Chapter 194: Necromancy

The night had settled over the Cerulean Expanse like a velvet shroud, the sky scattered with stars and the moon casting silver light across the restless waves. The three ships drifted in loose formation, their lanterns glowing softly against the darkness, their crews resting after the day’s battle.

On the deck of the noble’s ship, Luna sat alone.

She had changed out of her formal court mage robes and into something simpler, a plain white blouse and a soft blue skirt that fluttered gently in the night breeze. Her black hair was loose, falling over her shoulders in waves, and a thick tome rested open in her lap, its pages covered in dense script and intricate diagrams.

She had been reading for hours.

"Mana Vein is fascinating," she murmured, her blood-red eyes tracing the text. "So much more powerful than I anticipated."

The Fifth Circle spellbook was complex, far more complex than the Fourth Circle texts she had mastered. The concepts were layered, the formulas intertwined, and the elemental interactions required a level of precision she hadn’t fully grasped yet. She had studied tirelessly since absorbing Cindy’s mana, pushing herself to understand the knowledge that had come with it.

But something was wrong.

She turned a page, her brow furrowing.

"The theory is there. But the execution..." She flexed her fingers, watching faint threads of mana dance between them. "It’s like trying to hold water in my hands. The power is there, but it keeps slipping away."

She closed the book and set it aside, her expression darkening.

"When I absorbed Cindy’s mana, I thought I would gain everything. Her Gift. Her talent. Her potential." She stared at her open palm, where a small sphere of silver light flickered weakly. "And I did, Mana Vein responded immediately. My control improved. My capacity expanded. But..."

She clenched her fist, extinguishing the light.

"But it’s not complete. There’s something missing. Something I can’t reach."

She reached up and touched the locket around her neck, its silver surface warm against her skin. The gemstone she had sacrificed to fuel her advancement was gone, consumed, but the locket remained.

"The transfer was supposed to be absolute," she whispered. "Cindy’s soul should have been consumed entirely. Her Gift should have become mine. So why..."

She trailed off, her blood-red eyes narrowing.

"Either the absorption was incomplete... or Cindy is still alive."

She let the thought hang in the air for a moment. Then she laughed, a soft, cold sound that was swallowed by the wind.

"Ridiculous. Cindy was swallowed by the Sun Eater. No one survives that. Not even a Fifth Circle mage at her peak."

She picked up the spellbook again, forcing herself to focus on the text.

A knock sounded at the door.

Tok. Tok. Tok.

Luna looked up from her book, her blood-red eyes narrowing. It was late, far later than most of the crew would dare disturb her. She marked her page and set the tome aside, smoothing her blouse as she rose to her feet.

"Enter."

The door opened, and William stepped inside.

He was still in his armor, the polished silver plates catching the lantern light. His dark hair was damp with sea spray, his grey eyes weary but alert. He bowed his head respectfully as he crossed the threshold.

"Forgive the intrusion, Miss Luna."

Luna studied him for a moment, noting the tension in his shoulders, the way his hand lingered near his sword even now. He was always on guard. Always protective. It was useful, most of the time.

"You may speak," she said, settling back into her chair. "What is it?"

William straightened, his grey eyes meeting hers. "I wanted to discuss the expedition. The Gloomfin Devourer today, it was only the first of many. The waters ahead will be more dangerous, and I wanted to ensure we’re prepared."

Luna tilted her head, a faint smile crossing her lips. "You came all this way to discuss strategy? At this hour?"

William’s jaw tightened. "I serve the Marquis. I serve you. It’s my duty to ensure your safety."

Luna’s smile didn’t waver. "And what of Jooquin? You seem... tense around him."

William’s expression darkened. "He’s a pirate. A criminal. He can’t be trusted."

"Yet he fought well today," Luna said calmly. "His crew, his knowledge of the sea, they’re valuable."

