Jayden had not known what to expect after accepting the unknown Sin from Cain.

She had not fully understood what he was talking about, but in the end, she chose to believe him. He was her man, and she had decided long ago that she would trust him even when nothing made sense. Maybe especially then. Cain was the kind of person who stood tall even when the world tried to crush him. If he said this was worth it, then she would leap without hesitation.

Still, there was a difference between faith and blind stupidity.

The moment the golden light sank into her chest, Jayden felt a strange chill crawl up her spine. It was not painful, not exactly, but the sensation was foreign enough to leave her tense. Cain had said it was a Sin, one of the Seven, something with power beyond imagining. A blessing or a curse, depending on how one looked at it.

And yet…

Her mind betrayed her.

If that golden light corresponded to Lust, then every ounce of dignity she had left would be gone. Just thinking about it made her shoulders tighten. She could already imagine the others smirking behind her back. She would never live it down.

Lust.

The word alone made her want to grind her teeth.

She was not some shameless pervert. She refused to be the kind of woman people whispered about as if she had no self-control. Jayden could already see the title forming over her head in bold, mocking letters.

Horny mutt.

Her face heated.

Absolutely not. No way. She would throw herself into a pit before letting that become her legacy.

And yet, deep down, she could not help remembering she had slept with Cain less than a month after meeting him.

Jayden buried that thought immediately, shoving it into the darkest corner of her mind where it belonged. That did not count. Circumstances had been complicated.

She lifted her head, ready to ask if anything was supposed to happen now. The golden light had vanished into her chest like a stone sinking beneath water, but nothing else seemed to change. No sudden surge of strength, no mysterious power awakening.

"Is that it?" she began, only to stop mid-sentence.

A voice cut through her thoughts.

It was not Cain's voice.

It was not anyone's voice.

The sound was sharp, mechanical, as if every trace of humanity had been stripped away. Cold, empty, and absolute.

[Fragmented Skill: Pride has taken root.]

Jayden flinched. The words rang directly inside her skull, bypassing her ears entirely. She looked around quickly, but Cain gave no sign he had heard anything at all. His gaze was still steady on her, calm as ever.

The voice spoke again before she could gather herself.

[As the skill is incomplete, the user is required to gather the remaining fragments to unlock its full potential. Current fragments gathered: 1 out of 20.]

Her mouth went dry.

The words carried no emotion, yet something about them sent a faint tremor through her chest. It felt like standing at the mouth of a tunnel that went on forever, a single step away from falling into something vast and merciless.

One out of twenty.

So this was only the beginning.

She drew a slow breath, trying to make sense of it all. A Sin. A skill called Pride. Fragmented pieces scattered somewhere out there, waiting for her to claim them.

And only she could hear this voice.

That fact dug its claws into her thoughts the longer she stood there. Cain had not reacted at all. If he had heard, he would have said something. He would not have stayed silent through words like that.

Which meant this was hers alone to bear.

The golden light inside her chest pulsed faintly, as if acknowledging her realization.

Jayden swallowed.

She wanted to ask Cain what Pride even meant, but the words would not come. Something told her this was bigger than him, bigger than either of them. The voice had not spoken to him. It had spoken to her. Directly.

The air around her felt heavier now, thick with the weight of what she had accepted.

Pride.

The name lingered in her thoughts like a living thing. She did not understand it fully, but the sound of it carried a promise. Strength, perhaps. Power. A path winding into darkness where she would have to decide what kind of person she would become.

And yet, as serious as it all felt, her mind betrayed her again.

At least it was not Lust.

Thank the stars above, it was not Lust.

She nearly sagged with relief at the thought.

The mental image of herself as some wild-eyed, shameless woman made her want to crawl under a rock. She could already imagine the others snickering every time she walked into the room.

Kiyomi would never let her hear the end of it. Maris would probably look at her with those silent, judging eyes. She didn't even dare imagine how Mira or Anna would react

Cain… well, Cain would probably smirk.

That alone made her cheeks burn.

Jayden shook her head violently, dragging herself back to the moment before her thoughts spiraled any further. This was serious. She had accepted something unknown and powerful, something that now lived inside her like a seed waiting to grow.

Pride.

The voice had said it was fragmented. Nineteen more pieces remained.

Where were they? What would happen when she gathered them all?

And why her?

Questions piled up in her mind with no answers in sight.

She could still feel the faint warmth of the golden light deep in her chest, a reminder that she had taken the first step whether she was ready or not. Something had changed within her even if she could not see it yet.

Her fingers curled into fists.

This was her burden now. Hers alone.

And no one else had heard that voice.

For a long moment, Jayden stood silently, letting the weight of it settle. The wind shifted faintly through the trees nearby, the only sound in a world that suddenly felt much larger than it had a moment ago.

She exhaled slowly.

Whatever this Pride was, whatever it demanded of her, she would face it head-on.

Because the alternative was to let it control her.

And Jayden refused to be controlled by anything, not even a Sin.

Before she could gather herself, the voice returned, echoing inside of her head.

[System Notice: Fragmented Skill - Pride initializing.]

She stiffened as the golden warmth in her chest spread outward like ripples across water. It did not hurt, but it demanded her attention with the same weight as the first voice.

[ System Notice: First ability unlocked- Defiance.]

A flood of information slipped into her mind, carried by the same cold, inorganic tone.

[Defiance allows resistance to rise in proportion to the user's will. The stronger the determination, the stronger the defense. External forces seeking to bend or break the user's resolve will find themselves diminished.]

Jayden blinked, her heart thudding. That alone was a game changer. It meant sheer willpower could turn into a weapon. It meant her stubbornness, the same thing people mocked her for, could now shield her like armor.

But the inorganic voice was far from being finished.

[System Notice:Second ability unlocked- Indomitable.]

A chill ran down her arms as the explanation followed.

[When facing any opponent seeking to conquer or subjugate the user, all abilities gain a 5% boost per fragment absorbed. Current bonus: 5%.]

Jayden's mouth fell open slightly. That meant the more someone tried to dominate her, the stronger she would become in response. If she gathered all twenty fragments, the boost alone would reach one hundred percent. The thought of it sent a thrill down her spine. It was as if the skill itself was daring the world to try to break her.

But then the voice spoke a third time.

[System Notice: Third ability unlocked -Arrogance.]

The moment the word formed, she felt it take root deep inside her chest.

\[Arrogance grants a surge of power to the user and nearby allies as long as the user holds unshaken pride in something of her choosing. The strength of this boost scales with conviction and the number of fragments gathered.]

Jayden stood frozen as the final echoes faded.

Defiance. Indomitable. Arrogance.

Each ability stacked upon the last, creating a skill set born from the very concept of unyielding pride. She had expected power, yes, but not this.

As the warmth settled, Jayden realized something.

This was not just strength. It was a declaration.

Pride would not bow.

And neither would she.

The trust and faith Cain had shown her in return for her devotion had resulted in her gaining abilities that most could only dream of.

While not outright attacking abilities, this small fragmented piece of Pride had allowed her to boost her own abilities and to a lesser extent, those around her.

The last ability had said that there was something she needed to essentially choose something her as her focal point for her skill.

It was already a given what her choice would be as no other option even came to her mind.

She chose Cain.

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