The House of a Hundred Sisters rarely slept, and tonight was no exception. From his high chamber window, Ryon could see the silhouettes of warrior maidens training under moonlight—clashing blades, casting brief sparks of magic, laughing like they didn't belong to a civilization built on war and extinction.
But Ryon felt none of that energy.
His body ached. His limbs screamed. His thoughts were scattered across the day's events, especially one: Seyna's look when he pinned her. Not rage. Not embarrassment.
It was recognition.
He turned away from the window and faced the mirror mounted beside the bathing basin.
The boy who looked back still didn't feel like him.
The eyes were sharper. The skin paler. The thin blue runes that occasionally flickered down his neck—like chains written in divine script—were a permanent reminder that this wasn't his original body.
And the System's warning loomed over it all:
> Time Remaining: 5 Days, 17 Hours
Bond with Seyna: 11%
Side Quest Progress: 0/30 Virgin Souls Freed
Curse Stability: Fragile
Midnight Visitation
A soft knock startled him.
He didn't answer—just stepped toward the door cautiously. When he opened it, he wasn't sure what he expected.
Definitely not Lyria.
She wore no armor. Her long crimson hair was tied back. A faint scar crossed her collarbone—one he hadn't noticed before. She looked... tired.
"I need to see your curse marks," she said.
Ryon blinked. "What?"
"You've been here three days," she said flatly, stepping in without permission. "You've been fighting. Training. Gaining favor. That means the curse is reacting. Let me see how far it's spread."
He hesitated.
"I'm not asking," she added coldly.
With a sigh, Ryon tugged off the shirt.
Lyria stepped closer. Her fingers traced the glowing symbols etched into his skin—along his chest, down his side, where the script curved over his heart.
"These weren't here before," she murmured. "The original Ryon… he had five chains. You already have eight."
"Chains?"
"The curse binds your soul. Each chain is a countdown. Too many, and the host collapses." Her hand lingered on the eighth rune, pulsing faintly like a dying heartbeat. "You're burning faster than he did."
Ryon's jaw tightened. "Why?"
She met his eyes. "Because you're stronger."
> System Prompt: Hidden Bond Update – Lyria Zareth
Emotion Recognition: Mixed (Grief, Suspicion, Attachment)
Compatibility: 12%
New Trait Gained: "Familiar Echo"
Danger Level: Variable
Lyria stepped back, folding her arms.
"You're going to need more than combat skill or charm to survive. You'll need to understand this place. Its darkness. Its history. Its women."
Ryon's mouth twitched. "Well, I've only got five days left to learn an empire."
She turned to leave, pausing at the door.
"There's a shrine beneath the fortress. One sealed by the First Matriarch herself. No one enters. But a priestess goes there every morning."
He blinked. "Why are you telling me this?"
"Because the virgin souls the system seeks?" Her voice dropped to a whisper. "Some of them aren't dead. They're trapped."
She left without another word.
Shrine of the Forgotten
Ryon waited until an hour before sunrise. Wrapped in a dark cloak, he followed the winding, forbidden path Lyria hinted at—down into the catacombs beneath the fortress.
The shrine was carved into obsidian. Dozens of cracked female statues lined the hall, faces covered in blindfolds, hands raised in silent prayer. As he moved deeper, the air thickened, heavy with unspent magic.
Then he saw her.
A lone girl knelt before the altar, humming a broken tune. She wore priestess robes—white and gold, untouched by dust. Her head was bowed, and her hands trembled as they cupped a small flickering flame.
She didn't turn when he stepped closer.
But she spoke.
"You're not supposed to be here, curseborn."
Ryon froze.
The girl slowly stood, her hair falling like silk around her shoulders. Her face was young. Innocent. But her eyes…
Her eyes were ancient.
> [System Alert: Virgin Soul Detected – Status: Bound]
Identity: Priestess Elenai
Status: Soul Stasis
Bond Potential: 92%
Danger Level: UNKNOWN
"You feel it, don't you?" she whispered. "The chains tightening. The threads pulling. The System feeding."
She turned fully to him now, stepping forward on bare feet.
"Do you want to free me?"
Ryon swallowed. "…What happens if I say yes?"
Her smile was gentle. Almost loving.
"Then I'll let you see what the curse really is."
She reached out.
And the moment her fingers brushed his—
> [Virgin Soul Initiated: Elenai – Binding Begins]
Curse Time Extended +4 Hours
Soul Link Fragment Acquired
Elenai Favorability: 5%
Ryon collapsed as the curse surged—visions flooded his mind: burning towers, screaming girls, the Matriarch holding a blade over a weeping child.
Then—
Darkness.