This was it then. This was how she died—not in some heroic last stand, not of old age, but simply because her body had given out at the worst possible moment. The fire alpha would incinerate her, reduce her to ash and bone, and there wasn't a damn thing she could do to stop it.
Kaisen was shouting something, his voice distant and distorted. Marcus was moving, trying to reach her but he was too far away. Elise had her hands raised but there was no mana left in her, nothing that could stop what was about to happen.
The fire alpha leaped, jaws opening impossibly wide, flames gathering for the killing blow.
Then everything stopped.
Not slowed, not paused, but stopped completely as if someone had reached out and frozen time itself mid-heartbeat. The fire alpha hung suspended in mid-leap with its massive body caught at the apex of its jump, flames frozen mid-churn inside its open maw like they'd been turned to solid glass.
Droplets of saliva hung in the air between its fangs, each one glowing faintly from the heat. They neither fell nor evaporated, just existed in that impossible frozen state.
Behind the beast, Kaisen was caught mid-shout with his mouth open and his sword raised in a futile attempt to intercept. Blood still flowed from the wounds covering his arms and chest , but even that blood was frozen now—perfect crimson lines that defied gravity, suspended in mid-air where it should have been falling.
The forest around them was perfectly still, nothing but the absolute silence of a world that had simply ceased moving, as if reality itself had decided to take a break and left them all suspended in this moment forever.
The pressure against Rem's ears was almost physical, that complete absence of sound weighing down on her like being underwater. She tried to move and found she could slightly, just tiny movements of her eyes and maybe her fingers if she concentrated, but everything felt wrong like pushing through thick syrup.
Then darkness began to creep in from the edges of her vision. Not the darkness of unconsciousness or death but something else entirely, something that swallowed the frozen forest and everything around it, replacing everything with infinite blackness that stretched in every direction.
The pain vanished.
Gone in an instant like someone had flipped a switch. Her back still looked burned when she glanced down—blistered flesh and charred edges where lightning seeped directly into her skin—but the agony that had been her constant companion for the last several minutes had simply disappeared.
She gasped, the sound impossibly loud in the sudden silence, and pushed herself upright with arms that suddenly worked despite the visible damage. Her muscles obeyed now, responding to her commands that had been useless seconds ago. She flexed her fingers experimentally, watched tendons and muscles move beneath burned skin, what in the freaky Friday?
The void around her was complete and absolute. No forest, no battlefield, nothing, just infinite blackness stretching in every direction without a horizon or an boundary. It was like standing inside the universe before creation had bothered with concepts like light or matter.
She turned in a slow circle, searching for anything, any sign of what had happened. There was nothing. Just darkness and her
Then she heard footsteps.
They approached from nowhere and everywhere at once, each step echoing in this dark void despite there being no walls or surfaces to create echoes.
Aria materialized out of the darkness like she'd always been there, like the void itself had simply rearranged to make space for her presence. She was sitting cross-legged on nothing, suspended in empty air with her chin resting on her palm and one eyebrow raised in that expression of amusement Rem had learned to dread.
The goddess looked exactly as she had during their last meeting—young, maybe mid-twenties in appearance though Rem knew age meant nothing to beings like her. Silver hair fell across one shoulder in a loose ponytail, an anime t-shirt, shorts, and fucking flip flops.
Her eyes glowed with a brand of amusement that meant Rem was absolutely fucked in whatever way she'd dreamed up. Lips curved in a smile as well.
"Well, well," Aria said, her voice carrying perfectly through the void "My favorite toy."
"You're going to kill me with your entertainment!! damn it you crazy bitch!" Rem obviously silently muttered
"Oh darling, where would be the fun in that?" Aria stood in one fluid motion, she began circling Rem slowly, each step deliberate and measured, bringing her closer without seeming to actually close any distance. "Watching you die would end the game far too quickly, and we've barely gotten started with your journey. You have so much further to fall, i mean for my sake, you havent even lost your virginity~"
She stopped directly in front of Rem, close enough to reach out and trace one finger along her jaw. The touch burned cold despite feeling warm, something divine pressing against mortal flesh in a way that shouldn't be possible. "You've been such a delightful project these past few weeks. Truly exceeded my expectations in the most entertaining ways."
