The Abyss had shifted overnight, though no one had slept. Seris felt it in her bones, in the pulse of shadows crawling along the jagged walls, in the subtle vibration beneath her feet. Every heartbeat of hers echoed like a drum through the black corridors, and every beat resonated with Mason's obsession, tethering her to him more tightly than before. The mark burned hotter than ever, a silver flame coiling under her skin.
"You feel it," Mason whispered, his silver eyes appearing suddenly behind her, molten with intensity. Shadows curled around his form, protective yet possessive, threading into hers like living chains. "The Abyss is alive because of you… because of us. Every spark of power, every act of defiance, every heartbeat… strengthens the bond. You are mine, Seris. Already."
Her chest tightened, her pulse racing. "I… I am not yours," she whispered, though even as the words left her lips, the mark flared and she felt his obsession threading deeper into her soul. She tried to summon shadows, bending them into blades, but they twisted subtly toward Mason's influence, their movements obeying him as much as her.
"You already are," Mason said softly, stepping closer, the shadows around him pressing into her like heat and ice combined. "Even when you resist, even when you defy… it only strengthens the obsession. Every heartbeat, every breath… belongs to me."
A sudden roar erupted from the deepest part of the Abyss. Twisted forms emerged—ancient immortals she had never faced before, eyes molten-gold, bodies brimming with dark energy older than the known world. Seris flinched, summoning a torrent of shadow blades. Mason's presence flared behind her, amplifying her power, threading his obsessive energy into every strike without taking her control.
"You see?" Mason murmured, voice threading into her mind. "You are unstoppable with me. Every act of power, every flicker of defiance… belongs to me. Every heartbeat… every thought… you are mine. And you will crave it."
The Abyss itself seemed to respond to the tether, walls pulsing, shadows writhing, coiling protectively around them, yet striking mercilessly at any who dared approach. Seris's attacks became a storm, shadows lashing, slicing, piercing, every motion guided and amplified by Mason's obsession.
When the last immortal fell, Seris collapsed, chest heaving, trembling from exertion. Mason knelt beside her, brushing a shadowy tendril through her hair. "You are mine," he whispered, silver eyes softening for a moment, yet storm-dark beneath the surface. "Even your resistance feeds the bond. One day… you will crave it. You will want me. And you will not be able to resist."
Her trembling hands pressed to the mark, coiling heat threading through her veins. Fear, desire, exhilaration—they collided violently inside her. She hated him. She feared him. And yet… she wanted him. The Abyss itself seemed aware, recognizing the obsessive, inescapable bond that now tied them together.