Light filtered in softly through the silk curtains of the Sanctum's healing chamber. Incense drifted through the air in lazy coils, and arcane glyphs glowed faintly along the floor like warm breath.
Axel jolted up with a scream.
"KYRA!!"
His body was slick with sweat, breath ragged, eyes wide with panic. He was shirtless, bandaged, his muscles marked with strange glowing symbols that pulsed faintly like breathing fire under his skin. His gauntlet, now dormant and reduced to a bracer form on his arm, emitted a low hum in response to his stress.
A chair scraped beside him.
"Axel!"
Kyra shot up from where she'd been curled, fast asleep. Her eyes were swollen from crying, but the moment she saw him awake, she sprinted into his arms.
He hugged her tight, wincing but didn't let go.
She sobbed into his chest. "I thought you weren't gonna wake up! I... I waited all night! I thought you were dead!"
"I'm sorry," Axel whispered, voice hoarse, barely a rasp. He brushed her hair gently. "I broke my promise... I let someone touch you."
She shook her head hard. "It's okay. You came back. That's all I care about."
He smiled faintly, pulling her closer.
From across the room, two figures stood watching.
Grandmaster Maldrith, arms crossed behind his back, expression calm and unreadable.
Beside him stood Sylthea, his daughter, her long black braid catching the morning light. Both smiled softly at the scene.
"They're... closer than I expected," she whispered.
"War builds family faster than blood ever could," Maldrith said simply.
Later, Axel sat on the edge of the bed, flexing his hands as he examined his body.
Runes.
Six of them.
Brown. Green. Blue. Red. Yellow. White.
Each one etched into the skin across his torso and shoulders, glowing faintly with pulses of subtle power.
"…What the hell are these?" Axel asked.
Maldrith stepped forward.
"Vessels," the Grandmaster replied. "You are now one."
Axel blinked. "Come again?"
"You see," Maldrith continued, "humans cannot wield magic as mages do. Your bodies lack the core link to the Weave."
"But," he gestured to the runes, "you can contain it."
He stepped closer, pointing to each rune in turn.
"Brown: Earth. Increases your physical durability. Bones harder. Skin more resistant to impact."
"Green: Nature. Accelerates healing. Your cells will regenerate faster."
"Blue: Water. Allows manipulation of blood flow and adrenaline. You can force yourself into hyper-focus, even if your body fails."
"Red: Fire. Controls temperature regulation. You can raise your internal heat to burn infection or lower it to preserve life."
"Yellow: Lightning. Enhances reflexes and muscle firing speed. Even faster than before."
"White: Air. Removes your dependency on oxygen. You'll be able to fight in suffocating environments."
Kyra's jaw dropped. "That's… that's really cool."
Axel stared at his arms, then nodded slowly. "Yeah… it is."
Then a voice echoed.
"Black Wolf. Are you listening?"
Axel's head snapped up. "What?"
Kyra blinked. "Did... did your suit just talk?"
The gauntlet on his arm pulsed.
"Affirmative."
Maldrith chuckled, stepping forward. "I figured you'd notice soon. Say hello to the new Black Wolf."
Axel watched, stunned, as the bracer on his arm rippled with magic, then spread over his body in a controlled wave of metallic tendrils.
The armor formed around him seamlessly, smoother and more responsive than ever.
He looked down.
The runes glowed, etched directly into the suit.
"...They're on the armor too," Axel muttered.
Maldrith nodded. "Yes. The runes were bound to it the same way as your body. That suit now possesses access to all six elemental channels. It can enhance itself through each, depending on need."
"And that's not all."
"Look at your blade."
Axel reached beside the bed.
Iron Howl slid smoothly into his hand, the weight comforting, familiar.
Runes now ran down the fuller of the blade, each one matching those on his body, glowing faintly as it vibrated with restrained power.
"The same with the greatsword," Maldrith said. "Channeling fire will cause it to sear. Channeling earth will make it unbreakable. The possibilities are endless."
"Your pistol as well."
Axel looked to Last Word, holstered beside the bed.
He grabbed it. The runes were carved into the barrel and grip, same glow, same elements.
