After exploring the underground city and getting new clothes, my family split up to return to their normal routine. I spent the next few hours training in the underground chamber and absorbing Cyra’s flames into my body.

  Feeling the flood of power rushing through my blood was euphoric but I could not enjoy it. Worries kept filling my mind as I tried to think of various ways to prepare for Sebastion’s arrival and Envy’s invasion. Even after I could not absorb any more of the flames and my daily training came to an end, I could not relax.

  I ended up wandering the halls of Svend’s mansion and Dragon’s Nest, pacing through the hallways deep in thought. Eventually, I found myself on one of the balconies at the top of Dragon’s Nest. From the precipice overlooking everything, I could see the city cast in the warm glow of the afternoon sun.

  I vacantly watched the clouds drifting overhead and started sending out mental commands to my undead. Less than a minute later, A small little brown bird glided down and landed on the balcony’s edge.

  I held out my hand and Sylvie hopped onto my finger. She cocked her head as she looked at me expectantly. I straightened a loose feather as I waited absentmindedly.

  Sylvie was the very first undead I created after my rebirth. She had helped me survive more than once, acting as both a scout and a messenger. As I grew stronger and faced more dangerous threats, the small bird had not been as useful as she was in the past. Today, I planned to change that.

  Another minute passed and Nox sauntered out onto the veranda. The kitten’s eyes were half-closed as if I had just woke him up from a nap. From my connection with him, I knew that all he wanted right now was to go to sleep.

  I ruffled Nox’s fur in a way I knew he hated to wake him up and got an annoyed look from the cat in response.

  Once I had Nox's attention, my gaze turned serious as I looked him in the eye. “If golden flames explode inside an undead, would you be able to devour it and save them?”

  Nox looked at Sylvie than at me for a long moment before nodding silently. He moved next to Sylvie and nuzzled the small bird in a tenderness I rarely saw between the two animals.

  I took a deep breath as I tried to think of what I needed to do in order to recreate the accident that changed Nox. When Nox transformed, I had not yet awoken the innate talent. The blue flames that had entered the cat would have been less than a single spark. It must have been a microscopic puff of blue flames to prevent an explosion.

  I had not wanted to try recreating that event before now because I did not understand exactly what happened. Nox was one of my oldest undead. He had been created almost four hundred years ago. There was no guarantee that time did not play a factor in the transformation. I did not want to randomly explode my servants without knowing more first. Now that I knew what was happening, I should be able to do it once again.

  I hope…

  If I was wrong, Sylvie would explode into a ball of flames that even I could not revive. Despite Nox’s affirmation, there was no guarantee he could save the small bird if something went wrong. Still, I had to try. Understanding this golden flame might be the difference between victory and defeat in the battles to come.

  I glanced down at the small bird and she looked back at me, cocking her head to the side curiously. “I am going to try something. It might hurt but if it works, you will become like Nox. Try to bear through it, ok?” I whispered softly.

  The small bird whistled in response, hopping up and down in excitement. She even spread her wings, as if showing me how big she was.

  Biting my lip, I closed my eyes and focused. I needed a spark of blue fire, smaller than any I had ever created before. My recent practice had improved my control of the flame but using so little of a talent was not normally needed. I had almost no experience trying to do something like this.

  A small point of light escaped my right eye as I tried to make it smaller and smaller. Anything visible was still too much. However, as I focused, the tiny light flickered and disappeared into the ambient energy of the world. My first test had failed before it could even reach Sylvie.

  I cursed under my breath and tried again. However, my next attempt was not any more successful than the first. Once the flame was too small, it could no longer exist among the chaotic energy that naturally filled the air.

  I hissed furiously as my eyes shot open. “You will listen to me!”

Love what you're reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.

  The world seemed to fall still in response to my words as an area less than an arm’s length around my body started to feel warm. I smiled bitterly at my pathetic attempt at creating a domain. I had gotten stronger with constant training but I was still not quite to the point where I could maintain even this unstable bubble. I felt the energy in my body drain away at a frightening pace but I shook away the discomfort. I had to act now, while the half-formed domain was still in effect.

  A new spark of blue formed in front of me as I focused and tried to reduce the size. However, despite making progress, the flame was still too strong. If I added it to Sylvie now, she would definitely explode.

  I sighed and was about to give up when a thought occurred. In a flash of inspiration, I remembered the glyphs my dad had taught me. Among the various runes was one designed to regulate energy flow.

