Somewhere in the astral space, in a desolate realm known as the Bone Plane, lay a region of eternal gloom known as the Skeletal Graveyard.

Death permeated every corner of this dark land, and the air was thick with the scent of decay. Not a single living being dared to tread upon this cursed land, for only the unliving roamed its desolate expanse — condemned to wander for eternity without rest.

Amidst the bleak landscape stood a towering castle, its walls constructed from the bleached bones of the fallen and the black stone of the abyss. Within the confines of this macabre fortress resided a powerful being known as the Undead Princess. She was a Ghost Necromancer, who possessed a dark and insidious power, capable of bending the very fabric of death to her will. Her name instilled fear throughout the Bone Plane and brought fear to those who heard, but she was actually…

With a sinister glint in her eyes, the Ghost Necromancer surveyed her surroundings. Contrary to popular belief, she bore the appearance of an ordinary young girl, albeit with bluish skin, bluish-green hair, red eyes, and a pair of demonic horns protruding from her temples. If she was not a spirit, she could have been mistaken for a draconic demi-human or something along the line.

In her hands, she held a thick tome adorned with strange symbols and ancient words. However, in fact, this was not a tome that contained forbidden spells; it was a recipe book from the human world.

“Let’s see, let’s see. What do we have here?” she murmured to herself as she flipped through the weathered pages of her tome. “Shadowroot Mushroom, bone dust, blood of the damned, high-quality rotten meat, and… Violet Mystic Flower. Where the heck am I supposed to get a Violet Mystic Flower in the Bone Plane?” She scratched her head, pondering the dilemma.

The whole Bone Plane was almost devoid of life, and any living plants would have been tainted by Necro or Umbra attributes. Violet Mystic Flowers were definitely not something that could be found even if she turned the whole plane upside down.

“Alistar.”

Emerging from the shadows was a Death Knight, a towering figure clad in full obsidian armor that seemed to suck in the very light around it. Towering and imposing, the skeletal knight bore a massive two-handed sword strapped to its back, and a hair-raising power was hidden within its empty eye sockets. Despite being a mere skeleton, its prowess was not to be underestimated; it could dispatch Rank 1 extraordinaries like killing a chicken. In Magus’s terms, Rank 1 extraordinaries were equivalent to Elemental Adept Magi.

In response to her master’s call, it chomped its teeth, as if attempting to convey a message.

“What? Have we exhausted all possible substitutes as well?” Her features unnaturally elongated toward the Death Knight in an otherworldly display of curiosity. In a bizarre twist, her visage seemed to warp and melt before reforming into its usual form. “Ah, but of course! We still could use a Death Flower as a substitute.”

Death Flowers were native plants to the Bone Plane and thrived in the Skeletal Graveyard where it was rich in negative energy. However, one should not underestimate its deadly potency. Rumors had it that a single Death Flower was so lethal that it could kill even a dragon. Using it as an ingredient for a dish was the most audacious proposal to happen, but not so much for this Princess of the Dead.

“Fetch me all the listed ingredients, my loyal servants!” she commanded, her voice transmitting through the whole castle. In response, a motley crew of skeletons, zombies, and other spectral beings shambled forth to carry out her command.

Soon the ingredients were gathered, and she proceeded to the kitchen, where she lit a fire under the large cauldron she preferred to use. One by one, she added each ingredient to the bubbling brew, each new item increasing the chaotic roiling chaos inside the oversized pot. Each addition changed the once-clear liquid, morphing into a watery, bile-like liquid, then a sludgy goo reminiscent of tar, before finally becoming a thick honey-like syrup with a foreboding shade of brownish-red. Apparently pleased with each volatile reaction, she laughed out loud as she conjured an oar-like paddle to stir the contents of the cauldron, like some fairytale witch lovingly making a poisoned apple for a problematic princess.

“And lastly, the pièce de résistance.” She smiled, plucking a pitch-black flower offered by a partially corroded skeleton at her side. She then pinched a petal of the flower and dropped it into the seething brew.

Whoosh!

A cloud of black smoke billowed forth, enveloping the room in a choking haze. Even the ethereal form of the Ghost Necromancer was not immune to the coughing fit that ensued until the smoke dissipated.

Waving away the remnants of the noxious fog, she looked at the cauldron with a mixture of disgust and anticipation. “Cough. What a terrible poison, but look at this…” What had once been a clear liquid now resembled a viscous black sludge that would scare any beings away from it, as its stench alone was enough to poison any mortals to death. “Yuck. But appearances can be deceiving. Who knows, the taste may be a whole lot different.”

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“Servants, prepare the tableware! But wait, allow me to handle this, as I’ll let you join me for this feast.”

Hearing their master’s words, a shudder ran through the assembled undead. The skeletons' bones rattled in their sockets, while the zombies emitted shaky moans. As for the specters, they had disappeared to who knows where. If they could express themselves, they would surely plead, “No, spare us!” Even the Death Knight’s bones were cluttering as though showing their fear.

