Armen’?”

I widened my eyes. What? Help me? The Lord chortled.

“Oh, yes, you did ask me, ‘please, daddy dearest, I can’t do it myself’. I’m so happy you’re willing to rely on me!”

“Yeah sure, I never said it like that… Anyway, Armen, apparently, you were curious about your awakened power. That fool told me.”

“He… did?” I hesitated.

“Yes, he promised to help you activate it.”

“Ah… Actually, I think I already know how to do it.”

Ray paused, then stared at me.

“What? You already know?”

“You see, the Tiger Clan used to provide us with pills that allowed us to activate our powers for a short time,” I said. “With one pill, I could use them, like, once or twice. Just looking at someone, I could scare the wits out of them.”

“Hoho?” The Lord Necromancer looked up from the sofa, interested. “A mental manipulation power controlled by vision? So you already tried to force its awakening.”

I shook my head.

“It wasn’t like that. Those pills didn’t cause any quirk. They weren’t breaking pills.”

“Breaking pills?” Ray echoed, confused.

“They force the awakening. The Dark Alliance has them,” I explained.

Ray was astounded.

“Does that… really exist?”

“Sure does,” the Lord answered, standing up. “But I’ve heard those kinds of pills are very risky. They mess with the body by injecting great amounts of crystal particles. Of course, the recipe owned by the Hidden Hall is a well-kept hidden secret, but it doesn’t mean it’s better than others. Now, Armen, will you look at me in the eye and activate your power?”

He wasn’t ordering me. Did he really want me to use my power on him? Ray was surprised too. I swallowed dry air.

“I… don’t think it’s a good idea.”

“Why not?”

His face was expectant. I smiled tensely. Was he making fun of me?

“I don’t want to scare you, my Lord.”

Standing before me, he laughed.

“Are you scared of me getting scared? Don’t be, I’ve likely experienced way scarier things than a newbie’s underdeveloped power.”

Underdeveloped power? I ground my teeth as my smile grew larger.

“Okay, I’ll do as you wish. Don’t kill me afterwards.”

“I won’t, I won’t.”

Under Ray’s and Arkill’s attentive gazes, I straightened up and looked at the Lord Necromancer’s eyes. They were slanted like Ray’s, but green instead of grey.

I had thought he was taller than me, but up close, he turned out to be about the same size.

“There I go.”

I activated my power as I had already done many times in the past year. Some seconds passed by. At this point, my victim should have begun shaking and crawling back… but the Lord Necromancer didn’t move. Unperturbed, he didn’t budge at all.

Did my power even work? Or was it that the Lord was unaffected?

My unblinking eyes wavered. I looked down with a flustered smile.

“It’s… not working.”

I was disappointed. I didn’t really like that kind of power, scaring people wasn’t my cup of tea, but well…

“It did work.” The Lord Necromancer’s words staggered me. How was I supposed to believe that? He was frowning. “But it seems you were wrong about one thing: I’m under the impression that your real awakened power is not the one you were using with that Tiger Clan’s pills. It’s a different kind of power.”

A different power? How could that be?

“Should I guide you?” he asked.

How could the Lord Necromancer let me use my power on him without even knowing its effects? That was one crazy man… Anyway, he was willing to help me, which was perfect for me who didn’t know a thing about powers.

“Yes, please guide me, sir!”

When the Lord Necromancer went around me and laid both hands on my temples, I shuddered a little, not exactly because his hands were warm or cold—that, I couldn’t possibly know.

“Look at the pen on the table.”

I looked at it.

“Now activate your power.”

Wait a sec, did he want me to scare a pen? Well… Could it possibly explode? Or transform? That would be cool… But did those powers even exist? Anyway, I did as the Lord told me.

“Don’t lose your concentration. Don’t blink, don’t breathe, use your deathforce. There, I’ll show you how.”

I felt a surge of energy washing through my body. He took control over it. I knew it when my head slightly tilted on its own, my eyes still fixed on the pen.

Then, it moved.

Under my astonished eyes, I saw the pen rise in the air, turn on itself several times, then fall back on the table. The Lord let go of me with a satisfied chuckle.

“Telekinesis, huh? Ah! Such a wonderful ability! If you weren’t my son’s familiar, I might have made you mine.”

I didn’t know whether I had to feel flattered or scared. Ray was staring at me, amazed. I gave him a happy grin then said:

“I like this power even more. I’ll try it again!”

My eyes fixed on the pen, and I used my power as the Lord had done. It worked, though the pen only moved a little on the table. Grr… Why? What had the Lord done I didn’t? I tried again and again as Ray was commenting: “it moved, whoa, you lifted it an inch from the table there, so cool, Armen!” Then, suddenly, I felt dizzy. Wait… Could an undead even feel dizzy? Nah, it was more like my body wasn’t moving as smoothly as before.

“You should stop,” the Lord said, sitting comfortably on the sofa. “Since you don’t know how to use your power efficiently, you’re wasting a lot of deathforce for nothing.”

I was breathing hard, but Ray’s wasted lifeforce wasn’t enough to replenish the energy I had just spent, and now that I thought about it, the Lord didn’t emanate any lifeforce. I widened my eyes. Could it be…?

“What’s with the weird look?” the Lord asked me, rubbing his nose.

“Aaah… It’s just…”

“Spit it out.”

“I don’t sense any lifeforce coming out of your body. Could it be you’re dead too, my Lord?”

I was panting, craving lifeforce. My question made the Lord snort with laughter.

“Your friend’s a funny one, Ray. Do undeads eat human food? No, right? I’m alive and well. I’d even say…” His eyes sparkled as a sudden flow of lifeforce went into my body. Through… a bond? Wasn’t Ray the only one bound to me? Anyway, my breathing calmed down immediately. “I’d even say… I’m a living being nearing perfection. You know, souls are made out of white crystals, and lifeforce is made of white energy. Thanks to my power, I am capable of controlling lifeforce with high precision and don’t waste even a tidbit of it. That’s a power any qi freak would die for: those that seek immortality, those that want to create new kinds of undeads, those that want to improve their qi special technique, whatever it is… all of them would kill for a power like mine. Even qi masters can’t completely control lifeforce. But I can.” Okay, he was proud of his power, no doubt about that. He continued: “But even with that power, there are things I can’t do. Research into lifeforce is dangerous, and creating it from other sources is perhaps the most challenging thing there is. Your grandparents, Ray… But do you remember them? Nah, you were barely four years old when they died. Let’s not talk about that. Personally, I am not as interested in creating lifeforce as I am in understanding its fluxes and its transformation into deathforce. Deathforce is an incredible energy as well. And I’m currently trying to figure out exactly what are the consequences of mixing different concentrations of white energy and black energy in the same necro-core. Who knows, I may find some interesting things thanks to my special power. Holy Gods, I was born to be a necromancer!”

His laugh gave me the creeps. Damn. I shouldn’t have asked him anything. I was barely grasping the sense of his words because I was distracted by his way of speaking: he was waving a lot while babbling about his preferred topic. Ray was looking out of the window at the snowflakes falling. We exchanged a gaze, and he rolled his eyes as his dad went on:

“Didn’t you notice, Armen? I’m fifty-four years old, but I look like I’m in my thirties. Thanks to my complete control over lifeforce, I barely changed in twenty years. Arkill’s a witness, right, Arkill?”

“Yes, my Lord.” Arkill was now in the middle of an RPG quest: his unblinking eyes glued to the screen, he didn’t look like he was listening to his Lord at all.

Well… The Lord Necromancer had helped me discover my new power, wasn’t that great? Not only that, he had awakened it. And it was no less than telekinesis… It wasn’t a power particularly suited for combat, but that didn’t bother me in the least. I didn’t plan to get myself into fights, anyway. I’d rather lead a good peaceful life from now on… Or should I say a good peaceful death?

13 Louise

Higher. Higher. Move!

My eyes fixed the small stone as I was crouching next to a paint can. The stone rose about twenty centimeters before falling back on the ground in front of the depot.

It was my record. I smiled with satisfaction. The day before, after helping me discover the nature of my power, the Lord had taught me some tricks about how to optimize lifeforce. I had put his lesson into practice at the busy night pub I worked at at night, and I think I had managed to efficiently absorb a higher amount of wasted lifeforce. That said, I still struggled when it came to using my ability. Just in a few attempts, I had the impression I had wasted more than half the energy I had worked so hard to obtain.

The bell sounded the end of morning tests. I stood up and looked at the school’s main building. While, as third-year students, Ray and Arkill were having the last midterm exams, I had to come to school too since I had been punished by painting the outer walls of a small building next to the gym. It was apparently made for storage. I had peeped inside and it looked pretty messy. The façade, though, was now almost restored. Just a bit more and I would pass to the last wall.

“Let’s get it done!” I said to myself, brandishing the paintbrush. I got to work, humming a melody.

I normally always avoided troubles at school, thus I had rarely got punished. My first actual slip was when I had given Woon’s bully a lesson last spring, and it seemed that no teacher found out. I almost regretted I didn’t get punished more: painting was fun. Maybe I could even improvise and add some figures? If only there was more than just white paint… Ah, maybe there were more cans in the storage? Then I remembered I was quite bad at drawing, and I changed my mind.

“Lalari, lalalaru…”

I was humming, not bothered in any way by the paint scent, cold, or tiredness. Being an undead was great. Should I compose a hymn for us, undead? Did songs about necromancy exist in the Underworld? I had never thought about that. I should ask Ray later.

Bit by bit, I began to chain some verses:

Oh, oh, when I see you,
I can’t sleep, I can’t sleep!
I watch you through the night
I won’t blink even once,
oh, I’m gonna lose my mind!
I can’t sleep, I can’t sleep!
My heart got struck by your lightning,
it won’t beat, it won’t beat,
I starve breathing by your side,
Let me eat, let me eat…

I stopped, blushing internally. I wasn’t expecting to compose a love song…

“Who’s that punk?”

I jolted and turned around. Four third-year boys were sauntering along the path next to the depot, staring mockingly at me. The one who just spoke, a green-haired guy with a cocky look, stepped closer, his hands in his pockets.

“You’re a student?”

“Er… Oh, I am,” I answered, a bit troubled. Had they heard my silly song? “I’m a second-year. I’ve been punished, so I’m painting these walls. Do you… have some business in there?” I asked as I saw one of them lift the bar and open the door.

Now that he knew he was dealing with a junior student, the green-haired guy’s attitude seemed to get even more arrogant. He drew close to my face as he said:

“That place’s our turf. Got a problem with that?”

“Huh… No.”

“Then keep working and be quiet.”

“Yes…” I smiled hesitatingly as I turned around. Those brats pretending to act like thugs were kinda cute.

As I was painting the wall, I heard them speaking inside.

“What did that guy do to get punished, anyway?”

“No idea.”

“His song was so lame!” someone laughed. Damn. So they heard me.

“Heh… I hope they don’t restore this place because they want to do something with it.”

“I don’t care. I’ll leave this damn school after a month, anyway.”

“Styzz, you lucky bastard. So you really got scouted by the Nyomin Union?”

“His ability is amazing, so no wonder.”

Ability? My paintbrush stopped as I listened.

“I think I’ll be joining the Hidden Wolves unit in a matter of two years or so,” Styzz said in a nonchalant tone.

“What? But that’s an elite unit of the Nyomin! You can’t possibly join them just like that, Styzz.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll make it happen.”

That was some confidence. The Hidden Wolves were a group of elite members under the direct command of the Nyomin director. They were secret agents that had supposedly undergone hellish training. There was even a video series for children featuring them as the Undefeatable Swordsmen of Justice. Becoming a Hidden Wolf was, hence, every little boy’s dream. I remember that even my sister had once said she wanted to become one.

I heard footsteps on the wooden floor and started painting again. Styzz walked out of the depot and scowled at me.

“Hey, you, did you hear? Go buy us some snacks at the cafeteria if you don’t want to deal with a future Hidden Wolf like me.”

Oh, oh, so scary. I could have talked back, but ever since that day in summer, I had sworn to myself I wouldn’t get into senseless fights anymore. I put the paintbrush down, gave the green-haired future Hidden Wolf a thumbs up, and just left.

I went to take a walk on the other side of the school field. When I came back after the bell, I found the white paint can overturned and one of the walls smudged with green paint. A message had been written in upper case: «WE’LL GET U». Where did they get their hands on a green paint can? Perhaps inside the depot? Well… I kind of expected that. I just hoped they went back to their exams without having eaten anything. Good grief… If only they knew they were messing with an undead, they would have freaked out.

I glanced at the white paint spilled on the ground, then went into the building. I found several paint cans abandoned there. There were no white-colored ones, but beige ones… Oh, well, they were about the same, right?

“Time to put on the final coat, I guess.”

It took me several hours to repaint the wall. Then, I finally washed my hands stained in paint, dropped by the office to say I was done, and left the school. Ray wouldn’t finish his exams until six o’clock. As I passed through the gates, I looked at my cell. There were some messages from Zeeta.

‘Zeeta, today, at 13:12: When are u guys coming home?’

‘13:14: There’s a weird girl with greenish-blue hair here.’

‘13:14: She opened and I got in. Didn’t know u guys weren’t home.’

‘13:15: Who’s she, btw?’

A greenish-blue-haired girl, at our home? As I picked up the pace, I typed:

‘Armen, 15:01: No idea. 😅’

‘15:01: I just left school (I was painting some walls). You still there? I’m coming.’

I got home some minutes later. The snow from yesterday had stuck, and early in the morning, I had made a little snowman in the park beside the house. I had shown it to Ray on our way to school. Now the snow had thawed on the streets, but my snowman was still standing pridefully. The undead’s power to make snowmen was nothing to be scoffed at, muahahaha…

I pushed the gate, then took my key and opened the door. What I saw then was unexpected.

In the living room, Zeeta and a spiky greenish-blue-haired girl were standing in front of each other and yelling:

“Rock, paper, scissors!”

Both of them played scissors, then looked at me. I raised a hand.

“Er… What’s going on here?”

“Armen!” Zeeta’s face showed relief.

“We’re playing You-win-you-ask!” the girl said happily. “Do you want to play? Do you want to play?”

“Er…”

“She’s five years old,” Zeeta abruptly declared. “Her name’s Louise, she likes cats, she loves games but not video games nor chessboard games. She wants to know Ray’s new familiar, that’s you. By the way, she sucks at rock-paper-scissors.”

I understood that Zeeta had learned all that through their game. There was no way her body was five years old, she was in her twenties or her late teens at least, but since she probably was an undead, it was reasonable to think her mentality was that of a five-year-old child. Had Zeeta really been playing with her for two hours already?

As I saw the castle of cards on the table, I whistled. They were as good at that as my dad was. Impressive.

“Rock, paper, scissors!”

Again, Zeeta and Louise ended in a tie.

“Ray’s familiar! You lost, you lost, you have to answer our questions!”

Eh? What? I wasn’t even playing! Both of them were staring at me, Zeeta smirking, the greenish-blue-haired girl tilting her head and showing her razor-sharp teeth. She was creepy… but her childish behavior had some charm.

“That, well… Okay,” I accepted. “I’ll answer. By the way, I’m Armen. Hi, Louise, nice to meet you. You’re with the Lord, right?”

“You lost, you can’t ask!” Louise warned. “Also, you have to answer the truth and only the truth, or else the game’s no fun. Seeta, your turn.”

Seeta? She couldn’t pronounce the “z”. Zeeta blushed a bit as I grinned teasingly. A gleam of revenge passed on his eyes.

“Armen, between Ray and me, who’s your best friend?”

“…! What?”

“Who’s more friend of yours?”

He got me in a pinch.

“What’s with the ‘more’ friend? You’re not making any sense. Both of you are friends. There’s no ranking.”

“But there is.”

“You’re both my best friends!” I said, agitated.

Zeeta gave me a mocking smile.

“That’s impossible.”

“… I so wanna kick you now, Zeeta.”

He laughed. Frowning, Louise chimed in:

“Beeeep! Your turn’s over. Now’s my turn. Alumen.” Whoa… Was she calling my name? Zeeta chuckled. Louise grinned with her sharp teeth as she turned her green eyes to me. “There comes my question: how old are you?”

“I’m seventeen.”

Actually, in Farskyer, people counted their age based on New Year’s Day, so officially, I wasn’t even seventeen, though my birthday had already passed.

Louise’s eyes widened in disbelief, then her expression showed respect.

“So old! You’re nearly as old as Arkill!”

Eh… I smiled hesitantly.

“Actually, it’s just you who’s very young, Louise.”

I was saying that in front of a girl’s grown-up body. Louise pouted, then said:

“Again! Rock, paper, scissors!”

This time, at least, I got to play. Zeeta and I played rock, Louise, scissors. She fortunately wasn’t a sore loser: she looked at us, expectantly, waiting for the questions.

“Do you…” we both began.

“Go first, Alumen,” Zeeta said.

“No, you go, Seeta.”

“No, you go, you go, Alumen.”

“Hurry up!” Louise bounced up and down.

She really acted like a five-year-old girl. Zeeta and I exchanged an amused smile, then I asked:

“Do you like snow, Louise?”

Her eyes lit up.

“I do! Because it’s white and it squeaks. But Papa says it’s bad to touch it too much because my hands can turn blue, and then I can’t move my fingers.”

I raised a quivering eyebrow, trying not to laugh. Papa? Could she mean the Lord Necromancer? I thought about her answer. Now that I think about it, Ray had warned me to be careful about temperatures: even if I could barely sense them, my skin could freeze or get burned. Not being able to feel real pain was one of the reasons young undead who couldn’t remember their past lives had to be watched closely by a necromancer. I remembered I heard the Lord say something like that. So, that meant… the Lord had left his cute and playful little girl under our care.

Louise really was bad at rock-paper-scissors, but she was enjoying it the most. She cheerfully answered our questions: she liked her “Papa” a lot, she had never gone out of Farskyer City, she usually played with Uncle Adrian—probably another life-reaper—she also liked a lot the subway because it was “full of food”. She was afraid of… nothing! Or so she said. She disliked something named Rakshaha—a guy? a sort of dish? I couldn’t even ask, because she immediately passed on the next round with a happy laugh. Truth be told, it didn’t take long before I succumbed to Louise’s childish charm like Zeeta.

It was almost six o’clock when I realized it was night already and I said:

“Ray and Arkill must have finished their exams. How about we go pick them up?”

“Is it really necessary? It’s freezing outside,” Zeeta complained.

“Come on, it’s only ten minutes on foot. Ray will be happy if we come together.”

“…”

I smiled.

“Let’s rock-paper-scissors it.”

I won, Louise clapped her hands, and we went out the three of us. Louise was skipping happily through the street. Zeeta let out:

“Okay, from now on I’ll assume that every adult acting childish is a new undead.”

“Don’t,” I snorted. Then I asked: “So? You said you managed to rent something?”

“Yeah, sort of. Yesterday, I bumped into my boss’ little brother, and he insisted on having me stay at his house, in Tiergarten, not far from here. He’s a rich kid that likes to show off, but he’s not a bad guy. Oh, and guess what: my boss’ houses are super luxurious.”

“The Beholder, right?”

“Huh? You heard of him? Well, he’s nicknamed the Beholder by outsiders, but we call him just Nick.”

“He’s a power-holder too, right?”

“Yeah, he’s got a psychic power. According to his brother, he’s able to save information in his brain like a computer and make external copies. He’s kind of a walking computer.”

“… He must be a very special person.”

“Yes!” Zeeta laughed. “He is special. He’s also filthy rich!”

“Huh… Looks like that family’s money has bought you, Zeeta.”

“Hah? Welp, that may be true. But as long as I’m having fun, I think it’s okay,” he grinned.

As we were turning a corner, we heard Louise yell:

“Ray! We’ve come to pick you up!”

We saw Ray in his school uniform, standing alone under the light of a lamp-post. I froze. Wasn’t Arkill supposed to be with him?

“Ray!” I called out to him.

I rushed. Knowing him, he probably had been running from lamp-post to lamp-post, avoiding the dark. Yet…

“Why did you come?” he asked, flustered. His dark hair hid his eyes in the shadows, but the slight quivering of his lips was speaking for itself. Dammit.

“Where’s Arkill?”

“My dad wanted him to go somewhere. I told him to go. Tch, it’s not like I can’t go home by myself. I’m fine, really.”

He clearly wasn’t. But telling him that wouldn’t help. I laid a hand on his head and smiled at him.

“I know. It’s all right. Let’s go home now.”

He swallowed, his dark eyes more brilliant than usual. He relaxed, then moved aside as he grumbled:

“Yeah, let’s go home.”

“Let’s, let’s!” Louise said cheerfully, taking his arm.

“And what are you doing here, Louise?”

“I’ve come to play! Papa said I could!”

“R-Really?”

On our way back home, Louise did an excellent job in distracting Ray’s attention from the darkness surrounding us. Getting an idea of what was going on, Zeeta whispered to me:

“Is it that bad?”

I shrugged.

“You could say that.”

Zeeta didn’t insist. After all, he’d had bigger personal problems to deal with. He muttered as we were passing the gate:

“Oh, I didn’t tell you… My dad’s still alive.”

I stopped dead in my tracks at his words. So he didn’t kill him. Thank goodness.

“That’s great.”

“Yeah.”

He added nothing. He didn’t want to talk about that anymore. I didn’t either. I was just happy Zeeta had broken all ties with that despicable person.

As soon as we got into the house, I decided to prepare dinner: that would cheer Ray up.

“What do you want to eat? An omelet?” I asked as I walked into the kitchen.

“Yes!” Louise said excitedly. “I want something yummy. Red strawberries, eat and be merry-zu!”

That looked like an advertisement slogan. Wait, she was capable of saying the “z”, after all! I gently replied:

“Strawberries can’t be yummy for us, Louise.”

“Why not?”

Did she really not know? I was trying to find my words when, going to the fridge, Ray opened the freezer, saying:

“Didn’t we have frozen veggies? We could use that for… AAAAAAAAAAARGHHHHH!”

His scream scared me to the core. If I had been alive, I think I would have died from a heart attack. Ray hurried backwards and fell, stuttering with a high-pitched voice:

“Wh-Wh-Wh-What? What is that thing?!!”

“Oh, that?”

Cheerfully, Louise approached and took out something from the freezer. It was a tabby cat body. I gasped, horrified; Zeeta let out a “Holy Gods” under his breath… What the hell was doing a dead cat in our freezer! Embracing the stiff, furry corpse of the animal, Louise smiled from ear to ear as she said:

“I’ve found it on a street this morning, but it wasn’t moving. Papa said you’ll make it move, Ray. Make it move! Make it move and say meow!”

She shook it up and down. Ray, Zeeta, and I probably had the same thought here:

That’s one terrifying five-year-old kid.

14 The Dark&Light couple

Louise’s present was undoubtedly a surprise, but I think the biggest surprise was that Ray accepted to give it a try.

“I’ll make it move,” he said.

“Y-You serious?” I faltered, astounded. “Right now?”

“It’s… not like I want to do it, but it’s necessary,” he mumbled. He added: “It will probably take me a long time. I’ll be upstairs. Please, Louise, don’t be too noisy.”

“I won’t!” she said with a solemn face. “Here’s Rainbows. Take care of her.”

She had even given it a name already?

Ray took the cat and disappeared upstairs into his room. Was he really going to revive the animal? At first, I was utterly confused: didn’t he say he didn’t like necromancy? Had his dad been able to pass his weird passion on him? No way. Then why?

I think I began to understand when I brought Ray his dinner and saw him consulting a grimoire with an intent look. Could it be that he was determined to learn how necromancy worked, not to revive corpses but to grasp a better understanding of our necro-bond?

Downstairs, Louise was drawing. Zeeta had just left after making me promise I would tell him if the cat had awakened—the thing is, after hearing Louise babbling on and on about the future games she would play with Rainbows, I think that both of us wanted to see it move.

I heard a cell buzzing. It was Ray’s. His dad was calling him. I was about to take it upstairs when mine buzzed too. Rolling my eyes, I sat on the floor by Louise’s side and took the call.

“Hi, hi, my Lord, what’s up?”

« IS HE REVIVING THE CAT?! » the Lord asked hurriedly. I had to move my cell at least five inches away from my ear.

“He is.”

I heard him chortle then laugh openly.

« My, my, he is! Sand, Sora, Arkill, you hear? He did it! My son did it! »

He sounded like a dad witnessing his child’s first steps. Oh, well…

“The cat’s not moving yet, though.”

« Oh, it’s not like my son can’t do it, » the Lord assured. « Ray’s very capable. He only needed a little push. Once he has started, he won’t back out. »

So the Lord had sent Louise to give him that “little push”. I glanced at the greenish-blue-haired girl focused on her drawing and confirmed: it wasn’t like Louise was aware of anything.

« That’s wonderful, wonderful, » the Lord was saying. « Oh, by the way, Louise is still there, right? »

“She is. She is drawing suns and smiling faces. Oh, and a tree.”

“It’s a hand!” Louise complained, then she drew closer excitedly. “Is it Papa? Papa’s talking on the phone?”

« Dear Louise! » the Lord greeted her affectionately. « Come back home, okay? Armen, can you accompany her? Don’t worry about Ray. He’ll be fine. My bats will immediately tell me if something happens, anyway. When you get there, I have something to tell you. »

Something he wanted to tell me? Was it… about my killer?

The Lord had hung up. Putting her drawings together, Louise handed them to me.

“It’s a present!”

She really liked to gift things, huh. The drawing on the top showed a distorted face with a big smile and a red thing on its head. Could it be…?

“Is that me?”

“Yes! Can you draw me too?”

Was she happy because I was able to recognize myself in that scribble or because I was taking the bunch of sheets off her hands, accepting the gift? I couldn’t help but smile. Louise was weird, but she definitely had her cute side.

“I draw you, and then I bring you home, okay?”

“Okay!”

That took me back to my childhood, when I was but a kid scribbling with my big sis. When I was done, she looked at my drawing then giggled.

“You’re bad at drawing, Alumen!” Hey, wasn’t she being a bit biased there?

“Sorry for that,” I smiled amusedly. “Your hair’s actually even more… spiky, like that, right? And your nose’s smaller—”

“You’re making me ugly!”

“I’m not, I’m not, you’re pretty, look, don’t you think you’re pretty?”

“… Can I have it?”

What? I gave it to her, thinking she was going to rip it, but she didn’t: she looked at it then stood up looking very pleased.

“Alumen, I will never forget what you have done! Now let’s go home!”

Was she gonna save it? I’d rather not ask. Also… what was with that “I will never forget what you have done”? Was that a threat or a thanks? What kind of expressions was the Lord teaching his familiars?

I forgot all of this when Louise gripped my wrists and forced me to my feet without any effort. “Alumen, Alumen”, she was repeating joyfully. I couldn’t believe my eyes. What the hell? Louise had lifted me like I was a feather. Did I imagine it or… was she stronger than me?

After telling her to put her coat on, I went to check on Ray, but on seeing him deeply concentrated, I just wrote a message, then left the house with Louise.

She headed straight to the subway station. So, that probably meant the Lord’s home wasn’t in the Harvard District. Even at this late hour, the wagons were crammed. Was it because of some event? Then, a conversation between a group of teenagers told me there had been a big exposition in the Nyomin District: apparently, the Nyomin Heroes of Farskyer City had made their appearance there. The Nyomin was just one of the numerous wings of the World Government, but in Farskyer City, it was the biggest force. They employed quite a few Heroes to ensure the city’s safety in addition to the governor’s police force. I had seen Heroes in action several times since I had come to Farskyer: when I was fourteen, a guy who could create bubbles without oxygen had put out a crazy fire not far from my place; one year ago, I had seen a group of Heroes trying to secure a boy who had just experimented a quirk and had gone on a rampage, throwing acid needles all over the place. I had been awe-struck by their composure facing the danger. I had never really interested myself in the “Hero culture” though, but I knew that some Heroes were quite famous and that they had wide circles of fans and supporters.

Louise was yawning with her mouth wide open for a while now. No, she wasn’t yawning: she was eating lifeforce. A guy gave her a weird look. She did look stupid, gaping like that. Holding onto a pole, I leaned and whispered in her ear:

“Can’t you breathe normally, Louise?”

She answered without even closing her mouth:

“Ah? Breathe? What’s that?”

Did she not know the word? Then, the train arrived at the next stop, and unaware of the braking, Louise stumbled backwards, hitting my chin. It just itched a bit, but I still checked that my jaw was in its right place. Geez…

“Alumen! My drawing!”

The sheet had flown off Louise’s hands. She looked at me with a face so sad that I immediately started searching for the drawing among all the people.

“There!” Louise pointed at. “It’s getting off!”

She meant the sheet was one half on the wagon, one half on the platform. And it was still moving under the passengers getting off the train. It was too late.

‘Alumen, I will never forget what you have done!’

Louise’s happy words resonated in my mind. I clenched my fists. No, it wasn’t too late yet.

I crouched then fixed my eyes on the sheet and activated my power. I tried to remember the Lord’s teachings. Control the target, control its speed, control its stability… The drawing rose, then somehow flew toward me rather fast, avoiding the people’s legs. Flap. It landed on my face. It worked! I didn’t really know how but… I did it! I grabbed the drawing, stood up, and smiled at Louise’s amazed face, handing it to her.

“If you don’t want to lose it, put it into your pocket. It’s just a drawing though—”

“Alumen!” She embraced me. I think I heard my bones cracking. “Thank you! You’re gorgeous!”

I was… what? Under the teasing looks of some passengers—who probably didn’t follow what happened—I unnecessarily cleared my throat.

“Louise, you’re wrong, gorgeous is not the word.”

“You’re my hero! Alumen, the hero! Heeheehee…”

Where did all that nonsense come from? I wondered.

We got off the train at the next station and had to take the tram heading to Tiergarten District. Wasn’t Zeeta staying at a luxurious house around here?

When we finally arrived, it had begun to snow. In the silent night, I followed Louise through the district’s broad, empty streets fringed by big mansions and large gardens. Tiergarten was actually on a hill bordering Harvard and wasn’t far from Ray’s place, but the trains had made us take a detour.

“Louise, did you come to Ray’s house alone this morning?” I asked.

“Yup! I went on foot because the Lord said I couldn’t get in the subway with the cat. But I like the subway. It smells good, doesn’t it? Way better than meat.”

So the Lord let her wandering around even though she was so young. As Louise was walking backwards, waiting for an answer, I smiled.

“Yeah. It smells quite good.”

I had actually eaten well too. I wondered why, on the first days of my revival, I couldn’t even sense lifeforce. Ray said it was a sort of evolution necessary to all life-reapers. Now, breathing in lifeforce was like second nature to me.

Wait, did Louise just say… “way better than meat”? My eyes followed her dancing pace, intrigued. The way she had said it, it sounded as if she had been eating meat up until not long ago. Could that mean she was one of those ghouls Arkill told me about? Those that had evolved into life-reapers? Well, as long as she didn’t eat human meat like in the horror movies…

“It’s here, it’s here!” Louise whispered as if the silence surrounding us was muffling her voice.

She typed a password on a device, and the gate opened. Snow was already blanketing the ground.

“Come, Alumen, quick!”

Louise took my hand and pulled me until we entered. She definitely was strong: I bet she would be able to lift me without breaking a sweat. But how? Was it her awakened power? Louise closed the gate behind us, as quickly as possible. I looked at her worriedly.

“Is there a problem, Louise?”

“Whew… You don’t know? If we don’t close the door, the ghosts will come out.”

“G-Ghosts?” I stuttered. Then, I thought that was probably something the Lord or someone close to her had made up so she would remember to shut the gate. Even so, I couldn’t help but ask: “Have you seen one?”

Louise had begun to climb a path, going up a slope filled with bare-branched trees. She gave me a startled look.

“You never have? You never came here, right! This wood has a lot of ghosts.”

My eyes scanned our surroundings nervously. In that darkness, I could barely see the ground. If something were to pop up…

I suddenly heard a high-pitched voice that sounded like coming from beyond the grave, but it was actually coming from…

“Bara-bara-bara-bara… Bara-bara-bara-bara…”

I frowned at Louise, trembling.

“You scared me!”

A sudden creaking made me jolt. Turning around, I saw a shape moving between the trees. A ghost? A ghost. It was a ghost?! I took Louise’s hand and cried out:

“Run!”

We ran. Louise was laughing. She soon left me behind when a wooden two-story mansion appeared before us. Opening the door, she yelled out:

“Uncle Adrian! Alumen is afraid of your ghosts! Uncle Adrian!”

“Uncle’s in the basement,” a voice said, inside the house. It was the Lord’s. “When his ghosts are outside, it means he’s eating, Louise. Did you forget? Armen, come in, come in. Don’t be scared, you’re among necromancers and undead here.”

That was supposed to be comforting, I guess. I composed myself and entered. The inside was cozier than expected. A large carpet with warm colors covered the living room. In pajamas, the Lord was adding some firewood into a wood-burning stove. Sitting on a long desk, Arkill and a black-haired man were busy writing some repetitive sequence of words. I shut the door. As I took off my shoes and stepped forward, Louise was excitingly showing my drawing to the Lord and telling him about my feat in the subway. I greeted Arkill with a gesture.

“Working at this hour?”

“Updating records. The Lord had some work to catch up on.”

So he was making his familiars do it instead, huh? I turned my attention to his companion… As my eyes met his, they opened wide.

“You are…! Sora?”

He was one of the three Winged Bulls! So… did that mean Sora had been an undead all along? He raised an eyebrow, then just said in a muffled tone:

“That’s surprising.”

“Eh? You know each other?” the Lord asked, sitting down on his armchair.

“That kid was one of the Cheetahs,” Sora answered sparingly.

“The Cheetahs? What’s that?” Louise asked.

“A gang under the Tiger Clan’s influence,” I explained. Seeing Louise tilt her head, I clarified: “A group of friends. It got disbanded in summer.”

“Oh?” The Lord’s eyes sparkled. He picked up a bottle of cyder and poured himself a drink. “How’s my son?”

So, in the end, he totally didn’t care about my past…

“He’s fine.” How many times had I answered that very same question this last week? “He’s working on that cat you sent him.”

The Lord Necromancer laughed.

“Cheers!”

He was the only one drinking. I looked around. There were no skulls, no bones, no skeletons. The kitchen, next to the living room, looked pretty normal. There were no grisly items, nor walking zombies… I was a bit disappointed. Just a bit. On the shelves, there were some encyclopedias, history books, mangas, albums, and classic novels. There were also photos of Ray. Actually, there were too many of them, and of all sorts: a baby Ray grinning with his first tooth, bathing, gripping a woman’s finger… Ray as a toddler was also pretty funny. As a pre-teen too, he looked more formal and stubborn. In one of the pictures, he was holding a trophy. I read: «2012 — chess regional championship». Wow. Ray had never told me he had participated in a chess competition. I understood now why he was so good at it.

When I met the Lord’s proud eyes, I coughed.

“So you wanted to talk to me about something?”

“Oh, yes, yes. Sit down and listen.”

The Lord didn’t make it a real order, but I sat down on the sofa anyway and looked at him intently. He spoke.

“There are two things I wanted to tell you. One is troublesome and is related to your studies, the other one’s the address of your killer, Laith Tessen.”

I didn’t know whether I should be excited by the news or scared. Actually, I was neither excited nor scared. Pleased, in a way, that the Lord had taken my request seriously; but I also was bothered by an urgent question: what did I have to do to my killer now that I knew where to find him?

“What’s that about my studies?” I asked, putting aside those thoughts for later.

The Lord was fiddling with his glass.

“The thing is, the other day Ray received a letter from the Nyomin College saying that he had applied to the Experimental Program for the Heroes of Tomorrow, the EPHT, or something like that, and he had been accepted. He is first ranked in his school, right? I’m proud of him, but having good grades is not necessarily a good thing.”

I blinked, confused. Ray was being to be admitted in an experimental group of students created by the Nyomin?

“He… really applied?” I said.

“Apparently. If I had to guess, Lizzie made him promise he would do it.”

“Lizzie?”

“Her mom. She’s a Hero from the Nyomin. The Lightning Veil. You heard of her?”

I shook my head. I had spent my early childhood in a lighthouse, cut off from the world. I wasn’t familiarized with the Nyomin Heroes’ names. I only knew the most famous ones and the ones that appeared in the video games.

More importantly… the Lord Necromancer had got married to a Nyomin Hero? Did Lizzie know what kind of family his husband was from? Or did she get divorced precisely because she found out? Did she even know?

“The fact that Ray enters the Nyomin is not a problem in itself,” the Lord went on. “The link between Art Styxer and the Lord Necromancer is still well hidden. But Ray studying in that special group will mean that you will be in a very delicate situation. You may not know this, but a necro-bond is like a plant: it withers if not watered. The longer an undead is away from his master, the weaker the necro-bond will get. The more experienced both the necromancer and the undead are, the more it will last, but… Ray is still learning. If the necro-bond gets cut, you die, and for good: your soul won’t stand another resurrection.”

I shuddered. The Lord added:

“So, about that program, Ray will probably back off now that he has you, but that means he won’t keep his promise with his mom, which is troublesome: Lizzie will get upset, if not even suspicious. Therefore, it would be bad if Ray decided not to go. The program will last for two months, starting from mid-January, and will take place in a Nyomin training ground. The students can’t bring other people along, so that means that you will have to prove yourself and enter that program. In January, there will be an examination for young people that want to be part of that program and couldn’t get accepted in their first attempt or didn’t apply in time. That will be your chance.”

I was dumbfounded. The Lord wanted me to enter a group of talented students in the Nyomin? Only the cracking firewood was breaking the silence of the room. I lowered my eyes… then looked up at the Lord and decided to be honest:

“I don’t want Ray to back off because of me, and if I could be studying with him during those two months, that would be really nice, but… I can’t. I’m not talented. My grades are bad.”

“How bad?”

“Well… In the mock exams, my better grade was thirty-seven out of 100. Out of the two hundred forty second-year students, I’m ranked 222nd.”

I heard a snort and turned towards the two desk workers. Sora’s face was as gloomy as usual. Arkill raised a hand.

“Sorry, you just sounded proud of it for a moment…”

There was no way I could be proud of having bad grades, right? Well… I guess that, as time passed, I had just got used to it. The Lord then said:

“That’s worse than I expected. But you still have hope.”

At first, his words just sounded hollow… but then I saw his confident expression, and I understood something: the Lord Necromancer was determined to make me go with Ray to this training ground. That… made me feel bad for having given up that easily. However, I smiled doubtfully at him.

“Do you have some kind of necro-potion to make someone smart, my Lord?”

“What are you saying? You don’t need to be smart. The Nyomin people are most likely searching for new talents through new experimental means: that’s why I’m sure they won’t base their assessment only on school grades. Do you know what that means? You will enter thanks to your telekinesis power!”

I gaped at him. What? He went on:

“As soon as I saw your power yesterday, I made up my mind. Telekinesis is not that uncommon, but as an undead, you have a huge advantage: you don’t need to blink. As long as you have deathforce, you can move an object without interruption. That’s some amazing potential.”

“Heh… You’re right,” I conceded, somewhat flattered. “So?”

He pointed out:

“But, if you show that to the Nyomin people, they will get suspicious as to why you don’t need to blink. So make sure you remember to act normal.”

I looked at him with curiosity.

“Okay. But, in that case, what will make me stand out during the examination?”

“Your talent, of course!”

There was a silence. Then I turned to Louise, standing there as if she was trying to understand the conversation, and I gave her a warm smile, saying:

“Your Papa is amazing, Louise. He says I have talent.”

“You…!” the Lord snorted. He stood up and loomed over me. “Talent is not something you have or you don’t have: it’s something you build.” As he took my chin between his fingers, his eyes gleamed. “Work hard and become a telekinetic master.”

Lightning flashed through my mind. He had just… given me an order. Seriously? That crazy Lord Necromancer in pajamas wanted me to become a teek master in one month? His green eyes were piercing me like daggers. I flinched, then the Lord stepped away.

“I bet a finger that you’ll pass that examination, so don’t fail me.”

What kind of sacrifice was that? I passed a nervous hand on my red knit cap as I stood up.

“I’ll do my best. But… since Arkill and Sora are more experienced than I am, are you going to send them too to stalk your son?”

“Who’s stalking my son?!” the Lord barked under his breath. I recoiled and he shrugged. “Of course, I’d be more at ease if I sent Arkill or Sora. Plus, they can stand two months away from me. The only problem is, Lizzie…” A soft smile appeared on his lips then faded as he went on: “Lizzie is one of the organizers, and she may have seen Arkill. Sending him with Ray would just be problematic. As for Sora, he’s only ten years old…” My astounded eyes turned to the pale, reserved guy that was still working at the desk. Ten years old?! “Besides, Armen, you’re my son’s best friend: I think Ray will only accept to bring an undead along if it’s you. Everything will be fine as long as you work hard and persuade him to take part in that program… You two may even learn some useful stuff over there.”

“Yeah…” I hesitated. I really didn’t want Ray to give up on such an opportunity just for my sake, so… there was no other way. Still… “What if they find out I am an undead?”

The Lord Necromancer had poured himself another drink. He chuckled.

“Who in his right mind would send an undead to a training made for the Nyomin Union’s future generation?” He had just admitted he wasn’t in his right mind… He raised a forefinger. “Besides, I will teach you some tricks. After one month, you’ll be able to absorb greater amounts of lifeforce. Hopefully, you will also learn how to make your heart beat for some seconds, even some minutes, or heat your skin, or feel physical contact with your hands for a moment…” He smirked. “You won’t get caught.”

He was so confident and his words were so inspiring that I was strongly tempted to believe him. It was likely that the Lord Necromancer knew of a way to nurture the bond between Ray and me, but… I didn’t ask him about it, for various reasons: I wanted to be by Ray’s side, I wanted to see if I could get in the Nyomin with my powers, I wanted the Lord to teach me how to make my heart beat… I was looking forward to all of this.

I grinned happily.

“I’ll make sure Ray will go to that experimental program. Oh, but can you remove that command you gave just now? Ray wouldn’t like that. I’ll do it myself.”

The Lord Necromancer looked at me thoughtfully, then gave a satisfied nod.

“You’re a friend of my son indeed. I’ve removed the command.”

Did he? I felt nothing. I guess I could only believe him. The Lord savored his cyder then let out:

“Number 41, 5B, Brokenlight Street, Old Docks.”

I jerked up a bit. That was my killer’s address. The street was in the south part of my district. I faltered… then smiled.

“Thanks.” I walked to the door, saying: “Then, I’ll be in my way.”

“He’s skilled. Do you think you can handle him?”

I paused, then put on my shoes as I replied:

“Sorry, but that’s none of your concern. Good evening, my Lord, good evening, Arkill, and Sora. That was quite a surprise. It was nice to meet you today, Louise.” I patted her head.

“I want to play with you tomorrow!” Louise said, embracing my arm. “Can I go to Ray’s home tomorrow?”

“Heh… You can come any time,” I assured, opening the door. “Well, then…”

I hesitated, then the Lord said calmly raising his glass:

“Good evening, Armen. Take good care of that human trash.”

My face darkened when I whispered:

“I will.”

* * *

Armen had just left when the Lord Necromancer, still sitting in his armchair, said nonchalantly:

“Apparently, that Laith has an empathic power and can detect lies to some extent. I’ve been told he went crazy because of this ability. That’s something a philosopher would like to understand… What is so painful? The lies, the truth, or the fact of not being able to delude oneself?”

The firewood cracked in the stove, then:

“Arkill. Follow our newbie discreetly and make sure he comes back in one piece, will you?”

The red-haired looked at his Lord in pajamas and stood up without a word.

“Oh… And now that you’re at it, take care of the guy who’s been following him this whole time.”

Arkill imperceptibly raised an eyebrow. Someone was following Armen?

He went out, crossed the small wood, shut the mansion’s gate behind him, then headed to the tram station. As he walked, he perceived the presence of a man sneaking behind Armen’s distant silhouette. Arkill tensed up. Could it be a spy? An enemy from the Nyomin? A tail from the VP?

Then his eyes caught a better glimpse of the man’s gait, and he frowned.

What was that guy doing here?

15 The crying of the dead

Laith Tessen was most likely a criminal on the run. Should I call the police and let them take care of it?

I stopped by a phone booth, then put on my gloves, and kept walking on the snowy street.

No. After spending a year as a Cheetah, I had learned a thing or two about our society. As Ginger, the Cheetahs’ leader, used to say: ‘People fear criminals because the police always arrive after the events.’ As gangsters, we had caught more store thieves in the Old Docks than the police had. It wasn’t really the police’s fault: they just didn’t have the means to bring justice to innocent people everywhere. That’s why there were so many gangs in Farskyer. There was a saying in the Underworld: there’s no better lawyer than yourself.

I looked up at a five-story building. Number 41, 5B, Brokenlight Street, Old Docks. It was in front of a small park shrouded in darkness. The street was residential, and it was empty at this late hour.

I entered the block. It didn’t have any security system. The inside was old, and the elevator was down. I saw no one on the stairs as I climbed to the fifth floor.

I finally stopped. My killer’s door was just in front of me. Did I have a plan? Ray would have probably called me a fool for not even thinking of one. But I was really out of ideas.

