Reborn with a Necromancer System
Chapter 143: A Plan to Save Firra

Chapter 143: A Plan to Save Firra

The morning sun spilled over the Eldridge estate like honey on stone, warm and golden. Kai moved through the familiar halls, the scent of baked bread and wildflowers lingering faintly in the air. He offered the cooks a polite nod as they served his breakfast, eggs, roasted greens, and fresh bread. As was now habit, he coated each bite with a thin layer of barrier magic.

’I really need to figure out how I can eat without doing this. I know for sure that the flavour is lessened because of the barrier magic... If only I could just do away with the necromancy magic...’

But, that wasn’t possible. Never in the history of the world told by Orlin, his words or the books he stored mention anything about exchanging or removing one’s specialisation.

Cladeus didn’t even hint at it, and he was a self-proclaimed god of knowledge.

Kai sighed as he took another bite.

After finishing, he stepped into the courtyard. The stone was already warm beneath his feet, the light breeze scented with garden lavender. Naia was waiting, her hands already glowing faintly with heat.

"You’re early," Kai said, raising an eyebrow.

"You’re late," she shot back, though her grin was nervous. "Let’s get started."

She inhaled deeply, lifted her palm, and summoned a flickering lance of fire. The air warped with heat, the flame shaping into a sharp, controlled form. Then, as if something invisible yanked it, the fire sputtered, gravity magic wresting control away, crumpling the spell before it launched.

Kai crossed his arms. "Stop holding back. You did it yesterday. You can do it again."

Naia’s jaw clenched. "I’m not holding back. I’m trying!"

Again, she focused. Her magic surged, but instead of a roaring inferno, only a weak flicker licked the air before vanishing entirely.

’Was it really just a fluke yesterday?’

Frustration twisted her face. "It’s not working! Yesterday it felt like something cracked open. Like there was this... wild current I could just grab. But now it’s like there’s nothing left! Just... air."

Kai softened his stance and offered a faint, knowing smile. "That’s normal. Magic tied to emotion, especially fire, is unreliable. You didn’t imagine that surge. But mastering that kind of power doesn’t come overnight."

’If only we could figure out how it happened. What caused it? External factors? Internal?’

Naia hesitated, looking away. Her bravado faltered beneath the weight of uncertainty. "What if I lose control again? What if next time I don’t just scorch the air, but..." she gestured vaguely, "...I burn this whole place down?"

Kai took a step closer. His voice was steady. "Then I’ll stop you. That’s why I’m here. You won’t be alone. But if you never try again, you’ll never learn how to control it. Don’t fear your magic. Learn from it."

Naia’s eyes flicked up to meet his. She looked vulnerable for a heartbeat, then covered it with a scoff. "You always have to sound so wise and mysterious, don’t you?"

Kai smirked. "It’s exhausting."

She laughed under her breath, but the tension lingered. After a pause, she said quietly, "You’re leaving again, aren’t you?"

"I am. Just for today. I need you to keep practicing while I’m gone."

Naia pouted, but there was no real heat behind it. "Fine. But for telling my father that you were here all day with me, you owe me a lesson on fire whips next time."

"Fire whips? That’s not even... That would require..."

He trailed off when she gave him a wide-eyed look of mock innocence, like a cat begging for scraps.

He sighed. "Fine. Fire whips, you say? Let’s do it."

She smiled and shrieked with joy.

"Yes! So worth it! One lie, and then I’ll have fire whips!"

Kai left her to practice and left the grounds of the estate.

Daytime was not the best time to use it, but he activated his skill anyway.

The Umbral Mantle.

The shadows clung tightly to Kai’s figure as he walked beneath the high walls of the palace. It shimmered like water in sunlight.

’It’s still unstable? Why? This is like what happened to Shade when the Devourer destroyed it. Can skills or spells themselves really be damaged? That’s not fair.’

The mantle grew temperamental, like a cat whose trust had been broken.

Every step under its cover was a battle of focus and willpower. If he let his guard slip, even for a moment, it stuttered, flickering like a dying lantern.

’Focus...’

The Umbral Mantle held stronger.

Instead of Kleo, he found the servant girl waiting near the eastern servant entrance. Not sure for what, or whom, but still waiting.

