70. I was rescued by a grandma

We couldn’t go around the island, since there was no way we could climb the cliffs, or even fight against the currents to reach the coast. We couldn’t wait for the sun to rise either. The only way left was the beach in front of us.

We had but started to swim across the Neck, trying not to make a sound, when I heard Ray say mentally:

‘Armen, is everything all right?’

Linah was swimming some meters behind. I whispered:

“Your mom’s on the beach. Shouldn’t you be sleeping at this hour?”

‘… I couldn’t sleep.’

“What…?”

‘I think I grasp the situation. I’m coming. I’ll distract my mother while you two sneak back home, okay?’

Dammit… I shouldn’t have told him anything. Oh, but I guess it wouldn’t have made much difference, since he could see through my eyes and understand the situation by himself.

We had crossed about two-thirds of the Neck when I saw the light on the beach twinkle and suddenly move, like, forty meters away in a blink.

I had read the Lightning Veil’s power was to teleport away. I had no more doubts about the identity of the silhouette that was now standing near a new, powerful torchlight. Ray’s, most likely. He had been fast. Two months ago, he would have done whatever it took not to go out in the dead of night, but now there he was…

I had stopped for a bit, and Linah caught up with me.

“You sure swim fast, Straw Head,” she commented under her breath. “Are you a merfolk?”

“I was a sardine in my past reincarnation.”

“Pfff… Don’t make me laugh, Straw Head!” she whispered. “More importantly, did you see? The Lightning Veil blinked. If my eyes are not mistaken, she’s talking with someone.”

“Yeah… Let’s try to get around them.”

We soon got out of the water, as smoothly as possible, and advanced on the sand. Should we enter the sponge cactus grove, or just go toward the stairs? Ray had made his mom walk while talking, and they were about fifty meters away from the stairs now. The moon wasn’t even full, and it was so dark I could barely see Linah in front of me. We could probably pass without being noticed.

We could make it.

Or so I thought until, suddenly, a light was flashed on us and a stern voice called out:

“Linah Sunclaw. Armen Moon. Stop right there.”

We froze. Crap… Lizzie Dvorak had recognized us. It was no use running away anymore. She was approaching without teleporting. Ray was following her, a bit upset.

‘Sorry, Armen… It seems that my mom saw right through my intentions from the start.’

The Lightning Veil stopped and looked at us, head to toe. I was smiling painfully under my drenched mask, wondering whether we would be expelled or punished or what, when Linah spoke.

“With all my respect, ma’am, I had to go to the main island. I had an extremely important appointment. So you know, I didn’t laze around nor cause any trouble to the local population. As for Armen, I’m the one who got him into this: he’s innocent. Now, if you let that pass, I can promise you I won’t go to the main island without permission anymore.”

Her tone was so arrogant! I had rarely seen her adopt such a princess-like behavior. That took me aback.

Lizzie frowned.

“I do not need your promises, young trainee. And I don’t care about your extremely important appointment either—”

“Mom, wait!” Ray protested. “They’re my friends. Can’t you—?”

“Be lenient?” she cut her son off. “Are you saying you know where they went, Ray?”

“I know, and it’s nothing shady.”

“Yeah, we only went to meet with an immortal witch!” I supported.

“Straw Head…”

Linah and Ray cleared their throats. What? Should I not have said that? Lizzie raised her eyebrows.

“A witch? Witches are not what I would call normal acquaintances. Where is that witch now?”

“She disappeared.” Linah’s voice was a bit curt. “She’s a Wanderer.”

As Lizzie gave me an inquisitive look, I nodded, then realized… Had she taken me for the honest type who couldn’t lie? I heard her sigh.

“I would like to say trainees are not allowed to leave the island, but actually, there is no such rule. We, trainers, are only here to train you, not to look after you. Every trainee is responsible for themself. So… if it’s true that you two didn’t cause any trouble, just get back to your quarters.”

