Adrian stood beneath the Throne of Death.
He didn't speak. Didn't move. The silence was too heavy. It wasn't the peaceful kind — it was the kind of silence that followed funerals. The kind that settled into your bones and stayed there.
He reached into his coat and pulled out the three books he had stolen from the black coffin in the Veil Room. He laid them on the cold floor.
Each one felt wrong. Not dangerous like a bomb. Worse — like holding a contract you hadn't read before signing.
The first book was bound in dried, discolored skin. The clasps were old finger bones, yellowed and brittle-looking.
Scripture of the Hollow GraveLaw of Death
He let out a slow breath.
"This one's going to be a problem," he muttered. "It looks like someone tried to bind a textbook in serial killer leather."
The second book was wrapped in cracked glass, like it had shattered under pressure but somehow kept itself together. The title flickered between reflection and fracture.
Scripture of Fractured TruthLaw of Contradiction
He tilted his head at it.
"Yeah, no. That one definitely bites back. That's the kind of book you open and then forget how you existed."
The third was sealed in golden thread, smooth and almost soft. Its cover was blank at first glance. But when Adrian stared at it, the title slowly emerged.
Scripture of KnowledgeLaw of Knowing
He raised one eyebrow.
"A book that doesn't even admit it's a book unless you stare at it hard enough. Arrogant much?"
He looked at all three for a moment. The reality of what he was doing hit him — choosing a Law. Picking something that might break him, change him, erase him.
"Okay," he said quietly. "Let's start with the one that feels like home."
He reached for the first. The one bound in skin.
The Scripture of the Hollow Grave.
He opened it.
Scripture of the Hollow Grave
Law of Death"All things must fall still. All things must empty. All things must return.""There is no rest. There is no return. There is only the hollow that waits beneath all things."
As he flipped the first page, a shift rippled through the air — barely noticeable, but real. The light dimmed. The temperature dropped.
"Okay," he said. "So the book has a built-in horror movie setting. That's new."
He read on.
How to Make the Vow:
Find a place where no living being of your species exists within 100 paces.
Dig a grave and bury yourself. Bring a keepsake that means everything to you.
Write your name on a piece of human bone and swallow it.
Recite the following words nonstop for 48 hours while buried:"I vow to tread in the shadow of Death itself.Let no soul escape my grasp, and no heartbeat defy my will.Where I walk, graves open, and life remembers its place."
Adrian stared at the text.
"I'm sorry," he said aloud. "Did I just read that right?"
He went back over it. Slowly.
"You want me to… bury myself. Alive. With a meaningful trinket. Write my name on human bone — not metaphorically — and swallow it. Then chant some creepy death mantra for two straight days while slowly running out of oxygen underground?"
He rubbed his face.
"Who wrote this? Was this meant for people who already hated being alive?"
He read the lines again, slower this time.
"Wait—do I even get out of the grave at the end of this? Is there a clause I'm missing? Or does the Law of Death just decide if I'm worth pulling back up?"
He shut his eyes, breathing through his nose.
"Right. Of course. This is the underworld. Nothing here makes sense unless you're already halfway insane."
Rank 12: Undertaker
Corpse-Binder of Stillness
He turned the page. The script changed — tighter, more orderly, like medical records. Adrian leaned in, scanning every word.
Death SenseThe Realizer gains an instinctive awareness of all corpses and lingering souls within a 50-meter radius. This sense works through walls, underground, underwater, and even across barriers — as long as the Realizer is within range.
It filters by emotional residue. Corpses tied to violent, traumatic, or highly emotional deaths glow brighter in the Realizer's perception.
"So… it's like sonar, but for dead things," Adrian said. "Great. Because that's not going to be horrifying in a crowded town."
He imagined walking through a street and being overwhelmed by signals — alley deaths, suicides, graves under churches, forgotten bodies in walls.
"Cool. Real subtle power. Definitely not going to cause any mental breakdowns."
Mortuary SealThe Realizer can inscribe necrotic runes onto a corpse to preserve its flesh and bind lingering soul fragments to the body. This seal freezes decay, halts bloating, and prevents natural soul dispersal. Each seal costs a drop of the Realizer's own blood.
He tapped the text with one finger.
"Alright. That one's practical. Creepy as hell, but practical. Basically corpse prep, but magical. I can work with that."
The book added that marked corpses become easier to command or study in later Ranks.
"So this is corpse bookmarking. I'm tagging my favorites for later use. Great."
Soul DelayPrevents a soul from sinking into the Soul Ocean for 24 hours. The soul remains accessible — it can be seen, spoken to, bound, redirected, or even tortured. During this time, the soul is fragile but coherent.
Adrian's eyes narrowed.
"This isn't a power. This is a trap. A way to stop someone from leaving… even when they're supposed to."
He imagined catching a soul mid-flight. Dragging it back down for questioning.
"Yup. Definitely crossing some moral lines with this one."
Deadweight BindingCreates a spectral chain that latches to a target's soul. The chain slows movement, interrupts casting, and drains stamina. If the target is injured, dying, or spiritually unstable, the bind becomes heavier, pulling them to the ground and possibly immobilizing them for up to 6 seconds.
"This one I like," Adrian said. "Simple. Efficient. Scales with target weakness. It's like psychological pressure made literal."
He imagined using it in a fight — chaining a panicking enemy, watching them collapse under the weight of their own fear.
"That's brutal. And smart."
Grave-EyesThe whites of the Realizer's eyes turn pale gray. With them, the Realizer can see the tether between soul and corpse — a glowing thread that fades over time. If it's whole, the corpse can still be used. If frayed, time is limited. If broken, it's just meat.
The vision also reveals echoes of death on objects and places — bloodstains, cursed tools, haunted buildings.
Adrian looked up from the page.
"So… I get death-detective vision. CSI: Underworld Edition. Love that for me."
Hidden Benefit – Death's VeilIf the Realizer stands on ground where someone has died, they become undetectable to the living. Sight, sound, scent, presence — erased. Even magical senses and spiritual detection fail unless the target is a higher Rank or uses a counter-Law.
Adrian blinked.
"Wait… you're telling me I can vanish from existence just by standing on a grave?"
He paused, then gave a low whistle.
"Okay. That's actually scary. In the good way."
He closed the book gently. His fingers lingered on the cover.
"So, to review… I bury myself alive, swallow bone, chant for 48 hours straight, and if I don't die doing all that, I get a corpse radar, death tattoos, ghost interrogations, and a literal stealth field made out of trauma."
He exhaled, long and slow.
"Yeah. That sounds about right."
Then, finally, he looked at the next book. The cracked-glass one.
"Alright," he said quietly. "Let's see what kind of mental breakdown you want from me."
He reached for the Scripture of Fractured Truth.