Her eyes lit up when she recognized him as he dropped the Umbral Mantle and gave her a slight nod.

"You’re back," she whispered, her voice both nervous and amused. "She’s in the courtyard again. This way."

Winding through servants’ hallways, they reached a quiet, ivy-draped courtyard. Kleo stood with her back to them, arms folded, shifting her weight from one foot to the other. Practicing mock-sword movements with a stick in each hand.

Her movements looked like that of a dancer, cutting through the air with grace and beauty.

She turned at his approach. She cleared her throat, not completely expecting company.

"Well, well. Back already, star-crossed one?" Kleo said playfully.

Kai rolled his eyes, though a faint grin tugged at the corners of his lips. "I’m guessing the servants are having fun with the story?"

"You’re practically a folk tale at this point. Forbidden palace romance, secret visits, shadows and whispers. The usual nonsense."

Kleo gestured to the mesmerised eyes of her fellow servant.

The servant girl giggled and slipped away, leaving the two alone in the garden.

"See? I think she’s harmless, though. They’d never speak a word of this to the nobles or royals."

"I’ll trust your word."

"But... No matter how much they gossip, I never heard anything about Firra." Kleo’s eyes watered.

’She’s had a tough time.’

Kai took a breath, the playful tone falling from his voice. "About that... Kleo, I think I found her."

Kleo’s demeanor changed in an instant. The casual lean vanished; her expression sharpened.

"Where?"

"In the palace. There’s an old mahogany door, behind an archway—anti-magic. The moment I passed beneath it, my Mantle collapsed. Felt like it tore the spell from my body."

She whistled softly. "That must be further than the servants are allowed to enter. At least ones like us. In that section of the palace, they’re handpicked from lesser nobles."

"So, you wouldn’t be able to get to it?"

"No, but Kai... That’s serious protection. You’re lucky you weren’t caught. Some anti-magic is known to completely paralyse anyone using magic."

"I was close. Someone called out. And I heard... sobbing. Faint, but desperate. The mana... it felt just like yours, but more mature."

"Sobbing? Is it her? If she’s sobbing, she’s still alive! But why? Is she hurt? Lonely? Sad?"

"Kleo... Concentrate."

Kleo wiped the start of tears from her eyes and folded her arms. " Of course... You want my help disabling the archway, in case Firra’s behind it?"

"Exactly. Any ideas?"

She tapped her chin. "There’s a paste. Vile-smelling stuff made with gelatinous cube ooze. Disrupts the field long enough to walk through. I’ve used it once to get into a noble’s vault. Those thugs took everything from me, and I never got any closer to finding Firra. The bastards."

Kai leaned forward. "Where can I find it?"

"There’s a vendor in a back alley behind the Silver Eagle’s Rest. Merchant Ward. But it’s not something you buy off a shelf. I need to set up a meeting. Give me two days."

Kai’s mind was already elsewhere. A paste that suppressed anti-magic...

’Could it work against The Devourer? Since it feeds on magic, could this paste repel it? What if I smeared it on my armour, or on a blade? Could I be protected from it or cut it?’

Kleo snapped her fingers in front of his face. "Hey. Don’t drift off. Focus."

"Right. Sorry. Just thinking. This could be useful in more ways than I expected."

She arched an eyebrow. "Everything’s useful in the right hands. And dangerous in the wrong ones. Two days. No sooner."’Two days will be cutting it close with Mari... Can I juggle both? I’ll have to. Mari agreed to come with me to heal Vepice.’

"I’ve got something I need to do in six days. We need the paste before that."

"Then I’d better get moving," Kleo said. "Oh, and Kai?"

He glanced back.

"Yeah?"

"Be careful. Whoever’s keeping Firra locked up in there... they’re not afraid of people like you. Or me, for that matter. With protection that strong, they’re probably ready to fight with the gods themselves. Don’t go kicking that door down unless you’re ready for what’s behind it."

Kai nodded grimly, already calculating the hours he had left.

He turned away, cloak rustling like dried leaves, and disappeared into the palace.

Time was thinning, every minute drawn tighter, every decision pressing harder.

Firra. Vepice and Mari.

Six days.

Everything was so close.

’There’s no room for mistakes.’

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