The sky over the Crimson Vale split in half.
A golden rift tore open above the horizon, laced with white fire and bleeding threads of red lightning. Every beast in the region screamed and fled. Even the winds changed direction—bowing to something ancient, something newly awakened.
And from that rift… she stepped through.
Aya.
Her priestess robes were gone—replaced by a sleek battle dress of ethereal silk and radiant obsidian, clinging to her like it was forged from divine shadow. Her white hair now flowed with streaks of crimson, her eyes—one blue, one glowing red—pierced the world like judgment.
The glass blade she carried hummed like a heartbeat.
Elias saw her first.
He stood on the balcony of their temporary safehouse, the aftermath of Lilith's Trial still fresh around them. His breath caught.
"Aya…"
Lilith stepped beside him, immediately tense. "That's not the same girl who used to blush when you looked at her."
"She's… changed," Elias murmured.
> [System Alert: Aya's Return Registered]
Saintess of Wrath – Title Activated
Power Signature: Ranked SS
Emotional Link: Still Active – Danger Level: 83%
Aya touched down.
The ground cracked beneath her feet.
She didn't speak. Not at first. Just walked toward them with that sword glinting in the crimson sunlight. Her gaze never left Elias.
He stepped forward. "Aya, what happened? Your trial—"
"Ended," she said simply. Her voice was lower now. Calmer. But each word struck like a blade dipped in poison. "I found clarity. I found myself."
Lilith crossed her arms. "You also found a makeover, clearly."
Aya's eyes shifted to her—and Lilith, for the first time in a long time, flinched. The aura rolling off Aya was suffocating. Holy magic mixed with chaos. Beautiful and terrifying.
"Lilith," Aya said softly, "You were just the spark. I can't blame fire for being fire. But Elias…"
Her eyes snapped back to him.
"You're the one who lit the match."
Elias held up his hands. "Aya, listen. I didn't want to hurt you. Everything happened so fast—"
"You always say that," she cut in. "But now? Now I don't care. I'm done being patient. I'm done being the sweet girl who waits her turn."
She raised the sword. Not to attack.
To point it—at his chest.
"From this moment on, I'll take what's mine. If that means fighting every other woman around you, I'll do it. If it means tearing the system apart, so be it."
Elias was silent.
Aya stepped closer. Her voice dropped to a whisper, but the threat in it coiled like a serpent around his throat.
"And if you ever look at someone else the way you used to look at me... I'll make them disappear."
Lilith growled. "Try it, Saintess."
Aya's smile was pure madness and divinity. "I'm not trying. I'm promising."
> [System Alert: Conflict Route Branching – New Mode Unlocked]
"Queen of the Harem" – Aya has initiated Emotional Dominance Protocol.
Path Branching: Love × Possession × Fury.
Aya now has the right to issue personal emotional trials against rivals.
Elias stepped between them. "This is getting out of hand—"
Aya leaned in close. Her lips brushed his ear.
"You wanted a system. You wanted choices. Then choose carefully… because I no longer share nicely."
Then, without another word, she turned and vanished in a shimmer of blinding light.
Leaving behind a silence thicker than blood.
Lilith wiped her mouth. "Okay. That chick has gone full final boss."
Elias exhaled slowly. His heart raced—not from fear. From something deeper.
"…I think I just fell for her all over again."
It began the very next day.
The system flared awake before sunrise. Elias groaned and rolled over in bed, Lilith's warm body curled beside him. But the peace didn't last long.
> [System Alert – Emotional Duel Request Received]
Sender: Aya (Saintess of Wrath)
Target: Lilith (Shadow-Blood Succubus)
Trial Type: Emotional + Spiritual Confrontation
Time Limit: 1 Hour
Location: Heartrealm Arena – Elias's Inner Domain
Winner Receives Primary Affection Anchor for Elias Black
"Wait—what?!" Elias sat bolt upright.
Lilith stirred beside him. "What now…"
The message appeared in the air again. Only this time, Lilith saw it too.
And her reaction?
She smirked.
"Well. Took her long enough."
Elias blinked. "You're not surprised?"
"She's a ticking bomb," Lilith said, stretching like a cat, the sheets barely clinging to her curves. "I've been waiting for this fight since she gave me that I'll kill you in your sleep smile."
Before he could respond, a portal tore open beside the bed.
Aya stood on the other side—calm, radiant, terrifying.
She looked flawless. Armored robes hugging her curves, hair floating around her like she was mid-divine transformation, eyes locked on Lilith with unblinking focus.
"Lilith," Aya said. "It's time we decide who belongs beside him."
Lilith threw the sheets aside and stood, completely unbothered. "Then let's not waste time."
---
Heartrealm Arena
They arrived inside Elias's inner domain—his subconscious turned into a battlefield.
It was a strange place. A twilight field with floating stars, an ocean underfoot, and crystalline trees shimmering with emotion.
Aya stood on one side, sword drawn.
Lilith floated slightly above the ground, her demonic aura pulsing like a heartbeat.
Elias stood in the center, tethered to both of them by threads of red light.
> [System Lock-In: Duel Commenced]
Witness: Elias Black (Core Bondholder)
Trial Starts in 3… 2… 1…
Aya moved first.
She surged forward in a blink, blade flashing, emotions unleashed like divine fire. Lilith countered instantly, manifesting dark wings and sharp, curved daggers of blood.
They clashed—and the sound that followed wasn't steel.
It was emotion.
Aya struck with years of unspoken longing, every slice a memory he ignored. Lilith blocked with raw passion, every dodge a reminder that she fought for the present, not the past.
"HE WAS MINE BEFORE YOU!" Aya screamed, sword cleaving stars.
"No," Lilith hissed. "He was never anyone's. But I make him burn now."
Magic tore the sky. Waves of guilt, rage, and desperate love collided in bursts of energy. Elias could feel everything—every thought they'd had of him, every moment they doubted, desired, or dreamed.
And then it happened.
Aya went still.
And prayed.
"Let my pain become light."
A spear of pure radiance formed over her. A saint's blessing turned weapon.
Lilith raised her arms, blood and shadow coiling like armor. "You'll have to rip him from me."
They clashed once more—an explosion of red and white that shook the entire plane.
When the light faded…
Aya knelt, panting, her sword shattered beside her.
Lilith stood—bleeding, but upright.
> [System Verdict: Duel Winner – Lilith]
Aya's Affection Level: Locked (Jealousy Tier 3)
Lilith gains 1 Primary Bond Thread.
Warning: Aya has not retreated. Retaliation probability: 92%
Aya didn't speak.
She simply stood, walked up to Elias…
…and kissed him.
Not sweet.
Possessive. Dominant. Raw.
When she pulled back, her voice was low.
"This isn't over. I'm not leaving him to you."
She vanished.
Lilith wiped her lip. "She kisses like a war declaration."
Elias just stood there—emotionally fried.
"…How do I even breathe around you two?"