They say that his life is meaningless once a man wins against death.
The purpose of life is one day ending.
All mortals know their end is unavoidable, that eternal life is unattainable.
So when Fang sat with the god of death once more, he was disappointed.
"To think you would lower your guard like that; perhaps you aren't worthy..." The snake-like figure hissed, his tone grumbly and peculiar, coiling through the dim graveyard like a shadow.
"We both know Alona will keep me alive here, so what is your problem? Even I make mistakes, though that mistake will not repeat."
The pale young elf said with a sigh, hearing the god's rant about his performance.
He knew Alona was a good healer, but he also knew that this poison was no joke.
'I felt like my lungs collapsed instantly, this is some hardcore shit. If my ability didn't activate itself on its own, I would have died long ago.'
"I don't think you understand your position, boy. I am not sitting with the living but with the dead. You being here means you failed your task."
Fang frowned and his head dropped in shame.
He knew it was true, he knew how badly he messed up.
"I used up all of my mana to stay alive. I can still feel my body, so don't lecture me cause we both know you intended for me to come here. I can feel my mana recovering, so that means I'm still connected to my body."
Snaking his way around the graveyard, the man hissed with displeasure.
'The boy grew snarky, he became too rude... I don't think he knows how close it was,
but there is no use lying to him.'
Fang's body stiffened as the man snaked his body towards him, darting towards its prey.
Without giving Fang a moment to respond, Osborne coiled around his body, his head just above Fang's head.
"I gave you grace before for your actions with Gaia, but make no mistake boy. I am still a god while you're a puny pawn in this world. If your mana is so potent, maybe I can just devour it for myself? Should you serve me in death, or your master in life?"
Fang gulped and didn't dare move an inch. Even if he tried, he couldn't.
His entire body was overwhelmed by death mana, far far greater than he ever experienced before even in his last encounter with Osborne.
'Just how strong is he? He held back that day, and he still holds back...'
Feeling Fang got his suitable fear-inducing warning, Osborne released his grasp on the boy and lowered his mana pressure.
"A mistake like this won't just cost your life… it'll cost theirs too."
Osborne waved a hand, and shadows swirled around Fang.
For a brief moment, he saw Isgram and Gaia surrounded by flames, and Alona lying lifeless on the ground.
The vision dissipated as quickly as it appeared, but Osborne's voice lingered. "It won't just be you who pays the price for your failures."
Before Fang could respond, Osborne returned him to his body.
Fang gasped as his consciousness snapped back to his body, cold sweat dripping down his brow. The air felt thick in his lungs, and every muscle in his body ached, reminding him of the poison that had nearly claimed him. His hand instinctively clenched the bedsheets beneath him as he blinked his eyes open, adjusting to the dim light of the clinic.
The first thing he saw was Gaia, sitting by his bedside, her arms crossed as she leaned back in her chair. She didn't immediately notice his stirring, her sharp eyes focused on the flickering candle on the far side of the room. The sound of his labored breathing broke her concentration.
Gaia's head snapped toward him, her eyes narrowing for a moment before softening ever so slightly. "You're awake."
Fang tried to speak, but his throat felt dry, like sandpaper. He managed a hoarse whisper. "How long…?"
"A day at most," Gaia replied, her voice calm but edged with something sharper—concern, perhaps. "You nearly died, you know."
Fang managed to pull himself up slightly, wincing as his muscles protested. His mind raced, replaying Osborne's words and the horrifying vision of his friends. He could still feel the weight of the god's warning, as if it were a physical shackle around his neck.
"I'm fine," he muttered, trying to push the fear away.
Gaia's eyes flickered with frustration. "You don't look fine, Fang." She leaned forward, her elbows resting on her knees as she peered at him. "Alona did everything she could, but whatever was in that poison, it was meant to kill you. It's a miracle you're even breathing."
He tried to shake off the memory of the poison burning through his veins. "Where is she? Isgram?"
"Alona's resting," Gaia replied, her gaze holding his. "You should be too. You've been through worse, but this… whatever happened… this was different."
Fang didn't respond right away. His mind kept circling back to the vision Osborne had shown him—his allies in flames, Alona dead. His heart quickened, the dread returning.
"Gaia…" Fang began, his voice softer, hesitant.
"When I was… out, I saw something. A vision, I think. Osborne showed me something."
Gaia's brow furrowed. "Osborne?"
