The morning air shimmered faintly with the first light of dawn.
Birds whispered somewhere deep in the forest, but Kianna's mind was elsewhere.
"I wonder if he's awake yet?" she murmured to herself, brushing a stray strand of silver-orange hair from her face as she walked the beaten trail back toward her place.
Zone 5's forest was still half-shrouded in fog—its trees gnarled, silent, and suspiciously still.
Ever since Aquarius went to the room, he hadn't come out once. She'd checked on him during the night. She'd found him sprawled across the bed, dead asleep, with exhaustion painted across his face.
She'd sighed, covered him with a blanket, and finally decided to call it a night.
Now here she was again. Her hands were stained with blood from the small, horned monster rabbits she'd just hunted.
Her hideout sat in the corner of a half-collapsed village swallowed by vines and shadows. A quiet graveyard of a place. Exactly how she liked it.
Kianna hated attention. Hated company.
And yet..she surprised herself with how easily she'd accepted him.
Aquarius.
The human who crashed into her life like a spark in a dry forest.
As much as she'd hate to admit it, she didn't mind him being around. His voice broke the silence. His presence filled the emptiness.
She'd been alone for so long it had started to gnaw at her soul.
Maybe that's why—
CRACK.
A stick snapped somewhere to her left.
Her eyes narrowed instantly. The soft orange in her gaze shifted to something feral.
She drew her short sword in one smooth motion, tail twitching, every muscle coiled tight.
The forest held its breath.
"Looks like we've finally got you at the right time!"
The voice slithered out of the shadows—low, mocking, dripping with malice.
Kianna didn't reply. Her ears twitched as her eyes darted between trees, scanning for movement.
"Behind you.."
Her sword swung—
But it never connected.
Her body froze mid-strike.
"What—?" Her voice caught in her throat as her limbs locked. Her muscles refused to move.
She glanced down—
And her blood ran cold.
Dark, glowing cuffs of shadow coiled around her wrists, ankles, and torso. The cuffs were tight, pulsing with venomous light.
"Poisoning Shadow Cuffs..so you don't move one inch! Haha!"
Seven silhouettes emerged from the treeline, each one wearing a twisted grin that reeked of hunger and cruelty.
No matter how she strained, Kianna couldn't move. The poison numbed her nerves, biting deeper with every heartbeat.
Her chest rose and fell in panic. Her lips trembled.
Only one name broke through her fogged mind.
"Aq… aq…"
"Aww, look at her," one of the bastards sneered. "Stuttering already. C'mon, get it out, sexy little fox."
A zipper noise cut the air.
Rage and fear collided in her chest. Her voice cracked..raw, desperate, human.
"AQUARIUS!!"
A heartbeat.
Then—
BOOM.
The world exploded.
A violent gust of wind tore through the trees, scattering dust and debris like a bomb had gone off. The ground itself trembled.
The shadows stumbled backward, coughing, shielding their eyes from the sudden wave of pressure.
"What the hell was that?!"
[Harem Choices Initiated.]
[Harem Choices have altered.]
[Oblivion Harem Choices Initiated.]
Oblivion Harem Choices occur when any member of Aquarius's current or potential harem is placed in extreme danger like facing death, corruption, or irreversible trauma.
1. [Make the Worms Pay]
2. [Torture the Worms to Death]
3. [Make the Worms Beg for Mercy]
4. [All of the Above :-)]
[All choices increase Affection, Trust, and Respect by +200.]
Aquarius's lips curved slowly, darkly, as the words materialized before his eyes.
His smirk was calm, but his aura said otherwise.
The temperature dropped. The wind screamed.
[Choice Confirmed. All of the Above.]
[Ex-Rank Talent: Eyes of Oblivion has activated!]
The dust parted.
Those galaxy-black eyes opened, spirals of void and starlight spinning endlessly within them. The reflection of creation and destruction, living in one man.
They outlined the seven figures through the haze..each one trembling now, their forms highlighted in violet silhouettes of death.
"The fuck was that?!" one barked.
"Must've been some kind of wind draft!" another yelled.
"No..no wind draft feels like that—"
The last word gurgled into nothing as his throat was crushed from the inside out.
"Wait—Peskin! Are you okay?!"
When the dust cleared, six of them stood—
And one was missing half his face.
"Peskin!!" one cried, grabbing the twitching body. "Who did this?! WHO—"
[New Active Skill Acquired!]
[Skill: Plunderer LV.1]
Whatever skill is witnessed through the Eyes of Oblivion can be stolen. Skills above your current level operate at reduced efficiency until your level increases.
[Skill "Poisonous Shadow Cuffs" Plundered.]
The remaining six froze mid-scream as the familiar glowing straps erupted—
but this time, they didn't come from the shadows.
They came from Aquarius.
Dark tendrils wrapped around them, tighter, tighter—squeezing until bones cracked, until they choked for breath.
"Youfirst." Aquarius said, voice calm, lethal, eyes locked on the filth with his pants unzipped.
Behind them, Kianna gasped, collapsing to her knees as the cuffs around her snapped apart. She coughed hard, lungs burning, air flooding back into her body.
Her heart still pounded. But when she looked up—
Her breath caught for a different reason.
Through the chaos, through the broken forest and swirling wind—
he was there.
Silent. Towering. Beautiful. Terrifying.
'He came..' she thought, chest tightening, eyes wide.
'He actually came for me…'