The Black Necromancer

Leon returned to the Celestial Realm before long. He did not have too many important dealings on Datar, and felt that improving his strength as soon as possible was by far the best course of action.

However, upon reaching the Celestial Realm, he was contacted by Michael with an urgent matter. So he found himself sitting in a large meeting room in Michael’s God Kingdom, along with Fazir, Dardan, Asteria and Tiphone.

“What about the other Major Gods?” Leon asked when he saw that no one else was coming after a while.

“They will not be joining us this time. They are preparing themselves for what is to come.” Michael shook his head and said.

Leon’s expression turned stony at that moment. “Have they come to Datar?” He asked.

“Any day now. Some of our Major Gods are planning to form a preemptive team to slow down the advance of the Army of Destruction.” Michael said.

“But that won’t be enough. Or else you would not have gone through the trouble of lifting the restriction on the mortal realm.” Leon deduced.

“It is far from enough. That is why we have asked you to come here.” Fazir spoke up this time. “We will do our best to grow your undead army here in the celestial realm so that they can join our preemptive force in staving off the advance of the Army of Destruction’s forward forces.”

Leon tilted his head slightly. He already had more than enough soldiers that could fight in the mortal realm, which meant that they would direct their efforts to the Celestial Realm!

“How exactly will you help me grow my undead army?” He inquired to clear out any confusion.

“We will provide the souls of celestial creatures and some weaker Chaos Gods that we had dealt with. They should be able to raise the strength that you can project in the celestial realm in a short period of time.”

“I see. Then that will be very helpful. With that, I can contribute to stalling the Army of Destruction.” Leon nodded his head in understanding.

The group continued to discuss and makes plans amongst themselves. As they did, Leon’s companions that had ascended made themselves familiar with the celestial realm. Unlike Leon who had a close relationship with multiple Major Gods and so, was able to get some assistance and gifts upon his ascension, his companions did not receive such treatment.

𝒪𝓥𝐥xt.𝗰𝚘𝑀

“The Master’s God Kingdom is very nice.” Kaladin said to himself as he settled in the middle of a forest in Leon’s God Kingdom. A small waterfall could be seen not far from him. He sat on a rock and admired the clear sky above him. The rich Divine Energy in the atmosphere nourished him and allowed him to meditate calmly and efficiently.

Thud!

An hour into his meditation, he felt a familiar aura rapidly approach before an object crashed into the earth not far from him.

“Kaladin.” Nero’s deep voice rang out as he waved his hand to clear the dust that had risen up.

Kaladin sighed internally before opening his eyes and turning to look at the other Obsidian Skeleton God. He was a bit irritated that his meditation session had been interrupted.

“I found something that the Master was working on. He did not tell us about it, but I am sure it will be of interest to you.” Nero said in an amused tone. He knew he was disturbing Kaladin, but he was sure that Kaladin would not mind after finding out what it was that Leon was keeping from them.

“The Master is keeping something from us?” Kaladin asked with a hint of confusion. He could not even fathom that Leon could forget anything, so he must have intentionally kept it from them to surprise them. He quickly got up and followed after Nero who had already taken off into the sky again.

Some distance away from his meditation spot, the two of them ran into Grokus.

“Why do I feel like the two of you are up to something?” The Orc God folded his thick arms across his chest and looked at the two Obsidian Skeleton Gods suspiciously.

“It does not directly concern you, but you may follow us if you wish, Grokus.” Nero told Grokus without paying him too much attention. Instead, he just continued leading Kaladin in the same direction.

Before long, Kaladin slowed down his pace considerably. He noticed that they were going to the edge of the God Kingdom.

“No need to slow down. We are almost there.” Nero noticed Kaladin’s hesitance and reassured him. It did not take long before they arrived at the edge of the God Kingdom and stopped. “Here we are.” He touched down with Kaladin and Grokus behind him.

“What is it?” Kaladin asked as he stepped forward. He could feel a change in the Laws around him but it was not something too abrupt and did not stand out too much.

“This way.” Nero turned and led them into a cave that reached deep into the ground.

Kaladin noticed that the deeper they went, the hotter it became. While the heat did not bother him, it would surely be scalding for mortals.

“Nero, what is this?” Kaladin was a lot more cautious now. How had Nero even stumbled upon this place? It was not like it was a lighthouse on a stormy night. The chances of anyone coming to this corner of the God Kingdom was small. Especially when they had other things to do. They all knew of the impending danger that loomed over Datar.

His question that stemmed from his desire to know what was down there was soon answered then the trio emerged from the tunnel that led underground and into an open cavern that glowed with red, hot magma.

“What… What is this?” Kaladin could not help the surprise that came over him when he beheld the sight within the cave.

“I had the same reaction when I saw it for myself. The Master has been holding back on us.” Nero chuckled at Kaladin’s reaction.