Ethan reached the Queen and pressed his palm against the cold, damp chitin of her head. He felt nothing but a hollow, echoing void from the beast—no malice, no hidden intent. As his spiritual power seeped through her armor and approached her brain, he felt her sheer, paralyzing fear.
As his energy brushed against the core of her mind, the massive creature let out a tiny, whimpering sound, her entire body shuddering. She didn't even dare to recoil from his touch; she simply lay there, a broken queen before her god.
Ethan's grin widened. He pushed his spiritual power deeper, reaching the glowing core. As he made contact, the surface of the beast's soul began to crack and reshape, as if he were carving his name into wet clay with a jagged knife. The Queen wept in agony, but she remained perfectly still, offering her very existence to him.
