The Invitation

As Norris was entering his abode, a cave, he wondered about the sublimated warrior he had encountered earlier. Which organization was the warrior from? What did they want?

Just then, the cave's magical detection system flared to life, alerting Norris to the presence of an intruder. The cave's wards, attuned to Norris's magic, hummed with energy as they identified the newcomer.

Norris's senses went on high alert, and he activated the cave's defenses. The air inside the cave began to charge with magical energy, causing the shadows to writhe and twist like living things. A network of tiny, glowing runes etched into the walls of the cave flared to life, casting flickering patterns of light across the floor. A series of magical traps, carefully set by Norris to deter unwanted visitors, were now activated, ready to unleash a barrage of spells and countermeasures against any potential threats.

A Wraith materialized before him, its ethereal form undulating in the wind. The Wraith's form was like a whisper, yet it carried an undeniable weight. The Wraith stood before him, unfazed by the spiking energy. Its unblinking gaze fixed on Norris. "Greetings, Norris," it whispered, its voice like a sigh on the wind. "I bear an invitation from the Noble of the Crimson Dominion, Noble of this domain."

Norris eyed the Wraith warily, not trusting the sudden appearance. He decided to use magical means to retrieve the letter while still making sure that the magical traps were activated as a warning. With a quick incantation and a wave of his hand, Norris summoned a spectral hand that extended towards the Wraith, carefully taking the delicate, crimson-hued card from its grasp without making direct contact.

"Your... exploits have garnered attention," the Wraith continued. "The Noble wishes to discuss a mutually beneficial arrangement."

Norris examined the card, noting its intricate patterns and faint magical aura. His eyes scanned the card's design as he asked, "What does the Noble want from me?"

The Wraith's whispery voice replied, "That is for the Noble to disclose. You are expected at the Crimson Dominion within three lunar cycles. Failure to attend would be... unwise." With its task complete, the Wraith vanished into thin air, teleporting away with an eerie silence. One moment it was there, and the next, it was gone, leaving Norris to ponder the implications of the invitation.

Norris was apprehensive, his mind racing with the implications of the invitation. Being in someone's domain while unaware was a precarious situation. The nobles and their domains were connected mystically, allowing them to roughly sense the presence of intruders, even if they covered their tracks.

"No wonder I couldn't escape, even after I covered my tracks," Norris thought to himself. "Now that they've revealed themselves, I have to choose: leave and venture into the unknown, or try to gather information from someone rooted here. I can either continue roaming, trusting my luck, or take a risk and seek knowledge from a power that's firmly established in this realm."

The Wraith's presence was a stark reminder that Norris was dealing with a sublimation being, just like the sublimation warrior he had encountered earlier. While not every sublimation being was a skilled combatant, Norris knew that he himself was a formidable fighter.

Norris realized a horrifying fact. For every sentient undead, there lay a sublimation being. His mana scent got a lot of information from the paper. In the death realm, where trees were sparse and paper was a scarce resource, he could feel multiple auras equal to his own in the message. It felt like what a civilization would do, even if only at a town level. That meant a whole town of sublimated beings. No wonder the material realm is called the mortal realm. This realization made him very wary, and with the compromise of his haven, he knew he couldn't stay here any longer as the wraith could have come earlier. But now he couldn't think much, as he had begun suffering from the backlash of using spells for too long. Nerve-wracking pain that came from the soul washed over him. He activated all the traps at full firepower while he lay numb, unable to lift his bony skeletal finger.

After a day, the pain had subsided to a bearable level, giving Norris space to think. Prudence dictated that Norris exercise caution. Rather than risking a direct confrontation, he decided to send an avatar to gather information. This would allow him to assess the situation without putting himself in harm's way.

Norris, a skilled mage, drew inspiration from the Wood Clone technique he had learned about in his previous life from the Naruto series. He successfully adapted this concept after trying to analyze the spell from a magical perspective, creating an innovative avatar spell that would allow him to project his consciousness into a temporary vessel.

