Reborn with a Necromancer System-Chapter 184: Plans for the Future

The city buzzed behind them, echoing with the fading cheers of the final match. But here, in a tucked-away corner of the capital, the sounds were softened. A public park, shaped by old stone paths and blooming hedgerows, bathed in the warm gold of late afternoon.

Trees and shrubs surrounded them, and, in the centre, a water fountain bubbled away.

Kai and Vepice sat on a carved stone bench tucked beneath the outstretched arms of a flowering ash tree. It was one of the few quiet places between the arena and their inn, a gentle pocket of nature in an otherwise thunderous city.

Kai raised his hand discreetly and flicked a shadow-tinged barrier into place that shimmered for only a heartbeat before vanishing to the naked eye.

"No one should be able to hear us now," he said, letting out a sigh and leaning back slightly. "So. It’ll just be a couple more days until we leave the city."

Vepice nodded, her posture relaxed but her gaze alert. "That soon, huh?"

"Yeah. We’ll head for Mirth first. It’ll take a while to get there on foot, so I might bring out a friend who could take us there faster. You and I both being variants will let us through the barrier." His voice lowered. "Once we’re inside, we’ll save my mentor. After that, we head west to find a port town and pay our way to Sala."

He paused, staring up at the light-dappled branches above them. "Am I leaving anything out?"

Vepice glanced at him sideways, her expression thoughtful. "You need new armour, right? Shouldn’t you get some before your fight tomorrow?"

Kai exhaled slowly, his shoulders slumping a little. "Against Redford or Grim? Armour’s not going to help me. Not really. I’m going to need agility and timing, not defence. But you’re right... I probably should. My old stuff’s too tight anyway. Still growing."

A small smirk played on Vepice’s lips. "I liked it, though. Your armour, I mean."

Kai glanced over, brow raised. "Yeah?"

"Mmhm." She looked back out toward the garden path. "I could see your muscles moving under your clothes."

Kai’s eyes widened slightly. For once, his tongue caught. "I... uh. I don’t have that much muscle."

"Doesn’t matter," she said, eyes sparkling with amusement. "It looks good."

His ears went slightly red. "T-thank you."

Vepice leaned back on the bench, arms stretched across the edge behind him, playful and warm. "I’d like some more clothes, too. Something different. And maybe..." She hesitated. "Maybe take that specialisation assessment test thing you mentioned. The one you did."

Kai blinked, then gave a firm nod. "Right. Of course. We can go to Ylthara for your testing."

He paused.

’And then... maybe I can finally get some closure.’

A silence hung between them for a moment. It wasn’t heavy, just thoughtful. Tinged with shared memory.

"Ylthara..." Vepice said the name slowly, like it tasted bitter.

Kai turned his head to look at her.

Kai knew she had some problems with the city. Her master was a nobleperson there, and commanded great respect in the past. Kai didn’t get to see much of the city at five years of age, so he’d be happy to see more of it.

"I know," he said gently. "You’ll be okay. I’ll protect you."

She was quiet. A breeze rustled her hair, lifting loose strands into the air.

"I know you will," she said, but her voice had dropped to a near-whisper. "But if we see him-"

"Don’t worry." His voice, soft moments ago, turned sharp and cold. "I’ll kill him myself."

He turned to face her fully, eyes glowing faintly with green light. "What he did to you, for years, is inexcusable."

She didn’t speak right away. Her hand reached for his.

Just enough to brush their fingers together.

"Thank you," she murmured.

"You’re not just someone I travel with. You’re not a side character. You’re not an afterthought. You’re Vepice. And no one gets to hurt you again."

A quiet moment passed, their hands brushing, the magic-dampened stillness around them warm and strange and peaceful.

From behind the tree line, the festival lanterns flickered to life in the city.

"Should we get some food and head back to the inn?"

"I’d like that."

---

Vepice sat on the bed with her legs hanging off the edge in their small but cozy inn room, a gentle breeze drifting in through the cracked window. The setting sun painted the sky outside in golds and purples, casting soft shadows across the wooden floor. She rummaged through a small cloth bag resting beside her, pulling it open with visible excitement.

