Author's Note:

Thanks for reading! After a long hiatus from writing, (I'm in the middle of a HUGE medical drama and it's taking up much of my time), some new ideas for my fic popped into my skull. In order for things to make sense, I had to tweak a few things here and there in previous chapters, and uploaded it as an entirely new fic. . . BETTER THAN EVER!!

ENJOY THE (REMASTERED) NECROMANCER'S WIFE!

Prologue

In the beginning there was the void; vast untainted darkness; a vacuum of nothingness. Suddenly, a light broke through the blackness, and a great Goddess came into the abyss. Surrounded by the virgin expanse of space, she closed her eyes and a vision came to her. A vision of life and death, of light and shadow. Then, in a spiraling dance, She Who Is Known By Many Names, gave birth to the Universe.

Stars and planets came into being, sparkling sentinels that witnessed the creation of life. Dancing wildly, the Goddess had another vision. She would create a world full of life and beauty.

Her dance brought the planet into existence and She named it Etansel, which in Her tongue meant "Beloved Illusion". The Goddess then set forth mankind. These beings would be Her sons and daughters. They would follow Her ways and uphold Her teachings. She would love and guide them; guard and protect them.

The Goddess then gave life to the Elements; spirits imbued with Her infinite power and wisdom. "Salamanders," She said. "You shall rule over the deserts and fire. You will warm and instill passion into those who seek you. But know this, you can still harm; and many shall be burned by you if they misuse your power."

"Gnomes, great guardians of the earth. Your power shall lie in the green of the world; in plants and trees. You shall be the one to provide sustenance to My children. Your domain is in the forests and valleys. But you too, can also be destructive; you can take back the green as easily as you can give."

"Sylphs," The Goddess continued. "Bringers of wind, spirits of the air. You shall bring the cool breezes and reign in the highest mountains. You will be the song that blows through Gnome's trees and the icy stab of death to those who anger you."

"Undines, rulers of water and rain. No life can exist without you. You give life to Gnome and death to Salamander. You cleanse and purify, but can also drown and wash away. Your palace will be the sea and ruler over all creatures that live in your depths."

The Goddess then gave life to two more spirits; Light and Shadow. These sentinels would govern the Sun and Moon; the Heavenly Satellites of Etansel. "Rem and Shade," The Goddess said. "You are the absolutes. All other elements swear allegiance to you. You shall illuminate and you shall darken. You are the ruler of day, and bringer of night. You are birth, death, and rebirth; all that is holy and impure, creation and destruction."

With Etansel now formed; The Goddess cried with joy. But a single, bloody tear fell from her eye; and landed upon the world. It was at that moment, the first cry of a newborn infant pierced the expanse of the Universe. "I have created a leader for you, My children." The Goddess proclaimed. "A great and powerful Summoner from My own blood and tears. She will be My voice on Etansel. Follow her and make her your Queen. She will show you how to love Me; to worship Me. She shall give you the power to call forth the elements, the Gods, the Guardians and command them at will. Listen to her; for through her you will come to know Me."

"And I name her. . . Morgana LeFey."

Chapter 1: The Necromancer's Birthday

22nd Day, (Undine) Sylph Redecon ND2018

Colonel Jade Curtiss closed the book that lay in front of him. He sighed. Today was a rather special day; his thirty-sixth birthday to be precise. Yes, another year had passed in his life; but the Necromancer didn't care. He was never one to honor birthdays. He never quite understood the need to formally acknowledge the anniversary of one's birth. He found them to be frivolous and a waste of time. So I've turned another year older. He thought. Why celebrate the passage of time in such a miserable, lonely existence? All today means is that I'm one year closer to my death.

Perhaps if I had someone. . .

So as a result, he was hiding out in his office today. He wanted no reminder of the day's significance. Jade had already been offered countless well wishes by the entire staff of servants at Curtiss Manor; and that alone was more than enough. But whether it was out of ignorance or fear; no one at the Military Headquarters had said a word to him.

And that's exactly how he wanted it.

But Jade knew Peony would not forget. Every year; come hell or high water; the Emperor would try to find some way to commemorate this day. He thought back to his thirty-second birthday and the "gift" Peony had given him. Well, not actually a gift; more of an excuse for the monarch to buy yet another rappig. Yes, for his birthday, the Necromancer had an animal named after him. But unlike his namesake; the Jade rappig was the least intelligent of the bunch.

"Colonel Curtiss?"

The voice brought Jade out of his musings. He looked up and saw his secretary, Private Riley, standing at the foot of his desk. "Yes? What is it, Riley?" The younger man began to tremble at the sight of the Necromancer's ruby gaze. No matter how many times he encountered the colonel; Riley was still scared to death of him.

"T-t-the file you requested from the Intelligence Division has arrived, Sir." Riley handed Jade the folder he held in his hands. Once the file had exchanged hands; Jade motioned for the Private to leave.

"You're dismissed." Riley breathed a sigh of relief as he hurried out of the room. Jade smirked. He actually enjoyed the fact that people were afraid of him. Their fear and apprehension amused him greatly. Plus, it made others; for the most part; leave him alone.

