The goddess's hand was cold, her grip firm as she wrapped her fingers around Adrian's wrist. Her skin, pale as moonlight, glistened faintly in the dim light of the cavern.

Her long, silver-white hair cascaded around her in flowing waves, falling over her shoulders and down her back. She was naked and her curves were undeniable—her large breasts in full view for Adrian's eyes to feast on as she slowly rose from the sarcophagus.

When she suddenly opened her eyes, the iris was a deep, unnatural purple that sparkled like amethysts in the dark. They were unfocused at first, as if she had just awoken from a deep, centuries-long slumber.

But the moment her gaze fixed on Adrian, something shifted.

The softness in her expression turned sharp, and her eyes gleamed with an obsessive hunger, a possessiveness that sent a shiver down his spine.

Before Adrian could react, she moved with startling speed, leaping from the sarcophagus and wrapping her naked form around him. Her arms locked around his neck, her legs around his waist, clinging to him like a lover who had been separated for far too long.

Adrian stumbled backward, caught off guard by her sudden embrace. His feet shuffled dangerously close to the edge of the rock platform, and he glanced back, realizing he was just a step away from plunging into the abyss below.

He gritted his teeth and steadied himself, his chains reaching out to anchor to the ground for balance as he pulled back from the edge.

"Okay, okay!" he managed in a tense voice as the goddess pressed closer, her body clinging to him with an intensity that bordered on desperation. "Let's take a minute to calm down and—"

But the goddess tightened her grip around him, her face burying itself in the crook of his neck. Her breath was warm against his skin, sending a wave of heat through him as she whispered, "Abyss…"

Adrian stiffened as the name echoed in his mind. Abyss? Was that her name?

His thoughts raced, trying to remember the brief conversation in the underworld where he initially met with the goddesses.

He knew her name had been said, but he couldn't quite place it. His memory had been hazy, clouded by the events that had followed.

But the way she said it, the way her voice dripped with need, with possession—it unnerved him.

The goddess slowly unwound herself from him but didn't let go entirely. Her arms slid down to his waist, her fingers tracing slow, deliberate patterns along his back as she stepped down onto the stone platform.

Even now, she kept herself pressed close to him, refusing to let any distance grow between them.

Her eyes—those intense, purple eyes—stayed locked on his face, searching his features as if she were trying to memorize every detail, every line of his expression. "Why did you take so long to free me?" she asked in a low, sultry voice that was filled with longing.

Adrian hesitated, his mind still racing. "Your sisters," he began carefully. "I've already freed some of them. But it—"

She pressed a finger against his lips, silencing him with a gentle smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. "My sisters," she repeated softly. "Are they safe? Are they here?"

Adrian shook his head. "They're waiting, but I couldn't bring them with me."

Her grip on him tightened again, cutting him off mid-sentence. "You should've come for me first," she whispered in a darker tone now, a hint of anger creeping into her voice. "I waited… for so long…"

Adrian felt a knot form in his chest as he realized the depth of her obsession.

This wasn't the quiet, serene goddess he had imagined—this was something far more dangerous. Her power had been tied to obsession itself, and now that he was here, she fixated on him as if nothing else mattered.

"What's your name?" Adrian asked, trying to divert the conversation before things spiraled further out of control. "I… I don't think I ever learned it properly."

Her lips curled into a soft smile, but there was something unsettling in the way her eyes gleamed. "Persephone," she purred. "But you may call me Abyss. Lady Abyss."

Adrian's heart sank. He had already encountered Lilith, the goddess of lust, Ava, the goddess of greed, and Medea, the goddess of wrath. It was becoming clear to him now: Persephone—Abyss—was the embodiment of obsession.

It made sense, the way she clung to him, the way her entire being seemed consumed with him, with the idea of him.

Adrian swallowed hard, his mind racing. He needed to stay grounded, to keep himself from falling into the same trap that had ensnared countless others before him.

The ghost's warning echoed in his ears—"If you save her, you will fall, just like the others."

Abyss's hands trailed up his chest, her eyes never leaving his. "You freed me," she whispered. "Now, we can be together. You and I… forever."

"Wait," Adrian said quickly, taking a step back, though her arms remained locked around him. "We need to talk about the contract. There are things we need to—"

"The contract?" Abyss interrupted, her voice lilting with amusement. "Oh, the contract… I've been imprisoned for so long, Adrian. Do you really think I care about rules and contracts?"

Adrian frowned.

He knew the other goddesses had insisted on contracts before fully awakening their power, binding their fates together in a delicate balance. But Abyss… she seemed beyond that, her obsession overpowering any need for formalities.

"Abyss," Adrian began, keeping his voice steady despite the weight of her gaze, "the contract is necessary."

Her smile faded slightly, and for a moment, her eyes flashed with something darker, more dangerous. "Necessary?" she repeated, the word rolling off her tongue like a foreign concept. "You don't understand, do you? There's nothing necessary other than the two of us now. You freed me. You belong to me."

Adrian's pulse quickened as her words settled over him like a shroud. Her grip around his waist tightened once more, pulling him closer.

"We should leave," she whispered, her voice dropping to a seductive murmur. "We've wasted enough time here, haven't we? I'm ready to leave this place… with you."

Adrian's mind raced. He needed to tread carefully—Persephone, or Abyss, was far more volatile than he had anticipated. And though he had freed her from her prison, he couldn't help but feel that he was stepping into another kind of trap.

"Abyss," he said slowly, his voice calm but firm. "Before we leave, we need to discuss—"

But she didn't let him finish.

Instead, she leaned in closer, her lips brushing against his ear as she whispered, "There's nothing to discuss, Adrian. I'm yours now… and you're mine."

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