For a heartbeat of silence, there was nothing but the rasp of Stephan's breath, hot blood dripping from his burnt chest onto black gravel.
Then he exhaled, voice barely a ragged whisper, "Alright… let's see if death can keep up."
His back arched, and from deep inside his battered core, five pale, wraithlike shapes tore free, the souls of the Feral Wraiths he had slain. They flared into view around him: ghostly figures twisting in agony, their outlines flickering.
A deep, low hum filled the ruined hall as those souls dissolved into threads of midnight and crimson. Cracks of black fire traced across Stephan's skin, crawling through the burned flesh, sinking into bone.
The shadows wrapped tighter around him, drawn in by that stolen power. Wounds along his chest and side hissed and smoked, flesh knitting with dark mist as blood slowed to a crawl.
Then, in a single, shuddering heartbeat, the energy imploded inward, and surged out again in a violent bloom of black and crimson aura.
It wasn't armor. It wasn't even clothing.
It was raw will, turned into a living shroud - shadows crawling over his shoulders and chest, haloed by a savage, flickering glow.
His eyes snapped open, blazing red like molten coals. Each breath rattled with pain, but his chest rose stronger now, steadier, as if death itself had been pushed back by sheer refusal.
Cracks of dark light crawled under torn skin, veins pulsing black and red, casting twisted shadows across the broken stone.
For a moment, the Warden, always silent, always unflinching - paused, its spectral gaze narrowing at this new shape before it.
Stephan slowly raised his head, sweat and blood mixing on his brow, the dark aura coiling around him like a storm barely contained.
His voice was a rasp, ragged but unwavering, "I'm not done yet…it's my turn to fuck you up."
The ruined chamber trembled, shadows shivering around his feet, as the predator rose one more time, battered, burned, but burning brighter than ever.
And in that darkness, even the Warden seemed to hesitate.
Before the Warden could so much as blink, Stephan was already there, a blur of dark and crimson ripping through the broken air.
Time seemed to stretch, each fraction of a second ringing sharp in his blood.The Warden's head turned, spectral eyes flaring with the faintest echo of surprise.
Too late.
Stephan's fist, wrapped in writhing black energy, slammed square into the side of the Warden's jaw. The impact cracked the silence like thunder, ripples of dark power spider‑webbing across its mask.
The Warden spun, cloak twisting in a violent arc, before crashing spine‑first through the crumbling hall behind it, stone splintering, gravel spraying outward in a choking cloud.
For a heartbeat, the ruin fell quiet again.
Stephan stood where he'd landed, chest heaving, black mist rolling off his shoulders.
Slowly, he opened his hand, flexing blood‑slick fingers that still hummed with stolen power.
"That… felt like a flash step," he rasped under his breath, voice rough but tinged with a dark thrill.
A low chuckle, ragged around the edges, slipped through his cracked lips. "That punch really fucked it up."
He tilted his head, red‑lit eyes narrowing, a feral grin spreading despite the pain spidering through his ribs and shoulder. "So this… this is the power I get from consumed souls?"
Stephan's grin widened, savage and hungry.
"Impressive."
The Warden rose, its movement ragged for the first time, its cloak torn, azure soul‑flame sputtering in uneven coils. It swayed like a drunkard for a heartbeat, spectral eyes flickering, as if its ancient balance had finally been broken.
Stephan turned toward it, black and crimson energy swirling tighter around his shoulders like a living storm.
"Oh? So you managed to survive that punch?" His grin spread, feral and hungry, blood still dripping from the corner of his mouth.
"Good," he rasped, voice rough as crushed gravel. "I was afraid I'd taken you out with just one blow."
The Warden's masked face tilted, soul‑flame blade lifting again, slower, its grip no longer flawless.
Stephan's eyes glowed darker, red irises drowned in shadowed malice, grin twisting into something almost inhuman."That wouldn't have been interesting… would it?"
A low chuckle rumbled in his chest, cruel and breathless. Then, stepping forward, the dark aura around him flaring like a predator's mane, "I wanna tear you apart…"
"Limb by limb!"His voice was almost a whisper, but every word dripped with raw, murderous intent.
The Warden steadied itself, soul‑flame blade crackling violently as it raised the weapon.
Azure fire twisted outward again, coiling into that dreaded spectral whip.
Stephan's eyes narrowed, red irises gleaming through the dark aura swirling around him.
"That skill again…?" he muttered, voice low, almost amused. "Can't let it land on me again."
The Warden lashed out, the soul‑flame whip tearing through the stale air, its crack echoing like thunder.
