Ludwig’s skeletal fingers twitched at his sides as the Knight King’s spectral form shimmered before him. The memory of the Gluttonous Death’s overwhelming power still burned behind his eyelids—the way the Knight King’s sword had shattered like glass against that monstrous entity, only to be reforged from pure will.
His voice came out rougher than intended, the echo of battle-lust still thrumming through his undead veins.
“What was that?” Ludwig demanded, his hollow eye sockets wide with something akin to awe. The remnants of the vision clung to him—the stench of blood and rot, the screams of a dying kingdom, the Knight King’s final, desperate stand. “Your sword broke, and you… Re-forged it?” He flexed his own weapon hand, imagining the weight of such power.
The Knight King’s shadowy form pulsed, the edges of his silhouette fraying like smoke. “That wasn’t re-forging,” he corrected, his voice a blade scraping stone. “It was creation. Aura is not mere reinforcement. It is the shape of your will given form.”
Ludwig’s jaw creaked as he clenched it. “Creation?”
“Aura is the manifestation of the conviction of your heart.” The Knight King said as he pointed at Ludwig’s chest, “Your aura is yet to manifest, so right now it isn’t important to know of. But, Aura is not simply there to make your weapon stronger, sharper and sturdier; it is an extension of your will and heart. Mine is to protect my country.”
“That’s something I heard before, how do you get the ‘heart’ to make aura?” Ludwig asked with expectant eyes.
“The heart isn’t something physical,” The Knight King said, “It is your belief, your emotion, and your will brought to existence. Don’t sweat the details, as an Undea, you will probably not have the possibility to create your own Aura easily.” He said.
Ludwig’s fingers instinctively pressed against his sternum, where rotten muscle knit over bone. He’d long since stopped pretending to breathe. “I’ve heard Death Knights wield Aura,” he countered.
“Fools mistake the echo for the voice. A Death Knight cannot exist without a ‘Heart’. A Death Knight is not undead —it is undeath given purpose. It is the culmination of an idea brought to life. Be it sacrifice, revenge, compassion, or even protection, each one of these could be considered their ‘Heart’, and that’s how they use aura. You, on the other hand, have yet to find your own Heart, so learning Aura is impossible for you right now.”
“That’s a shame, I don’t know what my ‘heart’ is.” Ludwig sighed.
“Do not be hasty, I lived a thousand years, and it took me almost all of it before I found my heart truly, a thousand years of slaying beasts before I morphed Aura to protect my people instead of simply fighting to slay fiends. I carved my Heart from battle. For you, Undead, you shall live a thousand more times than I if lucky, you are destined for eternity, do not seek haste in what you wish to obtain, for that an Undead is not wanting of time.”
Ludwig simply nodded, after all the Knight King was right, he did in fact had all the time in the world. Seeking to grow stronger immediately if of minor benefit.
“Now, you have shown progress, albeit minuscule, that you can handle the Tyrant Blade Style, but there is something missing for you to obtain Aura,” he added.
“What is it?” Ludwig asked.
“Emotion, your emotional balance is too stale. It’s like that of a rancid puddle of water, unmovable. You know no fear, nor do you know hatred. I can see it, though you do your best to mimic it, you’re not truly able to sense it.” The Knight King explained.
“Yeah, I get that a lot, but I can use other souls to fuel my emotions,” Ludwig said.
“That isn’t yours to use, the spirit here has lost some of its essence,” the Knight King said pointing at Thomas, “If you were to draw more emotion from it, it’ll will consume its memories and eventually become a useless husk, not worth anything but to return to Necros.” The Knight King said.
The lantern’s flame dimmed as if in agreement. Ludwig exhaled sharply, though his lungs needed no air. Another lesson learned too late: nothing in this world comes without sacrifice.
He then turned to Thomas to confirm his doubts. “Is that true?”
“I don’t know, but to be honest… I found it harder to be angry at anything anymore,” Thomas said. “For example, I don’t really care enough right now that I died to you, or about any thought or need to even think of revenge, though I questioned myself why many times…” Thomas replied in a carefree shrug.
“I guess I took away your emotion of rage… though I didn’t know you wanted to get your revenge on me.” Ludwig frowned.