She was letting us off the hook? I joined my hands in joy.

“Thanks, ma’am! Ray, your mom is so nice—RAY!”

My friend had staggered, almost falling on the sand. I reached out a hand, but he hurried backwards.

“Armen, don’t…!”

He shut his mouth before uttering the order but sent it anyway through our necro-bond. My core understood it immediately as a “don’t touch me”. I knew he had been frightened that I would lose my composure before Linah and Lizzie and eat his lifeforce as soon as I touched him, but as my core was suddenly convulsed by the order, I understood one more thing: Ray was exhausted. He couldn’t even think straight. He had been using his own energy in taking care of my injuries and my veins infected with Heavenly Storm lifeforce; he hadn’t even slept for two nights in a row…

Ray wasn’t an undead. He needed to sleep. He needed time to get some rest. And I had been the one preventing him from getting any.

I turned on my heel and broke into a run, entering the sponge cactus grove in a dash.

My core was racing, trying to circulate, through my body, a deathforce that was running lower and lower… I was wheezing through my mask.

Had I stayed with them for some seconds longer, I would have probably given in to my hunger. It was growing. I could feel it. It was like an immense void crying to be fed. I could hear it shriek and writhe in pain within me.

‘Armen!’ Ray yelled through our necro-bond. ‘Forgive m—Hell, I’m sorry. I’m so tired… I hate myself for being so weak…’

“Grrmlml…”

I panted. Where was I? I had no idea. I had stopped running and had fallen on what turned out to be a bed of small cactuses. Shaken by my weight, they had started releasing blue, scintillating spirals of smoke. Weren’t those the poisonous cactuses Nina’s luck had made me avoid during the race? So it seemed. Fortunately, they didn’t have any effect on me. At least, I had the impression they didn’t. It took all my will to roll down from the cactuses, sit down, and focus on what I wanted to say:

“Go to sleep, Ray. Right now. At once. I’m fine, so… Don’t worry about me and go to sleep, dammit. I won’t die. I won’t go berserk. Trust me. So now please take care of yourself, you hear me?!”

I got no answer. At least, I didn’t hear any. I grumbled in a stifled voice:

“You take too much on yourself, Ray.”

I took deep breaths to no avail. My eyes opened wide in the darkness as I muttered:

“Idiot.”

After some time sitting still on the dry sandy soil among cactuses, my body fell on the ground. It seemed that I had reached my limit. Despite having eaten a bit of Linah’s and Katya’s lifeforce, I had spent it all. I was out of energy. With a bit of luck, Ray had already got back to his room and was sleeping well. I was endlessly thankful for all that he was doing for me, but his worries were going too far. If he had to neglect himself to take care of me… There was no way in hell I could be thankful for that. I knew that I wouldn’t die so easily even if my body couldn’t move. Ray had told me that an undead without enough energy to move could last about two weeks before dying even if the necromancer had not put him to ‘sleep’. There was no rush. I could wait for him to sleep and recover. I would miss the first morning classes, but so would Ray. Whatever. His health was a priority.

My eyes could still gaze at the distant stars in the sky. I was calming down. It didn’t feel like I was completely relaxed, though. It was more as if I didn’t have enough energy left to even think actively. But my core was craving for food as it had never had. It was such a weird feeling.

The sun was rising when I heard some footsteps approach calmly then stop. I looked at the silhouette looming over me.

She was a skinny girl in dark purple clothes, about my age, with pale skin, black, short hair, and mauve eyes, lighter and smaller than Arkifa’s.

“I can’t believe I volunteered to babysit an undead cub.”

Her voice was quiet. She had a strange accent.

Our eyes met.

“You can’t move, huh? Can you talk?”

“… Yes. Who…?”

“Oh, right. I’m Natasha Shatana Limpetra, one of the elite trainees from Starland. Oh, from your eyes, I take it you know who I am.”

Yes. A necromancer. The third disciple of one of the best necromancers in the world, Makler Vod. She crouched and examined me with a glance.

