Pain.
That's the first thing Charles felt when he opened his eyes. Not sharp pain—deep pain, the kind that hummed in your bones like a curse. Every nerve felt burned, like he'd been struck by lightning from the inside.
> [System Status: Rebooting… 64%]
[Forbidden Tri-Link Detected – Conflict Between Bonded Units]
[Stability: Fragile]
His vision blurred in and out. He was lying on something soft—felt like leather. Dim blue light flickered overhead. The air smelled sterile, metallic, and cold.
A lab?
No… not quite.
He tried to sit up—and groaned.
"Easy there, lover boy."
Helena's voice. Smooth. Tired. Still sexy, even when strained.
She appeared beside him, her shirt missing entirely now, replaced by a torn lab coat wrapped tight around her chest. Blood stained her temple, and a nasty gash ran down her thigh, hastily stitched.
"Where…" Charles croaked, "are we?"
"Underground. Abandoned system node. Ivy brought us here before the backlash consumed the rooftop."
Charles blinked. "She saved us?"
Helena scoffed. "You really are irresistible, aren't you?"
Before he could answer, another voice entered the room.
"I didn't do it for you."
Ivy stood in the doorway, arms folded. Her armor was gone—replaced by a tight white tank top and combat pants. Her pale skin looked almost silver in the artificial light. Her blue eyes avoided his.
"I did it," she muttered, "because the Sync wouldn't let me break from you."
> [Bond Status: Ivy – Suppressed Conflict, Submissive Denial, Residual Lust: High]
Charles forced a smirk. "You saved me because you wanted to."
She glared. "I saved you because if you died, the system would consume me too."
But her body betrayed her.
A faint blush stained her cheeks. Her breathing sped up just from looking at him.
Helena noticed it too. She smirked and sat beside Charles on the couch, legs crossed, letting the coat slip slightly to expose more cleavage.
"You're synced to him now, Ivy," she said sweetly. "Might as well enjoy it."
Ivy clenched her jaw. "This isn't about enjoyment."
Charles leaned forward. "Then what is it about?"
Ivy hesitated. Her voice lowered.
"You've done something impossible. A Tri-Link isn't supposed to exist. The System has rules—strict ones. Lust Sync was designed to make you dominant… but only within bounds."
Helena raised a brow. "So we broke the game?"
"No," Ivy said. "We hacked it. Forced it open. And now... something else is watching."
> [Overseer Node Watching: True]
[Time Until Direct Intervention: Unknown]
Charles felt it again—that dark presence at the edge of his mind. The Overseer.
"What is it?" he asked.
Ivy answered with a whisper. "The first user. The one who created Lust Sync. Or maybe... what he became."
Charles ran a hand through his hair. "And what does it want?"
"To erase you," Ivy said, eyes narrowing. "You've proven the system can be broken. That makes you a virus."
Helena leaned back, laughing darkly. "How poetic."
> [New Objective: Evade Overseer Detection – Time is Running Out]
[Optional Task: Break Ivy's Inner Walls – Complete the Tri-Link]
[Reward: Lust Sync Evolution Tier III]
Charles stood slowly, swaying slightly. Helena steadied him. His body was still raw, but the power was surging back.
He turned to Ivy, his voice firm but warm.
"You're scared."
She didn't answer.
"I don't blame you. You were trained to believe the system was law. But deep down, something in you wanted more."
Ivy's fists clenched. "That's not true."
Helena stood too, now fully unbothered about her open coat. "Then why did you save him? Why did your body respond when he touched you? Admit it, Ivy."
Ivy turned to leave—but Charles moved fast, catching her wrist.
"Say it," he whispered. "You want this."
Ivy trembled. "It's wrong."
"No," Charles said. "It's real."
He stepped closer. His body pressed against hers, slow but commanding. Her breath caught. Her lips parted.
> [Sync Pulse Detected – Emotional Spike: Suppressed Desire Released]
[Command Word Available: 'Kneel']
Helena whispered beside him, "Use it."
But Charles didn't.
Instead, he leaned in, brushing her ear with his lips.
"I won't force you," he said softly. "But the moment you stop lying to yourself… everything changes."
Then he stepped back.
The tension hung heavy.
Ivy looked like she was fighting a war inside her chest. Her eyes darted between Helena's smirk and Charles's calm stare.
Then—
She dropped to her knees.
Not in defeat.
In surrender.
"I hate you," she whispered.
"But you want me," Charles said.
She nodded.
He reached down, brushing her cheek. Her skin was hot—burning with shame and need.
"Show me," he said.
Her fingers moved, slow and shaking, pulling down his pants—
> [Desire Surge Activated – Tri-Link Synergy Bonus Applied]
[Ivy's Resistance Broken – Bond Level Increased to 80%]
[New Trait Unlocked: "Obedient Masochist"]
Helena knelt beside her, wrapping her arms around Ivy from behind, kissing her neck while whispering dark encouragements. Ivy moaned—low and sweet, head falling forward.
Charles guided them both, his body fully charged with the electric rush of dual pleasure.
Time blurred.
Bodies moved in sync—raw, desperate, beautiful. Ivy whimpered, caught between control and chaos, while Helena grinned with wicked delight. Charles stood above them, the center of their shared hunger, every motion pulsing with power and want.
> [Tri-Link Complete – Lust Sync Evolving]
[New Title Gained: Forbidden Master]
[New Ability: Pleasure Override – Causes Target to Temporarily Lose Control]
[Warning: Overseer Now Actively Tracking]
As the pleasure peaked and the three collapsed into tangled, sweaty limbs across the cool lab floor, a new alert echoed inside Charles's head.
> [Overseer Transmission Incoming]
[Playing Audio File…]
A distorted voice, ancient and inhuman, whispered through Charles's mind:
"You were never meant to wield this. Every bond you forge unravels the lock. The more you touch… the closer He awakens."
Helena stirred. "Did you hear that?"
Ivy's eyes snapped open. "No. What did it say?"
Charles sat up, heartbeat racing.
He didn't answer.
Because suddenly, a new file appeared in the system:
> [Subject Unlocked: Project Adam – Origin of Lust Sync]
[Encrypted Memory File Now Accessible]
[View File? Y/N]
His fingers hovered over the prompt.
He tapped Y.
The screen shifted—
A vision flooded his mind.
A man, long ago, strapped to a cold metal chair. Wires jammed into his skull. His body twitching with pain and pleasure.
And a name burned across the file:
"Charles Adamson – Subject Zero."
The face… was his.
But older.
Colder.
Madness in his eyes.
Charles gasped.
The system buzzed violently.
> [Twist Revealed: You Are a Fragment of Subject Zero]
[Purpose: Unlock the Final Protocol by Syncing with 100 Women]
[Current Sync Count: 12/100]
[Endgame Progress: 12%]
The file vanished.
Silence returned.
Charles stared blankly at the lab ceiling, breath heavy, chest heaving.
Helena crawled closer, nuzzling his neck. "What is it?"
Charles closed his eyes.
"I think… I just saw the man I used to be."