Daemon pressed himself against the cabin wall, his heart hammering as he extended his Desire Sense outward. The ability felt strange—like reaching out with a limb he'd never known he had. Information flooded his mind in waves of emotion and need.
Outside, four distinct presences burned in his awareness:
Guard 1 (Captain Harris): Cold duty. No desire, only grim determination. Dangerous.
Guard 2: Aggression. Eagerness for violence. Also dangerous.
Guard 3: Fear underneath stoic exterior. Following orders. Malleable.
Guard 4: Boredom. Distraction. Sexual frustration. Thinking about a woman with red hair, curves, the way she'd looked at him two nights ago at the tavern...
That was the weak link. The one Maya needed to target.
Through the window, Daemon watched Maya approach the guards with her basket of herbs, every inch the harmless local healer. But he could feel her emotions through their bond—calm on the surface, calculating beneath. She was scared but hiding it perfectly.
"Good evening, gentlemen!" Maya called out cheerfully. "Bit late for a patrol, isn't it? Is there trouble in the area?"
Captain Harris dismounted, his hand resting on his sword hilt. Daemon recognized him even from behind—the same man who'd beaten him and left him to die twelve hours ago.
"We're searching for someone," Harris said. His voice was flat, emotionless. "A young man, mid-twenties, dark hair. Dangerous fugitive. You haven't seen anyone like that?"
"Gracious, no! I've been gathering moonpetal all evening—it only blooms after sunset." Maya gestured to her basket. "I'm just a healer, Captain. I avoid dangerous things."
Guard 2, the aggressive one, sneered. "You live alone out here? Pretty woman like you? That's dangerous all by itself."
Desire Sense Update: Guard 2 - Sexual interest (predatory). Threat level rising.
Daemon's hands clenched into fists. The runes on his chest began to glow faintly beneath his shirt, responding to his anger.
"I can take care of myself," Maya said coolly. "Been doing it for twenty years. But I appreciate your concern." She turned her attention to Guard 4, the distracted one. "You look familiar. Don't you drink at the Brass Lantern sometimes?"
Guard 4 straightened, surprised. "I—yes, ma'am. How did you—"
"I supply the owner with medicine for her father's cough. I've seen you there." Maya smiled warmly. "You always sit in the corner, watching that pretty barmaid. Sera, isn't it? The one with the red hair?"
Desire Sense Alert: Guard 4 - Intense spike in sexual interest. Attention fully captured.
Daemon felt Maya's satisfaction through their bond. She'd hooked him perfectly.
"You know Sera?" Guard 4 asked, taking a step closer. His fellow guards rolled their eyes, but he didn't notice. "She's... I mean, I've thought about talking to her, but..."
"But you don't know how to approach her?" Maya's voice was sympathetic. "I might be able to help with that. Sera and I are friends. I could put in a good word for you..."
"Really?" The guard's eagerness was almost painful to watch. "You'd do that?"
Captain Harris cut in sharply. "Enough, Marcus. We're here to search, not chat." He looked at Maya with narrowed eyes. "You won't mind if we check your cabin, then? Just to be thorough?"
Daemon's breath stopped. If they came inside, they'd find him immediately. He glanced around desperately—there was nowhere to hide in the small single-room cabin.
But Maya didn't flinch. "Of course not, Captain. Though I should warn you, I have some very rare and expensive medicinal herbs drying inside. If anything gets damaged, the local lord won't be pleased—he commissioned them specifically for his daughter's illness."
It was a bluff, but a good one. Harris hesitated.
"Which lord?" he asked suspiciously.
"Lord Blackwood of the northern estates." Maya's voice was perfectly steady. "His daughter has the wasting sickness. I'm one of three healers in the region who can treat it. If my medicine is compromised..." She let the implication hang.
Daemon felt Harris's emotions shift—annoyance, calculation, caution. Lord Blackwood was powerful, apparently. More powerful than Viktor Vorst.
"Fine," Harris said after a moment. "We'll take your word for it. But if you see anyone suspicious—"
"I'll report it immediately to the town guard," Maya assured him. "I promise."
Harris nodded curtly, moving to remount his horse. But Guard 2 wasn't satisfied.
"I still think we should search," he said, his eyes raking over Maya in a way that made Daemon's blood boil. "Pretty woman alone in the woods. Strange circumstances. Maybe she's hiding something. Or someone."
Desire Sense Alert: Guard 2 - Aggression + Sexual predation. Danger imminent.
