The early light of dawn filtered through the academy's towering spires, casting a golden hue across the dew-covered grass. But Ashen wasn't admiring the view. His gaze was fixed straight ahead—towards the jagged obsidian arch at the far end of the North Garden.
The Whispering Veins.
From a distance, it looked like nothing more than a crumbled ruin, overgrown with dark vines and pale mushrooms. But the moment he stepped within fifty meters, his system pulsed.
> [New Dungeon: Whispering Veins – Entry Zone Confirmed]
[Solo Entry Required. Group Assistance Disabled.]
[Danger Level: Moderate–High]
[Estimated Completion Reward: Incubus Core Key Fragment (1/3)]
[Status: Unexplored by Current Academy Records.]
Ashen exhaled slowly. "So this is the place…"
His body still carried the phantom touch of last night's debauchery—Nyari's wild nibbles, Elira's icy tongue—but his mind was already shifting gears. The Lust Domain wasn't just about pleasure. It was about hunger. Power. Control.
And in dungeons like this, that hunger was always tested.
As he stepped onto the moss-covered stone leading into the ruins, he noticed the temperature dip slightly. Not cold. But unnaturally… still. Even the wind avoided this place.
> [Environmental Signature Detected: Echoing Lust Residue – Origin: Unknown]
[Caution: Spiritual interference highly probable. Suggest using Lust Aura for navigation.]
"Of course it's not gonna be simple."
He spread his palm, summoning a faint shimmer of his aura. Scarlet tendrils, edged with soft violet, curled around his fingers like mist. The moment his energy touched the ground, the moss sizzled faintly… and parted.
A hidden path revealed itself.
Stone steps, winding downward into the dark earth.
Ashen didn't hesitate.
Each step he took, the jungle's sounds above faded—birdsong turning to silence, breeze shifting to a heavy hum. The walls around him pulsed faintly, as if alive. Veins of glowing red stone ran along the inner walls—hence the name, perhaps.
But it wasn't blood they pulsed with.
It was something older. Hungrier.
> [New Zone: Veinroot Hall – Entry Confirmed]
[Lust Density: 19%]
[Passive Recovery Activated: Lust Energy +1.2/minute]
[Warning: Emotional Projections may manifest unexpectedly.]
Ashen glanced at the walls again. "Emotional projections?"
As if on cue, he heard a moan echo through the stone.
Not loud.
But familiar.
He paused. "Nyari…?"
Another moan. Closer this time. But distorted, like it was coming through water.
Then came laughter—Elira's, high and breathy.
Ashen's fists clenched. "This place messes with memory?"
> [Clarification: Dungeon Aura partially reflects Lust Memory Resonance from host. Manifestations are illusions unless corrupted.]
[Tip: Emotional stability will reduce interference.]
Ashen muttered under his breath, "Easier said than done."
The further he walked, the more intense the whispers became. Half-forgotten gasps, stolen moments, flashbacks from Nyari's hips grinding against his lap… from Elira's breath on his neck… from Lyria's soft, sacred surrender in the dream.
And then, abruptly, another voice broke through. One he didn't recognize.
Feminine. Sultry.
But with an edge of ancient pain.
"Incubus… child of stolen lust… do you bleed like the rest?"
Ashen froze.
> [Unknown Entity Signature Detected. No System Profile Available.]
[Spiritual Layer Unstable. Minor Possession Risk: 3%.]
[Advice: Strengthen core with active Lust Surge or exit area.]
Ashen grit his teeth. "No damn way I'm backing out now."
He pushed forward—his steps louder now, deliberately breaking the illusions around him. The hallway opened up into a wide circular chamber. Strange, flower-like structures glowed along the walls, their petals closing and opening rhythmically. A single pool of black water shimmered at the center, ringed by glowing red mushrooms.
But that wasn't what caught his attention.
Hovering above the pool was a faint feminine figure—shrouded in translucent shadow, her form shifting between priestess robes and torn flesh, between a seductive dancer and a chained prisoner.
She turned slowly. Her eyes met his.
And they were full of knowing.
"You're not ready for what you've touched," she whispered, her voice both a warning and an invitation. "But you still hunger. So… feed."
Ashen's body tensed.
The air thickened—his aura reacting violently, trying to reject whatever presence hovered in this room.
> [Instinctual Response Triggered: Lust Core Recoil]
[New Emotion Detected: Apprehensive Desire]
[System Decision: Optional Confrontation Available]
"Choose," the figure breathed. "Consume me… or let me consume you."
Ashen took a step forward.
"No more games," he muttered.
He let his aura flare—fully this time. A deep crimson wave pulsed outward from him, slamming into the chamber, shaking the strange flora and disrupting the illusion's edges.
The figure screamed—not in pain, but in pleasure.
Ashen narrowed his eyes.
"System. Lock this target."
