The Abyss had grown restless. Shadows stretched unnaturally, twisting over walls, across the jagged floor, as if alive with purpose. Each heartbeat Seris took sent tremors through the dark corridors, a rhythm matched by the tether connecting her to Mason. The mark on her collarbone burned silver-hot, pulsing violently as if it had a will of its own. Mason's presence loomed before her even when he remained unseen, a storm of obsession threading into her mind.
"You feel it, don't you?" Mason's voice came from the shadows, low, intimate, suffocating, yet thrilling. "Every heartbeat, every breath, every spark of power… belongs to me. You cannot resist it. And you will not."
Seris shook her head, summoning shadows into blades. "I am not yours," she whispered, voice trembling under the intensity of the mark. Yet, as the shadows bent subtly toward him, she realized she already was. His obsession had threaded into her every move, amplifying her power while suffocating her independence.
Before she could react, a rip in the Abyss opened, and twisted forms of ancient immortals emerged. Their molten-gold eyes burned with hatred, centuries-old vengeance radiating from their bodies. Seris lunged forward, shadows twisting violently to strike, and Mason's presence flared behind her. The tether intensified every strike, every movement, making her both unstoppable and aware of the suffocating obsession threading into her soul.
"You see?" Mason murmured, stepping close, shadows brushing against her like a caress and a chain at once. "Every spark of defiance, every heartbeat of resistance… threads you closer. Every act of power… belongs to me."
The Abyss itself seemed to shiver, alive, coiling protectively around them yet striking mercilessly at any who dared approach. Seris's attacks became a storm of shadow, every movement amplified, every strike infused with Mason's obsession.
When the last rival fell, she collapsed, trembling, her chest heaving, as Mason knelt beside her, brushing a tendril of shadow along her hair. "You are mine," he whispered, voice threading into her mind. "Even your defiance strengthens the bond. One day… you will crave it. You will want me."