Bro, I'm not an Undead!

Skullius couldn't believe his eyes. Was this truly happening?

Was this the end that was promised to him by the Doom Factor?

Then why didn't VOW say something? Maybe he would have taken more risks and... maybe not. That would have gotten him killed a lot sooner, and perhaps he'd end up here anyway.

Or perhaps he would end up somewhere else entirely.

A place of rest from his centuries upon centuries of untiresome work.

But no.

He was here, facing his summoner with a gloom that transcended the borders of life and death.

As if this wasn't enough, an image bloomed behind the cackling figure of Somanda. It appeared like a colourisation of the darkness into a ginormous hall that stretched further than his vision could make out.

It was dim, lit only by the occasional skull plastered on the wall that held a bright green flame in its sockets, illuminating the space where Skullius could see solid materials layered in blocks to make up the entire hall.

Ice!

They exuded a slow moving steam that was barely perceptible.

Massive pillars of this ice which looked to be expertly sculpted into eerie images were evident, rising to touch a ceiling that couldn't be seen.

The most distinctive feature when looking at this view, this hall that looked to be made as a residence for a powerful majestic giant, was the multitudes of lights that were screaming while being trapped in the blocks of ice that made up the walls!

White lights of different intensities and shapes; some bright with a shape like that of a man, some extremely dim with the shape of a spear or a ship, or a house.

Oddly, each of these shapes of light screeched miserably. The blocks of ice they were trapped in rattled each time, but as they were held down by dense chains, they didn't move much.

"Ah..." Somanda voiced, a dark wisp of energy flooding from his mouth to surround Skullius who shivered. He saw himself get drawn to his former master slowly.

The image of Somanda grew more vivid each second, and the terror that his figure wrought mounted.

His deep red socket flames raged with an intensity of interest and joy as he saw this poor servant of his return to spend a lifetime of pain among the countless that came before and after him.

Authentic schadenfreude indeed.

"You don't seem to understand the true grandeur of Undeath. Even after you sell yourself to another master, your soul will always belong to Undeath. To me. To a prison of ice made especially for you," Somanda said with the coldest voice Skullius had ever heard.

He knew?

He knew that Skullius had become a Null Lifeform?

It was to be expected since the books that contained the skills were in Somanda's possession when Skullius took them, but...

"It seems you failed in the end. I waited for you to return some day. Whether the day came soon or after a stretch of infinity, I would have waited nonetheless. A master of Undeath is not bound by time. And here you are... Skullius."

Somanda's figure hidden under a dark robe moved while Skullius who didn't know how he looked on the outside followed, tugged on by the dark energy that had come from Somanda's mouth.

The crisp steps of bony feet rang across the icy floor as Somanda walked a long distance in silence, Skullius not making a single peep as the suspense was killing him.

What would happen now?!

After a while, the Lich stopped and pointed on a certain block that was high up on the wall. Although pointing would be considered useless when dealing with a wall of this magnitude, Skullius felt his vision being forcibly directed to the block that Somanda wanted him to look at.

As soon as he saw the block, something within him shivered, trembling as it sought to break through and race towards the bright light that was frozen within the ice!

A bright light in the shape of a curled up human being could be seen.

Its figure looked feminine. The young sort without any distinctive features of note yet.

Skullius trembled but nothing came to mind.

He only vaguely felt that this figure was familiar.

That this... was very familiar.

"Have you ever wondered why you and your crew of Lesser Undead have emotions. Why you feel things that a bunch of bones and mana shouldn't?" Somanda said coldly.

Indeed Skullius had wondered. But this wasn't the situation that was ideal for him to be a chad and retort boldly.

He simply waited for the answer.

"It's simple really. The subtlety of pain and sadness that is revealed when you work for eternity is unimaginably enjoyable to see. How even after your death, your emotions carry more emotions and show the sorrow that your soul bears through the camaraderie that you try to cultivate among yourself as dead! Worthless vestiges of even more worthless vessels. This... brings joy to my aged existence!"

For amusement.

