Witchbound Villain: Infinite Loop
250 – Pain and Persuasion

“Your Holiness!”

“Burn!”

Aroche and Bella came barreling down the hall, panic written all over their faces. The Emperor and the Holiness—standing calmly before the grand doors of the assembly—turned just in time to see the two skidding to a stop in front of them.

Morgan blinked at the vampire girl’s outstretched hand before taking it gently. Aroche followed close behind, looking only slightly less frantic.

“What’s wrong, Bella?” Morgan asked, concern flickering across her face.

Bella opened her mouth, but all that came out was a flustered gasp. “Your Holiness, are you and His Majesty okay? The love potion is… the love potion is…”

She trailed off, struggling to put the words together.

Aroche, ever the problem solver, sighed and finished for her. “It made us share our senses.”

Silence.

Morgan and Burn raised their eyebrows.

“Now that I focus on it,” Aroche continued, rubbing his temple, “it’s not just a little thing. It’s everything. When I concentrate enough, I can even see and hear through Miss Bella’s eyes and ears.”

A pause.

Then, in perfect sync, Burn and Morgan turned to each other. A brief exchange of glances. A silent check-in. Then Morgan turned back, shaking her head with a small, knowing smile.

“Caliburn and I don’t feel anything,” she said simply. “Looks like it had no effect on us.”

Burn crossed his arms, expression unreadable—until a familiar, dry amusement crept into his tone. “Tristan and Yvolt would switch places every time their hearts beat at the same time. And you two just ended up sharing senses?” He let out a low chuckle. “What a fascinating little potion.”

"What of it? What doth the potion truly do?"

A new voice cut in, and Isaiah suddenly appeared—because of course he did. The dragon’s lone intact horn twitched ever so slightly, almost like an antenna picking up a particularly dramatic signal. Not that it actually moved, but the illusion was there.

Bella sighed, looking down. “We’re sharing our senses, Lord Isaiah.” Her voice was small, regretful. “I feel bad about drinking the potion now.”

Isaiah barely had time to react before Aroche cut in, his voice tight with concern. “Does it hurt that much?” He ignored Isaiah entirely, eyes locked on Bella. Did she feel everything? His fatigue, his phantom pain—his past lingering in the edges of his mind?

Bella quickly shook her head, though the flush on her pale cheeks didn’t fade. She tucked herself slightly behind her veil, voice quiet but insistent. “It’s not about pain. Senses are… something very personal, right? I didn’t mean to intrude on yours.”

Burn, who had been silent until now, suddenly spoke—sharp and direct. “Is he hurt?” His question was aimed at Bella, though his eyes flicked to Aroche.

“I’m not,” Aroche interrupted immediately, tone clipped.

“He is! He’s hurt! A lot!” Bella declared, seizing the moment. “Please let Father help him!”

Aroche turned to glare at her, but Bella met his stare head-on.

“Miss Bella—” his voice was warning, but he didn’t get far.

“Aroche.”

Burn’s tone was firm. His glare was sharper.

And just like that, Aroche was caught between two unrelenting forces.

“Caliburn.”

Morgan’s voice was soft but firm as she rubbed a calming hand on Burn’s chest, soothing him before his glare could cut too deep. “Let him decide at his own pace. We’re not in a rush.”

She turned to Aroche, her gaze stern but not as piercing as Burn’s. “Bella feels everything you feel now. Be smart about this. Get some help. Or do you want her to be stuck experiencing your senses forever?”

Aroche scoffed, crossing his arms. “The love potion’s effect will fade soon, right? There’s no way it’ll last forever.”

“Actually, Your Grace… we’re not sure when it’ll wear off,” a new voice cut in.

Aroche turned to see Tristan approaching, with Yvolt trailing beside him—both looking a little worse for wear after a long night of drinking and card games.

“What do you mean, not sure?” Aroche asked, his patience wearing thin.

“Our potion’s effects usually fade after a few hours,” Yvolt said, rubbing the back of her neck. “Usually. But sometimes, even when we don’t drink another dose, it… resurfaces out of nowhere.”

