Chapter 8 · Price of Parasitism

"Stop fighting me, Silas. You're practically begging to bleed," I hissed, though the voice wasn't mine. It was his—deep, velvety, and currently trembling with a rage he couldn't quite suppress.

I could feel him inside our shared headspace, a dark, suffocating presence trying to slam the door on my consciousness. But I had the leverage. I had the system. And right now, the system wanted mana, and the fastest way to get it was to let the host take a hit.

Vivian didn't hesitate. Her blade flashed, a sliver of silver that sliced through the air and carved a clean, shallow line across Silas's cheek.

I didn't pull away. I leaned into it.

*Ping.*

[Host Damage Detected. Mana Leakage: 15 units. Absorbing...]

"You're slow today," Vivian murmured. She didn't move her blade back. Instead, she pressed the flat of the steel against the fresh cut, pinning his face toward her. "Or maybe you're just distracted. Who are you talking to in there, Silas?"

I felt Silas’s ego flare—a hot, jagged spike of pride. *Get out,* he roared in the silence of my mind.