Aria resumed her slow circle, trailing that same finger along Rem's shoulder and down her arm as she moved. "The way you squirm when someone looks at you with intention, trying so hard to pretend you don't notice their obvious attraction. How you tense up whenever Kaisen gets close, your body responding even when your mind says it shouldn't." She leaned closer, breath ghosting over Rem's ear in a way that was far too intimate. "That lovely internal battle between your old identity and your new body, the way you keep telling yourself you're still the same person despite all evidence to the contrary..."
The goddess pulled back slightly, just enough to meet Rem's eyes. "Watching you slowly corrupt yourself one quest at a time, completing each task while insisting it doesn't mean anything, that you're just doing what's necessary to survive—that's been absolutely delicious. I've enjoyed every single moment of your denial."
"Then let me die and find a new toy," Rem said. The words came out more bitter than she'd intended, but she was too exhausted to care anymore. "I'm sure there are plenty of other people you can torture for your amusement, God knows the term discord mods"
"But I can't have you dying here, not now, not when we've barely scratched the surface of what you can become." Aria's mock sympathy didn't reach her glowing eyes, the expression suggesting barely suppressed glee rather than care. "I might have gone a tiny bit overboard accelerating this encounter. Those flame-born wolves weren't supposed to show up for another full week of your journey according to your original timeline."
She waved one hand dismissively. "My mistake really, pushing too hard too fast, but that's the problem with having such an entertaining toy—sometimes I get impatient. I wanted to see how you'd handle a real challenge, whether you'd rise to the occasion or break completely. You did better than expected actually, even managed to kill the lightning alpha though that boy toy did all the work to be fair" Her smile widened. "But then the fire alpha showed up and your body gave out at the worst possible moment, which is partly my fault for burning through your stamina too quickly."
Aria resumed her slow circle around Rem, this time trailing her fingers through the void itself and leaving glowing patterns in the air. Each line pulsed with power that made Rem's skin prickle, divine energy made visible in ways that hurt to look at directly. "So here's what I'm going to do, because I'm feeling generous today and because I genuinely don't want to lose you yet. I'm going to give you a gift, something special that will make you truly powerful instead of just barely competent~"
The patterns she was drawing became more complex, swirling lines that formed intricate designs as they hung suspended in the darkness. "A beautiful mark that will transform you into something more than you are, something worthy of being called my favorite."
Rem's stomach dropped with familiar dread, that sinking feeling that accompanied every interaction with this goddess. "What's the cost?"
"Always so pragmatic." Aria's delight was genuine, her smile widening to show perfect white teeth. "That's one of the things I love about you, you know. No pointless bargaining, Just straight to what matters most—the price." She stopped her circling to face Rem directly. "Very efficient"
She resumed drawing patterns in the air with both hands now, fingers leaving trails of light that formed increasingly complex designs. Each line connected to others in ways that made Rem's eyes hurt when she tried to follow them, geometry that shouldn't be possible in three-dimensional space. "An intricate divine mark, flowing from your lower back all the way to your hip in a patterns that mix sacred geometry with my will. All infused with my power and bound directly to your essence, becoming part of you in the most literal way possible."
The patterns she'd been drawing began to rotate slowly, showing different angles and perspectives. Rem watched them spin and felt her skin crawl despite their undeniable beauty. A symbol that would mark her as touched by divinity? at least in looked cool....
"The gift itself is simple enough to explain, though the reality will be far more complex," Aria continued. The tattoo design pulsed with power that lit up the entire void like lightning frozen mid-strike, throwing harsh shadows that moved wrong. "Plus five to all your stats permanently. Strength, dexterity, endurance, vitality, charisma—everything gets a massive!!."
She snapped her fingers and the pattern blazed even brighter, rotating faster now while showing exactly how it would look on actual skin. "You'll be faster than you've ever been in either of your lives, stronger than you thought possible, durable enough to take hits that would kill normal people and keep fighting like nothing happened. Your endurance will let you push through exhaustion that would leave others collapsed, your vitality will heal wounds that should be fatal, your charm... well lets just leave it to that honey."
