CHAPTER 42: ZOMBIES

The abandoned city was not just empty — it was consumed by an invisible presence, as if time itself had surrendered there. The blackened houses, with collapsed roofs and windows that resembled empty eye sockets, watched the group like silent witnesses to a tragedy never forgotten.

The ground crackled underfoot. Not from leaves or stones, but from ashes.

Human ashes.

Morwynn was the first to move differently. Her eyes of multiple pupils glowed. She sniffed the air. The webs on her wrists quivered.

"Something... has awakened."

Kaela growled softly, her golden eyes jumping from shadow to shadow.

"We’re surrounded," said Eren, with coldness.

And the system confirmed:

[Curse Zone Active]

[Hostile Entities Identified]

[Coordinated Combat Recommended]

From the alleys and narrow streets, they emerged. Stumbling. Rigid. Like actors on a horror stage, fulfilling a role they had long forgotten but still performed due to a curse.

Faced Apparitions:

[ROTTING ZOMBIES]

[Partially melted bodies, covered in dark fungi and exposed teeth. They attack in packs and have slow regeneration.]

[Attack style: frenzied bites and scratches.]

[Weakness: fire and decapitation.]

[FUNERAL MUMMIES]

[Wrapped in cursed enchanted rags. Their bandages move on their own. They exude toxic gas.]

[Attack style: suffocation, remote control, slowing spells.]

[Weakness: quick cutting of the living bands.]

[FACELESS SHADOWS]

[Dark humanoid shapes, without eyes or mouths. They blend into walls and attack by surprise.]

[Attack style: ethereal cuts, illusions, and mental paralysis.]

[Weakness: light and simultaneous attacks.]

Eren took the front line. Kaela at his side like a bull unleashed on a battlefield. Nyssa spread across the ground, sliding like a living lake, eyes alert. Morwynn climbed the walls, positioning herself between the rooftops.

"Encirclement formation," said Eren.

The first shadow charged at him. A dark figure, energy blades instead of arms. But he was no novice. A step to the side, and his fire-clad fist pierced the creature’s center. The light exploded.

"One down."

Kaela roared. The mummies advanced, bandages flying like snakes. She spun, severing three heads with a single swipe of her claws. One of the strips tried to wrap around her — she bit it, tearing it like wet paper.

"IS THAT ALL?!" she bellowed, eyes shining.

Nyssa trapped two zombies in her viscous body. Slowly she dissolved them, their faces melting like wax in acid.

"I’m... I’m helping!" she said, with fear and excitement.

Morwynn descended in absolute silence, like a black feather. Threads extended from her hands and caught a shadow in the air, like a puppet.

"The art of capture... begins like this," she whispered, before slitting the spectral throat with a blade made of crystallized web.

But the city seemed to generate more and more bodies. From the broken church, a colossal zombie emerged. It had half of its body fused to stone, as if it were part of the ground.

Kaela ran towards it.

"Wait," Eren shouted.

She did not listen. Never did.

She leaped, tried to strike — but the rotten hand grabbed her in the air and hurled her against an abandoned cart.

Nyssa expanded and cushioned the impact like a gelatinous mattress. Kaela got up, spitting blood.

"Still... standing!"

Morwynn descended quickly, slicing the monster’s tendons. Eren launched himself in front of the group and delivered an elastic punch to the entity’s chest.

The colossal zombie fell — but it did not disintegrate. It still crawled, still bit.

Kaela finished it off with her claws on the spine.

And then... silence?

No.

The shadows began to sing.

A collective whisper, coming from the rooftops, the ground, the cracks in the windows.

"They will come... they will come..."

The ground shook.

Eren looked at the group. They were all wounded. Morwynn was bleeding. Nyssa trembled. Kaela gritted her teeth.

And then... something rose behind the ancient cathedral.

[New Emerging Entity Detected]

It appeared. A silhouette with a broken golden mask, a staff of bones, and a flickering purple aura.

It was no longer an undead.

It was a priest of the curse.

And the real fight... was just beginning.

The spectral bodies still rose, deformed by ancient curses and forgotten memories. The dense fog began to swallow the battlefield, silencing the screams. The echoes of the previous clash dissipated in the shadows of the abandoned city, but Eren knew it was not the end. It was a pause. The second wave would come.

"Retreat," he ordered, his voice dry and leaving no room for doubt.

Kaela growled, eyes gleaming in defiance as she chewed on the bone of a recently dispatched mummy. But she obeyed.

Nyssa joined her, dripping still-active acid, her body trembling with exhaustion.

Morwynn moved with fluidity, swinging between the ruins with predatory grace.

Eren wasted no time.

His pupils danced from point to point, assessing the surrounding topography. To the north, a partially collapsed stone structure loomed — something like a crypt or forgotten temple. Blind windows. Broken columns. Doors open like silent mouths. Ideal.