“Your master explained the whole thing to me yesterday, during the race. I would have never thought Cesarine Lovecryce had a Heavenly Storm lifeforce type. That’s big news.”

She approached her hand then paused before my suspicious eyes.

“Don’t worry. I came to help you. Your master told me you are quite smart. He didn’t tell me your age, but if you can already talk, I bet around two or three years old? That would mean Ray created you when he was fourteen years old.” She gave me a friendly smile. “Your master must be quite a genius. As expected from the Styxer family.”

I was surprised. If Ray and Natasha had talked together during the race, that meant… that they had been paired up. Some strange coincidence.

“So, young one,” Natasha continued. “No need to be wary of me, you can be at ease.”

Could I? I looked at Natasha’s hand, a bit worried.

“You…” My voice was streaky. “You shouldn’t touch me. I am… starving right now.”

Natasha raised an eyebrow. Her hand hadn’t moved an inch.

“I know,” she said. “And you’re keeping your cool in spite of it. That’s quite a feat. But do not worry.”

Her hand finally touched my face. I was preparing myself to fight back my life-lust… but nothing came. I was confused. Why…?

Natasha pulled off my mask.

“As you can see,” she went on, “you can’t eat my lifeforce… because I don’t have any. I’m an undead just like you.”

She was telling the truth. So she was a necromancer and an undead? Just like Uncle Adrian. But then, that meant Makler Vod was her real master, not only her teacher. And that meant…

I had been left with nothing to eat.

“Huhuhu,” she tittered. “You’re quite disappointed, aren’t you? Fortunately for you, as I said, I came to help you. Let’s say I can make reserves of lifeforce. I ate a lot tonight, thinking of you. So I can give it all to you. But if you want it, you’ll have to stay calm. No violence allowed.”

I was staring at her, puzzled. What was she going on about? Wait! Did she want to feed me like a nestling or something?! Then she took out a juice bottle from her bag. I could read a message written on it, «The Master Cook!», before she put it back in her bag.

“Not that one. I put your meal in the biggest bottle, since you need a great amount of lifeforce right now. Here it is!”

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She brandished the said bottle. It was opaque, so I couldn’t see the contents. Under my astonished eyes, she approached the spout of the bottle to my mouth. Despite myself, I sealed my lips.

“… Are you going to make things difficult? Why? Aren’t you hungry?”

Somehow, her tone gave the impression that she was talking to a little kid. Well, she did think I was a little kid. I grimaced.

“Ray told me I can’t eat until my veins are disinfected.”

Natasha nodded thoughtfully.

“Oh. Such self-control from a little kid like you. I’m impressed. But let me tell you something. If your body can’t move, that means your veins are almost empty of deathforce. Your master may have read in a book that you should fast for three days, but honestly, a good necromancer can’t rely on books for everything. A good practitioner would say that, as of now, you should start eating at once. In your state, you should eat as much as you can. In fact, it’s dangerous if you keep repressing your life-lust. It can only hinder your growth.”

I was shocked by her words. And annoyed.

“Are you saying Ray is not a good necromancer?” I grumbled.

“I’m just saying your master has a long way to go. But at least he’s aware of that, not like other foolish necromancers I’ve known. Now, kid, do you want to eat? Classes will start soon.”

I frowned.

“No.”

Even if Natasha was well-intentioned, if I listened to her, then that would mean I was accepting the fact that Ray had been in the wrong. I didn’t want that. Besides, that Starland necromancer irritated me quite a bit with her view of a good practitioner.

The girl’s face darkened.

“No?”

“No.”

“… You’re being stubborn. I’ve spent the whole night making reserves of lifeforce for you, you know? Yesterday, Ray accepted my help.”

“I have no proof of that.”

