I lay naked on a bed in one of the labs. There were only Ayre and Lexi accompanying me. The shapeshifter general was examining the deep purple tendrils with the sharp ends pointed at me while the doctor was smearing me with some kind of grease.
"Isn't that too much, Doc?" I asked because Lexi's hands had been rubbing my genitals for too long.
"Ah, sorry." She grimaced. "I got carried away."
"You can play with it to your heart's content when it's over." I chuckled, not wanting Lexi to feel guilty. "But for now, we better focus on this procedure."
With flushed cheeks, the doctor moved to one of the tables, took a bowl, and held it to my face. "Please, drink this, my lord."
I cringed because of the smell of the dark green liquid in that bowl. I felt like I was sniffing out a large amount of cat shit. "Well, okay."
"This will help you become a true demon."
I drank the liquid, and a disgusting taste filled my mouth. My stomach feels like pushing something up my throat, making me want to vomit. But I forced myself to keep drinking it until it ran out.
"It's horrible, huh?" Lexi grimaced as she pulled the bowl from me.
I got goosebumps because the taste was still filling my mouth.
Ayre looked at Lexi, who immediately nodded.
"We can begin the procedure, my lord." The shapeshifter general smiled at me. But I could see a layer of clear liquid in her eyes.
"Do it, then." I gulped, but strangely I didn't feel a heavy heartbeat. Maybe it was because of the drugs from Lexi or because I just gave up.
"Close your eyes, my lord," Ayre said again. "And be prepared. This might hurt a lot."
I complied with the shapeshifter general's request. Now my eyes are filled with pitch darkness only.
"I will do it, my lord!" Ayre raised her voice. "1, 2, 3!"
In that instant, I felt dozens of painful prickling sensations all over my body. I wanted to scream in pain, but my mouth was so stiff. My body can't move at all.
Shit.
Now I feel like thousands of knives are slashing all over my body. This is the most tremendous pain I've ever felt, even more than the wounds in the fights I've been through.
I tried to focus on my goal in order to withstand all the torture. But I still can't. This is hell.
And suddenly, all the pain just disappeared.
"What happened!?" Lexi's voice sounded indistinct.
I couldn't open my eyes to check what was going on.
"I-I can't feel his heartbeat…." Ayre stuttered. "Lord Vorn! Hang in there! My lord! Don't leave us again!!!"
"No…." Lexi was crying. "After everything we did…."
The two women continued to talk, but their voices grew fainter. I can no longer understand what they are saying.
Damn it.
What? I died twice? Seriously? I don't accept this. I must return to them. No matter how.
Suddenly a white mist appeared in the dense darkness. And without realizing it, I was no longer lying down but standing. My naked body was covered by the fog that was getting thicker.
"Welcome to this place." A figure like a human silhouette appeared from the fog. Its like shapeshifters in their original form, without facial features, hair, or genitals. What makes this figure different is its deep black color. "This is the border of the living and the dead. You seem to be from another world. This is not the first time for me, and you are still entitled to this afterlife because you died in this world."
His words gave me goosebumps. "Who are you?"
"You don't need to know who I really am. My job is to tell you to go there." The black figure pointed behind him.
"What's in there?" I asked again.
"Afterlife."
"What kind of afterlife?"
"I can't tell you. The only way to find out is to check it out yourself."
A bitter chuckle slipped from my mouth. "I'm not interested. I still have a lot of things to do."
If the direction the figure was pointing at was really an afterlife, I concluded that the path to life was the other way around.
So, I turned back.
The figure caught up with me and grabbed my shoulder. I felt an incredible coldness from him, even colder than Emily's.
"If you don't want to do it, I will pull you by force. And trust me, you wouldn't want that." The figure's tone began to rise.
I don't feel the slightest bit of power in me. It's undeniable I will immediately lose if I fight against him.
I am nothing here. Of course, I hate that fact.
"Hey, let's make a deal." I hissed.
"We don't do anything like that." The figure gripped my shoulder even tighter. "Hurry up, turn around, and go in the direction I showed you."
"You must know that many souls return to the world because they were taken to make the undead, right?" I put on a smile.
"Yeah, so?"
"Isn't that a big problem?"
"That is none of your business…."
"Just answer that," I said more firmly. "Perhaps I will comply with your request."
The figure was silent for a moment. "Yeah, it really upsets the balance in the afterlife. Now I have answered your question. You don't need to know the details, do you? This is the final warning…."
"What if I told you that I could return those souls quickly? And I will ban all undead rituals in the world. You know I am the demon lord who will rule that realm, right?"
After I proposed to Emily, she told me about what really happened behind the awakening of the undead.
When a body is resurrected to become undead, the spirit of that body will return. But they have no control anymore. They are trapped in their own bodies.
That was what had been bothering Emily for a long time. She couldn't bear the burden of torturing so many souls. They should be able to rest in peace.
Feeling the grip on my shoulders loosen, I knew I was on the right path.
"I just need a moment to explain it to you." I flashed a faint smile. "I guarantee you, it's worth it."
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