Chapter 40: Awakening

Six blocks away from Hayton Central Avenue in the Linyang District, a sickly green light glowed within a dilapidated house that had not yet collapsed.

Matching the title of the slum area it was located in, this room was foul-smelling, dark, and filthy. Several years ago, an elderly couple living in this house was discovered only a month after their deaths. Since then, this place became one people avoided like the plague. Even during the cold winter, homeless wanderers on the streets were unwilling to approach this stinking building.

The roof, full of holes, barely sheltered one room. The dim moonlight filtered through a skylight covered in cobwebs, just enough to outline a pile of junk. It also illuminated several walls that looked like leprous, scarred faces, mended with many patches… the walls were soaked with a yellowish, pus-like dampness, and there were obscene drawings scrawled in charcoal. Uneven bricks paved the floor, worn black and uneven, covered in dust and scattered everywhere like a starry sky were tattered cloth shoes, broken slippers, and stinking rag scraps.

What made this crumbling shack even more hideous was its relatively large size. It had protruding corners and recesses, dark holes and sloping ceilings, creating many unpredictable and terrifying nooks. In those places, it seemed as if many fist-sized spiders and palm-wide centipedes were crouching. At this moment, they all began to stir, scurrying frantically towards their hiding places, avoiding the center of the old house where the green light was gradually fading.

The light dimmed, revealing a black object placed at its center — a coffin made of obsidian.

Crack! The sickly green radiance finally transformed into a complex magical array on the ground near the coffin. Then, with a crisp sound, the stone lid slowly slid to one side, and a hand reached out from within!

It held a staff that faintly emitted a greenish glow in the murky moonlight. Yet, the jade-smooth surface of the staff revealed a ghastly white color, like… no, judging from its slightly curved angle, it was probably the shinbone of some unknown creature. At the head of this bone staff was a small skull. From its eye sockets, blood that seemed like hot steam continuously seeped out. That dark red, liquid-like mist trickled down, constantly splitting into fine threads, forming blood-red magical runes in the surrounding air.

As this light gradually replaced the green glow, the figure wrapped in tattered black robes also stood up from the coffin — saying ‘stood up’ was more like ‘floated up,’ because all his joints remained unbent as he rose straight up from the coffin! The red mist expanded with him, enveloping him entirely in this eerie crimson!

His figure remained utterly still, but his lips moved as if he was reciting some lengthy incantation.

However, the power represented by this incantation was clearly immense. His voice soon grew hoarse. Even though he tried twice to continue the chant, a fit of terrifying, choking coughs finally forced him to bend over in pain! Then, with a series of muffled pops like bursting beans! The red mist around him crackled and dispersed!

The bloody halo swirled and faded. But now, standing within the coffin was an exceptionally handsome young nobleman. His hair was stylishly curled, a cluster of brownish-yellow feathers adorned his neat hat; his trousers fit comfortably, the shirt exposed by the open vest was exquisite with delicate lace, white gloves and handkerchiefs were neatly tucked in cuffs and pockets. Even the black cloak was draped with particular grace.

“Your luck is good… little wretch. However, fortune won’t favor you forever…” The young man shook the bone in his hand, transforming it into a fashionable walking stick. Then he directed his gaze out through the broken window… staring at a beam of white light soaring into the sky. A cruel smile curled at the corner of his mouth as he murmured softly to himself.

…

Consciousness gradually returned to his body. Constantine struggled to open his eyes, letting the blurred images slowly coalesce into the familiar ceiling. Memory gradually connected with awareness…

This seemed to be the Duke’s Mansion, but clearly not his own room. The time… it should already be morning.

“Hnngh!” The youth groaned. Perhaps due to the memory of that annoying Holy Light descending upon him, the ray of sunlight shining on his face felt particularly harsh. He frowned, trying to sit up, but immediately noticed that all the muscles in his body were sore and weak, seemingly disobedient. Not only could he not sit up, even moving a finger seemed beyond his strength.

So the youth could only weakly turn his head to the side. Then he discovered his field of vision was filled with silky, smooth golden hair. The Blood Elf was currently sitting by the bed… or rather, slumped over by the bed — she seemed even more exhausted than Constantine, having fallen asleep in that half-sideways position… She still wore that lacy maid’s outfit, but with her head resting on her arm, she looked like a docile, well-behaved kitten. Her long golden hair cascaded down, her nostrils flared slightly with steady breathing. Her delicate face, seen up close, was undoubtedly even more charming.

