The Abyss throbbed with a pulse older than memory, alive and aware. Shadows twisted and writhed along the jagged walls, reaching, curling, and probing, responding to every heartbeat of Seris and every tethered whisper of Mason's obsession. The silver mark burned hotter than ever, a molten thread weaving together power, fear, and desire. Mason's presence pressed against her mind like iron-wrapped silk, storm-dark and molten, wrapping her thoughts, her will, and even her breath into the tether he had forged.
"You feel it, don't you?" Mason whispered, his voice a mixture of silk and steel, threading into her mind. "Every heartbeat, every spark of defiance, every thought… belongs to me. You cannot fight it, Seris. And you will crave it. You already do."
Her chest constricted as shadows flared to life, twisting into living blades that writhed like serpents. Her hands shook, not with weakness, but with the heat and intensity coursing through her veins. She hated him. She feared him. And yet… she knew with undeniable certainty that she already belonged to him. His obsession threaded into her movements, amplifying her strength while suffocating her independence.
Before she could steady herself, a ripple of darkness surged from the Abyss itself. From the black depths emerged a being older than any Seris had ever faced: an immortal god whose eyes burned molten-gold, radiating hatred forged over millennia. Its body coiled with dark energy, twisting and lashing like living fire. The very air vibrated with its presence, a pulse of ancient rage and deadly power.
Seris lunged, shadows erupting into whips and blades, striking with lethal precision. Mason appeared beside her almost silently, the shadows around him intertwining with hers, threading obsessive energy into each strike without overtaking her agency.
"You see?" he murmured, brushing a tendril of shadow across her arm. The sensation was both a caress and a shackle. "Every act of defiance, every heartbeat of resistance… threads you closer to me. Every strike, every thought, every breath… you are mine, Seris. One day, you will understand what it is to crave me."
The immortal roared, coiling molten-gold energy into a storm that threatened to obliterate everything in its path. Yet Seris, empowered by Mason's obsessive tether, countered with a storm of shadow and goddess-blood fire. Each strike, each movement, became a deadly dance of power and desire, a battlefield where obsession and defiance collided with terrifying beauty.
The Abyss itself reacted violently. Walls twisted, floors rippled, shadows wrapped around Seris and Mason protectively, yet struck with precision at any who dared approach. The air thickened, heavy with the pulsing energy of their tether, of the obsessive chain that linked them inextricably.
Finally, the immortal fell, collapsing into molten-gold flames and shadowed shards. Seris sank to her knees, chest heaving, trembling from exertion, exhilaration, and the overwhelming heat of the mark. Mason knelt beside her, shadows brushing along her hairline and neck in intimate, possessive strokes. His silver eyes softened momentarily, storm-dark and molten beneath the surface.
"You are mine," he whispered, voice threading into her mind like molten silk. "Even your defiance strengthens the bond. Every act of independence, every flicker of rebellion… belongs to me. One day… you will crave it. You will want me. You cannot resist, Seris."
Seris pressed her hands to the mark, heat coiling through her veins like molten silver, igniting her goddess-blood power further. Shadows wrapped around her protectively yet hungrily, responding to both her awakening energy and Mason's obsessive tether.
The Abyss pulsed violently, alive with recognition of their bond. Resistance was futile. Desire was inevitable. The chains of obsession tightened, coiling around her mind, her heart, her very soul. Mason leaned closer, eyes storm-dark and molten, daring her to resist, daring her to surrender completely.
Her awakening had begun—not just to her goddess-blood powers, but to the suffocating, intoxicating bond tethering her utterly to Mason. The Abyss itself seemed to lean closer, alive and aware, anticipating the next surge of power, the next escalation of obsession and dark desire.