Aria paused, letting that sink in while she watched Rem's expression carefully. "But that's just the foundation, the base level of power I'm giving you. The real gift comes later, as you continue down your path."
The tattoo design shifted again, showing different versions overlaid on top of each other. "At each Lust threshold you cross—15, 20, 25, and beyond—the mark will unlock additional power that scales directly with your corruption. Enhanced regeneration that can heal wounds in seconds instead of days, damage resistance that makes you nearly unkillable during combat, the ability to convert your own arousal into energy stores you can use later on"
Her eyes gleamed with barely contained excitement. "The more corrupted you become, the more powerful the mark makes you. It's a perfect feedback loop—power fueling corruption, corruption fueling more power, round and round until you become something truly magnificent. Something that transcends your pathetic human origins entirely."
Rem processed that information slowly, running many calculations in her head while trying to understand the full implications. Five to all stats would put her significantly above where she was now. Her strength would jump from eleven to sixteen, putting her on par with or even above Kaisen depending on his exact distribution. Dexterity from twelve to seventeen, endurance from twelve to seventeen, vitality from fourteen to nineteen.
Those were massive increases. The kind of power that would make her able to have a chance against the fire born adult. Combined with her existing skills and the divine mark's scaling bonuses, she'd be genuinely formidable.
But the threshold bonuses worried her more. Getting stronger as she got more corrupted created exactly the kind of incentive structure Aria would love—making it actively beneficial to embrace lewdity, to let her LST rise. Power as reward for degradation, making the path of least resistance also the path that destroyed who she used to be.
"Anything else?" she asked, because there was always more suffering with this goddess.
"Three little conditions." Aria held up three fingers, each movement deliberate and theatrical. "Well, three major conditions and one fun bonus feature, but who's counting really?" Her smile turned predatory. "First and most important—the mark needs to be fed regularly. Sexual energy specifically, channeled through the mark to maintain its power."
She lowered one finger. "At least one good orgasm per week, achieved either with a partner or by yourself if you're feeling antisocial. Doesn't matter how you get there, just that you do." Her eyes locked onto Rem's. "Miss a feeding and you'll discover very quickly what weakness feels like. All those nice stat bonuses I just described? Halved until you satisfy the mark's hunger. Can't lift your sword properly, can't dodge effectively, can't take hits without breaking. You become fragile again"
Rem's jaw tightened but she didn't interrupt. There was no point—Aria would explain everything whether she wanted to hear it or not.
"Second condition." Aria lowered another finger, clearly enjoying herself. "The mark glows when you're aroused. Not constantly, not all the time, but whenever your body responds sexually it lights up like a beacon broadcasting your state to everyone nearby, well anyone who can see a reoccurring pattern that is."
She tilted her head, examining Rem's expression. "Faintly at first when you're just mildly turned on, barely visible through clothing. But at high arousal levels? Oh darling, it will shine right through fabric like you're carrying a lantern on your back. Everyone who knows you will basically have a notification of your heat"
The goddess leaned closer, voice dropping to intimate whisper. "No more hiding behind that stoic mask you've been cultivating. Your body will betray every lustful thought, every spike of fucking desire"
Fuck. That was worse than Rem had expected. Combat situations at LST fifteen already made her more sensitive, made her body respond to violence and danger in ways she hated. The thought of broadcasting that to her party members, of them seeing visible proof every time she got turned on, made humiliation burn through her chest hot enough to rival the lightning alpha's attack.
"And the third condition." Aria lowered her final finger, looking immensely satisfied. "The mark creates a permanent connection between us, a direct line that can never be severed or blocked. I'll always be able to manifest through it, speak directly into your mind, watch everything you do through your eyes and feel everything you feel through your skin."