I just pressed the doorbell.

For a moment, I thought he wasn’t at home. I almost hoped he wasn’t. I honestly didn’t want to see him again.

Then I heard a voice.

“Who’s there?”

The door didn’t have a spyhole, so he couldn’t see my face. Even so, I pulled my scarf up before answering:

“Someone led me here. I have a request for you.”

I actually had one. But damn… was I being a bit too confident? What if Laith opened the door, recognized me, then killed me again? Or what if he decided not to open?

I heard a click, then the door opened. Laith appeared.

My killer was a skinny, blond-haired man in his late twenties. He looked at me for an instant.

“Come in.”

So I had been right: Laith Tessen was accepting jobs from anyone as long as he got paid. Well, he didn’t even need to get paid sometimes. I was the living proof… or, more like, the undead proof.

His turf was almost empty: just a table, two chairs, a mattress, and a computer on the floor. He had probably moved on recently. As the man locked the door, he said:

“Is the VP sending you?”

The VP? I had no idea what he meant.

“Actually… I have a personal request,” I said.

“Huh. Okay, sit down.”

I took a seat. No, no, no, what was I doing? I wasn’t supposed to chat with my killer! But why did I come anyway? Did I really want to kill him? Well… I wanted him to disappear from the Earth so he would never kill anyone again, so I wouldn’t hear of him again. The only problem was… I was scared stiff.

“So you want me to kill someone,” he said.

“Yes,” I muttered.

I saw him raise his eyebrows.

“That’s surprising. My powers tell me when someone is lying. But you’re not. Still… You know?” he said, leaning towards me. “I kinda get the impression I’ve already seen you somewhere.”

I shuddered. He sat down in front of me.

“So? Tell me. What’s your business? Who do you need me to kill? The price will depend on the target. I do everything: men, women, children, salarymen, vagabonds, thugs, bullies, cats, and dogs… Mm, did I get you wrong?” he asked as he saw me trembling. His lips stretched into a hideous smile. “Or did I scare you, kid? I don’t do boring things like scaring bullies for weaklings’ sake.”

I glared at him. I wasn’t trembling because of fear. I was outraged, disgusted… His words had made me forget about my own safety. Sitting still on my chair, I replied:

“You’re the one who should be scared. Because the ‘bully’ I want you to kill is none other than yourself.” I pulled down my scarf so Laith would be able to see my whole face, and I gave him a smile even scarier than his. “Don’t you get it? I’m the guy you killed the other day.”

He blinked. Was he having trouble recognizing me even now? He had destroyed my life, cut my throat without a thought, and he couldn’t even remember me? Like I was but a speck of dust in his dreadful world…

“What the hell?!” Laith let out then, stupefied. He knocked over his chair as he jumped to his feet. “You bastard… Who? It can’t be… I’ll kill you!”

“You already did,” I said without losing my composure. I might no longer have my power to scare people, but that one year of experience had taught me a bunch of tricks, and, in particular, how important it was to keep one’s cool. And well, I knew how upsetting it must be for a murderer to meet a person he had killed. I didn’t know what kind of person was Laith Tessen. In a situation like this, he could become furious and rush at me, or scoff at me in disbelief then kill me. I wasn’t actually hoping that it would scare him. But it did: Laith Tessen was staring at me as if he had seen a real ghost.

“N-No…” he stuttered.

I joined my hands on the table and said, looking him in the eye:

“Laith Tessen. I have been sent by all your victims from the grave. They are crying. Can’t you see their tears flowing from my eyes?” I fortunately managed to force some black tears out. “Do you hear their cries? If you are thinking of killing me, you might as well give up: a ghost won’t die. You can’t fight. We will send you more people like me and make your life hell if you don’t comply with our request. Laith Tessen,” I called out to him, standing up. “Kill yourself.”

Laith Tessen had fallen to the ground, breathing hard. He panted, then snorted, then chuckled, then stood up and burst out laughing like a madman. I cursed under my breath. My little scene didn’t work, did it?

“I said: I do everything,” Laith grumbled. His eyes glinted. “Ghosts are no problem.”

He charged at me. Dammit. Should I dodge, attack, or run? On my way here, I had been wondering how I could use my telekinesis power in a fight. I had thought: what if I could use it directly on my attacker? But… I had no idea if that was possible. Could I pull it off?

I fixed his eyelids, then used my powers to shut them. I think it worked, because, a second later, I was able to dodge his punch. No, not a punch: that damn madman was holding a fighting knife. I saw him trying to recover his balance. He scowled at me.

“You…! What was that?”

“I’ve just shown you the darkness of death”, I wanted to say. But I was well aware he wasn’t going to fall for it again. I didn’t care. Now I was fighting for my life.

I tried to use my power again, but this time he didn’t give me the chance. He lunged at me, slashing with his knife. He got my arm, I think, but I felt nothing. I rolled under the table, onto the other side, and was received again by a slash. I finally kicked his knee and made him fall. He stabbed me in the heart. As he paused, waiting for my death, I glared at him. His eyes widened in fear.

“Just die!” he cried out.

“No, you die!” I screamed.

Grabbing him by the torso, I absorbed his lifeforce, ignoring his slashes. Laith was getting wilder by the second. Despite his skinny figure, he was damn strong. And it didn’t look like absorbing lifeforce was going to weaken him any time soon. I let go of him, stretched out my hand, took hold of the computer’s keyboard, and used it as a hammer. A rain of keys went flying all over the place, but it didn’t slow down the guy. It did distract him, though, and made him half slip on the keys. I took advantage of that, lifted the screen, and hit him on the head with all my might. He collapsed.

I staggered, clenching my fists. He was unconscious. What was I supposed to do now? My mind got blank. I was trying to snap out of it when suddenly I heard a thud.

I froze. Who…?

I leaped up, panicked, then saw a familiar silhouette with red hair on the other side of the window. I gasped, speechless, and hurried to open it.

“Arkill…!” How did he climb all the way to the fifth floor…?

He held onto the edge of the window, saying:

“Zeeta heard you fighting and struggling, so I wanted to see if you needed help—”

The life-reaper had only put a leg inside when his eyes grew open. I had no time to react: in a flash, Laith Tessen, who was supposed to be unconscious, attacked me from behind, pushing me against the open window. He perhaps understood that he wouldn’t finish me off by stabbing me, or perhaps he just panicked; the thing is, he seemed to have chosen to kill me by making me crush against the ground far below.

My head hit Arkill. Half of my body went outside, and for an instant, my fearful eyes only saw the dark alley a dozen of meters below… Then I realized Arkill had lost his balance too and was about to fall. He miraculously gripped something. Was it me? No: both of us would have fallen over for good if he had pulled at me. Arkill had reached the killer. That madman had launched himself a bit too forward in his rush to push me over and was now laying on me, about to slip to his death thanks to Arkill. The three of us slowly bent towards the emptiness… But who would be the first to fall?

We fell all at once.

It happened so fast that I couldn’t really fear for my life. Suddenly my fall stopped. Laith Tessen crashed into the ground with a thud. He had not even screamed once. Clinging onto whatever had kept me from falling, I lifted my eyes and saw Arkill’s hand. With his other hand, he was holding onto some sort of black rope vibrating with deathforce. Was it his awakened power? In any case, it had saved us.

I gasped, hanging in the air.

“Is he… dead?”

“Most likely.”

Yeah, no normal human would survive a dozen meters fall. I took a deep breath.

“Arkill. I-Is this… the first time you have killed a person?”

Arkill snorted in disbelief.

“What? Wait, it wasn’t me!”

“O-Of course, it wasn’t. Then, he slipped on his own?”

“… Yeah.”

“So it was an accident.”

“Yeah, it was an accident. Just… an accident. I didn’t come to kill anyone. I never killed anyone. You may have held a personal grudge against him, but I didn’t. The Lord said I died from a disease, so I don’t have any business with guys like that—”

“Arkill.” He was usually so composed… It was the first time I had seen him so nervous. “Don’t feel down. He was a really bad guy, you know.”

“So bad that it was acceptable to kill him?”

Something trembled inside me. I stammered:

“I… never said that either. But… he was a monster. He was even killing children for a living. So… I’m not sad. I-I’m actually relieved the way things have gone. So… t-thank you for pulling him down.”

“We agreed it was an accident.”

“Oh, right. Sorry.”

My red-haired companion groaned, fell silent, then sighed.

“It’s okay. I’m pulling us up, so stay still.”

“Ah, yeah, thanks.” Though I couldn’t really feel my undead body being stretched by gravity, talking while hanging onto a precipice wasn’t exactly comfortable.

Arkill used his black rope, and we somehow managed to regain my killer’s room. I saw his hands retract the black rope under his skin.

“By the way, Arkill, can we… die from a dozen meters fall?”

“No. You would have been put in a pretty bad state, though.”

“Oh. And… can we die from a stab to the heart?”

In the light of the room, Arkill looked at me up and down.

“No.”

I felt my heart freed from a heavy load.

“That’s a relief.”

“You look horrible.”

“Ah, that, heheh…”

I was a mess. I only had to take a look at my body to get proof of that: I had cuts everywhere. Had I been alive, I would have died from multiple fatal injuries. But anyway, what was Arkill doing here? Did the Lord Necromancer tell him to follow me?

I glanced at the window and swallowed hard. I didn’t really know what to think about my killer’s death but… in some way, in the end, he had killed himself. Or rather, his madness had killed him.

“Yeah, it wasn’t an accident,” I muttered, and I stared at Arkill intently. “He killed himself.”

“Anything you want. He won’t disagree with you, anyway.”

“That’s dark humor, Arkill,” I complained.

“You’re being the darkest one, here, I’d say. Now, let’s get out of here before someone calls the police.”

“Sure.”

I had been careful not to touch anything with my bare hands, and not even a single drop of blood had come out from my wounds. We didn’t stay behind more than necessary. Arkill said he would lock the door from the inside and go down through the window while I would go downstairs. We did that and left the block as quickly as possible, hoping that the police would think Laith Tessen had committed suicide. Outside, it was snowing heavier than before. Pacing back and forth in the park, a hooded and familiar silhouette was waiting for us. Even though Arkill had lent me his coat to hide my injuries, Zeeta looked worried.

“It’s over, Zeeta.” As I said that, my hands trembled, clenched… then loosened. It was over. It was really over.

My friend swallowed.

“I see. I was going to help you, but Arkill said you wanted to do it alone, so I watched the entrance instead. I heard a noise in the alley. Was it you, Arkill?”

Both of us life-reapers looked at each other, grimacing. I coughed.

“It kind of was.”

“What are you talking about?” Arkill grunted. “It wasn’t me.”

“I don’t blame you, Arkill, I’m thankful!”

Clearly exasperated, Arkill laid a fist on my head rather delicately, saying:

“Critical hit.”

“…?” My lips went up. As expected from a gamer freak. I lamely faked my death. “Woe is me, I died!”

“Yeah, you did two weeks ago.”

It was so unusual to see Arkill act this humanly I chuckled. Maybe he was trying to de-stress after having thrown my killer to his death? I just hoped that tonight’s events wouldn’t affect him too much.

“I…” Zeeta stammered. Lost in thought, he didn’t seem to have been really listening to us. “I-I wanted to kill that damn bastard too, Straw Head. What a shame he can’t die twice, really, I… Well, but I guess it’s all right if you took care of him. Did you… make him suffer?”

Huh… Could falling from a fifth floor be called a painful death? I had no idea, but I imagined my killer had died from the shock, so… I patted his arm.

“Thank you, Zeeta. But I didn’t want to make him suffer. I just wanted him to disappear forever. He won’t be able to kill anyone anymore.” I paused in the silence of the park then smiled at them both. “Now I can live my death in peace.”

Arkill started to walk away, saying:

“You should come along. The Lord will most likely help you heal those wounds.”

“Wounds?” Zeeta asked, alarmed. “What wounds? Did you get injured? That bastard…!”

“It’s all right, it’s all right,” I said cheerfully. “Let’s go back! But Zeeta, how did you know where I was going?” I asked as we headed to the subways.

Zeeta rubbed his cheek innocently.

“Well, you know, I was just… passing by?”

I gazed at him in disbelief. Did he mean he had been following me since I had left Ray’s home?

“Wait, don’t get me wrong,” he said. “Actually, I just happened to see you while I was taking a walk in Tiergarten. Ray’s dad must live pretty close to Loki. My host, Nick’s little brother,” he explained. “I wasn’t following you without a reas—”

“Thank you,” I cut him off gently. “For worrying about me.”

“… Well, I had good reasons to worry if you ended up injured, you moron. Does it hurt?”

“It doesn’t. It just itches a bit.”

“… You creepy monster.”

“You stalker.”

We smiled at each other, more relaxed now.

Tonight, a person had disappeared from earth because of me—and Arkill. I never thought something like that would ever happen to me. But I had never thought I would die and be revived either.

In the end, I would never know if I would have been able to kill that murderer with my own hands. However, I knew that I would never forget what happened tonight. I felt as if I were reborn. Yesterday, I was an undead who had been brutally killed and couldn’t forgive…

But now I could. I could forgive and forget my meaningless death. At last.

Only now I felt as if my new life had finally begun. The life that my best friend had given me. The life of an undead.

I wanted to make the most of it. I promised myself I would. Definitely.

Zeeta laid a friendly hand on my shoulder.

“Straw Head. Let’s go back.”

16 On the top of the sky

We took the subway, then the tram to Tiergarten. It was the last train, and we would have missed it if we hadn’t run. Dang, I had been stabbed in the heart several times, yet I was moving just fine. That was one odd sensation, but… it didn’t feel quite bad.

Outside the Tiergarten’s streetcar station, there was a walkway along a steep slope from where one could see the north part of Farskyer: the Old Docks, Somerville, and even the illuminated Giant Baobab of Beroboka District. Under the wide sky covered in snowing clouds, the city was enshrouded in an amber-colored light.

“The view is better from the Kiyomizu Temple, but it’s not bad from here either, huh?” Zeeta said.

I nodded and had stopped by the balustrade when I heard a panting then a familiar voice calling me:

“Armen!” I turned in disbelief. Ray?! What was he doing here? He was clearly heading to the streetcar station. He was running on the snow, in the middle of the night, surrounded by shadows… I couldn’t believe my eyes. What about his trauma? He wheezed: “Armen…”

I rushed toward him. Louise was following him joyfully.

“Hello again, Alumen, Akill, and Seeta!” she said. “Did you see? It’s Rainbows! Ray said she will wake up this morning!” I only noticed then the tabby cat she was holding.

“Isn’t that great, Louise!” Zeeta said. His curious eyes were riveted on the “sleeping” cat.

For my part, I couldn’t rejoice, because I was just so amazed that Ray had come all the way here… I breathed out:

“Ray, what’s the matter?”

“I…” Ray was still trying to catch his breath. When his gray eyes finally looked up at me, they were burning with mixed emotions. “I… suddenly felt something weird from our bond, went to my dad’s because you weren’t picking your phone and… just heard you were going to your killer’s home. Is… Is that true?”

For a moment, we just fell silent. Then I said:

“It is.”

Ray took a deep breath then nodded nervously.

“Are you… Are you okay?”

He wasn’t asking for my killer’s fate. I smiled slightly.

“Yeah. I’m okay. The guy threw himself out of the window.”

“He what?!” Zeeta cried out.

“Arkill is a witness. But, Ray, you… really went out at night just because you were worried about me? I’m so happy, heheh…”

Ray snorted as he leaned on the balustrade, avoiding our eyes.

“Dad’s driving me crazy. He told me he didn’t know anything about our attackers. He’s just a liar. He hasn’t changed at all ever since I was in elementary school. I’m sorry, Armen… I did nothing to help you!” he turned to me. “I should have imagined you would want to make that murderer pay. You even told me, and I just kept acting as if you never died, as if nothing had happened. I… may be the worst friend ever. I…”

He flinched when I laid a hand on his head. His black hair was flecked with snowflakes. Arkill and Zeeta kept silent; even Louise was staring at us with curiosity as she was still holding Rainbows. I breathed in. I had realized quite recently that everyone’s lifeforce tasted different. While Zeeta’s reminded me of salt, Ray’s was sweet. It made me feel relaxed. Still, that wasn’t the reason why I felt at home by his side. I slightly shook my head as I said:

“Don’t ever say that again. I didn’t tell anyone because I wanted to do it myself. Your dad just helped me with the address. Now it’s all over. Let’s not talk about this anymore. And, Ray, you’ve never acted as if I had never died. You’re actually the one working the hardest here, reading grimoires that no one understands, breaking your principles and reviving cats because you want to help me… Yeah, that certainly is something my worst friend ever would do, right?” I teased him as I friendly pushed his forehead.

Ray made a face, not knowing what to say. I grinned at him with my sincerest smile. He knew me well: he knew I wouldn’t grin at him like that if I had been feeling unwell. A smile curved his lips.

“Even now… you’re as positive as always, Armen,” he said.

“That’s because being positive is fun. You should try once in a while.”

“Yeah…” he chuckled. Then, he looked around with a lost face. It seemed as if he just noticed Arkill’s and Zeeta’s presence. Did he even watch where he was going when he left his dad’s house? Nevertheless, he went directly our way. Was it me or had he been following our bond? I suddenly saw him shudder then search his pockets.

“Ray, what’s wrong?”

“My… My flashlight. I’ve left it at my dad’s.”

I looked at him, amazed. Had he been so worried that he had even forgotten about his trauma? Now he was trying hard not to panic in front of us.

“Didn’t you hear the saying, ‘it’s never dark in Farskyer’?” Zeeta asked, waving at the shining city. “Don’t you see all those lights? You don’t need any flashlight.”

He meant well, but I knew the sea of lights spread out before our eyes wasn’t enough to calm Ray down. The young necromancer was breathing hard.

“I’m sorry. It’s so stupid. I should… really do something about it…”

I tilted my head, then got a brilliant idea and smiled.

“Ray. It’s all right.” I stepped back, the snow squeaking under my shoes. When I stood between Arkill, Zeeta, and Louise, I stretched my arms as if I wanted to embrace them all at once. “We will be your light!”

For an instant, Ray’s eyes stared at me, wide open… then he snorted.

“You talk like a prophet.”

Zeeta burst out laughing.

“Right! Ray, it’s all right,” he said dramatically, stretching his arms. “We will be your light! Hahahaha!”

Amused by Zeeta’s acting, Louise let out a high-pitched laugh. Ray chortled. Arkill rolled his eyes. Grinning, I admitted:

“I feel a bit embarrassed.”

“You should!” Zeeta friendly put his arm on my shoulders. “But that’s what’s great about you, Armen. You say things I never could. Like, with that bastard tonight. I’ve heard almost everything you said to him. How was it again? Ah: ‘I have been sent by your victims from the grave. They are crying. Can’t you see their tears flowing from my eyes? Give up, you can’t fight a ghost. We will make your life hell if you don’t comply. Now, bastard, kill yourself.’ That was freaking cool!”

I puffed, flustered. No way, he had been listening to me so clearly? I protested:

“I was bluffing! I-I was trying to come up with a plan, so I was buying time. I knew it wouldn’t be so easy.”

“You… went there without a plan?!” Ray asked, astounded.

“As expected from the Straw Head,” Zeeta teased. “Improvisation is funnier!”

“I… had no fun at all, Zeeta. Please, let’s talk about something else. Plus, there’s a kid here who shouldn’t hear things like that.” Louise looked around her, clueless. I added: “By the way, Arkill! I didn’t know you had powers like that. It’s a deathforce rope, right? How does it work?”

The life-reaper was standing by the balustrade, gazing at the night sky. He barely turned to answer:

“It works like spider silk. It’s tough, strong, and has adhesive properties. I can use it to climb walls, spin webs, make clothes…”

He seemed as if he was going to add something, but he fell silent. Zeeta and I whistled, impressed.

“Such an amazing power!”

“You might become like the Mirror Spider Hero,” Zeeta said in admiration.

I had heard of the Mirror Spider Hero. He was a distant relative of my classmate Woon, but was six-armed instead of four-armed, having thus eight limbs—hence the “spider” name. He not only had a mutated body since birth: he also had an incredible power that allowed him to cover his skin with a reflecting glue that gave him the name of “mirror”. That I knew well because Woon was a huge fan. So was Zeeta.

Embarrassed, Arkill stepped away from the balustrade.

“I’m not a hero, nor I wish to be one. Let’s go home. It’s late, there are no more trains: you should stay over too, Ray.” Ray was about to turn him down, but then Arkill added: “Armen is wounded: if his deathforce keeps leaking, he will faint. He needs to be treated.”

I scowled at him. Why did he blurt out like that? Ray gave me a troubled look, then nodded:

“Let’s go.”

“Let’s go, Rainbows!” Louise said, holding out the cat before her.

“Don’t shake her like that! You’re too strong, Louise, be careful,” Ray warned her.

As the five of us headed back to the Lord Necromancer’s mansion, I was surprised by Ray’s calmness. Was he really starting to get over his fears? Or was he just suppressing them? Was it that famous willpower of his?

When we were about to reach the mansion’s gate, it turned out Loki’s house was just two doors away from the Lord Necromancer’s. As we said goodbye to Zeeta, I heard Ray mumble, and I looked at him, inquiring. He cleared his throat.

“What?”

“Counting sheep?”

Ray blushed.

“Who are you taking me for? I was reciting the pi number’s decimals.”

And that was a more normal thing to do than counting sheep? Heh… Ray sure knew how to make the most of his knowledge… I bet he was the first person to use the pi number to fight darkness.

Louise called us from the gate.

“Alumen, Ray! Hurry up, hurry up! Or the ghosts will come out!”

As we entered, Arkill and Louise began to climb the path to the house. It was so dark ahead of us that Ray stopped dead by the entrance light. I was going to suggest that he wait here while I went fetch his flashlight when he said:

“Armen. I… have something to tell you.”

I shut my mouth, surprised. He sounded serious.

“What is it?”

“Well, it’s about our necro-bond.” He wavered. “I told you our minds are bound by a special necro-bond that allowed you to be revived directly as a life-reaper and retain your inner soul. Because of that, our necro-bond is strong. Basically… I can feel your presence from quite far away and know when you receive huge blows like tonight. It doesn’t hurt or anything, but I can tell where you’ve been hit.”

Ray… knew I had been stabbed. No: he knew I had been stabbed several times. And there I had been trying to conceal it from him. A snowflake fell on the top of my nose. Before my silence, he added, clearing his throat:

“I don’t know if that’s possible, but if that really bothers you, I can try to find a way to block—”

“It doesn’t bother me,” I cut him off. “If anything, that could be a problem for you. I… should have told you beforehand. Sorry I worried you.”

“No… I didn’t tell you either. Damn, necromancy is such a meddlesome art. It’s hard to protect your privacy even if I want to.”

“It’s all right,” I smiled. “I trust you.”

Ray nodded, a little embarrassed, then glanced at the darkness waiting for him on the path, and nervously looked back at me.

“Actually, I have something to ask from you. Will you…” he hesitated. “Will you allow me to heal your injuries along with my dad? So I can learn. I have to improve no matter what.”

I frowned, not so much because of his request, but rather because of his last words. Deep down, I knew Ray had been pushing himself all this time. He had avoided necromancy because he hated that, and yet he had revived me and spent many hours reading grimoires. Just because… he wanted me to live. Before his startled eyes, I shook my head.

“No, Ray, you don’t have to.”

I began to walk up the path.

“Armen?” Ray’s voice sounded confused. “Sorry! I understand. My dad is way more talented than I am—”

“Shut up!”

I spun around, even more irritated. As my deathforce was still leaking, I had begun to breathe hard. I clenched my fists.

“Ray. Why did you revive me? It was because you wanted to enjoy life together, right? And so you made a choice and you became a necromancer. That’s what you are right now, Ray: a necromancer. And I am an undead. Let’s face the truth. Now that my killer is gone, I just want to enjoy my life as an undead. What about you, Ray? Are you going to become a necromancer just because you want to help me?” I was panting. “You know… Necromancy is… an amazing art. You don’t have to use it the same way your dad uses it, but… you have to enjoy it, Ray. If you don’t… there’s no reason for me to help you learn anything.”

I looked him in the eye. My friend was stunned. There was a silence. My panting was getting worse. My core was being emptied from its energy, and it thirsted desperately for lifeforce. As my deathforce kept fleeing, I felt just like a deflating balloon. I had to heal my wounds as soon as possible but… I also wanted to hear Ray’s answer. At last, my friend gave a calm nod.

“I will.” His eyes gleamed with determination. “Thank you, Armen. Your point of view is always so… refreshing. I just realized I won’t be like my dad just because I learn necromancy. Actually… I may have acted just like him when I revived that cat for the sole purpose of learning. I may be even worse, because I didn’t even enjoy it. I did something against my will thinking I was doing that to help you but… I was wrong. I should have known. You obviously wouldn’t ask me to do something I don’t want to do, right? Also… you’re right. I am a necromancer. I decided to be one. Necromancy can be amazing, as you say. To tell you the truth, I enjoy reading those books. And I always felt ashamed because of that. But I guess it’s all right to learn, isn’t it? Also… Also… I don’t know what will happen from now on but…” Suddenly bowing, he cried out: “I’m honored that you are my first familiar! Let’s improve ourselves together!”

My heart stayed still, but in my mind, it was pounding, deeply moved. I grinned.

“That’s more like it. Though you sounded like you were proposing to me just now.”

“S-Stop saying stupid things when you’re out of breath! Let’s have Dad treat your wounds.”

“Heheh… Don’t wanna: I want you to treat them all.”

Ray widened his eyes, then shook his head, giving an annoyed snort to conceal his obvious relief.

“I’ll do my best. But next time be more careful not to get stabbed that many times, you moron.”

I laughed as I bowed.

“I’ll be in your care!”

I was happy to see that Ray had finally made up his mind. As I thought that, I caught him peering at the darkness on the path and brusquely shivering.

“We… should go,” he said hesitantly.

“Yeah!” As we began walking up the path, a sudden squeak between the trees made me remember the ghosts Louise had talked about, and I stopped in my tracks. “R-Ray? Are there really g-g-ghosts in this wood?”

Ray raised his eyebrows… then chuckled.

“Sorry, sorry, I didn’t know you were afraid of ghosts, Armen,” he said.

“Who isn’t?!”

“Well… They are Uncle Adrian’s ghosts. He has the power to summon ghosts from his own body. He uses them to eat lifeforce from the trees. As far as I know, he’s the only undead capable of converting vegetable lifeforce into human lifeforce.”

“So… ghosts do exist!” Such a discovery made me even warier of my surroundings… “You said your uncle Adrian eats vegetable lifeforce?”

“Mm,” Ray meditated. “Now that I think about it, I never told you about him. He’s not actually my uncle but my dad’s. He died many years ago and was revived by his brother, that is, my grandfather. When Granddad died, Dad managed to save their necro-bond and transfer it to himself, so Uncle Adrian survived. He’s his second familiar, after Arkill, and he’s the only one I know that can actually stand up to his caster. That’s because… Uncle Adrian’s a necromancer too.”

An undead necromancer bound to a necromancer? That was… interesting to say the least.

“Oho. He’s got familiars too?”

“No. He… only has his ghosts.”

An owl shrieked in the snowy night, and I jerked up. Holy Crystals… We were heading to the Lord Necromancer’s house like two little boys frightened by darkness and ghosts. I whispered:

“Why didn’t your dad revive your grandpa?”

Ray winced.

“That’s…” Shoot, did I just ask something I shouldn’t have? He shook his head. “My dad never told me why, but it seems that, during their experiments, my grandparents just… disappeared off the face of the earth.”

My eyes grew wide. Disappeared? Body and soul? Damn… Was being a necromancer that dangerous? Was Ray going to be okay?

We were about to enter the house when, out of nowhere, I heard a voice in my head:

‘I’m starting to like you, kid.’

I would have turned pale if I hadn’t been already. The Lord had been listening to us all this time. That damn nosy geezer.

17 Surpassing my limits

Bzz, bzz. Bzz, bzz.

I was just getting out of the bathroom, a towel on my head. I looked at my cell.

‘Zeeta, today, at 06:39: Rise and shine, Straw Head! Today’s the day u get your results!!’

‘06:39: I’ve got a little job this morning, but be sure to call me when u go relieve your stress.’

“That bastard,” I chuckled as I sat on the sofa beside Rainbows.

‘Armen, 06:40: Morning~ 😊 🎔’

‘06:41: Are ya saying I’ll get failing grades? 😕 Don’t jinx me!!! 😦’

‘Zeeta, 06:42: Relax 😁’

‘06:43: Btw, it’s been three days since that day. Are you all right, now?’

‘Armen, 06:44: I’m fine! Ray’s the best doctor on earth. 👍’

I lowered my eyes to my torso with a happy face. Actually, Ray had just been following his dad’s instructions, but he had done a very good job: my skin was smooth, without a trace of injuries. The Lord Necromancer said I would need about two months to completely heal my inner wounds, but as long as I ate lifeforce regularly, I should be fine.

I typed:

‘06:45: Tonight I was so stressed about my results I couldn’t sleep at all! 😥’

‘Zeeta, 06:45: You moron. 😂’

‘06:45: Please don’t write lame jokes like that on your cell, or the IA will get you.’

‘Armen, 06:45: The IA? 😨’

‘Zeeta, 06:46: The Insomnia Association.’

‘Armen, 06:46: 😂’

‘06:47: Louise has come every day to play with Rainbows and me. She said she wants to play with Seeta too 😄’

‘06:47: We made a snowman in our garden! ⛄’

I sent the photo I had taken yesterday, of Louise, the cat, Ray, and the snowman.

‘Zeeta, 06:52: Wow. Nice photo. Rainbows is like ‘what on earth is going on here?’ How did she climb all the way to the head?’

‘Armen, 06:53: Heheh, I put her on the snowman myself. 😁’

‘06:54: she didn’t like it and destroyed the poor snowman afterwards. 😣 She’s full of energy.’

‘Zeeta, 06:54: you get what you deserve for making fun of her. 😎’

‘06:56: I kind of want to see Rainbows now. This weekend Loki didn’t give me a break. He’s a good guy, but he seriously thinks the world revolves around him. Can I come this afternoon?’

‘Armen, 06:54: Any time! 😊😸 🎔 🎔 🎔’

I was distractedly stroking Rainbows’ head when I heard the sound of footsteps upstairs. Ray was up. Outside, it was just starting to get light.

Only some hours left before we got our results!

* * *

The school’s gate was wide open, and the hall was crowded. Everyone was gathering around the bulletin boards, searching for their names and grades. As third-year students, Ray and Arkill had gone at the far end of the hall.

“Armen! I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to see you in this crowd!”

I turned around and widened my eyes as I saw a blond young woman in casual clothes grinning at me.

“Sis?!” I cried out. “You came?”

“Of course! I didn’t tell you?”

“You didn’t!”

“I see. Mm… Well? Did my demon-fish brains have an effect?”

As happy as I was to see Azritz, on hearing her question, I became gloomy. She raised an eyebrow.

“Why the long face? Did you flunk your exams? Now, now, you’ll do better next time!”

I shook my head, troubled.

“Actually, I don’t know yet.”

“What? Oh… I see.” She paused, then said: “I’ll go take a look.”

“Don’t!”

“Why not?”

“You’re not even a student here.”

“Eeh? People always take me for one! What? You scared? It’s all right, I won’t tell you your results: you’ll have to take a look yourself for that, scaredy-cat! Ray is there too, right? I’ll go say hello to him.”

She disappeared in the crowd of students. I gazed at the busy hall, in a daze, then took a step forward. What was I waiting for, anyway? For my grades to show up in front of me?

Then, I heard Woon’s voice.

“Armen, Armen! I got two grades above average!”

“That’s nothing to be proud of, Woon,” Arkifa snorted. “You usually do better…”

“Haha, I messed up big time, right? I used some new personal techniques. It’s like, yaaa know… Once Haxton is tempted by a great idea,” he said dramatically, holding up his third hand, “I can’t back out. It gives me a wonderful thrill just to try it out! Armen, you know what I mean, right? Well, failed experiments are a part of life!”

“Quit experimenting with your own grades, please,” Arkifa huffed, and raising her purple eyes, she stopped before me, grinning. “Congratulations, Armen.”

I stared at her, bewildered. Congratulations? What did she mean? Did I…?

“Sorry!” I let out, as I broke into a run.

I finally made it to the board and look at the names. Arkifa got very good grades, but not as good as Ashooka’s: his boyfriend was ranked first out of all the second-year again. As for me…

Armen Moon: Mathematics: 42 | Biology: 18 | Chemistry: 9 | Literature: 25 | Common Language: 40 | History: 35 | T: 28/100 | Rank/240: 199

I blinked, a weird sensation in my throat. My grade in chemistry was a bit of a surprise. Did I really manage to only score nine points? Well, but what about the others subjects? Mathematics and Common Language…

My eyes were about to cry.

No, no, I mustn’t show my black tears. Besides, I had to save all my deathforce to heal myself.

As I stepped backwards and leaned on the wall, I breathed in, absorbing the dense lifeforce accumulated in the hall. My lips stretched into a quivering smile. Now I understood what Arkifa meant by “congratulations”: she unexpectedly knew me well.

I had sworn to myself I would pass over forty points in math and… I did it! Also, I couldn’t remember the last time I had achieved a rank below two hundred. But the most important thing was that my grades had improved. My efforts hadn’t been made in vain. That was a sensation I hadn’t felt in quite a while.

As I let my arm down, Azritz’s worried face popped up in front of me.

“Hey, no, you crying, Armen? Don’t let your exam results get you down!”

I chuckled.

“Sis… I’m happy.” Before Azritz’s surprised look, I added: “You know, Ray put a lot of effort into teaching me mathematics, and my results actually improved. Ray’s amazing. Well, I’m amazing too, heh.”

Azritz sighed in relief and laughed:

“So that’s how it is! Those demon-fish brains I cooked for you really made you smarter!”

She was joking, but her merry face was saying: muahahaha, I’m gonna cook more of them! As I followed her outside the building, I rubbed my forehead doubtfully.

“The finals are in summer, sis. I don’t need to be smart for now.”

“Ha! No pain, no gain! Next time, I’ll brew something even better for you, you will see! Even that Ray always first ranked will be in shock!”

Whatever her next potion would be, I wouldn’t be able to taste it, which might be a shame but… it might be a good thing too. Anyway, Ray got first ranked again, even after spending so much time reading grimoires, helping me, or playing video games… His capacity for concentration was truly incredible.

Outside, the snow had been piled up on the edges.

“Didn’t you have work this morning?” I asked, then gasped. “Don’t tell me you took a day off just for coming here?”

“What if I had?” Azritz gave me a teasing look, then got serious as she reached the school’s gate, turned around lightly, and said: “Actually, I’ve quit.” Before my amazed eyes, she announced: “Next week, I’ll start working at the Nyomin College as a quirk researcher.” She hesitated. “I was thinking about moving houses. Now that my wages will go up and that I’ve almost paid up my debts, I think I can afford something in the Nyomin District. You’re welcome of course! … What? Why are you grinning? I didn’t accept just because you told me, lil bro. Actually, I was thinking about accepting the offer this whole time.”

Yeah, sure, that was why she turned the document into a ball back then… My grin broadened.

“Congrats, sis. I knew you’d do it.”

We looked at each other with an amused pout, then chortled.

“I’m really looking forward to working with my new team,” Azritz said. “Hira’s on the same team! She is a very good friend of mine, so I’m sure it will be fun.”

“I’m sure of it. Oh, and I’ll help with your move whenever, but… is it okay if I stay at Ray’s place?”

“You two really are close, huh? Of course it’s okay.”

“Nice. This way you’ll be able to invite your friends over without worrying. You might even meet some nice guy in that team and—”

“You shut up already, you jester!” she laughed, giving me a push. She glanced at the school. “I wanted to invite you two to a restaurant, but Ray told me you had already planned some party.”

“Eh? Is that so?” I didn’t know. Wait, no… Did Ray say that because I couldn’t eat human food? I raised a hand. “Just a minute. I’ll go talk to Ray.”

Two hours later, the three of us were sitting at a restaurant table in the Old Docks. I ordered a plate of noodles and a cup of ice chocolate for dessert. When Azritz went to the bathroom, I slid my plate to Ray, saying:

“Enjoy!”

Technically, I could swallow anything as long as it didn’t have milk, oil, alcohol, or too much salt, but even so, to an undead, human food was tasteless and useless. Besides, Ray had told me not to eat anything until my injuries healed up…

Ray threw a bored look my way.

“How did you know she would go to the bathroom?”

“She always does! She looks at her hands before touching her food, then with her eyes like microscopes, she always sees things, like, microbes and the like…”

“I know that, but still…” Under his orange cap, Ray shook his head. “Why did you order a dessert?!”

I grinned as I slid my cup of ice chocolate in front of him.

“It’s a gift for teaching me, professor. Dig in fast, or Azritz will come back. You did say you were hungry, right?”

Ray grunted as he took his fork.

“So that was your plan all along.”

He ate about two-thirds of the noodles and the whole ice chocolate in a time record. When Azritz came back, he was having a hard time eating his own meal.

“Here I am! Wow, Armen, you eat way too fast, as usual,” my big sis whistled. “What’s wrong, Ray? Eat well to maximize your potential!”

I grinned.

“That’s right, Ray! Eat well or you won’t grow taller.”

My friend gave me a deadly look as he said through our bond:

‘You’re really trying my patience.’

My smile didn’t falter in the slightest. After all, I knew Ray wanted to eat with my big sis as much as I did, just like we used to do now and then when we were middle schoolers. Since Ray had been avoiding his parents for years, I bet he really appreciated those times when the three of us did simple things like eating together, or playing video games, or chatting around some drinks… Just like a family would do.

We talked about anything and everything. Azritz remembered her high school life, I complained about the exams system, and Ray said they didn’t take exams in the European high school he had gone to. Not only that: the weather there was quite warm. I blurted out: I’m going to Europe now! But Europe was an elitist island with many restrictions and not anyone was allowed entrance. I guess Ray had been able to study there thanks to his mom’s influence… But he said nothing about this, so I didn’t say anything either. About his mom being a Nyomin Hero.

We were talking about Azritz’s new job and quirk research when I found the right time to say:

“Oh, right, sis. I just discovered something the other day: I’ve got a power.”

“Whaaaat?”

As I showed it to her by lifting briefly my cup, she let out a shriek that attracted everyone’s attention in the restaurant. I rolled my eyes, and Azritz said excitedly:

“Let’s leave this place. You’ve got to show me more, Armen!”

We ended up spending a whole hour trying my power in different ways: I lifted a dead leaf in a park, tried to lift several of them at once, and failed. In the end, after scribbling on her notebook for a while, Azritz concluded:

“So, that’s it! What you’ve got is a vision-controlled focused telekinesis power. You’re able to move every object as long as it’s light and is in your field of vision. You can control its movements in every direction, draw it nearer or farther. However, if it’s too far or too close, your control loses accuracy. I’d say your power is most efficient in a range between sixty centimeters and about six meters… but I’d need further tests to confirm it. That’s awesome, lil bro! Now let’s see how much you can last!”

Damn, she was… too much into it. I made a snowball fly over Ray’s and Azritz’s heads, then purposely blinked: the snowball fell on my sis, making her scream.

“Armen! You did it on purpose!”

I laughed.

“Did I?”

“You did!”

A sudden snowball splashed against my face. Heh. It wasn’t cold at all. I crouched to gather snow in my hands when I saw the second snowball coming: I used my powers to deflect it toward the ground and gave Azritz a devilish grin.

“Try to catch me, sis.”

“Wow, that was great, Armen, you…! Wait, no, I mean, no fair! Ray, help me crush him!”

Two against one, huh? Azritz’s idea of experimenting with my quirk had turned into a snowball battle. I was having so much fun trying to stop their snowballs with my power and fighting back that I lost sight of time. Only the photo Zeeta sent me, picturing Louise grinning and holding Rainbows, made me notice the hour and realize I was a bit dizzy after using my power for such a long time. When we finally headed back home, I sighed as I fell on a seat in the subway train, mentally tired. Ray chuckled.

“I’m drenched.”

“So am I, you bastard. Your snowballs were freaking big.”

“Haha… But Azritz is the fastest at making them. Looked like a machine gun. You couldn’t stop all of them at all!”

“My sis is scary.”

“Heh… Well, she was really happy about your power. I think your sis will make a good quirk researcher.”

Yeah. She would. Definitely.

“But… I didn’t expect you to lie to her so easily.” I flinched on my seat as Ray added: “I mean, about how you got that power. Though you couldn’t possibly say the truth.”

“Ah…” I lowered my head with a guilty smile. “I didn’t really lie. I did get my power only recently… and the first thing I moved was a pen.”

Ray couldn’t deny it. I tried to imagine how Azritz would react if she had known that my power had been awakened by the Lord Necromancer after my resurrection. I couldn’t possibly know but… my intuition told me she would be devastated. After all, her little brother was dead. And not everyone was able to accept the truth as level-headedly as Zeeta did.

Well, one thing was for sure: the day would come when I wouldn’t be able to explain some things, like why I wasn’t aging, and then I would be forced to disappear as Armen Moon but… if I had ever worried about my future when I was alive, now that I was dead my happy-go-lucky behavior was disturbingly getting worse: I wasn’t going to worry about what would happen years from now. It felt already quite good to be able to throw snowballs at my sis even though I was dead. Necromancy was really an amazing art.

I took a deep breath, absorbing the dense lifeforce in the wagon. It tasted so good that I couldn’t help but think we arrived at our stop way too soon.

We left the station and were halfway between the school and our home when I felt that something was off. I glanced back. Four guys had been following us for a while now. Actually, I was almost sure they had been waiting at the same subway station with us in the Old Docks and…

Suddenly, I caught on. Those familiar shaved guys wearing thorned dog collars and tattoos…

I knew them.

My eyes scowled at them for an instant. I stopped just after turning the corner of a street.

“Ray, you go first. I think I’ve lost something on the way.”

“Oh? What did you lose?”

I smiled.

“Just some garbage, but it’s wrong to just throw it in the street, right? Don’t worry, just go change clothes, you’re shaking like a leaf.”

“Oh, y-yeah. Well then…”

Ray walked away with a curious look on his face. Was he just surprised or suspicious of something? Anyway, now Ray was safe. I turned the corner, retracing my steps. Perhaps because my companion was out of the way, the young gangsters were closing in even faster. The street was empty. I went to them, increasingly worried. Their smug, snotty faces didn’t bode well.

I stopped in front of them.

“Do I know you guys?”

The four of them smirked at each other and soon surrounded me like a pack of wolves. Though they didn’t really seem to care about being seen, they pushed me into the alley between two houses. I didn’t know what to do. If I had run away earlier, they would have gone catch Ray. But now I was in a pinch: those thugs didn’t believe even an instant I didn’t recognize them.

A blue-skinned guy laid his arm on my neck and said:

“Don’t tell us you forgot, Mr. Smiley Straw Head. You used your power on me just some months ago. Oh, but you’ve got no pills now, huh? When I saw you by the docks, I thought, ‘yay, why don’t I go say hello to my old pal’?”

I did remember, of course. Those four were Hell Hounds. Back in spring, the Cheetahs had had an encounter with them when their gang had planned to steal the Tiger Clan’s secret recipes to create power pills. We just happened to bump into some suspicious lookouts on our patrol, interrogated them, and found out about their plan… and that mainly thanks to my power. It goes without saying that that blue-skinned youngster was precisely the one who had spilled the beans after I had scared him to death on that day… In other words, I was screwed.

I couldn’t really feel pain, but I knew the blue-skinned man was grasping my shoulder tightly. He was a merfolk and his nails were almost as sharp as lion claws. Since the Hell Hounds couldn’t rely on pills as the Tiger Clan did, they had searched for new members among people that were already somewhat strong and capable of protecting themselves.

What should I do? I couldn’t stay put and let them beat me up. I wouldn’t die if I did, but then, Ray would probably feel that I had been hit, he would be worried, and worst-case scenario, he would even have to fix me up. I really didn’t want that, nor explain to him what happened, nor…

“You’re wondering what’s gonna happen to you now, Mr. Smiley?” With his other hand, the merfolk grabbed my arm and twisted it on my back. Did it break? I couldn’t tell. “You won’t scream? I must say, you’ve got some guts. But, if beating you up won’t do, then what about that friend of yours just now?”

My eyes widened as he made me bend forcefully. Those bastards… They wanted to pay me back for what I did to them, and I somewhat understood that, but…

“You’ve got it wrong, Hell Hounds,” I said, facing down. “That guy just now was just an acquaintance. As for what happened back then, sorry, guys, but we were working for different gangs, just doing our job. I understand you guys won’t forgive me, but don’t go messing with people that have nothing to do with this—”

“Don’t tell me what to do, you trash!”

He was strong and forced me down on my knees. He whispered to my ears:

“Also, we’re no Hell Hounds anymore. We’re Black-Hearts from the Unholy League. You’ve surely heard of our group.”

