"Now that I have some alone time," Liam murmured to himself, "let's find out what that black heart was."
He took a breath. "System."
The interface materialized immediately in his vision, translucent and hovering just above eye level.
*[System Activated]*
*[Query Detected: Black Heart Analysis]*
Text began scrolling.
*[Black Hearts: Threat Gauge]*
*[Function: Measures intent to harm user. Operates on devotion mechanics similar to Lust Points but inverted.]*
*[Scale: 1-3 Hearts]*
*[1 Black Heart: Mild hostility. Subject dislikes user.]*
*[2 Black Hearts: Active threat. Subject seeks opportunity to harm user.]*
*[3 Black Hearts: Total devotion to killing user. Subject's primary motivation is user's death.]*
*[Note: Hatred and obsession share psychological roots with attraction.]*
Liam read it twice.
'So it's the opposite of the lust meter. But it's still devotion. Just... devotion to killing me instead of fucking me?'
