“My lord I-“ Virgil was soon interrupted by the wave of a hand. “You know better then to use titles when we are alone. In this forsaken time, I need normalcy from you, exalted scholar, more than any other.” The walls seemed to close in on Virgil and his lord as they continued their descent from the great cathedral’s keep.

“Hokron, the men of the border speak true. The cambian horrors have found a way to circumvent the God’s banishment.” Hokron nearly jumped in surprise, before turning to stare straight into Virgil’s eyes.

“They have harnessed death?! Those mindless horrors who know not but war and suffering have found a solution to that which we have not?” Hokron’s suprised face soon mmorphed into one of true terror.

“They have not harnessed death, but instead life. In a last fit of treachery, the God of Chaos gifted a sword unto Undvik the Defiler. The sword steals the life of its victims and bestows it upon the wielder. He cannot end a life, but he can rip it from those who oppose him.” Virgil replied his steady voice betraying the severity of the subject. Hokron pondered for a moment before finally replying.

“In an age where I can no longer move my subjects with offers of food, riches, or glory perhaps the fear of this life stealer will build our spirits anew.”

***

I woke up.

Usually after death you don’t wake up but, here I was awake on the cold hard floor staring up at a ceiling that I didn’t recognize. A vaulted ceiling almost 200 feet up with a few chandeliers providing most of the illumination. As my eyes slowly adjusted to the dim torchlight, I began to make out the details of my environment. I was in a sealed off room with the only noticeable point of entry being the large wooden double doors in front of me. The walls were made of a white marble interrupted by periodic black stone pillars. A dark wooden trim seemed to decorate the stone. Different wooden murals hung from the walls. On my left was a six-winged figure a scroll in one hand and a trumpet in the other. On the right was some sort of battle. Two figures, one with a sword the other with a dagger, stood fighting atop a mound of corpses. Under both of these murals laid strange arrangements of runes that I couldn’t decipher.

It was surprising how quick my worry and panic from almost dying was replaced with an unbridled excitement. I couldn’t help but jump to my feet, any sense of weariness was completely gone. I did a quick double take of my surroundings before examining myself. I was still in my own body, still in the black t-shirt and jeans, I didn’t have my phone and the only thing in my pockets was a receipt from lunch and a worn-out ballpoint pen.

This was it! I had been transferred to another world! I was an isekai protagonist! My harem filled adventures would start here from this very room! I instantly started to meditate. If it’s a fantasy world it has to have magic, and as the chosen hero I should have no trouble awakening it. I tried to focus on any cultivation image I could think of, a lake of Qi in my stomach, A magic circle over my heart, A core in my chest that sucked energy in from my surroundings, anything.

Sadly, I couldn’t notice any major difference from my deep meditation. After sitting crisscross applesauce for longer then I care to admit I gave up on the notion of awakening magic. I wasn’t going to be able to find it on my own apparently. Oh well, patience is a virtue as they say. Still the welcome has been rather lackluster. No cute princesses, honorable knights, or even a circle of robed magicians. Maybe this is one of those solo adventures where I have to power up on some ancient grimoire or something.

Just as I was about to get up and explore my new environment the doors to the chamber flew open. Two knights wearing matching gold trimmed plate armor stood glaring down at me. One stood steady with a lance to his right. The other seemed jittery closing and unclosing his hands around his heavy halberd. They both must have been at least 7 feet tall and almost 2 and a half feet wide. These guys were massive! A small hint of worry plagued me but was soon overtaken by my excitement. I needed to make a good first impression. I want to be dignified but still approachable so let’s try this...

“Uh…hello, I go by Daniel Alighieri. I believe you have summoned me, my good sirs.”

That was…. Bad.

Thankfully neither of the knights responded to my words. Maybe there was no auto translate in this world I couldn’t read the runes from before either. I should be ok though, usually a mage will come and cast some language comprehension spell on the protagonist or give them a translation artifact. This will likely be my first time witnessing magic too! I can barely contain my excitement.

The Knights share a simple nod as they move from the doorway revealing the stairwell behind. The Knights moved soundlessly despite their hulking figures. Before I could comprehend the direction of their movement, they were already behind me prodding me forward with the butt of their weapons. Without giving me even a moment to respond I was soon knocked forward by a heavy blow.

