She couldn’t tell how much time had passed when her eyes pried themselves open again. Everything felt sluggish. Her limbs protested any attempt to move, but after a few agonizing seconds, she managed to roll over and began to slowly crawl. Dragging herself across the floor, she aimed for the stack of red potions that lay against the wall.
When Enya finally reached within arm’s length of the potion, she grabbed it with weak hands. Popping off the cork was harder than it had ever been before, but after some effort, she managed to remove it and desperately gulped down the contents. Unlike the mana potions, the health potions tasted more like stale water, almost flavorless. Her parched throat rejoiced in delight.
A sense of relief and renewed vitality slowly spread through her. She lacked the energy to carefully set the bottle down, so she tossed it aside, watching it roll toward the center of the room. Exhausted, she lay back on the ground and stared up at the ceiling. Though her body still felt sluggish, her mind was clear, and for the first time in what seemed like forever, calmness washed over her. With that peace came the inevitable pull of sleep, and once again, she let herself drift away.
When Enya awoke, she felt considerably better. After what she assumed had been several hours of deep sleep, her strength had mostly returned. She ate one of the last remaining cans of food in the room and walked around, stretching her stiff limbs. The majority of her injuries had faded. The scrapes and cuts were now faint marks, which would disappear with time.
Satisfied, she pulled up her status screen to check for any abnormalities.
Name: Enya Empyria
Level: (1)/1
EXP: 14/15
Class: Unassigned
Innate Class: Visionary
Skills: Absolute Focus, Visions Past, Mana Detection [D+], Mana Control [D+], Perception [C-], Sage’s Insight [B]
Titles: High-Noble, Realm Hopper, Apprentice of Terran
Everything looked normal. Her level was still the same as it was when Pell had killed the zombie in the hallway. This most likely meant she only ever received experience points whenever a monster actually died. So no matter how much she hurt the demon rat, she wouldn’t increase in level until it finally died. This also, inadvertently, meant that the rat was still alive. Whether it was still impaled in the same spot, or had somehow managed to escape—she couldn’t know.
The reason her level was ‘(1)’ and not ‘1,’ had something to do with how unassigned classes calculated levels and experience. Technically, she had gained enough experience to level from 0 to 1, but because her class was unassigned, her actual level was more of a ‘temporary’ level. It would only change once she gained her actual class, and then supposedly the experience would recalculate itself, depending on how it matches the new class. She wasn’t sure what the second ‘1’ on the level line meant, though.
For the next thirty minutes, Enya was lost in the details of the raise skeleton spell, her mind fully absorbed in the text. She wanted to make sure there wasn’t anything else she overlooked.
Reading past the page about the bone spear, Enya realized something. She looked up from the book and gazed at the left side of the room. Her eyebrows knitted together as she looked at the ground. The bone spear she originally conjured had disappeared.
Enya stood up and walked to the small crater. She looked at it from above. All that was visible was just coarse dirt, along with fragments of stone rock. Enya crouched down and picked at the dirt, shuffling some of it aside. Beneath the dirt… was more dirt. She sighed.
Before grabbing the bone and placing it in the center of the room, Enya did one final stretch, feeling the tension release from her muscles.
Enya took a deep breath, her body feeling lighter after a final stretch. She picked up the bone, placing it carefully in the center of the room. This was it—the moment to try summoning her first skeleton. She had practiced the spell circle numerous times, perfecting the patterns and flow of mana, but this would be her first real attempt at bringing it to life.
Closing her eyes for a moment, she focused on channeling the mana through her body. She could feel the energy surge within her, guiding it into the forming spell circle. She had done this part in practice, but the thought of actually seeing the spell in action brought a hint of excitement—and nervousness. This was especially true after all that she just went through.
As the final lines of the spell circle connected, the mana pulsed, signaling that the required amount had been reached. Enya exhaled slowly, her hand hovering above the catalyst bone. With a simple push of her palm, she passed her intent into the spell.
The circle responded immediately, lighting up with a bright flash before spreading across the ground. The air crackled with energy.
Skill: Summon Skeleton has been activated.
Before her eyes, bones began to form. They didn’t appear all at once, but rather manifested gradually, each one materializing from mana. The mystical bones emerged around the catalyst she had placed, growing steadily outward. Mana solidified near the existing bone, stretching outward to form a full skeleton piece by piece, bone by bone.
