Damon regained consciousness like someone being dragged from a place too deep to the surface too quickly.

There was no smooth transition.

There was no gradual awakening.

It was abrupt.

Heavy.

Painful.

His eyes opened only halfway at first, and all he could see was a shapeless blur of light and shadow, as if the world hadn't yet decided whether it wanted to exist for him again. The sensation came immediately afterward—a crushing pressure inside his skull, as if something were compressing his mind from within, squeezing thoughts, memories, and senses into a space too small to contain them.

He let out a low sound, almost an involuntary groan, slowly bringing one hand to his forehead. The simple movement already seemed to require more effort than it should, as if his body was still trying to remember how to function.

The pain pulsed.

Strong.

Rhythmic.

Disorienting.

For a few seconds—which seemed much longer than they actually were—Damon didn't know where he was, nor what had happened. His vision remained blurry, the shapes around him dragging, blending together, as if slightly out of position.

And then—

Sound.

Loud.

Confused.

Shouting.

Several overlapping voices, tension, movement, something being held, someone resisting—all of this reached him even before his vision fully adjusted.

Damon frowned.

He tried to focus.

He blinked once.

Twice.

And slowly—

The world began to fall into place.

The ceiling above him.

The sofa.

The light in the room.

And then—

The people.

Elizabeth.

Morgana.

Ingrivid.

Aria.

The four of them were together, close, but not calmly—there was effort in their movements, tension in their arms, as if they were trying to restrain someone.

And they were.

Lily.

She was being held by all four of them.

Not just restrained—

But prevented.

Her body moved with an unusual restlessness, not exactly violent, but intense enough to require real force to keep her in place. Her eyes were different—brighter, more… unsteady. There was something there that didn't match her normally relaxed posture.

Something… agitated.

Something… out of control.

Ester—

Ester wasn't helping.

She stood a little further away, arms crossed, observing the scene with an expression too neutral for the situation, as if she were analyzing an experiment instead of participating in one.

Damon blinked again.

His mind finally aligning the pieces.

And then, in a hoarse voice, heavy with confusion and irritation:

"What the hell… is happening…?"

The sound of his voice—

Changed everything.

Instantly.

As if someone had cut an invisible rope that held the tension in the air.

Everyone looked at him.

At the same time.

Morgana was the first to truly react.

"Damon!" Her voice came out louder than usual, filled with pure relief, her body almost collapsing forward before remembering—at the last second—that she was still holding Lily.

Aria let out a sigh that seemed to have been trapped for hours.

"Finally…"

Ingrivid just narrowed her eyes, clearly relieved, but maintaining her composure.

Elizabeth—

Elizabeth didn't say anything immediately.

But her eyes—

Fixed on him with absolute intensity.

Esther was the one who answered.

Of course she was.

She tilted her head slightly, observing Damon now with a minimal trace of renewed interest.

"Good to see the sleeping beauty decided to return," she said, in a dry tone, almost too casual for the context.

Damon blinked, still somewhat dazed.

"...beautiful... what?"

The headache was still there, but slowly subsiding, allowing his thoughts to begin to flow more clearly.

Ester continued, as if she were merely reporting facts.

"That thing over there," she indicated with her chin in Lily's direction, "completely lost control since you started releasing a... strange aura while you slept."

Damon frowned.

"Aura...?"

He barely finished the word before turning his gaze back to Lily.

And then—

He understood that something was truly wrong.

Lily didn't seem... normal.

Her body was warm—visibly so, judging by the slight flushing of her skin and her uneven breathing. Her eyes were fixed on him now, completely focused, too intense, as if everything else around her had ceased to exist the instant he opened his eyes.

And that—

It wasn't typical.

Not even for her.

Elizabeth finally spoke.

But not with her usual calm.

There was a clear trace of exasperation there.

"Damon," she said firmly.

He looked at her.

And then—

She finished: 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

"Run."

Silence.

For a split second.

Damon blinked.

"...what?"

Aria let out a nervous laugh.

"I'd recommend listening to her."

Morgana tightened her grip on Lily's arm as she tried to move again.

"She didn't get like this for nothing!" Morgana said, visibly tense.

And then Elizabeth, crossing her arms with a dry expression, finished bluntly:

"Apparently, this succubus entered a… highly reactive state because of your energy."

A brief pause.

And then, with complete lack of ceremony:

"And now she's obsessed with reaching you."

Damon was silent for a second.

Processing.

Connecting the dots.

Remembering—

The system.

The update.

The change.

And then—

He let out a slow sigh.

"...of course," he murmured, running a hand over his face.

"Of course this was going to cause trouble."

At that exact moment—

Lily made a stronger movement.

Not violent—

But decisive.

Enough to make Morgana lose her balance slightly.

"Damon…" her voice came out lower now, but much more intense.

Focused. Direct.

And that was enough for Damon to make a quick decision.

