As soon as she realised where she was, the necromancer sprang into action. With her sharp teeth, she tore her lip open, and with her thumb and second finger, spraying bloody droplets into the air before the rows and rows of cremated remains, neatly stacked in wooden drawers across every wall from floor to ceiling. Some were labelled with names, but many were blank and unmarked.

Her husky voice shaped into melodic, lilting words.

"Tagaigí chugam.”

The blood droplets seemed to hang in the evening light, glittering like precious gems for a suspended moment. Then there was a rush of air, a feeling of suction towards the necromancer, who was laughing wildly. Her hair had escaped the cords binding it and was now curling like storm clouds around her.

"HAHAHAHA! I told ye I would escape! What were ye thinking, bringing me here?" Her pupils had shrunken to pinpricks as she turned, grinning madly to Sou Yuet. "Ye wanted to play? LET'S PLAY! Let's pl... Huh?"

The rushing wind had died down without so much as the hair of a ghost appearing. Sou Yuet tipped their head to one side with mild interest. "What were you trying to say just now? Was something supposed to happen?"

They had to quickly lean back to avoid the sudden grab that the necromancer made towards their neck.

"WHAT DID YE DO?" the necromancer screeched. Her jittering eyes managed to focus on Sou Yuet. "AGAIN! AGAIN!"

She tore at her lip a second time, a stream of scarlet blood now spilling down her pale chin. "TAGAIGÍ CHUGAM."

Again, that sense of suction, even stronger this time. Even the ever-smiling Sou Yuet was looking a little windswept, although despite this they continued to watch the unfolding scene with more curiosity than fear. The necromancer's limbs began to shake with exertion, furious and frustrated that no ghosts were coming to greet her. With a hiss, she rushed towards Sou Yuet again, transforming mid-step into his masculine form. "WHAT DID YE DO? WHAT-"

Between one blink and the next, Sou Yuet was suddenly in front of him, one arm outstretched with a single finger pointing to the spot between the necromancer's eyebrows. The monk's words were light and rapid. "Tsuen yue seoi min.”

The necromancer's pupils rapidly contracted, and he fell back in a dead faint.

----------------------------------------

"AH!"

He woke with a start, shooting up from the bed where he was resting. Momentarily disorientated, he had to blink a few times before he realised he was back in the bed that had been assigned to him. The chatter of disciples outside and the lightness of the air told him it was mid-morning at the earliest.

Sou Yuet was meditating against a wall.

The necromancer sprang out of the bed and finished the action he had attempted before, seizing Sou Yuet's throat and slamming them against the wall.

"Ye're a sneaky one, aren't ye?" he mused with a smile, showing all of his teeth.

Sou Yuet blinked mildly in response. "If you say so."

"So what did ye do, hm?" With his free hand, the necromancer traced the line of Sou Yuet's jaw with his strong fingers. "Why don't ye tell me?" He brought his face close, soft breaths falling on the monk's lips. "What's the big secret?"

If he was hoping that his aggressively intimate attention would fluster the monk, he was disappointed. Sou Yuet simply smiled peacefully and said, "I have no idea."

"Reeeeeaally?" The necromancer's fingers crept down to the collar of Sou Yuet's robes.

"Unfortunately."

The necromancer spat out a sound of annoyance and rocked back on his heels. "Ugh, are ye a fecking rock or something?"

"I don't believe so?"

"Ye're a smartarse though."

"As Si fu always says, 'Better than being a dumbarse.'"

"…" Seriously?

The necromancer sighed and threw himself back on the bed. He finally understood why this monk had been assigned to manage him, and that he was going to have to change tack if he really did want to escape.

Sou Yuet stood and carefully dusted themselves off. "I have some theories though."

"Why didn't ye say so before?" The necromancer energetically leapt upright again, only to realise that he was looking down at the monk from a considerable distance. "Ye're... actually real short."

The monk sat down on the bed and stretched the space out between them even further. "One - your power has been suppressed for a long time during your confinement, and you were also very tired, so you didn't have enough energy. I put you into a deep healing sleep, so that shouldn't be much of a problem now."