She appeared directly in front of Rem without seeming to move, suddenly close enough that every detail of her perfect face was visible. "You'll never be alone again, my sweet toy. Every intimate moment with yourself or others, every fight where you push your limits, every quiet time when you try to remember who you used to be—I'll be right there, watching and listening it all alongside you. Your pleasure becomes my entertainment, your pain becomes my amusement, your body becomes my masterpiece."
Aria reached out to cup Rem's face with one hand, thumb brushing across her cheek in gesture that might have been tender if not for the power radiating from that touch. "I'll whisper commentary during your most private moments. I'll offer helpful suggestions when you're trying to make difficult choices. I'll remind you of your old life when you're getting too comfortable in your new body. reminding that you belong to me now in ways that can never be undone."
She pulled back slightly but kept her hand in place. "Oh, and one more fun little detail I should mention—anyone who sees the mark glowing or touches it directly will feel it too. Sudden overwhelming attraction to you that they can't quite explain, instinctive arousal that bypasses conscious thought, desire that seems to come from nowhere and demands attention."
Aria finally released Rem's face and stepped back, giving her space to process everything. "So those are the conditions— Steep price certainly, but then again you're receiving genuine divine power in exchange. Power that will keep you alive, living is good for your health i heard."
She spread her hands in gesture that encompassed the entire void. "And your alternative is to go back to that frozen moment and let the fire alpha incinerate you. Quick death, relatively painless once the burning is done, and you'll finally be free of my torment."
The goddess tilted her head, genuinely curious now. "So what will it be, darling? Accept my gift and live as my marked toy..... Or refuse and burn, ending this whole experiment right here?"
Rem weighed her options while knowing she had no real choice. She wanted to live, wanted to keep fighting, to see this through even if it meant becoming something she'd hate. More than that, she couldn't let her party members die because she was too proud to accept help, even if that help came with strings attached. literally
But the alternative was death. Clean, simple, final death that would free her from all of this.
Except it wouldn't just be her death. The fire alpha would kill Kaisen next, then Marcus and even sweet Elise. The entire party would die because she'd been too weak to survive, because Aria had pushed too hard too fast, because Rem hadn't been strong enough to protect them.
She looked at the goddess and felt bitter resignation settle into her bones. "Fine. Do it. Mark me with your power and shit. But I swear to you, goddess—when I'm strong enough, when I've grown powerful enough that your mark can't control me anymore—"
"You'll what, fuck me?" Aria laughed with delight, the sound echoing through the void. "Oh darling, I look forward to it. I genuinely do. The idea of you getting strong enough to turn the tables, to make demands instead of accepting conditions, to fuck me instead of being fucked—that's incredibly arousing." Her eyes gleamed. "And the best part? The mark will help you get there. I'm literally enabling my own potential defeat, isn't that delicious? im so fucking turned on you know"
She moved closer again, this time circling behind Rem. "But here's the thing you're not considering—by the time you're that strong, by the time you've grown powerful enough to actually threaten a goddess, you'll have crossed so many thresholds and completed so many quests that you won't be the person who made that threat anymore. You'll be something else entirely, something that might not even want revenge."
Aria's fingers trailed across Rem's shoulders, leaving cold fire in their wake. "You'll be my perfect creation, power and lewdity balanced in ways that transcend your pathetic human morality. And maybe then, when you're finally worthy, I'll let you try to fuck me. Might even enjoy it."
She moved back in front of Rem, all business now. "But first, we need to actually apply the mark. This is going to hurt, darling. Fair warning. Divine flames burn when it touches mortal flesh much harsher, and I'm about to brand you with enough divinity to make you shine. Steel yourself."
Rem nodded once, bracing for pain. She'd been burned by lightning, slashed by monsters, heck even stabbed. She could handle whatever came next.
"Good girl. Now hold perfectly still."
Aria raised one hand, fingers glowing with power that hurt to look at directly, and reached toward Rem's back.
The first touch was agony beyond anything she'd experienced before, white-hot divine fire pressed directly against vulnerable flesh. Aria's finger traced the first line of the pattern, burning it into skin with deliberate precision. making deep branding that carved the design into her very essence, marking her on levels that transcended physical flesh.
