Item from Hyperion by Dan Simmons
A cross-shaped parasite that resurrects the dead — soft coral texture, bioluminescent pink glow, roots that grow through the host's body, and a secret: each one is a micro-TechnoCore harvesting your brain.
The cruciform is the Cantos' most disturbing invention. Discovered by Paul Duré among the Bikura on Hyperion, it is a symbiotic/parasitic entity that resurrects the host after death — but with degradation. The Bikura, after generations of cruciform resurrection, had become sexless, mentally stunted automatons. Life without end. Humanity without meaning. The Pax 'perfected' cruciform resurrection, eliminating the visible degradation. The Catholic Church offered it as a sacrament: accept Christ, accept the cross, accept eternal life. Billions took the deal. The truth: each cruciform is a micro-TechnoCore — a parasitic mass of AI nodes generating a computing network inside the host's body, using the host's brain for AI processing. Every resurrected person was an unwitting TechnoCore processor. Immortality was slavery. Aenea's DNA Sacrament killed the cruciforms, freeing humanity from the parasites and the Pax simultaneously.
Cross-shaped, soft coral texture with a bioluminescent pink glow. Grows root-like fibers throughout the host's body, copies DNA and neural patterns. Cannot be removed without sustained pain, the Shrike, or Aenea's Sacrament. Fuses to the chest like a tumor of false salvation.
Also known as: Cruciform, The Cross