When Mia's self-awareness returned, she was a soul floating above the stone platform.
She was a vividly colored, fully formed soul, but she remained a soul rather than a living body of flesh and blood. Experiencing life as a spirit was completely different from experiencing it through a physical body. After Skyl summoned her back from the Outer Planes, Mia needed a considerable amount of time to understand her new circumstances.
She had to readjust to seeing the world through the eyes of a soul. What she perceived had nothing to do with light, but rather with the strength of spiritual energy. Lifeless objects appeared as dim, indistinct gray outlines, while intelligent living creatures resembled glowing figures seen through thermal imaging.
"Who are you?" Mia's soul looked toward Skyl. In her eyes, he appeared as a cold, illusory sun with a vaguely familiar figure hidden within it.
"I'm Skyl. Do you remember me?"
"Yes, I remember... I remember calling out to you before I died, Mr. Skyl, but you never came."
Her sorrow was a garden.
"I arrived a little too late. I cut off the head of the succubus who killed you before she could escape back to Hell. Look, her head is right here."
"Thank you. Unfortunately, I can't see it very clearly. Are my father, mother, and grandmother all right?"
"I don't know. I haven't returned to Daggerford. It hasn't even been six months, though, so it's unlikely that anything has happened to them."
"You're still as blunt as ever, Mr. Skyl." Mia's soul smiled faintly.
Her memories gradually returned, including everything recorded within her soul, the torment she had suffered before her death and everything she had witnessed afterward.
Souls possessed an inherently immortal nature. Even gods could not completely destroy them. Devils coveted the power contained within souls, deceiving them with contracts before using torture in Hell to squeeze out their spiritual energy. Souls were also a common currency throughout the Lower Planes. Those wealthy in souls seemed capable of purchasing anything in the multiverse.
After Mia's soul was desecrated through necromancy, it had not vanished. Instead, it continued falling until it arrived beside a vast and desolate river of blood. It was the River Styx, which flowed through the Lower Planes. Every drop of its water contained the essence of evil, and sinful souls drifted and struggled within its currents.
A ferryman holding a long pole stopped his vessel at the crossing and allowed soul after soul to board his wooden raft.
"I saw more souls waiting to cross than I could count. They looked like flocks of migratory birds resting across a mountainside. The ferryman asked why I wouldn't cross, so I asked him what lay on the other side. He said the realm of Kelemvor, Lord of the Dead, was across the river. Every soul had to travel to the Crystal Spire and face judgment. The Faithless would be mortared into the city walls, the guilty would be sent to Hell, and the innocent would enter the realms of the gods."
"When I found you, you were still standing on the banks of the River Styx. What kept you from moving on?"
"I didn't want to cross the river. I wanted to go home."
"Then you can go home now."
Skyl pushed open the sarcophagus. The undead body slept inside it. To Mia's spiritual vision, it resembled a human silhouette surrounded by ominous black mist.
"What is that? It frightens me, but at the same time, I feel as though I shouldn't be afraid."
"It's your body. Someone turned it into an undead creature. Since then, the body has undergone an unexpected transformation and produced a thoughtform within itself. I need that thoughtform. With your permission, I'll remove it, much like cutting a wild mushroom from a piece of rotting wood. It won't harm you in any way."
"Then please take it."
Skyl immediately drew the thoughtform from the undead body. It resembled the gray, empty shell of a cicada.
"What is it used for?"
"A thoughtform is the outermost and most complex layer of a soul. The undead kuo-toa believed you were their goddess, and the madness inherent to their species took effect. Against all expectations, their belief created a thoughtform infused with divine essence. I intend to use it to forge a Great Rune and further complete my divine portfolio."
Skyl held the thoughtform as though cradling a precious diamond.
"This thoughtform is too weak to forge a Great Rune representing the divine portfolio of death in a single attempt, but it's still extremely valuable. That's why I needed to ask for your permission before resurrecting you."
"Mr. Skyl, you went through all this trouble just to ask for my permission? Does the consent of a dead girl truly matter to you?"
"It does. I think you're a good person, so I won't steal something that belongs to you."
"I wish everyone could be like you, someone who understands how to respect others, even when the person before them is only an insignificant nobody."
Mia suddenly laughed, but the sorrow hidden within her smile seeped outward like a rising tide.
