He didn't know if it was instinct, a revelation, or a new passive ability of his, but he didn't care. No way was he dying at the hands of necromancers again.
He slowed and turned toward Kivara. He grasped her hand, and she flinched in surprise, but before she could say anything, he had yanked them away from the path they were running on and into another.
It was as if it was engraved in his head. He turned to a tree, crouched down, and then leaped into the hole beneath it. Kivara leaped after him.
It was dark inside the hole, and it smelled like dirt and rot. The space was big enough for two and well concealed. It wasn't something that could be easily discovered.
They got their breathing under control, and she asked in a whisper, with a bit of suspicion, "How did you find this place?"
"I didn't. My Sigil did. I... just felt this place's aura through it."
There was a small edge to her voice as she asked, "And what aura is that?"
Riven could feel it all around him even now, a chill that didn't bother him. He answered, "Death aura."
She didn't say anything. The necromancers were there now. They could hear their voices.
"What? You lost them? Then track them! Sense them out through their aura. They must be hiding somewhere."
They stiffened as they watched the necromancers and their monsters turn the forest upside down. No matter how long they searched, they couldn't find them. Riven would have laughed at them if he wasn't a bundle of nerves.
Directly in front of the tree they were hiding in, he saw four of the green-robed figures. Vaelith was among them. They were surrounded by green orbs of light and their undead creatures.
Riven's eyes tightened as he searched among the blank-faced human undead. He didn't know if he should be happy or not that he didn't see her among them.
The necromancers got bored and frustrated when their search turned into dead ends and decided to leave. Riven released a sigh of relief, but Vaelith wasn't ready to budge.
The man crossed his arms in front of himself and scowled. "I thought I was going to have fun, but then they just disappeared like that? No way. Wait, let me summon Number One."
"You're going to use your most powerful undead for this?"
Vaelith shrugged. He was already crouching on the ground, his hand spread as he whispered. A green line appeared on the forest floor and expanded, turning into a door. A hand reached out from inside and dragged itself out.
It was a female human undead. Her face was flawless and pale, her eyes blank, and she wore a white robe.
Vaelith turned to her, his face shaped in concentration. "Find them."
The undead turned and blurred away from the place.
Riven felt Kivara stiffen immediately when she saw the undead, and he couldn't help but freeze as well. The aura pressure that came off it was almost stronger than all four necromancers combined. How did he get an undead that strong?
He didn't have time to worry about that because he saw the way Undead Number One was flickering between the trees, looking for them. His heart was the only sound he could hear, and his clenched hands were filled with sweat.
Suddenly, the entrance to the hole darkened, and Undead Number One was standing there, her milky-white eyes staring down at them. Riven stopped breathing entirely and had to stop himself from shouting.
The undead looked at them and seemed to look through them. Then, it turned and began to make its way in another direction to search, as if they weren't there.
Riven and Kivara breathed out in relief at the same time. Their worst worries were over. Whether it was luck or Kivara did something, Riven didn't care. He was just glad that the monster was gone.
But then, it was back, looming over the entrance like a ghost. Undead Number One opened its mouth and let out a screech that came out as a physical force.
Kivara slammed into Riven, and he was rammed into the wall… only there was no wall. He had a moment to feel surprised before he fell together with her.
This time, they screamed, but it was swallowed by the inky darkness that surrounded them.
Outside, Vaelith and the other necromancers stood above the entrance, but they found nothing unusual.
"Seems your Number One has some stitches loose in its head."
"Or maybe you're losing control of it," another snickered.
"Shut up," Vaelith grumbled. He shot the undead a glare, but it was just as blank-faced as usual. His lips curled. "I wish you could feel pain like when you were alive."
Vaelith shook his head. "Get back."
The door with the green line opened again, and the undead disappeared within.
Vaelith stood at the dark hole for a long time before he turned. "Time to start searching!"
Meanwhile, Riven and Kivara hit the ground in a tangle of limbs. Kivara hissed and uncoiled herself, leaving Riven, who had taken the most impact, groaning on the ground.
"That was close," she said, looking around. Then, she froze.
Riven noticed and stood as well to look around. They were in a small room. The room was so small that if they spread their hands, they would touch all three walls.
And the only door that was there.
"Where is this place?" Riven mumbled, but he didn't take his eyes away from the door. It was a black door, etched with lots of symbols, and in the middle of it was a raven and a snake locked in battle.
Unconsciously, Riven raised his hand toward the door, but Kivara slapped his hand away, glaring at him. "That's the dumbest way to die as a practitioner. As a rule, you don't touch what you don't know."
Riven swallowed. "Right."
But he could feel it. Right in his heart, in his Sigil. He wanted to touch and open the door.
Kivara huffed and sat down. "I feel like you attract trouble. I can smell it in you. Right from that Sigil of yours."