16 On the top of the sky

We took the subway, then the tram to Tiergarten. It was the last train, and we would have missed it if we hadn’t run. Dang, I had been stabbed in the heart several times, yet I was moving just fine. That was one odd sensation, but… it didn’t feel quite bad.

Outside the Tiergarten’s streetcar station, there was a walkway along a steep slope from where one could see the north part of Farskyer: the Old Docks, Somerville, and even the illuminated Giant Baobab of Beroboka District. Under the wide sky covered in snowing clouds, the city was enshrouded in an amber-colored light.

“The view is better from the Kiyomizu Temple, but it’s not bad from here either, huh?” Zeeta said.

I nodded and had stopped by the balustrade when I heard a panting then a familiar voice calling me:

“Armen!” I turned in disbelief. Ray?! What was he doing here? He was clearly heading to the streetcar station. He was running on the snow, in the middle of the night, surrounded by shadows… I couldn’t believe my eyes. What about his trauma? He wheezed: “Armen…”

I rushed toward him. Louise was following him joyfully.

“Hello again, Alumen, Akill, and Seeta!” she said. “Did you see? It’s Rainbows! Ray said she will wake up this morning!” I only noticed then the tabby cat she was holding.

“Isn’t that great, Louise!” Zeeta said. His curious eyes were riveted on the “sleeping” cat.

For my part, I couldn’t rejoice, because I was just so amazed that Ray had come all the way here… I breathed out:

“Ray, what’s the matter?”

“I…” Ray was still trying to catch his breath. When his gray eyes finally looked up at me, they were burning with mixed emotions. “I… suddenly felt something weird from our bond, went to my dad’s because you weren’t picking your phone and… just heard you were going to your killer’s home. Is… Is that true?”

For a moment, we just fell silent. Then I said:

“It is.”

Ray took a deep breath then nodded nervously.

“Are you… Are you okay?”

He wasn’t asking for my killer’s fate. I smiled slightly.

“Yeah. I’m okay. The guy threw himself out of the window.”

“He what?!” Zeeta cried out.

“Arkill is a witness. But, Ray, you… really went out at night just because you were worried about me? I’m so happy, heheh…”

Ray snorted as he leaned on the balustrade, avoiding our eyes.

“Dad’s driving me crazy. He told me he didn’t know anything about our attackers. He’s just a liar. He hasn’t changed at all ever since I was in elementary school. I’m sorry, Armen… I did nothing to help you!” he turned to me. “I should have imagined you would want to make that murderer pay. You even told me, and I just kept acting as if you never died, as if nothing had happened. I… may be the worst friend ever. I…”

He flinched when I laid a hand on his head. His black hair was flecked with snowflakes. Arkill and Zeeta kept silent; even Louise was staring at us with curiosity as she was still holding Rainbows. I breathed in. I had realized quite recently that everyone’s lifeforce tasted different. While Zeeta’s reminded me of salt, Ray’s was sweet. It made me feel relaxed. Still, that wasn’t the reason why I felt at home by his side. I slightly shook my head as I said:

“Don’t ever say that again. I didn’t tell anyone because I wanted to do it myself. Your dad just helped me with the address. Now it’s all over. Let’s not talk about this anymore. And, Ray, you’ve never acted as if I had never died. You’re actually the one working the hardest here, reading grimoires that no one understands, breaking your principles and reviving cats because you want to help me… Yeah, that certainly is something my worst friend ever would do, right?” I teased him as I friendly pushed his forehead.

Ray made a face, not knowing what to say. I grinned at him with my sincerest smile. He knew me well: he knew I wouldn’t grin at him like that if I had been feeling unwell. A smile curved his lips.

“Even now… you’re as positive as always, Armen,” he said.

“That’s because being positive is fun. You should try once in a while.”

“Yeah…” he chuckled. Then, he looked around with a lost face. It seemed as if he just noticed Arkill’s and Zeeta’s presence. Did he even watch where he was going when he left his dad’s house? Nevertheless, he went directly our way. Was it me or had he been following our bond? I suddenly saw him shudder then search his pockets.

“Ray, what’s wrong?”

“My… My flashlight. I’ve left it at my dad’s.”

I looked at him, amazed. Had he been so worried that he had even forgotten about his trauma? Now he was trying hard not to panic in front of us.

“Didn’t you hear the saying, ‘it’s never dark in Farskyer’?” Zeeta asked, waving at the shining city. “Don’t you see all those lights? You don’t need any flashlight.”

He meant well, but I knew the sea of lights spread out before our eyes wasn’t enough to calm Ray down. The young necromancer was breathing hard.

“I’m sorry. It’s so stupid. I should… really do something about it…”

I tilted my head, then got a brilliant idea and smiled.

“Ray. It’s all right.” I stepped back, the snow squeaking under my shoes. When I stood between Arkill, Zeeta, and Louise, I stretched my arms as if I wanted to embrace them all at once. “We will be your light!”

For an instant, Ray’s eyes stared at me, wide open… then he snorted.

“You talk like a prophet.”

Zeeta burst out laughing.

