SWNOVELXO Chapter 144- Death Energy
Death comes with an even greater cost—something like losing one's very existence. Whether it's their name, identity, or everything they ever held dear while alive.
At first, it didn't seem like much. Naturally, after death, one forgets their own self, so there's no reason to know one's name or care about that lost being. But that wasn't the case for those trapped between life and death.
For the few considered undead—those stuck in between, losing their identity, wandering like beasts, confused and anxious with nothing left—their sole purpose became finding what they had lost: their sense of self.
Life isn't fair, nor is death. And for them, the craving to reclaim an identity burned deeper than pain. But it didn't come cheap.
The price was steep—requiring the sacrifice of another's life force. Our ability demanded a portion of life from the living, and from the dead, a large amount of death energy—something a living soul could never naturally produce.
A mother gives life to her child, but in doing so, she offers part of herself—her age, her blood, her flesh. The same principle applies to the dead, who are not born of life, but from death itself.
Undead could understand one another—but not themselves. This made it nearly impossible for one undead to name another. They lacked the anchor of identity, and in trying, they would lose what little remained of their own existence.
Only humans—those still living—had the capacity to think clearly and bestow names upon the undead.
Yet even that came with a curse. If the fragile balance between life force and death energy broke, it would erase the very existence of the one who dared to name something beyond their understanding.
Often, they would exhaust themselves before they could even finish granting the name.
It was simply a field where naming the dead was impossible. No one could hold more death energy than the dead themselves.
And yet now, as she stood with her gaze fixed on the young man lying unconscious, breath still steady yet drained of strength, I couldn't help but reflect on his existence.
His entire being screamed of death energy—far beyond what a human should possess, yet not enough to kill him. He was still alive, breathing, even while carrying such a thing inside him.
To bestow a name upon even a lower-ranked death beast required immense energy. Yet this boy held death energy on par with the highest-ranking death beasts. Something no mere human should ever possess.
Once again, he had left her—and others—standing there, confused and shaken, staring at him. Her gaze then flicked toward the seated skeleton. A flicker of light danced within its crystal.
Black energy began leaking out, slowly crawling over the bones—wrapping ribs, hands, and feet in a mockery of flesh.
Black flesh.
Flesh that looked real, but was not.
Her head began to pound.
:: Tch, not the morphing phase! ::
Valeriana.
The ground beneath her vanished. The skull of Ashmira disappeared in an instant, her body reconstructing into that of a human—but from the neck up, it was missing. Black energy hissed from the open stump.
"M-my head?" Ashmira murmured, stunned. Her hands—now covered in slightly darkened flesh—lifted to her neck, only to meet a slit emitting dark mist. There was nothing.
No head.
Yet she could think more clearly than ever before. She could even speak, without a mouth.
She sat there—naked, her form cloaked only in tattered white cloth, pierced just moments ago by Mialthara's spikes.
"Place him on the bed," Aleriana said, completely ignoring Asmera. She slowly lifted Kyle into her arms and carried him toward the bed. Olea, without hesitation, grabbed the unconscious woman lying beside him and activated her shadow domain, sending her back into the darkness.
'!?'
"Ugh—!" Olea staggered, her head suddenly feeling heavy. She clutched her temples, eyes blinking in confusion as all her Qi reserves seemed to vanish in an instant, leaving her hollow.
"Olea? Are you alright?" Aleriana had just placed Kyle down, but she too felt a sharp drain in her Qi. Her eyes widened as realization struck—until now, Kyle must've been the one stabilizing Olea's energy, keeping it balanced enough for her to use her shadow-walking ability.
[Auto Reset Activated.]
'!'
Olea blinked again, startled. The same thought echoed in her mind. She'd only ever used that new ability when close to Kyle. She turned to tell Aleriana, but before she could speak, her energy returned—restored in a wave so smooth and sudden that it silenced her.
"Th-this…" She and Aleriana both turned to Kyle—still unconscious, yet emanating a flicker of warmth that spread into them like a gentle flame. Even in this state… he was holding her together.
'What is he…?' Mialthara frowned. She had felt the fluctuation in Olea's Qi the moment Kyle touched the bed. For a brief moment, she believed him vulnerable due to unconsciousness. But now, witnessing his strange ability sustain others passively, she simply exhaled and moved toward the nearby sofa.
A maid approached, quietly bringing a message. The timing annoyed Mialthara—Kyle's presence was too enigmatic, and now she found herself entangled. After what he said to her, she would likely stay by his side until he was the one to throw her out.
"P-Princess, should I return another time…?" The head maid, having witnessed far too much—first a skull turning into a headless woman, then a pool of blood forming another, and finally, a vanishing corpse—now stood stiffly, unsure if she should even be in the room. She gave a low bow, clearly wanting to flee from the unsettling atmosphere.
"No. Speak. What is it?" Aleriana, finally reassured by Kyle's stable condition, turned toward the door. Her eyes locked onto the scroll in the maid's trembling hands, and her gaze narrowed. That parchment was from the royal family. She could feel it.
"Um… Princess," the head maid said cautiously, still glancing sideways into the room before focusing on Aleriana. "Prince Orion has organized a feast. He has called for everyone—including you… and Sir Kyle."