Chapter 5: Soulbind Pendent
Maybe intimacy had some kind of effect?
If so... wouldn't it be stupid to refuse?
'Yeah. I'm doing this for rewards. For getting stronger. It's not because I want to do it.'
Isaac shivered as Emily's cold body pressed against his.
Their movements were slow at first, hesitant, but as the night stretched on, instinct took over.
Emily clung to him, and asked for more kisses with a dreamy expression.
Her sweet voice, soft touch, and the pure innocent neediness in her voice pierced through all hesitation Isaac had.
The room filled with quiet gasps and lingering touches until, finally, exhaustion claimed them both.
[Host has received Soulbind Pendant x1, Random Gift Box x1]
The morning light streamed through the window, casting soft golden hues across the room.
Isaac blinked awake.
The space beside him was empty.
"Was that a dream?"
He clasped his face.
Was he so desperate that he was fantasizing about sleeping with a ghost?
A sudden noise from the kitchen broke his thoughts.
Isaac turned his head sharply, only to see utensils floating in midair.
Plates and cups moved on their own. A pan sizzled on the stove.
He rubbed his eyes, but the sight didn't change.
As he tried to 'see' what was happening, he felt an unfamiliar energy stirring in his eyes.
[Demonic Eyes] activated.
He heard a voice in his head, and he looked at the kitchen again.
Emily was there. She floated around with a determined expression, and prepared the meal in an apron.
It made her look strangely cute.
She turned to him and smiled.
"Good morning."
"....Morning."
"Come let's have breakfast."
Isaac sat down at the small table. He was still coming terms to reality as he eyed the steaming plate of food Emily placed before him.
She sat next to him, and watched him with an eager expression.
"Try it."
"What about your share? There is only one plate here."
"I don't need to eat. Food doesn't give me energy." She smiled lightly. "I'd prefer that you eat. I can take the energy from you later."
"You should still eat. Quite a lot of people eat for taste."
"Your lips taste better," she murmured.
Isaac smiled as he took a bite out of the food.
"It's is delicious."
"Thank you."
Emily smiled sheepishly.
He called his System as he ate.
His Constitution had increased by one after the last night's exercise. So had Emily's. He shared her stat with himself, and his Constitution increased by a total of 2 after the night.
He checked the notification history.
[Host has received Soulbind Pendent x1, Random Gift x1 for his first marital night with his wife, Emily Warren.]
A pendant appeared beneath his shirt.
He took it out and examined it.
The pendent was a small slab of black stone. Its surface was polished but had faint, ancient-looking cracks running through it.
He could sense a large empty house within it.
The building was fully furnished with multiple bedrooms, kitchen on both floor, and a small garden outside.
"Isaac, what is that?"
"Something's wrong?"
He noticed the strange way Emily looked at the pendent.
"Nothing. It just feel like I can enter it."
Isaac raised his brow.
The pendent was the size of his thumb, and Emily was at least 168 cm (5'4). She could enter the pendent with her size?
Incidents like these made him realize he was in another world.
His train of thought came to a screeching halt when he heard the doorbell.
He instantly realized who was at the door.
Professor Lorrain.
"Get inside the pendent," he told Emily, and swiftly moved.
She nodded before turning into a ray of light and entering the pendent.
He could sense her appear within the house.
Then, Isaac opened the door, greeting Professor Lorraine.
Unlike last night, she was dressed properly in a button-up shirt and well-tailored pants, but that didn't do much to hide her figure.
The shirt clung tightly to her chest.
The fabric seemed one wrong move away from giving up , and the way her pants hugged her waist and hips only emphasized her curves.
"Morning, Professor."
"Morning."
She stepped inside without waiting for an invitation.
Her nose wrinkled slightly, as she sniffed the air.
"I noticed a board outside Blackmire Pond few weeks back," she said, referring to a small, murky body of water near the city walls. "It had a notice saying, Please don't molest the crocodiles, they are afraid. "
Isaac blinked, confused.
"I was wondering what kind of person would try to touch a crocodile. They are aggressive monsters after all." Her eyes locked onto his. "Now I know."
His brow twitched.
She ignored his reaction and continued looking around the room.
"Where is Emily?"
"She wasn't next to me when I woke up," he replied, then deliberately spoke in a slow, nervous tone. "Maybe she escaped?"
"She can't escape. There is a barrier around the room that stops all spectral enties from moving through it."
Isaac's stomach tightened.
He realized Professor Lorrain was serious about making Emily her Beast pet.
He had looked up about Bonded Beasts during the breakfast.
They were slaves.
Their so-called masters tamed them, and forced them to obey.
Some rumors said the masters could manipulate the Bonded Beast's mind and feelings.
They could force the beast to like them.
"So, where is she?"
Isaac remained silent, but he felt incredibly nervous.
Professor Lorrain came to defeat a ghost, who was as strong as Adept-rank Awakener, in her usual teaching attire, as if it was just another Tuesday for her.
'If she tries to take Emily from me forcefully, I would have no choice but to fight. I'm not giving Emily to someone who can manipulate her mind.'
He could escape even if he couldn't win.
He had Phantom Step (SSS rank).
An SSS-rank movement skill was nothing to be underestimated.
Lorraine smirked as if she could see the thoughts running through his mind.
"It's fine if you don't know where she went," she said casually. "You should focus on Talent Awakening. It's an important event in your life."
Isaac frowned.
"You know what?" she continued. "Get ready. I'll drive you to the academy. Think of it as a special service from me."
'What is she—'
A cold sweat ran down his back when he saw her faint smile.