The guard took a step toward Maya, his hand not on his sword but reaching for her. "Maybe we should interrogate her properly. Make sure she's telling the truth."
Inside the cabin, Daemon felt his System flare to life.
[ALERT: BONDED PARTNER IN DANGER]Defensive Protocols ActivatedNew Ability Available: Aura of Desire (Emergency Use Only)Warning: This will drain significant energy and reveal your presence
Daemon didn't care about the warning. Someone was threatening Maya. Someone who wanted to hurt her.
The runes on his body blazed gold.
He pushed the cabin door open and stepped outside.
The effect was immediate. All four guards froze, staring at him. But more than that—Daemon could feel his System reaching out, touching their minds, amplifying certain emotions while suppressing others.
[AURA OF DESIRE - ACTIVE]Range: 30 feetEffect: Manipulate base desires and fears of those within rangeCurrent Targets: 4Energy Cost: High
"Get away from her," Daemon said quietly.
Guard 2 turned toward him, his expression shifting from predatory interest to confusion. "Who the hell are you?"
But Daemon was already using his Desire Sense, reading them all, finding the pressure points in their psyches. Guard 2's aggression stemmed from insecurity—from feeling weak. Daemon could work with that.
He pushed with his Aura, amplifying Guard 2's fear while suppressing his anger.
The guard's face paled. Suddenly, the young man in front of him didn't look weak and injured. He looked dangerous. Powerful. Marked by something ancient and terrible. The golden glow from his skin wasn't comforting—it was predatory.
"I said," Daemon repeated, taking a step forward, "get away from her."
Guard 2 stumbled backward, his hand finally going to his sword. "You're—you're the fugitive. You're the one we're looking for!"
"Then take me," Daemon challenged. His body was singing with power, the System responding to the threat. He could feel his stats elevated, his Enhanced Stamina making his injuries feel distant. "Come on. Try."
Captain Harris's hand went to his sword. "Stand down, boy. You're under arrest by order of Lord Viktor Vorst."
"Lord Viktor," Daemon said, his voice dripping with contempt, "tried to have me murdered. He stole my inheritance. He destroyed my life. And now he's sent you to finish the job." The golden runes on his exposed arms pulsed brighter. "Do you really want to die for that man's ambitions?"
Desire Sense Reading: Harris - Duty vs Self-Preservation conflict rising.
"We're just following orders," Harris said, but his voice wavered slightly.
"You left me to die in the forest," Daemon said, looking directly at the captain. "You beat me within an inch of my life and walked away. Tell me, Captain—how much did my uncle pay you for that?"
Harris's jaw tightened. Daemon could feel his emotions churning—guilt, shame, greed, fear all tangled together.
"Enough," the captain said finally. "Men, draw weapons. We take him alive if possible. Dead if necessary."
Four swords cleared their scabbards.
Daemon had no weapon. No armor. Broken ribs and a day's worth of cultivation training. But he had something they didn't.
He had a System.
[COMBAT SCENARIO DETECTED]Recommended Strategy: Divide and NeutralizeExploit Individual Weaknesses Using Desire SenseAllies Available: 1 (Maya)
Maya stepped up beside him, and Daemon felt her determination through their bond. She wasn't combat-trained, but she wasn't helpless either.
"Last chance," Daemon said to the guards. "Walk away. Tell my uncle you couldn't find me. Live to see tomorrow."
"Or what?" Guard 2 sneered, recovering his bravado. "You'll kill us with your weird glowing tattoos?"
Daemon smiled, and it wasn't a nice smile. The System whispered possibilities in his mind—dark, effective possibilities.
"No," he said softly. "I'll make you want to leave."
He pushed with his Aura of Desire, but this time he didn't target fear. He targeted something deeper. Something the Lust System specialized in.
He amplified Guard 4's sexual frustration and redirected it—not toward Maya or Sera, but toward his own discomfort. Suddenly, the young guard felt overwhelmingly, painfully aroused. So aroused he couldn't think straight. His sword wavered in his hand.
"What—what's happening?" Guard 4 gasped, his face flushing red. "I feel... something's wrong..."
Daemon turned his Aura on Guard 3, the fearful one. He amplified that fear tenfold. Suddenly, Guard 3 was certain that if he stayed in this forest another moment, he would die. Every shadow was a threat. Every sound was danger. His breathing quickened into panic.
"We need to go," Guard 3 said suddenly, his voice shaking. "We need to go now. Something's wrong here. Something's very wrong."
"Stand your ground!" Harris ordered, but Daemon could feel the captain's resolve cracking.
