Chapter 153: ¹⁵³Rehab

?The sun was high in the sky by the time Ethan stood in the center of the main hall.

?Sunlight streamed through the collapsed roof, illuminating overturned furniture and shattered glass. Through a cracked window, he could see thin plumes of smoke rising in the distance. The burnings in the village. His own order.

?Out there, hundreds of people had just died, and here he was, about to lock himself in a room with three women. He knew how it looked. He didn’t care. If his circuit collapsed, they would all die anyway.

?Three women stood before him.

?Isolde wore a simple dress borrowed from Berta, her platinum blonde hair flowing freely, unburdened by her gold-rimmed spectacles. Miya, petite and pale, clutched her leather medical bag tightly, the white ribbon at the end of her braid swaying whenever her pointed ears twitched with nerves. Lilith leaned against the wall in her maid outfit, black fingernails tapping rhythmically against her arm.

?"My Sin Mana isn’t stable," Ethan said flatly. "The circuit has been fractured since the duel in Zenithar and the harvest at the altar."

?No one interrupted.

?"It isn’t just me. Your Lust Brands are tied to that circuit. Kaelia’s and Valera’s brands have been pulsing erratically since morning." He paused briefly. "If my circuit fails to bind, the link could snap completely."

?Isolde raised an eyebrow. "And you need desire to mend it."

?"Yes."

?"How much?"

?"As much as you can give."

?Isolde gave a slight nod, as if she had already anticipated this.

?Kaelia and Valera were absent. Their wounds hadn’t healed yet, and forcing them now would only aggravate their condition. Valera had organized the guards before finally collapsing in her room. Laras hadn’t left her chamber since the attack; she remained hidden in the cellar with Asrof, Yuna, and Berta, still trembling from trauma. Caelum had confined himself to the guest room, monitored from afar by Asrof. Cornelius had yet to wake, and Elara remained asleep.

?"I need to assign roles," Ethan said.

?"I’ll be the guide," Isolde answered without hesitation. "I understand mana circuits. I’ll open the pathways."

?"I’m the vessel of desire," Lilith said with a smirk. "That’s my specialty."

?Ethan’s gaze shifted to Miya.

?"I-I..." Miya swallowed hard. "I am the stabilizer, my Lord. I can sense where the circuit is fractured. I can patch it."

?Her pointed ears drooped, but she didn’t back down.

?"This isn’t about pleasure," Ethan said softly. "It’s a matter of life and death."

?"I know," Isolde replied. "I set up a soundproofing barrier around the main bedroom first thing this morning. Neither the villagers nor our guest will hear a thing."

?"I didn’t ask you to do that."

?"I assumed as much."

?Lilith chuckled. "You always assume everything, Archmage."

?Isolde didn’t respond, though the corner of her lips twitched slightly.

?Ethan looked at her for a moment. Then he turned toward the main bedroom. Three sets of footsteps followed him, and the door closed behind them.

?The main bedroom was dim and warm. Late afternoon light filtered through the gaps in the curtains, resting on the rumpled sheets of the large bed.

?Ethan sat on the edge of the mattress.

?Isolde shed the borrowed dress first, her movements calm and measured, as if removing a robe in a lecture hall. The fabric pooled at her feet. The black rose-vine tattoo across her back emitted a faint purple glow.

?Lilith followed with swift, practiced efficiency. Her membranous wings partially unfurled, her nails lengthening slightly. The Lust Brand on her chest throbbed in black and gold.

?Miya was the slowest. Her fingers trembled against the ribbons of her maid dress, yet she did not stop. She was an elf who had lived for over a century, yet before Ethan she was always flustered, as though all those years had failed to prepare her for this. The crimson rose Lust Brand on her left thigh pulsed with increasing intensity.

?Isolde knelt at Ethan’s right side, placing her cool palm against his chest, directly over the Horned Crown tattoo.

?"Open your circuit," she whispered. "Slowly."

?Lilith crawled in from the left, resting her hand on Ethan’s shoulder. The first wave of desire surged inward like warm water flooding a fissure.

?Miya sat behind him. Reaching out with both hands to touch his back, a dark, comforting Crimson Radiance began to flow, stitching together the torn crevices.

?The air in the room vibrated. All three Lust Brands illuminated in unison—purple, black-gold, and crimson—resonating together like three notes seeking a single harmony.

?Ethan unsealed his circuit.

?Desire crashed over him.

?Isolde bit her lower lip, stifling a soft gasp. Her back arched as the tattoo on her skin flared brighter. Beside her, Lilith let out a low chuckle, drinking in the wild sensations that backlashed against her mind, her membranous wings spreading halfway into the air. Miya let out a soft whimper, her pointed ears flattening, yet her hands never wavered as she steadily poured out her healing light.

