Midnight cloaked Blackthorne City in velvet shadows.
Above it all, atop a derelict clocktower overlooking the urban sprawl, Velarion waited.
His crimson eyes shimmered in the dark, his aura dampened but coiled like a predator ready to strike. The system's mini-raid countdown ticked in the corner of his vision. Eleven hours until the Searing Wyrm tore open a nest of fire beneath the city.
But something else stirred in the wind.
Something… deliciously dangerous.
He didn't turn when he heard the shift of steel on stone.
"You're late," he said, his voice calm but laced with amusement.
A whisper of leather. A breeze carrying faint jasmine and poison. Then silence.
Velarion grinned.
"Come now," he continued. "You came to kill me, didn't you, assassin?"
A blur flashed forward—fast, silent, precise.
Twin daggers gleamed in the moonlight as they arced toward his throat.
He moved like smoke. One step back, one palm raised, catching her by the wrist.
Her hood fell.
Eyes like molten obsidian locked with his. Lips stained crimson. Black tattoos curled down her neck, glowing faintly with enchantment sigils.
She was beautiful in the way a storm is beautiful—lethal, wild, impossible to contain.
"I'm impressed," Velarion murmured.
She ripped free, flipped mid-air, landed crouched and ready.
"No one's supposed to dodge that," she hissed.
"Correction—no human is."
She froze. "...What are you?"
He stepped into the moonlight, aura flaring just slightly. Shadow and flame coiled around his shoulders like a cape woven from death itself.
She didn't retreat. She grinned.
"Doesn't matter. The contract is clear—kill Adrian Cain. Payment: two chaos crystals and access to the Lunar Fang Guild."
"Then kill him," Velarion said, his voice dropping into something primal. "Because Adrian Cain is already dead."
Her breath hitched—but only for a moment. She lunged.
Steel met fire.
Their battle was a deadly dance across the rooftop—daggers singing through air, blocked by tendrils of dark flame. She was quick. Elegant. Nearly a blur.
But he was… sovereign.
Velarion caught her ankle mid-spin and slammed her to the floor, pinning her wrists above her head in a single motion.
She didn't scream.
She laughed.
"I was told you'd be strong. But I didn't think you'd be… fun."
"You like this?" he asked, amused.
"I like power."
> [Target Detected: Nyx – Assassin-Class Variant. Status: Unbonded.] [System Compatibility: High. Soul Conflict Level: 74% – Initiate Dark Ritual Override?] [Warning: Consent Threshold Not Met. Initiating Domination Protocol Requires Lust Trigger.]
Velarion's eyes gleamed.
"Let me guess," he said, his voice lowering. "You've never failed a kill mission before."
Her breathing was quick now, her body straining under him—but not to escape. To feel.
"No," she whispered.
"And yet, here you are. On your back. Heart racing. Body responding."
"You talk too much."
He smirked.
"Let's skip the foreplay."
He kissed her.
Not gently. Not sweetly.
It was a claim.
Dark fire rippled between them as her system interface flickered open, involuntarily syncing to his frequency.
Her pupils dilated as the System screamed into her mind.
> [Dark Ritual Initiated – Soul Sync: Forced Submission Sequence Engaged.] [Lust Trigger Met. Resistance: 28%... 15%... 4%...] [Override Complete.] [Soul Brand Engraved: Assassin's Kiss.] [New Passive: Shadowmeld +8% | Loyalty Threshold Locked Until Will Break Event.]
Nyx moaned, her body arching as the soul-binding runes etched into her skin began to glow.
Her daggers clattered to the rooftop, forgotten.
Velarion leaned close, lips brushing her ear. "Your body belongs to me. Your soul is mine now. Kill me… or kneel."
She trembled—then slowly, willingly—slid to her knees before him.
"Kill me," she whispered, eyes wide with wild hunger. "Or claim me."
He placed a hand atop her head, dark fire flickering between his fingers.
"I claim you."
> [Soul-Bond: Nyx – Assassin-Class – COMPLETE.] [Bond Level: 11% – Trait Unlocked: Phantom Step.] [Combat Assist Function: Shadow Strike + Bleed Applied.] [Emotional Response: Submission | Rebellion Suppressed.]
She looked up at him—panting, flushed, eyes glazed with dangerous devotion.
"You're not like the others," she whispered.
"No," he said. "I'm not. I'm worse."
