The battle had raged, the skies torn asunder by the clash of ancient powers. In my true form, a towering beast of bone and death, I had unleashed all that I was upon the enemy. The King of Hybern fell, and with his defeat, so too did the shackles of this world. For eons, I had craved this moment—the sweet release that would finally take me back to the silence I had been denied for so long. As the dust settled and the cries of victory echoed around me, I felt my essence slipping away, the pull of the afterlife finally within reach. I welcomed it, reaching out to the abyss that had eluded me for millennia. But then, something—or rather, someone—pulled me back. Her touch was like a tether, yanking me away from the peace I had earned. I fought against it, against her, but her power anchored me to this cursed world. I wanted to scream, to tear her away from me, but the battle had drained even me. When I awoke, it was in a small room, my body once again bound to its false form, the peace of death stolen from me. She stood there, watching with eyes that searched for something within me. Something I refused to give. I felt a strange stir within—a feeling I couldn’t name—but it was smothered by the rage that consumed me. I sat up, the room spinning as I met her gaze, full of pity, or perhaps something else. I could not care.

“Why did you save me?” I snarled, my voice like the grinding of old bones.

“Death was my only peace, and you have stolen it from me.”