"The god of death," he clarified, swallowing hard. "He gave me a warning. He said my mistakes wouldn't just cost me—they'd cost all of you." He hesitated, the words still bitter on his tongue. "I saw you, Isgram, Alona… all of you. Dead."
To Fang's surprise, she sighed and smiled calmly at him.
"I know you have been carrying the weight of the group on your shoulders, but it shouldn't be like that. It is the responsibility of the three of us to protect each other, even though you are the direct leader."
Fang looked her in the eyes, "I still have a task at hand, one that you and Isgram aren't bound by. I have an obligation to my god."
"This vision of peace you have? It is stronger than the vision of death you saw by Osborne.
I know that peace is fickle and hard to achieve, judging we have not been in contact with the empire for more than a couple of weeks now and yet someone managed to attack you directly.
And regarding your task, who told you it's yours and yours alone?"
Gaia saw the lamb-like look in Fang's eyes, as he finally understood he wasn't alone in this mission.
They know there are plenty of chosen ones who they haven't yet discovered
They have many more people to save, to help them grow and prosper.
'He carried the weight of this conflict on his own.
I should have seen that it made him anxious and isolated.
I will need to update Isgram on the matter...'
"I appreciate it, Gaia. I have a long way to go, I am sorry I made you both worry..."
Seeing the young man so guilt-ridden, she remembered that he was originally only 13.
Gaia swept the boy into her arms and hugged him to her chest, and at that moment all dams had been broken.
"Let it all out, Fang. You're human too, no need to pretend anymore..."
His sobbing strained his throat and made the small doses of poison hurt almost as much as his heart.
They remained still till there were no more tears.
Even Gaia cried.
When she released him from her embrace, he caught her sleeve with his fingernails.
"I... This is my first hug, in this lifetime and the one before it... Thank you..."
Gaia's head lay on top of his, comforting him with her warmth.
A stream of tears flowed down her face, her heart ached like never before.
'He has been through a lot, much more than I know. I will help you, you're not going to fail...'
As the quiet settled around them, Fang took a deep breath, savoring the comfort of Gaia's presence. The weight of the poison that had threatened to snuff out his life felt lighter now, as if the warmth of her embrace had chased away the shadows of doubt.
"Thank you for being here," Fang said, his voice steadier now. "It means more than you know."
Gaia pulled back slightly, wiping away the remnants of her tears with a soft smile.
"We're a team, Fang. You're never alone in this fight. We've faced challenges before, and we'll face more together.
I hope you know that Isgram cares for you dearly too. We have learned how big your heart is lately, so just don't change dude."
Fang nodded, the flicker of hope igniting within him.
"What's our next move? I can't let the empire think they can just get away with this."
Gaia's expression shifted, a flicker of seriousness crossing her face. "First, we need to make sure you're fully recovered. Alona can't keep healing you if you keep throwing yourself into danger. Besides, we have information that will shed some light."
"I understand," Fang replied, a hint of frustration in his tone. "But we can't wait too long. The longer we hesitate, the more vulnerable we become."
Just then, the door creaked open, and Alona stepped in, her eyes widening as she took in the scene. "Fang! You're awake!"
Fang offered her a weak smile, but he could see the concern etched on her face. "I'm okay, really. Just talking strategy with Gaia."
Alona's face of concern was replaced with an annoyed frown, "I thought that the doctor's orders were clear, Gaia. If he wakes up he must rest."
As she said it she noticed that both of them had tear-stained cheeks, and puffy eyes clearly from crying.
She let out a small smile, the morning light invading the room at the right time.
In Fang's eyes, she looked like an elven angel, the window illuminating her blue eyes just enough to make them sparkle with relief.
'She saved me even though I was so rude to her. I still have much to learn, especially not to offend such important figures.'
Alona approached the bedside, her hands brushing against Fang's forehead to check for fever. "You don't look okay," she said, her voice laced with tenderness. "That assassin's poison was no joke. You need to rest."
"I can't rest while my friends are in danger," he insisted, his gaze flicking between Alona and Gaia. "We need to find out who sent that assassin and why. If there's a chance the empire is planning something bigger, we need to be ready."
"I do not concern myself with the empire nor the nearby villages. I am here to make sure you're not injuring yourself even further. Now lay back, sitting is straining your muscles and they're not healed yet."
"Let's call a meeting," Gaia suggested, her tone firm. "Isgram should be informed, and we need to discuss how to proceed. Perhaps we can send scouts to the neighboring villages to gather intel on the assassin's origins. I will call him here, you both stay here."
