A low hum filled the room as a new projection unfolded in front of him, expanding outward into a detailed holographic model of his entire town. It hovered in the air, semi-transparent yet precise, every structure, road, and wall clearly defined in pale light.
Aiden’s eyes narrowed slightly as he stood up.
"...Where should I put it."
He stepped closer, his gaze scanning the miniature layout. The outer walls stood firm, encircling the town like a protective shell, while the inner area was still relatively open, leaving enough space for future expansion.
Then, with a small movent of his hand, the newly acquired blueprint appeared within the model.
At first, it was just an outline.
A dark, pulsing shape that didn’t quite match the clean structure of the town around it.
But as Aiden focused on it, the details sharpened.
A shallow pit, uneven and jagged, as if the ground itself had been clawed open. Around it, crude pillars ford from bone-like material rose from the earth, each one wrapped in faint strands of necrotic energy that flickered like dying embers. The center of the pit seed deeper than it should be, swallowing light instead of reflecting it.
Even as a projection, it felt wrong.
Unnatural.
"...Fitting."
Aiden moved his hand slowly, dragging the structure across the holographic town.
The blueprint followed his command, gliding over rooftops and empty spaces until he guided it toward the inner side of the wall, placing it close enough for protection but far enough to keep it separated from the main buildings.
"Here."
He paused, studying the placent.
Near the wall ant easier access to transport bodies from outside, especially after battles. At the sa ti, keeping it inside ensured it would be protected from direct attacks.
Aiden nodded once.
"This will do."
The mont he confird the placent, the holographic model reacted. The outline of the structure sank into the ground of the projection, locking into place as faint ripples spread outward across the miniature terrain.
At the sa ti, sowhere outside, beyond the quiet walls of the villa, sothing began to change.
The ground itself responded to his command.
Soil shifted.
Earth loosened.
As if an invisible force had started digging into the land, carving out the foundation of sothing that did not belong in the world of the living.
Aiden watched the projection for a mont longer, the faint glow reflecting in his eyes.
Then he dismissed it with a wave of his hand.
The room returned to silence.
----
Aiden stepped out of the villa without a word, his pace steady as he moved through the quiet streets of the town. The night air was cool, carrying a faint, unfamiliar scent that had not been there before, sothing damp, sothing closer to decay.
Behind him, Graveknit followed in silence.
Its stitched body moved with soft, uneven motions, bone fragnts clicking faintly with each step. The black threads that held it together swayed like thin strands of shadow, giving it an unsettling presence even among the undead.
Aiden did not look back.
"...It’s already started," he murmured.
The closer they got to the inner wall, the stronger the feeling beca.
The air grew heavier.
Not suffocating, but dense, as if sothing beneath the ground was slowly waking up.
When they finally arrived, Aiden stopped.
The Flesh Reclamation Pit stood before him.
Or rather, it had already taken shape.
The earth had been torn open, forming a wide, uneven pit that seed deeper than it should be. The soil around it was dark and damp, as if it had been soaked in sothing other than water. Jagged pillars, pale and bone-like, rose from the ground in a rough circle, each one faintly pulsing with a dull, necrotic glow.
At the center, the pit swallowed light.
Even the faint glow from the surroundings seed to fade as it reached the edge, as if the darkness inside was pulling it in.
And standing near it, unmoving like a silent guardian, was Carrion.
The Carrion Knight turned the mont Aiden approached, his heavy armor shifting with a low tallic sound. He stepped forward and lowered his head slightly.
"My lord."
His voice was calm, steady, yet there was a trace of sothing else beneath it, sothing close to reverence.
He glanced at the pit, then back at Aiden.
"...Is this your doing?"
Aiden’s gaze remained on the structure for a mont before he answered.
"Yes."
His voice was quiet, but certain.
He stepped closer to the edge, looking down into the darkness as if trying to asure its depth, though there was no bottom to see.
After a short pause, he spoke again.
"Bring all the warrior corpses we stored," he said, his tone leaving no room for hesitation. "Every one of them."
Carrion straightened imdiately.
"It will be done, my lord."
Without another word, he turned and walked away, his heavy steps fading into the distance as he moved to carry out the order.
Graveknit shifted slightly beside Aiden, its hollow gaze fixed on the pit, its body twitching faintly as if reacting to the energy surrounding it.
Aiden stood there in silence, watching.
The ground around the pit seed to breathe, faint pulses running through the soil, subtle but constant. It was not alive, not in the usual sense, but it was active, waiting.
Waiting for its first offering.
Aiden’s eyes darkened slightly.
"...Let’s see what you can do."
He did not move from his spot, choosing instead to wait as well.
It didn’t take long.
The sound ca first.
Heavy steps, layered and uneven, like sothing large moving in rhythm across the ground. Then the faint dragging of weight, followed by the dull thud of sothing being dropped, over and over again.
Aiden didn’t turn imdiately.
He already knew.
Carrion had returned.
When Aiden finally shifted his gaze, the scene before him had changed completely.
Behind Carrion stood rows of undead, silent and motionless, each one carrying a cart full of corpse, leaving faint trails in the dirt. The air grew thicker with the sll of blood and decay as more bodies were brought forward.
Hundreds.
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