Duk duk! Duk duk! Duk duk!
The sound wasnât real. Not a knock at the door, not the clanging of metal on stoneâit was his heart, hammering inside his ribcage with such violence it might as well have been a war drum announcing his doom.
âNo body has that feature. Heâs the only one. The only character in the whole story who has that feature. So Iâm sure, Iâm fully sure... heâs the fucking...fucking main character.â
The thought alone dried his mouth. His lips stuck together, his tongue felt like sand. Aiden tried to breathe but even the air seemed reluctant to enter his lungs. He could taste the metallic tang of fear on the back of his tongue.
âWaitâhe saw me. His truth eyes... no, no. That canât be. He hasnât been blessed with them yet. If he had, my neck would already be sliced open and Iâd be twitching on the floor like a slaughtered dog.â
The thought spun again, faster and faster, until he had to clutch his own chin to keep from shaking apart. His other arm was still around Amberâs waist, holding her like an anchor in a storm. But even her warmth couldnât pierce through the fog closing in on him.
"...Aiden?" Amberâs voice called, soft as a prayer.
The syllables brushed against his ears, but his skull felt sealed shut. Her call didnât pierce through.
His thoughts surged, frenzied, gnawing.
âHe arrived in Leonidus fief to encounter the berserker. That was the eventâthe spark. Thatâs where he learns the ways of Ignition. That was the beginning Chapter. It occurred, but not today, not this date, not this time. The chronology doesnât line up. Unless... unless my memories are warped. Unless something has shifted.â
He could almost see the pages of a book flipping, shuffling themselves into a new order.
âWait. Iâm panicking. Heâs here, yes. But that doesnât mean he will meet her right away. It doesnât mean fate will fall exactly as I remember. I shouldnât trust these vague fragments as gospel. If I cling to them too tightly, Iâll crush myself under the weight of expectation.â
"Aiden..." Amberâs tone cracked with worry now. Her face, pale under the torchlight, leaned closer. A bead of sweat slid down from his temple to his chin, catching the faint shimmer of flame before it fell.
She saw it. She saw him unravel.
Aiden mumbled. He didnât even know what words escaped him, just fragments spilling into the stale dungeon air like broken glass.
âThen... I need to pace myself. If heâs here, then what follows after will be... catastrophic. No more drifting. No more delaying. Every step from here is a noose tightening around my throat.â
His golden eyes lifted, soaking in the menace above the dungeon archways. The ceiling seemed to ripple with a shadow that wasnât cast by any flame. He swallowed, then forced himself to look back at Amber.
Her green eyes. Those green, adorable eyes.
In them, he found something human. Something grounding. They reflected him back, not as an omen, not as a doomed pawn, but as a man.
âiâm still me....not just some character, on the heroâs path, ready to be slayed. Iâm real...cause she sees me as real.
The catastrophes.... I will not die to them, and neither will she.â
[Amber Nickson
Status: Full Possession.
Bloodline: Blessed Bunny Bloodline (Low Tier)
Mana: Low
Grade: C Class
Personality: Worried / Despair / Intense Love
Skills: Light Healing (Low Tier), Low Aura (Low Tier), Saint Blessing (Locked)
Beauty: Voluptuous (High Tier)
Talent: ââ ]
"Amber... you are mine. And I will protect you, if itâs the last thing I do." His voice wasnât loud, but it carried weightâthe kind that left bruises on the soul.
Her heart, which only moments ago had been trapped in despair, now fluttered like a freed bird. The rhythm inside her chest picked up speed, wild and uncontrollable.
She was his. He said it. She was his.
Her lips trembled, but her soul didnât. She felt baptized by those words, every nerve rewired to worship their sound. She wasnât a fling, she wasnât a shadow in passing. She belonged to him now.
âIâm sorry, Lord. Iâm sorry, I belong to him now. I give my soul to him, now and forever...â
[Notification!]
[Soul Link Detected!]
[Amber has been promoted to Leashed Possession.]
[Her soul belongs to the User now. Option for exchange of Ember available.]
