The moment Elias stepped through the glowing tree's portal, the garden faded.
Now he stood in a cold, endless field—flat stone stretching for miles beneath a sky that looked like cracked glass.
The air was still. Too still.
And then…
> [Trial Three – Garden of Temptation]
One of them is not who she says she is. If you fail to choose... she will destroy you.
A sharp wind blew past.
And when Elias turned, five figures appeared behind him.
Aya. Lilith. Nyla. Serina. Iris.
All of them staring at him—calm, unreadable.
"Wha… what the hell is this?" Elias asked, heart racing. "This isn't real."
Lilith stepped forward, tilting her head. "Why are you doubting us, master?"
Aya moved next to her. "Don't you trust us anymore?"
Something felt off. The way they stood. Too perfect. Too symmetrical.
But their voices… their eyes… damn, it felt real.
> [System Warning: One of these entities is a Soul Mimic. Eliminate it before it eliminates you.]
A timer appeared before his eyes.
10:00.
---
The Pressure Builds
"Why would you test me like this?" Elias asked.
No answer.
Instead, Nyla took a step closer. She looked up at him with trembling eyes.
"Don't you remember the night we shared? In the forest? Under the blood moon?"
His chest tightened.
That memory was real.
Too real.
He turned toward Iris. "Say something. Anything."
Iris narrowed her eyes. "You're wasting time. Choose, Elias. Or we all die."
---
7:48
Suddenly, a scream ripped the air.
Serina dropped to her knees, gripping her head.
"Something's… inside me!" she gasped.
Lilith backed away from her. "She's the fake. I knew it."
Aya frowned. "Wait. She's acting. You all saw how Serina never screamed in pain, not even in battle."
Everyone turned toward Serina.
Tears were rolling down her cheeks.
"Help me…"
6:02
The mimic was playing dirty.
It knew every detail. Every word. Every memory.
Elias couldn't trust anyone now.
But then—
Aya stepped in front of him.
"I'll make it easy," she said, voice steady.
She pointed at Lilith. "She's the mimic."
Lilith's eyes flared red. "You little—"
BOOM.
She lunged forward, claws out, fangs bared.
But Elias didn't flinch.
Because he saw it.
Her shadow—twisting, flickering. Like it didn't belong in this realm.
He reached behind his back.
Summoned his Lust Blade with a burst of scarlet energy.
"Nice try," he growled. "But you're not her."
SLASH!
The blade tore through Lilith's body—and she exploded into black mist.
Screeching. Twisting. Melting into the stone.
---
> [Trial Passed: Soul Recognition Successful]
You have resisted Temptation and Pierced Deception.
New Skill Gained: "Heartseer" – Detect falsehood, illusion, and mimicry.
---
The sky shattered.
And the real Lilith appeared beside him, arms crossed.
"About damn time," she muttered.
Aya chuckled and flicked his forehead. "You almost stabbed the real me, idiot."
Elias laughed nervously, heart still pounding.
> "Final trial… cleared."
"Welcome back, Harem Lord."
---
But far above, unseen behind cracked sky-glass, a hooded figure watched.
Its voice was like ice grinding through bone.
> "He adapts too quickly. We'll have to break him… another way."
The trials were over. The sky had cleared, and Elias stood atop the floating ruins of the Lust Gate, his harem surrounding him. The air was thick with power, still humming from the mimic's final scream.
But something was off.
Aya wasn't smiling.
She stood beside him, arms folded tight, jaw clenched. Her eyes… slightly too glassy. A shade darker.
Lilith leaned in, whispering, "You see it too?"
Elias nodded slowly. "Yeah. She's not right."
---
A Shadow That Shouldn't Be
Back at the manor, everything felt normal… at first.
The bath was warm. The feast was plenty. The girls laughed again. Even Iris cracked a joke about Elias having "a hero complex and a pervert's soul."
But when night fell, and Elias turned in with Aya, she didn't touch him.
No teasing. No sly grins.
Just silence.
"I'm fine," she murmured when he asked.
But as she slept beside him, Elias watched the moonlight fall across her neck…
And saw it.
A black vein. Pulsing. Moving beneath her skin.
He jolted up. "Aya!"
She didn't stir.
Instead, her lips moved… whispering something.
Words in a tongue he didn't understand.
And then—her eyes snapped open, pitch black. No iris. No soul.
"You thought the mimic died…" she hissed, voice overlapping with another deeper tone. "But some things… linger."
---
The System Intervenes
> [System Alert – Warning: Foreign Entity Detected.]
Aya's body has been cursed. Mimic essence embedded in her spirit core.
Initiating purification countdown: 3 hours until full possession.
"Hell no," Elias muttered.
He summoned the Lust Blade, glowing scarlet-hot.
Aya screamed—not from pain, but from whatever was inside her reacting.
"You're not hurting her," the voice inside growled. "She is mine now. She invited me in."
Elias growled back. "She was fighting beside me. She bled for me."
He raised the blade to her chest.
But Lilith burst through the door, panting. "Don't! The curse isn't physical. You kill the shell, she's gone."
"So how do I get it out?!"
Lilith held up a vial. Swirling red liquid.
"Lust Core Extract. From the trial. You drink it… then enter her subconscious. Rip it out yourself."
---
Inside Aya's Mind
The world twisted. Heat. Light. Screams. Then silence.
Elias stood in a vast, dark garden. The flowers were ash. The trees bled shadow.
Aya knelt at the center, wrapped in black vines, eyes full of tears. "I tried to fight it…"
"I know," Elias whispered.
He stepped forward.
But the vines surged.
And from them… another Aya emerged.
Seductive. Smiling. Her voice like poisoned honey.
"Why fight it?" she purred. "She wants this. She wants to belong to you. Forever."
Elias clenched his fists. "She already belongs with me. And not like this."
---
Final Blow
The fake Aya lunged.
Elias caught her mid-air, and in a blur, plunged the blade into her chest—not with hatred, but love.
Not a slash.
A cleansing.
The darkness shattered.
The vines disintegrated.
And real Aya collapsed into his arms, sobbing.
"You… you saved me."
He smiled through his exhaustion. "Next time, don't invite demons into your brain."
---
> [System Notification – Curse Purged: Mimic Residue Destroyed.]
Aya's Bond has Deepened. New Skill Unlocked: "Soul Link – Aya"
Once per battle, share damage or power with Aya.
---
Aftermath
Back in the waking world, Elias blinked awake, his heart still racing from the vivid dream. He glanced around, taking in the familiar surroundings of his dorm room. The evening light filtered through the curtains, casting a soft glow on the rumpled sheets beside him.
Aya lay there, her chest rising and falling gently with each breath. She was peaceful, her brow unfurrowed, lips slightly parted. Elias watched her for a moment, a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. In the dream, she had been so fierce, so unyielding in her loyalty to him. Now, in the light of day, she looked almost vulnerable.
He reached out, brushing a strand of hair from her face. She stirred at his touch, her eyelids fluttering open. For a moment, she looked confused, her gaze unfocused. Then, as if remembering something, a soft smile spread across her face.
"Elias," she murmured, her voice still heavy with sleep. She leaned into his touch, her hand covering his. "I had the strangest dream..."
System Notification: Engagement Protocol Activated
Mode: Intimate Response – High Arousal Detected
Target Identified: Aya
Emotional State: Deep affection and desire
Mental Focus: Intensified attraction, craving intimate connection, Horny, high orgasm
Status: Physical urges escalating – initiating private interaction sequence, BJ mood
I am all yours Aya spoke .