he skeletal hand slowly tightened its grip on the edge of the crack. A sharp snap echoed through the old cemetery. Damp earth slid around the phalanges as the fingers dug into the ground in search of purchase. Aiden was unable to move. His breathing had stopped. He stared at the white hand, caked in mud and tangled with roots, as though his mind refused to accept what he was seeing.
"This isn't real..."
His voice was barely a whisper. Yet the hand kept pulling itself upward. The ground gave way a little more. A second hand appeared. It was in the same condition. Ancient bones, yellowed with age and almost gray in places, coated in a thin layer of earth.
Both hands gripped the edge of the crack. Then something slowly pushed its way up from the depths. A head. The top of a skull emerged first. Earth slipped through the cracks in the bone, as though it refused to let it go.
Very slowly, the skeleton continued its ascent. Every movement seemed to require an immense effort. One arm. Then the other. The shoulders. The upper ribcage. Every joint produced a disturbing crack, like a rusted mechanism moving again after centuries of stillness.
His legs trembled. He wanted to step back, but his body refused to obey. One part of him was screaming to run. The other remained fascinated by the impossible scene unfolding before his eyes.
The skeleton continued pulling itself out of the earth until its pelvis emerged as well. It paused for a few seconds. As though recovering its strength. Then it gave one final push. One leg. Then the other. At last, the creature stood completely upright before the grave.
It stood just under five feet seven inches tall. Its skeleton was incredibly slender. Several ribs were cracked. Part of its left arm looked as though it had been pieced back together multiple times. A long fracture ran across its skull, extending all the way to the right eye socket.
It carried neither weapon nor armor. It wore no clothing, save for a few tattered scraps of fabric hanging around its waist, almost completely rotted away. For several long seconds... it did not move. Aiden struggled to breathe. His heart was pounding so hard that he felt as though the entire cemetery could hear it.
"What the..."
_______________________________________________________________________________________
First Servant Candidate Detected.
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If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
Nothing else. No level. No name. No description. Not even the word Undead. Just that single sentence. Aiden frowned.
"Servant...?"
He reread the words several times. Servant. Not monster. Not enemy. Servant. He slowly raised his eyes toward the skeleton. It still hadn't moved. Its eye sockets were completely empty. No red glow. No blue flames. Nothing. It almost looked like an ordinary skeleton somehow standing upright by sheer miracle. Aiden swallowed.
"Can... can you hear me? »
There was no reaction. The skeleton remained perfectly still. The window did not disappear. It seemed to be waiting. Aiden cautiously took a step to the side. The skeleton didn't follow him. It didn't even turn its head.
"Strange..."
He carefully observed the creature. It seemed to be... waiting. Like a soldier standing before its commander. Or a tool forgotten for a very long time. Aiden took another step. Still nothing. At last, he picked up a fallen branch from the ground. Very slowly, he extended it toward the skeleton. No reaction. He gently tapped one of its ribs.
Tok.
The skeleton still didn't move.
"Are you... alive?"
At that exact moment, the two empty eye sockets slowly turned toward him. Aiden jumped back. The branch slipped from his hands. The skeleton had moved. Very slowly. Almost imperceptibly. But it had moved. Its empty eye sockets remained fixed on Aiden.
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Awaiting First Command.
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A shiver ran down Aiden's spine.
"First... command?"
The System was actually telling him to command this thing.
"No..."
"I'm not giving orders to a skeleton."
Silence returned.
Then another window appeared.
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Command Required.
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A bead of sweat trickled down his temple.
"This is absurd..."
He looked around. The old cemetery was still deserted. No one could help him. No one would believe this story. Even he still had trouble believing it. He turned his attention back to the skeleton.
The creature looked... fragile. Very fragile. Its bones were cracked all over. Its left arm trembled slightly, as though it might fall off at any moment. Even its spine was slightly warped.
"If this thing attacks me..."
Aiden quickly scanned the area. An old rusty shovel was leaning against a tree, probably forgotten there years ago. He slowly walked over to it. The skeleton still didn't move. Aiden picked up the shovel. The wooden handle was worn but still sturdy. He returned to his place in front of the creature.
"I'd rather avoid that..."
He slowly raised the shovel. If the skeleton turned hostile, he would strike immediately. And yet... nothing. The creature remained standing. Motionless. Aiden hesitated. For a long time. Then he lowered the shovel.
"You didn't even try to defend yourself..."
A strange thought suddenly crossed his mind. What if this creature truly had no will of its own? What if it had simply been waiting...
For him?
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Soul Link Available.
First Contract Pending.
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Aiden stared at the words, unable to understand.
"A contract...?"
The wind began to blow again. The skeleton, however, still hadn't moved an inch. It waited patiently.