> [Lock Confirmed. Entity Identified: Fragment Wraith – Lustborne Echo (Rank C)]
[Special Property: Absorbs suppressed desires. Immune to physical damage. Weak to Lust-Surge emotional resonance.]
He smiled.
"Good," he muttered. "Because I've got plenty of that."
With a flick of his fingers, he drew the aura into his palm, condensing it into a blade-like edge.
The wraith moaned again—shimmering in midair.
She darted toward him.
Screeching.
And smiling.
Ashen leapt to meet her.
—
Ashen leapt to meet her.
His body blurred through the chamber, crimson aura slashing forward like a curved blade. The Lustborne Echo shrieked, her form scattering like mist—but not fast enough.
Ashen's aura-infused strike tore through her left side. The wraith wailed, her fragmented body twisting, then reforming mid-air with a burst of violet flames.
> [Effective Hit Registered: Lust-Surge Resonance Critical. Fragment Integrity: 78%]
"You bleed desire," she hissed, floating backwards, arms extended. Her body pulsed, and suddenly dozens of shadowy arms erupted from the walls—grabbing, groping, grasping at Ashen's aura.
Ashen clenched his teeth. "System, amplify aura field. Burn everything."
> [Lust Aura Expansion +25%. Trait Activation: Emotional Pressure – Surge Triggered.]
A shockwave exploded from Ashen's core. The grasping arms hissed and melted as his aura surged out like wildfire, devouring the illusions.
"You... you were made for this..." the Echo whispered, her form now unstable. Her moans carried across the chamber—twisting between ecstasy and agony. She rushed him again, not with claws this time, but with lips.
Ashen didn't move. He let her get close.
And when she kissed him—mouth to mouth—he absorbed it.
> [Lust Conduit Activated. Emotional Link Detected. Reverse Infiltration Initiated.]
Suddenly Ashen saw visions—memories not his own. A chained priestess kneeling before a silver throne. A forbidden ritual where pleasure and power intertwined. A lover's betrayal. A curse carved in runes across a womb.
The Echo shivered. "You see me."
Ashen held her spectral face. "You were real once. But now you're just what's left."
She smiled one last time. "Then consume me."
Ashen opened his mouth—and exhaled a stream of his core essence, wrapping her in it like silk. The wraith arched her back, moaning, her body slowly dissolving into threads of energy that spiraled into Ashen's chest.
> [Fragment Consumed: Lustborne Echo Neutralized.] [Reward Acquired: Incubus Core Key Fragment (1/3).] [Trait Acquired: Echo Eater – Allows partial memory absorption from Lust-based entities.]
Ashen dropped to one knee, breathing hard.
"Fuck... that was intense."
The system pulsed again.
> [Dungeon Cleared: Whispering Veins – Veinroot Hall. Exit Unlocked. Optional Paths Locked Until Domain Expansion Level 2.]
As the chamber dimmed, the red veins began to fade. The room sighed, like a beast going back to sleep.
Ashen stood. He took one final look at the pool where the wraith had hovered. "Rest now. Whoever you were."
---
Back at the surface, the sky was soft with post-dawn light. Birds had begun to chirp again, and the silver dew across the garden sparkled faintly.
Ashen stepped out of the ruin's arch, chest bare, hair messy, still glowing slightly from residual aura.
> [Lust Core: 42% Stabilized. Emotional Sync: Dormant. Suggested Action: Rest and Recalibrate.]
"Yeah yeah, I'm going."
His steps were slow but steady. By the time he reached the dorm's upper floor, the system pinged again—
> [Alert: Familiar Lust Signature Detected – Dorm Room: Active.] [Partners: Elira, Nyari. Mood: Charged. Anticipation Level: 89%.]
Ashen smirked.
He opened the door.
Both girls were there—lounging in nothing but transparent night-sheets. Nyari was perched on the windowsill, tail swishing, licking a popsicle slowly like it was a weapon. Elira sat cross-legged on the bed, her magic-imbued silk robe open enough to reveal just how ready she was.
Nyari was the first to speak, eyes gleaming. "You smell like sweat, blood... and victory."
Elira tilted her head. "And you're glowing. Literally. What happened down there, beast?"
Ashen chuckled, walking in as the door shut behind him.
"Long story. But right now... I've got something more important to handle."
Nyari hopped down, barefoot steps silent. Elira rose, her robe falling from her shoulders. The air grew thick with heat.
Ashen stood still.
His eyes flicked to both women.
And then he said it, voice low and hungry:
"And you two… better get ready. Because for you, this night will never end."
—
Nyari hopped down, her bare steps soundless on the floor. Elira let her robe slip, silk pooling at her feet. The air thickened — heat coiling, hunting, waiting.
Ashen didn't move. He just smiled.
"And you two…" his voice dropped to a growl, "…are not leaving this room until you've surrendered every last drop of strength to me."
Nyari's tail curled. Elira's lips parted. The door clicked shut — sealing the night in with them.
TO BE CONTINUE.....