《The Heroic Death Knight》


 Chapter 1 - New Life

    A gentle breeze rushed through the manor of Coullut, passing through the countless acres of land filled with greenery, the giant house, the servants quarters and the small part of the forest encased in a tall fence of metal, providing vision of the inside to any who would wish to look.


    Lying on the branch of an enormous tree, with thick branches was a boy with messy black hair, wearing a black jacket over a white shirt and trousers trimmed above the ankles. He lazily opened his eyes, of the color blue, and looked up at the sky.


    The clouds had covered the sun, overcasting the sky, and the birds had grown quiet.


    ¡°So it¡¯s going to storm, huh?¡± Theo asked himself, and jumped up. Sleeping on the branch was a habit of his, and he would do it whenever there were guests at home or his siblings started acting up. That way, he¡¯d escape the wrath of the adults.


    According to his internal clock, he should¡¯ve slept for just short of two hours, and it was early evening now. The rattle coming from the kitchen suggested otherwise, as dinner preparation usually started at seven, but there was a chance he¡¯d messed up the counting, after all, he was never good at keeping time or measuring things for that matter.


    There was a saying back at his home:


    The gentle rain harms the clothes,


    The silent words harm the heart.


    He didn¡¯t know if the latter was true, but the former was as true as an axe being used to chop wood. Theo looked at the surrounding, and had realized that he wasn¡¯t in fact wrong, but a guest was here.


    It was simple, really, as mages had a bad tendency to disturb the mana wherever they cast a spell, and only bold and strong mages would dare use such a strong magic in the house, seeing as the disturbance was great.


    Every mage learned how to absorb mana in the air and convert it into their own energy, then convert it into the energy they want to release, letting it influence the world around. The more mana used, the better.


    It also had a peculiar effect of knocking away the small mana particles, as Theo called it, which weren¡¯t absorbed into the body until they multiplied and became bigger. Only those who concentrated on the absorption process, and had at least basic knowledge about physics and the such, and the concept of particles.


    Theo thought back to the time he was reincarnated.


    The multiverse was under a great threat, and as such, the All God, as he called himself, thought of a way to save it. He¡¯d create a world in his pocket dimension with its time accelerated, and as soon as the intelligence range was within acceptable range, it would give information about the multiverse in the form of entertainment.


    The engrossed and addicted, or wishful ones would become seeds, and would save the world.


    Theo was an average boy, a little to the better side in studies and had some knowledge about karate lessons he had been taught as a boy, and had nothing else to offer. Being a magic fanatic apparently brought him before the presence of God, quite surprising for an atheist to be brought before him. That would put a lot of believers in shame.


    Then the chosen seeds would grow in strength in their individual worlds, and would push back the eldritch horrors invited by the shattering of the reality barrier.


    Thankfully, he was born into a no name noble family, making the chances of him being targeted nearly zero. His talent in magic was mediocre, as he wanted to be and requested the god, who wanted to give him never before seen talent. Though Theo knew for sure his talent was average, he wasn¡¯t so sure about not finding some treasure by ¡®accident¡¯ due to some stroke of ¡®fate¡¯.


    The god would wish to strengthen his champion more, and that was the best way to do it for someone who didn¡¯t wish to start off incredibly strong.


    The mansion was built in an European style, with two stories and incredibly large, shaped like an L, consisting of the right and left wings. The left was for the family of the lord, and the other for guest rooms, entertainment rooms, kitchen and everything else.


    The servants lived in another building just before the woods, a one-story building that was too small to fit the thirty servants, making them pack into four rooms, seven to eight in each. They slept on the ground, and their living conditions were plain horrible.


    Theo despised his father for being so stubborn. He¡¯d definitely get betrayed by his servants and die off sometime, which didn¡¯t matter one small bit to Theo. After all, he was merely an untalented child of the lord and the fourth wife, incapable of Magic nor Saint Arts.


    That was caused by him hiding any signs of using his magic by leaving the mana particles undisturbed. That was easily done by shambling them in the air and making it seem as if they were floating by. As for the lack of mana in his room, no one could actually see it. In fact, not many could feel that a magic had been cast except for an Abjurer.


    His talent lied in Necromancy and Primal Magic. The talent in the latter wasn¡¯t given by the god or bloodlines, but rather due to exposure to the chaotic energy created from the Rift during his birth, letting him control the mana particles as if they were robots with a mental command.


    As for the former, the chances someone would have talent in it and practice was one in a thousand, quite many for the population of fifty billion of Vanaris. It would be so much more if the hunt for necromancers was in process currently, as it was highly frowned upon by the masses.Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.


