Lust System: Rise of the Primordial Demon

The grand doors to the throne room swung inward, admitti a delegation of five Elven elders. Their robes were the deep green of the ancient forests, and their faces, though lined with age, were set with grim determination. They did not bow as they approached the dais where Elunara sat, her posture regal but her eyes shadowed with recent fatigue.

"Your Majesty," began the eldest, a woman named Cyra with silver hair braided like a crown. "We require answers. The sky darkens without reason. The air tastes of ash and unease. We know you went to the source. What did you find?"

Elunara leaned forward, her fingers resting lightly on the arms of her throne. "I have seen the disturbance. It is being handled. There is nothing for you to worry about at this time."

A murmur passed through the elders. A male elf with a hawk-like nose stepped forward. "Handled? The shadows grow longer by the hour. This reeks of a concentrated attack. The Dark Elves have long sought to—"

"It is not them," Elunara interrupted, her voice cool and final, cutting through his accusation like a blade. "The Dark Elves are not the cause of this."

"How can you be so certain?" Cyra pressed, her keen eyes searching the queen's face for a crack in her composure.

"I have my sources. My methods are not your concern." Elunara's gaze swept over them, leaving no room for debate. "You must trust me. Return to your people. Assure them of their safety. When the situation is fully resolved, you will be told the truth. Until then, patience is required."

Frustration was plain on their faces, but the unwavering authority in her tone held them back. They exchanged uneasy glances, but ultimately, dipped into shallow, reluctant bows before filing out of the hall, the heavy doors thudding shut behind them.

In a sunlit lounge elsewhere in the palace, the tension was of a different kind. Evelyn paced before a large window, her arms crossed tightly. Emma sat on a plush divan, her hands clasped in her lap, knuckles white.

The air shimmered, and Seralyth stepped into existence as if from a shadow. Both girls jumped.

"Lucille is fine," Seralyth stated without preamble, her voice a calm contrast to their anxiety. "She is resting. The process was… taxing, but she is unharmed. Merely asleep."

A simultaneous sigh of relief escaped Evelyn and Emma. The tight coil of fear in Evelyn's chest loosened slightly. "Thank you," she breathed.

Location: Elunara's lounge

As Elunara dealt with the elves in the throne room, a new worry surfaced in the quiet lounge. Emma, seeking to fill the silence, looked at Seralyth. "What… what is up with Silas? The way he spoke to the Queen… we kinda understand what is going on but we might not?"

Seralyth moved to a high-backed chair and sat, her movements fluid and unnervingly graceful. She regarded them for a moment, as if deciding how much of the past to unearth.

"My parents," she began, her tone matter-of-fact, yet carrying the weight of centuries, "wished to make a lasting peace with the Dark Elves. A true, unbreakable alliance. They believed the best way to do this was through marriage. And my mother was offered." She said it without bitterness, a simple statement of political fact. "She did not mind. She saw the strategic value."

Emma and Evelyn listened, captivated.

"For close to a hundred years, it was good. The alliance held. There was peace." A faint, almost imperceptible edge entered her voice. "Then, a faction of our own people—elves who could not forgive, could not adapt—formed in secret. They saw the union as a contamination of our bloodline. They orchestrated the assassination of my father, the Dark Elf king."

The room felt colder. Evelyn swallowed hard.

"The perpetrators were found and punished. They were executed," Seralyth said, her gaze distant. "But the damage was done. The peace shattered. And I was born and along with me later i will bring two children in this world: Elunara, and Silas."

"Why is Silas a…" Emma trailed off, unsure how to phrase it.

"A Dark Elf?" Seralyth finished for her. "His grandfather was a Dark Elf King. Even though I am a High Elf. Our son simply happened to receive a stronger expression of his grandfather's heritage—the appearance, the affinity for their particular magic. It is a common, if unpredictable, occurrence in such mixed unions."

The explanation was clinical, but it painted a tragic picture of prejudice and loss that explained the deep-seated anger they had witnessed.

The lounge door opened and Elunara entered, looking weary. She sank into a seat beside her mother with a long, tired sigh. For a few minutes, no one spoke, the group simply sitting in a shared, quiet exhaustion.

Finally, Elunara relaxed, the rigid posture of the queen melting away into that of a simply tired woman. Her eyes drifted to Emma's wrist, where the Seraphim Bracelet gleamed with a soft, otherworldly light.

"That's new," Elunara remarked, her voice softer now. "I felt its activation during the fight with Silas, and it helped out a lot. A powerful signature."

Emma self-consciously touched the bracelet. "Yeah, I just… got it."

Elunara nodded. "I would have sensed it regardless. The divine energy it radiates is potent, even contained."

"It's powerful," Emma admitted, her voice filled with a mix of awe and frustration. "But I don't think I can use it to its full potential. Not the way I am right now."

"That is to be expected," Elunara said, offering a small, reassuring smile. "Relics of that rank are not merely tools; they are partners. You will grow together. You have years more to study, to train, to become stronger."

Emma's hands curled into determined fists in her lap. "I appreciate that, I do. But I want to learn now. I don't want to wait years. If there's a way to learn fast, to become strong quickly so I can help… I want that. I need to be a powerful light magic user. I need to be…" She looked directly at Elunara, her gaze blazing with sudden intensity. "I need to be like you."

Elunara's smile widened, a genuine spark of approval in her eyes. She glanced at Evelyn, who looked equally determined but far less confident. "We were in the middle of training with both of you," she said, her gaze lingering on Evelyn. "And you," she added, her tone gentle but firm, "need a great deal more training than Emma does."

Evelyn flushed but nodded, unable to deny the truth.

Elunara looked back at Emma. "A way to learn fast…" she mused, as if the idea were taking root. "A path to accelerate your growth, to harness that relic's power not in years, but a strength quickly gained?"

She fell silent for a long moment, her expression unreadable. Then, she leaned forward, her tiredness replaced by a look of fierce resolve.

"Yes," Queen Elunara said, her voice low and charged with promise. "I believe I can arrange that."

[Support me]