Grand Duke Balo led Aurelianne as they continued their journey through the Realm of the Dead.
They passed through door after wooden door, traversing space after space.
Aurelianne finally understood.
The wooden doors here were merely means to partition the surrounding Realm of the Dead.
Each time they passed through a door, they would arrive at another territory.
She had no idea how many domains they had crossed with the Grand Duke leading her.
All these places they passed through were her grandfather's territory.
Terrifying.
After pushing open yet another wooden door, she arrived at a completely new domain.
Here, there seemed to be no wandering souls; the sky appeared peaceful and serene, even the sharp howling had gone silent.
Throughout the entire territory, only the sound of footsteps on rock could be heard, monotonous and quiet.
As Aurelianne was examining her surroundings, Grand Duke Balo's voice suddenly rang out.
"We've arrived."
"This place might be more suitable for you."
Standing still, he gazed at the desolate soil around them and said softly:
"If you cannot accept human souls, then an undead army would be meaningless to you."
"So, I shall teach you other methods."
He lightly tapped his staff on the ground, and a streak of ghostly green magical energy drilled into the rocks below, meandering forward in a zigzag pattern.
Following that green curve, the soil beneath slowly split open, creating a fissure that continued to expand sideways.
A ghostly green flame began to surge upward from deep underground, bursting through the crack and flickering with luminous form in mid-air.
The flames seemed to possess consciousness, slowly spreading over Grand Duke Balo's body.
In the next moment, his body was enveloped by the green light, which seemed to flash constantly beneath his long robes.
His limbs also burned with ghostly green flames, as if consuming flesh completely.
The Grand Duke's lead-colored robes remained heavy, but in places not covered by the garments, there was only white bone burning with ghostly green flames.
Even his pupils had been consumed, leaving only deep eye sockets from which green flames still burst forth.
Seeing such a dramatic transformation in the Grand Duke, Aurelianne's eyes widened, her lips parted, shock evident on her face.
"This is the true form of a necromancer."
Grand Duke Balo's voice slowly resonated, like a melodious echo from the abyss.
Somewhat ethereal, yet carrying a mysterious authority.
"Only by embracing death can one understand death."
At this moment, a horse emerged from the ground fissure that continued spewing flames.
This horse seemed out of place here, with its deep brown mane, crimson body, and strong hooves covered in white leg wrappings.
Its body was powerful and muscular, with clearly visible veins - obviously full of vitality.
But where was this?
This was the Realm of the Dead, so why would a living creature appear here?
Oh right, she was also alive.
Thinking about it this way, perhaps the appearance of a horse here wasn't so strange after all.
The Grand Duke raised his staff, pointing it gently at the horse.
"Watch this."
The next second, the ghostly green flames burning on the Grand Duke's body rose into the air, transforming into writhing serpents.
They emerged from his body hidden beneath the robes and attached themselves to the horse.
The flames burned intensely, and the horse seemed to cry out in pain from the burning, yet its body remained immobilized within the flames' binding.
Only its agonized neighing and desperate struggling spoke of the heart-piercing burning pain.
After a while, the horse fell silent.
Its flesh, like Grand Duke Balo's, had been completely consumed by the green flames.
Burning with ghostly green fire, white bones exposed before Aurelianne's eyes.
Green flames served as its mane, all four hooves burning with fire.
At its heart, a green flame seemed to pulse and flicker constantly, with tiny flames spreading throughout its body along what were once veins.
Its eyes flickered with fire, looking majestic and imposing.
Aurelianne couldn't help but stare at it, her eyes showing both curiosity and fear.
Yet she also found this skeletal horse rather fascinating.
What she feared were the wandering lonely souls.
Creatures like this skeletal horse that appeared almost like magical beings caused her less fear.
At this moment, the skeletal horse lowered its head before the Grand Duke, bending its front legs and kneeling before him in submission.
Aurelianne stared at it blankly and asked the Grand Duke:
"Is it... is it dead?"
"It remains a living being, merely revealed in its underworld state by the soul fire."
The Grand Duke reached out his hand, looking at the skeletal horse while explaining casually:
"A necromancer's power lies not in themselves, but in their mastery over the undead."
"Either you have an undead army of your own, like now."
Then, he lightly waved his hand, and the soul flames on his body quickly split into fireballs that shot into the sky.
Like midsummer fireworks exploding, they scattered and fell onto the scattered rocks.
When the flames touched the ground, heat waves rolled, rising several dozen feet high.
"But you might not be able to adapt to this."
As the Grand Duke spoke, these numerous undead beasts gradually turned into fireflies in the sky, flickering on and off,
Then, like shattered glass, they scattered into countless green points of light in the sky, slowly falling back into the deathly quiet ravine.
