On the other side of the veil, in the Necrotic Realm.
When Lia opened her eyes, she was t by the familiar, suffocating grey of the
stone ceiling. The nutrient solution in the stasis tank had already been
drained; she lay at the bottom of the vat, drenched and shivering.
"Awake?"
The High Lich's voice drifted from above.
Lia braced her hands against the glass walls and sat up, every bone in her fra
screaming in protest. "I have... returned?"
"I forcibly extracted you," the Lich said, reaching in to haul her out of the
tank. "What manner of monster did you encounter?"
He handed her a clean set of black robes. "To reduce you to such a state... you
must have engaged a powerhouse of at least the Tier 6 rank."
Lia accepted the robes, her movents stiff and chanical as she covered
herself. The Lich spared her a clinical glance.
"Can you maintain a vertical posture?"
Lia nodded. Her body was still wracked with tremors, but she forced her spine to
lock. Seeing her stability, the Lich turned toward a rack of vials and pulled
down a bottle of cobalt-blue liquid.
"Consu this. It will accelerate the stabilization of your Od."
Lia uncorked the potion and downed it in a single gulp. The Lich stood before
her, the soulfire in his sockets burning with a low, steady fla.
"Speak," he commanded. his tone was flat. "Report the status of the target
Plane."
Lia opened her mouth, but for the first ti in her life, she didn't know where
to begin the data stream.
"Unit One," the Lich prompted. "You are idling."
Lia took a jagged breath. "My apologies."
She began to organize the information in her mind, speaking with the cold
cadence of a scout. "The target plane is governed by a nation designated as the
Evernight Empire. The ruler calls himself the Sovereign of Evernight—estimated
power level: Tier 7 or higher."
"The Plane achieved continental unification in a window of barely two to three
years. They have subjugated all major factions, including the Holy Empire of
Gusteko, the beastkin tribes, the Elven Forests, and the Empire of Vollachia."
"The ruling class is predominantly Undead, but they employ a policy of
benevolent integration toward the living. They have established a highly
sophisticated administrative infrastructure."
"Civilian life is stable, public order is absolute, and Magitech developnt is
accelerating at an anomalous rate."
The Lich listened in silence, recording the data points. Lia continued without
pause.
"I remained in a sector known as Orlando for several cycles to observe daily
operations. The Mana density of that world is extre, far exceeding any Tier 7
Plane we have previously consud. I have not localized the Plane Core, but I
hypothesize it is situated within a territory called the Iron Fortress."
She paused, her voice dropping an octave. "And then... my presence was
compromised."
The Lich's soulfire flickered. "By whom?"
"A skeleton," Lia whispered. "His rank... was unquantifiable. And a Red Dragon,
Tier 6 Peak."
The Lich was silent for several seconds. "And how did you manage to drag your
terminal husk back through the gate?"
Lia shook her head. "I did not 'escape.' They declined to terminate . They
allowed my 'Fail-Safe' to trigger while I was in a near-death state, permitting
my extraction."
The Lich's soulfire dimd for a fleeting mont. He turned back to the console,
staring at the now-dark magical array.
"Which ans you were exposed. They are aware of your origin."
"Furthermore, they likely tracked the Mana-rebound of your teleportation. They
now possess our Planar Coordinates."
Lia bowed her head. "Correct. It was a failure of execution."
The Lich said nothing. The laboratory fell into a heavy, ringing silence, broken
only by the low hum of the Mana-turbines. After a long while, the Lich spoke.
"Follow. The Sovereign awaits your testimony."
Lia's fra went rigid. "Now?"
"Now."
The Lich headed for the exit. "A direct report is required."
Lia trailed behind him, her footsteps feeling heavier than the leaden air of the
palace. She knew this mont was inevitable.
They traversed the long, ossified corridors. Lia had walked this path a thousand
tis, but today, every step felt like a mile. Along the walls, grey gemstones
emitted a sickly, dying light. In that radiance, Lia saw her own
shadow—stretched, warped, and jagged. It mirrored the state of her soul.
Finally, they stood before the massive doors of the Throne Hall. The Lich
stepped aside.
"Enter. He is within."
Lia took a deep breath and pushed the heavy doors open.
The Throne Hall was a terrifying expanse of empty space. Thanatos sat upon his
throne, his violet-gold soulfire burning with a steady, haunting rhythm. He
didn't speak. He simply watched her.
Lia marched to the center of the hall and dropped to one knee.
"Father."
Thanatos offered no imdiate response. He looked down at her from his height,
the silence stretching until Lia felt her heart rate begin to accelerate.
Finally, he spoke.
"Comnce the report."
Lia repeated the data she had given the Lich. The state of the Plane, the
Sovereign's power, the social cohesion, the Mana density. She detailed her
discovery and the circumstances of her return.
Thanatos listened to the end. He remained silent for a long ti, contemplating
the report. Then, he asked a single question.
"Do you believe that Plane is worthy of conquest?"
Lia froze. It was a question she hadn't anticipated. She opened her mouth, but
the words were a chaotic static in her throat.
Is it worth it?
From a strategic standpoint, the answer was absolute. A growing Tier 7 world—if
devoured whole, the Necrotic Realm would ascend to Tier 8 instantly, inheriting
that montum of growth.
