Nikki - Liars Go To Death Part One

"You know my dad?" I gasped. My brows arched into a frown. Then I clenched my fist as my heart raced. "How? Even my mom only met him once. And I don't want to call him my father either. He left us. Without a trace."

"Yes. I've met him once. Stared at him directly. Eye to eye." The woman softly said. She looked at me with a pitiful glare. As if telling me to just go and die. "I am sure your mother is a special case. Your father loved your mom. And that's why he shall never meet her again."

"I don't get it." I said. "Why would he leave us?"

"It's because he loves both of you too much. And that's why you could only meet him once. It is a rule he made. With your mother as a special exception. But you are not blessed with that cursed exception, boy." The woman hissed. She looked at me, disgustingly. Her palms started to glow darker. "How I wish I had that kind of exception. To meet your father once and survive. But alas, there are ways to meet him more."

"How?" I asked. A drop of sweat rolled down my face despite the freezing cold. My hand itched as if the Nyxian Blade was about to appear any second. There was some sort of energy that was slowly being gathered. It made my hand a bit heavier. The same weight as the blade. "I want to meet my father."

The woman laughed. A cold shudder shot through my shoulders. I stepped back as the woman's hand burst into dark flames. But I didn't feel the heat. It was rather cold and deathly. Fear had erupted into my mind. My knees quivered. My arms shook. Then the crazy woman threw a black fireball at me. "Then go meet your father!!"

But the Nyxian Blade summoned itself in my hand. I swung the blade between myself and the fireball. Then the blade itself had caught the flames, and the black fire's color turned into blazing blue. Heat suddenly radiated in the area. I felt it. It was alive and throbbing. A drum in my chest had marched, and my knees stopped shaking. The chill was suddenly gone.

"Interesting. It looks like your magical prowess is already awake. And that means there will be a sudden change of plans." The woman smiled. She went from freaky to calm and collected in one quick snap. "We'll meet again soon. I know your father. If you want to find him, then you have to seek me. This is only a part of my manifestation. I am deep in Death, little boy. I need your help. But you need me as well if you want to meet your father."

"But how can I go deeper in Death?" I asked.

"I am no Necromancer, little boy." The woman hissed again. Her eyes were full of murderous glare. "Those scoundrels can only be found in the darkest corners of Teutesus. They are well hidden within Death. And only Necromacanity to survive in its claws."

"Teutesus?" My brows raised. "Where is that? I don't think we covered that in Geography."

"You have to go to Altimeraea. It is one of the southern lands that is governed by separate tribes in the wilderness. Just at the south of Zidania. There is no form of diplomacy there. A savage land if you want to consider it." The woman said in a matter-of-factly manner. "The Necromancer tribes are hard to be found. Most of them hide in the realm Asphodel. You're one of them. Only you can find them for me."

"But how will I find them?" Nikki asked. "I don't even know how I could go to this Altimeraea place you are speaking of."

The woman laughed. "You're a clueless mage. But you can't be of use to me if you can't even use your magic properly."

"How can you be so sure that you can use me just like that?" I retorted.

"You want to see your father so badly." The woman showed a sly smile. "I could see his fierce determination in your eyes."

I frowned at her. My icy blue eyes glowed brighter. It was daring her to make a move. The whole place got dimmer. The walls got colder. And I was suddenly covered by a repulsive shroud of dark aura. Strength crept in my muscles. They tensed and turned, making my arms stronger.

"Don't you dare mock me! If you defy me, then I assure you that I'll break your mother's curse!" The woman howled. I teeth clenched at the mention of his mother. My fists tightened. And she saw it. A smile spread across her face. "Know your place, little necromancer."

"I'll never be your pawn." I spat.

"We'll see about that. I know who you are and the role you will play. Everything will fall according to the prophecy. All beings will bow down to you once you reach your full potential." The woman said. "You just have to trust me. Let me help you, little boy."

"Yeah. You're doing a good job." I muttered. "Even threatening my mother."

"Just know your place." She quipped. "You still don't know yet how things really work out. You don't know how the great mages of Altimeraea had affected the upbringing of your civilization here. You have yet a lot to learn, young one."

"I crave for knowledge." I admitted. "And I need to know more."

"And I will gladly give it to you. But I need you to help me." The woman replied. Her eyes stared at me with hate and contempt. "I want my physical body back. A certain mage had displaced my soul from my body. I could use my powers to go back. But there is a seal on that body. Only a powerful necromancer can undo that."

"And you think I am that necromancer?" I asked.

"Don't underestimate yourself. The glow of your eyes had already shown me your potential. The sword you hold is of great power." She explained. There was factual certainty to her voice. I knew she was telling the truth. "If a weak mage wields it, then it will simply suck him dry of his magical aura. But your aura is compatible with it. It is tame only to its rightful owner."

