My entire body was sore. We had been riding in a carriage for the past few hours and I had long since lost all feeling in my legs as the carriage rattled along the dirt road we were on. After reaching the other side of the portal, we were ushered through a massive castle that served as the counterpart to the OIAA building. After exiting the building, we boarded a carriage and began our trek towards the northwestern demon territories. 

The three of us were accompanied by a carriage driver and two technicians who would operate the equipment needed to scan a fortress or castle and create the magical imprint needed for a Mana Stage. It was a fascinating process but it went way over my head. Grace and Olivia had opted to sit on either side of me while the other two men sat across from us. 

I had never been to Fantasia before but so far, it had lived up to my expectations. The medieval towns we had passed by or through were bustling with life as citizens of different races interacted. The world of Fantasia also had far fewer developed areas leading to large swathes of forest like the one we were passing through now. 

I felt something touch my left arm and turned to find that Grace was laying her head against my shoulder. “Um, Grace what are you?” My question was answered prematurely by her quiet breathing. Her sleeping face looked incredibly cute. My heart started beating faster as I looked at her face. 

Quickly turning away, I tried to hide the blush on my face to no avail. As we continued along the forest trail, the painful rocking of the carriage transitioned into a gentle lull and my eyes became increasingly heavy. The adrenaline from my fight for survival last night and the excitement of visiting Fantasia today were finally starting to wear off. 

— Grace —

I woke up after having taken a nap in the carriage and immediately panicked for I had awoken to find I was resting on Alex’s shoulder. There was a noticeable wet spot on the shoulder of his shirt that had been soaked in my drool. I would have died of embarrassment on the spot had I not realized he was still asleep himself. 

Oliva who sat on the other side of Alex was resting her chin on a hand and looking at me with a smirk. She saw the whole thing. “How was your beauty sleep?” She asked with a smile. I couldn’t hide my stutter as I responded, “F-f-f-f-Fine.” 

“We’re finally nearing the first location so you should probably wake up your boyfriend.” She said. Her last words echoed in my ears as I tried to register what she had just said. “B-b-b-b-boyfriend? No, we’re not like that, not yet.” I realized my mistake but it was too late. “Yet?” Olivia repeated questioningly? I wanted to retort but fearing that I would say something embarrassing, I decided to be quiet.  

I lightly shook Alex awake and watched as his eyes fluttered open. “Mmmmhhh…. we there yet?” he asked as he rubbed his eye. “Almost” Olivia responded. I glanced out the window and spotted a castle growing in the distance. “Look Alex” I cried as I shook his shoulder and pointed out the window. 

He glanced out the window and said “Ah you painted your nails. How lovely.” I blushed slightly as I shook my hand. “No, I’m talking about the castle.” He chuckled before poking me on the nose. “That’s for waking me up in the middle of my nap.”

The carriage drew near the castle and we all stepped out. The castle before us was hauntingly beautiful in its appearance. It reminded me somewhat of the cathedrals near my home, at least, the home I lived in while growing up in fantasia. 

We began touring the castle and discussing what elements we liked or disliked. Our main focus on this trip was to find a suitable structure to replicate for the Mana Stage after all. We arrived back at the carriage and looked at the beautiful fortress. “So what do you think Alexander?” Oliva asked. He thought for a moment before responding, “Sorry but I'm just not feeling it.” She let out a sigh before saying “That’s fine, there are several more places we can check out.”

“Nah, way too big.”

“I don’t know about this one, something’s missing”

“I can’t even. Did you see the inside?”

“Well personally, I think the architect should have been fired.”

We had already visited five castles and Alex and rejected all of them. While I couldn’t find anything wrong with them, he seemed displeased after searching each and every one. The sun was beginning to set and our group was heading to a nearby demon city to rest and resume our search tomorrow. 

There were still several castles on our list that we could visit tomorrow but with the way things were going, I doubted tomorrow would be different. “What’s with that small town?” Alex asked as he looked out the window. 

To our left was a distant town, one which had likely been abandoned due to the more recent migration of demons to the capital city. “I’m not quite familiar with that town” Olivia responded. Before either of us could blink, Alex had flung the carriage door open and began sprinting towards the town.

“Stop the carriage!” I yelled as Olivia and I also hopped out and began chasing after him. By the time we reached him, he was standing in front of an iron fence just outside of town. His eyes were closed and he was kneeling while placing a hand on the ground.

“This is the place that I will make my kingdom.” He said while still kneeling. Olivia and I looked at him questioningly. “How come?” she asked. He stood up and I began to recognize the vague shape of headstones behind him. 

“Nearly every dungeon master uses a castle or dungeon, it’s practically common sense at this point. While all the castles we visited today were no doubt incredible, they offered nothing new. I want to take advantage of the new open air Mana Stage we’ll be using to provide something new. A town of the undead.”

He smiled as he continued, “the manor at the edge of town would work as a perfect final boss room. The town's cathedral or the city square could house mini-bosses. Having hero’s work their way from one end of the town to another would also offer multiple paths meaning the dungeon won’t  get old for a while. I think, no, I’m certain that this town will make the perfect stage.”

“That’s actually pretty smart.” Olivia said. “Why do you sound so surprised that I had a good idea?” Alex yelled. I couldn’t hold back from laughing as I watched him. He was always too easy to provoke.

Despite his apparent smile, I noticed that there was something behind it. Something sad. “There’s another reason that you want to use this place, isn't there?” I asked. 

His smile faltered as he said. “This place is ripe with death. The earth outside the town is full of it. The ages of the dead are too varied for it to have been war and the city’s too undamaged for it to have been an attack or raid. It was likely a plague. I want to share this beautiful town with the world, and defend it with everything I’ve got.”

Olivia and I smiled as we saw the burning conviction in his eyes. “Alright, Let’s head back and we’ll do a full tour tomorrow. He nodded as the three of us began walking back to the carriage. While I didn’t know any other necromancers as they were a rare and reclusive breed, I did know they all had one thing in common. Their connection to the dead was stronger than anything else.

He certainly felt it from the carriage. The oppressive weight of all those souls. He was an odd kid but you couldn’t help but root for him. Maybe that's why I fell for, no, I shook my head as I buried those thoughts. We're just coworkers, friends, for now at least.