'Engrave my words, noble one, for I shall live not much longer. These flames are called Sacred Soul flames - The merge of purification sacred flames and undead soul fire.'

Blue fireballs were conjured from thin air, docilely floating close to his skull.

'In case you resent me, bear in mind, this legacy of mine is valuable enough to write off the grudges between us.'

''Hey, are you even deciding that for me?'' I thought angrily.

Wait...legacy?

...Is that for me?

I showed a surprised expression.

'That's right, noble one. These sacred soul flames shall be my gift and compensation to you, however...it will also carry my will and memories. In case you decide to not fulfill my last wishes, hehe, there will be consequences!' The last part was said especially threateningly as small fireballs swirled in the skeleton's eyesockets.

I gulped down in fear.

'What if I refuse?' I asked through telepathy.

'Hm, how disappointing, I thought you would have guessed by now, you have no say in this, hehe...' The creepy chuckle gratingly entered my ears.

''Shit! I've been had...It's still good I won't be dying, but damn, it feels so bad to be ruthlessly taken advantage of.'' I thought sullenly.

*Crack, crack~

He was slowly fading into dust, not that I felt compassionate or anything.

'It's time...'

The flames in his eyesockets extinguished, while the floating fireball blazed more vigorously.

The fireball gravitated towards me.

W...wait, no!

I struggled futilely. The fireball engulfed me.

''I'm done for!'' I screamed in my mind with heart beating out of my chest...but soon, I realized, I wasn't burning, instead, I felt cool sensation throughout my whole body. Astonishingly, even my torn wing was regenerating at speed visible to naked eyes.

Besides, my mind was filled with all kinds of flashbacks.

By the end of going through them, I was left petrified. My eyes suddenly felt...sweaty.

...

HP fully restored

You have been granted Sacred Soul Flames

Magic attribute unlocked.

+1.0 MAG

The sacred soul flames are imbued with the memories of Lumi, The Accursed. The flames will consume the user if her last wishes aren't fulfilled. The host is adviced against using the sacred soul flames, for the lack of knowledge about magic. Due to possessing sacred soul flames, abilities unlocked: Self-Purification - Your flames make you 25% immune to negative status ailments. Purge - The flames have the ability to weaken evil. Soul Ignition - The soul shall burn and strengthen the vessel by 300%. Causes permanent damage. Prolonged usage will result in absolute death. Coexistence - The unique sacred soul flames accommodates fires of polar, negative and positive alignments. This balance greatly strengthens one's incorporeal soul and skill damage.

You possess outstanding capabilities, superior to the majority of your species at the same level. You have been granted the title - ''Elite''

+ 10 HP, +10% all damage value, +10% all resistance value

The memories and system notifications jammed in my head was overwhelming. When my consciousness returned to reality, the skeleton had already turned into dust, leaving the black robes behind.

For some reason, I felt sad, probably because I inherited her memories.

Yeah, a shock! He was a she!

Her tragic fate would bring even the most heartless of people to tears.

However, why was I feeling annoyed?

I had the reason to be mad, because her last wishes weren't anything easy to fulfill, in fact, I didn't even know from where to start.

Sigh...

Checking myself out, I realized I was fine and dandy. The torn wing was back to normal...but why do I feel something's not right?

Ah! A ghost!

I screeched involuntarily as I hurriedly distanced myself by soaring up.

Wait...she looks familiar. It's her, Lumi, the beautiful female knight she once was, only in incorporeal form.

What's happening? Is she going to haunt me?

I sweated profusely.

'Fret not, noble one.' She said with a sweet smile, which startled me for a second. The transparent projection looked so much like her original self - a short, white-haired young girl, dressed in white glowing armor. The familiar rapier was strapped at her waist.

I couldn't help but sigh in regret internally.

'You've seen it all, right?' She spoke softly, with head lowered.

After a brief silence, I nodded.

'Don't let my sisters go through what I did. They are innocent like I was. They know of not their true purpose...tell them the truth. My sacred soul flames shall be your guide and tribute.'

The projection began fading. She smiled bitterly as she said her last words.

'If possible...don't let my children get hurt, even for what they are...And...if by chance you meet my pudgy boy, tell him, I love him...Farewell and forgive me.'

Sigh, she's gone.

I made it out alive, somehow. It wasn't without cost, however. There were some sweet benefits too, so it's not completely my loss.

It's evident why she said forgive me at the end of her spiel.

Her will is the curse, which if left unfulfilled, will consume my soul.

I have no choice, but to unwillingly do her bidding.