Pain.

I stumbled for a few steps before falling down on my face.

Jeez, that hurt. My whole side feels as if it was hit by a truck. Shit….. that really hurt. What the hell! Heroes aren’t supposed to be hit by their future underlings! As soon as I get my harem of princesses and broken superpower I’m putting both these assholes in their place. I spent the next few moments nursing my side. This was really gonna bruise.

I whipped around to the knights, fully intending to let’em have it. “Do you know who you just hit! I’m-“.

With a resounding crack, the butt of the halberd knocks the wind out of me as it bludgeoned my stomach.

Pain. So much pain.

I keeled over involuntarily and began to puke out what remains of my lunch on the floor. Tears welled up in my eyes. There’s no way it could hurt this much. I’ve had my fair share of injuries and nothing compares to this, not when I broke my arm in 2nd grade, when I was hit in the face with a baseball in gym, not even when Julia thought it’d be funny to punt me in the groin. No nothing could compare to this. Is it some pain inducing enchantment?

I saw the knight reeling back to strike me again. “Alright! Alright I’m moving!” I yelled out, praying they would understand me. “Please, just don’t hit me again.”

In response to my pleas the Knight holding the lance simply picked me up by the collar and threw me forward onto the stairs. Both Knights stood ready blocking the way back into the chamber, making sure I didn’t get any ideas about turning back. All I could do was climb the stairs.

And climb the stairs I did. The stairs might have been even more of a mystery than the Knight’s weapons though. No matter how long I climbed the top of the stairwell was nowhere in sight. I wanted to check behind me to see if we had made any progress at all but I was worried my escort might take offense to that.

So we kept climbing and climbing, up and up, further and further with no end in sight. As we went I made sure to try and activate any hidden system or game function I might have been given. Muttering different variations of “menu”, “status”, “level” and “home screen”. Sadly, again my efforts went unrewarded. Thankfully, the Knights deemed it wasn’t worth striking me every time I muttered something under my breath. So, I only got a few new bruises when I was moving to slow or took to long observing my surroundings.

Not like there was much to observe. Unlike the previous chamber, the stairs and the hallway surrounding them were nothing but a simple dull gray. No murals, of ancient battles, no columns, and no cool statues.

“God help me, this is such a drag.” I couldn’t help but mutter under my breath.

“You would do well not to call upon those up above, for those who have abandoned us have surely also abandoned you.”

A silky-smooth baritone voice broke me out of my mutterings. Just in time for me to miss the top step of the staircase. Needless to say, I tripped and found myself face down sprawled out on the floor. When I was finally able to regain my composure and lift myself off the oddly smooth cobblestone floor, I was greeted by a sight that nearly redefined opulence. It was as if I entered into a cathedral made of gold, each and every wall adorned with obsidian trim and diamond jewels. But what truly caught my eye, was in the middle of it all sat the most beautiful man I had ever seen.

He sat there on a throne of light wearing nothing but a short white skirt and a belt holding a decorated broadsword. Everything about him gave off an aura of vitality. His skin seemed to glow a soft golden hue. His long blonde hair was neatly tucked back into a ponytail and his clear blue eyes seemed to gaze directly into my soul.

“We have brought the Corpseling, prince Lato.” The Knight to my right spat the words out quickly, as if it pained him to do so.

Wait a minute, what the hell is a “corpseling”?

The worry I had once ignored shot back into my chest. I had no idea what a corpseling was, but I was sure it was nothing good. Before I could make any poor decisions, the Knights grabbed my arms and brought me in front of the Prince. Once I was maybe ten feet from him the prince gave a subtle wave and the Knights forced me to my knees.

“We shall now begin the trial, that the boy may be given a fair condemnation.” The soothing voice that came from the Prince seemed to ease all my worries.

'I could trust this man.'

'He would protect me.'

'There was no reason for me to be worried.'

The thoughts forced their way to the front of my mind. The soothing feeling of certainty soon quenched any worry I had stowed away.

“May the scholars now enter.” With just a few words and a wave of his hand the room came to life.

Ten men and women lifelessly began to move towards there stations. Like statues made of wax in heat, their skin was melted togethor. Drops of blood, bile, and flesh stained the ground as they moved. They all wordlessly took their place in a semi-circle around the prince before coming to a halt. With a casual snap of the Princes fingers all the scholars were set ablaze.

