"I know because… because I've done it before."
Akira turned to look at her directly, his eyes widening slightly. It was rare for anything to genuinely shock him anymore, but this did. "You've corrupted someone before?"
Ayaka's expression tightened and her crimson eyes dropped to the sheets. "I didn't mean to. Not at first." Her voice was quiet, almost like she was ashamed of her past actions. "It was before I could control myself."
"What happened?" he asked, genuinely curious.
She took a breath. "I was younger… desperate. I needed essence to survive, and there was this man who... who was kind to me. He helped me when I had nowhere to go. I thought I was just forming a normal bond. A feeding arrangement. But I was too strong, and he was too weak, and the bond..." She trailed off. "It corrupted him. Completely."
"What happened to him?"
