Damon didn't immediately return to the world around him.

For a few seconds—maybe longer—he remained lying down, his body heavy against the mattress, his muscles still echoing the continuous effort that exceeded the norm. It wasn't just physical exhaustion. It was… draining. Overuse. As if something inside him had been pushed to its limit—and yet, sustained.

Lily was beside him, completely relaxed, her breathing finally steady, her body loose in a way that made it clear: whatever had happened there… it worked.

Damon ran a hand slowly over his face, releasing the air in a long sigh.

"...eight hours," he murmured, more to himself than anything else.

Silence.

And then—

The interface appeared.

Not abruptly as before.

But smoothly.

Integrated.

[Interaction completed.]

He blinked slowly.

"...of course there's a report for that," he grumbled.

New lines began to appear, organized with the same irritatingly efficient precision.

[Bonus acquired.]

[Synergy with entity: Succubus — Confirmed]

[Affinity with succubi: +200%]

Damon was silent for a second.

Then he narrowed his eyes.

"...is this good or bad?" he asked, in a tone that was half skeptical, half tired.

The interface didn't take long to load.

[Analyzing...]

A short pause.

[Result: Positive.]

He let out a small chuckle through his nose.

"Of course you would say that."

His eyes returned to the text, rereading the affinity section.

"...two hundred percent..." he murmured.

And then he turned his face slightly, glancing at Lily, who was still completely passed out beside him, like someone who simply didn't have the energy to even pretend to be awake anymore.

He stared blankly into space.

"...if this is positive, I don't even want to know what negative it would be."

The answer came.

Immediately.

[The previous process required prolonged effort due to a lack of affinity adaptation.]

Damon raised an eyebrow.

"...no joke."

[With the current increase, the interaction will be significantly optimized.]

He narrowed his eyes.

"Optimized how?"

A fraction of a second.

And then—

[Time required for response stabilization drastically reduced.]

Another line appeared just below.

[Increased efficiency.]

[Response induction capability: High]

Silence.

Damon stared at it for a few seconds.

Processing.

And then—

He let out a short sigh.

"...in other words?"

The interface responded directly:

[You will be able to elicit an intense response with much less effort.]

Pause.

[Reduced time.]

Damon fell silent.

And then—

A slow smile appeared.

Still tired.

But… satisfied.

"...that's good," he murmured.

He let his head fall slightly back onto the mattress, closing his eyes for a second, like someone who finally had a functional justification for what he had just experienced.

"...because I don't intend to repeat that at that pace."

Beside him, Lily stirred slightly, still unconscious, but clearly… stable. The energy that had been uncontrolled was now gentle, balanced, almost harmonized with his.

And that—

He realized.

Without needing the system.

"...worked better than I thought," he added, more quietly.

The interface didn't respond this time.

It didn't need to.

Because for the first time since he woke up—

Damon wasn't analyzing.

Nor reacting.

He was just…

Recovering.

But with an important detail now:

He understood a little better how far this could go.

Damon remained lying down for a few more seconds after the interface disappeared, letting the silence fill the space that had previously been filled with constant notifications and analyses. His body still weighed heavily against the mattress, not from debilitating exhaustion, but from a kind of… satisfied tiredness. Deep. Complete.

He slowly opened his eyes, staring at the ceiling for a moment while organizing his thoughts.

"...okay," he murmured softly, as if confirming something internally.

Beside him, Lily remained completely out, her body relaxed, her breathing calm. The difference from hours ago was absurd. No trace of that intense agitation remained—only an almost… peaceful state.

Damon turned his face towards her for a moment, silently analyzing. "It definitely worked," he concluded.

Without haste, he reached for the mattress and pushed himself up, sitting on the edge of the bed. The movement immediately revealed how heavily laden his body still was—not aching, but dense, as if every muscle had been used far more intensely than usual.

He ran a hand through his hair, twisting his neck slightly.

A dry snap.

"...I needed this," he commented to himself, more for his overall physical condition than for the situation itself.

His feet touched the floor, and he stood up at once, without hesitation, even though the first step had a slight weight. Nothing that really stopped him—just a reminder of the continuous effort. 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

He walked through the room silently, grabbing a towel thrown on a chair and quickly passing by the bathroom, closing the door behind him with a soft click.

The atmosphere inside was quiet, slightly cold compared to the bedroom. Damon rested his hands on the sink for a moment, staring at his reflection in the mirror.

There were marks.

Light ones.

Some more evident on his neck and shoulders, recent scratches, clear traces of what had happened. Nothing that really bothered him—in fact, he seemed more… attentive to himself now.

His eyes analyzed his own reflection more deeply.

There was something different.

Not physically.

But… present.

As if the energy within him was more… aligned.

"Primordial, huh…," he murmured softly.

He turned on the tap slowly, letting the water run for a few seconds before adjusting the temperature. When he finally stepped into the shower, the hot water cascaded over his shoulders and head, slowly running down his body, washing away the sweat, the accumulated tension, and some of the fatigue.