“Yeah,” Tristan added. “Doesn’t happen too often, but when it does, perhaps because it’s because the potion affected us more than it should’ve.”

Morgan nodded in understanding. “That makes sense. Even consuming the potion once strengthens your resonance with the person you drank it with. If your mana aligns, the effects might resurface—either when you concentrate using Force or when you least expect it using Vision.”

Yvolt and Tristan exchanged glances, then blinked in confusion. “Wait, but we don’t manifest our Vision. Why would it still happen when we least expect it?”

Morgan gave them a knowing look. “You do have souls, don’t you? Even if you’re unaware of it, your mana instinctively gathers in your soul when emotions run high. The potion might simply be responding to your emotions through your soul.”

Her certainty was undeniable. After all, mana could be manipulated through the Vision Resonator—even by those who had never manifested their Vision.

The potion likely had its own method of creating resonance, independent of any soul manifestation. After all, it was a potion.

A mana potion, for example, could replenish someone’s mana supply without requiring them to use their Force or Vision. Even the wealthy—those who had yet to manifest their Vision or awaken their Force—often drank mana potions to familiarize themselves with mana, hoping to trigger an earlier manifestation or awakening.

The same principle applied to healing potions. They could mend wounds and restore vitality just as effectively for those without Force or Vision as they did for those with them.

"Bella, I’ll leave him to you for now. We’ll be starting the assembly soon," Burn said, shooting Aroche a pointed glare.

"Leave him to me, sir!" Bella nodded firmly, gripping the fabric of her robe over her chest.

With that, Emperor Burn and the Holiness disappeared into the hall. Aroche could only sigh. Isaiah had no choice but to follow them, leaving him alone with Bella, Tristan, and Yvolt.

Tristan and Yvolt exchanged worried glances before turning to him. But when Aroche flashed them a tired smile, they hesitated.

"It’s fine. Get back to work, you two," he said.

The two bowed before retreating. "Yes, Your Grace."

And just like that, they were gone.

Now, only Aroche and Bella remained, stranded in an awkward silence.

"I'm sorry."

The whisper was small, barely there. Bella’s usual bright and energetic demeanor had shrunk into something timid. When she finally looked up at him, she found Aroche smiling—though there was something just a touch dangerous in it.

"You didn’t do this on purpose, did you?"

"I didn’t!" Bella shook her head, her vehemence almost frantic. "It’s your fault for losing rock-paper-scissors to Her Majesty!"

Aroche narrowed his eyes. "No." His voice was suspiciously calm. "Remind me again—what’s your Vision specialty, Miss Bella?"

Bella stiffened. "W-w-what does that have to do with anything?!"

"You manipulated the game, didn’t you?" Aroche asked, already knowing the answer. "You made me see an illusion—Her Majesty Tashr Reyrie throwing scissors."

Bella clamped her mouth shut.

Silence.

Aroche sighed, resigned. Slowly, he reached out and rested a hand on top of her head, patting her gently. "Were you trying to use the potion to convince me? But you didn’t even know how the effects would play out. You need to take responsibility for your actions."

"I wasn’t trying to persuade you with the potion," Bella mumbled.

"Hm?" Aroche raised an eyebrow.

Bella averted her gaze. "Father likes you… so I just wanted to get to know you better."

…What?

What? Why?

Aroche had no idea why the vampire family was so curious about him. But that wasn’t even the real issue here.

Why was this girl so… hmmmm…

"You…" Aroche narrowed his eyes. "You actually feel my pain?"

Bella blinked, then gave him a slow, deliberate nod. "Here." She tapped her temple. "Heeeeere." She waved vaguely at her whole body. "And… here." She finished by pointing at the center of her chest.

Aroche let out a helpless laugh. "Hmm."

"You can't lie anymore," she declared, shooting him a glare. "Let’s just figure this out together, okay?"

The man exhaled in defeat. "Later. We’ll talk about the method later."

Bella's face instantly lit up with a triumphant smile.

"Wait, wait. I never said I’d actually do it," he pointed out. Her smile immediately deflated.

"Just talking," he clarified.

There. Her subtle pout. Gone in an instant.

"Fine."