  While the unstable domain was still in effect, I gathered blue flames in front of me and formed the symbols my dad had taught. Then, carefully as I could, I sent a tiny blue spark through the glyph. I felt the flame getting smaller and smaller until it was less than a wisp of hot air.

  Acting quick before I ran out of energy trying to maintain the domain, I began to pull the green flames out of Sylvie’s body, just as I had done with Nox that day. The small bird whistled lowly as its body fell limply in my hand. I directed the wisp of blue energy into Sylvie before returning the green flames.

  I watched carefully, biting my lip in concern as the energy flowed through the little bird’s body. Nox nudged the unconscious body of the small bird and purred loudly. After several seconds of nothing happening, I let out a sigh of relief. At the very least, Sylvie had not exploded.

  I could not tell yet if the process had worked. Nox had been unconscious for some time after I did this to him. It was likely Sylvie would be the same.

  Holding the sleeping bird in my hand, I carried her to my room. Using a few tattered clothes, I made a nest for her in one of the corners and laid her down gently.

  “Sleep well, Sylvie. You earned it,” I said.

  Nox laid down next to the nest I had made as if protecting it from anyone that might approach. His attitude gave me hope that I might have actually succeeded. If I did, everything would change.

  I had always dreamed that one day I would actually be able to resurrect those I had lost but no matter how much I practiced, my innate talent had always remained as nothing more than an imitation. Even with the golden flame, I was not sure if this could truly be considered a resurrection but I still held hope.

  The true test after this would be what happened if I tried this method on a human. Would they truly be reborn, with all their memories and emotions intact or would they become something else entirely?

  With the countless talents that existed across the realms, resurrecting a person had been studied extensively by the Thirteen Divisions. They always ended in failure.

Every story I had ever heard of someone attempting any sort of resurrection always ended in tragedy. So much so that any study into resurrection is considered taboo. The divisions still researched it, of course, but they would never admit it publicly. If I was going to attempt this on a human body, I had to make sure I did not repeat the mistakes of the past. However, I could not abandon this opportunity just because something might go wrong.

  Images of all those I had lost over the past four hundred years flashed through my mind as tears streamed down my face. There were so many but the one that stood out the most was Lucia, my student. The girl had been like a daughter to me. Losing her had been one of the hardest moments of my life. If I really could bring back the dead, could I bring her back as well? Would Sebastion still hate me if I succeeded? Would everything be able to go back to how it was back then?

  I brushed away the tears with a scowl at myself. What ifs would not change anything. Sebastion was coming and I had an idea on how to face him. The only question was, would it be enough?

  Leaving Sylvie and Nox to rest, I left Dragon’s Nest and made my way outside. Thanks to my connection with my newest undead, Sigmund the Sword Saint, I knew exactly where to find Svend. The two of them were currently in the military camp.

  Svend was determined to show off Sigmund as much as possible and led him around the camp regularly. The soldiers loved it and the few displays Sigmund made of his swordsmanship inspired everyone to train hard while they prepared for the remaining armies that had not yet arrived.

  Sigmund was in the middle of one of these displays when I arrived at the camp. Svend was off to the side with a wide smile on his face while watching the crowd gather around in awe. Svend had set up a huge boulder in the middle of the military camp and let Sigmund show the men what a swordsman could truly do.

  With a single slash of his sword, Sigmund was able to slice through the stone as if it was butter. The entire boulder fell away into two parts. The rock edge along the cut was as smooth as glass. The crowd cheered in amazement at the skill.

  “The people already know how strong Sigmund is, why put on this show?” I asked curiously as I stood next to Svend. It always felt weird being next to the giant man when he was standing. My head still being barely taller than his knee.

  Svend looked down at me and smiled. “The men need something to hold their attention while they wait for the army to gather. Most of these kids were not alive when Sigmund walked the earth. Seeing what he can do in person is different than just hearing about it. Showing them something as simple as this could inspire them to greatness in the battles to come.”

  “If you say so,” I replied with a shrug while watching the crowd heap praises onto the expressionless swordsman, “I think I have an idea on how to deal with Sebastion when he comes to kill me. It will be costly. I am going to need soldiers, preferably, men experienced in setting traps for animals, men not to bound by morals in battle and not afraid of dishonorable tactcs.”

  “I can help with the soldiers but will regular men really be of any use?” Svend asked skeptically, “Are you just hoping to wear King Sebastion out with numbers?”

  “Yes and no,” I mumbled, “I am planning to turn the catacombs under your mansion into a labyrinth of death.”