"The Soul Chanter..."
"Orestes."
Cassius recited the name.
The trees in Bewildering Valley were tall and twisted, their branches and leaves blocking out the sky, as if eternally shrouded in a dense shadow.
In the depths of this gloomy forest lay a hidden ancient castle built from black stones—Soulcry Castle.
The master of the castle was a lich named Orestes.
Centuries ago, this place wasn't called Bewildering Valley, nor was there a so-called Black Forest; there was only a Mage Tower, and Orestes was once a respected mage on this land.
In the magical wilderness of the North, mages held esteemed positions. A great archmage with rare talent like Orestes was highly revered; people built him a tall castle, and the surrounding nobles presented him with thousands of slaves, allowing him to live a life of extreme luxury, viewing mortals as mere grass...
After indulging in such a hedonistic lifestyle for nearly a century, Orestes realized— he was dying.