Karnak, Monarch of Death

A month had passed since Karnak’s encounter with the enigmatic Tesranach. In that time, Karnak had made two more attempts to enter the void, crafting and deploying the Eye of Darkness each time. Each attempt took half a month to prepare, meaning he could manage only two additional tries. But he had nothing to show for it.

On the first attempt, he’d managed to approach closely. On the second, he couldn’t even get near the target. By the third, he couldn’t locate it at all. It was clear now—something, or someone, was actively blocking his access.

“I’ve decided not to continue the exploration,” Karnak announced after calling Varos and Serati together to explain the situation. “Any further attempts might allow them to pinpoint my location. It’s too risky.”

Giving away more information to an unknown entity was foolish. It was time to exercise caution.

Varos asked, “Does this mean you haven’t discovered anything, young master?”

“Not entirely.”

They’d learned at least one thing: there was a conscious entity involved, and they were exerting influence over Karnak’s old power.

“I need to figure out what it is. Only then can I deal with the Shadow of Doom properly.”

“One thing is certain. It’s connected to the Cult of the Black God,” Serati interjected.

“Most likely. It did mention Tesranach.”

The question now was the cult’s role in all this.

“Do you remember what I told you before, Varos?”

Karnak likened the situation to scattering a pile of gold coins and watching the chaos as everyone scrambled to grab them.

“But it turns out there’s an actual tree somewhere, a massive tree that produces gold coins. A tree so enormous and so well-hidden that ordinary people can’t even see it.”

Varos nodded. “And?”

“What if someone can see it? What if that person is beating the tree with a pole to knock down the coins? And then, when someone else tries to approach the tree, they swing the pole at them, yelling for them to leave?”

The real question was whether the Cult of the Black God was merely gathering the fallen coins or if they were the ones wielding the pole. If they were just picking up coins, there wasn’t much to worry about. But if they were the ones swinging the pole...

“Then we’ve got a serious problem,” Karnak said grimly.

Serati blinked, looking puzzled. “Is it really that serious?”

“You’re not getting it because I called it a pole, but listen, Serati. That means their power is extending all the way beyond the void,” Karnak explained.

“But didn’t you also send your power beyond the void?”

“It’s completely different.”

Karnak’s method only allowed him to observe within the void. It exerted no real influence.

“It’s like the difference between using a telescope to observe something 10 kilometers away and using telekinesis to move an object 10 kilometers away.”

Reaching beyond the void with power was a monumental feat. Even Karnak, as the Monarch of Death, had only managed it after decades of failures, culminating in the creation of his time-rewinding magic.

“That’s why I said it shouldn’t be possible.”

To extend power into Karnak’s former domain beyond the void would require strength that surpassed even his own at his peak.

“If they had that much power, why bother with the gold coins at all? They could just uproot the entire tree.”

“Maybe they’re deliberately leaving the tree to keep harvesting the coins,” Serati suggested.

“The tree is just a metaphor. The Shadow of Doom isn’t literally producing more of itself.”

No matter how Karnak looked at it, the situation made no sense.

“Sending influence from this world to the other side of the void is nonsensical. If they had that kind of power, they wouldn’t need to play these games. But if that’s the case, then Tesranach must exist as a separate entity within the void. Where did something like that suddenly come from?”

As Karnak murmured to himself, Serati hesitantly spoke up. “Um... what if...”

Her love of legends and epic tales often led her to imaginative ideas. Such were ideas that a traditional mage might never consider.

“What if Lord Karnak’s power somehow developed a consciousness of its own?”

Varos snorted. “Seriously? What’s next, Sir Serati? Is your aura going to turn into a ghost and start wandering around? Maybe you could even strike up a conversation with it!”

Karnak, however, didn’t laugh at the idea.

“It does sound like a ridiculous idea, but the situation itself is so absurd that we can’t rule it out.”

From a magical standpoint, it was laughable, but as a hypothesis, it oddly fit the observable phenomena. Perhaps there wasn’t anyone wielding the pole. Perhaps the tree itself was spilling out the Shadow of Doom and thrashing its branches to fend off intruders. That would explain everything to a degree. Varos furrowed his brow.

”Isn’t that a bit of a stretch?”

So, the tree imbued with spiritual energy named itself Tesranach? Did it willingly choose to play the role of a god of death while lending power to the Cult of the Black God? Could something that was merely an aura spontaneously gain consciousness? Could something arise from nothing?

”Doesn’t this mean, young master, that you essentially created a god? Come on now, as amazing as you are, that’s a bit much, don’t you think? Sounds like a serious case of egomania...”

Karnak protested, his face turning red. ”Who said anything about creating a god? We’re speculating because we don’t have anything else to go on.”

Yes, that was the crux of the issue. There was an utter lack of information.

”For now, there’s nothing we can do until we learn more about that thing called Tesranach.”

And there was only one way to investigate Tesranach in the present world.

”It seems we’ll have to investigate the Cult of the Black God.”

Across both past lives and the present, only they ever uttered that name. Karnak furrowed his brow.

“...Given my current situation, how am I supposed to investigate them?”

***

Now was the age of chaos. It was a time when necromancers rampaged across the continent, prompting the churches of the seven goddesses to revive the inquisitor system and reorganize it to combat the threat.

These specially trained inquisitors hunted and judged necromancers with the aid of numerous collaborators who came to be known as shadow hunters. However, even these measures were insufficient to address certain crises.

One such crisis was the Cult of the Black God, a heretical sect that spread its influence across the entire continent. Initially, the secular kingdoms did not pay much attention to the Cult of the Black God. It was considered inevitable for heretical cults to arise during times of chaos, and this one was dismissed as just another instance of that common phenomenon.

