Born To Raise Undead

 Chapter 13: Blood Awakens Bone 

The door creaked open.

Aarav stepped into the main room, his fingers still trembling, his mind echoing with the system's final words.

[NOTE: Your mother is not a normal woman.]

[Divine Signature Fragment Detected]

[Name: Veluna — Goddess of Death (Dormant)]

He couldn't breathe properly — not from fear, but from the sheer weight of the truth.

His mother… Veluna… a goddess? The Goddess of Death?

It didn't make sense. She was the woman who held him when he cried, who cooked for him when he was sick, who sang lullabies when he feared the dark. She worked in the field with worn hands and a tired smile. How could that same woman wield a power capable of destroying worlds?

How much has she forgotten? Or… how much was stolen from her?

The air in the room felt too still, like the calm before something monumental.

Suddenly, a system interface blinked into view, breaking the tension.

[Hidden Quest Completed]

Quest: Survive One Deathly Trial

Reward: Pending…

Reward Processing…

Reward Granted: System Update

Before Aarav could process it, another message appeared — one that immediately stole his breath.

⚙️ [SYSTEM UPDATING…]

Estimated Time: 10 Minutes

All system functions temporarily suspended.

"What the hell—? Hey! System, do you hear me?" Aarav called out mentally.

But silence answered him. No response. No guidance. No pulse of connection.

He swiped through the air, trying to activate anything — his stats, his interface, even Ghrol's status — but the only thing that remained was the glowing notification:

SYSTEM UNDER UPDATE

He clenched his jaw.

It won't respond until it finishes. Fine. Then I'll deal with it after.

His eyes turned again toward Veluna.

She sat at their old wooden table, humming softly as she crushed dried herbs with a mortar and pestle. The scent of lavender and ironroot drifted through the air. Morning sunlight poured through the cracked windowpane, casting soft gold across her pale face.

She looked peaceful.

Too peaceful.

The same lullaby she was humming now… she used to sing to him during thunderstorms. When he cried in his sleep, her voice was what brought him back.

Now, he was walking a path where thunder followed him.

His hand tightened on the edge of the doorframe.

He had bled with Ghrol beside him, stood before the Grave Tyrant, and entered the throne room of the Deathlord himself. He had walked through death and returned with power no child should hold.

But standing in front of his mother — no, a goddess — terrified him more than any tyrant.

He took a step forward.

The wooden floor groaned beneath his boots. Veluna turned at the sound, her smile soft and warm — the same smile that had raised him, the same smile that hid unknown truths.

"You're up early," she said gently, brushing stray strands of hair behind her ear. "Are your wounds healing? Did you rest at all?"

Aarav forced a nod. But as he looked at her hands — so careful, so human — he saw it again. A faint shimmer. A flicker of shadow beneath the light. For a heartbeat, he saw what lay buried: divine energy coiled within her.

"I'm fine, Mom," he said quietly, though his voice felt hollow.

Veluna tilted her head, her smile fading just slightly.

"You're pale. And… you're staring."

He blinked and looked away quickly, pretending to study the cracked wall behind her.

"Sorry. I'm just… not the same person I was when I left. What I saw — what I faced — it changed me."

Veluna's expression softened. She stood slowly and approached him, placing her hand gently on his arm.

The moment she touched him — a pulse surged between them.

It wasn't just warmth. It wasn't just maternal affection.

Something ancient moved.

Her aura stirred in response to his Deathlord blood.

But she didn't notice. Or perhaps she couldn't.

"Did something happen?" she asked, her brow furrowed. "Something you can't tell me?"

His throat closed up.

He wanted to scream Yes. To pull her close and beg her to remember.

To awaken.

But instead, he simply shook his head.

"No. Just… too many memories."

She didn't believe him. But she didn't push.

"Then rest," she said softly. "You need it."

He turned away, moving toward the hallway.

Behind him, her voice reached him — a whisper that wrapped around his heart.

"There's something deeper in your eyes, Aarav. I don't know what it is… but I pray it won't take you away from me."

He paused.

His fingers brushed the bandage around his thumb — still warm from when he had offered blood to form the pact with the Deathlord. That drop… could break the seal within her.

But not yet. Not until I'm strong enough to stand beside you.

He walked to the edge of the hall.

But he couldn't do it. Not yet.