Come to think of it... The necromancer experimentally swung his arms, did some squats, and jumped up and down. The wound on his lip was gone too. He felt better than he had in years.

"Two - we are healing monks, which is life-giving. Since your powers relate to death, perhaps they have cancelled each other out."

"I guess...?" The necromancer scratched his head and realised his hair had been carefully tied up again.

"Three - the monks' spirits can't understand the language you are speaking. The monks and nuns whose remains lie here died many years ago, before the common tongue was developed. They would have spoken a language that's different those the one spoken across the Four Kingdoms now."

This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

“So what's that language I've heard ye slipping into every now and then?”

Sou Yuet hesitated. “Before the war, the language for the Five Kingdoms was Dzue. With the fall of the Dzue Kingdom, the language shifted towards the one we use today, Xiǎng. What about you? What is that language you were speaking before called?”

“Adhmaid, the language of wood. In my country, they say we come from the woods and return to the woods.”

“Language of wood...” Sou Yuet mused. “I like that.”

"Anyway, it shouldn't matter. I've not had a problem even with animals and they speak their own languages. So how come ye're still using Dzue-"

"Well then maybe it's the fourth reason."

"Which is?"

"You're actually not a very good necromancer."

Sou Yuet calmly dodged the double-footed kick that the witch aimed at their head, and trotted outside with irritated shrieks echoing after them.

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That evening, the Yuān Wěi Master called them both to his study. Sou Yuet bowed politely, the necromancer stuck his tongue out. The Master simply smiled at them both. Star lay on his lap, cleaning her paws.

Ugh, this snake has the same smile as that damned monk. He glared at the monks, choosing to remain standing when the others sat, and ignoring the offered tea.

"So how are you two getting along?" The Master asked.

"Well," Sou Yuet said, sipping tea.

"I fecking hate ye all," said the necromancer, flipping his middle finger at the other two.

"Excellent." The Master poured out some more tea. "Ah Yuet, I want to speak to you about your succession of my position as Si fu."

For the first time, Sou Yuet looked mildly perturbed. "Are you ill, Si Fu?"

"No, no. Nothing like that. I just feel like it's time to retire. Perhaps go on a holiday travelling the world. Visit some beaches, that kind of thing."

"..."

"In any case, you'll take over one day, so why not make preparations now? Ah Yuet, I believe the future Yuen Mei Si fu should spend at least a year travelling and assisting those suffering and in need. Why not bring along your new friend and have an adventure?" He said this last sentence in the common tongue.

"I understand, Si fu." Sou Yuet bowed with a smile, ignoring the now-raging necromancer who was angry at being labelled a 'friend'. "I'll make preparations right away."

"Ah, no hurry, no hurry. It has been so lively these past few days with you and your friend here. I would be sad to see you go so soon."

Sou Yuet took their leave, and also took the irate necromancer with them. The witch complained the whole way back to the dormitories. "Why do I have to go with ye? I don't want to help people! This is the worst... I'd rather go back to the fecking Aiteann Prison."

"Really?"

"... No."

The necromancer flowed back into her feminine form and suddenly wrapped her arms around Sou Yuet's waist. "Ah Yuet? Can ye take me back to the cemetery?"

"Not today, I have a class to run. And behave yourself. Calling me 'Ah Yuet' is only allowed by Si fu."

"Please?" She pressed her body against the monk's back, rubbing herself against them. Her fingers roamed. "Could ye do this one wee thing for me?"

"Hm? No?" Sou Yuet gave her a smile of polite bewilderment over their shoulder.

The necromancer stormed away. Sou Yuet watched her go, with an expression that clearly said one thing: "What a strange person."

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For a week after, Sou Yuet showed no sign of leaving. They continued their familiar routine of rising early, meditating before dawn, helping prepare meals, tending the gardens and teaching the younger disciples. The only change was that they would have to drag the necromancer out of bed at mid morning, as the witch seemed to favour crepuscular hours, around dawn and dusk, sneaking away to sleep in the middle of the day.

They would also try sneaking back to the cemetery, without success, and no amount of threats, pleading or seduction seemed to work on Sou Yuet.

