"Who the hell are you really?"
Silas didn't just grip my wrist; he crushed it. His fingers were iron bands, locking me in place before I could even blink.
I stared up at him, chest heaving. The air between us felt thick, charged with a tension that made the skin on my neck prickle. He was too close. I could smell cold rain and old parchment clinging to his black cloak—a scent that screamed authority. And danger.
"I'm your worst nightmare if you don't let go," I snapped. I yanked my arm. It didn't budge.
Silas leaned in. His voice dropped to a low, dangerous vibrate. "The Alice I know is a spoiled brat who cries when her tea is lukewarm. You? You just tried to rip something out of my soul. That's not a tantrum. That's an attack."
"Silas, surely you're mistaken." Caine stepped forward, his face a mask of fake concern. "Alice is just... overwhelmed. She's been fragile lately."
*Fragile.*
I cut a glance at Caine. That was the word he used right before he handed me to the executioner in my last life. Rage surged through me, fueling the system prompt flashing red in my vision.
[Target: Silas. Talent: SSS-Rank Divine Eye. Status: Locked. Requirement: Physical contact established. Steal now?]
I didn't hesitate. I leaned into Silas's space, my chest nearly brushing his, and slammed my free hand onto his shoulder.
"Fragile my ass," I hissed.
*Steal.*
A violent jolt of electricity shot from my palm, ripping through Silas and surging into my veins. It felt like swallowing a star. My vision exploded. For a heartbeat, the world shifted—every flicker of energy, every hidden lie, every pulse of blood in the room turned neon gold.
Silas gasped. His grip loosened. His cold eyes widened, but he didn't pull away. Instead, he shoved me back against the wall. The impact knocked the wind out of me. He pinned both my wrists above my head, his body pressing me firmly into the stone.
"What did you just do?" His breath was hot against my ear.
"I took what I wanted," I panted. The power was humming in my blood, making me feel drunk. Dangerous. "Get used to it."
"Alice? What is this?" Caine looked bewildered. "Why are you acting like this?"
I laughed. It was a jagged, ugly sound. "Oh, shut up, Caine. Your voice is giving me a headache. Go play puppet master somewhere else."
Caine's mask cracked. The doting fiancé vanished, replaced by the arrogant prick underneath. "You're out of line. Apologize, or I'll make sure you spend the next month in the east wing without a single servant."
"Threatening me with isolation?" I smirked. I activated the Divine Eye. I could see it now: a shimmering thread of greed connecting Caine to the family seal on the table. He was leaching my family like a parasite. "That's cute. But I'm done taking orders from a man who can't even hide his own desperation."
Silas shifted his weight, his thigh pressing into mine. He wasn't looking at Caine anymore. He was staring at me, his gaze searching. Hungry.
"You've changed," Silas whispered, his voice sliding over me like a blade. "Not just your attitude. Your energy. It's... corrupted. Or evolved."
"Maybe I just woke up," I replied. "Now get off me before I decide to steal something else."
Silas actually chuckled. A dark, dry sound. He slowly released my wrists, but he didn't step back. He stayed right there, suffocatingly close. He reached out, his gloved finger tracing the line of my jaw. It felt more like a threat than a caress.
"The Inquisitors don't like anomalies, Alice. We hunt them. We dissect them. We erase them."
"Then start hunting," I challenged, leaning my head back against the wall. "I'm right here."
He paused. The tension was so thick I could taste it. He was deciding whether to arrest me or play a longer game. I could feel his pulse—steady, strong—and the sheer power still radiating from him. I'd only taken a spark of that SSS-rank talent, but it was enough to change the game.
"This has gone on long enough," Caine interrupted, sounding annoyed. "Silas, if she's unstable, let me handle her. I can bring her back to her senses."
"Handle her?" Silas finally looked at Caine. The disdain was palpable. "She's more interesting now than she's been in eighteen years. I think I'll keep a very close eye on her."
"I'm not a pet," I bristled.
"No," Silas said, stepping back and straightening his cloak. "You're a curiosity. And curiosities usually end up in my dungeons if they don't behave."
He turned to leave, his cloak swirling. I watched him go, mind racing. I had the system. I had a piece of the strongest man in the city. Now I just had to survive Caine long enough to burn everything he loved to the ground.
"What are you looking at?" I asked, crossing my arms as I turned to Caine.
"You're insane," Caine spat. "You think you can talk to me like that? You're nothing without my support, Alice. Your father is a ghost. You need me."
"I need a drink and a new wardrobe," I said, walking toward the door. "And I need you to stay out of my way while I figure out how to make you suffer."
Caine stepped in front of me, blocking the exit. He grabbed my shoulder, his grip tight and possessive. "You're coming with me. We're going to discuss your 'episode' and how you're going to make it up to me."
I didn't think. I swung my hand up. With the Divine Eye, I saw the exact pressure point in his wrist. I struck it with a sharp, precise snap.
Caine let out a yelp, his hand flying back as he stumbled. "You—you bitch!"
"And you're a bore," I said, stepping around him.
I felt a surge of triumph. The fear was gone, replaced by a cold, calculating hunger. I walked fast, heels clicking against the marble, heading for the gardens where the guards' rotation was weakest. I needed to test the limits of this system. I needed to know how many people I could break before the city realized I was back from the dead.
But as I reached the heavy oak doors, a shadow blocked the light.
Silas. He hadn't left. He was leaning against the stone archway, arms crossed, waiting with a look of grim anticipation.
"Going somewhere?"
The system suddenly flared in my mind—not a prompt, but a violent, screaming red alert that blurred my vision.
[WARNING: HIGH-LEVEL ANOMALY DETECTED. SYSTEM STABILITY DROPPING. TARGET SILAS IS NOT A NORMAL HUMAN.]
I stared at him. I noticed it then. His shadow wasn't following the light. It was moving independently, creeping toward my feet like a living thing.
"Who... what are you?" I whispered.
Silas smiled. It was the most terrifying thing I'd ever seen. He stepped forward, his hand gripping the collar of my dress, and whispered, "The question is, Alice... do you actually think you're the only one who can steal?"