I fell backwards from the sudden explosion of heat only held up by the two knights behind me. What was that? I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. What did the Prince do? Why where they on fire?

Why haven’t they died?

As the scholars began to burn clumps of their flesh simply fell to be immediately replaced by new unsinged flesh. This process repeated in a seemingly infinite loop. Just as I opened my mouth to speak I was cut off by the Prince’s soothing voice.

“Worry not boy, they have all been given condemnation worthy of their sin. They who rejected their bodily needs in the pursuit of knowledge have had their bodies taken. A fitting punishment for their vice.” The Prince spoke with an infectious confidence.

'Yes, they deserved this.'

'A fitting punishment for their crimes.'

Once again the soothing thoughts wormed their way into my mind. No matter how much I tried to resist the soothing feeling never left.

“Boy, you stand accused. You abandoned your humanity and lived a vicious life. I shall gift you a chance to prove your humanity. If you prove to me that you have lived a life of virtue than I shall send you back to your world with riches beyond your imagination. May none say that I am not Just.” The Prince spoke slowly raising from his seat and placing his hand on his sword. “Now speak, Tell me of your life that I might give you what you are owed.”

And so I told him. Everything. From my birth up to my summoning, about my shitty family, to my boring life at college. From my problems with women to my dreams and aspirations. Last but not least, I told him that I was grateful for his summons. That he didn’t need to send me back home.

That I would be a hero.

“No matter the odds, I Daniel Alighieri shall bring peace to these lands and save this world!”

The prince flinched at this declaration his hands gripped the hilt of the decorated broadsword until his knuckles turned white. What first started as a frown soon turned into a look of pure disdain.

“You would save this world?” He asked and all life seemed to quiet.

I replied on instinct. “Of course, My Prince I-“

“DO NOT SULLY MY NAME WITH YOUR WORDS! YOU SHALL KNOW SILENCE!” The look of disdain on the Prince’s face shifted into one of pure rage. “You truly believe that you could save Utradem? The Godless lands?” With a sigh his face once again returned to its serene state. He lightly shook his head.

“Fool.”

Although not shouted or accented in anyway the word seemed to pierce me through. The relaxing confidence I once had was soon replaced with alarm as the prince unsheathed his sword. The runed sword let off a light blue glow as he slowly brought it to his face and kissed the flat of the blade.

“If there are objections to sending him to Indryll speak now.” The prince calmly turned to his entourage as the words left his mouth. Silence reigned as none had the courage to speak.

“So be it.” The Prince waved me forward and the Knights lifted me before him.

“Just as all thing in life seek to perform there function so to do humans. All things wish to perform their functions and only truly exist when they do so. Alll things are given a unique function that only it can complete. The eye is to see, as the blade is to cut. The inanimate to exist, the animate to live and give life. So to does humanity have a function. Yet the function given to man is different then these. It is greater. For to be a human you must not only live, but you must also know reason. You must go beyond and show virtue in your life. You who denied your function choosing to live in a fantasy instead of reality, stand accused. You who abandoned reason and choose to simply sate your physical desires like an animal, shall be treated as such. As you have renounced your humanity, I shall gift you a fitting punishment, Corpseling. May your suffering inspire future virtue in greater men.”

As he delivered my sentence, he pulled back his broadsword.

I panicked.

I fought back and did everything I could to resist. It was all worthless. The blade pierced straight through my heart. Before I could so much as let out a scream I knew something was wrong. I felt more tired than I had ever been, my eyes were unfocused and I could barely stay conscious. Though maybe unconsciousness would have been a blessing. As every nerve in my body seemed to ignite and burn with pain. My body began to shrivel up and wither. My teeth fell from my mouth, my skin peeled and tore, lumps of fat and muscle turned to dust. All that was left was a thin layer of scabbed leathery skin over thin bones.

I wished I could scream. Fight, cry, run, do anything to escape. But I couldn’t. All that was left was the pain, the suffering. As the cartilage that made up my nose began to slip down my face, my vision faltered. Everything became blurry as the liquid in my eyes drained. An all too familiar feeling dawned on me and my mind went blank save for one thought.

I’m going to die.

Then there was only darkness.

For the second time that day, I had died.