Reincarnated as the Death God's Vessel

A soft squeak of the carriage, along with the sound of marching, made Lidien smile as the moon's rays played with his shadow against the torchlight.

Alva stood at his side, bowing slightly as she reported the total lives the caravan had lost in passing through the Bone Orchards.

Luckily, most of the slaves had survived, and the wagons remained undamaged, thanks to the soldiers who were more afraid of becoming slaves again than dying. It kept their morale high, making their sacrifices not in vain.

Lidien nodded, a hollow satisfaction settling in his chest. Yet, as he watched the disciplined ranks of soldiers, a cold unease began to prickle at the back of his neck.

'Everything seems to be going according to plan. I even got a Rift in my Dreamflow... it is too abnormal to be mere fate. Am I just lucky, or is there something wrong with this world giving me all the advantages?'

Though Lidien had ambiguous beliefs in fate or karma, staying all his life in the slum had made him an overthinker, thinking all the good luck he had now would turn bad, especially since he had obtained an overwhelming treasure. Even though it was not easy, he still had it.

With a sigh, Lidien stood, looking down at the still-bowing Alva.

"Tell Mad Dog to stop the Caravan... we encamp here for the night."

And, before Alva could leave the carriage, he added,

"Also, call Xyon here and tell him to bring something I could write with."

As Alva left the carriage, he proceeded to his room and lay on his bed, watching the ceiling with his eyebrows furrowed.

"Old man... Am I just worrying about the future, or am I truly afraid of failing the attack on the Dark Wolf Clan?"

The Monarch of Blood didn't reply, leaving Lidien with an uneasy peace...

As he shook his head, he decided to meditate, not to enter the Dreamflow... but to flow the captured Elemental Essences all over his body using his verve.

Now, without the influence of the Rift of the Leaden Blood, Lidien's heart was the one pumping his blood, while his verve, which used to control his blood, was replaced with the Elemental Essences he absorbed from meditating.

This time, the Elemental Essences were not only coursing through his Sparkline, but also through his blood veins...

He was growing accustomed to the pain, as his body and Sparkline were slowly adjusting to both the Elemental Essence and Spiritual Verve...

Though Lidien still needed to build his Coreflux into a solid state to purify the raw Elemental Essences he kept flowing through his body.

A few minutes passed, and Lidien felt his carriage stop.

Then...

As he heard the soft knocking on the carriage door, Lidien settled his Elemental Essence towards his lower abdomen before standing and wiping his thick sweat on his brow.

"Come in!"

Xyon gently opened the carriage door, proceeding inside and standing just beside the table, not daring to enter further.

As Lidien walked out of the room, he stared at Xyon, who now had a cloth strap on his limbs and head, with a touch of small amounts of blood, either dried or just stopped by it.

Without talking, Xyon offered the writing materials to Lidien, which he accepted before sitting.

Lidien tapped his forehead as he rested his quill on the table,

'The God of Death should have brought a pen and some paper from my world before putting me here.'

Sighing, Lidien dipped the end of his quill in the inkwell before writing...

Then laughed as he wrote the alphabet first, before scratching it out... and wrote anew, now using the language of the Savage Expanse.

After a few minutes of writing, Lidien rolled the papyrus before staring at Xyon intently.

"Do you trust me with your life?"

Xyon's heart skipped a beat.

Lidien's question was so abrupt that thinking of the answer for even a second felt too long.

He immediately kneeled on one knee, rested one forearm across his raised knee, and bowed his head in supplication.

"My life was yours to begin with, Master."

Lidien smirked and handed over the scroll.

"With all my plans set in place, succeeding in the attack against the Dark Wolf Clan is still unsure... but, I can assure you that we will survive, and I, as your Master, have the obligation to let you live, along with Alva..."

Then, he watched the soldiers along with the tied slaves arranging the encampment.

"However, I cannot flee... for I have a mission that is as important as my life. So, if ever we fail... once you get to the Blood Rose Clan, give that message to the Old man on the fourth floor of the Knowledge Spire."

Xyon bowed deeply and hid the scroll inside his clothes, as if dedicating his life to it.

***

Hours passed, until the first rays of sun licked the encampment with its extinguished campfire.

Lidien, who was still inside his bedroom carriage, smiled as his circulation of Elemental Essence became natural, as if he completely owned it.

He raised one hand and slowly materialized a hazy and chaotic Elemental Essence without form, which slowly dissipated once it was outside his body.

His soft giggles slowly turned into maniacal laughter, after spending all his time meditating, which had almost driven him mad.

Yet, it was still easier than his experience before he obtained the Rift of the Leaden Blood's core.

Lidien's maniacal laughter slowly died in his throat, leaving him breathless and hollow. As the euphoria faded, the calculating part of his mind reasserted itself.

'This is just the first step. Now, I need to build my Coreflux as soon as possible, so that I can increase our chances of winning against the Dark Wolf Clan.'

As he stretched his now brittle body, cracking after a long period of just sitting and meditating, he felt hungry... added to the toll of his previous days running without stop.

Then...

A soft knock once again disturbed his wandering mind, letting him focus his ears on the squeaking sound of the wooden floor.

Alva silently entered, carrying a container with a damp towel hanging from its edge.

"Master, let me help you wash yourself."