"I have to say, I'm really impressed," Asriel said, her voice carrying cruelty as she looked down on him. Her smile was the kind that dripped with amusement and disdain in equal measure. "Of all the other players who have dared to enter this realm, you are the only one foolish, or brave, enough to cross the soul desert. And then you went even further. You walked willingly into my chamber… and challenged me."
Her words echoed with centuries of authority. She was not just mocking him; she was reminding him of the sheer futility of his defiance.
Stephan pushed himself up from the cracked stone, his body glowing faintly as five more souls burned away inside him. His wounds knitted, bones set, and breath steadied. He staggered once, then straightened, his sword rising into his hand like a natural extension of his will.
Blood still stained the corner of his mouth, but his eyes gleamed like flint.
