The fourth day of the new year started simple, I ate everything I could in the cafeteria and then proceeded towards the ritual chamber, where I slowly started writing the sygils I would need into the ground.

It was a dumbed down version of the lich ascension, as that step would completely destroy my body and necessitate a phylactery, both being things I very much didn’t want to be bothered with.

Instead, this ritual would use the souls of my sacrifices to repair any cracks my own soul might suffer, while their bodies would draw and channel necros towards me or away from me, depending on my own saturation.

The flowers represented death, and as I smashed the into a red colored path, I began writing a shield around the ritual, which would channel any gathered necros towards whoever would dare to enter or leave, aging them at an approximated twenty years per second.

It took me half the day to complete any preparations, when the sacrifices finally arrived, seven hooded people that decided to disrobe for the act, and I did the same, fearing I might merge with my clothes.

“It was hard, but I found six others that believed me for what I have seen.” The man I originally send out said, the smoke of candles and torches slowly filling the room with toxins.

“Good work, get into the corners, and we may begin. I need you to think about this death as a simple way to achieve immortality, becoming part of something greater, your memory will be eternal within me, and that I promise. Before you die, I need to know your names.” SO, they named themselves, telling me about their hopes and fears as I filled the blank spots with their names, binding them to the ritual eternally. Slowly, I return to the center and sit down in a lotus position, entering my own name, Luce Bravelight, and the name Ragnar, in the center.

The innermost circle was not merely a valve for the necros and soul energy, it was also a religious ritual.

Each of them followed the call of Ragnar, and this ritual would forevermore link me to that name.

It could never hold the influence my true name had over me, but it would be enough to draw my attention, a feeling of awareness when someone talked about it.

Middle names were rare for this reason, but from the literature I had managed to read, every major entity had one, doing their best to spread it, so people could connect to them, and depending on the names power, change the caller when it is uttered.

As I opened my soul, as if to cast a necros spell, the ritual began to draw, and I fell asleep to the sound of my own bones breaking.

Darkness took me, and my consciousness floated in the eternal nothingness between, I saw the bodies of all my lich past lives floating there, an unknown body resting above them.

“I am disappointed for rejecting this path, I hoped to have a fellow scholar of the bone in our order.” Said the figure, shaking their head as they floated away.

“You could have made a fine warrior.” A knight in black armor said, riding atop a steed of bone.

“He is not undead, he is undying. He would have needed to actually let go of his vitality to join you. Instead, he chose the path of hunger, struggling to not end his growth and become undead, his flesh is impressively warped already.” A different creature said, a ghoul wearing a crown of thorns.

“You have reached the point where we, the strongest undead in this world, have given up our progression, and instead chose to become eternal. We are the grave lords, and you will join us with this mutation. We recommend you give up and become eternal like us, pick the undead trait when you turn twelve, and we will welcome you with open arms.”

This voice came from a pale noble, probably a vampire, his clothes implying some form of position as an advisor.

“You will now have to diverge from the paths we and our predecessors created, and understand that the step to become the undead king is one that requires thousands of deaths.” The first said, an old book held in his hands.

“Tell us what you are, and the system will guide your next mutation.”

My grin grew wider as I felt the power of my previous decisions, the path I had taken and everything I ever did gathering close to my core.

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“I am a glutton and a beacon. I am a walking afterlife, those who die by my hand are eternal. Their blood becomes mine, ready to heal. Memories and dreams become my tools and guidelines for my future path. Their souls join the bottomless hole that is my own, and their bodies will become my retinue. I am the end, and I shall never end.”

I felt the old dream wash through me once more, the foreshadow of my new powers.

Standing in a field, alone and bruised, a forked tongue slid between my lips, hissing as I tried to somehow save myself. Slowly, I looked around, my allies dead, and a wounded army before me, their great hero stepping forward as I dragged myself away, his sacred blade burning as it passed through me, and I grabbed onto him. I pulled myself upwards, nails digging into his armor, blood gushing from my wounds as my tongue entered his mouth, my saliva slowly thinning down his intestines, a storm of arrows approaching as I did so. And when I let go, his husk turned to fight his previous allies, while my flesh was knitting itself back together faster than my enemies could feel it.

This was not a memory, like the mutations before it had been, it was a simulation, and as I ran through the field, a front line following as I turned the dead into my eternal servants, I knew it was time to turn around, where I watched the undead storm my foes, dying and killing them, allowing for me to turn more and more until the army was finally defeated, and the corpses stopped moving.

They were like limbs of mine, subconsciously controlled, and a fraction of my soul imparted into each of them.

I experimented, killing one would return their soul fragment to me, the size of the fragment controlled how detailed my control over them would be, one I gave half my soul becoming incredibly powerful as he raised the others as his undead servants, though it did reduce me to a tier six soul.

Slowly, I dispelled each of my undead, ripping their souls out again, only to realize that they had grown a bit with every man they killed.

It was a simple process, and yet so full of promise. Slowly, I reached out, and concluded the ritual, only to drift into sleep even deeper.

Name:

Luce Ragnar Bravelight

Race:

Human (child) (Mutant)

Class:

Empty

Soul:

Fourth refinement, Tier 7

Body:

Second refinement, Tier 2

Mind:

Second refinement, Tier 2

Mutation

Description

Unbound 4

You are easier to affect with space magic, exposure to dimensional effects will unlock further effects.

Undying 7

Your physical growth and decay will happen at a slower rate, exposure to Necros will upgrade this effect.

Anima chimera 4

Your soul is used to absorbing others, when you kill something, a part of it will be naturally drawn to you.

When I awoke, there were seven mummified corpses kneeling around me, like fingers, they moved at a hint of a thought. Their souls were not just directly connected to my own, they were mine, and when I stood up, looking like a starved child, they stood up and followed me.

My path led me to my dorm, everyone nearby stopping to take a look when I passed, though they did make space, so my retinue could follow.

“Looks like bone eater has gathered some food.” I heard from my side, Shade raising her brows, her upper lip twisting into something almost resembling a smile, the news surely going to spread around the school in a matter of minutes.

“Yeah, they are a part of me though, they behave like limbs, if you will.” I explain, making one of them clap his hand.

“I think I should head to get some food, you want to come? These boys will remain in my room though, it would be horrible to have to explain this to the cafeteria lady.” Shade rolled her eyes at that, our path continuing until I locked my retinue in my room, before the two of us went to eat.

“I was curious where you went the last two days, expected something crazy when I heard you were occupying the ritual room. It seems my impression of you was right.”

“Your Impression of me?” I asked, now it was my turn to raise my brows.

“Crazy attention seeking boy with too much time on his hands, probably some evil goal like world domination, right?” Her question made me chuckle, my tired muscles aching as the smile spread over my face.

“Immortality, but close enough.”