The village lay in ruins, but Donn felt only the pulse of power coursing through him. The beast's essence had been consumed, and with it, a new strength settled within his bones. His eyes scanned the battlefield, now littered with his enhanced undead soldiers. Their forms were far more powerful than before, and their glowing eyes reflected his growing might.
Yet, as the dust settled and the silence of death returned, something else stirred within the edges of Donn's consciousness, whispers. Faint, barely audible, like the sigh of wind through dead leaves. He had noticed them before, back when he first claimed the Necrotome, but now they were louder, clearer.
The dead spoke to him.
At first, he thought it was the undead soldiers, remnants of who they had once been. But no. These voices were older, far older. They came from the depths of death itself, calling out to him, seeking his attention. They whispered of lost knowledge, of ancient battles, and of a darkness deeper than any he had ever known.
Donn closed his eyes and focused, his mind reaching out toward the voices. The Necrotome in his hand pulsed, responding to his intent. The whispers grew louder, forming words, though they were in a language he could not fully understand. But amid the confusion, a single message broke through, clear as day:
"Seek the Tomb of the Forgotten."
Donn's eyes snapped open, the name lingering in his mind. The Tomb of the Forgotten. He had never heard of such a place, but the way the words echoed through his thoughts sent a shiver down his spine. It felt like the key to something far greater than he had imagined.
As he stood amidst the wreckage, Donn knew he could not ignore the call. The Necrotome was leading him, showing him the path forward. The power he wielded was only the beginning, there was more to be found, more to be claimed. And the Tomb of the Forgotten was where it all began.
His undead soldiers remained still, awaiting his next command. But Donn's mind was already miles away, fixated on the whispers that urged him forward. He had no map, no guide, but he didn't need one. The dead would show him the way.
Without hesitation, Donn raised the Necrotome and summoned his army. The skeletal knights, towering and unyielding, moved as one, following him out of the village. The road ahead was uncertain, but with the Necrotome in his grasp, Donn knew he would carve his own path.
The journey had just begun.
---
The whispers continued as he traveled, guiding him through desolate plains and forgotten roads. Days passed, and Donn felt the weight of the journey wear on him. Yet, the more he listened to the whispers, the more he understood. They were not mere ramblings of the dead; they were fragments of ancient knowledge, pieces of a puzzle that slowly began to fit together.
And then, after what felt like weeks of travel, Donn stood at the entrance of a forgotten tomb.
It was buried deep within a mountain, its entrance hidden by overgrown vines and crumbling stone. The whispers fell silent as he approached, as though the dead themselves held their breath in anticipation.
Donn stepped forward, his undead soldiers moving silently behind him. The tomb's entrance was marked by symbols he couldn't recognize, though their meaning seemed to resonate with the Necrotome in his hand. As he reached out to touch the stone door, the symbols glowed faintly, responding to the power within him.
The door creaked open, revealing a dark corridor that descended deep into the earth. Donn could feel it, the power hidden within this place. The air was thick with ancient magic, and the deeper he went, the stronger the sensation became.
His undead followed closely, their presence a comfort in the oppressive darkness. The walls of the tomb were lined with carvings, depicting scenes of long-forgotten wars and the rise of a powerful necromancer. Donn's fingers traced the carvings, feeling the weight of history in every line.
As he ventured deeper into the tomb, the whispers returned, more insistent now, louder.
"He waits."
Donn's pulse quickened. Whoever had built this place had been waiting for someone, waiting for him. The thought filled him with a sense of purpose he hadn't felt before. This tomb was not just a resting place for the dead; it was a gateway to something far greater.
At the end of the corridor, Donn found himself standing before a massive stone chamber. In the center of the room was a sarcophagus, larger than any he had ever seen. It was surrounded by the remains of what had once been a grand ritual, the floor littered with the bones of long-dead priests and warriors.
The whispers grew deafening as he approached the sarcophagus, his hand trembling as he placed it on the lid. The moment his fingers touched the cold stone, the entire room seemed to pulse with energy. The air crackled with magic, and the Necrotome in his hand burned with power.
"Awaken him."
Donn's breath caught in his throat. He knew, instinctively, that whatever lay within this sarcophagus was beyond anything he had ever encountered. This was no simple corpse, it was something ancient, something that had been waiting for millennia.
But Donn did not hesitate.
With a surge of necromantic energy, he pushed the lid of the sarcophagus open, the stone grinding against the floor as it slid aside. Inside lay the skeletal remains of a figure draped in black, its bones wrapped in decayed robes that shimmered with an ethereal light. The figure's face was hidden beneath a golden mask, its hands clutching a staff of immense power.
Donn could feel it, the presence of the being within the sarcophagus. Even in death, its power radiated from its bones, filling the chamber with an overwhelming sense of dread.
Without a word, Donn raised the Necrotome and spoke the command that had become second nature to him.
"Rise."
The skeletal figure twitched, its bones cracking as it stirred from its slumber. The golden mask glowed faintly as the figure sat up, its hollow eyes locking onto Donn's.
A low, rumbling voice filled the chamber, one that seemed to come from the very depths of the earth itself.
"I have waited for you."