The Life of a Necromancer as a Swashbuckler

Chapter 8: Dreaming of the Past

“Where am I?” Before my eyes appeared a scene I seemed to have never seen before, yet it felt strangely familiar. I was in a dimly lit room; the light was so faint I could barely make out any figures, and everything was hazy. “Immortal monster, you’ve finally fallen into my hands.” A harsh, screeching voice rang out from across the room. I looked up and saw a figure clad entirely in black standing there, holding a young girl hostage. The girl was struggling desperately. Who was she? I strained to make out the figure’s face, but it remained indistinct. Yet deep down, I felt an overwhelming sense of urgency, as if someone very important to me had been taken hostage, and I desperately wanted to protect her. “Let her go! If you’ve got the guts, come after me!” The words burst from my body. “Immortal Demon, I’ll let her go—but first, lower your guard and walk toward me slowly,” “Guards? What are guards?” Only then did I notice I was wearing a pair of black gloves. They felt so familiar, as if they’d been a part of me since birth, full of vitality. Reluctantly, I took them off and slowly walked toward the man in black. As I walked, I felt a little afraid, but mostly worried—not for myself, but for the girl’s safety. “Let Annie go,” the voice echoed from within me once more. So her name was Annie. Was she pretty? I couldn’t make her out at all. In fact, I felt as if I were watching a movie—plunged into this scene before me, yet my actions were completely beyond my control. “Heh heh.” Just as I got close enough to the man in black, he let out a sinister laugh. Suddenly, a green beam shot straight at me from across the room—there was no way to dodge it. I was hit. The moment I was struck, I felt my mind suddenly begin to drift; I couldn’t focus my thoughts. It felt as if I were about to die. My body fell uncontrollably like a kite, but even as I fell, my eyes remained fixed on the girl in the man in black’s grasp. I felt a mix of resentment, fear, and regret. How I longed to see her face one last time! It seemed as though I could see her crying and struggling desperately, reaching out toward me. How I longed to hold her hand one more time! I hadn’t been able to save her—what would become of her now? Overwhelmed by regret, anxiety, and anger, I slowly closed my eyes. “Where am I?” When I opened my eyes again, I suddenly found myself standing in a dimly lit graveyard. The moon hung high in the sparse night sky, its light as pure as silver, spilling across the ground. The fear I’d felt moments before vanished instantly. I felt at ease—this place wasn’t frightening at all; on the contrary, it felt familiar and comforting. Where was I? Just as I was wondering, a little skeleton approached from the side, looking very friendly. It held a handful of water in its hands, as if offering it to me. I took it and sat down on the ground to drink. The skeleton sat quietly beside me, keeping me company, its little bony feet twitching slightly—it looked quite adorable. The little skeleton and I sat there quietly, enjoying the water in our hands and the tranquility of the night,A gentle breeze blew, feeling very pleasant; in that moment, it seemed as if time had stopped. I don’t know when it happened, but the scene shifted to a battlefield. I was riding a bone dragon, charging through the fray. Facing me was a group of lizardmen firing arrows nonstop, yet they posed no threat to me at all. I was wearing those black gloves, which seemed to be brimming with vitality as I swung them relentlessly. Dazzling white light shot from my hands, and the moment the enemies were struck, they turned to smoke. Whenever there were fallen bodies on the ground, I would casually wave my hand, and a skeleton would rise from the corpse, pick up a weapon from the ground, and fight alongside me. As more and more white skeletons gathered around me, I felt my power growing ever stronger, unstoppable. My blood was boiling, and I felt as if I had gone mad; I charged recklessly into the enemy’s ranks. “Are you really going to do this?” This time, I was lying on a bed again, naked and covered with a white sheet. Standing beside me was a cold, beautiful woman—intelligent and composed—who examined me as if she were a doctor. “Yes, I must save her!” My voice was filled with determination. “Even if it’s a trap, you’re willing to take the risk?” A hint of concern crept into the ice queen’s cold voice, “I have no other choice,” I seemed to understand her concerns yet felt powerless to do anything about them, “Don’t I still have you?” A remark that sounded almost flirtatious slipped from my lips, “No, you’d better stick with your Annie!” The ice queen seemed to lose her composure for a moment. “You chose this path yourself—you’ll have to bear the consequences.” As if a little jealous, she fiercely pulled the white sheet over my head. Then, it felt as though something had pierced my arm, and a searing pain shot through me. “Ouch, that hurts!” Struggling through the pain, I sat up. “Young Master, you’re awake!” A melodious female voice drifted over. I turned my head—and my first thought was, “A beauty!” A delicate, demure young woman with bright, lively eyes. I felt like I’d seen this girl before—it was Shi Jingyu! It was as if I’d suddenly snapped out of a daze; the haze from the previous scene vanished completely. I was sitting in an unfamiliar place, my body wrapped in bandages. Every movement sent a wave of pain through me. Shi Jingyu was sitting on a stool by the bed, looking at me with concern. Perhaps I’d sat up too quickly—my body hadn’t fully recovered yet. As soon as I took in the scene clearly, another wave of dizziness swept over me,My head lolled to the side, and I began to fall backward, but just then I heard a gasp beside my ear. I felt someone quickly brace their body against my upper torso to catch me—it felt so soft. Cradled in Xiangyu’s arms, I drifted back into a deep sleep.