Veil of Destiny

Chapter 7 Journey of the Dead

In the distant horizon lies a black void of endless nothingness. The sky is perpetually shrouded in a murky gray, akin to the darkest of dusks. The gray above churns incessantly, though it is impossible to discern whether it is cloud or fog. Here, there is no day or night, no passage of time.

The forest, devoid of life for eons, stands with its towering trees reduced to mere trunks and thicker branches. Wisps of web-like strands hang from the trees, though they cannot be spider webs, for no spider could survive here. The ground is dotted with swamps, from which gray mud occasionally bubbles up, revealing the skeletal remains of unknown creatures, only to be swallowed back by the mire.

The wind carries a damp chill, bringing with it the stench of decay. This is the otherworld, a playground for the undead and demons.

Sophia has long forgotten how long she has been wandering this forest. She does not remember where she came from, only recalling that the creature named "Dorian" gave her this name. The name "Sophia" instinctively makes her want to retch, though she does not know why. As for vomiting, it feels familiar, but she cannot remember how to do it. After all, what can a skeleton possibly vomit?

Dim, mottled light falls on the ground and on Sophia. Her only desire is to leave this forest, though she does not know why. It must be an instinct.

Sophia constantly feels a trickle of energy coming from the being called "Dorian." She knows she cannot refuse Dorian's commands. There are too many things in this world that Sophia does not understand. Yet this energy makes her feel good, stronger even, though it is too little. It is like a helpless traveler in the desert waiting for an unknown drop of water.

Sophia is insatiably thirsty.

Clutching a rusty longsword, Sophia wanders aimlessly through the forest, having forgotten where she found the sword. She carefully avoids certain areas, her instincts telling her that the presences there are powerful and malevolent. Sophia is clever, always devising ways to cleverly defeat other skeletons, for they carry the energy that she so desperately craves.

One day, Sophia found some bones of excellent quality. After a misty haze passed, these bones replenished her 24 ribs. Sophia felt that she should indeed have 24 ribs. The repair exhausted Sophia's accumulated energy, and without the timely energy sent by Dorian, she doubted she could have faced the first zombie she encountered.

The battle with the zombie lasted long. The zombie's strength was overwhelming, and after losing three ribs, Sophia realized that the zombie could not catch her. So, a skeleton began circling the zombie, occasionally stepping in for a strike, slicing off bits of rotting flesh. Eventually, the zombie fell, and Sophia's ribs were now fewer than twenty.

In the otherworld, other skeletons and zombies seemed to leave each other alone. Sophia did not understand why she felt compelled to attack any solitary figure she encountered. "I am hungry," thought the skeleton.

Without the concept of time, Sophia continued her ceaseless wandering. She did not know how long she had been wandering, nor how much longer she would have to continue.

The forest seemed endless.

Back in the small building, after the battle, Dorian became fascinated with the play-acting skeleton. In the dead of night, the second floor of the small building often saw a man and a skeleton staring at each other. After countless failed attempts to communicate mentally, Dorian finally lost interest.

Dorian had no idea where the skeleton's sword came from, and after studying it for a while with no results, he stopped investigating.

The weather grew hotter, and before long, Dorian's twentieth birthday had passed. It was time to leave the mage academy, with the exams just days away. Over the past few months, Dorian had read more than half of the thirty-plus volumes of continental history, along with a slew of adventure chronicles, travelogues, and various notes.