Half-Undead
After setting Vina down and with the power of death still supporting her, Serea was able to hold on a little longer, doing her best to stay conscious.
When Serea placed Vina onto the stone platform, Celia, Lola, and the others gathered around, while Camilla and Maro remained silent.
Once everything was ready, Serea opened the building management panel for "Plague Graveyard: Destruction."
She selected the ability to convert into Bloodthirsty Banshee and glanced once more at the sleeping Vina.
"You must wake up."
Begin the conversion!
System: Converting high-tier unit "Bloodthirsty Banshee".
According to the target's rank, 28 Death Crystals will be consumed.
"Convert!"
Twenty-eight Death Crystals melted into a gray death energy. After Serea confirmed the conversion, the death energy wound its way towards the stone platform, enveloping Vina in gray mist.
The process was long. As the energy of death seeped little by little into Vina's body, Celia seemed like she wanted to say something but ultimately remained silent, and everyone stood quietly, watching.
One minute passed. Two minutes. Five minutes...
To Serea, each minute felt like a lifetime, but within the gray mist, Vina showed no reaction at all. This made Serea start to doubt if the conversion had failed.
But without any warning, the gray death energy began to dissipate. Vina was lying silently on the stone platform, yet upon seeing her appearance now, Lola gasped and clapped a hand to her mouth.
"Vina, she..."
No wonder Lola was surprised—Vina had drastically changed.
Silver hair, pale white skin—it was hard to imagine this was an elf in the process of turning undead...
System: Acquired silver-tier elite undead unit. Gains one Death Crystal every eight hours.
Seeing Vina's current appearance stirred deep concern in Lola's heart, and just as she found herself unable to hold back from asking Serea, Vina's clenched hand suddenly relaxed.
"She moved, Vina moved!"
Lola shouted excitedly, and Serea rushed forward, while everyone else hurriedly crowded around the platform.
As Vina's expression started to show signs of struggle, it seemed like she was having a terrible nightmare.
Seeing this, Serea grabbed Vina's body. The sensation was soft, yet icy cold.
After gently shaking her a few times, Serea called out softly,
"Vina, wake up!"
It was as if she'd heard her queen's call. After a few moments of struggling, Vina's eyes snapped open. Her blood-red eyes reflected Serea's delicate face, and as she saw Serea, Vina's expression turned to shock.
"My queen!"
As Vina awakened, Serea threw her arms around her in a rush of emotion.
Vina was at a complete loss as Serea suddenly hugged her, just sitting there, mind blank as she tried to remember everything that had happened before.
She remembered sacrificing herself to help her queen, but now, seeing herself alive and her queen before her again, Vina breathed a sigh of relief. She said,
"I think I had a terrible dream. I dreamed that..."
Suddenly, Vina noticed something.
The dim space, the familiar altar, and the chill creeping into her body...
Just then, a strand of hair fell into her line of sight. Seeing the silvery strand, she panicked. Looking down at her body, her skin was deathly pale.
I... I'm dead!
Vina's body started trembling. Sensing Vina's fear, Serea hugged her tighter.
"There's no need to be afraid anymore. It's all over."
"It's all... over?"
Vina couldn't believe the reality before her, but the cold touch...
She tried not to think about it, but the facts were inescapable.
"I... I already..."
Despair and helplessness welled up inside Vina, her eyes filling with tears as the horrifying reality tore at her sanity.
Wait, why does an undead still have tears?
Suddenly, Vina noticed something, then heard a faint "thump-thump."
Hearing the sound, she reached for her chest in disbelief. Feeling her heart's faint beating, Vina froze again, and then felt an overwhelming joy.
Thump-thump-thump!
Serea, pressed close against Vina, also sensed the faint movement of blood and felt as though she had discovered something incredible.
"Vina, you—!"
"I... I'm not dead. I'm still alive!"
Vina said excitedly. Hearing this, Serea hurried to confirm, grabbing for Vina's wrist and feeling her pulse—Serea was utterly stunned.
But after the brief shock, Vina looked at the hand Serea was gripping her wrist with, remembering the previous embrace.
For elves—a race that idolized purity—being treated so intimately all of a sudden, Vina's face immediately flushed with shyness.
Feeling the boneless softness in her hand, she hastily withdrew her arm as she realized what had happened.
"Uh... that's not what I meant!"
"If... if my queen wishes, Vina is willing..."
"I don't want that. I don't want anything at all!"
Serea hurriedly denied it and, embarrassed, took a few steps back, while Vina looked at her with timid eyes.
The mood suddenly became awkward, but the heavy atmosphere from before was broken by this little episode.
"That's great, Vina! I'm so glad you're alright!"
Lola rushed forward and hugged Vina tightly. Feeling the warmth radiating from Lola, Vina's tense face finally showed a hint of a smile.
Having grown up together, Lola's joy at Vina's rebirth was self-evident.
Watching the two elves embrace, Serea let out a sigh of relief.
But soon, another question nagged at her. Why, after being converted to undead, did Vina still have life?
With this doubt in mind, Serea checked Vina's current status.
Character: Vina Darkmoon (Undead Race, Bloodthirsty Banshee, Gold Elite)
Level: 19
Condition: Good
Spirit: B
Strength: C
Agility: A+
Endurance: B
Constitution: C
Charm: S
Luck: C
Skills: ... Bleeding Shot (Tier 2), gale Shot (Tier 2), blood Poison (Tier 2)
Description: A Bloodthirsty Banshee converted from a Jungle Elf, but for some unknown reason, retains their life, now in a half-undead state.
Some attributes had increased, her level had risen by three, but the description caught Serea's attention.
Half-undead?
System: Only high-tier units may rarely retain signs of life in such instances.
"Is that so... Well, as long as Vina can accept it, that's enough."
Serea spoke as she looked at the fully revived Vina, smiling in relief.
Unknowingly, Serea's temperament was starting to change as well.
But in the end... it... succeeded...
A wave of deep exhaustion overwhelmed Serea's mind. She had nothing left to keep her going. So, giving in to her fatigue, she simply closed her eyes.
"My queen!"
Just as her eyes shut, she caught a last glimpse of Celia and the others rushing toward her.
Serea fell into a peaceful sleep, but a spiritual consciousness entered her mind, and within her mental space, a beautifully featured woman stood waiting.
(To be continued)