There was a particular ability he had been planning to acquire ever since he spotted it in the new ability section. He wasn't entirely sure if it worked exactly as the Book described, but he figured he would need the full description to understand how it functioned. That would have to wait though.
He flipped through the Book to examine his current abilities.
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DETAILED ABILITY DESCRIPTIONS - PURCHASED
HONEYED WHISPER — Brief Sweetening of Speech (LUST)
Mode of Acquisition: The Bearer must first tear a strip from the Lust page and consume it completely, after which the ability becomes bound to their essence and can be called upon at will.
Mode of Application: Once the ability is learned, the Bearer needs only think about using it, and a crimson-gold mark (like a droplet of honey) will appear on their hand, visible only to them.
Effect:
• The Bearer's words carry subtle enchantment, making speech more pleasing and persuasive to willing ears
• The target finds the Bearer's voice notably pleasant and are inclined to view their requests more favorably
• Speech gains a honeyed quality that sways neutral hearts and softens resistance
• Works best on those already disposed to listen to the Bearer
Activation & Duration:
• Mental command alone summons the mark and begins the enchantment
• Each use lasts up to fifteen minutes of active conversation
• The Bearer may end the ability at will by thought alone
• Mark vanishes when the enchantment ends
Limitations:
• Three times daily maximum
• Each person may be addressed this way only twice per day, or suspicion grows
• Thirty minutes must pass between each use
• Range: Normal conversation distance (ten feet or less)
• Resistance: If the target's Intelligence exceeds the Bearer's by three or more, the ability fails completely
• If exceeded by two, the target may sense something is wrong
• Cannot compel action against one's deepest nature or moral convictions
• Requires direct speech - written words carry no such power
Warning: Overuse breeds wariness in those treated this way. The wise Bearer uses this gift sparingly, for even honey turns bitter when tasted too often.
SERPENT GIFT — Body Modification (LUST)
Stage 1 Effect:
• Male: Enhancement by +3 inches
• Female: Physical tightening regardless of experience
Stage 2 Effect (CURRENT): The Bearer's mark is set. If the Bearer's essence enters any being, memory of the Bearer rises first when desire awakens. If they have been intimate with the Bearer before, longing multiplies and the craving persists.
Mode of Application: Tear a strip from the Lust page and consume it.
ELIXIR OF EROS — Unique Lust Skill
Mode of Application: The Bearer tears a slip from the Lust page and feeds it to the chosen target, tripling their desire either to arouse or to suppress.
Outcomes:
• Arouse: The target becomes sexually active; any touch from the Bearer creates intense pleasure
• Suppress: The target becomes sexually inactive; arousal fails while the Bearer maintains intent
Limits:
• If the target's Intelligence exceeds the Bearer's greatly, the ability fails; if by 1-2 points, arousing delays 1 hour; if less, 30 minutes
• No more than three times daily may one person be affected; otherwise their mind withers to single thought
Note: This ability may be used on the Bearer themselves
FURY UNBOUND — Combat Enhancement (WRATH)
Effect: Strikes become faster and harder for a brief period, but the Bearer suffers significant backlash afterward.
Activation: Mental command during combat situations.
Limitations:
• Severe exhaustion follows use
• Cannot be sustained for extended periods
• Backlash increases with duration of use
SIP OF VITALITY — Energy Drain (GLUTTONY)
Mode of Application: Think about using it, and crimson veins (like blood or life essence) spread across the palm, visible only to the Bearer, branching outward from the center.
Effect:
• The Bearer draws small portions of life force from the target through direct skin contact
• Stolen vitality heals minor cuts, bruises, and surface wounds on the Bearer
• The target feels mild weariness, as if they had worked for several hours
• Healing occurs gradually over ten to fifteen minutes of sustained contact
• Life essence flows through the Bearer's palm while the veins pulse
Limitations:
• Three times daily maximum
• Skin-to-skin contact must be maintained throughout
• The target must be willing, unaware, or unconscious
• If target's Endurance exceeds Bearer's by four or more, no essence flows
• Can heal only wounds equal to one day's natural healing per use
• Those with high Intelligence (15+) may sense something wrong during long contact
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Isaac closed the Book slowly, a dark smile playing at the corners of his mouth. He definitely needed that new ability for his plan to work. To get the SP required, he would just have to wait an extra hour to make sure the coast was clear before putting everything in motion.