A pastime for an aged creature.

That's what he was?

Skullius' thoughts raced.

Somanda's words brought to the surface all the encounters that he had with his friends. Bonet, Fractures and the rest.

It was just a clinging to the past induced by the remnants of their souls?

It was all just pain that manifested as pitiful fights in the mines. A yearning for a friend when he and his pals would push the stone from their bunk tombs and get to work?

It was all to share a collective pain that they all didn't remember?

"..."

Skullius felt unsubtle resonance between him and the bright image of girl that was locked in the large block of ice.

'Why didn't I try harder?'

'Why did I give up like it was the most obvious thing to do?'

'Is it because I never knew that there was something about me that existed before I was summoned by Somanda? So I just didn't care deep down?'

But that cant be! He had tried to stay alive. He had tried, for a whole day!

"Oh, Skullius! Come join your 'friends' and share this suffering while bound by a deathly fate! I will so enjoy seeing that even the light of fate that was always on you can't content with the might of someone such as myself! I'll make you remember it all and let you 'enjoy' it countless times over!

Come and suffer so that I can feel ripples of joy knowing that you were always under my feet, nomatter how much favour you have!"

Skullius trembled in fear.

And in rage.

This was it?

This was how he ended?

When he didn't even remember the beginning?

It couldn't be!

Somanda's flames burst with a bright red light as he saw the emotion that was bubbling in Skullius.

"That's it right there. The fire that I want to see and trample! I want to see it within billions of lives and see it die out the same amount of times over! You shall bear witness like all the others!"

Skullius felt a ridiculous push that launched him towards the block of ice that he felt a deep resonance with!

He felt with ever fibre of his consciousness that if he reached that block and got sealed, then it was all over. He wouldn't be able to get out nomatter what!

His rage wouldn't amount to anything while he was locked behind those chains.

He had failed.

Red Rage was gone.

His Null Life... an opportunity meant to further him as a second chance, was gone.

Was he that much of a failure that he lost even with so much potential?

The pain that roared from within a depth that Skullius didn't even know, munched on his will until he spoke, pleading...

'Please! I need another chance! I can't let it end like this! I have to know! I have to get back and make the most of it! Even with the full might of atrocious luck!'

Skullius saw the block draw closer while Somanda's demeaning laugh echoed through him with a raucous intensity.

Then...

CLUNK!

A large chain with an azure glow suddenly grabbed a hold of Skullius!

It emitted wisps of mana that almost seemed to have a searing heat about them!

'What?' Skullius thought.

"Hmmm?"

Somanda looked on with a passive gaze at the chain.

Another one appeared from nowhere to grab onto Skullius too, holding him from being dragged into the block. Then another.

[Timely intervention detected]

[Inserting of mana detected. Your existence is being supported by an external factor. Additional mana costs added...]

[Mana sufficient for mana reduction. 'Piece of soul' return processing...]

'...?' Skullius was confused.

He was saved?

How?

A dramatic pulling force acted upon him, drawing him back under the gaze of Somanda.

Something had intervened. If it was the case of mana, then perhaps his 'companions' had saved him?!

Skullius hurriedly gazed at Somanda.

The Lich gazed at him as well without much of a reaction and pointed his finger at him.

"I shouldn't be surprised at this point. Fate always sided with you when it counted," Somanda said with a disappointed scoff.

Skullius was concerned by how he didn't seem all that shocked at all.

In fact, the Lich cackled.

"We will meet again eventually. Maybe I'll find you first. But even if I don't, you will come to me. Even if you reach DIVINITY, you'll seek me out on your own," Somanda said as his mouth released plumes of darkness, his image also sinking into the hall which dissolved to black.

Then, from his bony finger, a streak of red shot through the void and struck Skullius, sinking into him.

Skullius groaned, feeling genuine pain!

"Heheheheheee..."

The last of Somanda's cackle was deeply ingrained into Skullius' memory.

[An additional curse has been inflicted on you by Higher level Undead 'Arch Lich Somanda'...]