Lust System: Rise of the Primordial Demon

The throne room was quiet, the air heavy, when the shadows stirred. They spread across the marble like ink, and from them Seralyth rose. Her presence filled the chamber in an instant, regal and unshaken, even as the world outside was changing.

But she wasn't alone.

A small figure moved from the side, waiting as though she had been there all along. A cute elf, her hair faintly shimmering with silver tones under the dim light, stood ready. Her eyes widened slightly when she realized who had stepped out of the shadow.

"Elder Queen Seralyth?" Aeloria said, her voice holding both respect and confusion. She had expected Elunara. Not the mother.

Seralyth's gaze swept over her, calm and knowing. "It's fine. I can handle the situation."

Aeloria shook her head. "No. You are not the problem. I… I was just expecting the Queen."

Seralyth allowed herself a small sigh. "I understand."

The young elf straightened. "Do you know what is happening with the sky? It has turned dark. The citizens are panicking. They want answers."

"Yes," Seralyth said, firm, her tone carrying the weight of certainty. "I understand the situation. It is not a big deal. Something that will not harm them."

Aeloria exhaled slowly, almost relieved, but not completely. "Very well. That does help me relax. But… that will not be enough for everyone else. The people will have a hard time accepting only that. They will want a logical explanation—something that convinces them you are right."

Seralyth's eyes narrowed slightly as she breathed out, a measured exhale. "You are right."

Silence lingered for a beat before Aeloria's curiosity slipped through. "Could it be… Silas?"

"No." The answer came sharp, cutting through the air. Seralyth's voice held no hesitation.

Aeloria blinked, almost stepping back. "I apologize. I didn't mean—"

"He is not involved." Seralyth's words were slower this time, but just as heavy.

"Then…" Aeloria hesitated, searching her face. "Is it the demon?"

Seralyth finally looked at her fully, her gaze steady. "Yes. But this is something you had better keep to yourself. Your role is to keep the people from panicking. Leave the rest to us. I will call Elunara."

Aeloria pressed her lips together. "I'm not the only one who knows about the demon."

That pulled a reaction. Seralyth's brow lifted ever so slightly as she remembered. Yes, Aeloria often traveled with others—elves close to her, perhaps too close. "Really."

The young elf nodded.

"Where are they?" Seralyth asked.

"They are currently outside, calming the crowds."

"Fine. Then Elunara will be here soon. We'll go together. I will deal with them." Seralyth began to walk, her shadow trailing behind like a cloak.

Aeloria followed after her, her small frame almost swallowed in the Queen's presence. Up close, her youth was even clearer—short, delicate, her head barely reaching Seralyth's chest. Still, her voice carried steady conviction when she spoke again.

"The people trust Elunara more. If it's you… they might feel the fear even more. Some of them…" She hesitated. "Some of them still remember what you are."

Seralyth glanced down, her blue eyes carrying no warmth. "Let them remember. Fear is not always a weakness. But panic is. And panic I will not allow."

Aeloria's steps faltered, but she said nothing more. She simply kept pace as they walked out of the throne room together, the sound of their footsteps echoing into the tense silence that wrapped the castle halls.

Outside, the world was darker still.

The sky had become a vast curtain of black, swallowing the horizon. Yet everything beneath—the trees, the mountains, the castle itself—remained visible, as though bathed in some strange light that came from nowhere. The air was unnaturally still.

And already, faint shouts could be heard echoing from the city below.

Back to Elunara

"Silas, what are you doing here? I told you never to set foot in this castle." Elunara's voice was steady, but the tension under it was sharp.

The silver-haired elf stood smiling, his blue eyes gleaming with mischief. "Come now, sister. How can you be so cruel to me?"

Her jaw tightened. He was playing his games again, and she hated how easily he could do it.

His gaze shifted past her, locking on the women behind. His smirk grew wider. "Well, well. A dark elf here? Is there something you'd like to tell me, Your Highness?"

"No, I don't," Elunara snapped before either Emma or Evelyn could react. The two froze, their throats dry, caught between siblings who radiated enough magic to choke the air.

"Hm," Silas hummed, feigning thought. "Well, then… I'd like to speak to her." He pointed directly at Evelyn.

Elunara's hand rose instantly. "No."

That answer only deepened his grin. "No? You forget, sister, I have authority over dark elves. Or does it only count when it suits you? Like everything else." His voice twisted bitter, his eyes flaring green with mana as his smile finally fell.

Elunara's magic flared in answer.

"Thorn of Vine."

The ground erupted beneath her feet, thorned vines bursting upward, weaving and snapping with lethal speed. They lunged like serpents, aiming to pierce and bind her body.

"Leviathan's Will."

Her reply came with no hesitation. Water spiraled out, shaping itself into a massive serpent, scales glistening with runes. It tore through the volley, snapping vines apart with every twist of its body. The clash rattled the ground, echoes shaking through the walls of the nearby structures.

Silas chuckled, eyes narrowing. "You always fall back on that stupid serpent. Can't you ever change things up?"

