As Lucy glanced around, trying to orient herself in the unfamiliar surroundings, Sokram’s voice broke through her thoughts.

“Having the Purple Pavilion under my wings, heh, such an offer. I doubt it’s worth what I have. But if I can at least gain your Pavilion’s friendship, that will be enough for me,” Sokram said, sitting cross-legged and looking up at Lucy, who had just regained her bearings.

He continued, “Spirit Magic, mixing Aura and Magi into one energy, is the most optimal form of magic for ferals, especially foxes. They are the only race among the Ferals that can use Magi without much difficulty because of their closeness to us, dragons.”

He paused, studying Lucy’s micro-expressions as her irritation became palpable. “Your race is counted among the seven Nymphic Races, but because of your diluted bloodline, you’re now struggling. Unless you submit to the Oomuki, you can never cultivate properly.”

Lucy’s ears twitched, and her tails stiffened, but before she could retort, Sokram did something that made her freeze.

“Well…” He extended his right hand, summoning a swirling lump of dark energy.

Its intensity and violent behavior made its nature unmistakable: Chaos.

“If I can tame Chaos in a way that even Nhiria congratulated me, gifting you this…”

He extended his left hand, and a dense, gaseous, bluish mana flowed from his fingertips.

In his palm, a sphere of reddish energy formed.

“What you call Spirit Magic…” Suddenly, the gaseous mana invaded the sphere of spirit essence, fusing with it.

At first, Lucy stepped back, sensing its volatility. When she realized it was stabilizing rapidly, her legs gave way, and she fell onto her backside.

“This? This is child’s play, truly. So, do you want to learn it, my first little foxy? You called me ‘Master,’ after all, or was that just a jest? Or…” Sokram glanced at his right hand, the dark energy still swirling ominously, “Perhaps you’d prefer something more chaotic?”

Lucy's mind spiraled, and her heart rate spiked as her eyes widened in a daze.

This wasn’t how things were supposed to unfold.

She'd expected a swindler selling fake techniques or some old tale about a forgotten treasure, just another fool trying to deceive the Purple Pavilion.

But now, sitting before her was a being capable of manipulating Spirit Magic and Chaos Energy with terrifying ease.

A boy who not only understood the power the Pavilion sought but wielded it as if it were second nature.

This boy, no, this dragon, was the real deal.

Perhaps even something far beyond that.

Her thoughts drifted to Timothy. To their promises of eternal love.

To the nights they spent dreaming of rising above the slums. Dreams of knowing places far beyond the cold of Eversnow.

Yet, Timothy’s constant need to grovel before Kazzah, that spoiled wolf, had slowly worn her patience thin.

And now, here she was, abandoned, left to face a dragon alone.

Sokram, a boy she knew nothing about, stood before her, wielding powers she couldn't begin to comprehend.

And what was he offering her? Not just strength. Not just knowledge.

But a future.

A chance to shatter her limits and lead her family, the Purple Pavilion, to heights she’d never dared dream of.

She wasn’t naive.

She knew he didn’t offer this out of kindness. He understood the true worth of the Purple Pavilion and the value of having the foxes’ loyalty.

But as her mother's words resounded in her mind, 'In the Path of Evolution, only fools walk the safe path. Stability is for those who accept stagnation. If fate offers you the unknown, leap. Even if it kills you.'

Lucy didn’t know how he controlled Chaos Energy.

She didn’t need to.

The truth was undeniable: Sokram was the Pioneer of Chaos. The child who shocked the galaxy years ago, cracking something that not even the Transcendental masters could.

And he was delivering himself to her on a silver platter.

‘Even if this is a trap, even if I’m just a pawn in his plans…’ she thought. ‘I can't let this chance slip away. Not for Timothy. Not for anyone. This is for me. For the Pavilion.’

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Her ruby eyes locked onto his, burning with newfound resolve.

Her heart pounded violently as ancient instincts awakened within her bloodline.

Devotion, the most sacred ability of the fox-kin, stirred within her core, responding to her ambition and the chance presented to her.

Something was screaming from deep within, 'Do it! Take the Leap!'

She couldn’t stop it. She didn’t want to stop it.

In that moment, something ancient and primal surged from her very being, her spirit essence stretched out, seeking his.

It latched onto Sokram’s chaotic energy, weaving itself around him like invisible threads.

Sokram’s breath hitched as he felt it, her energy, her life force, her very existence intertwining with his.

Ba-dum. Ba-dum. Ba-dum.

His Chaos Core throbbed violently, responding instinctively to the bond being formed.

He felt her submission, her loyalty, her desire to follow him not out of fear but out of sheer hunger for power.

Something in his blood stirred in response, as if his draconic nature rejoiced, recognizing her offering and accepting her as his, a bond that only death could sever.

Lucy’s ears flattened, her tails coiling behind her as her body shivered with anticipation. ‘I did it... I marked him,’ she thought. ‘Now... he’ll never escape me.’

Sokram clenched his fists as he felt her energy flow into him, solidifying the bond.

His silvery eyes darkened slightly as instinctual draconic lust flared deep within him, but he quickly suppressed it.

‘Damn... This girl...’ Sokram cursed inwardly.

He had aimed to impress her, but this? This was too much.

Using her Devotion at such a young age was dangerous.

