A middle-aged man was sitting alone in a large cave. He had a flame in front of him and was roasting a rabbit. The scent of cooked meat lingered in the cave.

"Aren’t you bored with this, Desvidia?" A handsome young man appeared next to the flame.

"It’s not my fault that you lost your ability to taste and smell," Desvidia said. "But I do pity you."

"What’s the difference? Don’t tell me you still have an appet.i.te."

"Only animals eat to quell their hunger, Morgan," Desvidia said, shaking his head. "I enjoy the process of making it, the process of eating. I enjoy the taste. Brings me back to the old days. Once in a while, I need to remind myself what warmth and comfort mean."

"You’re starting to sound like Golman," Morgan said with a laugh. "Why are you doing this yourself?"

Desvidia pursed his lips. The mind magic Anfey released during their fight was so powerful that it cut off all the links he had to the skeleton army. He couldn’t bring the skeletons with him when he fled the city.

"What happened?" Morgan asked, concerned. He could tell there was something bothering Desvidia.

"Do you believe there’s someone who can use all the magic?"

"No," Morgan said, shaking his head.

"I didn’t think so, either," Desvidia said, "until I met him."

"But that’s impossible," Morgan argued.

"I saw it with my own eyes," Desvidia said. "His control of the elements is incredible."

"Who are you talking about?"

"Anfey."

"You went to White Mountain City?" Morgan asked, his eyes wide in shock. "Are you mad?"

Desvidia did not say anything. His eyes did not move away from the fire.

"I heard that Baery had brought Shawn, Dalmatian, Steger, and Ernest to the city," Morgan said. "Scarlet had the three Grand Knights, Jerrick’s force, Manstuly and the elves. Ellisen Empire has a foot in this as well." Morgan paused, looking at Desvidia sternly. "Haven’t you heard what master said? No matter who wins this, there will be considerable damage to all sides. We need to weaken them enough so they can do nothing about the Throne of Bones. If we disrupt this…none of us can protect you."

"I’m not trying to do anything," Desvidia said with a shrug. "I’m just curious. I wanted to see if the rumors were true."

"You just wanted to see," Morgan said mockingly. "You wanted to see so badly you lost your skeletons."

"It’s not my fault," Desvidia argued. "I wanted to teach them a lesson."

"And you got a lesson instead," Morgan said, shaking his head.

"Don’t just talk about me!" Desvidia said angrily. "You didn’t find Golman yet, did you? Everyone knows what has happened except for master. If master finds out, can you imagine what will happen?"

Morgan lowered his head. After a few moments of silence, he sighed and sat down next to Desvidia. "You think master doesn’t know?"

"You mean…" Desvidia’s eyes widened. "Then you…" They might argue and fight, but the two of them had been together for hundreds of years. Desvidia was worried for Morgan because of their deep friends.h.i.+p.

"Master won’t do anything," Morgan said. He waved his hand and set up a magic barrier to make sure no one was eavesdropping. "I’m sad because of that."

"You’re sad that you didn’t get punished," Desvidia said drily.

Morgan nodded. "I think master must have been furious. The worst the punishment, the happier I would be." Morgan sighed. He picked up a stick and poked the fire. "Do you know what it means if master pretends nothing had happened?"

"What does it mean?"

Morgan bit his lip. "I guess there’s no use keeping this from you," he said. "Before Golman left, he came to me. He said if I let him go and master punished me, he would immediately come back. If master pretends nothing happens, then…"

"Then what?"

"Then that means Golman was right. Master was worried that we think he was furious and he took care of everything."

"That means… Golman’s right?"

"You know the Land of Repose? Golman had been spying on that place. That is a place of death. New lives will be born from those bones and, like the creatures we have, they will fight and kill until only the most powerful remains. After a few generations, those creatures will become very, very powerful until they gain the most power. The most powerful creature will absorb all lives there and fall asleep again. Then the cycle will repeat." Morgan paused. "There is no repose in the Land of Repose. Do you want this place to become another Land of Repose?"

"If this becomes the Land of Repose…" Desvidia shuddered. "Master must be that hidden creature. He has repeated this cycle until he becomes more powerful than anything else this the world. More powerful than G.o.ds. Then he invades other worlds and creates more Lands of Repose."

"What are G.o.ds, Desvidia?" Morgan asked, shaking his head. "The power of G.o.ds derives from their believers. Will they ever invade other worlds?"

"Maybe our world was once invaded by such G.o.ds."

The two of them fell silent. After a few moments, Desvidia said, "Maybe we shouldn’t keep building the throne."

"No," Morgan said, shaking his head. "Master isn’t a patient person, Desvidia. Golman’s betrayal is already too much."

"But what can we do?" Desvidia asked. "I wish Golman was here."

"I’ve already asked him," Morgan said. "He said we should wait. Wait for change. Wait for fate to make a decision."

"Fate?" Desvidia repeated. "I don’t believe in fate. If I did, I would never have become a necromancer. I would rather die than be absorbed by some strange creature."

"That goes for all of us," Morgan said. "Can Anfey really use all types of magic?"

"You can go see for yourself," Desvidia said with a shrug.

"You mean there really is Sacred Inheritance?"

"Of course," Desvidia said. "There were so many of them in the past."

"That was so long ago," Morgan said. "Power in this world is sealed away. There will be no Sacred Inheritance if that seal is still there. Master is the only one."

"There will be a second one. You and I both know this."

"No," Morgan said. "Master had already achieved Sacred Inheritance before he died, or else he wouldn’t have been able to fight against the seal, either. If someone can achieve Sacred Inheritance with the seal in place, how powerful will he be once the seal is removed?"

Desvidia sighed. "I don’t know," he said.

"You got me interested now," Morgan said. "But we must wait. We are not powerful enough to defy master. We must be patient and wait."