Desolate World

Jordan then touched his left chest. He indeed felt heartbeats. He then asked himself if the other undead had heartbeats. 

For skeletons it was obvious. Their bodies were only composed of bones, so they didn't have a heart.

For zombies, all of their flesh and organs were rotten. So, it was impossible for their hearts to be functional.

Then the ghosts. They didn't have physical bodies. So this question was irrelevant for them.

Now, the vampires. He was not sure. They looked like other living humanoids. So, maybe they had heartbeats? He wasn't sure.

Jordan then said, "I think other undead besides my race and vampires have no heartbeats.

Ace shook his head. He then said, "I have fought with vampires. They didn't have heartbeats. Actually, one of the definite characteristics of transforming people who haven't become vampires is they still have heartbeats. Well, if you don't check directly on their information.

In short, I asked if you are really an undead, because I can hear your heartbeats from here."

Jordan then caught something strange from Ace's statement. He then pointed it out, "H-how? it's impossible, right? I don't believe you have such a good hearing?"

He saw Ace smile with pride on his face. He answered, "Don't you wonder how I could block your attack, know your location accurately, and then attack you ahead of time. It was because I have super senses." 

Jordan was stunned. He indeed wondered how Ace could block his attack when he was in the air in the last battle. And he could enter the shadow. It needed more than luck to know his position in a short time after he emerged from the shadow. But, Ace somehow could know it almost instantly. He felt it made sense, after hearing Ace's explanation. He then heard Ace's voice again.

"What if you're not undead, to begin with? What if you are a standalone race that derived from the undead definition all this time? Why don't you think of your other characteristics that are different from other undead, besides having heartbeats?" Ace then asked again.

He was surprised at Ace's questions. He had never thought of them. He then came back thinking about his and his race's category. It made him more confused about what was real and what was not. But he thought that maybe Ace's statements had some truth in them. 

This thought shook his worldview to the core. He then tried to think about what else the differences were between them and the other undead. He then found some.

Like, even when they were at Underworld, they still had to eat wild fruits that felt bitter. If not, they would be hungry. In this world that had an abundance of food, they hunted monsters and gathered colorful fruits to eat. And their tastes were delicious. Wasn't it different from the normal undead that could survive even without food? 

Even Vampires didn't need to drink blood too often. And zombies didn't need to eat meat to live. They just followed their basic instincts. The instinct to prey on living creatures. Like ghost's tendency to torment living creatures' psyche, although they didn't really need to do that.

Then, the secret that they kept thickly. That they could produce offspring. Although it was very rare, sometimes after a shadow couple had intercourse, the woman would be pregnant. But they were rare cases. The priests theorized that the phenomenon was a blessing from the shadow realm because of their low number of race members. But was it really the case?

And the fact that other undead always discriminated against them. Even the ghosts for some reason were always hostile to them. All this time, they thought it was because they were a minority. Because they were little in number and because of their ability to enter the shadow realm, other undead became jealous and expressed their jealousy by discriminating against them. 

But, what if the source of their jealousy because subconsciously they felt that the shadows were different from them by nature? And it was well known how the undead hated the living people.

'Are we actually living people?' Once this question appeared in Jordan's mind, it was like a seed that was planted inside fertile soil. It began to take root in his mind little by little and grew at a rapid pace.

Jordan then looked at Ace and said, "Can you follow me to the place before? I need to talk with the rest of my family."

***

Ace felt he was like a devil, that whispered doubts into the people's hearts. What he targeted was not the weakness in the people's hearts but the belief that had taken root in their minds for generations. What he attacked was the identity that they had held from the start of their existence.

However, he didn't feel bad about it. Because what he said had truth in it. He wanted to turn the 'enemies' into 'allies'. So, he needed to make them gain a new identity that could be accepted by themselves and the villagers. 

Maybe at first, he said his opinion to Jordan just on a whim. But, as he thought it deeper, his conclusion had a solid basis. Although there were a few facts that contradicted it. 

Like Andrea's argument that the way they became a shadow was by transforming from another creature was similar to other undead. And that they could be resurrected after they died with the priest's skill was also similar to the lich's 'bone resurrection' skill.

Ace couldn't argue against those facts, but he could give an example of the phoenix. Based on legend, this creature could resurrect by itself if a little portion of its fire still remained. And it was not categorized as undead but a giant.

Ace said although there were some things about the shadow's characteristics that made them look like the undead, but, many other aspects of the shadows were similar to living creatures.

From Jordan, Ace knew that the shadow needed to eat daily, could have offspring, and was ostracized by other undead for a long time. The shadow then said that they were conclusive evidence —besides the fact that they had heartbeats— that they were living creatures.

***