“Just like you...” I said, then burst into laughter, but it quickly turned into a coughing fit, a blood-spattered cough. The irony was undeniable—two mortal enemies, moments ago locked in a life-and-death struggle, now lying side by side, exchanging pleasantries... Two dying necromancers greeting each other? It was absurd.

“We’re both going to die here together...” he murmured softly. “What a pity, if only I hadn’t used that dagger earlier…”

“Yes, if only I hadn’t cast that final explosive spell…” I echoed. But what if we hadn’t made those regretful choices? Perhaps I would still be an obscure wandering mage, and he would remain the ruthless necromancer, a threat to the entire kingdom.

I glanced around. The surroundings were desolate, nothing but the corpses of demons on the snow-covered ground. Raith’s army had long been obliterated when we brought down the mountain. The terrible magic duel we just had would make anyone think twice before approaching this place. And now, with the grievous wounds we both sustained… Unless a miracle happens, this place would be our grave. How much longer can I hold on? I could feel the flame of life slowly flickering out—perhaps I had an hour, maybe only ten minutes left! Strangely, at this moment of death's imminent arrival, I felt no fear, only a profound calmness! An overwhelming calm!

“Why did you become a necromancer?” After a long silence, I suddenly asked him, unsure why. After all, how he became a necromancer had nothing to do with me—perhaps I just wanted to know if his reasons were similar to mine. I studied his profile; although his face had never changed, it no longer seemed so grotesque.

“For a promise, for love...” he replied, gazing at the sky. The sky was so blue, an intoxicating shade of blue.

“A long time ago, when I was just an ordinary man…” His voice was soft, serene. Earlier, I couldn’t guess his true age, but now I could clearly see the crow’s feet at the corners of his eyes. He must be between fifty and sixty years old. “I fell in love with a woman, but the forces of the world didn’t allow us to be together…”

He spoke to me like one would to an old friend, despite the fact that just an hour ago, we were deadly enemies. Death is the ultimate equalizer; under its impartial scythe, we would soon both be sacrifices. We had transformed from foes to companions in misery. No one can understand a necromancer’s heart better than another necromancer, especially when both are on the brink of death.

“She was destined to become the concubine of a lord, and I was just a poor young mage… Even if we had wanted to run away together, it would have been impossible. If we had, her parents would have suffered that man’s revenge… On the eve of her wedding, she met with me, saying it would be our last meeting. She told me she would always love me, no matter how I changed or what I became…”

For love… He became a necromancer for a woman. I’ve never experienced such a profound love, but I can imagine the despair and anger he must have felt. Only someone who sees no hope, who is left with only despair, would cast everything aside in search of that power, that dark power!

“On the day she married, I hid alone in the mountains. I had already begged all the gods, pleading for a miracle to change my fate, but it was useless… So, on that day, I began to curse—cursing my own powerlessness, cursing all the gods. In my despair, I swore that if I could gain the power to reclaim my love, I would sell my soul…”

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“So you used that charm and summoned ‘it’?”

“…Yes, I asked ‘it’ for power, and ‘it’ agreed, but in return, I had to give up my appearance and my legs… I had no other choice…”

What! This isn’t his original face? I looked at him again, trying not to dwell on the scars that looked like they’d been burned by fire, instead attempting to imagine what he might have originally looked like. But I failed. However, I was certain that he was once a handsome youth, perhaps even more handsome than I! How strange, why did ‘it’ make such a demand? When I allied with ‘it,’ there was no such requirement, only a change in my left eye as a sign of our pact!

“And then?” I couldn’t help but ask, my curiosity still burning, even in this situation. My teacher instilled this insatiable curiosity in me, saying that a mage with a strong curiosity is an excellent mage…

“And then? Then I gained the power to reclaim my love… Before, I had everything but power… Then I had power, but nothing else… The vows humans make in moments of passion, I mistook for eternity, paying an irreversible price… In the end, it was all empty words, all lies… A woman’s heart is beyond grasp… I had completely changed, no longer the person I once was. Though my heart remained the same, my appearance had altered beyond recognition… So her vow of eternal love faded away. She had sworn to love the young, handsome mage, not the crippled, grotesque necromancer I had become…” Raith’s eyes suddenly gleamed with a hint of madness. He began to laugh, but blood mercilessly poured from his throat. The explosive spell I had cast earlier was taking its toll. He laughed and coughed up blood, but the sight was not terrifying, only pitiful.

“Then why did you marry that girl?”

“Marry her? I wanted to prove to those who mocked my appearance that with power, everything else would follow… That girl couldn’t compare to her, not even a fraction… If she weren’t a princess, I…” He kept coughing up blood, the light in his eyes rapidly fading. His life was coming to an end.

I watched silently as his laughter gradually weakened, his eyes slowly closed, and the last spark of life finally extinguished.

“Like petals scattered by the wind, Your name is Woman.”

The verse gently echoed in my ear—Raith’s final words.

I turned my head, looking up at the sky. Blood loss and the cold of the mountain were causing my body to lose sensation. This was the fitting end for a necromancer—to be left on a high mountain, where vultures would feast on the corpse. Although this peak was too high for vultures, it made little difference.

I closed my eyes, letting my calm heart feel every flicker of life fading away, awaiting the inevitable moment that no living being can escape…

Something landed on my face—no, many things softly brushed against it, tickling, but soothing. Then they moved to my neck…

I opened my eyes and saw the face staring at me—the girl?

Her hair, once neatly groomed, was now completely disheveled, soft strands falling onto my face…

Am I still alive? No, I should be dead… But I am alive!! The realization hit me suddenly, for I knew that after death, there should be no pain, yet I felt the searing agony clearly.

The girl noticed my eyes open and gasped, then her face lit up with a look of pure joy. I could clearly see the tear stains on her face—had she cried for me? No, maybe she had just tripped and fallen—that would make more sense, after all, she’s just a little girl.

“You’re still alive?” she asked the most foolish question imaginable.

“Of course, I’m still alive!” I wanted to scold her loudly, but only then did I realize I couldn’t even speak loudly.

My head was resting on her lap, so I could see why I was still alive—the dagger was resting on my chest. The dagger had absorbed my life force, but because it was still on me, it returned the life force to me… That’s why I’m still alive! Of course, the fact that she had brought me down from the cold mountain was also an important factor.