In the weeks following that first night, Leon learned that Carmilla's love was a beautiful, suffocating cage. She did not treat him like a prisoner in chains, but like a sacred relic that she feared the world would smudge.
Leon stood on the balcony of the Obsidian Suite, dressed in silk and leather that hummed with enchantments. He looked down at his hands. His skin was paler, and beneath his nails, a faint golden light flickered—the remnants of his "Ruler" mana struggling against the "Origin" blood now circulating in his veins.
[System Status]
Condition: Bound (Covenant of the Blood Moon)
Sync Rate with Carmilla: 42%
Warning: Human emotions are being suppressed by "Origin" Essence.
"You're looking toward the horizon again," a voice whispered.
Carmilla appeared behind him, her presence as silent as a shadow. She wrapped her arms around his waist, resting her head against his shoulder. In the castle, away from the eyes of her subjects, she didn't wear her crown. She looked like the eighteen-year-old girl she had been when she turned—beautiful, fragile, and utterly obsessive.
"I gave you my word, Leon," she murmured, her breath cold against his neck. "The school is untouched. My generals protect the perimeter. Your friends are safe."
"Safe, but trapped," Leon replied, his voice raspy. "Just like me."
Life in the castle was a constant battle of wills. Carmilla was deeply in love, but it was the love of a storm for a mountain. She wanted to consume him.
Later that evening, Leon was forced to sit beside her in the Great Hall. The Vampire Lords—ancient, withered beings who had ruled their own territories for centuries—stared at Leon with a mixture of hunger and resentment.
"My Queen," Lord Varick, a scarred vampire with a penchant for cruelty, stepped forward. "The boy is a mortal. Even with the Covenant, he lacks the... refinement to lead us. If he is truly a King, let him prove it in the Pit."
Carmilla's eyes flashed a murderous red. "He is my Consort. To challenge him is to challenge me."
"No," Leon said, standing up. The heavy silver chalice in his hand groaned as his Strength (120) caused the metal to warp like clay.
"I don't need her to protect me," Leon said, his golden aura erupting, clashing with the red dimness of the hall. "If you want to see if I'm a King, come find out."
The confrontation ended with Varick pinned to the stone floor by Leon's bare hands, the vampire's immortal ribs cracking under the pressure. Leon didn't kill him—not because he couldn't, but because he refused to lose his humanity.
When they returned to their chambers, Carmilla was frantic, her hunger fueled by the display of his power.
"You were magnificent," she hissed, her hands trembling as she pulled him toward the bed. She was addicted to the taste of his "Ruler" essence.
She pushed him back onto the black silk, her movements desperate. She didn't just want his body; she wanted his soul to forget Elena, to forget the school, to forget he was ever human. Every time they were together, the System pulsed with a warning:
[Sync Rate Increasing: 45%... 48%...]
[Note: At 100%, the memory of 'Elena' will be erased to make room for the 'Queen's Will'.]
As Carmilla bit into his shoulder, sharing her power and taking his, Leon stared at the ceiling. He felt the warmth of her body and the strange, intoxicating pull of her love, but he forced himself to remember the smell of the school cafeteria and the sound of Elena's laugh.
I'm losing myself, he thought, even as he pulled Carmilla closer, his body betraying his mind. Lucas... Elena... hurry