Leo and Charlotte's uncovered bodies lay uncannily still on shimmering steel tables.
Dozens of vats containing glowing liquid of varying colors filled this space. Encasing it was a wall of gray bricks smothered in cold moisture, a telltale sign the two were underground.
A group in ashen black cloaks stood before the dead lovers, encircling their place of rest. The two's bodies were pale as a winter's first snowfall, and their muscles were clenched tight from rigor mortise. At the corner of each of their eyes were the stains of tears, long dried by time.
From within the cloaked group was a man whose identity was unknown. Those who knew of him regarded him only as the Cryptbreaker.
He was a man who performed forbidden magicks to bend the universe's unbendable law. He was attempting to reanimate the dead.
His voice was as sinister as his actions. It was hoarse and muffled beneath a charred skull mask. As he chanted a bone-chilling mantra, a swirl of void black energy began to gather within the room.
"In good, there is evil. In destruction, there is creation. In life, there is death. Such are the hypocritical laws of our existence. Laws of which I will pervert and twist to my whims," he cackled and bore a maddened grin beneath his mask.
"Mors non est finis." The rest of the group chanted back in unison. Their voices were devoid of any tone and lacked any semblance of individuality.
Before long, Leo and Charlotte's bodies were ensnared by a multitude of luminescent dark green magic circles.
The essence of darkness the Cryptbreaker gathered pooled between his fingertips. It formed a misty cloud of shadow that danced over his palms.
"You will be forever bound to undeath. You will serve me, forced to heed my call no matter the circumstance. If you breathe, it's because I willed it so. If you killed, it's because I demanded blood. If you die, it's because I deemed you useless. It is my life you will now live for..."
"Mors non est finis," the other cloaked members chanted again.
The Cryptbreaker's hands began trembling uncontrollably as more energy gathered.
The amount of power within his grasp was enough to flatten a city block, and it took immense focus to wield. One wrong step and everyone in the room would find their life's essence drained, leaving fleshy husks behind instead.
Despite the risk, the Cryptbreaker proceeded, and the energy he gathered streamed out of his palm into the magic circles surrounding Leo and Charlotte.
"With this pact, our souls intertwine. I become the master, and you: the slaves. Let this magic form your shackles to serve me; let this mark show your eternal subservience."
As he spoke, a circular black brand embedded itself on the sides of the lovers' necks.
The Cryptbreaker reached forward, finalizing his ritual. "I bestow upon you this blessing. I bestow..." He inhaled loudly before shouting the final verse of his spell. "[The Curse of Life!]"
With a dramatic wave of the Cryptbreaker's hand, the green glow from the circles meshed with the blackened energy. They pulsated brightly before dimming to darkness.
"Mors non est finis," the group chanted one last time.
Upon the chant's completion, the circle's light was fully corrupted by darkness and exploded into a black shockwave. The pulse spread, devouring the life force of every other person within the room, aside from the Cryptbreaker's.
Their souls ripped from their bodies, the Cryptbreaker's compatriots foamed at the mouth and rolled their eyes back into their skulls. Their legs went limp as they fell to the ground with repeated thuds.
Following their demise, the darkened energy from the shockwave and their life force converged into Leo and Charlotte's bodies. It seeped into their corpses until there was nothing left.
The Cryptbreaker stood alone as the sole beacon of life within the corpse-covered room. He watched alone, in fervent anticipation for his spell to take effect.
After a minute without visible progress, he grew restless. 'Did the spell fail? Need I procure more of the devoted? Need I sacrifice more to raise these two f*ckers from oblivion?"
He sighed inwardly and started to step away in disappointment. That is until the beat of two hearts faintly resonated.
The once long-dead blood cells within Leo and Charlotte's bodies stuttered to life. Infused by magic and the life forces of others, the cells reconstructed and healed the wounds that littered their flesh.
Slowly, color returned to their cheeks as the wounds became scars, and the scars became nonexistent.
Their clenched muscles loosened as rigor mortise faded from their flesh. Their fingertips twitched, and their hands trembled.
The Cryptbreaker, seeing the display of his defiance against the natural order, became giddy with excitement. "Yes...YES!!! RISE! RISE FROM DEATH!"
He raised his hands as the two's bodies awoke from what was supposed to be an eternal slumber. Rapid eye movements beneath their lids and twitching lips became increasingly visible.
Finally, both lovers' eyes shot open, and they desperately inhaled what would be their new life's first gasp of air.
"W-What the..." Leo, while sporadically breathing, raised his hands to view. "Where the hell am I? What happened?" He was panicked and dazed by confusion, unable to gather his thoughts to think correctly.
Then, the chaos in his head cleared with an image of his lover, an image of Charlotte being shredded by a hailstorm of bullets.
"Charlotte!" he screamed and darted his eyes around the room to find her. "Charlotte!!!"
"Leo!!!" a feminine voice cried out, interrupting his terror.
Leo turned to see his wife's bare form. To his puzzlement, her body was devoid of any damage. Instead, it was as flawlessly smooth and delicate as the day they met nine years ago, albeit slightly pale.
'Was it a dream?' he wondered. 'But then...where the hell are we?' He shifted his gaze to search the room but was stopped by Charlotte's warm embrace. Her soft body pressed against his, and every curve was emphasized since neither had any coverings.
Upon seeing Leo safe and alive, Charlotte couldn't contain herself. She was overwhelmed by tears of relief. 'Thank the gods...thank the gods he's safe.' She praised the celestial beings, surprising even her since she was never religious.
Her husband's flesh, like hers, was renewed and rejuvenated. His sculpted bulging muscles, once decorated by battle scars, were now free from visible defects. Even the wounds from old battlefields were gone without a trace.
On Charlotte's face was a wide but solemn smile as she came to terms with being alive again.
They were both lost in a frenzy of happiness and wrapped each other tightly. Leo leaned over and rested his head on Charlotte's shoulder.
"Never again, Yinny. We'll never be apart again," he said, holding back a tear.
Charlotte hummed in agreement before making eye contact with Leo. "Together forever," she replied. Her voice was infused with heartfelt joy.
Both lovers were lost in a flood of passion as they shared a deep kiss. However, their moment was interrupted by an irritated and hoarse growl.
Startled, the two turned to the source to see the Cryptbreaker staring back at them.
Leo let go of Charlotte and shielded her. 'I already lost her once; I'll be damned if it happens again.' He glared at the Cryptbreaker and readied to pounce.
It was certainly awkward for him to fight naked, but he'd do anything he could for his lover.
Strangely to Leo, the Cryptbreaker remained unguarded and laughed even at his intimidation attempts.
"Don't fool yourself," he maniacally cackled, then spread his arms. "You're powerless against me."
"You think so?" Leo raised his arms and took a fighter's stance. After looking over the Cryptbreaker's scrawny form, he smirked. "I like my odds."
The Cryptbreaker sighed out of irritation, then donned a maniacal smile. "Fine… I'll prove it to you."