At least, I got the sacred soul flames and the fragments of her memories. Not only did I learn much about the outside world, but I also learned the language of this world. Unfortunately, with my vocal cords, I'm still unable to speak human language, so I'll have to make do with telepathy.

Unfortunately, the fragmented memories didn't include much about magic, just some basic ABC.

I took my time to think what to do next. After everything was said and done, I wanted to leave here, but as I was now, I was still reluctant to go, since I was still weak.

My attention accidentally fell on the lonely black robes that she left behind.

Out of curiosity, I appraised it. It was intact, despite the beating it should have taken.

The cloak of deception (Unique) +5.0 all resistance value Engraved skills: Aura conceal, Disguise, Stealth

My eyes gleamed.

That's some hot potatoes! I can't leave it behind! In fact...it can be useful.

I smirked as I lifted the robes and dragged it along with me as I took off.

I've got an idea.

After putting it away in my safe hideout, I dismissed my current subordinates and refilled them with new ones.

On the way, I checked the changes in my status.

Charisma - 79.5 > 71.5

Telepathy - 5 > 77.5

Tenacity - 0 > 0.3

Agility - 1.42 > 5.62

Title: 'Elite' (+10% all damage value, +10% all resistance value)

HP - 8.5 > 18.5

Abilities: Self purification(Passive)(25% Debuff resistance), Purge (-10% all stats to negative alignment) Soul Ignition (3x stats, consumes soul) Coexistence (Passive)(+50% soul power, +25% skill damage)

Skill points - 0, Stat points - 0

These were all the changes. I was kind of disappointed that my combat abilities haven't improved, but still, I wasn't regretful about my choices of investment.

After registering new bats in my army, I followed the route according to Lumi's memories and entered the outer periphery of the sealed altar. There were many concealed formations placed and if not for knowing the path, I wouldn't have found it.

Soon, I noticed the shadows moving about on the walls.

I appraised them.

Shadow Lurker Realm: 3rd Level: ?? HP: ??/??

I sighed. These were her children she spoke of. Until the very end, she couldn't accept her children. If not for that, with their help, it would be as easy as willing and I'd be dead.

I revealed myself, yet they didn't attack. As expected, they won't harm me since I possess her sacred soul flames now.

'Follow me.' I ordered them through telepathy.

Without delay, they obeyed, lurked past rocks and revealed themselves, obediently showing their true form.

They were formless creatures, birthed from the shadows.

Their ability - Shapeshifting will be incredibly useful for the plan, that I devised a while ago.

In total, there were 12 of them, all of them being in the 3rd realm.

I couldn't hide my excitement.

Not only were they a massive boost to my power, but they were also self-sufficient and immaterial, with the ability to conceal themselves in the shadows.

Self-sufficiency is also extremely unique. The ability to not need oxygen, food, water or any form of sustenance for existence isn't something many creatures can boast about, after all.

'Let's go.'

I was elated as they obediently followed my tracks, hiding in my shadow.

Hehe, who dares bully me now?

I returned to my concealed hideout, accompanied by my bat bodyguards and the lurkers.

I ordered everyone to get in the cloak of deception. Of course, I took the lead.

At first, we messily moved about in the robes, but after a couple of orders and adjustments, the intended goal was achieved.

If observed from the outside, people would think we were a mysterious human, wearing the black robes for secrecy. The black hoodie obscured our face, which in truth, didn't exist.

Lurkers could shapeshift and create mimic human body parts. For example, underneath the hoodie was pitch black rough humanoid face, which was thankfully obscured by the hoodie.

There were a couple of problems with our form.

First, to cover our black humanoid hands, formed by the lurkers, a pair of gloves were required, which I currently didn't have.

For now, they could be hidden under the sleeves of the long robe.

Other than that, we wouldn't be making walking noises, since none of us had humanoid feet. The lurkers could create one, but since their weight was abysmally low, they wouldn't be capable of making noises.

It's ok though. Some skillful people with high agility can do that too...probably.

Uhh, I'll think of something later.

Anyways, it wasn't hard to guess why I was doing all this.

I've long since wanted to leave this boring place and visit human kingdoms!

The visual side has been taken care of.

Eh, there's also the problem of communication...but I have telepathy, don't I?

Alright, everything's set.

Hehe, people will think I'm just another human, while in truth, we are just an amalgamation of bats and lurkers hiding under the robes.

And I, the great...fuck, I still don't have a name, whatever, I, the great me, is the hivemind. How formidable.

Alright, it's time to go. Goodbye, shitty cave.

We slowly ''walked'' towards the entrance of the cave.

Hmm, I wonder how the human world looks like.