The crimson sigils on Kaiden's gauntlet screamed, searing with light so intense it carved shadows across the ruined chamber. His breath hitched as the corpse beneath him convulsed, as though death itself resisted being robbed of its final secret.
The daggers in his hands dissolved into raw crimson energy, unraveling back into the gauntlet. With a guttural snarl, Kaiden pressed his palm into the Countess's chest cavity, fingers sinking into the steaming flesh.
The gauntlet answered. Its sigils unfurled, expanding outward and spreading across the Countess's broken form, locking her carcass in a cage of writhing scarlet lines.
The chamber howled. Her sin fought back, not wanting to be consumed.
Kaiden's head snapped back as an alien hunger slammed into him. His heart pounded like a war drum. The Countess's essence wasn't just power; it was an obsession, a ravenous need to gorge, devour, take. It clawed at his thoughts, trying to overwrite his will with endless appetite for more.
