EPISODE 7 - SCENE 1: THE CRUCIAL CHOICE

Location: Near the main caravan, after the battle in the Black River Gorge.

The wind had stilled, and the sky had cleared, as though nature itself paused to breathe after the carnage. The acrid scent of blood mixed with burnt dust lingered in the air, clinging to the skin, invading every breath. The dying flames of scorched caravans cast dancing shadows over bodies still warm—some muti-lated, others reduced to ash.

William stood at the heart of the devastation, his gaze locked on the fallen before him. Their Nexus cores pulsed weakly, a flicker of existence trapped between life and oblivion.

Ash. Felicia. Kassim.

Their stories had ended too soon—but for William, death was just another challenge to overcome. The ring on his finger glimmered, a faint blue light seeping from its core. The Shadow Veil swirled around him, a force waiting to be unleashed. This moment was his.

Haku stepped closer, wiping sweat from her brow before laying down the last Scorpion-Man body brought by one of her clones. She crossed her arms, her eyes sharp as they scanned the corpses.

— Haku (with excitement): "It's a risky bet, Master William… but Scorpion-Men could be a real asset after some serious training!"

— Nero (calmly nodding): "Haku's right. I sensed potential in them. They could become perfect subordi-nates."

Their enthusiasm was contagious, but William sensed the concern beneath their words. As their master, the decision rested on his shoulders. And whatever choice he made, they would follow.

He closed his eyes briefly, listening to the whisper of the Veil, the murmur of the universe. A soft blue pulse filled the air. Iris, his ever-present AI, swirled around him, her light shifting from blue to green as cal-culations churned. Her voice echoed in his mind, sharp and precise.

— Iris: "Master, resurrecting these three presents a significant risk. Their spiritual structures are unstable. The process may fail—resulting in altered consciousness or, worse, a regression to raw Nexus form."

William didn't flinch. He knew the rules of this world, but he'd already broken them once. The Ring of Crea-tion allowed him to defy the very essence of life and death. And he wasn't about to hesitate now.

— William (thoughtful): "Iris, what's the success rate?"

The silence was heavy, broken only by the crackle of dying flames. Then, her answer came—cold and abso-lute.

— Iris: "With stabilized RBJV Nexus, the chance of full restoration is 80%."

William opened his inventory with a flick of his hand. New Nexus cores appeared, vibrant orbs pulsing with raw potential.

— Iris: "Congratulations, Master. The new Nexus are ready—blue for reclaimed life, violet for preserved memories, orange for soul equilibrium."

He could feel them, their energies floating like sentient entities, drawn towards the corpses, eager to bond.

— William (calm but resolute): "They won't just be revived. They'll remain themselves—with their essence intact."

Iris hesitated, as though weighing his defiance.

— Iris: "Ash's data is archived. Extracting it will require greater energy input."

William's gaze lingered on Ash—the man who had fought until his last breath. Then to Felicia, a warrior fallen to overwhelming odds. And Kassim, consumed by pride and fury.

Lifting his hand, the ring pulsed, its glow a spectral flare. The Shadow Veil unfurled, swallowing the three bodies in a cascade of black energy.

— William (with quiet finality): "Seventy-two percent. That's enough. Bring them back."

A deep, guttural hum echoed as the Veil unleashed its power. Tendrils of light coiled around the corpses, seeping into dead flesh, mending what had been lost. Haku and Nero took a step back, their faces a mix-ture of awe and caution. Few could defy the world's natural order like this.

— Iris: "Process initiated. Time remaining—thirty seconds."

Wind swept through the battlefield, carrying the ashes of the fallen. The resurrection's light swelled, brilliant and blinding. And then—silence.

A single breath broke the stillness. A cough, ragged and hoarse. Eyelids fluttering open, uncertain and con-fused.

Ash. Felicia. Kassim.

Alive.

William lowered his hand, stepping closer. His gaze met Ash's, hazy with confusion and disbelief.

— William (a calm smile tugging at his lips): "Welcome back to the living."