“Sorry, but can we start from square one with the Zevolra-thing?” I asked. “I mean, they talked about it in school briefly, but it was glazed over since I came in late and it was taught to younger kids. So, whenever it was brought up, I never really got it,” I said. I was afraid Akara would scold me, but all I heard was silence. I couldn’t look her in the eye.

Akara took a moment to answer. “The Zevolra is an ancient monster, its existence was speculated, but I always knew it was true. I could feel it deep in the Earth. The most powerful summon that could ever be made by a necromancer.”

“Whoa. I believe it too. The bones they hauled up were ginormous. Do you have a picture of it in a textbook or something?”

“Come inside the house, I have a painting I can show you, and you can also meet Wynn.” Akara strode towards the house, and I jogged behind her, Betty following.

“Gee, I have so many questions for you, like, I thought you died, yet here you are, and then I start thinking about it more, and I freak out, like, what if I just died?”

Akara spun around, irritated. “Everything will be explained to you. No, you did not die. This isn’t a mirage.” She paused and peered into my eyes. “Now, let’s take a tour of where you’ll be staying.”

She led me through the front door of the small stone house, entering a living room with dark red cushioned chairs and a fireplace with a relaxing flame. Betty stopped in front of it and curled up in a ball.

“She’s already making herself at home.” Akara chuckled, guiding me further into the house.

The entire home had a tan hardwood floor, which made it feel like a cozy cottage. To my right was a dining room, which connected directly to a kitchen, where the aroma of bacon, eggs, and pancakes wandered through the air, thanks to a skeletal chef.

“How did you know to make my favorite food?” I beamed.

Akara turned to me. “I could sense your thoughts earlier when we met. Don’t worry, I wasn’t invasive. I just wanted to make you feel right at home.”

We walked down a tiny hallway with three different bedrooms. She took me to the bedroom all the way to the left and opened the door.

“This is where you will be staying,” Akara said.

I poked my head in. There was a small bed with a desk underneath a window letting in the sunshine.

“Looks cozy.” I smiled.

“There’s a closet in there too with clothes that should fit you.”

“I have so many questions, but maybe you’ll answer them later.” I eyed her suspiciously, wondering how she knew my clothing sizes.

Akara turned back around and knocked on the door in the middle of the hallway.

“Wynn? Can I open the door?”

“It’s your house,” an annoyed voice replied.

“Yes, well, you are my guest, and I don’t want to intrude.” Akara turned the knob and pushed open the door.

Wynn sat at her desk by the window; the room looked identical to mine. Her back was toward us. All I could see was her long black hair, which had a jagged red streak that ran from top to bottom like a lightning bolt. With a closer look, I noticed she was tossing flames back and forth between her hands. The flames evaporated in a microsecond. She turned around, glanced at me, then back at Akara.

“Whatcha need?” she asked.

“I’d like for you to come out to the dining room. I want to introduce you to our guest while we have breakfast.”

“Kay.” She took a deep breath and stood up, taller than both of us, wearing loose white pajamas.

The three of us wandered into the dining room, and the tables were set with plates of food stacked high enough for the three of us.

When I sat at the table, I looked up and saw a painting of a stormy night over a sea, where a bright orange, four-legged monster was flying in the air with gigantic claws. Seven horns jutted from its crown, its mouth was wide open, showcasing its wicked fangs, and it had ten blue eyes that formed a circle on its head.

I shuddered. “That’s painted in the ceiling of the Nezura Municipality Building. That’s the Zevolra, right?” I pointed.

“Yes, and those are the remains I believe the Silver Navy has captured.” Akara sighed, piling her plate with eggs, bacon, and pancakes.

“You’ve got to be vlarking me.” Wynn dropped her fork.

“By the way, Maximilian, this is Wynn,” Akara said.

“Uh, hi, pleasure to meet you.” I stuck out my hand.

“Hi.” She gave it a shake, her hand felt limp, and she pulled it back like a frog’s tongue capturing a fly.