There are many avatar spells, but all of them are either high level, expensive, or most times inaccessible to get. Norris had to try creating one for himself. To cast the spell, Norris required a lifeless body, often crafted from dark energies, and a soul fragment imbued with his memories, thoughts, and experiences. By sealing these two components together, he created a harmonious bond, enabling him to project his consciousness into the avatar. Additionally, he infused the avatar with half of his stored mana, accumulated over three years, to ensure it had enough power to function effectively.

The resulting avatar was an extension of Norris's being, possessing a mirrored personality shaped by the memories and experiences stored within the soul fragment. This proxy served as his eyes and ears, allowing him to gather information, interact with others, and navigate the world without putting his body at risk. Norris had created different avatars for different situations. Fortunately, he had a lich's body ready for use.

As Norris calmed down and sorted his thoughts, he knew that the Noble couldn't be a legendary being – a Level Four entity. Legends wouldn't have taken so long to find him, and they certainly wouldn't have tested him first. A legendary being would have confronted him immediately, either to recruit or eliminate him. The Noble's cautious approach was a testament to his limitations – he was still just a Level Three being, albeit a powerful one.

As the avatar ventured into the unknown, Norris's main body remained in a state of dormancy, hidden away in a secure location. He would remain there, conserving his energy and focusing on maintaining a stable connection with his avatar, until he gathered enough information to decide his next move. At the appointed time, Norris created an avatar of himself and sent it to the Crimson Dominion.

---

Coming out of the forest, which was weird considering the realm, the avatar entered the Noble's territory. It was struck by the eerie yet lively atmosphere. As Norris's avatar walked through the town, accompanied by the wraith, who was a messenger and now a guide, it couldn't help but notice the undead surrounding them. They were all remarkably... coherent. No shambling, mindless corpses here. These undead were intelligent, smart, and eerily self-aware. It was clear that every single one of them was a Level 3 being, imbued with a spark of dark energy that granted them a semblance of life.

Norris mentally gave himself a back pat for being prudent. Coming here in avatar form had been the right decision. These undead were not to be underestimated, and he had no doubt that they would not hesitate to tear apart anyone who goes against their collective will, the Noble.

The air was thick with the scent of damp earth and decay, but it was overlaid with a sense of vitality, like the hum of a well-oiled machine. Everywhere the avatar looked, it saw undead creatures, but they weren't the mindless, shambling hordes Norris had encountered since coming to the Death Realm. These undead were organized, structured, and seemed to be working together towards some common purpose.

The wraith led the avatar through the twisted, ancient forest that surrounded the town, its trees looming above like sentinels. As they emerged from the forest, skeletal warriors on nightmare mounts patrolled the borders, their empty eyes glowing with unnatural energy. Nightmares were horse-like undead creatures. The Nightmares themselves were twisted, corrupted creatures, their bodies a mass of writhing, pulsing tendrils. The avatar saw other undead creatures too—zombies, ghouls, and even what looked like a pack of ghostly, spectral hounds. They all seemed to be working together, moving with a purpose that belied their undead state.

The Noble's territory was magnificent, with a violent order permeating every aspect. Almost all undead around looked like warriors, their pressure all over the place without sufficient control, or they deemed it meaningless to do so. In the mortal world, this could be considered a challenge. If not for their undead state, in Norris's sight, they exuded all the stereotypes of warriors—rough, brash, not very smart, willing to take orders. They were also very active for undead, as undead having near eternal life should have a slow pace of life. All this showed the Noble's control over his domain.

Norris's avatar was led to the only structure that looked elegant. He saw some creatures that looked like abominations, created by the very essence of chaos, identified them as beings in the sublimation stage, being hung in glass-like crystals. The purpose of deterrent was clear.

