" Where am I? Is it the afterlife or is it heaven?"
Golla opened his eyes in the pitch of darkness. There was no glorious light or road that guided him to his resting place instead it was a pitch-black room with a fishy smell.
No matter how he tried, he couldn't find a way to exit this room as he kept reaching the wall. It was like he was imprisoned in the depths of the underworld. The feeling of helplessness and drowsiness assaulted his mind yet he stubbornly kept himself because he felt if he fell asleep there he would regret the rest of his life, so he kept looking around.
However, the negativity was consuming his last bit of sanity before he fell into madness.
" My child come this way."
A voice echoed in his mind, guiding him to the last time. His eyelids were getting heavier, but he kept crawling for unknown hours maybe days or months. Perhaps, even years had passed after his escape, yet he refused to give up.
" Golla, open your eyes."
The voice said as he opened his eyes in the midst of ruins. The once glorious city walls were ruined as he stood there with armor made of dark energy. The dark mana sword in his hand was proof of his demise.
" What is going on? What happened to my city and my people? Why am I an undead?"
Golla couldn't understand what was happening, but one thing was clear. They failed to protect the people that they swore to.
He clenched his fists tightly, momentarily forgetting about the hellish scene. All he wanted to do was to find the answers to his questions. Thus, he walked around to find other sentient beings.
A few hours later
Golla stood on rumble with shock and anger on his face. All he found was the culprit of this attack and what happened after his death.
A few years before his resurgence
The fire spread through the city as people wailed with terror and despair. They witnessed their loved ones die in those flames as the horror kept approaching them. They had no one to protect them since their last protectors died before their attack.
The cold energy of death enveloped their bodies chilling them down despite the hot flames.
Crack*
One of the mages stood up with a cold face. He turned his head around and opened his mouth.
" If that monster catches up to us it would be the end of us. We must go to another continent to survive. To do that we must bring a disaster to face a disaster."
His words caused a stir in the crowd, but no one dared to refute him because they simply had no choice. The taboo was there, however, it was better than dying like dogs.
" What to do you propose?"
One of the elders asked, trying to take the risk. He looked at his shivering children, knowing they wouldn't make it alive if he stayed with his tradition.
" We will resurrect our king in a spectral form since his power can rival the king of death's power."
He said with a cold tone in contrast to his face. The burly man grabbed him by his collar because he was one of the knights prior to his death. He didn't want to blemish his king, but the looks of his people hardened his heart.
" Do you realize what are you saying? He will be enraged if we wake up him from his slumber."
The elder asked lightly, predicting the result of this decision. The king would probably fall into darkness and they would bring forth another disaster.
" It is the only way to preserve the young prince's life. As long as we can hold him off. Our children will live."
He spoke with a calm tone, but the elder didn't trust him. He was pushing the heavy burden of his predecessors to the shoulders of young children who only learned to walk.
" You must know about the consequences. We won't be able to return to our home and some of us will be damned forever. Can you bear the consequences of your decision?"
His heavy tone hit the mage's heart. Even so, he nodded with a serious face.