Reborn with a Necromancer System - Chapter 68

Chapter 68: Inheritance: The Last Will and Testament of Orlin Mirth
Kai moved through the silent corridors of the manor, his steps echoing in the vast emptiness left behind in Orlin’s absence.

‘Not that Orlin ever made much noise unless he was showing off. It was more his mana swirling around the place.’

The air still carried the scent of old parchment, dried herbs, and something distinctly magical. Faint remnants of his mentor’s presence lingered in the foundation of the ancient building.

He wasn’t sure what he was searching for. Maybe a message Orlin had left him. Maybe some hidden cache of knowledge that would tell him what to do next. Perhaps, Orlin just wished to keep him in the city for a little longer after his death. Whatever the case, Kai determined that he would listen to one of his master’s last wishes and look everywhere before leaving the city.

Kai summoned every zombie he had from his shadows.

“Search the manor for anything magical. Make sure the place is kept clean while doing so.”

The zombies shambled off in several directions.

He explored the massive library and opened book after book to see if there were any hollowed out books with ornate keys or something of the sort. He didn’t trust the zombies to leave the books where they found them, or be able to reach the taller shelves without pulling the entire cases down.

—

Several weeks passed, and Kai finished with the library. He started sending out skeletons to bring in animals from the forest for him to consume and to replenish his life essence. A zombie interrupted Kai’s thoughts with a key in its hands.

He looked over it curiously. The key’s structure was built solely from shadows and was weightless, but still maintained form. There was only one room Orlin never allowed Kai to enter, and it was always locked. The study.

Kai ascended the staircase to the second floor and stood outside the study that Orlin occasionally entered but never allowed Kai to see. He grasped the key tightly and inserted it into the lock. A rush of magical energy pulsed from the door and it swung open by itself.

The study was exactly as he expected it to look. The room, dimly lit by an ever-burning fireplace looked sombre without someone to appreciate it. A massive bookshelf lining the walls remained untouched.

Orlin mentioned once that he’d read every single book in the manor over a dozen times.

The tomes with cracked spines and weathered covers from centuries of use looked over the room. Kai’s fingers trailed across the bindings.

‘Orlin… Was there anything interesting in these pages? In some of this knowledge that the world had forgotten, just like they forgot you?’

Kai turned his attention to Orlin’s desk, the mahogany surface cluttered with quills, ink bottles, and parchment filled with calculations and old magical theories.

‘Probably stuff that would make lecturers or professors hail Orlin as a god of magic or something.’

He hesitated before pulling open the drawers, rifling through neatly stacked documents, old lesson plans crafted for innumerable students, and a few letters written in a language he didn’t recognise.

[Language of the Forebearers Translated to 51%.]

‘Oh? You translated Imerian and Salan instantly, but you’re still having so much trouble with this.’

One of the drawers remained closed no matter how much Kai pulled the knob. He searched for a key, but came up empty after over an hour. Impulsively, he used strengthening magic, and it still remained shut.

‘Shade, if you would do the honours?’

Shade materialised and after changing one of its hands to a scalpel-like instrument, separated the drawer from the desk with surgical precision.

Inside, Kai found it.

A single envelope, yellowed at the edges, sealed with a deep crimson wax bearing Orlin’s sigil. He broke the seal with careful fingers, unfolding the letter inside.

—

To my Disciple, Kai,

If you are reading this, then my time has come, and you have freed me from a torment spanning thousands of years. Thank you.

I cannot express my gratitude in words, but know this: you were the finest student I ever had. Not merely for your power, but for your spirit, your mind, and the way you questioned everything with an insatiable hunger for understanding. You reminded me of what it was to be alive.

I leave you with two things.

First, an acceptance letter. You have been admitted into Thesiones Academy for Gifted Students. I sent the application in your name long ago, knowing this day would come. However, you will not be accepted until you reach fifteen.

You may find this frustrating, considering all that has happened. The world outside is cruel, and the people who wronged you and your family will walk free for seven years. I understand your anger.

But there is something you must know.

—

Kai’s brows furrowed as he flipped to the next page, his grip tightening as he read further.

