Emily's entire body trembled, not from fear, but from sheer frustration. The unseen force that restrained her grip on Dervin only fueled her anger. Her midnight violet eyes burned with defiance, yet they held an unshakable truth—she had lost something profound in that single moment.
"What did you do?!" she hissed, her fangs bared as though she were ready to sink them into his throat. But no matter how much she willed it, no matter how much her instincts demanded she attack, her body refused to obey.
Dervin, his expression still unwavering, merely studied her, as if dissecting every twitch in her features. His sky-blue eyes, now gleaming with golden undertones, reflected not a hint of concern—only cold curiosity. He raised his hand, observing the same intricate lines glowing faintly on his forearm, mirroring those that now burned against Emily's throat.
Aisha took a single step forward, her emerald eyes locked onto the mysterious sigils. Her breath hitched as the realization dawned upon her.
"This… this is a binding," she murmured, horror creeping into her voice. "No… it's more than that. This isn't just any restraint. Emily, you… you're—"
"Don't you dare say it!" Emily snapped, her face darkening in fury. Her entire body quivered, and for the first time, the Goddess of the Moon looked vulnerable. But Aisha did not need to finish her sentence; the truth hung thick in the air.
She belonged to Dervin now.
A slave? No. It was something far worse than mere servitude. It was a fate-binding, a form of dominion that even gods feared. Dervin had unknowingly tempered with Emily's very existence, intertwining her fate with his own.
Every fiber of her being was now bound to his will—not through magic she could unravel, not through compulsion she could resist, but through the very threads of reality itself.
Dervin took a step closer. Emily instinctively flinched, her pride preventing her from retreating further. He tilted his head, analyzing the burning blue mark on her throat with an almost detached curiosity.
"Interesting," he mused. "It was merely an instinctive action, yet the result is absolute."
Emily grit her teeth. "Release me." Her voice trembled with barely concealed rage.
Dervin considered it for a moment, then shook his head. "No."
Her breath caught. Aisha, on the other hand, watched the exchange with increasing intrigue. It was one thing to see a powerful deity shackled by an equally powerful being—but it was another to see that deity so utterly helpless before him.
Emily's fists clenched, her sharp nails digging into her palms. "You... You don't understand what you've done."
Dervin met her glare, unfazed. "Explain it to me then."
Emily's eyes darted toward Aisha, as if debating whether she should truly admit it. Then, with a reluctant exhale, she spoke.
"You didn't just bind my actions. You tempered with my fate. My very existence bends to your will now. If you will it, I must obey. If you command it, I must comply. I can resist, but only in ways that do not defy your ultimate authority." She swallowed hard. "You hold my life in the palm of your hands."
Dervin absorbed her words, his expression unreadable. Then he spoke, his voice devoid of sympathy. "Then why resist?"
Emily's cheeks burned at the implication. "Because I am not some servant!" she snapped. "Because I—!" She stopped herself, as if realizing that every word she spoke only served to reinforce her helplessness.
Aisha chuckled, her emerald eyes twinkling with amusement. "So, in essence... Emily is Dervin's slave now."
Emily visibly flinched, her entire face turning red—not from anger this time, but from sheer humiliation. "I am not a slave!" she shouted, but the crack in her voice betrayed her.
Aisha's smirk widened. "Your fate is in his hands, you can't act against his will, and you must obey him when he commands you…" She tapped her chin thoughtfully. "Sounds like a slave to me."
Emily's fingers twitched, longing to strangle her sister—but the binding prevented her from making any hostile move toward Aisha as well. She turned her glare back to Dervin, whose eyes held no gloating satisfaction, no cruel amusement. He simply stood there, as if he had already accepted this reality and saw no reason to entertain further discussion on the matter.
"Enough," Dervin said finally. "I will not waste time debating semantics. The fact remains: you are mine now. Whether you like it or not."
Emily exhaled sharply, frustration evident in every fiber of her being. She opened her mouth as if to argue—but no words came out. Because he was right. The reality of her situation had been sealed the moment he had reached for those threads of fate. And whether she accepted it or not, she could no longer exist outside his shadow.
Aisha sighed dramatically. "Well, at least she makes a pretty pet."
Emily whirled on her, her violet eyes flashing. "I swear, if I could kill you right now—"
Aisha only giggled. "Ah, but you can't, can you?"
Dervin held up a hand, silencing them both. His gaze flickered to the streams of energy still flowing through the atmosphere. "This binding…" he murmured. "It was merely an instinctive act, yet it has the power to command the fate of others. That means…"
Aisha's expression sobered. "That means your abilities may not just be fate-tempering. They could be reality-tempering."
Emily's breath hitched. If that were true, then Dervin wasn't just an ordinary deity of magic. He was something far greater—something that should not exist.
Dervin's expression remained impassive, but the weight of Aisha's words settled in his mind. Reality-tempering. The ability to shape fate, not just for individuals, but for the very fabric of existence itself.
His sky-blue eyes glowed with that eerie golden shimmer once more. "Then it seems I have much to explore."
Emily took an unconscious step back. Aisha, however, grinned. "Oh, I like where this is going."
Dervin's lips parted, his voice carrying the weight of his newfound dominion. "Then let's begin with you... Aisha."
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