Elias didn’t respond immediately.

  Instead, he dropped to the ground and sat down.

  The last wisps of corrupted mana curled around his body as the dungeon entrance slowly calmed down and became more… normal.

  He zoned out for a long moment. Looking off into empty space—when his fingers twitched. A spike of pain went through his body and soul, making him wince.

  ‘Looks like Soul Fortification III is barely enough.’

  “Yeah.” He replied. “With all the shit I went through, I should have at least some change.”

  Desippe stepped closer to him. “No, that’s not just it.” She squinted. “Something much, much deeper changed.”

  He looked up at her, meeting her gaze.

  There was a change in her—in how he saw her. A change that he couldn’t quite put a finger on.

  ‘Odd… something really is different.’

  He scanned her carefully and didn’t find anything different. She was still the mostly brown primate with white streaks in her fur—but she seemed more… distant.

  Elias blinked, frowning slightly. He rubbed his temple, feeling the low throb of a headache brewing behind his eyes. Not normal pain—deeper, like a pressure building in his skull.

  “Distant.” He muttered under his breath.

  Desippe raised an eyebrow. “What?”

  He shook his head, dismissing it. “Nothing.”

  Desippe stared at him a moment longer, then simply nodded, though something flickered behind her eyes—recognition, or maybe concern.

  He didn’t like that.

  With a grunt, he pushed himself up from the ground. His legs wobbled, nearly giving out, but he caught himself before falling again.

  “Desippe.” He said, patting himself down. “I think it’s time for those answers.”

  She studied him in silence, her gaze sharp and assessing.

  “Perhaps it is…”

  Desippe turned away without another word, motioning for him to follow.

  Elias hesitated. His legs still ached, every step felt like splinters in his bones,but he pushed off anyway, trailing behind her through the clearing.

  The jungle pressed in around them again. Vibrant, alive, almost too alive. Colors seemed brighter, edges sharper. Every sound—every leaf rustle, every distant creature call—hit his ears like a whisper and a shout at the same time.

  He blinked hard, shaking his head.

  ‘What the fuck?’

  “I was wondering what was different.” Desippe said, glancing back. “Turns out you somehow managed to improve your Law… again.” She paused. “And still at Tier One.”

  She scanned him for a moment before turning around and walking. “Very curious.”

  “Yes, yes, congratulations on noticing!” He sneered. “Now, you owe me answers.”

  “And you will get them, but not here.” Desippe said, not missing a step. “Your leaking of Law aspected mana will attract unwelcome guests if we stay.”

  Elias grit his teeth but didn’t argue.

  “How do I turn it off?” He asked.

  “A bit of training should do.”

  She froze mid-step and looked off to the left. Her eyes furrowed. “Elder Myrin, carry the huma—” She glanced at him for a second and asked. “I never did get your name.”

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  He scoffed. “That’s cause you never cared to ask. But it’s Elias.”

  Desippe didn’t even blink. “Elias, then.”

  She turned her head slightly and raised two fingers. Myrin emerged from the tree line a heartbeat later, spinning a few roundish rocks in his hand.

  “The way home is clear.” The elder said. “Rhyx is still scouting underground, though.”

  “Good, then let’s go.”

  Myrin stepped closer, his arms extended.

  “The fuck are you doing?” Elias asked, stepping back—almost falling as his head spun.

  Myrin didn’t stop. “Trying to save you the embarrassment of collapsing face-first in the dirt.”

  “I’m fine.”

  Desippe glanced back, unimpressed. “You’re not.”

  He cursed under his breath, jaw tight. He hated this. Hated needing help. Hated that they were right.

  Myrin raised an eyebrow. “We can argue, or I can carry you. Either way, we’re leaving.”

  Elias stared at him, eyes burning—not with rage, but frustration. His body wasn’t keeping up—then he noticed something.

  ‘Why am I so hostile now?’

  He scowled, the thought clawing at him like a splinter under skin.

  Was it just fatigue? Pride? Or was it something else entirely?

  His mind felt sharp, too sharp. Every sound grated, every glance felt like a challenge. His mana still pulsed, hot and restless beneath his skin, like it wanted out.

  ‘No. It’s not just me. Something’s off.’

  “Elias.” Myrin’s voice cut through the haze. “Last chance before I throw you over my shoulder.”

  Elias didn’t move for a beat.

  Then, with a sigh, he stepped forward. “Fine. Just don’t drop me.”

  Myrin grinned, already reaching for him. “Wouldn’t dare.”