Enya watched, transfixed, as the skeleton slowly built itself.
Initially, Enya had assumed the bone she picked up was from a leg—perhaps a tibia. It had that sturdy, grounded look. But as the skeleton began to form, it became clear she had misjudged. The bone was actually from the lower forearm, one of those tricky twins: the ulna or the radius. She couldn't remember which—honestly, who could blame her? They were indistinguishable to the untrained eye, and even for someone like Enya, who had studied the body’s structure, the two bones still blurred together.
The spell worked methodically, as if following a detailed blueprint etched into the fabric of the world. First, the full arm and shoulder materialized, then the clavicle and the first traces of ribs began to weave into existence. Enya watched, utterly captivated. Each bone appeared with a faint shimmer of mana, growing from the core outward like some mystical vine climbing along an invisible frame.
It was... breathtaking, really. The skeleton assembled itself over the course of a few minutes, bones snapping into place with soft glints of light, like stars fading after a brief, wondrous flash. The shoulder girdles and collarbones formed early, but the upper spine and skull took their time, saving the core components for last.
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Finally, a skull emerged, one that bore a striking resemblance to Pell’s own bony head. Enya glanced between this the skull and Pell’s, noting only the subtlest of differences in their skeletal structures. Each was unique, yet eerily familiar, like distant cousins reunited after centuries.
The last glow of mana pulsed faintly, connecting the bones in a seamless dance of magic before the shimmer faded entirely. The skeleton was now fully formed. It was complete—no longer glowing, yet alive with the lingering magic that tied it all together.
Its limbs creaked softly as the skeleton stirred to life, arms and legs testing their newfound freedom. The skull gave a slight rumble, but soon fell still. Then, from the depths of its eye sockets, two small blue wisps—definitely not purple—flickered into existence. These ethereal lights hovered within the skull, unaffected by gravity or the weight of the world.
Slowly, with a measured, almost cautious movement, it pressed a palm against the ground. A small push was all it needed to rise. In moments, the skeleton stood tall—towering, even—its height almost double Enya’s. Every bone, shaped by Enya’s magic, remained flawless. This was the first time she had seen such an in-tact and complete skeleton.
System Notification: You have successfully summoned a Level 1 Skeleton.
Would you like to give a name to Level 1 Skeleton?
[Accept/Decline]
Enya blinked as she read the words. Her attention flickered back to the skeleton, which had now turned to face her. It didn’t speak, didn’t make any sudden moves—it simply stood, waiting. Watching.
"Um… hello," Enya said, her voice quiet, tentative. "It’s… nice to meet you."
The skeleton regarded her for a moment, then, to her surprise, nodded its head. Enya’s tired eyes widened in delight—this skeletal being could understand her!
"M-my name is Enya!" she exclaimed, her words stumbling over themselves. "I am, um… I am your… master! Or… summoner? Well… maybe that’s too…" Her voice faltered, growing softer with uncertainty. "I am your friend!" she finally declared, feeling her cheeks flush at the awkwardness of the exchange.
This was the third creature Enya had ever encountered that seemed sentient—or at least capable of understanding her. Pell had been around for months now, and just recently, she'd learned that Mr. Bones could also follow her words. But socializing? Especially with anyone other than Pell? That was still a struggle for her.
The skeleton, as if sensing her awkwardness, nodded once more. Without a word, it lowered itself onto one knee, head bowed toward the floor in a gesture of solemn respect.
Enya’s cheeks flushed pink. She knew this gesture—it was right out of the adventure novels she read. Whenever someone met a king or royalty, they would bow just like this. To refuse such a gesture was a terrible sign of disrespect, the kind that would often lead to dire consequences. This was the very essence of formality, and now, a skeleton was doing it to her.
Flustered, Enya mirrored the gesture. She knelt down as well, her movements stiff and uncertain, and accidentally pinned a part of her dress to the floor in the process. Her face was completely parallel to the ground.
"It’s... um... nice to meet—" Enya bit her tongue. She had already said that! Now her mind scrambled even more. What was she supposed to do? Should she keep bowing? Stand up? What did people in books do after they bowed?
Before she could embarrass herself further, the skeleton moved. Noticing her awkward attempt at reciprocating, it gently rose from its kneeling position. Without hesitation, it reached out, grasping Enya’s shoulders and helping her stand back up.
