Calytrix's Journey

Chapter XV: Decisions

We returned to Leo's mansion. It was where all the mess with Akios began and I first met Leo, who was already dead, but I refused to accept it. Sadness enveloped me in an instant. I felt compassion, yes, but my sadness also arose from observing Leo's troubled soul. My own sadness also affected me.

Akios used his teleportation powers to get us to Leo's main study. Even though I've been here before, the room's details only struck me now. Papers and books overflowed a huge wooden desk in the room. Grandiose bookshelves, each holding over a thousand books, stood on either side. The room had a unique charm, thanks to the fiery red carpet and curtains.

My spell still held Leo, paralyzed. Motionless, he occupied the very spot of our initial meeting.

"Now, we'll..." Akios started.

"Let's take a quick break," I interrupted Akios.

I knew Leo's passing was inevitable, but I still need time to gather my thoughts. Besides needing a powerful anti-necromancy spell, I also had to say a last farewell to Leo. I experienced that kind of goodbye for the first time. Despite knowing it's right, this decision was hard to make.

"This is where we first met, Calytrix, mistress," Leo said with a smile. 

Only his face remained untouched by the spell's effects. I was at a loss for words and, therefore, said nothing. Leo's smile made me contemplate many things while he just stood there. While he has shown emotions and even smiled in the past, his soul appeared overwhelmingly. Did his zombie form and soul experience different emotions separately?

I felt even worse after hearing his words, and I almost cried. To hide my emotions from Akios and Leo, I averted my gaze and looked out the window.

"We first met here too," Akios sad.

"Yeah. It was a lovely first meeting," I sarcastically said as I remembered my fight with Akios.

A knock came on the door without warning.

"Master, are you there?" I heard a young, pleasant female voice from behind the closed door.

A sudden, intense chill ran through me. Somehow, I forgot about the other zombies in Leo's mansion. His frozen servants and family also turned into zombies. Akios and I made a contract to bring everyone back, but now we need to give them a final send-off.

"Yes, but leave us alone for a while. I'll call you when I need you," Akios said in a strict tone.

"As you wish, master, please enjoy the stay in your mansion," the female voice said.

Their new zombie status completely reshaped the power structure, I quickly realized, although Leo's failure to answer the servant momentarily shocked me. When they were alive, Leo was the young master and the heir of the house, but now Akios, the necromancer, who brought them back to life, was their one and only master. Leo was the only one who wasn't under Akios' authority because the master's right has been transferred to me.

"Calytrix, you're acting really odd. We came here because you requested it and now you're ignoring us," Akios said.

"I-I just..." I said in a panicked voice as I nervously looked around. "What a lovely garden you have out there, Leo. I want to check it out before I do anything else."

I know what I came to do here, but we aren't in a particular hurry. Akios could give me a break. The garden was the first thing I saw throughout the window, and I used it as an excuse.

"I'll go outside for a bit and I'll quickly be back," I said.

"Wait Calytrix! I want to see the garden too," as Akios said that he followed me.