He snapped his fingers. The vines twisted sharper, their tips splintering into dozens of jagged barbs. They lunged again with enough force to shatter stone.

The Leviathan roared, body surging forward like a tidal wave. It cleaved through them, but every inch gained cost her focus. Sparks of water and shredded plant matter burst across the field as the two spells clashed, neither yielding.

But Silas didn't stop. The vines pulled back into the ground and reappeared from three different angles, weaving into a spear that drove straight for her chest.

Elunara's eyes narrowed. She lifted her hand, magic rippling outward."[Aqua Sanctum]"

A dome of spiraling water burst into existence around her, the vines striking it with a violent hiss. The thorns screeched against the barrier, drilling, pushing, trying to pierce through. The shield bent but didn't break. The Leviathan crashed into the vines from the side, snapping it apart before diving back into the fray.

Silas grinned, unbothered. "Good. At least you're changing things up, you never blocked before."

He spread his palm to release another spell. "[Plantation of dominion.]"

The battlefield shook. Roots thicker than tree trunks split the earth open, rising and curling like titans' arms. They wrapped around the Leviathan, binding its body, forcing its great form to thrash and scream against the crushing strength.

Elunara's did not react much. She raised both hands. "[Cascade of Judgment!]"

The air above her cracked, and torrents of water descended like divine punishment, slamming into the roots, washing dirt, bark, and thorns into a churning flood. Steam hissed where light wove into the torrents, each drop burning like molten silver. The roots splintered under the weight, snapping apart one by one.

Silas's smirk faltered for the first time. He twisted his wrist, redirecting the shattered roots into a writhing wall that surged forward. The vines grew spikes, flowers opening at their tips, releasing clouds of toxic pollen that shimmered in the air.

Emma coughed, gagging. Her throat burned just from a whiff. Evelyn grabbed her arm, pulling her back. "Don't breathe it in!"

Elunara's voice rang out. "[Leviathan's Maw.]"

The water serpent snapped its jaws open, and a vortex surged forward. The rushing spiral swallowed the pollen cloud, devouring it into its current before exploding outward in a wave that slammed against the vine wall.

The clash shook the ground like thunder. Water crashed. Roots split. Both sides strained against each other, power feeding power, until the earth itself cracked under the weight of their battle.

Emma and Evelyn stood frozen, the weight of the fight pressing down like a storm. Their instincts screamed at them to run, but their bodies wouldn't listen.

Emma's stomach twisted. Something felt wrong. She turned, not at Silas or Elunara, but to the ground beneath her.

Black shadow pooled there.

Emma's stomach twisted. Something felt wrong. She turned, not at Silas or Elunara, but to the ground beneath her.

Black shadow pooled there.

"Wha—" The word died in her throat as tendrils lashed upward, wrapping around her legs, her arms. Evelyn barely had time to gasp before she too was pulled into the sudden swarm.

"Emma!" Elunara's eyes snapped wide. She turned, but too late. The shadows swallowed the girls whole, dragging them into the earth as the world around them shifted.

The forest grew in an instant. Trees sprouted from nothing, roots curling around stone and air, flowers blooming only to exhale shimmering illusions. The ground itself pulsed like a living body.

"[Garden of Eternity.]"

Silas's voice carried smug pride as the enchanted forest sealed around them.

Elunara's jaw clenched. "You…"

"You're quite slow these days, aren't you, sister?" Silas mocked. "Couldn't even save two little girls. But I don't blame you. I am better, after all."

"Don't flatter yourself." Her hand lifted again, Leviathan roaring forward, tearing through illusions, storming toward Silas.

But when it reached him—puff. Smoke. He vanished.

"Forgot, did you?" His voice came from behind, vines slithering again. "I can dissolve your constructs."

"No," she answered coldly. The chamber shook as she unleashed her magic, a storm of radiant light bursting from her body. Her aura spread like wildfire, enough to make the trees bend. "You think I can't counter you? Who do you think I am?"

Light seared outward, purging the forest with sheer force.

But Silas raised his hand. "Stop, or their bodies decay right now. You'll never see them again."

Her light faltered, her chest tightening.

Decay? That spell didn't exist. Not in any library. Not in any archives.

Emma and Evelyn dangled above her, bound high within the branches of the cursed forest. Vines gagged their mouths, thorns pricking their skin. Their eyes widened, filled with panic. Emma tried to scream, but only muffled sounds slipped past.

She hated it. Hated how powerless she was in that moment.

Then—

In front of Emma's face, a faint glow shimmered. A black window appeared, hovering.

Her eyes flickered over it, too stunned to look away.

[<Servant System Notification>]

>Emma has been recognized as Caelen's first servant.>Reward issued: Seraphim

Bracelet.

The letters pulsed. Beneath, faint writing scrolled in. Think to pull down to see info.

Emma's breath caught, her heart racing, as the vines tightened further.

The forest groaned. Elunara's magic flared. Silas smiled sharper.

The system screen lingered, waiting.