The hallway was well maintained with red carpets going along the entire length. Lively magical lights gently lit up the whole hallway evenly, and banners of different colors and symbols decorated the walls. And in even intervals stood fully armored and equipped suits of armor in sets of two watching the eachother.

And the thing which made me fear for my life was the book hovering above the obsidian pedestal, in the middle of the hallway next to the door.. The book looked like it was made out skin from countless victims, and it was studded with cursed red metal. The pages which ocassionally flipped smelled of death and the written text I glimpsed, was written with a mixture of blood and adhesives. And worst of all the book itself radiated an opressive aura of fear and death.

”Get me away from that book!”

I cried out as I wanted to flee away. It was not just me who had the urge to flee. Seris looked like she would book at any moment, and Nyaya was visibly nervous.

”Hold it together, Lotus! Where was the immunity to fear you had when you got your revenge!?”

As he scolded me I felt the same feeling I had as when I brutally executed that bandit in the dungeon. All my feelings of fear disappeared and I felt how my emotions got dulled.

”Yes, master.”

I replied to Izumi in a monotone and scary tone. It looks like my skill to overpower fear got a serious drawback... At the same time scenes of our deaths was projected into our minds. Must be that books doing.

”Try to find out a way to get rid of that cursed book!”

He shouted at me, and it looks like he is doing his best in order to stay sane. I then started to pray for Mistral for wisdom in how to overcome this great evil.

>

I heard an androgynous voice in my head.

>

Mistral then visualized my Phylactery inside my head. It showed me how it acts as a conduit of pure positive energy from the realm of Harjan, the Holy Crescent god. That certainly explains my aptitude for clerical work.

>

Then a scene of my party being gruesomely tortured got projected in my head. And an incredibly sadistic laugh boomed from all directions.

As I got out of my trance I saw how my party laid lifeless on the floor, Nino struggled hard to just kneel. Seris had tears coming out of her dead fishlike eyes and Izumi struggled with breathing. I just blinked as I was still in this state of emotionlessness.

I then unsheathed my Holy Staff and rushed toward the book. As I got closer I felt how a wave of negative energy showered over me, and like that my skin started withering. An opposing pulse of positive energy was emitted from my Phylactery and the damage got undone.

The more progress I made the more frequent the pulses were sent out. In the end I was in constant state of decay and regeneration. Behind me was a trail of dead skin and droplets of blood. It was a truly macabre scene, and if it hasn’t been for my Overpower Fear skill I would had ran away in the opposite direction.

When I arrived right in front of the cursed book, it pulsed negative energy every second. In order to purifiy it I will recite a silent prayer to Mistral, and then I will hit it as hard as I can with the Holy Staff. I channeled every positive thought and memory I had gained during my journey to over here. I may have come to realize it way too late, but my party means the world to me. Despite only being with them in such a short time, I have bonded with them.

Nyaya, you and your crazy antics always entertained me. Life is boring without you and your laugh.

Seris, you are like a mother to me. Your delicious cooking remind me of home, and your smile warms my heart.

Nino, even though you don’t talk much, you are like a big sister to me. You always help to carry my burdens and carry me when I can’t go on anymore myself.

Izumi, at first I thought of you as just a selfish brat who loved to play the hero. I looked at your girls as if you had brainwashed them. But as we got to know eachother more, that was not the case. You saved them with your love. From where they had no love before, you reached out your hand to them, and they now recieved love for the first time since becoming slaves. And in return they show you love back. I am very sorry for misjudging you.

I felt how tears streamed out of my eyes as I channeled every ounce of positive energy from my Phylactery into the attack. If I die now, I will at least die without regrets. I had not noticed it but during my deep thoughts and praying my body now was completely lacking in skin. Only my hair had remained unscathed.

A loud cracking sound was heard along with a great feeling of my true potentional being unlocked.

The cursed book now laid harmlessly on the floor with enormous scorch marks across all its pages. Nobody can be harmed by it or read it anymore.

I looked down at my skinless hands and felt how my tears dropped down on them and mixed with my blood. Did me thinking about my friends help me push me through this deadly ordeal. I stumbled and caught myself on the obsidian pillar and felt the energy in my legs draining away. I then started breathing irregularily. I felt how my cracked Phylactery was leaking energy rapidly.

Then I coughed out blood. I was happy though. I saved my friends. I could not stop smiling even though I was dying. It was then that I heard the coughing of my party. They had sprung back to life.

”Lotus! Lotus!”

I heard them cry out as they desperately looked for me. It was then that Seris screamed out in terror as she saw the sorry state I was in. They all then ran as fast as they could to me.

