"Bow your heads before them."
It was just a single sentence, yet it sounded like the tolling of a farewell bell.
After that, the suicide squad — known as the 'last hope of the continent' — set off.
We entered the Abyss.
No light.
No escape.
It was a place where—
— the only sound was the cold wind howling through the sheer stone walls at the end of the world.
———
"The Abyss?"
I woke.
"Ah, right. The Abyss..."
The name, thought to be buried in the ashes of memory, re-emerged crystal clear:
The scar that never healed.
"How long has it been since I slept?"
People call it sleep — a normal action.
But to me, it's just a way of pretending.
How ridiculous... A lich doesn't need to sleep.
The gentle morning light seeped through the dilapidated door of the abandoned blacksmith's shop and shone inside.
Dust mingled in the air, clinging to every crevice of the knight's armour.
The metal was tarnished and scratched, flaking off in patches.
Holding the wrinkled portrait of the blacksmith, I suddenly remembered Garn Kestor.
He was a true friend of mine.
He once said:
"Iron, like us, must be struck to take shape. But too much striking turns it into scrap."
At the time, I just laughed.
Looking back now, perhaps he had anticipated everything.
I held the faded portrait tightly in my hand. Its paper was worn by the passing of time, much like my memories.
Garn Kestor.
He was the guiding light that helped me through my darkest days.
And then he died...
But I did not.
...
Today, the city of Clitus has returned to its usual bustling atmosphere.
The Duchess's soldiers have withdrawn, leaving the streets teeming with merchants, carts and shops selling everything from imitation gems to aromatic baked goods.
I walked slowly through the crowd, my old cloak dragging on the ground to hide the armour.
Sunlight gleamed on billboards, while the continuous calls of vendors echoed through the air.
I felt strange about everything.
But that was to be expected.
After all, it had been four thousand years.
Suddenly recalling my conversation with the soldiers, I felt my heart sink.
"Four thousand years ago, the North was the territory of the dwarves."
"They had underground fortresses, ingenious blacksmiths and potent ales that could fell even sorcerers."
I stopped in front of a small roadside newsstand.
Children were shouting to sell the news, their hands raised high with freshly printed papers that still smelled of ink.
'The Northern Vampire Queen raises port taxes.'
The huge headline caught my eye immediately.
"...now they call that place the Kingdom of Vampires."
"Since when a minority group ever been able to build an entire kingdom?"
"What has happened to the dwarves?"
I quietly watched the bustling, lively crowd passing by, moving hurriedly as if the war had never happened.
"...I missed it all."
"Mama, look! There's a knight!"
I was startled.
A child pointed at me, her eyes wide with curiosity.
"No..." Her mother pulled her away hurriedly, scanning me suspiciously.
Then they both disappeared into the crowd as if I were something to be avoided.
That look.
I was used to it.
Not just from her mother, either.
Everyone here looked at me that way: Indifferent and cautious.
But a person in armour could still be seen as 'understandable'.
If they knew I was a lich, however, they would scream, run away and call the guards. Another brutal hunt for the undead would begin.
From what I've gathered, anything non-human is considered a 'monster' in this era.
Whether it's a skeleton, an ogre or a small, weak goblin, as long as it doesn't resemble a human, it's perceived as a threat.
It's not like my era.
Back then, the term 'monster' referred to creatures from the Abyss — beings that appeared alongside disasters, diseases, and madness.
They weren't just different species; they were signs that the world was out of balance and cursed.
But now, that boundary has vanished.
'Monster' is no longer a phenomenon. It has become a prejudice.
And I,
the one...
... no longer belong to the past.
... was not accepted in the present either.
I wandered around the city all morning.
The cobbled streets are too clean. The carriages move so smoothly that they barely make a sound.
This world is clearly not meant for me.
Everything that used to be familiar to me — the smell of burnt coal, the sound of the blacksmith's hammer hitting iron and the smell of cheap cigarettes in the old tavern — has vanished.
Shiny, noisy, strange things have taken their place.
I tried to find a small alley again.
Quiet.
Empty.
Well.
No watchful eyes.
No questions asked.
No one recognises my presence—
As if I never existed.
