Yarra's Adventure Notes-Chapter 1415 - 201 Luscia

"If that’s the case, let’s get reacquainted then. I am Luscia, a combat-type Guardian. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Kyle." The huge Bone Dragon’s Soul Fire rhythmically pulsed. Though the Bone Dragon didn’t quite understand Pannis’s sudden display of respect and consideration, anyone treated in such a manner would be pleased. Therefore, for the first time, the Bone Dragon stretched its massive body to stand up, bending its neck to bring its skull close to Pannis’s face, habitually opening its enormous jaws. Among Drakes, to touch another with one’s skull and extend the tongue to lick the other is a way to express friendship and recognition. Pannis had earned the Bone Dragon’s recognition a hundred years earlier, and this time, he gained its favor once again. However, the Drake’s movement suddenly froze, and after a few seconds, it shook its head with a wry smile, "I almost forgot, I no longer have a tongue."

Pannis also paused for a moment. Before, when facing Lady Bone Dragon, he had been subconsciously interacting with her according to the customs of treating Drakes, automatically overlooking the fact that she was no longer merely a Guardian, but now a Bone Dragon. The Bone Dragon, caught up in recounting the past and constantly mentioning it, also momentarily forgot that it only existed as a skeleton until it tried to lick Pannis to show friendliness. It was then that both suddenly realized that as Undead, they had lost the ability to perform such acts. The Bone Dragon let out a low roar, somewhat dejected, before lying back down on the ground, troubled, "I’m really not used to this current state."

"Hehe, it doesn’t matter that you don’t have a tongue," said Pannis, reaching out his hand to pat the smooth Drake skull in front of him, a gesture Drakes only allowed friends to make, "At least you still retain your own consciousness, and from the looks of things, you haven’t forgotten most of your memories like other Undead, which is already very fortunate."

"Well, to be precise, I haven’t lost any memories at all," the Bone Dragon nodded and said, "Perhaps it’s because of the Guardian’s traits. I remember everything from my life; that’s my fortune but also the source of my pain."

Pannis did not respond, but he could somewhat understand the Bone Dragon’s pain. Undead creatures, known for their mindless, frenzied killing, were regarded by the people of Yarran World as ferocious and evil, shunned by all races. The stronger and more self-aware a creature was, the more likely it would experience self-loathing upon realizing it had become Undead. Especially for beings like Saen and the Bone Dragon—once the most superior on the world, waking up to find themselves turned into contemptible, vile Undead, it’s not hard to fathom their psychological disparity. Such an emotional gap was hard for someone without the same experience to understand. It might have been better if they could forget most of their living memories, but the Bone Dragon, due to its unique Guardian nature, retained all its memories, no wonder it suffered so.

"I’m very sorry, Luscia," Pannis said, calling her by her name without any titles, which narrowed the distance between them, "I can’t comprehend your pain, and my request will inevitably plunge you back into those painful memories, but I still hope you can tell us what exactly happened to you, or rather, what happened here."

"Don’t worry, memories won’t cause me too much pain. I’m quite willing to tell you everything that you want to know," Bone Dragon Luscia spoke in a clear, girlish voice, "I don’t know what happened after my death, I only regained my consciousness for the first time a short while before you all first entered this world."

"The first time?" Pannis repeated softly, then made an apologetic gesture, "I think I understand what you mean, sorry for interrupting, please go on."

"Hmm, the first time, by then I must have been awakened as an Undead for quite some time, but I don’t know why I suddenly regained Divine Wisdom. In this world at that time, I also encountered some of my own kind, the Undead, but there was no sign that any of them had regained their Divine Wisdom, so this couldn’t possibly be due to any unique attribute of being a Guardian." Luscia still seemed bewildered as she spoke softly, "I also tried to awaken them, but without exception, I failed. It seems I was the only Undead who had regained Divine Wisdom at that time."

"Hmm, throughout the history of the Yarran World, there indeed have been a few instances of Undead appearing who possessed Divine Wisdom, probably due to extremely rare mutations," Pannis nodded and said, "Given the number of the Undead in the Realm of the Dead at that time, the emergence of Undead with Divine Wisdom is not too surprising."

"After I regained my Divine Wisdom, I sensed the presence of Danacus’s Divine Soul and also figured out why this place was teeming with Undead. However, the nature of my existence made it impossible for me to confront Danacus. In fact, there was no reason for a confrontation. Still, I didn’t want him to find out that I had regained my Divine Wisdom, fearing that he would gain further control over me if he knew. So, whenever his will or his Archbishops patrolled the world, I would always disguise myself as an ordinary Undead. Fortunately, I was never discovered by them, not until Death’s Gate opened." Luscia said, "One day, I noticed most of the Undead had fallen into madness, sensing something must have happened. I flew towards the Death’s Gate to reconnoiter and that’s when I saw you all, especially Mina, another Drake of the warrior race and a good friend of mine from when I was alive."

"Then why didn’t you... reveal yourself to her?" asked Pannis, "Why did you turn and flee?"

"Because it was just too shameful," Luscia said with a self-deprecating smile, "To be a Guardian yet become a chaotic Undead, and unlike others of my race, it wasn’t just a physical transformation; my spirit had also become Undead. It was such a disgrace, truly the greatest shame. At that time, my only thought was that I absolutely couldn’t let you see me, no matter what."

"Uh, okay, although I don’t particularly understand that mindset," Pannis said, scratching his head, "But I’m not really in a position to comment on it either."

"Upon further reflection, it was right not to seek you out. At that time, I couldn’t even speak, so there was no way to communicate with you. You were also under attack by a large number of the Undead, including numerous Bone Dragons. If I had really approached, I probably would have been instantly killed by you as an enemy, considering that my strength wasn’t as great after the Undead Transformation as it was when I was alive; it wouldn’t have been difficult for you to kill me." Luscia said, "However, even though I fled, I couldn’t stop worrying about you, so I kept lingering around your vicinity."

"Hmm, I’m aware of that, and so is Mina," Pannis nodded and said, "I think she too suspected that you might be a Guardian who had regained Divine Wisdom, but since our mission was too dangerous, she didn’t acknowledge you. However, we’ve never discussed this, so I don’t know if that’s what she really thought."