#necrovember

You moved to sit up, but your muscles burned with the effort. Exhausted by even that small effort, you slumped back into the dirt. Huh. You were lying on a pile of dirt. Weird.

A thin, skeletal hand gripped your arm. “Don’t try to get up yet. The spell is not yet done.”

Your heart leapt in your chest. “Luther?”

He moved into your view. Most of his body was covered in a cloak, but you could see his face under the shadow of his hood. His physical body was a skeleton, but you could see his features in the blue ghast-light that held his form together. He looked harried. Pale strands of hair fell over his brow and the edges of his form looked ghostly. “I’m here,” he said, moving forward so he was closer to your face. “How do you feel?”

“In pain,” you said. “It’s hard to move.”

“Your soul’s still settling back in your body.” Luther stretched a hand out over your chest like he wanted to touch you, but was frightened to try.

“My soul,” you repeated. “Wait, I- I was-” Your tried to clutch at your chest. Water. A wave. Filling your chest. Burning. No air. And then… Nothing.

“Don’t try to remember. The spell blocks out your last moments,” Luther said.

“You brought me back?” you asked.

“I couldn’t leave you,” Luther said. His form flickered as his emotions grew less stable. “But you’re okay now. The spell went well.” A spectral hand brushed through your hair. “Try moving a little.”

With a little of his help, you sat up. You weren’t as well-off as you had initially thought. There was a sallow undertone to your skin and an odd hollow feeling in your chest. It took you a moment before you realized what it was.

“I don’t have a heartbeat,” you said.

“No.” Luther gave a nervous smile. “You’re undead now. It was the only way to bring you back.” He took hold of your hand and pressed it to the robes around his ribcage. “I don’t have one either.”

“It feels weird,” you said. “Does being undead mean I don’t have proper emotions anymore? I lost my heartbeat. Does that mean I don’t have a real heart?”

Luther’s glowing face softened. “Why don’t you tell me?” He leaned in and pressed a gentle kiss to your lips.

Tingling magic surged through your body as he made contact. Despite not having a heartbeat, something stirred in your chest, sending sparks shooting through your limbs. No matter how long the kiss went on, you never needed to come up for air. Still, when you broke apart, you felt slightly lightheaded.

“Okay,” you said. “I don’t think this is a bad thing.”