Kael had to press both hands over his mouth to keep from crying out as the corpse sat up with a jerky, unnatural movement. It was a young woman—maybe sixteen or seventeen, with long brown hair now covered with blood. Her eyes opened, revealing the same milky white orbs he had seen in Henrik's face.
But unlike Henrik's mechanical movements, this one was different. Hungrier.
The newly risen corpse turned its head toward the man with a series of wet, cracking sounds as bones and tendons adjusted to movement they were never meant to make again.
"Excellent," the man said with obvious pride. "The body is taking hold nicely. And look—she's retaining some intelligence. That's rare with fresh resurrections."
The zombie girl's mouth opened, and a low moan escaped—not quite human, but not entirely animal either. It was the sound of someone trying to scream through a throat that no longer worked properly.
"Hunnnngry..." the thing that had been a girl whispered. "So... hungry..."
"Yes, yes," the man said dismissively. "You'll feed soon enough. But first, let's test your capabilities."
He gestured with one hand, and the zombie immediately stood up from the table with disturbing fluidity. Despite its unnatural movements, it was clearly strong—much stronger than it had been in life.
"Basic motion... check. Strength enhancement... significant. Intelligence retention..." He pointed to a pile of tools in the corner. "Bring me the hammer."
The zombie girl turned her white eyes toward the tools, studied them for a moment, then walked over and selected the correct one. Her movements were still jerky and wrong, but it had understood a complex command.
"Outstanding," Lady Olivia's voice came from the shadows, filled with genuine admiration. "This level of preserved intelligence will make them far more useful than typical undead. They can follow detailed instructions, blend in with the living for short periods..."
"Indeed," the man agreed. "And with the soul energy we've extracted, we can create several more just like her. A small army of enhanced undead, each one retaining enough of their original personality to be truly effective servants."
Kael felt bile rise in his throat. They weren't just killing people—they were trapping their souls, forcing them to serve even after death. The girl standing there, following orders with those horrible white eyes, was still aware on some level of what had been done to her.
The zombie suddenly went very still, its head tilting in an unnaturally sharp angle.
"Someone... watching..." it whispered, its dead gaze sweeping through out the chamber.
Kael's eyes widened. Could it sense him somehow?
The man frowned and looked around the room. "What do you sense?"
"Living... close... warm blood..." The zombie's voice was getting stronger, more focused. "Young... male... strong mana..."
Lady Olivia's voice rose with interest. "Could it be...?"
"The boy," the man breathed, his eyes lighting up with predatory excitement. "He's here. The purple-level talent has come to us."
Kael could hear the soft whisper of footsteps—multiple people—moving through the chamber toward his hiding spot.
He had perhaps ten seconds before they found him.
And now he understood the true scope of what they were facing. This wasn't just some isolated necromancer hiding in a shop. This was an organized operation, with collaborators in the village, advanced techniques for creating intelligent undead, and a specific plan to harvest the magical talents of his neighbors and friends.
The zombie girl's head snapped toward his exact location, her white eyes locking onto his hiding spot.
"There," she hissed, pointing directly at him. "Behind the stone. Purple light. So bright... so hungry for it..."
The game was up.
For a split second, Kael's body locked up completely. The zombie girl's dead eyes boring into him, the man's excited breathing, Lady Olivia's soft chuckle from the shadows—it all crashed over him at once, paralyzing him with pure terror.
But then his survival instincts kicked in.
Kael channeled his mana directly into his legs, feeling the familiar surge of power flow through his muscles. His mana activated instantly, and he exploded from his hiding spot like an arrow.
"There!" the man shouted, his voice echoing through the stone chamber. "Don't let him escape!"