Location: Valeheart Spire – Combat Chamber, reinforced interiorTime: 10 minutes after the confrontation begins
The air felt heavier.
Not with heat or pressure—but with something unseen. Something crawling under the skin.
Selene Caelis, elite Huntress, master of blade and mind, was breathing harder than she should've been. Sweat dampened her collar, her pulse quickening in her neck. Her blades no longer felt as solid in her grip.
Lucien hadn't moved since his last taunt.
And that was the problem.
"You're not… supposed to be able to affect me," she said through clenched teeth.
Lucien stepped forward once.
"I'm not affecting you," he whispered. "You're reacting to me."
Her breath caught again—dammit. Every time he got closer, it wasn't just pressure she felt—it was pull. As if her body recognized him in ways her mind rejected.
He circled her slowly, hands behind his back, studying her like a sculpture on the edge of cracking.
"You've trained your whole life to resist control. But your training was for ordinary tyrants—those who use force."
He leaned close.
"I use desire."
She lashed out—spinning into a high kick. He caught her foot mid-air, holding it firm. She glared down at him, sweat trickling along her jaw.
"Touch me again, and I'll—"
Lucien's hand pulsed once.
She gasped. Her leg buckled. And for a fraction of a second—her body betrayed her.
That warmth again. That ache. Just from his touch.
[Stimulation Pulse Triggered][Subject Resistance: 87% → 63%]
She dropped back, flipping away with practiced grace, landing in a crouch.
Lucien finally sighed and turned his back to her. "You're not ready yet. You're still clinging to your pride."
Then, without looking back, he added, "When you're ready to beg, the floor's yours."
Elsewhere in the Spire…
Vespera stood outside the chamber, watching from a holographic screen, lips parted. Her fingers clenched the tray in her hands—struggling with feelings she didn't recognize.
Was she jealous?
Excited?
Eager to watch another fall as she had?
Behind her, two more women approached silently—Akari, the former idol, her body still marked by pleasure seals… and a new girl, freshly claimed from one of Lucien's corporate acquisitions, a brilliant tech CEO turned plaything, named Iris Vale.
Three women stood there.
All bound.
All watching.
And all knowing they belonged to him.