For Guard 2, the aggressive one, Daemon tried something different. He reached into the man's psyche with his Desire Sense and found what he was looking for—a buried memory. A mistake. A woman who'd rejected him publicly. He amplified that shame, that humiliation, making it fresh and overwhelming.
Guard 2's sneer vanished. His sword hand trembled. Suddenly he wasn't thinking about violence—he was thinking about being laughed at, being seen as weak, being nothing.
Only Captain Harris remained unaffected, and that was because his will was genuinely strong. Daemon could feel him resisting the Aura, fighting back against the mental influence.
"You're a System Bearer," Harris said, his eyes widening. "That's impossible. We killed the last one twenty years ago—"
"You killed one Bearer," Daemon corrected. "But Systems don't die. They just wait for someone new." He took another step forward, and Harris actually backed up. "Tell me, Captain. Is my uncle paying you enough to fight something you don't understand? To die for his gold?"
Desire Sense Reading: Harris - Fear + Greed + Self-Preservation = Decision Point.
"If we let you go," Harris said slowly, "Lord Viktor will have us executed."
"If you don't let me go," Daemon countered, "I'll make sure you can't ride back to report anything at all."
It was a bluff. Daemon wasn't sure he could actually hurt them—not without weapons, not with his injuries. But the Aura made his threat feel real. Made him seem more powerful than he was.
Harris looked at his men. Guard 3 was on the verge of bolting. Guard 4 was bent over, trying to deal with his sudden overwhelming arousal. Guard 2 looked like he might cry.
The captain made his decision.
"Stand down," he ordered. "We found nothing. The fugitive isn't here."
"But sir—" Guard 2 started.
"I said stand down!" Harris's voice cracked like a whip. He looked at Daemon one more time, and there was something like respect in his eyes. Or maybe just fear. "We were never here. We never saw you. But boy—if I were you, I'd run far and fast. Because Lord Viktor won't stop. He can't afford to."
"Let him come," Daemon said. "I'll be ready."
Harris shook his head slowly. "No, you won't. You have no idea what you're up against." He sheathed his sword and mounted his horse. "Men. We're leaving."
Guard 3 practically threw himself onto his horse, desperate to escape. Guard 4 followed, still flushed and confused. Guard 2 cast one last resentful glare at Daemon before mounting as well.
Captain Harris paused before riding away. "One more thing. Your uncle has put a bounty on your head. Five hundred gold pieces. Every mercenary and bounty hunter in three provinces will be looking for you by morning." He hesitated. "If you really are a System Bearer... find others like you. There are people who help our kind. Organizations. Look for the Crimson Rose in the capital."
Then he spurred his horse, and the guards disappeared into the darkness.
The moment they were out of sight, Daemon's legs gave out.
[AURA OF DESIRE - DEACTIVATED]Energy DepletedWarning: Cultivation Energy at 12%Rest Required
Maya caught him before he hit the ground, her healer's strength surprising. "I've got you. Come on, back inside."
She half-carried him into the cabin and laid him on the bed. Daemon's vision was swimming, his body trembling with exhaustion.
"That was incredibly reckless," Maya said, but her voice was warm. Proud, even. "You revealed yourself. Used powers you barely understand. Drained yourself completely."
"They were going to hurt you," Daemon managed.
"And you protected me." Maya's hand touched his chest, where the runes had dimmed to barely visible lines. "The bond goes both ways, it seems. My danger triggered your System's defensive protocols."
She leaned down and kissed his forehead gently. "You're going to be a powerful Bearer, Daemon Vorst. Reckless and impulsive, but powerful. Now rest. Your body needs to recover from that expenditure."
Daemon wanted to argue, to stay awake and process what had just happened. But his eyes were already closing.
The last thing he heard before sleep claimed him was Maya's soft voice: "Tomorrow, we plan your revenge properly. And we figure out how to keep you alive long enough to achieve it."
And the System's final notification:
[ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED: First Combat Victory]Bonus: +5 Cultivation PointsCurrent Progress: 20/100New Ability Discovered: Aura of Desire (Rank 1)Note: This ability can be refined through practice and cultivation
[CORRUPTION METER ACTIVATED]Current Corruption: 5%Note: Using mental manipulation increases corruption. Benefits and risks will scale with corruption level.
In his dreams, Daemon saw golden chains wrapping around his uncle's throat. Saw Elena on her knees, begging. Saw Marcus broken and bleeding.
And the dreams felt good.