Chapter 5
The Living Undead
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Evolution into an Undead creature is available.
Evolve now?
YES/NO
After mentally saying yes, the blue screen disappeared momentarily, and the pain that I was under subsided like it was never there to begin with. A second later, a set of 5 screens showed up before me, presenting me with the available evolutions that I could take.
Looking over to the first option while floating in the abyss, I could already tell that these evolutions were the ones that I was looking for after the idea of being an undead came up.
Zombie
(Common)
An undead creature born to eat the flesh of others and spread their kind. Being the most common of the undead that the world has to offer, these undead creatures are numerous.
Go forth and wreak havoc on those who are living.
Intelligence -10, Strength +5, Endurance +5
Warning: Choosing this option would delete all of your soul's personality and memory.
Yeah, no. No thanks. Nuh-uh. I ain't looking to be more stupid than I am right now. I may consider myself a muscle himbo, but losing all of my personality and memory is something that I am not looking forward to. Even losing 10 intelligence points is already too much for me. And I'm not going to live through eating the flesh of the living. I wouldn't be able to sleep otherwise, knowing that I've devoured someone. With that evolution out of my list, I moved on to the next one.
Wil-o'-the-wisp
(Common)
An undead creature born from the wisp of the dead's soul, leading unsuspecting travelers astray in the woods. These common creatures lack intent and grow stronger by eating the dreams of others.
Be the light that guides the living to their demise.
Intelligence -10, Wisdom +5, Dexterity +5
Warning: Choosing this option would delete all of your soul's memory.
Again, I'm not looking to lose my memories just to be alive. Without it, I wouldn't be me.
And I don't like the idea of floating aimlessly in the woods just to lead my victims to their deaths. That's just not what I am.
Next.
Specter
(Uncommon)
An undead creature born from the negative emotions of the dead, devouring the souls of those who are weak-willed. One of the uncommon types of the undead that could remember their predecessor's life, enacting their twisted revenge on those who have hurt them. They could phase through non-magical objects, making them feared by the common living.
Take your inevitable revenge against those who have wronged you.
Strength -10, Dexterity +5 Intelligence +5, Wisdom +5
Warning: Choosing this option would delete all of your soul's personality.
This is something that I could get by, although I am still put off by losing my personality. Meaning that I would lose most of me, but the new Callum would still have most of my memories. But I don't want that to happen if possible.
The notion of being able to phase through walls is enticing, but losing most of myself doesn't seem worth it. Next, please!
Revenant
(Uncommon)
An undead creature born to haunt the living, eating the life force of those who come across them. This uncommon undead is said to be strong-willed before succumbing to death's embrace, with some of their memories and personalities intact. This makes them one of the world's forerunners of civilization.
Rise from the dead and live to haunt those that cross you.
Strength +5, Dexterity +5, Endurance +5, Wisdom +5
+5 Free points
Warning: Choosing this option would delete some of your soul's memory.
Now, this is something that I would pick to be reborn as. The only downside is that I would still lose some of my memories, but that's better than the other options that I've seen. I mean, who says no to +5 points for most of my physical stats? I'm gonna be able to move after evolving anyway, so improving my overall capability would be a boon to me. Lastly, this option would still make me...me. I will lose some memories, but that's no different from having a bout of amnesia in my past life.
It also provides 5 free points that I could allocate for my choosing, making it the most enticing option to pick. No, it might be the only option that I would pick after seeing the last 3 options. It even says that there are other revenants out there in the world, living in a civilization. I don't know how corpses could build a city, but vampires are considered undead, right? And they live in gothic castles, from what I've heard.
However, there is still one option for me to pick, so let's not be too hasty, Callum.
Grim Reaper
(Epic)
An undead creature born to serve under the God of Death, reaping the souls of those who have perished. A rare type of undead that has caught the attention of Death itself, becoming his subordinate for all eternity. They live by feeding on some of the essences of the souls they reap. They are proficient in death magic, making them feared by mortals who meddle with the concept of death. Its one true purpose is to follow Death's command without question.
Serve thy God and be forever under his mighty rule.
Strength +5, Dexterity +10, Endurance +10, Wisdom +10, Intelligence +5
Warning: Choosing this option would stop your evolutionary options in the future.
I could get an idea of why this option is even here. Having a title related to a God does have its upsides, and it seems that this is one of them.
This option is also pretty awesome. It provides an overall of 40 attribute points, making it the most powerful option that I could choose. However, the sound of me hampering my evolutionary path by choosing this is not ideal.
Now that I think about it, the more rarer the evolution is, the more stat points I gain. A common evolution would give me an overall of 20 stat points, an uncommon would give me 25, maybe a rare one would give 30, and an epic rarity would give me 40 overall stats. This is looking more and more like a video game.
Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.
Back to the options before me, I discarded the first to third options. It just doesn't compare to the last two that were given to me. But with two options means that I'd need to pick which one I would be. This is a big decision that could dictate my life in this world, so I read the options over and over just to make sure I got them right.
