Dim light, scattered takeout boxes, Blinds half closed.
Darren sat at the edge of his worn out couch numb, eyes blank.
The system hadn't spoken again. It didn't need to. The words it left behind still hovered faintly like a watermark at the edge of his sight.
[Access Granted: Emotional Mapping, Target Recognition, Passive Field Reaping (Dormant)]
He exhales slowly, gripping his own wrist.
"I didn't feel any of that."
He looks down at the gilded pen from the vault, resting on the table.
It hummed faintly, like it was judging what he did yesterday.
[New Quest Available]
[TARGET: NINA LANG]
Emotion Type: Regret
Potential LU Yield: Moderate to High
Objective: Engage and extract naturally. Emotional Pressure unlocked.
Reward: +LU, New Trait Unlock
[Note: Target is personally linked to Host. Previous emotional history detected.]
[System Guidance: Use discretion. Emotional pressure tools now available.]
Darren stares at the name.
"What the actual f*** is going?"
He hadn't spoken to her in almost a year.
Not after he disappeared from the life they had tried to build together.
But he had his reasons.
He leaned back closing his eyes and tried not to think about her voice.
Well that wasn't working..
He picked up his phone from the table and scrolled..
Messages. Missed calls. Contacts he hadn't looked at since everything fell apart.
One name sat there like a bruise.
Nina Lang
Last seen: 10 months ago
Last message: "I hate you, Darren."
He stared at her name.
"It's just a quest."
"The system needs it."
"I didn't pick her, she's just… compatible."
His thumb hovered over the screen.
She didn't owe him anything. But part of him still wanted to see her, even if it hurts.
He typed..
Hey. It's been a while, and I know I don't deserve to ask.
But... Want to grab coffee?
He hits send before he could overthink.
A long pause, then three dots appear. Then vanished, then reappear.
Ok...When?
The text felt cold, the kind of tone you use when you're not sure if someone's a ghost or a mistake.
But then again, she didn't owe him anything.
He got up, went to the bathroom, splashes water on his face.
Looked in the mirror, same cracked tile, same dull eyes.
He forced a smile.
"You're just going to talk, not to harvest.
Just coffee."
A system chime answers silently behind his eyes.
[Reminder: Emotional harvests operate passively. Pressure optional.]
"Yeah," he mutters. "Optional."
Darren pulled on his clean jacket.
***
He stood outside, hands in pockets watching the door.
Anxious and hungry but not for coffee.
For clarity, or maybe closure.
Or maybe… for power.
He wasn't really sure which.
She's was already inside.
The place the had agreed to was quiet.
Only three other tables were occupied, two couples and a woman scrolling through her phone like it owed her something.
Darren sat across from Nina.
She looked… older. Not worn out, just a little more different, like life hadn't spared her but she'd made peace with it anyway.
But her eyes still had the light in them.
She spoke first..
"Still drinking your coffee black?"
Darren smiled and shrugged.
"It's the only honest thing left."
She let a breath that could've been either a laugh or a sigh. He couldn't tell.
She didn't hug him, didn't slap him either.
That alone felt like mercy.
They sipped in silence for a minute. Small talks, stiff and draining about jobs, weather, the how have you been, you know the usual post ex pleasantries meant to begin the real conversation.
But the system didn't care.
[Target: nina Lang – LU Potential Detected]
[Emotion Cluster: Regret / Longing / Lust]
[Pressure Mode: Available. Passive Harvest: Active.]
The words floated in his vision in a non-invasive way, almost polite. Like it wasn't suggesting something dangerous.
"You disappeared, you know that right?"
Darren swallowed.
"Yeah."
"No call, No explanation, just silence and rent. I stayed three more months. Hoping..."
A pause. She looked away.
[Emotional Spike Detected – Regret Level 0.7 LU]
*Say something idiot, say anything.
Don't just sit there like a goddamn sponge.
He leaned forward.
"I was drowning, nina. Not even sure in what. I thought cutting myself off would… fix it."
She scoffed lightly. But it wasn't mean.
"FIX IT?"
"I loved you, Darren. You were messy, but I still believed in you, in us."
Her voice cracked just a little.
[Regret + Vulnerability Cascade – 1.1 LU]
His chest ached, not from pain but from pressure.
Like the air was heavy now, like he was using her again.
He reached out, resting his hand gently on hers.
She stared at it, not pulling away.
He moved slower than he needed to, thumb brushing the back of her fingers.
She looked up at him, unsure.
"I missed you," he said. And maybe for once that part was real.
Her eyes widened .
"I still… sometimes I think about you, and then I hate myself for it."
She laughed, but It was hollow.
[Regret Spike – 1.3 LU]
[Lust Potential Triggered. Activate Pressure? Y/N]
He didn't say the word, but something inside him leaned forward.
The moment slowed.
Her breath slowed. She bit her lip, nervously.
Then slowly, she leaned in.
Her nose brushed his. Their lips barely grazed.
A memory, a maybe even.
The system chirped softly:
[Harvest Successful – 1.5 LU Acquired]
[USD Equivalent: +$210.46 Credited]
[New Trait: Emotional Pressure I – Unlocked]
Then she froze.
Her body tensed.
Nina leaned back like she'd just realized something wasn't right.
Her eyes blinked rapidly.
"Why… why do I feel like something just..."
She shook her head. "I have to go."
"Nina .."
But she was already standing. She didn't look at him again.
She left her coffee untouched.
Darren watched her through the glass.
She walked fast, Shoulders tight as she wiped her eyes.
He didn't move.
The system pinged gently.
[Balance: +1.5 LU | Soul Bond: 6% | Status: Stable]
"Well done, Account Holder. Your harvest was efficient."
Darren leaned back in his chair, arms folded. Breathing shallow.
"It was just a quest."
He looked at the seat she left behind.
"Right?"