Bouncing around Leander, Narina kept asking the same question.
"Bet you've never seen a transformation as cool as that, have ya?"
"I can do it again and again, it just takes anima to transform."
"Want to see me do it again?"
On the third pass, Leander caught Narina by her furs, lifting her off the ground.
"You missed a spot."
Narina blinked a few times before bursting into laughter, her tail swaying through the air as she kicked her legs playfully.
"Oh yeah! I can't be bothered to transform again; at worst, people will think I'm just a Beast-Kin. Undead are friendly with Beast-Kin, right? At least that's what my uncle told me."
Leander rolled his eyes and released Narina. The moment her feet hit the ground, she sprinted forward, racing across the final stretch of the land bridge and disappearing through the gates of Funerary.
Reaching the gates, Leander was about to walk through when he stopped as a voice spoke to him.
"Found a new friend, Hero?"
Merritt's armour clanked as the ogre adjusted his grip on his battle axe.
Tilting his head, Leander stared at Merritt for a second before sternly muttering his response.
"She's not my friend. Melaine didn't bring me back or send me out to make friends. Has anything happened while I was gone? Since the bridge looks repaired and not in an even worse state, I take it the Goddess' Seraphs didn't make a return."
Merritt shook his head.
"The Seraph's haven't brightened our doorstep, nothing interesting. Well, part of Ravenmother is helping a new influx of undead find places to settle down. But other than that, nope, nothing at all."
"I thought Ravenmother would find us when we entered the kingdom, but if she was busy with something, I guess that explains it. By the way, I h-"
As Leander was about to ask Funerary's gatekeeper something, Narina's voice rang out from down the street.
"Leander! Come on! You promised food!"
Slightly irritated, Leander shouted back.
"I'm coming!"
Merritt's voice rumbled, a low chuckle coming from his bony lips.
"Not here to make friends, huh?"
Rolling his eyes, Leander didn't respond to the gatekeeper, distracted by Narina. Moving quickly around the street, Narina looked through windows and took in the damaged architecture. Sniffing the air, she took in the smells.
"So this is Funeral. I've heard about this place before. I didn't expect it to smell as nice as it does, sure it looks like a Rock Muncher just came through, but on the bright side, at least it doesn't smell like a Rock Muncher just came through."
Without a clue as to what a Rock Muncher was, Leander walked forward. His large strides quickly left the stationary Narina behind. Turning around, Narina gasped.
"Hey! It's too late to start leaving me behind now!"
Catching up to Leander, Narina continued to look at their surroundings – just making sure to stay near to Leander should he decide to try and leave her behind again.
As they strode through Funerary, Leander took turn after turn.
Narina followed behind, not questioning his decisions, having never been to Funerary before. She knew its layout no better than Leander did, which was not very well in the first place.
After a few hours, Leander came to a stop, Narina stopping beside him. Her stomach grumbling – grabbing his sleeve – Narina looked up to Leander with a glum expression as she pulled on his arm.
"Leander... How long until we get to the food… I'm hungry…"
Ignoring Narina, Leander looked around, hoping to grab someone off the street to ask for directions. Yet unlike the times he had passed through Funerary before, there was nobody in sight. It seemed that all the undead were already where they needed to be.
Turning to the building he had stopped beside, his eyes narrowed.
Coincidentally, it was the same bookshop he had stopped next to the first time Leander had gotten lost. Feeling Narina tug harder on his sleeve, Leander turned to see her looking at him with a pitying expression.
"Are you lost? It's okay, Leander. I get lost easily, too."
The two stared at each other for a second before Leander stepped closer to the bookstore.
"I'm not lost… just… looking for some reading material. All those nights whilst you're sleeping, it gets incredibly boring."
Reaching the door, Leander opened it, stepping through Narina following close behind. A bell attached to the door frame jingled, indicating somebody had entered the store. The store owner's voice called from a back room.
"Be with you in a minute!"
Hopping ahead of Leander, Narina disappeared into the bookstore.
As he was waiting for the owner to appear, Leander looked around the room. The first thing he noticed was the quality of the books, whilst the shelves seemed to have been broken and repaired numerous times, hundreds of times over many many years. The carpet was faded, whatever colour it was had vanished a long time ago, and there was a peculiar stain marking the carpet by the door, perhaps from muddy shoes.
But the books – Leander reached for one at random, plucking out a thin book from a nearby shelf. His eyes flicked to the cover, where a delicate illustration in soft pastel hues depicted a man with long, flowing red hair, cradling a pile of ashes in his hands. The title read: Lysander, the Man That Brought Ash.
At first, Leander hadn't been interested in the book, simply intrigued at how the books were free of the rot and decay that pervaded the Undead Kingdom. Yet as Leander looked at this book, his eyes narrowed in recognition.
'Lysander, I've heard this name before. Kenju mentioned him, Lysander, the First Hero.'
Whether this was a man Leander had known in his first life but forgotten due to his memory loss or someone entirely unfamiliar to him, he couldn't say. All he knew was that Leander wanted to know more about this man.
"Oh, it's you. I thought that voice sounded familiar."
Leander hadn't heard the door to the backroom open, lost in thought. Turning to address whoever had spoken to him, Leander paused for a second before a loose smile parted his lips.
