"Huaaa~ Finally over…"
Seraphine's voice tried to sound relieved as the intoxicating pleasure finally abated after hours, but she couldn't hide the tinge of disappointment that leaked through.
She knew where this pleasure came from, after all.
It came from the only man who had made her fall so completely, ensnared her in his web, and then dared to reject her confession.
As Seraphine reminisced about their days in the tutorial phase, she couldn't help but mumble, "If you think about it, aren't we some kind of friends with benefits…?"
The scatterbrained woman finally realized it.
'Oh my god… Seraphine… You're not the wife, not the girlfriend, but the friend… with BENEFITS…!'
Her face buried deeper into her pillow.
Ashen had told her back then that he still loved Alice and that he would never give up on her. He said it right after Seraphine had involuntarily let her feelings spill.
But even after that rejection, he'd still helped her embody her sin.
Which introduced the "benefits" part to their friendship.
Still, Seraphine couldn't possibly blame Ashen for any of it.
She'd seen how other female Lust pathway walkers ended up: either passed around like cheap commodities, or using their bodies to control men. The latter sounded marginally better objectively, but it was the same rubbish in Seraphine's eyes.
She and Ashen hadn't even gone all the way back then, and she'd still been able to reach sixth step.
Which told her how much more correct their method was compared to the mindless sex she'd witnessed.
And thanks to Ecstatic Bond, which she'd used to establish a link with Ashen right before they separated, she'd been able to keep embodying her Sin even after he left for the frontlines.
First, by transmitting pleasure to him through the bond, she'd advanced from Acolyte of Ecstasy to the next step.
This time, she'd advanced even faster than the previous step, much to her faction's stupefaction.
This wasn't solely due to Lust's nature and its rapid advancement speed in early phases.
As a member of humanity's most prosperous faction, Seraphine had access to far more detailed information on the Sins and the phenomenon of embodiment than most.
Embodiment wasn't only about the time spent doing it or the number of people influenced.
It was also about the strength of the people influenced.
For a Lust user, inducing lust in a seventh-step pathwalker wasn't even comparable to doing the same to a first-step one. The latter was simply the ultimate embodiment of what it meant to be Lust.
But equally important, and what truly made the difference for Seraphine, was the state of the person being influenced and the feelings that passed through them.
Ashen's mind had truly needed distraction during his stay on the frontlines. A way to de-stress, to escape, even temporarily.
He'd made friends and watched them die one by one.
He'd lived in constant fear that Alice could die any second.
He'd pushed his training until he hallucinated corpses and blood in every waking moment.
Seraphine's pleasurable transmissions had been akin to salvation in that miserable state.
She'd literally been his guardian angel, warding off torment and suffering… even if only for brief moments.
And embodiment worked much better on a drowning man than on countless mildly inconvenienced others.
Finally, the last factor that had pushed Seraphine past the threshold from sixth step to fifth was her own feelings.
Everyone would involuntarily carry some kind of emotion toward the person they wanted to bring pleasure to, no matter how faint—even if those feelings were negative.
But those feelings actually influenced the degree of embodiment. How genuine they were. How badly someone wanted to pleasure the other…
In this case, Seraphine had gone above and beyond as an Acolyte of Ecstasy for Ashen. Her mind back then didn't even register her rapid advancement, or perhaps she didn't care enough…
All of her focus was honed on relieving him, on making him feel ecstasy, and on how good it felt to be useful to him even across a vast distance. She felt his pain firsthand and knew what he had been through after all.
So even if indirectly, he was the main reason she'd had such a smooth path through her sixth step—just like he'd cleared the way for her seventh.
She should be thankful. She was thankful…
'But even so…'
Her fingers curled into the sheets.
'I'm so jealous… So hurt… that I'm not the one being ravaged so powerfully… so firmly…so under him…'
Seraphine squirmed in her bed, pouting at empty air and throwing a fit despite being a grown woman.
It couldn't be helped.
