The sun was at its zenith. As Alza stepped out of the stone platform which had led to her tomb and into the surrounding forest, her lips curved into a smile. For the first time in millennia, Alza felt the sun’s rays on her skin. It was a nice warmth that she had long missed.

Alza led the way, walking with a spring in her step. "The weather is rather nice today, isn't it?"

The sound of footsteps echoed behind her. "It seems like we’ll have enough daylight to make it back to the ship." Shion mused.

A third set of footsteps soon followed suit, and a soft-spoken voice chimed in. "Perhaps we can talk as we head there."

"I would not mind." Alza said, turning around to face Shion and Nia. "If I do follow you two, will I be able to meet your guildmaster?"

"That shouldn’t be a problem." Nia said. "I’m not sure what she will think of you, but she will definitely want to see you."

"I am glad to hear that."

Shion had already begun to walk deeper into the forest. "If there’s nothing else, I think we should start walking to the ship."

"Hold on just a moment, do any of you smell anything odd?" Alza’s nose tingled. There was something in the atmosphere that irked her, something that was primal to her, something that touched her very soul. She turned her head left and right. Though she saw nothing, she could feel that there were enemies abound.

Nia stepped forward and let out a light chuckle. "Come on now, we all smell terrible."

"Yeah, both Nia and I spent quite a long time in a damp cave filled with undead, I’d be surprised if we didn’t smell afterwards." Shion chimed in.

Kneeling down on the soft earth, Alza pressed her hands gently against the ground, her fingers sinking into the soil. "I'm not referring to either of you, just bear with me for a moment."

Shion raised an eyebrow. "What are you-"

The swordsman’s mouth went agape as she saw the ground beneath Alza turn into a mottled gray, as if every fiber of life had been sapped from it. The deluge of gray spread outwards, causing nearby flowers, grass, and trees to rapidly wilt and decay.

Neither Shion nor Nia dared to say a word. They stood silently with their feet frozen in place. That worked well enough for Alza, she needed to focus.

Suddenly, the ground rumbled and cracked. Two, onyx black beasts erupted from the earth. The creatures had the appearance similar to that of a tiger, but with flesh that seemed as if they were made from writhing shadows. The two beasts roared in pain as they fell onto the ground. They thrashed about wildly as their bodies began to rapidly disintegrate, turning into dark wisps which vanished into the air.

One of them, however, proved to be more belligerent than expected. The beast made a desperate lunge towards Alza. With the beast being injured, she was able to dodge it easily. And then, she tapped a foot lightly on the ground, conjuring a large bony spike which impaled the shadowy creature from its side. As the beast’s limbs grew limp, it too disappeared piece by piece.

"Were those things…demons?" Shion muttered out loud. The swordsman rushed towards where the shadowy beasts were slain, trying to find any trace of them, to no avail.

"They were, and there's probably more of them." Alza said.

Nia paced around the gray dirt. "How did you know that they were underground?"

Alza rushed to grip both Nia’s and Shion’s hands. "This is not the time for questions, we need to leave, now."

***

The journey to the ship was tense. Alza’s senses were heightened during the entire walk. It was rare for wild demons to just appear in the world out of nowhere. They were all beings of Pandemonia, who normally lived in a separate space from the material realm. As Shion and Nia jogged in front of her, she did not let them out of her sight for even a moment. Considering their exhaustion, an encounter with even a lesser demon might prove too much for them.

Fortunately, Alza did not sense any more demons until she had reached the ship. Unfortunately, the sight that greeted her was grim.

There were dozens of bodies strewn around the beach. All of them bore either bite marks, claw marks, or both. Most of them lost their limbs.

"How…why?" Nia muttered, her body trembling. The wildborn girl’s face turned pale, and her furry ears drooped low.

Alza shot a glance at Shion, who wasn’t doing much better. The shaking in the swordsman’s eyes said what words could not.

"I know this is a lot to take in, but I’m going to need both of you to work with me here." Alza said as she kneeled down to examine the bodies. When she dipped her finger into the wounds of the deceased, she could sense a faint tingle that whispered to her core. The crew almost certainly died from some kind of demonic attack.

When she stood up, Alza shot a glance at Shion. "How long ago did you and your friends land here?" She asked.

"I…don’t-"

"Yes you do remember." Alza interrupted, gripping Shion by the shoulders. "I know that what you see here is horrific, but I need you to speak to me."

Shion nodded. "So-sorry, we landed on this island roughly a few days ago, maybe a week or two at most."

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Alza let Shion go. "Good, now did you ever check back on the crew after you decided to investigate my tomb?"

"We did not."

"Do you think anyone followed your ship here?"

"I…don’t think so. The mission was classified, and we were escorted by other ships until we made landfall, it would have been hard for anyone to have followed us unnoticed."

Breathing out a sigh, Alza turned back to look at the macabre display before her. "I may have a guess as to who was responsible for all of this." She took a few paces forward. "But if it is who I suspect, then we need to leave as soon as we can."

"But how can we leave with a crewless ship?" Shion asked.

"I have a plan, go grab your friend and take her closer to the beach, we’re going on my ship."

"R-right, I’m on it." Shion replied.

While Shion was preoccupied with soothing Nia's frayed nerves, Alza moved closer to the beach's edge, leaving faint imprints in the wet sand with each step she took. She then planted her feet firmly, feeling the gritty texture beneath the soles of her shoes.

Taking a deep breath, she allowed the salty sea breeze to fill her lungs. Then, as she exhaled, she brought both her hands together in a near ritualistic motion. The air around her crackled with latent power, and as she channeled her energy, the ocean's waves responded, growing more turbulent. In the distance, the shadowy silhouette of a ship drew closer and closer with every passing second.