“Wynn, here, is a once-in-a-generation talent. She’s a Vyrux.”

I dropped my jaw and did a triple take at her. “I’m sharing a home with a Vyrux and the most revered necromancer that has ever lived?!”

“And what’s so special about you?” Wynn said, fixing her attention on her food as she ate with proper manners.

“Now now, let’s not get into a stone measuring contest here. Both of you still need to learn about your abilities, which is why you are here. King Mozer is planning on launching an all-out war on Nezura. He plans on killing every last one of the necromancers and would love nothing more than to kill Wynn.”

“Does he even know she exists? I didn’t even know that a Vyrux existed. Isn’t that the thing in the history books? Usually mentioned with the Zevolra? She must be ancient.”

“I’m twenty-one,” Wynn snapped.

Akara stifled laughter but straightened up and said, “They appear every thousand years to a family of necromancers and—”

Wynn cleared her throat and glowered at Akara.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable,” Akara said.

I stared at Wynn as if she were an animal in a zoo.

“Why don’t you paint a portrait? It’ll last longer.” Wynn fixed her attention to her food.

“I’m sorry, I don’t mean to stare.” I shifted my gaze down to the table.

“To answer your question from earlier, Mozer is unaware of Wynn’s existence. She has been kept secret and has lived most of her life on this island,” Akara said.

“And it’s driving me vlarking mad!” Wynn screamed.

“Watch your language.” Akara’s tone reminded me of a mother’s.

“Imagine!” Wynn glared at me, pointing her butterknife and jabbing it forward. “Imagine having to spend all of your time in your teens cooped up in this house! I’m twenty-one, and I’ve still never kissed a boy! I’ve never gone out with my friends for my birthday to get vlark-faced drunk in Nezura! Everything has been ripped away from me, and for what? Because I can do this?” Wynn jumped from her seat and formed a fireball from her palm that hovered over the table, spinning rapidly. The heat seared my forehead as I fell backward in my chair.

“Wynn!” Akara scolded, and the fireball disappeared. Akara ran around the table, kneeling beside me. “Are you okay?”

***

Yeah, I’m fine.” I took a deep breath with my eyes wide open. “That was incredible.”

Akara helped me back up and put my chair in place. A skeleton burst in from the kitchen.

“Hello, is everything all right?” the skeleton said in an innocent, worried voice. “My goodness, did my food do this to you?”

“No, Lawrence. Wynn just had a little outburst, that’s all. The food has been terrific,” Akara assured him. “Max, this is our chef, Lawrence.”

“Hello, nice to meet you! And thank goodness, I was worried my food put him on his back. I’ll be in the kitchen in case anyone needs anything.” The skeletal chef stepped away.

“Sorry about that,” Wynn said, going back to eating as if nothing had happened.

“That’s okay, I understand your anger,” I said.

“Do you?” Wynn gave me a side-eye.

I ignored Wynn and stabbed forkfuls of food.

“Now, Wynn, let’s not get so upset with our guest. We have bigger things we need to worry about,” Akara said.

“No, really, I understand,” I blurted. “I mean, my struggles are a little different, but I feel like it’s a similar pain. All the times I’ve tried to be a good necromancer and learn new abilities, I’ve always lagged behind. Constantly getting the worst grades, and I always felt like such an outcast. I was picked on by the other kids nonstop, not to mention before all of that, my parents were terrible.” I sighed, burying my head in my palm. “Loneliness and failure have paid me too many visits.”

Wynn kept chewing and didn’t look up from her meal. “I’m sorry to hear that.”

“It’s okay. Akara caught me at a time where I was ready to give it all up. But in a turn of events I never saw coming, I’m now here with a girl that can spin flames, a legendary ‘mancer, and a summoned velociraptor named Betty.”

Betty, who was curled up by the fireplace, lifted her head and stood up. Wynn turned around, and her eyes widened as her lips curved up.