Enya's gaze lingered on the skeleton. At first glance, it was indistinguishable from Pell, but it didn't take long for her to sense how different it truly was. There was an unmistakable connection—a sort of thread of mana, binding them together like an unspoken bond. It wasn't like anything she had with Pell. This felt... deeper, like a quiet understanding between summoner and summon.
Realizing she had just bowed to her own minion, Enya’s face flushed again. “T-thank you,” she stammered, stepping back and brushing her dress off.
Her eyes swept over the skeleton, taking in its form. Its bones were pristine, vibrant in a way that contrasted sharply with Pell’s more weathered appearance. The skeleton’s stance was straight, solid, and almost imposing, especially compared to Pell’s usual slouch. Its legs looked particularly sturdy, giving it an air of confidence and readiness.
“Do… you have a name?” she asked, her voice softer this time.
The skeleton shook its head slowly, then gave a slight bow—not a full one, but an acknowledging gesture, almost as if it understood the weight of her question. Enya blinked, feeling a sense of clarity. It wasn’t just a mindless construct; it had its own awareness, enough to know what she was asking.
“Okay… a name… hmm…” Enya murmured, pressing her thumb and forefinger against her chin in thought. Names flitted through her mind: Arthur, Samuel, Khazan, Vight… These were the grand names of heroes and protagonists from the books she’d read. They were strong, sure—but for a skeleton, none of them seemed to quite fit.
She wanted something... special. Something that felt like it matched this sturdy, silent figure standing before her. A name that was also unique, and had a flair to it.
Enya’s brow furrowed as she continued to think. She had sifted through the names of heroes and protagonists, none of which seemed right. Instead, she let her thoughts wander through other words—objects, spells, random ideas—and then it hit her, an image from one of her visions.
“How about… Mr. Squirrel?” Enya suggested with a hopeful smile.
The skeleton visibly slumped. His shoulders lowered in what appeared to be mild dejection. Enya, through their mana tether, could clearly feel his disappointment, even if it didn’t show too much in his rigid form.
“Not a fan, huh? Hmm…” Enya tapped her chin, glancing at him again. “Okay, how about… Mr. Walnut?”
The skeleton’s shoulders lifted a little, though she still sensed a tinge of reluctance. He didn’t outright hate it, but it wasn’t exactly a winning name either.
“Sir Walnut?” she tried, but the skeleton slumped again.
“Walnut?” she ventured one last time, watching as the skeleton slouched slightly but much less so than before.
Enya let out a giggle. “Alright, Walnut it is! At least, until I come up with something better.”
The newly named Walnut stood tall, accepting his temporary moniker with what could only be described as a resigned shrug. He might not have liked it, but at least it wasn’t as bad as Mr. Squirrel.
System Notification: Name ‘Walnut’ has been registered to Level 1 Skeleton
Name: Walnut
Level: 1
Type: Humanoid Skeleton
Class: Unassigned
Power Rating: 46
A shocked expression crept onto Enya’s face. There was a line that denoted a “class.” That meant that it would be possible to resurrect a skeleton, or possibly a zombie, in the future with a class. She wasn’t sure how to do it right now, but this opened up a door of possibilities for any summons she would have in the future.
There was also a line about a ‘power rating,’ and honestly, that line was completely lost to her. She could only assume that it denoted the strength of Walnut, as compared to… other undead? Her own stats didn’t have a power rating statistic, so it was hard to say.
“Alright, Mr. Walnut—err, Walnut,” she began, trying to clarify, “can you speak like Pell does?”
The skeleton looked at her, conveying confusion.
“Oh, uh, Pell is this skull over here,” Enya said, pointing over to the desk. “He’s my friend, and he’s… not here right now. He is a skeleton, like you, and he could speak.”
Walnut shook his head, indicating he couldn’t speak. Enya sighed, but wasn’t too discouraged. At least she could understand his broad emotions, which allowed for some basic communication. Walnut seemed to grasp everything she said, which was a good start.
“Well, I suppose I should explain everything that’s happened so far,” Enya said. She hopped up onto the desk, sitting with her legs dangling over the side, while Walnut settled on the floor, watching her intently.
And so began Enya’s dramatic recounting of her adventures so far. She gesticulated wildly, her body language animated and playful, and she even threw in a few sound effects for flair. Walnut observed with what could only be described as a bemused patience, his form unwavering as Enya shared her story with an infectious enthusiasm mixed with a depressing gloom.