Vixen was still glued to the corner of the wall, her eyes wide and her lips parted, as if she had been pulled from a nightmare into reality. Her chest was rising and falling rapidly, not out of excitement... but out of pure instinct for self-preservation.
She pointed a trembling finger at the colossal panther ahead, her voice coming out in a choked whisper, as if speaking louder might trigger an attack:
"Q-q-que... what is that?! Where did that thing come from?"
Seth arched an eyebrow, still calmly stroking Bastet's head - as if he were standing next to a lazy pussycat and not a panther that looked like it had come straight out of a nightmare.
"That 'thing', Vixen, is Bastet." He said with a slight, almost amused smile.
He turned his face sideways, as if remembering. "I found it in a dungeon. It chose me. I think... you're my familiar now."
"Familiar?!" Vixen gasped, in disbelief. "That's too big, too dangerous... it's almost an entity! Since when do you have a monster like that following you around?"
"Since... a few minutes ago. Almost an hour." Seth shrugged. "It shows up when it wants to. And, well... you've definitely activated her button."
His gaze sharpened, landing on her over his shoulder. Vixen didn't respond - she was too busy staring at Bastet, who was licking one of her paws with an almost regal disdain. But her feline eyes were still fixed on her. There was something primitive in that look. Something that said: One more false move and I'll tear you to pieces.
"Was she... was she after me all this time?" Vixen asked softly, as if she was only now accepting reality.
"Maybe." Seth replied simply. "Or maybe she came out of the shadow dimension where she usually hides. She has her... own schedule."
Vixen took a step to the side - and Bastet's head immediately followed.
"Does she understand what I'm saying...?!" Vixen asked, already regretting her question.
Bastet let out a slight growl. Short. Serious. Intentional.
Seth laughed.
"She understands. And she has an opinion. She just doesn't talk to just anyone."
Vixen moved a little further away, her hands raised in a gesture of peace.
"All right... no touching, no flirting, no biting... just looking. I swear."
She tried to joke, but the tone of fear in her voice ruined any attempt at charm. Bastet yawned - revealing fangs bigger than Vixen's fingers.
'I'm a Rank-S... an elite among hunters! Why the hell am I so afraid of this creature?!' Vixen scolded herself inside, trying to regain some dignity.
On the other side of the bed, still bound by the magical chains she herself had summoned, Connie began to laugh. A short, cold laugh... and full of satisfaction.
"Now I do. That was delicious. You were supposed to learn not to stick your claws in my man, you unloved bitch." The look in her eyes was distilled poison.
"Your mother's a bitch," Vixen shot back without thinking, but without taking her eyes off Bastet for more than a second. The creature snorted. Vixen swallowed dryly.
Seth took a deep, loud breath, as if he'd been holding on to his patience for hours.
"Okay, that's it. Introductions made, insults hurled, threats exchanged... now can we get it over with?" He raised his hand, looking directly at Connie, who was still bound by the chains.
Vixen's eyes widened in surprise at what he was about to do. But before she could say anything - a golden ray, pulsing with the same energy signature as Connie's rays, shot out of Seth's hand.
The magical chains, which Connie had been trying unsuccessfully to break, exploded in a sudden flash.
The silence that followed lasted longer than it should have.
Connie sat up slowly, rubbing her red wrists. The look on her face was one of pure shock - and irritation.
"How... did you do that?" she muttered. "Those rays... they're the same as mine. My skill couldn't break it..."
Seth gave a small smile. "Vixen can use magic based on feelings, can't she? She hates you... so the chains worked very well."
He paused, staring at Vixen now, who still looked shaken. "But she likes me. And, well... that makes her ability a lot less effective against me."
He winked wryly. "Advantages of being adorable."
"How dare you..." Vixen huffed, not knowing if she was more annoyed at having failed or at still liking him after that.
Connie muttered something and looked away. "Is everything all right?" Seth asked in a lighter tone, turning back to face the redhead.
Connie hesitated. "I think so..." She bit her lip. "Losing to her like that was humiliating."
"She trapped you, I set you free." Seth moved closer, touching her face gently. "Shall we leave it at a draw for today?"
"All right, so you can show that you've got the same rays as me... to her?" Connie asked, her tone icy, but with a slight tremor of wounded pride.
