Born To Raise Undead

Chapter 11: The Deathlord's Apprentice

The battlefield lay still.

No cries. No wind. Only the soft, unnatural hum of death lingering in the air.

Aarav fell to his knees.

Bone dust swirled around him like silent snow, catching in his blood-matted hair and the cuts across his cheek. His dagger slipped from his hand, landing with a dull thud beside the Grave Tyrant's shattered skull.

Ghrol stood behind him, swaying. Cracks veined his skeletal arms, and black smoke curled off what remained of his ribcage. His hollow eyes flickered — not with fear, not with pain, but with unshakable loyalty. He had stood until the end.

Aarav gasped for breath, every inhale feeling like knives. His chest ached. His body screamed. His soul trembled.

"We made it... somehow."

His voice cracked. His eyes blurred. But the thought burned steady inside him.

"System... status... please."

A soft chime echoed in his skull.

[Status Interface Opening] Host HP: 39%

Ghrol Integrity: 51%

[XP +60 — Level Up: 4]

Auto-Heal Cooldown: 12 Minutes

[Grave Trial Complete – Pending Evaluation]

Aarav leaned forward, resting one trembling hand on the cold, cracked earth.

Only now, with the chaos gone, did the weight of what he'd endured sink in.

The screams. The endless waves. The towering Grave Tyrant. The blood. The pain. His fear. His rage. His purpose.

"I don't... even know how I'm still standing," he whispered.

Then, a breeze stirred — not of wind, but of power. It curled around him like fingers made of mist and memory. It wasn't over. The air itself whispered it.

Something was watching.

A pulse — not from the earth, not from outside. From within.

The darkened sky began to ripple. The runes etched into the ground beneath him flared with ancient violet light.

[Grave Trial Evaluation in Progress]

[Initiating Class Resonance Pathway...]

[Deathlord Path Detected – Compatibility: 88%]

[WARNING: Host Entering Death-Infused Domain]

"What…?"

Before he could move, before Ghrol could step forward — the light exploded.

And Aarav vanished.

The Void of Death

The world folded.

Aarav stood — or floated — in a realm unlike any he'd ever seen. Black fog clung to the edges of an infinite horizon. Ancient runes twisted in the sky like constellations that bled.

Then a shape formed.

A colossal throne of bones. A pyre of power. And upon it, cloaked in flickering soulflame and shadows, sat the Deathlord.

Eyes hollow. Crowned with death. Wreathed in a silence that commanded.

The being stood, regal and immense, and spoke. His voice was like the tolling of a funeral bell, deep and cold.

"You bled like a mortal... but rose like one of mine."

Aarav's eyes narrowed. His legs wanted to shake, but his will held.

"I didn't fight to win," Aarav said quietly. "I fought to protect her."

The Deathlord's eyes glimmered with approval — or something darker.

"And what would you give?" he asked. "Would you abandon breath, warmth, even your name... to become death for love?"

Aarav clenched his fists.

"If death is the price to keep her safe... then let the world tremble."

Silence followed — and then a low, hollow laugh rolled through the void.

"Then rise, Aarav. Not as a boy. Not as a broken soul. But as my apprentice."

[Class Evolution: Necromancer Deathlord – Stage 1]

[Cultivation Path Unlocked: Bone Sovereign]

[New Passive Ability Acquired: Eyes of the End]

Class Evolution: Necromancer Deathlord – Stage 1: You are no longer just a user of death magic. You are now a vessel of it — chosen to master, reshape, and dominate it.

Class Upgrade: Necromancer → Necromancer Deathlord (Stage 1)

Cultivation Path: Bone Sovereign – Allows spiritual undead refinement and bone-based advancement

Sensory Perception Upgrade: "Eyes of the End"

Detect death essence and soul traces

Sense spiritual strength of undead and cursed beings

Track decaying or cursed lifeforms

You now see not as the living do… but as the dead must.

Aarav stared at the interface. He swallowed hard.

"What now? Are you... my power?"

"No," the Deathlord said coldly. "I am not your strength. I am your crucible. You will fall. Rise. And fall again. But each time... you will die better."

Aarav paused. "Then why haven't I been sent back?"

The Deathlord's grin was bone and smoke. "Because I'm not finished."

He raised a hand.

A bone-carved throne formed near Aarav — elegant, ominous. "Sit, child of pain."

Aarav, confused but calm, sat.

"You woke me," the Deathlord said, "but I am not whole. My power — my true self — lies fragmented. And you... are the key."

"Why me?" Aarav asked sharply.

"Because I see the fire in your eyes," the Deathlord replied. "A fire born not of ambition... but of need. You don't want to be strong. You must."

Aarav was silent. The words struck too deep.

The Deathlord leaned forward.

"I offer you a path. I, who once ruled legions, will become your teacher. In return... you help restore what was taken from me."

Aarav's brow furrowed.

"You want me to help you live?"

"No," the Deathlord answered. "I want you to help me remember what it means to exist."

They stared at one another.

Then Aarav said, "Fine. But I want more than power. I want control. Discipline. And a future."

The Deathlord raised his palm.

"Then let us bind it. By bone. By blood."

He sliced his wrist. A trickle of glowing bone ichor floated into the air.

Aarav did the same — cutting his thumb. His blood hovered, twirling.

The two drops merged. Glowed. Then split again — and entered them both.

[Mentorship Bond Formed: Deathlord]

[Access Granted: Deathlord's Domain – Unlocks at Level 10]

The Deathlord handed him a dark ring.

"This is my seal. Speak the phrase 'Open Lord's Domain' and you may enter my realm."

Aarav took the ring. Slid it on. It pulsed.

"Then from now on," the Deathlord said solemnly, "you walk my path. But make no mistake, Aarav... the world will try to break you."

Aarav looked him in the eye.

"Let it try."

The Deathlord nodded.

"Then go."

The world shimmered — and Aarav returned.

Back on the Battlefield

Ghrol turned as Aarav's form reappeared from violet mist. The shattered world of bones and runes welcomed its new Deathlord.

A glowing rune gate shimmered nearby.

[Trial Complete – Exit Unlocked]

Aarav turned to Ghrol.

"This isn't the end, Ghrol," he whispered. "It's the first step."

Together, they walked into the light.

Elsewhere — In the Village

Veluna gasped.

She awoke in her cottage, chest heaving. Sweat coated her brow.

She looked at her hands.

They glowed — faint violet. Shadows danced in her irises.

"I... felt something. Aarav…"

Then her voice fell silent.

On her palm — a glowing sigil of death.

But she didn't understand it.

Aarav's Return

As they stepped from the dungeon gate, Aarav looked at the village skyline.

A faint smile broke across his tired face.

"Get ready, world. I'm not the same."

Children looked at him with awe. Farmers paused. Even the dogs went silent.

"Who… is he?" someone whispered.

"He left as a boy," another muttered. "But he came back with death in his shadow."

Aarav ignored them all.

He and Ghrol reached the house.

He opened the door.

And everything stilled.

His mother was cleaning herbs at the table. The light hit her face just right.

It looked… divine.

His throat tightened.

"I'm home…" he said softly.

She looked up. Tears welled in her eyes.

"You're hurt!"

Before she could rush to him —

[WARNING: Hidden Identity Detected]

[NOTE: Your mother is not a normal woman.]

[Divine Signature Fragment Detected]

[Name: Veluna – Goddess of Death (Dormant)]

Aarav froze.

His gaze lingered on her — the way the shadows moved, the unnatural stillness in the air.

"She doesn't know," he whispered.

"She doesn't know who she is."

He clenched his fists.

"Then I'll help her awaken… no matter what it takes."