Garry didn’t know what he expected death to be like as he gazed upon his dead body. There were many tales throughout the continent. Some believed there was nothing after death; others believed in the gods or utopias in the skies. Those blessed by spirits thought they were chosen and would be looked after at the end of their days.

Turned out they were all wrong. Garry wasn’t a blessed man. In fact, he was far from it. Despite his life on the high seas, he had little opportunity to fight or level any relevant class or skill. Moreover, as a chef aboard a ship of rotting wood manned by criminals from all walks of life, they had relatively low standards for cooking.

Only now, as he floated above his cold body, slumped behind the bar with a wooden stake impaled through his chest, did he realize how pathetic his life had really been. There was so much to do, so much to see. He felt so much regret and unwillingness… Perhaps that was why he was still here as a vengeful phantom that haunted the living.

The door to the tavern swung open, and an undead goblin strode in. When Garry was alive, he felt pity for those goblins. Andrew treated them like free labor and worked them to the literal bone. But now…he was envious of them as they didn’t have to fear death. Those lowly goblins had been granted true immortality.

The goblin wore a blood-stained brown cloak that not even peasants would be caught wearing, yet Garry was still envious. One could not truly appreciate what they had until it was all gone…just out of arm’s reach. If he could be given another chance, never again would he grumble about his old joints or how bad the food tasted.

Garry was scared. A force was gently pulling him, ever so slowly, away from his place of final rest. He didn’t know what awaited him out there, but he didn’t want to find out. So he screamed at the goblin, waved his hands, floated around, and even poked his fingers into its empty eye sockets.

Nothing. Garry was ignored like a passing breeze. The goblin surveyed the room and eventually spotted a trail of blood. The curious goblin followed the path and discovered a very dead pirate. He held his nonexistent breath. Had the goblin come to steal his few remaining silvers? Or perhaps devour his corpse? A flashback of seeing Andrew eat sent a shiver down his phantom spine.

But to his surprise, the goblin carefully pulled his body from the large wooden beam that had collapsed and impaled him during the fight. It then brushed him down to remove all the wood splinters before grabbing his foot and dragging him outside.

Garry swore with every word he knew. “Ye fuckin’ bastard, bitch fuckin’ tit cunt, set sail me body alone, ye fleshless fool! Oi, where the ’ell do ye think yer grabbin’ me, ye midget bitch?” Alas, his words fell on deaf ears as he was a mere spectator of this world, no longer a part of it.

Eventually, he shut up when the goblin rounded a corner and joined a few other goblins performing a similar task. They were dragging or hauling a corpse toward Mayor Andrew’s palace.

Like a stream of worker ants, the goblins dragged hundreds of corpses, including horses and knights from the Empire. Garry watched in horror as his corpse was dumped alongside all the other corpses on the burned remains of the palace gardens.

People emerged from the palace doors and looked at the sea of corpses. A few ran around, checking the charred and twisted expressions of the bodies, hoping to find a loved one.

Garry had never felt so alone as people stumbled or stepped over his body that was face down in the dirt to reach their loved ones. After a while, almost every corpse had a few humans huddled around it.

Garry had spent many birthdays alone throughout his life, but seeing that not a single person came to his funeral—and that the flesh suit his soul had inhabited for the past fifty years was treated like a sack of rotting potatoes—hurt him in ways he never thought possible.

Then a cheer broke out. Garry slowly looked up and saw a corpse in the far distance, surrounded by friends and family…stand up? He floated closer, but nobody noticed him as he watched a clearly dead man stand on two feet.

A man of shadows emerged from the palace, and his presence was suffocating. Garry had never possessed any magical powers or sensing capabilities. But now, as a spirit, he could see into the shadow man. He was like a cosmos of stars. Hundreds, if not thousands, of souls swam around his body. But this was only a mirror image…a projection of the real thing.

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The shadow man raised his hands in the air, and his voice echoed out from all directions. “People of Necron, my proud and resilient citizens. Under my rule, you never have to suffer the pain of losing a loved one nor the fear of your eventual demise. No matter who you are or what you have accomplished throughout your life. With infinite time comes infinite possibilities.”

Like a tidal wave of oil, black mana gushed out from the shadow man’s hands and drenched the land. Again, Garry felt a pull on his phantom body; however, unlike the scary and mystical force trying to drag him away from the mortal world, this pull felt like a warm welcome home. Slowly, he drifted back to his body.

