Despite the pain she felt and the tough spot she was in, Yennefer’s mind was calculating.
Her body screamed from the blow, her chest still pinned beneath Grief’s foot, but her thoughts remained sharp,racing.
There was no doubt anymore, Stephan had grown far stronger than her. Stronger than her and Anna Mary combined. That fact alone terrified her. The gap in power wasn’t just a difference in experience or technique. It was a chasm, one that should’ve been impossible.
And the worst part? He hadn’t even fought her himself.
She had been completely overpowered by a soul servant, Grief. A soul eater in human form, faster and stronger than anything she’d ever faced.
Now, she found herself at his mercy. And mercy wasn’t something that shone in his eyes.
If she refused him now, if she rejected this new twisted "offer," he would kill her. She saw it, in the way he looked at her.
That rage, control... He was holding himself back by a thread.
But there was something else she couldn’t shake...
"What rank is he?" she thought, heart thudding. She tried scanning his soul signature again, forcing herself to focus past the pain.
Nothing. A blank wall. Not high. Not low. Just, empty. As if his power had been masked, or rewritten into something the system itself couldn’t classify.
"Why can’t I see it?"
"Why can’t I read his level...?"
"Is it possible that he’s already a D-rank?" she thought. It seemed unlikely, she’d fought him just two days ago. But the way he carried himself now, calm, in control... it gnawed at her.
"You said if I yield, you’ll spare me?" she asked weakly.
"Precisely," Stephan replied, unblinking.
She let out a short, dry laugh, then coughed from the strain. "And how will you know I’ll be loyal?"
"Loyal?" Stephan echoed, his gaze darkening, voice sharp as a blade. "Oh, you’ll be loyal. That, I can guarantee."
Her smile faded. Surprise flickered in her eyes. How can he be so certain? Is he just blindly trusting me, or is this a threat in disguise?
"I’m sure by now you understand," Stephan continued, "you can’t beat me."
"You couldn’t even get through my Soul Servant, and you think you can face me?" He chuckled coldly. "Your chances of landing a blow on me are close to zero. And even if you somehow escaped and rallied other players... they wouldn’t stand a chance either. They can’t win."
He stepped closer, his voice low and absolute. "Nobody can win. Besides me."
Dude’s got confidence, I’ll give him that, Yennefer thought. He is making bold declarations, like the other players were just going to step aside, let him kill them, and crown him king of the tournament.
But then again... Stephan had proven himself. He was a formidable force, stronger than any player she currently knew. Maybe it wasn’t such a bad idea to seek his protection... at least while she figured out how to grow stronger herself.
She still had untapped potential. Azrael’s Paths of Death held twenty-six forms, one for each letter of the alphabet. So far, she’d only unlocked A and B. If she could push to Form E, maybe... just maybe... she could rival Stephan.
"You’re one confident son of a bitch, aren’t you?" Yennefer said hoarsely.
"Confidence gets things done," Stephan replied smoothly. "All victories start when you’ve got the balls."
She scoffed. "Your balls can also get you killed, Stephan."
He only grinned. "Nah... I told you already, nobody can beat me."
His voice dropped, filled with quiet certainty.
"This war? It’s already been decided."
Anna Mary limped toward Stephan, one arm cradling her dislocated shoulder. Her eyes burned with defiance.
"She’s an enemy, Stephan. You can’t bring her into our alliance..."
Stephan turned to her with a dark smirk.
"So are you." His voice was calm, cutting. "We’re all enemies here. You said it yourself, this alliance is temporary. We’re allies until the other players are gone. Don’t forget that."
Anna Mary scowled. "This is different...."
"Yes, it is," Stephan cut in. "You and I are in an alliance. Yennefer isn’t. She’ll work for me. That’s all."
He shot a cold glare down at Yennefer, as if to solidify the power shift.
Anna Mary looked away, her jaw clenched.
She hated how things were turning out. Yennefer didn’t deserve to live, not after what she’d done to her. But she couldn’t argue. She hadn’t won this fight. Stephan had. And there was no changing his mind.
"...Fine then," she muttered bitterly. "Have it your way. Just don’t come crying when she betrays you."
"Good," Stephan said with a satisfied grin. "Now that we’ve resolved this..."
