60. Heavenly Storm

One hand on my chest, the other hand holding his phone, Ray was looming over me, a glint of worry trembling in his eyes.

“Armen? Now you can hear me, can’t you?”

My core felt strange. I heard a meowing. Was it Rainbows? I tried to sit up but only managed to move my mouth:

“Yes…”

“I’m almost done drawing Cesarine’s lifeforce from your body, but it had eaten away almost all your lifeforce, so you can barely move. Don’t worry. When I’m done, I’ll give you some and nurture your necro-bond. How are you feeling?”

“…” I was feeling weird. Very weird. And strangely unstable. To think an undead could faint just like that. Anyway, at least, my mind had begun to work again. I looked at the cozy room, the rounded walls illuminated by the sun, and the canopy bed, and roughly understood where I was and how I had been led to this place. “Ray… You moved my body up there using the necro-bond, didn’t you?”

The young necromancer turned a bit pale as he nodded.

“I… did.”

“Heh. I didn’t know you could do that as well.” I grinned. “You’re amazing.”

“I’m not.” He averted his eyes to his hand on my chest and kept working as he added: “You should be annoyed by it, you know. The fact that I can move you, hear through you, even talk through your body… Doesn’t it worry you at least a bit?”

“Naw. Not a bit.”

“…”

“Okay, if it’d been your dad, no way I’d be fine with it. But I told you: I trust you.”

“Well, anyway, you scared me to death today. What exactly happened between you and Cesarine?”

“Cesarine? Oh, you mean the girl that wants to lose weight. You see… Her lifeforce was…”

Just remembering its taste made my core beat faster, and I took deep breaths. Ray snorted and somehow forced it to calm down.

“Your core is disrupted because of it.”

“… Guessed as much. Sorry. Her lifeforce was insanely good. I lost sight of reality. If you hadn’t been there to tell me to stop, I think I would have drained her of all her energy.”

Ray frowned, and his hand holding his phone trembled slightly.

“You’re wrong,” he muttered. “You… would have died before.”

I stared at him in shock.

“What?”

Ray swallowed and gave a nod.

“If I hadn’t been there to treat you on the spot, your core would have shattered to pieces.”

Holy Gods. What kind of lifeforce did that crybaby girl have to manage to disrupt my core in such a way?

“I’ve done some research,” he continued, glancing nervously at his phone. “Luckily, Kaspar passed me a bunch of necromancy books in digital format, so I could use them and understand what was going on. Otherwise…” He was trying to hide it, but I knew he had been through hell to save me. When I was about to thank him, he said in a scientific tone: “If I’m not mistaken… Cesarine has a Heavenly Storm type lifeforce.”

Heavenly Storm? What a weird name. But now that I thought about it, what I had felt was pretty much that: a storm of pleasure coming straight away from the heavens. Ray went on:

“The thing is, even though Heavenly Storm lifeforce can’t be turned into deathforce, your core would have tried to transform it endlessly, damaging itself until blowing itself to bits. Makler Vod says that Heavenly Storm lifeforce is rare and that there are more common variants that are less troublesome for the undead, but… the way you said her lifeforce was insanely good…”

“Hella good,” I confirmed. Now I could move my head. Ray had started giving me his lifeforce, and my whole body trembled with pleasure.

Ray had told me that, to the undead, each person’s lifeforce had a different taste. For some reason, some tasted better, such as merfolks’ lifeforce, whereas others could smell really bad. But something Ray had not said, something I had naturally come to understand, was that the most appealing lifeforce of all was that of the undead’s master.

However, Ray’s lifeforce had never driven me crazy as it did now. My thirsty body instinctively started absorbing his energy. Before I knew it, I had regained control of my body, had clasped my hands on Ray’s arm, and started sucking in his lifeforce without restraint.

“Armen…” Ray’s voice was shaking. “I-I won’t move my hand away, and I won’t order you, so… if you continue like that, I will die.”

Horror filled my mind and finally made me stop. Still, my body was asking for more. Was it because of my disrupted core? Was it because I had lost almost all my lifeforce and I was starving? No, but when I had almost died on the South Dunes, I had been able to eat from Zeeta without losing control. So… why?

Ray sighed with relief, but his face was growing gloomier by the second. I tried to calm down my breathing, but my efforts were useless.

“S-Sorry… It’s just that… I’m… starving.” Dammit. I was acting so weird. Worse: I had put Ray at risk. Still in shock, I stood up restlessly. “I should go where the other trainees are and eat their wasted lif—”

“No.” Ray didn’t budge from his chair. “Could you lie down again? I’m not done yet. And I’ve seen your injury on your chest. The patch my dad put on it is damaged. I’ll patch you up again.”

