"Master, the child is doing that thing again," Kyris, the King's personal butler, called out. His shimmering, ghostly form radiated a faint gray hue as he stood by the towering throne. Despite his spectral nature, his tone carried a faint note of exasperated affection.
"It is fine, Kyris. He is but a babe," the King replied, his voice calm but resonant, as if carrying the weight of the abyss itself. His hollow eyes, aglow with faint, smoldering violet flames, remained fixed on the child crawling through Kyris's shadowy figure, his small giggles echoing through the otherwise silent hall.
Kyris sighed, his incorporeal form flickering faintly. "Eight months, my King. Eight months, and already this child has turned the halls of the dead into a playground." Yet despite his words, a ghostly smile tugged at his form, betraying the fondness he had developed for the boy. The child had brought an unusual liveliness to the otherwise still halls of the Undead King's castle.
The castle itself sat at the heart of Necrovia, the capital of the Anguished Lands—a kingdom forged from death and magic. Once a barren wasteland, the Anguished Lands had been reshaped into a realm of stark, otherworldly beauty. Rivers of dark mana coursed beneath its surface, their currents visible only to those attuned to necrotic energy. Necrovia, both city and necropolis, was lined with towering spires of blackened stone, and its skies shimmered with drifting wisps of ghostly light.
Unlike the bustling capitals of the living, Necrovia thrived in silence. Undead citizens moved with eerie purpose—skeletal sentinels patrolled its streets in disciplined formations, eyes glowing faintly with enchantments. Wraiths and specters drifted through alleyways, whispering secrets of bygone eras. Even the merchants in its shadowy markets were undead, trading cursed relics and rare ingredients from lands untouched by mortals.
At the city's heart stood the Undead King's castle, an imposing fortress of dark stone radiating an aura of death. Its throne room was a vast hall with vaulted ceilings that seemed to stretch endlessly into shadow. Silver runes depicting the King's countless conquests lined the walls, and ghostly chandeliers cast flickering light over the polished onyx floors.
Kyris, who had served the King for centuries, considered this domain a masterpiece of order amidst chaos. His devotion was absolute, born of gratitude and reverence for the ruler who had given purpose to the restless dead.
His flame-like eyes flickered with pride as he turned to the King. "Master, even this human child will grow to see how Necrovia flourishes under your rule."
The Lich King gave a slight nod, his hollow gaze fixed on the baby crawling across the polished floor. "Let us see what he becomes, Kyris. For now, he is but a child."
Leaning back on his skeletal throne, the King tapped his bony fingers against the armrest. "Kyris, Do you know why i agreed to take in this child?"
Kyris stopped looking at the child and turned to the king perplexed. "Was it not for the soul of that sixth tier mage?"
"Kyris, I am not so kind as to take in a child just because a soul was traded for its protection. No, this child is son of the current Archmage of Magus and his parents were both prominent and powerful mages. If nothing else he can become a powerful undead wizard if things go poorly." The child, oblivious to their words, crawled toward the King with surprising determination. His bright purple eyes fixated on the dark flames flickering faintly in the King's sockets. The Lich King reached out and created a rat skeleton to play with the babe.
Kyris face had the smallest semblance of a frown before it went to his neutral shadowed expression. "If him becoming an undead wizard is if things go poorly, what if everything goes according to your plan?"
"That is for me and Nubis to know Kyris I won't bore you with the details. But let's say now that he's here, part of that so called divine prophecy has started to become true, all because they decided to try to prevent it. Fate is a funny thing like that after all."
"Odd indeed," Kyris agreed, folding his hands. "Most of the living cower from the undeads mana alone. But yet he's simply playing with it like its of the living. He is unafraid of us even of you my King. Even the undead bow to you but this boy… he isnt concerned in the slightest with you being so close."