—

The city of Mirth was not merely my prison; it was my creation. The gods themselves cursed this place to drift within time. What feels like mere days to the outside world could be weeks, even months, within these walls.

For every year you spend in Mirth, only a fraction will pass outside. My own five centuries here equated to over ten thousand years of isolation. A long, long time to be alone.

Furthermore, only three types of individuals may enter this city: Necromancers, Variants, and those chosen by the gods. No others may pass the boundaries.

This means that if you remain in Mirth for more than an approximate five years, the curse that bound me here may transfer to you. This is what I’ve gathered from my experiments here.

You must leave before then, or you, too, will be trapped for eternity.

—

Kai exhaled sharply.

‘Seven years here would only be half a year outside at most. Not as bad as I feared. But if I lingered too long… I might never leave at all. I guess lying about being fifteen when I’m thirteen could work,’ he mused.

He returned to the letter, his heartbeat steadying as he read the final instructions.

—

Take my cane and tap it five times near the fireplace. You will find something there: a gift I prepared for you, along with several artifacts that will aid you on your journey.

—

Kai set the letter aside, pushing himself up from the desk and striding toward the fireplace. It looked ordinary enough, but Kai went back to the basement to retrieve the cane while Orlin’s undead body still hammered the barrier with spell after spell.

‘I wonder what will happen first; will he run out of mana, or will my barrier break? I guess I have five years to figure out something more permanent.’

Orlin’s cane, once an extension of his power, now rested in Kai’s hands. He promptly returned to the study and stood by the fireplace. Kai lifted the cane, feeling the familiar hum of enchantments woven into the wood.

He tapped it five times against the stone.

A sharp click resonated through the room. The stones beneath the fireplace pushed into the floor and pulled out before rotating away from a particular area, revealing a hidden compartment within the floor. Inside lay a black velvet box, an old satchel, and a neatly folded piece of parchment.

Kai opened the box first. Nestled inside was a necklace. A simple silver chain with a dark gemstone at its centre. The moment he touched it, a surge of magic pulsed through him, the pendant humming with dormant power.

‘Mirage’s Veil.’

A thought whispered in his mind.

He fastened it around his neck.

A strange sensation swept over him. His vision blurred for a moment before sharpening again. Glancing at his reflection in the glass of a nearby cabinet, he saw it, his silver hair darkening, his sharp ears dulling, and his unnatural and slightly glowing green eyes shifting back to the deep brown they once were.

A disguise.

A powerful one.

Satisfied, Kai turned back to the satchel and parchment. Inside the bag were various trinkets: small, enchanted objects, potion vials, and what appeared to be an ancient spell book. He made a mental note to examine them later.

Then, finally, he opened the parchment.

—

The Last Will and Testament of Orlin Mirth

To the one who finds this, you are now the owner of Mirth.

You now have access to my interdimensional storage. However, you should not open it until you have achieved the rank of a Grand Magician. The creatures I used as guardians in my storage dimension will not take kindly to being disturbed otherwise.

Do not test me on this.

The Mirage’s Veil that you now hopefully wear has two powerful enchantments.

The first is the alteration of one’s physical appearance. There are limitations, but you can change the way your facial features and skin-tone look. The more you change, the easier it will be to see through the disguise, but still only high-ranking mages will be able to see through it.

The second is the most important one. You can change how your status will appear to others. Either by using a spell or skill, or by using an ancient system known as the M.A.S, they will not see your actual skills, proficiency, or status, but a falsified version of it.

Finally, if you’re wondering why this document was so easy to find, let me tell you:

Had you attempted to open the drawer in which you found the instructions to do this while I was still alive, your skin would have been ripped from your flesh, reanimated, and then used to strangle you to death.

A wonderful little curse I crafted from a time when I still had access to my necromancy magic.

And, yes, curses are very, very real.

Have fun, disciple.

Orlin Mirth

—

Kai let out a sharp laugh, shaking his head. Of course, Orlin would end things like this.

The weight of the documents, the artifacts, and the truth of Mirth settled into his bones.

He had choices to make.

And very little time to make them.

Taking one last look around the study, he exhaled slowly before tucking the documents and artifacts into his shadow space.

Time to move forward.