Oh the wonderful stories that abounded about him; of how he scavenged corpses after battle; bathed in blood; and cannibalized innocent children. One could write an entire volume on the Necromancer legend. The most well known of tales, The Exploits of Malkuth's Necromancer, was Jade's personal favorite. In that particular version, he was the most malevolent and cruel. It even went as far as saying he was born of the Devil himself.

Jade turned his attention to the file in front of him. Printed on the cover was the Imperial Seal; a lyre surrounded by a laurel wreath. In large red lettering, it was stamped "CLASSIFIED". Adjusting the silver spectacles that sat on the end of his nose, Jade opened it and read the first page.

NAME: Elizabeth LeFey

AKA: "The Witch Queen"

AGE: 25

DATE OF BIRTH: Unknown

PLACE OF BIRTH: Unknown

CLASS: Fonist

OCCUPATION: Bounty Hunter

STATUS: Active

LAST KNOWN LOCATION: Engeve Area

CURRENTLY BEING SOUGHT BY MALKUTH MARSHALS

Elizabeth LeFey; better known throughout world as "The Witch Queen". Jade had first heard about the bounty hunter while in Chesedonia six years ago; when she caught the Chesedonian Ripper; a serial killer that had been terrorizing the city for months.

He was a classic predatory serial killer. He hunted and stalked his victims; all girls and women between the ages of 13 and 20, with long black hair that parted in the middle and lightly tanned skin, for weeks before he struck. He would wait until his intended kill was home alone; then bind, rape, torture and beat them to death with a crowbar. He liked to display the bodies of his victims in provocative poses and always left a note behind; daring the authorities to catch him before he killed again.

Because of his rampage; Malkuth and Kimlasca-Lanvaldear raised the military presence in Chesedonia. But despite their efforts; the murderer continued to allude them. But when the fifteen year old daughter of Astor; the wealthiest man in Chesedonia, was found murdered, Jade himself was sent to the merchant's city, along with half his regiment; Malkuth's Third Division.

Notes left at the crime scenes and numerous correspondences sent directly to the military, showed that the Ripper, like most serial killers, was of above-average intelligence. Because of that, Emperor Peony sent Jade to Chesedonia, hoping the Necromancer would be able to "read" the Ripper's mind and outsmart him before he struck again.

Jade cringed at the memory of that case. Even though he had seen more than his fair share of death and carnage; nothing prepared him for the murderer's savage displays. When the Ripper heard that the Necromancer had come to town, his madness took on a new form. He started slaying young children and mutilated their bodies, even sending the eyeless, brainless head of one unfortunate little boy directly to Jade. A message smeared in blood accompanied the severed head.

Can the Devil stop the Devil? Hell isn't big enough for the both of us. Catch me if you can, Necromancer.

The weeks pressed on, and more and more children were murdered. The people of Chesedonia were becoming increasingly disillusioned with Jade's lack of results. Kimlasca wasn't fairing well either. He remembered seeing a distraught General Jozette Cecille getting pelted with rotten vegetables by angry citizens. As for Jade, who thought that this would most likely signify the end of his professional career, was receiving death threats from those same angry citizens. . .

Astor, sick and tired of the lack of competence and needing to avenge the death of his eldest child, finally offered ten million gald to whoever brought the Ripper to justice; dead or alive. Many bounty hunters and glory seekers stepped forward, but all of them failed to catch the Ripper.

Then, one morning, several months after the Ripper's killing spree had begun, a woman came to Astor's home. To the middle-aged man's amazement and relief, with her was a bound, gagged, and ultimately terrified, murderer, and identifed herself as Elizabeth LeFey. The Ripper was immediately taken into custody by Malkuth and the Necromancer; begging to be protected from the female bounty hunter. During the apprehended madman's interrogation, he described LeFey as "a fonist of both beautiful, yet terrible power; the living embodiment of Nemesis, Goddess of Vengeance."

A Summoner. . .

Jade became intrigued by the Ripper's testimony, and wanted to meet the bounty hunter, despite the fact that she publicly humiliated him, Malkuth and Kimlasca. But it wasn't her powers that interested him; it was her name.

LeFey. . .

For much of his life, Jade had been fascinated by the stories of the "Witches"; namely The Coven of Pentacalis. For thousands of years prior to the formation of The Order of Lorelei, Pentacalis was the dominating spiritual leader of Auldrant, it's followers trained as powerful Summoners. Founded by the legendary Summoner, Morgana LeFey, she was the Yulia Jue of the Witches, or "Eighth Fonists" as they came to be known. Morgana LeFey was also Auldrant's first fonist; setting the basic principles of Fonic Artes that were still used today.

Was Elizabeth LeFey a blood descendant of Morgana LeFey herself? At the head of Pentacalis, reigned the High Priestess, who was in Morgana's direct bloodline. Or was she simply calling herself LeFey? Pentacalis, and it's followers, had been pushed into near extinction generations ago. Perhaps she was merely pretending to be a descendant. But something in the back of Jade's mind told him not to dismiss the possibility completely, and decided to meet her face to face. But LeFey disappeared as quickly as she came; and Jade was left with only whispers of her deeds. . .