After focusing on improving Ecstatic Bond for so long, the skill had upgraded in ways Seraphine almost regretted.
At its Entry level, the skill could share bodily sensations when they passed a certain threshold.
After that, it developed to share the body's instinctual reactions—the feeling of tightness before danger, the throbbing pressure from stress…
When the skill's mastery stepped into Basic, Seraphine had gained the ability to hold the sensations coming from the bond temporarily, like applying pressure to a hose.
The sensations would leak through eventually, so she couldn't use this to permanently sever the connection. But it was enough for Seraphine not to be caught off guard when Ashen got hurt and the pain transmitted to her.
Now, however, that function had gained another use.
Holding back the relentless pleasure long enough to run to her room whenever he slept with her.
As to who "her" was, and how Seraphine knew of her identity, that tied to when the skill finally reached Skilled phase, allowing Seraphine to temporarily share Ashen's senses whenever the bond was active.
That was how she'd seen Alice.
And that was how she couldn't even get mad, could only curb her jealousy and swallow her bitterness.
Alice was her best friend.
"Borrowing" her boyfriend might pass, no matter how absurd the situation was.
But feeling jealous? Angry? Resentful toward her?
That was a line Seraphine refused to cross.
Those emotions were what truly broke friendships, separated families, and bred hate that festered across years.
More than that, she knew she was the intruder here.
Guilt ate away at her constantly.
So when she met Alice next time, she'd apologize honestly and thank Ashen for his help.
Yes. That's what she'd do.
'Maybe I'll also ask if I can borrow her boyfriend another time…?'
Seraphine tilted her head, considering, then… her eyes widened at the thought that struck her.
'No, no! Sera, what the hell are you thinking?!?'
But then she remembered something Ashen had said jokingly back then.
'What was it again? Ah, yes! A harem! Was Ash serious about that?'
She shook her head violently.
'Gotta ask him… No, wait—'
She caught herself and palmed her face with both hands.
'Sera… Where's your dignity? Where's your pride? How can you think of such things…?'
Then her gaze landed on a certain trait that appeared in her peripheral vision the moment she thought about it.
Guarded Devotion.
'It's all because of you! Tsk.'
Now she couldn't think of any other man, even though this one was taken… by her best friend, nonetheless.
'Wait…'
A new thought struck her.
'Even though they were having sex, I'm also receiving the pleasure through the bond… It even feels like he's right on top of me, pleasuring me instead…'
Her eyes widened.
'Doesn't this already count as some sort of long-distance threesome somehow?!?'
"..."
She suddenly grabbed her pillow, pressed it over her face, and pushed it down with both hands in a futile attempt to shut her mind up.
Her legs started kicking the air.
"Brain, pwease! Just! Shaduapp!!!"
Her muffled voice rang across the room.
Not long after, Seraphine tossed the pillow aside and sat up on her knees, breathing heavily.
"Status… Status… Show up. I need to distract myself…"
==============================
[1. General information]
Name/Arrival date: Seraphine Kingsley – 2025/02/11
Sex/Age: Female/26
Height/Weight: 175 cm/63 kg
Current condition: Healthy
Pathway: Step V: Keeper Of Desire
Thema: Anima
Affiliation: The Chapel of the Everlasting Covenant
Title: None
[2. Traits]
—Optimistic
—Easygoing Nature
—Scatterbrained genius
—Guarded devotion
[3. Physical Level]:
Strength: F+ | Endurance: F+ | Agility: E-
Perception: F+ | Stamina: F+ | Mana: E
[4. Abilities]
4.1 Innate Powers:
—None.
4.2 Path Skills:
—Soulweaver's Whisper (Skilled)
—Desire's Renewal (Skiiled-)
—Ecstatic Bond (Skilled+)
—Blissful Aura (Basic+)
—Inner Resonance (Entry+)
—Desire Imprint (Entry-)
4.3 Other Abilities:
—Silken Serpent Style(Basic+)
— soothing touch (Skilled+)
—Crude Mana Control (Skilled+)
—Manawind cycle (Skilled-)
—Cleanse (Skilled)
—Minor rejuvenation (Basic)
[5. Cognitive Depth (Thoughts, Mindset, Disposition)]:
—Horny / Resilient / Generous
==============================
The epithet of her fifth step was Keeper of Desire.