[Amber Nickson
Status: Full Possession > Leashed Possession
Personality: Worried / Despair > Hope / Intense Love > Yandere Love ]
Aiden smiled faintly as the systemâs display flickered before his eyes. Yes. He neednât drown in worry. The so-called main character might stride through the world like a storm, dragging chaos at every step, but Aiden had his own weapon. His system. His curse-blood. His incubus heritage.
If the gods had meant it as a punishment, he would twist it into his salvation.
Amber brushed her fingers against his jaw. "...are you okay, Aiden? You looked worried for a second."
"Yeah..." His reply was faint. Then, as if to ground himself, he leaned into her neck, breathing her in.
Snifffffff.
The scent hit himâwarm skin, faint traces of lavender oil, and beneath it, the raw pulse of her bloodline. Sweet, fertile, almost addicting.
"...?" Amber stiffened slightly.
"Iâm okay now." His lips ghosted against her skin. "You always soothe me, Amber." His golden gaze dropped briefly to her locked skill.
[Saint Blessing (Locked)]
"And donât say youâll leave your position in the church just because of me," he added. "You have talent as a healer, Amber. Potential... you just need more.... ember."
"....ember?"
Her hands tightened around his neck, desperation quivering in her voice. "Iâll do whatever you say. Whatever, Aiden. Just donât leave me like you did before." She pressed her head against his chest, listening to his heartbeatâfast, fierce, alive.
"I really mean it..." she whispered, closing her eyes as if surrendering.
The moment lingered. Torch crackles filled the silence like distant applause.
Thenâ
"Ahem." Johnâs cough sliced into the air from the corner.
Aiden ignored him, arms still wrapped around Amber, refusing to let the moment dissolve.
"Ahem! Ahem!" Louder this time.
They ignored him again, as if he were nothing more than a squeaking rat.
"Aheeemm! Aheeeemmm!!"
Aidenâs eye twitched. "...John."
"Yes?"
"Do you wanna die?"
John hesitated, then muttered, "...no. But Mrs. Akidna will kill me if I donât call you. Said itâs urgent. Both the Viscountess and the Duchess are .....letâs just sat theyâre going to tear the mansion apart if you donât come."
Amber blinked. â...Akidna?â
Aiden sighed, letting her go. "What happened?"
John looked pale. "Mrs. Akidna was searching for you saying Both the Viscountess and the Duchess are rioting. If you donât come in time..."
Aidenâs lips curled into a sneer. âOh, Lord Augustus. I see youâve taken my advice to the bone... and told your wife tonight...â
"Amber," he said, lowering his voice, intimate enough that only she could hear, "I will visit you soon. We have much to
discuss
..." His lips brushed her ear. "...on bed."
Her face flared red instantly.
"Or," he added, teasing, "I can come to the church. We can
discuss
there."
Her blush deepened, spreading like fire. She slapped his chest weakly. "Stooop. Justâdonât forget me like you usually do."
He said nothing, only tightened his grip around her waist. Before she could react, his lips crashed against hers.
The kiss wasnât gentleâit was consuming. His tongue claimed hers, his hunger spilling out raw.
"Mmmâ" Amber moaned, shocked, but she melted into it. They were in public, yes, but shame couldnât overpower desire. Not when her soul was already chained to him.
John looked away, face scarlet, muttering curses under his breath about his "virgin eyes."
Aiden deepened the kiss until Amberâs breathing came ragged, until her body trembled against him. He could feel her breasts hardening against his chest, her thighs pressing together. Just as her need peaked, he pulled back.
A thin string of saliva bridged their parted lips, glistening under the torchlight.
Her eyes were glazed, her cheeks flushed, her breath uneven.
"Okay, dear. Duty calls." He let her goânot into despair this time, but into a warmth that made her body ache.
Amber only nodded, twitching with restraint.
"...Take care." Her voice was trembling, but steady. She wanted to ask who Akidna was, but swallowed it. She had already given her soul. That was enough.
As Aiden walked away, his broad back retreating into shadow, Amber pressed her trembling fingers to her lips.
She belonged to him now. And the moment she spoke those words from the heart, she felt a connectionâone so deep that she felt him, and he felt her. Both entagled to each other, more so than Aiden realized.
â....He was an incubus all along...hehe.. and Iâm a nun. A nun who belongs to a demon blood. Strange, how fate works...â