Yandere Vivian

A dim room reeked of damp mildew, rust, and dust. Water seeped through a corner, glinting dully in the dark.

And the protagonist of this story—Wise—was bound to a bed. Vivian was the one responsible.

"Lady Phaethon, you're being naughty again! Are you trying to escape?" The girl, draped in shades of purple, stood in the shadows. Her ruby eyes gleamed with an eerie, intimate light.

Wise looked up at Vivian's face and asked, bewildered, "Vivian, what are you trying to do?"

Wise could no longer remember how long Vivian had kept him here. There were no windows, no clocks—only a dim yellow wall lamp that never went out, stretching his shadow into a long, twisted shape.

At the sound of his voice, Vivian slowly stepped out of the shadows, her skirt whispering against the floor.

"Lady Phaethon, I'm only doing this because I want to keep you by my side!" Vivian reached out and gently tipped Wise's chin up with one slender finger.

"Those awful women out there all want to steal Lady Phaethon from me!

"I can't allow that. Lady Phaethon belongs to me alone! Here, I can stay with you forever."

"..."

Wise fell silent as he looked at Vivian.

Vivian used to blush and stammer "Lady Phaethon" if he so much as handed her a glass of water. How had she become like this?

"Vivian, you're insane!" The hope had drained from Wise's voice, and his spirit dimmed like a candle flame.

"Lady Phaethon, I'm not insane!"

Vivian crouched before Wise, her fingers roaming over his face. She traced his brow, the bridge of his nose, and the line of his lips as though caressing a precious treasure.

"Lady Phaethon, I'll keep you by my side no matter what it takes—even if New Eridu is swallowed