cheolsoo • The Society of The Shadow / Eng ver.

18. satisfaction

"I can lend you my gift," Lilith's voice drifted through the shadows, like a whisper in the wind. Her form moved toward Seungcheol, ghostly at first, but gradually filling with color. Her face, framed by long, black hair, was strikingly familiar, an echo of something long lost. For a moment, he almost felt as though she could be his sister.

"You can have my gift," she murmured again, her voice soft but intoxicating, her breath almost ghosting against his shoulder.

"You're free, Lilith," he muttered, still almost too stunned to believe it. "You're no longer bound to that painting."

"Only if you accept me fully into your world," she replied, her voice taking on a haunting edge. "If you don't, I'll remain only a shadow."

Seungcheol halted, the thought of ending his father's life clinging to his mind, sharpened by Lilith's words. He studied her spectral form, watching as her outline wavered, shifting from vivid to blurred and back again, like something caught between this world and another.

It was unsettling—this surreal transformation. Part of him felt he should ask her more questions, but his thoughts were already turning toward his father's cold, ruthless gaze—the gaze he was determined never to see again.

As he turned to leave, Lilith's voice sliced through his thoughts. "You can't even touch a hair on his head as you are. You NEED my gift."

A gift? What gift? Seungcheol wondered, watching her spectral form. He didn't quite understand what she meant. It struck him as odd—she was the one who had emerged from a painting, brought to life by the strange forces within this house. What could she give him that he didn't already possess? If she could teach him stronger spells, that would be enough. He didn't dare expect more.

But then, aprubtly–

Power seeped into his veins at the thought, his magic pulsing against his grip on his wand. The heat in his hand seemed to burn and bubble, a slow simmering rage that demanded release. Destroy, his thoughts echoed. Destroy that man, down to his last breath, until Choi Jonghyun could never open his eyes again, never speak, never walk on this earth another day. Until his final bed was a coffin.

Images of destruction crowded his mind—raging flames, shattering walls, his father's reign crumbling to ash. He would end this once and for all.

"Say yes. Accept my gift, and I will be loyal to you," Lilith's voice cut through his thoughts, low and luring.

"Your words only deepen my confusion," he said, his voice edged with suspicion. Turning down the hallway, he noticed it stretching wider, the walls almost shifting with each step, the space seeming to warp. His footsteps echoed in the silence. He paused, casting a glance over his shoulder. "What did you do to the hallway?"

Lilith moved in front of him, her presence silent as a shadow. "I'm merely showing you what's possible," she murmured. "I need you to understand, Seungcheol. Without me, he's beyond your reach."

On any other day, her words might have bruised his pride. But tonight, a strange boldness simmered in him, stronger than he had ever felt.

"With this... gift you keep mentioning?" Seungcheol's voice was edged with skepticism, one eyebrow arched.

Lilith stepped aside, releasing the hallway from her enchantment, and it shifted back to its ordinary shape. Seungcheol watched the spell dissolve, feeling an unexpected, grudging admiration for her abilities. It shook something in him, nudging him closer to taking her seriously.

"You said you'd help me take down my father," he challenged, his gaze narrowed, studying her for any sign of deception. "Show me. Then we can discuss your gift."