I sat down on the cracked stone steps at the side of the road.
Gently and silently.
I looked up at the sky.
It's still that shade of blue: Vast, borderless and formless.
Only it... has not changed.
___
"Hey."
"Why are you sitting here all alone?"
A voice rang out, pulling me from my thoughts.
From the alleyway, a group of burly men staggered towards me, reeking of cheap alcohol and sweat.
One of them draped his arm over my shoulder as though we were old friends.
The whole group sat down beside me.
"You must be a knight descended from a long-forgotten noble family, right."
I stayed silent.
The smell of alcohol hit me straight in the face — it was so strong that it made me want to get drunk too.
"Just arrived in the city?"
"Looking for a job?"
"Just in time! We need a frontliner."
A guy grinned widely and said, "Join the most famous mercenary team in Clitus's Adventure Guild! You'll earn lots of money!"
I intend to refuse.
"I don't..."
"Come on, don't be formal!"
One guy leans his whole body onto my shoulder and starts snoring loudly, as if he has just found the perfect pillow.
I exhale.
Not annoyed.
Just... confused.
Why it is me?
____
(In another place, more than a hundred miles from the city of Clitus...)
Even at the start of the afternoon, the sky was shrouded in thick grey clouds, as if the entire atmosphere were holding its breath.
The southern mansion of Vinni Castle, which has fallen into disrepair after many years without maintenance, is now an even gloomier place, with cold winds seeping through every crack in the stonework.
In the hall, the faint light from the lamp was reflected by the worn red carpet, creating patches of light and shadow across the cold grey stone floor.
The walls were high. The arched ceiling was wide. Yet in that desolate room, there were only two people: a duchess and her most loyal guard.
Angelie stood silently by the large glass window.
Outside, the relentless drizzle blurred the scenery, making it difficult to tell where the sky ended and the mountains began.
Her heart was no different — everything was tangled and chaotic.
Despite the fireplace, the room was cold.
"My lord."
The guard bowed and placed his hands in front of his chest.
"The escaped Ogre has been eliminated."
"The magic team has also been severely punished for negligence."
"There are no casualties."
"... Uhmm."
Angelie sighed.
"About that matter..."
She turned.
"Gray, do you think... Did I make the decision too hastily?"
Gray hesitated. "I would never doubt your decision, my lord."
"It's just that the conditions he set are far too disadvantageous for us. That fat pig has a many dozen dirty tricks up his sleeve."
He clenched his fist tightly.
"If you wish, I can escort you out of here immediately. His soldiers cannot stop us."
Angelie closed her eyes for a moment, then gently shook her head.
"Vinni Duke will only agree to the battle if we accept these conditions."
Gray looked at her with concern.
"You've always been too brave.. even when the Duke was alive." He lowered his voice. "I am truly honoured to serve under your command."
"But... please think it over."
Angelie turned around.
Her eyes glinted with a hard, resolute look, like steel forged in fire.
"We can't keep running away, Gray."
"If we back down, he will use that as an excuse to install the swindler as the Blade clan heir."
"From there, he will exploit this false excuse to wage war."
"You know it too, Gray. The Blade clan has weakened significantly since my father passed away. And since the Royal secretly invaded the northern territory..."
We have no choices left."
Her voice dropped to almost a whisper.
"We need an alliance with Vinni's army, if only in name."
Gray gritted his teeth. "But what if he betrays us?"
"The nobles will protect the outcome of the battle."
"I don't think he's got the courage to do anything in front of them."
"But what about the condition he set?"
Gray's gaze darkened.
"A life-or-death battle between the two sides. The battle will only be considered over when one side has no knights left.'
"Besides me and Sir Posseidon, we only have seventeen mid-level knights left."
"Most of the others have never seen a battlefield."
Angelie fell silent.
"Clitus's Adventure Guild."
"..send someone there immediately. Use my money to hire veterans and mercenaries — anyone who wants to fight."
"If we employ the right strategy, I believe we can win."
Angelie looked straight into Gray's eyes.
"We must believe in our own choices, Gray."
"I will lead everyone to ultimate victory — sworn to the name Blade!"