I had. In the Underworld, the Unholy League was as famous as the Dark Alliance. So, in the end, both groups had gotten their piece of the pie from the fall of the Hell Hounds and the Tiger Clan…

“Congrats,” I said.

The Black-Hearts snorted.

“That guy… he’s crazy,” one of them laughed.

“Maybe he is,” the merfolk groaned, “but I’ll make him beg for mercy very soon. See that, Mr. Smiley?” He put his cellphone under my nose: there was a photo of a lively girl with pink pigtails and blue, piercing eyes flooding with tears. I stared at her in bemusement. That was Erma, the youngest member of the Cheetahs, our Cheetah Duo’s muse… But how? How come that merfolk had a picture of her? “If you want to save her, come alone tonight to the place where we met in spring. We’ll let her go. We may even give you your wallet back. But you have to come alone.”

As they took my wallet, I caught glimpse of someone in red pants walking waveringly by the alley: the passerby averted his eyes and picked up the pace…

“I’ll come,” I said. “But you bastards don’t even touch one strand of Erma’s hair. She’s only fourteen.”

“Yeah,” the merfolk laughed, “she’s a real handful to look after, right, guys?”

I glared at them as they smirked. A wave of fear ran through my mind. What did they do to our Erma?

“You…!” I hissed. I was losing my temper.

A kick flew at me and hit my stomach. I collapsed on the snow, coughed, and let out a flow of the lifeforce I had just eaten in the subways, though they couldn’t see it. I panted, dizzy.

“You scared? You’d better be. I’ll make you get even more scared tonight, so be ready, Straw Head. Oh… I’m taking your cell too while I’m at it. Don’t worry, I’ll let you get it back when you come. That’s a promise, right?”

“S-S-Stop right there!”

The shout startled all of us. Between the legs of one of my attackers, I discerned the silhouette of a man walking into the alley. He wore red pants. Wait… Was it the same person that had averted his eyes just a moment ago?

“Wh-What are you doing? Let go of him or I’ll electrocute all of you!”

I heard a sizzling in the air and saw sparks flew from his hands…

“Mm. Electric power, huh? Not bad, kid, but don’t waste your energy for that trash. Hey, Straw Head, you know him?”

One of the Black-Hearts stepped aside, and I could finally see the newcomer: young, reptilian eyes and green hair… My face darkened. No way. What was that Hidden Wolves fan doing here?

“Never seen him before,” I answered.

The merfolk raised an eyebrow, shrugged, then pushed my face on the snow saying:

“You’d better come.”

They left, luckily ignoring the newcomer. I got on my feet, dusting my knees.

“Styzz, was it? Why did you step in like that?” I asked, perplexed.

From Styzz’s face, it was clear that he had never encountered real delinquents before. The look he gave me was a mix of worry, embarrassment, and alertness. As I stopped by the entrance of the alley, I turned, smiling:

“Thanks. You acted like a real hero.”

Styzz’s face got red.

“Are you making fun of me? I did nothing at all! Though I clearly am stronger than them but… If I knew it was you, I wouldn’t even have tried to save you, mph.”

My smile broadened.

“But you knew it was me from the beginning. Now that I think about it, you were following me too, right? Weren’t you gonna make me pay for what happened the other day at school? You guys even wrote that message on the wall I was painting… That was scary.”

“Tsk.” Styzz’s reptilian eyes regained bit by bit a jaded and tranquil glint. “You’re clearly making fun of me. Those guys just now were the scary ones.”

“Ah, you’re right, they were pretty scary, weren’t they?” I laughed. “Well then, I’ve got to—”

“Armen!”

I turned around, cursing under my breath. I’d had my doubts until now but… Ray had definitely felt that something was going on: he was running to me with Zeeta and Louise. The latter one was the first to reach us; she stared at me intently:

“Alumen! What happened? And you, who are you?”

“Who… am I?” Gazing at Louise, Styzz looked as if he had forgotten who he actually was. Was it me or was he feeling embarrassed? What for, though? As Ray and Zeeta arrived out of breath, he stylishly rubbed his electrified green hair. “I’m Styzz Van Leer, a Hero-to-be. I’ve just saved this blond guy from some thugs that were bullying him. They ran away tail between their legs, and…”

His last sentence lost confidence under my deadly smile until he fell silent. I affirmed:

“Nothing happened. Right, Styzz?”

“Don’t lie…” Ray clenched his fists, panting. “I saw them… Armen… Don’t lie.”

I winced as his order struck my mind. Did he even realize…? Wait, but what did he mean by “I saw them”? Did he see the four Black-Hearts leaving? Or did he see them… through my eyes?

I gulped, then looked intently at Zeeta, and let out:

“Erma got kidnapped by the Hell Hounds.”

18 A sakura in the sky

The day I first met the Cheetahs, I was led by my new boss, Ginger, to their turf, an old workshop at street level in the Old Docks.

“You will see, they’re all good people,” Ginger said, walking into the alley. “Oh, seems like someone is already here.”

The door was open. Inside, there was a punk-fashioned man in his early thirties with a lot of piercings on his ears and tattoos on his arms. That was Snake. The first thing I thought was: scary. As I was introduced, the gangster raised an eyebrow, looked at me up and down, and commented:

“Another kid, huh. Try not to get in the way.”

“Y-Yes, sir!”

The next Cheetah I met was Sunflower. She was in her late twenties, reserved, as blond as I was, but her composure was way more impressive than mine. Ginger said:

“As a matter of fact, newbie, our Sunflower should have been the leader of this gang, but she says it’s a pain in the ass to lead us. Remember that, and don’t bother her—”

“He-llo everyone!”

The lively voice came from the entrance. A girl with two pink pigtails jumped as if dancing into the workshop. She stopped upon seeing me, put on a face of surprise mixed with embarrassment, then grinned at me.

“The newbie, right? I’m Erma,” she said, holding out a hand. “Nice to meet you.”

“Aah… I’m Armen,” I said, shaking her hand. “Nice to meet you t—”

Suddenly, Erma’s hand felt strange in mine, as if it had… I looked down. What I saw was a nightmarish scene. Erma had withdrawn her arm, but her hand was still in mine. It had detached from her body!

I screamed and fell back. For a few seconds, my mind just went blank. When I got a hold of myself, Ginger was scolding Erma, very gently.

“You know, kid, you shouldn’t do that to a newbie right off the bat.”

“Sorry, I know people are creeped out by my power, but I didn’t know he would scream like that! He scared me to death.”

“You scared him to death, Erma,” Sunflower pointed out.

“He snapped out of it,” Snake noticed. “Bet he’s gonna run away.”

I wouldn’t. I had come prepared for much worse. I straightened up like a resort, looked at the pigtailed girl, checked that her hand had been reattached to her arm, and I breathed out in relief.

“Thank gods. I thought I had broken your hand. What just happened, really? Are you all right?”

Erma raised an eyebrow.

“I am. What, were you worried about me? I’m more worried about you.”

“Ah… I’m fine. Though it’s the first time I passed out like that. I really thought your hand had detached itself from your body, but it didn’t, right? I may have just imagined it—”

“You didn’t.”

“…?!”

“Look. I can detach my left hand and move it remotely. That’s my power!”

She crouched at my level and stretched her hand. I saw it detach itself from her body and walk on the floor of the workshop towards me. I gaped at it. So I hadn’t imagined it. Her hand really was able to move on its own!

“Holy crap! So cool!!” I cried out in awe. “It doesn’t hurt?”

“…?! No, it doesn’t, hwara-hwara!”

“Is it a power granted by a pill?”

“It’s not. I had it since I was born.”

“Oh? My big sis told me power-holders usually awaken after their early childhood. Are you a prodigy?”

“Eeh? I’m not. It’s not so rare.”

“Is that so? Anyway…” As the hand passed by, I took it gently and shook it, adding cheerfully: “Happy to meet you, Erma!”

The girl’s eyes widened as if thinking: That blond guy… Is he not creeped out by my power anymore? Or maybe she was thinking I looked a bit stupid, shaking a detached hand like that?

“Hwara-hwara-hwara!” She laughed in a weird way. “Nice to meet you, newbie!”

At this moment, a hoodie walked into the workshop. He was around my age. His gray eyes grazed Erma, then fastened on me and grew a bit wider.

“The newbie?” he asked no one in particular.

“Ah, yeah,” I said, standing up and holding out my hand. “I’m Armen Moon. I’m looking forward to working with you.”

The hoodie had his hands shoved in his pockets. He didn’t move. Ginger grumbled:

“Zeeta. Be nicer!”

“Tch.”

He shook my hand, squeezing it. I heard my bones crack, and pain throbbed through my arm. It hurt. It damned hurt. My eyes filled with tears as I gave Zeeta a smile and squeezed his hand. He panted:

“That bastard…”

My smile broadened as tears were trickling down my cheeks.

“It damn hurts, doesn’t it?”

Zeeta stared at me in awe, then released my hand, snorting:

“If you broke my hand, I’ll make you pay. I’m a guitarist, so you know.”

“Oh, really?! Guitar is cool. Ah but… Hope your hand didn’t break.”

“It didn’t, you idiot.” He coughed. “Is yours… okay?”

I grinned.

“Yeah, thanks. Oh, but if you’re a guitarist, will you play for me one of these days?”

“…!! And why should I play for you? I don’t know you. And I bet you don’t even know a thing about music.”

“Well, that’s not totally true. I love music. And I used to play the violin when I was a kid.”

“You did?! … Oh, whatever, I don’t care.”

“That means you’re gonna play for me?”

“Eeeh?! No, I said I don’t care about your life, you idiot!”

“… Oh.”

“B-But… guess I can let you hear me play one of these days.”

“Hwara-hwara-hwara! Zeeta just fell for the newbie!” Erma cried out.

“I didn’t!”

My dark expression lit up. I had felt pretty nervous at the idea of meeting a bunch of gangsters; I knew Azritz would be horrified if she found out; deep down, I had been convinced that working meant suffering and that the Underworld was a dark place… Well, it was, and I had prepared myself to make money despite that but… maybe I had been a bit too pessimistic for once?

* * *

Farskyer City’s climate is cold, but it seldom snows in November. The year I entered the gang, though, a huge snowfall came down on the city.

I made my way through the streets, to the dark alley. In the dim light of a lantern, Rock-Beard was pushing away the snow in front of our turf. We shook hands.

“Let me help you.”

The bearded man said nothing, but I knew he appreciated my help. He was a man of few words, but a righteous one, even though he was a gangster. We had almost finished freeing the entrance when I heard behind me:

“Cold, cold, cold, cold! Straw Head, I’m cold!”

A frozen hand touched my neck. I gave a shriek turning around.

“Erma!”

She burst out laughing.

“Hwara-hwara-hwara! What was that scream, Straw Head! Seriously! Hwara-hwara! … What are you—Yiiiiii!” I had just put the back of my hands on her neck.

“Oh, looks like you guys are having fun,” Zeeta said, appearing behind Erma. “You do it like that?”

“Yiiiiii!”

“Oh, it worked.”

“Yiiiiii!”

“Sure it works.”

“You two, you’ll pay for it!”

She took a handful of snow from the ground. I tried to dodge thinking she would throw it at me, but no: she grabbed my collar, detached her left hand, and it went under my clothes, spreading the snow. The cold ran up my spine, then I began guffawing hysterically.

“Buahahaha, stop, Erma, stop, you’re tickling me!”

“You can only blame yourselves for ganging up on me!”

Some would say Erma’s power was a creepy one, but I thought it was a pretty cool one… except when she used it against me.

My body was tickling me, and I was hurting all over from laughing.

“Erma, get back your hand!”

“I can’t, it ran away! Hwara-hwara!”

“Aah… No wonder it ran away from you…”

Her hand pinched my back. I moaned, jumping and trying to shake off the hand. Zeeta was doubling up with laughter, that jerk. Rock-Beard disappeared into our turf, acting as if he didn’t know us.

“Zeeta, please, save me, I can’t take it anymore!”

“Hang in there, Straw Head, I’m coming!”

We managed to free my back from Erma’s hand, and we began throwing snowballs at her. She protested under the white rain:

“I can’t believe you guys… Ow! Ganging up on a little girl… ouch! Birdbrain-dummy-fools, I said stooop!”

She jumped on us and dragged us down with her on the snow. Erma puffed, lying between us, face down.

“Gah… I’ve eaten snow…”

“Is it g-good?” My teeth were chattering.

“It’s just cold. Wanna try?”

“N-No, thanks. I’m-e alread-dy c-c-cold-e-e…”

“Oh… Your Taipei accent showed.”

“That’s true!” Zeeta chuckled. “So it doesn’t happen only when you’re embarrassed or drunk.”

“He does it when he’s embarrassed too?” Erma asked, interested.

“Yeah.”

“Oh? But when is he embarrassed? He’s always smiling.”

“That’s the point. He smiles like thaaat when he’s embarrassed.” Zeeta tried to imitate my embarrassed smile, stretching his cheeks.

“I nev-ver d-do that weird-e f-face,” I replied. My teeth were chattering like hell. “We… really should mov-v-ve. I’m g-gonna die from hyp-podermia.”

“Hypothermia, Straw Head,” Erma corrected me.

“Yeah…” My body was shaking. “Aaah… But now it’s not-e that cold-e. Feels like in T-Taip-pei… so warm-e…”

My voice faltered. Erma and Zeeta looked at me, suddenly worried.

“…! Crap. Straw Head, hang in there!”

They helped me up. Shaking like a leaf, I entered the workshop that was our turf and hurried near the heater that Rock-Beard had just turned on. So warm! I took out my coat as Erma snorted:

“You really scared me there, Straw Head.”

“Brr… I’m fine. I just can’t stand cold. Ah, it’s so warm around here, it feels so nice…”

As the firewood was cracking inside the heater, Zeeta coughed.

“Straw Head. You… sure about what you’re doing?”

I looked at him, confused.

“About what?”

“You’re stripping in front of the Lil Witch.”

I froze. I had already taken off my shirt, which was drenched because of Erma’s hand. Luckily I still had my pants. Sitting on a cushion, Erma cleared her throat:

“Bah, it’s all right. It’s better than catching a cold.”

“Yeah, right? Besides, Zeeta, you know… Erma touches my body almost every day—”

“You make it sound like I’m a pervert!” Erma burst out.

“Aaah… Stop harassing the Straw Head, Erma. You traumatized him. He’s red now. I think he’s not cold anymore.”

“Shut up, Zeeta, I’m actually not embarrassed,” I assured. “It’s not like I have a scary body with venomous thorns.”

“Who are you even referring to?” Zeeta snorted.

Erma stifled a laugh.

“Are you sure you don’t have thorns in your legs?”

“…! Aha… What’s with that question?”

“Let’s check,” Zeeta said.

“The hell, Zeeta, back-e off-e!”

Erma laughed loudly.

“It’s true! You really talk with your Taipei accent when you’re embarrassed! I’ll remember that, Straw Head.”

Why would she remember something so unimportant? At that moment, the door opened, and Ginger came in, he frowned at me and burst out:

“You…! What are you doing in front of our little princess!”

The former Holy Monk snapped. He punished me to kowtow and rest my forehead on the ground for five minutes. I felt his glare on me.

“Shame on you.”

“Sorry, boss. I didn’t think it over.”

“Then start thinking, Straw Head, start thinking!”

“But I’m nicknamed Straw Head for a good reason, boss.”

“Wasn’t it because your hair is blond?”

“No,” Zeeta patted my red knit cap. “It’s because his head is full of straw.”

“…! Is… that so?”

I raised my head, nodding in all seriousness.

“Yes, boss. Sorry I never told you before, boss.”

Ginger stared at me for a moment, then let out a guffaw.

“You’re a weird one, Straw Head! Well, guys, getting back to work, I was told there’s a troublesome pair of professional thieves wandering in the city, so be careful not to get involved: those guys don’t hesitate to kill. Also, Sunflower is sick. Erma, you go patrol with Armen and Zeeta. Same routine, same job. Any questions?”

“None, boss!”

His eyes turned to Zeeta and me.

“And take good care of our little princess.”

Was he, like, her father? I clapped my hands three times just like I would do in front of a holy sanctuary, and I said:

“Till death do us part, boss.”

Erma nailed a fist in my back.

“Don’t say it like you’re marrying me, birdbrain-dummy-fool!”

* * *

The sakuras were brimming with flowers.

“Pink.”

Erma raised an eyebrow. It was Saturday, and as usual, we were lazing around in the Old Docks. Erma had led us to Sakura Park. She echoed:

“Pink? What do you mean?”

My eyes turned away from the pink flowers and fastened on Erma’s two pink pigtails.

“It’s my favorite color right now. ’Cause the flowers are beautiful.”

“Mm… Honestly, I think cherry trees are more beautiful in pictures,” Erma replied. She totally didn’t catch what I meant. I smiled painfully. I was so bad at choosing the right words.

“In pictures, huh… Ah! Could it be you have near-sightedness?”

She jerked up.

“Why?!”

“Ah, no, I just thought that, if you like pictures more, it might be because you can’t see them as well in reality. My big sis is nearsighted too ever since she experienced a quirk. She can see microscopic stuff, and she says that the microscopic world is way more beautiful than the marcoscopic world. It’s kinda crazy, right? To think that each person sees the world so differently—”

I fell silent when Erma laid a fist on my cheek.

“We don’t see it so differently. I take it back. I like cherry trees in reality too.”

So she changed her mind? I grinned.

“Well, that makes two of us.”

“Mm,” she muttered, keeping walking under the canopy. “By the way, Straw Head, I’m not nearsighted. Also, it’s macroscopic, not marcoscopic. Are you dyslexic?”

“Some teachers say I am. Some teachers say I’m not.”

“Hwara, hwara, what was that?”

She turned to me with a beaming smile, her pigtails suddenly swirling under a gust of wind. A rain of pink flowers fell upon us. My heart started pounding out of the blue as I stared at her. What… was that sensation? Nothing that a picture could give me, that was for sure. It felt as if a whole orchestra of violins had started playing in my head. I couldn’t put my finger on my sudden inspiration before Zeeta came back from buying ice creams and we sat on a bench. I heard the tinkling sound of the wind chimes in a nearby temple. We were silently savoring our ice creams when I sprang from the bench.

“I know!”

Erma and Zeeta looked at me quizzically.

“What do you know, Straw Head?” the latter asked curiously as Erma gulped down a mouthful of chocolate ice cream.

“Heehee… Zeeta. We did form a duo band, didn’t we?”

“… We did, why?”

“And we said we would make an album.”

“Yeah…?”

“An album?” Erma echoed, amazed. “I didn’t know you two were so into it! Can I help?”

Her spontaneous offer made me grin.

“Actually… Erma. Will you be our muse?”

“…!”

“That’s what you were thinking?” Zeeta snorted. “Erma, our muse? Did you hit your head?”

“But Zeeta, don’t you feel something like a surge of inspiration when you look at her?”

“…” Zeeta gazed at Erma’s astonished face. “A surge of inspiration, huh? Oh, yeah, now that I look carefully, it’s coming right from the chocolate on her mouth.”

“Haha, so you saw it, Zeeta?”

“Sometimes I don’t know if you’re joking or not, Armen.”

“But what kind of music does she inspire in you right now?”

“A song about chocolate, perhaps.”

“Something lively.”

“And wild.”

“Stirring.”

“Loud.”

“A bit awkward.”

“Lunatic.”

“Angry.”

“Pigtail Madness.”

“Angry, Zeeta,” I repeated with a painful smile. “She’s angry.”

Erma had devoured her ice cream in a matter of seconds. She stood up.

“Birdbrain-dummy-fools! I’m leaving.”

“Wait!” I ran after her. “Please, Erma, don’t mind Zeeta, I was being sincere. I think a muse has to be something or someone that shakes you up. And you shake me up, because… we’re good friends.”

Erma stopped. Zeeta chimed in from the bench:

“And she shakes you for real sometimes.”

“Zeeta, I’m serious! Erma… I want you to become our muse to write a song. A good one.”

“Are you saying that the previous ones were no good?” Zeeta snorted.

“Then… our best one!”

Erma stared at me under her long eyelashes then crossed her arms.

“What is a muse supposed to do, anyway?”

Her words were a yes, right? Right? I covered my face with an arm.

“Straw Head? What’s the matter? I knew it. You were making fun of me, weren’t you?”

“I’m not! I’m just… happy.”

“I didn’t agree yet, though?”

“What?!”

“… Pff,” she laughed under her breath at my shocked expression. “Well, if it’s not too much of a hassle, I’ll do it.”

“Seriously?” I grinned from ear to ear and bowed to her. “Thanks! Please let’s work hard together!”

Erma blushed a bit then gave a nod.

“Mm. So… What do I inspire in you right now?”

I looked at her intently, her brown chocolate-stained mouth, her pink pigtails, her blue eyes, then said:

“A sakura in the sky.”

19 Rescue plan?

Ray, Louise, Zeeta, and I were sitting around the low table in the living room.

In the street, before parting, Ray had advised Styzz to forget what just happened—it turned out that they were classmates, and Styzz had been quite surprised to find out I was actually the same age as him and was “that nerd’s best friend”. That Hero-to-be wasn’t a bad guy, in the end: he had even asked if we needed help, without even knowing what kind of thugs we were up against. I think I managed to convince him that the matter wasn’t that big of a deal, or at least not that serious to go call the police.

After quickly changing my drenched clothes, I explained to Ray and Zeeta all the details. As I fell silent, I looked at Rainbows, curled up on Ray’s lap. I wondered if she felt more attached to him because of their bond or just because he was alive.

“So,” Ray said, rubbing his forehead, “you intended to go there so those thugs would free Erma and get their revenge on you.”

Was he going to reproach me for barging in again without a plan? I smiled, a bit annoyed.

“Ray… Even now that I told you guys, the problem hasn’t changed one bit: they’re stronger than us, and they’ve got a hostage—”

“I’ll go instead!” Zeeta growled. He was restless, cracking his knuckles as if craving for a fight. His feral side was showing…

I bluntly refused:

“That won’t do. They’re after me specifically. I was the one who scared that merfolk to death, remember?”

“But we were all there!” Zeeta protested. “If not for Ginger, Sunflower, and Rock-Beard, we wouldn’t have been able to catch them in the first place.”

“You’re right, but… for that kind of people, being subdued by a power like the one I had back then seems to have been an experience way more traumatic than just receiving some punches. That said,” I turned to Ray, “those four guys are your common thugs: they know their limits. I won’t die.”

“So you’re gonna let them do as they please?” Zeeta snorted. “Not in a thousand years!”

“There must be a way,” Ray muttered, lost in thought. When he put that concentrated face, it always made me feel uncomfortable… His dark eyes suddenly fastened on me. “Armen, they did tell you to meet them at a specific location, right? Do you know the place well?”

“Erm… Yes and no. I’ll remember when I get there, I guess?”

“You’ve never had a good sense of direction, Straw Head,” Zeeta chimed in teasingly. “But I know very well where it is. I… used to live around there for years so… You see, Ray. The place those bastards have chosen is a large construction site. It’s been abandoned since the last crisis. Actually, the whole area has become a den for all sorts of gangs and outlaws. We call it the Work-Lair. I can draw a map if you want.”

“That would be useful,” Ray approved.

“Seeta! I’ve got sheets here!” Louise cried out, putting them down on the table pompously. “And there’s the pencil! Woops, it broke… but it’s all right, it happens to me all the time! Papa says it’s because I’m very strong. Heehee… Oh, the nib is broken too. I’ll use the machine to fix it! Do you have one here?”

“You mean a pencil sharpener. Here you go,” Ray said, taking it out from his school bag.

“Thanks, Louise,” Zeeta smiled.

I watched him draw a plan of the construction site, increasingly annoyed. What were they thinking? That they would be able to save Erma from under the nose of the Black-Hearts? That was unnecessarily complicated. Not to mention I had to recover my wallet and my phone too. My idea may look rash and thoughtless, but I was sure that things would be over faster if I were to just do as the merfolk had told me.

I stood up and went to sit by the window. The snowman that Rainbows had destroyed the day before was barely recognizable now. The sky had become cloudy, and tiny snowflakes were falling.

Erma.

Despite having spent one year working with her, I had seldom heard her speak about her past. She had spent her early childhood with her grandma, who was apparently a witch; when she was nine, she had gone to Farskyer to live with her dad and siblings. And barely a year and a half ago, she had decided to run away from them “for a while” and joined the Cheetahs just a few months before I did. That is how she ended up in the Underworld at such a young age.

I remembered well the day I met the Cheetahs. Erma was the first one to make me feel at ease—though she also scared the wits out of me with her power, but well… She was also the only Cheetah who had actually answered my text in summer, saying: ‘Straw Head!!! Happy to hear from you!! Things are getting messy, so I think I’ll be going back to my family for now!! (Don’t have really the choice…!) What about you?’ Incidentally, if my messages were overloaded with emojis, Erma’s, on the other hand, were chock-full of exclamation marks. She had stopped answering my texts in August, though. I had been wondering if she was doing all right now that she was back with her family. To me, she had been like a sweat storm in my life. In a year, we had become really good friends, and I could say, without a doubt, that out of all the Cheetahs, the ones that I had missed the most those four last months were Zeeta and Erma. That’s why…

There was no way in hell I would abandon her.

The fact that Erma had changed her cellphone number in August had made me think she had wanted to forget everything of the Underworld, and I had decided not to meddle, but now… things were different. Why did those bastards even kidnap her? She personally did nothing to them, and the merfolk and his people couldn’t have known beforehand that they would catch sight of me in the Old Docks, so… Why now? And what did they do to her?

Even though my blood had long dried out, I could feel it boil inside me.

“Armen,” Ray said suddenly.

I turned, startled.

“Yeah?”

“Were you listening?”

“Ah, sorry, no. What did you say?”

“According to Zeeta, the building in question has only the main pillars built, without the walls. If they’re waiting for you there, we’ll be able to know what’s going on from afar, thanks to Zeeta’s power. The most important thing right now is to find out Erma’s whereabouts.”

I frowned. Did he mean there was a possibility that Erma was being kept elsewhere? I didn’t even think about that. Geez. I was really reticent about letting Ray get into this mess but…

“Do you have a plan?” I asked.

“Not really, but…” He looked me in the eye. “I’m not gonna let you go there just to be beaten up. You hear?”

The young necromancer’s eyes were sparkling, defying me to argue with him. Good grief…

“Okay. I’d honestly rather solve this problem my own way but… I guess I can’t tell you guys to stay put. Let’s make a deal. I’ll go there. When they let Erma go, I’ll try to run away. If I can’t, you may come save me. How about that?”

There was a silence. Then Zeeta spoke.

“That’s probably the best way to get Erma out of there safe and sound… if they really let her go, that is.” He raised a hand to calm me down. “Remember you’re not the only Cheetah here, Armen. Like you, I’m pissed like hell right now, but let’s not rush headlong. I won’t let those guys have you just like that. You say you won’t die, but even for an undead like you… Don’t forget you’re not against the Hell Hounds but the Black-Hearts. Those guys may have new comrades that are on a totally different level.”

That was precisely why I insisted on going there alone: a spy with earbuds, a fledgling telekinetic, and a budding necromancer couldn’t possibly do anything against those guys. Getting the Lord Necromancer to help us was out of the question: Ray’s dad was a head of the Dark Alliance, and I couldn’t imagine him stirring up trouble between the two big groups just because of a girl that wasn’t even a member of the Necro-Haven. I doubted the Lord would lift a finger to save a girl his son didn’t personally know.

Zeeta stood up.

“I’ll go take a look around. I’ll be careful.”

“Are you going to call Sunflower?” I asked. She was the only Cheetah with Zeeta who had joined the DA after all…

Zeeta wavered at the entrance.

“Actually, I didn’t tell you but… last time I sent her a message, in summer, she told me to go to hell and stopped taking my calls.”

“Hah? Sunflower did?”

“Yeah. And for no special reason. I mean, I just asked her something like ‘how our princess’s going?’. She’s always got a bad temper, but still…”

“Perhaps she just had a bad day?”

“I wonder.” Zeeta shrugged. “She apparently got a power that interested the Goal-Ring. I heard that to get into the Goal-Ring you need to be some big-shot or be a real genius. I guess such a special treatment went to her head.” He paused, then waved at us. “Well then, I’ll be off. Let’s meet by the docks at night. Bye, bye, Louise!”

“Bye!”

As Zeeta left, I stood silent for a while. Louise was lazily drawing on the edge of Zeeta’s map, and Ray was holding the brim of his cap with two fingers, clearly trying to come up with a better plan… I smiled. Ray and Zeeta’s determination to help me out was definitely moving, but…

“It’s all right, Ray. You don’t need to come along. I’ll save Erma and tomorrow it will be as if nothing had happened. Trust me, everything will be fine!”

Ray clicked his tongue and got to his feet, Rainbows in his arms.

“I’ll go.”

Crap.

“A-Actually I’ll be more worried if you come and run into trouble—”

“I’ll go!”

“Me too!” Louise let out.

We both turned to her, surprised. Ray cleared his throat.

“Sorry, Louise, but you go back to my dad’s.” Even though Louise was pretty strong, I agreed with Ray’s decision. After all, despite her looks, Louise was just a little girl. “Also, Louise… say nothing about this to him, okay?” As I gave Ray a curious face, he snorted: “What? I’d rather get beaten up than ask for his help again.”

I grinned, then patted Louise’s head to cheer her up.

“Okay, let’s get ready.”

20 A qi master in the Work-Lair

“I looked, like, everywhere but I couldn’t see her,” Zeeta said. The three of us had just entered the Work-Lair from the docks. Zeeta added in a whisper: “You sure they didn’t make it up just to lure you?”

I frowned. That was a possibility but…

“If we really don’t know where she is, let’s just ask them directly. Well then… let’s part ways here.”

Zeeta and Ray glanced at each other. Ray was wearing a flashlight around his neck, lighting his way like it was daylight. I seriously didn’t get why he insisted on coming along. Despite being the son of the Lord Necromancer, he totally wasn’t familiarized with the Underworld life.

“Be careful, Armen.”

“I will. Don’t get too close, Ray. The same goes for you, Zeeta. If they know I’m not alone, things will get worse.”

I left, turning a corner and picking up the pace. The streets were really intricate, and I barely found my way to the half-constructed building where, months ago, the Cheetahs had been interrogating the Hell Hounds.

When I finally reached the building, I was under the impression that I was being watched, but I saw nobody as I stepped between the pillars, on the cemented ground. If those guys were so good at hiding… I just hoped Ray and Zeeta would stay at a fair distance.

I finally saw a light bulb in the dark, shining over a dozen of people: some were lazing around, some were training in hand-to-hand combat, others were just staring at their phones with bored faces. Crap. They were that many? My eyes searched for Erma, but I couldn’t see her at all.

“Oh? Look. He really came!” The merfolk stepped forward, obviously pleased.

I stopped. Those gangsters’ eyes were looking at me with mingled curiosity and mockery. I asked:

“Where is Erma?”

Several of them snorted with laughter.

“He really fell for it!”

I widened my eyes as the merfolk sauntered towards me. Despite being in winter, his tattooed, blue arms were showing. His golden eyes glared at me.

“Too bad, Mr. Smiley. You came to rescue a princess who’s never been kidnapped.”

As soon as I heard that, I turned around and ran.

Crap, crap, crap… Zeeta was right! It had been a trap all along. Those guys had lied. Erma had never been there.

I was thinking that when I realized they weren’t even trying to catch up with me. Only the merfolk was running on my heels, looking as if he was just playing around.

“Oh, oh, Straw Head! You forgot your wallet!”

Right. I didn’t care about the money in it, because I was pretty sure they wouldn’t give it back, but my ID papers were another story. If I had to remake them, how would I be able to enroll in that Experimental Program in January? Ray would say I was crazy but… I hated bureaucracy so much I would rather get thrashed by those thugs than spend all my holidays running from office to office in the administration.

Still, I was pretty sure the one keeping my wallet and my phone was none other than the merfolk. If I managed to lure him away from the others…

I tripped on something—a heap of metal bars I couldn’t see because I had been running in the dark. I was getting to my feet when the merfolk lit up a flashlight. My undead eyes immediately saw what was going on: the merfolk wasn’t alone. There were two other guys: one of them, a black-haired teen, seemed to be the one who had been following me since I had entered the building; the other one was taking a martial artist stance, ready to leap at me. They were blocking my path.

I understood two things.

First, they didn’t even think I could get away from them: worse, they had let me run on purpose.

And that was because… they were having fun.

In situations like these, when I was about to panic, I always smiled instead. I forced myself to calm down.

“Oh, you got me good!” I admitted. “Now let’s get to the funniest part, guys. You have to scare me as much as I scared you back then, merfolk. How are you gonna do it? Are you gonna beat me up? Yeah, right, violence is the only way you guys have to solve things—”

“Shut your trap, jerk!”

“—Too bad punching a weakling like me won’t satisfy you.”

“Now I really wanna wipe your smile off your face.”

The teen laughed.

“Don’t you get it? He’s smiling because he’s scared.” He pulled out a knife. “I wonder. Will you still be smiling when I cut off your nose?”

His voice totally didn’t convince me. I bet that kid hadn’t cut off the nose of anyone in his life. I let out a sigh.

“I wouldn’t of course. A nose is a very important part of the human body, after all. You’re what, fourteen years old? You shouldn’t waste your holidays scaring people, you know—”

“Like you’re one to talk!” The kid drew his knife closer. “Who was wasting his holidays scaring people in summer? And I’m sixteen by the way!”

I raised my hands peacefully.

“Haha, sorry, I guess I misspoke.”

“Ryu, don’t get in my way,” the merfolk then said as he stepped forward.

The merfolk was stronger and faster than I was, but the martial artist was the most problematic of the three, I think. He was barely blinking, ready to dash and block my way if I were to run away again. He wasn’t wearing any thorned choker around his neck nor any tattoo. Did that mean he wasn’t a former Hell Hound?

When the merfolk was only two meters away from me, I stared at him. He flinched and stopped. I was surprised. Back then, I had never thought about the aftereffects of my power. How many people had I traumatized under the Tiger Clan’s wing? I didn’t really feel sorry for most of them, but as for that merfolk before my eyes… I remembered him well, begging on his knees as he was spitting out everything about the Hell Hounds and even about his life. It was like in a drama: he was an orphan, had a little sister to take care of, and debts to pay inherited from his parents. He and his friends were somehow approached by the Hell Hounds and ended up working for them. It reminded me a little about myself, so… yeah, I think I was a bit sorry for what I did to him.

I bowed my head under his astonished eyes.

“As I said this afternoon, sorry for what I did to you.”

There was a silence… then the merfolk grabbed me by the collar, and half lifting me, pushed me until my back crashed into a pillar.

“You…!” He was shaking. He lowered his voice. “If you tell anyone what happened on that day, you’re dead.”

I breathed in. Damn. Now that I thought about it, his lifeforce was particularly tasty. Was it because he was a merfolk? Merfolks had seemingly been normal humans before the Big Blend, so it wasn’t surprising that an undead like me could absorb their lifeforce.

As my body was eating without restraint, he punched my head against the pillar.

“Did you hear me?”

Wait… What was I doing, eating while being knocked around?

“I heard you. But tell me the truth… Is Erma really not here? Where did you get that photo from?”

The merfolk smirked.

“Man, you sure you’re a friend of her? Last month that kid was a finalist for the title of the Farskyer Idol Girl of the Year. She didn’t get chosen in the end and called the jury idiots who couldn’t recognize the worthiest and cutest idol even when she was under their nose. That a snot-nosed, stuck up and ugly brat like her was a finalist is already insulting.”

“I know, right!” the teen, Ryu, laughed.

I stared at the merfolk, stunned. Erma had tried to be an Idol Girl? The heck? It didn’t sound like something she would do, but if she did… I couldn’t either imagine her accepting her defeat without making a scene in front of everyone. So that was why she was crying in the photo. I smiled with relief.

“So she’s safe. I’m glad.” I blinked. “Oh, but… do you guys follow those kinds of things? Farskyer Idol Girl of the Year,” I chuckled. “Does such a funny title really exist?”

“You… Smile again and I’ll break all your teeth!”

My smile died on my lips. Ray had said that undead skin and muscles were quite easy to heal but that growing new teeth or new bones was much more difficult.

“Hoho? You scared?”

I was. But I tried to rifle through his pockets with my hands anyway. If only I could find my wallet and phone, I could then just focus on running away.

“You! Whatcha doin’, you scumbag!” I crashed into the pillar again. Did any of my bones break? I couldn’t tell. I couldn’t feel any pain… “Idiot. I’ll give your things back only when I’m done.”

“Jonnie,” the martial artist said then, raising his eyes from his cellphone. “The boss says he wants to see the boy.”

“Hah?” The merfolk clicked his tongue. “The hell? Why? What boss?”

“The big boss. Lei.”

“… Andris, you’re kidding, right?”

“I’m not. See for yourself.” The martial artist nonchalantly put his phone under his companion’s eyes. “Looks like one of your friends talked about that guy’s power. Maybe the boss wants to use him?”

Jonnie got over it pretty quick and pulled at me grunting:

“Can’t be helped. Let’s go see the boss.”

I had a bad feeling about it. That merfolk Jonnie had lured me for revenge, but… what about his boss, that “Lei”? As for Zeeta and Ray… I was hoping they wouldn’t step in without a plan. We went to the second floor. Maybe curious to see what was going on, the people I had seen lazing around earlier followed us upstairs. There, the place was well-lit, but we were still in a building in construction: there were no pieces of furniture nor walls, just a lot of columns and iron bars all over the place.

“Boss, I’ve brought you the man,” Jonnie said, finally stopping. “Whatcha wanna do with him? I was planning to beat him up, y’know.”

The boss of their small group was surprisingly young. He looked my age. He wore a long, low, and black braid, and was just now sitting on a bamboo rug, stretching his legs. Another martial artist? He looked up our way. His blue eyes sparkled.

“Ah, yeah, thanks, Connie.”

“It’s Jonnie, though,” I heard the merfolk mutter under his breath.

“I was just wondering,” the boss added, “I’ve seen that photo you showed to that… Meow Head. The girl. Erma, was it? Do you really know her?”

Jonnie pushed me forwards.

“He’s talking to you, Straw Head.”

“Ah…” Under Lei’s slanted, calm gaze, I blinked. He didn’t look like a bad person, or at least not a really bad one. “I know her, yes.”

“Friends?”

“Yeah. Why? Don’t tell me you kidnapped her for real?”

“Mm? No, why would I bother kidnapping girls? I’m not that bad-looking, am I?” He elastically stood up, placed his hands on the ground, pushed his body vertically, head down, and began doing push-ups like it was nothing as he asked: “Say, Flaw Head. Is it true that you could scare people to death when the Spider Clan gave you the pills?”

That guy… He totally had a problem with names. I nodded as I admired his push-ups. He didn’t even look that muscled…

“It’s true. I could. But I can’t anymore.”

“Because you’re not given the pills?”

“No. Because I experienced a quirk.”

He paused.

“Oh? So you’re a power-holder? What kind of power?”

I fixed my eyes on his braid falling on the ground. I lifted it under his gaze.

“That kind of power.”

“Oh! Telekinesis!” He landed on all four with a grin. “Want to join my group?”

I heard the gangsters around me snort under their breath. I smiled back.

“Thanks, but I’ll pass. I quit my gangster’s life.”

Lei’s eyes had a cunning glint.

“Aya-aya, Hawk Head, you can’t quit something like that that easily, you know. Listen. Coincidentally, I know that ‘Erma’ too. And her cell number. If I call her and tell her you’re here, do you think she will come?”

I froze. What? That guy knew Erma? Lei smiled, took out his cell, and began typing. Was he bluffing?

“Linah? I mean, Erma. Don’t hang up, dear, I’ve got something for you.”

He took a photo of me as I swallowed hard. The hell? He went on:

“Do you know him… Oooh, I see. You do know him, then. Don’t yell at me, I did nothing to him, I was just passing by when I heard some guys talking about that Yawn Head. Guess what? He came here thinking you had been kidnapped! Is he your boyf… Eeeeh, where is ‘here’, you ask? Well, you probably know that already. He’ll explain it to you…”

« Straw Head? » Erma’s voice was real.

I clenched my teeth. I didn’t want to get her into trouble…

“Boss!” a gangster said then. “We’ve found a suspicious guy wandering around. He says he’s called the police!”

The gangsters burst out laughing. My heart sank when I saw Ray pushed by two men. I screamed:

“Ray!”

He fell to his knees. I hurried to his side, worried to death. For some reason, Ray didn’t have his flashlight anymore, and he was huddling on the floor, shaking violently, and mumbling:

“Stay away, stay away…”

The only time I had seen him in such a state was when, back in middle school, on a field trip, the teachers made us climb a small hill in the dark to go see the stars from a space observatory. It was supposed to be a fun, touristic walk without any risk, but Ray had been paralyzed by fear almost from the start. After some encouragements and jokes to belittle his fears, our classmates and teachers had left him behind, telling him to go back to the inn… Maybe they thought he was just too lazy to climb up the hill? If they had stayed by his side as I did, there’s no way they would have thought that after seeing the whole thing. I would never forget Ray’s shaking face full of dread… I wished I never saw it again.

“Who the hell…” I groaned. My anger burst out, and I think my mind blacked out for an instant. “Who the hell took his flashlight away?!”

The gangsters fell quiet, surprised by my outburst, and for a moment, the silence was only interrupted by Ray’s irregular panting. He was calming down, though. Thank goodness, the room was well lit.

“You’re talking about that?”

A gangster was fidgeting with Ray’s flashlight.

“He was holding at it so tightly, I thought it was some kind of weapon,” he laughed.

I jumped to my feet and held out my hand, furious.

“Give it back.”

“Could it be,” Lei intervened, “that your friend’s afraid of the dark?”

I heard them laugh. Lei stopped beside us, glancing at Ray.

“Hey, Baseball Cap, is it true you called the police?”

Ray murmured:

“It’s… not. Sorry, Armen, I—”

“Don’t apologize,” I said, giving him a gentle knock on the head. “Are you all right, now?”

Ray nodded.

“Yeah… sorry. I blundered.”

“I blundered too.”

Lei looked at his phone.

“Oh, looks like Linah hung up. She probably is on her way right now. Let’s have some fun until she gets here, okay? I’m curious to know what kind of guy you are, since my little sis seems to care at least a bit about you.”

Little sis?! What did he mean by that? Erma was his little sister? But why did he call her Linah? Was Erma not her real name? No way… Perhaps he was just trying to confuse me, but why? Beside me, the former Hell Hounds Ryu and Jonnie were as lost as I was.

“She got angry at me,” Lei continued. “You’d better compensate with a good fight. I won’t use my power, so come at me. If you land a hit on me, I’ll let you go. If you can’t do it before Linah gets here, you join my group.”

“Are you insane?” I replied. “I won’t join your group.”

“Why not? The pay is fair, it’s fun, and I give martial arts lessons for free!”

From his subordinates’ grimaces, I bet those “lessons” weren’t funny at all.

“I even teach a strengthening method to my most loyal disciples. So?”

“Strengthening method? What’s that?”

“Aya-aya… You’re interested, aren’t you?”

“I’m not.”

“Martial arts are all about qi and circulation techniques,” he explained despite my quick reply. “Strengthening methods allow you to harden your body by using not only muscle power but energies as well. And some of those methods are really, really powerful. That’s why they are not taught to just anybody… Did I lose you?”

“Yeah.”

He chuckled.

“Well, enough talking. Come at me.”

“Don’t wanna.”

A punch flew in my direction. I fell.

“Armen!” Ray cried out.

“You, the scaredy-cat, just step aside,” Lei said. “Nyaw Head, bring it on.”

I was pissed off. I lunged at him. He dodged my punch, and the next ones as well. He moved swiftly, slightly smirking.

“Is this all you can do? And you call yourself Linah’s friend?”

“Sorry, but I’m a friend of Erma’s, I don’t know that Linah,” I grumbled.

“Oh?” He laughed. “So you don’t even know her true identity. That’s funny. She is funny. My little sis.”

What did he mean by that? I stopped thinking when I saw a palm of his hit my chin. Though I didn’t feel any pain, my whole body was shaken.

“You’re sturdier than I expected.”

The gangsters around us commented:

“I would have passed out after a blow like that.”

“The boss sure is a master.”

“Sure is.”

“But then is the Straw Head a martial artist too?”

“Clearly not. But he’s a stubborn one.”

In the end, I kept struggling and being hit without even being able to land a hit. I even tried to use my telekinesis and shut his eyes, but he barely slowed down. Not only that: way too soon, he figured out that he just had to pass an arm on his eyes to make me break contact. Ray was cursing under his breath, flanked by two gangsters, when he suddenly yelled:

“Now I remember you!”

Lei stopped, surprised. My punch hit him in the chest. I grinned.

“Thanks, Ray, I landed a hit!”

It didn’t look like it hurt, though. Lei frowned at Ray.

“What do you mean, you remember, scaredy-cat? Do you know who I am?”

Was he ignoring me? Ray was staring at the young martial artist with amazement.

“How…?”

“Boss!” a sudden voice cried out from the stairs. “Your sister… Your sister is coming!”

Lei grimaced.

