Kael hadn't said a word since they left Malkor's ruined lair.
Aiko didn't need his voice to feel his tension—it rippled off him like heat from an overdrawn blade. Vorik marched ahead, quiet as well, his usual smug confidence replaced by something raw. Something primal. He had watched her break a Sinlord without fear.
And now… they feared her, too.
She liked that.
Power was an aphrodisiac more potent than any touch. And yet, a tightness lingered in her chest. A desire unanswered.
Because despite the sync, despite the climax, she was still hungry.
And it wasn't for sex.
It was for something she couldn't yet name.
---
They arrived at the Temple of Glass by midnight. It shimmered under moonlight like a palace made of frozen tears. A sanctum not meant for mortals.
"Why are we here?" Aiko asked.
Kael's voice was finally back—cold and hard. "To meet the one man who might help you control the mutation."
"Control?" she echoed. "You mean stop it?"
"No. I mean survive it."
The doors opened soundlessly.
A man stood inside.
No armor. No weapons. Only robes the color of untouched snow, skin so pale it seemed carved from moonstone. His eyes—one silver, one black—watched her without lust. Without awe.
Without anything.
Aiko felt… naked. Not in body. In essence.
The man bowed. "Welcome, Breedbound."
His voice struck like a tuning fork inside her skull—smooth, deep, reverberating.
"I am Silas. Warden of the Celibate Flame."
She blinked. "The what now?"
Kael murmured beside her, "He's the only male in Virelia immune to erotic sync. His vow is absolute."
"Impossible," she said, stepping closer.
But even now, as her presence thickened—heat rolling off her skin, her aura blooming with carnal power—Silas didn't even flinch.
No pupil dilation. No flush. No tension.
Just... silence.
Like a still lake beneath a winter moon.
---
[==== SYSTEM NOTICE ====]
ERROR: Target does not register arousal. Sync impossible.
Warning: Subject is protected by divine oath. Attempting to override will trigger backlash.
Alternate Path: Psychological Domination
Risk: Unknown
---
"Immune," Aiko whispered. "Like a walking chastity cage."
Silas tilted his head. "Your power is impressive, child. But crude."
"Crude?" she snapped. "I've fucked a Sinlord into chains and burned a warlock's mind out through orgasm."
"I've seen better," he said calmly.
That. Pissed. Her. Off.
Aiko stalked toward him, hips swaying like temptation incarnate. Her fingertips glowed pink with raw Breedbound energy. Her voice dripped heat.
"I could make you scream with a whisper," she murmured. "Make you forget your name with a touch."
Silas didn't move.
"You're afraid," she said.
"No," he said simply. "I'm... untouched."
She shoved her palm into his chest.
Nothing.
She pushed harder.
Still nothing.
"You don't feel this?" she snarled.
"I feel everything," he replied. "But I have mastered the body. You, however... have not."
Her hand trembled.
"Then teach me," she said.
That caught him off guard.
Kael and Vorik turned to her, stunned.
"I don't want to lose myself," she whispered. "To become a slave to this system. I need to learn how to own my power—not be consumed by it."
Silas looked her up and down—not like a man admiring a body, but like a scholar reading a text.
He turned.
"Come. If you survive the trials, I will teach you."
---
The next morning, she stood in the Temple's inner sanctum. Naked. Bound by radiant silk to an altar etched with holy runes. Her aura was forcibly suppressed, her arousal locked behind psychic barriers.
"Your trial is not pleasure," Silas said. "It is denial. Until you can suppress your own heat, you will not move from that altar."
She writhed.
"I'll explode!" she shouted.
"Then explode," he said. "Or evolve."
---
Hours passed.
Her nipples ached.
Her folds throbbed.
Her breath came in ragged gasps.
But she didn't come.
Didn't beg.
Didn't break.
Vorik watched from afar, unable to hide his erection. Kael paced like a caged wolf.
But Aiko was silent now. Radiating restraint.
She was learning.
She was adapting.
And it hurt.
---
By sunset, the pressure was unbearable. Every heartbeat was a climax unshed. Every breath a scream swallowed.
Her mind fractured.
And then—
Peace.
A light.
Control.
---
[==== SYSTEM NOTICE ====]
NEW TRAIT UNLOCKED – Flame of Restraint
You can now suppress your own Breedbound arousal for 1 hour per level.
Also grants immunity to basic lust-based charms and pheromones.
Current Duration: 12 hours
Mutation Progress: 82%
Stability: Temporarily restored
---
Silas approached and cut her bonds.
She collapsed into his arms.
"I hate you," she whispered.
"I know," he said.
"But thank you."
He held her gently.
Kael turned away, jaw clenched.
Vorik watched with dark, hungry eyes.
And the storm in the sky above pulsed, darker than before.
Something was coming.
But now... Aiko was ready to meet it head-on.