But Stephan was already gone.The whip hissed past empty space, scorching nothing but dust.
"Too slow," Stephan spat, a cruel grin cutting across his face.In a single step, he was right there, inside the Warden's guard before it could recoil.
A savage punch, wreathed in seething dark energy, slammed into the Warden's chest.
Stone cracked underfoot from the sheer force, shockwaves rippling outward.
The Warden's cloak flared as it staggered backward, but Stephan didn't give it time to breathe. Another strike crashed into its side, sending it skidding across broken stone, soul‑flame flickering wildly.
"What's wrong?" Stephan snarled, voice dripping venom, eyes burning hotter.
"Stand up, damn you..."
"I'm not done fucking you up!"
And before the Warden could gather its balance, Stephan closed the distance again, dark energy roaring around his fists, ready to dismantle the ancient guardian piece by piece.
The Warden lunged in, soul‑flame blade sweeping for Stephan's neck in a blazing arc.
To Stephan, it felt almost laughably slow.
His eyes tracked the blade's path, body moving before thought.
With a contemptuous tilt of his head, the burning edge hissed past, missing by inches.
The Warden twisted, following up with a brutal slash meant to cleave him in two.
Stephan stepped forward, inside the arc, and clamped his bare hand around the burning blade.
Black smoke hissed up from his palm, crimson veins of power throbbing under his skin.
The Warden jerked back, spectral eyes flaring, trying to wrench the sword free.
But Stephan's grip didn't even tremble.
He met the Warden's hollow stare with a grin dark enough to chill bone. "Do you mind if I borrow this?" he rasped, voice low, feral.
Then, with a savage wrench, he tore the blade from the Warden's hands. In the same breath, he spun the stolen weapon once, soul‑flame swirling around him in a furious arc, then caught the hilt firmly.
"Let's see how you like it."
Before the Warden could react, Stephan stepped in close, shadows twisting at his feet. The soul‑flame blade flashed downward. A single, perfect cut.
The Warden's sword hand fell away, severed at the shoulder. Spectral mist hissed from the wound as the hand clattered across black gravel.
The Warden staggered, turning in shock. Stephan didn't hesitate. "And stay down!"
His boot crashed into the Warden's chest, powered by pure rage and soul‑burning energy. The ancient guardian flew across the ruined chamber, crashing through shattered pillars and vanishing into a plume of dust and falling stone.
Stephan stood alone in the swirling dark, the stolen soul‑flame sword burning in his hand, crimson eyes alight with fury and bloodlust.
"Not so fun when it's your turn, huh?" he snarled under his breath, stepping forward, ready to finish what he'd started.
The Warden's broken form twitched among the rubble, soul‑flame guttering around its ruined stump.
It tried to rise but Stephan was already there.
His boot slammed down onto the Warden's chest, pinning it in place. Stone cracked beneath the force.
The Warden struggled, spectral eyes flickering between hatred and raw survival instinct. One remaining hand clawed up, gripping Stephan's shin in a desperate attempt to shove him off.
Stephan's gaze slid down to the hand on his leg, lips curling in a sneer of disgust.
"Touching me....will cost you another hand."
He stabbed the soul‑flame blade into the ground beside them, its fire burning silently in the dust.
Then, deliberate malice, he reached down, veins pulsing molten red under charred skin, and wrapped his left hand around the Warden's wrist.
"Hmmm…let's see the extent of my power…"
His lips stretched into a grin, teeth bared, eyes gleaming with cruel delight, a monstrous, predatory smile, cold and savoring the violence to come.
The Warden writhed beneath him, twisting, cloak shredding against stone,eyes flaring wide with panic.
But Stephan's foot pressed harder on its chest, crushing the breath from its phantom lungs. His grip on its arm tightened, shadows swirling like black flame around his wrist.
With a low snarl, he pulled.
Bone and sinew, spectral essence bound by ancient magic, strained and tore. The Warden convulsed, its silent scream echoing in the dead air.
The arm tore free in a wet, shuddering sound of sundered spirit‑flesh. Black mist hissed from the ragged stump.
Stephan straightened, still wearing that dark, savage grin, and casually flung the severed arm aside.
It tumbled across broken stone, soul‑flame flickering and dying.
"Pathetic," he rasped, voice low, amused by the horror in the Warden's flickering gaze.
Shadows coiled tighter around him, crackling with crimson energy, as he stepped forward, boot still pinning the guardian down, ready to tear away whatever remained.
With a low chuckle, he wrapped his hand around the hilt of the fallen soul‑flame blade, still humming with cold, hungry power.
"Time to add you.....to my collection."