“Aya-aya… So soon?”

We heard several voices yell, then one shouted:

“Boss, your sister is totally out of contr—Aaaargh!”

The gangster that was running towards us while screaming was struck by something in the back and fell head over heels.

“LEI!”

The scream of rage tore the air. Lei whistled, sent a thumbs up to his subordinates, and said:

“Soldiers, keep your positions.”

He fled. I couldn’t believe my eyes. Was he afraid of his little sis? What was going on?

Then I saw her. The pink pigtailed girl appeared from the shadows. She was not just using her power to detach her left hand; she was sending it flying at high speed. And not only her left hand but her right hand too, as well as her forearms: at that moment, they were darting projectiles that flew away at an incredible speed and returned to their owner as boomerangs to be sent away again. The gangsters in her path were being hit one by one; the others were fleeing, cursing their boss and running for their lives.

I stood still, in awe. She was Erma, wasn’t she? Her round face was pale from anger, her blue eyes ignited with a dangerous flame. It seemed as if the Wrath in person had come into the building to wreak havoc.

Soon, we could only hear the wind caused by Erma’s limbs flying back and forth her main body like a storm. I had never seen something so creepy and cool in my life.

I called out her name.

“Erma!”

21 Black-Hearts

Finally, Erma recomposed her body, first her forearms, then her hands. It felt as if she was completing a puzzle. After sending a glare at the fleeing gangsters, she glowered at the fallen ones and barked:

“Don’t even move a muscle, you idiots!”

Her lively eyes finally fixed on me.

“Straw Head! So it was true, after all! I was sure I had recognized your voice. I’m so happy to see you! Are you okay?”

“I’m fine. I’m happy to see you too!”

“Where’s that damned Lei?”

“He ran away.”

“That coward.” She took a deep breath to calm her anger. “He’s always driving me crazy.”

I glanced at Ray. Some light bulbs had blown up with Erma’s arrival, but he managed to retrieve his flashlight from the thief and switch it on before losing his calm to the darkness.

“Is that… for real?” he panted.

“You mean her power, right? I was surprised too. Erma… did you level up or something? That was just amazing!”

She looked flattered.

“I always had this power. Look.”

Her fist flew towards a column, banged into it, left a crack, then came back to its owner like a boomerang.

I was bewildered. If she’d always had that power then… did that mean she had kept her true skills from the Cheetahs? Why?

The gangsters that had no time to flee were all keeping their heads down, some groaning with pain, others looking at the crack in the column as astonished as I was.

“It… doesn’t hurt?”

“It doesn’t! I use a body hardening method. My fists transform into unstoppable punches.”

Awesome. She definitely could fend for herself with such a power.

Only after glancing around at the fallen gangsters, Erma noticed Ray and held out her hand towards him. I hurriedly stepped between them saying:

“Wait, Ray is a friend of mine!”

“Oh, I guessed as much, I was just going to ask who he was…” Was she, really? Instead of sending her punch flying at him, she just waved with a warm smile. “Hi. Nice to meet you, Ray.”

“Er… Nice to meet you,” Ray bowed more deeply than I expected. “And… thanks for saving us.”

“Yeah, thanks a lot, Erma, you’re so strong!” I said in admiration. “That Lei was so strong too, but you made him run away just like that. You even scared me a bit there.”

“A bit? Hwara-hwara-hwara! You were scared stiff, you mean! I saw your face just now. Anyway, let’s go somewhere else. It’s busy around here.”

“Ah, right. Wait a moment. I think this one still has my phone and wallet,” I said.

Luckily, Jonnie, the merfolk, was among Erma’s victims. He had been hit in the legs and was groaning in pain as he was staring at Erma in disbelief.

“You…” he stammered.

“My things, Jonnie,” I said, holding out my hand with a smile. “Thanks.”

After I took back my belongings, I heard the teenager Ryu whisper, appalled:

“So Erma is actually… Lei’s sister?”

The merfolk cursed under his breath and murmured:

“I’m so screwed…”

Well, he would have been in a bad spot if he had kidnapped his boss’ little sis for real, that’s for sure. If she was really his sister, that is.

I hurried to the exit with Erma and Ray, saying cheerfully:

“I’m glad you’re doing well, Lil Witch! I was wondering what happened to you when you stopped answering my texts.”

“Oh, that… Sorry, my big sis broke my phone and I lost all my contacts. I genuinely hate her. But, say, is it true that you came here thinking I was kidnapped?”

“About that… Remember that merfolk I used my power on last spring? The one that had my phone just now. A certain Jonnie, apparently. He wanted to take revenge, and he used a picture of you crying to convince me.”

“A picture of me crying?!” She spun around, clenching her fists. “That jerk! I’m gonna punch him good for making fake pictures of me!”

“Stop, stop, let’s forget him!” I snorted, grabbing her gently. “The picture wasn’t fake. He told me afterwards it was taken during an Idol contest or something like that.”

Erma blushed, then kept walking to the exit with a moan:

“Aaaah… That one. Don’t look at me like that! I didn’t want to go. It’s my big sis Sally’s fault again. Last month she made me go to that Idol contest saying that she would stop bothering me if I won. I was so embarrassed!”

“…? Well, I would be too. But that means your big sis thinks highly of your looks. I’m sure she meant well—”

“She harasses me! Ever since she came back from Starland, Sally has been on my back, telling me how I should behave, how I should dress, and even how I should speak. She also wants to choose my friends. She’s a nightmare!”

“… That sounds awful.”

I thought how lucky I was to have Azritz as my big sis. As we walked away from the building, into a neighboring street, I scanned our surroundings.

“Straw Head? Don’t worry. Lei won’t come to bother us anymore. He’s annoying, but he’s not crazy.”

“No… I mean, Zeeta came along with us. I’m just wondering where he is.”

“Zeeta? Seriously?! Mm… I don’t see him either.”

Could it be he had run into trouble? I was just switching my phone, when Ray said, looking at his own cellphone:

“He’s okay. He went to ask for help.”

“…?! He did? Did you tell him—”

“Yeah. He’s on his way.”

If he had intended to ask for help then… Whose could that be? The Hidden Hall from the DA perhaps? But how would he obtain their favor? I felt bad imagining how much Zeeta had probably panicked when I had been led to the second floor of the building, out of his power’s reach. I was not especially self-centered but… I knew him well. He would have sold his soul to the Devil to save me. Thank goodness it seemed Erma had made it in time.

“So you two kept in touch, that’s good to hear!” Erma said cheerfully. “Is he doing well? Last I heard of him he went into the DA.”

“Yeah… He’s doing fine.”

“Did you as well…?”

“No way. I don’t have the looks of a gangster, anyway.”

“You do, though.”

“Do I?” I grinned.

Erma stopped and pointed at some stairs that led to a basement.

“This way. It’s my personal hideout.”

Her personal hideout? We went down the staircase to a metallic door, she turned the key in the lock, then switched on the lights as we entered. I stopped dead. The large room we entered was covered with drawn colored circles everywhere, walls, ceiling, and ground. They were… bullseyes? They were covered with cracks. What the…?

“Comfy, sound-proofed, and perfect for training!” Erma declared, making a complete turnaround. “I made this place mine when I first arrived at this city. Do you like it?”

“That’s…”

The only space without bullseyes seemed to be at the back of the room: there, there was a sofa, a game console, a big closet, a fridge, and numerous posters on the wall showing pop and rock music bands. Some of them were music bands I had personally recommended to her.

“Come in, come in, and sit down! I’ll get you some drinks. I have cans of soda and fruit juice. Here. Help yourself!”

Typing in my cell, I quickly informed Zeeta of our location and confirmed that everything was fine as I sat on the sofa with Ray. Erma took off her coat and switched on a small heater. I wondered if she did so because she knew I was very sensitive to cold. That is, when I was alive… As I remembered that, I glanced at the soda I had just accepted. How could I just forget I had died? I guess that recalling the past had made me forget the present. Anyway, there were some urgent questions to clear up.

“Erma…”

I fell silent as she curled up in her armchair. She was wearing a long, white skirt, a ginger brown pullover, and shimmering red earrings. Did I ever see her dressed up like that? Never. Was it her sister Sally’s doing? Also, the Lil Witch had grown bigger, though she still was way smaller than me, but guess she was almost the same height as Ray. So many changes in only four months… Somehow, seeing that she still wore her funny pigtails was a relief.

“What is it, Straw Head? You’ve been staring at me for a while, you know?”

“Oh, yeah? Heh. Sorry. I was just inspiring myself.”

“… Are you saying I am still your muse?”

“Of course you are! You gave a title to our album, remember?”

“I did more than that! Is it selling well?”

“Let’s see…” I counted with my fingers. “Just as I thought: I can’t count the sold copies with one hand.”

“But you can count them with two hands, can’t you?” she laughed. She took a long sip of her orange juice.

It felt so strange to be with Ray and Erma at the same time… I took a deep breath.

“Erma… Is Lei really your big bro?”

“… He is.”

“So he’s a gangster.”

“More like, he’s an idiot who only knows how to improve his fighting skills. I told you: my family is full of idiots.”

Ray grimaced.

“Your family…” Erma and I looked at him, surprised, as he paused. He cleared his throat. “Could it be you’re a Sunclaw?”

Erma’s face darkened, but she nodded.

“That’s right.”

“I knew it,” Ray sighed. “It’s been so many years since I have seen Lei that it’s a miracle I recognized him.”

“Hah? You know my brother?”

“When I was a kid, I used to go to some high-class parties, and the Sunclaw were almost always the hosts.”

I looked at them both, lost.

“Hold on a sec, Ray. High-class parties?”

“The Sunclaw is a very wealthy and powerful family,” Ray explained. “They are the owners of the water-train stations of the Big Triangle Stream, and I heard they own many residences and Crystal fuel factories across the Farskyer Peninsula. They also are big sponsors of the Nyomin. Your friend,” he waved at Erma, “is a daughter of that family.”

My mind went blank. The… What? Erma was… what?

“Straw Head.”

My eyes turned to Erma as she added with a voice strangely lifeless:

“My true name is Linah Sunclaw. I am the seventh and youngest child of the Sunclaw. Last year, I ran away from my crazy family, though I couldn’t really run away, but my dad let me do as I pleased for a year, since there was a status quo between the Dark Alliance and the Unholy League. Plus, my siblings weren’t fighting as fiercely as they are now to get Father to acknowledge them as the family heir. They are all big idiots. Though my big sis Sally is the real problem here. She’s a wart.” She paused. “I guess you’re surprised. Sorry to have kept all of that from you but… it’s not that I wanted to lie to you guys, it’s just that I ran away precisely not to be treated like… a filthy rich princess. No gang out there would have dared to accept me if they had known who I really was. That’s why I hid my identity and my true power.”

My mind slowly processed her words. Erma’s true name was Linah. That was for me the biggest news.

“I see… Then… Why is your brother in a gang too? Did he run away too?”

My question caught her a bit by surprise.

“Lei? No. He’s not really in a gang.”

“But those Black-Hearts were calling him boss.”

“That’s because… my dad’s the leader of the Black-Hearts.”

“…!!” A sponsor of the Nyomin was the leader of one of the most important gangs of our city’s Underworld? I was more and more confused. “I don’t get it all, Erma, but… Since the Black-Hearts are from the Unholy League, and the Dark Alliance is keeping the Old Docks’ shopping center under control since that day… Could it be you ran away from the Cheetahs because you came across the DA?”

Erma’s shoulders slumped slightly. She sat a bit more formally.

“I… didn’t run away. I had to come back to my family, that’s all. It wasn’t because of the DA. Also, I lost all my contacts because of Sally, I told you.”

That was a lame excuse. She knew where I lived, she knew I studied at Harvard High, still, she didn’t try to meet me again. As soon as I realized I was looking at her a bit skeptically, I said with haste:

“Sorry, I’m not blaming you or anything. I ran away too, after all. I wanted to change my life.”

“… What do you mean?”

“I died…” Ray jerked up beside me. “I mean, I almost died on that day, in July. I ended up at the hospital, and my big sis was worried sick… Part of me just wanted to forget it all.”

“Forget it all,” Erma, or rather Linah, echoed. “Even the Cheetahs?”

“Even the Cheetahs.” There was a silence before I confessed: “But that part of me just went away when I met Zeeta again. I just can’t forget. It’s impossible to forget. Especially Zeeta and you, Lil Witch. So… I’m sorry I ran away.”

Linah swallowed and averted her eyes as she muttered:

“Mm. Sorry I ran away too.”

I heard her slurp thoughtfully the last drops of her orange juice, and I smiled happily.

“That slurping… it brings back so many good memories.”

“Oi!” Linah bolted. “You do it too.”

“I don’t.”

“Why aren’t you drinking your soda? Don’t you like it?”

“Aah… I’m not thirsty, actually.”

“But you still opened it.”

“Sorry.”

“Give it to me.”

“Sure.”

She took a sip of my soda and slouched back in her armchair.

“Anyway, I can’t believe you didn’t react more than that. You surely already heard about the Sunclaw.”

“I did. Ray talked about them just now.”

“…! You’re amazing, Straw Head. Do you even read the news sometimes?”

“I’m not into boring stuff. I’m a bad student, you know, so I’ve spent those last months studying like crazy. And I’ve got two grades over forty points. Ray helped me with maths.”

“Your friend did?”

“Yep. He’s first place at Harvard High. He’s a genius.”

“Oh?” Erma’s eyes fastened on Ray with interest as the “genius” shoot me a reproachful look.

“I’m no genius, Armen.”

“You just don’t know it,” I grinned as I threw a friendly arm over his neck. “As you see, Erma, we’re childhood friends, but really, really good friends.”

“Oh… so it’s that kind of relationship?”

“Yeah.”

“It’s not!” Ray snorted, pushing me away as I laughed.

“By the way, Erma, he’s a super good gamer too.”

“Eeeh… Ray, was it? Are you a musician too?”

“Er… No,” Ray said glancing at me suddenly thoughtful. “Actually, Armen, I’m a bit puzzled. What was that about an album? Since when are you a musician?”

“What? He doesn’t know?” Erma snorted. “Is he really your friend, Straw Head?”

“Aah… He is, he is. I trust him with my life.” Even literally, it was true, since, apparently, an undead couldn’t live without a master. I gave Ray an embarrassed smile. “I… never told you, did I? I’m a violinist. I began learning how to play with an old violin the former keeper had left behind at our lighthouse. I almost forgot about it, but last year… Well, Zeeta’s a guitarist. The Cheetahs gifted me a violin, and I began playing music with him. I enjoy it a lot.”

Ray was surprised to discover that new facet of me. I rubbed my neck, not knowing what to add. Erma’s eyes were staring at us intently with a glint of amusement.

“By the way, Armen,” she said, breaking the silence. “I was thinking, now that you know who I am, if you don’t really mind my identity, then, perhaps…”

She hesitated. I raised an eyebrow, curious.

“I don’t mind who your family is. The Lil Witch is the Lil Witch. So?”

A smile played her lips, then she coughed slightly.

“Well, my family is throwing a Christmas Party the day before Christmas Eve. I… don’t really have any friends to invite so… How about I invite you two to the party?”

I frowned, stood up, and got around her armchair. She raised her eyes, surprised; I lowered mine. I leaned my elbows on the back of the seat, confessing:

“You just said something that hurt me a lot, Lil Witch.”

“Th-The hell are you talking about? I only invited you to a party. Well, if you don’t wanna go, then don’t, I don’t c—”

“Friends,” I cut her off. “You don’t have any? Don’t make me laugh. Then what am I?”

Erma widened her eyes then brusquely averted them.

“Mph. Birdbrain-dummy-fool.”

“Eeeh?! Why?!”

“It means, ‘of course you’re a friend’, moron.”

“…”

“Wh-What—Aaaaah! Let go of my pigtails!”

“But I missed them!”

“How old are you?!” She raised her fist. “Want me to try my power on your face?”

I let go of her pigtails with an innocent smile. At the same instant, the door was kicked open and someone shouted:

“STAY AWAY FROM MY SISTER!”

We all froze. I just caught a glimpse of a gorgeous woman in a turquoise dress before seeing her long red hair stretch and fly in Ray’s direction. Before our astonished eyes, it went around his neck and pulled.

What the…?! Something burst inside me.

“RAY!”

I rushed at him, but another hairlock was stretching in my direction. I thought of stopping it with my telekinesis, but then I wouldn’t be able to avert my eyes from it. I just ignored it.

“Sally, stop it already!” Erma shrieked.

The hairlock was just some centimeters away from me when Erma sent her fist straight to her sister’s face. Despite blocking the attack with her hair, Sally wavered. I was saved, but Ray had been dragged meters away from me as the hairlock had shrunk with the impact and… he was hurting even more, struggling to breathe.

“Let him go!” I screamed as I kept running.

I finally reached him, gripped the red hairlock, and bit it. I didn’t have a knife. My teeth were sort of sharp, but could I really cut it like that?

Sally let out a scream of pain.

“You bastard!”

So her weird hair was sensitive to pain. That was good news. I bit even harder as an army of hairlocks went flying in my direction all at once.

“STOP IT, SALLY, OR I WON’T EVER FORGIVE YOU!”

Erma had stepped between Sally and us. The hairlocks stopped just in time, then turned back to their original size. But Sally still hadn’t let go of Ray. I didn’t know what to do. Should I leave it to Erma and hope she would come to an agreement with that crazy sister of hers? Should I keep biting? Go get something sharper to save Ray? Or try surprise-attacking Sally? I was panicked. Despite not being alive, my hands were shaking. Ray couldn’t breathe. Black tears welled up in my eyes.

“R-Ray…”

Why did he have to come along? Why did I let him? For the Holy Gods’ sake, why?!

After sending another flying punch, Erma yelled coldly:

“Sally! Let him go at once! I’ll hate you if you don’t!”

Sally snorted.

“I’m just protecting you from the garbage you picked up on the streets, Linah. Forget those ‘Cheetahs’. Don’t you realize they’re just taking advantage of you? You played around enough: start acting more like a Sunclaw!”

As Linah was finally preparing herself to earnestly fight her own sister, a loud and desperate scream came out of my throat:

“LET! HIM! GO!”

The eyes I turned to Sally were clouded with madness and fury.

She finally let go… or did she? The red hairlock was turning black as it lost consistency and recovered its original size. Despite the room being well-lit, I saw with my very own eyes a sea of pitch-black shadows growing around us… Around us? No: around Ray. He was turning dark too. If it hadn’t been for his clothes, I think I wouldn’t have been able to see him anymore as he was as black as the darkness surrounding him. He collapsed. In an instant, I was by his side, turning him face-up. Did he fall unconscious? He was wheezing.

“What?” Sally said, puzzled. “What the…? Wha…?”

I heard a squish, followed by a dreadful scream, then a sound of choking. Shaking, I looked up. I shouldn’t have. It was the creepiest scene I had ever seen.

The shadows had spread to Sally’s and Erma’s bodies and were now forcing their way through their mouths, somehow killing the sound of their screams. Or were the two sisters just too scared to even yell? In any case, I totally didn’t know what those shadows could do but what I did know was that they were coming from Ray. The fact was there: Ray was a power-holder. Did he just undergo a quirk because of the fear of dying? But why was he attacking Erma too? Did he lose control? Well, he was unconscious, so it wasn’t that surprising, but then, why weren’t the shadows attacking me? And more importantly… what should I do to stop that madness?

I shook Ray, trying to wake him up, even screamed at him, but it didn’t work. I called out to Erma, but she seemed as if she couldn’t hear me. Now, the two sisters weren’t even struggling and just stood where they were, doing nothing, like a pair of zombies. Holy crap. What kind of crazy power was that?

The room was now almost completely covered with deep, liquid-like darkness.

I took out my cellphone and contacted Zeeta:

‘Armen, 23:45: u here?’

Fortunately, the response came right away:

‘Zeeta, 23:45: yo, what’s up?’

It took me some seconds to understand what his casual tone meant: he suspected that the one behind my cellphone wasn’t me. Also, there was the possibility that Zeeta had been caught and that the one behind his cellphone wasn’t him. But solving that problem was easy:

‘Armen, 23:45: Fluffyfluffybear’

‘Zeeta, 23:45: Magicpopcorn.’

‘23:45: Just got where you told me. A guy’s watching the door. Can’t enter. WTH going on?’

‘Armen, 23:46: Calling u will be faster.’

I waited for his answer. Each second was a living hell. Then, Zeeta called.

“Zeeta!” I panted. “I don’t know what to do! A crazy medusa attacked Ray, Erma tried to help us, but then Ray blacked out, everything got dark and… I don’t know how to stop him, Zeeta! He doesn’t wake up… If Erma and her sister die because of this—”

« Hold your horses! Don’t panic. Are you telling me Ray underwent a quirk? »

“S-Seems so. But, Zeeta, if Ray deactivates his power now, the crazy medusa will kill us for sure. But, if he doesn’t deactivate it, I don’t know what will happen to Erma—”

« Calm down! Just answer my questions. Is that crazy medusa you talk about the red-haired woman I just saw enter the basement? »

“Yes…”

« I knew it. It must be the Red Viper. She’s got a Hero diploma, and she’s damn strong. I’ve heard about her. She knocked out many members of the Hidden Hall back in the day, and she was just a teenager. Did she really got defeated by Ray? »

“Y-Yeah. She’s standing there without moving, like a zombie.”

« … Okay. Listen, Armen. There’s only one guy guarding the entrance, probably that medusa’s bodyguard. He looks strong. I’m gonna lure him away from the door. You take Ray and scram when I beep you. Got it? »

I gulped. Was there another way? My panicked mind wasn’t working well right now.

“What are you planning to do?”

« Heh. Trust me, Straw Head. When you’re out, turn to the right and run. »

Zeeta hung up. I looked at my battery. 22%. Well. It should last enough.

I rushed at Ray, grabbed him from the armpits, and dragged him to the door. It somehow was shut. Did the medusa close it upon entering, so as to muffle our screams?

Looks like her plan has backfired.

The medusa’s red hair had turned completely black. As I passed by her, I glared at her glassy eyes.

“Who’s the real trash?” I muttered.

At any rate, we were screwed. The Black-Hearts’ leader was the father of these two. What would he do to someone who had messed not only with one of his daughters but two of them? And in such a horrible way…

If I remembered correctly, the staircase outside had about eight steps. Would I be able to carry Ray upstairs and make an escape? Ray was shorter than me and was thin, if not skinny, but still…

No. I could do it. I was far from being as strong as Louise, but I couldn’t feel any pain either. I should just carry him in a way he would lay on me without falling. I would save Ray, even if it broke all my bones.

Would Zeeta’s plan to distract the medusa’s bodyguard work out?

As I placed Ray on my back, I turned my head to the two sisters and said:

“Erma… Your sister sure is a pain in the ass. When we get out… I hope you’ll be fine.”

Was she able to hear me? No idea. But I kind of felt I had to tell her something. Finally, my cell buzzed. It was Zeeta.

Time to get the hell out of there.

22 Disappear!

Instead of cracking the door open to take a look, I opened it widely and hurried upstairs. I nearly lost my balance a few times, but I finally reached the street. I glanced to the left but saw no sign of the medusa’s henchman. The path was clear. Holding Ray tight, I made a run for it.

The streets in the Work-Lair were barely lit, and I was lucky not to trip and fall head over heels on the snow. A restless, pitch-black shadow was faithfully following Ray.

Where should I go? The most reasonable option was going to the Lord Necromancer’s mansion, but it would take long to get there… Then, my sister’s? It wasn’t that far, but I really didn’t want to lie to her again…

I was racking my brains when my eyes caught the glimpse of a shadow at a crossroads. It felt as if it looked at me before dashing in my direction. My level of stress rocketed. A… A Black-Heart? The medusa’s bodyguard? Or the medusa herself?!

Despite my fear, my legs kept running as swiftly as they could with my extra load. But the person behind kept closing the distance. I could hear the footsteps. As I glanced over my shoulder, a red reflection on the head of my pursuer made me fall in despair. It looked like… the medusa was able to catch up with us.

“Bloody witch…”

I stopped and turned around groaning:

“Enough already! What do you…?!”

I fell silent as I saw a red-haired man in old-fashioned clothes slow down as he reached me. At that instant, I would have sworn that my heart had beaten once.

“Ar-Arkill?”

“The Lord suspected something was going on. How’s Ray?”

“I-I don’t know. He’s unconscious…”

“Mm. Louise! Come over here. Can you carry him?”

“Yes, sir!”

Louise came up in a hurry and took Ray from me, seemingly without any trouble.

“Let’s go,” Arkill said.

They broke into a run. I followed in a daze, not knowing what to say. How much did the Lord Necromancer know? Did Louise tell him everything? Also… How was Zeeta doing? My cellphone wasn’t getting any messages from him. After he had lured that guy away the gods know how, he couldn’t possibly have been caught, right? Should I go check on him now that Ray was in good hands?

Damn, too many worries were bad even for the heart of an undead!

Arkill and Louise stopped in an alley and pushed a door. What? Why? Weren’t they heading to the subway station?

“Took you long enough,” a familiar voice said.

My widened eyes discerned inside the small room the shape of a man sat on a crate like it were some throne. The Lord Necromancer stood up and immediately focused his attention on Ray as Louise laid her burden down.

“My son… So it happened again.”

I straightened up at his words. Again?

“It has happened before?” I asked.

The Lord Necromancer frowned, gazed at Ray, then said:

“You three, get out for a moment.”

It was an order. Arkill, Louise, and I left and waited in the alley. Well, at least it seemed that the Lord Necromancer knew what was happening to Ray.

“Alumen, Akill, why is Ray sleeping?” Louise asked us.

I shook my head.

“No idea.”

“The young master can’t control his power,” Arkill said. Louise and I looked at him so intently that he kept explaining: “Ray’s mother tried different things in order to awake his power, but to no avail, until one day, when Ray was eight years old: both of them attended a Hero party, there was a brawl between some power-holders, Ray got caught in the middle, and ended up activating his power instinctively to protect himself. He lost control and covered with shadows the entire room. Apparently, on that day, he didn’t lose consciousness right away and could clearly see the surrounding people covered in darkness and not moving at all. Shortly after, he fainted and woke up after a week.”

I was aghast. Ray had been terrified by his own power since he was a kid… I could imagine how traumatic it must have been for an eight-year-old boy to be surrounded by acquaintances he had just unwittingly turned into shadow puppets. I myself wouldn’t ever forget what had happened to Erma and her big sis… No wonder Ray was so afraid of the dark.

“A whole week?” Louise snorted as if it was the most important thing in the story.

I was hurting. Not so much because of that past incident, but rather because of what happened tonight. What kind of fear did Ray have to feel to lose control over his power? That damned red-haired witch… I stood still in the snowy alley, my anger boiling within me.

“Thank you, Arkill. I understand better now.”

“I’m glad.”

Arkill’s words were still pounding on my mind when the Lord Necromancer opened the door.

“Ray’s power has stopped. Louise, carry my son home. Arkill, go with them. Armen…” His eyes glared at me. “Listen.”

I could tell with only a glance that he was mad at me. And I understood perfectly why. I lowered my eyes, distraught.

“Sorry, my Lord. I shouldn’t have let him—”

“But you did.”

There was a silence. After giving me a funny look, Arkill and Louise left. The Lord stepped outside and locked the door. The snow squeaked under his feet. As he stopped at the entrance of the alley, he said:

“You put my son in danger because of your own issues. Are you calling yourself his friend? Preposterous!” He slightly tilted his head. “Know what? Just disappear.”

He walked away from the alley, leaving me behind with that order embedded in my mind.

Disappear.

I had lost track of time when I received a message from Zeeta.

‘Zeeta, 00:47: Safe! Did you guys make it?’

‘Armen, 00:48: Yes. Ray’s dad showed up and took him home. How did you manage to get away?’

‘Zeeta, 00:48: Ray’s dad?? 😨’

‘00:48: Well…’

‘00:49: I’m going home too, I woke up super early this morning, I’m worn out.’

‘00:49: Let’s talk tomorrow! I couldn’t hear anything when you guys were inside. I want to know it all.’

‘Armen, 00:50: Okay. Good dreams, Zeeta.’

‘Zeeta, 00:50: You okay?’

I swallowed. I was about to type “yeah” but something kept me from lying straightforwardly. An order? When did the Lord order me not to lie? No, it wasn’t the Lord. Ray did tell me in the afternoon twice: don’t lie. And it was still effective. I couldn’t believe I hadn’t told a lie once since then. It would appear that I was the honest type…

Still, I avoided telling the truth:

‘Armen, 00:52: Just mentally worn out.’

To the point that my eyes were crying. I wasn’t okay at all. I felt like a child scolded for having done a really bad thing. Worse, I felt like trash. If it weren’t for me, Ray wouldn’t have nearly been strangled by that witch, he wouldn’t have used his power a second time, he wouldn’t have to experience something like that again… Independently of his wishes, I shouldn’t have let him come along. Yeah, friends shared adventures and fought together… but that was when they could protect each other. If it hadn’t been for that strange power of his, right now Ray would have been dead.

That was the reality. That was why the Lord Necromancer was so mad at me. That was why he had ordered me to disappear.

Despite the storm that was raging within me, my heart wasn’t hurting, I wasn’t breathing, I wasn’t shaking… I punched the wall on my right with all my strength. It didn’t hurt. I couldn’t relieve any stress from hurting myself. Then how was I supposed to deal with my frustration?

According to Arkill, if I cried long enough, I would lose consciousness.

But damn, was crying all I could do?

Sally, you damned witch… I’ll pay you back someday for messing with Ray. Definitely.

23 The music of a heart

I could hear the waves going to and fro, the seagulls shrieking as they alighted on the sand, the distant trees rustling in the wind.

I opened my eyes and gazed at the horizon.

The Blazing Sea. I had seen it so many times at the lighthouse, back when I was a kid, but it still felt as beautiful as ever.

“Know what?” I said quietly. “My mom told me once: nobody owns anything in this world. Money, territories, people… You can use them, change them, love or hate them, but there’s one thing you can’t do, and that’s keeping them forever.” I smiled. “She also says that the ocean reminds her of the greatness of this world, not because it’s big, but because it’s made of lots and lots of drops of water. Dad summarized by saying that small things are the cutest… Not sure what he meant!” I laughed. “But isn’t that true? We, people, tend to always see the big picture, the main reasons for an action, the most important dates of history… Some categorize things, and we end up following that way of thinking, just learning the same things, seeing the same things… In the end, you see the ocean, but you don’t see the drop of water in front of you…”

I heard a squeaking scream in the distance. A golden dolphin had jumped. I saw it dive back into the waters in awe.

“Wow! I didn’t know there were dolphins around here!”

I scanned the empty, windy beach, then laid my chin back on the palm of my hand. After a while, I broke the silence again.

“That’s it. That’s the problem. If people tell you something is amazing, you will consider the fact it might be amazing, but if something amazing happens unexpectedly, you might not even see it. It’s, like, being amazed by seeing a dolphin jump but not by seeing an undead cat jump down a wall. What do you think, Rainbows?”

I looked at the cat, lying by my side. She drew a semi-circle with her tail, sweeping the sand. Was she aware I had just called her an amazing kitty? My smile turned into a chuckle.

“Holy Gods. What am I even saying? Hey, Rainbows, are you hungry? I’ve brought you a lot of meat. That bag is full of it. We can’t let you starve, you know. Look at that… Do you want this chunk? Of course you do! Can you grab it? Wow! You jumped well, Rainbows! Just like that dolphin just now! Eat slowly, don’t choke on it. Not that you can choke anyway…”

I observed Rainbows as she gluttonously gulped down the meat. My cellphone buzzed. I had recharged it this morning when I had dropped by Ray’s home to take care of the cat. Azritz had been sending me messages about my telekinesis, giving me endless warnings against overusing my powers and the like. My big sis had been working on the field for over two years now and had already told me about difficult cases of power-holders losing control and causing a ruckus in the middle of the street. Some people had to deal with weird powers that were more like curses. I had a classmate like that, back in middle school, who couldn’t use her own eyes and had no choice but to see everything through the eyes of the nearest person by her side. Some would think she was lucky not to be simply blind, but when you’re walking on a crowded street and you’re seeing random perspectives all the time… that would drive anyone crazy.

For some people, powers were an ordeal. According to Azritz and to what I had learned at school, they had appeared two thousand years ago, when those giant Crystals had fallen from the sky and turned the Earth into a land filled with something the humans back then called “magic”.

My cellphone buzzed again. Oh, right… I took a look. It was Zeeta. We had been exchanging messages this morning:

‘Zeeta, 11:01: No one’s at home?’

‘Armen, 11:08: Ray is at his dad’s. He might sleep for some days after what happened. I’m at the South Dunes in South End. I took Rainbows with me.’

‘Zeeta, 11:10: South End? What for?’

‘Armen, 11:11: Just taking a walk.’

That had been two hours ago. Now, Zeeta had just messaged me:

‘Zeeta, 13:12: If you keep feeding Rainbows like that, she will get fat.’

‘Zeeta, 13:13: Yo.’

“Yo.”

I let out a shriek on hearing his voice just behind me.

“Zeeta! You nearly gave me a heart attack. See? See? It stopped beating!”

Zeeta snorted with laughter.

“Stop joking around.” He crouched. “Heya, Rainbows. Heya, Armen.”

“… Don’t pat my head like I’m a kitty!”

“Hee… What are you doing in this godforsaken place?”

I smiled, glad to see him.

“I just saw a golden dolphin.”

“Seriously?! But they’re, like, super rare!”

“Heh… Looks like luck is on my side today. Wait… What are you carrying on your back?”

“Ah, that.” Zeeta showed it to me. The black case had the shape of a small guitar… “I thought I would wait until Christmas but… traditions are a pain, so, there, it’s a present for you.”

I stared at him in astonishment.

“You’re kidding me…”

“Open it!”

My hands quivered a bit as I zipped the case open. A brand new violin was laying inside. My eyes were filled with tears.

“You’re kidding me! I don’t even have anything for you! Zeeta!”

I looked at him with tearing eyes.

“Quit making that face. And you called me a crybaby the other day… Aren’t you gonna thank me?”

“Thank you, Zeeta!”

“Oi, you don’t need to bow, that’s too much! … I knew you’d like it,” Zeeta said cheerfully.

“I love it! The scroll is beautiful! The soundboard is shining!”

“… Stop admiring it and play something.”

“Yes!”

I took the bow and played some notes randomly. It was well-tuned. I played a simple melody under Rainbows’ wary eyes.

“How nostalgic!” Zeeta grinned as I stopped.

“You didn’t bring your guitar?”

“Thought it was too much to carry it along with the violin.”

“Ah, right…” I staggered.

“Armen! Are you all right?”

“Ah, it looks like I’m low on deathforce.”

Zeeta frowned.

“What happened last night, really?”

Zeeta had obviously given me the violin ahead of time because he knew I wasn’t feeling well. How, though? Was he an esper?

“Well,” I said. “To keep it short, Erma is the youngest daughter of the Black-Hearts’ leader, the red-haired medusa is her big sis, and she wanted to keep Erma, or rather Linah Sunclaw, away from lowlifes like us, so she nearly strangled Ray to death.”

“… I always suspected Erma to hide something big, but that’s… quite a surprise.” He paused. “I wonder, did Ginger know about this all along?” I raised an eyebrow. The Cheetahs’ boss did pamper her a lot but… was that the reason? Zeeta shook his head. “Maybe not. Well, and what then? Ray’s power awakened and beat Erma and her sis in one swoop?”

My face darkened.

“It seems that Ray doesn’t have control over his power. Arkill told me that he experienced a quirk when he was at a party organized by Nyomin Heroes. He was just a kid back then, and he was scarred, so much he didn’t get over it after so many years. He’s terrified of his own power.”

There was a silence only broken by Rainbow’s continuous chewing. Zeeta sat down on the sand.

“I see. Did you hear of the Champion Institute? I heard it’s a place ruled by the Nyomins for people who can’t control their powers and are a potential threat to our society. Ray was lucky not to have been sent there.”

I shuddered. Champion Institute? I had never heard of it.

“His dad wouldn’t allow that.”

“Yeah. You’re right. Wait, but… how is it that Ray was going at Hero parties when he was a kid?”

“Her mom’s a Hero.”

“Eeeeh?!”

“Please don’t talk to Ray about her if you don’t want to hit a really sore spot. I don’t know what’s going on between those two but… let’s not worry about it. I mean, we’re not supposed to meddle in a family matter, are we?”

“Ah…” Zeeta sighed. “You’re right. Still, the Lord Necromancer, with a Hero?” He laughed. “Isn’t that funny?”

“It’s not, shut up, I shouldn’t have told you.”

“Oh, come on, Straw Head! I’m working for the Beholder, remember? I’m the best at keeping secrets. Nick always says ‘think of information as your own hands: give it away to the wrong person and it will kill you’.”

“Well, I trust you, Zeeta.”

He smiled, gazed at the ocean for a moment, then asked:

“Did the Lord Necromancer say something to you last night? Like, he got mad at you because Ray nearly died?”

I winced. He had hit the bullseye. I followed the flight of a seagull struggling in the wind, then said:

“He told me to disappear.”

“… That’s all? Straw Head, if that necromancer doesn’t want you to see Ray again, you can just ignore him. He won’t do anything to you as long as Ray has your back.”

Since Zeeta didn’t know about the necro-bond, he couldn’t understand the deep meaning of the word “disappear”. He couldn’t imagine that such a simple word could turn into an unavoidable command for an undead. Still, I didn’t want him to know: it would only make him angry and wouldn’t solve anything.

“Come on, cheer up!” Zeeta said. “Play something lively, like ‘O Bee, one, two, ten’.”

That was one of the last songs of one of our favorite bands. I was about to play when the violin suddenly fell on my lap. My hand couldn’t grab it well.

“What’s wrong?”

“Ah, that…” I smiled, embarrassed. “Sorry, it seems that I’m really low on deathforce. It had never happened to me before… To this extent…”

“Huh? But don’t you start breathing hard when you’re lacking lifeforce?” Zeeta asked worriedly.

Right. Why was I not breathing? After some seconds, the answer came easily: I’d been ordered to disappear, hence my body had decided to fast to starvation. I hadn’t eaten anything since last night, and most of my deathforce had turned into useless tears.

That wasn’t good. I didn’t want to die. Yeah, right, to “disappear” didn’t necessarily mean to die!

My body was losing its balance. I forced myself to put the violin back in its case before I collapsed on the sand.

“The hell? Straw Head! Straw Head, hey, don’t die on me!”

“Sorry… I forgot to eat,” I panted.

“Is that even something you can forget when you’re starving?” Zeeta cried out. He was panicking. “Hey, Straw Head, can you eat my lifeforce? It’s possible, isn’t it? If the lifeforce I breathe out is not enough… should I do a mouth-to-mouth resuscitation or something? Hey, Straw Head, tell me what to do, don’t close your eyes!”

I smiled, breathing hard. His wasted lifeforce wasn’t nearly enough.

“A mouth-to-mouth won’t be necessary, Zeeta… As long as I touch you, I can do it… Is it really okay if I eat your lifeforce?”

“Of course!”

“Then…” I raised my hand with difficulty and laid it on his cheek. “Thanks for the food.”

I started to absorb Zeeta’s lifeforce. He cleared his throat.

“I feel like a roasted chicken on a plate.”

“Heh. Sorry for that.”

My body was recovering bit by bit. I had been wondering what it would feel like to be out of energy… I hadn’t expected I would experience it so soon. But the most disturbing thing was that I had almost fallen unconscious without notice.

“Say… Is it tasty?”

His question made me smile.

“It tastes damn good.”

Zeeta’s face turned red.

“… Is that so?”

I withdrew my hand and sat up, grinning.

“Thank you for your hard work. Did you feel anything?”

“Not really. Did you have enough?”

“Enough to get by for some hours.”

There was an awkward silence. Zeeta was about to talk when my cellphone buzzed. I took a look. It was a direct call, and the number was private. Could it be… Erma?

As soon as I thought of that possibility, I took the call and cried out:

“Erma?”

« Hi, dear customer, we detected a problem in your bank account at our DC company. Please press “1” to get in contact with an expert. »

I blinked as the artificial voice repeated its message.

“What? But, ma’am, I closed the only bank account I had at your company back in summer—”

“Seriously?!” Zeeta grabbed the cellphone from my hands and hung up, snorting. “Don’t fall for those petty tricks.”

“No way, it was a scam?!”

“Pretty obvious.”

As someone who had lived his childhood at a lighthouse, I always had a hard time understanding the way of modern life.

“Rainbows!” Zeeta then whistled. “Did you eat everything?!”

The cat was licking its lips, her belly bloated. The bag of meat was empty.

“She’s a healthy undead, isn’t she?” I chuckled.

“Huh… We should go back. It’s freezing out here. How about I go get my guitar and we play something at Loki’s place? He told me he wants to meet you. Also, it’s pretty close to the Lord Necromancer’s place, so—”

“Go get your guitar and let’s meet at Ray’s place,” I cut him off. “I… really don’t feel like going to see the Lord right now or even get close to his mansion. Maybe tomorrow…”

I actually wanted to go there, to see how Ray was doing… but would I be able to? I was pretty sure I wouldn’t. Zeeta gave me a funny look, then stood up.

“Okay. Let’s go revive our Cheetah Duo!”

As soon as I heard the name, I smiled happily.

“Yeah!”

24 Inferno: Hell will wake you up

“Can you guys take those boxes upstairs?”

“No prob!”

“Thanks a bunch. I’ll make something for everyone! Is tea okay? Or perhaps some coffee?”

“Tea is perfect for me, dear!”

That blondie in his late twenties who answered twice with a lively tone was Ashael, the leader of Azritz’s new research team. As Azritz disappeared in the kitchen with Hira—an energetic, green-haired black woman I had already met before—Ashael and I carried the boxes to the second floor. Considering how small our previous house was, the number of things we had to move was quite amazing.

“It’s a pretty good house, don’t you think?” Ashael asked.

I had only just learned that guy was the one who recommended the place to her. Was he seeking my approval? Huh…

“Yeah, it’s quite good.”

“So, are you staying at your big sis’ house? You two grew up in the countryside in a lighthouse, didn’t you? And you’ll be seventeen this New Year, right? Do you know what you want to do when you graduate?”

That guy was asking so many questions without even waiting for my answers… Was it a professional deformation?

As he was looking at me, waiting for a reaction, I admitted:

“Not really.”

“Oh… So you’re staying somewhere else?”

What? Why did he assume I was answering his first question? That definitely sounded like a professional deformation!

“Actually, I’m staying at a friend’s place near my school.”

“Ah, that’s great. Listen, Armen: you only live once, so you have to make the fullest of your school life! It also applies to jobs, naturally. I’ll make sure your sis will have a good time in our research team. From what I saw, she’s quite the enthusiastic type when it comes to studying quirks.”

“She’s a total freak,” I confirmed.

Ashael chuckled.

“Then, she should blend in our group without a problem. But aren’t you yourself interested in those kinds of things?”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, I heard from Azritz you were an amazing bro, so I thought you were aiming for the Nyomin College like she did.”

In what world was “an amazing bro” necessarily a good student? I smiled back at him.

“Absolutely not. Also, I’m not that amazing of a brother… nor a saint. For instance, I wouldn’t be able to forgive anyone who gets close to my sister half-heartedly.”

I went downstairs to take care of the last boxes. Ashael followed me. As we were putting them down upstairs, he chuckled:

“You surprised me. Just you know, I don’t like doing things half-heartedly. I’m just professionally interested in your sis since she’s a new member of my team. But as a former Hero, I sometimes get carried away and end up doing things like finding suitable accommodation for them and helping them out when they need it… Is that bad?”

Ashael was being sincere, I think. I felt kind of embarrassed.

“It’s not, I guess. Thanks for your help. Sorry I was rude.”

“Ah, don’t apologize. Seeing you protecting your sister like that was quite moving.”

Huh. Gods know why, that guy annoyed me quite a bit.

I let Azritz drink tea with her teammates and went upstairs to what my sister had called “my lil bro’s room when he feels like visiting me”. My things were stuffed in one box, but I didn’t unpack them. For the most part, they were summer clothes anyway. As for my school bag, I had left it in Ray’s house along with my violin.

I stepped to the window and opened the shutters. The residential area of the Nyomin District was full of two-story houses. Amidst them, the giant Crystal of the Nyomin towered in the sky, reflecting the sunrays everywhere. That was the place Zeeta was spying for the Hidden Hall. The Nyomin Union’s nest. Just next to it was the Nyomin College where the researchers, Heroes, students, and administrative officers worked at. If almost every task was done on the College’s grounds… then what was that giant Crystal used for?

I shut the window, turned around, and fell on the bed, arms wide open, with a sigh.

It had been four days since that night. How much time would it take for Ray to wake up? If he had woken up, he would have already called me. I was worried. But I couldn’t get close to the Lord’s mansion. I had already tried. The closest I could get was around half a kilometer. When I reached that distance, my body just stopped moving. It was frustrating.

My cellphone buzzed. It was Woon sending a photo to our chat group from the Hawaii Mountains: ‘Guys! Look at all this snow! 😍’ He was posing with four ski poles, one in each hand. Another skier was coming down just by his side.