Over the past six years, LeFey had become a celebrity in her own right; and came to be known as "The Witch Queen"; her fame rivaling even that of the Necromancer. Many rumors claimed that, in battle, The Witch Queen could easily conquer Malkuth's most infamous soldier. Others said she would never stand a chance against him. Even Jade was curious as to who the greater fonist was, and hoped that perhaps one day, he and LeFey would do battle.

And make sure he was the victor.

"Happy Birthday, Jade!"

Jade looked up from the file in front of him and groaned inside. Yes, Peony had failed to forget his birthday yet again. Laughing hysterically, Peony hurried over to him. On top of the Emperor's head, were two party hats; strategically positioned to look like horns. He threw a handful of confetti at the Colonel. "How does it feel to be thirty-six, you old bastard?!" He bellowed, slapping a hat onto Jade's head.

Much to the Necromancer's annoyance, two more people followed the Emperor into the room; Brigadier General Aslan Frings and Count Gailardia Galan Gardios, better known as Guy. The two smiled at him.

"Happy Birthday, Jade." Frings said warmly. Guy nodded.

"Yeah, Happy Thirty-sixth." Jade gave the two an expressionless glance.

"Thank you for the sentiments." He replied. Peony pulled Jade up out of his chair and hugged him.

"Come on!" He began. "We are going to the bar and getting plastered in honor of this occasion!" He took a deep swig from the half-empty wine bottle he held in his hand. "And I already started drinking!" Jade felt his eyebrow twitch.

"I appreciate you all coming here to wish me a Happy Birthday, but I'm afraid I will be unable to join you." He tried his best to keep from yelling. "I am overwhelmed with paperwork." His anger bubbled to the surface as he remembered the party hat on his head. He knocked it off. "And take this dunce cap off me!"

"Oh come on, Jade!" Peony whined. "Lighten up! It's just a party hat." Jade smiled smugly.

"No, it's a dunce cap." He brushed the the confetti off his uniform. "Then again, unlike you, I'm not accustomed to wearing one." Peony raised an eyebrow.

"What do you mean by that?" Jade shrugged innocently.

"I may just be going senile in my old age, but I distinctly recall Professor Nebilim making you sit in the corner with one, after you failed to correctly answer a simple arithmetic problem." He sighed. "It was two plus two, I believe; and you answered five."

Frings and Guy began to laugh under their breaths; until Peony shot an angry glance their way. Wanting to change the subject, the monarch picked up one of the books that lay on Jade's desk. He raised an eyebrow as he read off a few of their titles. "The History of Pentacalis? Summoning; The Lost Arte, Principles and Teachings of the Eighth Fonists? Malleus Maleficarum?" Peony groaned loudly. "Don't tell me you're still into all that Witchcraft crap! You know as well as I do; there aren't any Eighth Fonists left! The last suspected members died fifteen years ago! Pentacalis is no more, Jade!" Jade sighed as he pushed his glasses back up his nose.

"One cannot be completely sure of that." He replied. "Eighth Fonism was practiced in secret for the last two centuries, so who's to say that all their practitioners are now extinct?" Peony plopped down on Jade's desk.

"Okay, man, whatever. But that still doesn't count as "work"." He picked up the Intelligence report. "What the hell is this?" Peony muttered to himself. "Elizabeth LeFey?" He turned to Jade. "Hey, isn't she that bounty hunter chick that got the Chesedonian Ripper a few years back? You know, the one who made you look like a total as-"

"Yes!" Jade interrupted. "One and the same." Frings tilted his head to the side.

"She's the one the Marshals are looking for also." Guy turned to the silver haired man.

"Why would the Marshals be looking for her? She's a bounty hunter right? So why would they want to arrest her?"

"Not to arrest her; to recruit her. She's brought some of the most dangerous criminals to justice. She'd be a great asset to the force."

"Plus," Peony added. "It would keep her from making the Imperial Forces look like a bunch of incompetent idiots." He crossed his arms. "And if the Military looks bad, I, the Emperor, look even worse." He eyed Jade knowingly. "But if I know you correctly, Jade. . ." Peony shook his head. "You think that she has some link to the Eighth Fonists, don't you?" Jade put his hands in his pockets.

"It's a possibility that is rather difficult to ignore." Peony rolled his eyes.

"It's NOT a possibility, Jade. The Eighth Fonists are dead and buried; there's none left! She probably just calls herself "LeFey". She probably likes the history of the witches and calls herself one. It's no different than you being known as the Necromancer. Most likely she's just a very talented fonist that is otherwise, no different than you or any one else in this room." Peony jumped to his feet.

"But enough of that! Jade, you have failed to prove to me that you're busy, so you shall be joining us at the bar!" He grinned happily as he pointed to the door. "Come! The alcohol is calling!" Peony smirked. "And that is an official order from your Lord and Emperor!" He laughed, knowing Jade had to obey his wishes.

The Necromancer let out a defeated sigh. Hanging his head, he followed Peony and the others out of his office.