The first light of dawn crept through the tent canvas.

Exposing the complete mess of Dante's surrender.

Every muscle in his body screamed. His cock still itching his balls completely drained off and his chest... It was the most heavy thing right now.

He was a king who had been thoroughly defeated. A tyrant forced to kneel.

The exhaustion went beyond physical.

'I let her do this to me. I let myself become weak. Vulnerable.'

He lay on the messy bedroll. His body refusing the simple command to move.

Across the small space, Lana stood with her back to him. Looking refreshed. Energized. Like she'd just had the best sleep of her life.

The moonlight outlined her form as she slowly pulled her torn combat uniform back on. She moved with lazy, cat-like satisfaction.

The winner of a battle he hadn't even known he was fighting.

"Don't forget your promise," Dante said. It took effort just to speak. "You won't tell any of them. About Edgar."

She paused. Pulling her shirt down over her hips. She turned her head slightly. A sly, knowing smile on her lips.

"Yeah, I know," she said. Her tone light. Uncaring. "A deal's a deal."

"And you will not blackmail me for this again," he added. Pushing himself up on one elbow.

The movement sent a wave of nausea through him.

"This was a one-time thing." he said

She turned fully then. Her amethyst eyes dancing with triumphant light. She walked over and knelt in front of him. Her face inches from his.

"Oh, Dante," she purred. Tracing a single finger over his lips. "I won't blackmail you. I promise."

She leaned in closer. Her voice dropping to a husky whisper.

"But next time? It won't be through blackmail. You'll come to me willingly."

The meaning hung in the air. A threat stronger than any weapon.

She wasn't just his blackmailer anymore. She believed she was his partner. His equal.

'The audacity. The sheer fucking audacity of this girl.'

"One more thing," he said. His voice cold as ice. "Not a word about last night. To anyone."

"Of course not," she giggled. Standing up and stretching. "I'm not stupid. Why would I share the best night of my life with these peasants?"

She walked to the tent flap. Then paused.

"I'll keep our little secret... for now. But after we finish the trial? When we're back in the real world or whatever that stupid thing is?"

Her smile widened.

"Well. The rules change then, don't they? And I make no promises about what might slip out."

She slipped out of the tent. Leaving him alone in the heavy silence.

Her final words were still confusing to him.

'She's threatening me. Still. Even after I gave her what she wanted. She'll never stop.'

'She won this round. But the game is far from over. I underestimated her. Underestimated the power of obsessive desire. A mistake I won't make again.'

He now had two problems.

A team on the verge of breaking. And a beautiful, insane girl who held a leash around his neck.

'I need to find a way to remove that leash. Permanently. But carefully. Very carefully.'

Just as he was processing this new problem, the sounds started.

Gasp!

A single, sharp gasp from outside his tent. Followed by a dangerous growl.

He recognized it instantly.

'Erica.'

The air outside crackled with sudden intense heat.

'Shit. She saw Lana leave.'

With a groan, he forced his protesting body to move. Every motion was fresh pain. He pulled on his clothes and stumbled out of the tent.

The scene at the center of camp was a disaster waiting to happen.

Erica stood trembling. Her fists clenched so tight her knuckles were white. The air around her shimmered with dangerous, contained heat.

Her face, usually pale and shy was now a mask of pure betrayal and rage.

She had clearly seen Lana emerge from his tent.

Across from her, Lana leaned casually against a tree. Arms crossed. A look of playful amusement on her face.

Watching Erica's meltdown like it was entertainment.

Talia stood off to the side. Silent and watchful. Smart enough to stay out of it.

"—in his tent! All night!" Erica was screaming. Her voice cracking with pain. Tears of fury streaming down her face. "You... you snake! How could you?"

"My, my," Lana said. Her tone dripping with fake sympathy. "Such a temper. And so early in the morning."

She pushed herself off the tree. Walking forward. Circling Erica like a predator.

"Are you talking about Dante? Of course I was in his tent."

"He was so tired after yesterday. He needed someone to look after him."

"Liar!" Erica shrieked. "You... you slept with him! You defiled him!"

Lana stopped. Burst into bright, tinkling laughter.

"Defiled him? Oh, sweetie, you have it all wrong."

She leaned in. Her voice dropping to a stage whisper. Loud enough for everyone to hear.

"This wasn't the first time, you know. Dante and I? We go way back. We've been together many times. Back in our old world."

"We're practically family at this point."

The word 'family' was a surgical strike. Designed to cause maximum damage. A claim to history and intimacy that Erica could never touch.