‘Arkifa, 15:33: Wow, the guy beside you looks just like an expert.’

‘Woon, 15:33: What about me?’

‘Armen, 15:34: Looks like one of your poles was trying to trip him up. 😮’

‘Woon, 15:34: It wasn’t!’

‘Woon, 15:34: Wait, now that I look back at the photo, it does look like it. 😦’

‘Ashooka, 15:34: It was Haxton.’

‘Armen, 15:35: 😂’

‘Arkifa, 15:35: 😂😂😂’

Woon had been blaming Haxton, his third hand, for so long that it had become Ashooka’s favorite joke.

‘Arkifa, 15:38: Btw, Ashooka and I decided to go to the countryside to visit his grandma for Christmas. They have a lake, and it’s warmer there, so we won’t be seeing much snow. Armen, what are you gonna do these holidays?’

Arkifa was an orphan, so it wasn’t surprising she would spend Christmas with her boyfriend’s family. Though the lucky one there was clearly Ashooka.

‘Armen, 15:39: I don’t know yet. My sis got a new job and won’t be taking days off, so we won’t be going back to the lighthouse.’

‘Armen, 15:39: But I already got my presents! 😄’

‘Arkifa, 15:39: Already???’

‘Ashooka, 15:40: After all, they say that Santa lives on the Moon.’

‘Arkifa, 15:40: 😅’

‘Woon, 15:40: I didn’t get it. 😓’

‘Ashooka, 15:41: Armen Moon.’

‘Woon, 15:41: Ah!’

‘Armen, 15:41: Ah!’

‘Ashooka, 15:41: You didn’t get it either? 😁’

‘Armen, 15:41: Nope 😅’

‘Arkifa, 15:42: Sorry I gotta go!’

‘15:52: Have fun, everyone! Let’s do our best to end this year with happy memories!’

Her words struck me. Right, the year was coming to an end. This year had been full of new experiences. I had spent time with the Cheetahs who then got disbanded, Ray had come back from Europe, and I had died.

But I had been revived and had learned to appreciate my new life as an undead.

‘Let’s do our best to end this year with happy memories’, she said…

What was I even waiting for? The Lord Necromancer had told me to disappear, not to not come near Ray.

As soon as I realized that, I felt as if a burden had been lifted from my shoulders. I grinned and jumped to my feet.

“Let’s do it.”

* * *

The violin on my back, a large, cheap, plastic coat covering my whole body, a shopping bag on my head, I passed the red line.

I had tried various things, from sunglasses to masks, concealing my presence with everything I got… but nothing had worked. I was losing hope when it occurred to me that being able to see was a sign of my existence, therefore I had to stop seeing.

The good thing was that, as an undead, I didn’t need to breathe, so I wouldn’t choke with a bag on my head. The problem was, blind as I was, I had a hard time reaching the Lord Necromancer’s gate. I just hoped Zeeta wasn’t wandering in the neighborhood. Though I doubted he would recognize me. If I hadn’t been sure no one could see through my disguise, I probably wouldn’t have been able to get closer. All in all, I just had to delude myself.

Necromancer’s orders were so troublesome.

I was walking along the walls, and I ran into a lamp-post, not once but twice. As I heard someone’s footsteps pass by and fade away, I swallowed my embarrassment. I just hoped that person wouldn’t call the police…

I finally reached the gate. Well, I think. I just shyly raised a corner of my bag to glance at the lower part of the gate. It was blue.

It must be here.

Should I make my way by force? No, but I was pretty sure the Lord Necromancer knew I was there. His little birds must have told him already. Besides, he could likely feel my presence through that strange bond he had created between us.

I pressed the doorbell and waited.

I waited, like, ten minutes? Twenty minutes? No matter how many times I pressed the bell, the gate wouldn’t open.

Okay… I didn’t have much choice.

I felt the gate with my hands and tried to blindly pick out my grips. There wasn’t any. As I leaned my covered forehead against the metallic door, I threw a light punch, frustrated. Crap. I wanted to say something out loud to the Lord and see if he would let me in… but I feared that, if I did, then I wouldn’t be able to deny my own existence, and the order would make me run away again. It wasn’t something I could fight.

Without warning, I heard the gate open. I jerked up. Could it be the Lord had forgiven me? No, there was no way he had. Maybe he just didn’t want to alarm the neighborhood because of me. I entered and closed the gate behind me.

‘What are you doing here?’

I stopped as I heard the Lord Necromancer’s voice in my head. Could I talk? I mustered my courage and said:

“Please don’t tell me to get out. I just want to see Ray.”

The fact that the Lord hadn’t ordered me yet to buzz off was a good sign, but I didn’t relax.

‘He’s still sleeping,’ the Lord grumbled. ‘You can see him… if you accept some conditions.’

I frowned. Conditions?

“Aren’t you basically able to make me do anything, my Lord? Why asking for my agreement?”

‘Mm, let me rephrase it: if you enter this house, I’ll embed long-term orders in your brain. You’re not my familiar, so I give you the possibility to turn around and leave.’

His words didn’t bode well.

“Are all those long-term orders meant to protect your son?” I asked.

‘That, I cannot tell you.’

“Then I can’t accept. But I still have to see Ray.”

‘You annoy me. Just stay quiet and still where you are until I tell you otherwise.’

The hell? Was he going to leave me standing in the middle of the path? I couldn’t utter a word. I couldn’t move a muscle. I was paralyzed. Internally, I was furious. It was the first time the Lord had abused his authority like that. He, too, must be pretty furious, or too busy with Ray to be willing to deal with me.

My cellphone buzzed about twice or thrice. With the bag on my head, I couldn’t tell what time it was until the light began to decline. Nighttime came, and I was still there, not being able to move or speak. I heard steps in the snow once, surely one of the life-reapers, but they said nothing to me. Was it Sora, Arkill, Louise, or someone else? Did the Lord have ordered them not to talk to me?

I knew it wasn’t the case when, some time later, I heard new footsteps and Arkill’s voice saying:

“Hello, Armen.”

He removed the shopping bag from my head. Paralyzed as I was, I couldn’t even try to “disappear” anyway. In the dark, I could barely see him though, but the new view cheered me up a bit.

“Don’t resent the Lord too much. His son almost died. Let’s be patient.”

Could I not be patient in that kind of situation?

“Ray is fine. He’s sleeping, but nothing is wrong with him. He just exhausted his energy and needs a good rest to recover. He’ll probably wake up tomorrow or the day after tomorrow.”

Arkill was a great person. He had told me everything I wanted to know in just some sentences. He had already passed by me when he stopped again.

“Oh, by the way, the incident with the Black-Hearts has been settled. Don’t worry too much about that.”

I was left astounded. The incident had been settled? What did that even mean? What had the Lord done to calm down that murderous medusa?

I had no visit for the rest of the night. Or more like, no normal visit: I did see for the first time Uncle Adrian’s ghosts wandering between the trees, collecting vegetable lifeforce. They were ethereal, translucent things, randomly shaped and… creepy. I luckily wasn’t afraid of the ghosts as much as Ray was afraid of the dark but… well, I guess that after some hours seeing them floating around me, I got used to it. Bored as I was, I killed time using my telekinesis on anything I could see: snowflakes, stones, little sticks laying on the path… I even got brave enough to try it on a ghost. It whirled, then escaped from my field of vision. When a heap of snow fell on my head from a high branch, I was convinced that the ghost had something to do with it. Frightened to death, I spent perhaps a whole hour praying for the ghosts to have mercy…

There was not much time left before sunrise and the ghosts had disappeared when I saw someone walking down the path with a lantern. When he stopped before me, I could see him pretty clearly. He was a kid of maybe twelve years old, black-haired, with green, slanted eyes, clothed in short pants and a sport pullover.

“Ray’s familiar,” he said. His voice sounded very calm. “I have a question.”

I had one too: who the hell was that kid?

He raised a hand and laid a finger on my forehead. I felt as if a bolt of lightning pierced through my core.

“Now you should be able to talk. Answer: do you want me to free you from the bond of my nephew?”

Did… Did that kid just now remove a restriction from the Lord? No, did he just call the Lord his “nephew”? Then… he was that “Uncle Adrian” Ray had talked about? The necromancer that had been revived by his brother and inherited by the Lord Necromancer…

Though my legs wouldn’t move, I had recovered some control of my movements. I gave him an incredulous smile.

“Uncle Adrian… You’re a kid?”

“Yes. I am. A very old one. What of it? I asked you a question, Ray’s familiar.”

“Ah… Sorry, what was it?”

Adrian sighed.

“Do you want me to free you from the bond of my nephew?”

I gaped at him in bewilderment.

“Can you really do something like that?”

“I can. So? Do you want to or not?”

“Well, of course I do.”

He slightly smirked.

“What about Ray’s necro-bond? I can teach you how to nurture your inner soul so you don’t need a bond. It’s difficult, but it’s possible.”

I frowned. Was he testing me? I shrugged.

“Thanks but I’m not good at learning difficult things. Also, if it’s Ray, he can use our bond however he likes, I don’t mind.”

Adrian raised an eyebrow.

“You trust him that much?”

“Yeah.”

Adrian nodded.

“All right. Guess you are worth something. First, let’s go somewhere else.”

He touched my forehead again. As soon as I was able to move, he walked away, not toward the mansion but the wood.

“Isn’t the Lord going to notice what you are doing?” I asked as I followed him.

“My nephew is sleeping right now. Even that monster needs to rest. His familiars won’t wake him up if nothing urgent happens.”

After wandering for a while between trunks, avoiding branches and big roots, Uncle Adrian stopped.

“You first.”

He was standing in front of a big tree with a hole in it. I hesitated. There weren’t spiders in it, were there?

There weren’t. The inside was surprisingly cozy and clean. It was small, though—I barely found enough room for my violin—and when Adrian came in, our feet were touching. His lantern illuminated our faces.

“Adults are big.”

Was he complaining? Besides, he was one to talk: despite his looks, he most surely was over sixty years old, if not over seventy.

“Okay, let’s get started.”

He was so calm I wanted to believe he knew what he was doing but…

“W-Wait…” I smiled nervously. “You’re not gonna kill me, right? Ray would be very sad if I died—”

“You’re not going to die. I’m just freeing you from my nephew’s bond. When they revived you, my nephew not only helped Ray create your necro-bond. He made another one that would allow him to observe his son from closer. That is, from you. If my nephew keeps following every step Ray takes, that’s a problem. If he keeps getting meddlesome and doesn’t let his son do anything he doesn’t approve of, that’s a problem. In short, if Art can’t accept that Ray has his own life, we have a problem. Don’t you think?”

I stared at him, astonished, then nodded energetically.

“You are damn right!”

“I’m glad you understand, Ray’s familiar. Now, if you keep doing what ‘the Lord’ tells you, it will only make things harder.”

“I think so too!”

“I like you. You’re quick to understand. Then, let’s do it for Ray.”

“O-Okay.”

Under the light of the lantern, Adrian knelt in front of me and laid his hands on my temples.

“I think it won’t take long. It’s not like breaking a necro-bond. The bond that ties you to my nephew is strong, but not that steady. Mm… It’s quite incredible, though, that you are still able to move even though Ray hasn’t nurtured your bond for four days now.”

“…! I hadn’t thought about that!” Wasn’t a newborn undead supposed to die in a week?

“Must be related to your resurrection and your inner soul. But your deathforce is already showing signs. It won’t be long till your body starts losing capacities.”

Oh. Now that was troublesome. Then a thought occurred to me.

“What about Rainbows?! I checked on her today and she was doing just fine.”

“You mean, the cat? My nephew took care of it.”

But he didn’t take care of me, huh… The Lord’s hatred towards me was hurting me more than I would have thought. Adrian added:

“By the way, Ray’s familiar, you will likely lose consciousness for a moment. Are you ready?”

Was I? Not really but… if that kid could free me from the Lord’s grip, it would be stupid not to give it a go. I smiled with hope.

“I’m in your hands, Uncle Adrian.”

* * *

When I woke up, I was lying against the inner part of the trunk. It didn’t feel quite like an awakening, because I hadn’t really fallen asleep; still, even if it was just for a short time, losing awareness felt oddly relaxing after being awake for so long.

Adrian was outside. As I joined him, I looked up at the clouded sky between the trees. It was dawn.

“Did it work?”

“Without a doubt,” he replied. “Now, the Lord won’t be able to give you unbreakable orders. A necromancer can give orders to undeads that aren’t his, but those are nothing compared to real commands: you can break them through your own will.”

He did it. He really did it. I was amazed. Suddenly, I thought of something I should have thought before: did Adrian do this for nothing or…?

“Adrian. Thanks a lot. If there’s anything I can do for you—”

“Forget it,” the necromancer said as he started walking. “I did it for the Styxer family. I don’t need anything from you. Just do your duty as a familiar and protect Ray.”

A mix of emotions overwhelmed me: gratitude and admiration towards that weird kid, frustration for what had happened to Ray, but mostly: determination.

“I will!” I said. “Definitely. And I will help him control his power.”

Under the first sunrays, Adrian stopped and gave me a surprised look. He smiled.

“Good luck with that. Follow me. I’ll lead you to him.”

He would? I grinned, put my violin on my back, and ran after him.

“I’m happy I met you, Adrian! By the way, you can call me Armen.”

“Mm. I’ll try. But I’m not good at remembering names.”

“Ah, well… I won’t forget yours! Ray told me you’re able to transform vegetable lifeforce into human lifeforce. Is that true?”

“… It is.”

“That’s amazing!”

“… It is. I adapted my power to achieve the transformation. But you wouldn’t be able to do that even if you tried.”

“Ah, haha… I know, that’s too bad. But it’s still amazing that you can!”

Adrian gave me a funny look.

“Mm. By the way, don’t ever use your telekinesis on my ghosts.”

I felt as if I was stabbed. Crap… I bowed brusquely.

“Sorry for that! I won’t do it again!”

“As long as you understand…” He turned around. “Telekinesis is amazing too. Make sure you train well.”

“Y-Yes, sir!”

Somehow, the small necromancer in front of me didn’t seem to me like a kid at all anymore. He acted so cool, he was so calm and level-headed, that I thought: what a shame the Lord Necromancer isn’t like that at all…

Adrian led me into the house through a back door, then downstairs to the basement. It was divided into four rooms separated by plate-glass windows. One was full of bookshelves, the second one looked like a training ground, the third one was a simple room, very neat, with a high bed, where Ray was lying. The fourth one had odd machines, which honestly didn’t draw much my attention, since I was only focused on Ray’s face.

“He’s pale.”

“All Styxer are. Well then, I’ll be in my room.”

“Thanks, Adrian. Oh… I’d like to play the violin for Ray, is that okay? I know it’s stupid but I thought he might wake up if I do…”

“… I doubt it. But give it a try. I like the violin. When it’s well played, that is. Oh, but if it’s really badly played, he might wake up sooner, who knows.”

“Hey, I’m not that bad at it!” I protested a bit hurt.

Without replying, Adrian went into the room with the bookshelves. There was a chair beside Ray’s bed. I sat down, wondering if the Lord Necromancer was awake by now. Taking off my coat, I opened the case, took out the violin, and brandished the bow.

“Inferno.”

It was the title of the piece. The theatrical version told the story of the rising of the King of Hell. Running through the abysses in search of his fallen comrades, a prince ended up falling in love with the Queen of Hell. Despite her cruelty, the Queen secretly loved him back, and after some theatrical twists and turns and serendipities, she finally decided to let him go with his comrades, to which the prince said: go, my brethren, do not fret, for the fire that rises in my heart shall burn the fire of Hell!

The bow stroked the strings and the sound of the violin soon filled the whole room. I put my whole heart into it.

Come back to me, Ray.

25 The Christmas party

People wearing suits, haoris, or expensive dresses, rebels in casual clothes, waiters in uniform… The hotel bustled with activity.

I felt awkward as I walked through the hall.

Beside me, Ray looked even more nervous. Though he was dressed quite elegantly, he had kept his baseball cap, lowering it as if he didn’t want to see anyone at the party.

Yeah, oddly enough, I was attending a Christmas party at a very posh hotel in Somerville District.

Apparently, the one organizing it was the Sunclaw family’s head, a powerful, filthy rich company owner and the “secret” leader of one of the most famous gangs in the Underworld: the Black-Hearts. Ray and I had had a bitter encounter with Sally, the fourth child of that man, who now wanted to apologize to us. Or so I was told.

I stopped as the Lord Necromancer in front of us showed our four invitation cards to the manager. Louise spun on her feet, her eyes shining like stars. Like me, she was in casual clothes, wearing her favorite short pants with black leggings and a punk style blouson. Pff, she was way prettier than the elegant women who were weighing her up mockingly in the hall.

“Why did I come?” Ray sighed fatalistically under his breath.

If he asked that to himself when he was the Lord Necromancer’s son, then… what was I, a simple undead, doing there?

I rolled my eyes. In any case, I was glad Ray was doing well. The day before, after I played the violin for several hours, the Lord had finally walked in the room and said, “get out”. It did feel like an order more compelling than a normal one, but it didn’t feel like I couldn’t fight against it, so I guess Uncle Adrian had really freed me from the Lord’s ties… I still complied and left. The Lord didn’t mention what his uncle had done, but I was sure he knew. And he was angry.

Apparently, Ray woke up in the evening but I knew nothing of it until Louise came to Ray’s house late in the morning and told me:

“Alumen! Ray is awake! We’re going to a party tonight, get ready!”

I only paid attention to the first part and bombarded her with questions about Ray’s condition. Around 15 o’clock, when she talked about that “party” thing again, I thought she was making it up, and I just kept doing housework, cleaning the wooden floor and the windows… I tried not to think. Why Ray hadn’t called me yet? That question was the one that troubled me the most.

The thing is, just one hour ago, Louise told me to come with her to that “party”, and we ended up in Somerville District at the Marvel Hotel. Much to my surprise, there was actually a party, and when Louise said we had to wait for the Lord and Ray at the entrance, it turned out they really showed up. I was taken aback as Ray muttered an explanation. It seemed that both of us had been invited to the Sunclaw’s Christmas party to accept further apologies from the real culprit of all this mess: the red-haired medusa that had thoughtlessly attacked us, Sally Sunclaw, the Red Viper.

I scanned the busy hall with a nervous look.

“They are not here,” Ray said.

How did he know I was searching for Sally and Erma?

Instead of making us wait in the hall, the manager immediately called an assistant to lead us upstairs, to a palace-like room that seemed to occupy the whole floor. Tables with food were scattered along the walls. Everything was grand and fancy, from the lustrous dishware to the large pots with plants arranged around the room.

A group of people was there. Among them, I recognized some people: the medusa Sally I hated now so much; Lei Sunclaw, the martial artist that had wanted to take me in his group; and Erma. Her pink hair pinned in two pigtails, the Lil Witch straightened as she saw me, but kept silent as a man stepped forward.

“I’m glad you came, Doctor Styxer! Oh! Is that your son?”

“Evening, Ruslan,” the Lord said casually.

“Good evening, Mr. Sunclaw,” Ray greeted.

Mr. Sunclaw? Could he be the family’s head? His hair was long and pink as Erma’s; his face, surprisingly young; he wore a richly adorned, dark blue tunic.

But wait… did he just call the Lord “Doctor”?

“Is my patient doing well?” the Lord asked.

Ruslan Sunclaw nodded.

“Our elder is doing just fine. Sometimes I think he’s doing too well, actually. He went skiing in the Hawaii Mountains last week and came back with a girlfriend. He’s out with her right now. No one would say he will be a hundred years old in April.”

They both laughed. I had a bad feeling about the meaning of “patient” there. Was the Sunclaw’s elder an undead? Or was his health being improved with necromancy techniques? Anyway, if the Lord really did that kind of business, it was easy to understand why the Sunclaw family was so kind to the Styxer family… and why the Lord Necromancer was so highly respected in the Underworld.

“So, Ray, was it?” Ruslan went on. “You’ve grown so much. You were, what, eight years old the last time you came here? You may not remember my kids. Unfortunately, Joan and Zoe aren’t here, but let me introduce the rest of them to you: this is Daniel, the eldest. Some say we’re like two peas in a pod despite our age difference.”

Daniel gave him a cold look, nodded in Ray’s direction, and said:

“If you excuse me, I’ll go welcome the other guests, Father.”

Ruslan waved.

“You may go. Those are Lei and Axel. They are twins and are about your age. Linah is the youngest. And this is Sally. She’s barely two years older than you.”

“They were good friends, back then, weren’t they?” the Lord said happily.

“Ah, they were, they were!”

Had those two forgotten that Sally had almost killed Ray just a few days ago? Clad in a dress as red as her hair, Sally looked embarrassed. She should. I gave her a venomous glare. Yeah, she definitely should regret what she had done to Ray.

“Ah…” Ray drew all the attention. He had never been good at handling public reunions, even at school, and I thought he would just freeze, but then he said firmly: “Apparently, Sally said she wanted to apologize.”

Before her dad’s insistent look, Sally stepped forward and bowed to Ray, quite reluctantly.

“Ray Styxer. I didn’t recognize you when I saw you last time. I thought you were just a thug trying to take advantage of my little sister. I acted rashly. I ask for forgiveness.”

Just seeing her contracted face, it was obvious that she was having a hard time apologizing. Not only had she been forced to accept that she was in the wrong, but she also had to say those words in front of her whole family. I could almost hear the huge blow her pride was taking. I smirked. Serves you right, damn medusa.

“It’s okay.”

Ray’s words struck me like lightning, and I looked at him with an incredulous face.

“The hell’s okay?” I snorted. “She nearly killed you—!”

“Armen, be quiet!” Ray snarled, clenching his fists. “Sally apologized. I should apologize too. For what happened when we were kids… I’m sorry. The other day, I lost control of my power again and even attacked Linah. I’m sorry. Luckily nothing irremediable has happened. If it’s possible, let’s forgive and forget.”

How? How on earth could I forgive Sally for what she had done? Erma and I looked at each other, and from her expression, I understood she wasn’t satisfied either. She resented her own sister and wanted to see her punished. Yet, she said nothing as Ruslan Sunclaw and the Lord proposed to celebrate the good news with a drink. As the two of them got closer to the tables moving on to other matters, Sally grumbled a “what a pain” under her breath and walked out with a majestic gait.

“So you’re Ray,” Axel, one of the twins, said, stepping forward. His hair wasn’t pink or red but jet black; he wore a lot of piercings, and a t-shirt with the words “YOU ARE A LOSER” written on it. He stopped, glowering at Ray. “I remember you, oh, I remember you well, you damn monster. Well… We’ll meet again soon enough.”

He bumped into Ray’s shoulder and passed by. For a second, our eyes met. He muttered:

“Keep barking at Sally, silly dog, and you’ll end up dead.”

So… he didn’t know I was dead already? I smiled, Axel frowned, then walked out of the room.

“Axel that bastard,” Lei said, clicking his tongue. Unlike most twins, Lei and Axel didn’t seem to get along well… “Lei, was it? A namesake?”

“No… It’s Ray, with ‘r’.”

“Oh! Ray, then,” Lei nodded. He looked as if he was trying to memorize his name. That guy… “By the bye, sorry I didn’t recognize you the other day, at the Work-Lair. We were so young the last time we saw each other, I’m surprised you even recognized me.”

“I’m surprised too.”

“Ho? I kind of get the impression we’ll be able to get along! Just so you know, Ray, since the other day, I thought again about your power and… Really, your power rocks. Let’s have a spar sometime.”

“A… spar?”

“Yeah,” Lei smiled. “My siblings spar all the time to strengthen their power. It’s not something we do with anyone, you know.”

Was he saying that he was considering Ray close enough to make him a sparring partner? Ray had never fought anyone, though? He couldn’t even control his power…

“… That sounds like fun.”

I jerked up. Ray was acting odd since I met him at the entrance of the hotel. Was he seriously considering sparring with a Sunclaw’s kid? Erma had said every one of them was strong, and yet Ray was willing to spar with those monsters? Did he lose his mind?

“Great,” Lei grinned. “Then let’s exchange contacts!”

After giving Ray his phone number, Lei asked:

“By the way, who is the girl beside you?”

“Oh, right. This is Louise, my dad’s… huh… my dad’s protégé. And this is Armen, you met him already,” Ray introduced us awkwardly.

“Eeeh. Aya-aya, so it’s true.” He glanced around. Erma was nervously pouring herself a glass of sangria a few tables away. Lei leaned over Ray and whispered quietly so that only Ray, Louise, and I could hear: “You’re a necromancer, right? Kinda creepy, but I like it. Oh, but don’t worry, my other siblings don’t know about your dad’s true identity. I just happen to know.” He winked at him. “Guess our spar will be funnier than expected. Well then, I’ll go help Dan welcoming the guests. I’m waiting for some friends. Have fun at the party!”

I saw Ray swallow hard. Crap. Lei had guessed I was an undead so easily? I just hoped he knew how to keep a secret…

At that moment, Erma came closer hesitantly holding her glass of sangria. Catching me by surprise, she handed it to me. As I accepted it, she said:

“I’m sorry everything turned into such a mess. If I hadn’t hesitated so much to attack Sally…”

I shook my head as if saying, “you’re not to blame”, and she sighed.

“Yeah, I know what you mean. Sally is the worst… She just thinks of normal people as worms. She’s so awful.” Her blue eyes gleamed with resentment. Heh. Erma could understand me so well even when I didn’t say a word. She cleared her throat, and her expression changed. “Anyway, I’m glad you came. I was surprised when I learned your friend is actually Doctor Styxer’s son! I heard your dad is a genius!” she told him.

“Er… Is he?”

“Hwara-hwara-hwara, don’t ask me!” She offered Ray a friendly expression, then turned her perky eyes back to me. “Straw Head. Will you accompany me tonight?”

What was the meaning of accompanying someone at a party like that? I had no idea. But I smiled anyway and nodded. Erma smiled back happily.

“Okay, then. Let’s meet on the balcony at nine o’clock! I have a surprise!”

A surprise? I saw her walk away in a hurry as the guests were coming in in groups. Soon, the spacious room was as busy as a marketplace.

“Oh! Papa is calling me!” Louise said suddenly.

As she joined the Lord Necromancer and Ruslan Sunclaw, the three of them got in an elevator. Where were they going? Or more like, what shady business was making them go talk in private? I honestly didn’t want to know.

Ray had backed off to a corner before the increasing crowd. I did the same. The guests were being loud. Who were all those people? Members of the Unholy League? But considering the Lord had been invited, maybe there were members from the Dark Alliance too… Wait, weren’t those two groups enemies? Maybe they were doing an exception for Christmas, like a “time out!” or something like that?

“Armen.”

I looked at Ray quizzically. His face was troubled.

“Sorry… It seems you were invited along with me. I guess it’s the first time you go to those kinds of parties. I… didn’t want to go either.”

“…”

“Y-You must be mad at me because I didn’t tell you about my power. I didn’t because… I was afraid. That power… I don’t know what it can do. I don’t know so… it’s frightening to even speak about it.”

I pouted. Did he really forget he had ordered me to be quiet? Damn… I moved my hand as if I was zipping my mouth close. With that, he would surely understand… But Ray didn’t see me. He was lowering his eyes.

“S-Sorry.”

What was he apologizing for? Dammit. I laid a hand on his shoulder, drew his attention, and repeated my move. Ray looked puzzled.

“What…?” Then he widened his eyes, astounded. “Oh my gosh! Sorry, I’m so sorry, I totally forgot the order! And I’ve been rude to you… I’m sorry, Armen!”

“It’s okay,” I smiled as the restriction was immediately lifted. “I guess I deserved that for what happened.”

“For what happened?” Ray echoed, at a loss.

“Yeah. I couldn’t save you. If it weren’t for your power, we both would be dead right now. I mean, I would be doubly dead. That’s why,” I added, leaning on the wall, “I’m pretty pissed off that Sally got away so easily. After what she did to you.”

“… I understand. But she’s a Sunclaw. My dad does business with that family. And also…” His voice wavered. “I used my power on her, not only once but twice. When I was eight years old… in this very place… I was playing with Lei, Axel, Sally, and other children when I awakened to my power. I lost control and did something horrible.”

I nodded.

“I know. Arkill told me before taking you to the Lord’s.”

“Ah. Well… He did?”

“Yeah. I guess he told me that because he didn’t want me to worry too much. Though he didn’t tell me how it happened.”

“About that… Everything went astray when two Heroes began to yell at each other, one threw a beam of numbing light at the other, who deflected it and… it struck me.”

“So it wasn’t your fault at all!” I snorted. “What about those two idiots?”

“I… I heard they were fired by their association and were fined. But my power got them too on that day… Darkness was everywhere in this room.”

I gasped. His power had covered this palacelike room? No wonder he had freaked out.

“As expected from you,” I grinned, trying to cheer him up. “Oh, but it’s said that the first time your power is unleashed it’s common to cause a big commotion, especially if it’s an elemental power or something like that. My big sis told me.” I paused. “Are you okay? I mean… returning to this place must be rough on you.”

Ray took the brim of his cap between two fingers, then let go of it, nodding.

“I’m fine. But I would be better at home, playing Survival Dungeon 3 with Arkill and you.”

“I know, right!”

We smiled at each other. After gazing at the guests going to and fro in the room, talking, laughing, eating, and drinking, I said:

“There’s something I don’t understand. If they were doing Hero parties here back then, how is it that the Marvel Hotel turned into a den of the Underworld?”

“About that… It’s both, actually. If you take a closer look, you’ll see there are quite a few Heroes in this room.”

“Whaaaat?!”

Ray chuckled at my reaction.

“Look, that group over there is the Jama-Jama Team that was on the news the other day. And the woman that looks like a pirate next to them is the One-eyed Brawleress. As far as I know, there are so many Heroes in Farskyer that the Nyomin can’t pay them all, so a lot of Hero groups have external sponsors. The Sunclaw family is one of those.”

“Huh? I thought the Sunclaw family was a sponsor of the Nyomin.”

“But they sponsor the Independent Hero Association too. And other organizations as well.”

“Don’t put all your eggs in one basket, huh?”

“Something like that.”

“Mm… I remember now,” I frowned. “Zeeta told me that even the medusa is a Hero. The Red Viper.”

“Ah, you mean Sally.”

“Yeah. But, Ray, if even people like that can be Heroes, then…” I turned to him with an existential question in mind, “is a Hero really a hero?”

“Mm.” Ray’s eyes strayed to the high ceiling thoughtfully. “I’m sure there are a lot of Heroes doing good deeds for the people. Not only the people, actually. The World Hero Organization is an enormous guild with a lot of sub-organizations, so some members may protect people, while others will protect nature, and others will explore dangerous locations like dungeons or flying Crystals. At the end of the day, Heroes are mercenaries that do odd jobs for a living. And as in everything, there are good and bad people in there—”

“The medusa is the living proof.”

“Pf. Yeah. The world is so full of oddities and Heroes are so numerous that you can’t really say all of them are righteous, there’re scandals every year, you know, but publicly, they still have to adhere to the organization’s values and principles if they want to keep their title. Well, basically, I guess ‘Hero’ is just a designation. A trademark to inspire confidence in customers.”

A Hero title was just a trademark? And there were so many people dreaming about working under a trademark? I shook my head calmly.

“I must be stupid. I don’t get this world.”

Ray laughed.

“I don’t get it either! The world is full of mysteries, isn’t it?”

I had forgotten how much relaxing it was to be with Ray. All these days I had been worrying about him and trying to fool the Lord’s order to disappear… and I had concluded that even an undead was affected by stress. A kind of stress able to fray my nerves. But now…

Right now, I felt like myself again. I grinned and suggested:

“Hey, let’s grab something to eat. I mean, I am eating right now, but you are not.”

We made our way to the tables, and Ray filled a plate with snacks. As we stopped, I said thoughtfully:

“Know what, Ray? You changed.”

Surprised, Ray looked at me with his mouth full.

“Mm?”

“I never expected you would accept to spar with someone.”

Ray choked on a croquette. As I clapped his back, he snorted and covered his face with a hand.

“Argh… Armen… I actually didn’t want to agree!”

I stared at him, bewildered.

“You didn’t? Didn’t seem so to me.”

“I know. I… accidentally agreed.”

“… Hold on, Ray. You even saved Lei’s number on your phone. How are you supposed to do that accidentally?”

Ray grimaced and raised his eyes to the high ceiling.

“But I didn’t give him mine. I can just not call him. Yeah, let’s do that. Now that I remember, Lei has the power to attract things he touches, like a magnet. Dad once told me he got ninth in a competition for young Hero apprentices. Damn! What was I thinking? It’s clear that Lei suggested that spar just to crush me and get revenge for what happened back then. I guess I’m still a bit dizzy from the other day. That must be why I forgot I had given you an order. If I do it again, let me know, okay? I shouldn’t have come to this stupid party—”

“Let’s do it.”

Ray blinked, then turned to me.

“Do what?”

“The spar.”

“… Did you even listen to what I just said?”

I grinned.

“To every word. Let’s do it. After all, when we go to that Experimental Program, we must be ready to face the harsh world.”

Ray’s face turned pale.

“The Experimental Program? You don’t mean—”

“Yes. That program your mom wanted you to take part in, to become one of those trademarked Heroes. Actually, the Lord told me about that, last week, and I told him I would participate too—”

“Let’s go outside.”

Leaving brusquely his plate on a table, Ray led me away from the crowd, to the spacious balcony. Finally away from eavesdroppers, he let out:

“The hell did you say?! I did apply to that program, because of my mom’s insistence, but I thought they had rejected my application file!”

“…?! They didn’t though. Your dad told me you had been accepted. He received a letter.”

“Like hell he did!” Ray snorted. “The letter most likely arrived at my old apartment after I moved, Dad took it from the letterbox and kept it from me. Why?!”

Ray was so calm normally, but he could lose so easily his temper when it came to his dad… He sighed.

“So, in the end, I have been accepted.”

“Yeah. Isn’t that great?”

“It’s not! I don’t want to be like my dad, but I don’t want to be a Hero either.”

There was a silence. When I had promised the Lord that I would convince Ray to go to that two-month program, I hadn’t thought Ray would be unwilling to go, not because of the problem of nurturing our necro-bond, but because he simply didn’t want to. And who were the Lord and the Lightning Veil to force Ray into anything even if he was their son?

I raised my eyes to the high buildings next to the hotel, then leaned on the elegant balustrade and said:

“Your dad told me I can’t stay long away from you because our necro-bond needs to be nurtured. I didn’t know you had to do things like that. Guess it’s like having a pet, you must take care of it and all… I hope it’s not much of a pain.”

“It’s not!” Ray’s exclamation drew the attention of some guests on the balcony. He cleared his throat embarrassed. “I mean, it’s really not a pain.”

I smiled.

“I’m glad to hear that. Anyway, I was planning on entering the program through the examination in January and was actually thinking it would be quite fun, but… if you don’t wanna do it, then let’s not. Wherever you go, I’ll follow, Ray, not because I’m your familiar but because I have high expectations of you, dude, haha… That was a weird way to put it, right? Anyhow… What do you want to do?” I paused, then went on cheerfully: “Do you wanna become a researcher? A geek? Or perhaps a singer?”

Ray gave me a funny glance.

“Why a singer?”

“I’m a violinist, Zeeta is a guitarist, so you should be a singer. Or do you prefer to be a DJ? That would be fun too, we could form a band, and—”

Ray snorted with laughter.

“Ah, I’m not laughing at your idea, Armen, it’s pretty cool, though I couldn’t really see myself as a singer. I was just trying to imagine the face my mom would make if I were to become an artist.” He chuckled, then breathed in. “Though, if she were to know the truth, her reaction would be much worse.” He shook his head. “Honestly, Armen… I never really thought about the future. As a kid, I tried so hard to please both of my parents, reading the books my dad told me so I’d become a lifeforce controller, trying to awake my power so I could become a great Hero… But after I got my power, I cursed them. I hated them. I thought they never really loved me and were just fighting over me like I was some kind of object. Well, the first part is not true, but the second part is not entirely false.” He took off his baseball cap and started to make it spin around a finger as he said: “I never told you about my mom, did I? She’s a Hero named the Lightning Veil. Looks like you already knew.”

“I did.”

Actually, after the Lord had told me about it, I had searched for the Lightning Veil on my cellphone. She was born forty-five years ago in Wuhan, in the Purple Country, a big island in the south part of the world. At twelve, she had saved a family from a natural disaster; she became an apprentice Hero at fourteen, a Hero at sixteen, and a Hero master at thirty-two. She had been working for the World Government in the North-Wing for two decades now and was a fierce supporter of Lovecryce, the director of the Nyomin and one of the Sixteen Rulers of the World…

“You know,” Ray then said. His cap was spinning faster and faster on his finger. “I didn’t want to be seen at school as a Hero’s kid, so I said nothing, and as time passed, I—”

“Gah, stop being annoying,” I said as I gave him a slight knock on the head. Suddenly distracted, Ray let go of the baseball cap: it flew away over the balustrade, towards the street downwards.

“Oh no, my cap…!”

Thankfully, I reacted quickly, used my power on the cap, drew it closer, and finally caught it. I grinned innocently and put it on Ray’s head before his surprised face.

“Safe! Oh, and no need to find excuses, Ray. It may be a bit rude to say it like that but… I honestly don’t care about your mom.”

After all, if his own son had tried to avoid her for so many years, why should I care about her? Ray paused… then adjusted his cap with an amused snort.

“You improved. Are you practicing?”

“Heh, but of course! Now that I am a power-holder, I can’t let pass the opportunity. Telekinesis is fun. But I have a long way to go.”

“I think you’re pretty good at controlling your power. See? You said you were bad at focusing, but you can do it when you want to.”

“Studying is different…” I hesitated. “Ray. Can I ask you a question? Why don’t you try to learn how to control your power? It’s an impressive power, way more powerful than mine, I’d say. If you practice, I’m sure you can take it under your control and even beat Lei in a spar—”

“Armen.”

“… What?”

Ray shook his head and drew away from the balustrade.

“Forget it. It’s almost nine o’clock. Didn’t you have a date with your girlfriend?”

I stared at my friend’s back, a bit frustrated. Why did he have to change the subject? Anyway… a trauma couldn’t be overcome overnight. I protested, amused:

“I’ve got no girlfriend! Erma is a friend.”

“I know,” Ray said raising his hand without turning. “I’ll search for my dad. Have fun. Remember not to drink. Alcohol is bad.”

Especially for undead, since it lowered the effect of lifeforce absorption, I remembered.

“Oh, right…” He stopped. “Yesterday… I mean… Is it true that you played the violin for five hours while I was asleep?”

Did the Lord tell him? I felt a bit awkward as I answered:

“It is. Ah, the violin is Zeeta’s present for Christmas. He’s only one year older than me, but he spoils me like a brat, really… Anyway! I played for five hours, but you didn’t wake up, sleepyhead!”

Ray looked back, smiling.

“Thanks. When you told me you play the violin, I was surprised. But somehow… it suits you.” I blinked, even more embarrassed, as he added: “To tell you the truth, there were violins in my dreams.”

“…! There were?!”

“Yeah. The shadows were attacking me, then the music started and… Well, that sounds a bit weird, right? But thank you. It’s a pity that I couldn’t listen to the real thing, though.”

Ray had never seen me play the violin. His interest made me grin.

“I can fix that any time. Like, for tomorrow’s Christmas Eve for example. I’ll try to get Zeeta too if he’s free.”

“Mm. I’m looking forward to it. Also, I’ll be taking a copy of that album.”

“Heh, sure!”

As Ray left the balcony and disappeared in the crowd, the neighboring Shell Hotel’s giant clock struck nine times. Erma was nowhere to be seen. Did she forget our appointment?

My cell buzzed. I raised an eyebrow as I took the call.

“Zeeta? Did you finish your work?”

Earlier, he had told me he had a little job to do.

« I’m free tomorrow. »

My eyes slowly widened. How on earth did he hear us…?

26 Let’s set my friends on fire!

I scanned my surroundings.

“The hell?”

Zeeta’s laugh reached me through the phone.

« I’m not at Marvel Hotel, you moron. But man, I didn’t know you would enjoy those kinds of events. »

“Honestly I don’t. The medusa said she would apologize, so we came. Where are you?”

« Not telling. »

“At the Shell Hotel, in front?”

« Huh… By the way, could you do me a favor? »

I stopped looking intently at the windows of the Shell Hotel.

“What is it?”

« Can you see the lit gallery about three floors above you? And the room in the dark? »

I looked up at the Marvel Hotel’s facade, puzzled.

“Er… Yeah, I can see it. So?”

« Can you pull the curtain open? A few inches would do. »

“… Is it something related to your job?”

« Kinda, yeah. Can you do it? »

“I don’t know, it’s quite far, but let me try.”

Was Zeeta spying on the Sunclaw on the Beholder’s orders? Most likely.

I fixed the curtain behind the window of the sole room in the dark and activated my power. I had already tried to move things from about thirty meters away, and the window was a bit closer than that. If I focused well enough…

I grabbed the curtain with my telekinesis and slowly pulled it open by a few inches. I grinned.

“Zeeta, I did it!”

« You’re a pro, Armen, thanks a lot! »

“Zeeta? You said Zeeta?” a voice suddenly snorted, surprised. I had barely the time to see Erma pop up in front of me before she grabbed my cell from my hands and insisted: “THE Zeeta?! Seriously? Zeeta Guita’! … What? Hey, I’m no brat! Don’t you miss me? … Yeah, so much you couldn’t sleep? I don’t believe you. By the way, I heard you’re in the DA now, haha, are you paid well? … Hah? You’re kidding! You’re just making it up, so annoying… Hey, don’t hang up!”

Erma clicked her tongue as she glared at my phone, then gave it back to me, groaning:

“He hung up on me, that birdbrain-dummy-fool!”

Aaah… Zeeta is most certainly hearing you, you know? She smiled.

“But I’m glad to hear his voice. By the way, is the Cheetah Duo still active?”

“It revived just recently,” I said, shoving my cellphone in my pocket. I looked at her, inquisitive. “So? What’s the surprise?”

“Ho, that, my Christmas present… Don’t open it before Christmas, you hear!”

I accepted the little box she handed to me. She had wrapped the gift with care… so much care there was tape everywhere.

“Hell. Thanks, Erma. But… is that okay? I only knew I had been invited, like, about two hours ago, so I don’t have anything for you.”

“It’s okay, don’t sweat it. Besides, you do have something for me.” She poked my chest. “You.”

My ears froze for an instant. Me? W-Was she asking me out? Dang… She was barely one year younger than me, so I guess it was possible. I just didn’t know how to answer her confession. But the main problem was that Erma didn’t know she had just confessed to an undead…!

“Friends are better than any other gift.”

Her words, then, made me snap back to reality. Linah had not confessed. She was just trying to revive our friendship bond. What was I thinking, really?! I composed myself, smiling at her.

“Sure. Then you can have me.”

Even in the dim light that reached us from the party, I could see Linah’s cheeks turn a bit rosy.

“You make it sound like I own you, Straw Head.”

“Since I owe you, you can own me,” I bowed.

“… Don’t give up your day job.”

“Eeh?! Was it that lame?”

“Awful.”

“But, Erma, didn’t you want me to gift myself to you?”

“I meant our friendship, Straw Head, our friendship!” Her clenched fist danced under my eyes with exasperation.

“Ahaha… Don’t punch me. I’ll give you friendship with all my heart.”

“Don’t use all your heart, or Zeeta will be sad.”

“True, then with half of my heart. Ah, but there’s Ray too. And my big sis, and my parents. Then a fifth, no, a… Ah, I’ve lost count. A piece of my heart?”

“I’m depressed. Don’t slice your heart like it’s a piece of cake.”

“You told me to share!”

“Besides, my grandma used to tell me, ‘your heart is yours. Don’t give it to anyone. There’s only one key to your heart. Offer it only to the one that will make you happy for the rest of your life’.”

She was imitating an old woman’s voice, and the result was kinda funny. I smiled, captivated.

“You should make some copies.”

Linah blinked, confused.

“What?”

“For the door. If you lose the key, you won’t be able to enter. So you should make some copies. I always do that.”

“…” She burst out laughing. “Moron! You don’t get the meaning at all!”

I got the meaning all too well. That is, Linah wasn’t seeing me the same way I was seeing her. Or so it seemed. But it didn’t matter, because I was dead, anyway, so it would only get us in trouble if she were to fall for me. But that also meant I was free to act as my heart told me—not that I was a guy capable of doing otherwise. I grinned.

“Well, I’m curious. To what kind of person would you give that key?”

“Mm. I don’t really know. Someone I can relax with, have fun, and trust…” She shrugged. “Anyway, I’m not even sixteen, yet. I’ll probably do as you say and give some copies of my key before giving the real one.”

I was a bit surprised by her interpretation of my words, which didn’t really hold any meaning, but I didn’t correct her.

“Now that you mention it, your birthday is in February, isn’t it? To think our muse is going to become older so soon…”

“Are you saying I’m old?! Besides, we all become older as time passes.”

“No, I don’t.”

“You do.”

