It wasn't just a pleasure. It was an exorcism.
For years, Marcus had felt a fire burning in his veins—a holy, searing heat that the High Priestess told him was "The Glory of the Light." She told him the coughing fits were signs of his mortal body trying to contain divinity. She told him the insomnia was his soul staying vigilant against evil.
She lied.
As Elena moved above him, her rhythm calculated and precise, Marcus finally realized the truth. The heat wasn't glory; it was a fever. And for the first time in three years, the fever was breaking.
"Breathe, Marcus," Elena whispered, her voice breathless but commanding. Her nails dug into his shoulders, grounding him. "Don't fight it. Let the Darkness in. Let it cool you."
"I... I can't..." Marcus gasped, his hands gripping the silk sheets until his knuckles turned white.
He felt a sensation like cold water rushing through a burning pipe. Every time their bodies connected, a wave of Primal Yin energy flooded his system, hunting down the jagged shards of Holy Yang that were tearing him apart from the inside.
Where the two energies met, sparks of violet mana erupted from his skin, illuminating the dark room like a collision of dying stars.
"It's working," Elena observed, her crimson eyes glowing with fascination. She leaned down, pressing her sweaty forehead against his. "Your resistance is crumbling. The Divine Parasite is losing its grip."
"It feels... strange," Marcus choked out, tears pricking his eyes. "It feels... empty."
"That's not emptiness, Hero," she murmured, kissing the sweat from his brow. "That's peace."
With one final, shattering crescendo, the dam broke.
Marcus arched his back, a silent scream leaving his lips. It wasn't pain. It was a release so absolute, so overwhelming, that his vision went white. He felt the golden fire in his chest being ripped out by the roots, replaced by a soothing, velvety shadow.
He collapsed back onto the pillows, gasping for air. His body felt heavy, sinking into the mattress, but for the first time in forever, it didn't hurt.
Silence returned to the room, broken only by their ragged breathing and the soft clink of the magical chains against the bedposts.
Elena climbed off him slowly, her movements graceful and unbothered. She picked up her discarded black dress from the floor and threw it over her shoulders like a casual bathrobe.
"Well," she said, checking a magically summoned pocket watch floating in mid-air. "Seventeen minutes. Not bad for a dying virgin. I'll make a note in your file."
Marcus stared at the ceiling. His mind was blank. The post-clarity hit him like a brick wall falling from the sky.
"I..." Marcus whispered, his voice hoarse. "I just... with the Demon Queen..."
"You just saved your own life," Elena corrected, walking over to a nearby table to pour a glass of crimson wine. "How do you feel?"
Marcus blinked. He took a deep breath, expecting the familiar sharp sting in his chest.
Nothing.
His lungs didn't burn. His heart wasn't racing like a trapped bird. He looked at his arms. The glowing golden veins were gone, replaced by healthy, normal skin.
"I feel..." Marcus sat up. The pink chains on his wrists dissolved into mist at Elena's wave. "I feel... light. The pain is gone."
"You're welcome," Elena said dryly, taking a sip of wine.
"But my Holy Aura," Marcus tried to summon a ball of light in his hand, a reflex honed by years of training.
Instead of a blinding sun, a tiny, flickering candle flame appeared on his palm. It sputtered weakly and died, leaving a wisp of smoke.
"My power!" Marcus panicked, staring at his empty hand. "It's gone! I'm useless!"
"You're not useless. You're just rebooted," Elena said, sitting on the edge of the bed and crossing her legs. "And you got something better in return."
"What could be better than the Goddess's blessing?"
"Take a look," she pointed a finger at the empty air in front of his face.
PING.
A sound like a crystal bell chime rang clearly in Marcus's ears.
Suddenly, a semi-transparent blue window appeared in his vision. It hovered in the air, glowing with text that looked suspiciously like the status screens from the ancient legends of the Pre-Calamity Era.
[SYSTEM INITIALIZING...][User Identified: Marcus (Former Hero)][Status: Post-Coital / Stabilized]
Marcus rubbed his eyes. "What is this sorcery?"
"It's not sorcery. It's the Symbiotic Recovery System," Elena explained casually. "I installed it in your soul during the... treatment. Consider it a patient monitor."
Marcus read the text scrolling rapidly on the screen.
[ATTRIBUTE REPORT]Health: 15% (Recovering from Critical Failure)Mana: 5% (Holy Energy Depleted)Condition: Divine Parasite (Suppressed - 24 Hours Remaining)Corruption Level: 1% (Stage 1: The First Taste)
[NEW SKILL ACQUIRED]Skill: Yin Assimilation (Passive)Description: Allows the user to absorb Demonic Energy through physical contact to replenish health and mana.Effect: Converts "Sexual Tension" into "Experience Points".
Marcus's jaw dropped so low it almost hit the silk sheets. "Converts... what into what?!"
"Corruption Level 1%," Elena read the screen over his shoulder, clicking her tongue in disappointment. "We have a lot of work to do. At this rate, the Parasite will wake up again by tomorrow morning."
"Tomorrow morning?" Marcus looked at her in horror. "You mean... I'm not cured?"
"Cured? Oh, honey, no," Elena laughed softly, patting his cheek condescendingly. "Chronic Holy Poisoning isn't cured in one session. You need a regimen. A schedule. Constant monitoring."
She stood up and walked toward the heavy oak door.
"Rest up, Patient Zero. The maids will bring you food—real food, not those dry rations you've been chewing on. Eat well."
She stopped at the doorway and looked back, her silhouette framed by the flickering torchlight of the hallway. Her smile was equal parts savior and devil.
"Because tomorrow, we start Session Two. And I plan to try the 'Oral Administration' method."
[QUEST ALERT][Main Quest: Survive the Treatment]Objective: Increase Corruption Level to 5%Time Limit: 24 HoursReward: You don't explodeFailure: Death (Painful)
Marcus looked at the floating blue screen, then at the empty spot where the Demon Queen—his former best friend—had just defiled and saved him.
He fell back onto the pillows, covering his face with his hands.
"I'm doomed," he groaned.
But deep down, in a part of his soul he dared not acknowledge... he was already wondering what "Oral Administration" meant.