But the more he thought about it, the more he felt like he was becoming addicted to this. Whatever this was. The rush of power. The thrill of pulling invisible strings. It was intoxicating in a way that should probably worry him more than it did.
He glanced toward his window again, confirming Emily and Jade were long gone. Emma wouldn't be a problem either. She spent most of her time in her room, and that hadn't changed. Everything was set.
Perfect.
***
After all the morning commotion, Victoria stayed cooped up in her room. Too many things crowded her mind, and chief among them was what had happened yesterday. She was still lost in those thoughts when a knock sounded at the door.
She frowned. She had heard the front door close earlier, which meant Emily had gone out. And Emma wasn't one for social surprises. If it were her, she would have called out first. That left only one person.
Isaac.
Part of her had been waiting for this, even if she hadn't admitted it to herself. This was the opening she needed to set things straight. If the morning had taken a different turn, everything she had carefully maintained could have unraveled entirely.
She drew in a slow breath.
"Come in," she said quietly. "The door is open."
Isaac stepped inside carrying a tray with juice and a cup. Victoria's brows pulled together immediately, confusion flickering in her eyes.
"I'm pretty sure I didn't ask you to bring any of this," she said. "So why did you bring it?"
Isaac mirrored her confusion perfectly. "You asked me to bring it earlier. You told me to bring you juice in an hour."
"Did I?" Victoria murmured.
She was certain she hadn't. And yet something in the way he said it made her question herself. Her thoughts had been scattered all through the morning, fragmented by everything that had happened. Maybe she had said it without thinking.
She let it go. A drink wouldn't hurt either way.
"Is it cold?"
"Just pulled it from the fridge," Isaac replied, pouring the juice and handing her the cup.
Victoria took it without much thought and brought it to her lips. The juice was cold and sweet, sweeter than it normally was. This made her wonder if he had added an extra fruit flavor to make it taste like this. She drank it anyway, letting it cut through the dryness that had been sitting in her throat all morning. She hadn't realized how much she needed it until now.
She lowered the cup slowly. Looking up, she could see Isaac still standing there. That quiet stillness of his unsettled her more than she wanted to admit.
She set the cup on the nightstand before properly addressing him.
"Well? Anything else?"
She kept her voice even, giving nothing away. She didn't know how to open the conversation she needed to have, so she let him speak first. His waiting made it clear he had something he wanted to say.
"Ma'am," he began softly, "I know whatever I say might not sound right to you. But honestly, you don't have to think too much about what happened yesterday between us."
Victoria said nothing at first. She had prepared for many things he might say. An apology. An excuse. Maybe even denial. But not this. This sounded almost like reassurance.
The words irritated her more than they should have. Not because they were wrong, but because some part of her had actually wanted to hear them.
And then she felt it.
A warmth. Faint at first, easy enough to dismiss. It started low in her stomach and spread slowly outward, curling through her like something she couldn't quite catch or contain. She pressed her fingers lightly against her collarbone, feeling her pulse quicken beneath her skin.
What is happening to me?
The heat rose even as she thought it, climbing higher, becoming harder to ignore.
Isaac stepped closer, a mask of perfect concern etched across his face. "Ma'am? Are you okay?"
"Yes, I'm fine," she said quickly, raising her hand to stop him from coming any closer.
But the words felt hollow even as she said them. She swallowed hard, and that was when recognition hit her. Slow and devastating. She had felt this before. That same creeping heat. That same loss of control. It was exactly like that day everything had spiraled beyond her reach. She couldn't remember every detail of what had happened then, but her body did. Her body remembered all of it.
And feeling it again now told her everything she needed to know.
Whatever had happened that day was happening again. Only this time it was stronger. Much stronger.
She could feel the heat rising to her face, spreading across her throat and cheeks. Her breathing had turned shallow, each breath harder to pull in than the last. She hated how obvious it must be. How exposed she must look right now.
Isaac had stopped where she had gestured him to earlier, keeping his distance. His expression betrayed nothing of what he might be thinking. He looked like someone who had simply come to deliver juice and was now witnessing something he didn't quite understand.
But then he stepped closer anyway.
"Ma'am," he said softly, closing the space between them. "You look flushed. Are you sure you're alright?"
Victoria looked up at him. For a moment she said nothing, her eyes searching his face for something she couldn't find. Something that would explain what was happening to her. Something that would make any of this make sense.
"Why is this happening?" she whispered, her voice barely holding together as whatever remained of her composure quietly dissolved.