Necromancer's Descent

73 - Death & Betrayal

Rosalin's Point of View

I knew that I shouldn't tell them.

I knew that them being here meant that they'd gotten their hopes up, that they were happy and relieved at he was alive... but they're not stupid. They'd figure it out eventually even if I said nothing.

I see Azzo's expression twisting, as a nervous smile spreads on his lips. The denial is obvious, even before he speaks.

"It's not possible. You can talk, you can use red mana. They even checked you for a pulse."

His voice cracks in the middle though, and he keeps looking at Theodore, like he's hoping his friend will tell him it was a joke or a lie...

"It's not that unusual. You already know ghosts can possess dead bodies. She stuffed mana inside my corpse to preserve it until she could get me home, and it let me manipulate my body like a puppet. A pulse is just squeezing a single area. It's one of the easier things to mimic."

I see Azzo's expression change. How the corners of his mouth drop, and his eyes go wide with a mixture of sadness and horror, and how tears begin to fill his eyes. Then his teeth grit together and his lips form what looks like a pained snarl as his face scrunches up in sorrowful anger. His eyes land on me, and I can feel the blame in his eyes pouring down over me like hail.

"Azzo, calm down," Theodore says softly, perhaps trying to redirect Azzo, but no one has ever calmed down when told to do so.

"CALM DOWN?! She took your body and turned it into a zombie?! How can I be calm?! She deceived everyone!"

"I never lied! I told you he was dead from the beginning!" I snap back at Azzo, but I feel my eyes tearing up as well. Because he isn't wrong, and I myself still feel guilty for turning him, even if it was an accident.

I see tears streaming down from Azzo's face as he looks at me, and rides a bit closer.

"You turned him into a monster!"

"It's not like I wanted to do that! The magic activated on its own when I was about to be eaten by a torai!"

I can see the shock at my words in Azzo's eyes. Then hesitation, but it only lasts for a moment, before another wave of anger bursts out of him.

"You had every opportunity to put him back to rest after!"

"I tried! I tried everything I could think up, that wasn't mutilating his body, or destroying the magic circle with a weapon."

"And why didn't you try destroying the magic?! It's how you put them to rest!"

"Because I don't know what'll happen to his soul if I do! Even if it was an accident I raised him, it's still my responsibility to undo it without leaving any harm!"

Azzo finally shuts up, and just stares at me bitterly with tears rolling down his cheeks.

"Neither the skill, nor the necromancy book said anything about what would happen," I explain quietly, as Azzo's silence gives me space to explain.

It gets quiet, for many long moments, where no one speaks.

Azzo even looks away, gripping the reins tightly, as he appears to be trying to regain control of himself. I hesitate to look at the rest of Theodore's knights, but gather the courage, in case their reactions are worse than Azzo's... but just like Azzo, they're crying. Most of them are just crying quietly, and lowering their eyes like they can't make themselves look at me or Theodore.

"Nothing happens to the soul..." Azzo finally starts.

"It just frees them from the corpse... so please... let my lord rest," Azzo pleads with me, finally looking into my eyes. Clearly begging me.