“It’d be more strange if I didn’t, though I already knew the moment I was inside the lantern that it was impossible, one could hope, but now I don’t really even care enough.” Thomas smiled.
Ludwig realized that Thomas’s feelings weren’t what he showed, and that was enough to teach Ludwig that he shouldn’t always trust a person’s words.
“So, what’s that thing you said, that could help me find my Heart?” Ludwig asked.
The Knight King’s form solidified momentarily, his presence pressing down like a tomb’s weight. “You steal a heart already burning,” he said, each word deliberate. “Not the sputtering embers of a mortal, but an inferno given form.”
“Isn’t that the same I did with Thomas?” Ludwig said.
“No, it’s different, the heart you want… is far sturdier and stronger than that of a mere human spirit. It’s a heart that is forever burning, forever craving and forever wanting destruction,” the Knight King said.
“I’m not really understanding what’s going on, let’s stop with the riddles and be straight with me.” Ludwig’s frustration showed.
“Do you still have that magical core shard?” the knight king asked.
Ludwig pulled out the small orb shard he obtained from killing the Rat Lord.
“This?” Ludwig asked.
“That is what is corrupting these lands…” the specter hissed. the Knight King’s words were solemn and heavy as they hung in the air. “This shard, it holds dark magic, familiar magic. It’s something I’ve seen before, and it appeared in many battles I’ve fought before, although small here, almost insignificant, it is still present, and I can still remember it. The power of Death, a Death so violent, so angry and ferocious, bestial and cruel. The power of Wrath, Wrathful Death.” The Knight King said.
The moment the name left the Knight King’s lips, the system notifications erupted before Ludwig in jagged, blood-blue text:
[You have discovered a hint about the Wrathful Death, Morde’Xander]
Quest Update: Ruler of the March.
The Bastos March bows to five lords. One lies dead by your hand. Four remain.
You have slain the first lord: Rat Lord
Missing lords of the March:
Werebat Lord – The shrieking shadow atop the Spire of Teeth
Pronged Lord – Whose antlers pierce the sky
Drowned Lord – Who sleeps in the black lake
Werewolf Lord – Firstborn of the Treacherous Apostle
Upon slaying all five lords and retrieving all pieces of the core, you will be able to leave the Bastos March.
Reward: Ruler of the Land title
***
Eternal Quest Update: Usurpers of Life
The Usurper of Life Morde’Xander, the sole existence at the peaks of the Mountains of Solania had his power spread all over the continent, it fuels battle and wars, and creates conflicts and surcharges battle.
❖ Visit the Northern Peaks of Solania and slay Morde’Xander.
❖ Quest difficulty: ☠☠☠☠
❖ Time limit: ♾
❖ Reward: Mace of Wrathful Death
❖ Heart of Wrathful Death.
[You are far too weak to fight against Morde’Xander. Gain more power navigating the world before you attempt to slay one of the Seven Usurpers.]
***
Ludwig’s quest log was updated; this time, the Quest not only offered Morde’Xander’s weapon, but also its heart.
The skulls, which indicated the difficulty of the Quest, however, were reduced by one. That means Ludwig’s current power is slightly more than before, a testament to growth. But at the same time, from what he saw, against the Gluttonous Death, he would die a thousand times before he would even be able to land a single hit on it.
“Between the Gluttonous Death and the Wrathful Death, who do you think is stronger?” Ludwig asked.
The Knight King’s laughter was a blade dragged across bone. “That is a foolish question to ask. Who do you think is stronger? A sword forged in perpetual battle and hatred, or a dagger that only strikes when one is at their weakest? The Gluttonous Death feasts on the weak. The wrathful Death hunts the strong. One is a parasite. The other is a force of nature. You are not even a speck to either.”
“Yeah, I suppose I am, but now I have a clear goal. Since we can’t leave March anytime soon, we might as well go around hunting these Lord classes. Once I kill them all and leave this area, we’ll see how we can deal with the Wrathful Death…”
“You’ll probably not be strong enough to fight it still,” Thomas said, “How about venturing into the world first?”
“Good idea, I still have that Vampire Hunters quest that I haven’t finished yet… I should also take a look at that once I have the time,” Ludwig nodded to himself and began walking forward, “For now, let’s find the Werebat Lord, it shouldn’t be too hard to find, seeing how many of its bats are roaming about in the open here.”