“…” He did realize I had been barely able to stop eating his lifeforce, right? Geez… His trust cheered me up. “Okey-dokey, master.” I lay down, then asked after a silence: “Would I distract you if I talk?”

“Nah. I’m almost finished… I think.”

“Then… Do you know why the Heavenly Storm energy feels so good?”

“About that… if I had to guess, Heavenly Storm energy is one of those energies categorized as holy energies. Some cause pain to the undead, others entice them like a flame to a moth, but both types are dangerous to them, even deadly. As I said, you would have died if I hadn’t intervened right away. But your core is still disrupted. Heavenly Storm lifeforce increases life-lust in the undead and intensifies the desire they get from eating. It makes them feel blissful. Since there’s no other way for them to feel anything alike, it’s hard for them to fight their life-lust.”

Life-lust… It was the first time I heard that word. I had spent those last two months adapting to my new life, training my deathforce and my telekinesis, and eating lifeforce regularly, knowing well that I was but an ignorant undead but… I now realized I wanted to know more about my nature. My body was no longer human. That was a fact.

“… Is it that bad?” I asked. “My condition right now.”

Ray grimaced as he kept working on my body.

“Honestly, I don’t know. I’ve only found one text about the Heavenly Storm, and it seems the only way to save the undead intoxicated with it is by purging its core of every drop of lifeforce. To do this, the familiar must not eat anything for at least three days in a row, or else the remaining Heavenly Storm lifeforce that couldn’t be removed would never be eliminated, which can lead to… severe complications. Yet again, as I said, I lack information. It takes more than one source to sort out the truth. If only I had access to more studies about the subject… I don’t like generalizations, but necromancers are usually humans full of themselves like my dad, and a lot of them believe they are always right… which means their conclusions may be wrong. I hope I’m not making a mistake by following this text’s advice. More importantly, Armen, if you feel like you’re losing capacities, like memory loss or anything that you believe is not right, could you tell me as soon as possible?”

I knew that my friend was terribly worried, and still, he remained calm as he tried to understand what was happening to me and didn’t hide anything. Part of me would have wanted to know more about those ‘severe complications’, but I thought it wasn’t the best moment to ask. I nodded.

“I’ll let you know if something happens. But I’m sure it’ll be all right. All I’ll have to do is not eat anything for three days, right?” Would I be able to last that long? I doubted it, but if Ray said it was necessary, I should try. I muttered: “Though it would be easier if you could just order me not to—”

“I won’t.”

“…”

I smiled, pretty annoyed. Why was he so focused on not ordering me even in a critical situation like this? Why was it so painful for him? Ray looked me in the eye.

“I trust you too. You’re stronger than you think, Armen.”

His unwavering statement moved me to tears.

“Am I? Heh, then I should start trusting myself as well—”

“You should stop crying and wasting lifeforce first.”

“S-Sorry!”

“Also, Armen… I’d like it were possible for you to say you’re sick and stay here away of everyone, but then the trainers would want to send you a doctor and they would most probably find out you’re not a… a… you know…”

“Not a living being?” I helped him.

Ray grimaced and grumbled:

“Well, according to the official definition, yes. But aren’t all sentient creatures living beings even if they do not create lifeforce? I mean, that definition is all rubbish…”

I laughed at his muttered words.

“In any case, I didn’t come to this training to live as a shut-in. If I am careful and stay away from people, it should be okay, right? Since you trust me and all…”

“… Yeah. Yeah. Let’s do that.”

Ray’s hand trembled on my injury as he was patching it up, multiplying dead cells the gods know how. He was working so hard for my sake… I gave him a beaming smile.

“You’re the best, Ray.”

“I’m not.”

“Yes, you are.”

“No. My dad would have guessed Cesarine’s type lifeforce at a glance and would have ordered you to stay away from her from the very beginning.”

That may be true but…

“But your dad has a special ability to see and control lifeforce. You’ve got no cheating power like that, still you saved me. For me, Ray, you’re the best necromancer in the world,” I said cheerfully, giving him a big thumbs up, “since you’re my master.”

He snorted and dismissed my gesture with a wave.

“Nonsense.”

“Then… Since you’re my best friend?”

He stared at my smiling face, then shook his head, brightening up a bit.

“Be still, I’m still working.”

There was a silence. I tried to relax, but it was hard when all I wanted was to suck on Ray’s lifeforce—or rather my core did. I kept smiling. Smiling always made me feel better.

I asked:

“Hey, guess how I got that injury?”

“Dunno. Knowing you… you crashed into a tree?”

“Wrong! It was a cheebou. Have you seen one once? … Wait, why a tree?”