For once, I was being wary. After all, my health and my loyalty to Ray were at stake. Even so, I was so, so damn hungry…

“If you wonder why I want to help you, then I’ll tell you, wilful brat,” Natasha muttered. “I’m over sixty years old, you know, and I’ve been a necromancer for almost forty years now. I can’t bear the sight of some kids messing around with necromancy in a Nyomin training. My master is trying to come to an important agreement with the Ministry of Dark Arts Regulation… If an accident were to happen, their efforts would be ruined.”

I gasped inwardly. Sixty years old?! She gazed at me intently.

“As I thought, you don’t seem to be as young as you should be. Did you perhaps… keep some memories from your past life?”

“…!”

I just remembered a conversation I’d had with Ray some days after my revival. He had told me that his dad was one of the few necromancers in History to have overcome the barrier of the inner soul. That is, the fact that the Lord was able to not only give birth to an undead but also consciously keep the entire soul of the dead person was totally extraordinary. Well, strictly speaking, I did lose some of my memories, such as common knowledge about the world and the like, but those were trifles: the thing is, I was a rarity among the undead.

And if that were to be known, it would only mean trouble.

“Oh, sorry, kid! I know that speaking of those things is usually taboo for us undead. But it’s not that strange to remember one’s past.”

“It’s not?” I breathed out. “But Ray told me…”

I fell silent, realizing I had made a blunder. Natasha shrugged.

“Relax. It just confirms the rumors. The Styxer have improved their arts. But my master did too, you know. Way more than any other necromancer in the world, I’d say.” Her eyes sparkled with manifest pride.

I was pissed off. Even though every syllable was draining my dying energy reservoir, I protested with a wheezing and barely human voice:

“The Lord… is also… an amazing necromancer… His son is… even more.”

“Huhuhu, every familiar says that, but objectively speaking, my master is on a whole different level. Yours is but a newbie.”

“… Tch.”

“Don’t get mad. Your master may be a nice person, but he is a teenager who barely knows how to handle a Fury.”

“Does your… master teach you maths?”

“… Maths? Huhu, why would he teach me that?”

“Does he play… video games… with you?”

“Your talking is getting less and less understandable, young one. Anyway, the familiar serves the master, not the other way around. Now, will you eat?”

Was she implying I was a burden on Ray? I clicked my tongue, my body still stiff as a dead trunk. I was in a bad mood. Probably because I was hungry. Natasha grumbled:

“Geez… Maybe you are really a two-year-old kid, after all. Should I just leave you to starve?”

At her words, I did my utmost to swallow up my frustration. I should eat. I had already died in a pitiful manner once; was I going to do it twice? There was no way.

‘Eat, Armen.’

Ray’s mental message came out of the blue. I forgot all my resistance and moaned:

“I’m hungry.”

Natasha had stood up and was slowly walking away, obviously to make me react. She didn’t stop at my words, though. Oi…

“I’m hungry,” I repeated. “Please give me the bottle. Please don’t leave me alone…”

She stopped.

“You changed your mind? Why all of a sudden?”

“Ray just told me to eat.”

“…! Eeh… I see. But why should I help an insolent brat like you?”

When had I been insolent? I could hardly remember our conversation. My core was working slower and slower.

“Sorry, grandma…”

There was a silence, then…

“Grandma?”

Shoot, I just had to call her old at such a critical moment…

“Huhuhu. Well, Chef Grandma is not so cruel as to let a little kid starve like that…” Was she actually flattered? She came back and crouched beside me with an amused smile. “I swore to myself that I wouldn’t let any undead starve before my eyes no matter how impertinent they were, so… here it goes, brat.” She took the bottle and put its spout into my mouth saying: “Enjoy!”

She pressed a button on the bottle. As soon as I felt the lifeforce pour into my mouth, my core convulsed. Had I been able to move, I would have probably reacted grabbing the bottle myself… But I couldn’t move. My jaw opened as wide as it could, trying to inhale it all.

“Don’t eat the bottle, stupid brat! Geez, when you can move, press the button yourself. You can regulate the amount with this small roller here.”

