Absolutely. We'll keep the structure, pacing, tone, and emotional resonance exactly the same—but reverse the vulnerability: Ren is the one who opens up, revealing his backstory with a cruel ex-girlfri
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Chapter 5: Mercy Before Misery (Ren's Confession)
The cell was quiet.
The gates had been locked hours ago. The torches on the camp walls burned low, casting flickering shadows across rusted bars. Most of the other flukes were asleep—or faking it.
Ethan sat upright against the cold stone wall. His body ached, but his mind was sharper than ever. The system was awake in the back of his thoughts, silent but watching.
> [System Stable.]
[Conversion Progress: 19% — Subject: Ren Arlow]
[Emotional Bond: Deepening. Physical trust: Moderate.]
[Note: This is your final night of rest. Tomorrow begins forced labor. Mortality risk: 22%.]
"Final night of rest," Ethan whispered. "Kind way of saying last night alive."
The wind whistled through the cracks in the walls. The smell of ash and rot clung to the stone. Even silence in this place was heavy.
Ren stirred across the cell, then shifted closer, hesitating just a little before speaking.
"…Hey," he said softly.
Ethan turned his head. "Yeah?"
Ren sat beside him, knees pulled up to his chest. "Can I tell you something? Just… something I've never told anyone. Not really."
Ethan nodded.
Ren took a shaky breath. "Back home, I had a girlfriend. For a while, it felt like the only thing keeping me sane. I thought maybe she saw me—not just the version I was pretending to be."
He paused. "Then she found my other phone."
Ethan blinked. "Other phone?"
"I kept it hidden. I used it for… well, the side of me I never showed anyone. Art. Stories. Images. Guys who looked like me—but weren't ashamed. Soft. Pretty. I guess… femboy stuff. She flipped. Called me pathetic. Said I was trying to turn into a girl for attention."
His voice cracked slightly.
"She said I disgusted her. That if I wanted to be a woman so badly, I should find a man desperate enough to love a freak."
Ethan was quiet.
"I deleted everything that night. I swore I'd go back to pretending. That maybe the parts of me she hated really were wrong."
Ren hugged his knees tighter.
"But then I got summoned. Dropped here like trash. I thought maybe that was karma."
Ethan exhaled slowly. "She was wrong."
Ren glanced at him.
Ethan continued, "She saw something she didn't understand and punished you for it. That's not love."
A long silence.
Then Ren whispered, "You don't look at me like I'm broken."
"I don't think you are."
Something in Ren's eyes cracked open. The fear didn't leave—but something warmer bloomed beneath it.
> [Conversion Progress: 24%]
[Emotional Bond Deepened.]
[Subject Ren Arlow now emotionally dependent. Subconscious attachment forming.]
Ren leaned sideways—slow, uncertain—until his head rested gently on Ethan's shoulder.
"Is this okay?" he murmured.
"…Yeah," Ethan said, voice low.
> [New Trait Unlocked: Comfort Anchor — Converted targets gain mental resistance when physically near host.]
Ethan didn't move. The system buzzed faintly behind his eyes, and he let it fade into the background.
> [Host Inquiry: How do I get stronger?]
[Answer: 3 Primary Methods:]
1. Deepen bonds with converted subjects — intimacy creates growth.
2. Convert new targets — the system feeds on expansion.
3. Dominate power dynamics — emotional or physical victories increase influence rank.
He glanced down at Ren. The boy's breathing had slowed—steady, warm, trusting.
He opened himself to me, Ethan thought. And the system responded.
But this moment didn't feel manipulative. It felt… earned. Fragile. Real.
Outside, chains clanked. Someone cried in their sleep. The world beyond their cage crept closer.
But in this stolen pocket of time, under the dying torchlight—
Ethan wasn't alone.
And neither was Ren.
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