Seth turned his face slowly, his golden gaze fixed on Vixen. "She's not going to say anything, is she?"
The question came low... soft... but there was a weight to it. Something indescribably dense. As if each syllable carried with it tons of hidden intent.
Vixen's smile died at the same moment. The air in the room seemed to change density. Thicker. Darker.
The light in Seth's eyes - that calm, teasing gleam she found so amusing - went out. And in its place, something older... more raw emerged. A wild instinct, relentless, and absurdly aware of its own potential.
An invisible but overwhelming aura began to spread through the room. It wasn't just magical power. It was soul. A soul that refused to be shackled by limits.
Vixen shuddered.
Out of reflex.
Out of survival.
Out of a fear that made no sense - because she was an S-Rank. A living legend among hunters. And yet, staring into that gaze, she felt... small.
'That aura...!' Her breathing faltered. 'He... he looks like someone else!'
He was no longer the same man she had been teasing for minutes. Something inside him was changing - growing, expanding like roots breaking through the walls of the world.
It was like looking at a predator that, until now, had pretended to be prey. A dragon disguised as a human.
'This guy...' Her eyes widened slightly. 'He doesn't just want to go up a rank. He hates being below. He's going to climb... over the S-Rank... and step on everyone who gets in his way.'
A bead of sweat ran down Vixen's temple. She swallowed and, even though she was who she was, her voice came out lower than usual:
"...Of course. I didn't see anything. I didn't hear anything. I couldn't even explain it if I wanted to..."
She tried to laugh, but the sound died in her throat.
Seth then blinked slowly, and like a light bulb going out, the pressure disappeared.
The overwhelming aura dissolved into the air like smoke, and he was just "Seth" again.
But Vixen couldn't see him the same way anymore.
On the other side, Connie watched in silence. Her eyes followed every second of the exchange. She felt it too - the awakening. The change.
"Ah... I'm glad everything worked out," Seth said with a carefree sigh, taking a seat in one of the armchairs as if the previous chaos was just a breeze. "It really would be a shame to lose one of you."
The phrase hung in the air, sweet and poisonous at the same time. As if it said everything and nothing - and yet touched both of them deeply.
Connie narrowed her eyes. Her face darkened, her lips trembling slightly as she contained the internal storm that was brewing.
"...Hey." Her voice came out low, but razor-sharp. "Why are you talking so intimately to her...?"
Seth didn't even look at her right away. He just casually pointed at Vixen with his chin.
"Do you really think she'll stop? That someone like her is going to back down after what she felt?" He cast a sideways glance at Vixen, whose body immediately tensed. Her legs closed in a rush, and she looked away, her face flushed - not from shyness, but from a desire she couldn't hide.
"Her type..." Seth murmured with a half-smile. "She gets turned on when she feels real power."
Connie bit her lip. "I know..." she replied, but her voice came with tension. Her eyes went from Vixen to Seth. "What about you? What are you going to do about it?"
He leaned back a little in his chair. His golden eyes fixed on her with an intensity that made the air heavy.
"She'll get what she wants. She'll just have to wait. A long time." He paused. "If she wants to get something from me... she'll have to work for it." He smiled. "After all, nothing worthwhile comes easy, does it?"
"I'm not going to share you with anyone." Connie said it firmly, but there was a touch of insecurity behind the anger. As if the idea was eating her alive.
But it was at that moment that Seth slowly stood up.
The smile disappeared.
His eyes changed.
The golden glow sank into darkness, becoming abyssal pits. He walked towards her like someone who already knew the end of the conversation.
"Did you think I'd just watch you play with my life, my heart, my choices?"
His aura was different now. It wasn't just power. It was will. And that will was suffocating.
"I'm the one who should be saying that, Connie."
He stopped in front of her, his gaze engulfing hers like a vortex. And at that moment, everything in Connie froze.
It was like looking at the End itself.
And the End... was smiling at her.
"I won't share you with anyone."
Seth's voice was now a sentence. A pact sealed with every word. His gaze was possessive, hungry, unavoidable. There was no room for doubt, no room for escape.
Connie felt her heart race. Not from fear - but from something more dangerous.
Desire. Surrender. And a twinge of terror as she realized that maybe... the End was all she'd ever wanted