"There. Twenty meters. Left flank open. Kaela, rear guard. Morwynn, dispersion. Nyssa, containment with acid. Quick."

Kaela charged, smashing two zombies on her way as if they were sacks of rotten meat.

Nyssa raised a small liquid wall with her new ability — a viscous curtain that slowed the specters. The sound of flesh being corroded filled the air, mixed with supernatural screams.

Morwynn launched herself into the heights, anchoring threads and creating distractions. Every enemy that tried to move with precision was ensnared, stumbling, diverting, hesitating. Time. All Eren needed was time.

"Ten seconds," he murmured to himself.

They reached the entrance of the ruins. A wide, cracked stairway led to a partially sunken hall. Fallen beams crossed the ceiling. Headless statues seemed to guard the entrance. The floor was covered by a mixture of black moss and ancient ashes.

"Enter. Position. Form the funnel," he pointed. "There’s only one viable entrance. Let’s turn this into a slaughterhouse."

Kaela positioned herself at the front, panting, her fists bloodied. Nyssa stood beside her, with her acid reserves already at their limit. Morwynn anchored threads in complex patterns along the broken columns, creating an invisible web that would tighten at the right moment.

Eren was the last. He pulled up his hood, took a deep breath. The system blinked silently beside him.

[Strategic Analysis: Environment favors defense in narrow points.]

[Suggestion: Using "Concentrated Inferno" ability might eliminate up to 60% of the enemies if bottlenecked.]

He didn’t smile. He just nodded.

The first apparition crossed the threshold of the ruins. It had the shape of a priest with its eyes gouged out, fingers replaced by rusty keys. Behind it, a horde of specters, mummies, and crawling aberrations dragged like a wave of decay.

Eren waited until most were lined up in the entrance corridor. Then he raised his hand.

"Now."

Kaela charged with a hoarse shout, knocking down the first block of enemies. Nyssa launched an arc of acid, corroding the second line.

Morwynn pulled the strings — the structure swayed. Columns fell, further narrowing the entrance. A corridor of death.

Eren walked slowly to the center of the room and opened his arms. The runes on his chest glowed. A crimson flame formed in his palm, growing, twisting. He launched the "Concentrated Inferno" as if throwing a living spear. The corridor turned into a tunnel of fire.

Screams. Crackles. The stench of burnt putrid flesh.

For a moment, there was silence.

Then the echoes returned. Thuds. Footsteps. Scratches.

More were coming.

"Forty-seven eliminated" Morwynn whispered, eyes fixed on the shadow. "But it’s not the end."

Eren knew. This wasn’t a mere assault. It was a test.

"Rearrange. New line. Nyssa, central support. Kaela, lateral mobility. Morwynn, ready for vertical evacuation."

Kaela glanced sideways at him.

"And you?"

" I am the contingency plan" he said firmly.

The ground trembled. Something larger was approaching. Kaela’s eyes widened for a moment, but she didn’t back down. Morwynn hung from the ceiling like a living shadow. Nyssa trembled, but stood firm.

A form emerged. Something akin to an ancient warrior in sacred armor — only the armor was covered in dried blood, and the eyes glowed with an unnatural light. He dragged a sword too large for any man.

"This is going to hurt" Kaela muttered.

"Not if done right" Eren replied.

The enemy advanced.

Eren raised his right hand, signaling.

"Kaela, distraction. Nyssa, shield. Morwynn... prepare the snare."

Kaela ran, challenging the monster with a roar. The creature raised the sword, but at the exact moment, Nyssa launched a liquid shield that collided with the creature’s arm, pushing it half a foot off course.

Kaela slid under the blow. Punch. Elbow. Kick. No real damage. But the goal wasn’t to injure. It was to position.

Morwynn cast the snare. An invisible thread wrapped around the enemy’s feet, pulling its leg back and forcing it off balance.

Eren ran.

With a leap, he grabbed the blade with flaming magic, focusing everything he had on the point of impact.

The sword exploded. The creature recoiled, roared, and staggered — exposing its guard.

Kaela finished it.

A double kick to the chest that sent it crashing against the wall. The specters following hesitated. Eren pointed again.

"Side exit. The internal columns are crumbling. We’ll use the collapse."

Morwynn cast threads on the right structures.

Eren gave the signal.

Partial collapse.

The ceiling came down like a curtain. Dust. Screams. Stone.

Silence.

When the dust settled, the group was gathered, leaning against a still-secure chamber, but now completely surrounded by rubble and echoes of curses.

They were cornered.

But alive.

Eren wiped the blood from his mouth, though it wasn’t his. He looked around.

"Status?"

"No injuries. But trapped. For now" said Morwynn.

Kaela nodded. Nyssa slid over to him, still trembling.

Eren turned to the cracked wall ahead.