Inside were the new clothes she’d picked up on a whim.

Pieces she’d spotted through the window of a boutique just before dinner. She lifted them out one by one: a lightweight traveling blouse embroidered at the sleeves, a set of soft leather gloves, and a pale blue tunic with delicate patterns stitched along the collar. Her eyes sparkled as she admired them.

"Ugh..." she groaned, falling backward onto the bed and holding her stomach. "I ate too much again... All the food in the Citadel is just too amazing. I’ve lost track of all my favourite dishes!"

Kai smiled faintly, leaning against the wall near the window. The light caught in his green eyes, dimmed only slightly by the worry beneath.

"Vepice..." he said after a pause, voice low. "About tomorrow’s fight-"

She rolled to her side to face him, hair falling over her eyes.

"It’ll be dangerous, yes?"

"Yes." He confirmed, not sugarcoating it.

"I know," she said, more serious now. "But as long as you don’t die... we’ll be okay. We can still go to Mirth. We can still find your mentor. Still sail to Sala, and... maybe find peace."

Kai exhaled slowly. "Okay. I’ll try to win, but no matter what..." he met her eyes, "...I will survive."

Her smile returned, tender and quiet. "That’s all I ask."

A little later, she stood and changed, slipping out of her clothes and holding up the nightgown she’d chosen earlier. It was a soft lilac shade, loose but not shapeless, and when she pulled it over herself and turned around to face him, she struck a playful pose.

"What do you think?"

The gown hugged her curves in all the right places, subtle but alluring. The neckline dipped just enough to draw the eye without being too much. Kai blinked, his mouth slightly parted, caught off guard by just how radiant she looked under the lantern’s glow.

"It looks... really nice," he managed, forcing himself not to stare for too long.

"Yeah?" she grinned, clearly pleased. "Good!"

With a giggle, she climbed under the covers, sighing contentedly as she burrowed into the sheets.

Kai stayed upright. He didn’t follow.

Instead, he quietly moved to the desk tucked into the corner of the room. On it, his journal lay open, a half-finished sketch of a new sigil glimmering faintly with ink infused with trace amounts of mana.

He dipped his pen again, furrowed his brow, and continued drawing.

It was a protection sigil. A ward he was crafting specifically for her.

It wouldn’t make her invincible, but if she allowed him to mark it on her skin, it would toughen her flesh just enough to turn blades or dull impacts from most non-magical attacks.

A layer of security. A promise.

And even if she refused, applying it to his undead soldiers should make them sturdier.

He worked late into the night, his eyes never straying too far from the sleeping form in the bed.

Her breathing was soft. Peaceful. She’d turned toward his direction in her sleep, one arm hanging off the side of the mattress.

Kai paused once to stare at her, his chest tightening, not from exhaustion, but something far more dangerous.

Affection. Guilt. Hope.

’Is it just the want to protect her? Or is there something more? In my old life, I would have jumped at the chance to make her mine. Am I not at the moment because of fear?"

He didn’t finish the sigil by morning, but he made good progress. Enough to be worth continuing the next time he had a moment to breathe.

When the sun rose and morning bled through the windows, he was still awake. Still seated at the desk. Still scribbling corrections in the margins of the parchment.

Vepice stirred.

She yawned, stretching like a cat beneath the sheets, and blinked the sleep from her eyes. "Kai...?"

"Don’t worry. I’m here."

She smiled and rubbed her eyes. "You didn’t sleep?"

"I will. After the tournament. I won’t need it unless I get seriously injured. Let’s go."

They left together, walking side by side through the awakening streets of the Citadel. The city buzzed, with crowds forming near the coliseum. Flags flew, drums echoed in the distance.

And though Kai felt the weight of battle growing heavier with every step, he found solace in Vepice’s quiet presence beside him.

Even if everything else was uncertain, she remained steady.

A friend to rely on.

Maybe something more.