The first thing Undead wants to do is scream, yet there is no pain to scream from — only Leaf's incessant chatter and tears.
"Back? What do you mean by 'back?'"
The ever curious Undead questioned. Taking his armour off to check his wounds, but there's nothing, only a persisting feeling of weakness.
"Hic Undead, you really scared me!" She cries out, wiping her face with the back of her hands. "You took so long to wake up, I thought you died for real!"
"I did die, didn't I…? So how am I alive?"
Hearing this, Leaf shoots him an incredulous look. "You really don't know?"
"Why would I know? People don't normally come back from death." He said, his voice dripping with sarcasm.
"I forgot, you're really, really stupid." She pauses, massaging her temples. "Okay, so Undead, answer me this. What are you?"
"…An undead."
"Good, you know at least that much. Can something that's already dead, die again?"
"No?"
Clapping her hands with mock praise, Leaf flashes a warm smile to Undead. "Good! As expected of my knight, you learn quickly"
Not wanting to hear Leaf patronise him anymore, he forcefully changes the subject.
"I get that I'm alright, because I'm an undead." His eyes drag over Leaf, searching for any sign of injury.
No wounds on her back, no cuts, no nothing. Looking like how she was on the first day they met. Dazzling.
"But how are you fine?"
Hearing this, Leaf barely forces a groan back down her throat.
"I'm a fairy, yes? A child of nature. A child of the world even! You understand that much right?"
"Yes, but how does that relate to you being fine?"
"Hahhhh, I was getting to that, so wait, stupid knight. My powers are that of wind, yes? So I'm basically an incarnate of wind, and if the wind exists, so do I!"
With a needlessly smug voice, she teaches Undead slowly, making sure he understands. No matter how slow this stupid knight takes to learn.
"I think I understand it now."
With nothing left to be asked, he finally look around.
Other than Leaf, nearby is the campfire from yesterday. Its pale blue flames are still as vibrant as before.
Just further from the campfire are rows upon rows of organised pens. The exact same ones from before.
The only difference being that the sun no longer hangs in the air. Replaced with a single, solemn moon.
"Leaf, let's get going. We've already wasted too much time."
Putting his armour back on, Undead shakes his body, making sure every piece is secure.
Trailing the path he took before his death, there are less demon beasts than before.
It's barren, the only signs of life are the grass painting the floor.
"Let's go a different path than before, I don't want to run into any more pigs"
Voice filled with heavy resentment and disgust towards those vile pigs — who could kill such a righteous guy so ruthlessly?
"Nope, I don't want to," she says, shooting a ball of wind towards the undead's head, forcing him to look up at her. "The wind tells me something good will happen."
Speaking softly, Undead doesn't catch this. "Well, something good for me~"
"And pray tell, what is this good fortune?"
"Hmmm, surprise!"
"Useless."
They walk in silence after this, Undead even more wary than before due to Leaf's 'surprise'.
An hour later, they reach the grave — and a sitting alone in a crater is one scrawny pig, its eyes hollow and its body even larger than before.
A single pillar of light shines down, the silver rays glittering of the dried blood staining its mouth.
Surrounding the pig are two piles of bones. The skull of a pig rests on top of each. Each one has an engraving of a crying eye.
Smelling the rot clinging to Undead, the pigs crazed eyes lock onto him.
The air stills and Undead drops to his knees, the pressure different from anything he faced before.
Something that strikes the soul.
With a snort, the pig stalks over, each step heavier than the last.
"LEAF, BLAST IT"
No time to waste. While the pigs saunters over, Undead grits his teeth, stabbing his sword into the ground and forcing himself to stand.
Leaf flies to the side, blasting Undead's back to force him closer.
The pig opens its maw, reminiscent of the gluttonous pig.
Shoving his sword down its throat, he wraps his legs around its neck and straddles atop it.
Clenching his hands together, Undead slams them down — unrelenting.
Yet the pig simply brushes it off with another snort. The air grows heavier as it does.
As he raises his hands for another blow, the sudden weight drags him backward, and he crashes into the pigs back.
"Leaf! Spin it!"
Undead digs his hands into its side, gripping directly onto its ribs to keep it steady.
Because it's her second time forming a high speed-rotation shot, it spins much faster.
Throwing it like a frisbee, it slices through the pigs scrawny neck.
A pig's head slides off its neck, blood spilling out once the head falls. A clean cut
The air flows once more, the oppressive gone.
Panting atop the corpse, Undead raises his visor, spitting on the corpse of the pig.
"Filthy pests."
Kicking the corpse, it barely moves, but it moves enough. The hind legs reach the pile of bones, each one touching the pile.
Before anyone can realise, the bones start to rattle.
Starting off quiet, so quiet that even Leaf's ability to hear the wind doesn't pick it up.
But it doesn't stay that way for long. The bones move as if alive, wrapping around the filthy pig's corpse like a carapace.
The skulls roll their way to the pig's lone head; they suddenly melt. Liquid bone shoots into it, seeping in through eyes, ears, nose and mouth.
"Cough…"
Blood sprays out, painting the floor as an oddly human-like voice coming out from the animal's mouth.
The collapsed body stands up on its hind legs, mimicking a human. Awkwardly it stumbles to pick up its head, screwing it back on.
Suddenly, it bows towards the two. "It would be the greatest of honours to learn the names of those who freed me from such a vile curse."
The pig(?) raises its head, finally looking at the two. It's colour draining from its pink skin.
"NONONONONO! WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE, YOU CAN'T BE HERE! YOU CAN'T"
Without warning, the pig shoves its hands into its eyes, going so deep that it only stops at its elbows.
It doubles over, its body folding again and again, like clockwork. Its bones grinding against itself sounds like that of cogs.
Its bones thin out to that of pages, its skin clumping together to form a rudimentary cover.
A book made of the flesh and bones of vile pigs float in the air. Blood like tears flows from it, before shooting back and carving a title into the front cover.
"The three little pigs…?"
Reading it out, Undead can't help but feel like something was off. Not just something but everything was off. How could corpses reanimate into a book? What are the three little pigs? What is…?
"Undead, Undead! Quickly, go pick up the book! Now!!" Leaf pushes undead from behind, towards the book.
Unwillingly, his armoured hand picks up the book.
Pshhhh
A cloud of ash-like mist bursts from the book and sinks into Undead.
More instinct than thought, Undead chucks the book away. Watching as it crumbles to ash midair.
"What did you make me touch?"
Undead's cold voice echoes out. Maybe this fairy really is a slug? A slug who only knows how to deceive others.
Shivering at his cold gaze, Leaf hurriedly explains. "W-waitttt! W-what you just picked up was a fairytale. You know, like tales of old!"
"And what exactly does that have to do with the book turning to ash." He grabs Leaf with one hand, clenching just enough to cause a subtle amount of pain.
"Don't you feel it? You should've gotten an ability or something!" Leaf hurriedly cries out.
"No. No I don't."
"Huh? You should have! I swear on the wind!"
Wiggling out of his hand, Leaf brings her nose closer and sniffs Undead.
"Now I see. That's a problem."
"What is?"
"You didn't just absorb it, you completely devoured it. Not a trace remains."
"…"
Speechless, He looks at Leaf, not believing her. Why would some random Undead be able to devour fairytales or whatever they're called.
"Whatever, what's done is done. I have something else more pressing right now."
In the crater where the pig once was, also the place where Undead died. There's a flickering blue flame. Not as vibrant as that of the campfire but much larger. Like the size of a small pet or something similar.