Bewilderment (Part One)

It was a seven-story stone tower, plain in appearance and built entirely of stone. Even the door on the ground floor was stone. It stood slightly ajar, as though welcoming him in.

Romon stared at the dark aura seeping from the tower and hesitated. How powerful was the Necromancer inside?

He had no desire to meet a powerful Necromancer and end up making a brave "sacrifice."

For a moment, he even considered retreating.

Then a low voice challenged him from the open doorway. "Are you the Druid who killed my darling zombies and Skeleton Lieutenant? Why are you loitering outside instead of coming in to rid the world of this evil Necromancer?"

Romon froze and looked up. A figure was slowly emerging from the doorway.

The figure wore a black cloak. A hood hid his face, leaving only his eyes visible.

He stopped some distance away. His voice was flat, but edged with mockery. "I am an Avatar of destruction and suffering... Isn't that right? That's how the Mages' Guild defines us."

Romon's eyes flickered. Necromancers often dressed like this. They covered themselves in black robes all day not to hide from people, but because they hated light.

"Were you the one tracking us with magic?" Romon asked instead of answering.

His whole body tensed. His right hand flexed, ready to dart toward his waist, while a faint red glow flashed at the fingertips of his left.

At the slightest move from the Necromancer, Romon could react at once.

Nothing in Romon's expression suggested he faced a deadly enemy. To the man opposite him, the young Druid seemed utterly unconcerned about making an enemy of him. Only Romon's eyes had brightened: he had activated Spirit Eye.

In Romon's sight, ghostly flames hovered around the Necromancer. The red radiance of evil