Ray rolled his eyes.

“I’ve seen pictures of cheebous on Farskyerpedia. Anyhow… I can’t believe you made it through the tests.”

“Right? Haha, I got first place on the written test.”

Ray froze and stared at me in disbelief.

“What did you say?”

“I got first place. Guess how? There was a bug, so they let me pass as long as I didn’t say anything. And I finished in last place on the second test. Your kind-hearted dad called me to tell me it was probably because your mom knows I am a friend of yours.”

“Eeeh…”

“Also, he asked me to tell you something. What was it again? Ah: my beloved son, I’ve heard that Makler Vod’s third apprentice will be at the training too, you’re a Vod fan, aren’t you, so I’m sure you two will get along well, her name is Natasha. Phew,” I whistled, impressed. “I remembered it all.”

Ray’s eyes showed surprise, then just focused on my chest for a moment.

“Remember to breathe normally when you speak.”

“Oh, yeah.” I looked at his worried expression with curiosity. “What is it? Did you meet that Natasha already?”

“Well… We certainly met. She’s from London, I think. She talked to me this morning when we were having breakfast. She asked me if I had lost a bone somewhere. I thought she was crazy, so I just left.”

I laughed, not surprised even a bit by Ray’s reaction.

“A bone, huh? Was she talking about me? Anyway, sounds like a funny girl.”

“Humph. I wonder what a Makler Vod’s apprentice is doing at a Hero training.”

“Maybe her mom’s a Hero like yours?”

“Not likely. From what I’ve read, Makler Vod is rather wary of the WHO. He’s well-known by the Dark Arts Regulators. Well… I don’t know what my dad’s planning, but I won’t befriend that apprentice just because she’s a necromancer.”

“Huh? But aren’t you curious about her teacher?” I teased him. “You’re a big fan of his, aren’t you?”

Ray shrugged, pulled his hand away from my injury, and asked:

“Could you stay quiet now, please? I’m going to take a look at your core again.”

I noticed how he carefully avoided speaking with imperatives. Wasn’t he being even more cautious than usual? He wanted to preserve my free will, he said… But was that doing me a favor? Because of that, I had to fight that life-lust that was pushing my mind to its limits… Though, of course, it wasn’t Ray’s fault. It was because I had eaten something heavenly poisonous. I could be stabbed in the heart yet couldn’t stand a delightful meal… The undead could be so weak sometimes.

Ray finally straightened up on his chair, letting out a tired sigh.

“All right. For three days, I’ll administer lifeforce to you in little doses. Don’t…” He paused and rectified: “You shouldn’t eat anything more than that.”

He was taking real care not to give me orders, huh? Dammit…

“Don’t worry about that.” I sat up on the bed and offered my most radiant smile. “Thank you, Ray. Sorry I’m such a high-maintenance familiar.”

“What are you talking about? It’s not your fault. Accidents will happen.”

A low and grunting meow made us turn our heads to the tabby cat; as motionless as a statue, it looked like it had been observing us from the start.

“Oh, Rainbows!” I greeted her. “Long time no see. How are you doing?”

The cat meowed, then curled up in a cushion.

“Always as lazy as ever, huh?”

When I turned to Ray, my smile faded. Was he still brooding about my core? I tried to change the subject.

“Oh, about last night… I know you probably wondered where I was. Zeeta can’t swim, so we—”

“You guys spent the night at the lighthouse on the Neck, I know,” Ray cut me off, and under my astonished eyes, he added with a light tone: “Taking a census of the jellyfish population, that’s some funny game.”

I jerked up backwards as if I had been caught red-handed.

“No way! You could reach me from Yuutow?!”

He shook his head.

“Barely. I tried to send you a message, but guess it got lost on the way. I wasn’t trying to spy on you or anything. I was just worried.”

“No prob. I’m just amazed you could reach me. Didn’t you break your limits?”

“Not really. I just had to get a bit into the waters, and the lighthouse got within my range. Anyway…” A smile curved his lips. “Who could have thought you would totally ignore the first challenge and spend the night playing video games. You’re too much, Armen.”

“Heehee… I asked the Soft Queen to let us get on her ship, but she didn’t want to.”

“You don’t say.”

“Then I had to cross on someone else’s boat. I’m a civilized undead, ya know.”

“Pff… But it’s a miracle you passed the tests.”

I laughed.

“I know, right! I’ve met a girl with the power of good luck, so maybe it was thanks to her?”

“The power of good luck? Is that a thing?”