“Right! Ray, it’s all right,” he said dramatically, stretching his arms. “We will be your light! Hahahaha!”

Amused by Zeeta’s acting, Louise let out a high-pitched laugh. Ray chortled. Arkill rolled his eyes. Grinning, I admitted:

“I feel a bit embarrassed.”

“You should!” Zeeta friendly put his arm on my shoulders. “But that’s what’s great about you, Armen. You say things I never could. Like, with that bastard tonight. I’ve heard almost everything you said to him. How was it again? Ah: ‘I have been sent by your victims from the grave. They are crying. Can’t you see their tears flowing from my eyes? Give up, you can’t fight a ghost. We will make your life hell if you don’t comply. Now, bastard, kill yourself.’ That was freaking cool!”

I puffed, flustered. No way, he had been listening to me so clearly? I protested:

“I was bluffing! I-I was trying to come up with a plan, so I was buying time. I knew it wouldn’t be so easy.”

“You… went there without a plan?!” Ray asked, astounded.

“As expected from the Straw Head,” Zeeta teased. “Improvisation is funnier!”

“I… had no fun at all, Zeeta. Please, let’s talk about something else. Plus, there’s a kid here who shouldn’t hear things like that.” Louise looked around her, clueless. I added: “By the way, Arkill! I didn’t know you had powers like that. It’s a deathforce rope, right? How does it work?”

The life-reaper was standing by the balustrade, gazing at the night sky. He barely turned to answer:

“It works like spider silk. It’s tough, strong, and has adhesive properties. I can use it to climb walls, spin webs, make clothes…”

He seemed as if he was going to add something, but he fell silent. Zeeta and I whistled, impressed.

“Such an amazing power!”

“You might become like the Mirror Spider Hero,” Zeeta said in admiration.

I had heard of the Mirror Spider Hero. He was a distant relative of my classmate Woon, but was six-armed instead of four-armed, having thus eight limbs—hence the “spider” name. He not only had a mutated body since birth: he also had an incredible power that allowed him to cover his skin with a reflecting glue that gave him the name of “mirror”. That I knew well because Woon was a huge fan. So was Zeeta.

Embarrassed, Arkill stepped away from the balustrade.

“I’m not a hero, nor I wish to be one. Let’s go home. It’s late, there are no more trains: you should stay over too, Ray.” Ray was about to turn him down, but then Arkill added: “Armen is wounded: if his deathforce keeps leaking, he will faint. He needs to be treated.”

I scowled at him. Why did he blurt out like that? Ray gave me a troubled look, then nodded:

“Let’s go.”

“Let’s go, Rainbows!” Louise said, holding out the cat before her.

“Don’t shake her like that! You’re too strong, Louise, be careful,” Ray warned her.

As the five of us headed back to the Lord Necromancer’s mansion, I was surprised by Ray’s calmness. Was he really starting to get over his fears? Or was he just suppressing them? Was it that famous willpower of his?

When we were about to reach the mansion’s gate, it turned out Loki’s house was just two doors away from the Lord Necromancer’s. As we said goodbye to Zeeta, I heard Ray mumble, and I looked at him, inquiring. He cleared his throat.

“What?”

“Counting sheep?”

Ray blushed.

“Who are you taking me for? I was reciting the pi number’s decimals.”

And that was a more normal thing to do than counting sheep? Heh… Ray sure knew how to make the most of his knowledge… I bet he was the first person to use the pi number to fight darkness.

Louise called us from the gate.

“Alumen, Ray! Hurry up, hurry up! Or the ghosts will come out!”

As we entered, Arkill and Louise began to climb the path to the house. It was so dark ahead of us that Ray stopped dead by the entrance light. I was going to suggest that he wait here while I went fetch his flashlight when he said:

“Armen. I… have something to tell you.”

I shut my mouth, surprised. He sounded serious.

“What is it?”

“Well, it’s about our necro-bond.” He wavered. “I told you our minds are bound by a special necro-bond that allowed you to be revived directly as a life-reaper and retain your inner soul. Because of that, our necro-bond is strong. Basically… I can feel your presence from quite far away and know when you receive huge blows like tonight. It doesn’t hurt or anything, but I can tell where you’ve been hit.”

Ray… knew I had been stabbed. No: he knew I had been stabbed several times. And there I had been trying to conceal it from him. A snowflake fell on the top of my nose. Before my silence, he added, clearing his throat:

“I don’t know if that’s possible, but if that really bothers you, I can try to find a way to block—”

“It doesn’t bother me,” I cut him off. “If anything, that could be a problem for you. I… should have told you beforehand. Sorry I worried you.”

“No… I didn’t tell you either. Damn, necromancy is such a meddlesome art. It’s hard to protect your privacy even if I want to.”

“It’s all right,” I smiled. “I trust you.”

Ray nodded, a little embarrassed, then glanced at the darkness waiting for him on the path, and nervously looked back at me.

“Actually, I have something to ask from you. Will you…” he hesitated. “Will you allow me to heal your injuries along with my dad? So I can learn. I have to improve no matter what.”

