I waited for a while, until raindrops stopped thrashing the windows of the room. My shirt was dripping wet, and the coat offered little peace to my shivering body, so I removed it and ruffled my hair to get rid of the water that had failed to dry even after spending dozen minutes in the shelter.

I placed the old woman’s body on the tattered bed before gathering her books that needed more edits than reads. A casual ball of fire did the job after I removed my wet gloves, and I burned the sheets in my hand, my skin scalding to leave behind a deep gash. The books needed respect, and I couldn’t think of a better way to honor the pure unadulterated knowledge, though not absolutely correct. [Heal] followed on my marred hands once the flames had died down, and I set her body aflame using [Hell fire]. My gloves went into my wet trousers, for I didn't really like the clammy sensation on my hands.

Nothing could stop the eternal flames of [Hell fire] from burning themselves out until the caster’s wishes were purged, or the caster themselves stopped the ravaging flames. And my wish was to burn the old woman’s body and her threadbare bed. Therefore, they burned brightly in the chilly room, giving me a sense of warmth that my wet body absolutely craved. My shadow flickered erratically behind me as I watched the flames consume the cot beneath her scorching body, not harming anything else in sight. Be it the decaying walls or the picture of the loving son beside her.

The eternal flames never harmed things with life force, so the overgrown lawn of her rundown place was safe, and I could say the same thing about the decaying residence, for it hadn’t been my target for the day. The heat of the room helped me marginally as the smoke rose to the decrepit antic before disappearing through the holes on the roof. Water leaked through the ceiling periodically, most of it dripping as drops through the walls.

There was no hearth to keep the fireplace restricted, so the soot had gathered around the leftmost corner, opposite the entrance. It was unused for a long time, and the grime hadn’t been cleaned in ages. The clothes were sprawled erratically behind the cot, just below the shut window, and they were well hidden from the entrance. There was nothing stopping me from burning down the residence, but I walked out, ignoring my craving for destruction.

If you think it was a fateful encounter, then you are indeed an ill-informed person. I have met millions like her, or like me, but only a handful of us have ever succeeded in transcending mortality. And a pitiful fraction managed to learn transmigration magic. Though, she was unique in the aspect that she saw the life force of other beings. However, like most mortals, she was nowhere close to understanding the true essence of [Undead]. Her studies hadn’t been fruitless, nevertheless, because they had helped her grieve the death of her loved ones like a typical mortal.

Transcending mortality is an arduous chore, and you don’t judge mages by keeping me as the standard. I’m just stating the facts, and you can call me arrogant if it makes you feel better. Albeit, that would make you the ignorant one.

The slight drizzle drenched my partially dried hair, and I ruffled my short hair again to get rid of the water. It was a cold night, and the pitiful heat from the eternal flames had already died down by the time I reached the flooded streets. The drainage worked wonders by seeping the grimy water from the streets. I used [Warmth] to heat myself up again, but the crawling sensation over my naked body made me feel quite uncomfortable.

The deserted streets surrounded me throughout my journey back to the manor. It was a pleasant one, despite the rain damping my mood. No drunkards, no brawls, and no gamblers made the silent stretch of the night eerier than ever. Mana lamps glowed around me, and the sky was shrouded in thick moving clouds.

When I reached the mansion gates, my lady was waiting for me, drenched, worried, and not cold. Well, maybe I should get one of those passive skills within the next few centuries. Her eyes scanned the locale restlessly, for I was late, really late, and I was worried about how to do the explaining. She paced around the entrance aimlessly as her gaze traversed the flooded streets, but the guards were too scared to address her renewed interest in the vicinity of the manor.

Her eyes lit up when I stumbled out of the darkness and soon turned cold. “You’re late by more than 7300 seconds, mongrel!”

I curled my lips. “We don’t use seconds that way, my lady. You should say two hours or hourglasses.”

“The point is you are late!” Her gaze wandered over my body before turning to my face. “Why didn’t you wear the overcoat?”

“It was dripping wet, my lady. So I removed it after almost burning a house. I was cold.”

Burning a house went unnoticed, but she took my coat forcefully and tried draping it over me. I bent down slightly after noticing her glare, and she buttoned the coat once I had tucked my hands inside the sleeves and dragged me to the western courtyard, glaring at everyone who spared us a second glance.

Once inside my humble abode, she slammed the door behind me.

“That white shirt is too thin. Get something better to wear next time, or wear multiple of them. I don’t want anyone to see what’s underneath your clothes.”

I stared at her, flabbergasted, before moving over to my closet and taking out a towel.

“I won’t remove my coat again, so let me wear the white shirt, my lady,” I sighed and made her sit on my cot. “I have more than ten of them in my cupboard, and it would be wasteful to buy a new set.”