Rem screamed into the void, the sound swallowed by infinite darkness. Her body tried to jerk away but couldn't, held in place by divine will that wouldn't let her escape. Aria continued tracing with methodical patience, each line of the tattoo searing into existence one agonizing inch at a time.
The pain built with each new line. Not cumulative but exponentially worse, each addition making the previous burns hurt more intensely. Divine power coursed through the growing pattern, settling into her muscles and bones, rewriting fundamental aspects of what she was. Her stats surged upward, strength flooding into her muscles, speed making her nerves fire faster, endurance pushing her pain tolerance higher just in time for it to be exceeded again.
Swirling lines connected across her lower back, geometry mixed with sensual curves, each symbol carrying meaning she couldn't comprehend. The pattern flowed from her spine to her hip in an intricate design that covered far more skin than she'd expected. It was beautiful in ways that had it looks aesthetic and powerful.
The final line connected and everything changed.
Power flooded through her entire body all at once, Her stats didn't just increase—they exploded upward, rewriting every physical limitation she'd ever had. Strength that made her previous capabilities look like child's play, speed that turned the world into something slow and manageable, endurance that could push through injuries that should be impossible to survive.
The burns on her back healed in seconds, blistered flesh knitting back together and charred edges smoothing out until only perfect skin remained. The exhaustion that had left her helpless vanished, replaced by energy that made her feel like she could fight for days without rest. Even minor injuries she'd forgotten about—bruises, small cuts, muscle strain—all disappeared as enhanced vitality worked through her system.
"Beautiful," Aria purred, circling around to admire her work. The goddess looked genuinely satisfied, like an artist completing a masterpiece. "You wear my mark perfectly. Exactly as I envisioned it."
Rem gasped, trying to process what she was feeling. The power was intoxicating, overwhelming, making her previous capabilities seem like a bad joke. The mark pulsed on her back with warmth and divine energy settling into a steady rhythm that matched her heartbeat by a tenth.
"How do you feel?" Aria asked, though her smile suggested she already knew.
"Powerful," Rem admitted, the word inadequate to describe what was coursing through her veins. "Like I could fight that fire alpha bare-handed and win."
"You probably could, actually. At least for a little while." Aria's smile widened. "The mark gives you far more than just stat increases. Enhanced regeneration is already active, healing minor damage automatically. Damage resistance will trigger during combat, converting some incoming hits into arousal instead of injury. And when you channel your LST through the mark..." She trailed off suggestively. "Well, you'll see soon enough how devastating that can be."
The goddess stepped closer one final time. "Remember the conditions, darling. Weekly feeding or you lose most of your power" She leaned in to whisper directly in Rem's ear. "Use the power well. Survive. Grow stronger. Cross more boundaries. Become corrupted. Become magnificent."
Then she was gone, presence vanishing from the void without warning or fanfare.
Reality snapped back into place like a rubber band released, time resuming with violent abruptness.
The fire alpha was still mid-leap, jaws still opening for the killing blow, flames churning in its throat. But Rem could move now, her new speed making the beast's attack seem almost slow in comparison. She had maybe half a second before it reached her companions, half a second to act with her new power.
She moved.
her legs launched her forward faster than she'd ever moved in either of her lives, covering ten feet in the blink of an eye. The fire alpha hadn't even processed she was moving before she slammed into its side mid-leap with force that redirected its entire momentum.
They crashed together into ash-covered ground, rolling in a tangle of limbs and claws. The alpha roared with confusion and rage, flames erupting from its maw in an instinctive reaction. Rem rolled aside, the fire scorching ground where she'd been a moment before.
"Rem!" Kaisen's shout finally completed, his frozen moment ending and awareness catching up to what had just happened. "What—how did you—"
"Handle the pack!" she shouted back while summoning her sword, her eyes lit up with a sort of fury that she never felt before "This one's mine!"
She didn't wait for acknowledgment, already moving to engage the fire alpha before it could reorient. The beast was massive, easily twice her size with muscles rippling under fur that danced with active flames.
And for the first time since arriving in this world, Rem felt like she had a genuine chance to win.