The great palace trembled again.
Ren Zian stood silently at the center of the circular chamber. The walls around him—formed from smooth, living stone—slowly rotated to reveal a new doorway. Unlike the previous halls of the palace, this one emitted no divine glow. Instead, a dull crimson light pulsed beyond the threshold, as if breathing.
Lyra stepped forward and grabbed his arm. "This domain… feels wrong," she whispered, her eyes narrowing. "I can sense the threads of envy. But it's tainted—greedy. Someone down there wants more than power. They want everything."
Ren nodded. "That means the next domain has opened."
Behind them, Ilyra stood tall, arms folded but eyes focused. Though still new to the palace, her instincts were sharp. "This place... it reacts to your choices. The moment you awakened that last Chaos skill, this door began calling."
Lyra didn't like it. She never liked when other heroines spoke as if they understood Ren. She drew closer to him, clinging a little too tight.
Ren placed a hand gently on her shoulder. "You're not being replaced. You're with me, always," he said with quiet assurance. "Come with me, both of you."
As they crossed into the newly revealed corridor, the air grew warmer. Gold coins littered the floor like broken leaves. Weapons made of rubies and emeralds hung from rusted chains. The sound of dripping—liquid gold, not water—echoed around them.
Then the floor tilted downward.
A staircase spiraled into darkness, carved from bones coated in gold. Each step glowed faintly with ancient runes. As soon as Ren's foot touched the first step, an invisible pressure pressed down on him.
Greed.
It wasn't a whisper. It was a roar, deep inside his mind.
You deserve more. You deserve them all. Every power, every woman, every throne. Why stop with the gods?
Ren clenched his jaw. "This place is alive. It wants me to fall into something I'm not."
Lyra stepped down beside him. "Then hold onto what you are," she said fiercely, wrapping her fingers around his.
Ilyra moved cautiously behind them, golden petals blooming around her as she summoned protective energy. "The domain is warping your intent. It amplifies every ambition and turns it into a weapon against you."
Step by step, they descended deeper into the staircase.
And at the center—resting atop a throne of molten gold—was Malvorn Gredan, the Dominion of Greed.
He was grotesque.
Seven arms, each adorned with rings made from stolen divinity. His crown was fused into his scalp, pulsing as if feeding on his thoughts. In one hand, he held a shattered mirror that reflected Ren's face—not as he was, but as he could be: ruthless, cruel, drowning in women and chaos.
"Ahh," Malvorn said with a voice that rattled the marrow. "The one marked by chaos. You've come far… but not far enough. You think love makes you strong? I say it makes you foolish."
He raised a skeletal hand, and chains shot from the ceiling. They wrapped around Lyra and Ilyra in an instant.
Ren stepped forward, fury blazing in his eyes. "Let them go."
Malvorn laughed. "No. Because they are your weakness. They are the proof that you crave more than just freedom. You want loyalty. You want possession. You're not a savior. You're just a man drunk on desire."
Lyra snarled through clenched teeth, "Ren is nothing like you."
But Ren didn't respond with words.
He summoned the Chaos Blade, its edge now gleaming with the memory-sealing power from his last battle. The moment it appeared, the chains faltered.
Malvorn lunged forward, arms flailing like striking vipers.
Their battle wasn't just of fists and magic. Malvorn fought by tearing at Ren's mind. Visions slammed into him—Lyra turning from him, Ilyra falling for another, power slipping from his grasp. But each time, Ren pushed back with the truth.
"I don't need to own them. They chose to stay. That's real strength."
With a roar, Ren slashed through the illusion. The blade struck Malvorn's chest, but instead of blood, obsidian greed oozed from the wound.
Malvorn screamed, writhing. "You… you deny your nature!"
Ren's eyes narrowed. "No. I master it."
With one final strike, the Chaos Blade shattered the throne behind Malvorn. The entire chamber rippled—and then collapsed inwards, like a curse breaking.
The staircase vanished. The molten gold turned to dust.
And the chains?
Gone.
Lyra stumbled forward, straight into Ren's arms. "You didn't give in," she whispered.
Ilyra nodded slowly, eyes wide. "That was more than a fight. It was a trial."
Ren turned, breathing heavily. "The palace isn't just testing my strength. It's testing who I am."
From the rubble of the throne, a single item hovered.
A crimson orb.
Lyra touched it—and it responded only to her. Power surged through her body as it merged with her core.
Chaos Skill Unlocked – Heartbinding Bloom:
Allows Lyra to share Ren's burden, granting him clarity in the face of emotional manipulation and greed. When they're near each other, they are immune to temptation.
Ilyra stared at it. "That's… a protective skill."
Ren looked at Lyra. "Even the palace recognizes you."
Lyra smirked, possessive fire dancing in her eyes. "Of course it does. I'm not going anywhere."
And for a moment, as the dust settled and the door back to the main palace reopened, the three of them stood together in silence.
But deeper within the palace, another door began to pulse.