The Abyss shifted around her, alive and aware. Shadows curled and twisted, bending toward Mason as if drawn to his silver-eyed intensity, yet they also recoiled from her, sensing the surge of her own burgeoning power. Seris Vale could feel it thrumming beneath her skin, a coiling, restless energy that demanded release. Her heartbeat thundered in her chest, matching the pulse of the mark blazing violently across her collarbone.
"Stay close," Mason's voice whispered, threading into her mind like silk and steel. She froze, unable to resist the pull of him, though she tried. Every nerve screamed against his presence, yet the tether between them was too strong, unyielding.
"I… I can handle this," she murmured, barely audible. Her voice trembled, betraying both fear and defiance.
"You can," he said softly, stepping from the shadows like a storm, "but you cannot face this alone. Not fully. Not yet." His silver eyes held her with an intensity that left her breathless, yet she refused to look away. "The Abyss recognizes power… and obsession. You have both, Seris. And I will not let anyone touch what is mine."
The ground trembled. From the darkness, figures emerged—tall, twisted forms of rival immortals, their eyes glowing like molten gold and obsidian. They had been waiting, stalking, drawn by the pulse of Seris's goddess blood and the mark that bound her to Mason.
Seris took a step forward, summoning shadows like liquid obsidian from the walls. They twisted around her arms, coiling like serpents, forming blades and tendrils ready to strike. Mason moved closer, the shadows bending around him, protective and possessive, tethering them both in an unspoken warning.
"You are reckless," he murmured, close enough that the warmth of him brushed her cheek. "Dangerous. And perfect."
"I am not yours," she spat, even as the pulse of the mark burned hotter, every beat of her heart screaming her awareness of the tether he had woven through her soul.
"And yet," Mason said softly, voice threading into her mind, "you are bound to me. Every heartbeat, every spark of defiance… mine. Do you feel it? The pull? The need? You cannot fight it."
Her fingers flared with shadow energy, and the tendrils of the Abyss danced violently, slashing at the first wave of immortals. The creatures recoiled, but there were too many, and the Abyss itself seemed to scream in protest, aware of the imbalance—the clash of her mortal defiance against the gods' eternal designs.
Mason's hand brushed her shoulder lightly—not enough to hold, but enough to tether, to guide, to claim. Heat and obsession radiated from him like fire, suffocating and intoxicating. "I will protect you," he whispered, and the shadows around them tightened, wrapping around her as a cocoon, keeping the immortals at bay. "And you will learn… that nothing, not even yourself, can break this bond."
The fight escalated, shadows clashing, screams of rage echoing through the Abyss. Seris unleashed a torrent of her goddess-blood power, flares of molten black light disintegrating enemies before they could reach her. Mason's presence was constant, close enough to feel the heat of him, the pull of the mark, the obsession threading through every action. He did not take her power from her—he amplified it, guiding it, tethering her to him in ways that were terrifying and exhilarating.
When the battle finally subsided, she collapsed against a wall, chest heaving, sweat and shadow-streaked hair plastered to her face. Mason knelt beside her, eyes intense, silver glowing faintly. "You are mine," he said softly, brushing a lock of hair from her cheek. "Mine to protect. Mine to challenge. Mine to claim… whether you realize it or not."
Seris's hands trembled. She wanted to recoil, to scream, to push him away. And yet, a part of her could not. The Abyss itself seemed to lean closer, alive and aware, and she understood the terrifying truth: Mason's obsession was not just a shadow pressing on her soul. It was a tether, a force as absolute as the Abyss, and she could neither resist it nor escape it.
Her pulse raced, the mark burning hotter than ever. Fear, rage, and desire twisted together, leaving her trembling in the aftermath of both battle and obsession.
"I hate you," she whispered, voice breaking—but part of her knew it was not entirely true.
"And I adore it," Mason replied, silver eyes softening just enough to make her shiver, but still sharp enough to warn her, protect her, claim her. "You are mine, Seris. Every heartbeat, every breath… every shadow of defiance binds you to me. And you will learn to crave it."
The Abyss shifted around them, dark and whispering, alive with shadows, watching as the bond between god and mortal, obsession and defiance, tightened like a coil ready to strike.
And in that suffocating, thrilling moment, Seris realized she was no longer just surviving the Abyss. She was awakening.