He leaned on the sofa, standing up still slightly unsteady, his head spinning for a moment before stabilizing.

"Okay…," he said, taking a deep breath. "I clearly missed something here."

Esther replied immediately:

"You missed ten hours."

He looked at her.

"...great."

Another move from Lily.

Stronger.

Aria cursed under her breath.

"This is getting hard to hold back!"

Elizabeth didn't waste any time.

"Damon."

He looked at her again.

And this time—

She didn't repeat herself.

She didn't need to.

The look was enough.

Damon let out a small laugh through his nose.

Tired.

But… lucid.

"...okay," he said.

Damon chuckled softly through his nose.

Tired.

But lucid enough.

"...okay," he said, running a hand over his face once more, as if organizing his thoughts while the scene before him remained a complete chaos. His eyes returned to Lily, observing her more closely now—not just her behavior, but her energy, the way she reacted to his presence, as if being pulled by something invisible and irresistible.

He understood.

More than he should have.

"Let her go."

The sentence came out simply.

Directly.

As if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

Silence.

Immediate.

The four looked at him.

At the same time.

"No," Elizabeth replied without hesitation, her voice firm, almost cutting. Her arms were tense as she held Lily along with the others, her serious gaze fixed on him. "She's not in control. This is dangerous."

"Dangerous for whom?" Damon retorted, raising an eyebrow slightly, still partially supported on the sofa, but much more stable than seconds before.

Morgana tightened her grip on Lily's arm as she squirmed again.

"Can't you see? She's completely out of control!"

"I can see," he replied, maintaining his calm tone. His eyes never left Lily. "And I can also see that she's not trying to hurt anyone."

Aria let out a short, nervous laugh.

"Are you sure about that?"

Lily moved again, this time more abruptly, pulling against the restraint with a force that even made Ingrivid adjust his posture.

"She wants you," Aria said directly.

"Yes," Damon replied.

No beating around the bush.

No denial.

And then—

He took a step forward.

"Then let go."

Elizabeth narrowed her eyes.

"I won't—"

"Elizabeth."

His voice wasn't loud.

But it was… firm.

Different.

There was something there that hadn't been before.

It wasn't an imposition.

But it wasn't a request either.

It was… trust.

And that—

Made her stop for a second.

Just one.

"...trust me," he finished, lower now, but still looking directly at her.

Silence.

Short.

Tense.

And then—

Elizabeth exhaled through her nose, clearly annoyed.

"...if this goes wrong, it's your fault."

"Fair enough."

She made a small gesture.

And one by one—

They let go.

For a mere second—

Nothing happened.

And then—

Lily moved.

Not like someone running.

But like a shot.

Too fast.

Too direct.

She lunged toward Damon like lightning, her body practically cutting through the space between them in a single impulse, eyes fixed, breath ragged, completely consumed by the force pulling her toward him.

But—

Damon didn't back down.

Nor did he hesitate.

The exact moment she arrived—

He moved.

Quickly.

Precisely.

His hand intercepted her movement before the impact truly happened, gripping her arm firmly while the other was already positioned to control her body. He slightly rotated the axis, using her own momentum against him, redirecting the movement naturally, as if he already knew exactly what was going to happen.

In a single flow—

She was immobilized.

Without hurting her.

But completely restrained.

Her body pressed against his in a controlled manner, unable to move further, the movements being efficiently nullified.

Silence.

For a second.

The others remained motionless.

Observing.

Processing.

And then—

Damon smiled.

Slowly.

Slightly crooked.

But definitely aware.

"Calm down," he murmured, tilting his head slightly, speaking more softly now, close enough for only her to hear. His voice wasn't provocative—it was firm, controlled.

Lily still struggled slightly.

But it was different now.

Less uncontrolled.

More… reactive.

"I understand," he continued, adjusting slightly how he held her, keeping her restrained without apparent effort. "You don't know how to handle this yet."

Her breathing remained irregular.

Her eyes still intense.

But something was changing.

Slowly.

The energy—

Beginning to stabilize.

"Breathe," he said firmly.

She didn't respond with words.

But her body—

Began to follow.

Slowly.

Gradually.

As if his presence, now controlled, was replacing the chaos that had previously overwhelmed her.

Damon held his position.

No rush.

No forcing.

Just… holding on.

And, for the first time since he woke up—

The situation began to evolve from chaos.

Behind them, Aria blinked.

"...okay," she murmured.

Morgana still seemed tense.

"Did that… work?"

Esther, observing everything with analytical attention, answered before anyone else:

"He's not just stronger," she said, her eyes narrowed, assessing every detail. "He's… influencing."

Elizabeth said nothing.

But her eyes—

Remained fixed on him.

And this time—

It wasn't just concern.

It was… an understanding beginning to form.

Because this—

Wasn't just physical control.

It was something deeper.

And Damon—

Clearly—

Was still figuring out how far it went.