William stepped forward, his hand tightening on the hilt of his sword. "I don’t like him. The way he speaks to you, it’s disrespectful. If you gave the order—"

Luna raised a single hand, silencing him.

"You will do nothing," she said, her voice cold and precise. "Jooquin is useful. I will not have you jeopardizing this expedition because of your pride."

William bowed his head, his jaw clenched. "Understood."

Luna watched him for a long moment. Then she rose from her chair and walked toward him, her footsteps silent on the wooden floor. She stopped just inches away, her eyes meeting his.

"I know you’re loyal, William. I value that." Her voice softened, just slightly. "But loyalty without wisdom is dangerous. Do you understand?"

William swallowed hard. "Yes, Miss Luna."

"Good." Luna turned away, walking back toward her desk. "Now, is there anything else you wished to discuss?"

William hesitated. His eyes lingered on her for a moment on her loose hair, her simple blouse, the way the lantern light softened the sharp lines of her face.

She was beautiful.

"No, Miss Luna," he said quietly. "That’s all."

"Then you may go."

William bowed again and turned toward the door. His hand rested on the handle when her voice stopped him.

"William."

He paused. "Yes?"

"Be careful tonight. We don’t know what else might be lurking in these waters."

William nodded slowly. "I will."

He stepped outside and closed the door behind him.

Luna sat back down in her chair, letting out a slow, measured breath.

"Dealing with him is exhausting," she murmured, rubbing her temples. "Loyal to a fault, but so painfully simple."

She reached for her spellbook again, flipping past the pages on elemental theory and advanced mana manipulation. Her fingers traced the diagrams, the formulas, the intricate woven sigils that represented Fifth Circle magic at its finest.

She tried again.

Silver light gathered at her fingertips. The formula took shape in her mind, exactly as the book described. She visualized the mana flowing through her channels, bending to her will, reshaping itself into the spell’s final form.

The light flickered.

Then it shattered.

Luna’s expression twisted with frustration. She slammed the book shut and tossed it onto the desk.

"Again," she hissed. "It failed again."

Her eyes drifted toward another book on the shelf.

It was bound in black leather, its spine worn and cracked, its surface etched with symbols that seemed to writhe when she looked at them too long. She hadn’t touched it in weeks. She hadn’t wanted to.

But now...

She pulled the book down and set it on the desk in front of her.

Necromancy.

The pages were dark, filled with diagrams of bones and souls and things that existed between life and death. The formulas were different from elemental magic, denser and heavier, as if the very words carried weight. The mana required was different too. Darker. Colder. It didn’t flow. It pulled.

Luna’s blood-red eyes traced the text, and something inside her stirred.

"I always had more affinity for this," she admitted quietly. "Even at the academy, necromancy came easier to me than fire or water or wind. The instructors noticed. They said I had a natural talent for it."

She turned a page, studying a diagram of a soul-binding circle.

"But I buried it. Because the Holy Kingdom would burn me at the stake if they knew." She paused, her expression souring. "And because the Marquis would never have appointed a necromancer as his court mage."

She closed the book and stared at its cover.

"If the wrong people found out I practiced this... my reputation would be ruined. My position would be stripped. I’d be hunted."

She sat back in her chair, her arms crossing over her chest, her blood-red eyes fixed on the dark tome.

"And yet..."

She glanced toward the door, where William had stood just moments ago. Loyal, simple William. He would die for her without hesitation. But even he would turn on her if he knew what she truly practiced. The Holy Kingdom’s doctrines were absolute. Necromancy was the greatest sin. A violation of life itself.

"I can’t use it openly," she murmured. "But..."

She reached for the book again and opened it, her fingers tracing the pages with slow, deliberate movements.

"If I study it in secret, then when the time comes, I’ll have an advantage no one expects."

She smiled, small and cold.

"A hidden blade is the deadliest."

The night stretched on around her, the ship rocking gently with the waves. And Luna read on, surrounded by her spellbooks and her secrets, her ambition burning quietly in the dark.