No, I don’t, I thought again. My back against the balustrade, I leaned my elbows on the rail and smiled at her.

“They say idiots never catch a cold nor grow old.”

“You just made that up, didn’t you? It’s so untrue in your case. You caught, like, four colds last winter?”

“Ah… Maybe I’m a genius, then?”

“Hwara-hwara!” She nudged my elbow, leaning beside me. For a moment, we both listened to the racket of the party, then she said cheerfully: “I think this one will be the best Christmas party I ever had since I came to this city!”

Those words just made me feel the same way.

“Say,” she added. “I was wondering, Straw Head. If you liked someone, how would you propose?”

I jerked up.

“Out of the blue…” I sighed.

“You would propose out of the blue?”

No, that was not what I meant. I rubbed my neck, trying to give her an honest answer.

“Yeah. I guess I would just blurt it out at some point. I’m not an expert on the matter but… I know I’m not good at holding in things like that.”

“I take it you don’t have a girlfriend?”

“I never did.” And never will. I’m dead, you know.

“… Actually,” Linah said, “I think I would like it if someone proposed to me by kissing my hand like a gentleman and saying: will you be my spouse, señorita?”

Why the Buenos Aires’ accent?! I looked at her, snorted with laughter, then faced her, took her hand, and grazed the back of it with my lips saying:

“Will you be my friend, senchorlita?”

Linah burst out laughing. For two reasons, probably: for my bad accent, but also because she had just left her hand detached in mine.

“I just so wanted to do that once, Straw Head! You fell for it so well! Hwara-hwara-hwara!”

I gave her an evil grin.

“What’s the matter? I was proposing to your hand. I don’t want the rest.”

“What?!!”

“Well, perhaps the arm? And the pigtails, of course. Can I have your pigtails?”

“You…!”

Her hand ran away from mine and flew back to its owner, then came at me. I saw her fist stop an inch away from my chest.

“…? You’re not gonna hit me?”

“Are you a masochist?”

“Haha, I’m not, I guess. But what happened? You are gentler comparing to when you were a gangster—” She pinched my nose. It was supposed to hurt a bit, I guess? I said: “Ouch.”

“You don’t sound convincing. Just as I thought. You became gentler too, Straw Head. In summer, you would have given me one of your annoyed smiles right now.”

“Something like that?”

“… No, now you’re just smiling because you’re having fun. You are a masochist, after all.”

“I’m not!”

“Hwara-hwara-hwara!” she laughed as she let go of my nose.

Had I been alive, I knew I would have been blushing right now. I shook my head.

“By the way, Erma, I was thinking about something disturbing.”

“Oh? About your grades?”

“Don’t depress me! No, I was thinking about your body.”

Erma flushed. I hurriedly added:

“I mean, how does your body stay alive when you detach it? A hand was already amazing, but what I saw the other day—”

“You birdbrain-dummy-fool!”

She pulled my red knit cap with both hands, covering my eyes.

“Er… Whatcha doing, Lil Witch?”

She took a deep breath.

“Actually… I don’t know how it works.”

Wondering how much time she was going to hold onto my knit cap, I raised my eyebrows under it.

“You don’t know how your body works?”

“… Yeah. I just don’t die when I detach myself. I can detach my limbs, and even my head. It’s as if I was in one piece, except I’m not. Some kind of spacial warp, perhaps? I’ve heard it’s really hard to investigate how those kinds of powers really work. It depends on the proportion of Crystal particles, their color, their disposition… Anyway, I was this way when I was born. My mom almost had a heart attack when she saw me in pieces, crying like a healthy newborn and all.”

I had a hard time imagining the scene of her birth, but her mom sure must have been in shock.

“Ah well, but she got over it. My mom is not a witch, but she has the nerves of one. As a kid, I kept losing parts of my body all the time, and she just ended up joking about it.”

“…!” I couldn’t help but laugh. “Sounds like an amazing childhood! Which parts of your body did you use to lose?”

“Mostly my hands. I used to lose them all the time. They would begin walking around… I didn’t know yet how to call them to my main body, so every time I would see a beautiful butterfly, or anything that can catch the attention of a young kid, my hands would just try to go after it. Don’t laugh, it was a serious problem back when I was five years old or so, you know? My mom scolded me each time it happened. My grandma was more like, ‘well, as long as you don’t lose your heart, everything’s all right, Linah’.”

I thought of pulling up my knit cap but then it occurred to me that maybe Linah would stop telling me about her childhood if I were to look at her. Actually, I could see her a bit through the threads of my knit cap, but that, I didn’t tell her. I just smiled and said:

“Your grandma looks like a really nice person.”

“Mm. My mom is too. I still can’t believe she put up with it for so many years. A kid like me was such a pain in the ass! That’s also why I’ve always been taught body strengthening methods since I can remember. Losing body parts can be very dangerous.”

“You don’t say.”

“But I guess the worst thing ever was when I went to Farskyer City for my first time when I was five years old. I forgot my right hand in a bullet train.”

“For real?!”

“Yeah. Since I’m left-handed, I didn’t notice.” That was the reason?! “My dad had to, like, call the managers to stop the train and retrieve it. We made everyone stop for my sake. It was so embarrassing. Also, the passengers freaked out, seeing my hand moving all alone… And my mom was worried sick that the distance could cause my power to deactivate. When we found my hand, she was so mad she yelled at me, ‘PULL YOURSELF TOGETHER!’. I rarely saw my dad laugh so hard. Hwara-hwara!”

I chortled.

“Your childhood is just hilarious.”

“Better than yours, huh?”

“Hey, what do you mean, mine wasn’t bad either!”

“You were just trapped in a lighthouse, looking at dolphins and fishes and playing the violin, am I right?”

“… Well, it’s true that I never lost my hand in a bullet train, I’m a normal guy after all.”

“Are you calling me abnormal?”

“Yeah. It’s abnormal to hold onto someone else’s knit cap for so long. First time I experience that.”

“…! O-Oh, sorry. I completely forgot my hands were holding onto it.”

Pulling up my knit cap, I looked at her embarrassed expression in disbelief.

“You can’t forget something your hands are doing.”

“Aha… I can, though? The bullet train’s experience is proof of that.”

“… As expected of the Lil Witch. Perhaps I can too if I hold on to your pigtails.”

I took them with my hands, as gently as I could, we looked at each other… then Linah coughed.

“I don’t know if you’re a kid or a fool, Straw Head.”

“… Ahaha… Sorry,” I said, letting go of her pigtails and turning around. As I thought, I totally couldn’t forget about my hands grabbing her hair, even though I couldn’t even sense them through my dead skin. “Actually, I wanted to ask you something, Erma. Is it okay if I…”

I fell silent. I was about to ask her if I could call her Linah from now on but… wouldn’t it be weird to call her so?

“Hwara-hwara! What’s gotten into you all of a sudden? You’re all flustered. Come on! Let’s get something to drink. But don’t keep me on tenterhooks. Is it okay if you what?”

I leaned on the balustrade, shaking my head.

“Not telling.”

“Come on!”

“Not telling, Lil Witch—”

“Damn you! Zeeta and you are the same, always teasing me! Anyway, let’s go inside! I’m actually freezing out here!”

I smiled as I gave a nod. I was definitely glad I had been able to see Erma again. I had to thank that vengeful Jonnie for that.

Bzz. Bzz.

‘Zeeta, 21:25: Didn’t follow the whole thing, but it seems that Erma is still as energetic as usual.’

‘Armen, 21:26: You jeeeeeerk, whera are u!!!’

‘Zeeta, 21:26: Stop stealing the Straw Head’s phone.’

‘Armen, 21:26: Show your face or I’ll kill u!!’

‘Armen, 21:26: (the real one) Sorry 😅’

‘Armen, 21:27: The lil witch is scary. I have’

‘Zeeta, 21:27: Armen? Armen, don’t die on me in the middle of a sentence!’

‘Zeeta, 21:31: Armen?’

‘Armen, 23:45: Sorry 🎧🎧🎧 Erma had me play a party of of poker with her and more peoplee. Niw I’m going home with Ray. Ate too much I’m a bit drunk. Can’t think straight. 😶⛄ 🎔 🎔’

‘Zeeta, 23:48: Rest assured, no one can tell the difference 😂 Thanks for earlier, I got great information. Rest well~’

Despite the streetlights, Ray was lighting our way with his super flashlight. The silence was only broken by our footsteps on the snow. I swayed as I put my phone in my pocket. Arkill was walking behind us. It seemed that the Lord was still worried about his son’s safety.

“I…”

Ray’s wavering voice made me try to focus my eyes on him. I was definitely drunk, my heart was beating now and then, and trickles of lifeforce were regularly coming out from my mouth in hiccups. So eating too much could have that sort of effect, so funny…

“I talked with my dad,” Ray finally said quietly. “Apparently, Ruslan Sunclaw was planning on making Sally the next heir of his family, but he changed his mind after talking with Dad and decided to send her away to London.”

“Oooh? As expected from the Lord, I knew he couldn’t… he couldn’t, hic, he couldn’t let it pass with just a half-assed apologize-e. That medusa got what she deserv-hic-YAAAH!”

My feet had slipped on a patch of ice, and I fell down, laughing.

“It dawzent-e hurt-e at awl, hahaha!”

“That’s… 100% Taipei accent, Armen.”

I smiled as Arkill and Ray tried to help me to my feet.

“Dad says it ain’t-e bad to have an accent. Thank-e you, Ray. Thank-e you, Arkill. It ain’t-e bad to have friends too, heeheehic! Sowy, I’m happy as a clam right now. I don’t know why clams are happy though, hahaha!”

“He’s rambling,” Arkill said.

Ray cleared his throat.

“Seems so… Ah, you dropped that, Armen. It’s yours, right?”

“Eh? Ah, the lil box, yus, it’cha present from Erma.”

“Erma? Ah, you mean, Linah.”

“Yus. She said it’cha Quereismas present… hic… only for me. So give it back, Ray, I’ll give you yours tomorrow, ’kay? Ray… I’m happy you revived me, heeheehic… Zeeta’s lifeforce is damn good, but yours is the best-e. Oho! Can you hear? My heart is beating… You hear? Yet I’m dead, hahaha! But it feels great. Argh… I’m hungry! Do you know the song? ‘Let me free’, by Magneto… hic, Magnetocore. ‘I’m craving for life, let me bite your heart, let me freeee…’ No?” I raised my arms roaring in a throat-shredding growl: “WOOORLD: LET ME FREE! DEATH IS CARVED IN STONE, BUT MY HEART CRIES, I’M FIRED UP! OH, CHAOS, LET ME SCREAM, I’LL RIP THE SKY! I’LL RIP THE SKY AND BREAK MY LIMITS! HEY, FRIENDS, LET ME SET YOU ON FIIIRE!” I clutched at Ray and Arkill to prevent another fall. “Hic.”

“… Holy Crystals, Armen,” Ray gasped astounded. “That was brutal.”

“Isn’t that, like, electronicore, heavy metal or something like that?” Arkill grumbled. “He sure is loud. But, young master, is he really eating your inner lifeforce?”

“Er… Yeah. Is that bad? He can’t be evolving, right?”

“Isn’t that too soon? He’s eaten too much, that’s all. Look at his eyes. His core can’t keep pace.”

“… True, they’re getting black. But isn’t that even more dangerous? If he becomes a Fury—”

“He won’t. If he had to become one, he would have already in the party. Besides, you’re by his side. If he keeps eating, you can order him to stop or put him to sleep. You are his master, after all. Don’t worry too much.”

“… You’re right.”

“I’M GONNA SET THE WORLD ON FIRE!”

Ray snorted.

“I should have told him to drink alcohol to lower the effects, after all. Anyway, let’s take him home!”

Somewhere in the corner of a nearby street, someone laughed. Ray clicked his tongue, grabbed his phone, and typed:

‘Ray, 23:58: You. Stop stalking Armen.’

‘Zeeta, 23:58: Don’t wanna 😁’

‘23:58: Armen is the best even when he’s drunk. Want me to help?’

‘Ray, 23:59: No need.’

‘Zeeta, 23:59: so cold’

‘APPHappyBot, 00:00: CHRISTMAS EVE IS COMING UP! Let’s join our Talkycord!’

‘Zeeta, 00:00: Shut up, bot.’

‘00:26: How is he?’

‘00:35: How is he?’

‘00:39: How is he? 😭’

‘Ray, 00:45: You’re annoying.’

‘00:45: I put him to ‘sleep’ because he kept saying he was hungry.’

‘Zeeta, 00:46: Is that normal for him to be hungry after all he ate?’

‘Ray, 00:46: You don’t need to know anything about that.’

‘Zeeta, 00:46: Now I wanna punch u.’

‘Ray, 00:47: Just try me 😎’

Ray’s eyes were riveted on Armen, lying on the sofa. Was he really evolving? But why so soon? Could it be because he had kept his inner soul? But Dad said it had taken about one year for Cysleen to start stabilizing her deathforce and growing into a full-fledged undead, even with a necromancer’s guidance. However, Cysleen was his only life-reaper to have been revived the same way as Armen. They were lacking information.

Ray glanced at the piles of books in front of him. If Armen went into a Fury state, what should he do? He had read a lot of books, but theory and practice were two worlds apart!

He shook his head. He was getting ahead of himself. Armen’s reactions didn’t mean anything: if he was craving for lifeforce and had progressively lost his lucidity, that could have been just because he was drunk, and the fact that he had been seeking his caster’s lifeforce could have been just because Ray had been the only living being by his side…

Ray yawned. He was exhausted. He hadn’t completely recovered the energy he had used on that night, parties always wore him out, and Armen draining his lifeforce hadn’t helped. He looked at his phone. After a long silence, he typed:

‘Ray, 01:03: Zeeta. Do you know about the EPHT, the Experimental Program for the Heroes of Tomorrow?’

27 Deathforce

The sounds of a violin were flowing in the park in front of Ray’s house. A young child stopped to listen open-mouthedly to the music.

“Nice! Can I do it too? Eh? Can I do it too?”

I smiled and stopped the bow, crouching.

“Of course, you can, if you try. See? Take that, and just stroke the strings super gently…”

“Oh!”

The little girl was amazed. Then her dad saw her and called her, embarrassed.

“Helene, don’t bother the young man… Sorry for that!”

“Don’t worry. Merry Christmas!”

“Merry Christmas!”

I waved at the little girl, then kept playing.

Though the park was covered in snow, the sky was clear, completely blue. The night before, I had apparently made a fool of myself on the way home, but I couldn’t remember anything. Ray had even had to put me to sleep using his necro-bond and had asked me, like, four or five times if I really wasn’t hungry. How could I be hungry after what I had eaten at the party? Anyway, we had spent the day of Christmas Eve playing video games, fooling around with the cat, and Zeeta and I made a little concert in front of Ray, Louise, Arkill, and Rainbows. We, then, exchanged presents. I gave Ray a copy of the Cheetah Duo’s album as well as a multifunctional flashlight that could also be used as a pepper spray and a red light blinker; for Zeeta, since he already had bought himself a guitar, I had given him a warm hoodie, which he put on on the spot saying jokingly he would never take it off again; Arkill flinched, surprised, when I gave him new earphones; Louise got a headband matching her spiked, greenish-blue hair, and she kept patting it the whole evening, very pleased. In the end, I had used up the money I had earned at that night pub, but I didn’t regret it in the least.

I stopped playing as I heard my phone buzz. I replaced the violin in its case and sat on a bench. It was my big sis.

‘Azritz, 08:22: Merry Christmas, lil bro!!!’

She had spent the night with her friends, and I was surprised she would be up so early. I asked her if she had even slept, but she didn’t answer, so… she had probably gone back to sleep.

My eyes slipped to the gloves I had taken off to play. They were Zeeta’s and Ray’s present. More exactly, the red glove was Zeeta’s and the gray one was Ray’s. Though they didn’t say much yesterday, I could see they were pretty pissed off at each other for having got the same idea. I chuckled under my breath, took the gloves, and put them on. Fortunately, I had two hands. Though I couldn’t feel the cold—or more like, precisely because of that—Ray and Zeeta had thought I should protect my skin.

“Hehehe…”

“You’re not in your right mind, are you?”

I jerked up and looked up. A black-haired man in a long coat had just stopped in front of the bench.

“My… My Lord?” Holy Gods, what was he doing here? I stood up, forcing a smile, then widened my eyes as I saw the high fur hat he was wearing. “Whoa, nice cap.”

“Mm. It’s a papakha.” He looked pleased that I mentioned it.

“Ha, a papakha, huh? First time I’ve heard of it, but it looks warm. By the way, merry Christmas.”

“Mm.”

I stood silent before him for some seconds. Ahem…

“Can I do something for you, my Lord? Oh, now that I think about it, I have a present for you. Where did I put it? Ah, here. That’s for you.”

The Lord breathed in, surprised, as he inspected his present. It was a photo of Ray and me when Azritz and the two of us had gone to a small zoo in September.

“Your house’s full of photos of your son when he was a kid, but I noticed you didn’t have any of him as he is now, so—”

“You could have given me a photo with only him,” he cut me off.

“I knew you would say that,” I grumbled. “Don’t take me out from the photo, will you? Oh but if you don’t like it, I’ll have it back…”

The Lord promptly put the photo in his pocket.

“Don’t think you’ll be forgiven that easily.”

“I know that, my Lord, I’m not that kind of guy. You may think I was trying to run away when I accepted to cut the bond that linked me to you, but it’s not like that. All I wanted was to help Ray wake up.”

“With that silly music of yours?” The Lord Necromancer’s eyes glanced at my violin’s case, then went back at me. “Well, whatever. Come with me.”

“…? Where, my Lord?”

“Gah, that’s why I wanted to keep our bond, you’re annoying with your questions.”

He walked away in the snowy park. I picked up my violin and hurried after him.

“I’m coming, but could I drop by Ray’s place to leave my violin first?”

“Tch. We’re going at Ray’s place anyway.”

I smiled. In the end, it seemed that the Lord didn’t hate me. I felt really relieved.

* * *

There was an impressive amount of boxes in the living room of Ray’s house. Arkill was playing the console; still wearing the headband I had given her, Louise was shaking a small rope before Rainbows’ attentive eyes. She raised a hand on seeing us come in.

“Alumen, morning! Papa, we’ve finished bringing in the presents for Ray!”

I snorted internally. All those boxes were presents for Ray?

“Is he still sleeping?” the Lord asked.

“You should let him sleep, my Lord, he needs rest,” Arkill said.

“Mm. Let’s go to the basement.”

Although way smaller than the basement of the Lord’s mansion, there was a basement in Ray’s house too. It was almost empty, though. The Lord made us bring some bamboo carpets downstairs. He settled down crossing his legs and ordered:

“Armen, sit down.”

I obeyed, increasingly curious.

“Are we gonna make a yoga session or something?”

The Lord’s intent look made me flinch. Was I wrong?

“Close. We’re going to ready you for the Experimental Program.”

“… What? But Ray said—”

“He’s going.” I stared at the Lord in bewilderment as he added: “He wants to keep his promise with his mom, that’s all.”

Oh, my… Now that I thought about it, Ray had never said that he wouldn’t go, only that he didn’t want to go. The news kinda excited me. I smiled.

“So we’re going. That’s great.”

“It’s not that great for you. Let me explain: you just revived a few weeks ago, and hence your body is only but a corpse and has barely started to change into an undead body.”

“…? What do you mean? Am I not already an undead?”

“You’re still in the first phase of becoming a full-fledged undead. Arkill, sit down and explain.”

The red-haired life-reaper calmly obeyed:

“An undead body is different from a human body. When revived, a corpse receives a core from its master, tied to a necro-bond. That core is our heart. It instinctively knows how to transform lifeforce into deathforce, which allows us to move our body and prevents it from rotting. The core will reshape the organs that are useless to us undead, and will create a flux web that can activate functions such as creating internal heat, imitate the pulse of a human, imitate a heartbeat, produce sensors as a replacement for human nerves, and so on. Of course, for the core to keep working, you need to have a master that nurtures the necro-bond, and you need to eat. The more you eat, the better the core will work, to a certain extent: if you cannot transform everything you eat, you will get drunk and your core will get overflowed, which can be dangerous. Without using tricks, it takes up to five years to stabilize the energy throughout the body and complete a flux web.”

Arkill’s voice was calm and composed. I was amazed.

“Arkill, I told you before that you were bad at teaching, but you’re actually pretty good. I’m impressed. Thanks for the explanation.”

“You’re welcome. I myself am pretty impressed you understood what I said.”

I grimaced with embarrassment.

“Haha… I didn’t say I understood everything, though.”

Arkill mockingly raised an eyebrow.

“Thought so.”

“Can I ask you something? What was that about reshaping useless organs? Which organs are you talking about?”

“Veins, kidneys, muscles, intestines… also the stomach, the heart, the brain, the liver… Pretty much every organ. Depending on how you use your deathforce, you can give an organ a use or completely reshape it. I personally reshaped them to store the product I secrete for my spider webs. Sora uses them to store ink and venoms. Louise is still in her first phase, but she’s concentrating her deathforce in tissues and muscles to strengthen her own power. Without using techniques, an undead body is bound to have a lot of useless organs, but if you use the techniques the Lord will teach you, you’ll be able to make the fullest of your core’s capabilities and complete your transformation in two years, maybe less.”

I swallowed. So the Lord was still willing to teach me. That was great news. Still, I was a bit taken aback that my body could change that much. Even the heart was of no use to me…

“Wait… The brain too?!” I exclaimed.

“That’s right,” the Lord smiled. “As of now, your brain is useless.”

As I stared at him in dismay, Arkill pointed out:

“Your soul is in the core. Your thoughts, your memories, everything is in the core. That’s why the undead don’t need a brain.”

Ray had never told me that!

“Wait, but I’m pretty sure I’m using my brain right now,” I protested.

“You’re using your core, which we call brain too sometimes, but it’s not a human brain. It’s not forcefully located in the head.”

Not forcefully located in the head? Then my brain could be elsewhere in my body? I gave them a nervous smile. Ha… That was crazy. Were they making fun of me? It didn’t seem so…

“Where is that core?” I asked.

“It can be anywhere in the body,” the Lord answered. He smirked. “And its location is your master’s well-kept secret. So don’t talk about it again. Now,” he said laying a hand on both knees, “I’m going to teach you a circulation technique to expand your flux web from your core. There are only three weeks left before you and Ray leave for that Hero training, so you’ll have to push yourself a bit. Take it seriously. If someone finds out you’re an undead, I’ll make you regret it deeply. Well then, let’s start.”

“Y-Yes, sir! I’ll give it my all.”

“Good. First, take off your upper clothes. Okay, now come and turn around. I’ll start giving you some pointers.”

Was he touching my back? I guessed so, but my dead skin could feel nothing.

“It would have been easier if I had kept our bond,” the Lord mumbled. Oh well, was he complaining about my betrayal, after he had ordered me to disappear? “I’m going to open a meridian of your core. It might hurt a little bit. Be still and be quiet.”

Hurt? I hadn’t felt pain since I had been revived, and I was kind of looking forward to it.

Then it came.

The pain was intense. I wanted to scream, but no sound came out from my mouth: the Lord had ordered me not to move or say anything, and it seemed that his orders could be nearly as strong as before if he touched me. As expected from the Lord Necromancer.

As soon as the pain was gone, I felt weird. Yeah, it was weird not to feel anything. Now that I thought about it, during my first day after I had been revived I had been able to feel my skin a bit when I had scratched it hard… but was I even able to feel that now? I was under the impression that my sense of touch had been declining over time… That was quite a frightening thought.

So, if there was a possibility to get my sense of touch back, of course I would take it, even if I had to transform my human body into a monstrous one.

“Good boy,” the Lord said, lifting the restrictions. “Now, can you sense the flow of deathforce in your body?”

I hesitated.

“I already could feel the energy going through my body the first time I ate lifeforce. Do I have to sense something else?”

“Yes and no. Don’t you feel the flow is bigger now? Close your eyes and try to focus.”

I did as I was told, and after a minute or so, I said, uncertain:

“I guess it is bigger?”

“… Hum. Well then, I’ll guide that flow around different acupoints of your body, and you’ll have to memorize the circulation method so you can do it again by yourself. Concentrate.”

I had troubles understanding which flow he was referring to, and when I finally understood, I was unable to follow.

“Give it a try.”

I looked at him over my shoulder with a guilty smile.

“Sorry… Can you do it again, my Lord?”

The Lord clicked his tongue but repeated the process, like, three or four times. When I tried and completely messed up, he snorted.

“Why did my son have to befriend a fool like you?”

“Haha… Sorry for that. I’m bad at focusing and… I always had a bad sense of directions.”

The Lord tsked.

“Ray was afraid you were already evolving and opening your core by yourself, but pshaw, there’s no way a knucklehead like you could be a genius.”

Despite my smiling face, his words were annoying me quite a bit.

“Oh, but you’re a genius for making Ray worry about you. This time he even called me for advice because he thought you might lose control and become a Fury. He worries too much.”

“A Fury?” I echoed, troubled. I had no idea Ray had been so concerned about me.

“A Fury is an undead that has lost the balance of its core,” Arkill explained. “For instance, if you eat too much lifeforce, you will lose your balance and hunt for more lifeforce even if your body doesn’t need it. Your core will be overflowed, and your mind will stop working. Unlike living beings, we undead have no physical instincts of survival, so only our common sense or our master’s help can save us in situations like those. If Ray hadn’t put you to sleep, you would have kept sucking his lifeforce. If instead of Ray it had been a normal human, that human would most likely be dead right now.”

So that happened after the party…

“I had no idea,” I admitted in a whisper.

“That’s the natural way of things,” the Lord said nonchalantly. “An undead usually doesn’t keep its inner soul, so it’s always up to the necromancer to take care of his familiars, who are but babies when they’re revived. It’s true that most of them learn how to speak faster than normal kids… though Arkill didn’t!” he laughed affectionately.

The red-haired life-reaper rolled his eyes. Louise raised a hand:

“I was faster! Right, Papa?”

“Yes. You uttered your first words four months after your revival. Sora was even faster, but now he barely talks. He’s a bit shy!”

“Unlike you, my Lord,” Arkill said.

I chuckled. The Lord frowned at me.

“Enough talking. Armen, I’ll show you how to guide your deathforce one last time, then you’ll be on your own.”

Despite what he said, he showed me the way several times until I grasped it well enough.

“Keep at it.”

I nodded, focused, and kept directing my deathforce through my body the way he had told me to. I think the Lord was finally satisfied with my improvement when the door of the basement suddenly flew open.

“Dad!”

“Son! You’re awake. Merry Christmas!”

“Merry Chri—Wait, no! What are all those boxes upstairs?”

“Haha, you saw them?”

“How could I not see them?! Don’t tell me they are presents from you…”

“Not at all, not at all. Those presents are from Uncle Adrian, your aunts, the rest of the Styxer family, and of course, some are from me,” the Lord answered cheerfully. “Do you want to open them before or after eating breakfast?”

Ray’s eyes finally noticed my presence and that of Arkill and Louise. I gave him a compassionate smile.

“Good morning and merry Christmas, Ray.”

“Er… Morning. What are you all doing down here?”

“Arkill was teaching me things. Well, your dad too, somehow.”

“What do you mean, ‘somehow’, you ungrateful brat?” the Lord snorted.

I laughed, bowing my head.

“Thank you for your teachings.”

“Teachings?” Ray echoed as I was putting on my t-shirt. “Hold on, Dad, I thought you were going to teach me too. What did you do?”

“Nothing much. I just opened a meridian and taught him a basic circulation method for energy control.”

“You opened a meridian by force?! I read that it could be dangerous!”

“It’s not if you know how to do it, son!”

Ray stared at me.

“Wasn’t it painful?”

I finally understood why the Lord had done this while Ray was asleep: if there was a way to open a meridian without pain, even if it would take longer, Ray would have most likely chosen that one. I held his gaze.

“The Lord knows what he does, Ray. It’s okay.”

“…”

“Aren’t you going to open your presents? I’m curious to know what kind of presents a necromancer family gives.”

Ray snorted, but we all went upstairs to open the gifts. He unwrapped a book of advanced anatomy and a novel that had explicitly written on it «Forbidden Lecture: read it freely!». Uncle Adrian’s was a book too. Were the Styxer all bookworms? Ray’s eyes glowed as he held the volume.

“A Makler Vod’s book!” He turned to me, a bit embarrassed. “He’s a well-known necromancer living in Starland. I’m not a fan of his or anything…”

He still opened it to glance at it before taking a look at the rest. The gift from her aunts was… a book, yes, another one, but this one was written by the aunts themselves. I read the title over Ray’s shoulder: Five hundred funny things to try with your familiar. Huh…

“Sounds fun?” I said, not certain.

Ray flung it away with a grunt and passed onto the next gift, a little box wrapped in blue paper. He pulled out a black, crescent-shaped pendant in a necklace and looked at it, wondering.

“Oh!” the Lord exclaimed excitedly. “I can’t believe my eyes, that’s a Black Gem! It must have been expensive.”

I raised an eyebrow. A Black Gem? What was that? Some kind of precious stone? Reading my curious expression, Ray said:

“It’s a special Black Crystal fragment.”

Oh. A Crystal fragment? Okay, a crystal fragment that size wasn’t that easy to come by but still… what was so special about it?

“Who is it from?” the Lord asked.

“It’s from Mom.”

The Lord paused like he had received an electric shock.

“Lizzie? But when did she…? Did you meet her?”

Staring at the black crescent-shaped pendant, Ray shook his head.

“No. She must have sneaked in. Did you see anything at night, Armen?”

“No, but I went to work at the night pub, so…”

“It’s better that you weren’t at home. Anyway, she left a note.”

“What does she say?” the Lord immediately asked.

Ray scowled at him, silently read the note, then put it in his pocket.

“In short, she says merry Christmas and that we’ll meet in three weeks.”

The note was definitely longer than that, but the Lord didn’t argue and stepped forward with a grin.

“Well, well, all is left is my present.”

Ray and I looked at the bulky package with a red ribbon. It was as big as a sofa and almost Ray’s height. I bet Arkill and Louise had had a hard time making it pass through the door.

“What is that big thing?” Ray asked with a bored face.

“What do you think?”

“Mm… A library?”

“Haha, no. It’s better than that.”

Ray paced closer, showing his curiosity reluctantly.

“A garden house? No, but you wouldn’t ever buy that. Do you have an idea, Armen?”

“Well, could it be one of those packages ordered online that have a lot of cushioning?”

“You mean the package is smaller than it looks?” Ray pondered.

“It’s not!” the Lord protested. “Look at that, look at that!”

He began opening the package, taking out the ribbon. There was cushioning, but the present was still big. Ray gazed at it, blinking.

“A fridge?”

28 My master lost it

“A fridge?”

The Lord smiled, patting it.

“It’s a freezer! It’s big enough to hold a human corpse with ease. How do you like that!”

I glanced at Ray with a bad feeling. He had clenched his teeth.

“Dad.”

“Yes?”

“You…!” He stopped dead in the middle of his scream, then turned around brusquely. “Forget it. Thanks. I know you mean well. You can put it in the basement.” He added in a whisper: “I won’t use it anyway.”

He went to the kitchen. After catching the Lord’s satisfied face and hearing him ordering Louise and Arkill to take it downstairs, I followed Ray. He was serving himself a glass of milk. I admitted cheerfully:

“I thought you were gonna go mad at him and say something like ‘you’ll be the first to get in the freezer!’. Your self-control is amazing.”

Suddenly, the glass fell from Ray’s hands, hit the floor, and shattered. I looked at him, startled. Ray was trembling.

“Are you all right? Crap, you’re barefoot. Don’t move! I’ll put some shoes on and sweep the floor right away.”

The Lord, Louise, and Arkill were in the basement and heard nothing. As soon as I swept most of the broken glass, Ray walked out of the kitchen saying:

“I’m going out for a bit.”

The Lord’s present did affect him after all… At the entrance, he quickly put on his shoes and went out. I followed him and walked in the street, a bit confused. Should I ask him if I could be of any help? But I didn’t know what exactly Ray was thinking right now.

We were passing in front of a deserted park when he suddenly stopped and said:

“Armen, sorry, but can I…”

He paused, and I swallowed, almost certain he meant, “can I ask you to leave me alone”. I stepped back.

“All right…”

“… can I tell you something very, very honest?”

I widened my eyes. What? He spun around with blazing eyes and lashed out:

“I’m mad! I’m sick of it! I’m mad at myself, at my dad… and at you!”

I looked at him, baffled, not knowing what to do. Ray was rarely angry, and, every time it happened, it made me shudder. At that instant, I even froze. I couldn’t remember the last time he had said he was angry because of me. But why? Why?!

“Why?” I finally managed to say.

Ray’s face was red.

“I’m mad at my dad because he keeps trying to make me do things I don’t want to like it’s nothing. I’m mad at you because… because you let my dad take the initiative. I don’t want my dad to be the one teaching you the techniques to control your energy. It’s s-supposed to be my duty.”

He gasped, out of breath. Then muttered:

“Damn it. I know I’m being childish, I’m not blaming you. I’m just angry for a lot of reasons. And I so don’t like it when I’m angry.”

Ray breathed in and out to calm down. I wasn’t sure about all the reasons for his anger, but I knew what Ray needed to hear right now:

“It’s all right,” I said. “You can say anything to me, Ray. Vent it all out.”

Ray raised his eyes and snorted.

“If I’m not capable of controlling my emotions, how am I supposed to control my power or order other people around? I’m ridiculous.”

“I’m not laughing at you, though. You know, emotions are harder to control than any power. And sometimes it’s no good to control them. So… let it out, Ray. I don’t want you to be mad at me. And I regret now I let the Lord teach me, because I would be much happier if you were the one doing it. I—”

“I hate it,” Ray cut me off. He started walking again at a fast pace as he kept grunting: “I hate getting closer to my dad in this situation, because I feel like I’m just taking advantage of his knowledge after ignoring him all these years. I feel like a hypocrite. I hate it. And the fact that my parents are trying to act like they care about me, but then the only thing they can think of as a present is a crystal fragment to help me control my power and a stupid freezer to keep corpses… It makes me want to scream at them that their son is not only a power-holder or a necromancer-to-be. Crap! I’m so mad!”

He sat down on a bench and blew off a whirl of warm steam.

Ray was bad at being angry. As his eyes followed the flight of a bird on the grayish sky, I could easily see he wasn’t mad anymore, or at least he had calmed down.

“Being a hypocrite sure isn’t a good thing,” I commented, sitting down by his side. “But I don’t think you’re being one. Didn’t you actually want to see your dad more often?”

“…” Ray’s eyes darkened. “Are you kidding? He’s childish, arrogant, does as he pleases, lies to me, and despite all his talking, he thinks of his familiars as servants. Why would I want to see a person like that more often?”

Ah, right, why would he? There was a long silence. Then, a cellphone buzzed. It wasn’t mine, but Ray’s. He went livid.

“It’s… It’s Lei! How? I didn’t give him my number!”

Bzz, bzz. Bzz, bzz. I raised an eyebrow. Wasn’t he gonna pick up the call? Bzz, bzz. Bzz, bzz… Seriously? Bzz, bzz. Bzz… I slipped a finger on the screen.

“Armen, what are you—!”

“What? You were already mad at me anyway…” I chuckled.

« Hello? » Lei’s voice called out as Ray was throwing an exasperated glare at me. « Ray? You here? »

“… I’m here.”

« Whoa. Did I wake you up? It’s already ten o’clock, you know? Merry Christmas by the way. »

“Mm.” Ray pushed me away and grumbled: “Merry Christmas. What do you call me for?”

I couldn’t hear Lei’s voice anymore, so I stood up from the bench and paced calmly around as Ray was answering:

“Ah… Yeah. Yeah. I remember… Wh…! In three days?! Ah, no, i-it’s fine… What? No, but isn’t it a one-on-one spar? Ah, yeah, right but… is it fair? … You seem pretty confident, huh… Well, if you say it’s okay… Pff. We’ll see that when we spar. Mm, at Sunclaw quarters in three days at noon, okay… Laters.”

He gazed at the phone for a moment. I stopped, looking at him.

“So… you accepted the spar, after all.”

Ray jumped up, groaning:

“It’s all because you took the call, you damned fool!”

“Now, now, don’t get mad at me. All you have to do is learn how to control your power and you’ll win in no time. It will be fun, you’ll see.”

Ray’s eyes were fixed on me in disbelief. His expression told me I had made a mistake. He averted his eyes.

“So it’s like that. You did it just because ‘it will be fun’. You think just like my dad. And you want me to control my power just like my mom. Should I just… hate you for that? Or are you going to say you’re sorry for forcing me into doing a spar I didn’t want to do? Yeah, right… Yeah, right, I’m fed up with all that. Just go away and leave me alone.”

I was mentally frozen by his words. My body, though, moved and walked away as ordered. Crap. No. Don’t go away. I had to talk to Ray. I had to tell him that he was just lacking confidence, that I didn’t want him to take a hold of his power because it would be fun for me but also because he would feel better once he overcame his fears… Or so I thought. Holy Gods, what was I doing? Why was my damned body not stopping?

I was sad, I was confused, I was frustrated.

Dammit.

An hour or so passed. I was still walking when I looked around and realized I was lost. Well, seeing the tall buildings, I had most likely entered Somerville District. I tried to stop, to no avail. How far that “go away” was sending me? Was it Ray’s wish to send me to the other side of the city? Or was it just my mind misinterpreting the order?

I breathed the lifeforce of the passersby and calmed down. Children were playing on the streets, trying their new toys; adults were talking cheerfully in small circles… A boy sent his ball bounce on a tree. It got stuck. Without even slowing down, I gave it a push with my telekinesis. The kid recovered his ball joyfully, not even questioning what just happened.

I should become a Hero in the shadows like a Hidden Wolf, I thought amusedly as my feet kept going forward. The Nyomin Crystal was pretty far now… Was I really in the Somerville District, or did I go even farther?

I took out my cell to check my location, but then changed my mind and switched it off. Why should I care where I was going? To hell with everything.

I passed by a busy marketplace then arrived in front of a bridge. A sign informed me that I was entering the Akiba District, in the north part of Farskyer. It was also called the Akiba Lake or the Idol’s Lake, and it was actually a lake: residential and commercial towers were built on it. There were large and clean squares with restaurants, all varieties of fountains, bridges, and stairs that went up and down. The Venice District, “the Merfolk Paradise”, was underwater, as was the Aquarium. I remembered Azritz had taken me there when I was ten and had just arrived at Farskyer City. I didn’t remember much except the fact that I had never seen so many different fishes, but what I did remember was the water park beside the aquarium. Though I had always lived at the sea coast, in a lighthouse, I had never learned how to swim, and I fixed that on that day: I fearlessly dove in a pool imitating other kids, and miraculously floated like a pro.

Rather than a Hero, perhaps I should become a swimmer?

Or a cook.

I finally stopped on a calm square and leaned on a balustrade, gazing at the dark waters of the lake. Maybe I could have stopped much earlier. It was very likely. But going back was a different kettle of fish. I didn’t want to, anyway. Not for now.

I closed my eyes, listened to the urban noise, then focused on my core. I didn’t know where it was, but I knew how to extract deathforce from it.

Ray said he wanted to teach me how to transform my body into a full-fledged undead. But did he, really?

If he was so mad at himself for getting close to his dad out of interest, then… did that mean he was now regretting reviving me?

The thought was stupid. But it kept bothering me. I couldn’t get Ray’s angry face out of my head.

Suddenly, I heard a scream of surprise and caught a glimpse of a sheet blown away by the wind. Before it reached the water, I took hold of it with my power, then calmly drew it closer. I grabbed it, turned around, and handed it to…

“Oh my, nice catch, you’re a lifesaver! That damned wind!”

The woman in front of me was a dark-skinned white-haired merfolk wearing a simple swimsuit with a skirt. Most merfolks were quite resistant to cold, but still, it was winter… As she took the sheet back, I could read some words on it, and my eyes widened.

“The EPHT?”

“Ah… You’ve heard of it, young man? Right, it’s been a trending topic among youths lately.”

Was it?

“Actually I was planning on applying for the examination.”

“Seriously? Well, it just so happens, I’m working on that right now…” She looked at me up and down. “You’ve got telekinesis power, and you control it pretty well from what I’ve just seen. Do you have a trainer?”

“I don’t.”

“I see… But you can give it a try, of course! I was just going to the association that takes care of the appliances, to give them this confidential paper I almost lost! Wanna come?”

“Is it close from here?” I asked, following her. “I thought they would do that in the Nyomin District.”

“Ah, the Nyomin only cares about the favored people who have been accepted back in November. It’s said that it’s based on their curriculum, but well… The examination is actually something the Independent Heroes Association requested, to recruit more young people and give them a chance to train as well. After all, the goal of the experimental program is to prepare a new generation of Heroes, not just an elite. Also,” she smiled at me, “it’s supposed to be the beginning of a new training system for Heroes. I think there are a lot of candidates already, so if you don’t make it, try again next year. The training should be able to accept more candidates by then, if all goes well. Oh, but I’m not saying you’re not gonna make it. Do your best.”

“Ah… Thanks.”

She was gripping her sheet tightly as she strode through a square. Couldn’t she just wear a bag or something to carry her belongings? She then slowed down.

“We’ve arrived. This is the building. Kinda old, but the receptionist is an angel.” She pushed the door. “Yo, Rita! I got the paper for the boss. I almost lost it on the way and thought I would have to return to the University to get a copy, but that good boy here saved me the trouble. He’s a telekinetic and wants to apply for the examination!”

“Mm…” A pale woman with short, lavender hair looked away from her computer and stared at us. “I told you that we can’t accept more candidates.”

Her words resounded in my ears like an alarm bell. Did she just say there wasn’t any place left for the examination? How could that be? If there was a limited number of candidates and I was too late, then… what was I supposed to do?!

“But there are always last-minute dropouts!” the merfolk protested. “Can’t you register him? I’ll leave it to you! And you, dear,” she clapped my back, “don’t lose hope! Oh, by the way…” She took out something from her bra. “Thanks for your help, blondie. I owe you one. Call me if you’ve got problems with your power or just need a boost of positive thinking! Bye!”

She had shoved a card in my hands before going upstairs in a hurry. I read:

«Cynsea the Hypnotist. Hero. Rank A. Phone number: XXXXXXXXX. Mental Health Service Association. Too much stress at work? Your partner is depressed? Wanna have a happy day? Call Cynsea! 😉»

I gazed at the business card, astonished. I had talked… with a Hero? An A-rank Hero? Was I dreaming? I raised my eyes, but the merfolk in bikini had already disappeared upstairs.

Under Rita’s calm gaze, I swallowed nervously. I had to go to that training at any cost, even if it wasn’t as a Hero candidate, even if it was as a part-time worker, I had to be accepted somehow because… if that confidential paper the merfolk had dropped just now was telling the truth, the training would take place in Phoenix, a moving island in the sea that migrated within the Big Triangle between Farskyer, Buenos Aires, and London. I didn’t know much about that island, but I suspected I wouldn’t be able to sneak in there.

Rita sighed.

“Come. I’ll get your information just in case. Name?”

“A-Armen Moon!”

“Age?”

“I’ll be seventeen this New Year.”

“High schooler, I suppose?”

“That’s right. I study at Harvard High.”

“Your address?”

Ah… My address, huh… Which one? Ray’s? Azritz’s? Giving my big sis’ address would be the normal thing to do but…

“Wait a minute,” Rita said, frowning at her computer. “There’s already an Armen Moon in the candidate list, and it’s definitely you. You already applied. Why are you applying twice?”

I froze under her piercing eyes, then smiled, very embarrassed. I didn’t do anything, though? Was it the Lord Necromancer’s doing? Most likely. He could have told me, that jerk.

I bowed and apologized several times before getting out of the building. Well, at least the Lord had spared me the bureaucratic procedure but… how did he manage to get my signature? Who knows.

A moment later, I was in the same place as before, leaning on the balustrade and gazing at the waters of the lake. The sky was clearing up, and a sunray illuminated the tall buildings of Akiba. I shoved my hands in my pockets and only noticed then that I hadn’t opened Erma’s present yet. Part of me wanted to wait and buy a gift for her before opening mine but… My curiosity got the upper hand. I took the little box out. There was so much tape that it took me time to open it. It looked almost like she had put some monster in there she didn’t want to see.

The box finally opened, and I pulled out a necklace with a small, circular pendant containing a pentagram. There was a tiny symbol engraved on each branch, as well as a letter in the middle of the star. Was it an L or an I, or just a decoration? Anyway, I had a rough idea about the nature of that pentagram.

Erma was the granddaughter of a witch. Unlike the rest of the humans who were blessed by the Crystals, Witches were thought to have received the blessing of magical creatures. Some centuries ago, they had been hunted down, because some “Witch Union” apparently wanted to destroy the Crystals. That’s why witch-believers, though still numerous throughout the world, were looked down on by the monopolistic religion of the Holy Gods.

‘I’m no believer of anything,’ Erma had told me, ‘but those magical creatures exist as much as the Crystals do. And my mom’s mother grew up with them in the Amazon rainforest and became a witch. She can curse things and bless things. She’s the real deal!’