Becoming a Revenant wouldn't hamper my future potential, unlike the last option of becoming a Grim Reaper. It would also give me more freedom to roam this new world that I am in. Being under the rule of Death does have some upsides, like avoiding fatalities or death altogether, but the idea of serving him doesn't sit right with me. Even the thought of it is making me uncomfortable.
The guy looks lonely enough, and I don't want to become some servant under his "mighty rule". A friend should be equals, where they have each other's backs. Being under servitude wouldn't accomplish that. Although I am still a mortal up against a God ruling over the domain of Death, I could still give him a drinking buddy if ever he needs it. But, most of all, I just don't want to be under somebody again. I've already gone through that since I started school, and the feeling of following someone else's orders just doesn't sit right with me.
I've been given a second chance in life, so I ain't gonna waste it. Even if I lose some of my memories, I'd still be me.
Without further hesitation, I mentally chose the Revenant option.
All of the other screens blipped out, leaving only the Revenant screen up in the void. Feeling dread and anticipation, the screen disintegrated into motes of light that drifted over to my being. With each mote giving me a great feeling of euphoria, the memory of the pain that I went through disappeared too.
While relishing this feeling, I went through my life again. From the day I was born, the beatings from my parents, school, high school, university, the death of my uncle, Katrine, and even my death flashed before my mind. Although, some of them faded into obscurity. The friends that I once knew were replaced by my mother's hollering, my birthday was superseded by that time when I was playing games in my uncle's house, and the memory of my first meeting with Katrine changed to the time when she backstabbed me.
With those memories gone, my mind felt refreshed. I was in a serene state of mind, coupled with that sense of ecstasy from my evolution.
After what felt like years of slumber, I opened my destroyed eyelids and gave my body a twitch. The pain that I was under had disappeared completely, and my senses were back to normal levels. Confirming that I could move my body by moving my right arm towards my desecrated face, I sat up. And with my sense of sight, I turned my focus to the two people in front of me.
One of them wore a dark cloak that seemed to flow unnaturally with the wind. Their features are hidden by the hood covering their head. A large sickle is held by their left bony hand, with a glowing lantern on their right. Peering more into the light of the lantern and seeing it in its entirety gave the world more color. The color expanded outward from the lantern, moving faster and faster until it had encompassed my whole vision. Seeing colors again should have brought tears to my non-existent eyes, but my mind just feels sharper than it used to.
With color brought back to me, I could see that we were under a sunlit forest, with bushes and tall grass surrounding us and large pine trees that stretched across the sky. The sounds of birds chirping are muffled by my broken eardrums, but they are sounds nonetheless. With this scene before me, I switched my focus to the other imposing man beside the reaper. He is about as tall as me, maybe even taller by 5 more inches. He is wearing a dark coat over his grey sweatshirt, and some dark blue slacks which accentuates his dark brown boots. His shoulder-length hair is tied into a man-bun, showing more of his squared face and sharp jawline that is hidden by his short beard. However, even with a whole new get-up, I can never forget the face of Death even if some of my memories were to be forgotten from my evolution, and a smile slowly crept over our faces.
"I see that you've come back from the dead, Callum." Death said with a wide grin across his face.
"And I see that you're wearing a whole new fit the last time I saw you, Thellius," I replied with a hoarse voice, a grin also on my half-eaten face. "I like what you did with your hair, by the way"
"I wouldn't want to look shabby to my messenger now, would I?"
"LORD'S PROPHET!" A shrill voice shouted over us.
Looking over to where it came from, I saw the reaper that gave me pain for what felt like an eternity drop to its knees, head loudly meeting the ground.
While quaking in his boots, They shouted in a trembling voice.
"May- MAY THIS BLASPHEMOUS SOUL BE PUNISHED FOR TORMENTING THE PROPHET!"
Guilt washed over me, and my smile turned crooked. Looking over at the one responsible for this, I could also see that his smile had turned awkward from his employee's declaration. And so I replied,
"I don't think there's any need for a punishment-"
"THIS ONE'S SOUL HAS BROUGHT PAIN TO THE MESSENGER! THY SOUL MUST BE PUNISHED IMMEDIATELY!" The reaper yelled, cutting me off and making me even more guilty.
This is a new situation for me. I haven't been put on a high pedestal before. I did become our team's leader in my soccer days, but that's as high in the position as I could have gone. This is definitely different from a simple leader for jocks! Fretting over how to deal with this problem, Thellius' voice echoed out.
"I see that I forgot to mention it to you, but a punishment still needs to be enacted. As per my judgment! You are to be stripped of your position and become the messenger's servant, indefinitely."
"YES, MY LORD!"
"Wait a minute! I didn't sign up for this!" I said hurriedly, shaking my hands in protestation in front of me.
"Is this one's soul not per the messenger's preference?" The reaper said with sadness while still bowing a few feet ahead of me.
"No no no! That's not what I meant. It's just, you're not really the one responsible for this. Right, Thellius?" I said with a hint of irritation at the end.
