Wednesday arrived with a cold, clinical tension. True to her word, Lilith had authorized the "Resonance" session, but the environment was far from the intimate office settings Seraphina had hoped for. Chase was led to a high-security observation room on the sub-levels of OmniCorp—a space dominated by reinforced glass, cold steel, and a daunting array of spiritual monitoring equipment.
At the center of the room sat a heavy, obsidian-like chair equipped with what Lilith called the Essence Regulator. It looked less like a medical device and more like a high-tech restraint system, glowing with a steady, proprietary violet light that pulsed in sync with Lilith's own Alpha signature.
Seraphina was already there, pacing like a caged animal. She looked frantic, her usual poise replaced by a desperate, hungry pallor. When Chase entered, her eyes locked onto him with a terrifying intensity.
"You're late," she hissed, though he was exactly on time.
"Liliths schedule is not up for debate, Seraphina," Chase replied coolly, taking his seat.
As he settled into the chair, the Regulator hummed to life. Mechanical cuffs—softly lined but spiritually reinforced—locked around his wrists and ankles. A series of glass-tipped sensors descended from the ceiling, hovering inches from his skin.
Lilith's voice crackled over the intercom, sounding amused and dangerously possessive. "The session is live. Seraphina, you have sixty minutes. The Regulator is set to a 'trickle' flow. If the spiritual sensors detect a single puncture mark or a breach of the three-foot proximity rule, the room will be flooded with sanctified mist. Proceed."
Seraphina flinched at the threat. She approached the three-foot line marked on the floor, her hands trembling. She held a tablet and a specialized crystalline wand used for measuring mana-wave frequencies.
"I need more than a trickle, Lilith," Seraphina pleaded toward the observation glass, where she knew the Alpha was watching. "The Khazarian formulas won't stabilize without a baseline surge."
"You get what is negotiated," Chase interrupted, his voice echoing in the sterile room. He closed his eyes and began to hum a low, ancient frequency.
He felt the Regulator tap into his reservoir. It wasn't the agonizing drain of a vampire's bite or the ecstatic rush of the Fourth Method; it was a precise, needle-like pull. The device filtered his raw, potent Essence through Lilith's violet barrier, stripping away the 'flavor' and the intoxicating heat, leaving only a cold, neutralized mana-stream that was projected into the space between him and Seraphina.
Seraphina lunged forward, stopping just at the line. She waved her wand through the projected stream, her eyes rolling back in a brief, pathetic moment of relief. Even this neutralized, 'diet' version of Chase's Essence was enough to stop the tremors in her soul.
"It's... it's so pure," she whispered, her professional facade crumbling. "Even filtered, it's like liquid sunlight."
"Focus, Seraphina," Chase commanded, his eyes snapping open. He could see her struggle. The vampire was literally starving, her body craving the direct contact that was now strictly forbidden. "Test the resonance for the physics engine. We aren't here for your refreshment."
Snapping back to reality, Seraphina began frantically inputting data into her tablet. As the neutralized Essence vibrated in the air, she began to see the patterns. "The texts were wrong... the mana doesn't flow in a spiral. It's a lattice. A solid, unbreakable lattice."
As she worked, Chase realized something. Because the Essence was being filtered through the Regulator, he could see the interaction—he could see how his energy was being manipulated by the vampire's tools. He began to understand the 'physics' of his own soul in a way he never had before. He wasn't just a battery; he was the blueprint for the entire game world's reality.
Halfway through the session, the hunger became too much for Seraphina. She leaned over the line, her fangs descending. "Just... just a second of direct contact, Chase. The Regulator is dampening the frequency. I can't get a clear reading. One touch, and I can finish the entire core logic today."
"Stay back,control your self" Chase warned, his Essence beginning to flare in response to her aggression. The Regulator hummed louder, the violet light turning a sharp, warning red.
"Seraphina," Lilith's voice boomed over the speakers, no longer amused. "Step back from the line, or I terminate your employment and your existence simultaneously."
Seraphina recoiled, sobbing in frustration. She spent the remaining thirty minutes in a state of frantic, terrified work, reaping just enough data to satisfy the project requirements while her body screamed for the feast she was denied.
When the hour ended, the Regulator hissed, and the sensors retracted. Chase stood up, feeling slightly chilled but entirely in control.
Seraphina was slumped on the floor, her tablet clutched to her chest. She looked defeated, humiliated, and utterly beneath him.
"See you next Wednesday, Seraphina," Chase said, walking past her without a second glance.
As he exited the sub-level, he found Lilith waiting by the elevator. She didn't say a word; she simply reached out and adjusted his tie, her fingers lingering on his neck in a silent, proprietary check for marks.
"She didn't touch you," Lilith noted, her eyes satisfied.
"She wouldn't dare,she wants to live more than anything," Chase replied.
They stepped into the elevator together, the Alpha leaning her head against his shoulder. The office war had a new front, and Chase was perfectly positioned as both the prize and the commander.