Dark clouds gathered and swirled in the ship's wake, soon, its ominous appearance became more distinct. Its tattered sails billowed ominously in the winds, moved not just by the natural breeze but also by the countless spectral ghosts that seemed to dance upon them. They worked tirelessly, adjusting sails and ropes as they flew around the ship’s premises. The ship's black hull pulsed with an eerie, viridian energy, a common sight for vessels made not to sail just the open ocean, but also the sea of souls.

Alza turned to face Nia and Shion. Both of them stood with their mouths ajar.

"That is…your ship?" Nia asked.

"It is, but don’t worry, you two will be safe as long as you stick close to me."

Shion let out a nervous chuckle. "I certainly hope so."

***

Alza had nearly forgotten what it was like to walk on her ship. She let out a smile as she walked through the deck. It was fashioned from blackwood, polished to a sleek, obsidian-like finish. The air was thick with an eerie energy as the many wraiths which inhabited it swirled and flew across the deck. These ghosts, however, did not seem to move with any sort of autonomy. Each of them either floated aimlessly or were focused solely on one task, as if forced into compliance by an unseen force.

Shion and Nia were both walking on the ship’s deck, examining every detail they could find. Before long, an unsettling tremor rippled through the ship, sending both of them stumbling and eventually falling onto the deck. Alza herself fought to maintain her balance, her grip on the ship's railing was the only thing that prevented her from falling over. "Mistress, I do not mind taking you aboard but why must I be used by these filthy mortals as well?"

Alza breathed out a sigh. "It’s just for one trip, Tartaros, that is all."

The ship shook wildly before suddenly stopping, causing Alza to slip and fall as well. "Fine, but I wish for something in return for allowing mortal scum on my person." Tartaros grumbled, his voice booming like thunder.

Muttering a curse under her breath, Alza stood and stomped her right food hard onto the wooden deck. "You are taking me and my guests away from this island, Tartaros, this is an order."

As if on command, the shaking ceased. "My apologies, mistress. Where do you wish to set sail?"

"I'll tell you in a moment," Alza replied. She turned around just in time to see a very disgruntled Shion making his way toward her. Nia, on the other hand, appeared even worse for wear, leaning heavily on the railings.

"What is up with this ship?" Shion asked as he clutched at his head.

"It’s just how he is." Alza shrugged. "But for now, just tell me where we need to go, and I’ll inform Tartaros."

"Why are there ghosts? Where did this thing come from? How-"

Alza interrupted Shion by coughing loudly into her hand. "The longer you take to tell me where we need to go, the longer you’re going to stay here."

Shion staggered back slightly. "Right, sorry." He then ruffled through his pockets and opened up a small map. "We just need to go to the City of Menon which is roughly-"

"Hold it there." Alza interrupted. "Tartaros, did you catch that?"

"I did, mistress, I will set sail towards the mortal city of Menon now."

The ship responded with an eerie yet majestic grace. Blackwood creaked and groaned, and the air seemed to fill with an ethereal chill as the ghastly crew worked the sails, propelling Tartaros away from the beach. Slowly, steadily, the ghostly vessel glided into the open sea, leaving land far behind.

"I would normally say I’m surprised, but at this point, I think I would be more surprised if you did something normal." Shion said with a defeated sigh.

"Normal is all relative." Alza replied as she leaned back against the ship's railing.

"I suppose that’s true, were you considered ‘normal’ in your time?"

"I…would not say that."

"That sounds about right."

"In all fairness, I never said that was normal." Alza said in a light-hearted tone.

Shion chuckled slightly. "I’d call you a liar if you did."

"Since this trip is going to take us some time, now would be a good time for you to ask me some questions." Alza said.

"The real question is where do I even begin?"

"Start simple, work your way up from there."

Shion took in a few breaths before speaking again. "I always wanted to know how you became so proficient at necromancy. You made Galleus look like a joke."

"By Galleus…you mean that fool who thought the Necronomicon was some kind of all powerful spellbook?"

"In all fairness, finding a copy is incredibly difficult and research on it is outright forbidden in most places."

"Considering what I’ve seen so far in terms of magical prowess, I suppose that is somewhat understandable."

"Is the Necronomicon not all that it’s cracked up to be?"

Alza shook her head. "I wrote the Necronomicon as an introductory book for new aspirants for necromancy, but in hindsight, I believe that writing it may have been a mistake."

Shion leaned in a bit closer. His curiosity piqued. "And why is that?"

"Because necromancy is a fundamentally hazardous form of magic, more so than any other. You saw it yourself when that idiot Galleus tried to cast a spell far beyond his capabilities."

"I suppose if he had tried to overexert himself by casting a non-necromantic spell, at worst, he would have just lost the ability to cast magic for a few weeks." Shion muttered, placing a hand on his chin.

Alza nodded. "But instead, his veins blackened. Given enough time, the corruption would have spread throughout his body, and he would meet his end sooner or later."

"If that’s the case, how come you seem just fine? You said it yourself that necromancy is dangerous."

"I just have a natural affinity towards it, that’s all."

"I guess that makes sense. I’ve only encountered a few necromancers during my time as an adventurer, but none have ever had the same…presence as you."

Suddenly, Alza froze. She scanned Shion’s visage to see if the swordsman knew more than he let on.

Shion pointed at himself. "Is…there something on my face?"

Alza shook her head. "Never mind, it’s nothing." She then took a few paces forward. "I’m going to my cabin now; you are free to use any of the empty ones to rest."