The heat had ended.
The screams—internal, cellular, molecular—had faded.
Scourge reemerged from the fire not wounded, but reborn.
[System Update: Weakness Resolved]
– 🔥 Fire Resistance → Fire Immunity (Permanent)
– ♻️ Adaptive Skin Protocol – Thermal Shell (Unlocked)
– 🧬 Tissue Response Multiplier: +12% (All Environments)
He slipped through the school unnoticed, returning not to Lala's side immediately—but to the nurse's office.
Why?
Because someone had noticed.
And they had invited him.
Dr. Mikado was seated behind her desk, legs crossed, white coat unbuttoned just enough to suggest ease but hide none of her precision.
Beside her stood Tearju Lunatique—blonde, sharp-eyed, clipboard in hand.
"You're early," Mikado said, smiling faintly. "Or rather… right on time."
Scourge observed both of them carefully. No weapons. No overt hostility. But awareness.
That was rarer. And more dangerous.
"You asked to meet," he said, taking form. A male silhouette—not Rito's body, but something more refined. Sculpted from shadow and memory. Smooth. Controlled.
Tearju adjusted her glasses. "You're not what we expected."
"Neither are you," he replied.
Mikado tilted her head. "We've monitored strange changes in Princess Lala's biology. Slight, subtle—but consistent. Neural activity. Emotional conductivity. Sensory spikes. All localized to the nervous system interface."
"And Haruna Sairenji," Tearju added. "Her readings changed the same week."
Scourge didn't deny it.
Instead, he stepped closer.
"You want to study me."
"Of course," Mikado said. "Not to harm. To understand."
"Then I propose a deal."
They tensed—but only slightly.
"I will allow full non-invasive observation," Scourge said, "including exposure to my seed. Bond-level one. No domination, no override. But a thread."
Tearju frowned. "Why?"
"Because you're both brilliant," he said honestly. "And because I intend to spread. But I prefer willing minds. Curious ones."
Mikado's lips curved. "You want us as... observers. And samples."
"No," Scourge corrected. "I want you as participants."
He extended one hand.
A tendril—sleek, warm, velvet-dark—uncoiled and hovered in the air like a question mark.
"No control," he said. "Just connection."
Tearju glanced at Mikado. Then nodded once.
Mikado stood up, brushing her coat aside.
"Then let's begin."
Two threads split—gentle and exact.
One to Tearju. One to Mikado.
As the bond slid into place, both women gasped softly—barely perceptible, but unmistakable.
[System Update – Hosts Registered: Tearju Lunatique (Seeded), Mikado Ryouko (Seeded)]
– Emotional Awareness Link: Active
– Research Access Tier: Limited Symbiotic Channel
– Status: Observation Hosts (Pending Expansion)
Scourge pulsed with satisfaction.
"Two more threads added to the web."
But this wasn't conquest.
It was curiosity. Shared.
And that, he was learning, was even more powerful.