He turned toward the city skyline.
"Gear up. We raid at dawn."
> [Mini-Raid Bonded Members: 3/3 – Requirement Met.] [Target: Searing Wyrm, Nest of Cinders.] [Bonus Objective: Maintain Bond Integrity Throughout Raid.] [Failure = Bond Break Penalty.]
Nyx stood behind him, stretching like a panther. Her grin was sharp and hungry.
"Let's go burn the world, my King."
Velarion smirked.
"We'll start with a wyrm."
The wind howled softly across the rooftop, the city far below unaware of the shadow war about to ignite.
Velarion turned away from the skyline, his thoughts already calculating the raid formation. But Nyx lingered, her gaze burning into his back.
"Is this what you do?" she asked, her voice low. "Break women… and rebuild them in your image?"
He paused.
Then turned slowly, his expression unreadable.
"No," he said. "I don't break queens. I awaken them."
Nyx tilted her head, eyes narrowed. "Then why do I feel like I'm on a leash?"
Velarion stepped forward, each movement predatory, calculated. He lifted her chin with two fingers, his touch firm.
"Because you were born with chains around your throat," he whispered. "And for the first time, someone gave them purpose."
A shiver ran through her. Not fear. Hunger.
> [Bond Level: 13% – Emotional Shift Detected: Obsession | Rising Will Conflict.] [Unlocking Passive Perk: Blade Mistress – Critical Damage +6% When Near Host.]
Nyx's system chimed softly behind her eyes, but she ignored it. Her body was adjusting, her aura syncing to his rhythm. She could feel him in her veins, in every breath.
This wasn't magic.
It was possession.
And somehow… she wanted more.
She stepped back. "If you want me ready for this raid, I need my gear."
Velarion smirked. "It's already in your inventory. Check your system."
She blinked.
> [New Equipment: Shadowfang Suit – Bound to Host's Aura. Resistance to Fire +18%. Camouflage: Active.] [Weapon Unlock: Dagger Pair – "Kiss & Curse" – Trait: Bleed, Marked Target.]
She looked down as her casual assassin gear shimmered—replaced by a sleek, skin-tight obsidian suit laced with crimson glyphs that pulsed like living veins. Her new blades appeared in her hands, perfectly balanced, humming with dark power.
"…You prepared this?"
"I knew you'd come. And I knew you'd kneel."
"You're arrogant," she muttered.
"I'm accurate."
> [Harem Sync Update – Total Bonded: 3] [System Tier Increase: Harem Core LVL 2 Reached – New Slot Unlocked.] [Perk Unlocked: Linked Strike – Bonded allies deal +15% bonus damage to shared targets.]
The rooftop lit up faintly with red sigils as the system recalibrated.
Velarion turned away again, already issuing silent commands.
Selene and Kira appeared in his mental interface—waiting below in the shadow corridor near the school's edge.
> [Sync Check – Combatants Ready.] [Mini-Raid Entry Point: Sewer Tunnel beneath Ash District.] [Target Zone Status: Dormant.] [Time Until Awakening: 5h 43m]
Velarion's thoughts moved fast.
Selene's frost magic. Kira's radar scans. Nyx's infiltration.
He had his trinity. His raid core.
But more than that… he had his empire's foundation.
Suddenly, Nyx's voice cut through the air.
"One more thing."
He turned. She stood close, her expression unreadable.
"You claimed me. Fine. But if I ever find out you're weak—soft—like the rest…"
She leaned up, her breath against his lips.
"I'll slit your throat with a smile."
Velarion smiled darkly, unfazed.
"I wouldn't have it any other way."
She kissed him—fast, savage, claiming.
Then turned and vanished into the shadows like smoke.
> [Bond Level: 15% – Trait Strengthened: Assassin's Resurgence – Bonus Damage from Stealth Attacks Increased.]
Velarion stood alone once more atop the tower.
But now the night whispered with danger. With potential.
He extended a hand, calling forth a black flame that took the shape of a spear.
"The Searing Wyrm will fall," he said to the wind. "And with it… the city will learn who rules the dungeons now."
> [DUNGEON RAID OBJECTIVE: Searing Wyrm of Cinders] [Location: Ash District – Collapsing Underpass] [Optional Loot: Class Upgrade Token | Dungeon Core | Flamebound Skill Orb]
> [Midnight Approaches… 5h 30m Remaining.]