Reincarnated as the Death God's Vessel

Laughter erupted from the Monarch of Blood after he realized that the child in front of him, though smart, was lacking knowledge regarding the world they were living in.

"No, Child... Even if someone is called a Deity in this realm... only Ten Gods existed, not counting the Demons and their self-proclaimed Gods."

Lidien listened intently. As of now, he knew of three kinds of Blessed... the Light, Life, and Death... and one of them was living within him, but for the others, he didn't dare to guess.

"All of them have their names written in History... but not the God of Death."

And then, the Monarch's smile faded when he looked straight into Lidien's eyes.

"Knowing it is one thing, but speaking it is another... for some reason, one could die just from mentioning it... that is why we only call them by their title, until their True Name was only preserved for those who followed them."

As Lidien walked back and forth rubbing his chin, he asked.

"Then what is the connection between the starry skies, the Gods, my Soul Shard, and the Rift's Core..."

The Monarch of Blood then once again laughed, but stopped when he saw how serious Lidien's eyes were staring at him.

The Monarch knew... he didn't know. Even he, who had lived since ancient times, didn't know anything beyond the Starry Skies, and answering with a simple guess would not help Lidien, not even himself.

In the end, he chose not to answer, but just to stare at the starry skies he hoped to reach if he were alive...

Then, as the thought of a new vessel flooded his mind, he said.

"As of now, find some place where you can release the Rift... and wait for a month before absorbing it again... that's the only method we used to stop its expansion... by letting it absorb its own flawed rules."

Then once again, Lidien walked towards the Rift's Core, scrutinizing it while circling it.

'Their method is flawed because of its unknown origin... though we know it was the combination of memories and the past knowledge of someone... we are still oblivious of how it was formed, and how someone came to possess it.'

Shaking his head, he sighed.

Then he stared back at the Monarch watching him.

"Send me back, Old man."

As the Monarch snapped his fingers, Lidien was immediately pulled back outside of the Dreamflow.

A soft knock on the carriage door made Lidien open his eyes. Still... the morning sun found its way to lick his face.

"Come in." Lidien's voice was weak, almost strained from the loud command he had given the soldiers a while ago.

Mad Dog entered the carriage, his massive body making the carriage lower itself, as if it sank a few inches...

Then he walked towards Lidien, carefully watching his steps with every squeak of the wooden floor.

"Status."

Mad Dog gritted his teeth as he watched Lidien in front of him nonchalantly staring outside, as if the chaos from the night, which he himself knew was caused by his own order to free the slaves, didn't even prompt him to offer an explanation to Mad Dog.

Making Mad Dog feel like the promised General was just a title, and he was still... just a dog.

As Mad Dog relaxed himself, he bowed down and knelt on one knee.

"My Prince... All of the wagons carrying the goods were stolen by the slaves. Our guess is they took the clearing towards the Dark Wolf Clan, and not into the Bone Orchards..."

Lidien's eyes squinted when he heard the change of tone and the way Mad Dog called him, as if he had accepted himself as just someone's lap dog.

Yet, he only smiled... though he knew most of what happened, he needed to act as if he didn't know anything.

"We will change our plans... When Alva tells you to stop the march, it means we are near the Dark Wolf Clan Territory... I need people who can follow me inside, and I will act as an Envoy for the Clan."

Mad Dog didn't react, as if everything that would happen would be the result of Lidien's own decisions.

But Lidien just studied Mad Dog's reaction. Still... nothing changed.

"You wait here... with our remaining soldiers, and attack the Dark Wolf Clan a week after I leave with the chosen soldiers I select... This will be a surprise attack. Make sure to arrange everything..."

Then Lidien rested his hands on his shoulders.

"I'm counting on you, Mad Dog."

Mad Dog nodded, and left the Carriage... as if the burden inside was gone, he even heaved a sigh of relief.

Lidien, passing time, tapped the table repetitively...

"Now, I just hope that my escape plan is enough for the four of us to leave without a problem."

And surprisingly, that four did not include Mad Dog... but included Lily, revived with the Chest of the Undying Lich.

***

A few days passed, and Alva did her role perfectly...

She divided the fastest and the stragglers, making them able to retrieve some of the wagons, and skinned the slaves... sticking their hides out to dry in the sunlight, alive.

Even Xyon, who was just a normal human, became slightly domineering, as if the Demon inside of him was coming out.

Lidien watched the soldiers' way of killing the slaves, amused at how fickle the human mind is... once gentle, now a brute... that even he, himself, had once been like them.

Then...

At the end of the vast horizon, where the sun had risen, Lidien saw from afar the tribal-like settlement of the Dark Wolf Clan.

"Stop the march! Dig some trenches... we hold for the week!"

Lidien let Alva command, surprised by her ingenuity...

He couldn't help but smile... after sudden twists and turns, Alva, who was once a Princess of the Snow Fox Clan, was now his loyal servant.

After waiting for a few minutes, Alva finished her preparations, and once called by Lidien to proceed inside the carriage, she accepted immediately.

As she proceeded inside, Xyon was already standing beside Lidien.

"I have a special task for each one of you..."