The shrine was silent.
Too silent.
Elias stood before the glowing crystal, his chest still heaving from the pressure Seraphine had dropped on him. His body was back—but his soul? That was still shaking.
Aya rushed to his side, wrapping her arms around him without a word. Lilith stood a few paces away, arms crossed, wings twitching like they couldn't decide whether to strike or shield him.
"I'm fine," Elias muttered.
"You don't look fine," Lilith snapped. "You reek of her perfume."
He didn't answer. The system did.
> [Queen Bond Active: Seraphine – 20% Loyalty / 80% Domination]
Warning: New Bond Conflicts with Existing Connections.
Aya's grip tightened.
Lilith's eyes flared.
Then—
The temple doors blasted open.
BOOM.
Wind spiraled in. Candles flickered out. The temperature dropped.
And standing at the threshold…
A girl in silver.
Her heels clicked slowly on the marble floor. Long white hair trailed behind her, braided with tiny bones and glowing beads. Her eyes—icy violet—locked straight onto Elias.
"You don't remember me, do you?" she said, voice low and sharp like a blade drawn from velvet.
Elias blinked. "Who the hell—?"
> [New Character Detected: Velaria Skye]
Former fiancée from past life. Class: Cursebound Oracle. Intent: Reclamation.
System Trial Triggered: Claim of the Forgotten Heart
Aya froze. "Fiancée?"
Lilith's mouth dropped. "What?!"
Velaria's gaze didn't leave him. "You made a promise. In blood. In magic. In life and death."
She stepped forward. "I've come to collect."
> [Trial Objective: Survive the Bond War]
Your current harem must prove their emotional stability, or risk system collapse.
Warning: Possessiveness threshold rising…
Suddenly, Lilith's wings flared, her eyes burning crimson.
"Like hell I'm handing him over!"
Aya's glow pulsed erratically, her voice trembling. "I-I don't even understand… Why now? Why her?"
Velaria stopped a breath away from Elias.
"You died in my arms once, Elias Black. You bled out protecting me from the Shadow Sovereigns."
She raised a silver-gloved hand, touching his chest. "And you swore you'd find me in your next life."
He couldn't breathe.
Because somewhere deep in his bones, in the cracks of his soul…
Something recognized her.
> [Memory Fragment Recovered – Past Life Connection Confirmed]
Velaria's Bond: 50% Resentment / 40% Yearning / 10% Obsession.
"Damn," Elias whispered. "This isn't over, is it?"
Velaria smiled. But there was no joy in it.
"Not even close."
The shrine's air was thick—no longer sacred, no longer calm.
It crackled.
Lilith's wings flared behind her, pure obsidian edged with ruby flame. Her tail curled upward in a warning arch, and her claws shimmered with demonic heat.
Velaria didn't blink. She stood tall in her silver battle gown, hands clasped in front of her, her gaze calm but unyielding.
The system's warning blinked in Elias's mind:
> [System Trial Active: Bond War Initiated]
Participants: Lilith, Aya, Velaria Skye
Rules: Emotional Stability, Dominance, and Devotion will shape outcomes.
Winner gains full Queen Bond Access for 24 hours.
Elias took a half step forward. "Wait—no fighting. Not like this."
Too late.
Lilith launched, wings slicing the air like twin blades. "You think you can walk in here and claim what's mine?!"
Velaria raised a single hand. A dome of frost burst out like a blooming flower—barrier magic. Lilith crashed into it, the impact sending heat rippling against the cold.
"You were never part of the original promise," Velaria said coldly. "You're a byproduct of his second life. I'm the origin."
Lilith hissed. "You're a ghost! A leftover from a dead timeline!"
Behind them, Aya trembled.
She wasn't moving.
She wasn't speaking.
But her light… was changing. Warping. Flickering blue to violet.
"Stop…" she whispered.
No one listened.
Velaria dropped her hand—ice spears rained down toward Lilith. The demoness twirled midair, her tail deflecting the worst of it, her body streaking toward the oracle like a black comet.
And then—
> [Warning: Aya's Emotional Core Unstable]
The shrine floor shattered beneath her.
"Aya—?!"
Elias turned just in time to see her burst into the air, floating, glowing, her eyes blank and glowing white.
"I said STOP!"
The blast that erupted from her body knocked both Lilith and Velaria apart like dolls.
Everything froze.
Ash rained gently in the air. Cracks spiderwebbed across the shrine pillars. Candles flickered and died.
Aya hovered above them all, glowing in pure radiance.
She wasn't the shy little angel anymore.
She was power.
And yet… she was crying.
"I just wanted… us to be happy," she said, floating down, the light around her dimming. "But now it's all… war."
Elias caught her as she fell forward.
> [System Update: Aya has awakened her True Bond Form – Angel of Balance]
Loyalty: 90% | Trust: 30% | Desire: ?
Velaria sat up, ice magic swirling, but uncertain.
Lilith coughed once, wings scorched but still proud.
Elias held Aya, gently brushing her hair from her face.
"We can't keep fighting," he said. "The system doesn't care about feelings. But I do."
The words hung in the air. Honest. Soft. Human.
> [System Acknowledges Bond Integrity Stabilized – Temporary Peace Initiated]
Trial Paused – Outcome Pending
Velaria stood, her silver eyes still sharp. "Then prove it, Elias. Earn what you've built. Or I will take it back."
Lilith nodded, still defiant, but breathing hard. "She's not the only one you've got to prove something to."
Aya didn't speak.
She just looked at him.
And he knew: This was only the beginning.