She scowled at me, but I quickly placed the towel over her head and started wiping her wet hair after removing the barrette. She wrapped her hands around my waist and buried her head in my abdomen, for she couldn’t reach my bosom.

“You were late,” she said, and there was as much anger as anguish. I silently wiped her hair before moving over to her neck and face once she pulled away.

“I met an old woman today,” I said and watched blazing fury in her eyes. Well, I had expected it, so I had particularly stretched ‘old’. Guess it didn’t help much.

“How old, mongrel?! Aren’t you old too?!” she pulled my collar and looked around my neck. When she found her hickey, she let go of me with an annoyed expression.

“Well, she was about to die, so we had some conversation about magic and life of undead,” I said.

“Sure,” she rolled her eyes. “And here, all you say is ‘my lady’ every damn day.”

“We do talk about interesting stuff, my lady. I even shared my secret bakehouse terminus with you, including the various types of bread. Just so you know, I don’t give this special privilege to everyone,” I said with pride and removed my wet overcoat.

“That’s because you want me to buy you bread, bastard,” she clicked her tongue as her eyes paused at my buttons.

Without any warning, she started unbuttoning my shirt, but I pulled away in haste.

“You are wet!” she said, her ears slightly rosy. “Don’t you feel cold?”

“I don’t, my lady!” I said immediately before this mortal body could have better ideas. “I warmed myself with [Warmth]. If that makes any sense.”

“Get out of that wet shirt, mongrel,” she didn’t intend to budge. “You might catch a cold.”

I didn’t miss the amusement in her eyes as she slyly tucked her hair behind her ears.

“I will, my lady. But later. I never get sick, and you should know it better,” I said, retreating a few steps.

She pouted, but I ignored her watchful eyes and the apparent disappointment concealed in them.

If you are wondering if I got eight-pack abs underneath my shirt, then I would be kind enough to wake you up from fantasizing. I am lazy undead, and except for an abdomen devoid of fat, I got nothing. Maybe a sturdy chest is always a plus, but well, I don’t have the celebrated body that makes authors write a few descriptive pages on the muscles alone.

I cautiously retreated out of my humble abode, keeping my lady in my peripheral vision, and blithely closed the door.

Her door was open, so I ambled to her closet to search for compatible clothing for the cold night. Not that it would help her much, because my lady rarely felt anything close to chill. I picked up a soft plain blue tea-length nightdress that covered her forearms completely and glanced at the single purple gown with a sigh. It reminded me of the holes in our account and my limited supply of fresh bread for the next few weeks, but most of all, my unfinished laundry.

When I returned to my room, she had already stripped out of her damp dress and wore one of my shirts that reached her knees. The crumpled gown was dripping with water, staining my modified wooden cot. Letitia was rummaging my cupboard with haste, and I knocked on the door to pull her attention.

“What is this mess, my lady?” I shook my head in disapproval. I was already exhausted after an arduous day, and her mischief was draining me more.

She turned around, closed my cupboard discreetly, and stared at me with a startled look. She should have expected me to return so fast. The oversized sleeves flailed on either side of her as she tried to lift her hands nervously. Her small face was almost buried inside the collar that wasn’t folded, and her thighs weren’t any better. I firsthand realized how small my lady was, but it didn’t mean I would brush off her mischief.

“Stop playing around, my lady,” I sighed. “Washing is already a bothersome task, and I don’t want you to add more.”

“I’m not playing around!” she tramped toward the door and raised her head to meet my gaze with a glare. “Why can’t you treat me like a woman?!”

“Well,” I cast her a serious glance as her eyes darted nervously before she retreated a few steps. Her hands fiddled with the hem of my shirt, her previous conviction nowhere in sight. Her toes curled within her socks that were still damp, and she met my gaze with evident embarrassment. I hadn’t seen her so vulnerable before, so I couldn’t help but laugh at her adorable, I mean, unusual stature.

I earned a soft punch on my abdomen, and she glanced at me with an aggrieved look before pushing me out of the room. Nevertheless, she got changed into her gown by the time she walked out. Her glare was all I earned before she slammed the door to her room shut. With my shirt, of course. I wouldn’t get it back anytime soon.

Spell: [Splash]

Requirement:

Water Attribute Apprentice Mid-Tier mana reserve

Description:

The spell materializes a ball of water that can be hurled in any direction. Usually harmless.

Spell: [Hell fire]

Requirement:

Fire Attribute Amateur Mid-Tier mana reserve [Blast]

Description:

The spell materializes eternal flames that continue burning as long as the caster casts the spell and the caster's wishes have been fulfilled. The flames never harm anything with life force.

Spell: [Warmth]

Requirement:

Fire Atrribute Apprentice High-Tier mana reserve

Description:

The spell heats up the body or any desired part by materializing mana around the body. This spell can be used on both self and non-self bodies. Usually used to ward off cold, since the spell is harmless.