Episode 26
Ethan Cross could feel the weight of the covenant settle deep in his bones. The chamber of the Sinkeeper, hidden far beneath the arcane halls of the Academy, pulsed with an ancient hunger now fully awakened. Something primal had been stirred—something far older than the System itself. The pact he had sealed moments ago wasn't just a contract of power, it was a transformation. A rebirth.
As Ethan emerged from the binding circle, the temperature dropped suddenly, yet the heat inside him only intensified. He looked down at his trembling hands. Crimson sigils flickered briefly across his skin, whispering secrets in languages long forgotten. A voice echoed in his mind—sibilant and seductive.
> [New Blood Covenant Status: Active] [Special Skill Unlocked: Crimson Bind - Targets marked with desire are physically bound to your will for 3 minutes. Usable once per day.]
> [Passive Trait Activated: Charm +40 | Night Vision Enabled | System Integration 30%]
His breath was ragged. The System interface pulsed near his shoulder like a living entity.
He glanced at the obsidian mirror beside the summoning altar. It no longer reflected a confused young man; what stared back was a creature carved from temptation and vengeance. His eyes, faintly glowing red, smoldered with certainty. His jaw was firm, and his aura practically crackled with dark charisma.
"I'm not just playing this game anymore," he whispered. "I am the game."
---
The Academy after dark was another world. Ethan moved like a phantom through torch-lit corridors and stone-paved tunnels that only upper-tier summoners dared explore. The torches flickered in his presence, acknowledging the shift in his essence. He was no longer simply a student of sin—he was becoming its master.
With his newly gained Blood Echo ability, he now saw glimpses of forbidden truths. Visions of those tethered to ancient pacts flickered before his eyes—echoes of pain, pleasure, power, and betrayal.
One such echo led him to her.
Althea Nyx.
The Headmistress of the Academy. Respected. Feared. Worshipped.
And secretly one of the oldest Covenant Keepers still alive. Her connection to the Forbidden Legacy went far beyond whispers and books. She wasn't just guarding knowledge—she was a living seal of it.
> [New Mission Alert: Claim the Headmistress's Secret] [Reward: Forbidden Arcana Access | Risk: System Breach Possible]
Ethan stopped before a marble arch veiled in enchanted black silk. Two unmoving stone sentinels flanked the entrance to Althea's sanctum.
As he reached out, the silk veil shimmered and burned cold against his fingertips.
> [Crimson Bind: Engaged]
The veil parted like breath on glass.
---
Inside, her sanctum was not just a room—it was a realm in itself. Walls lined with leather-bound tomes, floating crystal spheres casting refracted shadows, and a crimson altar at its center. Everything about the room throbbed with the scent of sin and secrets.
Althea Nyx stood at the altar. A midnight gown clung to her curves, silver-threaded braids falling over her shoulders. She didn't turn.
"You're early," she said, voice like liquid smoke.
"I don't follow schedules anymore," Ethan replied, stepping in fully.
"Brave," she murmured. "Or foolish."
"I prefer... determined."
She finally turned. Her eyes narrowed, analyzing him not just as a student but as a rival. She saw the transformation in his aura. "The Sinkeeper marked you."
"I let him."
Althea walked toward him slowly, her heels silent on the obsidian floor. "You're walking into a den of knives with your chest bare."
"I didn't come to fight," Ethan said. "I came to earn your secret."
That caught her interest.
> [Sin Aura Building... | Desire Saturation: 73%]
"Then earn it," she whispered. "If you can."
Her hand brushed his cheek—elegant fingers trailing down to his neck. Her breath was icy hot, like winter fire. Ethan met her gaze, then captured her lips in a kiss. Not a timid invitation—an invasion.
Her response was instant. Her nails dug into his back, and her power flared around them, reacting to his aura. Magic surged through the sanctum.
> [Crimson Bind Activated]
Tendrils of blood magic lashed from Ethan's skin, binding her arms gently but firmly. She gasped, not in pain, but in awakening. Her dress unraveled into mist, revealing crimson sigils painted on her skin.
"You know the rites," she murmured against his lips.
"I am the rite."
---
The altar glowed beneath them, responding to their energies. Ethan laid her upon it, their bodies arching in mirrored lust and magic. Every breath she took was laced with arcane incantation. Every kiss he gave was a challenge.
> [Headmistress Submission Progress: 42%... 54%... 68%]
Their bodies danced—not just in passion but in ritual. This was a covenant ceremony disguised as seduction. Althea chanted forgotten verses as Ethan marked her skin with kisses and blood sigils.
> [Warning: System Heat Level Rising] [Stamina Drain: Moderate]
Ethan's pulse raced, but he didn't falter. With each touch, he unlocked more of her resistance. She moaned his name, eyes wild with both defiance and surrender.
"You're not supposed to win," she whispered.
"But I will."
She arched beneath him as the altar exploded in black flame.
> [Secret Acquired: The Covenant of Nyx – Bound Knowledge +1 | Spell Unlocked: Blood Sigil Invocation]
> [System Message: Congratulations. You have claimed a Forbidden Legacy. SinBound Arc Progress: 19%]
---
They collapsed together, sweat and magic clinging to their skin. Ethan rolled to his side, his breathing shallow. Althea sat up slowly, brushing silver hair from her face.
"You've marked me," she said. "In body and pact."
"I meant to."
"Then you must accept the consequence."
> [New Condition: Bound to Althea Nyx – Shared Aura Effect | All charm-based spells are 20% stronger in her presence. Shared Stamina Pool Active in Ritual Combat.]
Ethan smirked. "I've had worse consequences."
Althea chuckled. "Then rest while you can. The Sinkeeper's awakening won't go unnoticed. Others will come."
"Let them."
> [New Quest Unlocked: Defend the Covenant – Survive the 3 Trials of Sin.]
---
Ethan stood, red magic crackling across his bare chest.
The SinBound System hovered beside him, pulsing brighter than ever. The altar behind him sizzled with residual energy. Althea rose to stand beside him—not as an enemy, not as a teacher, but as an ally.
And something more.
The world would come for them. The Council. The Hunters. The corrupted shadows of the Academy. But Ethan didn't fear them anymore.
He was SinBound.
And he was rising.