The Devil's Lust System

New Power and The Annoying Ex

Sella’s burning suspicion clashed with Desmond’s newfound tranquility. Her grip on the collar of Edi’s worn shirt was heated, yet Edi—or the entity within him—remained totally unfazed. It was akin to a mosquito bite: annoying, but utterly non-threatening.

“Where did you get all this money, Edi?” Sella demanded, her voice thick with burning accusation. “What did you do? Did you sell yourself out?”

Edi stared straight back. His thick glasses nearly slipped.

“Sell myself out?” Edi offered a small smile. It wasn't the smile of the awkward Edi, but a slight corner of Desmond’s cruel sneer. “Who do you think would want to buy this dorky Edi? Even those lowlife Demons would puke.”

Sella gasped. The way Edi spoke. That tone. Cold and resolute.

“I did the dirty work,” Edi continued, slowly peeling Sella’s grip off his collar. His hand, unconsciously, moved with a cautious precision that mirrored Desmond’s own. “Work that only a desperate person like me is capable of. And it’s none of your concern.”

“But…” Sella pointed toward the stack of cash on the coffee table, her eyes glistening. “I know we’re poor, Edi, but I don’t want money from—from crime. That’s Dad’s money, which should have been…”

“Your father is dead,” Edi cut in sharply, instantly regretting the words. “*Our* father. And no one is coming to save us, Sella. I’m handling this. You focus on your university.”

Sella looked down, her shoulders sagging. Edi knew he had hurt her. But the Incubus inside him couldn't tolerate drama or hesitation now that their basic needs were met.

Edi was just about to offer a stiff apology when the composure he felt was shattered by a familiar commotion outside the door.

“SELLAAA! Get out here! I know you’re inside, baby!”

Sella flinched, fear immediately replacing her guilt. “No. He’s here again.”

Edi snorted. Bern. Sella’s ex, the arrogant social climber, whom Edi had overheard discussing a plan to trap Sella and scam money from his client, Amel’s family. Desmond the Incubus’s revulsion and loathing now mingled with Edi’s genuine concern.

The dilapidated door was pounded upon roughly. The sound of expensive leather shoes squelching in the mud on their rental unit’s porch was audible.

“I don’t have time for this rich-boy drama,” Edi hissed. He felt a small wave of power—Level 1 Regeneration & Strength—whispering that he could crush the lock if he wanted to.

Sella backed away behind Edi. “Edi, don’t. He brought his backup. He wants to take everything we own as collateral for my debt.”

“Your debt? You set a trap for yourself trying to trap him,” Edi said coldly, referring to Sella’s plan to use Bern to secure tuition money. Edi understood Sella’s intentions, but his own actions had already derailed that plan.

Edi opened the door. Desmond’s physical presence instantly vanished behind Edi’s dull mask, but the cold aura persisted.

Bern, dressed in an expensive polo shirt and gleaming shoes, stood in the doorway, flanked by two large thugs with cheap tattoos on their arms. Bern’s eyes flashed with contempt when he took in Edi’s appearance.

“Oh, look, little loser Edi is home,” Bern sneered, shoving Edi with his shoulder. Bern didn’t even bother to mask the threat in his voice. “I’m here to handle business with my fiancée, Sella. Stay out of it, Edi. Unless you want to pick up your teeth off this muddy floor.”

Edi stabilized himself, not moving an inch, despite Bern having pushed him with full force. This reaction—the sudden, effortless strength—made Bern and his cronies freeze momentarily.

“I’ve already settled all the bills,” Edi said, pointing to the stack of money on the table. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, Bern. And she is not your fiancée.”

Bern stepped inside, his face flushed. He spotted the cash, his eyes momentarily widening before narrowing again in rage.

“Did you steal this? You pathetic pauper! How the hell did you get this much money?” Bern shrieked. “Sella, I’ll forgive you if you come back to me and explain how your brother got this dirty cash. Don’t play games with me. Or I’ll make sure no university ever accepts your application!”

The threat hit a sensitive nerve in Edi. The promise he had made to his Father to protect Sella. And then, another, colder voice surfaced in Edi’s mind. Desmond’s voice, which had zero tolerance for weakness.

'Practice control, Edi. We need to silence this garbage. Quick and clean.'

Edi moved. His motions were unhurried, yet every nerve channeled the hidden Incubus strength. It was only Level 1 power, but in a normal human’s hands, it already surpassed the capability of any elite athlete.

