Warmth pressed against his skin. Not sunlight. Flesh. A soft, supple body nestled against his chest, rising and falling in rhythm with his breath. The scent of perfume—faintly floral, laced with sweat—lingered in the air like smoke after fire.
Lucius opened his eyes.
The ceiling above him stretched high, carved obsidian with veins of glowing amethyst. Crimson velvet drapes billowed gently beside arched windows, swaying with the wind that carried the scent of rain. His bed was oversized, wrapped in dark silks that felt far too expensive for someone like him. But this wasn't him.
Not anymore.
He wasn't Riku Yamada, the shut-in who spent his nights raging over an adult game's unfair endings. He wasn't the loser who drowned in takeout and resentment. That man had died in his cramped apartment, phone in hand, mocking the same villain he now inhabited.
Lucius von Drakenhart.
The name sat heavy in his mind, not just as a memory but as a truth. His body remembered everything—the arcane training, the noble bloodline, the reputation soaked in cruelty and fear. All of it, laid before him like a stage waiting for its actor.
His gaze shifted to the figure lying at his side.
A woman, curled on her knees at the edge of the bed. Long silver hair flowed down her back, tied with a thin ribbon. Her pale skin shimmered faintly in the morning light, marred only by the leather collar around her neck. A small violet gem glowed faintly in its center, the mark of submission.
She wasn't unfamiliar.
Selene.
The tutorial girl. A holy acolyte in the original game, destined to guide the hero, teach him compassion, and fall in love during the first questline. She was meant to be rescued from this very room—locked in a cage, barely touched, never broken. The perfect angel to contrast the villain's darkness.
Only, now she was on his bed. Her collar wasn't for show. Her status wasn't locked.
> [Selene – Status]
Condition: Submissive
Loyalty: 51%
Corruption: 12%
Obedience: 64%
Current Order: Awaiting touch
The interface hovered beside her name like a phantom sheet of glass. Only he could see it. Only he could command it.
Lucius sat up slowly, his body heavier than he remembered, lean muscle stitched together with subtle pain. A long scar crossed his chest, still tender, likely from the ritual that had transferred his soul into this vessel. He could feel magic stirring beneath his skin, but more important than that was what sat kneeling at his side.
Selene's eyes fluttered open. She didn't scream or flinch. Her expression softened when she saw him. Her lips parted.
"Good morning, Master."
Her voice was gentle, trained, but still carried traces of hesitation. She had not yet been completely reshaped. That meant this wasn't a cheat dropped from the system out of pity. She had been conquered before he arrived.
The memory came back in fragments. Lucius—before Riku's soul took over—had already begun corrupting her. In secret, through spells, soft commands, and isolation. She had spent weeks locked in this manor, slowly taught to kneel, to obey, to surrender her will.
That meant this wasn't the start of the game.
He had inherited a half-finished route. A broken villain and a heroine in training.
Lucius touched the gem on her collar with two fingers. It pulsed in response, warmth flowing through his hand as if the system recognized its new master. Her breath caught, and her eyes dilated slightly. A flicker of arousal? Or fear?
"Who am I to you?" he asked, voice calm.
Selene bowed her head, hair brushing the sheets.
"You are my Master. The one who owns my body… and soon, my soul."
Her words were rehearsed, not yet sincere, but spoken without defiance. She was close to tipping. With just a little push, he could turn her from reluctant servant to devoted pet.
He stood, letting the silk sheets fall. His robe waited on the nearby chair—deep violet with silver embroidery, the Drakenhart crest stitched across the chest. He slipped it on, letting the cool fabric settle across his back, and stepped barefoot onto the polished stone floor.
The interface chimed again.
> [Slave System Online]
Welcome, Lucius von Drakenhart
Objective: Rewrite the Routes. Break the Balance. Rule the World.
Reward: System Evolution | Slave Slot Expansion | Unique Skill Unlock
He stepped toward the tall windows, drawing one of the heavy curtains aside.
Beyond the estate, the capital city of Astradion stretched across the horizon. Marble towers pierced the sky, banners fluttered in the breeze, and cobbled streets buzzed with merchants and knights. Somewhere in that city, the hero would awaken. The one destined to stop him. The one meant to save Selene, foil his plans, win the hearts of the heroines.
Lucius smiled faintly.
Not this time.
He turned his head toward the girl still kneeling on his bed, posture straight, breath shallow. Her eyes never left him.
"You've been trained well," he said, voice low. "But not well enough."
She blinked, uncertain whether it was a compliment or a warning.
Lucius stepped closer and reached out, letting his fingers trail down her cheek. She trembled slightly beneath his touch but leaned into it.
He could feel it. The system. The magic. The pull of dominance. A single command whispered into her mind would be obeyed. Not from fear. From programming. From submission. From desire.
This world was no longer a game. The routes were his to ruin.
And the heroines?
They would kneel.