"We’ll find the way out. There’s always one."

The spectral light danced through the cracks.

And, in the background, voices whispered. As if the very past of that city was trying to awaken.

⋆⋅☆⋅⋆

The dense mist of Barovik left everything with a metallic taste in the mouth, as if the air carried rust and old lies. The sky remained opaque even as the day advanced, and the cathedral bells barely resonated — as if they had forgotten their purpose.

The young paladin leaning against the wall wasn’t exactly the symbol of devotion.

His name was Halren. Thin face, unscarred, hands that knew more of a quill than a sword. He wore the armor of the Order of the Flaming Eye, but with loose straps, the helmet under his arm, and eyes always looking anywhere — but duty.

He was there for one reason only: stability.

The salary came every month. The food was free. And with luck, no one ordered him to "cleanse abominations" outside the walls. He hated that word: "abomination." To Halren, most monsters just seemed like... creatures. Some strange, yes. Others frightening. But what about humans? War had already shown him that monsters sometimes cried. Humans, not so much.

That’s when he heard a noise among the rubble.

A faint sound, a whimper.

Halren’s eyes widened, approaching cautiously. For a moment, he thought about calling for reinforcements. But the voice didn’t come. Instead, he drew his sword from its sheath just in case, and walked towards the source of the sound, behind a pile of charred wood and broken bricks.

And there it was.

A small being. Leaning against the shadow of a fallen statue. Large ears, golden fur, and eyes moist like those of a scared deer. It was a little monster with a canine form — a kind of winged fox, wings retracted, delicate paws.

It posed no threat. Nor did it react to the approach.

Halren crouched, sword still in hand.

"What are you?" he whispered, more to himself.

The creature looked at him, trying to rise, but one of its paws was injured.

Something broke inside Halren. This wasn’t an enemy. It was just an animal. And more than that — there was intelligence in the eyes of the little creature. A recognition... as if it knew he could hurt it, yet still didn’t back away.

He dropped the sword.

"Do you understand what I’m saying?" he tried again.

The creature blinked. It moved its head slightly, as if trying to understand.

Halren smiled, nervous.

"I won’t hurt you. On the contrary, I can help you. Just... stay calm."

The creature let out a low sound, something between a meow and a whistle. Halren approached slowly, extended his hand. When his fingers touched the furry head of the small winged fox, a faint light shone in its eyes.

A glow that the system recognized.

[Initiating bond...]

The young man recoiled reflexively, startled. He knew this type of message — although he had never seen it happen before his own eyes. Tamers. It was a Tamers’ thing. But he wasn’t one. And yet... the bond was beginning.

The creature stepped forward, even though it was wounded. It brushed its snout against Halren’s leg.

"I... I don’t know what’s happening. But if this is what I think... do you want to come with me?"

Another glow. And a new sound:

[Minimum emotional conditions for verbal contract reached.]

It was real.

Halren’s heart raced. This was not just special. It was revolutionary. Eren Vale — the name whispered among the soldiers, the heretic Tamer. Was he the one who had started this new "form"? A real contract, without seals, without spells. Just... connection.

And Halren almost succeeded.

Almost.

"HALREN!"

The voice came like a blade slicing through the fog. He turned around abruptly.

Two patrol paladins were approaching, eyes wide at the scene.

"What are you doing?" one of them growled, hand already on the sword hilt.

"Wait, it’s not what it seems!" Halren tried to intervene, putting himself between them and the creature. "This... this thing isn’t dangerous. It’s trying to..."

"’Thing’?" repeated the second paladin. "You’re protecting a monster?"

"It’s not a monster!" Halren shouted. "It’s just... a creature. Intelligent. And I think it tried to seal a bond with me. Not with magic. For real."

The two paladins exchanged glances. One of them frowned.

"He’s been corrupted."

"He’s another of those who heard too much about Eren Vale."

"No!" Halren took a step forward, hands raised. "You don’t understand. This is important. Maybe... maybe the Order is wrong about some monsters!"

The silence that followed was cutting.

And then, the sound of steel leaving its sheath.

"For the purity of the Eye," murmured the first paladin. "And for all those who fell before the beasts."

Halren didn’t have time to react.

The blade went in beneath his rib.

The pain was sudden, absurd. He fell to his knees, and the world lost color for a moment. The winged fox screeched, desperate, trying to move towards him. But another blade flashed.

And then, blood on the stones.

The three were silent.

The first paladin looked at his companion’s body.

"What a shame. Another weak one."

"And this stupid monster?" the second asked, wiping the blade.

"Buried with the traitor. Let them serve as an example."

And with that, the two departed.

Without ceremony. Without record.

The fox died with its eyes still open, fixed on Halren.

On the nearby wall, painted by some ancient wanderer, a worn phrase took on new meaning:

"Not all prey is wild. Not all hunters are just."