"So is this actually a cult thing?"
Sonata glanced around at the party, taking in their mixed reactions. Luna shot an accusatory glare at Lily, silently screaming, See? Look what you've done!
Leo let out a slow exhale, massaging his temples as if physically pushing away an oncoming headache.
"No, it's not a cult thing," he said, trying—and failing—to sound convincing.
"I have a skill that lets me bond with my party members, but... to use it to its full effect, I have to, uh... permanently bind it to you."
"Like bondage? Kinky~"
Nyx's smirk stretched wider, all mischief and amusement, while Luna visibly cringed.
"That really does sound like a cult thing, not gonna lie," Sonata added, tilting her head in genuine concern.
"Are there secret handshakes? Do I get a robe?"
Leo groaned, dragging a hand down his face.
"No, Nyx. Not like bondage. And Sonata, we are not a cult."
He took a steadying breath.
"It's more like a one-time skill transfer. You'd get a unique ability of your own, but the catch is... you might not be able to leave the party after that. At least, I think that's how it works."
Nyx tapped her chin, her grin practically glowing with mischief.
"So basically, once we join, we can never leave?"
She leaned in, her voice dropping into something playfully ominous.
"Cutie, I hate to break it to you, but... that's literally a cult."
Leo turned to his other party members, his expression one of sheer exasperation.
"Does anyone else want to explain it? Because I swear to god, I might just start throwing hands."
Horo snickered, arms crossed.
"Wait till they hear about the glowing tattoos and the gem made of flesh or whatever that shit was~"
Sonata's eyes widened in alarm, darting between Leo and Horo.
"Tattoos?! Flesh sacrifice?!"
"Horo! What the fuck, bro?! Did you really have to say that?!"
Leo's hands twitched, the urge to throttle growing by the second. Meanwhile, Horo just flashed a wolfish grin, absolutely reveling in the chaos.
"What~? Did I say anything untrue? Hmm~?"
Leo opened his mouth, closed it, then just sighed in defeat.
"You can go fuck yourself."
Resigned, he turned back to Nyx and Sonata, already bracing for more nonsense while still swearing at Horo under his breath.
Nyx opened her mouth, ready to fire off another quip, but Leo jabbed a finger in her direction.
"You. Shut up for a minute, okay? Do you want the buff or not? It's a growth type."
Sonata blinked in surprise.
"Growth type? Like the kind of skill that gets stronger over time? Like my Song of Shackled Sky?"
"I guess? That sounds like a unique skill. I don't know."
Nyx smirked, her eyes gleaming.
"What do you know, Cutie~?"
Leo shot her a flat glare.
"Apparently silence is a foreign concept to you."
Nyx gasped dramatically, placing a hand over her heart as if deeply wounded.
"Oh no~ You've figured out my fatal weakness! If I stop talking, I'll just wither away and die. What a cruel fate, Cutie."
Leo rolled his eyes so hard it was a miracle they didn't fall out of his head.
"Yeah, yeah, tragic. Anyway—"
Sonata's voice cut through the chaos, firm and resolute. There was a quiet strength in her words, a promise to herself that she'd find her place. A new start, perhaps. She wasn't sure what it would look like, but this was something she couldn't turn away from.
Before he could explain further, Nyx leaned in, resting pointing a finger at her face while trying to act cute.
"And what about me, Cutie? You're not gonna woo me into your 'definitely-not-a-cult' as well?"
Leo gave her a flat look.
"You don't need wooing. You're obviously joining."
"Accusing a lady of being easy? How scandalous~"
Leo pinched the bridge of his nose.
"I swear to god, I don't get paid enough for this."
"You don't get paid at all."
Leo let out a long, suffering sigh.
Sonata's wings fluttered as she rolled her shoulders and asked
"So what do we have to do?"
"Stand there for a minute. [Bonds of the Zodiac]"
Two screens appeared before his eyes as details about Sonata and Nyx appeared in front of him.
-2 new Individuals have been detected to have High Affinity with a Zodiac Bond
-Up to (2) Zodiac signs can be given out in total.
-Maximum number of Zodiac Signs players can have outside of Skill User is 1.
-Current Permanent Zodiac Bonds: 3
-Displaying Current Affinities
-Highest Affinity: Rooster
-Bond: Acquaintance (Low)
-Highest Affinity: Monkey
-Bond: Complicated (medium)
While his connection with Sonata was as expected, the connection to Nyx caused Leo to frown.
'Complicated? There must be something that she knows that she isn't telling me...'
Yet he knew that with his companions, he knew that he would not get a serious answer from her. With no other choice, he closed the screens and watched silently as 2 small balls of light floated up from Astra.
Sonata's eyes sparkled briefly as she admired the beauty of the light before she let out a startled shriek as one of the balls of light suddenly shot towards her chest.
Nyx's eyebrow raised as she remained still, unflinching even as a ball of light hit her hip. There was a sense of trust in her gaze, she truly believed Leo wouldn't harm her.
Sonata's fingers hesitantly brushed over her chest, just below her collarbone, where a small, a rooster glowing a soft sky blue lingered.
Nyx tilted her head, glancing down at her hip where a black glow faintly marked a monkey symbol as if it was hugging her. A smirk tugged at her lips.
"A monkey? Does that mean I am totally certified to do Monkey business~?"
The joke caused Lily to giggle softly. The humor of Nyx's words were not lost on her.
Leo was about to say something when another screen appeared in front of his face.
-Elemental Conversion Currently in Effect.
Number of Elements currently being converted: 4
Completed Elements: 1 (Low)
"Oh right! I almost forgot about this!"
He had forgotten to check on the status of the other element conversions.