He turned to Yennefer. "What say you, vessel of Azrael? Will you join me?"
Silence hung for a moment. But Yennefer had already made up her mind.
She saw only one path forward, a future where she wasn’t dead, but something more.
"I accept," she said softly, letting her pride crack. Stephan had won. This round, at least.
Stephan nodded. "Step aside, Grief."
Without hesitation, Grief lifted her foot from Yennefer’s chest and moved away, silent as a shadow. To both Yennefer and Anna Mary’s surprise, Stephan crouched down, and gently picked Yennefer up into his arms.
Anna Mary blinked. "What the hell is he doing?"
Stephan looked down at Yennefer, his expression unreadable. "Since you’re working for me now, I’ll take you to my place. Grief will patch you up," he said, then added with a faint smirk, "You’ll be running errands in no time."
Yennefer scowled at that, but the annoyance faded quickly. She couldn’t ignore the strange feeling in his arms, power, yes. But also... warmth. Security. There was darkness wrapped around him like a second skin, but in that moment, she didn’t feel fear.
"I’m coming too!" Anna Mary said sharply, a tinge of jealousy sneaking into her voice.
Stephan didn’t look back. "You and I are equals," he said simply, walking off with Yennefer in his arms, Grief trailing close behind. "Do as you please."
Anna Mary hesitated for only a second, then followed, forcing down her pride. Whether she admitted it or not, she was happy to be going to Stephan’s place too.
Up on a rooftop, a few buildings away from the aftermath of the battle, two silhouettes stood against the night sky. One was a massive, broad-shouldered man, built like a bear. The other, a slender woman, shorter in height but cloaked in presence.
Smoke spiraled in the darkness from the woman’s cigarette, the only visible glow a faint red dot between her fingers. They watched silently as Stephan and his group disappeared into the shadowed streets below.
"You can drop the veil now," the man said in a deep, calm voice. "They’re out of range. They won’t sense us."
The woman exhaled a slow stream of smoke, her voice dry with fatigue. "Finally. That spell was draining my soul energy fast."
"You only used it for a few minutes," the man remarked, a hint of amusement in his tone.
"Yes. And I still lost five percent soul energy."
"Yes. Yes, it is," she said flatly. "Do you know how many souls I could purify with that?"
She paused dramatically, letting the smoke swirl.
"Five. I could’ve purified five souls with that."
"Well, that’s not a lot," the man teased. "A better ratio would be, let’s say, one percent for five souls."
"Don’t compare me to you, Gabuzar," the woman said, irritation laced in her tone. "We can’t all be as strong as you."
A brief silence stretched between them.
"So," she said, breaking it, "what do you think of our new rivals?"
Gabuzar shifted slightly, his gaze never leaving the street below.
"Mm. They’ve piqued my interest. They can fight, no doubt...but nothing to worry about."
"Nothing to worry about?" she scoffed. "They could be a threat."
"I’m not worried." His voice was calm, almost dismissive. "That boy, though..."
"What about him?" she asked, flicking her cigarette to the rooftop and grinding it out beneath her boot.
"He didn’t fight... but...."
"His aura?" she interrupted. "So you felt it too, huh?"
"Yes," Gabuzar said. "And there’s something else. He summoned... something. And it wasn’t human."
"Why do you sound surprised? You’ve got summoning powers too," she pointed out.
"I do. But this felt different. Like he wasn’t just summoning a creature."
He paused, frowning. "It felt like he could summon death itself."
They both fell quiet, minds racing.
After a long moment, the woman spoke again. "So, they’ve formed an alliance too. Just like us."
"Seems so," Gabuzar said. "The two girls are E-ranks. But for some reason, I couldn’t read the boy’s rank."
"Me neither," she said. "Judging by the power of his summon, I’d guess he’s at least a high E..."
"Or a D-rank," Gabuzar interjected.
"Is that a problem?" she asked, eyeing him. "You’re a B-rank."
"No... not at all." His eyes narrowed. "It’s just that the boy has aroused my interest. That summoning magic, whatever it is, I want to study it."
"Then we’ll have to confront him sooner or later," she said, raising two fingers.
With a shimmer, her veil spell unraveled and vanished into the night.