*huff* *puff*

"Wait up!"

Unable to keep up, I just summoned a wooden pillar. I made it go faster, and eventually, I passed Dan. I looked back to taunt him, but I forgot where my wooden pillar was heading. It was heading on a.. town. Dan smiled and laughed profusely, as the pillar that I was on crashed through a house, destroying it completely.

"GOD DAMN IT! NOW I HAVE TO REBUILD THIS FUCK AGAIN!"

The aggressive voice came from below the rubble, as the roof came down, crushing the ones inside the house.

Wait, wait, wait...

More importantly, how the hell did he survive that?!

I looked down to where the voice is, and I looked up. I saw Dan's confused face. It seems that he was also confused why the guy didn't die when the roof crash down.

I realized that he wasn't looking at the rubble, nor me.

"Are they here again?!"

"Don't tell me there.. there are.. those things again?!"

What things..? What are they talking about?

Well, oddly enough, I still didn't look back. Up until Dan said something..

"Hey, Cylo?"

"Yeah? Why?"

"I think I figured out why this town is so hidden."

Hmm.. what?

"Oh, really? What is it then?"

At this point, I should have looked back. I didn't realize what he was saying, to be honest.

"Look back."

And so I did what Dan said, and I saw...

Skeletons???

"C-Cylo... These are.. the living dead, correct?!"

Well, of course you are. They don't have flesh, so tell me, how could they not be dead?

"C-Cylo, the... the rumors were true?!"

...Yeah?

"I guess so. Look, that means that the Blue eye man is here."

"Wait, so you aren't atleast shocked that there are skeletons HERE?!?"

Why.. why should I?

"No, I'm not. Haven't you heard of necromancy? Technically, everyone knows what necromancy means. It's Black Magic, or the communication with the dead. However, Necromancy is long gone, as no one is recorded to have practiced it at this era."

"This.. era?"

Said Dan, who apparently never heard of this. How? I thought intel was his specialty..

I knew what these necromancy stuff are all about. There's this one guy in our squad who's severely obssesed with necromancy. Eyexrd, or Red, in a more pronounceable way. His... fucked up in the head. Although, his magic is the closest I've seen to actual necromancy. He takes wooden dolls, and using his Guise, he somewhat indirectly gives them lives. He talked a lot about what they are, and he even wants to meet a real life necromancer. Too bad they're all dead. I guess he could talk to necromancers now, in the afterlife.

"Are you seriously saying you don't know about that era?"

No, of course he knows this. After all, they're can't be erased in history. They're in books.

"Haha, don't take me for a fool. I know more about this than you do."

Figures. But still, fuck off, Dan.

"It was the Era of.. hmm, what was it... Oh yeah, the Era of.."

"The Era of Grimace."

I interrupted him. Still, it was a weird name for an era, though.

"Yeah, yeah, I was getting to that."

Sure, man. Whatever you say.

The Era of Grimace..

According to the books that I've read, that era was considered the worst. I don't know the specific details about that era, but I do remember something about it. It gave birth to Necromancy, which led to countless of lives getting stolen, and used for their own personal advantage. It brought a twisted expression to those who practiced it, hence the name Grimace.

Although, as stated in the books, Necromancy wasn't intended to harm people. It was meant for communication, and for that reason alone. I didn't know what happened, and why it turned out like that. But the books did mention a very specific detail. The dead's lifespan after they got revived is only half a thousand years. The Era of Grimace was dated 5000 years ago..

It's not that rare to see skeletons, but these skeletons can apparently talk. Talking is the most distinguishable feature of those who got revived using Necromancy, and those skeletons who were lurking in dungeons. Skeletons lurking in dungeons are more of possessed, rather than revived. They're living beings then, but the ones that possessed them have full control of their bodies. The bodies then rot, and mindless skeletons are born. The bodies that gets possessed by these unknown forces are usually old, senile men.

Those unknown forces are still not identified, but people are calling them the remnants of the Era of Grimace, as the bodies that got revived, eventually got controlled by those who revived them. They said it was their anger, but.. why are they on dungeons if that's the case?

Anyway, I can definitely say that these skeletons I see before me are revived, due to Necromancy. Not like I give a shit.

"Wait.. Cylo.. they can talk, right? Then does that mean.."

"Yes, they're revived. So what..?"

Comparing a Dungeon Skeleton and a Revived Skeleton... nothing changed except that revived skeletons are sentient, if no one's controlling them.

"Aren't you weirded out?! They're the product of an extinct magic!"

Who says Necromancers are extinct..? Hell, I've seen an immortal destroy a city.

It's true though, normally, people will be shocked at this, and it would blow up faster than the blink of an eye. But.. then again, I'm only here for my job.

"What's with all this commotion?!"

The skeleton crowd surrounding the wrecked house gave way to another skeleton.

"Are you both the one who caused this?"

The skeleton then facepalmed, and let out a deep sigh.

"Look, we would like it if you humans just let us live our extended lives in peace.."

By the reaction of the other skeletons, I'd bet a thousand coins that he's the one facilitating this place. He's probably the town mayor, or the Chief.

Hmm.. There's no blue flame on his eye anywhere though, so I guess he's not the target.

Although, I feel like I'm missing something here..