Ethan slowly opened his eyes, the faint light filtering through an unfamiliar room. His mind was foggy as he tried to make sense of his surroundings. Everything felt like a strange mix of both foreign and familiar. Was that all a dream? he wondered, blinking slowly as the remnants of last night swirled in his mind. His head was heavy with confusion, but before he could make sense of anything, a soft pressure on his chest caught his attention.
He turned his head to the side, and his breath caught in his throat.
There, nestled against him, was a girl. Her purple hair cascaded around her face like a soft halo, and she was holding him just as tightly as he was holding her. She had her face resting against his chest, her cheek pressed against his heartbeat. The soft rise and fall of her breath against him was steady and soothing, but it did little to calm the turmoil inside his chest. He wasn't alone.
For a long moment, he simply stared at her, his thoughts moving in a whirlwind. What happened last night?
His fingers twitched slightly where they were wrapped around her, and his heart skipped a beat. The realization crashed into him like a wave. I... did I really? He had no memory of the exact details, but the pieces were all coming back now. The guilt, the shame, the fear. What did I do to her? His eyes flickered over her features, noting how peaceful she seemed, but that only deepened his unease.
Despite the tenderness of the moment, something gnawed at him—What about the curse? The system?
His gaze shifted to the faint outline of the blue status window that hung in the air in front of him. The text flickered briefly, and he could feel the pressure of its presence like a weight on his thoughts. Good morning, Host.
Ethan's lips tightened. Good morning? He scoffed inwardly, bitterness slipping through his thoughts. This is hardly a good morning...
But his mind was racing, and before he could get lost in the turmoil again, he pushed the thoughts aside and focused. He needed answers. Status.
The window flickered to life, revealing the system's status bar in front of him.
---
Status Window
[Name]: Ethan Mijuri
[Race]: Human (82%) / Dragon (12%) / Elf (5%) / Succubus-Incubus Hybrid (1%)
[Age]: 16
[Level]: 1
[Title]: None
Attributes
Strength: 8
Agility: 10
Endurance: 9
Intelligence: 12
Wisdom: 11
Luck: ???
Skills
??? (Locked)
??? (Locked)
System Functions
[Simulation Data Processing] – Analyzing…
Status Effects
[Cursed: Curse of the Secuba Queen]
Effect: If the host does not engage in intercourse with a virgin within 3 weeks the host will die.
Curse Origin: A remnant of the Secuba Queen's malice, designed to ensure her lineage spreads or destroy those who resist.
---
As the window stayed open, Ethan's eyes narrowed. The familiar sense of dread flooded back, a familiar knot forming in his stomach. Curse of the secuba queen? His heart thudded painfully against his chest. He couldn't help but wonder how far that curse had pushed him. Was I even in control last night?
He shifted slightly, his body stiffening as he realized the girl was still holding onto him. His hand moved almost reflexively, running through his hair in frustration. He couldn't keep pretending it hadn't happened. She was still here, and whatever he had done couldn't be undone.
His eyes flickered to her face. She was still sleeping, the tension in her features relaxed for now. Her skin looked soft, her lips parted slightly as she breathed in the calm of the moment, oblivious to the chaos swirling in Ethan's mind.
A soft breath escaped his lips. I need to take responsibility. That's what a man should do.
He was torn between the need to fix things and the gnawing fear that there was no way to go back, no way to undo what had happened.
The girl shifted slightly, her hand unconsciously tightening around his waist, pulling him closer, and Ethan froze. His body instinctively reacted to the motion, heat flooding his chest, his breath catching. No... He was not thinking straight. The guilt wrapped around him tighter than any physical embrace, smothering every rational thought.
With a shaky breath, he forced himself to sit up slightly, his hands carefully pulling the blanket over her. He didn't want to disturb her, didn't want to wake her yet. His eyes traced her features again, his mind battling the shame with every glance.
The feeling of her warmth next to him was both comforting and terrifying, and the pull between them was almost unbearable. What do I do now? He couldn't shake the feeling that there was something wrong with the way he was reacting, but he couldn't put the pieces together.
His fingers tightened momentarily around the edge of the blanket. The thought of what he had done to her, how she might feel about it, filled him with uncertainty. Her trust, her presence—it made his heart ache with an unfamiliar pain.
But the timer on the curse—the system's influence—pressed on him like a vice.
With a sigh, he focused back on the window. I need to know what this curse really does to me. I need to understand what's happening.
---
Side Effect of the Curse:
The Host's mind will be affected by the curse, and the Host might act in ways they do not wish to. The Host will not realize what is happening during these moments.
---
Ethan's blood ran cold. What does that mean? His mind raced, turning over the implications of what he had just read. He could feel the tension creeping up his spine. The guilt in his gut was becoming unbearable. If I didn't even know...
The girl stirred slightly, her hand brushing against his chest as she shifted. She was still asleep, but the quiet motion sent a jolt of awareness through him. His heart thudded in his chest as his pulse quickened. He wasn't sure what he feared more—the system's control over him or the consequences of his actions.
He had to fix this. But how?
-----
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