    Raising the dead was never a good thing, which was a misconception. A necromancer merely controlled the life force in nature and in humans. Although some could harm or raise the dead, some could heal wounds and even terminal illnesses. It was merely a misconception.


    On the other hand, on the Saint Arts, he was too talented, as per his request. He¡¯d rather be a warrior with magic than a mage with muscles. He wouldn¡¯t be a glass cannon, and most of all, now he was what he liked the most, although a little bit too edgy. A death knight in a sense. However, he had decided to keep it secret. After all, he¡¯d be shipped off into the army in a day. Theo had seen one of his brothers do so and never return, probably dead on the battlefield.


    He knew he had to fight someday, but that day wasn¡¯t anytime soon, as people who advanced in power would gain more lifespan which would allow them to grow, and only those with halted growths would die of old age, or those who don¡¯t have talent.


    A smile unconsciously appeared on his face as he walked past the servants¡¯ lodging, currently empty. Some washed clothes had been placed on the drier, mostly maid uniforms. There were only two butlers in the house, and they were both looking after his sisters, both older than him.


    The occasional drop of water had turned into a rain, a gentle one currently. The calm before the storm had ended and the pitter patter of raindrops falling on the concrete of the building and the ground never gave his ears a break.


    His ears had grown sensitive due to the nature of his Saint Arts, which was in a sense, much more like Qi than anything else. As an avid reader of light novels and the like, he had read his fair share of wuxia and xianxia novels. They depicted Qi as an unforgiving force which could be crippled, or could make the cultivator explode with a single wrong step.


    Theo found the Saint Arts much more forgiving. It was in a sense unlocking the limiters placed between the soul and the body, making both stronger. Only comprehension and hard work made the user stronger, not merely talent. That was why he had chosen to have talent in this.


    Talent would play a huge role in the beginning stages, meaning three, and the user would be left there to fend for themselves. As a man who hated to cheat, he decided to have this talent, as the god wouldn¡¯t quit mumbling about divine blessings.


    As a matter of fact, he was right there on the third stage of ten, each one at least multiplying one¡¯s power, much like the mage rankings which were about 1.5 each.


    The ranks were from weakest to strongest: Apprentice, Squire, Scholar, Senior Scholar, Sage, Elder Sage, Saint, Elder Saint and finally, Divine which would raise one¡¯s level to the godly level, although only two were recorded in the history of mankind, at least in books.


    Theo wasn¡¯t as na?ve to believe that public knowledge was the truth. There ought to be some hiding in a calm village, away from battles and the like. In fact, there must be more than a dozen of them at the very least. With merely 4 Grand Magus, it would be impossible to keep the shattering a secret, after all.


    The appearance of monsters should disturb peace to say the least.


    Theo walked down the hallway, to one of the bigger guestrooms. He had the duty of attending any meeting if he could, after all, he was one of the three sons of the lord, of which one was deceased and the other an arrogant prick much like his father. It would most likely fall on him to rule the family, but Theo didn¡¯t want any attachments. They would just hinder him in anything.


    The door creaked open as he walked near, the servants having noticed his footsteps, had opened it. If there was one thing that the nobility had too much of except arrogance, it was hypocrisy. They¡¯d lash out at the servants at the slightest inconvenience, mostly the pent up stress taking over them, and they¡¯d make the servants too afraid to even talk.


    Especially the idiotic excuse of a lord called Damian Coullut. Not that anyone in the family could challenge him, who was a Sage. Merely the fourth rank, but Theo was still having trouble breaking through the bottleneck. It was a fundamental understanding that he lacked, and he knew it. Just not the understanding itself.


    That made him begrudgingly accept the man as his superior, although at the age of hundred or so, it was merely natural that he¡¯d pick it up.


    The most annoying thing was that the Saint Art users couldn¡¯t reveal about their research to others, and the newbies would only be guided by their masters, slightly steered to the right path and that was all. Especially hard for a homeschooled warrior who only learned from books.


    Damian sat at one end, a burly man with dark hair and a big grin on his face, quite unusual actually. On the other end was a woman, her beauty meeting model standards and wearing what Theo knew as a mage robe, meaning a dark blue one. This one was modified to create a skirt below her thighs, and the original dark red trims were replaced with gold, and only the keenest would recognize it as one. However, the wearer herself was quite famous, maybe even more so than the robe itself.


    She was old, nearly six hundred from the rumors. No one knew her real name, but her alias would quiet the bazaar when spoken aloud: Jade Empress.


    One of the strongest people in the world, and Theo had absolutely no idea for the reason that she was here in a backwater village in a backwater country in a backwater noble¡¯s house.


    ¡°Ah, that¡¯s my son Theo. It seems he has good ears for compliments.¡± Damian said as Theo paled. Just the fact one of the most famous people in the world ever coming to look for him meant only one thing.


