Myles sighed heavily. He wasn't a saint here to hand out charity, but he wasn't the type to kill someone or watch someone for fun either.
He couldn't save Kade on his own, and the only way to get Lilian to want to save him was to dangle something in front of her worth her time.
She was a demon, Myles kind of certain about that. A strong, independent, and utterly self-serving demon from a higher dimension. The only language she spoke was opportunity for herself.
And Myles had just given her a perfect one which was turning Kade into her servant. Which, by extension, meant Myles' servant as well.
Ryan wouldn't like it. As Kade's commanding officer the idea of one of his men being bound to a demon's leash would be something he resented.
But Myles wasn't planning to tell him, of course. The problem was Lilian. If she decided to blurt it out just to watch Ryan's face twist, he couldn't exactly stop her.
He followed her anyway, curious about what exactly a demon like her could do to save Kade.
"ARRRGHHH!!!"
A guttural scream tore from Kade's throat as they stepped into the room.
The classroom-turned-sickbay smelled of blood, coppery and sharp.
A steady stream of crimson dripped from the mangled ruin of Kade's leg, pooling on the tabletop and splattering to the floor.
Nia and Elias were holding him down, their arms straining as he thrashed in pain.
Ryan stood off to the side with a tense and grim expression. When he saw Lilian, his eyes lit with sudden hope.
"Will you heal him?" Ryan asked, his voice almost pleading.
Lilian didn't answer. She didn't even glance at him and just walked past as if he were nothing more than an inconvenient piece of furniture.
She stopped beside Kade and placed a hand just above the shredded flesh.
A low hum filled the air as violet light seeped from her palm. The glow wasn't bright but it pulsed brightly, threads of energy weaving into the torn muscle and skin.
Myles caught the faint scent of something sweet, like crushed flowers under moonlight. A sharp contrast to the smell of blood.
The wound began knitting together in front of their eyes. Torn muscle reformed, veins reconnected, and skin sealed over the damage.
Lilian's expression didn't change. If anything, she looked bored and annoyed.
Five minutes later, the leg was whole again. The bleeding had stopped entirely, though Kade still gasped for air and sweat pouring down his face that was still pale.
The pain lingered, but the mortal danger had passed.
Kade blinked up at her, disbelief and relief warring on his face.
"Thank you," he managed.
Lilian gave the smallest of nods, still not bothering to speak, and turned away.
The faintest smile touched her lips.. Myles caught that smile but Ryan missed it because he was too focused on Kade's condition.
Myles knew exactly what it meant.
She'd just collected her newest servant.
Myles could only shrug. At least now Kade was safe, right?
The night moved on. The tension from the fight had mostly drained away, replaced by the low murmur of survivors settling in for rest.
Myles sat alone in one of the quieter rooms, the flickering light from a battery-powered lamp casting shadows along the walls.
His gaze was fixed on his stats window and saw that he was now at Level 14. He had unspent 20 Attribute Points, 10 from earlier that he had saved and 10 from two recent level-ups before.
He tapped the allocation with a faint smirk. Five points into Agility, five into Wisdom.
Agility: 25
Wisdom: 25
The change was immediate. His body felt lighter, faster, his senses sharper.
The increased Wisdom boosted his mana reserves, the number in the corner of his vision ticking up to 250 MP. A satisfying balance.
A soft knock came at the door. Before he could answer it swung open.
Nadine stepped in first, her expression calm but carrying the faint curve of a smile.
Behind her, Lilian entered with a sway in her step, wearing that unmistakable sultry smile that radiated nothing but sensual confidence.
Myles raised an eyebrow. "Something you need to say?"
Lilian tilted her head, her crimson eyes catching the lamplight.
"You fulfilled my request. The Vilegnaw is dead," Lilian said.
"I also benefited from it," Myles replied simply. "I got two level ups and became stronger than before."
Nadine gave a small nod in agreement.
Myles then leaned back in his chair with happy feelings.
"So," he said slowly, "what else do you want me to do?"
Lilian's smile lingered, but her gaze drifted upward in thought. She tapped her finger against her lips, pondering.
"Mmm… nothing else right now," she said finally. "I need to return to my own world for a while."
Myles' expression faltered before he could mask it. "You're leaving?"
She stepped closer until her presence filled his view, the soft scent of her clinging to the air between them.
Her hands rose and cupped his face, her touch deceptively gentle for someone who could cut a man in half without breaking a nail.
"Oh, don't be sad," she purred. "I'll be back. And when I return…" Her eyes gleamed with that dangerous, knowing promise. "…I'll have more for you to do."
Myles swallowed once and gave a short nod.
Before he could speak again, her smile turned into something far more wicked.
"But," she continued, "before I depart, I'll need a goodbye present."
He blinked, caught off guard. "A… present?"
"Yes," she said simply, then leaned in.
Her lips pressed to his lips without hesitation, soft and warm, carrying that intoxicating aura that was uniquely hers.
—