Pain.
That was the last thing Aric remembered before the lights faded out.
Blood filled his mouth, his body broken and shaking on the cold cell floor. And all around him lay the corpses of his so-called allies, crumpled in pools of crimson. The bastards had turned on him—shoved a knife in between his ribs the second they got what they wanted.
He had struggled, how he had struggled. But in the end, that wasn't enough. He was weak. Powerless. Another sappy, nameless idiot who dared to scraped out of their class."
The fires of the dungeon whipped around him and his vision turned black as his awareness fell into nothingness.
[System Awakening…]
A suave, slick voice murmured in the emptiness.
[Soul detected. Compatibility: 99.9%]
(Initializing the Dominance System…)
[Reconstructing vessel…]
Aric gasped.
Now he floated in an infinite void of dark stillness, body weightless, mind razor sharp. His wounds faded with an aching warmth that overcome him like unseen hands stroking his soul.
Then, she appeared.
Before him stood a woman of impossible beauty. Eyes as deep as the cosmos, lips turned in a knowing smile, and a body wrapped in sheer silks that barely concealed her divine perfection.
"Welcome, my selected one," she purred, advancing toward him. "You died a pathetic death. But I have seen your potential… and I have chosen to give you a second chance."
Aric opened his mouth to speak but his voice would not come out.
The woman placed a hand on his chin and tilted his head so he had no choice but to meet her eyes. "Call me Nyx, the Empress of Desire." My dominion lies over the untamed arts of lust, power, and control. And you, my darling, are my new champion."
[Dominance System Activated]
A wave of heat poured through Aric's body. His muscles tensed, his senses heightened, and a strange, thrilling energy flowed through his veins.
[New Body Built: Buff Physique, Lit Charisma, Mega Stamina]
[Unlocked heavy skin: Lustborn Sovereign]
[System Quest: Establish Initial Control]
Nyx stepped closer, her breath hot near his ear. "I'm here to give you a gift, Aric. The ability to dominate the mind of others, to make them yours in body and soul. But power must be earned. Conquer. Dominate. And for that… you will rise above all."
His heart pounded. This was not just a second opportunity. This was a rebirth.
"Now, awaken," Nyx commanded. "And claim what is yours."
Aric's eyes snapped open.
He was no longer in the void. Instead, there he was reclining on a silken bed, in a chamber of black marble lit by flickering candlelight.
And next to him, chained to the wall, was a woman.
Preyx: She was stunning — white hair tumbling down her naked arms, her violet eyes filled with defiance. A tattered noble's dress hung off her body, exposing smooth, unblemished skin beneath.
"Where… am I?" Aric said, holding his temples. His body has felt different — more powerful, sharper.
"You're awake," the woman said, spitting the words. "Who are you? Did those filthy bandits send you?
Bandits?
Aric's mind assembled the pieces. This must be his first trial. The system had placed him in a situation where he needed to assert his control.
His eyes darted to the chains that bound the noblewoman's wrists. The interface for the system came up in front of him.
[Target: Selene Vaelis – Status: Captured, Uncooperative]
[Influence: 0%]
[Choices: Convinse, Scare, F*ck]
A slow smile creased Aric's lips.
He wasn't the weak one anymore for the first time in his life.
And he was determined to savor every minute of it.