I felt as if I was drinking soda, except it was ten thousand better than that.

The lifeforce had a mixed taste, proof that Natasha had made her reserve by absorbing energy from a wide range of people. But the overall taste wasn’t chaotic at all. In my mind, it felt like a well-balanced, energetic meal, way better than any human food I had tasted in my past life.

It was my first time eating such a huge amount of lifeforce.

My core was frantic. It was bravely keeping the pace, transforming the intake of lifeforce into deathforce like a fast-track machine. An avalanche of energy began circulating in my body, following the path that Kaspar had carved into me.

I felt as Zoleye the Rock becoming a superhuman after eating broccoli—well, Ray said that that old story had been made up by a broccoli seller but that broccoli was good anyway… In any case, I couldn’t even compare this experience to any other. I was reveling in each mouthful of lifeforce, even relishing the aftertaste of it. I wasn’t drunk, since an undead could only get drunk when its core was unable to keep the pace. Right now, my core was in a fury state, working nonstop.

Natasha observed me with a smirk.

“How long are you planning to keep eating air, boy?”

Only then, I realized that nothing was coming out of the bottle. I had emptied it completely. As I sat up, Natasha took it away snorting:

“I’m always amazed at how quick Furies can eat. Was it good?” I couldn’t help but laugh at her question. “Ah… I take it it was. By the way, I picked some merfolks’ lifeforce. It’s said their lifeforce is good for growing kids.”

She had even thought of that? I looked at her with admiration and finally said:

“Thanks. It was delicious. Though Ray’s lifeforce tastes more…” I paused. More what?

“More precious? More unique?”

“Exactly!” How could she know?

“That goes without saying. A familiar will always prefer its master’s lifeforce, even more so when you’re a Fury,” Natasha explained. Her eyes glinted as she added: “If your master agrees, I could make an even more delicious meal for you using his lifeforce. The thing is… I’m a lifeforce cook. I have a special body: I can collect lifeforce in a reservoir, mix different kinds of lifeforce, imitate a lifeforce’s taste, and even use seasoning. I can also forcefully protect a core from life-lust, so a Fury won’t lose its mind for some hours, but, huhu, that’s one of my most precious and difficult recipes. Just so you know, I would sell a bottle like the one you ate for at least eight hundred Corns.”

I stared at her in amazement. She was able to cook lifeforce meals in her body? And make them taste even better? That was…!

“Amazing!” I gasped in awe. “Grandma, that’s sooo cool!”

“You’re drooling.”

I realized some dark powder was coming out of my mouth. I wiped it away, insisting:

“So cool!”

“Huhuhu, so you can respect your seniors when you want, huh?”

Under my intent gaze, she agitated her hand, flattered.

“Ah, but I won’t cook for you every day, let alone for free. I fed you enough for you to get by for a day; next time, you’ll have to go eat by yourself. Cooking for a Fury is a waste: too much energy spent. Plus, Furies like literally anything. You’re just a glutton with no culinary preferences.”

“Eeeh,” I smiled painfully. “Am I?”

“Yeah.” Her eyes flitted at her watch, and she stood up. “Let’s get back to the academy, or we’ll be late for the first lesson. You’re in the Rescuer group, aren’t you?”

“You too?! Ray is too. Could it be necromancers have a preference for rescuing people? Well, that makes sense, since they revive people—”

“Don’t talk too much, or you’ll lose the lifeforce your core didn’t transform into deathforce yet. And, by the way, I chose to be a Keeper. And Ray took the Keeper path with me but then chose to be a Rescuer to be in the same group as you are.”