Damon closed his eyes for a moment.

Silence.

Only the sound of the water.

He ran a hand over his face, then through his hair, letting the water run down as his breathing finally stabilized.

"...this really changed everything," he thought, more than he spoke.

It wasn't just about strength.

Nor about skills.

It was… functionality.

Control.

Interaction.

Even things that would have been a problem before—like what happened with Lily—now had… a solution.

He tilted his head back slightly, letting the water hit his face directly.

A small smile appeared, almost imperceptible.

"This is going to be hard work…," he murmured.

But the tone—

It wasn't one of concern.

It was one of anticipation.

After a few minutes, he turned off the water, grabbed a towel, and slowly dried himself. There was no weight in his movements now—just normalcy returning.

When he left the bathroom, the room was still quiet.

Lily hadn't moved.

Damon put on something simple, without much concern, and cast one last glance at her before heading for the door.

"...I'll let you sleep," he said softly, even knowing she wouldn't hear.

He opened the door and left the room, closing it carefully behind him.

And then—

He went downstairs.

Now ready to deal with the rest.

Damon's descent was silent.

Not out of caution—but out of habit.

His steps were firm now, completely different from the state he had woken up in hours before. The weight had vanished, replaced by a controlled lightness, as if his body had finally readjusted to whatever had happened to him.

When he reached the last step—

The scene greeted him.

Morgana and Elizabeth were seated at the central table, each with a cup of tea in her hands. The atmosphere was… surprisingly calm, almost too domestic for someone who had spent the last few hours inside that house.

Elizabeth maintained her usual impeccable posture, spine straight, precise movements as she brought the cup to her lips. Morgana, on the other hand, seemed more relaxed—but only superficially. Her fingers still gripped the cup too tightly, like someone who needed to occupy her hands to avoid overthinking.

Further along—

Ester stood, serving tea with the same almost irritating precision, as if nothing in that world could affect her control. Steam rose from the kettle in smooth lines as she filled another cup without spilling a single drop.

Near the wall—

Ingrivid remained leaning against it, arms crossed, in a guarding posture. Her eyes were attentive, automatically scanning the room… until—

They stopped on him.

And then—

Aria.

She was kneeling on the floor, calmly wiping with a cloth, her movements calm and efficient, as if it were just another common task. There was no hurry, no complaint—just impeccable execution.

Damon took another step forward.

And at that moment—

They all looked at him.

Synchronized.

The silence lasted half a second.

And it was Aria who broke it.

Without even fully raising her gaze, she said, in an absolutely calm tone:

"Later I'll teach you sound sealing magic."

She finally raised her eyes, looking at Damon with a lazy half-smile.

"Because I can't stand listening to moans for eight hours straight anymore."

Silence. Morgana choked slightly on her tea.

Elizabeth closed her eyes for a second, as if she had expected that comment.

Ingrivid looked away, visibly uncomfortable.

Ester—

She continued serving tea.

As if nothing had been said.

Damon stopped in the middle of the room.

He blinked once.

Slowly.

And then let out a small laugh through his nose.

"...fair enough," he replied, without the slightest trace of shame.

He ran a hand through his still slightly damp hair, walking to the table as if he were simply returning from a casual walk.

"But considering the result… I think it was worth it."

Morgana lowered her cup with a little more force than necessary, staring at him.

"You call this a result?!"

Aria answered before him, still cleaning the floor:

"I call it auditory torture."

"I call it necessary," Damon interrupted, pulling up a chair and sitting down unceremoniously.

Elizabeth finally opened her eyes and looked directly at him.

"Is she stable?" she asked bluntly.

Damon nodded. "Completely. Sleeping like a rock."

Ester placed a cup in front of him with millimeter precision.

"It was expected after a prolonged discharge of stimuli and energy stabilization."

Damon picked up the cup, glancing sideways at her.

"...you have a very clinical way of describing things."

"It's efficient," she replied simply.

Ingrivid, still leaning against the table, spoke without looking directly at him:

"...so it's over?"

Damon took a sip of his tea before answering.

"For now."

Aria paused the movement of the cloth for a second.

"For now?" she repeated, raising an eyebrow.

Damon rested his elbow on the table, relaxed.

"If my theory is correct, this wasn't an isolated event."

Silence.

Morgana closed her eyes.

"...of course it wasn't."

Elizabeth didn't react immediately.

But her eyes—

They became more attentive.

"Then we need to prepare," she said.

Damon gave a slight, wry smile.

"Yes."

A pause.

And then—

He finished:

"But next time…"

He glanced at Aria.

"...I'll warn you beforehand."

Aria went back to cleaning the floor as if nothing had happened.

"You're going to learn that sealing technique."

Damon chuckled softly.

And for the first time since he woke up—

The tension in the room wasn't heavy.

It was… bearable.