The first light of dawn filtered through the village rooftops, painting the cobblestones in soft gold. Ethan had spent the night perched on a low hill, watching the village breathe, tracking movement, and calculating the balance between fear and control. The skeletons under his command moved like extensions of his mind, alert, precise, obedient.
Command Slots: 6 total — 3 in use. Temporary: 3. Permanent: 0.
He sipped water from a leather flask, noting the skeletal sentry stationed at the edge of the hill. Its empty sockets glinted in the early light. He grinned wryly. "You'd make a terrible roommate," he muttered. "Noisy, creaky, and prone to staring at nothing."
The system pinged, and a window appeared before him:
ADVANCEMENT AVAILABLE: RANK 0 → RANK I (Grave Adept).
OBJECTIVES:
Bind a permanent undead.
Survive a death anomaly.
Achieve recognition by system evaluation.
Ethan blinked. Recognition? He had barely figured out temporary minions, and now the system demanded a permanent binding. He rubbed his temple. The skeletons shifted at his feet, bones clicking softly, as if reading his thoughts.
"Fine," he said, voice low and dry. "I'll play your game."
He spent the next hour preparing. He located a fallen animal, carefully examining the bones for optimal binding potential. Grave Sense: 2 viable remains detected. He considered the risks: permanent undead cost command slots permanently, and any failure could fracture his soul. He drew a deep breath, steadying himself.
SKILL CHECK: Raise Permanent Undead (Rank I).
The bones trembled in his hands. Darkness swirled around him, obedient, hungry. He whispered the words the system provided, focusing, feeling the pull of the Grave Domain seed beneath him. The animal bones lifted, reassembling, reforming, as his will poured into them.
A skeletal hound took shape. PERMANENT UNDEAD CREATED: Bound Hound. Command Slots Used: 2/6.
Ethan staggered back, sweat beading on his forehead. The hound bowed its head, tail absent but movement purposeful. He let out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding.
"You're… terrifying," he said quietly, glancing at the system window, which pulsed faintly in approval.
ADVANCEMENT PROGRESS: Objective 1 — Complete.
No time to revel in success. A ripple in the air signaled the presence of a death anomaly, faint but unmistakable. The land itself quivered slightly, and the shadows deepened. Ethan could sense the danger before he even saw it.
"Here we go," he muttered. "First anomaly."
The village remained oblivious as a low fog rolled in, black and thick, tasting of decay. Shapes moved within it, ephemeral and menacing. The skeletal hound growled, a hollow, resonant sound. Ethan clenched his fists.
Death Anomaly Detected: Medium threat level. Survival recommended.
He stepped forward, skeletons in formation around him. Darkness pulsed at his fingertips, ready to obey. Each movement was calculated. The anomaly pulsed back, responding to his life force, testing him, mocking him silently.
Pain tore through his chest as memories not his own surged: battlefields, cries of the fallen, the weight of bones he had yet to touch. He stumbled, shaking, yet he forced himself to stand. Focus. Control. He commanded the skeletal minions to attack, temporary and permanent alike. The hound lunged first, teeth snapping at intangible forms. The temporary skeletons followed, their movements stiff but precise.
The anomaly lashed out, a wave of psychic pressure that threatened to tear his mind apart. Ethan gritted his teeth, channeling every ounce of will, letting the Grave Domain seed guide him. The skeletal hound shielded him instinctively, absorbing the brunt of the psychic lash.
Objective 2 — Survive Death Anomaly: Partial.
By sheer force of will, Ethan endured. The anomaly dissipated, leaving a lingering sense of dread, a reminder of how fragile life and control truly were. The skeletal hound remained at his side, steadfast, a testament to his mastery of the first permanent binding.
Exhausted, Ethan sank to his knees. Lira appeared silently at the edge of the clearing, her expression unreadable but approving. "You've done well," she said. "But this is only the beginning. True power comes at a cost greater than you imagine."
He gave a dry laugh, brushing dirt and sweat from his hands. "Isn't that always the case?"
System Notification: Rank 0 — Objective 3: Recognition evaluation pending. Grave Domain influence: Detectable. Undead evolution nodes unlocked: Bound Hound active.
Night fell over the village. Ethan sat in silence, skeletal hound at his side, temporary minions hidden, his mind racing with possibilities. Permanent undead, evolution paths, and the pull of the Grave Domain all whispered promises of greater power—but at a cost he still didn't fully understand.
And for the first time, he allowed himself to smile faintly, dry and sardonic. "Welcome to your first day as a necromancer," he muttered to the darkness around him. "Now let's see how deep the rabbit hole goes."