"Yes, hence why I'm giving one of my servants to you, as compensation," Thellius answered casually.
I can't even begin to wonder how lucky I was to not pick the Grim Reaper evolutionary path. Is this how he treats most of his employees? Even the thought of it is sending shivers down my now literal spine.
"I can understand that, but isn't me getting tortured a way for me to level up? I can't take more from our deal. And it already feels like I'm taking advantage of it!"
"Ha ha! I see that you're still the same as ever before we brought you back to life! But don't think much of it. Bringing you back to life is a small price to pay for the things that you will be bringing to our world. I mean, I am the God of Death, so bringing back someone is no issue for me...At least when they're in my reach." He said with some melancholy in his last tone.
"But still, having someone serve me is a bit much. Servitude is not really a big thing back in my world, so having a servant now is a new thing to me."
"No need to fret, Master Callum. Just think of me as a butler at your beck and call."
"See, that's the problem. I'm not used to having someone at my beck and call." I said with some tiredness in my voice.
I was a socialite then, and am still now, but talking to someone not equal to me is just uncomfortable. I got used to talking to people above my station, but I'm not the kind of guy to give my work to other people. Heck, I used to even take on more work from my colleagues when I got the time. I'm just not the kind of dude who needs a 24/7 butler to rely on.
"My goodness, Callum. Stop whining and just take the gift."
"And that's the other thing! You created this situation! I know that you want to give me some form of protection while I'm in this world, but that doesn't excuse your way of treating your employees as tools!" I yelled while pointing at the culprit of our problems, with a bit of anger laced in my words.
However, with me just being reborn minutes ago, my fucked up vocal cords broke, and I began coughing up black blood onto the ground.
Without me even asking, the reaper stood before me with a glass cup of water in their hands, holding it out for me. With shaky hands, I took the cup of water from the reaper and slowly drank it to ease the pain of my vocal cords being wrecked from shouting.
"You need to get used to this kind of treatment fast, Callum. You are considered sacred in these lands. But for some, you are also considered a cursed soul blessed by me. You'll need some form of protection when venturing out into this new world that those cockroaches put you in.
"And also, think nothing of it. This kind of treatment is not that rare in this world, and you'll find that out soon enough. You could call it a God's intuition if you will." Thellius said with some reprimand in his tone.
After a few seconds of gathering myself, I tried to speak again, however, only a low grumble came out of my mouth.
"Please speak no further, Master Callum. You've injured your vocal cords which would need some time to heal." The reaper said with worry in its voice.
"Listen to your new friend, Callum. And don't glare at me like that, you can't blame me for giving you a valuable ally."
That's not what I'm blaming you for! How am I supposed to speak now that I've shredded my throat? I thought angrily at myself. This was my only way to easily communicate with other people, and now I've botched it.
Painfully sighing, I wrote a small thank you on the ground for death and his ex-employee to see. There's no use arguing with a millennium-old God, and the only thing that I could do to be polite is to just accept his gift. But that doesn't mean that I don't like it, it still makes me feel guilty for taking too much from him...and for ruining this reaper's job, indefinitely.
Looking over my written message on the ground, Thellius patted my chewed-off shoulder and smiled.
"You've been reborn here in Memoriya, Callum. And I just want you to know that you've given me more than what you've thought. Just don't die too much." He said with a smile, holding out a hand to help me get up.
Taking his offered hand, I wobbly got to my feet with some support from the reaper beside me. With a bit of pain and some popping sounds in my joints being stretched for the first time in weeks, I finally got to stand on my own two feet.
Nodding in thanks to Death and the reaper, and giving myself a once-over, I quickly noticed how pale my skin was. Its color resembles an ashen hue, with some veins of black all over my broken body. My guts are still spilling out, but the sight of it doesn't even make me uncomfortable. My broken left foot is twisted unnaturally, making me a bit unbalanced from standing on my own. My eyes are still empty holes, so I am still relying on my upgraded version of [Undead's Oculus], but seeing colors is a much-needed relief to my tired soul.
Being reminded of my state of mind and body, I shuffled over to a nearby tree to rest on. The reaper supported my fucked up body towards it, while Death watches over me like a dad watching his baby learn how to walk for the first time. After making my way to the tree, I slumped down and looked over at Thellius to give him a weak tired smile.
"Sweet dreams, my friend. Have a much-needed rest. I have overstayed my welcome here, but I'll be sure to check up on you once you've awoken." He said with a caring smile while sauntering over to me.
I bowed a bit towards him to show my gratitude. My eyelids feel like lead, and my consciousness succumbing to sleep. But before I truly rested a warm hand patted my head.
"You've gone through so much, Callum. So I'll give you this one order as my messenger. Live the life that you see fit. If others were to hurt you, or hurt those that you hold dear, show no mercy. Kill those you deem worthy to be slain, for you are Death's prophet."
And with that last issue of orders from my patron, my mind retreated to slumber.