But... the people. The "pests." Amy. William.
If the legions of the dead descended upon Orlando, what would beco of the warm
rye bread and the blue orchids?
Lia knew the answer. She had seen the conclusion of a Planar War too many tis.
Where the legions marched, life was extinguished. Not a single spark would
remain.
"Unit One," Thanatos prompted, his voice a low vibration. "I am awaiting your
assessnt."
Lia found her voice. "It is worthy," she whispered. "That Plane is worth the
harvest."
Thanatos nodded. "Excellent."
He rose from the throne, stepping down the dais.
"Then I hereby decree: The Necrotic Realm shall enter a state of total
mobilization."
"Target: The Evernight Empire."
"Projected deploynt window: One week."
Lia's pupils contracted violently. "One week?"
"Is there a logistical issue?"
Lia gritted her teeth. "Father, according to the Grand Strategy, we were to
recuperate for three centuries. It has been less than a year since the last
conquest. If we commit our forces now..."
"The numbers are irrelevant," Thanatos interrupted. "You stated that world
achieved unification in barely three years. What does that signify to you?"
Lia remained silent.
"It signifies an evolution rate that defies Planar logic," Thanatos said calmly.
"If we wait three hundred years to strike... what will that 'Evernight Empire'
look like then? Tier 7 Peak? Tier 8? Beyond?"
"By then, we would not be the conquerors. We would be the prey."
Lia had no rebuttal. The logic was ironclad.
"Furthermore," Thanatos continued, "your return has exposed our coordinates. If
they are as capable as you suggest, they are likely tracking the breadcrumbs of
your transit even now."
"Better to strike while they are in their infancy than to wait for them to
beco a titan."
Lia lowered her head. "Understood."
Thanatos stopped in front of her. He reached out and lifted her chin with a hand
of black bone.
"Unit One," he said softly. "Is there sothing else you wish to convey?"
Lia's body went cold. She looked into the violet-gold pits of his eyes. There
was no anger there. No disappointnt. Only a terrifying, stagnant peace.
"No," Lia said, her voice firm. "I have nothing more to say, Father."
Thanatos watched her for a long while before releasing her. "Good."
"Return to your quarters. In one week, you will lead the vanguard as our guide.
You shall show our legions the way into the heart of the Evernight."
Lia rose and perford a crisp bow. "As you command, Father."
She turned and exited the hall. Her gait was steady, showing no sign of the
storm within. But internally, her mind was a frantic, broken loop.
Outside, the High Lich was still waiting. He looked at her, his jaw working as
if he wanted to speak.
"Unit One..."
"I am fine," Lia interrupted. "I am rely exhausted. I require respite."
The Lich hesitated, then nodded. "Very well. Summon if you require
stabilization."
Lia offered no response, heading straight for her room. She walked through the
long corridor and pushed open her door. Everything was as she had left it. The
bed. The desk. The chair.
The pot of blue orchids in the corner had withered to a grey, brittle ruin.
Lia sat on the edge of her bed. She looked at the ceiling. The images returned
unbidden.
Amy's smile. William's gentle hands. The town of Orlando. The sun on the
cobblestones. The scent of the bakery.
It was a warmth she had never known existed. And now, she was the instrunt of
its destruction. Because of her report. Because of her failure.
Lia closed her eyes. The heaviness in her chest returned—a sharp, localized pain
that was worse than the Red Dragon's blows.
She didn't understand why she cared about the survival of "pests." She was a
tool. A weapon designed to be spent for the Sovereign's glory.
But as she looked at her hands, she saw them trembling. These were the hands
that had threatened William. These were the hands that had almost used Amy as a
shield. These were the hands that had completed a thousand missions without a
single doubt.
She rembered Amy's final words. "Mama says there are no 'Born Baddies,' only
poor souls with no other way out."
Lia's eyes grew damp. She had never wept. From her first mory, she was taught
that tears were a waste of internal moisture—a sign of structural weakness.
But now, she couldn't stop the leak. A single tear tracked down her scarred
cheek and splashed onto the back of her hand.
Inside the Throne Hall.
Thanatos had returned to his seat. The High Lich entered, dropping to one knee.
"My King. Unit One... she is compromised."
"I am aware," Thanatos said, his tone indifferent. "She is wavering."
The Lich remained silent for a heartbeat. "Then why... why do you not process
her for recycling?"
Thanatos's soulfire pulsed with a slow, rhythmic light. "Because she is still a
high-functioning asset. And..."
He paused.
"I wish to see what choice she makes."
The Lich looked up. "You an..."
"One week is sufficient ti for her to process the error in her logic,"
Thanatos said. "If she realigns her loyalty, she remains my daughter. If she
chooses treason..."
He didn't finish the sentence. He didn't have to. The outco for a broken tool
was always the sa.
"I understand," the Lich said, bowing his head. "I shall comnce the war
mobilization imdiately."
"Go."
Thanatos was alone again. He looked up at the grey crystal rotating in the do
of the hall—the projection of the Plane Core.
"Unit One," he murmured to the silence. "Do not disappoint ."
☆☆☆
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