Free Web NovelChapter 6: Cage of Love
Lucien’s gaze was fixed on Seraphina. Her words and actions made him realize he had stepped back into the hell of Obsession.
Even though his appearance and body were similar to that of his past life, the intensity of her devotion was something else entirely. What amount of time would have been needed to draw all of this?
Seraphina chuckled when she saw no response from Lucien.
She moved, hopping like a child as she went to her cupboard.
Before Lucien’s eyes, she brought out a stack of papers, each one filled with his drawings.
Different emotions he displayed — even when he was sleeping. His brow furrowed in thought. His lips curved in a rare smile. His eyes closed in peaceful slumber. She had captured them all.
He could feel the obsessiveness, the love, the hunger radiating from the drawings, as if each stroke of her hand had been infused with her very soul.
"If those on the walls aren’t enough, these are more." She smiled, her voice light, as if she was showing him a beloved collection.
Lucien was stumped for a reply. His mind raced, but no words came.
The material of the drawings here was different from his past life, which used pen and paper, and also unlike some fantasy novels he knew about. This paper was formed from different materials and arrays; it was called Memory Paper, a rare and expensive paper that could store not just images but also the emotions and intent of the artist.
For the pen, it was called an Ink Quill, made from feathers of strong creatures. With the assistance of arrays, one’s Originat could be used as ink, flowing through the quill and into the paper with every stroke. The result was not just a drawing, but a piece of the artist’s very soul, captured on the page.
Seraphina paused, feeling no response from Lucien.
"Oh yeah, you haven’t eaten since you woke up. Let me serve some dishes for you."
She stood up, giving Lucien a peck, as she left the room.
Lucien watched as she left, her figure disappearing through the doorway, before he heaved a sigh of relief.
He glanced at the drawings again; vivid and clear. The love he knew wasn’t like this. It wasn’t suffocating. It wasn’t consuming.
He felt like crying. There was no way he could form a progressive relationship with her. Not like this. Not when her love was a cage.
Before he could process his thoughts, the system notifications sent him back to hell.
Ding!
[Detecting Host has stepped into the path of cultivation. New missions unlocked.]
---
Mission 1: Strengthen the Obsession Link.
[Objective: Increase the resonance level of the Obsession Link with Seraphina Drax to 100%.]
[Time Limit: 1 Month]
[Reward: 1,000 Eternal Devotion Tokens, 1 Eternal Devotion Ticket, Fragment of the Pillar of Obsession (Seraphina)]
[Penalty: Permanent loss of Infinite Origin Core. Total HP permanently halved.]
---
Mission 2: The Hunt
[Time Limit: 4 Days]
[Objective: Kill a hundred Initiate Realm Volkoids.]
[Reward: 2 Random Gacha Tickets]
---
Mission 3: A Second Heart
[Time Limit: None]
[Objective: Establish a second Obsession Link.]
[Reward: 1 Rare Gacha Ticket, 500 Eternal Devotion Tokens]
---
Mission 4: A Sovereign Throne (Chain Mission)
[Time Limit: None]
[Objective: Achieve 100% Obsession Resonance and 100% Obsession Level on a single Obsession Link.]
[Reward: ?????]
[Note: This mission will unlock subsequent stages upon completion.]
---
Lucien’s mood was instantly destroyed by the system’s missions. The first mission alone caused his mood to plummet.
He had to increase the resonance of the Obsession Link with Seraphina and he had been planning on having nothing to do with her. Yet the system brought this.
The penalty caused him to feel chills. Did he really have to do this?
"System, how can I increase the resonance level?" Lucien asked, confused about the next step to take.
Ding!
[That’s up to Host to find out.]
The message was short and precise, but it felt like a sledgehammer strike to his heart.
Before Lucien knew it, he began to panic. How could he increase it from 3% to 100% within a month, without knowing the steps forward or what to do?
After a while, Lucien sat back down on the bed.
He contemplated for a long moment before he gave up. He would solve them when the right time came.
The door opened. Seraphina came back with dishes in her hands, a soft smile on her face.
Lucien could sense the richness of the Originat in the food; pure energy that could be used to nourish his body. The aroma alone made his stomach stir.
Lucien frowned, because he could see that the food was richer than what he ate back at the mansion. The ingredients were far more potent, far more expensive.
And the Drax Clan couldn’t afford such resources.
His brows squinted. He glanced at the sky through the window, then turned his gaze to Seraphina, who was arranging the dishes for him with careful, almost loving precision.
"Where are we?" he asked.
The question made Seraphina freeze. The atmosphere became tense, heavy.
A few seconds passed before she burst into laughter.
"It seems you are as keen as ever, Darling." Her voice carried the familiar obsessive smile.
"But I am surprised, how did you find out?" She continued, a hint of genuine bafflement in her tone. "I thought I was careful."
Her words made Lucien’s mood sink even further. He could now confirm he was no longer in the Drax mansion.
It seemed that in his moment of unconsciousness, he had been moved.
And from the looks of it, she had done it on purpose.
"I am asking a question here," Lucien said coldly.
"But that’s no fun if I don’t know how you found out." She pouted slightly. "I thought I was careful."
But by now, Lucien’s gaze had grown cold — a chill settled in the air between them.
"Okay, alright. Well, since your parents abandoned you for a marriage transaction..." She shrugged her shoulders. "...I brought you to my place."
She moved closer until their faces were just a breadth away. Lucien could feel those dark depths of love in her eyes; possessive, consuming, eternal.
"Darling, welcome to my castle. Where you will be living for the rest of your life."