“A pet! We have a pet named Betty in the house now?” Wynn jumped out of her chair and wrapped her arms around Betty, petting the side of her body. “She’s so cute! Is she really staying?”

“Yes, Betty will be staying with us. I think she’ll do good to boost morale around here.” Akara smiled at me.

“I think so too.” I lowered my voice so only Akara could hear me. “Gosh, I just want to ask Wynn so many questions. So, she’s a Vyrux? She can command flames at the will of her fingertips?”

“Not just flames, but she also possesses gale-force power. She will be able to do more with fire and wind with some training, but yes. Her fire and wind prowess are already admirable, but it’s been a lot of hard work.”

“I can only imagine.”

“Get ready, because I will get started on you later. But first, we need to have a conversation about things. You thought I died, correct? And everyone else in Nezura and Lavarund believes I’m gone, yes?”

I nodded.

“I did die; that’s actually true. Technically, I’ve died twice. This is my final life, and I’m spending it as wisely as I can.”

I raised an eyebrow at Akara and leaned my head forward.

“Wynn already knows the story, but you don’t, so allow me to explain.

“There’s an ancient necromancer spell that allows you another life. In case you know you’re going to die, or you’re likely to die, you can keep on living if you pass away. There are some side effects, but as you’ll learn, this was the only option.

“King Mozer, as you know, has spread hatred and vitriol against the necromancers. It wasn’t always like that, but his parents, who were king and queen before him, sparked the oppression once they needed something to blame for the Southeast’s drought. Since Nezura was already known as the necromancer hub and located in the Southeast, the king and queen blamed us for everything, which was never true. As you know, we’re not able to curse land or weather.

“Anyways, Mozer was born, and once his parents died, he took the throne and continued the hatred of necromancers to an extreme. Tensions have been rising over the years, and currently, things are looking grim. You don’t have to be a genius to know that he’s trying to plot a course of action for a war he’s almost guaranteed to win. And it irks me that King Mozer even goes around killing ‘traitors’ who do so little as to call him stupid. There’s no freedom for necromancers or anyone.

“I thought my plan was solid. I started raising an army of skeletal warriors because I didn’t want our people to die for the crusade. A necromancer’s summons can be vicious, and that was all I needed. Then I learned one of the most potent necromancer spells that have ever existed: resurrection. You start by laying down in a place where you would like to be reborn once again, I chose this very house, and I stabbed myself with my own bone knife in the heart. It’s a brutal spell, even for a master, and it requires much focus, the correct incantation, and being unafraid of stabbing yourself in the vlarking chest!

“A ghost of my body lay on the bed, and after I performed the spell, I was at 90% capacity and energy, and that’s a side effect. You feel like you’re not the same as you used to be. Almost like you’re always in the mental and physical state of overcoming a cold. It was rough, but it had to be done, for I knew that my mission was a gamble.

“I stormed the castle with all of my skeletal warriors. Much blood was shed, and many from the Silver Army died in battle, although King Mozer will lie and say there were hardly any casualties. My skeletons did wonderfully. I broke inside the castle and entered the main chamber where I saw him, King Mozer.

“He was standing next to his assistant, who’s a tall woman with plenty of muscles. A trained assassin that I was fully prepared for. Or so I thought I was.

‘Go on, Lara, I don’t need you here. I’ll take care of her myself,’ Mozer said. His voice had a hollowness with no room for compassion.

“Lara left the room, and just as I ran up to him to prepare for the bone-crushing curse, my body seized up. I didn’t have enough energy. That missing 10% was what I needed to pull it off.

“And that’s when I saw his smug smile. I was paralyzed. He crept towards me, and I’ll never forget what he did next. He kissed me, the vlarking bastard kissed me, lips and tongue. Then I died, I died a sudden death that took less than a microsecond. I don’t even know how it happened, but I experienced something unique when I died for the second time. All of the different futures that could occur flashed before my eyes. Which brings me to why you’re here. Maximilian, you’re needed, whether you believe it or not. You and Wynn are the only ones who can stop Mozer.”