”No, no, no! This was not how it was supposed to happen! Damn it! Fuck!”

Izumi hugged me tightly and sobbed uncontrollably. His face became bloodied as his face touched mine.

”...do not cry...”

I meekly answered as I coughed out a lot more blood. Seris was utterly devastated, she tried to shake life in me as I felt how my consciousness faded away. I then fell into a dreamlike state...

>

”Mistral?”

>

”I’m sorry. I drained all my life to defeat that cursed book. I do not see ho-”

>

The androgynous voice boomed.

>

[Lesser Lich (Holy) LV.10] !! Ready to evolve !!

>

And with that I focused my last ounce of will and strength onto evolving myself into a Lich.

I felt how my body started floating up into the air, and dissolved into a white light. I rapidly regained consciousness as my body reformed, and my cracked Phylactery repaired itself and yet again became a conduit of positive energy.

First my feet materialized and I noticed how the top side of them had pearlescent golden stones embedded. It was just like my hands previously.

After that did my lower body materialize, it felt as if I had gained more curves and longer legs.

Then my torso and arms materialized. My Phylactery had now up the ribcage and now settled nicely between my breasts, which had gained a few sizes cup increase.

My arms now looked stronger and at my elbows and hands I also gained golden colored stones.

Finally my head materialized, and I felt a magical symbol in the form of a crescent on my forehead. I still have as long hair as before and also my ears now look more like the elves. Also I got... Horns?

”Lotus is... Alive!”

Seris who previously had cried her eyes out now looked at me happily. Izuma looked relieved as he laid on his back. Their faces are stained with dried tears and dirt.

I noticed I had not yet fallen back onto the ground, so is this the ability of a proper Lich? No matter, I want to hug my friends... No... Family!

We all then joined in a group hug, and my new family then started scolding me for my recklessness. They was worried sick about me during the time they thought I was dead. I think for the mental health of everyone involved, I will try to avoid doing things like this...

”I could not help to notice, but you sure has... Grown.”

Izumi probably commented about my slightly more mature body now.

”[Appraisal: Projection]”

[Appraisal: Lotus]

Name: Lotus

Description: Lotus is a slave which is owned by Izumi. She comes from another world and was blessed by god. In her previous life she died of an accident in a subway station.

After a life threatening situation she evolved into a Lich.

Appearance: Her skin is white as snow. Her hair is white, shiny and reach down to her feet. Her eyes are golden with crescent shaped irises. Her forehead got a golden crescent moon symbol. Her head got a small crown made out of golden stone horns. Her breasts are as big as C cups. Her body is mature but still lack fat in many areas. Her body is covered with golden stones at the elbows, feet and hands. Her phylactery located above her ribcage and under her breasts, it got a golden color. Her height is about one meter and a sixty centimeters. Her overall beauty is super natural.

Race: Lich (Holy) LV.1

Class: Cleric (Mistral) LV.6

Titles: Mistral’s Disciple, Child of Harjan, Executioner, Slave of Izumi

Blessings and skills:

Photographic Memory (Reading): Allows the user to perfectly remember written words and pictures from books, scrolls and papers.

Blessed Undead: The user is not affected by anti-undead spells and project a aura of courage instead of fear.

Overpower Fear (Race): Allows the user to ignore any Fear effects for a while. Whether mental or magical it do not matter. The eyes glow brightly during its active period.

Self Levitation (Race): While not true flight, it allows the Lich to hover about one meter above any ground and liquid. Should be careful to not use excessviely unless you want brittle bones.

Mana Network (Race): All the golden stones in the liches body helps managing magic and to more easily cast spells. A huge efficency bonus is granted from this.

Touch of Life (Race) LV.1: By using a moderate amount of magic, life threatening wounds can be healed as if nothing happened. Resurrection requires spending an hour continously pouring in magic and positive energy into the corpse.

Possible Evolutions:

None discovered, unlock requirements not met.

”You are a true lich now!? What the heck!?”

Izumi looked very surprised as he then inspected my transformed body again. I felt very exposed now that I think of it... It seems like the only thing remaining from this fight is the Holy Staff. The rest withered away. No matter though, I am just happy to see my new family again.

”I think you will feel cold if you are naked. Here, put on my cloak.”

He then took off and threw his cloak at me. I put it on and wrapped it around me to cover most of my torso and pelvis. I used a piece of rope to tie it securely around my waist. This won’t win any fashion contests but it is better than nothing.

Damn, these have been some emotional days.