Zeroy stood among the city's ruins, emerald eyes sweeping across the empty streets.
The mountains of corpses she had once built with her own hands were gone, replaced by grotesque living things—heaps of rotting flesh piled high, writhing, grinning, reeking of death.
No longer still monuments of death, they had become nightmares, twisted limbs twitching under sunlight, gaping mouths whispering chilling laments.
The eerie change sparked curiosity in Zeroy's gaze.
She didn't attack immediately, but instead, with Patchouli, teleported every survivor in the city to safety.
Once the innocents were gone, she and Patchouli approached the largest corpse mountain.
"Help me... it hurts..."
"So cold... so dark... mom, where are you..."
"Hungry... so hungry... want to eat..."
"Friends... taste so good..."
The murmurs rose into shrieks, like awakened wraiths.
Rotting arms thrust out from the mountain's surface, writhing like tendrils, clawing the air.
Faces twisted in agony appeared between seams of torn flesh, hollow eyes and gaping mouths merging into a chorus of despair.
The entire heap began to shift, ground cracking beneath its weight, blood slurry oozing from its base, dragging crimson trails.
Zeroy frowned. "The design of this thing... doesn't fit this world, does it?"
The virus had bound together corpses long dead—not impossible. Perhaps a special infected had devoured them, making them part of itself.
But...
"What's with this faint intelligence? These corpses have no souls, yet they react to their environment, even mimic the voices of the dead to lure prey."
"Patchi?" Zeroy turned to her companion. "What do you think? Are these corpse mountains evolving intelligence? I sense no soul, unless they're under some power's control?"
It seemed unscientific. Zeroy suspected mystic forces.
The violet-haired witch silently donned a pair of glasses, her aura sharper, scholar-like. Mystical arrays shimmered before her eyes.
Through the Eye of Truth, she saw a different sight.
"The bud of wisdom... it's forming." Patchouli's voice was clinical. "No trace of magic remains. This is indeed a new soul, but only about four months into development—like a seed buried underground, about to sprout."
She paused, gaze shifting from the heap to Zeroy. "If it continues to grow, in a few months, a true soul will be born, with complex intelligence."
"That this scene was caused entirely by the virus... remarkable."
So the zombie virus had potential.
With that thought, Zeroy cleaved the heap in half, then quartered it with another stroke.
The corpse mountain collapsed, its eerie whispers turning to screams.
Life drained swiftly from it.
"I thought you'd keep it for study," Patchouli remarked in surprise.
"I'd like to, but I know my limits. And it's all from the virus anyway. Once I have it, I can experiment anytime."
"True."
Patchouli's fingers stilled. Her amethyst eyes sharpened with warning.
Around them, the environment shifted. More and more crows gathered, perching on broken roofs, wires, collapsed walls.
They had lingered earlier, Patchouli had ignored them. Carrion eaters always circled corpses.
Anyhow, now their numbers swelled alarmingly.
Drawn by the flesh?
No. Not one landed on the corpses.
They only perched around, watching. Their eyes bore no malice.
In moments, rooftops were black with them. And the crows were far larger than normal.
"..."
Magic light flickered at Patchouli's fingertips. Whatever the virus had done to these birds, better to drive them off—or kill them.
"Wait, Patchi."
Zeroy stopped her. "I think I know these little guys."
"?"
Zeroy lifted her Striker Blade, pointing at the sliced heap. "Go!"
The crows erupted into flight, circling overhead, shrieking wildly.
More flocks joined, darkening the sky. Around Zeroy and Patchouli, daylight dimmed.
Zeroy frowned. They were too excited, too noisy.
"Quiet. Do your work."
The cries ceased. Waves of crows descended on the corpses, tearing into the rot.
"You've trained pets?" Patchouli asked, startled.
"They're not trained. Just smart little guys," Zeroy explained briefly.
She told of her bond with the scavenger flocks. As she cut zombies down, they had gathered. She'd never ordered them before—she was surprised they understood.
"And they still recognize me. Even though their bodies have changed, even though the virus should've made them monsters, like zombies."
Watching the black wings feast, Zeroy's lips curved faintly.
Scenes of harmony between humans and animals always lifted her mood.
Yes, this was exactly something she'd do.
Patchouli sighed, half surprised, half resigned.
"So... what do you plan to do with them?"
...
If you want to support, please consider Patreon, and read advanced chapters! Your support keeps this series going!
[Patreon.com/RedZTL]