Chapter 2: [Thaleia and Samael]
Two tiny armored figures sat side by side beneath the vast, dark dome of the great temple, staring blankly at a small cluster of pale, flickering light.
“Alright, I… I completely understand now. So, I died suddenly while gaming at midnight, and then this magic array summoned me to another world and possessed me into this suit of armor.” Xia Mo’an sat beside Thaleia, poking at the pale fireball in front of him with armored fingers.
The hollow armor rattled softly as he moved.
“In principle, that should be correct.” Thaleia used the claw-like tips of her armored fingers to prod at the flame. “I suspect this ruin dates back to the Era of the Gods, when deities waged war against each other. This place was likely used to mass-produce immortal Ghost Knights. The array’s mechanism should randomly summon wandering souls to inhabit mass-produced cursed armors. Such warriors have no bodies and cannot be harmed by physical attacks. They are immortal and undying, only banishable through powerful holy magic that exorcises the attached spirit, leaving it to drift lost in the void.”
She gestured toward the armors scattered around the temple.
“These armors are pre-made containers for ghostly warriors.”
“Alright—so you are?” Xia Mo’an asked.
“Me? I… I am the Black-Armored Demon Lord! Monarch of the Northern Mountains, Demon Knight Lord of the Frostwind Plains, King of the Londoran Dungeon—Baalton Ronowe!” Thaleia declared proudly. “...His daughter, Thaleia Ronowe.”
“Oh! I get it now!” Xia Mo’an exclaimed, enlightened. “DND version of a rich second generation!”
“But my parents are already dead,” Thaleia murmured softly.
“Oh! I get it now!” Xia Mo’an exclaimed again. “Lord of the Rings version of Batman!”
“What is a Batman?” Thaleia asked. “Is that a kind of vampire that turns into a bat?”
“...Never mind, forget it… Sorry, I’ve got a sharp tongue. Don’t take it seriously.” The living armor scratched the side of his helmet.
“My father’s dungeon, Londoran, was destroyed by the combined forces of other demon lords and the Adventurers’ Guild. All his wealth and resources were taken. I have nothing left.” Thaleia stirred the pale flame with her fingers. “I pretended to be human, wandering from place to place across the world, searching for ancient ruins. I hoped to activate a functional temple using an Aether Crystal and perhaps gain some holy relics or wealth—enough to rebuild the Londoran Dungeon—but—”
“Oh, oh! It’s like a gacha draw, right? I know that!” Xia Mo’an said. “So, did you pull what you wanted?”
Thaleia stared at the living armor.
The living armor turned his helmet toward her, the empty opening facing Thaleia.
“Oh… uh, I see,” Xia Mo’an realized. “Your gacha pull went wrong and you got me instead.”
Thaleia sighed, falling silent.
“Can you pull again? I can help! My luck’s always been great—once I opened five soda bottles in a row with winning caps.” Xia Mo’an said cheerfully. “I’m already dead anyway, so I can sacrifice some lifespan to help you pull something good!”
“Uh… it’s useless now. This Aether Crystal is already depleted, and I have no more.” Thaleia looked at the now-dim crystal in her hand.
“Maybe I should just… sigh, forget it.” She shoved the crystal hanging from her necklace back into her chestplate, hugged her knees, and buried the lower half of her face behind her arm guards, her eyes staring blankly into space.
“Hey, don’t be so gloomy!” Xia Mo’an patted Thaleia’s shoulder. “Didn’t you say you wanted to rebuild your father’s dungeon?”
“There’s no hope left. My father’s legacy is gone forever.” She turned her face away.
“We’ll just build a new one then! If we can’t be the second generation, we’ll be the first!” Xia Mo’an leaned over to her other side, shamelessly bringing his empty bronze helmet closer. “Don’t look like you drew a bad card just because it’s me. I’m a living armor, you know! I’m awesome!”
He clenched his metal fists and raised his arms, trying to flex nonexistent biceps through his steel plating. But the metal refused to cooperate—he was no master armorsmith capable of crafting muscle plates.
“I know ancient Ghost Knights were powerful—if hundreds or even thousands of cursed armors possessed by undead souls gathered together, they could form an immortal Ghost Knight Legion. Other than legions of holy priests, no one could stand against them.” Thaleia muttered, idly turning Xia Mo’an’s helmet a hundred and eighty degrees so that the back faced forward. “But you’re just one cursed armor. Not enough.”
“Take it slow, no need to rush. A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” Xia Mo’an fumbled to turn his helmet back around, the opening once again facing forward. “I’m not just any cursed armor—I’m a ghost from another world!”
“Hmm… you do seem a little different.” Thaleia reached out, pulled Xia Mo’an’s helmet off, and examined the blue-green patina on it. “From what I recall, cursed armors shouldn’t have self-awareness. Why are you… so talkative? Do you still have memories from when you were alive in your world?”
“Exactly!” The armor’s headless body proudly placed its hands on its hips. “I was a university student! My dream was to become an engineer… uh, if I hadn’t died gaming. By the way, can you put my head back on? I get shy when people stare at me up close.”
“I… still can’t see how you can help me rebuild a dungeon.” Thaleia carefully placed the helmet back onto Xia Mo’an’s shoulders, adjusting it so it sat straight. “You’re just a living armor possessed by a spirit.”
“I love playing simulation, survival, and resource management games. Should be close enough, right?” Xia Mo’an said. “I played Factorio, Oxygen Not Included, Besiege, Dwarf Fortress, and Dungeon Keeper—I’m a veteran player.”
“Hmm… I don’t understand what that means. But it sounds… impressive. Working on stars, something about oxygen, sieging cities? Were you a general? Did you rule a dwarven fortress? And guarded a dungeon?” Thaleia hesitated. “Well… maybe we can try?”
“That’s the spirit! Don’t be so down!” Xia Mo’an snapped his fingers.
“Then… Shamo’er?” Thaleia looked at the living armor.
“It’s Xia Mo’an,” the armor corrected.
“Sha… Samael?” Thaleia struggled with the pronunciation. “Your name is hard to say.”
“Alright, alright, let’s go with Samael then—fits perfectly! I’ve always wanted an English name anyway… My English-speaking instructor back in college also had trouble saying my name.” The living armor stroked the chin of his helmet. “From now on, call me Samael! A new name for my new life!”
“Alright, Samael.” Thaleia extended her hand.
“Thaleia! Partner!” Samael eagerly extended his own. “Let’s think of it like a group project! Our goal—build a dungeon!”
The black-iron gauntlet and bronze hand met with a heavy metallic clang.
Future historians would call this moment The Pact of Bronze and Iron—a dark covenant between two demon lords.
On this day, the desperate demon princess of Londoran summoned the undead knight monarch from another world.