  The walk back was mostly quiet.

  Myrin carried Elias with a casual ease that grated more than it comforted, each step jostling his battered body just enough to remind him of the pain. He didn’t complain. Didn’t speak. His thoughts were loud enough.

  Up ahead, Desippe walked side by side with Rhyx, who’d joined them after a while. Elias watched them for a moment, eyes narrowing.

  ‘She did something to me… right?’

  It was the only thing that made sense in his head.

  ‘It has to be some type of law…’

  He saw Desippe’s ears twitch ever so slightly—as if reacting to his thoughts. But he tore his gaze away in the end.

  ‘No. I’m imagining things. Gotta be.’

  Elias shook his head, trying to clear his mind.

  Myrin adjusted his grip. “Almost there. Try not to puke on me or I’m gonna flip you and let you choke on it.”

  He didn’t answer. He couldn’t. His mind was still racing through the possibilities of what could be happening to him.

  The fact that his senses were being assaulted at regular intervals didn’t help much. And by the time they arrived at the village, he wasn’t sure which way was up anymore.

  Even with his discomfort clear on his face, Myrin didn’t ask for his permission before he carried him up into a large tree house and set him down.

  Desippe stepped in briefly, her silhouette framed by the doorway. “Someone will bring food. After that, we talk.”

  “No.” He demanded through gritted teeth. “Answer at least one question now.”

  Her eyes met his, and for a long while, silence reigned.

  “Very well.” She said, breaking eye contact. “Control.”

  “…”

  “…”

  “…what? What do you—”

  “My Law. That’s what you wanted to know, yes?”

  Elias opened his mouth, then closed it again. He couldn’t believe it.

  But suddenly, it made too much sense.

  The calm. The compliance. Their unnaturally close relationship shortly after meeting on hostile grounds.

  He clutched at his head, breath hitching. His memories blurred—conversations with Desippe, the time he made Primus. His interactions with Rhyx and how he barely had any suspicions after just one night.

  “Y—you MESSED with my MIND!”

  “They were suggestions at most.” Desippe didn’t flinch. “And only when necessary.”

  His vision blurred. Pain flared in his soul as Creation-aspected mana bled into the floor—causing the wood to sprout, twist, grow. Just a little.

  “You—” His voice cracked, a chuckle escaping his lips. “You don’t get to decide what’s necessary.”

  Desippe’s voice was cool. “I did. Because if I hadn’t, we would either still be fighting to this day…” She paused. “Or Elder Rhyx would’ve buried you deep, deep underground.”

  Elias laughed again—hollow, sharp. “You bitch.”

  Desippe didn’t even blink.

  His knuckles dug into the floorboards, fingers twitching as more Creation-aspected mana surged out of him, warping the wood beneath his hands into jagged, uneven knots. The pain that followed didn’t even register—his fury drowned it all out.

  “You used me.” He growled. “Like some fucking puppet.”

  Desippe stepped closer, her expression unreadable. “I guided you, Elias. There’s a difference.”

  “Bullshit.” His eyes burned. “You took that choice from me.”

  Silence.

  Then Desippe sighed, almost tired. “I did what I had to do for my clan.” She reached out with her hand and caressed his cheek. “And I’d do it again.”

  For a time, they stayed like that—looking into each other’s eyes.

  He couldn’t feel anything being used on him. No artificial closeness. No foggy veil of distance. Nothing.

  Elias flinched, jaw clenching. He didn’t want to admit it—but he knew that she was telling the truth.

  ‘Doesn’t make it right.’

  He glared at her for good measure as he thought. ‘Doesn’t make it forgivable.’

  He pulled back, shoving her hand away—not hard, but enough. His glare was sharp, cutting. “Don’t touch me.”

  Desippe let her arm fall, expression unreadable again. “As you wish.”

  He stood, unsteady but firm, every breath ragged with restrained fury. The warped wood beneath his feet groaned, still twisted from the earlier mana surge.

  “I don’t trust you,” he said, voice low. “Not now. Maybe not ever.”

  Desippe nodded, as if she expected nothing less. “Trust isn’t necessary. Survival is.”

  With that, she turned and stepped through the doorway, vanishing into the dim light beyond.

  Elias remained still for a moment, his jaw clenched. Then he staggered toward the wall, leaning on it heavily.

  His mind raced, thoughts spiraling, but one thing was clear.

  He needed control—his control.

  And the next time someone tried to bend his will, they’d break their own trying.