Even the mane-like flames on the skeletal horse gradually contracted.
The flames on its hooves subsided, and everything returned to silence.
Flesh regrew like flowing water, covering its bones, and the flames gradually extinguished.
The entire Realm of the Dead returned to its quietness, the fissure slowly closed,
Leaving only thick smoke continuously releasing from deep within the ravine, and that howling like wind's whisper.
The restored stallion gently nuzzled the Grand Duke, showing great affection.
The Grand Duke smiled as he stroked it, speaking earnestly:
"So, you can use this flame to transform your army into undead beings like this skeletal horse."
"Only those who have embraced death will not fear it."
Aurelianne nodded somewhat hesitantly, her gaze full of respect for her grandfather.
Suddenly, a loud "boom" came from the distance in the Realm of the Dead.
A strong gust of wind, like an arrow piercing through space, carried an extremely sharp and fierce aura as it swept towards the two of them.
The withered grass on the rocks swayed frantically, their roots almost unable to hold their frenzied bodies.
Aurelianne couldn't help but raise one arm before her face, the wild wind tugging at her clothes, making them clash in mid-air.
"Wind?"
Could such intense wind elements appear in the Realm of the Dead?
Even the Grand Duke's lead-colored robes swayed together, and the soul flames on his body wavered uncontrollably, as if they might be completely extinguished the next second.
He felt the strong wind's fluctuations and slowly turned around.
The flames on his body gradually dispersed, his appearance returned to normal, even the wrinkles of age and traces left by time reappeared.
At this moment, his deep gaze looked towards the direction the wind came from, while he spoke softly:
"Aurelianne, you should go rest now."
"Next time, grandfather will teach you more about these things."
Before Aurelianne could say anything, Grand Duke Balo lightly tapped his staff on the rocks below.
The surrounding green smoke began to gather, and the entire space suddenly became hazy.
The Realm of the Dead seemed to be surrounded by a magical curtain, beginning to rapidly contract.
Green flames burned at the edges of space, as if gradually consuming everything around.
Until everything was burned to nothing, the surrounding scenery gradually changed from pitch black to pale white.
Aurelianne blinked.
When she opened her eyes again, everything around her had changed.
This was a room.
The room was moderate in size, kept very clean by someone, giving an incredibly warm feeling.
In the corner of the room sat a large bed.
The bed was made with pink mattress and thick pink blankets, with many fluffy cat and dog plush toys at the head of the bed, quite adorable.
For some reason, it seemed quite out of place with the mansion's style.
Aurelianne couldn't help but look around, and this neither large nor small room actually made her feel very comfortable and warm.
It was as if someone had carefully decorated it.
She was about to ask something when she noticed a flash of green light in her peripheral vision.
Whoosh!
Aurelianne turned to look, and a small ghostly green flame ignited in one part of the room, but quickly dissipated.
Along with it, Grand Duke Balo had also disappeared.
She knew her grandfather had left.
So Aurelianne thought no more of it and sat down on the bed instead.
Looking at the plush toys placed at the head of the bed, she couldn't help but move closer, casually picking one up to examine and play with.
Aurelianne took a deep breath, seeming to smell an old scent.
As if this toy had been waiting in this room for many years.
Lost in thought, Aurelianne lay down on the bed with the toy.
Feeling the great softness, her consciousness slowly became fuzzy.
She had experienced too many things today, and she was indeed feeling quite drowsy.
"Mmm... teacher."
"Did I... do... alright..."
As she spoke, her voice grew smaller and smaller.
Obviously, she had finally succumbed to sleepiness.
The next second, she closed her eyes and fell fast asleep.
...
A ghostly green flame slowly descended from the sky, landing on a patch of turned soil.
As the flames gradually dispersed, Grand Duke Balo stood in the soil, revealing his form.
Walking along, he looked around but could not sense any souls of the dead.
"Dispersed, have they."
The Grand Duke muttered to himself, his tone seeming to carry a hint of regret.
As he walked, he saw a flash of gold.
So, the Grand Duke stopped.
It was an ear of wheat, rooted in the loose soil.
The golden wheat ear seemed out of place in the clear space, absorbing nutrients from the soil, growing vigorously.
The Grand Duke looked down, leaning on his staff.
A gentle breeze rose at this moment, caressing the golden wheat ear like a silk ribbon tenderly brushing across its small body, swaying slightly in the soil.
Grand Duke Balo bent down, lowering his head to carefully examine this growing wheat ear, remaining silent for a long while.
Standing up, he looked at the boundless sky, his clouded eyes showing a hint of clarity:
"After you, another mage wishes to blaspheme against the divine?"
He sighed with feeling, but within his sigh was also a touch of nostalgia.
"How mad indeed."
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