Stephan's throat felt dry as he studied her. The same face that had once smiled mockingly while she tore his ribs apart now looked up at him with absolute submission. It unsettled him more than her monstrous power ever had.
Her voice still echoed in his head, the cold laugh, the cruel taunts. Now that same voice, soft and spectral, swore service.
He tightened his grip on his sword without realizing it. "You nearly killed me," he said at last, the words heavier than he intended. "More than once."
The revenant tilted her head, her expression unreadable. "I did what I was… before. That shell is gone." She placed a pale hand over her chest, where the faint glow of the forged soul still pulsed beneath layers of shadow. "Now I am bound. All that I am is yours."
Stephan exhaled slowly, dragging a hand across his face. "This feels wrong," he muttered under his breath. "You're supposed to be a weapon, not… this."