As Norris's avatar ventured deeper into the territory, he encountered an array of dark fantasy and undead sights that painted a vivid picture of the realm's macabre nature. The first thing that caught the avatar's eye was the weapon room, a cavernous space filled with an arsenal of ominous, twisted weapons. Each weapon was mounted on the walls, glinting with a malevolent sheen under the dim, flickering light of enchanted torches. The weapons were trophies of the Noble's past victories, a testament to the countless battles fought and won. Some were rusted and stained with dark, dried blood, while others gleamed with enchantments that pulsed with dark energy.

Moving through the halls, the avatar observed massive crystal structures suspended from the ceiling. Inside these glass-like crystals were abominations, nightmarish creatures twisted by the essence of chaos. Their forms were grotesque and unsettling, a mishmash of limbs, eyes, and other body parts that defied natural order. These beings were in the sublimation stage, their chaotic energies trapped within the crystal prisons as a clear deterrent to any who might dare oppose the Noble.

The avatar passed through eerie corridors lined with enchanted runes that glowed with an unholy light. These runes whispered ancient incantations, their spectral voices echoing through the halls. The air was thick with an oppressive aura, a constant reminder of the dark magic that permeated the realm.

Spectral guards patrolled silently, their translucent forms barely visible in the dim light. These ghostly sentinels moved with an otherworldly grace, their eyes glowing with an ethereal light. They carried ancient weapons, relics of a bygone era, and their presence added to the overall sense of unease.

In one chamber, the avatar encountered a grand hall filled with rows of undead soldiers in various stages of decay. These skeletal warriors stood at attention, their empty eye sockets glowing with an eerie, unnatural light. Their armor was adorned with intricate, glowing runes, and their weapons were sharp and menacing. It was clear that these undead soldiers were ready to defend their domain at a moment's notice.

At the heart of the structure was a vast room, its walls adorned with tapestries depicting the Noble's conquests and victories. In the center of this room was a grand throne, and upon it sat the Noble—a sublimated headless knight. His body was clad in dark, armored plate, adorned with intricate, glowing runes. Beside him stood his mount, the King of all nightmares in the territory, a twisted, shadowy horse with eyes that glowed with a malevolent energy.

The entire domain was a place of dark wonder, where the boundaries between life and death were blurred and distorted. It was a realm where the undead moved with purpose and direction, their every action guided by the will of the Noble. The avatar's journey through this twisted, nightmarish realm was a testament to the power and influence of the Noble and his control over his domain.

The avatar approached the Noble, greeted him formally, and introduced himself as a lich. The Noble, however, was not about to have a friendly conversation as he began to speak in his low, soothing voice.

The Noble's grin grew wider, his skeletal face gleaming with malevolent intent. "You're a clever one, Mr. Mage," he said, his voice dripping with malice. "I know what you are. You're a living necromancer, a breathing, beating heart in a world of dust and bones. You think you can walk among us unnoticed?"

Norris's avatar stood silently, its expression unchanging. But inside, Norris's mind was racing.

Norris's avatar spoke with confidence, its voice steady. "I'm not the first living mage to come to the Death Realm and won't be the last. Organizations composed of the living can even be found in the Death Realm. I don't think the fact that I'm alive is anything to fuss about," it said, the words echoing through the dark chamber.

The Noble's eyes narrowed, his voice growing colder. "Fuss? You underestimate the gravity of your presence here. The living are an affront to the natural order of this realm." The Noble's gaze lingered on Norris's avatar, searching for any hint of fear or weakness. But Norris's soul fire remained steady, his emotions locked behind a mask of calm.

Despite his bold words, Norris's mind was racing with doubt. He had researched the laws of the Death Realm, and he knew that the living were scorned by the dead. But he had also stumbled upon a theoretical loophole—by assimilating his body to the plane's rules, he might be able to exempt himself from the usual scorn.

However, now that he was face to face with the Noble, Norris wasn't so sure. What if there were unspoken rules? What if his research had missed something crucial?