A bitter smile tugged at Constantine’s lips because the Elf’s sleeping appearance was truly… alluring. Her usual assertiveness and mischievousness were completely replaced by a peaceful expression. At this moment, Nirwen looked filled with a tranquility never seen in her waking hours — there’s a saying that a sleeping child always looks like an angel, but it seemed Miss Nightingale also fit this rule quite well. Moreover, from this angle, the youth’s gaze could just peek through the slightly open collar, glimpsing a hint of soft, pink flesh.

A tempting fragrance wafted from her, elegant with a slight sweetness. The beautiful sight momentarily captivated the youth. Unconsciously, he propped himself up and slowly moved closer, lightly… kissing that lovely cheek.

“Mmm, seems even more enticing when asleep… really unbearable! Ah, no good! This, this… it’s because of vigorous morning vitality, a natural law… heh heh heh.”

Feeling the tender skin, the youth suddenly noticed an embarrassing change happening to his own body. Embarrassed, he forced a dry chuckle twice, mumbling self-explanations while relieved no one was around to witness this awkward state.

“What does morning have to do with vigorous vitality?” Contrary to his wishes, as soon as the words left his mouth, the Lich’s stiff, raspy voice sounded by the youth’s ear, startling him so much his whole body shuddered, and half that vigorous morning vitality instantly dissipated!

“You old bastard, next time you speak up so suddenly, I’ll resurrect you into a dog’s body!” The flustered and exasperated youth roared.

“To still possess such physical energy after sleeping for so long is undoubtedly a good thing. However, if you still have any remaining vitality, I suggest it’s more appropriate to store it up. Because dispelling this Curse on you is likely no easy task.” The Lich seemed completely unfazed by the youth’s outburst. His tone remained flat, as if stating an eternal truth: “Also, for a period of time now, I’m afraid I must temporarily reside within your body. This state will also consume a lot of your stamina.”

“Curse? What curse? And, how long did I sleep?” Constantine was taken aback. The morning sun outside hadn’t risen very high, a few hours couldn’t be that long, right?

“You fell into a slumber three days ago… Divine Magic treatment had no effect, so we could only wait for you to awaken like this… The Curse that Vampire cast on you before dying is troublesome. I was even worried the effect would be you sleeping forever. In that case, I might have had to try operating your body for you.”

“Didn’t that guy get turned to ashes by the Holy Light? How could he still cast any curse?” Constantine instantly broke out in a cold sweat, not even in the mood to acknowledge the Lich’s malicious ambition — Curses in this world were far more terrifying than tricks like voodoo dolls, especially one cast by a Vampire Mage. It wouldn’t be strange if it caused some living-death effect!

“It’s precisely a Curse cast just before death that can be effective…” The Lich responded to Constantine’s questions one by one: “But you needn’t worry too much. I’ve checked already; it’s not some powerful Curse system. The time was too brief then, and when the Holy Light descended, he clearly had no capacity to use a major Curse effect. However, this Curse seems quite troublesome; I can’t fully understand it yet. What is known now is that the life energy you emit seems to be converted into Negative Energy… things with weaker vitality near you will slowly die. Also, curse marks will appear on your body, so be careful.”

With difficulty, he sat up and raised one hand. Constantine noticed a bluish-black pattern had appeared on his originally pale skin. This pattern extended all the way to his forearm, and his chest bore the same color. The intricate design made it look like some special tattoo. Only upon closer observation would one notice the pattern carried a sinister, eerie atmosphere, making one instinctively want to look away.

“I wonder if this counts as cosmic justice and retribution…” The youth smiled bitterly. He had placed a Curse on Nirwen to control this Blood Elf beauty. Little did he expect that in less than half a month, he himself would bear another’s Curse. Then, it reminded him of other annoying misfortunes — in that battle, the Soul Amulet was destroyed, and he needed to spend money to recast it — of course, he could just make do, but the previous fiasco in the Mage Tower was still fresh in Constantine’s memory. He didn’t want this old fellow staying in his body for too long.

“Also, regarding that perverted fellow, don’t be too careless. He might still be alive.” Whether intentional or not — before the youth’s troubles could be relieved, the Lich opportunistically added fuel to the fire.

“Still alive? That can’t be, right?” Constantine frowned, recalling the memory of the corpse burning like a torch under the Holy Light. “He could survive in such intense Holy Light? Has he already advanced to become a Lich? Could he resurrect using a phylactery after being destroyed?”

“A minor mage like him lacks the ability to create a phylactery… that requires touching at least the eighth layer of the Weave of Magic… and Vampires don’t possess that ability either…” Hartdiel explained in detail, somewhat impatiently: “But they can split their bodies. While not exactly soul separation, it’s quite similar, equivalent to dividing a part of their soul. This allows them to preserve a shred of life in special circumstances. Quite a fitting ability for these cowardly creatures!”