One of Bern’s thugs attempted to grab Edi’s arm. Edi simply allowed the contact, then, without appearing to use any effort at all, he batted the hand away. There was a crisp *crack*. The thug screamed in agony, stumbling backward. His right arm dangled at an unnatural angle.

Shock froze the air in the tiny room. Bern and his remaining crony stared at the broken arm, then back at Edi, who was still wearing his crumpled shirt and thick glasses.

“What—what did you just do?!” Bern bellowed, terror beginning to erode his arrogance.

“I told you not to bother her,” Edi said, his voice level. The contrast between his dorky physical appearance and the brutality of his tone created a horrifying effect.

The remaining thug hesitated, but the loyalty Bern paid for compelled him forward. He threw a straight punch toward Edi’s face. Edi didn’t even need to duck. He caught the thug’s fist mid-air with mechanical precision. Then, Edi squeezed. Not intending to crush it, but simply applying an excess of power. Blood splattered onto the decrepit wooden floor as the thug’s bones shifted. He dropped to his knees, screaming, howling in agony.

Bern, who had just watched both his bodyguards incapacitated in a manner that barely qualified as a fight, lost all semblance of courage. He panicked and bolted, scrambling back toward his expensive car.

“Bern,” Edi called out. Just one word, spoken without inflection. It stopped Bern mid-stride. Bern turned slowly. His eyes met the pair of eyes behind Edi’s glasses, and this time, Bern caught a flash of something far more dangerous than Edi. It was the predator’s instinct, the Demonic drive demanding dominance.

“You will not come back here,” Edi continued. “If you go near Sella, I will break the bones in your body, one by one. And no one will hear you scream. Understood?”

Bern could only nod, sweating profusely, fear clogging his throat. He helped his whimpering cronies out of the house, caring nothing for the cash on the table. He simply wanted to escape the ‘loser’ who had abruptly transformed into a terrifying monster.

When the sound of Bern’s expensive car engine vanished, silence fell over the rental unit. Sella stared at her brother with wide eyes, her body trembling violently. It wasn't due to the cold, but pure shock.

“Edi…” Sella whispered, swallowing hard. “You—You… what was that? Their arms. That was…”

Edi felt the Incubus Rage subside, but the residual strength needed to be immediately retracted. The excess physical energy made him restless and aggressive. He sighed, allowing himself to revert to Edi, the awkward dork.

“I don’t know,” Edi replied, his voice back to its soft, hesitant quality. “I… I was just angry. They threatened you.”

Seeing Sella’s shock, Edi stepped forward, reaching out. Sella flinched, anticipating a blow or further wrath. But Edi merely hugged her. It was a stiff, awkward embrace—a classic Edi hug. Yet, for the first time since their Father’s death, there was true strength supporting her. Sella leaned into her brother’s shoulder, which suddenly felt wider and firmer than before.

“I’ll take care of it,” Edi whispered, the warmth of the words contrasting sharply with the horrifying incident that had just transpired. “Everything. I won’t let you face this alone again.”

Sella’s tears spilled over. They were not tears of sorrow, but tears of catharsis and relief. For the first time, Edi was a pillar of support, not merely a weak shadow.

“Edi, I…” Sella wanted to apologize, wanted to explain her original intent to ensnare Bern for the money. But she saw something on Edi’s face, even with the dorky Edi mask back in place.

Sella sensed a strange aura. Though the thick glasses and worn clothes had returned, there was a faint sheen beneath Edi’s skin, and a bizarre aroma—a mixture of sulfur, expensive wine, and luxurious women’s perfume. She had never smelled anything remotely like it on Edi before.

When Sella looked up, her weary eyes fixed on Edi’s neck, just behind his ear. Sella saw a faint purplish-red stain, the perfect shape of an intense, passionate bite—a fresh hickey. It was definitely not a mark she had made.

Her head swam, shock mingling with jealousy, a deep, sudden possessiveness that felt overwhelmingly strong.

“You didn’t sell yourself, Edi…” Sella whispered, her voice rough. Her eyes narrowed with a sudden, dangerous intensity. “But you slept with someone. Who? Who is this tramp you met? And why does your body… smell so foreign?”

Their relationship, which had just begun to thaw, was now ignited by new, complex embers: forbidden jealousy and an unhealthy possessiveness.

***