Luke met the eyes of everyone as he spoke. His friends had not known what his plans had been but trusted his judgment. However, he did not think that they would support him had he told them who he wanted to meet. It didn’t matter though. All they had were stories and legends of the necromancer. They knew nothing of who she was he was, but he knew.

“I know the necromancer. They will provide protection and they have the power to maintain it. Even the king would not risk attacking her island.”

He had lived through a part of her life yet that alone wouldn’t make him so certain. No, it was the memories of the god that told him to trust her, the necromancer, Valeria. He might be the only one alive who actually knew her name, the only one that didn’t just refer to her by class. The previous god had known her, and now Luke did too. There was a promise he needed to uphold, even if he wasn’t the one that made it. Confidence, and a strong desire, left him certain in his words. He met the eyes of everyone who might challenge him. The only ones he truly trusted at that moment were the paladins.

“Her?”

The question made him swing his head around. Lisa, of all people, had spoken. She had found a question before any of the others. Her eyes were wide but clear and her question made him hesitate. Red caught on immediately and piled on to Lisa’s question.

“The memories. She is in the memories you got. Is that why you think she will help?”

Luke nodded slowly, deciding that the full truth would be kept to himself. He couldn’t help but think about Valeria though. Ever since he had considered the plan, a piece of him had grown excited. He had memories with her that were intimate, and he felt like he could trust her. Leah had haunted him. Now, Leah felt so small and inconsequential with everything that had happened. It felt like something that had happened ages ago. Valeria though was fresh, and he couldn’t help but picture her. Her eyes were unblemished white as if they had been carved from bone. She was more beautiful than-

“Yes. This is not up for debate.”

He nodded his head abruptly, to disrupt the image as he responded. It was becoming more and more difficult to separate himself from the god. His mind was adapting by combining all of the memories into a single person. He couldn’t help but wonder who he would be in the end. The answer came to him. A god. He would be a god.

His face hardened as he met the angry faces of his friends. Jill didn’t seem particularly bothered by the declaration, but he couldn’t focus on her for too long. She was his enemy. A predator in a sense, but she was still just a baby. It was like staring into the mouth of a baby dragon. Once Jill grew up, she would hunt him. He knew that other gods would kill her. They would take one look at her and know. Luke’s own mind had memories of doing it. Of killing people like her, people who took classes to oppose the gods. He wouldn’t do it.

He shifted toward Red and Luke, both of them look frustrated. The king and his companions still seemed shocked. He glared at each and every person. Mash still wasn’t suppressing his aura, so he let it flare out and meet the kings. They clashed and Luke could’ve sworn he saw the moment powers collide. The air between them seemed to glow for a moment.

Luke felt some sweat run down the back of his neck, as he strained to match the king’s aura. The king was more experienced and at a higher level. However, his aura was not as pure. The king’s aura was created from his kingdom. Luke was born from a much grander ideal. He could match the king. The king’s eyes widened a fraction before narrowing. Luke felt the king’s aura grow hot. Luke felt more sweat build on his palms as if a fire were only inches from them.

Another aura crashed down on their battle like a sudden storm. It was as if something had swallowed him whole. His aura crumpled and dissolved. He blinked and before he knew it his palms were on the ground. Grass poked through from between his fingers, as he recognized the overwhelming presence. He glanced up to see the king being half carried by Irkish. The General finally had a face to match her role. She finally saw Mash for the monster he was. Luke slowly turned to Mash and saw him. Felt his power. No, it wasn’t a matter of power, but of nature.

Mash’s aura was meant to devour. The Domain of the End was always meant to snuff out everything within. All Mash needed to do was let it. Even with all of his knowledge, Luke knew very little of Mash’s class, but he understood a lot about abilities now. Things even Mash probably didn’t realize or couldn’t know. Luke wouldn’t tell him, not when he could already do things like this.

Luke watched as Mash walked between him and the king. Strolled through as if there had nearly been a fight a second ago. Luke empowered his body by forcing it to heal. It wouldn’t free his aura, but it would repel any form of weakness. He rose to his feet slowly. The king wasn’t so lucky. The man still managed to shake off the disorientation that came with losing an aura battle although his stance was no longer so firm. The king had lost some of his confidence. Mash looked at the king, and then back at him before speaking.

