Pain didn't fade.
It settled.
Not like an injury—more like a second spine had been welded into Arjun's body, humming with foreign heat. Every heartbeat dragged something heavy through his veins, something that wasn't blood alone anymore.
He collapsed to his knees.
The world sharpened.
Sounds layered themselves—distant screams, the ocean roaring, the grinding footsteps of the abyssal thrall outside. Beneath it all, he heard something new: a low, rhythmic pulse that matched his heart.
Nyxara exhaled slowly, eyes half-lidded, clearly enjoying herself.
"Mmm," she murmured. "Crude. Painful. Inelegant. But effective."
Arjun clenched his jaw. "Get—out—of my head."
She laughed, a soft, intimate sound that scraped along his nerves. You invited me in, her voice replied—not through sound, but directly inside him. This space is shared now. Don't be rude.
The phone slid across the floor toward him as if pulled by an invisible hand.
ABYSSAL WARLOCK — INITIALIZEDBOND STATUS: UNSTABLEENERGY SOURCE: DEFICIENT
Arjun stared at the words through blurred vision. "Unstable how?"
Nyxara crouched in front of him, wings folding in with deliberate slowness. She reached out—not touching him, just hovering her fingers near his throat.
"If you don't feed the bond," she said calmly, "you die. If you feed it poorly, you die slower."
Outside, concrete exploded inward as a massive claw tore through the building wall.
Dust filled the air.
The thrall forced its way through the breach, ducking under the collapsing ceiling. Up close, it was worse—skin like fused armor plates, eyes burning with mindless hunger. Runes crawled across its chest, rotating like locks searching for a key.
Nyxara stood smoothly. "Ah. Your first test."
"I can't fight that," Arjun snapped.
"Correct," she replied pleasantly. "Yet."
The phone vibrated again.
COMBAT DIRECTIVE AVAILABLEABILITY UNLOCKED: ABYSSAL MARK (TEMPORARY)COST: SOUL STRAIN
Arjun felt it before he chose—heat coiling in his palm, a symbol itching to carve itself into existence.
"What happens if I use it?" he asked.
Nyxara tilted her head. "It will hurt. You may black out. Part of you will change."
The thrall roared and charged, smashing through rubble with terrifying speed.
"And if I don't?" Arjun asked.
She smiled. "You will be torn apart and I'll be dragged back into the Abyss. Unpleasant for both of us."
No hero speeches. No miracle.
Just math.
"Fine," Arjun said, forcing himself upright. "Tell me how."
Nyxara stepped behind him, close enough that her presence wrapped around his back like heat. One hand settled over his chest, directly over his heart.
"Focus on the hunger," she whispered. "Not fear. Fear scatters power. Hunger pulls it."
The thrall leapt.
Arjun raised his hand.
The symbol ignited.
A violet mark burned itself into the air, then slammed onto the demon's chest like a brand. The thrall shrieked—shrieked—as its runes shattered, the mark sinking deep into its flesh.
Information flooded Arjun's mind violently.
ABYSSAL MARK — ACTIVETARGET: CLAIMABLE
The thrall staggered.
Nyxara's voice sharpened. Now. Kill it.
"With what?" Arjun shouted.
She pressed harder against him. With intent.
Something snapped.
The world slowed—not time, but perception. Arjun saw weak points where none had existed before. Cracks in the thrall's structure. Stress lines. A glowing core pulsing behind its sternum.
His body moved before doubt could interfere.
He grabbed a length of rebar from the rubble and drove it forward with everything he had.
The metal pierced stone-hard flesh like it had been waiting for permission.
The thrall convulsed, roaring once before collapsing inward on itself, body unraveling into ash and red-black smoke.
Silence fell.
Arjun dropped the rebar and retched.
The smoke didn't disperse.
It flowed into him.
He screamed as something fed—as warmth surged through his chest, stabilizing the burning pain just enough to be bearable.
The phone chimed softly.
KILL CONFIRMEDSOUL FRAGMENT ABSORBEDBOND STATUS: STABILIZED (MINOR)
Arjun slumped against the wall, breathing hard. "That was… not okay."
Nyxara leaned over him, eyes glowing brighter now, her earlier irritation gone. She looked… energized.
"You did beautifully," she said, genuinely pleased. "Messy. Inefficient. But decisive."
She reached out and traced one finger along his jaw, electricity dancing where she touched him. It wasn't gentle—but it wasn't cruel either. Something complicated flickered between them.
"Remember this feeling," she continued. "The moment you chose survival over morality. That choice will come again."
Arjun looked up at her, exhausted, shaking, alive. "So that's it? I'm your weapon now?"
Nyxara smiled slowly.
"No," she said. "You're my investment."
Outside, more roars echoed along the coastline.
The phone lit up once more.
NEW OBJECTIVE:SECURE SAFE ZONETIME REMAINING: UNKNOWN
Nyxara straightened, wings flexing.
"Rest while you can, warlock," she said. "The world doesn't slow down for shock."
Arjun pushed himself to his feet, hands still trembling.
"Then let's move," he said.
Nyxara's smile turned sharp.
Good, she thought. He's adapting faster than expected.
And adaptation, in the new world, was the difference between food—
And predator.