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Seraphine fidgeted on the bed, her face a blend of anticipation and anxiety.
Her knuckles whitened as she gripped the sheets, still unable to believe that what had once seemed distant was now happening.
"Huff."
Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes, attempting to relax just enough to slip back into the void of the Lust Concept. She'd done this a dozen times while waiting for Ashen's return.
The world dissolved into darkness. At first, there was nothing; just the pulse of her breath and the rhythm of her heart. Then, the thought bloomed: Lust.
It unfurled in her mind like a whispered secret; warm and insistent.
And then… a flower bloomed.
White, delicate, its petals spreading wide at the center of her vision.
Pure, yet somehow hungry. Another followed, then another… each one unfolding in perfect silence, filling the void with their luminous presence.
They multiplied, crowding in, their stems dangling, blossoms pressing close, until the darkness was no more.
The space around her was soon overwhelmed by all kinds of white flowers. Now, all that remained was a sea of petals; silken, snowy, the pale glow of desire given form.
They surrounded her completely, brushing against her skin, their scent thick and intoxicating. She inhaled, and the sweetness almost overwhelmed her, clinging to the air like nectar.
As the flowers pressed closer, their stems winding around her, she tried to understand how this had come to be. But her mind drew a blank.
Her usual routine with Ashen, cuddling in his embrace, whispering her desires along with the wet dreams that visited her sleep, had led to this scene after just three months.
She knew her high compatibility with Lust had sped up her progress, but in only three months? That was absurd.
A part of her even felt sorry for the other Lust pathway walkers. They nearly drowned in debauchery, yet no one came close to advancing as she had.
And here she was, with nothing more than cuddles and lusty whispers, ready to take the next step.
She'd been ready since last month, ever since the darkness had been filled halfway. Yet the thought of her next title made her jittery and somewhat unsure.
She wanted to fill the entire void with her flowers, though she wasn't sure of the significance of the act.
Sometimes, she wondered if all of this was an illusion, if she was somehow mistaken and it wasn't time to advance just yet.
But the weight of the flowers, both tender and suffocating, told a different story.
Here, in this garden of her own making, lust wasn't a fabrication. It was something real, soft, yet consuming. And all she had to do was let it.
.
.
CREAK.
The door creaked open, pulling her out of her meditative state.
She opened her eyes to find Ashen standing there, a gentle smile gracing his lips.
"So, are you ready to advance?" His tone was patient, almost coaxing, like he were speaking to a child.
Seraphine both loved and hated it.
She didn't want to be treated like a child, but the softness and care in his voice made her heart flutter every time he spoke in that deep, reassuring way.
"...Yes, I'm ready. No more procrastinating."
He nodded in approval. "Good. We only have a week left here, so don't turn away any opportunity for growth."
"Yes…" Seraphine agreed, her resolve firm. That's why she was doing this now.
"Alright, there's not much I can do for you. You're on your own for this." Ashen sat on the side of the bed, his presence an anchor. "I'll just be here, watching over you. Good luck."
"...That's more than enough. Just stay by my side, and I'll be fine." She offered him a steady smile.
With a nod of encouragement, Ashen fell silent, his eyes never leaving her.
Seraphine closed her eyes and conveyed her intent to the system in her mind.
'I'm ready to advance.'
[Acknowledged]
For a moment, nothing happened. Then, the air in the room crackled with raw, unrestrained power.
Seraphine's body trembled as golden system text blazed before her eyes.
[Step advancement initiated: Desire's Whisperer (Step 7 → Step 6)]
[Warning: Soul Resonance Required. Domain Knowledge 'Lust' Will Be Imprinted.]
She clenched her fists. She had expected this. Yet no amount of preparation could truly brace her for what was coming.
Her mind went blank as an overwhelming wave of information crashed into her.
With every second, she felt like she was sinking deeper and deeper into an ocean with nothing to latch on.
The only lifeline was Ashen's voice that kept ringing in her mind.
"Control isn't denial, Sera. It's direction."
Ashen hadn't just been a passive participant in their nightly rendezvous. No, he'd done everything he could to help her control the lust burning inside her.
Now, all their lessons and their whispered rules acted as chains to rein in the wildfire of desire, trying to bend it into something manageable.
But the System had no regard for sentiment. Or for her attempts.
The knowledge slammed into her—
—A king's final breath against his lover's lips.
—A priestess's whispered sin in the confessional dark.
—the way flesh could worship, ruin, and rule.
She had borne witness to lust's many faces; the way it could spark intimacy and devotion, breathe warmth into the cold, and build bridges where none had stood before.
Yet she had also seen how the same flame could twist into obsession, corrode love into possession, and leave nothing behind but ruin.
Her mana exploded.
Crimson energy erupted from her in violent waves, twisting into phantom hands that clawed at the air, into voices that coiled like serpents around her.
The air thickened with the intoxicating scent of desire and sweat.
Ashen, watching in silence, felt a knot of unease twist in his gut. His expression darkened as worst-case scenarios played out in his mind.
[Soul Resistance Check: Failed.]
[Mana Corruption: 22% and rising.]
Panic gripped Seraphine's chest. She was drowning in it.
Then, like a rope tossed to a drowning soul, Ashen's voice broke through the haze.
"Breathe." His voice echoed beside her, and she felt his fingers lace with hers as the power swirled around her like a storm.
"It's yours. Command it."
She gasped—and obeyed.
She realized, with a fleeting, shame-tinged gratitude, that all those nights of yielding to his firm commands in bed had trained her body to obey before her mind could resist.
Now, that same instinct made his simple word feel effortless to follow.
With a shuddering breath, she seized the wild energy, forcing it to run along her circuits, wrapping it into submission, like a blade returning to its sheath.
Bit by bit, she folded the chaos into her control.
And finally—
[You have taken another Step toward Ascension. Congratulations!]
[You are now a Step 6, Acolyte of Ecstasy.]
Seraphine opened her eyes. This time, they were clear and unbroken.
And as if the world were rewarding her efforts, Ashen's smile greeted her as he hovered over her, pride and relief shining in his eyes.
She smiled back, her gaze soft, though her mind wandered, still riding the high of her achievement.
"Good job. You did it."
"...Thanks to you."
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