    Divine intervention.


    Even after everything he had told that so-called All God not to give him a master, he went and did just that.


    ¡®That stinky piece of shit!¡¯ Theo shouted in his mind.


    ¡°Hmm¡­ He looks strong, but I don¡¯t feel an ounce of mana or vital energy from him.¡± The Jade Empress said, staring at Theo.


    ¡®Of course. I hid them.¡¯ Theo said in his mind.


    ¡°Quite intriguing. To think he used a spell without disrupting the mana in the ether.¡± She said, as Theo raised his eyebrows. She could feel the mana. Maybe she started out as a tracker.


    What he had just used was a particular spell in the Necromancy school called Dead Men Tell No Tales. Quite a mouthful, and a long chant to boot. That was negated with the unique control over mana that Theo had, which he used instead of creating the mana signature with true names.


    It basically blocked out any outside interferences that tried to assault his soul, meaning mind reading. That would mean losing his biggest advantage. And he didn¡¯t want that.


    In Vanaris, magic was used by creating particular magic signatures with mana control or calling the true names in order, which would then warp the world to the user¡¯s ideal.


    ¡°Ohoo! He truly is interesting.¡± She noted and nodded her head, looking at Damian. ¡°Does the deal still stand?¡±


    ¡°Of course, Mistress Jade Empress. It is my, no, our family¡¯s great honor for my child to become your disciple.¡± Damian said, stars in his eyes and a wide smile, too genuine to fake. This constantly scowling man was indeed smiling.


    ¡°Disciple?¡± Theo tilted his head and looked at the Jade Empress in surprise. That was rather surprising. And when he died, he¡¯d write up a really big essay about the failures of the so-called perfect All God, which undoubtedly came out of the man¡¯s own mouth.

 Chapter 2 - Travel

    The sound of hooves hitting the ground resonated through the streets, where not many used chariots, let alone one with golden embroidery. Although it would draw attention, the gold also signified that someone really dangerous might be travelling inside, like the Jade Empress. Theo looked at her, happily humming to herself with a smile.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been thinking, why did you choose me?¡± Theo said and looked at the woman.


    ¡°Hmm¡­ I don¡¯t really know. I¡¯ve been travelling around and saw a surprising lack of mana particles in the area. Just when I thought it was the work of a necromancer, it happened to be you.¡± She said with her eyes closed.


    ¡°I AM a necromancer, and why are you training me despite all the risks?¡± He asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t wish to be interrogated.¡± She said and lied on the soft cushion.


    Theo quieted down. Pissing her off wasn¡¯t an option. Instead of leaving him alone, she¡¯d most likely just murder him here and now. And Theo didn¡¯t want that. Talking with the All God was exhausting to say the least. Truly exhausting.


    The sun settled below the horizon, the darkness taking over. One thing Theo noticed about the world first was the number of moons. There were three.


    Surprisingly no catastrophic event happened like he had assumed, even with the multiple moons¡¯ gravity and all. He had never paid attention to physics, but it came to him sometime the last two years of his life.


    The chariot never stopped. Even after an hour after dark, and seemed to go on. The awkward silence reigned supreme, only the sound of nature outside keeping him company. It wasn¡¯t long before he dozed off.


    ***


    The alluring smell of bacon rested in the air, the sound of oil sizzling going with it nicely. The sun fell on Theo¡¯s face, and he chuckled.


    ¡°So it was all just a dream.¡± He said, sitting up. ¡°Though, I wish it was real.¡±


    He had died in a car accident in his dream, with his family of four including parents and an older sister. A knock came from the door, as per the ritual, and his older sister said in her monotone voice.


    ¡°Breakfast¡¯s ready.¡±


    ¡°Coming.¡± Theo said and got up, putting on his clothes. He assumed it was a weekend, as his mother was currently cooking, which would be impossible for a weekday.


    One thing he noticed about himself was he was too calm, much like his family. It was probably in his blood. Even his grandparents were too calm and were never bothered by superficial things. It would be fine if those ¡®superficial¡¯ things didn¡¯t include being fired and failing a class.


    Most surprisingly, Theo seemed to be the only self-conscious one about it. That was the perk that came with his maturity, or simply the blood wasn¡¯t strong in him. His mother¡¯s side, however, was fine, so there was that.


    He pulled the door open, the familiar visage of his sister walking down the hallway visible. It usually happened when he put on his clothes quicker than normal. Today seemed to be one of those days.


    She descended the stairway, and down onto the first floor. Theo walked past her easily, as he was always taller and thus had longer legs than her.