“This is dumb. Just let Luke talk to them. I’ll make sure that they know the truth. They’ll know full well that Luke is working with me and the necromancer. And let him do the same with your prisoners, soldiers, whatever you want to call them. They will be completely free to make their choice.”

Mash’s pupils glowed white, while the darkness of his eyes seemed to consume the light around them. Mash didn’t look like a normal human in many ways, but his appearance now was nightmarish. The king was about to respond, but Mash talked over him.

“You don’t want a fight. Not with me or Luke, and there is no reason to either. Are you really going to stop the beastmen from meeting their god? I doubt the other gods would like that.”

The king hesitated at that statement. The king and his people might be able to stop Mash and Luke, but he couldn’t do it without the other gods’ support. Luke didn’t believe that they would fight Mash or him for a cause such as this. Luke smiled briefly but stopped when Mash turned on him.

“You need to explain the plan though. Tell us who the necromancer is, and why we should trust her.”

Luke’s immediate reaction was to shake his head. It was his past, and he didn’t need to share it. No that was right. It wasn’t his past, but the previous god’s history. Something from hundreds if not thousands of years ago. Even if it wasn’t his past, he didn’t want to share it. What could he tell them?

“I will say that she has never entrapped any souls. The rest is not my story to tell.”

He was careful with his words now. Unlike before, he felt uncomfortable talking about the woman. He simultaneously knew her as two different things. The stories of the Necromancer he heard as a kid were terrifying and wicked. The memories, he knew to be true, revealed a very different person. He could picture her clearly in his mind. In fact, he could remember the moment when she earned her name.

______________________________________________________________________________

Valeria P.O.V

Valeria stared over the railing of the ship she was on. She could see an island in the distance. It was little more than a tiny speck for now, but she couldn’t help but smile. There lay her dreams and the hopes of her people. She wished the ship would speed up, but it wasn’t designed for that. It was a plain wooden ship, that really seemed like it should sink. It was ironically named The Sea Queen’s Throne even though it wasn’t a fancy or elaborate vessel. What it was, was a large cumbersome boat that could only sail because of the skills of the captain and its crew.

Every single crew member on board had some variant of the basic sailor class, and they all had the Disbelieving Sail skill. It was the kind of skill that a combat class couldn’t get, and she was glad to see an entire crew with it. They were literally a dying breed of people, and part of the reason she took this voyage was to get away from everyone else.

The humanoid races were growing more violent. Fewer and fewer people took non-combat classes. It seemed like even the system was reacting to the change. She had heard several rumors that even mundane worker classes were getting combat skills now. It bothered her and left a nasty taste in her mouth. The worst part of it all was that most of the gods and kings were fine with the change.

Most people seemed to believe that power was all that mattered. They all acted so desperately for it, and for what? A threat thousands of years in the future? She couldn’t be like them and ignore the present peace to try and prepare for some unknown danger. The world owner hadn’t told them anything yet so many were ready to believe. To change their nations and people on the words of another. Valerie couldn’t do that, and neither could Luke.

As she thought of him, her eyes drifted over to the center of the ship, where he stood on an elevated platform. His golden hair and fur reflected the sunlight and made his wolf-like ears glow along with the many markings across his body. They were like ley lines that ran across his limbs and made him glow like a torch. Hundreds of Beastkin stood and listened as he told them what to expect and prepare for.

He was their god, and they listened to his words as if they were laws. She smiled at him, and his head turned sharply to meet her eyes. He smiled back a long fang slightly peeked over his bottom lip. It made her face flush slightly and she turned away. They had been together for over a hundred years now, and she still felt a rush of heat whenever he smiled like that. People with high charisma really should be banned from smiling. At least not in front of a crowd. Several people, men and women both gave her some obviously jealous looks.

Jealous though some were, nobody looked at her with any real anger or hatred. No, most people treated her with the same reverence as Luke, even though she hadn’t yet advanced to his stage. She was level 200 and could take the trial, but there was something she needed to do first. She knew her people and they were too peaceful for the world to come. The Beastkin needed a place for themselves. A place to pursue whatever dreams they wanted. She would give them that place, and her people knew it. There were thousands upon this ship alone, and many smaller ships were also making their way. Enough people to make a nation.

All that was left was an island known to be the home of a dragon. Luke believed the dragon was one of the good ones, but Valerie knew the stories. There would be a cost, one that she would pay happily if it meant safety for her people. She looked again toward the island. The sun was just above it. Her dream was so close.