But the Cult of the Black God was unlike any heretical sect they had encountered before. The cult worshiped Tesranach, the god of death, and rapidly expanded its influence at a terrifying pace. It grew so quickly that it soon became a threat too great for even the churches of the seven goddesses or the secular authorities to ignore.

The cult counted among its ranks high-ranking nobles, and even royalty and great lords were said to be involved. Why those with such privileged positions fell prey to this heresy remained a mystery, but the key point was that the cult had infiltrated the upper echelons of society in many nations.

While the churches of the seven goddesses had the authority to hunt individual necromancers, this fell under the realm of law enforcement. However, dealing with high-ranking officials entangled in such heresy was a matter of politics and even treason, and this required far greater authority.

Effectively addressing such individuals would require the ability to punish nobles and even royalty—an unprecedented encroachment of church authority into secular affairs. Thus, the Alliance of the Seven Kingdoms established a specialized institution. This body granted investigative powers to individuals outside the clergy, tasking them with handling the cult.

This organization, directly under royal authority, was known as the King’s Order, created exclusively to hunt down the Cult of the Black God.

***

Karnak asked, his mouth full, ”If we’re going to investigate Tesranach, we’ll need to capture someone high up in the cult, right?”

Chomping, Varos replied, ”It’s unlikely that ordinary cultists would know anything important.”

Savoring the nutty aroma of sesame seeds spreading through his mouth, Karnak continued, ”Capturing a high-ranking member won’t be easy for just the two of us.”

Licking the sweet sugar cream from his lips, Varos nodded. ”Those bastards are hiding in the shadows. Hoping to stumble across one while we’re out hunting the local necromancers is pointless. At best, we’d catch a grunt.”

Karnak swallowed the contents of his mouth with a serious expression. ”Looks like we’ll have to join the King’s Order, then.”

Varos wiped the sugar off the corner of his mouth with equal seriousness. ”Seems that way.”

”You two...” Serati, who had been watching from the sidelines, spoke up, looking baffled. ”I understand you’re discussing something very important, but... how can you eat snacks at a time like this?”

The two men responded in unison, their voices indignant, ”Of course we can!”

”Obviously! We rewound time just for this snack!”

”Man, it’s delicious every time.”

”Absolutely.”

Indeed, no matter how dire the fate of the world, no matter how imminent its end, one could never forgo a critical daily ritual. And that ritual was none other than afternoon snack time.

Serati could only remain silent. Watching two grown men giggling over a plate of cookies like young girls left Serati at a loss for words.

They’re rather pitiful, aren’t they?

Karnak, however, looked confused by her expression.

”Serati, you’re not eating any cookies?”

”I don’t like sweets,” she replied curtly.

For a moment, both men were struck as if by lightning.

”What?!”

”No way!”

”How can someone not like sweets?”

”You’ve given up half the happiness life has to offer!”

Serati sighed and cleared away the cookie tray. ”If you’re done eating, maybe you could get back to your discussion.”

Yet even as she moved the tray, each man grabbed a handful of the remaining cookies, clearly unwilling to leave any behind. Holding his cherished stash of cookies, Karnak put on a serious expression.

”Alright, let’s think about how we’re going to get into the King’s Order.”

The Kingdom of Eustil had also established its own branch of the King’s Order, tasked with hunting down the Cult of the Black God, also known as the Dark Cult. Karnak had heard as much through rumors.

Balancing a rainbow-colored assortment of candies on his hand—large enough to resemble a lid for a pot—Varos frowned thoughtfully.

”From what I hear, the bar for entry is ridiculously high.”

Because their mission went far beyond the typical hunting of necromancers, the King’s Order wielded immense authority. They could arrest and interrogate nobles or royalty on the spot, and if the evidence was solid, they even had the power to execute them immediately.

Such authority was necessary to combat the elusive and insidious nature of the Dark Cult. However, the potential for abuse meant the selection process for the King’s Order was extraordinarily strict and rigorous.

Members needed to demonstrate unwavering loyalty to the royal family, devout faith in the seven goddesses, exceptional martial skill, and combat prowess. They were also required to have substantial experience dealing with necromancy.

”Sure, we’ve made a name for ourselves as shadow hunters in Derath City, but do you think that’s enough to meet their entry requirements?” Karnak asked, chewing thoughtfully.

”Whether we qualify or not isn’t even the issue,” Varos replied.

The real problem was that they had no way of even reaching the King’s Order’s doorstep. Membership wasn’t granted solely based on skill. The King’s Order operated entirely through a recommendation system. Granted, Karnak did have a connection in the church with Alius, but...

”The King’s Order is a royal institution through and through,” Karnak muttered.

As a mere provincial noble, he had no ties to anyone in the royal court.

”If they selected people based solely on skill, we might stand a chance...”

”Exactly. But it’s not like there’s an open entry test or anything...”

”Maybe we’ve spent too much time stuck in the outskirts.”

”Well, it’s not like we could’ve prepared for something like this.”

”What do we do? Just head to the capital and march straight into the King’s Order headquarters?” Karnak mused aloud.

”Isn’t that a bit reckless?” Varos asked skeptically.

”What other choice do we have right now?”

The two men fell into deep contemplation, their faces serious. All the while, they continued to munch on the cookies and candies they held in their hands.

Finally, Serati, who had been listening quietly, broke her silence. ”So, Lord Karnak, your goal is to join the King’s Order, correct?”

”Why? Do you know someone who can help?” Karnak asked, perking up.

”Not just someone. I think you could submit your application immediately if you want,” she said casually.

”What?!”

”We could?”