Luis woke up with cold metal staring into his soul.
A visor—smooth, expressionless, and far too close—hovered just inches from his face. Two glowing blue eyes blinked in eerie silence.
"GOOD MORNING, MASTER."The voice was cheerful. Too cheerful.
"AAAAAH—!"Luis flailed backwards, tumbling off the bed with a thud that shook the floor. His heart hammered like a jackhammer. "What the hell?! Why were you breathing down my face?!"
The construct tilted its head, unbothered. "VITAL SIGNS DETECTED. BREATHING INDICATED WAKEFULNESS."
Above him, Zyx phased into view mid-laugh, doubled over like a demon who'd won the lottery. "Oh, this is gold. Your face was priceless—like a cat realizing it stepped in water."
Luis groaned, rubbing his eyes. "You knew he was there and said nothing?"
"And miss the best wake-up scene in history? Never," Zyx said, wiping a fake tear. "I'm framing that memory in the Celestial Halls."
Luis got to his feet, grumbling—and then stopped. His Soul Essence counter had jumped.
[SOUL ESSENCE: 10,420]
"…Wait. I had 6,000 yesterday." He glanced at the construct. "You… did this?"
The construct nodded. "AFFIRMATIVE. I PUNCHED UNTIL HOSTILES STOPPED MOVING."
Zyx gasped. "Oh my god. We built a murderbot." He flew circles around the construct. "So proud. So efficient. So stabby."
Luis sighed and placed a hand on its head. A stat screen popped up in the air.
[NAMELESS CONSTRUCT]HP: 450 / 1000Damage: 30Speed: 10Attack Speed: 10Armor: 0Resistance: 0Repair Cost: 3,500 Soul EssenceUpgrade Cost: 100,000 (Doubles all stats)
Luis winced. "Less than half HP? What were you fighting—military-grade squirrels?"
"FOURTEEN RUSTFANG HARES, SEVEN BRAMBLE CRAWLERS, AND ONE SHADE STALKER. THE STALKER WAS... RUDE."
Zyx snorted. "Translation: It kicked his shiny titanium butt."
Luis tapped the repair option.
−3,500 Soul Essence[CONSTRUCT FULLY RESTORED – 1000/1000 HP]
The dents vanished. Its limbs smoothed out. The quiet hum of power returned.
"THANK YOU, MASTER."
Luis crossed his arms. "You need a name. Calling you 'Construct' feels like I'm talking to a microwave."
Zyx waved a hand. "Let's go with 'Clanky.' Or 'MurderBot 3000.' Or—ooh—'Stabby Steve!'"
"No."
"C'mon. 'Soul Vacuum Deluxe?'"
Luis rolled his eyes. "Stop."
"Fine. Be boring. Name it Steve and move on."
Luis ignored him, studying the bot's blank face. "Icon. I think I'll call you Icon."
The construct's eyes pulsed softly. "ICON. NAME ACCEPTED."
Zyx groaned. "Ugh. Icon? Really? That's like naming a sword 'Sharp Thing.'"
Luis smirked. "Still better than 'Murder McStabFace.'"
"Hey, that name had flavor!"
Luis stretched and cracked his neck. "Alright, Icon. You need a weapon. What do you want? Sword? Gun? Hammer?"
Icon paused. "I LIKE BIRDS."
Luis blinked. "Uh. That's… not a weapon."
"BIRDS HAVE TALONS. ICON DOES NOT HAVE TALONS."
Zyx howled with laughter. "Oh my stars—your robot wants to be a bird."
Luis rubbed his temple. "Talons aren't—you know what, forget it. Let's just see what we can do."
To his surprise, a crafting menu lit up in front of Icon like a holographic screen. Dozens of items scrolled past, most grayed out—until one flickered into full color.
[BLEEDING TALONS – SCRAP TIER]Cost: 6,000 Soul EssenceDamage: +10%Movement Speed: +12%Special: Bleed Effect (10% bonus damage per stack, up to 3 stacks)
"TALONS. LIKE BIRDS." Icon confirmed, as if the logic was perfect.
Zyx wheezed. "A killing machine obsessed with birds. This is officially the best day of my afterlife."
Luis shook his head, but he couldn't help the grin. "Alright, fine. You've earned it."
−6,000 Soul Essence[BLEEDING TALONS CRAFTED]
A pair of jagged, silver talons formed over Icon's forearms—razor-sharp, wickedly curved, and gleaming like predator claws.
"TALONS ACQUIRED. NOW I CAN PUNCH AND SLICE."
Zyx wiped away another fake tear. "They grow up so fast."
Luis chuckled, shaking his head. "Just… don't get trashed again, alright?"
"AFFIRMATIVE. NOW I WILL PUNCH EFFICIENTLY."
Zyx floated beside him, arms crossed proudly. "Yeah. We're definitely keeping this one."
Luis smirked. "Yeah. Yeah, we are."