Ruler of Heat: One Man, A Thousand Thirsts-Chapter 31: Temple of Withered Oaths [18+]

A presence thick as oil. Cold. Watching.

Waiting.

[Target Signature Approaching – Echo Class: Griefbound Seductress | Codename: Solenna]

The stairwell opened into darkness, lined with carvings of mouths sewn shut, eyes blindfolded, hands reaching for fire they could never touch.

Saelra shivered. "Why would anyone worship here?"

Rivan replied, "Because once, they thought suffering would earn them something greater."

He drew his flame.

Follow current novℯls on ƒгeewёbnovel.com.

It barely lit the stairwell.

And below, deep below, something breathed.

A slow, sensual sound—half sob, half sigh.

Thalia gripped his wrist. "She knows we're here."

He nodded once.

"Then let her come greet us."

---

The temple's inner sanctum was a cavern of silk and shadows.

Torches lined the walls, but none were lit. Instead, the room glowed faintly with bioluminescent vines that curled around columns, each pulse like the throb of a vein. Moans drifted through the air—not screams, not pain, but aching... wanting.

> [System Note: Environmental Influence – LustCore Activity Surging | Danger Level: Psychological Entrapment]

Rivan stepped forward first.

And there she was.

Solenna.

Chained at the altar.

Her wrists suspended by golden cuffs that glowed with a cruel light. Her legs parted slightly, a silver collar around her throat, her body barely clothed—more suggestion than garment.

Her eyes met his.

Not fearful.

Hungry.

"You came," she whispered, her voice like honey over broken glass. "I hoped you would."

Thalia stepped back instinctively.

Kaela raised her blade.

But Solenna didn't struggle.

She only licked her lips.

"I've been waiting for a flame that wouldn't leave," she said. "They always promise to free me. Then they take. And leave."

> [Thread Compatibility: 91% | Flame Class Detected: Submission Reversal Core]

Rivan narrowed his eyes.

"You're an Echo."

"I was," she said softly. "Until I broke."

And then she moaned.

Low. Real.

Her hips shifted in the chains.

"I don't want to fight you, Flameborn. I want you to unbind me."

Rivan took another step closer.

"You mean surrender?"

Her smile was slow. Deliberate.

"No. I mean submit."

---

Solenna's moan lingered like perfume.

Rivan stepped into the sanctum's center, flame crackling faintly at his fingertips. Behind him, Thalia and the others held back—waiting for a signal, watching for betrayal.

Solenna didn't lunge.

She leaned forward, the chains groaning with her motion.

"Touch me," she whispered. "Not with fire. With choice."

> [System Alert: Psychological Lure Detected – Emotional Thread Compromise Risk: Moderate to High]

Rivan narrowed his eyes.

"I've seen what Echoes do. Seduction is the first cut."

Solenna shook her head. "I don't want to cut you. I want to burn with you. I've been alone in this temple for a hundred years. Every man that came before thought I was a test."

Her voice softened.

"I'm not a trap, Flameborn. I'm a mirror."

> [System Prompt: Accept Ritual of Flame Submission – Consent Required to Unlock Chain Seal Sigils | Warning: Thread Fusion Possible]

Thalia's voice cut through the heavy air. "Rivan. Don't."

But he turned.

"She's not feeding," he said. "Not like the others. There's no pain. No grief."

Nysha added cautiously, "Or it's buried deeper than we can see."

Rivan approached the altar.

Solenna trembled.

He placed one hand over her collar.

She gasped. Her flame thread surged—hot, wet, desperate.

"You think this is about lust," she said, voice trembling. "But it's not. It's about belonging."

> [System Thread Sync: Initiating... 24%... 43%...]

Her chains glowed.

"I'm not asking you to take me," she said. "I'm asking you to let me belong to you."

Rivan leaned close, his lips brushing her ear.

"I don't bind for power."

"Then bind me for peace," she pleaded. "Just once... let me stop choosing pain."

He kissed her forehead.

And pulled the first chain free.

The moan that followed cracked the ceiling.

---

The temple cracked.

As Rivan freed the final shackle, Solenna collapsed into his arms—not like a prisoner escaping, but like someone whose entire world had just changed.

Her body trembled against his, and the sanctum pulsed with heat.

Then light.

Then screams.

> [System Alert: Echo Core Fragment Detected – Solenna Thread Mutation in Progress]

Thalia shouted, "She's changing!"

Nysha grabbed Rivan's shoulder. "Back away!"

But Solenna clutched him tighter.

"No! Don't let go. You're the only anchor I have!"

Flames erupted from her skin—white and violet, mixing, twisting, until the altar cracked beneath them. Her body lifted, suspended in air.

> [Thread Fusion Complete – Solenna Reclassification: Bound Flame Priestess | Loyalty: Conditional | Emotional Stability: Fragile]

Rivan stepped back, barely able to breathe.

Solenna hovered, naked and glowing, her hair floating like smoke.

"I'm not an Echo anymore," she whispered. "But I'm not whole either."

Thalia moved closer.

"She needs time. Thread rebindings that deep don't heal in hours."

Solenna looked down.

"To belong without chains... I didn't know it was possible."

Rivan touched her hand.

"You don't need chains. Just choice."

Her lips parted, soft.

And for the first time, her moan wasn't a lure.

It was relief.

---

They exited the temple by nightfall.

The wind carried heat behind them, but no threat.

Solenna walked with the squad now, silent but present. Her eyes no longer searched for masters. Only meaning.

> [New Companion Acquired: Solenna | Flame Type: Submission Reversal | Bond Type: High Sensual Trust]

> [New Objective Unlocked: The Echoes Remember – Mourner Resurfacing Detected | Region: Frostburn Vale]

Rivan glanced north.

"The cold's next," he murmured.

And Solenna said softly, "Then I'll help you warm it."

---

Next Chapter (32): Frostburn Vale [18+]

The Mourner moves north, feeding on numbness. And the squad will face a village where even fire fears to flicker.

---