The days that followed were drenched in submission.
Lily's body had grown too used to being handled — by claws, fangs, cold hands and velvet ropes. His skin told stories, bruises and bite marks blooming like black roses, each one a souvenir from a new master.
But tonight felt different.
The sanctuary's velvet curtains fluttered, and an eerie silence filled the room. The scent of iron and old paper floated before the new guest even appeared.
From the shadows, a strange silhouette emerged.
Book-chan.
A living, breathing book with the face and body of a woman — smooth, delicate, but her pages were inked with forbidden spells, cursed knowledge, and cruel lessons.
Her soft smile masked a sharp, sadistic hunger.
"So... you're the little demon boy they all fight over."
Her voice was sweet, like honey laced with poison.
She ran her fingers along her own body — her skin textured like old parchment — and leaned close to Lily, letting her lips barely touch his ear.
"I could teach you how to resist them, you know," she whispered, "or I could teach you to crave it even more."
Her hands unfolded like a living manuscript, revealing dark glyphs that glowed as she traced them onto his bare chest — searing his flesh with a magic contract.
The Pact of Flesh and Chains.
"You're mine now too, sweet thing," she giggled.
"And the others will love that."
---
Meanwhile, in another realm...
A figure clad in golden veils soared across the shattered skies —
Lysandra, the Golden Veil.
She watched through an ethereal mirror, lips curling into a smirk.
"Poor little Lily... one by one, the world's predators are sinking their claws into your fragile heart."
Her eyes gleamed, not with mercy — but amusement.
She wasn't his savior.
She was his future executioner.
---
Back in the Sanctuary...
As night sank its teeth into the world, Lily lay in silence, his body marked with the ink of Book-chan's pact. His mind pulsed with whispers that weren't his own.
Suddenly, soft footsteps echoed.
A sharp-dressed figure entered the room, holding a bouquet of black lilies.
Elliot the Velvet Doll.
A femboy, delicate and perfect — like a porcelain doll — whose voice was crafted to manipulate the heart and destroy the will.
"You must be the new pet," Elliot whispered, laying the flowers on Lily's bare chest.
"I've been waiting for this moment."
The boy knelt, stroking Lily's flushed cheek with one gloved hand.
"Don't worry... I'm not here to hurt you."
A pause.
"...unless you want me to."
---
The world around Lily wasn't made of heroes or saviors.
It was a playground for monsters.
And he?
He was the toy.