Surviving in my Own Unpublished Failed Novel

"Oppa, I'm ready."

Freya said firmly after she let out a long breath, then she glanced at Amelie and Amery who nodded their heads, signifying that they, too, are also ready.

"Alright, according to your Unique Skill: Death's Call, you'll have control over the dead within a specific area, but that's not the effect of the skill.

"It means that there might be Nether Creatures standing from where we are right now, we cannot see them because they're not in the Physical World, and their status is 'dead', even though they're inhabitants of the Nether Realm."

Russell said what he recalled in his unpublished novel.

"By the way, let's hold to Freya's shoulders because as a Star Quest Party, that's one of the ways we can go with her."

Amelie and Amery listened and did what Russell told them. He then too, put one of his hands on his younger sister's shoulder.

"Now, use your skill, Death's Call."

Freya trusts her older brother's words as she activated her Unique Skill.

At that moment, notifications entered the ears of the four of them. It's their Nihility trait concealing the power of Chaos that seeps out of Freya's body.

Then, after a few seconds, the System's message entered their sight.

[The leader of the Star Quest Party has activated the Unique Skill: Death's Call.]

[The power of the Nether Realm has reacted with the use of the Unique Skill.]

[The Death Executioner's identity has been granted entry within a specific area of the Nether Realm.]

[The Star Quest Party Members: Russell Moon, Amelie Rose Merveil, and Amery Blight has also been granted entry to the specific area because of Freya Moon's authority as one of the Death Executioners.]

[Your Star Quest Party has arrived at the specific area called Region of Oblivion.]

[Warning! The companions of Death Executioner, Freya Moon, must stay close to her within at least 10 meters, or else the companions might be lost.]

...

Their visions of Russell's dorm room vanished as if reality flipped its side. What they saw was a vast, abstract, ruin land as if it was a painting, but the color of the environment fell into the category of dimness.

The sky was colored gray and black while a colossal Moon was hanging above the dim sky. Its color was a combination of crimson, purple, and darkness.

There were no glistening stars that could be seen unlike from Earth.

There were no trees, but only ruined structures whose architecture was something that could be seen in pre-Emergence Earth.

There was some castle of different designs, and there were houses whose roofs were basically nonexistent, but its design was something that not a human being made because some houses were slanted... floating midair.

Beings were roaming... it was a sign of life... no, 'dead,' because they were the only ones alive in this place.

Although some existence was far from them, some already noticed them, but due to Freya's identity, harm didn't come to them.

Freya glanced around and saw a gigantic ruined castle from afar, on top of the spire, a headless woman wearing a deep black regal dress that have a small symbol depicting a Scythe culling a seemed like an illusory head was carved on its near right shoulder.

Then, when she scrutinized the whole appearance of the headless woman, floating above one of the ruined castles, Freya's scalp turned cold as she felt an inexplicable sense of horror at the sight a few meters away from her.

It was because the headless woman's two hands were holding two similar heads by the slightly long hair... heads whose eyes were blinking, looking at her straight in the eyes.

These heads, though the same in appearance has quite different features. The head on the headless woman's right hand has purple eyes and platinum hair while the one on the left has crimson eyes and blonde hair.

That wasn't everything as Freya saw an eye whose color corresponds to the eyes of the head she was holding by the hair at the back of each hand of the headless woman.

'What the hell is that!?'

She quickly looked away, even though she was a Death Executioner, she did what her older brother told her which meant specifically for Amelie and Amery... Not to look at any being more than two seconds.

...

"O-Oppa, w-what's next?"

Freya's soft voice which contained a hint of anxiety entered the ears of Russell. Amelie and Amery looked at him, too as they didn't take a step from the moment they arrived because they didn't know where to go.

"We won't be able to come back."

Russell said with a straight face.

"What did you say?"

This time, it was the aloof Amery who was maintaining her silence all the time that spoke in a concerned manner.

Amery looked at Russell with a disbelief expression, but somehow she felt like something was amiss.

Freya felt like crying at her older brother's words.

"Oppa, w-what do you mean?"

"Hahaha! I'm kidding, it's a half-truth, though."

"Pak-!"

Russell laughed before he received a slight smack on his head from his younger sister.

"...Sorry, I know you'd be scared, but the effects of Death's Call say that it summons a Nether Creature.

"I think you need a Nether Creature for us to leave this place.

"By how to get it, I don't know, maybe talk to them?"

His last sentence caused Freya's eyes to dilate as she remembered the headless woman floating on top of the spire just now.

'Talk to them? Talk... Talk...'

Freya's mind entered a blank state as if her soul left her body when the words of her older brother finally registered on her cognitive domain.

...

The ruined area called the Region of Oblivion almost contained no Nether Creatures aside from the ones who owned a seemed like a dilapidated castle.

"I know you're scared... But do you know why your profession is called Death's Executioner when your main job is to placate and send some souls to their rest?

"It's because it's not as easy as you think. Even though Nether Creatures are friendly to Death Executioners, it doesn't mean that they'd submit to you as most of them, if not all, are probably stronger than us here.

"And the wandering souls that you'd need to placate and send to eternal rest might be under the corruption or possession of Evil Spirits for various reasons.

"Remember that Nether Creatures have their own free will even though they're under the rule of the Ruler of Death.

