The Darkness Between Heartbeats
Losty's consciousness floated in blackness. Not silence—no, the void pulsed with a rhythm like moans in the dark. Each throb echoed with Nyx's voice, sultry and venomous.
"Mmm… still resisting me, little boy? Delicious. Every time you fight me, I taste it. Every heartbeat. Every tremble. You've already let me inside. I'll grow in you. I'll bloom."
He tried to shout back, to expel her presence, but his voice dissolved in the void. All he could feel was the Shadow Mark, coiled like a serpent around his core.
Then, a sharp, cool touch dragged him out—Selena's aura. Fragile, trembling, but stubbornly clinging to him.
💔 Waking to Selena
His eyes snapped open. The chamber of Desire was cracked and ruined, the air heavy with smoke and lust. Selena hovered above him, her tears falling onto his lips, her small hands pressed against his chest.
"Losty! Please, wake up—don't leave me," she sobbed, shaking him like she could anchor his soul to his body.
Her aura wrapped around him, fragile as silk threads, and for a moment, it held back the Shadow Mark's pulse.
"I'm… here," he whispered, his voice raw.
She gasped, collapsing against him, her body trembling with relief. Her lips pressed to his skin in frantic, desperate kisses—his jaw, his neck, his collarbone—like each kiss could prove to herself that he was alive.
Her sobs carried a rhythm, and between them, her voice cracked: "Don't… ever… scare me like that again."
🔥 Vivienne's Fury
Before he could answer, fire lashed across the room. Vivienne stormed toward them, her crimson hair aflame, eyes burning with betrayal.
"You almost killed yourself for her?" she spat, her aura crackling hot enough to blister the floor. "For that trembling little doll? While I was the one who fed you my fire, who gave you strength?"
Selena flinched at the words, curling tighter against Losty, but Vivienne's fury didn't stop. She grabbed his wrist, searing his skin with her heat.
"You think you can survive this palace by clinging to weakness? You'll burn with me or burn because of me, Losty. There's no third choice."
Her lips hovered inches from his ear, whispering like molten steel: "And if I have to burn her away to keep you, I will."
Selena gasped, her nails digging into his chest. "No! He's mine—he chose me—"
Vivienne snarled, fire roaring higher. "He chose death, clinging to you like a chain around his neck!"
🌪️ Cassandra's Chaos
And then came Cassandra's laughter—wild, hungry, echoing off the cracked walls.
"Ohhh, this is delicious," she purred, circling them like a predator. "The boy bleeds, the doll cries, the flame rages… and all of it because he finally grew interesting."
She crouched beside Losty, tracing her sharp nail along his jawline. Her grin widened as she leaned closer, her tongue flicking against the small wound Vivienne's heat had left. She moaned as she licked his blood, smearing it across her lips.
"Mmm. Spicy."
Selena shoved at her, but Cassandra only giggled and sprawled across Losty's legs, her hair spilling over his thighs. "Face it, sugar boy. Nyx marked you. That makes you hers. But the way you fought her…" She bit into his shoulder, hard enough to draw fresh blood, and moaned, "…that makes you mine."
❄️ The Duchess's Verdict
A single sound silenced them all—the Duchess's heels, clicking against fractured stone.
"Enough," she said, her voice soft but slicing through the air.
The flames dimmed, Cassandra stilled, Selena stopped sobbing. The Duchess stepped into the center of the chamber, her silver eyes calm and merciless.
She studied Losty like a specimen. "You resisted Nyx. You bent the System. That makes you… unprecedented."
Her gloved fingers touched his chest, right where the Shadow Mark pulsed. "But this mark… this makes you doomed."
Her gaze swept across the other mommies. "If we tear him apart with jealousy, Nyx wins. If we let him collapse under his own recklessness, Nyx wins. The only answer is discipline."
She looked down at him, her voice cold as a blade: "And I will provide it."
⚡ System Awakens
Suddenly, light seared across his vision.
[System Alert!]
Nyx's Shadow Mark has integrated into Host.
Status: Semi-stable.
Bond levels adjusted.
New Title Unlocked:The Unbroken
Effect: Aura resistance increased by 30% when facing higher-tier entities.
New Skill Unlocked:Desire Conversion (Lv.1)
Convert external aura into temporary strength.
Risk: Overuse accelerates Shadow Mark corruption.
Losty gasped as the data burned into him. His veins glowed faintly, his body trembling between agony and ecstasy.
🩸 Nyx's Lingering Touch
And then, deep inside, her voice purred again.
"Mmm, clever little boy. You think that title makes you strong? You think your new toy makes you safe? Cute. But every time you use it, you'll feed me. And when you're finally mine, you won't resist. You'll beg."
His body shuddered violently, forcing Selena to clutch him tighter. Vivienne's flames flared, Cassandra licked her lips, and the Duchess's eyes narrowed.
The Shadow Mark pulsed once—hard enough to make his vision black out for a heartbeat.
☠️ Cliffhanger
When he came to, the chamber had gone eerily silent. Selena stared at him in horror. Vivienne froze mid-step. Cassandra's grin faltered.
"What?" he asked, his voice hoarse.
Selena's trembling finger pointed at his chest. "L-Losty… your shadow… it's moving."
He looked down.
From the place where Nyx had touched him, a dark tendril slithered out across his skin, pulsing like a living brand.
And from deep inside, Nyx's laughter filled his skull.
"The trial isn't over, pet. It's only just begun."
💠 End of Chapter 13 – The Price of Desire Conversion 💠