As he opened his eyes, he smiled at the orange-hue sky. He felt his soul was elsewhere, in a warm and inviting place, with many other souls. He felt secure and accepted. This body? It was merely a tool to exert his will on this world.

Garry could sit up, but instead, he decided to lie down a bit longer, fondle the charred grass between his fingers, and savor the smoke-filled air. Life had never been so beautiful.

“As the overlord of death itself, I, Vox of the void, have brought everyone back to the land of the living in a new form. Apart from the knights who ravaged our lands and will be put to eternal servitude, everyone else here today is granted eternal citizenship to my kingdom.”

Garry sat up and looked at the shadow man. Even now, he could tell he wasn’t real. But whoever was the real Vox, the man or creature behind the voice, that person was a god. He had brought Garry back to life, and now he would treasure the second chance he was given.

“There are no taxes. No responsibilities. No worries,” Vox continued. “Let us build a utopia together, where you can spend eternity with your loved ones in peace. It may not happen today or tomorrow. But if there’s one thing all of us have on our side…it’s time.”

There was a brief silence followed by an eruption of cheers. Some were even crying as they hugged the person beside them. Garry looked around and had nobody to hug. But that was fine. He had time to change that. Clenching his fist, he muttered, “I’m going to become the most fearsome pirate in all the world, with a crew that I can trust with my life.” He let the words hang in the air with shock on his face. He hadn’t tried to speak correctly, yet it flowed out of him. What was the source of this new power?

Garry looked up at Vox. He was likely the cause. Foreign information he had never acquired during his lifetime flooded his mind. How to construct buildings, raise a farm, and care for children. It all felt instinctual like it had always been there. Was this knowledge from the other undead under Vox’s control?

“Citizens.” Vox regained everyone’s focus. “Obviously, we all have some planning to do. But I will set some base rules we will build upon in future centuries. First, you will all have a special status similar to nobility, and so will your children. So long as you continue to express loyalty to Necron and me, this will never be taken away.” He gestured to Andrew, the terrifyingly large gray slime that towered over everyone. “Before leaving today, ensure your name has been recorded with Andrew. Everyone here will be awarded…” He seemed to stroke his chin for a second as he looked around. A lone standing tree in the garden with its evergreen leaves seemed to catch his attention.

“I will not use the standard noble class system. Henceforth you are all green citizens, the lowest type of nobility. This gives you guaranteed immortality as undead and the option to never work a day again. Let my undead servants cater to your needs so you can pursue your passions. For now, we will manually keep track of who is a green citizen, but in the future, there will be identification cards or another way to keep track.”

An undead man in the crowd raised his hand, and Vox gestured for him to speak. “My lord.” The man knelt in the charred mud and lowered his head.

“You may speak freely.”

“Thank you, my lord.” The man raised his head and met the glowing blue eyes of Vox. “You mentioned this was the lowest tier of nobility? The fact you would be willing to offer a second chance at life and such a title to a humble farmer such as me is a kindness that I can never repay. But I must ask, is there a way to obtain these noble titles? To move up the ranks? You see…I have been at the bottom of the food chain my entire life, and your speech has motivated me to become more. Unfortunately, I may be a slow learner…and bad at school…”

Vox laughed, and it echoed all around, making the undead man wince. “Yes, my dear citizen. There is indeed such a way. Look around.” He gestured to the apocalyptic city. “I plan to rebuild Necron, with or without anyone’s help. But if you were to offer solutions or assist in managing this soon-to-be colossal city, then naturally, I will give you more privileges.” Next, he gestured to Andrew. “If you have development plans or wish to manage a farm again, talk to Andrew.” He then patted the leg of Toby, who towered over him. “And this big fella is your port of call for combat-related tasks such as joining the army, so a massacre like this never occurs again. But nobody is forced to work; only contribute if you wish.”

There were some murmurs throughout the crowd.

“It was a pleasure meeting you all,” Vox continued as he turned around to leave. “Something came up that I need to deal with. Make sure to register with Andrew and then decide what to do. This town is for all of you to decide how to run.”

And with that said, Vox vanished, and the immense pressure subsided. Garry locked eyes with Toby. It was time to build his crew and rebuild his life…one step at a time.