Jack dangled in Corvin's grip, the sharp wind cutting across his burned skin.
Darkness pulsed at the edge of his vision, and then...
a voice colder than the void filled his mind.
"Jack… repeat after me."
Jack's head snapped up, confusion cutting through the haze of pain. It wasn't the System.
"God of Death? I don't have your blessing, so it won't..."
"You bear the Soul Warden's mark," the God of Death interrupted, voice like black thunder rolling across a graveyard. "That alone is my blessing."
Jack barked a ragged laugh despite the agony consuming his body. "You've got a lot of secrets, don't you?"
"You'll have answers when you reach Malakai's Castle. For now... repeat after me or you will die."
The words slid into Jack's mind like molten iron, burning themselves into his consciousness.
"Dark Father, bearer of the ashen crown,
I call the night to still the breath of life.
Grant me dominion over life!"
