The Sorrow of A Father's Loss

"Oh, that's because I'm a necromancer," Mei Lian spoke in a matter-of-fact voice.

There was a brief moment of silence.

Old man Li blinked at her dumbfoundedly and then roared with laughter. He slapped his wrinkled hand against his knee and doubled over giggling.

"HAHAHA!... Oh, my goodness… you really are from another world!" the old man chuckled as he raised up his flask to the sky before taking another sip.

"Word of advice sweetie… don't be so open about your class. Necromancers and those who dabble in the dead are at best… tolerated."

"In fact, just a few decades ago, inquisitors from the twelve major churches would have hunted you down."

"Fortunately for you… this world is on the brink of extinction. Now we can't afford to be picky about what powers humanity uses."

Mei Lian was stunned as she heard these new pieces of information. So, her class would make it difficult to integrate with the natives of this world.

And more importantly… this world was dying?

"What do you mean by extinction?" Mei Lian asked curiously.

Now that she was trapped in this new world, it was crucial that she gained as much knowledge as she could.

"Demonic invasion… it's all part of the prophecy and the summoned ones… I don't have much knowledge just bits and pieces," Old man Li's grin never faded even when speaking on such a serious topic.

"The higher ups of the churches will know more about that kind of thing than me."

"Just know this… there are going to be quite a few factions and powerful individuals interested in you and your kind."

"Even without the prophecy, summoning millions of folks from another world is going to throw this continent into chaos."

"Anyways that's talk for another day… let's get you out of this forest."

He stretched out his hand and gently parted a few loose branches near the edge of the clearing.

Mei Lian followed closely behind as the old man staggered through the underbrush swaying gently from side to side.

The forest was still thick with shadow, the branches overhead knitted tight like a canopy of interwoven claws but now with the old man leading the way…

The darkness felt just a little less suffocating.

He shuffled ahead barefoot, humming some half-forgotten tune, his ragged robes fluttering behind him like old prayer flags.

The scent of stale alcohol that permeated the air felt oddly comforting to Mei Lian as she forced her body to keep up the old man's surprisingly fast pace.

The route which he walked was clearly one that only those with experience in the forest would know.

Twisting deer trails, moss- covered roots that gave way to hidden passages and narrowed openings in the brushes that revealed secret glades.

Mei Lian kept her guard up as she wandered through the forest as she could still hear the faint cries and noises from the creatures within but strangely enough… nothing came close.

The oppressive feeling of the forest that she experienced when leaving the temple had disappeared.

It was as if the forest recognized the old man… or feared him.

They walked for a about thirty minutes before old man Li stopped and pointed something out to Mei Lian.

A single tree grew along the side of a rushing river but that was not what caused Mei Lian's breath to catch in her throat.

From its outstretched branches hung several corpses, swaying gently in the still air, their skin bloated and split, rotting beneath layers of mold and dried blood.

Ropes, some of which were frayed and others more freshly tied cut into necks and limbs, suspending the bodies like grotesque fruits.

One had no eyes. Another had no jaw.

Others were missing limbs and other bits of flesh.

"What… who did that?" Mei Lian stammered as she took in the sight.

She had seen the corpses in the temple but as a woman from modern times she was still taken aback by the scenes of death.

"Demon worshippers," Old Man Li spat out viciously as he pointed at corpse that lay motionless at the base of the tree.

"Bastard scarified half the population of a small village to gain the power to create death knights."

The corpse belonged to a pale- faced young man whose skull had been caved in by a massive blow.

Bits of glass and the scent of whiskey near the body made it clear who had killed him.

"That death magic of yours… it is gained in different ways. The wizards study their ancient tomes and old books to learn the knowledge piece by piece."

"Warlocks… those vermin… sell their soul to the highest bidder in order to grasp the secrets of undeath."

"Stupid fools don't realise that they willingly became slaves to whatever horror managed to accept their souls."

"And the dumbest ones are those who say otherwise or those who think they can cheat and avoid paying the price."

"What about sorcerers?" Mei Lian asked hesitantly as she stared at the corpse whose wide eyes blankly gazed at the ground.

"Sorcerers? Is that what you are? Hmm… better than selling your soul but… not by much," Old Man Li thoughtfully rubbed his chin.

"Well maybe your kind are different from us, but I would advise you to be careful when using your powers."

Mei Lian nodded her head in understanding as she looked at the corpses with numerous thoughts running through her mind.

That ancestor and bloodline that the game system had mentioned as well as the ghost woman who had bandaged her arm…

They were all connected.

Mei Lian did not know exactly what the ghost lady meant by 'other heirs' but she assumed that it was probably other people who inherited the lich's bloodline.

Would they be friendly? Would she need to fight them? What if other people from earth had chosen her class?

Old man Li lingered by the tree for a few minutes and then set off again. They walked for a few more hours until it was dawn.

The night sky gradually began to get brighter as the sun rose slowly from the horizon.

The trees finally began to thin as shafts of warm sunlight cut through the canopy and the world was covered with an orange glow.

Mei Lian let out a small sigh of relief as she finally saw what looked like simple wooden thatched houses in the distance.

"Duskridge Village," Old man Li introduced cheerfully as his footsteps hastened. Mei Lian heard the faint cry of a rooster as the village began to stir.

Doors creaked open one by one as dawn broke. Farmers stepped out of their homes, stretching out tired limbs beneath the rising sun.

Their faces were weathered and browned by years of hard labor and the stress of the last few weeks as dozens of their friends and family had disappeared.

There was an air of sorrow as the farmers tried their best to continue going about their days as though nothing had happened.

Crops still needed to be planted, animals still needed to be fed but the stress of not knowing what had happened to their loved ones had clearly taken a toll.

As old man Li approached the village with Mei Lian in tow, one of the younger villagers noticed them and hurriedly ran off to the largest house.

A few moments later, a middle-aged man stepped out of the house. He was slightly hunched with a muscular frame that spoke of years of hard work and toil.

His hair was mostly black, streaked with gray at the temples. He walked up to old man Li and bowed respectfully.

He raised his face, and Mei Lian could see the storm behind his quiet eyes. Deep sadness and fear were barely hidden in his calm gaze.

"Thank you… we did not expect an S class adventurer would help us. We cannot repay this debt, but we are prepared to offer everything that we own," the village chief spoke quietly.

"Please… what happened to my daughter? What happened to our people who disappeared over these last few weeks?"

Old man Li put away his flask and in a rare moment, there was no smile or cheerful grin on his face.

"I'm sorry. I found the devil worshipper responsible for the kidnappings but your fellow villagers and your daughter… they were long dead," the old man replied in a somber tone.

The village chief didn't cry at first. He simply stood there, staring, his body frozen in grief so complete that it hollowed him out.

His mouth opened as if to respond but no sound came out.

Only silence.

Then his knees collapsed.

He fell on the hard dirt and covered his face with his hands.

"She was just a child… she was just a child… my world… my light…" the village chief muttered over and over again as if his words would bring his daughter back to him.

The other villagers who were nearby had overheard old man Li's words and some the news spread through the entire village.

Sobs, cries and curses rang out as these simple people mourned the loss of their loved ones who had been cruelly taken from them.