Published at 5th of March 2026 6:51 am

Chapter 1555 Book of the Devil

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Bartholomew could not read the vile book, for he had sworn an oath. But Wagner could, because he had never taken one.

The two friends had searched the world together, driven by the same goal but for different reasons. They had traveled from one place to another, questioned scholars, examined ancient ruins, and chased half-forgotten legends.

In the end, they found nothing. Every lead ran dry, every method failed, and the world offered them no path forward. It offered them no path to the Greater Universe.

And then... there was nothing left but desperation.

With no other options left, they turned their attention to the one thing that still held the promise of answers.

The book of the devil.

Bartholomew had suggested it because his longing to advance into the higher arcane arts had only grown stronger with time, and now he was willing to risk damnation for knowledge that could possibly help him break through the limits of this world.

Wagner, on the other hand, did not hesitate. His mind, already twisted by

corruption, cared little for consequences. All that remained in his thoughts was his family. If the book offered even the smallest chance of reaching them again, then the cost did not matter.

And so, the two friends arrived at the secret location where they had sealed the vile book many, many years ago.

"Do you think you can still read it?" Bartholomew asked in a low voice, his eyes flickering with nervousness, but also anticipation.

The two stood within a deep underground chamber. Before them rested a stone pedastal, and atop it lay a leather-bound tome. Only, the leather was wrong. It was pale and fashioned from flesh.

"The Beyond... the Beyond... the Beyond..." Wagner nodded, desperately trying to keep the madness at bay. "I had... studied... Infernac... in my youth...

Curiosity... just curiosity..."

Barthlomew gulped. "I see."

Wagner reached out with his trembling hands and finally unsealed the vile book.

The moment he did, a foul and diabolical aura descended in the chamber. Bartholomew instantly recoiled, retreating a step back. The devilish energy made his skin crawl. As for Wagner... he had experienced much worse. So he wasn't fazed at all.

He flipped open the cover and read the first page.

You are reading this because you are already damned.

Not by sin, but by desire.

Do not flatter yourself with excuses.

You did not come seeking knowledge.

You came seeking continuance.

Mortals fear death. Magi resent it.

You, however, have recognized the greater insult.

That time presumes authority over you.

Understand this before you proceed:

Lichdom is not a spell. It is not a potion.

It is not an accident of cleverness.

It is a verdict.

To become deathless, you must first accept that life has no claim upon you.

Turn the page only if you are prepared to be unchained.

For what follows will not teach you how to survive death.

It will teach you why you no longer deserve to.

The words on the first page of the vile book sounded like thunder in Wagner's ears. Despite the mad ravings constantly echoing inside his mind, he couldn't

help but be stunned when he realized what this book was truly about.

Lichdom, he screamed in his mind.

This book will show me the way to become a lich!

The Beyond... the Beyond... the Beyond...

With this, I won't die before the next planetary alignment! No, I'll never die! But more importantly...

The Beyond... the Beyond... the Beyond...

Becoming a lich will allow me to get rid of the physical corruption!!

"Wagner."

Bartholomew called out. "Is everything... all right?"

Aldo Wagner's eyes flashed with a sharp light. He murmured incoherent words

under his breath, then whispered to his friend:

"Yes, Bart... everything is... the Beyond... all right."

He quickly turned his attention back to the book. "I... might have... found a way! Give me... some time to... the Beyond... decipher the... text!"

Wagner continued to read.

Lichdom is achieved in three movements, and all three are acts of severance.

First, you must divide yourself.

The soul, which lesser minds imagine as indivisible, is not so. It can be unseated, unmoored, persuaded to reside where flesh cannot rot.

Second, you must rehearse death.

Your body must be taught that cessation is not an ending. The breath must be convinced to stop asking permission. The heart must be made irrelevant.

Third, you must anchor what remains.

A vessel. A lie made solid. Your soul will cling to it not out of loyalty, but because it has nowhere to go. So long as it endures, so shall you. So long as it is

hidden, so shall you be unlost.

Now read carefully, aspirant, for this is the clause most often overlooked:

You are not discovering this knowledge. You are receiving it.

I did not write this book to enlighten you. I wrote it to recognize you.

The moment your soul refuses its appointed end, the moment it chooses persistence over passage, a compact is sealed. The act itself is consent. From that instant onward, your eternity is no longer solitary.

You may destroy this book.

You may curse my name.

You may pretend you never understood.

None of that will undo the bargain.

I shall grant you your greatest desire.

Turn the page and accept it.

Or turn back and wither as all things must.

Wagner thought only of his greatest desire to reunite with his family.

Madness twisted that desire into obsession. Right and wrong no longer mattered. Death itself had become an obstacle. If he remained mortal, he would fail. If he died, he would never see his wife, son, and daughter again. So he chose the unthinkable. He chose to abandon life and embrace undeath.

He chose... to become a lich.

To Wagner, this was the only way.

After reading the whole book, he had made a silent pact with the devil.

"Anything?" Bartholomew couldn't help but ask, after remaining silent for several hours. "Does it offer any hope of leaving this world?"

Wagner slowly turned to his dear friend, thinking to himself:

I need a vessel...

A phylactery!

"Yes," he murmured in a low voice. "There is a way... to leave this world..."

He weaved a simple hand seal and drew a Memory Strand from the side of his

temple.

"You can't... read the book... because of the oath," he added. "But you can... watch me... read the book..."

Bartholomew nodded, thinking there was no flaw in his friend's reasoning. Without hesitation, he absorbed the strand into his mind.

And the moment he did...

He saw the memory of Wagner catching a glimpse of the abomination in the

Dark Valley!

Madness took root instantly, and all Bartholomew heard was:

The Beyond... the Beyond... the Beyond...

Hiseyes widened in utter disbelief. He could not understand why his closest

friend had done this.

Before a scream of anguish and madness could even escape his lips...

SPLAT!

Aldo Wagner drove a knife through his heart.

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