“Apparently. My big sis met her too, and she seemed to believe her. At first, the girl just wanted to pass the examination to test her power. She wasn’t interested in the training, at all, just like you. But in the end, she changed her mind. I’m glad she did! I wonder how the badge hunting went for her, and for the others. I’ve met quite a number of rather nice people during the examination!” I was grinning, happy to see that Ray’s face had lit up a bit. I looked around at the rounded room bathed in sunrays, the arched window, and Ray’s bag carefully put at the bottom of the bed… Was that Ray’s room? “Is this the dormitory building?”

“Ah… No. We Nyomin trainees have been given each a house. The academy is empty, so there is plenty of room for everyone.” He saw me freeze all of a sudden, and he turned pale. “Armen? What—?”

“Damn!” I moaned, standing up. I had just remembered… “The badge! I lost mine, and Zeeta’s has been taken by that kid, Mackenzie! We’re so scr—”

I fell silent as I saw Ray take out a badge with the number forty-two written on it. I gaped at him.

“How?”

“Noah gave it to me. He said he wanted to stay at this house too, so I let him do so in exchange.”

“Noah did?” But when did he steal it from me? On the beach? That bully… Well, at least, the fakir-witch was innocent. Then I frowned. “And all he wanted was to stay with us?”

Ray shoved the badge in his pocket and nodded without a word, which made me frown even more.

“Is there something else?”

“… I don’t want to talk about it.”

“Is that so? But I want to know.”

We looked at each other. He was annoyed, but I didn’t avert my eyes.

“Armen…” Ray clicked his tongue. “It’s nothing important.”

“You will have me worried for two months if you don’t say it,” I dramatized. “What if you promised Noah you would give up on the dream of your life?”

“Gah… What nonsense are you spouting? What dream? He just asked for money.”

I blinked. Money? I sighed in relief.

“Oh, it was just money. Thank goodness. How much?”

“Two thousand Corns.”

“So little?”

“It’s… quite a sum, I’d say.”

Actually, it was, but… Heh.

“The money’s the Lord’s, isn’t it? Well, too bad Noah didn’t ask for more.” Ray stifled a laugh in disbelief. I added jokingly: “It’s not like I don’t like the Lord or anything, but since he keeps nagging at me, I’m feeling the urge to do the same.”

“He nags at you? He dares?”

I chuckled and playfully bent his baseball cap, saying:

“I dare too, you know, so don’t worry. Well, what about Zeeta? Did you buy his badge too?”

Ray grimaced.

“No… He said he didn’t mind serving Cesarine and her henchmen.”

I snorted. What? That was strange. Zeeta didn’t even know that girl. Well, he surely had his reasons. Maybe he was still working for the Beholder or something?

I suddenly caught a streak of Ray’s wasted lifeforce, and I stopped thinking. My core trembled with hunger. Under Ray’s and Rainbows’ eyes, I brusquely stepped to the window, opened it, and looked over the Neck and the main island. The sights sure were beautiful. A breeze ruffled my hair, though I couldn’t sense it, nor the hot air of Phoenix Island, nor could I find enticing the salty and familiar smell of the sea…

“Armen.”

Ray’s voice was stiff. I threw a quizzical look his way, then wondered what he was thinking about to make him hesitate so much.

“I have…” He stood up and faced me. “I have something to tell you.”

His expression reminded me of the one he had on the day I had woken up after my revival. He was stressed. Maybe stressed about what my reaction would be?

I gave him a smile. I was calm.

“Ray. You know you can tell me anything. Even if you say that I’m going to die from eating heavenly poison and that you can’t do anything. You tried your best—”

“It’s not that!” Ray was flustered. “I mean… You won’t die, Armen, you’re okay, your core won’t shatter anymore.” He gasped. “Did you… think you were going to die?”

“Ah, no, well, you were so gloomy just now, I just thought for a moment it was something like that.” I raised my hands. “I’m relieved.”

Ray sighed loudly. Another streak of wasted lifeforce reached me, and my thirsty body shuddered. He saw it. I instinctively took a deep breath. And he saw it too. My painful smile soon faded. I raised an arm to cover my mouth, trying not to breathe, but my heart was pounding, my breathing was heavy… Unwittingly and strangely embarrassed, I confessed:

“Ray… I’m… feeling like I’m alive. I… had almost… forgotten that feeling.”

Ray’s hands shivered. He seized the brim of his baseball cap, then suddenly got a grip of himself.

“Let me explain,” he said. “According to what I have read, almost all the undead exposed to the Heavenly Storm lifeforce lose control over their appetite and turn into a…” His voice quivered, and he drew a deep breath. “Well, right now you feel like you can’t control yourself, and that most likely means that you’re about to turn into… or more like that you already turned into… Well, I may be mistaken, but…”

“Come on, spit it out, man.”

Ray raised his head and stared at me.

“A Fury.”