“It says your soul would be doomed forever.”

  “Yes, human. I can read it as well. Normal death will transfer a soul into a newborn to start their life without memories of the past. But since I tampered with this skill, I can very much ruin my cycle of reincarnation.”

  “But being with your sisters made it worth the risk?” Suna asked.

  “I wouldn't be doing this if it were not so, would I? Now let's invite my Lord. By your invitation.”

  Could he do this? Strike peace between the Tiefling and the Undead? And possibly get them to fight the Drow together? Maybe if Floundea and James were here… But then again, the [Necromancer] wanted to eliminate both Thiefmasters since they had grown too strong.

  “For the sake of this negotiation,” Suna said. “Are both Thiefmasters still alive? And the humans too.”

  “They made it to the second depth, much to my failure,” Delia answered, and she let out a soft breath. “Although half of their armies have died. I highly doubt they would survive further.”

  “At the very least, I can chase after them and deliver the result of… these negotiations afterward,” Suna muttered the last part.

  “Then shall we?”

  “Yes, I accept.”

  A familiar tugging on his mind caused Suna to stagger. He looked up at Delia, who was also in the same state.

  “My lord did not have a connection to this world; mine was yours… So [Witch Tea Party] will be moved,” she explained.

  That would have been nice to know earlier…

  “So where are we—”

  Suna’s vision blackened, and almost immediately, his skin froze with an icy tendril that seeped deep into his bones. He let out a sharp breath, pushing out cold vapor from his mouth.

  He opened his eyes to a foggy and misty figure. A Necromancer? No, it’s not… It was a figure of a knight, holding a staff and a sword of dark ice.

  [Permafrost Mage Knight, Level ?]

  A blizzard covered the knight like an unruly blanket, and his wand shone deep blue as orbs of ice swirled around him, slowly covering his figure completly. His ornate blue full plate was now buried deep into the magic of his own creation. All Suna could see now was only two bright red eyes and the light of his wand.

  “Different world…” The knight muttered.

  Suna's sight went blank once again; his body was still cold, and he felt frostbite start to chill like poison.

  Was he dying? Because of some random… encounter. Was this knight causing this spell? Suna clenched his hand tight and sucked in a deep breath. Even his breath was now frigidly cold inside him. He bit his cheek to the point of tasting a metallic taste. Bluish flames flickered and brushed around Suna, banishing away the cold and replacing it with the flames of the dead. He huffed, letting his body adjust to the sudden change of state.

  The knight's figure suddenly loomed closer; he made his way through the blizzard.

  Suna stepped back; he rushed back with Gale Backstep and Pyre flame, swaying and shielding himself from the cold.

  Suna wove and released his Emberwind Arrow, parting the snow and cleaving through the [Permafrost Mage Knight]’s blizzard. The color of red briefly tinted the air before a clash resounded through the storm, and his arrow was deflected.

  Suna watched as the knight emerged; only a small charred area on its breastplate was scorched.

  Kicking off the ground, Suna lifted himself. The blizzard swirled like a hungry bird, but Pyreflame pushed it away and blanketed Suna. He released another Emberwind Arrow, two streaking like a comet through the cold blue air.

  The knight tapped his staff, and the blizzard coalesced into a circle around both of his arrows, entombing and freezing them solid. Not only that, they wrapped around Suna in one cold, huge hand manifested from frost.

  “What are you doing here?” The knight questioned.

  That's what I’d like to know.

  Suna gritted his teeth, and Pyreflame burst forth, destroying the blizzard that wrapped around him. He landed on the snow, sending a spray of snow up with a thud.

  “Delia?” Suna whispered, trying to find any sign of the witch.

  “Hmm, curious.” The melodic voice whispered beside him; the [Undead Witch] appeared beside him as a ghost-like figure. On both of her palms were dark flames, and she clasped her hands together. Blizzard was about to storm toward them again at the Knight's command. But Delia formed a sphere of black flames that shielded them completely from the encroaching cold.

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  “This is your tea party?”

  “No, you got pulled into these… I don’t know what this is. This must be that human’s doing.”

  “Human? Is that a human?”

  “From a different planet, of course, one who already went through the Integration. I will bring you back, Suna.”

  It was like being pulled in a tug of war, and Suna’s mind was right in the middle of it, holding both ends of the rope as it was splitting him open. His breath rushed as cold air lingered around him, a tear of blood slithered down his face, and more and more myriad of pains stabbed his brain.

  Green flames erupted around him; an almost aromatic smell invaded his senses, soothing him and lessening the pain. Suna's vision returned to him. He stood, almost stumbling again. Greenish flames swirled around him, dancing in the light, and they warmed him.

  “I believe this suffices.” Delia removed her hand from his neck, which he hadn’t realized had just healed him. Her face turned serious for a moment, and she let out a long, relieved sigh. “Good, good, this does not count as harming you, since you were transported forcefully to another domain.”

  She must be talking about the pact she just made.

  “So what was that? And where is this?”

