CHAPTER 1664: A HAUNTED MANOR

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Maria planted the totem—shaped like a black cross with a skull at its center—deep into the soil. Moments later, it turned ethereal, becoming completely invisible and intangible, sculpted from void and other arcane materials.

"I’ll place another one here, here, and there!"

Maria was thrilled, planting three more totems she crafted on the spot using her newly perfected formula. She nodded with satisfaction, having now surrounded the entire manor with these totems to ensure that any Undead emerging from the Graveyard Garden would become her familiars.

"This place is a fantastic Undead generator, just like Necroterra! It’s exactly what I needed, for materials and soldiers," she said.

"Wow, this is insane... I can’t believe someone’s actually happy that this world is crawling with creepy Undead," Melianna muttered.

"W-Well, isn’t that nice, sister?" Ferleen offered a nervous smile. "At least we know she’s strong. We’ll be safe with her."

"I guess so..." Melianna shrugged.

"Mommy, can I have my own Undead army too? I mostly just have my Phantom Dragons," Nyx said, watching her mother finish her work. "I want to be a Necromancer like you!"

"Ah! I thought you liked being a hybrid fighter and Phantom Dragon sorceress," Maria replied. "You always seem so happy with your current powers."

"She’s growing up, and like any dragon, she has ambition and pride," Lucifer said. "We’ve talked about it with her. She wants to learn Necromancy, your techniques, your secrets. She’s always looked up to you and wants her own army, mostly to feel closer to you."

"Aww, really?" Maria was touched and kissed her daughter’s forehead.

"Yeah!" Nyx nodded. "So when you take all the Undead, it feels a little weird..."

"Okay, fine," Maria said. "Do you want me to split my army with you?"

"W-What? No!" Nyx replied. "I want to recruit them myself. I’ve recruited a few already, but they’re small. I usually turn their souls into Phantom Dragons, but I don’t want everything to be Phantom Dragons."

"Hm, that makes sense," Maria nodded. "Alright, I’ll teach you. You’ve grown and developed enough. Let’s head inside the manor. I’ll keep everyone tethered to my shadows so no one gets teleported away."

Maria’s shadows extended outward, intertwining with those of her companions. The connection acted like a magical rope, binding them to her and preventing any forced separation. If anyone were teleported, they would either be dragged back to her or transported alongside her.

"Alright, I think we’re ready. Let’s move," Maria said as the group stepped through the manor’s door.

As they entered, a powerful dimensional force tried to pull them into separate rooms. Maria silently thanked herself for creating the Shadow Bond—without it, they would have been scattered instantly.

"No. You’re not taking them."

Her voice echoed through the manor, causing the entire structure to tremble. Cracks in space appeared and shattered, revealing a single unified room beyond the entrance, rather than the fragmented chambers they had nearly been sent to.

"W-What just happened?!" Ferleen asked, stunned.

"The manor tried to teleport us into different rooms the moment we crossed the threshold," Maria explained. "I stopped it by distorting space with my Void Dominion. Simple enough."

"W-What? I barely understood any of that! Actually, I didn’t understand a single word," Melianna muttered, staring at Maria in disbelief.

"Don’t worry about it," Maria said with a smile. "Anyway, here we are... and it looks nice."

She admired the aged wooden architecture, the layers of dust, the antique paintings, statues, and furniture, and most notably, the massive library ahead.

"There was a library here before?" Nyx asked.

"I don’t think so?" Celes replied. "It just appeared..."

"It’s enormous," Maria said, peering inside. "Hm?"

She quickly sensed a surge of Nightmare and Phantom Energy coming from the library. Hundreds of books flew toward them, some merging into towering Book Golems, while others summoned Specters from their flickering pages.

"Oh wow, that’s fascinating... Alright, stop."

The charge halted abruptly. The Book Ghosts froze, staring at Maria in silence.

"Okay Nyx, first lesson: you have to show the Undead that you’re stronger than they are. They’re not emotional or easily intimidated," Maria explained. "They only recognize power."

"Really, Mommy? Can’t we just be friends?" Nyx asked innocently.

"I know you want to befriend them, but most Undead aren’t like the ones you know," Maria said. "These are mindless and emotionless. If you don’t assert yourself, they’ll try to devour your soul. Understand?"

"Yes, I get it," Nyx nodded, eyeing the floating books and golems. "So how do I do that?"

"Remember your transformation? The red one?" Maria asked.

"Yeah, I’m still trying to figure out what that was..." Nyx said. "It happened when I got really angry and hit my limit. I haven’t been able to reach that form again."

"I see. That’s fine," Maria said gently. "But that transformation showed you have more power than we realized. It’s time to start awakening it. For now, release all your Phantasmal Aura—or any Death Power you have."

"Okay!" Nyx nodded, unleashing her energy.

FLUOSH!

The manor trembled. More books surged toward them, ignoring the ones Maria had paralyzed with a single word.

"Alright, imbue your Aura into those incoming books," Maria instructed. "Force your power into them. Think you can do that?"

"I can!" Nyx said, releasing waves of phantasmal energy and connecting them to the approaching books.

The books trembled. Their specters screamed and retreated into their pages, then collapsed to the ground, motionless.

"Did that work?" Nyx asked.

"Hm, it’s a bit sloppy. You mostly just scared them," Maria said. "But it’s a start. Okay, you know what? Try befriending them your way."

"Really? But Mom... What if that’s the wrong way? What if they’re angry or in pain? What should I do then?" Nyx asked.

"Relax. You’ve got this," Maria said, patting her head.

Nyx walked up to the fallen books and gently placed her hands on them.

"I’m sorry for hurting you... I wanted to be your friend, was I too rude? Can we be friends? I will read you if you want..." she said innocently.

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