The cathedral hummed with the aftertaste of eerie light when the HUD snapped back on.

[First Heart Stage: The Heart of Undead requires significant time, effort, and emotional investment. You must give constant attention, form bonds, and maintain direct contact with the revived subject.]

"Are you serious? Great... of course the hardest part is my job. You’re making sure I work my ass off in this gimmick of yours, and I’ve got to fully pay you back for giving me a chance to live again. Thanks a lot!"

The system kept going.

[To simplify the process, you may give verbal commands to the revived zombie girl. All obedient instructions will be followed in absolute compliance. ]

Sid froze mid breath. His anger faltered into something else, confusion, then something dirty...

"All obedient instructions will be followed in absolute compliance? Did I heard it correctly?"

His gaze flicked down at the bunny bride. She stood perfectly still. His tone became something else...

"So you’re saying... anything I tell her, she does?"

The system ignored his tone. More text scrolled, synthetic voice spoke over them.

[Without your constant presence and commands, the revived subject risks falling back into mindless ferality. The body will lose cohesion, and the undead mind will retake control. She must remain by your side at all times.]

"So she’s basically a walking liability unless I babysit her 24/7... After I break the rules, bring her back, and you make her dependent on me. Can you bring me back to earth please?"

While Sid argued under his breath, the bride did not move; she waited, as if the world itself had put her on pause. The system’s tone softened for the last time.

[All core information has been delivered. The rest is for you to discover and experience. My assistance will be given at intervals when necessary.]

"Why couldn’t you just dump everything at once? You want me to act as parenthood but you do not spoon feed me? Come on!"

[This Zombie Girl Revival System is created from your heart desires, born from the urge to bring back a life once gone.]

Sid had no words to answer that back. He simply stared at the zombie girl he had revived, his mind reeling. His past, his choices, everything that had driven him to this point—somehow it had unlocked this unique system meant only for him.

The system gave its final prompt.

[Say your first command to initiate her response and begin her emotional progression.]

For a moment, Sid imagined barking orders like a commander—sit, follow, smile. The thought made his stomach twist.

"She might be an NPC, but I’m not treating her like some menu option or a thing. Uhm... no. Not yet. I need a minute to think this through. This is the first time I’ve looked at her without being frozen in place by her stare... and I don’t even know if I’m ready to see her move."

He stepped back, letting the space between them breathe. The bride remained still, awaiting the words that might turn her into a tool or a person. Sid put his hand on his own chest, steadying himself; for the first time since the system lit up his life, he admitted to himself that being "master" felt less like victory and more like a dangerous responsibility.

He steadied himself, inhaling and exhaling until the pressure eased. Then he lifted a hand and gave his own cheek a sharp slap.

Smack!

"Alright, Sid, let’s do this. You’ve been through so much already... this is just another thing to face head on."

He stepped closer to the revived zombie bunny bride. His eyes flicked to her lips soft, but chapped and dry and then to her ears. Those long, snow white bunny ears twitched ever so slightly, impossibly real.

"Up close... she’s like a real bunny girl. A gothic zombie bunny bride..."

His fingers brushed against the soft fur of her long bunny ears, eliciting a faint shudder from the girl. Sid gasped at the silky texture, marveling at how life like they felt.

"No way... this doesn’t feel like some game model. This feels... real. "

He moved his hand to the small of her back, peeking where he remembered something—a cotton-ball tail. He touched it and froze. It was impossibly soft, too perfect to be fake or just another game design detail.

"Oh God— she’s a real bunny girl? I— I thought that was just some game design, a costume, some kind of player fan-service gimmick. But damn... she’s real. This is like every gamer’s fantasy, standing right here in front of me!"

Sid’s heart raced as he gazed upon the revived bunny bride, his mind reeling from the incredible reality before him. The urge to touch her, to confirm she was indeed real, became overwhelming. Slowly, hesitantly, he reached out a trembling hand.

He traced the curve of her ear gently, watching in awe as it twitched beneath his touch. Emboldened, Sid allowed his hand to roam lower, caressing the smooth skin of her cheek. Her face was flawless, like porcelain, and cold to the touch.

"You’re cold... colder than I expected. Damn it... how is this even possible?"

He leaned in closer, his breath catching as he took in the delicate features of her face. Unable to resist any longer, Sid pressed his fingers softly against her lips. The bunny bride remained still.

Sid’s hand drifted down from the bunny bride’s cheek, trailing along the graceful curve of her neck. His fingers lingered at the collar of her lace dress before slipping beneath the fabric. He cupped her breast gently, marveling at its softness and chilliness.

"It’s more colder in here..."

The bunny bride’s eyes starts to twitch, a gasp escaping her lips as Sid squeezed her breast tenderly. Her ruby irises locked onto his, filled with a mixture of confusion and awakening desire. Sid couldn’t help but groan softly, savoring the feeling of her supple flesh in his palm.

"This is insane... how did the devs even pull this off? She feels too real. Just like a normal person back on Earth... except chilly."