It would tie her to him for eternity.

For better or worse, her fate was now bound to his.

Sokram’s expression darkened slightly, feeling the heavy responsibility settle on his shoulders. “Sigh... Devotion, huh? There’s no changing it.”

Lucy licked her lips, lowering her head and assuming the subservient posture of her kin. “I am yours... master.”

Crawling toward him.

Her cheeks flushed as she moved, her twin fox tails swaying seductively. When her face was mere centimeters from his, the warmth and sweetness of her breath contrasted sharply with the cold northern air.

Their lips met, igniting a deep, passionate kiss that nearly made Sokram lose track of time.

The air around them trembled as the bond fully formed, as she sealed it with that kiss.

The world itself seemed to acknowledge the pact between dragon and fox.

A path without return for her, one she’d better never regret stepping onto.

“Alright…” Sokram said, breaking the kiss. “You'd better behave. I don’t want to trigger my curses before their due time.”

Lucy looked at him with disappointment but nodded obediently. “Yes, Master. Shall I Oath myself to your service now?”

Sokram shook his head. “Not yet. I’ll prepare a fair contract for you when we return. But until I say otherwise, what happened here remains a secret.”

Ba-dum!

This time, it was Lucy’s heart that quickened as she remembered the conflicting oaths, the one she had just made him and the one she made to her mother, “Master, I’ll have to tell my mother something. Otherwise, the Oath of Secrecy I made to you will be invalidated. I made a previous oath to her to never omit any vital information for the Pavilion.”

“Your mother?” A cold glint flashed through Sokram's eyes as he asked. Lucy had clearly planned to break the Oath of Secrecy she had made to him, but her Devotion, now active, wouldn’t allow it; that was the only reason Lucy was still alive.

“Yes. My mother's name is Lucille. She’s the current Mistress of the Purple Pavilion in Eversnow.”

At her words, Sokram’s eyes widened in shock. 'She’s Luke’s sister, for Nhiria’s sake! Luke’s older late sister! Oh, brother, I’m so sorry! In my first life, I got your mom; now, I’ve got your big sister too. Damn it!'

“Do you know my mother?!” Lucy asked, her voice tinged with fear.

Her heart raced as she imagined the worst: had her mother’s reputation, her past, reached Sokram’s ears?

Would he see her as just another harlot from the Pavilion?

Her tails drooped, and her ears flattened against her head, betraying her anxiety.

She clenched her fists, her nails digging into her palms, as she braced herself for his judgment.

But the truth was far more complicated.

Sokram knew everything about the Purple Pavilion.

In his previous timeline, he and his family had only survived Eversnow’s fall because of their connection to the Pavilion.

To be more specific, it was Sokram's friendship with Luke, Lucy's little brother, that had saved them.

They had graduated from the city's academy in the same year. They became friends, a friendship that lasted until Luke died, but to Sokram, that friendship was eternal.

As for the Purple Pavilion, it was controlled by the foxes, but women of every northern race worked there as courtesans, hostesses, and even prostitutes.

The real value of the Pavilion lay in its unparalleled ability to gather intel.

The Purple Pavilion’s girls were the most formidable information dealers and spies in the entire Northern Continent.

“I don’t work in the Pavilion, at least not like the others, I swear,” Lucy explained hurriedly, her voice trembling.

She lowered her head, tears streaming down her face as her fox ears drooped to the sides.

She thought fate had been cruel to her, using her Devotion only to lose the respect of the one she had devoted herself to.

But then, a warm hand wiped her tears.

“I know. I’m young, but I’m not naive. Besides, when nymphs lose their purity, their scent changes. It becomes an aphrodisiac for those of age. But in the case of the foxes, it only happens if that was before using Devotion. If it was after, their scent becomes an aphrodisiac only to the one they’ve devoted themselves to.”

Lucy met his eyes, surprised to see Sokram smiling at her sincerely. “Besides, you don’t seem the type, despite your natural allure. Your words are too sincere, even when you’re trying to be mischievous.”

“But now that you’re mine,” Sokram said, pecking her lips, “You’ll have to wait a few more years. Don’t betray my trust. As for your mother, tell her I’ll visit the Pavilion soon. But remember, Lucy, trust is a fragile thing. Break it, and the consequences will be dire." Lucy nodded eagerly as a smile bloomed on her face.

Sokram barely managed to hold himself together seeing her smile, but pushed the conversation forward nonetheless, "You can inform her about the Spirit Magic and that you used your Devotion to link us, but don’t reveal anything about Chaos Energy, not yet, alright?”

Sokram’s expression was filled with warmth and compassion.

He had felt the effects of Devotion before, as it was common between dragons and foxes, or more broadly, between dragons and any Nymphic race.

It wasn’t unique to their planet but was a common phenomenon across the galaxy.

Still, he never resisted the protective instinct that came with it.

Lucy was now counted among the women who belonged to him. 'Well, bigger harem it is then,' he thought with a mental chuckle. 'Who was I trying to fool, right?'

After a few more instructions, including addressing her relationship with Timothy, as Sokram would only share what belonged to him with his Heart and Shadow, he made it clear that their relationship needed to be over.

Surprisingly, Lucy agreed without hesitation.

They returned to camp in a flash of dark lightning, reappearing where they had departed.