The necromancer was a huge point of curiosity for the younger disciples, who, after their initial shyness, would now affectionately sit in the necromancer's lap, fight to feed them, and also to braid their long, wild black hair, or try to help them apply dark plant-based dye to their eyelids, as they seemed to like to do. They were fascinated by the witch's ability to change their gender appearance. Sou Yuet didn't bat an eye as the children clamoured around them.

"Hey, it's my turn to braid the guest's hair!"

"No it isn't! You did it two days ago. It's my turn!"

"Honourable guest, please have some more rice."

"Aren't monks supposed to be quiet and contemplative?" the necromancer growled, in masculine form for the moment. He glared at Sou Yuet who was peacefully eating their meal on the other side of the table. "Control these little terrors!"

"I trust them to resolve their own issues," Sou Yuet replied calmly.

"Can I sit here, honourable guest?"

"Not on me lap! Ugh... just... Next to me, next to me."

"I get to sit next to the guest!"

The necromancer slapped himself in the face with sheer exasperation.

"They like you," Sou Yuet said.

"Why the hell are there so many kids? Are you and yer master the only adults here? The feck is going on?"

"LANGUAGE!" A chorus of young voices shouted, and someone shoved a large piece of taro into the necromancer's mouth. As the witch spluttered, Sou Yuet set down their chopsticks and put their hands together in gratitude. "We will be leaving soon."

Their announcement was met with more noise.

"Head Disciple, you're leaving?"

"It's so soon... Can't you stay longer?"

"So our honourable guest is going too? Can't they stay here?"

"No."

"Hey, don't I get a say in all this?"

"No."

Every 'no' was delivered with a cordial little smile.

"Ugh."

"Honourable guest, what is it that you did for Head Disciple to have to watch you?"

The necromancer grinned with sharp teeth. "All kinds of things! I raised the dead of a village and let them visit their relatives, for one."

"Oh," the disciple looked confused. "But we regularly visit our ancestors. Like on Tomb Sweeping Day."

"Right? I thought I was doing them a favour, but nooooo, apparently I 'disturbed the public peace' and 'traumatised' everyone instead."

"What else did you do?"

"When the Aiteann Mages came looking for me, I hid in a swamp. They killed a lot of mosquitoes while they were following me. So guess what I did?" The necromancer winked conspiratorially at the disciples.

"That's so smart, honourable guest. What else?"

The necromancer cast the briefest of glances in Sou Yuet's direction. The monk was apparently absorbed with swirling the tea leaves in their cup.

"I got the ghosts to steal a heap of stuff for me, scared some more people, blah blah blah."

"Did you ever kill anyone?"

Everyone's heads turned towards the disciple that spoke. She blushed and stammered, "I- It's just... Well, honourable guest, perhaps I'm wrong, but the things you did seem to be... relatively minor. I saw you when you first arrived - you were all tied up and looked like you had been treated very badly. It just... doesn't make sense to me."

"Me either," the necromancer replied with a raucous laugh. "Welcome to the world of adults!"

At this point, Sou Yuet clapped their hands and the disciples all sprang up. "Mealtime is over. Those on kitchen duty please gather the plates. The rest of you to the gardens. We will be learning about liquorice root today."

As the younger disciples filed away to undertake their tasks, only Sou Yuet and the necromancer remained at the table.

"What is it?" the necromancer asked roughly, to fill the extended silence.

Sou Yuet poured him some tea and pushed the cup over. "The children like you."

"They're a pain."

Sou Yuet smiled, as if to say that they could hear the insincerity in those words. "Once this year is over, you are welcome to stay at Yuān Wěi Temple."

The necromancer almost choked on his tea. "What?"

"You seem to have had a hard life." Sou Yuet finished their tea, and for once that smile was not a bland, calm, emotion-masking expression. The necromancer could practically see the strong light of compassion shining through. He thought he might go blind.

Sou Yuet stood. "Take your time. We have a whole year ahead, after all."

They left the food hall. The necromancer turned the cup around and around in his hand, completely confused. "How did recounting all of me misdeeds bring them to a conclusion like that?"

He finished the last sip of tea.

"It's... It's not a bad feeling."