The Holy Witch King walked forward, on the red carpet. About halfway to the reception stage, he felt a tug on his remnant that connected to his hood. Jack looked down to see a small zombie undead child. This child looked to be around eight or nine years of age based on body size. The Child had walked under the rope that separated the red carpet and reception from the Officials and the public.
The child's mother was horrified as she had seen her child do this! Her child had touched The Holy Witch King! She broke out from the crowd, ducking under the rope, and scooped up the child in her arms, while on her knees. She bowed her head to The Holy Witch King.
"Your Grace, please! Please have mercy! She's only a child! She didn't know better." The mother pleaded. She was the wife of one of the Officials and knew that when The Holy Witch King returned he was not happy. He planned to bathe the court in blood. She even feared for her husband's life.
Jack loomed high above this tiny zombie undead woman. The child was only about a hundred and thirty-five cm, while the mother was only a head taller at about a hundred and sixty cm. Jack left his staff to suspend in midair, as he kneeled down on one knee, coming to just a head taller than the mother, who was kneeling on her knees.
He used his right hand's index bone to lift the head of the lady to look into his Flaming eyes that were deep in his hood burning brightly.
She felt his boney finger on her chin, as she looked up into those eyes. She quivered all over. The Officials and Public were dead silent. Not willing to make any sounds. The Warmarshals, Verruca, Leslie, and Lucius were on the reception state. Verruca frowned, while everyone else made no expression.
The Holy Witch King asked, "What's your name?"
"I-I'm Susan B-Brimknot, wife of minor Official G-Gordon Brimknot." She spoke in a shaky voice.
"And the name of this child?"
"This is J-Jennifer Brimknot. Please your Grace." She spoke and begged.
"May I hold little Jennifer?" The Holy Witch King asked.
Susan didn't want to let go of her daughter. She wasn't sure what The Holy Witch King would do... No one did. He was so much different than before he was entombed. While not common knowledge, she found out through her husband that he was now an Emperor rank Cultivator, and even had beat up a well-known mafia boss in another city, only today returning.
While she paused... She handed her daughter to The Holy Witch King. She prayed in the faith of Deagoth to have mercy.
Jack picked up the little undead girl in his hands and rose from his kneeling position. He cradled her in his arms; he could notice that she was curious. No malice was detected, but she was slightly shaken from what her mother was saying. She knew she did wrong but didn't know why it was wrong.
While cradling the little girl, Jack asked, "So your name is Jennifer Brimknot, Child of the Brimknot's?"
"Yes." A cute little voice issued from the mouth of the little zombie girl.
Jack was extremely curious about how the undead populated. He had read they gave birth to children; they even boned to have them or could have children without boning. This was all crazy to him, and this was the first child he had seen in this new world to him. He examined her. While she was in fact undead, he couldn't see a cause for death. Some undead he had seen who were very old undead, looked like they had died and become zombies, but there were undead that had no cause of death from any physical causes. Did undead steal children and make them their own? But if so... How did they grow up into adults?
"Little one, why did you pull on my robe?" Jack had softened his voice by many levels, his normally heroic voice sounded very happy now. The mother of the child held her breath.
"I just wanted to say 'Hi,' and look at you. Mommy and daddy are always talking about you." she said with her adorable voice.
The mother was panicking, hoping her child wouldn't offend the supreme existence in Deagoth... But then the bombshell question dropped by his Grace.
"Oh? What do they say about me?" Jack asked.
The mother of the child almost felt her heartbeat... While she and her husband would talk about The Holy Witch King, they would refer to him as just the Witch King... It was easier to say in conversation, and her husband was displeased with the court cleansing. He said a few choice words, not because of the cleansing itself, but the pressure that the House of unlife was exerting on him in his position.
"Mommy and daddy said you were very powerful and that you can fly... Mr. King, Can you fly?" The child slightly calmed by Jack's voice asked. Flying was the romantic dream of anyone that walked on the ground.
"Yes, I can. Would you like to see what the city looks like from the sky?" Jack asked while the little girl nodded quickly.
Jack looked down to her mother, "Well... Only if it's okay with Lady Brimknot."
"Yes, your Grace. I have no problems." The mother said without issue. She wasn't sure what his Grace was about to do, but she heard the softness of his voice. She felt that maybe... Maybe the rumors of his Grace being malevolent on his return were unfounded.