  An icy wall surrounded them, with a cold stone floor beneath and a carpet of red so grand it covered almost the entire throne room. Suna’s eyes went up, and the ceiling was so far away, perhaps almost as tall as the Drow’s tower. And what was more impressive was that it was made of ice.

  In front of Suna was a throne, placed upon a dais with three stairs leading to it. The dais was covered by a red carpet that extended to Suna’s feet.

  “I really don’t know what that was, but it’s better for you to forget about it. It’s a magic neither of us knew about. As for where this was… This is the second depth, the Icen Castle.”

  Second Depth, just one depth away from the gateway…

  “And of course,” Delia said, kneeling. “My Lord, I thank you for coming…”

  Suna's blood chilled in a way different from the Knights.

  Evil was in front of him, and his Archer Instinct screamed, making him tense.

  Suna sucked in a breath and lifted his head to look upon him. The [Necromancer].

  “You’ve done me service through the years; it’s the least I could do.”

  Green fuzzy hair bristled as if gravity meant nothing to them. The [Necromancer]’s eyes, beneath them, were large eye bags. His face was crumpled like paper. He wore a bulky green robe and walked with the aid of a staff he used as a cane. The [Necromancer]'s skin was so white he looked almost a corpse.

  [Lumien, Necromancer, Lvl 70]

  Lumien stopped beside the kneeling Delia and tapped her shoulder, signaling for her to stand. Delia did and extended her palm toward Suna.

  “My Lord, I found him, the anchor for Second Life.”

  “Oh! Truly!” Lumien's eyes widened, and in that crumpled face, they appeared to shine with joy as a wretched expression returned to his crumpled face. “Delia, I was worried when you told me you’d been bested. But I see now. Good, good, I assume you found Uzu and Dua.”

  “Dua had been struck down by him, My Lord; Uzu is still alive…”

  “Struck down,” Lumien’s eyes held Suna’s gaze. Suna met it, a flare of anger burned beneath them, but then they just flickered back at Delia. “You need him then. The anchor should cover all three of you to make it much easier. This spell we still don’t know much about; it's better to be safe.”

  “My Lord is wise and kind… That very reason is why I brought him before you. This human is Suna. He did not want to abandon the tiefling and wanted to strike a deal with you. I had also offered to unlock his Drowfication for him, My Lord, but such an act I shall not do without your permission.”

  “I see, so this human refuses to just go through the gate with his brethren, I assume?” Lumien’s head turned toward him, and he regarded Suna with a cold gaze. “Is that true, human?” His dull eyes hollowed further, like a void of ice. Yet they demanded an answer.

  “Yes. Will you consider it?” Suna asked. “There’s no need to have the tiefling under you, is there? The upperworld is vast.”

  “If I planned to coexist, then maybe. But why should I do so?” The [Necromancer] then made his own demand. “Cross the gateway, human, then I shall spare your brethren. I believe Delia had told you the fate of most integrators… Those who tried to kill me. They become my undead, undead who can continue leveling up.”

  Realization washed over Suna, and a gasp caught in his throath.

  “Yes, that means I can just get them to fight with my Undead to grow them.” Lumien stated, “Do you think they would stand a chance? Do you?”

  Suna's mouth opened, but a question came instead. “Then why haven’t you sent them after the Thiefmaster? Why bait them here instead? Why bother weakening them first?”

  The [Necromancer] did not answer.

  There must be some limitation. But Suna shouldn’t push it; he was here to deal with the Undead and move to the second stage while ensuring the Tiefling's safety.

  “I will not harm them if they agree to commit their forces to me and accept me as their supreme leader. How about this human… You went to these two surviving Thiefmasters and told them my condition. Should they accept, we can band together and face the Drows. And you and the other humans can go and pass through the gateway. I will accept this only if you accept Delia’s quest and swear by the Pact to seek and protect all three of them…”

  Why did the [Necromancer] even care so much about his pact with Delia? Was there some hidden motive that he did not know about? Maybe he could insist that no lies be uttered inside the Domain, not that he knew if that was possible.

  “If they refuse? Can you come up with—”

  “No, if they refuse, then they will become my undead. And I will force the Tiefling to choose a leader who will obey me.” Lumien shot down.

  Suna bit his cheek; he had little to offer to appease the negotiation. And heck, he did not know if James and Floundea would go along with this.

  The bloodshed between the Tiefling and the Undead must’ve been going on for so long.

  “If they refuse–” Suna started, steeling himself for his next word. “Then I will come and fight you.”

  “If that's your decision, then so be it. I shall offer you an invitation–to you, the humans. And both Thiefmasters to the Third Depth. Truth Maiden would meet you in the second depth and confirm if you intend to accept this or not.

  “Truth maiden?”

  “One of my undead,” Lumien shrugs off further questions. “Now, human, get out of here. I would like time alone with Delia, as this will be the last time we will see each other. I will allow Delia to unlock your Drowfication later, so go… We want time alone.”

  Suna's eyes widened, a brief display of weakness by the [Necromancer]. That sounded like begging.

  [Leave [Witch Tea Party]]

  [Accept/Decline]

  “Wait for me on the beach, Suna. I leave Uzu and your friend. Both of them should still be knocked out.”