“…! What? Ray—”

“He said he didn’t care about the training: he only wanted to be in your group to keep an eye on you, given your condition. Quite a serious master you’ve got, boy. Consider yourself lucky. Also, don’t fool yourself. Necromancers are not good to humans per se, quite the contrary. As a matter of fact, few necromancers show interest in human societies. Don’t forget that humans think of us undead as monsters and of necromancers as monster breeders. Even if we don’t kill anyone, even if we just recreate life using dark energy, they keep thinking we’re criminals, just because they fear us. Public opinion has been like that for centuries, and it will continue to be so for as long as humans exist. Such is life. So please be careful if you don’t want to cause trouble to your master. His reputation is at stake. I’d say that, in a place like that full of righteous future Heroes… even his life could be at stake.”

I swallowed hard. At her warning words, the satisfaction I had gotten from my meal completely faded away.

“Huhu, don’t stress, kiddo. It’s bad for your health. Ah, by the way, next time, I will accompany you to the main island for a meal, so no need to eat your fellow trainees’ lifeforce, just eat their wasted lifeforce… Understood?”

Why was she still treating me like I was a little kid? I smiled, embarrassed, and gave a nod.

“Yeah, I understand. Will you really accomp—”

I fell silent as she put a hand on my mouth.

“I said don’t talk too much. Don’t waste the food I worked so hard to obtain. And, yes, I said I would help you guys, so…” She looked up at me as I rose to my feet, and she squinted an eye. “Kids are so tall nowadays.”

I chuckled.

“I’m not that tall.”

“One meter eighty?”

“One meter seventy-eight. And you?”

The small necromancer snorted and started walking among the cactuses saying:

“Shut your mouth and don’t waste your lifeforce.”

I followed her, curious.

“One meter fifty?”

I saw her stiffen.

“One meter fifty-five! I’m not that short! Anyway, I never understood why the taller the better. I’d like to say that short people are smarter, but my master is quite tall.”

“Ho, ho… My master is short.”

“Why are you bragging about it?” Natasha picked up the pace. “Anyway, save your lifeforce, brat.”

I grinned. Natasha Shatana Limpetra seemed to be quite a nice grandma. I hurried to catch up with her.

“I’ve put my mask back,” I said. “It’s a special mask that doesn’t let lifeforce through, so I won’t waste lifeforce while talking. Can I ask you a question?”

“…” She sighed. “What is it?”

“You said you’re over sixty years old. Doesn’t that make your master, like, super old?” Natasha frowned. I suddenly felt uneasy. “Sorry, did I ask something I shouldn’t have?”

“He is. Old. Makler Vod will be one hundred ten years old this year.”

“…!!”

“He has a special power that allows him to extend his life under some conditions. Anyway, don’t ask about other people’s master. You lack manners.”

“Sorry. I was just curious to know more things about your master. Ray is a fan of his, so…”

Natasha’s expression brightened up.

“Is he?”

“Ah… Yeah, well, he likes his books.”

“Does he? Huhuhu… Well, no wonder. My master has a lot of fans.”

Was she shrugging off Ray’s fanhood? Natasha threw a sideways glance at me then added in a quiet voice:

“Actually, it’s not well-known, but my master stopped writing books long ago. He has a ghostwriter now. His fifth disciple. A wonderful necromancer, and a modern one.”

I looked at her in dismay. The heck? Makler Vod made use of a ghostwriter? What was he, a bestseller among necromancers? But that was kinda disappointing. I just hoped Ray had gone back to sleep and wasn’t listening to our conversation.

We finally got out of the cactuses woods, reached the stairs, and began climbing towards the academy. The undead necromancer was ascending step by step, her hands calmly clutched behind her back. Her dark purple clothes reminded me of the Holy Gods believers that paraded in Farskyer City’s streets on the Holy Purple Crystal Day in June.

I broke the silence.

“Natasha. You said Furies has no culinary preferences… Is that true?”

“Well… you can see that for yourself. Lifeforce can be more or less delicious, but it’s always good from a Fury’s perspective. Even dryads’ lifeforce is good for Furies, while for most of us normal undead, it tastes so-so. Oh, but I get what you mean. Lifeforce of people you feel really connected with is tastier. You do know that, right?”

