"I’m not obligated to answer that," Damon replied with a faint smile.

He took a step toward her, smirk still tugging at his lips, then suddenly collapsed to his knees, hacking up blood.

"P-Persival!?"

Sera rushed to his side at once, gripping his shoulders, her face tight with genuine worry. The victory over the boss had been moments ago; the abrupt shift in atmosphere sent a chill down her spine.

"W-What’s going on?!"

"Think I took some internal damage from one of its hits." He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, the red smear stark against his skin. "Adrenaline must’ve masked it."

"Adrenaline doesn’t mask internal bleeding for that long! Sit down. Now." She was already digging through her pack. "I’ve got a recovery draught somewhere. Just... stop moving."

Damon didn’t argue. His chest felt like someone had taken a hammer to his ribs.

"Some first impression," he muttered.

"You saved my life. I think your impression’s fine." She pressed a vial into his hand. "Drink."

[SERA’S RECOVERY DRAUGHT CONSUMED - E-RANK]

[SYSTEM OVERRIDE ACTIVE]

[MODIFIED EFFECT: 200% ACCELERATED HEALING - 2 HOURS]

He downed the recovery draught in one swallow. The familiar coolness spread through his chest, dulling the sharp edges of the pain.

It wasn’t a full heal, nothing short of the infirmary would manage that, but it was enough to let him breathe without tasting blood.

Sera sat back on her heels, watching him with a mixture of relief and lingering shock. "You’re insane. You know that, right?"

"I’ve been told."

"By who? The other people you’ve done this kind of thing for?"

Damon almost laughed. His ribs protested too much for the real thing. "Something like that."

The alpha’s chamber was quiet now, the only sound the faint drip of water from somewhere far above. The shaft of pale light still cut through the darkness, illuminating the shallow crater where Damon’s Strike had connected with the alpha’s chest.

The stone was cracked in a spiderweb pattern, scorched black at the center.

Sera followed his gaze. "You put a hole in the floor and the wall... and the wolf."

"Wasn’t planning on the floor."

"You weren’t planning on a lot of things, were you?"

He met her eyes. There was no accusation there, just a kind of bewildered curiosity.

She’d watched him use a skill that belonged to her, watched him punch through a D-Rank boss with his bare hand, watched him collapse coughing blood, and immediately shared a potion with him.

She deserved at least some of the truth.

Both that, and he also wanted to keep [LIGHTNING LANCE], it was likely that the moment Sera left his party, he’d also lose it. And he wasn’t willing to lose his first ranged option yet.

Besides, he thought Sera was a pretty nice girl anyway.

"My class is called Sovereign," he said. "One of my abilities lets me borrow a skill from someone who chooses to follow me. You volunteered. So I borrowed Lightning Lance."

Sera stared at him.

"Just like that?"

"Just like that."

"You’re telling me your system can just... copy other people’s abilities?"

"One at a time. And only from people who accept me as their leader, I think?" He pushed himself to his feet, wincing as his ribs pulled. "It’s nice, isn’t it?"

"It sounds completely overpowered." Sera stood as well, slinging her pack over her shoulder. "What kind of class even does that? I’ve never heard of anything like it."

"Now, for the real reason I brought that up..."

"So you weren’t just sharing information out of the kindness of your heart?"

"Well, I already saved your life, so... I figured I might as well ask you to keep being my subordinate."

"S-Subordinate?" She stared at Damon like he had just confessed something outrageous. Given his choice of words, it didn’t seem entirely impossible.

"Only in name. And, well, mentally too, if you can manage that. I just want to keep your skills on my side, that’s all."

Sera blinked. "You want me to... mentally consider you my leader? So you can keep my Lightning Lance?"

"Basically."

"That’s the strangest request anyone’s ever made of me." She crossed her arms, studying him with an expression that hovered somewhere between incredulity and fascination. "And I’ve had some strange requests. Storm Callers are popular for party formations."

"I can imagine."

"Do you even know what being a subordinate entails? Like, system-wise? Are there side effects? Can you read my thoughts?"

"No idea. You’re my first." Damon paused. "Subordinate, I mean."

Sera’s cheeks colored slightly, but she pressed on. "And if I say no? Do you lose the skill immediately?"

"Probably. The system said I can replace the choice every month. If you walk away, I’m guessing it goes with you."

"And if I say yes?"

"Then I keep Lightning Lance, and you get..." He trailed off, pulling up his system screen. The Subordinate Tree he’d dismissed earlier now seemed relevant. "Let me check something."

He opened the [SUBORDINATE TREE] tab.

[SERA AZURE — SUBORDINATE]

[CLASS: STORM CALLER — C-RANK]

[LOYALTY: GRATEFUL]

[AVAILABLE UPGRADES:]

[SUBORDINATE BOND: 10 TRIBUTE] — Establishes a connection with the sovereign. Subordinate gains a bonus to their highest stat while bonded, based on 20% of the Sovereign’s highest stat.

[SHARED VIGOR: 25 TRIBUTE] — Subordinate gains 20% of the sovereign’s health pool.

[EMPOWERED STRIKE: 50 TRIBUTE] — Subordinate is granted access to [SOVEREIGN’S STRIKE].

Damon read through the options, then turned the screen so Sera could see.

Her eyes went wide. "I get boosts? Just for being connected to you?"

"Looks like it. Plus two to your highest stat with the bond. The other upgrades are just as useful, and I think you already know what the last one looks like."

Sera was quiet for a long moment. When she spoke again, her voice had lost its teasing edge.

"Wait... but what does that first one mean? Establishing a connection? Sounds kinda scary, don’t tell me it makes me fall in love with you once you buy it..."

"Well, I’m not sure what it means myself to be honest."

Sera stared at him. "You’re not sure? You’re asking me to magically bond myself to you and you’re not sure what it does?"

"When you put it like that, it sounds bad."

"It sounds insane." She threw her hands up. "I owe you my life, Persival. And now you’re showing me a screen that says I can get stronger just by... what? Letting you be my leader? Calling you boss in my head?"

"More or less."

"And you have no idea if there are side effects. No fine print. No terms and conditions."

"The system doesn’t come with a manual."

Sera let out a breath that was half laugh, half exasperation. "You really are something else." She paced a few steps away, then turned back.

"Alright. Let’s think about this logically. You saved me. You’ve got an absolutely broken class. Killed a D-Rank boss. And now you’re offering me stat boosts just for sticking around." 𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂

"That’s the summary."

"Then why are you even asking? Any Resonator with half a brain would take that deal." She stopped pacing and fixed him with a steady look. "Unless you’re giving me an out because you’re worried about something."

Damon considered the question. She wasn’t wrong. He could have just bought the bond without explaining anything, let the system handle the rest. But that felt wrong in a way he couldn’t quite articulate.

"You’re not a tool," he said finally. "You’re a person. If I’m going to borrow your power, you should know what you’re getting into. Even if I don’t have all the answers."

Sera’s expression softened. "That’s... surprisingly decent of you."

"Don’t sound so surprised."

"I’m naturally suspicious." She crossed her arms again, but the tension had left her shoulders. "Fine. Buy the bond. If I even feel myself weirdly feeling affection for you, I’ll electrocute you before it could fully take hold."

"Fair enough."

Damon selected the first upgrade.