"Okay." I said. My stomach churned at the sound of my agreement with her. "So, you'll give me my dad. And I'll give you your body back."

"Precisely. Wait for a few more days, and I'll give you guidance into how you could maximize your powers more. Use it wisely. You are playing with the realm of Death, little boy." The woman warned. "Make a mistake, and it will claim you permanently."

I gulped down hard. "The Lordling of Death sounds good."

"It's not that funny anymore if you're dead. It will take a while for me to find another necromancer as powerful as you." Her eyes narrowed, and she stretched out her hand. She was obviously expecting a handshake from me. Then I grabbed her hand. It was as cold as ice. I winced from the intense temperature. Her hand was sucking me dry of warmth. It was slowly devouring me of life. "Do you pledge your allegiance to me?"

"Yes, master." I muttered. My mouth said it automatically. I found it irresistible. An allegiance with a powerful mage sounded good. Then I covered my mouth with my free hand.

"And that's your mission. You need to learn more about your powers. Use all the help you can get." And with that, the woman burst into black flames. She disintegrated completely. Even her presence was gone. There was no cold feeling she radiated. There was no one else but me in Asphodel.

"Okay. There aren't many Necromancers on Facebook." I muttered.

I then inhaled deeply. I wondered how I was summoned back in Asphodel in an instant. It scared me. My nose scrunched from frustration. It took longer for the dark walls to brighten up. The cold feeling slithered away more slowly. And my skin took a while before it warmed up. What if it was an enemy that was waiting for him on the other side, I thought. I needed to be careful next time.

"Hey, Nikki." Phineas called. His eyes pierced through. It was probing on me again. Trying to see if there was a minor change in my appearance. It darted from top to bottom. Then back to my mismatched eyes. "Where on earth did you go? I thought we were supposed to go to the cafeteria. Then suddenly, off you went. Again. It's almost time. We can't be late for Mr. Evan's class."

"S-sorry." I stammered. Otis was behind Phineas. He had this worried look on his face. His blue eyes were full of concern and worry. Then I realized I was gone for a while again. The whole of his break time was consumed. "I had to go to the clinic."

"Are you feeling okay?" Otis spoke. "You could have asked Phineas to bring you to the clinic."

"I really had to go badly." I lied further. But I knew that Phineas was picking it up. He was smart like that. And he will ask questions sooner. "You know I don't like you guys worrying about me."

"Well. You did a great job." Phineas muttered.

"Sorry." I apologized. "I won't do it again. I promise."

"You and your promises." Otis chuckled. "I'll never get tired of hearing that."

"Hey. I am serious about my promises!" I pouted.

"Yeah, right." Phineas smiled. "Let's just go to class."

The rest of the day darted off really fast. I barely noticed how quick I was hopping from class to class. I would pass by Phineas or Otis from time to time. Mr. Cain's class was still weird and enigmatic. Of course, Phineas was there and seemed to enjoy it. His comments were crude and sarcastic. But there was some hint of something else in them. I glared at him. Trying to figure out what some of his comments meant.

Mr. Cain's voice would always be calm and collected. His face wouldn't give out any clue of the things he wanted to say. But I felt it. There was power in his words. Especially with the way of how he would describe the gods from Greek Mythology. The way he said it was so full of enthusiasm like he wanted the students to believe those stories. At the same time, he was a bit consistent with the tone of his voice. It was like telling them how imprudent they are.

English class was his last class for the day as well. As soon as the bell rang, my eyes darted off to Phineas, who was just beside me. We knew it was time for us to go to the library. The day before wasn't so fortunate. But they can't delay it further. We needed to know the story that was Miss Schwartz. Phineas nodded, and the two of us left the classroom.

As soon as they stepped out of the classroom, we saw Otis approaching us with a broad smile on his face. He was almost skipping in delight. A bright mood for a sunny day. Otis was animated as usual.

"Okay. Time to stalk!" Otis chirped happily. He flashed his usual grin at us, who just smiled back at him. It was typically Otis.

"Stop being a creep, Otis." I elbowed my friend.

"Hey!" Otis protested.

"Let's just go to the library, guys." Phineas said. "We don't have all day."

Otis and I just nodded in agreement, so we walked towards the library. Phineas had started to wonder what they would uncover about Miss Schwartz. I, on the other hand, was more interested in the girl. She was an unrested spirit. I was so sure of it. The girl and the mysterious woman in robes gave out the same vibes. But I was still frustrated that I had agreed to help the mysterious woman. Her murderous glare was able to control me in some way. She was a powerful mage, after all.