Frustrated by his inability to read Norris, the Noble shifted his attention to the surroundings. With a wave of his hand, a spectral map materialized before Norris's avatar, displaying the twisted landscape of the Death Realm that the noble had influence on directly by having a vasal domain or indirectly by building relationships.

"You see, Mr. Mage, my domain is not isolated," the Noble said, his tone dripping with satisfaction. "The neighboring nobles and I... understand each other. We have arrangements in place, mutually beneficial agreements that ensure our cooperation."

The Noble's gaze seemed to bore into Norris's avatar, his eyes glinting with amusement. "If you were to try and escape, you would find that the surrounding domains are not... welcoming. My neighbors would be happy to detain you, and they would certainly try to persuade you to join them, just as I intend to do."

As the Noble continued to speak, Norris's avatar remained engaged, keeping the Noble busy with a show of interest and also studying the map for a while and finding an area far from other civilizations. Meanwhile, Norris's physical body, now a mere shell, blended in with the surrounding undead, its lack of consciousness masking its true nature on its way to where Norris had previously marked.

The Noble's soul fire shone with excitement as he began to speak like it was a done deal, "Mr. Mage, as my court mage, you'll have access to the most forbidden and ancient secrets of the Death Realm. The knowledge of the ancients, the secrets of the underworld, and the mysteries of the afterlife will all be yours to uncover."

He leaned forward, his voice taking on a conspiratorial tone. "You'll have access to the vast and untold riches of the Death Realm, where the shadows themselves hold secrets and the very air is thick with the essence of the dead. The resources here are boundless, and you'll have the freedom to explore and exploit them as you see fit."

The Noble's gaze bore into Norris's avatar, searching for any sign of temptation. "You'll have influence and prestige within my range of influence in the Death Realm. My word carries weight, and as my court mage, you'll be able to wield that influence to further your own goals."

He smiled, his lips curling upward. "And, of course, you'll have the freedom to pursue your own research, to conduct your own experiments, and to follow your own interests. You'll be able to tap into the vast network of... acquaintances I've cultivated over the years, and you'll have access to the many and varied wonders of the Death Realm."

The Noble leaned back in his throne, a self-satisfied smile spreading across his face. "So, Mr. Mage, what do you say? Will you join me as my court mage?"

Norris's avatar bowed its head respectfully. "I'm honored by your offer, Noble," it said. "Your benefits are indeed tempting, and I'm moved by the possibilities you've presented. However, my goal for coming to the Death Realm is clear, and I fear that accepting your offer would divert me from my purpose."

The Noble's smile faltered, and his eyes burned with fury. The air around him grew colder, the shadows deepening and twisting into malevolent tendrils. The soul fire within him pulsed with increased intensity, casting flickering shadows on the walls.

"Foolish mage," he spat. "You think you can refuse me? What gave you the illusion that I was giving you an option? You dare defy my will?"

The Noble raised his hand, and a crystal orb began to glow with an eerie, otherworldly light. The air around it rippled and distorted, like the surface of a pond on a summer's day.

A dreamy, ethereal beam of energy erupted from the orb, filling the air with a maddening, surreal glow. The beam was huge, filling the entire space, and it vibrated with an immense, crushing weight.

Norris's avatar stumbled backward, its form beginning to distort and writhe under the onslaught of the beam. But Norris himself was already reacting, his consciousness racing to withdraw from the avatar.

Norris had no intention of letting his avatar fall under the Noble's influence. With a thought, he triggered the avatar's self-destruct sequence. The avatar exploded in a burst of energy, releasing a flood of information into Norris's mind. Norris learned of the Noble's plans, his motivations, and his weaknesses.

And with that knowledge, Norris fled, disappearing into the shadows of the Death Realm.

The Noble was left with a sense of unease, realizing that while he had not thought of allowing Norris to leave today, having prepared flight and teleportation prohibitions, Norris had outmaneuvered him.