    The kitchen table was placed in the middle of the kitchen, and was located so that anyone could access it from anywhere. His mom was wearing her apron, still cooking. Theo took a seat, and sat there for five minutes. His mom never turned back, and the smell of something burning could be smelt.Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators!


    Theo then looked back, and noticed his sister looking to the back, with her back exposed to him, standing in the doorway. Raising his eyebrows, he pulled on her shoulders and she limply turned back, revealing her ghastly form. One eye had been bulged out and a piece of broken glass had been embedded into her other, her face distorted in a painful scream.


    He hastily threw her back, and pulled on his mother. She was the same, albeit even worse. Theo¡¯s eyes widened, collapsing to the ground.


    He hadn¡¯t expected that. But well, he was now living in his dream world, after all, and some sacrifices had to be made.


    ¡°Darling, won¡¯t you be a sweety¡­¡± His mother said, her voice distorting into a screech. ¡°¡­ come to our side.¡±


    Thankfully, Theo had learned of the way to awaken himself forcefully even while dreaming or having a nightmare, by moving his real body rather than dream.


    ***


    Theo¡¯s heavy eyelids were forced open, not even the first rays of light penetrating through the window. The sky was slowly, but surely, turning blue from the pitch black with several white dots on it.


    Now that Theo thought of it, the chariot would then be have not stopped for the entire night, making the chances of inexhaustible horses more than a distinct possibility. The fact that the Jade Empress never showed any signs of surprise seemed to hint at this being common knowledge, rather than an unique one. Or she might be used to this kind after countless years.


    The existence of mana and Saint Arts might have something to do with it, as the particles could possibly be absorbed by animals and beasts, letting them gain more physical prowess, seeing that dragons could also use mana. It was still possible that these were modified, or somehow augmented. There was also a possibility of the horses being golems, as constructs functioned by mana were named. Almost a robot, but the owner could share their sight.


    As for the one steering the wheels, it was more explainable as sleeping wouldn¡¯t be a necessity as one got stronger, letting them train more. A genius design. It would in turn let them get stronger as long as they had knowledge and talent if it was magic.


    The Jade Empress¡¯s eyes were closed, and her black hair, with green tips reaching her shoulders had covered a part of her face, as if it was a scene straight out of a movie. Theo couldn¡¯t complain, after all, he WAS in a world that some movies were based around.


    Even though Theo loved sleeping, he didn¡¯t have the necessity to do it that much anymore, and the nightmares never helped, though it was only this time that he dreamed of his old world. Thankfully, that came with the ability to fall asleep whenever he wanted to. A sweet goodbye to insomnia.


    With nothing to do but wait, especially since travel mostly took a long time, Theo decided to meditate. Though his body could absorb mana passively, actively doing so greatly increased the absorption rate.


    His mana pool would allow him to fire off about three fireballs the size of fists as of now, seeing that he didn¡¯t have too much talent. The sweet thing was that even if he was a Necromancer, he could somewhat use Evocation to cast tier one spells, albeit with a greater cost.


    That served well to hide him from the eyes of the Church, as actively practicing necromancy would attract their attention, even if he didn¡¯t leave any traces of mana. It was mainly his knowledge that kept him away from death for so long. Maybe fates worse than death.


    Saint Art practitioners rarely learned magic, and vice-versa, which seemed to be foolish. Even more so when the reason was pride. Joining the two would surely create stronger people. Some that used both were called heretics and relentlessly hunted down by the church, extra points if that was necromancy. In that case, they¡¯d be out for blood.


    Whereas Saint Arts came with understanding, magic came with the ability to remember mana signatures and mana pool. Talent helped in enlarging the mana pool, giving them a large advantage. Even if it was a child with a small mana pool, they¡¯d be able to use a tier eight spell if they wanted to.


    Thus, his magic practices lagged behind a bit.


    However, as mana absorption rate had more connection with the soul than the body, unlocking the limiters greatly improved his mana pool. It was a deep blue, in a small circle around him. Then he noticed it.


    The Jade Empress¡¯s mana pool.


    Saying it was big would be an understatement. Sensing mana would allow Theo to feel up to a kilometer, but he didn¡¯t count on it as the smarter ones are prone to hiding theirs. However, while travelling or the like, the presence of mana would scare away any decent gang. Roughly speaking, the size was at around six hundred meters, a dark green color.


    With a chuckle, Theo started eating away at the Jade Empress¡¯s mana. After all, she was absorbing it from the outside, and she wouldn¡¯t notice a tiny nibble gone from an ocean, just think that there wasn¡¯t much mana in the air.


    It was better than absorbing it himself, after all.


    Better have others do it than do it yourself. After all, only the smaller particles were left.