Aurian drifted.
No up. No down. His soul poured like liquid into a weightless void—air that breathed like water, space that pulsed with a heartbeat not his own.
The dark wasn't empty. I watched.
And then, A voice.
"Finally."
It caressed his mind, warm and low, spoken like a lover's breath against skin.
He turned, though there was no direction. No ground. No sky.
Only her.
She floated just beyond reach, her form outlined in moon-pale light: a woman with curling black horns and firelit eyes. Silver hair drifted behind her like a veil of smoke. Beautiful, but wrong. Still in a way that defied time.
"You've awakened," she said, her lips unmoving.
Aurian's eyes narrowed. "Who are you?"
"I am what your mother left behind," she answered.
A pause. A tilt of her head.
"And I've been waiting for you."
"My mother?" he asked, something stirring in his chest.
"She crafted me in her final days," the woman said, voice rich with heat and sorrow. "Not from flesh, but from need. From ruin. She bound her last spell to your blood and buried me inside this vessel."
Aurian's gaze dropped to his chest, where the amulet had fused—now gone, yet humming beneath the skin.
"Where am I?" he asked, breath shallow.
"In the Grimoire's heart," she said. "This is where your power sleeps. A dream. A gate. A forge."
She stepped forward—not walking, not floating, just appearing—and touched her hand to his chest. He flinched, but didn't pull away.
"You are an incubus," she whispered. "But not one of the old breed. Your hunger is bound to flame. To longing. To surrender freely given."
The dark pulsed around them. From the depths, something rose—a sphere of red light, like an ember caught in breath. It hovered before him, thrumming.
"The First Flame," she said. "Yours."
Aurian backed a step, instinct shouting danger, but another part of him… ached.
"What happens if I touch it?"
She smiled. Not kindly.
"You'll remember."
"I don't want to forget who I am."
"You haven't," she said softly. "You've only denied it."
A pause.
"I am your Grimoire. Your bond. Your system, if you prefer the word. And you are not broken, Aurian. Only bound."
He stared at the flame, heart pounding. "And what happens after?"
"You feed. You grow. You claim."
She leaned close, breathless, inches from his ear.
"You've already marked her. The Baroness bears your sigil. Her gate is open."
Aurian's breath caught.
"You saw."
"I am you. I see what you feel. I know what you crave."
She smiled.
"And what she does."
His hand hovered over the flame. Closer. Closer still.
SYSTEM BOND: INITIATED
CLASS: FLAMEBOUND INCUBUS — VESSEL-TETHER
ESSENCE: DESIRE, POWER, EMOTIONAL SUBMISSION
ABILITY UNLOCKED: SOULMARK
▸ Targets marked through mutual lust may be tethered.
▸ You may sense their longing, fear, pleasure, or pain.
▸ You may appear in their dreams—or pull them into yours.
▸ Marked targets may strengthen your flame when vulnerable
Aurian's mental hand hovered over the traits, the pull of power tempting him.
AVAILABLE ACTIONS:
[AWAKEN CHARM: Siren's Whisper — Cost 10 ENERGY]
[ENHANCE LIFE DRAIN: Soul Sip — Cost 12 ENERGY]
[TRAIN SHADOW BLEND: Veil of Night — Cost 8 ENERGY]
[PRACTICE ETHEREAL FLIGHT: Phantom Glide — Cost 6 ENERGY]
[STRENGTHEN EMOTIONAL WARD: Aura of Discord — Cost 15 ENERGY]
Aurian's choice was deliberate. He selected AWAKEN CHARM: Siren's Whisper.
A soft warmth spread through him, lips curling into a faint, knowing smile as unseen tendrils of seductive power unfurled inside his mind.
NEW ABILITY UNLOCKED:
Siren's Whisper — A whispered word can bend the will of a listener, planting desire or doubt.
His Charm stat rose to 22/100. The interface shimmered, revealing his newly gained skill's details:
Siren's Whisper
Active Skill — Command attention, manipulate emotions, compel action. Cooldown required.
The system's voice returned, cautious.
"Beware, Vessel. Such power tempts those who would seek to control it. Use wisely or risk becoming
prey to your hunger."
His skin burned.
No, not burned—woke.
"She'll need you now," the spirit said. "He's closer than you think. And she—"
The dream flickered. A knock. A voice outside memory.
"She is afraid."
Aurian looked down. His body was glowing now—red runes crawling up his forearm, curling like smoke around muscle and bone.
"And you're ready," she said.
"Then let me out," he whispered.
Her smile sharpened.
"You were never locked in."
Ellanior slept, her breath slow and steady beside him, her body curled close in the shape of trust. Her head rested against his shoulder, fingers still clutching faintly at the scar on his hip, as if afraid this peace might vanish with the dawn.
But the room was no longer still.
The air had thickened.
And the necklace around Aurian's throat—once dormant metal—began to burn.
[Seconds Later…]
Aurian's eyes snapped open, pupils wide and sharp, the room around him coming into focus with brutal clarity. The lingering warmth from the dream realm still clung to his skin like a whisper, the mark of the First Flame pulsing faintly beneath his ribs.
He sat up slowly, every muscle tense, as if his body was still tethered between two worlds. The soft morning light spilled through the cracked curtains, casting pale stripes across the worn wooden floor. Ellanior lay beside him, peaceful and unaware, her steady breathing a fragile anchor to the waking world.
Aurian's fingers grazed the spot on his chest where the amulet had once rested—now nothing but a faint scar and a quiet hum of power beneath his skin. He swallowed hard, the weight of what he'd seen pressing down on him.
The Grimoire's voice echoed softly in his mind, a chilling reminder of the path unfolding before him.
"You're rising. The flame grows. But with it comes hunger… and danger."
He glanced at Ellanior again, her face serene, but his mind raced with unspoken truths. The sigil he had burned into her was more than a mark—it was a bond, a promise, and perhaps a curse.
He stood abruptly, moving to the window. Outside, the city stretched, gray and sprawling—a maze of shadow and opportunity.
Aurian's jaw clenched.
Time to see what this power truly means. Time to find out what I can become before the world catches up.
He pulled his cloak tighter around him, stepping into the chill morning air.
Then he jumped.
The cold air bit into his face as he fell, heart pounding in wild rhythm. Shadows stretched beneath him, but he didn't flinch. Instead, he bent his knees at the last second, landing with a controlled roll on the cobblestone street below.
His cloak billowed around him like a living thing, the mark burning hot beneath his shirt, feeding on the thrill of the descent.
Aurian rose, eyes sharp, senses alive.