“What? Are you unwilling?” The Undead Princess’s incorporeal form was wracked with spasms — a terrifying surge of power emanated from her. Yet as quickly as it came, the aura dissipated, leaving her form unaltered. “Fear not! I am the cook, after all. My cooking skill in this whole plane is second to none.”

Unbeknownst to her, even if she had superb cooking skills, with the ingredients available in the Bone Plane, the best she could cook up was a sludge capable of poisoning anything it touched.

With a flick of her hand, spectral hands set the tableware and prepared the dish. Obviously, these undead creatures lacked both the ability and inclination for proper table manners.

“Now, partake.” She gestured toward the steaming bowls before them.

Unable to refuse her will, the undead creatures looked at their food, their movements stiff and mechanical as they obediently dipped their heads toward the soup.

“How is it? Delicious, right?” As she asked that, all the undead who drank the soup began tremoring. However, the result was somewhat as she had expected.

The zombies convulsed violently as their insides were hollowed out by the corrosive liquid, their decaying forms collapsing in a grotesque heap as the foul soup spilled forth from their ruptured stomachs. Meanwhile, the skeletons were luckier, as the soup seeped through their nonexistent stomach and spilled on the floor, eroding the stony floor beneath and releasing a deadly gas into the air.

“Hmm, is it that horrible?” She lifted a spoonful of the repugnant stew to her lips. In an instant, she spat it out on the zombie beside her, causing its flesh to melt away in a horrifying display. “Blergh! It tastes like rotten swamp water mixed with the stench of decay! How utterly revolting!” She protruded her tongue as if trying to erase the remaining taste.

“What a catastrophe…” she mumbled with frustration. With a dismissive wave of her hand, she dispelled the remnants of the foul soup before slumping onto the table like someone who had lost all hope.

“How many times does this make? Ten thousand five hundred and thirty-two?” In truth, not once had the dish been even remotely edible; almost every ingredient in the recipe book simply did not exist in the Bone Plane. Thinking about that made her hurl the recipe book at the wall.

The undead creatures stared at her in confusion. Although undead creatures were typically unintelligent and didn’t have any emotion, these ones had been accompanying her for a long time, to the point that they were influenced by her strong mana fluctuation and had developed some level of intelligence.

“That’s it! It’s not my cooking skill that’s horrible, it’s the ingredients’ fault!” She flew into the air, regaining her spirit. You know that it’s not my fault, right? Right?” She turned to the nearest skeleton, awaiting its affirmation.

The skeleton in question opened and closed its jaw, seemingly confused. What she could hear was a clunking noise of its bones grinding against each other.

“I take that as a yes. Alistar, have the materials been gathered?” she inquired, turning her attention to the towering Death Knight at her side.

With a silent nod, Alistar conveyed that all the necessary components had indeed been procured. Knowing that, the Undead Princess was pleased.

For millennia, she had scoured the vast expanse of the Bone Plane in search of the original space crack where she had first been imprisoned in this plane. Naturally, in that long span of time, she had considered constructing a nexus gate — a gate that was capable of bridging the gap between worlds — but without knowing the coordinates, it would be next to impossible to utilize.

Nevertheless, when she did manage to locate the crack, it was so unstable that even though she was one of the strongest existences in this world, and none dared to question her rule for at least three thousand years back, she could still be killed if she was not careful. That was why she had been scouring the entire plane for the materials needed to stabilize the crack and sent her army.

“Then, what are we waiting for? Set everything up!” she declared before disappearing into the air to prepare everything.

The undead creature nodded, its movements jerky and disjointed, before shuffling off to carry out its master's bidding with unwavering obedience.

***

The Ghost Necromancer stood before the unstable space crack with her eyes gleaming with determination. After millennia of banishment, now was the time to return to her homeland — those who had betrayed her must have perished from the passage of time by now.

With meticulous precision, she constructed the gate to stabilize the crack. Dark energy swirled around her, weaving together intricate runes and arcane sigils. The air crackled as the gate took shape before her, solidifying with each passing moment.

As the gate neared completion, she issued a command. “Begin with the activation.”

In response, her loyal undead minions placed countless mana crystals, strange stones, and treasures before the gate. Each of the treasures shimmered as they became the fuel for the gate to stabilize the crack and open the path to her long-awaited homecoming.

With a surge of otherworldly energy, the gate hummed to life. The once chaotic surface now began to stabilize as a passageway opened up. Although one couldn’t see clearly what was on the other side, it was undoubtedly a stark contrast to the desolate lands abounded with death energy.

“Advance!” she commanded, her voice echoing with authority as she flew into the opened portal inside the gate, followed by her underlings numbering more than tens of thousands. This time, she would make the most delicious dishes ever created.

To add to that, it was time for her to reclaim what was rightfully hers in her homeland — the world of Seraphia.