Lucian sorted his thoughts and proceeded to gradually fulfill the welcoming [Hidden Quest] that abruptly arrived based on his desire—the eternal rest of the lost souls belonging to Seoul District Five Medicine, all at the same time.
With that said, after around a week or two of seemingly endless and arduous efforts that were physically, emotionally, and mentally taxing, Lucian managed to gather as many souls as he could by recognizing their existence and through his solemn display of playing a wooden flute that inexplicably attracted their attentions.
What's more, with the help of several ghost children who looked all too innocent, Lucian reached out to the restricted areas of the hospital, for those who couldn't hear his harmonic music, and for those who weren't aware that he was an individual who could provide them eternal rest.
On a different note, regarding the desires of these dead people, mostly for children, all they wanted was to at least see their loved ones for one last time.
And for some reason, which Lucian had eventually noticed, it seemed these souls had so-called "domains" or territory—the place where they would unconsciously prefer to wander with the hope of waiting for living people they recognized to visit the place.
Sadly, as this place was a hospital, the living people related to the dead souls would have a hard time visiting in consideration of what had transpired here.
Be it of traumatic experience or total neglect.
Lucian listened to their stories and touched their hearts to an extent so that they would have no regrets to leave behind.
As he was doing this process, more already unanswered questions arose in his mind, which challenged the profound and mind-bending mysteries behind the existence of souls and the presumably now corrupted heavens as stated by the unique system bestowed upon him.
Why even an S-rank Awakener just like my younger sister couldn't see them?
Why did they choose to stay in the place where they perished?
If I bring them to Gehenna's Bosom, would they still be able to leave the sanctuary I declared?
Or... did I perhaps miss something?
As Lucian deeply pondered, he faced the final challenge of bringing these souls to eternal rest.
***
"I'm afraid I can't do that."
Lucian faced the dead awakener he clearly remembered; the man who seemed to have been or felt cheated on due to his girlfriend or wife having another man just days after his death.
"You said you'd grant our desire! But why you can't do what I asked you to?!"
In this cold early evening, as they stood on the same hospital's rooftop, and while being surrounded by a crowd of ghosts, Lucian let out a deep sigh.
"What you're asking is unreasonable."
Call me a hypocrite all you want, and I may not completely understand how you feel, but I'm not killing someone just because she cheated on you.
"What a liar—"
"What's the point of it? First of all, I'm not your slave."
Lucian imposed his authority as the necromancer, which seemed to infuriate the man, prompting the latter to react strongly.
"T-Then! What should I do?! I-I thought my wife..."
"Sir. Romantic relationships are complicated even for me. You could say it's utterly incomprehensible. But is that truly what you wish for her since you couldn't accept that she moved on? Or did she? Have you ever thought that she's using whoever that guy was to at least not fall into a mental breakdown of losing you? Or have you ever thought that she would love you forever?
"Again, I don't understand everything about this sort of thing. But I at least do know something... What gives us the right to tell someone they couldn't or shouldn't fall in love with others again?
"Besides, no matter how much comfort I bring to you and these souls alike if you can't make peace with yourself, then it'll be for nothing anyway."
Not only the man whose heart was broken, but the other souls, especially those roughly the same age as Lucian and the man himself, absorbed what the Eternal-Class Necromancer had just said.
He was right.
It was the collective thought they had.
After all, he was a medium to eternal rest, but he was not a murdeous horror genie who could just go on about killing a person unreasonably just because someone wished for it, especially if he deemed them unworthy.
It was Lucian's unwritten principle.
As everyone fell silent, and when the man started to tear up while biting his lips, Lucian continued to express his thoughts.
"Look around. You should have guessed already that the concept of eternal life—or heaven after death—isn't what you all thought. That's why..."
Lucian then suddenly bowed to the souls ninety degrees.
"I need your help to create a solid sanctuary not just for all of you but for those the likes of you who are lost somewhere. I may be a greenhorn awakener, and I don't know why I'm granted this unique ability to cater to your needs, but I do believe that becoming souls didn't mean everlasting peace."
What is the point of providing them eternal rest when the world, if left unchecked, would be swallowed by the resurrecting dead god overshadowing the world?
It just doesn't make sense unless I protect them until the end.
Burdened with knowledge of the impending apocalypse in two years and a half, Lucian's mind was in constant dilemma.
It was as though he was chasing power as fast as he could, especially when the Twelve Family Heads seemed to not care at all.
"I-I'm sorry..."
The man's voice reached his ears, prompting Lucian to finally raise his head... to face these souls again.
"I will ask again, what do you desire?"
After listening to the desire of the last soul Lucian needed to fulfill, the cold winds seemed to become more refreshing.
It was then, as he took a deep breath, something manifested a few distance away from him.
Again... A familiar face!
But it's different from Marcus who already perished.
Marcus' companion...!
This burly man then spoke with an unusual smile.
"What's this? Has this rooftop become your home now?"