"Alright then." Jack looked back to the little girl, "Hang on to my arm here, while I hold you." He turned her around to hold her so she could look over his arms. The little girl held tightly.
"Don't be scared, Okay?"
"Okay!" The little girl nodded and said with her childish voice. She was very excited that she might be able to fly with the Witch King.
Many of the Officials of the Court watched and heard this exchange. Was this the same Holy Witch King that was tapping his Ferula not too long ago? The same Holy Witch King that pulled the soul from Jordan Grimnight...?
"Zorehir!" Jack shouted, as a beacon of holy light poured from the sky on top him. The surrounding zombie undead covered their eyes, while the skeletal undead continued to look on.
Emily was by a window of the palace when she saw a flash of light. Drawn by the light, she looked out from the palace and down to the square in front that had now gathered.
"Is that... Is that The Holy Witch King?!" Emily was shocked but then grew angry...
[THEY DIDN'T TELL ME...! The Consort...] Emily quickly found the reason for not being informed. She quickly went to her baggage, and searched for appropriate apparel, while mental messaging her servants.
Jack unfurrowed his light bound bone wings and shot into the sky. All the undead looked toward him, as he flew up. Even though Leslie and Lucius saw this before it was still shocking, and Verruca was left with her mouth open.
Many thoughts had flashed in the mind of the surrounding undead when his rope was grabbed by the little girl... But this wasn't something expected. He was granting the little girl's wish, as most of the undead present had some form of cultivation, they had heard what she had said. Those that couldn't be quickly told by those that could hear.
High above the city, Jack spoke another spell, "Sohal." Jack then started to descend from his high altitude, but at a very slow rate. It seemed to everyone on the ground that he was floating in midair, as his bone wings flapped gently behind him.
"It's okay to open your eyes, little one." Jack had noticed that the little girl had tightly shut her eyes, as they ascended.
The Little girl, Jennifer, opened her eyes and started to look around on the ground. She got to see the glory of her city from a bat's eye view. She OOOooo'd and Aaahhhh'd. Making comments about how small it looked, and how the big skull shined so brightly.
Jack rubbed the little girls head in a loving manner. Jack started to ask the little girl questions, and she answered them while she looked all around the city.
On the ground, the mother, Susan, stared into the sky with a complex expression. She looked to her husband who was in the crowd on the other side of the red carpet among the Officials. Their eyes met, and their expressions were a match.
[What is his Grace doing?] Verruca asked Lucius with a metal Message.
[I'm not really sure... He's never been a very playful person, even you know this...] Lucius said unsurely. While The Holy Witch King was a kind ruler and leader, he wasn't a jovial person.
A light flashed in her eyes, as Leslie looked up into the sky, and watched her love floating down with the little girl in his arms.
Soon Emily had finally made it outside and to the Reception stage. Leslie looked over to Emily as soon as she stepped onto the platform, "There was no need for you to come."
"I wanted to be here to greet The Holy Witch King, as well," Emily said, as it was easy to tell her tone of displeasure.
"I'm sorry Ambassador Emily. It's just that receiving his Grace is an affair of our Kingdom, so I did not wish to bother you. Now that you're here, I'm sure his Grace will welcome you." Leslie finished, while Verruca and Lucius looked to each other.
Jack controlled his spell to descend a bit faster until he had touched down again on the ground.
"Alright little one, that should be enough for today. I should speak to your father soon." Jack spoke, while he walked over to the overjoyed mother who received the child from Jack's hands.
"Thank you, your Grace. Thank you."
"It was my pleasure to spend a bit of time with your daughter. She is a very bright and gifted little girl. Just make sure that her curiosity doesn't get the best of her. While curiosity is in the nature of our people and drives us forward with discovery and change... There are many sacrifices made by these heroic undead to grant Us this." Jack left these words behind, as he walked up to the platform.
As Jack finished his words, the citizens cried out with cheers! This was their King! This was their Pontiff! He was humble! He lowered himself to the extent of playing with a common child! He didn't put on airs, and even left good advice! The people loved their Holy Witch King, and now they had seen him in person after a thousand years, it was like he was even better than before! Many in the crowd even spoke that him leaving the city in the first place was to put down a vicious gangster that threatened the peace of the kingdom! This was why the Angel of Death appeared.