?Ethan absorbed the overflowing energy. He channeled it, feeding it back in a closed, continuous loop. His Sin Mana began to find a steady rhythm.

?Yet the circuit was overflowing, teetering on the verge of a fiery outburst. Ethan reached out, taking a firm hold of Isolde’s waist.

?"A little more."

?Isolde gasped as she felt her frost element forcefully drawn in deeper. Sensing they were on the threshold, Lilith unleashed her final surge of desire—far wilder and more incandescent. Behind them, Miya wept silently, though the crimson light from her hands shone all the brighter.

?All three Lust Brands blazed at peak intensity. Ethan felt his circuit slowly stitching itself together. Right before the stabilizing shockwave tore through their minds, the suction halted.

?Then, everything snapped into place.

?The fractured circuit reconnected. The Horned Crown tattoo on Ethan’s chest detonated in a surge of crimson-black light that swept through the room.

?Isolde and Lilith were pushed back half a step, their breathing ragged. Miya lost her balance and tumbled backward onto the floor, her body trembling. The Lust Brands on all three women didn’t fade; instead, they throbbed with a richer, darker intensity.

?[Sin Mana stabilized at Rank SS. Circuit reconnected.]

?It wasn’t a rank ascension. Just stabilization. Yet he could feel it—the power that had been leaking through the cracks was now flowing dense and contained.

?The Brand on Isolde’s back pulsed deeper, its purple hue darkening. Lilith’s chest Brand burned in a mix of black and gold, a smirk gracing her lips as she relished the feeling. Miya’s Brand turned a deep crimson. Tears stained Miya’s face, but there was no regret in her eyes.

?From afar, in two separate rooms, Ethan felt two other faint pulses—Kaelia and Valera. Unstable, yet responsive.

?Lilith licked her lips, peering up at Ethan from beneath her pink bangs. "You’re far more fun when you’re dying, Master."

?"Lilith," Isolde chided softly.

?"Is that enough?" Isolde asked, steadying her breath.

?"It’s enough."

?"I-I am fine... my Lord," Miya whispered, though no one had asked.

?Ethan sat in silence for a few minutes until their breathing settled. Then he dressed and walked out.

?Elara was still lying in her room when Ethan entered, leaving the door slightly ajar.

?The faint white-gold glow still rested on her skin, soft and steady. The delicate flush on her cheeks was slightly more pronounced than this morning.

?This time, Ethan’s Sin Mana was stable. Sitting on the edge of the bed, he took his sister’s wrist and sent a thin thread of Sin Mana inside, simply to inspect it.

?The thread touched the white-gold radiance.

?The light flickered. Not in anger, nor in defiance. It simply repelled it, like water refusing to mix with oil. His thread of Sin Mana was pushed back gently but firmly, and the radiance settled into calm once more.

?Ethan withdrew his hand and looked down at his fingers. The tips felt warm, as though he had just brushed against a harmless flame.

?Asmodeus made no comment. Just as he had remained silent all day.

?He gazed at his sister’s face for a long moment. Her white-filmed eyes were closed. Her breathing was steady. Her expression, peaceful.

?That light didn’t belong to her. Nor did it belong to Asmodeus. Ethan had no idea whose light it was.

?Dusk fell over Valen.

?Ethan stood alone on the second-floor balcony. The wooden railing was cracked, overlooking the sprawling pine forest below—some trees fallen, others still standing tall. The sun was sinking behind the western canopy, painting the sky in shades of crimson and amber.

?Astrea lay in that direction.

?From below, the sound of Asrof directing the villagers and the clinking of Berta’s pots in the kitchen echoed faintly. The house was still alive. But it wouldn’t remain so for long if he merely waited.

?He simply stood there, allowing the spring breeze carrying the scent of scorched earth and lingering smoke to wash over him.

?His Sin Mana was stable. But in his chest, something else was gradually hardening.

?The words from the scroll still echoed in his mind. He hadn’t found the answer yet. But one thing he knew for certain: he would not sacrifice anyone. Not Elara. Not Isolde. Not Kaelia. Not Valera. Not Miya. Not Lilith. Not Laras.

?A single, thin thread lingered in his mind—the ancient painting Caelum had mentioned in the royal library. It was far too fragile to be called a plan.

?But he couldn’t just sit here.

?He would return to Astrea. Not because he knew how. Not because he had a plan. But because waiting meant letting the Queen make the first move.

?He would find another way. Or he would die trying.