Primordial Lust System

Gasps rippled faintly from beyond the group as they analyzed the girl before them, this time a bit more intently. Curious expressions plastered across their faces, questions forming at the backs of their minds.

Amber, on the other hand, looked a little flustered, her lips twitching faintly under the weight of all the attention pressing on her.

"Hmm," Aurelian breathed, a smile cracking his lips as he traced her nervous gestures. Her eyes sharpened, trying to give off a tough demeanor—which she repeatedly failed at, given the mixed signals she was giving off. Clearly, she hadn't thought her words through.

Smirking, he pulled her closer before flicking her forehead, his words trailing behind him. "The academy selections await," he murmured, stepping into the carriage.

His words cut through their stupor, and they quickly regained their composure, clarity burning back into their eyes.

"Argh, yes, you're right," Carl murmured, stepping in behind him, followed by the rest until they were all nestled inside. The carriage rocked forward as they made their way to the city center.

Inside, Aurelian exhaled softly before his eyes snapped shut once more, sinking deep into meditation, stubbornly trying to grasp the concept behind his Infinite Mana Pathways.

Still, everything happening beside him was not lost to him, all detected through his sphere of perception.

The subtle glances the rest of the team cast at him, the surroundings before him, everything unraveled within his awareness in real time.

Eira, on the side, stared curiously at Amber, a flicker of amazement burning inside her dark eyes. While the others didn't see it, or chose to ignore it, she didn't. The girl was an E-rank being.

That in itself wasn't shocking; everyone on the team was already E-rank. But they had taken months, even a year, to reach that and beyond. The girl before her, though, carried the air of someone freshly awakened.

Unlike Aurelian, who was practically unreadable to her, Amber was different. Her strength was laid bare for all to see. Not that an appraisal skill was even necessary, Eira could see it in her eyes. The hope burning deep within them. The light of ambition dancing across her face, laced with a pleasant warmth, despite her attempts to hide it under a facade of toughness.

She mused quietly, a bitter smile stretching across her lips as her younger self came to mind, the moment she had first tasted the essence of power, that intoxicating feeling of conquest, as if the world was hers for the taking. Until all of it was erased under the shadow of death and the darkness of the world.

The memory of seeing her comrades' lives snuffed out before her, the helplessness that followed had grounded her back to reality, eroding that naïve ambition completely.

But Amber… she was different. She still had it, that flicker of innocence burning deep in her eyes.

Eira nodded, deep in thought. Maybe that's why she'd caught Aurelian's attention. A bit of jealousy flashed across her eyes. With a figure like Aurelian by her side, the world truly was hers for the taking.

She blinked, her eyes fluttering rapidly before she couldn't take it anymore. Shifting seats to the one beside Amber, she struck up a conversation. And true to her thoughts, as they spoke, her suspicions were confirmed. She fired a barrage of questions, and a bond slowly formed between them, the more they talked, the more Eira came to like her.

"We've arrived," Sera's voice cut through as the carriage rocked slightly, coming to a halt. Aurelian's eyes snapped open.

The buzz of conversation died down inside the carriage, their faces tightening as memories of previous academy selections came flooding back. But this time would be different. They inhaled sharply, their eyes focusing on a black-robed figure ahead. This time, they had Aurelian by their side.

Stepping outside, Aurelian's brows arched in surprise. The city center was packed with a massive crowd. At the center of it all, countless youths streamed in from every direction to participate in the academy selections.

"They're all waiting for the event to unfold, either to cheer on or to place bets," Sera murmured, glancing at Aurelian after noticing the crease forming on his brow. She had come to discover his surprising lack of knowledge about such matters, something she had taken upon herself to correct. She attributed it to his habit of channeling nearly all his focus into growing stronger.

"They can see what happens inside the preliminaries?" Aurelian asked, his interest piqued.

"Hmm, in a certain sense, yes—but not direct monitoring. You'll see what I mean once you're inside," Sera mumbled with a hint of mysteriousness, her smile stretching wider.

As they walked forward, the path extended toward a raised platform, before Sera's voice rang out once more.

"I'm afraid this is as far as I can go," she muttered, eyeing the barricade in front. Only those participating in the academy selections could walk further; the older generation had to stay behind, watching from afar.

Turning to the rest, she flashed them a warm smile, a soft whisper escaping her lips. "Do your best. I'll cheer you on from here." She nodded firmly.

"We won't disappoint you, Guild Master!" Carl growled, his fists clenching as a determined glint flared in his eyes. The others behind him nodded in agreement.

She had done too much for them to fail now. They chanted in unison before marching forward, following behind Aurelian.

"Interesting," Aurelian murmured as he walked on, eyeing the platform filling up with multitudes of youths—their figures numbering in the tens of thousands. His gaze drifted upward, freezing as he spotted four beings hovering freely in the air.

"A-rank beings?" he muttered, his brows furrowing in question.

"Uh, no... those aren't A-rank beings!" Eira hopped excitedly, jumping to his side as his words reached her ears.

Her face lit up with excitement as she continued, "Those are members of the Selection Council!"

"But they're flying..." Aurelian pressed, his brows furrowing.

"It's through... mystical artifacts," Eira chimed in mischievously.

Made sense, Aurelian thought, catching her words.

"They're selected to oversee preliminaries across multiple cities," she whispered. "Once it's midday, the selections will begin."

"Very well," Aurelian muttered, feeling the rush rise in him. It was almost time.

[A/N: If you've been enjoying the story and want to help keep it going, check out my Patreon — patreon.com/Dragon_Lord_Chaos. You can also just look up Lord Chaos if that's easier. There's a longer author's note there]