The morning sun spilled into the room like golden silk. Warm, silent, slow.
Elias stirred first, blinking against the gentle light. His arm was draped across Aya's waist, and for the first time in what felt like ages, her face looked peaceful—soft, content.
She opened her eyes slowly, golden irises shimmering in the light. "You didn't run off this time," she murmured, voice still husky from sleep.
Elias smirked. "Had every reason to stay."
Aya rolled toward him, propping her chin on his chest. "You always talk like a rogue noble in those cheesy romances."
"Maybe I am one now," he teased. "Except with a system and a harem curse."
She playfully slapped his chest. "Don't call it a curse. You've got power most men would burn kingdoms for."
His smile faded just slightly, eyes trailing to the window. "And enemies who might burn kingdoms just to take it from me."
Aya followed his gaze. The sun rose lazily over the horizon, but something was wrong. The clouds... they weren't white. They were tinged red.
---
Trouble Brews in Ravelin
The manor doors slammed open. Iris stormed in, face pale. "You need to see this. Now."
Elias and Aya threw on light gear and rushed to the main balcony overlooking the valley.
The skies above Ravelin—once clear—were now pulsing with strange red veins, like cracks in the very air.
"What the hell is that?" Elias asked.
Lilith appeared behind them, solemn as a tomb. "Crimson magic. Forbidden magic. That city's bleeding into another realm."
Aya stiffened. "That's capital-level sorcery. Only someone from the Tower could summon this."
"Or someone worse," Lilith muttered. "A system wielder who lost control."
Elias clenched his fists. The name he feared had finally come up again: The Crimson Saint. A figure whispered in system-user circles. Ruthless. Unstable. And possibly immortal.
> [System Update: Region Shift Detected – Ravelin is entering a Crimson Phase. All Lust System Users within the city will be affected.]
---
Preparing for the Mission
Later, in the war room, maps were spread across the polished obsidian table. Lilith pointed to the expanding red zone.
"The city's going to be fully consumed in seventy-two hours. If we don't stop whoever's behind this before then, Ravelin will merge with the Nether Border."
Aya looked to Elias. "We should evacuate."
"We should investigate," he said calmly. "We need to understand what we're fighting before we run from it."
Just then, another notification flashed.
> [New Quest: Confront the Crimson Saint – Success grants new Harem Core Upgrade. Failure results in system corruption.]
Aya's jaw tightened. "Your system's using this as a test."
Elias nodded. "Then let's give it a damn good answer."
---
The Departure
By sundown, the party was ready. Aya, Lilith, and Iris flanked Elias as he summoned a swift glider-beast—a sleek, winged serpent bound by Lust Energy. The skies were unstable, but time was short.
As they soared toward Ravelin, wind in their hair, Aya leaned close and whispered, "Whatever's waiting for us in that red city... we face it together."
Elias didn't respond with words.
He simply held her hand tighter.
The city loomed in the distance, bleeding red across the sky like a wound refusing to close.
The skies above Ravelin were no longer skies.
Red mist twisted like veins in a dying god's eye, pulsing above the ruined rooftops. Tower spires cracked, and shadows slithered between crumbling stones. The city—once vibrant—was now trapped in something halfway between dream and nightmare.
Elias and his party landed at the outskirts. The air was warm… but too warm. It hugged their skin with a feverish cling, like sweat from a dream that wouldn't end.
Lilith stepped off first, her hand tight around the obsidian dagger on her hip. "This place reeks of corrupted energy. Keep your systems on full guard."
Aya stood close to Elias, her usual golden eyes flickering with silver. "Something's watching us."
> [Alert: Lust System has entered a Crimson Field.]
[All system functions restricted to combat mode.]
The notification sent a chill through Elias. No healing. No charm. Just raw survival.
A scream echoed from somewhere deep in the city.
"Let's move," he ordered.
---
Ravelin's Heart
They made their way through broken plazas and twisted alleys. Statues of former heroes had been vandalized with crimson sigils. Even the birds in the sky didn't sing—there were no birds, only the wind whispering names that didn't belong.
Then, without warning, Iris stopped.
She looked toward a shattered fountain, frozen in place. Her eyes widened.
"No…" she whispered.
"What is it?" Elias asked.
She pointed. "That's my brother's insignia... carved into that stone. He died years ago during a system test. There's no way that should be here."
Elias walked toward the fountain cautiously.
A single figure stood on the far side, draped in crimson robes. Their face was masked in porcelain white, but their voice cut like silk and razors.
"Elias Black," the figure said, smiling beneath the mask. "Lust's favorite puppet."
Aya raised a dagger. "Who the hell are you?"
The figure stepped forward, red mist swirling at their heels. "I am the First Disciple of the Crimson Saint. I've come to see if you're worthy of his gaze."
> [Crimson Trial Initiated – Defeat the Disciple Without Losing Any Party Members.]
---
Battle Under Crimson Skies
The ground trembled. Red energy exploded in a wave, sending Elias and his group scattering. The Disciple's arms transformed—twisting into bladed tendrils that lashed out like serpents.
Elias roared. His aura flared, and his body surged with Lust Core energy.
"Aya, flank left!"
"On it!"
They moved like a unit—Aya dancing between blows, Lilith summoning shadow clones, and Iris raining shards of light from above. But the Disciple was fast. Too fast.
He appeared behind Elias with a flash and whispered, "Do your girls know what you really are?"
A burning slash opened across Elias's back. Blood spilled.
"Don't listen to him!" Aya shouted, leaping forward and driving her blade into the Disciple's shoulder.
But the Disciple didn't even flinch. Instead, he grinned and whispered something in her ear that made her go pale.
She staggered back, eyes wide.
"Aya? What did he say?" Elias yelled.
Her voice shook. "He knows about the first girl… the one you lost before the system awakened."
Elias froze.
That name—the one he'd buried—rose like a ghost.
---
The Mask Cracks
Elias clenched his fists. His aura flared again, deeper this time—darker. The Lust Core inside him trembled.
> [New Emotion Detected: Protectiveness – System Function Unlocked: Crimson Bond Overdrive]
Power erupted from his chest, and in a flash, he was behind the Disciple. One punch—charged with emotional fury—sent the masked figure flying through a wall.
Lilith rushed to him. "Elias… your power…"
"It's changing," he muttered. "And I think it's just the beginning."
The Disciple pulled himself from the rubble, now laughing.
"Impressive," he coughed, blood running from his mouth. "But the Saint will not test you with just one Disciple. You've passed the first gate. The next? She waits for you in the Red Garden."
And then he vanished in a mist of crimson shards.
---
Aftermath
Aya stood beside Elias, quieter than usual. "You never told us about her."
Elias nodded. "Because it still hurts."
She reached out, threading her fingers through his. "Next time… don't carry it alone."
Iris stepped forward, eyes hard. "We need to move. The Red Garden sounds like the real fight."
And Lilith added with a smirk, "Now it's getting fun."