Interlude Unit 6

Magical energy saturation... 100%.

Corpus integrity... 100%.

Heart charge... 100%.

Starting boot-up sequence...

Rebuilding necromantic network...

Compiling base array. Type Q. Order: 6-4-5-8-7-9-3-2-1-10

Thagiriron node attached to the heart...

Gha'agsheklah node attached to right arm...

Golachab node attached to the left arm...

Samael node attached to left leg...

Gha'agsheklah node attached to right leg...

Gamaliel node attached to genitals...

Satariel node attached to left brain lobe...

Ghagiel node attached to right brain lobe...

Thaumiel node attached to the skull...

Lilith node attached to the anus...

Building paths... All nodes connected. Base array fully operational.

Linking animation spells...

Linking 1/256... 256/256

Linking communication spell (encryption: numerology Enoch-07)...

Linking divination spells... 1/16... 16/16

Linking recall spell...

Necromantic network online...

Simulacrum brain online...

Booting sensor suite...

Visual system online... Auditory system online... Olfactory system online... Vestibular system online... Gustatory system online... Somatosensory system online... Sensor suite online...

Booting personality matrix—Leo type (Leadership specialized)

Core online... Skills online... History online... Personality matrix operational...

Boot-up sequence complete.

No errors detected.

Terminal 6-1 operational.

Handshake successful.

Terminal 6-1 connected to CID.

Version verification in progress... No updates pending... One task pending...

The eyes flickered open. Even in complete darkness, the corpse could seee the wooden lid that confined it.

With a silent motion, the naked corpse pushed the lid aside and crawled out of its coffin. It appeared almost lifelike, save for its unnatural pallor and lack of respiration. Two elements would capture the gaze of any onlooker: a circle inscribed with occult symbols on its forehead, mirroring the one carved beneath the coffin, and a metallic plate bolted over the region where a heart would normally reside. The coffin itself wasn't buried but was perched on a small podium, encircled by a number of similar coffins. Beyond these, the corpse could perceive mostly empty, metallic shells and even further, colossal trees that formed a primordial forest. The coffins were crafted from the same wood as these trees.

Though they bore the appearance of trees, these entities shared little else with their earthly counterparts. Perhaps their form was merely a mind's attempt to comprehend utterly alien stimuli. Or could it be that these alien entities mimicked the form of trees for reasons unfathomable? The corpse neither knew nor cared. Though suffused with magecraft that endowed it with various functions, it lacked the capacity for concern or curiosity. It had a semblance of intelligence but was devoid of will. Without commands, it would remain inert, as a corpse should.

Adjacent to the coffin lay a utilitarian uniform—something one could easily acquire from an American army surplus store. It was freshly laundered and impeccably ironed. Beside the clothing lay an assortment of weapons: a rifle, a pistol, and a knife, all similarly sourced. The corpse dressed and armed itself mechanically, its movements epitomizing both economy and precision.

And this corpse was not solitary. From other coffins, similar beings emerged, replicating the actions of the first.

Subnetwork Unit 6 established. Admin Terminal 6-1.

Adding Terminal 6-2.

...

Adding Terminal 6-12.

Its mind joined others of its kind in a silent chorus. Guided by unseen intelligence, they began to march. Their movements were not like those of living soldiers but rather like toy soldiers—mechanical and precise. As they crossed an invisible line separating their resting place from the rest of the open warehouse, they sensed a reduction in the ambient mana. They continued forward.

As they traveled, they passed a pale, fragile-looking android beside a pedestal inscribed with glowing occult symbols. At the center of the pedestal was a bullet-shaped sapphire. On an unseen cue, the android replaced the blue bullet with a red one. The corpses, devoid of functional sensory organs but equipped with a divination spell embedded in their necromantic network, ignored the android. To them, it was obvious that the machine was not truly alive.

They moved from the warehouse into an entrance hall—a white room that separated this Otherworld from the real world. Here were portals, as well as Anchor Gates. They paused briefly.

Handshake protocol… Sharing ID… Unit 6 authorized to proceed…

Through an Anchor Gate, they entered freezing caves, passing a Bounded Field that would have inflicted the Spider's Kiss Curse on unauthorized entrants. Their internal map guided them past numerous traps.

As the first line of defense, these corpse-soldiers were designed to stop intruders from reaching the traps or, failing that, to issue the first alarm.

Finally, they reached their assigned location. Another unit was already there, waiting to be replaced. With calculated precision, they took their positions, ensuring there were no gaps in their formation. The relieved unit began a slow, deliberate march back to their coffins.