Chapter Nine: A Support's Devotion
Crow walked through the ruined streets, his new companion clinging tightly to his side.
The girl's silver hair brushed against his arm with every step, her presence light but constant.
[ Player: Lyravex (Level 1) ]
[ Talent: SSS-Rank Support Specialist (Blessed Spirit Healer) ]
Lyravex.
A rare existence.
More valuable than most cities.
Crow's Divine Controller skill pulsed faintly between them, forging an unbreakable bond deeper than simple loyalty.
It wasn't forced submission.
It was willing, desperate devotion.
He didn't mind.
She was useful.
She was his.
"Master," Lyravex whispered, her violet eyes shimmering as she looked up at him.
Her fingers tightened in the fabric of his sleeve.
There was a soft flush across her pale cheeks, her breathing slightly quickened.
Crow paused, glancing down.
"What is it?" he asked calmly.
Lyravex bit her lip, trembling slightly.
"...I...I want..." she hesitated, voice dropping into a whisper. "I want to kiss you, Master..."
The request hung in the cold air between them.
Behind them, Seraphina and Nine-Tails watched silently.
Seraphina's misty form barely flickered, but there was a subtle tension in the way she gripped her blade.
Nine-Tails tilted her head lazily, amused.
Crow studied Lyravex carefully.
She wasn't trying to manipulate him.
Her feelings were real — pure, needy, overwhelming.
The Divine Controller bond amplified natural loyalty, deepened emotional dependency.
And Lyravex, fragile and powerful all at once, had been caught completely.
Crow didn't speak for a long moment.
Lyravex's hands trembled as she waited, eyes wide and pleading.
Finally, he moved.
He placed a hand under her chin and gently tilted her face upward.
"If you swear to never leave my side," he said, voice low and firm, "then you may."
"I swear!" she said instantly, tears forming at the corners of her eyes. "I'll never leave you, Master!"
Crow leaned down.
He brushed his lips lightly against her forehead —
not a full kiss, but enough.
Enough to bind her heart even tighter to him.
Lyravex gasped softly, collapsing against him in sheer relief and joy.
Crow stroked her hair once.
"Good girl," he said calmly.
The ruins around them groaned under the weight of the shifting world.
But Crow's army — his family — only grew stronger.
And he hadn't even begun to be serious yet.
Chapter Nine End