Chapter 113: Chapter 113: I accept you.
The runes on the system screen pulsed like a heartbeat. His heartbeat.
[Leashed Possession: Amber]
...Body Exchange.
Aiden’s jaw clenched. He could almost taste iron in his mouth. "Body exchange...? What the fuck does that even mean?"
He hovered his finger over the glowing option, and for the first time since Lilith’s system branded itself onto him, he hesitated.
Not because of fear—but because of the possibilities.
With a hiss of breath, he clicked.
The night didn’t explode. No blinding light, no immediate shift. Instead, something quieter stirred—like silk being drawn across his skin, like fingers trailing the back of his neck.
The forest faded, just a fraction, colors dimming at the edges of his vision. His breath hitched as another rhythm entered him, layered over his own.
A second heartbeat.
Amber’s.
It was frantic, faster than his, pulsing inside his chest as though it belonged there all along. His throat went dry. He staggered back, boots sinking into mud.
"...shit."
Her pulse wasn’t the only thing. He felt her—not in thought, not in word, but in the thrum of her fear.
It quivered through him like a song muffled behind walls. His teeth ground together as flashes burst across his sight, broken pieces, not his own.
—A stone corridor, torchlight guttering against damp walls.
—Arina’s hand, pale fingers gripping Amber’s wrist with unyielding strength.
—The scent of herbs and cold steel.
—And Amber’s breath hitching, whispering beneath it all: don’t resist, don’t anger her...
Aiden’s lips curled. "Arina, you fucking bitch..."
The vision snapped back, leaving him kneeling in mud again, but his knuckles were trembling.
The bond was real. Through Amber, he had seen her world, even if only for moments.
Then came the temptation.
If he could see through her, could she feel him? Could he press closer? Could he slide deeper into her until he was no longer only looking but living through her?
The system’s words seared in his mind:
Body Exchange.
His chest rose and fell, faster. "If I can step into her... then I can reach that dungeon. I can get past the dungeon. I can rip Arina out by the throat."
But another whisper slithered across his thoughts. Lilith.
[Lilith hums: Souls that exchange do not always return the same.]
His shoulders stiffened. "...What the fuck does that mean?"
[Lilith licked her lips: Her purity will stain you. Your hunger will stain her. And one of you will like it.]
He snarled, striking the mud with his gauntleted fist. The ground splashed.
"Enough riddles!"
Yet the system still glowed in his vision, the "Body Exchange" option pulsing, waiting.
Every beat of Amber’s heart inside him was a hook, reeling him in. He couldn’t ignore it.
"Fuck it," he growled, breath misting in the night. "If this is the only way in..."
He chose.
The air thickened instantly. A pull began—not violent, but insidious. His breath dragged shallow.
Amber’s pulse grew louder, louder, until it was all he heard. His own heartbeat faltered, skipping rhythm, bending toward hers. His hands shook as his vision bled at the edges, colors warping.
And then—
A gasp. Not his.
Her gasp.
He froze. Inside the pulse, inside the bond, he felt it: Amber had felt him. Not clearly, not knowing—but enough. A ripple of confusion, a whisper of someone’s here.
Aiden’s lips parted, a curse half-formed. The exchange wasn’t complete, but the process had begun.
The dungeon air was heavy, tasting of stone and ash. Amber’s lungs burned with each breath, the stale air scraping her throat.
Arina’s grip was iron around her wrist, dragging her deeper into the labyrinth, past roots that writhed like veins and torches that refused to burn steady.
Her heart thundered in her chest. Too fast. Too loud. She bit her lip, trying to calm herself, to remember the prayers the Church had drilled into her since childhood.
The light shelters. The light protects.
But the light did not answer here. Only shadows.
She stumbled, nearly falling, when it struck her.
A second heartbeat.
Her breath hitched. For a moment she thought she was fainting, thought the dungeon had stolen her senses.
But no—the rhythm was wrong. Not hers. Too slow. Too steady. It pounded inside her ribs, layering over her own frantic pulse.
And then she heard it.
’Fuck it.’
Her eyes flew wide. She whipped her head around, but Arina was silent, her jaw tight, her attention fixed ahead. The voice hadn’t come from her.
It had come from inside.
Amber froze, her pulse screaming in her ears. "what..." she whispered under her breath. "what is happening..."
Her vision flickered. Not blindness—something.. something new. A smear of color, an image not her own. Mud. Silver armor. White hair clinging wet to a man’s face. A snarl on his lips, eyes burning like coals.
"Aiden..."
His name slipped out before she could stop herself.
Arina snapped her head back, eyes narrowing. "What did you say?"
Amber bit down hard, tasting blood. "N-nothing. Just... a prayer."
Arina’s gaze lingered a moment too long before she turned back. "Pray louder, healer. The things that live here don’t care for your silence."
But Amber barely heard her.
Because Aiden was still there. Not fully, not clearly—but inside. She could feel the heat of his anger, the grind of his teeth, the sharp coil of his hunger pressing like claws beneath her skin.
It wasn’t just his heartbeat anymore. It was pieces of his self, leaking through.
Her fingers trembled at her sides. She clutched her robes, trying to steady them, but they shook harder.
"aiden...Aiden is that you?" she hissed beneath her breath, her voice breaking. "is this, one of your ... powers..."
A whisper brushed her thoughts, deep and ragged.
Yes...
Her knees buckled. The dungeon tilted, stone walls swimming like water. She slammed her eyes shut, but it didn’t help.
Behind her eyelids she saw him—mud-streaked, teeth bared, fists clenched so tight his knuckles cracked. He was far away, yet inside her all the same.
Amber’s chest heaved. If this continued—if he pushed further—would she still be herself? Or would she wake up and find him wearing her skin, speaking with her mouth?
A cold dread wrapped her spine.
She wanted to accept him but. She wanted to let him do what he was trying to do. But it felt new. Something unheard off. But then the whisper came again, confident, desperate:
I can save you.
Her lips parted. Her heart beat rose.
Because she felt him, and he felt her. She felt it, she needed to accept him, fully and she gulped. When finally, she decided she would let him pass, through her. She feared this now phenomenon but she loved him more.
"body exchange." she whispered as well.