The morning after the banquet was draped in gold. Sunlight filtered through velvet curtains, casting dappled warmth over the Royal Academy. In the North Tower, Jimmy sat in a high-backed chair near his window, shirtless, the silver-haired Lana kneeling before him, tending to his boots with quiet reverence.
> [Dream Parasite Targets: 61 (Latent)]
> [Affection Updates: Lady Yelena Verdan – 42% | Mira Varnis – 58% | Elira – 39%]
He swirled a goblet of imported elven wine in one hand, the taste of conquest still fresh on his tongue. Last night was not just a success. It was a declaration.
They were all his. Or would be soon.
---
"Master," Lana said softly, standing. "You asked me to deliver a note to Lady Yelena? She responded."
He raised an eyebrow. "Let me guess. She couldn't sleep."
Lana handed over the parchment with the seal of House Verdan. The scent of Yelena's perfume still clung to it.
> "I need to see you again. You haunt me. Tonight. My chamber balcony. Come as a shadow, leave as a storm."
Jimmy's smile deepened.
"She dreams faster than I expected."
> [Yelena - Corruption Level: 19% | Stage: Seeded Thought]
---
The day passed like honeyed wine. Jimmy wandered the Academy halls, charming his way past cliques of noble daughters, stoic instructors, and competitive combat students.
He whispered compliments that clung like silk. He bumped shoulders with scholars and whispered, "You looked lovely last night." Their eyes widened. Faces flushed.
> [Dream Parasite Spread: +4 Targets]
By late afternoon, he found himself in the tower library—alone, save for Mira.
She sat by a window, nose in a book she hadn't turned the page of in twenty minutes. Her gaze kept flicking to the side. To him.
He approached slowly, silently. When she noticed him, she startled and snapped the book shut.
"I didn't see you—"
Jimmy leaned down, hand braced on the window ledge beside her. "You saw me all night."
Her breath caught.
> [Mira - Corruption Level: 42%]
He brushed a strand of her hair behind her ear. She trembled.
"Tonight," he whispered. "Same tree. Same dreams."
She nodded before her mind could stop her.
---
That evening, as twilight descended, Jimmy stood on the academy wall, cloak billowing. The city stretched beyond, glowing and unaware. Behind him, Lana approached.
"Everything is ready, Master. Yelena's balcony is guarded, but not tonight. A servant was... convinced to look the other way."
Jimmy turned to her. "You're perfect."
She blushed—not from praise, but need.
---
The Verdan Tower was silent as he slipped through the shadows, bypassing magical wards with Dreamstep. He appeared in the moonlit chamber like a dream made flesh.
Yelena was waiting in a sheer violet gown, hair undone, lips trembling with anticipation.
"You came," she whispered.
Jimmy moved behind her, wrapping arms around her waist. "And I'll stay until you beg me to leave."
> [Lucid Delirium - Active]
He kissed the nape of her neck. She gasped, pressing back into him.
Clothes fell like whispers. Fingers explored. Bodies entangled.
On the silken bed of House Verdan, Jimmy claimed her, whispering praises and twisted oaths into her ear. Each thrust was a thread. Each moan, a knot.
> [Yelena - Corruption Level: 48% | Emotional Attachment Triggered]
Afterward, she lay against his chest, body marked with passion and magic.
"What are we?" she asked, fragile.
Jimmy kissed her brow. "Fate."
---
Before dawn, he slipped away. Lana was waiting by the dorm tower, blades newly sharpened.
"Yelena is yours now," she said.
Jimmy nodded. "But there's more. Soon we take the professor's heart, the librarian's mind, and the academy's secrets."
He turned to the moon, smiling.
> [Dream Throne Evolution: 22%]
"Let them sleep. I'm just getting started."