“So that means there’s still follow-up trouble? If he comes again, then wouldn’t it…”

“No need to worry about that… Using that method, his main body naturally suffers considerable damage! Just the Mental Power loss alone — without three to five months of concentrated Meditation, he probably can’t recover his original strength! Relatively speaking, physical recovery is much simpler. Just find a few virgins to drain their blood, and he can recover most of his stamina at least. If absolutely necessary, the blood of a few hundred ordinary people should be enough for him to regain a certain level of ability… Hayton City is big enough. Nothing else may be abundant, but people certainly are.”

“Ah, you’re finally awake… that’s great.” While the troubled youth conversed with his magical advisor, the Elf lady finally awoke. She rubbed her eyes and then exclaimed with pleasant surprise.

Constantine was stunned again… The Elf’s slightly muffled voice, combined with her somewhat disheveled hair and expression tinged with surprise, naturally exuded a special, lazy allure. It was truly… extremely tempting.

But with the next sentence, this lady showed her true colors: “What a failure. I was thinking how nice it would be if you just slept on like this, then this young lady wouldn’t have to worry about that bastard Curse!”

“Ungrateful wretch! I should have just let those ghosts spear you to death…” The Blood Elf’s smug expression made the youth roll his eyes, muttering under his breath.

“Hey! Kid!” Miss Nightingale suddenly raised her voice, but soon, the tone lowered again: “But, um, of course, I still… that is… lizard… no, I want to… th… thank you…” After a great effort, the Blood Elf finally squeezed out a word from between her teeth. “Um… thank you!”

“Thank me? What for?” The sudden remark left Constantine somewhat baffled. But before he could ask for clarification, approaching footsteps from outside the door caught his attention.

“Young master, it is truly wonderful that you have awakened… It was all my mishandling that led you into such danger…”

Walter entered the room. The old man’s perpetually tense, weathered face was now uncharacteristically relaxed, replaced by sincere emotion and agitation. He walked to the bedside and knelt on one knee, speaking soft words of apology. Constantine noticed the old man’s eyes were bloodshot, his face full of unconcealable exhaustion — for someone who had watched the youth grow up, this old man’s feelings for Constantine were clearly much purer and deeper than most people in this world.

“Heh heh, you needn’t worry, Walter, my body is just fine!” The youth knew that excessive explanation at this time would only make the old man feel more guilty. So he hurriedly forced himself to sit up, even striking a ‘strongman’ pose to demonstrate his health. The comical expression made the Blood Elf beside him stifle a laugh. Though a faint smile also appeared on the old man’s face, what Constantine read in his eyes was an inexplicable worry.

“Ahem… Mr. Walter, if Sir Constantine has indeed awakened, then next, we would like to ask him a few questions. Would that be acceptable?” A soft cough interrupted the care between master and servant. Turning his gaze, Constantine noticed two people were now standing at the door.

“Young master, these two are Priests from the Sun Temple. They have been waiting for three days, wishing to inquire about some details of that battle. Considering your current physical condition, are you able to answer their questions?” The interrupted old steward was clearly somewhat displeased, though he was well-accustomed to controlling his emotions. By the time he stood up to make introductions, he had returned to his usual expression.

“Hmm… alright, if it’s just a few questions.” The youth frowned. For some reason, he suddenly recalled memories of plainclothes police officers coming down to investigate situations… In fact, such behavior of entering without announcement was undoubtedly quite rude according to noble etiquette. But although the Temples in this world didn’t wield tremendous religious authority, they possessed considerable freedom in handling matters concerning the Undead and such. Therefore, given the current circumstances, it was best not to offend them lightly. Especially since no one could remove a Curse better than they could.

Moreover, Constantine recognized one of the two — she was the beautiful yet aloof Priestess who appeared last in that battle. He still remembered her abilities vividly.

This lady still wore only a snow-white robe, the golden sun symbol being the sole adornment. Beside her was an elderly man. A flowing white beard cascaded down his chest, but the lines of his face were rather gentle. He didn’t look like a staunchly faithful Deity’s servant, but more like an ordinary neighbor grandpa — provided he wasn’t wearing that shiny, silver chainmail armor anointed with holy oil.

“Let me introduce myself. I am Crispian Lanston Astarte, a servant of Pelo, and this is my disciple…” The old man offered a kindly smile, beginning his introduction. But before he could finish, the female Cleric beside him suddenly raised her hand and uttered a string of measured words. Her voice was low and serene, carrying a peculiar rhythm. As she spoke, pinpoints of white light began to suffuse the surrounding space! Then, with a wave of her hand, this sacred energy coalesced into a ball of radiance. Before Constantine could react, it shone directly onto the youth’s chest!