"Unless you're strong enough to subjugate a Nether Creature, you need to talk to them to be your familiar. Don't worry, I think they're not hostile unless you show malice first."

Freya listened attentively to her older brother as they took small steps, striding towards what Freya thought would be a cooperative, but her heart started to race as their pacing shorten the distance between them and the Nether Creature they were currently approaching.

Any other Nether Creatures that she saw were either more bizarre than the headless woman floating atop the spire of her presumably ruined castle or creepy enough that Freya haven't even considered looking for another second after she inadvertently glanced around.

After an unknown period of time, they arrived at the front entrance of a small castle.

Freya was the only one who looked up while Russell, Amelie, and Amery didn't dare to.

"H-hello!?"

Freya said in a slightly loud, polite tone while her eyes darted around as she looked up, still avoiding eye contact with the headless woman, holding two heads with a similar face, but with some difference in facial features.

"Uhmm... C-can I ask a question...?"

She asked politely, but this time, she tried to compose herself to look straight at the head on each hand of the headless woman. Unfortunately, her fear didn't subside, rather she felt that she was about to lose her mind.

At that moment, Russell pats his younger sister's shoulder while feeling apologetic inside. Freya looked at her older brother who nodded his head before she took a long breath a few times before calming herself down.

"I-I'm one of the appointed Death Executioners under the Rul-"

"...Child..." "...we know you..."

The twin-like heads spoke almost at the same time the same words. Their voice sounded like a static that seemed to scratch the depths of Freya, Russell, and the duo's souls as chills run down their spines.

Thud-!

Thud-!

Thud-!

"W-what...?"

Russell, Amelie, and Amery's body who's standing side by side with her suddenly collapsed as they lost consciousness.

Freya was lost in her thoughts as she didn't know what to do with the sudden circumstance.

"...Worry..."

The head with blonde hair and crimson eyes on the headless woman's left hand spoke, then the other one on the right, the head with platinum hair and purple eyes, took her chance to follow up.

"...Do not... as they only fell asleep..."

"...Inexperience..."

"...Indeed, she is... she really is..."

The two heads spoke alternatively as if having a casual conversation with each other.

"...Item..."

"...Item... Item... from Death."

'Item...'

Freya suddenly realized what the two heads were talking about as she thought about how inexperienced she was.

'We're not on Earth.'

Freya said inwardly as she tried to calm herself down while glancing intermittently with the trio lying on the ground made from unknown soil and rocks.

Then, she took out one of the items that the Ruler of Death had bestowed on her when she became a Death Executioner for the Human Domain.

...

[Necklace with a Living Eye]

An artifact of the Ruler of Death that rules over the Nether Realm even before the first-second ticked-tock in the Great Universe.

This is an exclusive item for a Death Executioner.

Rank: Unholy

Classification: Artifact (Bound)

Effects:

1. Envelopes the wearer and anyone near the wearer with the miniscule 'Aura of Death', which gives immunity against the pressure or powers of Nether Creatures.

The immunity is only in effect if the wearer is a Death Executioner or a companion of the Death Executioner.

2. Upon wearing, the wearer will be able to see the souls of living beings with the wearer's naked eyes.

3. Upon wearing, the wearer will be able to interact with souls in the Soul Realm, the realm where the souls wander aimlessly before being sent to the Nether Realm, Heaven's Sanctuary, or [Classified].

4. Dead or Alive – this effect will grant the wearer a choice to change his or her body status.

Alive – the wearer will simply remain alive.

Dead – the wearer that activates this effect will become a Nether Creature or Undead.

The 'Dead' effect can be activated through the wearer's thoughts.

5. When the wearer becomes an Undead due to the 'Dead' effect, the wearer will be able to communicate with every Nether Creature more proficiently and peacefully.

...

Freya didn't take out the Treasure Chest with a Living Eye because according to its description, it's practically a treasure that's meant for her and not an artifact to be used at this moment.

She gained slight confidence as she took another long breath upon wearing the old-looking necklace with a black tainted with crimson eye posing like a jewel, but this eye was blinking intermittently while glancing around randomly... Anyone who might see it with their own two eyes would certainly feel a great sense of horror or mental disarray.

...

"W-we need help... on how to go back to Earth."

Freya tried her best not to stutter so much as she directly looked at the two heads this time when she spoke, she's focusing her vision on the two heads' foreheads, not directly looking at their eyes which felt mentally consuming.

"...Familiar..." "...Yes, she needs..."

"...Me?..." "Do you want us?..."

Freya's mind turned blank with the headless woman's words before she spoke after pondering for some time.

"...No, because I'm inexperienced just like you said, and I believe you're strong which I don't deserve right now..."

Freya spoke her true feelings which caused the mouth of each head to curl up.

"...Greedy..." "...Yes, she is not..."

"...Help..." "...Yes, we will... With one condition..."

Freya listened carefully as she noticed the peculiarity of the way they spoke. The blonde-haired, crimson:eyed head on the left hand that was grabbed through the hair spoke only a word anytime which was always ended by the one on the right with platinum hair and purple eyes.

"...What condition?"

Freya asked politely, curious about the condition that she would need to fulfill.

"...Book..." "...Yes, something to read..."

Freya cocked her head to the side in confusion.

"Sorry...?"