Erica flinched. Like she'd been physically slapped. Her fiery aura wavering.

"And besides," Lana continued. Her smile turning cruel. "We didn't do anything bad. We just talked. Cuddled. He was cold. I kept him warm."

She looked Erica up and down with dismissive eyes.

"It's not my fault you weren't there for him when he needed someone. You were fast asleep, dreaming your pathetic dreams while I was taking care of my man."

"A real girlfriend would have been more attentive, don't you think?"

'She's a natural manipulator. Twisting truth and lies together so seamlessly even I'm impressed.' Dante thought.

The words were poison. A masterful mix of truth, lies, and condescension.

Lana was painting herself as the caring partner. Framing Erica's anger as childish jealousy.

Erica let out a choked sob. Her control finally snapping.

"I will burn you to ash," she whispered. The words a low, dangerous promise.

The air ignited around her fists. No longer just shimmering. Erupting into two roaring spheres of white-hot plasma.

'This is getting out of hand. I need to stop this before someone dies.'

"Stop."

Dante's voice cut through the tension like a blade.

His arrival silenced them instantly. They both turned to face him.

Erica's rage instantly replaced by deep hurt and desperation. Her fiery power flickering as she saw the exhaustion on his face.

Lana's eyes shone with possessive, triumphant light. She had created this chaos. And now she was watching him clean it up.

'They're both looking at me. Waiting for me to choose. To take a side. But I won't. I'll use this.'

He walked into the center. His exhausted body moving with forced authority.

He didn't look at Lana. His gaze settled on Erica. His most powerful, most unstable asset.

"The fire, Erica," he said. His voice quiet but carrying unmistakable weight. "Put it out. Now."

She looked from him to Lana. Her lip trembling. A war raging inside her.

But in the end, her loyalty won. Her desperate need for his approval.

With a shuddering breath, the plasma spheres sputtered and died.

'Good. She still obeys. Even hurt. Even betrayed. She still obeys me.'

"We do not have time for this," he said. His voice cold and sharp. Sweeping over all of them. "While you are here, fighting over personal feelings, other teams are getting stronger."

"They are hunting. Claiming artifacts. Preparing to kill us and take everything we've worked for."

"Derek's betrayal was not unique. It's the rule in this world. Trust no one. Expect betrayal from everyone."

He let the weight of his words sink in.

"Our fighting among ourselves is weakness. And our enemies will exploit it. This childish emotional nonsense ends now."

He looked directly at Erica. Then at Lana.

"Lana is a member of this team. Erica is a member of this team. You will treat each other with professional respect. Or you can leave the team. Is that understood?"

Silence. The tension remained thick. Suffocating. But the immediate threat of violence had passed.

He had taken back control.

'For now. But this is a temporary fix. A bandage on a bleeding wound. This will explode again.'

"Good," he said. Turning away from them. "Pack your things. We're leaving. We need to find Eric's team and regroup."

He started walking toward the edge of camp. Not waiting to see if they followed.

He knew they would. They were his tools. His weapons.

And for now, they still obeyed.

But as he walked, he felt Lana's triumphant gaze on his back.

'She thinks she won. Thinks she has power over me now. Let her think that. For now.'

'But the moment I find a way to remove her leash? The moment I don't need her silence anymore?'

'She'll learn what happens to people who try to control me.'

Just as they finished packing, a sound came from the edge of the woods.

Thump. Thump. Thump.

They all froze. Weapons appearing instantly. Talia melted into shadows. Edgar's spectral form stood ready.

A group of figures emerged from the purple gloom.

At the lead was Eric. His massive tower shield held ready. His face set in a grim line.

Behind him were Masha, Jin, and Rina.

They had found them.

They stopped short. Their eyes widening as they took in the scene.

The exhausted, battered forms. The lingering scorch marks on the ground where Erica's power had flared.

The tear tracks on Erica's face. The smug as well as satisfied smirk on Lana's. The cold, weary mask on Dante's.

They didn't know what had happened. But the suffocating tension was obvious.

Like a physical wall between them.

Masha's sharp eyes swept over them. And Dante could see the questions forming. The analytical mind piecing together the fragments.

'She knows something happened. She's too smart not to see it. But she won't ask. Not yet.'

Eric stepped forward. His voice cautious.

"Dante. We found you."

"Yes," Dante said. His voice flat. Exhausted. "You did."

The two halves of their fractured group were finally reunited.

But they were more divided than ever before.

And everyone could feel it.

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