Zachary paced in place, his mind racing as he tried to come up with a name.
It felt strangely important—like whatever he chose would stick in ways he didn't fully understand. His thoughts drifted through random memories, past pets, old jokes, even names he'd heard growing up.
"Mochi—no!" he snapped, immediately shaking his head. "That's way too cute…"
He shut his eyes, trying to focus. Think. Something cool. Something intimidating. Something that actually fits an undead…
Then—
"Barnacle," he muttered.
There was a pause.
"…Wait, no—"
But before he could take it back—
-[Your Undead will now be named, 'Barnacle']-
Zachary's eyes snapped open.
"What!? Why did it register!?" he blurted out, panic rising instantly. "I didn't even confirm it!"
As if responding to his reaction—
Something shifted.
At the corner of his eye, a dark circle began forming on the hospital floor. It wasn't just a shadow—it was deeper than that.
A void-like pool, swirling slowly, with black tendrils rising and curling out of it like living smoke.
Zachary instinctively stepped back.
"…What now…?"
The tendrils grew wilder.
Then—
Something began to rise.
At first, it was just a shape. A silhouette wrapped in darkness. But as it emerged further, details began to form.
The figure was tall… armored… and humanoid.
"A knight?" Zachary whispered in confusion.
The creature fully stepped out of the circle.
Its armor was battered and broken, riddled with stab wounds and deep cracks as if it had endured countless battles. Pieces of it looked like they were barely holding together.
Yet somehow, it still stood firm.
A long sword rested in its hand.
At the tip of the hilt, a red ribbon flowed gently, moving as if there was wind—despite the stillness of the room.
Then—
Clank.
The knight dropped to one knee.
The sound of metal hitting the hospital floor echoed softly.
It didn't speak.
It didn't move further.
But the meaning was clear.
Loyalty.
Submission.
Acknowledgment.
Zachary stared, speechless.
At the top of the knight's helmet, another ribbon drifted slowly—and above it, faint but visible—
The name appeared.
'Barnacle'
Zachary's face twitched slightly.
"…Of all names…" he muttered under his breath.
But despite that—
He couldn't deny it.
The presence in front of him…
Was undeniably powerful.
"Stand up," Zachary said.
He didn't mean for it to sound commanding—but it did.
Without hesitation, Barnacle rose.
The motion was smooth, deliberate, and heavy. Metal shifted against metal as the knight straightened, towering slightly over Zachary.
The red ribbon at its sword hilt swayed gently, as if responding to an unseen wind.
Zachary blinked.
'…It listens'
Before he could process it further—
"Mister Zachary Quinn!"
A voice came from the doorway.
A nurse rushed in, her steps quick and urgent. But the moment she crossed the threshold—
She froze.
A blade hovered inches from her face.
The tip of Barnacle's sword stopped perfectly between her eyes, so precise it didn't even graze her skin. Her breath hitched instantly, her entire body locking in place.
Sweat formed along her forehead as fear overtook her expression.
Barnacle hadn't moved from its spot.
It simply raised its arm—
And reacted.
Protecting.
Zachary's eyes widened. "D-disappear, Barnacle!" he shouted quickly, panic slipping into his voice. He didn't think—he just reacted.
For a split second, nothing happened.
Then—
Dark tendrils burst from beneath Barnacle's feet, wrapping around its body like shadows reclaiming their own.
The knight didn't resist. It allowed itself to be pulled down, sinking back into the void it came from.
Within seconds—
It was gone.
The sword vanished last.
The room fell silent.
The nurse stumbled backward, nearly tripping over herself as she scrambled away from where the blade had been.
Her breathing was uneven, her face pale with shock.
Then—
Heavy footsteps.
Men armed with swords and shields rushed into the room, their movements sharp and ready for combat.
Their eyes scanned every corner, every shadow, every possible threat.
"We received a report—" one of them started, but stopped mid-sentence.
Because there was nothing there.
No knight.
No monster.
No sign of anything unusual.
Just—
Zachary.
Sitting on his hospital bed.
Looking at them.
"…?" one of the men uttered, confusion evident even through his guarded stance.
Zachary stared back.