[Noah's POV]
I stood frozen, staring at Layla as she floated above the ground.
Black and violet energy coiled violently around her like serpents ready to devour. Her body radiated a terrifying heat, flames laced with corruption and curse erupting from her skin. Wings—formed of pure malevolence—spread behind her back, pulsating with unholy power.
She was… breathtaking.
In a way that made my soul shiver.
Her figure shifted before my eyes. Taller. Her curves more defined. Her presence... overwhelming. She was beautiful before, but now it felt divine—no, not divine. Sinful. Like an alluring nightmare, capable of stealing breath and sanity alike.
I took a step forward instinctively, but stopped myself.
Was she in pain?
I reached out with my senses—no instability in her heartbeat, no spiritual collapse. Just… change.
She's not dying, I told myself.
But that didn't calm the storm building inside me.
For ten long minutes, I stood there like a statue—watching, hoping, silently praying to the gods I don't even believe in.
Then—finally—the energy receded. The wings of corruption disintegrated into glittering ash. The violet fire died out, and her body began to fall.
"Layla!"
I caught her in my arms before she hit the ground. She was unconscious, her body limp in mine. My hands trembled as I frantically checked her pulse, her breath, her heartbeat.
She's alive. She's okay. She's safe.
Relief crashed through me like a wave. I didn't even realize how tightly I'd been clenching my jaw until I felt the ache.
I purged the bed from the lingering corruption—it reeked of burnt curse energy—and laid her down gently, letting her head rest on my lap.
She looked peaceful now. No twisted power swirling around her. No madness in her aura. Just Layla.
The girl who waited for me.
The girl whose love had crossed the line between beautiful and dangerous.
I brushed her hair away and lowered my head, pressing a soft kiss to her forehead.
"You're fine now, Layla…" I whispered.
A smile bloomed on her lips, faint but real.
She heard me.
My chest tightened. I wasn't sure if it was guilt, love, or fear… or maybe all three.
But I needed answers. I needed to know what the hell just happened.
"Eva," I said quietly. "What happened to her?"
[Her body was on the verge of being torn apart. The curse and corruption within her reached a breaking point. To protect her, it devoured the excess energy and forced both to harmonize.]
My heart stopped.
"What? She was… dying?"
[Yes. But 'it' intervened.]
I narrowed my eyes. "'It'…? You mean the [???] in her status?"
[Correct. That unknown element is not a skill or an item. It is something far older and more dangerous.]
"What is it?" I asked, already dreading the answer.
[A Sin.]
"A sin? Like… the seven deadly sins?"
[No. This is something else. A unique sin—one she was born with. The Sin of Love.]
I felt my blood run cold.
[From birth, she bore the Sin of Love. Unlike common sins, this one twisted affection into obsession. Possessiveness. Madness. Her love for you was never ordinary—it was dark, intense, absolute.]
"So you're saying her feelings… they were never natural?"
[No. They were real—but amplified. The sin influenced her emotions, turning what might have been pure into something... dangerous.]
My hands clenched.
"And I never knew..." I thought
"What triggered it?" I asked, my voice quieter.
[When the original Noah stopped contacting her, the sin fed on her despair. Her loneliness. Her broken heart. It grew stronger through her grief and turned her love into a cage.]
"…And now?"
[When you reunited with her and accepted her again, the sin weakened. Her love became less warped—but it never disappeared.]
"Then what made it act now?"
[When her body reached its breaking point, the sin reawakened. But instead of feeding on pain, it protected her. A sin can't let its bearer die unless it is purely evil.]
[It consumed the chaotic energy of curse and corruption. It devoured its own darkness—purified it—and disappeared.]
"…It's gone now?" I asked slowly.
[Yes. She is free.]
I looked down at her again, feeling something sting in my chest.
I never realized how much she'd endured.
How much she'd suffered—alone, warped by something she never asked for.
And yet she still smiled. Still reached out. Still loved me with everything she had.
"Thank you…" I whispered. I wasn't even sure if it was to the sin… or to her.
[There's more.]
"What now?"
[Her affection for Host has reached 100%. Affection Status: Undying Love.]
I blinked. "Undying…?"
[However, Host is advised not to betray her love. Should that occur… you will suffer severe consequences.]
A chill ran down my spine.
"…Duly noted."
[Would you like to see her new status?]
I hesitated.
"…No. I'll wait. I want to read it together with her. She deserves that much. Even if she's my lover—I respect her privacy."
[You are weird, Host.]
"Shut up."
[Tsk..]
–To Be Continued...
Author's Note:
Layla's love isn't just obsession anymore—it's something pure, something powerful. She overcame the curse, the corruption, and even the sin that haunted her since childhood… all for Noah.
This is the beginning of her true awakening.
Hope you enjoyed this emotional chapter—things are only getting deeper from here!