Mia undid my bindings. While they had brought back some truly horrible memories, it was all worth it for this feeling.

I was fucking free. I could level again! I didn’t have to give half my money to those motherfucking Ravenborn clan assholes. And best of all, there was no one who could force me to do something I didn’t want to do anymore.

As soon as the last binding came undone a prompt appeared.

Congratulations! You and your partner have completed the hidden personal quest, “Healer, Free thyself.” Your reward is 240,000 EXP. As well as 1,000,000 PMk

My mind blanked for a half minute as I just stared at the text, reading it over and over. It was real!

I wanted to save this green box so I could never forget this moment.

As I sat up, I closed out of the prompt only to receive another.

Congratulations! You have gained 5 Levels. Because there are so many points for you to distribute, you have 7 in-sim days to distribute them. If you do not distribute them within 7 days then your points will be assigned to you by the PPVS. Also, keep in mind that you must distribute your points in order to be considered a certain level.

Five whole levels?! Then, how many times did Mia level? Wait! Was that even important right now?

Because all of this — the PMk, the levels, the freedom — was thanks to my bonded, who overcame her fear to free me. She was so incredibly brave, and I was so grateful to have her as my partner.

Slowly, I wrapped my arms around her and hugged her tightly. And she hugged me back, even tighter since she had twice the points in strength than I did.

A completeness and joy I had never felt nearly overwhelmed me. As if the collar had somehow also restricted the bond.

Maybe it was all the time I spent with her, briefly exploring a new world, teaching her about this one, and helping her with her fear, but the bond that had once terrified me didn’t bother me anymore. And I was fucking happy.

Because if there was someone who I was willing to risk fucking up everything for, it was this person.

“Thank you, Grace,” I whispered her real name in her ear. The delicately pointed tip turned a delightful shade of red.

“Lore. Um—”

“—May I kiss you?”

Her face turned utterly crimson but she wrapped her arms around my neck and stood on the tips of her toes, tilting her face up in obvious acceptance.

I leaned down and touched my lips to hers in our first real kiss. The oneness of the bond blanked out everything except being connected to this person. My beautiful-beautiful bonded.

Slowly, regretfully, I straightened and stared into her hazy eyes.

I didn’t want to scare her by telling her too much, so I would start slow. Court her properly. We were already bonded, but she didn’t know.

Fuck! She didn’t know. And was I even ready to tell her? And face her wrath? No. Not ready yet.

But I couldn’t resist. I rested my forehead against hers.

“Mia. Be with me,” I said, unable to hold back any longer.

She jerked back. I had no idea her face could get even redder, but it did.

“You mean... as in... your girlfriend? W-wont that hurt our partnership if something bad happens and we break up? Also, I’m a person very into monogamy, Lore. Like, I’ve had friends who were polyamorous and stuff and that’s fine for them, but I personally feel like I would get nasty jealous if we were together and someone even looked at you. I’m not sure—”

I sighed. I wasn’t sure if I should be offended. Well, she didn’t know. “Mia, I will only look at you.”

She laughed and looked a little self-depreciative. I didn’t like it.

“I know how I look both in and out of the game, Lore. And you—“

“—Fuck that.”

She blinked.

“I’ve lived around fantastically beautiful people all my life. But you, I trust. And trust is worth more than any amount of points you could ever put in charisma.”

“But there will be a ton better looking and better people in the future—”

“—Maybe.” I cut her off. “But they’re not you. And you’re the one I want. The ONLY one I want.” The only one I would ever fucking want.

And now that I was free I could say this truthfully and from the bottom of my heart.

She pressed her lips together in a thin line. “This still seems like a bad idea.”

“I know.”

“A huge fucking mistake.”

I grinned. “It does seem that way.”

“And I still can’t say I’m entirely ready for a relationship,” she muttered but the corners of her lips turned up and I could practically hear her heart beat faster... Though that might have been my own. “Fuck. I can’t say no. Not to you.”

Joy overwhelmed me and I hugged her once more, breathing in her scent. This moment right here was the happiest I’d been in years. Fuck. So happy. And I reveled in it, right up until...

Bam! With no warning, the door burst open and several tainted prisoners ran in. They stank of body odor and carried spears of driftwood.

Shit! We’d taken this place too lightly. Both of us being unarmored and weaponless, stuck in a small cell with no room to maneuver or dodge.

They raised their spears.

I was in between Mia and the door.

I glanced down at my bonded and practically threw her to the back of the room.

Pain spread through my back. I glanced down to see spears pierce the skin on my chest. I dropped to my knees. My HP dropped fast. Too fast for me to do or say anything except, “Run.”