Ars yawned loudly when he woke up the next day.
Yesterday after his hot shower, he slept right away. His face hit the soft bed, and he was immediately dead to the world. He dreamed of his peaceful life in Light Union.
However, all dreams come to an end. Real life caught up to him quickly. He knew that Luna, the girl who became his pet, would shout at him as soon as he got down.
So he made himself fully ready and went downstairs.
As predicted, Luna was waiting for him with an annoyed expression.
Her witch hat was missing. Long lavender hair draped across her fair skin, dropping down to her hips.
To his surprise, she knelt on the floor. Her hand was touching the ground and her nose nearly hit it. Her eyes were looking down. The attitude indicated respect and obedience.
"Good morning, Master."
It was like a 180 from yesterday. Ars blinked. Luna didn't utter a sound of discontent.
'What the heck happened while I was sleeping?' He thought about seeking his maid for an explanation. Luna followed him from behind like an obedient pet.
This morning felt as if he was taken to three days ago when he found new horns growing on his head and then got kidnapped to the Dark Union.
Ars suddenly dreaded if Luna had been brainwashed and controlled or if Maria ate her soul or something like that.
'There's no way it's that, right?'
Hopefully.
"Ah, Young Master. You have awakened. How do you feel?"
Maria was cleaning something. In the living room, she appeared normal. There was no blood or meat or bones to be seen. No smell of fresh meat being grilled.
Good. No violence then.
"Morning, Maria. Just wondering, what happened to Luna?"
Luna, the new pet, had always said something mean and cursed at him. The girl kneeling down with her chest at the ground was not the same girl as she was yesterday.
"There is nothing happening. We just had a small talk yesterday." Maria explained while dusting. "Thankfully, we reached an understanding."
The look in her eyes told Ars that they had done something more than talking. Ars didn't want to go any deeper. He was worried about the Witch girl, though. But as long as nothing bad happened, then...
'My condolences.'
He lamented and sympathized with her.
"Young Master, did you wash?"
"Yes."
"If that's the case, then let's proceed for breakfast."
After taking a seat at the dining table, Maria quickly served his food and poured his drink, all so silently and speedily. Before eating, he remembered something and looked at Luna.
"Feel free to eat like yesterday, I guess. Sit with me if you don't want to eat on the floor."
After receiving permission, Luna stood up. Slowly, she limped closer to him. Something was different. Something was off. Very off.
He became curious what kind of 'talk' Maria had with Luna to turn the prideful girl into a meek one.
'Just ignore it. It's a weird daily phenomenon in this country.'
And so, as usual, he left everything to Luna's judgment.
'I will just eat the food. Who knows when something even stranger will come along. Let me finish what was needed of me before a larger headache comes along. Or larger pain. Everything will change eventually.'
Ars ate the food, not even noticing if his taste bud was worked up or not. He just satisfied his hunger, which needed a tableful of food just to be sated.
Everything was prepared by Maria, and afterwards, she served his drink.
"The finest water of unholy from your Ancestor's temple, fit for Young Master. It will nourish your body."
Ars stopped his hand in the middle of raising the glass to his lips. He sighed.
'I really wished that my ancestor drank normal mineral water, or at least water from the ordinary spring. This is… just too much.'
It was unsurprising that a being like his Ancestor, the old Eldritch, had never thought of drinking something like tap water that had been 'filtered' and used up by the citizens around.
In fact, the water in front of him was black. He was worried.
'Will I die from drinking this? Too late. I'll bite the bullet. I am no longer a normal human either way. If this liquid can raise my power, just like what Maria told me, then it is worth a try. I would need power if I don't want to end up like Luna.'
He realized that power was indeed necessary to survive the Dark Union. So he took a gulp and swallowed it.
For a split second, it tasted burnt water. However, the moment the liquid met his throat, it spread inside his body like fire, lighting up his nerves and stimulating his instinct.
'Awesome!'
His thought was completely halted. All he knew was that the feeling was blissful. Once he drank it once, he was hooked. His tongue still contained the faint flavor. He didn't want to stop.
'It's like a cola.'
"It's good." He said, smiling at Maria.
The maid smiled in relief.
Luna had picked up a plateful and was eating it silently. Each time she took a spoonful of rice in her mouth, some sauce on her red lips dropped down and was gone on the smooth surface of her chin.
No matter how Ars saw it, he was certain that the girl had a talent for being messy. And at her level, it no longer mattered.
'Well, she is a pet.'
Ars drank some more and realized something was wrong.
'Wait.'
In his mouth, he could still taste the faint flavor of the drink, just like before he had taken a sip.
'Just how is this possible? My thoughts... I never once considered Luna as a pet, but now...'
He glanced at her, where sauce had reached her chest area. Still eating silently, the girl was focused on her food.
'What happened...?'
Sudden rush of power exploded in his head and shocked his nervous system.
Something within him had changed.
Luna's face was so red, beautiful, and enticing. Ars' line of sight was lost as he focused on her soft body and large chest. Lavender haired and violet eyes. She was trying her best to hide her shame, but to no avail.
Forgetting to wipe her face, Luna slowly raised her head to ask something when the collar around her neck pulsated a few times and silenced her. After that, it took all her courage and willpower to swallow the food back in her mouth.
That figure was somehow enticing to Ars. A sense of domination rushed to the forefront of his mind.
'Messy Luna... That is somehow, cute. Her arrogant attitude turned meek. I love it.'
The thought was like a fog that disoriented his mental process. Ars blamed it on the liquid he had drunk.
'Yeah, I've become weird.'