At the time, Zeeta had told me that she most likely was just making it up and that her grandma was probably just a bored, old lady with a lot of imagination… but as I examined the pendant, I started to doubt. Was that necklace meant to be a curse or a blessing? Anyway, I put it on. It was Linah’s present after all. There was no way she would mean me harm.

I had just thrown the box into a bin when I felt a sudden chill. Did someone just put a hand on my neck? Or was it my imagination?

“Don’t move.”

A voice whispered to my ears as I froze in place. And there I was thinking the necklace had cursed me, but… actually there was a person behind me?

“Who—?”

“Be quiet and close your eyes.”

I closed my eyes unwillingly. What was going on? It wasn’t Ray’s voice. It wasn’t the Lord’s. Then who in the world could give me orders just like that?

The voice said calmly:

“Good boy. Let’s go somewhere else.”

29 Nowhere to be found

“The hell are you saying?!!”

Zeeta was shaking Ray by his shoulders, blinded by rage.

Armen had disappeared.

Ray said he had foolishly gotten angry at him and told him to go away.

What’s more, it seemed that a necromancer’s order was unavoidable for an undead. Ray said that the order, not really given on purpose, should be temporary and that Armen should have been able to come back by now, but…

Armen was nowhere to be found. He wasn’t taking his calls. Also, Ray said he would be able to sense his presence if he was nearby, but he couldn’t sense anything.

“I’ve been in Somerville, in the Old Docks, in Tiergarten, and even in the Nyomin District… but I can’t find him.”

Ray’s voice broke. Zeeta glowered at him.

“You dare order Armen… I’m gonna kill you!”

He punched him hard. The red-haired guy, Arkill, intervened right away, pushing him away against the wall and blocking him. He was strong, damn it.

“Calm down. The young master may have ordered Armen something stupid, but that’s not the problem here. If Armen is not back yet, it’s because he didn’t want to go back or couldn’t go back because something happened.”

“It’s all my fault…” Ray fell down to his knees, white as a sheet. His nose and lips were bleeding. “I took my anger out on him like a fool.”

“You’re the worst!” Zeeta ground his teeth. “You give him orders and you call yourself his best friend? You’re the worst piece of trash!”

For some seconds, there was a stormy silence. Arkill frowned, let Zeeta go, but still stood between the two of them.

“Oh, now I understand!” Zeeta suddenly cried out. “Everything makes sense. Armen didn’t tell me about those orders, but now I get why he almost collapsed when you were asleep. When your dad told him to disappear, it was an order, right? Can you even imagine all he went through because of a simple word?”

Ray’s eyes were bulging out.

“What?”

“You didn’t know? Right, Armen wouldn’t tell anyone something like that. He’s always smiling, but he suffers as any human does, you know? He may be an undead, but he’s human!”

“I know that!”

“Well, if you know, then it means you’re a scumbag! Let go of me, Arkill!”

“I won’t.”

“Let go of me! I’m gonna punch that bastard!”

Ray was gasping for breath. When he finally stood up, his eyes were glaring.

“I have to find him.”

30 Necromancers are all freaks

“You can talk. Crouch and stand up twenty times…”

I smiled annoyedly at my kidnapper as I followed his command.

“Sorry, man, but what is that nonsense for?”

“I’ve already told you: you won’t leave this place until you can resist my orders.”

I glared at his cheerful face, then at the creepy guy with fish-eyes that had stood behind him for hours like some kind of bodyguard. For some reason, their faces looked familiar. Had I seen them somewhere before?

Anyway, my kidnapper was clearly a necromancer. He knew about cores and knew I was an undead. That was good news. It meant that he wasn’t a Death Hunter.

Hours ago, he had led me to a well-lit room without windows and had me wear a weird costume connected to a machine. I didn’t know what it did, but I could feel the impulses sent to my core, then to my whole body. It felt a bit like the Lord’s technique, but it was definitely different. Also, the contraption was used by my kidnapper to send me stupid orders like jumping, crouching, or screaming without having to touch me.

“It’s not working, boss,” said the fish-eyed bodyguard.

“It is, I’m just making him adapt,” the ‘boss’ replied. “Time to have a little chat.”

He stood up from his chair, leaving on a table the light-novel he had been reading, which title was: Battle through the hells.

May he go to the real hell, I thought.

My kidnapper stopped before me just when I had crouched for the twentieth time. I stood up. His hair was white, his eyes had an odd iris—a red and cross-shaped one—but he could see me just fine with them… or could he see things I couldn’t?

“Don’t you remember me?” he asked.

“Should I?”

He smiled at me.

“You should.”

I smiled at him.

“I don’t.”

There was a silence. Then he laughed.

“… You’re funny, man!” He shrugged. “Then let’s proceed. How do I put it… Well. In the world, there are more necromancers than you imagine, and it would be better if your core learns how to resist their orders because… you don’t want to become a mad dog who bites its owner, do you?”

The mere thought disturbed me.

“I don’t. But why would you teach me something like that—?”

“Why? Because it’s Christmas and I want to give Ray a good present. Why do I not tell him? Well, then again, because it’s Christmas, presents are supposed to be a surprise, and also, more seriously… I know him well. He wouldn’t allow me to use those techniques on a person. Actually, the Lord Necromancer is against those practices too.” He grinned. “My uncle is a retro. It’s a shame. Modern necromancy is way funnier and more effective.”

I gaped at him.

“Y-You’re Ray’s cousin?!” They didn’t look alike at all!

“Did you remember me at last?”

Did I ever meet that psycho?

“No.”

“Ow, guess your memory did get damaged during your revival, poor creature—”

“It didn’t, you bastard. If you’re Ray’s cousin, then you shouldn’t steal his familiars. Let me go.”

He smiled.

“Don’t wanna. I told you I’m here to teach you, not to steal you from Ray. Be grateful. I’m doing this for my beloved cousin.”

“Bullshit.”

“Don’t be rude. Anyway, answer the truth, did the Lord Necromancer begin to teach you flow control?”

“You mean, that troublesome technique when you have to move your deathforce internally following a path? He did. This morning.”

“Oh? Just this morning? Then I guess I made it in time. That machine is designed to create energy circulation paths in your body. That is, it can carve a path for your deathforce to flow through your meridians following a specific circulation method. The meridians are stretches of the global path created by the circulation method and are remodeled by it bit by bit every time your deathforce circulates. That’s why, once the path is carved, it’s no use trying to change it. But do not fret, carving a path usually requires a lot of effort and time: even if you had circulated your qi for the whole day, it’s nothing! So rejoice, Armen. Unlike the traditional technique, electronic carving won’t be troublesome at all for you: you don’t have to act like a cultivator improving your qi for a lifetime and leveling up or the like. The machine does it for you.” He paused. “Do you understand?”

“Not a bit.”

“Mm. You may have been revived with your inner soul, but you don’t know a thing about necromancy, huh? Well… Just listen to this: I’m carving a deathforce path in your body, a path I had been working on for three years now, and I’m pretty sure it will be successful this time, that’s why I’m using you, Ray’s familiar, because I want Ray to realize the greatness of modern necromancy… Look at the screen, Armen. This is the intensity of the flow, those are your first meridians’ activity, this is your core’s deathforce level…”

As he went on with his crazy talking, I gazed at those meaningless numbers. They were changing all the time. I finally said:

“Cut the crap. You’re nuts. Let me go.”

“And I said I don’t want to. I’ll let you go only when the path is carved in your core and when you learn how to resist my orders. So, let’s continue! Maybe we should stir up your emotions a bit.”

I remembered what Uncle Adrian had told me: I could resist a necromancer’s orders with willpower if he didn’t have a bond with me. Technically. However, either my willpower wasn’t enough, either Ray’s cousin was just too powerful of a necromancer, the fact is, as of now, I hadn’t managed to resist his orders even for a moment.

“Kneel.” I knelt. “Kiss the floor.”

I didn’t want to. I really didn’t want to. That guy was humiliating me on purpose to make me oppose him. But how should I oppose him? My body was moving on its own!

“Stand up and don’t move.” His eyes pierced me. “Say: I’m trash.”

“I’m trash, you bastard.”

“Say: I’m the worst piece of crap in the world.”

“I’m the worst piece of crap in the world. You’re saying it yourself, you idiot.”

“You’re right,” he laughed. “Now, now, don’t be mad, it’s a test.”

“Your test sucks.”

He chuckled.

“Can I suggest something, boss?” the fish-eyed guy chimed in. “If hurting his pride does not work, how about making orders that contradict themselves?”

The white-haired boss looked at his friend thoughtfully.

“You mean, give him orders he can’t fulfill?”

“That’s right.”

“Mm. We aim for the unprotected parts of the core, so if we mess with the core’s logic, we might be able to locate them, that’s what you think? Interesting.”

“It’s not interesting at all!” I protested. “If I can’t fulfill them, I’ll just keep trying. You’re gonna drive me crazy!”

“Be patient, Armen. Don’t you want to become a better undead? Let’s do it.”

“Screw you!”

He smiled and repeated:

“Let’s do it.”

* * *

It turned out that giving contradictory orders wasn’t that simple, as my core instinctively adapted the order into something I could understand. However, orders completely illogical like “fly” or “raise your hands above your head and scratch your nose with your right hand at the same time” couldn’t be considered fulfilled, which caused stress in my core until Ray’s cousin gave the next order.

Still, more often than not, the necromancer’s orders were lacking information, and I discovered that my mind was incredibly good at finding solutions: for instance, if “your right hand” was not mentioned, I would be able to use my feet; if “at the same time” was not mentioned, I would just fulfill each command separately. Despite my annoyance, I began to find the test quite edifying.

“It’s working, I think!” Ray’s cousin grinned, looking at the screen, then ordered: “Make grow wings on your back.”

My core reacted again, blocking my body, not knowing what to do, as if it had entered a loop.

“You told me to fly, then this,” I groaned. “I’m no bird, y’know. It’d be great to have wings, though.”

“Say, ‘Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers’, twenty times in a row without mistakes. Now.”

A tongue-twister? Good grief. Was he seriously trying to help me? Or was he just toying with me? I so wanted to kick that device of his until nothing was left!

“Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers, Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers…”

When I finished, the white-haired necromancer was gaping at me, impressed.

“Kiha, did you hear that? We can’t even say it five times in a row, and he said it so fast! He’s a genius!”

“He is,” the fish-eyed guy nodded.

I rolled my eyes, quite flattered.

“I’m not that bad at those things.”

“Then… Can you say, ‘How much wood would a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood?’, twenty times.”

I said it. The necromancer whistled in awe, then blinked, and pointed out, a bit surprised:

“You know, that… wasn’t an order.”

I widened my eyes. What? Then why on the world did I said twenty times “How much wood would a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood”? Maybe I just wanted to show off? I smiled, pretty embarrassed.

“Haha, is that so? … I didn’t realize.”

The necromancer laughed gladly.

“Ray’s good at making friends! It’s really a shame you died, but at the same time, you were the only one who could become his first familiar. If it wasn’t for you, I bet Ray wouldn’t have become a necromancer in his whole life. He hates his dad, that’s why, as much as I hate mine.”

For a moment, I had a feeling of déjà-vu. Then I let out:

“Kaspar!”

It was his name. I had met him when I was fourteen, not much after Ray decided to live on his own in an apartment. Kaspar had arrived with his luggage, saying he had run away from home and asking if he could stay over for a week. I had even played video games with him. He was about twenty years at that time, his hair was black, and his eyes were as dark as Ray’s…

Kaspar smiled.

“Took you long enough, little towhead.”

“I’m surprised I remembered,” I replied. “You just stayed at Ray’s for a week.”

“Still you two grew quite attached to me. I felt like a big bro.”

“Sure. What happened to your hair and your eyes?”

“Eh… You wanna know? I’ve traveled quite a lot. When I returned, I was disappointed to learn Ray had just left to study in Europe.”

He clearly didn’t want to tell what had happened to his eyes.

“Well then,” he added. “What do we do now? I think that the more difficult to interpret the orders, the more you learn the flaws of regular orders. So, what will you do now if I don’t give an indication of time? Armen,” he looked at me. “Kneel.”

My body was about to kneel, but then I told myself: kneel in five minutes. My knees were buckling… Had I been too optimistic? I rectified: kneel in one minute.

A hesitant smile of disbelief stretched my lips as I was standing up. Holy Gods, it worked! Kaspar grinned.

“You’re doing great. Let’s keep going.”

“Yessuh!”

31 Tracking necro-bonds

“He’s in there.”

Ray’s statement showed no doubt. Zeeta glanced at the Lord Necromancer’s son. Just in a few hours, Ray had been able to skim a voluminous book and learned how to track his necro-bond in a more effective way. It was impressive. They went to Akiba, and as Ray stated that Armen had gone to the Independent Hero Association, Zeeta went to check and entered the building asking if they had seen a blond-haired student; he met a calm receptionist and a gorgeous merfolk, somehow registered for the EPHT thanks to an unexpected vacancy, then kept wandering with Ray around Akiba until they stopped in front of an elevator that led to the underwater Venice District.

Zeeta had never been to Venice. He didn’t like much the idea of being underwater, even if the buildings were coated and didn’t let the water through.

Still, the building they had entered through the elevator wasn’t that different from a normal building. Though he didn’t expect it to be a casino. It was full of people. That place… He had a really bad feeling about it.

“You two,” a hoarse voice suddenly said. “Underage kids are not allowed.”

Crap, a guard? As Ray was opening his mouth, trying to say something, Zeeta took care of the situation, taking out his ID card.

“That’s mean, man. We’re eighteen. By the way,” he added casually throwing an arm on Ray’s shoulders, “it’s his first time going to that kind of place, so he’s kinda nervous. Where’s the bar?”

“Mmph. Over there.” The corpulent guard indicated a direction. “But remember this place is to gamble and make money, not a place to get drunk. If you make a ruckus, I’ll throw you out.”

“’Kay!”

Whew. Zeeta looked at Ray as they were roaming between the tables and the gamblers.

“All clear. Where is he?”

A group of gamblers was passing by. Ray’s eyes weren’t looking forward, and Zeeta pulled him out of the way.

“Watch out. So?”

Ray was concentrating. Then he started to walk in a direction. They came across a wall. Zeeta frowned doubtfully.

“Behind this wall?”

“Yes.”

The way Ray stared at it, he almost looked like he was ready to smash it down. Let’s see… Was there a door somewhere near? As he scanned the place, Zeeta caught glimpse of a familiar face and jerked up, astonished.

“Snake?”

A punk-fashioned man with unkempt, black hair turned around and widened his eyes as if he had seen a ghost.

“Zeeta?!”

“Whatcha doin’ here?”

“That’s my line! Holy Goddy Crystals! You’re alive, you jerk! Hahaha!”

They shook hands with energy. Honestly, out of all the Cheetahs, Snake had always been the most untrustworthy. Zeeta knew it well because he had spied on him: Snake was actually a spy from the Coven, and worked for the VP. When Zeeta had told that to Ginger, the Cheetahs’ boss was surprised, but decided to do nothing. ‘Snake has a large family: he needs that money,’ he had said. Zeeta had then stopped stalking him, but now that the Cheetahs had disappeared, he couldn’t help but remember and think that Snake probably knew the Tiger Clan was going to be wiped out, he probably knew the Cheetahs were going to be dragged into a crazy mess, but he had kept silent… That bastard.

Zeeta squeezed Snake’s hand tightly.

“Ah, haha… You’ve got a good grip,” Snake chuckled. “Tell me. How’s everything? Is everyone doing well? After what happened, I have had no news of you or any of the Cheetahs. Well, I know that Ginger went to his hometown, and Rock-Beard told me he has found a job.”

“I’m doing fine, as you can see. Working for the DA like you.”

Snake blinked, then winced.

“You knew.”

“I’ve got a good hearing, you know. Tell me, how does it feel like to work for two bosses at the same time?”

“Well… I’ve never done anything against you guys. I was just sending information.”

Zeeta stared at him, then smiled.

“Let bygones be bygones. So, now you’re gambling in a casino?”

“Do I look stupid enough to gamble? I’m working here!” He grinned. Whoa, he even had a golden tooth now. Was he rich?

“Oho. That’s great. I’ll forget what you did back then if you do me a favor.”

Snake frowned.

“A favor?”

“Do you know how to get to the room that’s on the other side of this wall? My companion and I are looking for someone. More specifically, for the Straw Head.”

Snake went pale.

“The St-t-traw Head you said?”

Zeeta scowled at him. So he knew something. That was surprising.

“Help us out or I’ll make sure to tell your boss you were selling information about the Coven to the UL. Deal?”

“How do you…?” Snake hissed. “And you were just a stray dog when Ginger and I picked you up from the streets… Damn you, Zeeta.”

“Just you know, I don’t hate you, Snake.”

The punk smirked.

“I don’t hate you either, brat.”

* * *

The orders kept coming.

“Jump.”

“I won’t.”

“Raise your eyes.”

“Don’t wanna.”

“Be quiet.”

“Heck no.”

“Hohoho!” Kaspar cried out excitedly, holding my hands. “You’ve improved so much in a few hours, Armen!”

“It’s all thanks to you, teacher!” I laughed.

We paused, holding hands, then drew apart, a bit embarrassed, but still excited about the good results.

Somehow, my kidnapping had turned into an amazing lesson. I was having fun. Kaspar was just awesome: thanks to him, I was now able to resist most of his orders. I didn’t really get how he did it exactly, but from what he explained, drowning my core with impossible orders exposed its weaknesses: he had used his device to repeat the process a lot of times, and as a result my willpower finally was able to oppose an order. He had “balanced the forces”, from what he said. Well, whatever he did, it worked.

“The deathforce path is carved too,” Kaspar noted. “Now you’re a new kind of undead, a new generation! However, don’t let your guard down. Skilled necromancers could still order you if they touch you, but you should be able to at least fight against it for a moment. Also, it will depend on the kind of order. The ones you’ve fought against the most today will definitely be easier to avoid. Well, well, Kiha, can you copy the results in this flash drive? Oh, and copy it in your laptop too before erasing it from the machine, will you?”

“I’m on it, boss,” the fish-eyed answered calmly.

“That deathforce path… What is it?” I asked as Kaspar helped me take out the costume connected to the device.

“Oh, you know, there are a lot of different ways to use flow control. Even living beings can use it. I’m using it,” he declared with self-satisfaction. “But the path I carved in your body is meant for undead people. You’ll see what it does soon enough. Now, the only thing you have to do is eat well and keep making the energy flow. Your core will normally do the work itself, as it already knows the path. Just so you know, it took around one million iterations to carve this path. With the Lord Necromancer’s technique, you wouldn’t have reached this stage even in a year.”

One… million. Incredible. His machine had forced my body to work that much? No wonder I was hungry. Kaspar yawned.

“I’m beat! We’ve been in here for about twenty hours! I suppose you want to go home, now, but let’s talk a bit before you go. Come with me.”

He led me upstairs to a small, comfy room with a sofa, a buffet, and a bamboo carpet. He gave me my cell back, and I switched it on. Since the phone was quite old, it would take a while for it to boot.

“Where are we?” I asked. I didn’t know, since I had been led all the way to his laboratory with my eyes shut.

“We’re in the Coven’s quarters.” I raised brusquely my head. The Coven? That was one of the four gangs that formed the Dark Alliance. On seeing my face, Kaspar snorted with laughter and threw himself on a sofa, a drink in his hands. “What? You thought I would be from the Necro-Haven? There’s no way I would work for my uncle. Some months ago, I decided to work for the Coven, because they offered me a good place.” He paused. “Are you going to call Ray? He will surely come if you tell him.”

I breathed in and out, then shook my head.

“I won’t call him.”

“Oh? Why? I want to see him, though.”

“Then go to his house, but don’t make him come to a place like that. Ray doesn’t want to have anything to do with the Underworld.”

Kaspar’s smile faded.

“Mm. You may be right. Plus, you two have a grudge against the Coven, right?”

I blinked.

“Why would we?”

Kaspar stared at me, then rolled his eyes, and emptied his glass in one gulp.

“Forget it. About what happened, don’t say anything yet to Ray. I’ll try to talk to him when I see him. Knowing my cousin, if I don’t make things clear, he will surely get mad at me and think I kidnapped you or something.”

“You did kidnap me, though?”

“Haha, but wasn’t it worth it?”

“Yeah, well, I’m still wondering. Why does the Lord not use that machine if it’s so good?”

Kaspar chuckled.

“You’re asking me if there’s a catch, huh? I’ve told you that old man is a retro. Well, so are all those guys in the Necro-Haven. They think necromancy is a secret and mysterious art you have to learn painstakingly. My family always thought Ray was a genius, and they tried hard to win him over to their side. That’s why he told them to get lost several times, until he definitely decided to break all ties when he was fourteen. You were with him at that time.”

“… Well. I was. But I had no idea you were all necromancers.”

“Heh… Of course you didn’t.” He poured himself another drink. “Ray kind of inspired me. When I was twenty, I was but a greenhorn who couldn’t even dare tell my frightening parents to get lost. I just ran away from them and traveled the world to see what true freedom felt like.” He smiled. “Freedom feels great.”

I saw him drink up the white liquid, then said:

“No wonder your hair turned white if you keep drinking white liquors.”

Kaspar raised an eyebrow.

“It’s milk.”

The hell? He drank milk in a wineglass? He was so stylish. I smiled. Kaspar cleared his throat and said:

“You know, Armen, the Necro-Haven is a bunch of reactionaries. They’re against electronic necromancy. It makes me think of when the working class started the Crystal Wars against the use of Crystal energy after the Big Blend. You learned that at school, right?”

“I guess so? But it was back in middle school.”

“Machine-haters, Crystal-haters, they’re all the same: they hate every technology that makes things easier. Isn’t that absurd?”

There was a silence.

“I get your point,” I said. “But I get theirs too. After all, it’s like climbing a mountain on foot or by cable car. Can’t say which is better.”

Kaspar gazed at me with surprise. I added:

“But, in my case, I’d rather take the cable car for now.”

“…” The necromancer snorted with laughter. “I’m glad I wasn’t mistaken about you. Now that necromancers won’t be able to order you around that easily, I’ll be counting on you to take care of Ray.”

I smiled.

“Of course.”

Still, did Kaspar really just want to help his cousin and show off his new technology? Or could there be more to it? Well… I didn’t care, as long as Kaspar’s affection for Ray was genuine, and it seemed so to me.

Hearing footsteps, I turned around and saw Kiha appear from the secret passage and lock it up behind him.

“All done.”

“Thanks, Kiha. As for you, Armen… Thank you for your patience and your understanding. I’ll try to forget all the insults you threw at me.”

“No, bro, thank you for your teachings. I’ll try to forget all the stupid orders you gave me.”

Kaspar put down his glass with a chortle, then led me to an empty corridor and stopped before an elevator.

“Kiha, lead him out. Armen, call me if you have trouble with your flow control. I’ll check on you soon. Take care, little towhead.”

He was speaking to me like we were good acquaintances. Well, we did spend almost a whole day together. I smiled. What a weird necromancer.

* * *

About twenty minutes later, Kaspar was informed that two youngsters were looking for him, more specifically his dear cousin accompanied by a certain Zeeta O’Bell working for the Beholder. He ordered the latter out without even summoning him and received the former in the same room with the sofa and the buffet.

Ray was now as tall as him. Also, the gleam in his sleep-deprived eyes told him right away he had grown a lot those past three years.

“Long time no see, Ray.”

“Kaspar?!” his young cousin gasped. His eyes glared at him. “What did you do to Armen? Where is he?”

Oh, my, he was already mad at him? Kaspar handed him a glass of milk.

“Let’s talk.”

32 Reconciliation

When Ray returned home, I saw him stop, look at Zeeta who had fallen asleep on the sofa, exhausted, then at me… He swallowed hard and stuttered something… I rushed at him.

“What happened to your face?” I asked, alarmed. “Did Kaspar did this to you?”

Ray looked perplexed as if just noticing his lips were bleeding.

“Oh, this,” Zeeta said, waking up. “I punched him last night. Sorry for that. I was angry.”

“What?!”

“But I’m not mad at him anymore.” Zeeta stood up, yawning. “So? Is everything settled with that Kaspar? Did he do something bad to Armen or not?”

“He…” Ray shook his head. “He didn’t, I think. Armen should be fine.”

“So your cousin is a good guy, after all, I’m glad!” Zeeta clapped my shoulder, then added, yawning again: “I’m gonna sleep upstairs now. Good night.”

It was already morning, though. Ray snorted quietly as Zeeta disappeared upstairs. I smiled, embarrassed.

“I hope Zeeta doesn’t bother you too much…”

Ray sighed.

“He’s not. I had never received a punch in my life, though. It damn hurts.”

“That jerk, I’ll tell him—”

“But I deserved it.” His words made me fall silent. Ray took a deep breath and stepped forward. “Armen, I’m sorry!”

“You should, you didn’t take off your shoes, and I just cleaned the floor the other day.”

“Ooh! I’m sorry!!”

Ray stepped backwards to take off his shoes. His face of repentance was priceless. I chuckled.

“It’s all right.”

Ray was sweating.

“It’s not all right, Armen. I didn’t want you to go away. I didn’t want you to leave me alone. I’m sorry I compared you to my parents—”

“I know. That’s why it’s all right.”

Ray’s lips trembled.

“It’s not.”

I threw a bored look at him, took a step forward, pinched his cheeks, and articulated:

“Ar-men-says-it’s-all-right. Ops, your wound, I forgot. Sorry. I’ll get you something to stop the bleeding.”

“…”

“There, there. The boo boo is gone.”

“Sometimes I’ve got the impression you’re acting like a mom, Armen. Aren’t you embarrassed?”

“Haha… Maybe I should.”

“It’s true that sometimes I’m such a child… But I’m done with that. You were right. I should learn how to control my shadows, not because my mom told me to, not because I have to become a Hero, but because it’s a part of myself I can’t ignore. Not being able to go out at night is a pain too.”

We were sitting on the sofa while the morning sunlight was sneaking through the windows. Ray’s words soothed my worries. He had finally taken his decision. That was great.

He broke the silence.

“Did you really learn how to resist orders?”

“Ah, yeah! About that, I was taking a look at your aunts’ book, you know, that Five hundred funny things to try with your familiar, and I’m quite relieved you’re not like them. Necromancy can be a very dark art, huh.”

“It is a dark art, Armen. That’s why I didn’t want to touch it.”

“But you did. Because of me.”

Ray widened his eyes, then affirmed:

“Yes, I did. And I don’t regret it. Not in the least. Don’t ever doubt that, Armen.”

Whoa, he had read my thought, there. I smiled, moved.

“I won’t ever doubt it again, Ray.” I put my arms behind my head and asked: “Did you get mad at your cousin?”

“Er… Quite a bit,” Ray confessed. “But when I called you and you told me you were all right… Well, I guess he’s serious about helping me get out of the Styxer family.”

“…” I suddenly frowned. “What? What do you mean?”

Ray grimaced.

“From what Kaspar has told me, all the things he knows about electronic necromancy, he learned them in Starland, with the Vod group. That is, Makler Vod’s group.”

“The one who wrote the book Uncle Adrian gave you for Christmas?”

“Yep. I’m not sure about the goals of that group, but they’re well-known by the necromancers in the whole world. They’re quite influential. Since Kaspar joined them, he was able to free himself from the Necro-Haven’s grip. And he offered me to do the same.”

Huh. So Kaspar did have ulterior motives, after all…

“Did you accept?”

Ray shook his head.

“Honestly, I don’t like to be part of any big group. Even if I quite admire Makler Vod’s works, joining them would be the same as joining the Necro-Haven. I don’t want that.”

“So you declined.”

“Do you think I should have accepted?”

“…” I suddenly chuckled. “No. I’m not fond of big groups either. Being independent isn’t bad.”

“Heh, true. It will be hard to get away from the Necro-Haven, but… it’s not like my dad will kill me if I do. Still…”

He hesitated. I thought I knew why. The Lord wouldn’t do any harm to his son, that was for sure, but he would be hurt if his son decided to run away from him again.

“No need to hurry,” I said. “Honestly, your dad is weird, but I quite like him.”

Ray turned pale. I raised an eyebrow.

“Ray? Don’t misunderstand me, if you kick him out, I’ll still think he’s deserved it—”

“Zeeta told me,” Ray cut me off. “On that night when I lost control of my power, my dad ordered you to disappear.”

There was a deep silence. I lowered my arms and reasoned:

“You almost got killed. In his shoes, I don’t know what I would have done. Besides, Adrian cut the bond between the Lord and me, so in the end, I think it was for the best.”

“… You’re always thinking positively, Armen.”

“Hehe, thanks. By the way, Zeeta told me you fooled Arkill?”

Ray winced.

“About that… When Arkill told my dad you disappeared, Dad wanted to teach me how to track our necro-bond, but I was in a hurry so… I told him to get lost, and I learned by myself.” Huh, because he was in a hurry, he got rid of his teacher in order to learn faster? As expected from Ray… He went on: “Then I told Arkill to stop spying on me, but he kept saying he had received orders to protect me, so… I made him go buy some groceries, and Zeeta and I sneaked out to search for you. I feel sorry for him because it’s not his fault. It’s just that having a spy on my back all the time is tiring.”

“I know, right.”

There was a silence, then we looked at each other with a bad feeling. If Arkill had been ordered to protect Ray then… why wasn’t he back yet?

“Where is he?” I asked.

Ray confessed:

“No idea.”

I couldn’t help it: I laughed.

“It’s like in the detective fiction, the victims disappear one by one—”

“Don’t say that.”

“Oh my, we’ll find him dead for sure!!”

“Don’t make dark jokes like that. I’m gonna call him.” Ray grabbed his phone and sighed, exhausted. “Dad has called me, like, thirty times, but now he’s stopped calling. Guess his familiars told him I was home. He’s always spying on me…”

Ray was worn out after spending the whole night searching for me. Before he could make the call, I stood up.

“I’ll call Arkill, you go to sleep. Don’t worry about him, I’m sure he’s okay.”

“Hey, hold on! I should be the one to call him!”

“And apologize for tricking him? Don’t.” I stopped by the door, looking back at him. “Stop apologizing for things like that, Ray. I’m sure Arkill understands. You focus on recovering for your training. Or do you want to spar with Lei Sunclaw with baggy eyes and a bloody face? Right now you look more like an undead than I do!” I chortled. “Sweet dreams!”

33 The undead on the phone

« Hi? »

“Hi, teacher~ Ray’s at home now.”

« I know. Why are you calling me teacher? »

“Because you teach me things about how death works and all that jazz.”

« … Oh. »

“You know, we were worried you would be wandering around, searching for Ray.”

« I got a call from the Lord and came back. »

“It figures. So you were searching for him.”

« Since I was ordered to protect him. »

“… Only because of that?”

« Why else? »

“Well, you’re not coming to Ray’s house to play video games because you’re ordered to, right?”

« … Mm. Hum. I’m busy now. »

“Heehee… What are you doing?”

« Taking out the trash. The Lord didn’t know how to wrap the freezer, so he bought lots of gift wraps and ribbons. »

“… So adorable.”

« Who is? »

“The Lord. Well, his son too. Those two are so hopeless sometimes.”

« … They are. Say, did you really run away from the young master? »

“Eh! Certainly not! Haha, I can’t get mad at Ray. You know, he’s that kind of guy you can’t get mad at.”

« Are you sure it’s not because you’re the kind of guy who can’t get mad at anyone? »

“Haha, definitely not. I get mad pretty often. It’s just that I don’t start screaming like Zeeta, but I don’t try to keep it to myself like Ray either. You’re actually more that type of guy, Arkill. You’re so collected. I kinda admire that side of you.”

« … Thanks. Oh, also, thanks for the recommendation, the Magnetocore band. I listened to their music. I like it. »

“Eeh… Magnetocore? I’m glad you like it too! Aren’t those guys, like, super funny? They’re from Betul, a region of Taipei in Bird Island. My dad’s from there, and guess what, he knows the guy composing their music. And I know the youngest members of the group. I used to play with them, in summer, when I went to my grandparent’s. They were older than me, but it was fun! It’s a shame they stopped making music now… Oh, wait, but when did I recommend it to you?”

« When you were drunk and you started screaming like a madman. »

“Oh… I really don’t remember a thing. That’s weird. Has something like that already happened to you?”

« It has. A long time ago. »

“Oh? Can you tell me?”

« … You’re meddlesome. Louise, just in time, I’ll take that bag, you take the phone. »

« Me? Okay! Who’s on the phone? Hello? Hello? »

“Hi, Louise. Did Arkill run away?”

« Mm! He went to resick the ribbons! »

“Resick? You mean, recycle? As expected from my teacher. He got rid of me so stylishly. How are you doing, Louise?”

« I’m fine! I’m wearing the headband you gave me! And I’ve found gifts! A lizard and a lil bird. I’m gonna bring them to Ray’s and use the freezer! I put ribbons on them! Oh, but I shouldn’t have said that if it’s a surprise, right? »

“Aha… It’s all right. Come any time with your lizard.”

« Ah, but I haven’t decided yet which one will be yours or Ray’s. If you win, you’ll have the lil bird. »

“Why is the lizard less than the bird?”

« Because it lost its tail. Are you ready, Alumen? Rock, paper, scissors! »

“… How are we supposed to play that on the phone?”

« … I don’t know. How? Oh, I know, let’s make a video call! »

“Just bring the corpses already!!”

34 The day of the spar

On the day of the spar, the snow had almost completely melted under the shining sun. The Sunclaw quarters were located in Somerville, in an area with artistic buildings surrounded by well-kept gardens. As I walked in an alley lined with silver daffodils and other winter flowers, I felt like I had entered some bigshot’s private ground. Well, it was the case.

I glanced back at the boulevard. Zeeta wasn’t coming. He said that, as a Beholder’s worker, it would be better if he didn’t show his face to a family he had been spying on. I kind of got his point.

“A-Are you nervous?”

Ray was stiff. I answered cheerfully:

“I’m fine. What about you?”

“…” Ray snorted. “Isn’t that obvious? I didn’t even manage to grasp how my power works.”

Well, that wasn’t surprising, since he had only decided to experiment with it two days ago. He had spent hours in the basement, trying to create those strange shadows of his, and Zeeta and I had done everything to help, but all our efforts didn’t pay off.

I shook my head, amused.

“You’re not used to it, huh?” We were walking toward the building with red horns on the top. I saw Lei waiting for us at the entrance.

“Used to what?” Ray asked, confused.

I smiled slightly.

“To going to a test without knowing all the answers. I’m pretty used to it. You know,” I added, “this is not an exam where you have to randomly check an answer. You spar to beat your opponent and show him he can’t mess with you. You don’t necessarily need to use your power to win.”

Ray had stopped in the alley. He chuckled under his breath.

“Answers are not checked randomly, Armen. But I get your point.” He went on walking with a gleam of determination in his eyes. “I won’t back off.”

“That’s the spirit!”

When we arrived, Lei gave us a thumbs up.

“It’s one minute to noon, as expected from Doctor Styxer’s son! Hi, Ray, hi… er… What was your name, again?”

“Armen.”

“Armen. A pleasure,” he said, holding out a hand. As we shook hands, his eyes sparkled. “Cold hands, warm heart, they say. Is that true?”

I gave him a defying grin.

“I never put a thermometer in my heart, but try it if you dare.”

Lei looked surprised, then laughed.

“Well, I dare! Okay, let me introduce you to Yordo.” He waved at a tall man, standing straight. “He’s in charge of organizing the duels. If needed, he can administer first aid, and if things get complicated, we’ve got two doctors and medical equipment, so do not worry, let’s just go all out.”

No, his words were precisely worrying us… We went into the building, and as we entered a large gymnasium, Lei added:

“Aya-aya, but I forgot to bring it up on the phone…” He waved at… a red-haired girl in tight-fitting black clothes sitting in the grandstand. “Sally said she wants to spar with you too.”

Whaaaaat?! The medusa wanted to spar with Ray? No way…!

“Lei!” Sally cried out. Her hair grabbed the rail of the grandstand, and she landed down before us, shooting Lei a withering look. “What’s the meaning of this? You didn’t tell me the one you were having a spar with was that monster!”

Lei cracked up.

“Hahaha! It’s twenty-eight of December, Holy Innocents’ Day, you all fell for it!”

He was laughing to tears. I… didn’t quite get the joke. Ray discreetly breathed out with relief. Sally was still storming, sending red hairlocks to her younger brother and tying him up.

“Curse you, Lei! I postponed my trip to London because of you! And the Holy Innocents’ Day is not even a Farskyer tradition!”

“I do the April Fool’s Day too… Buahaha, stop, stop, sis, you’re tickling me! Ow, c’mon, I know you want to see him fight too! Aw, aw, aw, it hurts, hahaha!”

Sally was squeezing his limbs. What a touching brotherhood… Stepping a bit aside, I saw Linah go down the grandstand and waved at her.

“Hi, Erma. You came.”

“I had to,” she replied, and she pointed her fist toward Lei’s nose. “I’m the only one who can control Brother Lei.”

“W-Wait, Linah, don’t!”

“Then, stop fooling around and get in position. Hear me? If you touch one strand of Armen’s hair, you’re dead.”

“What?!” he argued as Sally let him go. “But how am I supposed to fight him, then?”

“Armen is not going to fight,” Ray said. We all turned to him. He cleared his throat. “I’m going to fight you alone, Lei Sunclaw.”

The three young Sunclaw blinked in a sudden silence.

“But I told you I’m fine with fighting the two of you at once,” Lei protested. “I was looking forward to it. After all, he’s your—”

“Friend,” I cut him off before he made a blunder. “And as a friend, I came here to cheer him up. If he needs me, I’ll go in. That’s what we decided.”

“But isn’t that way too unbalanced?”

“What are you saying, Lei?” Sally smirked. “A one-on-one fight is better. If Ray says he can do it, then why don’t you let him dig his own grave? Since I came, I wanna have some fun seeing him crawling like a worm. I don’t think it’ll be that interesting though, since your power is so boring, Lei.”

Turning her back on us, she returned to her seat. Lei threw a glare her way, then grinned at Ray.

“Let’s do it, then!”

Linah took me by the arm, and we went to sit down far from Sally’s seat as Yordo stood beside the fighting court.

“Your pigtails are low today,” I noticed.

Linah nodded.

“Mm.”

She was fidgeting. Was she nervous about the fight? Yordo and Lei were explaining the rules to Ray. Those were simple: the participants couldn’t use blunt or sharp weapons other than their own body, they had to remain in the court, weren’t allowed to keep fighting after one of them surrendered, and had to stop right away if Yordo told them to. As for us, the public, we could not interfere, nor reveal anything about the fighter’s powers outside, nor naturally record any of it.

As Ray and Lei entered the fighting court, I said:

“Oh, Erma. Thanks for your gift. I’m wearing it right now. Was it something your grandma made?”

Linah lowered her eyes to the pentagonal pendant, then gave me an amused glance.

“No. I was the one who made it.”

I looked at her, amazed.

“Really? You’re a witch too? And there I was calling you Lil Witch without knowing.”

“Hehe, you’re wrong. Witches need to study like hell to do magic. I’m not talented enough.”

Her eyes riveted on her own hands, absent-minded, as if she was remembering some event in the past. Wait, did that mean she once thought of becoming a real witch? So cool! But… maybe she didn’t want to now? Studies weren’t made for everyone, I knew that well. After a short silence, I let out:

“Baaah… Nonsense. It’s magic enough if you made it.” Linah breathed in, surprised. I grinned as I added: “Since you’re not the handy type.”

“You…!”

She punched my shoulder. I whistled, flinching to the right:

“A scary witch has taken me for her punching bag, I’m done for!”

“You didn’t gift me anything for Christmas, so I’m taking what it’s due.”

Giving punches was like a gift for her? Was she a sadist? I smiled anyway.

“But I do have a gift for you.”

Linah widened her eyes as I took out a little box from my pocket. She accepted it, hardly suppressing her smile into a smirk.

“Why, I can’t believe you really bought something, Straw Head.”

“That’s rude. I did buy you two scrunchies last year.”

“Hm, true…”

She unwrapped the box and gazed at the present: two silver-colored earrings that had the shape of a snowflake. I’d found them pretty the day before when I had bought them but… would they be okay for Linah? When her blue eyes turned to me, I subconsciously raised my hands in self-defense.

“Don’t you like it? Don’t tell me they are too girly?”

“Are you taking me for a tomboy?!”

“Well, no, haha… Not really? Don’t hit me, please.”

“… I wasn’t going to, dummy.” She looked back at the earrings. Her lips curved. Then she cleared her throat. “They were cheap, huh?”

“Sorry I’m poor.”

“I bet you just bought the first thing you saw in the first shop you entered.”

“That’s mean! I actually spent one hour searching for a good gift!”

“It took me two days to make your pendant.”

“…”

“Heh.” Why did she look like she had won some kind of fight? She went on: “But thanks. I’ll put them on. Since I like cheap things.”

“You make it sound like you’re doing me a favor, Lil Witch. I’m hurt.”

“Don’t be, Straw Head, I said thanks.”

“Yeah, yeah…”

“Also…” She lowered her hands, stroking her new earrings. “If you had given earrings to a girl who wasn’t me, she would have misunderstood your intentions, you know?”

“Eh… My intentions, you say? But then, wouldn’t it be more misleading to gift a handmade pendant that took you two days to make?”

Linah looked at me as if in a daze, then at the court, then back at me, then snorted, averting her eyes.

“Strictly speaking, one day and a half.”

I was hit by her absurd answer. That was totally not the point!! Anyway, Ray and Lei had stopped talking between each other and were about to start.

“Don’t back off after you lose,” Lei smirked, his hands in his pockets. What did he mean, back off? Did they make a bet or something? The Sunclaw asked: “Ready?”

Ray gave a nod.

“Ready.”

As soon as Yordo gave the signal, Lei launched himself at Ray. As we expected, he was going for a close-range attack.

Ray already knew Lei’s power was magnetic, but he didn’t know more details about how it worked. Zeeta did. Or more exactly, he had managed to get the information through the Beholder. As expected of my dear stalker.

Basically, Lei could make objects attract to each other by touching them. But there were conditions. First, he had to touch the heaviest object of the two before the other; that is, if he wanted to glue Ray to the ground, he would have to touch the ground, then Ray. Secondly, he had to touch the objects directly, and the magnetic field didn’t work on all materials; that was why Ray was wearing synthetic clothes, which apparently were safe. Rock and skin weren’t, though. Lastly: once Lei had touched the first object, he couldn’t deactivate his power until he had touched the second target. Ray’s first plan was to make Lei touch his own body before his.

When he was just a few meters away, Lei touched the ground with his hands, did an agile and totally unnecessary somersault, then landed with his hands well separated from his body, like a street acrobat.

“Bet you can’t do this. What are you waiting for? Aren’t you gonna use your power?”

His lame efforts to conceal how his power worked made me smirk. Did he seriously think we came there knowing nothing? Ray hadn’t budged an inch. He was stiff. How couldn’t he? His opponent was taller than him, stronger, faster, and above all, more experienced than him… However, I knew he wouldn’t surrender until he had tried his all. Ray wasn’t a coward, he just didn’t like fighting, but if we had to go to that two-month training on Phoenix Island… he had no choice but to learn how to take on an opponent.

Ray adopted a fighting stance that he had just learned two days ago from Zeeta and me, and he said:

“Come at me.”

35 Magnet power vs. brainpower: I won’t give up!

“Come at me.”

Lei sneered at Ray.

“Since you ask me so politely…”

They charged at each other. Ray quickly took out two objects from his pocket and squeezed one. A spurt of superglue came out as he pressed it against Lei’s palm. That took Lei totally off guard, and he couldn’t dodge. Luckily, it seemed that his right hand was the one that had been activated, because Lei was instantly thrust backwards, towards his first target: the ground he had just touched before. The impact was brutal. I heard a crack, and the young Sunclaw cursed:

“Oh shit, my hand!”

Was it broken? It seemed so. Anyway, I was surprised. I didn’t expect the plan to go so smoothly. Ray was pale as he stepped forward.

“A-Are you okay?”

“Ray, way to go!” I cried out, standing up from my seat. “Don’t worry about him, he broke his hand himself. Punch him now until he gives up!”

“B-But…”

What was he hesitating for? Lei was trying to detach his hand from the ground, but the glue was hindering his movements. He brusquely laughed.

“You knew about my power, you jerk. How did you know I activated my power on my right hand though?”

“I didn’t know. I had a second tube of glue just in case. It’s allowed, isn’t it?”

“As long as it’s not venom or acid, those tricks are fine,” Yordo nodded. “Pepper sprays and the like are out though.”

“Aha… I see. Aya-aya, you got me good,” Lei admitted.

Were they going to chat for long? The fight wasn’t over yet. If Ray were to lose that one chance to win…

“Lei!” Sally suddenly yelled, looking away from her cellphone. “If you lose, I’ll beat you up.”

“Ray, fight!” Linah cheered him up, standing by my side. She sent her fist fly across the gymnasium: it punched a wall before returning to its owner. I caught Yordo cringing.