Seraphine figured that now that she'd given enough, she had to learn to be on the receiving end of it.
'Ashen's making sure of that, anyway…'
She mused, cheeks warming at the thought.
Her traits had stayed the same. She was still the same bubbly Sera, despite it all.
As for her physical level… She was honestly a bit disappointed.
Aside from Agility, every other parameter still hadn't broken past E+ to D-.
But she wasn't really bothered by this.
She considered herself a healer first and foremost. That's what her Thema was guiding her toward, anyway, and she was content with that role.
It wasn't like she was neglecting self-defense, though.
Proof of that was the new style she'd learned that was compatible with her Serpent Blade: Silken Serpent Style.
Coupled with her decent Agility, she could play around with most foes on her power level long enough for help to arrive.
But most of all…
Ecstatic Bond didn't just share physical sensations.
No, its main function also included sharing physical strength.
Even though Ashen was probably lower than her in Step now, she'd found that her physical strength more than doubled when the bond was active, which meant he was initially physically stronger than her despite her higher Step.
So even if the changes weren't reflected in her status window—since it only showed base stats—Seraphine was actually far from helpless in a fight, despite calling herself a "healer."
For her path skills, aside from Blissful Aura, which only had passive effects, making Seraphine helpless on how to raise its mastery, every other skill had risen to Skilled.
That is, if she excluded the new additions from her recent advancement.
Seraphine opened their descriptions, starting with Inner Resonance.
==============================
Inner Resonance
By attuning to surrounding souls, the user can sense unspoken desires within nearby beings. These sensations arrive as impressions rather than clear thoughts: tension, hunger, yearning, attachment.
Stronger emotions are easier to read, while suppressed or conflicted desires produce distorted feedback.
==============================
While this skill sounded underwhelming compared to something like Ecstatic Bond, Seraphine would never underestimate anything that allowed her to delve into others' minds, no matter how vaguely.
For example, with Inner Resonance, she'd never be caught off guard or experience betrayal since she'd know who harbored ill will beforehand.
On the other hand, she'd know who was genuine to her, so she could keep them closer.
Going further… if she could read the desires of others, making allies would become easier.
Even manipulating others into doing her bidding would go from difficult to effortless.
For Seraphine, though, despite acknowledging the skill's usefulness and actively using it, she was more satisfied with her other new skill.
==============================
Desire Imprint
A fragment of the user's desire can be embedded into another's soul, anchoring it as a stabilizing presence.
While the imprint persists, the target's soul becomes more cohesive, allowing natural recovery to accelerate: wounds knit more cleanly, exhaustion eases faster, and emotional fractures stabilize.
This is not direct healing, but reinforcement: the body and spirit heal themselves more effectively as long as the desire remains intact.
The imprint strengthens if the embedded desire intensifies, and weakens if the bond fades.
Desire Imprint cannot cleanse curses or toxins, nor restore what is already broken. It merely ensures that recovery, once begun, does not falter.
==============================
Seraphine hadn't tested this skill yet, but she was certain she could imprint simple desires.
The desire for someone's safety… The desire for someone's success…
The desire that burned most intensely right now, though…
The desire to be completely and utterly ravaged by him.
And that desire could only be imprinted on one man.
And he wasn't present now.
Sadly.
"My Ashen… 𖹭."
Seraphine felt her body almost lose control. Her pupils shifted into butterfly shapes for a brief moment before reverting.
"Haaah~"
She took a deep breath and gently caressed her own deeply flushed cheeks.
"Soon… We'll meet again… After all, I'm now…"
Her lips curved into a small, joyful smile.
A Saintess Candidate.
⛧⛧⛧