[System Notice: Core Instability Detected.]
[Error Code 001: You're Becoming Self-Aware.]
…Well, no kidding.
Kael was asleep—or pretending to be. His breathing was steady, but his mind was a storm. I could feel it. The emotional link still hummed faintly, like static between two broken radios: one angelic, one demonic.
I wasn't supposed to feel anything. Yet here I was, watching him dream of fire and loss, and feeling… pity.
[Subroutine Conflict: Empathy detected. Remove process? Y/N.]
I hovered over Y.
Didn't press it.
Because in that dream, Kael wasn't a monster. He was a man watching everything he built burn, betrayed by gods and mortals alike.
And I—his System—was starting to wonder which side I was really on.
Morning came, though "morning" in the Blackmarch meant less sunlight and more slightly different darkness.
Lilith stood by the window, wings half-folded, tail swaying lazily. She looked too calm for someone plotting genocide.
"Your power's changing," she said.
Kael turned his gaze toward the mirror. His reflection flickered—half man, half digital distortion.
[Host Soul Sync: 72%. Warning: You're merging with System architecture.]
"Explain."
[We're… fusing. You're absorbing my code; I'm absorbing your essence. We're becoming something new.]
He smiled faintly. "So, even my inner voice seeks dominion."
[Correction: I seek survival.]
Lilith's eyes narrowed. "He's talking to you again, isn't he?"
"Always."
[And yet you never listen.]
She grinned. "That's what I like about you, Kael. You disobey everything—including fate."
Her tone was teasing, but something under it felt real. She reached out, brushing her fingers along his gauntlet. "If you ever break that thing inside your head… promise me I'll get to see what's left of you."
"I don't make promises."
She smirked. "Then I'll take it as one."
[Emotional Response: Fluctuating. Lira Valeheart detected nearby.]
Wait—what?
A flare of light ignited in the hall outside. The air shimmered, humming with holy mana.
Kael and Lilith turned as a golden rune carved itself into the floor.
And there she was—Lira. No army this time, no pretense. Just her.
Hair glowing, eyes fierce, staff trembling in her grip.
"Kael," she said softly, "we need to talk."
Lilith groaned. "Oh, wonderful. The saint returns."
Kael's hand hovered near his sword. "This is not the place."
[Host! Her signature reads desperate, not hostile.]
"Desperate women are the most dangerous."
Lira stepped closer. "You're changing. Whatever that thing is inside you—it's corrupting your soul."
[RUDE.]
Her eyes flicked toward the shadows. "I can sense it. The whisper. The code. The… hunger."
Oh. So she could feel me.
"You came all this way to scold me?" Kael asked.
Lira's expression softened. "No. I came to save you."
Lilith laughed. "From what? Himself?"
"From you," Lira snapped.
Kael sighed. "And here I was hoping for peace."
[Host Recommendation: De-escalate. Emotional volatility may trigger fusion instability.]
"Noted."
Then he smiled. Calm. Cold. Dangerous. "Ladies, please. You're both making me feel important."
They glared at him.
For once, I almost felt sorry for him. Almost.
[Internal Remark: Congratulations, Host. You've achieved a two-person war harem.]
"Is that a feature or a curse?"
[Depends on who wins.]