After eating his first meal after three days, Lux asked his Master, Gaap, about all the things that had happened right after he lost consciousness.
The old Halfling didn't mince his words, and narrated the blow-by-blow account of what transpired, without omitting a single detail.
The Half-Elf listened with a serious expression on his face because he truly wanted to know what happened afterwards.
Twenty minutes later, Gaap finished his tale, and the Half-Elf lowered his head in order to digest everything that he had heard from his Master.
After a few minutes of silence, Lux thanked his Master and slowly stood. He then left the house where he and Gaap were currently staying to get some fresh air.
The moment he stepped outside, he noticed that it was nighttime, with the full moon illuminating the ruined city as it did for hundreds of years.
Lux also felt something very different, and that was the subtle fluctuations in his surroundings. He hadn't felt anything like this in the past, but for some reason, he instinctively understood what it meant.
The Half-Elf then equipped his Favonious Legacy and slowly floated upwards. The entire city was covered in what seemed to be white ash.
These were the remains of the brave Wraith Soldiers, who had perished in the battle against the Abyssal Legion that had tried to attack Lux during his purification ceremony. Without their help, the people of Zangrila wouldn't have been able to pass on to the next life.
The silver bracelet on Lux's wrist faintly glowed as if answering the Half-Elf's determination.
Lux pressed his palms together and closed his eyes as if he was praying, making his entire body glow in silver light.
"Brave Soldiers of Zangrila,
Selfless Protectors of heart and home.
Lift your voices up in prayer,
Sing it all across Elysium.
May love and laughter light your days,
and warm your heart and hearth.
May good and faithful friends be yours,
Wherever you may roam.
May peace and plenty bless your world
With joy that long endures.
Now it's time for all of you to set off on a new journey,
A place where happiness awaits.
Blessed is your kingdom, since days of yore,
Its Legacy will remain forevermore.
—---------
From within the ash-covered city, something once again stirred.
Countless small translucent white lights slowly rose towards the sky, like small fireflies in the night.
These were the remnants of the shattered souls of the Wraith Soldiers who had died protecting their home.
They no longer possess any sentience, and what remained of their identity slowly flew towards the Half-Elf en masse.
These souls could no longer pass through the Cycle of Reincarnation because their essence was too weak and would simply fade away long before they could reach their final destination.
Lux then raised his right hand high up in the air, forming a giant ring of light that expanded for hundreds of meters above his head.
He then pushed the ring of light upwards, making it hover high in the sky.
The small white lights were all sucked up at the center of the ring of light and passed through it.
Suddenly, all of these fragmented souls regained their radiance and transformed into white cocoons that hung in the sky, making Gaap, who was watching Lux in the distance, gasp in shock.
"T-This is… resurrection magic?" Gaap's eyes widened like saucers as he appraised what the Half-Elf was doing. "No… not resurrection magic. But it's something similar. Just what in the world is happeni…"
Suddenly, the old Halfling's body subconsciously shuddered as he remembered a distant memory.
—-----------
"Master, why are you doing this?" a younger version of Gaap asked. "This is not the way of a Necromancer."
"That's because I don't want to become an ordinary Necromancer, Gaap," a beautiful woman replied in a teasing tone. "What I want to be is a Necromancer that is able to move both Heaven and Earth. A one-of-a-kind, never seen before Necromancer that does not only revive the dead but also someone that can wield the power of the Divine."
"Master, have you eaten? I think you're suffering from delusion."
"How harsh! My own Disciple is telling me that I'm delusional."
"Just speaking facts, Master. There's no way a Necromancer can do what you're talking about."
"Hehehe. Maybe not now, but I believe that there will come a time when a Necromancer, who shares the same ideals as me, will one day realize my dream."
—-------------
"Heaven's… Necromancer," Gaap muttered. "Master, is this what you were talking about?"
As if waiting for that cue, the countless white cocoons that hung in the sky all cracked at the same time.
A moment later, white butterflies emerged from them, and slowly but surely, they spread their wings.
Suddenly, one of these butterflies took flight and flew around the Half-Elf, who was hovering not far from them.
"Safe journey," Lux said softly as the butterfly hovered in front of him for a few seconds before it finally flew towards the moon.
The other butterflies also circled around the Half-Elf before flying upwards to join the others who had gone before them.
Now that their souls were complete once more, they finally had the strength to enter the Cycle of Reincarnation and be reborn again.
While Lux was bidding his farewell to the countless souls that had embarked on their new journey, a blue comet flew to his side.
This comet then transformed into the Wraith King, who had earlier protected the Half-Elf and ordered the Warriors of Zangrila to fight for the last time.
"I am forever in your debt, Lux Von Kaizer," the Wraith King bowed his head respectfully towards the Half-Elf who had helped his people time and time again.
When he was still alive, the Wraith King didn't bow to anyone. But, right now, he was moved by Lux's deed, that he lowered his pride and bowed to the person to whom he owed a debt of gratitude.
"I know that you're still weak and tired from doing the ceremony a few days ago, but can I ask you a favor?" the Wraith King asked. "My other soldiers, I want them to also pass to the afterlife. In return, I will serve you until you breathe your last, pledging my loyalty and allegiance to your cause."
"Please, raise your head, Your Majesty," Lux replied. "I don't mind helping your soldiers to pass through the Cycle of Reincarnation. But they will have to wait for a few days. I am really at my limit and unable to accommodate your request at this point in time."
"Don't worry. They have already waited hundreds of years. A few more days would certainly be nothing for them."
"Thank you."
"No. It is I who should be thanking you, Lux."
The Wraith King then pressed his right fist over his chest before kneeling like a Knight in front of the red-headed teenager, whom he had decided to serve with his life until his oath was fulfilled.
"I am Leoric Von Haile," Leoric declared. "The last King of Zangrila before it fell to the Abyssal Legion. My Kingdom is no more, but as long as I remain, Zangrila's Legacy will never fade. I hope that you can accept me as a member of your Covenant."
A notification sound then sounded inside Lux's mind at the same time as rows of texts appeared in front of him.
—----------
< Leoric had pledged his fealty to you. Will you accept him as a member of your Covenant? >
< Yes / No >