He turned around.

"Yes, Mom," he said, his voice firmer this time. "There is something I want to tell you. And… I want you to know everything."

Veluna blinked, surprised, but then smiled and nodded.

"Come sit, my boy. Let your mother listen."

Aarav sat across from her.

And he began to speak.

It took him nearly half an hour to recount it all.

He started from the beginning — from the moment he left the village, how people stared at him with suspicion, how children clutched their mothers when they saw Ghrol trailing silently behind him.

He told her about the trial he discovered — the Grave Trial. The bone-littered arena. The endless waves of undead. The creatures with blades instead of limbs and empty sockets for eyes.

He told her about Ghrol — how his once lifeless body fought beside him like a brother, how he took blows that should've shattered him, how he refused to fall.

And then he spoke of the Grave Tyrant.

How its roar shook the dungeon walls.

How his bones cracked, how his vision blurred… how close he came to dying.

"But we survived," Aarav whispered, his fists clenched. "We survived because we had no choice."

He paused.

"Because I couldn't die. I wouldn't die — not when you were waiting for me."

Veluna's eyes shimmered with tears, but she stayed quiet.

"And then… he appeared," Aarav continued. "The Deathlord. The one they say ruled death itself."

He described the throne of bones. The fog. The silence that wasn't silence — just absence.

He told her how the Deathlord tested him — with words, with doubt, with choices.

And how, at the end of it all, he offered Aarav a place at his side.

"I said yes. Because I wanted power — not for myself. But to protect what matters."

He looked at her.

"You."

Veluna couldn't stop the tear that fell down her cheek.

"So you're… now walking the Deathlord's path?" she asked, voice trembling.

"Yes," Aarav said. "And he's my mentor now."

Veluna sat back slowly, absorbing everything.

"You've become… something even gods will fear," she said in awe. "And I'm so proud, Aarav. So proud."

He smiled gently.

But before he could say more, a message flickered in front of him.

SYSTEM UPDATE COMPLETE

All Functions Restored

He didn't even glance at the interface.

Not now.

His focus was still on her.

And there was one truth left to tell.

"Mom," he said slowly, his voice darkening with weight. "There's one more thing."

Veluna's smile faded. She could sense it — this wasn't a warrior's tale. This was deeper.

"I'm listening."

"I unlocked a new ability. Eyes of the End. It lets me see the truth. Divine fragments. Death energy. Things no one else can detect."

Veluna nodded slowly.

"I used it on you," Aarav said, "without thinking. I didn't expect anything."

He paused.

"But I saw it. You're not just my mother. You're not just a healer."

He met her eyes.

"You're the Goddess of Death."

The words dropped like thunder in the silence.

Veluna sat frozen, the air pulled from her lungs.

"…What?"

"I saw it. I felt it. Your aura. Your seal. You're divine, Mom. But your power — it's been locked away."

Veluna looked at him as if seeing him for the first time.

Then… she laughed.

She laughed so hard tears ran down her cheeks.

"You're such a fool, Aarav," she said between laughs. "What kind of story are you writing in your head? A goddess? Me?"

Aarav didn't laugh.

He simply said, "I'm not joking. I swear it's true."

Veluna paused. Her expression softened.

"…You've never lied to me."

He nodded.

She fell silent again.

And finally asked, "Then… if it's sealed… can it be undone?"

"Yes," Aarav replied. "But the method… it's not easy."

"Tell me."

He hesitated.

"It requires my blood. Just one drop — because I'm a Deathlord now. My blood holds authority over death."

Veluna nodded, waiting.

"But… you must kill something."

She blinked.

"What?"

"To awaken the sealed power, you have to destroy your innocence. You must kill a living creature. Even a small one."

The silence that followed was crushing.

Veluna sat still. Her hands shook.

"…Kill?"

Aarav looked at her with understanding.

"I know it's not easy. You're kind, gentle. That's who you are. And that's why I won't force you. This is your decision. Take your time."

He stood and began to walk back to his room.

"But Mom," he said softly, pausing mid-step.

"Whatever you decide… I'll respect it."

He looked over his shoulder and smiled.

"I love you."

Then he disappeared into the hallway.

Veluna sat in the golden sunlight, tears sliding down her cheeks.

And whispered,

"I love you too… my son."