The penthouse was too quiet.
Jack sat in the armchair, shirt open, drink untouched, watching Helena sleep. The sheets twisted around her bare body, sweat already beading though the air was cold. Carla lay curled at her side, clutching Jack's discarded tie like a child with a doll.
It should've been peace. It wasn't.
The System pulsed red against his vision:
[Warning: Revenant Activity Detected]
[Status: Rival Marcus — Haunting Active]
Helena whimpered in her sleep, back arching. "No… stop… please—"
Jack leaned forward, the glass forgotten. Her body jolted like invisible hands were on her. The System hissed:
[Asset Helena Cross — Bond Stability Threatened]
[Corruption Infiltration 3%]
Jack's grin sharpened, but it didn't reach his eyes. "So that's his game."
He grabbed Helena's shoulders, shaking her awake. Her scream tore through the room.
Carla bolted upright, wide-eyed. "What happened?"
Helena clung to Jack's chest, sobbing. "He was here—Marcus—he touched me, I swear—"
Jack's voice cut like a blade. "He didn't touch you. He can't. Not while I'm breathing. Understand?"
Her nails dug into him, desperation warring with relief. "Then why did it feel real?"
The System answered for him:
[Revenant Perk: Haunting]
Effect: Targets experience illusions of contact. Fear feeds rival control.
Carla whispered, horrified. "He can get inside our heads."
Jack tilted Helena's chin up, forcing her to meet his eyes. "Then burn this into yours—no matter what you see, what you hear, you come to me. He's a ghost. I'm flesh."
The System purred faintly:
[Bond Helena Cross Stabilized: 99% → 99.5%]
[Carla Vance Bond Reinforced: 100% (Locked)]
Jack finally sipped his drink, calm restored like armor sliding into place. "If Marcus wants to haunt, then I'll make his ghost choke."
Marcus's Domain
Across the city, Marcus stood in a darkened precinct basement. The Authority officers around him didn't breathe. They didn't need to anymore. Their eyes glowed faint red under his aura, pupils swallowed by black.
The System pulsed cruel:
[Revenant Skill Unlocked: Hollow Servants]
Effect: Authority figures bound to your will. Cannot disobey. Loyalty absolute.
Marcus stroked the jaw of one officer like a man inspecting a dog. "Jack thinks his girls are anchors. Let's see how they look when their own reflections turn against them."
The screens around him bled with Helena's face. Her scream on repeat. Marcus's grin split, sharp and bloodied.
[Counter-Quest: Burn the Ladder — Phase 3]
Objective: Collapse Rival's Sanctuary (Penthouse)
ETA: 36h
Reward: +3000 XP | Asset Corruption Surge
Marcus raised his hand. The hollow servants bowed, voices layered and broken. "Yes, Revenant."
Fortress Building
By dawn, Jack had Helena and Carla dressed, though their eyes were hollow with exhaustion. He moved through the penthouse like a general, pulling curtains tight, pushing furniture into defensive lines.
Helena finally broke the silence. "What are you doing?"
Jack smirked, dragging a steel bar across the sliding glass doors until it screeched. "Making sure when Marcus comes, he doesn't leave."
Carla clutched her necklace, voice small. "You think he'll… try to kill us?"
Jack chuckled low. "No. He wants worse. He wants to unmake you. Twist you until you hate me. That's what Revenants do."
The System chimed in his skull:
[Major Quest Update: Revenant's Return]
Objective: Reinforce Sanctuary | Protect Assets]
Bonus Objective: Recruit First Lieutenant]
Jack froze, eyes narrowing. "Lieutenant?"
Text etched across his HUD like scripture:
[Requirement: Expand Empire]
You cannot fight Revenant alone. Claim a follower beyond lust. Choose one with ambition, blood, or ruin.]
Jack's grin spread slow. "So it's time to build a throne."
The Offer
By evening, Jack sat with Helena and Carla at the kitchen island, maps of the building spread out before them. His voice was steady, cold. "Marcus has the Authority in his pocket now. If they break in, it won't be men. It'll be husks. Puppets. They won't stop until they drag you out."
Helena swallowed hard. "Then we leave. We run."
Jack's gaze cut her down. "Kings don't run."
Carla's lips parted, voice trembling. "Then what do we do?"
The System whispered like a devil:
[Lieutenant Candidate Identified: Victor Raines — Ex-soldier, debt-ridden, violent streak. Currently stationed as Authority security detail. Status: Corruption Potential High.]
Jack smirked. "We don't run. We recruit."
He slid the map closer, tapping a security outpost circled in red. "There's a man who hates his chains more than Marcus loves his ghosts. We cut him loose, he'll serve."
Helena's brows knit. "And if he doesn't?"
Jack's smile was cruel. "Then I'll break him until he does."
Marcus Strikes First
Across the city, Marcus walked into the same outpost. His aura filled the hall like smoke, Authority officers stiffening into silence.
Victor Raines sat at the desk, scarred knuckles on a half-empty bottle. His eyes lifted, narrowing at Marcus's unnatural glow. "You're not supposed to be here."
Marcus leaned down, whispering like a lover. "You want out of debt, out of this cage? Serve me. I'll give you more power than Jack King ever could."
Victor flinched at the name. "Jack…"
The System flared red across Marcus's vision:
[Contest Initiated: First Lieutenant — Victor Raines]
Condition: Whichever rival corrupts or claims him first secures his loyalty.]
Marcus's grin was all teeth. "The game's changed, Jack. Let's see who wins his heart."
Closing Hook
Back in the penthouse, Jack stood at the balcony again, watching white sirens coil below. Helena leaned against the glass, Carla curled at his feet.
The System hissed cold across his vision:
[Lieutenant Contest Begins]
Target: Victor Raines | Status: Unclaimed | Window: 48h]
Jack drained his glass, smile carved in shadow. "Then let's hunt."
📊 Bond Tracker — End of Chapter 17
Helena: 99.5% (haunting shaken, but loyalty reinforced)
Carla: 100% (locked asset)
Marcus: Revenant (active), hollow servants + Victor Raines contest