Rise of the Lustful Evil Monarch (Re)

Third Person's POV

Ethan crawled until he reached the upper edge and positioned himself directly above the unaware figure below.

Perched in silence above the spire, Ethan observed.

The violet figure sat still with its form silhouetted by the eerie light of the Blood Moon.

It gazed out over the vast expanse of the demon city and was seemingly lost in thought and entirely oblivious to the dark phantom now poised directly overhead.

Then, with a sigh of frustration the figure began to mutter to itself,

"That man Eryndor, is indeed very dangerous.

I was right to be cautious and distrustful of his attempts to appear normal and unaware of my presence.

But what were t-those t-two doing..."

The voice that floated into the night was unmistakably familiar and melodious, making the shadow unmistakably a woman.

Hearing her, Ethan's eyes narrowed in surprise though not disbelief.

Suddenly, everything made sense.

He now understood why the figure hadn't shown even a flicker of interest in the naked Virelle and instead had remained singularly focused on him from the very beginning.

The figure reached up and pushed back its hood and unveiled the elegant contours of twin pointed ears and a cascading waterfall of shimmering silver hair.

Her violet-toned skin radiated a starlit sheen under the moonlight and though her bluish-purple eyes were hidden from Ethan's vantage point, their presence was etched vividly in his memory.

There was no mistaking her identity—it was the dark elf receptionist of the Adventurer Guild, Aurae.

As he gazed upon the slender curve of her neck and the glistening silver locks flowing freely down her back, he found himself mesmerized.

She looked otherworldly, like an ethereal vision while being too exquisite and perfect to belong to the material world.

Twin silver rings adorned each of her long and graceful ears as they subtly caught the Blood Moon's eerie light.

Despite the shock, Ethan remained utterly silent and chose not to reveal himself.

He wanted her to continue more of her monologue, speak more of her intentions, and gain insight into this mysterious dark elf's mind.

With practiced focus, he maintained his Soul Veil Manipulation, ensuring that she believed she had successfully shaken his pursuit and returned to a safe and undetectable location.

Just then, her gaze lifted toward the glowing red orb in the sky.

A faint purple glint flickered in her partially hidden eyes as she murmured aloud,

"Hmm... why am I sitting beside a spire on this building? Wasn't I supposed to be home?"

No sooner had she spoken those confused words than something grotesque unfolded.

From the crown of her head, thin silver worms that were invisible to the material realm but visible in the Astral realm began to slither out.

They quivered and writhed while emitting high-pitched and silent screeches as they squirmed into the open air.

Ethan's breath hitched and his expanded crimson pupils suddenly dilated and narrowed even further.

The very moment she had locked eyes with the Blood Moon, he felt it—the violent tug on his soul strand embedded within her.

It was an instinctual force pushing against his control and manipulation.

A surge of resistance from deep within her consciousness slammed into his probing sense and caused it to shudder like a leaf in a storm.

Damn it, Ethan cursed inwardly and knew with certainty that she was on the verge of realizing the manipulation.

If she broke free completely, the fragile illusion he had woven would unravel in an instant.

And so, without any hesitation and a single moment of delay, he acted.

He began to descend the spire like a shadow slithering through the moonlight and by the time Aurae murmured in confusion, Ethan had already reached her.

Without a sound, dark chains burst from his outstretched hand and moved like sentient serpents.

Before she could even blink or let alone react, they coiled tightly around her body and bound her from head to toe.

Her arms were pinned and her legs were wrapped by his chains.

She didn't even register the chains for an instant as all her movement was stolen from her in an instant.

Aurae's eyes widened in shock as she attempted to turn her head, only to find even that movement was denied by the chains.

Panic surged through her as bursts of purple and blue lightning flared from her body in desperation.

But the chains emitted a thick, dark smoke and formed an oppressive shroud that absorbed her lightning bolts and neutralized the crackling energy.

Her heart pounded.

At this moment, she knew that she was caught in total helplessness.

Ethan stepped around to face her with a calm yet serious look on his face.

Aurae's breath caught in her throat as their eyes met.

His crimson gaze flickered with both amusement and cold precision as it trained on her while she could only think how she had never been caught off guard like this.

It defied logic.

Yet even amidst her helplessness, a strange relief washed through her.

She was bound and powerless but deep inside, she felt certain that Ethan meant her no true harm.

She wasn't in danger of the monstrous fate that often befalls women captured by less noble men.

Still, the situation was mortifying.

Especially as she noticed his gaze trailing unabashedly down her form and lingering on the curves now emphasized by the constriction of his chains.

Her medium-sized breasts which were usually modest beneath her attire were now lifted and more prominent than ever.

She flushed with embarrassment as her violet-tinged cheeks darkened with shame.

She glared at him with furious eyes and expected him to look away but his eyes remained trained on her.

He seemed to be inspecting her with the calm scrutiny of a sculptor admiring form.

He even had the audacity to rub his chin as if evaluating a piece of art.

Unable to bear it any longer, she gave a soft cry of protest as her voice trembled with both fury and something more uncertain.