I frowned, not so much because of his request, but rather because of his last words. Deep down, I knew Ray had been pushing himself all this time. He had avoided necromancy because he hated that, and yet he had revived me and spent many hours reading grimoires. Just because… he wanted me to live. Before his startled eyes, I shook my head.

“No, Ray, you don’t have to.”

I began to walk up the path.

“Armen?” Ray’s voice sounded confused. “Sorry! I understand. My dad is way more talented than I am—”

“Shut up!”

I spun around, even more irritated. As my deathforce was still leaking, I had begun to breathe hard. I clenched my fists.

“Ray. Why did you revive me? It was because you wanted to enjoy life together, right? And so you made a choice and you became a necromancer. That’s what you are right now, Ray: a necromancer. And I am an undead. Let’s face the truth. Now that my killer is gone, I just want to enjoy my life as an undead. What about you, Ray? Are you going to become a necromancer just because you want to help me?” I was panting. “You know… Necromancy is… an amazing art. You don’t have to use it the same way your dad uses it, but… you have to enjoy it, Ray. If you don’t… there’s no reason for me to help you learn anything.”

I looked him in the eye. My friend was stunned. There was a silence. My panting was getting worse. My core was being emptied from its energy, and it thirsted desperately for lifeforce. As my deathforce kept fleeing, I felt just like a deflating balloon. I had to heal my wounds as soon as possible but… I also wanted to hear Ray’s answer. At last, my friend gave a calm nod.

“I will.” His eyes gleamed with determination. “Thank you, Armen. Your point of view is always so… refreshing. I just realized I won’t be like my dad just because I learn necromancy. Actually… I may have acted just like him when I revived that cat for the sole purpose of learning. I may be even worse, because I didn’t even enjoy it. I did something against my will thinking I was doing that to help you but… I was wrong. I should have known. You obviously wouldn’t ask me to do something I don’t want to do, right? Also… you’re right. I am a necromancer. I decided to be one. Necromancy can be amazing, as you say. To tell you the truth, I enjoy reading those books. And I always felt ashamed because of that. But I guess it’s all right to learn, isn’t it? Also… Also… I don’t know what will happen from now on but…” Suddenly bowing, he cried out: “I’m honored that you are my first familiar! Let’s improve ourselves together!”

My heart stayed still, but in my mind, it was pounding, deeply moved. I grinned.

“That’s more like it. Though you sounded like you were proposing to me just now.”

“S-Stop saying stupid things when you’re out of breath! Let’s have Dad treat your wounds.”

“Heheh… Don’t wanna: I want you to treat them all.”

Ray widened his eyes, then shook his head, giving an annoyed snort to conceal his obvious relief.

“I’ll do my best. But next time be more careful not to get stabbed that many times, you moron.”

I laughed as I bowed.

“I’ll be in your care!”

I was happy to see that Ray had finally made up his mind. As I thought that, I caught him peering at the darkness on the path and brusquely shivering.

“We… should go,” he said hesitantly.

“Yeah!” As we began walking up the path, a sudden squeak between the trees made me remember the ghosts Louise had talked about, and I stopped in my tracks. “R-Ray? Are there really g-g-ghosts in this wood?”

Ray raised his eyebrows… then chuckled.

“Sorry, sorry, I didn’t know you were afraid of ghosts, Armen,” he said.

“Who isn’t?!”

“Well… They are Uncle Adrian’s ghosts. He has the power to summon ghosts from his own body. He uses them to eat lifeforce from the trees. As far as I know, he’s the only undead capable of converting vegetable lifeforce into human lifeforce.”

“So… ghosts do exist!” Such a discovery made me even warier of my surroundings… “You said your uncle Adrian eats vegetable lifeforce?”

“Mm,” Ray meditated. “Now that I think about it, I never told you about him. He’s not actually my uncle but my dad’s. He died many years ago and was revived by his brother, that is, my grandfather. When Granddad died, Dad managed to save their necro-bond and transfer it to himself, so Uncle Adrian survived. He’s his second familiar, after Arkill, and he’s the only one I know that can actually stand up to his caster. That’s because… Uncle Adrian’s a necromancer too.”

An undead necromancer bound to a necromancer? That was… interesting to say the least.

“Oho. He’s got familiars too?”

“No. He… only has his ghosts.”

An owl shrieked in the snowy night, and I jerked up. Holy Crystals… We were heading to the Lord Necromancer’s house like two little boys frightened by darkness and ghosts. I whispered:

“Why didn’t your dad revive your grandpa?”

Ray winced.

“That’s…” Shoot, did I just ask something I shouldn’t have? He shook his head. “My dad never told me why, but it seems that, during their experiments, my grandparents just… disappeared off the face of the earth.”

My eyes grew wide. Disappeared? Body and soul? Damn… Was being a necromancer that dangerous? Was Ray going to be okay?

We were about to enter the house when, out of nowhere, I heard a voice in my head:

‘I’m starting to like you, kid.’

I would have turned pale if I hadn’t been already. The Lord had been listening to us all this time. That damn nosy geezer.