The morning at the Estate didn't begin with the smell of coffee, but with the heavy, electric hum of the training hall. The walls were lined with reinforced carbon-fiber plating, designed to withstand the accidental discharge of the energy now flowing through the household.
Ren stood in the center of the room, shirtless, his skin glistening with a light sheen of sweat. He looked different. The "househusband" was gone, replaced by a man who looked like he had been forged in a particle accelerator.
Clara, Viper, and Serafina stood before him. They each wore sleek, grey compression gear that mirrored the lines of their bodies. The intimacy of the night before hadn't just changed their relationship; it had altered their biology.
"The Pulse I gave you isn't just a gift," Ren said, his voice echoing with a new, metallic resonance. "It's a parasite. If you don't learn to control it, it will burn your nervous system from the inside out."
He walked toward Clara first. She looked revitalized, her eyes holding a sharpness that went beyond her usual corporate focus.
"Focus on the heat in the center of your chest," Ren commanded, placing his hand over her heart. The moment they touched, a spark jumped between them, a visible arc of amber light. "Don't let it sit there. Push it to your limbs."
Clara gasped, her muscles twitching. She swung a fist at a heavy sandbag nearby. There was a sound like a gunshot. The 200-pound bag didn't just swing; it exploded, sand spraying across the room like shrapnel.
"My god," Clara whispered, looking at her knuckles. They weren't even bruised.
"Better," Ren murmured, moving behind her. He pressed his body against hers, guiding her arms to show her the proper stance. The physical proximity immediately reignited the smoldering embers from the night before. "But strength is nothing without rhythm."
Viper watched them, her teeth bared in a grin that was half-feral. She didn't need the basics. She moved like a blur, her movements so fast they left faint after-images in the air. She lunged at Ren, not with a knife, but with her bare hands.
Ren caught her wrist mid-air, the impact creating a localized pressure wave that rippled the hair of the other two women.
"You're rushing, Viper," Ren chided, his voice dropping to that low, dominant growl. He spun her around, pulling her back against his chest in a restrictive hold. "You're using the energy to feed your bloodlust, not your precision."
Viper leaned her head back against his shoulder, her breath coming in shallow hitches. "It feels too good, Master. I want more. Give me another surge."
Serafina stepped forward, her arms crossed. She had been the most reserved, but the golden glow in her eyes was the most intense. "We don't have time for your cravings, Viper. I've been monitoring the satellite arrays. The Harvester didn't leave. He's calling in a 'World-Eater' class vessel. They aren't going to siege us—they're going to level the entire coastline."
Ren released Viper and turned to the holographic display at the end of the hall. His face hardened into a mask of cold, calculated fury.
"Then we stop playing defense," Ren said.
He walked to the center of the room and closed his eyes. The floor began to vibrate. A low-frequency thrum filled the room, making the women's teeth ache. Suddenly, Ren's eyes snapped open—they were no longer amber; they were solid, glowing gold.
He reached out, and for a moment, the three women felt their spirits pulled toward him. It was an intimate, psychic connection that felt deeper than any physical act. He was mapping his mind to theirs, sharing his combat experience in a fraction of a second.
"They think they're hunting a man," Ren said, his voice vibrating through the very foundations of the cliff. "But they've hunted their way into a god's house."
The tension in the room was a physical weight. Ren looked at the three women—his wives in all but name, bound to him by the most intimate power in existence.
"We leave in one hour," he said.
He walked to Clara, then Serafina, and finally Viper, pressing a lingering, possessive kiss to each of their foreheads. As he touched them, he felt the resonance of his own power reflecting back at him. They weren't just his lovers; they were his army.
"But first," Ren whispered, his hand sliding down to the small of Clara's back, pulling all three of them into a tight, heated circle. "I need to make sure your reserves are fully charged."
The training hall's lights dimmed as the "Architect" prepared his team the only way he knew how—by fueling their fire with his own.