The Abyss pulsed like a heart, walls stretching, shadows writhing, alive with anticipation. Seris felt every ripple of the environment as if it were an extension of herself, and yet it belonged as much to Mason as to her. His presence pressed against her mind, molten and unyielding, threading obsession through her every heartbeat.
"You cannot fight me," Mason whispered, stepping close, silver eyes molten and storm-dark. "Every spark of rebellion… every flicker of defiance… strengthens the bond. You feel it, don't you? You crave it already."
Her chest heaved. Shadows coiled around her hands, twisting into blades, whipping violently at a rival god that emerged from the darkness. Mason's presence flared, threading obsessive intent into every strike. Fear, exhilaration, and desire collided violently within her, leaving her trembling.
The rival god roared, a storm of molten-gold energy hurling toward her. Seris twisted, shadows wrapping protectively, amplified by Mason's tether. Every movement became a deadly dance, her goddess-blood energy flaring in waves of black and silver fire.
"You are unstoppable with me," Mason murmured, leaning closer, shadows brushing her arm like fire and ice. "Every act of defiance… every heartbeat… belongs to me. You are mine, Seris. Already. And soon… you will understand what it is to crave me."
The Abyss reacted violently, coiling, twisting, striking at the rival god while protecting Seris and Mason. She struck again and again, every attack amplified by the obsessive tether threading them together. Finally, when the god fell in a storm of molten-gold energy and shadows, she collapsed, trembling from exertion, exhilaration, and the heat of the mark.
Mason knelt beside her, shadows brushing along her shoulders and neck. "You are mine," he whispered, silver eyes molten and storm-dark. "Even your defiance strengthens the tether. Every heartbeat, every flicker of independence… belongs to me. One day… you will crave it. You cannot resist."
The Abyss pulsed violently around them, alive with recognition of the obsessive bond threading Seris to Mason. Desire had taken root where fear once lived. The chains had begun to coil tighter, suffocating, intoxicating, unbreakable.