At present, Giraus and I were seated facing each other in a round wooden table with a simple red cloth over it. Giraus mentioned that it was not safe to converse in that area as more undead hordes would soon flock to that place drawn to the battle.
I agreed and now we’re here.
Giraus cleared his throat and then began to speak slowly in his musky aged voice.
“First of all, I will explain what Cursed Areas are. To begin with, Cursed Areas aren’t rare and although they only form in a few areas, they usually don’t expand in range. Cursed Areas are the so called dungeons where undead form and generally, any place where the undead gather can be considered as Cursed Areas as undead are manifestations of the negative emotions of humans.”
“Negative emotions?”
Slightly perplexed, I asked.
Giraus nodded.
“Indeed, negative emotions are things like hatred, sorrow, despair, and malice. The undead rise when these scattered emotions gather up together to become a far more stable existence. And as Cursed Areas are formed through negative emotions, the gathered undead eventually form one when they congregate in one area.”
“I see, gathered together…”
Giraus waited for a few moments as I organized what I just heard.
“Cursed Areas are usually extremely dangerous and the area is corrupted with waters being poisoned and the trees dying. There isn’t any safe haven usually but considering our situation, this entire place could be considered as a safe haven for us.”
“Why?”
Just before we met, I was attacked by the undead.
“The undead that attacked you were mindless beings that retained a fragment of their minds and generally attack anything human or similar. If they had encountered me, they wouldn’t even bother. The undead you defeated are merely weaklings as the wills of those undead previously in their lives was too feeble.”
“Feeble?”
“Indeed, there is a classification amongst the undead ranks. They are divided by their willpower when they were alive, the condition of their body, and the mass of negative emotions that propel them. Willpower determines how much of their memories and mind do they retain. People with strong willpower like you and I retain majority if not all of our memories and our minds are not affected at all.”
“Interesting… So there may be others who retained their minds.”
“True, but whether they help you or not depends on what they wish for and how much of their minds they retain. As for the condition of their bodies… Well, that’s simple enough. It depends on how much of their bodies have decayed. Or how many limbs they still have. Though the undead feel no pain, that’s a hindrance to some since it means our bodies can be destroyed without us feeling a thing.”
“I believe that applies to me. If my arm gets severed, I’m afraid I won’t even be able to feel it.”
“That may be so, but in exchange, you possess a body capable of unleashing your full strength without feeling pain or fatigue. A body of a perfect soldier capable of battling for eternity.”
“From your words, that means I can exist forever.”
“That depends on whether or not that body rots. Well, I’m certain I won’t last very long. I’ll eventually rot.”
“It may be your fortune that you won’t stay long here then.”
“Apparently not, but I may stay here as a spirit. But that won’t happen.”
“Hm?”
“Evil spirits remain in this world due to their regrets or strong emotions that chain them to this world.”
“Wouldn’t that mean that both you and I would remain here then eternally?”
“That doesn’t apply to me, though it may apply to you.”
“What do you mean?”
“Exactly as I’ve said. When a person dies, his spirit will remain for several days until that person moves on after his death and accepts it. He will soon disappear from this world after he realizes and accepts his fate. I’ve died quite recently. It’s only natural that I remain for a slightly longer time. But you on the other hand, have remained here for years. It will be far difficult for you to leave.”
Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.
“…”
He’s correct. I have remained here. Trapped after my death due to my regret and hatred as I refused to accept my fate.
“Fear not though. Since you’ve retained your mind, you can still see reason. I believe with enough time, you may soon accept your fate, and pass on. This is related to how much negative emotions empower you. The undead possess negative emotions possess certain powers that give them great abilities. That fuels them the power to remain in this world. You and I should also possess certain abilities but mine is quite feeble.”
“Then I suppose you’ll fade away soon enough.”
“Indeed, though you may soon follow.”
“?”
“You’ve remained in this world for far too long. For the undead to exist, they must possess negative emotions and the longer they exist, the more their negative emotions wane until they cease to move. Your negative emotions are quite feeble now.”
I see. Then the years I’ve spent here trapped would soon end.
“Though, you would have to continually use your powers to do so.”
“My powers?”
“Yes, a Cursed Area is a special area for the undead. Our negative emotions aren’t decreasing whatsoever in this area. Therefore, we need to continue to use our powers. As for what our powers may be, we need to find them out.”
“One last question then. If an undead is defeated and destroyed, what happens to them?”
Giraus smiled.
“I see that your curious nature has yet to change. Very well, when an undead is destroyed, their negative emotions are scattered and absorbed by the Heart.”
“Heart?”
“Yes, that is where all the negative emotions fueling this Cursed Area is coming from. To sever it would spell the end of this curse. As well as the eventual end to the continued existence of all the undead present.”
I closed my eyes and began to organize my thoughts.
Giraus kept his silence while I do so.
After some time, Giraus asked.
“Since you know of this, what do wish to do?”
Opening my eyes, I stated my intentions.
“There is no need to wait for everything to end. I will put an end to it myself.
The only reason I suffered this kind of fate is because I decided to simply accept my fate and move on, only for it to end tragically.
Rather than simply accept my fate, it would be far better for me to oppose it.
Giraus smiled lightly.
“If so, then it would be in your best interest to seek out companions to aid you. In this wretched place, others with thoughts of vengeance may aid you in its destruction. Beware the dangers that lurks as there are those who will oppose you.”
“Well then, will you join me?”
Taken back slightly, Giraus smiled sadly.
“A tempting offer… But I must decline. I’ve already betrayed your trust before. It would be shameless of me to join you once more.”
“I see, very well. I will leave now.”
I thanked him once more and stood up.
Gripping my sword, I headed outside to do what I must.
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Thank you for reading. This chapter is kind of a talk on what powers the undead possess. Well, the various undead with their powers will come eventually, but not at present. It won't come in a while nor will Sylfern's Power appear till much later.