Pleasure before Pain

The chamber dimmed as Serpahina retreated deeper into the ruins, her footsteps echoing like fading judgment. Renji remained behind, his body still alight from Syrene's presence.

The crimson veils she wore now pooled around her feet like liquid sin, her body silhouetted by the dancing flames of the summoning circle. She took a step forward, barefoot and hungry.

"You've changed," she whispered. "You've killed. You've conquered. But you've also been broken, haven't you?"

Renji didn't flinch. "And yet I'm still standing."

Syrene's fingers brushed along his collarbone, trailing the marks the Exile System had etched into his skin. She licked her lips. "You wear power now like a cloak. But I remember you when your hands trembled… when you first touched me."

Renji caught her wrist, his grip firm but not cruel. "And I remember how you made me forget the world. Even just for a moment."

A smirk curved on her lips. "Then let me do it again."