“Linah!” Lei complained, breathing hard. “Am I not your brother? Why are you siding with him?”

“Lei, stand up!” Linah said then with a grin, and she pointed her fist at him. “Or I’ll make you give up now.”

She naturally didn’t interfere, but that made Lei react: suddenly, his hand made a strange movement to the right and detached itself from the glue. No way! Did he use his power to attract his hand to another target just to free himself? He surely didn’t make the condition of his hand any better by doing that. Seeing his contorted face covered in sweat, I guessed it hurt like hell.

“Haha,” Lei laughed stiffly as he stood up. “Let me ask you one last question, Ray. How do you know so many things about my power?”

He was up again. I got why Ray didn’t punch him when he was down, but since Lei was going to be warier from now on, it was likely that he had lost his only chance of winning.

Still, I was fascinated. Some weeks ago, I would have never imagined Ray would be able to put such a defying face when he answered:

“I just do my homework.” Then, his expression wavered. “Er… Aren’t you going to give up? Your wrist is broken, isn’t it?”

Lei tilted his head, grinning.

“Yeah, it’s broken, you damn bastard, that’s why there’s no way in hell I’m gonna let you win now. You were making a fool of me, I’ve gotta get my revenge, right? Be ready, I’ll go all out.”

He didn’t let Ray pull back: he pounced on him. Odd enough, he didn’t use his power and sent a kick at Ray with undeniable agility. When I was working with the Cheetahs, I had learned some tricks about street fighting, but I couldn’t compare those with Lei’s movements just now: he hit Ray several times on the sides with his left palm, then kicked him again, making him bend over. Was Lei Sunclaw a martial artist?

Anyway… I couldn’t stand seeing Ray got beaten up like that. He couldn’t fight back at all. I left the grandstand crying out:

“Ray!”

‘Don’t come.’

His words resonated in my head. I stopped dead one step away from the court’s line. Under the kicks, Ray was curling up, his arms protecting his head. Why? Why didn’t he let me in?! Did he have some kind of plan? No, he clearly didn’t! One of the backup plans was to use the flashlight I had given him, but from what Yordo had said, pepper sprays weren’t allowed, so he couldn’t use it. Was he hoping for his power to wake up? But, if it did and he lost control, would he be unconscious again for days? Crap. Why wouldn’t Ray accept my help? Lei had said he was fine with fighting the two of us. I didn’t know if I could do something myself against that monster, though…

The most worrying thing—or perhaps the most relieving—was that Lei was obviously going easy on Ray. He didn’t hit his head even once, nor kicked really hard.

Suddenly, he clapped Ray’s nape. Ray brusquely fell, face up. His back had been caught by Lei’s magnetic field. Then his left and right arms were caught too, attracted to the ground as if shackled. Lei loomed over Ray.

“You know how to use qi to strengthen your body but you… really don’t know how to fight,” he said, disappointed.

Ray gasped, trembling from the pain.

“That’s because… I had never fought before.”

Lei froze in shock.

“You have… never fought? How’s that? … Oi, then you should use your shadows at least! Or are you thinking I’m not worthy of seeing your power?”

He punched him in the face.

“Look, you’re bleeding now. If you don’t use your power, I’ll smash your hand.”

He stamped on Ray’s hand. Ray let out a scream that filled me with horror.

“Enough,” I whispered, shaking from head to toe. “Enough, enough…” Just why had I encouraged Ray to fight? He hated violence in the first place! “ENOUGH, RAY, JUST GIVE UP!” I exploded.

“I… don’t know how,” Ray groaned.

“You don’t know how? Oh, you just have to say ‘I give up’,” Lei said.

“No…” Ray was breathing hard. “I don’t know how to use my power.”

Lei paused, then snorted.

“You’re kidding me, right? You had your quirk when you were eight years old, and you still don’t know how to control it?”

Didn’t he know it already? Didn’t he spar with Ray just because he wanted to crush him? From his expression, I only understood now that it was not the case. Lei totally didn’t know he was challenging a guy who couldn’t fight.

“You serious?” Lei fell back a pace in astonishment. He frowned. “Then… why the hell did you accept the spar?!”

He had released Ray from his magnetic field. Ray sat up, massaging his arm.

“I…” He got to his feet, tottering. “I don’t know. I just don’t want to lose. I didn’t give up yet.”

“Seriously? Man, that’s a spar, you know. The participants are supposed to be able to fight. If you can’t, then let’s not. I’m not a sadist like my twin brother. Just say ‘I give up’.”

Ray shook his head. I couldn’t believe my eyes. Why wasn’t he giving up? I let out a nervous guffaw.

“Haha, Lei, you just said you gave up, you moron!” Before Lei’s puzzled expression, I turned to Yordo. “Does it count, sir?”

“No.”

“Thought so,” I smiled as I heard Linah snort in laughter behind me. Dammit…

Lei chortled.

“Aya-aya, you almost got me worried there. Things like that don’t work in a real fight anyway. Oh, but in a real fight, giving up is sometimes not an option either so… I like it when my opponent’s got some guts. However, let’s change it a bit. How about you let your ‘friend’ join in?”

“Don’t be foolish, brother.”

The sudden voice made us all turn to the entrance of the gymnasium. A second Lei, black-haired, young, but with a lot of piercings walked in. Axel Sunclaw entered the game court and stopped before his brother.

“You broke your wrist. How lame of you.”

“Axel, what are you doing here? We’re in the middle of a fight—”

“I heard he can’t use his power. Lei, why do you want to show off to a weakling like that?”

“About that, I didn’t know, I—”

“How can you make a pushover like that your sparring partner? You’re lowering yourself by doing so and disregarding the Sunclaw’s reputation by the same occasion. Just go take care of your injuries, stupid little bro.”

Lei’s face turned red.

“Don’t tell me what to do! And I’m not your little bro, we’re twins! Get out!”

“No, you get out.”

They glared at each other, then suddenly Lei threw a punch, Axel dodged it… I soon lost count of all their attacks. Seriously, what was wrong with those twins? Did they hate each other that much?

As it was clear that the spar had degenerated into a fight between brothers, Ray walked out of the court.

“Well… Guess they forgot about me.”

“Haha… I think it’s for the best. Those brothers are crazy. How’s your hand?” I asked.

“Mm. It’s not broken, I think.” Ray was observing the brothers’ fierce fight with a mix of awe and anxiety. He swallowed hard. “Armen… Do you think I made a fool of myself?”

At that moment, Lei screamed as he lunged at Axel:

“I won’t!”

I raised an eyebrow. He won’t what? Now that I thought about it, I didn’t know what Axel’s power was. Lei was using his, but Axel wasn’t. Or was he, and I just couldn’t see it?

Anyway, Ray’s face was getting redder by the second. I laid a hand on his head.

“Who doesn’t make a fool of himself on his first fight?” I paused. My friend was so ashamed and upset it made me smile. “You really aren’t used to being a loser, huh. You’re funny when you put that face, Ray.”

“The hell—?”

“But, in the end, you broke his hand, and you didn’t give up. I think you did well for your first spar, considering you were against Lei Sunclaw.” Ray just nodded. I added: “I’m not consoling you: I’m saying that sincerely.”

“I know. I’m just…”

“Frustrated that you couldn’t fight back at all?”

Ray breathed in and slowly calmed down as he gave a nod.

“I guess. Fighting… is definitely not for me. Sorry for telling you to stay out of this.”

“Bah. You wanted it to be a one-on-one spar, right? Besides, I don’t think we could have defeated him anyway. Just take a look at how he’s fighting the piercings guy.”

“Kurikurikuri… Kurikurikuri…”

The sudden squeak made us lower our eyes. A strange creature had entered the gym with Axel. It had big, round ears, the body of a baby white seal, and a shaggy, black tail. “Kurikurikurikuri…” was the sound it made.

I stared at it, enthralled. It was… cute.

As soon as I thought that, the strange seal turned his black eyes at me and crawled towards me, repeating:

“Kurikurikurikuri…”

“Curry is a kompa,” Linah said, startling me. She had left her seat to join us. “It’s a magical creature that is attracted by positive emotions. It’s said that they eat them, but it’s not like they steal them, so don’t worry.”

That cute little creature ate positive emotions? Could it be a kompa ate emotions the same way the undead ate wasted lifeforce? Its eyes were so luminous despite being dark…

“Is it okay if I touch it?” I asked.

“Go ahead. Kompas don’t bite.”

Meanwhile, Sally and Yordo finally had decided to intervene in the brothers’ fight and were separating them. “Cut it out already!” the medusa was grumbling.

I crouched. Curry’s white fur was short but soft like feathers. Or so I imagined it to be, since my hand could barely feel it. Still, I could feel I was touching it. Did the path that Kaspar had created in my body have something to do with that change? Likely.

A sudden hand grabbed my wrist.

“Don’t touch my pet.”

I looked up. Axel’s eyes were as blue as Linah’s and… as cold as ice. A strong shiver raced through my core. What was this sensation? Even though my heart didn’t feel anything, my core was filled with fear. As Axel let go of me, the sensation disappeared, but it left me nervous. Was he an emotion manipulator or was it just my imagination? “Kurikurikuri…” The white kompa drew backwards. I stood up, managing a smile.

“Sorry, I didn’t know Curry was your pet.”

“You’ve got some guts to come here, Ray Styxer.” Axel had turned to Ray, ignoring me. “I have to give you that. It’s a shame you don’t know how to use your power. I had hoped we could have formed a strong group at the training in January… yeah, we’re going too, didn’t you know?” I flinched inwardly. No way, those guys were going to the same training as us? What bad luck… Axel added: “No matter how amazing your power is, if you can’t use it, you’re nothing more than a nobody, a worthless worm.”

A surge of indignation washed over me. How dared he…?! I turned to Ray. The young necromancer had slightly widened his eyes in surprise. He didn’t talk back. He wasn’t used to being insulted like that.

Axel added:

“Yordo, take my brother and Ray Styxer to Doctor Ben.” As Ray was about to protest, he cast a piercing look at him saying: “We can’t let Doctor Styxer’s son go out covered with bruises, can we? Please.”

The way he said it, it didn’t sound like he was begging for anything. So Axel Sunclaw was that kind of guy: he acted like he was the only guy responsible, the only one who had the right to boss everyone around. Still, unlike others, it seemed like second nature to him. It was as if he had grown used to it since he was a kid.

As Yordo was leading Ray and Lei out of the gymnasium, Linah said:

“Armen! How about we wait for your friend then go have lunch? I’ll treat you guys… What? Do you have something else to do?”

“No, not really, but—”

“Then let’s do it! I’ll get a change of clothes. Wait for me!”

She took the elevator just like that. I had no time to think of a good reason to turn her down. That meant Ray would have to eat a double portion again.

I had decided to wait outside, when Axel laid a hand on my shoulder.

“You… let’s talk.”

The medusa, who was about to leave, raised an eyebrow.

“Axel, don’t make more trouble.”

“I just wanna talk with Linah’s friend, sis. What’s wrong with that?”

Sally’s eyes squinted, then she smirked.

“Mmph. Do what you want.”

I didn’t agree though? Axel’s arm was pulling me back into the gym… Crap. Should I excuse myself and run away? But I had told Ray I would wait for him. Plus, I wanted to know what kind of guy Axel really was. And what kind of power was his.

Axel locked the door. Curry was squeaking by his side. A sinister teenager and a cute kompa together… They really didn’t match up.

I looked at Axel quizzically.

“What is it that you want from me?”

Axel shoved his hands in his pockets, giving me a nonchalant look.

“How about a spar?”

36 Negative spirits and TG-gums

A spar, he said… with who exactly? Me?

“Haha… I’m honored, but I just don’t feel up to it?” My diplomatic refusal somehow sounded like an interrogation.

“Glad to hear you’re honored, since you didn’t seem to realize you’re just a small fish among sharks around here.” He looked at me head to toe. “Linah told me you’re her friend. But aren’t you more like her boyfriend?”

Eeeeeh… What was that all of a sudden?

“Actually we’re just—”

“I don’t really care if you are her boyfriend or not,” he cut me off. “I know she’s only playing around with you. But I’m curious about something she told me. She said you have an emotion manipulation power and that you can scare people just by looking at them. I want to see it. So try it on me.”

I stared at him, bewildered. He wanted me to scare him? Was he a masochist? Anyway…

“I can’t.”

Axel shot me a black look. Aw, why was he so hostile? I explained:

“The Tiger Clan used to give us pills that allowed us to have temporary powers. I don’t have that kind of power anymore.”

“Don’t give me that crap.” Taking a pace forward, he stood before me. He was shorter, and that seemed to bother him. “The fear I sent you before should have made you beg for your life. Only other emotion manipulators have been able to resist my power until now. O are you telling me you’re some kind of insensitive monster who can’t feel fear?”

His hand grabbed my neck. I felt the same fear as before running down my body…

“You should be trembling in fear right now, yet you aren’t. Why?” he hissed.

So I had guessed right. Axel Sunclaw was an emotion manipulator. As for why his power wasn’t affecting me as strongly as he wanted it to… that was probably because he was attacking me not knowing I was an undead. But how strong was his power if even without attacking my core directly I still felt afraid?

Frowning, I grasped his wrist with my hand and pushed it away.

“Why would I tremble in fear? No matter how amazing your power is, if you can’t use it, you’re nothing more than a nobody, a worthless worm… is what you said to Ray, ain’t it?”

Axel’s eyes widened. Then a twisted smile curved his lips.

“Oh… Good work, Curry. You found a real stupid guy this time.”

“Kurikurikuri…” the kompa cooed.

“Stupid whelp,” Axel called out to me. “Do you know why I keep a kompa by my side?” Wasn’t it because it was super cute? “It’s because I can’t stand the sight of positive guys like you, so every time Curry gets attached to someone, I don’t let the guy go until he begs for forgiveness… no, until his mind breaks and becomes that of a real depressive wimp.”

The gleam of Axel’s eyes told me more than I wanted to know. That guy wasn’t in his right mind, and he was dangerous. It was such a shame a wonderful creature like Curry was his pet…

“Kurikurikuri…”

“Are you telling me you can’t stand positive people?” I asked.

“That’s right. My power is based on negative emotions, so I can’t stand positive emotions. They disgust me. So stop smiling. You make me sick.”

Azritz had told me about how emotion manipulation powers tended to change the power-holder’s personality more than any other power. But what Axel was saying made me sad. Axel frowned.

“Are you pitying me?”

I recovered my smile.

“No way. Don’t you know the saying? People who pity others are the most pitiful of all.”

Suddenly, Axel threw a punch at my face, probably wanting to wipe off that smile of mine… I barely managed to dodge, and received the blow in my shoulder. In a matter of seconds, I was lying on the gym’s ground, face down, Axel blocking my movements.

“I’ll let you off the hook for today because you’re Linah’s friend,” he told me. “but let me warn you. I’m a Sunclaw, you’re a nobody. Don’t ever treat Linah or me like we’re all equals here, or I’ll make you suffer. Don’t ever smile in front of me again, or I’ll make you live a thousand hells. I don’t know why my power doesn’t work well on you, but I’ll make sure it will soon. Guys that piss me off always end up having a nervous breakdown that marks them for life. I despise happy-go-lucky bastards like my brother, but it’s my brother, so it can’t be helped but… you’re just scum. There’s no way a scum like you can have fun around me. No way in hell, you hear?”

He had lost it. I wasn’t smiling at all right now, but he couldn’t see it because I was facing the ground. My body was trembling. I was scared. If Axel found a way to send his power into my core, I had the feeling that I wouldn’t only be frightened: that crazy guy wanted to break my mind… and that for the sole reason I was a positive person who smiled a lot? Holy Crystals, what was wrong with the Sunclaw family? The medusa, the martial artist, then that mental punk… They were all crazy monsters! No wonder Linah had wanted to run away last year.

“So you can be scared, after all. But it’s not enough. Not enough at all.”

Axel released me and stood up.

“You’ll go to that stupid training for the Heroes of Tomorrow, won’t you? Remember I’ll be there too, so come… but don’t look forward to it. It won’t be fun for you.”

I was sitting up when I heard the door open and Axel’s footsteps fade away.

Dammit.

I didn’t care about Axel Sunclaw being superior, wealthier, or more powerful than me.

I didn’t care about him in the least, so why did he have to take an interest in me? I hadn’t asked for his attention!

Also, why did the Lightning Veil wanted her son to go to a training full of monsters? Well, but didn’t I myself push Ray into going? Was it a mistake? Was I being too optimistic? All that because I wanted to skip school, show off my power, and have fun with my friends…

“Kurikurikuri…” The kompa was moving towards the door, glancing at me at each small step he was taking.

I rolled my eyes, finally calming down.

“Curry. You’re running away because I’m not being positive, aren’t you? You like it when people are positive around you, but your owner doesn’t make things easy for you, huh…”

The way Axel was using his kompa was so messed up it sickened me just thinking about it. The magical creature turned away from the door. Kurikurikuri… Its eyes were staring at me. Could it understand what I was saying? I didn’t know a thing about magical creatures… I reached Curry, gave it a smile, and patted its head.

“I’ll do my best to be positive even when I see you, it’s a promise, so… do your best too.”

“Kurikuri!”

It showed its mouth, similar to that of a whale at a smaller scale. As Curry went out of the gym, I felt uneasy to let it go like that. But what did I know anyway? Maybe Curry did like its owner. It didn’t seem to be mistreated.

I went outside to wait for Ray and looked up at the blue sky.

In the end, despite what I said, I did pity Axel. If his power had made him this way, I couldn’t help but pity his bad luck. If he hadn’t been a Sunclaw, he probably would have been sent to that Champion Institute Zeeta had told me about, that “school” for power-holders with deviant or uncontrollable powers.

Yet, Axel was even going to participate in the training for aspirant Heroes along with his twin. Was Linah coming too? I should ask her. As for the red-haired medusa… I hoped I wouldn’t see her again.

A gust of wind swooshed to my ears. I checked the temperature on my phone. Despite being in winter, it was twenty degrees Celsius. Such was the climate in Farskyer, always changing.

I breathed in the air, but I couldn’t feel its warmth.

I looked up at the Sunclaw’s red-horned building. Where could the infirmary be? Ray surely knew where I was, but I didn’t. Would it be possible for an undead to track the necro-bond too? I almost heard Arkill’s voice telling me: ‘seeing how you struggle with simple equations, you won’t learn it any time soon…’ Well, I wouldn’t know until I tried it, right?

My eyes caught glimpse of a thing spinning in the wind. I grabbed it with my power, drew it closer, then seized it. It was a hundred Corn bill. I gaped at it, amazed. The hell?

I looked around, saw nobody, put the bill in my pocket, and joined my hands.

“Thanks, Santa. I’ll use it well.”

Linah didn’t take long and soon joined me handing me one piece of pink chewing gum.

“Wanna one? I’ve bought them this morning. They’re TG-gums. They’re supposed to make giant bubbles.”

Would they work in an undead’s mouth unable to create saliva? Well, I was able to chew it with a bit of water; it had no taste, but gumming it was entertaining. We were waiting for Ray sitting on a bench, trying to make a bubble gum bubble, and I had just managed a big one when he came down.

“Sorry for making you guys wait…”

We both looked up at Ray, and our giant bubbles blew up on our faces. Linah burst out laughing, pointing at me with a finger.

“Hwara-hwara, Straw Head, you’re all pink!”

“So you are.”

“Hwara-hwara-hwara!”

“Erma’s way of laughing,” I just told Ray so as to reassure him as I tried to detach the gum stuck on my mouth. It was so sticky… “Has the doc patched you up?”

Ray nodded.

“Yeah, I’m fine, only some bruises. Lei went easy on me, yet I broke his wrist…”

“He broke it with his own power,” Linah shrugged cheerfully, standing up.

“But the EPHT training will start in only three weeks…” Ray worried.

“Yeah, shouldn’t you worry about your brother?” I asked casually as I rubbed my cheeks fiercely.

Linah rolled her eyes.

“Why should I? Lei is always reckless when fighting. He sprains or breaks his bones pretty often. With good medical treatments, it will heal up in two weeks. We use regeneration pills for that.”

“Regeneration pills?!” Ray and I echoed, astounded. Wasn’t that, like, super expensive?

Linah gave us a crooked grin.

“My family is filthy rich, ya know. Well then! I’m starving! Mm! What are we going to have for lunch?” she asked randomly as the three of us walked away from the Sunclaw quarters. “Oh, by the way, you did say you were treating us, Straw Head, right?”

“Hah? Just earlier, you said you were treating us, did I imagine it? I think I’m gonna fast, anyway, in preparation for New Year’s Eve—”

“But I don’t have money. Are you gonna make a lady pay, Straw Head?”

I squinted an eye. What was her deal? Didn’t she just say her family was filthy rich?

“Well, whatever, I’ll pay…”

“Mm… Mm…” Was she laughing? She burst out: “Hwara-hwara-hwara! You’re such a gentleman, Straw Head! After all, you just found a hundred Corn bill, right?”

“…! Wh-What! Don’t tell me it’s yours?”

“Did you really think you could hit the jackpot or something? I saw you and threw the bill from a window, just to see if you’d see it, but then the wind carried it away, and I thought I had thrown it for nothing, hwara-hwara!”

“To think I even thanked Santa…”

“That’s literally throwing money out of the window,” Ray commented.

“I wanted to try it once!” Linah confessed.

She kept on laughing at me.

“… By the way,” I said as we stopped on the boulevard, “instead of a restaurant, how about we go to a ramen shop?”

Linah looked surprised.

“Well, I don’t really mind.”

“It’s okay with me,” Ray shrugged.

“Oh. That’s a relief because I don’t think I’ll be able to use your hundred Corn bill, Erma. I kinda got attached to it, you know.”

Linah snorted.

“I didn’t know you were that kind of guy, Straw Head!”

I hurriedly raised my left hand between us, and she stopped her fist a few inches away, puzzled, as she looked at my palm and at the hundred Corn bill stuck on it with pinky gum.

“Whoa. The power of money is awesome,” I said. “But your TG-gums are even more powerful. Never seen a gum so sticky. Worse than the superglue Ray used in his fight. I just put the hand in my pocket when you said the bill was yours, and you can see the result. Do you think your bill can be saved?”

A gust of wind gently whistled in our ears amidst the silence. Then Linah breathed out:

“For real?”

Suddenly, Ray snorted, then burst out laughing. I turned to him, surprised, then smiled, relieved that he wasn’t letting his duel against Lei getting him down. Heh. After all, that day wasn’t that bad of a day. That said, we spent almost one hour trying techniques to save the poor hundred Corn bill.

37 Happy New Year!

“Quick, the cones of chestnuts! Quiiick!”

Hira was running in the room, giving out the cones. There were twelve small chestnuts in each, which we were supposed to eat, one for each clock bell strike at midnight.

Azritz had been invited by Hira to celebrate the New Year with her team and friends, and she had asked me if I wanted to go. Honestly, I wasn’t thrilled to see that altruistic team leader of hers… What was his name again?

“Ashael!” a guy called out to him at that instant. “Everyone’s so loud, turn up the volume, or we won’t hear the bell strikes!”

The blondie laughed.

“Right, or we’ll enter the new year without knowing it!”

He looked like a cheerful, responsible, funny guy. Then… why did just seeing him annoy me so much?

DONG!

The first bell strike resonated through the stereo. As everyone was turning their attention to their chestnuts, I poured mine in my pockets.

Ding. Dang. Ding. Dong.

Ding. Dang. Ding. Dong.

Ding. Dang. Ding…

“Happy New Year!”

All the guests were now hugging, congratulating, and making a racket. Ashael stopped before me, and we shook hands.

“Happy New Year, Armen. Don’t you like chestnuts?”

Crap… Did he see me hide them?

“I’m saving them for a friend who likes them more.”

“Ah… They say that if you give a New Year chestnut to a person, that person will fall in love with you. I have one left in my cone, I couldn’t eat them all… Maybe I should give it to your sis?”

I widened my eyes, grabbed the chestnut from his hands, and put it in my mouth. Ashael laughed. That jerk… Was he making fun of me?

“Happy New Year, lil bro!” Azritz came up, grinning, a bit tipsy.

The one and only reason I came to this party was my sis, obviously. I wanted to spend time with her before the EPHT training started. Also, I had always celebrated the New Year with her. On seeing her cheeks still full of chestnuts she hadn’t been able to swallow yet, I grinned and kissed her on the forehead.

“Happy New Year, sis.”

Azritz blinked, a bit dazed, then swallowed her chestnuts and said:

“Oh, my! Did you grow a bit taller since last month?”

“Haha, I don’t think so.”

“No, no, you did!”

I couldn’t tell her that there was no way an undead could grow as a human would. She didn’t have to know. Not yet.

“Oh, by the way,” Azritz said, “didn’t you say you were going to meet with Ray and your friends?”

“Is it okay if I leave now?”

“Of course it is! You should be having fun.”

“I-It’s not like I’m bored with your friends, sis—”

“Lies are no good!”

“Heh, you got me… Oh, but don’t let that blondie take advantage of you when I’m gone.”

Ashael was still beside us, and he looked kinda embarrassed as Azritz laughed.

“Why would he?”

I then thanked Hira for the invitation, and Azritz accompanied me to the entrance of the house. The sky over Farskyer City was being covered by thousands of lights, silently flashing in the darkness and reflecting on the Nyomin Crystal. The whole city was being lit almost as if it was daytime. I had never seen lightworks until I had gone to Farskyer, and I remembered they had impressed me quite a bit at first.

“I heard that the number ‘two’ is supposed to bring good luck,” Azritz said. “Since we’re in the year 2022 after the Big Blend, I guess people are going all out. Say, Armen. What are your New Year’s resolutions?”

I raised an eyebrow.

“What about you?”

“Heh.” She crossed her arms. “I have three resolutions! First, being a good sis. Second, being a good researcher. And last but not least, play more sports and go jogging every morning.”

“Aren’t you doing that already?”

“It’s not enough, it’s not enough! Now’s your turn. And don’t say you’ll study more.”

I looked at the colored lights thoughtfully. My resolutions, huh?

“I want to be a better man.”

“…”

“Ah, guess I just said something weird—”

“Nope, not at all. I was thinking that it’s the first time I see you as a man.”

“That’s mean, sis…”

“Hee. But is that all?”

“Mm… I should also study harder… Ouch!” I said as my sis hit me on the forehead with the edge of her hand. Shouldn’t she be the one telling me to be a better student? I rolled my eyes. “What if I were to become a Hero?”

Azritz gave me a startled look then smiled amusedly.

“Heroes are cool, huh? Still, Armen, all kids want to become a Hero to use their power, but the truth is there are plenty of jobs out there that are perfect for telekinetics, better paid, and less dangerous. Don’t you think so?”

“Ah… Yeah. You’re right. I was just kidding.”

Dammit, what was I doing? I was planning on telling her about my participation in the examination for the EPHT training, but her words wiped away my courage. I should tell her, I knew I shouldn’t keep that from her until the last minute, but…

“Well then,” I said. “I’ll be off, sis.”

“Mm.” As she drew closer, I thought she was going to pat my head like she always did, but instead, she kissed me on the cheek. “Thanks for coming, lil bro. I love you.”

Did my heart pound just now? I grinned.

“I love you too.”

“Heehee. Don’t make your friends wait for you. Go, go, go!” As I started running, she cried out: “Have fun!”

I turned to her. Was it okay for me to have friends even though I was dead? Could I have fun even though I was dead? Yes, definitely. How could the Holy Gods allow such a contradiction? I didn’t care. I smiled, raising my hand.

“I will!”

* * *

‘Loki, 01:13: Oi, Zeeta, I’m at Nick’s house, and I’m bored to death. Where are u?’

Zeeta was sitting on a bench, shrouded in darkness as lights kept flashing through the city’s night sky. The Nyomin Crystal was like a giant, radiant diamond.

He glanced at his phone, thought of not answering the message of the Beholder’s little brother, then pictured in his head the annoying face of that hopeless, arrogant brat, sighed, and typed:

‘Zeeta, 01:17: Happy new year, Loki.’

Would that be enough to make him understand he was busy? Bah. He stood up and stepped forward in the promontory of the Kiyomizu temple. Unlike the last time he had come there more than two weeks ago, the place was now abuzz with joyful celebrations. However, the promontory was empty and calm.

He didn’t know exactly why he had chosen to come here again tonight. Perhaps because, in this very place, he had given up on everything, then decided to keep on living thanks to Armen? Somehow, it had become like his own little secret place.

He leaned on the balustrade, admiring the lightworks, then lowered his eyes to the downfall. What was he thinking back then? Something like life was not worth it? Or rather that he was the one who was not worthy of being alive? Still now, he couldn’t make fun of his self of back then, nor understand it, nor think that ending his own life would have been cowardly. He just was glad he didn’t do it. Really, really glad.

The lightworks were long gone and the festivities at the temple were calming down when he heard footsteps approaching. He turned around.

A tabby cat jumped onto the balustrade and meowed. Following Rainbows, two young men stepped up on the promontory. The shorter one wore an orange baseball cap, a lit flashlight around his neck, and clothes that were nor too stylish nor too casual; the taller one wore a red knit cap on his blond hair, and a dark hoodie that had a jocular “FIRE ME UP” with the “UP” crossed out. On seeing Zeeta, the latter’s calm expression changed into a cheerful one.

“Zeeta! Heh. Happy New Year!”

Every time Armen smiled like that, it gave Zeeta a warm feeling in his heart.

“Happy New Year, Armen. Happy New Year, Rainbows. Oh, and to you too, I guess.”

“… Yeah. Happy New Year,” Ray answered in a sigh. His face was saying: why do I come after the cat?

Zeeta smirked. Actually, he didn’t dislike Ray. Not really. He just couldn’t shake off the thought that Armen might still be alive if he hadn’t been Ray’s friend.

“Did you wait for long?” Armen asked.

“Mm. Not really. Since last year.”

“What?! But you said you were celebrating the New Year with your boss.”

“I changed my mind.” There was no way he would be invited to a Beholder’s party; sometimes Armen was so naïve. Zeeta turned to embrace the view of the city. “I was thinking about the last time I came here, and thinking that I was happy I didn’t jump off the cliff. I realized so many things those past days. About how much I tried to be of use for others, just because I was lacking confidence and thought I was less than them, ’cause I was just trash in my father’s eyes… And about how I thought life was about success, and not about simply living and do things we want to, so…”

There was a silence. Zeeta cursed himself. Why did he have to start raving about all that rubbish just on New Year’s Day?

“Sorry, guys, just forget what I s—”

He fell silent as Armen handed him something. What…?

“Chestnuts,” Armen explained. “I can’t eat them, so I saved them for you. I tried to give some to Ray, but he only ate one. He says I want him to get fat, heh. You didn’t eat them at midnight, right? I’ll strike the seconds for you, so eat up. Dong!”

Zeeta swallowed saliva, overwhelmed. He had never eaten New Year’s chestnuts. His drunkard of a father was never home at that date, and Zeeta would always run away from him anyway, just spending the night alone, looking at the lightworks, wandering on the docks as he heard joyful songs behind the illuminated windows. He had been alone in a world he hated.

But not anymore.

He put the chestnut in his mouth, then devoured the rest with energy.

“Wow. That’s more than a chestnut per second!” Armen said, impressed. “Do you like chestnuts that much?”

Zeeta gulped down. That Straw Head… He really didn’t know the meaning of eating someone else’s New Year chestnuts, huh? He smiled. Well, it’s not like a chestnut will change anything. He laid a fist on Armen’s forehead.

“Happy New Year. Now, I can say I really entered it the traditional way. Thanks for everything, Straw Head.”

Armen widened his eyes, then grinned.

“Thank you too, Zeeta.”

“… Then…” Ray cleared his throat. “I, too, should say thank you to both of you.”

“To me? Why would you?” Zeeta asked.

“Well, because you helped me search for Armen, and you told me about Lei’s power.”

“Because I thought the Straw Head would be fighting him too. I wouldn’t have gone out of my way for you.”

“I know,” Ray snorted, annoyed, “but still, thanks.”

Zeeta smiled. He really didn’t dislike Ray. After all, he was Armen’s best friend.

“Oh, but now that I think about it, you owe me one.” He threw an arm on Ray’s shoulders. “How about that? Promise me you’ll revive me if I die.”

Ray turned pale.

“What?!”

“Don’t say things like that, Zeeta,” Armen protested. “You’re not going to die.”

“I don’t want to now, but life is full of surprises. So?” he insisted without releasing Ray.

The necromancer grimaced.

“… Fine. But only if you die by accident. If you kill yourself, I won’t.”

Was that a way to tell him not to commit suicide? Why should that rich kid care? Zeeta chuckled under his breath.

“That’s a promise.”

“But I can only promise I’ll try. For Armen, my dad helped me out. Reviving a dead person while conserving their inner soul is perhaps the most difficult thing that exists in necromancy. I’m not at my dad’s level yet.”

“Okay, I see, I’ll try to wait some years before I die, so study hard, Ray.”

“Oi, guys, cut it out, will you?” Armen gave them a really annoyed smile. “No one’s gonna die.”

“We’re just taking positive resolutions for the New Year,” Zeeta calmed him down. “Which are: revive the Cheetah Duo, make money, and keep stalking the Straw Head.”

“You’re harassing Armen so directly,” Ray muttered.

“Hahaha! I know!” Zeeta laughed. “I see you brought your violin, Straw Head. I brought my guitar. I’ve been composing a new song. Wanna hear?”

“Oh, yes! Let’s hear it!”

Zeeta took his guitar, sat down on the bench, cleared his throat, and began to play. His fingers were dancing on the strings as a peaceful melody filled the air.

The door is shut, your hands on it are shaking,
you wanna be a bird but your heart’s aching,
Wish I could free you, yet I cannot reach you.
But our voices are whispering in the sky,
I’m sure one day your wings will be able to fly.

There was a silence. Then Armen clapped his hands in appreciation:

“It was super-e cool! Such a poet-e, Zeeta!”

Every time Armen started using his Taipei accent, it meant he was sincerely moved and inspired. Ray admitted:

“Seeing Armen’s taste in music, I was expecting something more hardcore. Lately, at home, it’s more like he wants to burst our eardrums. Well, Arkill too.”

“Wait, I listen to quiet music too!” Armen protested. “It’s just that Arkill and I are growing undead that have a lot of energy to spend.”

“No, you don’t,” Ray calmly retorted.

Zeeta chuckled and, as the necromancer and his familiar kept bickering at each other, he played a random melody with his guitar.

Such a heart-warming night, he thought.

That was the first New Year’s Day he could call a happy day.

* * *

Sitting between Ray and Zeeta, I was over the moon. We had spent the night chatting and fooling around. Although I had accompanied Ray all the way to the Kiyomizu Temple, the young necromancer had been able to resist his fear of the dark. Despite using his flashlight, he was a bit nervous, but that was all. He was doing his best, as well as Zeeta. Heh. To think that both of them had eaten my New Year’s chestnuts… The saying was obviously absurd, but if those two really fell for me, that would be great. Because that would mean we would stick together for the whole year.

As the day was breaking, I looked at the city, the tall buildings, and the distant sea… I stood up when the first sunrays appeared on the horizon, and I turned around.

“Zeeta. Ray.”

I held out my fist.

“Let’s have tons of fun this year.”

The two of them exchanged a glance, then stood up as well, putting their fist against mine.

“One for all and all for one!” Zeeta jested. “You too, Rainbows. Shake a paw. Wow! She understood me?”

“Of course, she did! She’s smart,” I said. As I tried to do the same thing with Rainbows as Zeeta, the cat ignored me. Aw… I confessed, a bit hurt: “But I have the impression that she doesn’t like me.”

“Tch,” Rainbows uttered, turning her back on me and arrogantly swinging her tail. Wait, had she just tsked at me?

Zeeta suddenly exclaimed:

“Hey guys, the sun is rising, we’ve gotta do something special! Let’s yell all at once, ‘Long live us’. One, two, three… LONG LIVE US! Hey, don’t leave me alone, you jerks!”

I laughed, then howled with him at the rising sun:

“LONG LIVE US! Wait, should I say, ‘long die me’? Come on, Ray, scream your head off! THIS YEAR, I’M GONNA BECOME A TRADEMARKED HERO! MY NO-DEATH IS GONNA BE THE BEST IN THE WORLD! I’M GONNA HAVE FUN!”

“WE’LL CRUSH THE SUN!” Zeeta played along, making it rhyme. “WITH AN ELECTROSHOCK GUN!”

“YEAAAAAH-UUUUN!”

Zeeta guffawed.

“Straw Head! The hell is that rhyme? Also, what was that about no-death and about becoming a trademarked Hero?”

Some people who had come to see the sunrise like us were throwing wary glances our way. Ray chortled, embarrassed.

“Doing such a foolish thing on the dawn of the first day of the year… I wonder if we are going to be okay.”

“I’m sure we will,” I said. “After all, they say only fools have a blissful life. So…” I breathed air, ran to the balustrade, and screamed at the top of my lungs: “I’M A HAPPY FOOL FOR LIFE!”

Later on, we humbly apologized to the monks of the temple for the racket…

38 The Independent Hero Association

On January 14th, in the Independent Hero Association’s base, three people were discussing matters while checking a pile of documents.

“It makes four hundred five candidates for tomorrow,” Iker the Old Mantis commented. “It will be hard to send so many of them home.”

“Not that hard,” Gilda the Bloody Cook assured, picking up a sheet. “There are a lot of them who applied just for fun. Look at that girl,” she said, and read out loud the sheet: “Nina Clover, seventeen years old, power: I’ve been very lucky since I’m born. What kind of power is that?” she laughed.

“Well,” Cynsea the Hypnotist cleared her throat, “I’m more worried about the candidates who say, ‘I’m good at fighting’ or ‘I can destroy the whole city with my powers’.”

“There was a guy who said that?” Gilda laughed.

“It was a girl, I think. Anyway, we asked Rita to accept even silly people like that, precisely because we don’t like to mercilessly filter people like the Nyomin does, right? But we will filter in the end. That’s sad.”

“It is, but it’s how society works, Cynsea,” Iker muttered, squinting at a document. “Besides, our candidates will have to pass the Nyomin’s filter as well.”

He was right. The Nyomin clearly said they wouldn’t accept any candidate chosen by the Independent Hero Association without evaluating them themselves. So the young aspirants would have to pass the tests prepared by both organizations. Cynsea sighed. After a year of negotiations with the Nyomin, their efforts to democratize the training for talented young people had paid off. But it was still unsatisfying. Out of the four hundred five candidates, only sixty would be accepted in the end. Cynsea had strong doubts whether she had to call that a victory. Didn’t they just give false hopes to those young people? Weren’t their efforts being used by the Nyomin authorities precisely to show a good image of themselves, something like “look, anyone can climb the ladder, just blame yourself if you are a loser”?

The merfolk shook her head.

Heroes society wasn’t going to change by doing this. They probably didn’t do any favor to the youngsters who applied whole-heartedly to the training… At that instant, Cynsea remembered the face of that young blond telekinetic she had led to Rita last month. Even if he were to pass, he most likely wouldn’t be supervised by the Nyomin as the “Chosen Candidates” would.

“Grrrrrr!” Cynsea grumbled suddenly. “Curse the Nyomin, curse the Nyomin, curse the Nyomin—”

“Don’t say that to the Nyomin judges tomorrow, Cynsea,” Gilda chuckled.

“It’s all right: I’ll hypnotize them and make them forget everything.”

“If you do that, we’re all screwed, so don’t.”

The door suddenly opened. Rita appeared on the threshold; a glowing halo hanging over her lavender hair tensed the three of them up: every time Rita’s halo was visible, it meant that she had been enduring something she didn’t like at all. Cynsea called it a martyr halo.

“Rita?” Iker said, standing up. “What is it?”

Rita’s face was calm when she said:

“We finally received the name of the judge for tomorrow’s examination. There will only be one: the Lightning Veil.”

Cynsea felt a chill running down her spine. The Lightning Veil. That woman was one of Lovecryce’s Nine Crowned Fairies. What was she doing in Farskyer? Why would she involve herself in an examination made by the Independent Hero Association?

Seriously, what was going on with that EPHT training?

39 Bonus: At cram school, one month before dying

Sitting beside me, Woon was drawing on his notebook with his upper hands while his two lower hands were browsing on his cellphone. Sometimes I wondered if he had a double mind along with his double pair of hands. As for me, I was too distracted watching him messing around to even know what the teacher was talking about.

Wasn’t Woon the one who told me in September, “Hey, Armen, let’s go to cram school and see if we can learn something!”? The more frustrating thing was, Woon wasn’t that bad of a student. If he were to study and listen to the lessons, there’s no telling how much his rank would improve.

“Well, now that we revised Chemistry, let’s pass to the interrogation about history and geography,” Mr. Yaog said.

Mr. Yaog was a good teacher, patient, considerate, polite, and was good at figuring out which subject his students were struggling with.

“Armen Moon,” he suddenly called out. “Are you up to the task?”

I froze. Mr. Yaog wouldn’t put his students in a pinch without warning them beforehand. That meant I was already aware I would be interrogated soon. Under the eyes of the other fifteen students, I stood up and walked to the front of the classroom, then bowed.

“I-I’ll be in your care.”

Mr. Yaog smiled.

“Relax. It’s just a little interrogation to see if you’ve memorized things well.”

“Yes, sir.”

My eyes focused on the windows. Outside, the sun had already set.

“Then, let’s start. How many continents exist in Farskyer?”

I swallowed hard. I tried to picture the world map in my mind.

“About… fifteen?”

Mr. Yaog gave me a polite smile.

“You meant fifteen minus five, right?”

“R-Right. So… ten continents.”

“Correct. What are their names?”

“Y-Yes: Farskyer, Amazonia, Hydra, Portopeace, Kaizleaf, New York, Europe er… and Starland! Ah, that doesn’t add up, right? North-Wing and South-Wing?”

“Yes, North-Wing and South-Wing are continents indeed. But New York is not: it’s a city in the South-Wing continent. Also, our Farskyer Peninsula is part of North Amazonia. It’s said that in the far future our peninsula will become a continent, but we’re not yet at this stage. Can someone help Armen find the other two continents?”

A lot of pupils raised their hands. It was always like that when I was interrogated: the questions were so easy that everyone was eager to lend me a hand. I was well loved.

“It’s Botoshima and Purple Country, Armen!”

“That’s correct. They are two islands to the south of Amazonia, way smaller than our continent, but they are listed as continents.”

“Who decides that?” I asked.

“Who?” Mr. Yaog rubbed his neck and let out a short laugh. “I must say I don’t know! But that’s the official truth you’ll have to learn for your exams. Anyway, let’s proceed to the next question. History. In the Big Blend calendar, in which century did the Great Blackout occur?”

The Great Blackout was a period when every electronic device on Earth broke down. For a century or so, humankind ceased to use electronics. A lot of technology had been lost with it. I knew as much. As for the exact century…

“It was… one thousand years after the Big Blend… No, thousand two hundred!”

“You should have more confidence in your first try, Armen. The Great Blackout happened a thousand years ago, that is, one thousand years after the Big Blend. You were right. What was the cause of that Blackout?”

“The Crystals?”

“Yes, but Crystals have different energies depending on their color. Was it a white Crystal? a purple one? a black one?”

“… A black one?” Since it was a blackout…

“Wrong.”

“The red ones!” a pupil whispered.

“The red ones?”

“Er… Half correct. Since it seems that other people don’t know either, I’ll explain: the Great Blackout was caused by the energy from the red Crystals getting in sync with the blue Crystal energy. As a consequence, the whole Earth was covered in an energy that short-circuited all the electronic devices. It is said that something like that could happen again any time, that’s why there are many groups of researchers and Explorers trying to figure out a way to understand what really happened and potentially counter its effect.” He paused. “As a matter of fact, that Great Blackout was a major trigger for the World Wars that broke out afterwards. Armen, what happened in 1154?”

“…”

I was increasingly embarrassed by my silence. We smiled painfully at each other.

Yeah, Mr. Yaog was a good teacher, patient, considerate, polite, and was good at figuring out which subject his students were struggling with…

The only problem was, it was hard to find a subject I wasn’t struggling with.

Soon, my smile died on my lips.

“Armen Moon. I don’t want to get you down, but that date is really common knowledge. Year 1154, the Alliance of Heroes was founded, five hundred years before the World Heroes Organization we know nowadays. You should memorize it.”

“… Yes, sir.”

Mr. Yaog cleared his throat.

“Well then, to end this on a positive note, how about you write a poem on the board with what you just learned?”

Mr. Yaog said we had to find a way to memorize things our own way, and writing poems was one of his methods. I quite liked the idea. I took a chalk and wrote in upper case:

TEN CONTINENTAL GIRLS WENT TO BUY PHONES.
A RED ONE FELL ON A BLUE ONE, AND CLASHED!
THEY BLACKED OUT, REVIVED, SKIN AND BONE,
THEN MADE A PACT. THE HEROES OF BEEN BORN.

* * *

Author’s note: End of book 1. I hope you enjoyed the reading! To keep yourself up-to-date about new books, follow my blog, or see the maps, please visit my website. Have a nice day!