A deathly silence settled on the demonic ghosts.
Umbra knew that they expectantly watched to see the repercussions of his 'abomination'.
But somehow, he knew none was coming.
A feeling he couldn't outrightly explain.
Like he felt untouchable. Protected.
Was this the effect of his father's powers?
He couldn't distract himself with that now. He had a whole workload ahead of him now.
"So", he turned back to the altar, a smug smile adorning his features "I've sworn. Can you tell me the secret now?"
The spirits apparently regained its composure and sighed in supposed defeat.
Umbra knew that it had only just realized that it was dealing with a demi-god.
"It's really simple", they whispered at last. "You only need companionship."
Umbra's eyes narrowed. He ran a hand over his ear to make sure some sort of dark magic was stopping him from hearing right.
This had to be a really bad joke.
One he couldn't laugh at.
"That's a good joke…I'll give you that. You almost got me," he clutched his stomach, doubling over in mock laughter.
"Now, let's be serious here. I don't have much time to waste…"
The chilling silence replied to him. Accompanied by a breeze that ruffled his hair, sending tendrils into his eyes.
He shook them away, his hackles rising.
The silence told him all he needed to know.
"You made me swear on some stupid ancestor just to tell me that I need companionship?"
"It may sound absurd…", the voices continued unperturbed.
It seemed as though his outburst hadn't shook them in the slightest.
"It's the simple truth. In other words, you need love."
Umbra snarled in rage. This was getting more and more hassling.
"How does Love come into all these? The two don't relate at all!"
"You know, prince…" the voice turned cynical "...I'd hate to think that you had the best of tutors Nakamai could offer and yet–"
Umbra turned and began to descend the stairs.
Words trying to articulate in his throat got caught up in the rageful fire he tried to keep within him.
Bubbling lazily…just like lava. Hot. Venomous. Raw rage.
Through his clothes, he could even sense his locket heating up.
He had to get away for his own benefit.
The voice noticed that, and quickly hurried to give an answer.
Their tone now evinced their desperation far beyond Umbra could deny it.
And so, he halted.
"Only a person close enough to you, can adequately boost your courage whenever it seems to falter."
"And what could possibly cause that?" Umbra still sounded angry but his profile maintained a curious nuance now.
"The subtle art of necromancy is fraught with several obstacles, both physical and spiritual. A necromancer needs a person powerful enough to ensure the sustained vitality of his vessel, as he sojourns into the Underworld to recall his sought spirit."
"That is to say, that necromancers believe in love," Umbra observed, still keeping his expression hidden by his long locks.
"They partly do, though you might have a point."
Umbra noted the use of pronouns once again.
"You're explaining necromancy beyond the quotations of the Journal", he noted.
He didn't sound enthusiastic but he also hung on to every one of their words.
Though he hid it perfectly.
The spirits uniformly scoffed impatiently. "That's because we wrote that Journal. Isn't that what you read?"
"That's not true", Umbra disagreed at once. "Then who's Hex Dimah?"
"A son of Lucifer, and twin to Bane… A liar and a cheat."
Umbra sensed the dripping hatred in the fluttering whispers.
Although well concealed, Umbra had a very perfect perceptive spirit.
Enhanced as well by his advanced senses.
He had completely disregarded the first set of information, but the last bit caught his attention.
"A cheat? How?"
"Forget about that, you'd really not care for the full story," the spirits admonished.
"You're going on a crucial sojourn, and so you need no distractions. We will explain well once you release us."
"That's a promise?" Umbra prompted.
"You can call it a wager if you wish, but remember to focus. Any mistakes can result in instant death."
Umbra smiled and walked towards the altar.
His initial inhibitions about the malevolent nature of the spirits were going evanescent.
They seemed to be so benevolent and kind so far.
But even so, Umbra knew that he must not trust them.
He wouldn't dare let his guard down. Though he knew he'd have no chance against them in combat.
Unless his hope that they couldn't do anything meaningful while sealed held on.
He took a step forward, but then the voices rapped sharply.
"What are you doing?"
Umbra looked up in amused amazement.
"What does it look like to you?"
"You're disregarding my advice?!"
Umbra blinked severally in amusement.
A soft chuckle escaped his lips, but it darkened almost immediately.
"You didn't expect me to oblige you, did you? What do you even take me for?"
"It's not an option. It's mandatory!"
The urgency in their voices sounded so genuine that Umbra paused and began to reconsider.
"So no one has achieved necromancy without companionship?"
Pin drop silence greeted his inquiry, but Umbra waited determinedly.
His anger wouldn't solve any issues at this point. By now, the spirits knew he couldn't vent it on them no matter how he tried.
Apparently, they also thought the question was unnecessary.
"I'm going to do it, companion or not!"
He strode confidently towards the altar, and gripped the round edge with a stable hand.
He felt no fear now.
Only stark determination to prove those bastard spirits wrong.
He concentrated hard, letting his 'assessable' power flow through him.
He'd never tried this before, so he didn't expect it to happen at his first try.
Lightning flared up in his hand, engulfing his arms instantly.
His eyes widened, alarmingly at first, then excited.
But then, he heard a low chuckle from the dark edges of the castle.
A dark one. Evil. Malevolent.
And he knows where exactly it came from.
Those spirits. A new spirit rose in him.
They were laughing at him!!! He'd show them…he would…
Sadly, he didn't get a chance to do that.
While he still fumed silently, deep down inside him…somewhere in his deep chasms of his consciousness…
Something sparked up.
At once, the lightning in his hand recharged with almost triple the original intensity, slowly turning red.
Umbra felt a new kind of aura flooding his body and imbuing him with so much raw power.
Unbridled. Far beyond his capacity.
His mouth fell open, as he suddenly lost partial control of his own body.
Something foreign coursed through his mind, possessing him slowly.
At this point, he was too befuddled with the present turn of events. And he had no idea how to act.
This was new to him. He'd felt a lot of 'Prince' stuff, but never to this extent.
His locket lit up with a bright red hue. The heat burnt through his clothes, ripping them apart.
In moments, his chest was bare.
That was when he knew that things were about to get macabre.
He had to do this. And really quickly.
Now.
He strived forcefully to keep his mind clear, and finish up with this business as soon as possible.
If it proved too hectic for him, he would abandon the attempt.
Maybe also have a serious reconsideration of the spirits's advice.
He couldn't see their point yet, but he had a feeling it could work out far better than this if he'd obeyed them.
He strained to remember the incantation he had memorized.
But like everything else happening at the moment, it went wrong.
But now it seemed like his mind was entirely out of his accessible range.
He was slipping away.
Farther and farther away.
He desperately held on, but to no avail.
A memory flickered to life in his mind…green eyes…
Teary eyes…
His eyes snapped open, mad with resolve.
Literally burning with anger. Anger of forgetting.
Anger at himself.