I’m Not a Villain, I Just Absorb Women’s Powers

"What's wrong with her?" Jace asked, his voice sharp with panic. His body had regained strength, but the sight of Serai limp in his arms twisted his chest.

He carried her carefully, laying her down where he had been resting moments before.

[What do you think? She's exhausted,] Zin answered dryly.

"I know that," Jace snapped. His hands hovered over her glowing skin, unsure what to do.

[Her energy is depleted. Remember what I told you, her race is water-dependent. Food or air won't matter. If she doesn't absorb water soon, her body won't recover.]

Jace cursed under his breath. He didn't waste time.

Sprinting down the hall, he burst into the bathroom and twisted the knobs, letting cold water roar into the bathtub.

Steam fogged the mirror as he shoved the plug in, forcing the tub to fill.

He dashed back to the living room, scooping Serai into his arms again.

Her body felt strangely lighter, as if her glow had dimmed not just from her skin but from her very weight.

Her head lolled against his shoulder, tendrils brushing weakly at his arm.

[Move faster, Jace. Her vitals are dropping.]

"I'm moving!" he growled, breath heavy as he carried her back. He stepped into the bathroom, the sound of rushing water filling the air, and lowered her carefully into the tub.

Her body slipped under the surface as the water climbed around her, glowing faintly in the ripples.

Jace stayed crouched at the edge, one arm under her shoulders until he was sure she wouldn't slip too far.

Minutes passed. The tub filled completely, water lapping against the porcelain edge.

Her skin pulsed faintly brighter where the water touched, streaks of light weaving like veins under her surface. But her eyes didn't open.

Jace rubbed his face, anxiety gnawing at him. "She's in the water. Why isn't she waking up?"

[Absorption takes time,] Zin said firmly. [She pushed herself further than I expected. Her disguise failed, her energy drained. This isn't just fatigue, it's collapse. You asked her to heal your cells, and she nearly burned herself out doing it. Now the water has to rebuild her strength. That doesn't happen instantly.]

Jace's fists tightened on the rim of the tub. "So she might—"

[She won't die,] Zin interrupted quickly. [But until she recovers, she's vulnerable. Keep her submerged. Keep her safe. That's all you can do right now.]

Jace sat back on the bathroom floor, soaked from the splashes and trembling with frustration. He looked at her face, calm and still under the water, her black eyes closed.

"Damn it, Serai," he muttered under his breath. "Why'd you push so far for me?"

Her body glowed faintly again, light slowly returning to her skin. But she remained unmoving, her breathing shallow, as the water rippled quietly around her.

"Did it at least work? I feel great. That means I'm fine, right?"

Zin went quiet. Jace waited, jaw tight.

"So… did it work?"

[Well…]

"Spit it out."

[I mean your cells have slowed down. The decay isn't spreading as fast.]

"So I'm still dying."

[Her healing pushed it back, but didn't stop it. Your cells are still coated in kinetic energy. We need a permanent solution.]

"How? The base isn't ready. I don't know any ability that cancels kinetic energy. And if it exists, is it even on a woman?"

[We don't need a counter-energy. We need regeneration. If you can heal as fast as you burn, you live. Serai healed you. That proves the path.]

Jace looked at Serai in the tub. Her eyes were closed. The glow under her skin pulsed slow and weak.

"No. She's innocent. I'm not using her like that. And how would it even work with her?"

[You don't seem to grasp the danger. If this doesn't get fixed, you die. Morality won't stop entropy. You grew up among humans, but you are not one. You need every edge you can get.]

"But—"

[No "but." Ask yourself why Grayson got hit twice, and why the second brute pulled back. Someone is probing the city. Hunting. I don't care if you're a hero or a villain. I care if you survive.]

Jace stared at the water line creeping up Serai's neck. The bathroom fan hummed. The apartment was quiet.

He swallowed. "Options. List them."

[One: find a metahuman with regenerative healing. You copy it. Problem solved.]

"Where?"

[Underground circuits. Fight clubs. Black clinics. Vigilante boards. Some registered heroes are public, but approaching them is risky. Hospitals won't talk. Government will notice. The fastest path is the underworld.]

Jace rubbed his face. "Two?"

[Temporary tech. A kinetic dampening rig to pull energy off your cells before it binds. You need a real lab to build it. We don't have one yet.]

"And three?"

[Strict use limits. No more full-body enhancement. Only controlled bursts. Train technique, not output. It slows the damage, but it won't fix what's already there.]

Jace leaned on the tub, fingers drumming the porcelain. He glanced at Serai again. Her glow was a little stronger now. Not much.

"I'm not touching Serai."

[Then we hunt for regeneration.]

He nodded once. "Pull everything on local metas. Keywords: heal, recovery, no-scars, fast-clot, miracle. Cross-check with clinic chatter and fight footage."

[Already crawling sources.]

"And set a hard cap on my output. If I start pushing full-body again, cut in and stop me. I don't care how."

[Done.]

Jace exhaled, slow. "When she wakes up, we move her to the safe house. Close to water. Quiet."

[Agreed.]

He sat on the tile and kept his eyes on Serai. The glow under her skin flickered, then steadied.

"Find me someone who can heal, Zin," he said quietly. "Fast."

Zin's voice cut sharp into his head.

[I will warn you, finding another woman, convincing her to sleep with you, will not be easy. Metas are not known for their kind hearts. There's a reason that despite their numbers, only a handful wear the title of "hero," while the rest either hide… or thrive as criminals.]

Jace's jaw tightened. He already knew that much. He'd seen it with his own eyes, the handful of capes were the exception, not the rule.

Most powered people lived in the shadows, guarding their secret because the world either feared them or wanted to use them.

Zin didn't stop.

[That's why I advise caution. Chasing another meta, trying to win them over, could take months. Maybe years. And time is not something you have.]

Jace ran a hand through his hair, silent.

[Serai, on the other hand—] Zin pressed. [She's here. She trusts you. And I believe her alien physiology gives her an advantage. If you lay with her, my theory suggests you would not "steal" her ability the way you did with Eva. Her healing could stabilize you without weakening her.]

Jace froze, his eyes falling on the bathroom door where Serai was still resting.

She looked fragile when she wasn't glowing, her disguise flickering in and out. The idea alone made his stomach twist.

He muttered under his breath, "You make it sound so damn simple."

[It is simple,] Zin replied flatly. [You live or you die. Your morality won't mean much when you're in the ground.]