"Mr. Skyl... I truly, truly don't want to die like that again. It hurt so much. I was terrified."
Skyl spoke softly.
"Do you know why you died? It wasn't because you weren't kind. It was because you were weak. Power is the ultimate answer. It can solve nearly every problem, and courage can make up for whatever remains. You want to become stronger. I already know what lies within your heart, and I understand the fierce ambition now driving you forward. Since I promised to ignite the souls of this world, I will not ignore your desire to rise."
"What should I do?"
Skyl closed his hand around the thoughtform and pointed toward the undead body lying inside the sarcophagus.
"There are two paths. Life or death?"
...
"That is my story. I could have chosen to continue living in the form of a living person. Mr. Skyl said that path held tremendous potential. You know about the warlocks of Skylrael, don't you? Their mission will be to travel throughout the world and into every corner of the universe, spreading knowledge and collecting Candle Flames. Through Lights Inside the Skull, they will advance as disciples and eventually attain legendary power."
Andrei looked toward Livia beside him. She had told him something similar, although never in such explicit terms.
The cleric of Tyr felt both confused and uneasy. The method Mia described sounded remarkably similar to the path followed by clerics.
Clerics gained power by spreading their faith, earning the favor of their gods, and receiving divine grace. The warlocks of Skylrael seemed to possess considerably greater independence, allowing them to draw power directly from the growth of their faith. That made the entire system sound uncomfortably similar to a devil's bargain.
Livia knew very well that the fundamental nature of her existence had changed the moment she became a warlock. She had transformed into an extraplanar being somewhat similar to a devil. If someone cast [Hold Person] on her, the spell would have no effect.
Elminster's eyes gleamed as he smiled.
"It appears you chose the other path."
"That's right. I chose death. My soul is still alive and vibrant, but my body is now about the same as my grandfather's body in the family graveyard." Mia laughed. "But there's nothing wrong with that. I am the first of the dead beneath the Silver Tree, an undead druid who guards the cemetery. Candle Flames and thought protect my soul, so my mind will remain clear forever."
The interwoven gray and white flames deep within her pupils suddenly became brighter and more piercing. Those with particularly sharp senses immediately felt a chill in their hearts. They could perceive that this strange undead creature concealed an even deeper secret, a secret concerning power.
The paladin, who had remained silent until now, finally asked the question that concerned him most.
"Are you planning to turn everyone who dies in this city into undead?"
"Of course not. Although I chose the path of undeath, I don't believe becoming undead is the better choice. The warlocks have their mission to spread knowledge, and I have my own mission to soothe the dead. There are far too many restless souls throughout the Shadowfell, the Negative Energy Plane, and every corner of the Material Plane. I could never bring all of them to this cemetery by myself. Should any of you join Skylrael, you can come help me. I promise you'll be generously compensated."
Mia removed a black crystal from a pouch at her waist.
Livia exclaimed, "A Memory Stone!"
"That's right. I prepare roughly half of the materials used to create Memory Stones, but my production is extremely limited and can't keep up with everyone's demand."
Livia immediately became excited.
"I'll come help you."
Eager to return home, Andrei hurriedly spoke.
"Miss Mia, we apologize for arriving without an invitation, but it's already very late. Would you allow us to take our leave?"
Mia spoke sadly.
"Oh, have I been talking too much? I've spent the entire time telling my story and answering your questions, yet I still know almost nothing about any of you."
For some inexplicable reason, everyone's expression became slightly strange when she said that. Cold sweat even began running down Andrei's back.
The atmosphere made it feel as though failing to offer a few pleasant words would immediately trigger a combat encounter. This unusual undead creature clearly had a close connection with Skyl, the master of the flying enclave. Her Challenge Rating was probably far from low.
The people gathered here were not truly united, so none of them wanted to begin a fight in enemy territory.
The three fishfolk commanders hurriedly spoke.
"We have stories too. We can tell you ours."
Elminster also nodded.
"That's right. This old man has lived for a very long time. You can ask me anything that interests you."
"Don't be nervous. You're free to leave whenever you wish, and you're welcome to visit again at any time. I don't have much to offer besides tea, so please remember to bring your own snacks next time."
Everyone released an inexplicable sigh of relief before saying their farewells and departing one after another.
The cemetery fell silent once more.
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