The Genesis Of A Necromancer

Alisha's chest heaved as beads of sweat rolled down her temples. Her trembling hands gripped her staff, but her spirit wavered. Across from her, Zamazo stood tall and composed, his sinister grin betraying neither fatigue nor strain.

"I must admit," Zamazo said, his tone disturbingly casual, "just when I thought I'd seen the best you had to offer, you go and create a completely new spell. Impressive. Truly, you have a lot of talent."

'How is this even possible?' Alisha thought, her teeth clenched so tightly her jaw ached. She had poured everything she had into that spell, weaving the holy power with precision and intent. It was supposed to wipe Zamazo out—his clones, his essence, everything. Yet, here he stood, unscathed, as if mocking her efforts.

The spell had obliterated his clones, true, but against Zamazo himself, it had done nothing. Nothing.

'Isn't holy power supposed to be a demon's bane? How could it fail against him?' Alisha felt a wave of despair crash over her. Her grip on her staff tightened as she struggled to hold onto the sliver of resolve she had left.

"Very well," she growled through gritted teeth. "If my powers alone aren't enough, then I'll use this!"

Her voice echoed through the training grounds as she prepared to summon the Crown of Light, an artifact of immense holy power that she had been reluctant to call upon before. But before she could finish, Zamazo's voice cut through the air, freezing her in place.

"That won't be necessary," he said with an almost bored expression. "Training is over for today."

"What?" Alisha blinked, lowering her staff slightly. Her frustration and confusion mixed into a volatile cocktail of emotions. She followed Zamazo's gaze to see him staring at Jack, who had just emerged from the formation.

Jack's expression was grim, his eyes shadowed with a mixture of exhaustion and something else—something far more unsettling.

Zamazo narrowed his eyes at Jack, intrigued. From the corner of his vision, he had been monitoring Jack's progress within the formation. For a while, he'd noticed something strange. At some point, Jack's consciousness had seemed to leave his body. Yet, unlike what should have happened, Jack's body didn't collapse under the formation's crushing pressure.

'What exactly is going on with him?' Zamazo thought.

Jack stepped forward, ignoring the concerned gazes of Alisha and Zamazo. "There will be a change in plans," he announced, his voice cold and resolute.

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Alisha's eyes widened. "Change in plans? What are you talking about?"

Jack glanced at her briefly before turning his attention to the horizon, his thoughts seemingly elsewhere. "We'll need to put the Chapters of Time on hold for now," he said. "There are too many enemies hunting us, and I need to get stronger to deal with them."

Alisha frowned. "Isn't that the point of this training? What exactly are you saying, Jack?"

Jack sighed, the weight of his predicament pressing down on him. "The thing is," he said slowly, "I can't train right now."

"What do you mean, 'you can't train'?" Alisha demanded, her confusion giving way to irritation. "That's exactly what you've been doing this whole time!"

Before Jack could respond, a soft voice cut through the tension.

"Brother's soul is weak," Missy said, her tone eerily calm. She sat cross-legged in the corner, where one of Zamazo's shadow clones had been training her. "Big Brother has captured many evil souls, and now they're after him."

Jack turned toward her, startled. 'How does she know that?' he thought, his mind racing.

Missy's words left both Zamazo and Alisha momentarily stunned. Though Alisha remained confused, Zamazo's expression darkened as he pieced things together. As a demon who had grown stronger by consuming souls, he understood the delicate balance between a soul's strength and its stability.

"A weak soul," Zamazo muttered, his gaze sharpening. "It would be highly susceptible to spiritual attacks… and could easily break down under pressure."@@novelbin@@

Jack nodded, confirming Zamazo's suspicions. "Exactly. The souls I've taken in aren't resting peacefully. They're trying to consume me, hoping to claw their way back to the land of the living."

Zamazo frowned, his thoughts turning grim. He had never seen a situation quite like this. Jack, as the Lord of the Dead, held dominion over countless restless souls, but that power came with a price. The souls of the damned, unrelenting and vengeful, were now a threat to their master.

"And because of that," Jack continued, "I can't risk pushing my limits in training. If I do, the souls could overwhelm me."

"Then what's your plan?" Zamazo asked. His tone carried an edge of curiosity, but beneath it lay a note of concern.

Jack hesitated, his jaw tightening. He knew what needed to be done, but the path ahead wasn't one he could tread lightly.

"There's only one way to fix this," Jack said finally. "I need to strengthen my soul."

Zamazo raised an eyebrow. "And how exactly do you plan to do that?"

Jack's gaze turned to Zamazo, meeting the demon's piercing eyes. He didn't answer immediately. The answer was obvious, but saying it aloud made it feel all the more daunting.

"I'll have to consume a stronger soul," Jack admitted, his voice low but firm. "Or multiple weaker ones."

Alisha's eyes widened in horror. "Consume a soul? What are you talking about? That's—"

"Necessary," Zamazo interjected, cutting her off. He turned to Alisha, his expression grim. "If his soul remains weak, it'll shatter. And when that happens, he won't just die. He'll be devoured by the very souls he commands."

Alisha's lips parted, but no words came out. The weight of Zamazo's explanation left her shaken.

"But," Zamazo continued, his gaze shifting back to Jack, "you have a divine soul. Strengthening it won't be easy. The souls you consume will need to be exceptionally strong. Divine souls, in particular, are incredibly rare. Even I've never encountered another like yours."

A heavy silence hung in the air. Jack's expression remained stoic, but Alisha could see the storm of emotions swirling behind his eyes.

"Do you plan on erasing them all?" Zamazo asked suddenly.

Jack didn't respond immediately, but Zamazo's question caused Alisha to frown deeply.

"Erase what?" she asked, her voice unsteady.

Zamazo's eyes flickered toward her for a brief moment before returning to Jack. "The souls. All of them."

Alisha's blood ran cold. The thought of erasing countless souls, even if they were vengeful and dangerous, filled her with unease.

Her frown deepened, but even she knew she coudn't stop Zamazo, let alone him.

Jack's gaze remained fixed ahead, his resolve unshaken. "If it's between them or me," he said, "then the choice is obvious. But, there's an alternative... an item, the item is...."