“Er… Somehow, I guessed as much.”

“Mm… I’m a bit concerned,” Natasha confessed. “Since you’re already capable of speaking and reasoning, your master shouldn’t neglect this part of your learning.”

Again, she was blaming Ray… Tch.

“He’s doing his best, grandma.”

“Grandma,” she echoed in a muffled whisper, pausing for a second on a step. Did she really like it when I called her grandma or was it my imagination? Then she kept climbing, nodding: “I’m sure of it, he’s a Styxer after all, but he’s so young… Anyway, lifeforce is an essential matter to us undead. As I say, the more emotionally bound you are to a person, the tastier their lifeforce becomes. It’s true for your master too. The more you trust, respect, and love your master, the sturdier your necro-bond will be, and the tastier your master’s lifeforce will get. The time of the Offering is a turning point.”

“The offering?”

“… You will know when it comes. Listen to this Chef Grandma’s counsel. The more pleasure you take in eating, the tastier; that is why slow-paced eating is a must for the undead that seek exquisiteness. What you did just now, gulping down lifeforce as if it’s just some cheap food, would have been seen as a sin by those people. You see, the undead’s way of eating is an art form in itself. But, practically speaking, a fury period is a perfect time to grow and expand your potential, so you can’t be too picky. You’ll just have to stuff yourself. No need to worry about the taste. But geez… every time I see a Fury eating up just anything, I start questioning my own cooking skills. Why are all kinds of human lifeforce always tasty for Furies and not for the rest of the undead? I worked for so many years trying to figure it out and come up with a perfect recipe, but then I put things into perspective. In a way, it’s because unsavory food exists that we can develop preferences, which give us some kind of individuality, don’t you think? Aaah… Sorry, I’ve started rambling like a grandma, huhuhu.”

She totally did like to be seen as a grandma. I smiled under my mask, then tried to remember what she had just said. I had already forgotten at least half of it, but it was clear as water that she enjoyed talking about tastes. As expected of a lifeforce cook. One sentence had caught my attention from the start, though. If it was true that the more emotionally bound I was to a person, the tastier their lifeforce would get, then…

Then what about Linah?

I liked her, her liveliness, her honesty, her smiles, her pigtails—ah, no, those were gone, dammit—her self-confidence, her moments when she was angry, her moments when she was happy, or bored, or thinking, or making decisions. I liked her, and she didn’t hate me, then… why?

We were already reaching the gates. I had to ask her.

“Say, grandma… Is it really true that all kinds of lifeforce taste good to Furies?”

The girl raised an eyebrow.

“Well, it is… There might be some exceptions, of course. Just like Heavenly kinds of lifeforce exist, there are some sorts of lifeforce that are not only bad to undead, but also very dangerous. Like… Demonic energies, or Gray Energies.” She paused. “Anyway, if you find one of those, you shouldn’t have any problem avoiding them, since they won’t increase your life-lust. Just stay away from them. Well! Enough talking. I have to go back to my quarters before morning classes start. Behave and let your master get some rest, okay?”

Her last sentence felt as if she was giving me an order. Well, she was. But it felt like a caress, as if she was just strongly recommending that I should do as I was told. It didn’t arouse my necro-bond, though. Maybe because she wasn’t my master? Or maybe because it wasn’t a real order?

I nodded at her words, but my mind was elsewhere. The undead necromancer gave me a friendly smile.

“See you, brat!”

She hurried towards the main escalator. I followed her with my eyes. My core was still working at full tilt, absorbing, transforming, circulating…

According to Natasha, lifeforce that tasted bad to Furies were likely to be dangerous. That meant…

That Linah’s lifeforce was dangerous?

That I had to stay away from Linah?

“No way,” I murmured. “Not in a thousand years…”

I tried to calm myself, then shrugged and smiled, standing in the main square with a defying glint in my eyes.

“Like I care.”