Incubus Ascension

The female knight stormed forward with heavy, angry steps that echoed like war drums across the dimly lit hall. Her armor gleamed under the flickering torchlight, but it was the dark-veined fragment clutched in her gauntleted fist that seized every ounce of Liam’s attention.

She thrust the pulsing piece of vein right in front of his face—and Patrick’s. Liam’s heart slammed against his ribs. ’Oh no. If she realizes I’m one of the exiles—’

Cold sweat prickled along his spine as he stared at the corrupted tissue. He *needed* that vein. At any cost.

The knight tucked the gruesome sample into the gap in her chestplate with a decisive motion. "Was this the monster you fought?" Her voice was sharp, demanding.

Liam forced a steady nod. "Yes. It had a dark aura coating it... and veins like that."

She considered his words, then her expression tightened. "Makes sense for a monster using dark energy, but..."

The word hung in the air like a drawn blade. Her eyes locked onto his with a glare that could cut steel. "Except for the Flame Bearers, no one faces a monster wreathed in dark energy and lives to tell of it." Her hand drifted to the hilt of her sword. "Either you’re a Hidden Bearer... or..."

Liam’s stomach dropped. He discreetly pulled up her status through the System. The numbers hit him like a physical blow—**Level 299**. One wrong word and she’d sever his head before he could blink.

His mind raced through his skill list. There—**Light Aura**. A flashy ability meant mostly for show, wrapping the user in a radiant white glow. Desperation made the choice easy.

Power surged through him. A supernova of brilliant white light exploded outward from his body, bathing the room in purity. The knight squinted against the glare, then her hand lifted from her sword. In one fluid motion, she dropped to one knee, head bowed.

"Lord Bearer," she said, voice thick with reverence and regret, "I am sorry for nearly attacking you."

Liam waved a hand, trying to keep his voice casual despite the adrenaline still roaring in his veins. "Don’t worry. We all make mistakes."

Before he could catch his breath, Leon appeared at his side, taking in the kneeling knight, the scattered debris, and the tension still crackling in the air. Leon’s face darkened. He cuffed the back of the knight’s helmet with a solid smack.

"Apologies for my subordinate’s idiotic behavior," Leon growled.

Liam offered a tired smile. "No problem."

With the immediate threat diffused, Liam and the girls slipped away, heading back to Lia’s house. They arrived just in time—barely scraping together enough from their first salary to secure a proper apartment. For the first time in what felt like ages, the weight on his shoulders eased, if only slightly.

---

The next day arrived too quickly. Liam and the girls made their way to the location Patrick had given them for the celebration. Laughter and music already spilled from the building as they approached.

The moment Liam stepped through the doorway, every light in the hall snapped off.

Darkness swallowed everything. Five knives whistled through the air straight toward him.

Liam cursed under his breath and twisted aside on pure instinct. Two blades still found their marks—one slicing across his chest, the other biting deep into his thigh. Pain flared hot and immediate. He staggered, tasting blood.

The girls moved like shadows, instantly closing ranks around him, weapons drawn, protecting their center. Their loyalty hit him harder than the wounds. ’They’re risking everything for me... again.’

He activated **Light Aura**. Pure white radiance flooded the room, exposing five masked attackers frozen in the sudden glare.

Chaos erupted. Liam and each of the girls broke off, pursuing one assailant apiece. He chose the farthest target, boots pounding as he gave chase.

The attacker moved with eerie silence—classic ninja footwork. Only the glowing aura trailing behind Liam let him keep pace through the twisting corridors. ’The girls... they have to be okay. They have to.’

He closed the distance, triggering **Time Devil Mode**. The world slowed. He struck with lethal precision.

The ninja took a grievous wound to the shoulder and dropped to one knee, blood pouring. Liam saw his opening and leaped in for the kill.

The assassin smiled through the pain.

In a blur, the ninja drew a violet knife from a hidden sheath at his chest and lunged. At such close range, Liam couldn’t fully evade. The blade sank into his shoulder. A wave of crushing weakness crashed over him.

He dropped to one knee, vision blurring. The System notification flashed in his mind:

**You have been afflicted with the curse: Sleeping Wish. Cannot be dispelled. Duration: Limited.**

’Not now. Not like this.’ Liam forced his eyes open, slammed the flat of his sword against his wounded thigh, and used the fresh spike of pain to claw back consciousness.

He barely rolled aside as another violet knife whistled past his ear. Dizzy, he pushed to his feet like a drunkard and stumbled backward. The ninja’s follow-up kick caught him square in the face. Stars exploded behind his eyes.

But Liam grabbed the woman’s leg mid-recoil and hurled her into the nearest wall with everything he had left.

**Quick Footsteps** carried him forward in a rush. He unleashed a relentless barrage of strikes. The ninja defended desperately, but Liam pressed the advantage, ending the fight with a crushing blow to her head.

His level ticked upward in the corner of his vision. No time to celebrate. ’I barely made it... and I have every advantage. The girls must be fighting even harder.’

---

Pyra faced her own opponent with a snort of disdain. The ninja flipped and twisted through acrobatic strikes, but Pyra simply raised her hand. A blazing shield of fire roared into existence around her. Flames licked outward. Moments later, her foe fell.

One by one, the girls returned victorious, breathing hard but alive.

Liam regrouped with them in the main party room. The lights flickered back on. In the corner, Patrick tried to shrink into the shadows. Liam strode over, grabbed one of the fallen ninjas by the collar, and lifted the body so the moon emblem on the chest was clearly visible.

"Do you know who these people are?" Liam demanded, voice low and dangerous.

Murmurs rippled through the onlookers as they recognized the symbol. Patrick swallowed. "They’re from the Darkness Gang... followers of the Nyx Goddess."

Liam’s grip tightened. "Are they exiles? Do they carry dark energy like the monsters?"

Patrick shook his head quickly. "No. Just orphans the group uses as fodder to swell their ranks. Real exiles are on another level entirely."

"How strong?" Liam pressed.

"Strong enough that none of them would bother with a small town like this," Patrick answered.

Liam let the corpse drop with a heavy thud. His thoughts spun. ’Did they come after me because they think I’m a Bearer? Or did they sense something else?’ He sighed, rubbing his forehead as he sank into a nearby chair. The wounds ached. The curse’s lingering fog tugged at the edges of his mind.

Asty approached, her expression grim. "We have a problem."

Liam looked up at her, the weight of everything—the attacks, the secrets, the fragile new life they were trying to build—pressing down on him once more. Whatever came next, he wouldn’t face it alone. But the path ahead had just grown far more dangerous.