Even the thought of the word felt like an alarm in his chest now.
And then it happened.
A flash of red light bloomed above them, twisting midair like a glitch in reality.
[System Enforcement Engaged]
[Emotional Violation Threshold Surpassed – Level 1 Lockdown Initiated]
[Initiating: Trial of Restraint]
Elias barely had time to react before invisible chains erupted from the air, slamming him down to the floor. Cold. Heavy. Metal not forged from this world—but from system coding itself.
"Elias!" Aya lunged toward him, but a barrier sealed her away instantly, locking her in a translucent prism. She screamed and slammed her fists against it, her eyes wide with panic.
"Don't interfere," a voice boomed.
It wasn't the usual mechanical system tone.
It was something else. Older. Deeper.
A form emerged—a woman clad in crimson chains, her hair flowing like ink in water, eyes bleeding red light.
"I am Lilin, the Sentinel of Lust's Laws. You touched the edge of forbidden desire, Elias Black. You must now face the trial of Restraint."
Elias coughed, straining against the chains. "This again? You can't force me to feel nothing."
She walked toward him, slow and predatory. "No. But I can teach you what happens when feelings evolve faster than control. You've awoken something primal—and primal things must be tamed."
She snapped her fingers.
Suddenly, Elias was somewhere else.
Not the bedroom.
A chamber of mirrors, endless reflections of him and Aya in moments both real and imagined. One where they kissed. Another where she cried in his arms. Another where he said her name with a reverence that felt too... intimate.
Each illusion tugged at him.
He felt their weight in his bones.
"Resist it," Lilin whispered beside him. "Or lose your progress. Your system levels. Your throne as the Harem Lord."
And somewhere in the distance—his real system UI began glitching.
XP bars flickering. Bonds dimming.
Elias clenched his jaw. "You think I'm afraid of losing stats?"
"No," Lilin smiled, her teeth sharp. "I think you're afraid of losing her."
His breath caught.
The mirror where Aya held his face, whispering his name, began glowing.
"Break it," Lilin said. "Or let it consume you."
The chains around his wrists surged. Time slowed.
Aya's voice echoed from the prism world outside. "Whatever you do, Elias—don't lose yourself."
His muscles trembled. But slowly—deliberately—he stood.
And he shattered the mirror.
Light exploded everywhere.
---
Back in the real world, the chains vanished.
The prism holding Aya dissolved. She stumbled forward, eyes locked on him.
Lilin watched silently.
"You passed," she said softly, almost disappointed. "But next time, Elias… if the heart gets too involved, even I won't be able to help you."
She vanished in sparks.
[Trial Complete: Restraint]
[Reward: Lust Chain - A skill that binds targets in shared emotion. Use with caution.]
Aya wrapped her arms around him.
Not out of love. Not out of fear.
Just because.
And that, somehow, made it worse.
The sunlight trickled through the thin curtain as Elias sat at the edge of the bed, shirtless, staring at the system panel floating in front of him. Aya lay asleep behind him, the blanket tangled around her legs. He didn't glance back.
[New Trial Condition Unlocked: Attachment Detected.]
[System Alert: Emotional Possessiveness Triggered by Subject—Aya.]
[Penalty Trial Initiated in 5 minutes.]
Elias exhaled slowly. "Figures."
The system had warned him—no love, no devotion. Bond with them, yes. Build desire, yes. But affection? That was off-limits.
Aya stirred behind him, sensing his tension. "Elias…? What's wrong?"
He didn't answer at first. His mind raced. Was it him growing too soft—or was this the system messing with his mind again?
Then, suddenly, the room rippled.
Aya's body behind him shimmered—her form distorted in a glitch of static and smoke. She wasn't real.
His body tensed, spinning around as the clone of Aya stood, skin turning pale gray, eyes glowing red. Her expression was twisted, mocking.
"Poor Elias," the impostor hissed, voice layered. "You almost believed in comfort. Tsk, tsk."
[Trial Phase 1: Resist the Siren's Possession]
The impostor lunged at him. Elias rolled off the bed, landing barefoot on the floor with a soft thud. A dagger—formed from system light—flashed into his hand just in time to parry her clawed strike.
"Aya wouldn't hurt me like this," Elias muttered, gritting his teeth as the blade sparked against her nails.
"But she might… care," the impostor whispered.
He hated how it sounded like her—like the real Aya, in her vulnerable moments. And that's what made this trial harder than any physical test: facing emotional echoes turned into weapons.
They clashed across the room. Every strike the impostor made mirrored Aya's fighting style—except sharper, crueler. It was clear: the system was using his memories against him.
With a shout, Elias pinned her to the wall, his dagger inches from her throat. But the impostor grinned.
"You like control, don't you? But what happens when they start controlling your heart?"
He hesitated.
And in that pause—she exploded into mist.
[Phase 1 Complete.]
[Emotional Stability Dropped: 74% → 48%]
[Initiating Phase 2...]
He fell to his knees, chest heaving. The system wasn't just testing him with illusions anymore. It was forcing him to confront the growing emotional chaos he'd buried—his need to protect the girls, even if it meant breaking the system's rules.
But he couldn't. Not yet.
A soft knock on the door.
He snapped to attention, grabbing the dagger again. The door creaked open—and this time, it was Lilith, eyes cautious, lips pursed. The real one.
"I felt something… wrong," she whispered. "Are you okay?"
Elias didn't speak right away. His mind buzzed with mistrust, unsure if it was really her or just another trap.
She stepped forward slowly, arms out. "Elias. Look at me. It's me. I swear."
He stared at her. No glow. No red eyes. No glitching skin.
Real.
And for just a moment, his guard slipped. Not from weakness—but from exhaustion. She placed a hand on his chest, feeling his heartbeat.
"You're not made to carry this alone," she said softly.
He looked at her—deeply—and then tore his eyes away. "I can't afford to feel anything, Lilith. Not like that."
"I know," she said. "But your heart's still human. You'll lose more than trials if you let it freeze over."
Her words rang louder than any system alert.
Outside the window, the skies darkened—not with storm clouds, but something deeper. A pulse in the air. The next trial was already building.
And Elias knew—he was heading toward something far worse than an impostor.
He was heading toward a system that was no longer just testing him. It was learning him.
And soon—it would break him or evolve him into something entirely new.