Ethan crouched behind a moss-covered stone wall, breathing hard. The village below was alive with chaos. People screamed, doors slammed, and a group of guards struggled to corral his skeletal minion. The little skeleton followed his every motion, its empty sockets unblinking, its jaw creaking with each step. Command Slots: 6 total, 1 used. Temporary minion. Status: stable.
He had never considered being a villain might come with this much paperwork.
"Focus," he muttered to himself, brushing dirt from his hands. "Focus and survive."
The villagers didn't know him, didn't know the rules, didn't know that the little skull in his hand wasn't really a toy. They only knew that the dead had walked, and that was unacceptable.
From a narrow alley, a girl emerged, sword drawn. She moved with purpose, eyes sharp and calculating. She didn't scream. She didn't falter. She only assessed the skeleton, then him.
NPC DETECTED: Lira Vale — Cautiously Neutral.
Ethan blinked. "Don't tell me I'm not even getting a dramatic entrance," he whispered.
Lira's gaze didn't soften. "You didn't raise them?" she asked, voice calm but firm.
"Yes," he admitted. "And I'll admit it's terrifying."
She tilted her head, evaluating. "Terrifying for who? You, or them?"
He had no answer.
The sun climbed higher, casting harsh light on the narrow streets. Ethan realized he had to understand the world outside the crypt if he wanted to survive. Raising skeletons was one thing; navigating living humans was another entirely.
SKILL CHECK: Social Interaction — Potential Penalty: Infamy Increase.
The skeleton clicked its jaw. Ethan sighed. "Not helping."
Hours passed in a tense balance of observation, minor skirmishes, and silent planning. Each step he took caused murmurs, some villagers fleeing, others drawing weapons. He began to map the village in his mind, calculating paths, chokepoints, and potential zones for raising further undead without immediate discovery.
SYSTEM NOTICE: Grave Sense — Detects 5 nearby remains, 2 viable for bound undead.
"Bound or temporary?" he muttered. The idea of permanent undead tempted him. He could feel the pull of the Grave Domain seed already. But permanent minions would drain command slots relentlessly. He needed strategy. He needed patience.
Ethan spent the next hour experimenting quietly. He raised a temporary skeleton to fetch small objects, testing obedience and responsiveness. The skeletal minion moved fluidly, though stiffly, its movements a careful mimicry of life. Command Slot usage was logged, calculations running like mental spreadsheets.
Lira stayed nearby, silent but alert. Occasionally, she would whisper warnings: "Do not raise more than one in view of the common folk."
He nodded, half-listening, completely absorbed in understanding the mechanics. Undead Evolution Tree: Skeletal Minion → Skeletal Soldier → Grave Knight (bound). Early nodes activated, potential unlocked, but he remained cautious.
The sun began to dip, casting long shadows across cobblestones. Ethan realized that his temporary skeletons had given him a minor advantage: fear and hesitation in the villagers. They now kept distance, allowing him to observe more closely without direct conflict. He mapped potential allies, neutral parties, and threats.
ADVANCEMENT PROGRESS: Rank 0 — Preliminary Observation Complete.
By nightfall, he had tested raising two more temporary minions, one to serve as a lookout and another to act as a distraction. Lira finally spoke, breaking the silence. "You have talent," she said. "But talent alone won't keep you alive. You need control."
He nodded, more to himself than to her. "Control," he repeated, tasting the word. He had control over death, over bones, over the minions under his command. But he had no control over humans, their fears, or the whims of the system that now dictated his life.
From the shadows, he felt it—a pull in the air, subtle but insistent. The seed of the Grave Domain, dormant yet alive. He could sense the land itself responding to his presence, recognizing him as something dangerous, something to be respected or feared. It whispered of power, of permanent undead, of evolution waiting to be unlocked. He shivered, excitement mingling with a dark thrill.
The night ended with a quiet tension. Ethan sat on a hill overlooking the village, skeletons positioned strategically. Lira remained close but kept her distance. He knew tomorrow would bring questions, challenges, perhaps even a true test of the powers he barely understood.
Ethan allowed himself a small, dry chuckle. "First day as a villain," he whispered. "And I've only just begun."
Command Slots: 6 total, 3 in use. Temporary: 3. Permanent: 0. Evolution paths: unlocked nodes pending. Grave Domain: seed detected. Rank 0: observation phase complete.
He leaned back, staring at the night sky. Bones, death, power, control. All new, all terrifying. And yet, for the first time since dying, he felt alive.