"No, no, forgive me for not recognising your voice sooner. Hello again, Kenju."
The man Leander had first met upon his return to Funerary stood behind the bookstore counter, his frail frame settling into a chair. His decayed features lifted into a smile.
"How long's it been, Leo? A few weeks, if I've got my head screwed on right. How goes your grand quest to slay the Demon King?"
Kenju's voice cracked slightly with laughter at the end, amusement flickering in his hollowed eyes. He clearly didn't believe Leander was serious about slaying the Demon King – and who could blame him?
Approaching the counter, Leander rested the book he had been holding on its surface.
"A few weeks sounds about right."
Leander answered with a small smile.
"But now, who could have guessed I'd run into you. Pulling that cart, I would have thought you'd deal with something a bit more substantial than books."
"More substantial-"
Unable to believe what he had just heard, Kenju's words spluttered as they fell out of his mouth.
"More substantial than books!? Shame on you, man. What could be more substantial than knowledge? It's why I keep this place. Some of us undead may be hundreds of years old and even lived through some of the stories the books here tell. But what happens to that knowledge when they face their final death? It will be lost, and these books, these books will remain. Although, you seem to have your own interest in books"
Kenju reached for the book Leander had placed down, his fingers drumming its cover for a moment.
"Lysander, the Man That Brought Ash. That's a good read. It details how Lysander gained the title of First Hero and what he did with the Ashes of Creation."
Crossing Leander shook his head.
"Oh, spoil it all for me, why don't you. How much for the book? I hope not much…"
Opening the satchel hanging at his side, Leander squinted. He had nothing in his satchel except the map of the Undead Kingdom and parts of the Wilds and the Goddess' Kingdom Ilia had given him.
He looked back to Kenju with a crooked smile.
"I can trade you a really nice map for it."
Kenju held up a palm, shaking his head.
"You can have the book, I don't ask for payment; the only request I make is that these books are cared for. Knowledge should be shared, and besides, what use do I have for currency? Buy food? Ha!"
Seemingly summoned at the mention of food, Narina emerged from behind a bookcase, having finished exploring the bookstore.
"This place is empty, it's just pieces of paper. I'm going to die of starvation soon!"
Seeing Narina, Kenju raised a brow at Narina's tail that smacked into the shelves she passed by.
"You have brought a friend with you, I see."
Narina looked at Kenju.
"Who's the old man?"
As Leander was about to snap at Narina, Kenju let out a jovial laugh.
"I suppose I am a little old. My name is Kenju, and you, you're hungry, you say?"
Reaching under the counter, Kenju produced a small bag. Opening it, he reached inside, pulling out a couple of small marble-sized objects that softly glowed with cyan light, which he offered to Narina.
"Have a mournstone, these little treats are infused with anima by our queen. It may not nourish your body, but it will nourish your soul."
Narina eyed the marble suspiciously, she looked to Leander with a questioning gaze. He simply shrugged. Accepting the mournestones from Kenju, Narina threw it into her mouth. The stone cracked – instantly beginning to dissolve – as Narina applied pressure on it with her teeth, and her mouth felt a warm sensation as the anima escaped from the stone and flowed into her body, into her soul.
"Oh! These aren't too bad! Have one!"
Narina exclaimed, holding the remaining mournestones to Leander.
An offer he quickly declined, pushing Narina an arms length away.
"No."
Picking up the book, Leander put it into his satchel. Closing his bag, Leander asked Kenju the question he had initially come into the bookstore with the intention of asking.
"So, Kenju. You wouldn't by any chance be able to give us directions to Melaine's castle, would you? We seem to have… Taken a few wrong turns."
Kenju's face lit up with an eager smile as he responded to Leander's question, his voice carrying the warmth of someone who took pride in their knowledge of the city. With animated gestures, he outlined the route, describing each turn and landmark with careful detail.
"You'll want to take the main road first – Mercy Street – until you reach the old clock tower. From there, head left down Lantern's Hollow. It's a bit narrow, but don't worry, it'll open up again once you pass the market square."
He continued, his tone turning slightly more serious.
"After that, follow the winding path up past the mausoleums. That's where the road starts to climb. You'll see the stone markers along the way – each one older than the last. Keep going until you reach the iron archway at the top. That'll bring you right into the castle courtyard. Can't miss it. Just don't stray too far from the path. Funerary has a way of… confusing those who aren't paying attention."
Kenju folded his arms, nodding in satisfaction. Yet, despite his detailed instructions, Leander's brow furrowed.
'Have I been going the wrong way the entire time? I don't recognise any of those landmarks.'
"Thank you, Kenju. Narina come on let's go."
Without needing any further prompt, Narina skipped towards the door, throwing another mournestone into her mouth with a crack as she crushed it. Following Narina into the street, Leander held the door open for a moment as he looked at the pristine books that lined the rotting shelves.
"Kenju, I have one last question. These books, how are they all in such a good condition?"
Chuckling, Kenju pulled a mournestone from the bag on his counter, putting it between his rotten lips.
"Now, now Leo, from how it sounds, you've got places to be, no doubt meeting up with Queen Melaine. I'll answer your question the next time we meet. Now shoo, shoo. Don't keep her waiting now."