Fang felt a surge of gratitude for his companions. "You're right. We can't face this alone."
As Gaia exited to call Isgram, Fang couldn't shake the lingering weight of Osborne's words from his mind. A mistake like this won't just cost your life… it'll cost theirs too. He knew he had to do better. For their sake, he had to succeed.
"Alona…" Fang began, his voice quiet but steady.
"I know I've put both you and this village in danger, and I don't want to do it again.
I won't let anything happen to this village."
She met his gaze, her expression softening as she sat on the edge of his bed. "We'll get through this together, Fang. But you need to prioritize your health. We can't afford to lose you. Not now. If you really care about your future allies, about your current allies...
You have to be more careful.
I wanted to ask you how you managed to survive all of this as well."
Fang's new ability was just a hidden feature of many death mages.
While he wasn't aware of the immortality claims among the now-extinct demon race, his ability was exactly theirs.
The only difference is that they lied about its actual power.
While the world of Edenia thinks that demons had access to actual immortality by progressing in the dark arts, the truth is that they just had Osborne's blessing.
Those who hold the blessing can sacrifice mana to delay or diminish damage to their body.
By replacing the death mana in their injury with their own death mana, they changed the nature of the injury and repaired the damage to their body.
Unlike healing magic, the cost of this ability was several times harsher on the user.
First, it will drain all of his mana if it is a serious injury.
Second, It couldn't regenerate organs but it could divert the damage and make it like it was never injured at all.
"Alona... This ability I'm about to tell you about is something I wasn't aware of till yesterday when that asshole stabbed me.
I can use fake healing magic using one of my necromancy spells. I basically expend a lot of mana to make the injury vanish, thus diminishing or even canceling the damage completely."
Alona stood there for a moment. She never heard of death mages using their ability to heal themself, but she did hear the tale of the demon arch-mages...
'Is it possible they were never immortal in the first place but just using the same ability to the extreme? I read that they usually fled too when they received a fatal injury, but they always came back to battle when they recovered.
"I heard of some ability that matches yours, Fang. It was used by the demons in the war with the humans, but I never imagined it to be an active ability..."
Her thoughtful expression was broken once she came to sense how her curiosity was inappropriate at this time and place.
"Sorry, let's get back to the assassination. I highly doubt the empire is the one behind this but we can't rule them out yet."
Fang nodded, the fire in his spirit dimming slightly in recognition of the truth in her words. "I promise I'll rest, but only until we have a plan. The empire can't keep sending assassins at us. We need to strike back before they escalate."
Alona looked down, her fingers fidgeting with the hem of her tunic. "It's just… it's hard to see you hurt. You carry so much on your shoulders, but you don't have to do it alone. The village is only going to prosper from the trade with you three.
I think this alliance will have to be deeper than you planned."
A small smile tugged at Fang's lips, but the weight of his responsibilities still loomed heavily in the air. "I know, and I appreciate that more than you realize. It's just hard to see a way forward when it feels like we're constantly under threat."
At that moment, the door creaked open again, and Isgram stepped inside, his expression a mix of relief and determination. "I heard you were awake. Good to see you, Fang."
"Isgram," Fang greeted, his heart lifting slightly. "Where is Gaia?"
"She went to call Varden, the village guard officer."
Fang's eyes narrowed, but he asked:
"Is this Varden can be trusted?" Alona felt his distrust only natural as he never met the man, but it still bugged her inside though she remained quiet.
Isgram nodded, crossing his arms. "Yes. We suspect the assassin came from one of the neighboring villages. Varden and I are gathering information, but it's clear they're testing us. This isn't just an isolated incident."
"What do you suggest we do going forward, Isgram?"
"Varden is organizing a patrol to keep an eye on the village borders," Isgram said, his tone serious. "If the empire is sending assassins, we can't afford to be caught off guard again. We should also consider gathering intel from other villages. It might help us understand the bigger picture."
"Let's do it," Fang agreed, feeling a sense of urgency rise within him. "We gather our resources, find out who's behind this, and make sure they know we won't be easy targets. I won't let this endanger any of you again."
Alona reached for Fang's hand, her grip reassuring. "We're with you, Fang. Every step of the way. If anyone will try to hurt my village, I will pick a spear myself."
With renewed determination, Fang settled back against the pillows, a sense of resolve washing over him. Together, they would face whatever came next. Together, they would fight for their lives, their friendships, and the peace they sought.