He exhaled slowly. "This is…"
"Evolution," Maldrith finished. "You are no longer an Exterminator."
"You are something beyond."
Axel's gaze narrowed, his voice growing serious. "But… why can the suit talk? I've had AI... this isn't that. It feels…"
He tapped his chest.
"Alive."
Maldrith folded his hands behind his back.
"Because it is."
Axel froze.
"I used ancient magic. Forbidden. I gave it more than just software."
"I gave it instinct. Growth. Memory."
"Your suit will adapt, grow stronger, learn with you. You and it are now bonded by more than metal and wires."
Axel looked down at his chestplate.
Where the Black Halo symbol had once proudly sat...
Now etched deep into the metal was an ancient rune, pulsing dimly. No longer the mark of a weapon.
But a legacy.
Something new.
Axel pulled on the under-suit, the fabric sleek and tight over his scars and the runes etched into his skin. His boots locked in with a hiss. Then, from his bracer, the armor responded.
"Black Wolf," he said calmly.
The suit heard him.
It moved.
With a metallic ripple, it flowed over his body like liquid obsidian and molten steel, sealing shut around his frame in seconds. The wolf helm locked into place with a low growl, red veins glowing bright along his limbs and chest.
He stood.
Whole again.
His greatsword, Iron Howl, snapped to his back with a magnetic clang.
His sidearm, Last Word, slid into its holster on his thigh.
Kyra, already dressed and waiting, reached for his hand.
He took it, gently.
Together, they walked into the morning.
Outside the sanctum, the bodies of Blood Reign still lay scattered across the courtyard.
The sun shone, but it didn't warm the air.
Not here. Not after what had happened.
Axel stepped toward the nearest corpse.
Vessa's twisted remains.
Her daggers still glinting in the dirt.
His visor scanned over her and her broken Ghostframe suit. And then…
"Black Wolf," the voice echoed in his helmet,
"With your permission, I can extract and absorb their suit-embedded functions. It will augment me. Adapt me."
Axel stared down in silence, then glanced at Kyra, small fingers curled tightly around his own.
I'll do anything to protect her.
He nodded.
"Do it."
And one by one… he walked the trail of death.
Vessa-42. Ghostframe — integrated. Stealth camo cloaking module installed.
Telric-18. Windlock — trajectory adaptation AI integrated into targeting HUD.
Kreeva-66. Heartbeat Veil — pulse suppression module added.
Ekkor-71. Spasm Step — short-range phase blink now accessible.
Xarin-09. Execution Window — temporal slow-field microcore grafted into reaction matrix.
With each fallen enemy, Axel grew.
The Black Wolf evolved.
Kyra watched silently, not with fear, but understanding.
He wasn't collecting trophies.
He was preparing for the next monsters.
When the last body was stripped of its tech and essence, Axel stood before the heap, Blood Reign's corpses now stacked like meat in a pyre.
He turned to the Black Wolf.
"How do I activate the Fire Rune on Iron Howl?"
The response was instant.
"Command: Iron Howl, activate Fire Rune."
He stared at the blade on his back.
"Iron Howl… activate Fire Rune."
FWOOOOOM.
The greatsword erupted into flames.
A pillar of fire coiled up its length. The blade howled, an eerie, beast-like wail as it came to life in his hand. Orange runes flared down its edges, heat distorting the air.
Wizards and witches from the Sanctum had gathered along the outer walls, watching in stunned silence.
Axel walked forward and stood before the pile of the dead.
The wind picked up.
"Demons don't deserve a burial," Axel muttered, voice low and cold. "They should burn. Sent back to hell."
He lifted Iron Howl over his shoulder.
Tightened his grip.
"Iron Howl," he said. "Release."
SHOOOOOOM!
With a single swing, he unleashed a flaming arc of destruction...
... a crescent slash of living fire that ripped through the air and struck the corpse pile.
BOOOOM.
Flames swallowed the heap in an instant.
Flesh crackled.
Suits popped and melted.
Smoke rose like the souls of the damned.
Axel stood silently before it, flames reflected in his visor.
Kyra stepped beside him and took his hand again.
Together, they watched the last remains of Blood Reign turn to ash.
From here on… no one touches her.
No one.