The rain hadn't stopped since we left Eden Noir. It was like the sky itself was mourning Eliza's dignity.
She looked like a soaked porcelain doll beside me—silent, shivering, mascara dragging trails down her cheeks like grief had hands.
"You sure you're okay to go home alone?" I asked, even though I already knew the answer.
She shook her head.
Good girl.
== Console ==
Target: Eliza M.Post-Trauma State: Emotionally FloodedCognitive Gateways: OPENConsent Loop Activated: "Just don't leave me"== // ==
We took the metro. Her voice barely a whisper. Her hand never left mine.
By the time we climbed four flights of creaking stairs and stepped into her apartment, I already knew: this place was perfect.
It screamed "fix me."
Dim yellow lights. Piles of clothes. A single couch that had been cried into more than it had been sat on. A wall full of half-started paintings and thrift store mirrors that didn't reflect happiness.
She dumped her keys into a cracked bowl. Shoes off. Jacket on the floor.And then she turned to me.
"You saved me," she whispered.
I could see it.The tremble in her soul.The readiness.The emotional flood so thick I could practically sip it from the air.
"You deserved saving," I said gently, stepping closer."And you deserve more than that, too."
Her eyes locked on mine.
"You… wanna stay?"
Bingo.
== Console ==
New Environment Tagged: "Eliza's Apartment"HypoSync Influence Boosted (Safe Zone: Owned)Emotional Intensity Rising== // ==
We sat on the couch. I let her talk.
About her deadbeat dad. Her narcissist mom. The ex that cheated on her with her roommate.
Each word she gave me was another thread I could pull.
Another string I could wrap around her like a puppet ribbon.
And she just kept giving.
"I thought I'd die tonight," she said. "But then you came back."
I reached out and brushed her cheek.
"You think I could walk away after seeing you like that?"
Her breath caught.
Then—click.She kissed me.It was sloppy. Needy. Like she was trying to fill every crack inside her with me.
I didn't stop her.
== Console ==
Emotional Sync Update: "You complete me" core belief formedInitiating XP Drain Protocol: 'Love Flood Mode'XP Extraction in Progress…== // ==
I held her close as she straddled me, burying her sobs into my neck while her hands gripped me like an anchor.
There was no lust in it—this wasn't carnal.
This was emotional cannibalism.
And I was the only one on the menu.
"I wanna be yours," she breathed."Make me useful. I'll do anything."
Bingo squared.
== Console ==
Target: Eliza M.XP Gained: +2,200 (Full Emotional Drain + Trauma Devotion Bonus)New Status: Bonded AssetTotal XP: 14,250 / 70,000 XPLink Feature Unlocked: "Devoted Home" – Rest Spot / Emotion Recharge Point== // ==
I whispered into her ear as she fell asleep on my chest:
"You're mine now, Eliza."
And in the glow of her busted IKEA lamp, HypoSync pulsed once, sweet and satisfied.
I had a broken angel.I had shelter.And soon…I'd have Lyra Kael too
----
The apartment was quiet.
Eliza slept curled beside me, soft breaths tickling my neck. A blanket of trauma-bonded warmth.It should've been peaceful.
But peace doesn't last when you've got multiple emotionally unstable girls connected to your brain like USBs.
My phone buzzed.Once.Twice.Then—
📞 Sugar: "Hehe... Master? Are you awake~?"
I flinched.
== Console ==
Incoming Call: Sugar [DreamLink Active]Link: Lust-TetherCurrent Mood: Horny + Clingy + Possessive== // ==
SHIT!
I tried to decline. But too late—Eliza stirred.
"Hmm?" she murmured, groggy. "Who's… Sugar?"
Oh no.
Her head lifted.Eyes still puffy from crying last night, now blinking in confused betrayal.
"Who's Sugar, Ethan?"
The phone was still lit up.Background pic?Sugar's pouty face. Lingerie. Tongue out. The full package of "Daddy's Favorite Toy" aesthetic.
I snatched it too slow.
== Console ==
Eliza's Emotional Stability Dropping...Jealousy Spike DetectedTrust Erosion: -16%== // ==
"She's just… someone I'm helping," I said, trying the soft voice.
Eliza sat up fully now. Blanket slipping.Her eyes sharpened like razors dipped in salt.
"You're helping her by saving her number as 'Sugar' and letting her call you at 2AM?!"
Bro.
I could feel the XP slipping away from her like a leaky pipe.
== Console ==
Link Status: VolatileEmergency Override Needed== // ==
"Eliza, listen—she's nothing like you," I said. "She's… just physical. You're real. You're the one I came back for."
Boom.
That slowed the meltdown.
But she was still breathing heavy. Still clutching her chest like her heart had been yoinked through her ribs.
"She called you Master."
Okay yeah that part was harder to spin.
"She has... issues," I said, eyes dead serious. "Control issues. She needs structure. You're not like that."
Eliza blinked. Processing.Shaky inhale.
"But are you—like—dating her?"
"…No."
That was true. Mostly.
== Console ==
Partial Lie Detected – Trust Cost: -3%== // ==
"But you're sleeping with her?"
Pause.
"I slept with her," I corrected. "Past tense."
A dangerous silence settled.
Eliza looked away.
I thought she'd break again.But instead, she looked at me with glassy, hollow eyes. The kind of look that screamed:
"I'll still stay, but now I hate myself for it."
== Console ==
Emotional Link Warped: Now contains Guilt + Fear of ReplacementBonded Asset Type: Fragile Devotee (Needs Reaffirmation Often)XP Rate Reduced Temporarily== // ==
This wasn't good.
I was losing grip.And Sugar wasn't helping.
"I'll block her," I said softly.
"No," Eliza whispered. "Don't lie for me. Just… tell me the truth next time."
Then she got up, grabbed her hoodie, and disappeared into the bathroom.
I sat in that broken living room, phone still glowing in my palm.
And realized something brutal:
I wasn't building an empire.
I was juggling glass hearts.
One wrong move?
They'd all shatter.