Kael’s voice trembled, caught between excitent and unease. "What... is this?" he asked, eyes wide as he stared into Nyx’s calm face.
She smiled. "That is lust energy."
"Lust energy..." he repeated. "Sounds kinda dope," he mumbled under his breath. Then louder, he asked, "What does it do?"
Nyx leaned back against the pillows. "Since you’ve chosen the path of lust, your body no longer has its affinity with mana. You can no longer absorb or manipulate it."
Kael’s heart skipped a beat. "No... mana?" he gasped.
She nodded slowly. "Yes. From this mont on, your veins no longer carry mana like the others. You have been cut off from the system of the world. And because of that, no one will be able to sense your power. They will see you as... nothing. A commoner."
Kael felt cold for a mont.
Then hot.
The idea that the world would look at him and see a powerless boy—while inside him rushed this forbidden, unseen power—it was terrifying... and thrilling. He clenched his fists.
"So they’ll underestimate ."
Nyx’s smile turned sharp. "Every single one of them."
Kael furrowed his brows. "But... how does it work? I an, if I can’t absorb it like mana, then how do I even train it?"
Nyx nodded slowly, as if she had been waiting for that question. "It’s simple," she said. "The stronger the lust you feel, the more energy will stir within you."
Kael blinked. "You an... I don’t need to absorb anything?"
"No," she replied. "You only need to feel. The deeper your desire, the stronger your emotions—the greater the power it awakens. Lust is not force, Kael, its emotion. It feeds on need, on passion, on temptation. You don’t need to ditate or channel like others. You need to indulge."
Kael swallowed hard. The temptation of the path was truly too tantalizing. No wonder he had fallen for its trap.
He could feel the lust energy flowing through him. It pulsed in rhythm with his heartbeat, flowing through his veins like fiery blood. It rged with his newly reborn organs and complented them as if it had always belonged there.
Every breath he took made him feel more aware—of himself, of Nyx, of the world. The senses he once had were now heightened tenfold, sharper, more sensitive.
This power... it was addicting.
Kael was currently at the Stabilization Stage.
After studying the weird book, Kael learned that there were seven major realms for a magic swordsman beyond stabilization:
Apprentice Knight: The first true step—where a practitioner successfully channels mana into their weapon.
Elite Knight: A stage where one can infuse greater amounts of mana with improved control and efficiency.
Master Knight: The sword becos an extension of the body. Practitioners can wield it as naturally as their own limbs.
Royal Knight: Warriors at this level can make anything their weapon.
And beyond these were:
Sword Saint
Sword Emperor
Sword Sovereign
Only after reaching the Royal Knight stage could one be officially recruited into the Royal Army. That was the minimum qualification—anything less was considered unworthy.
Kael’s elder sister, Leona, had already reached this stage. She was a Royal Knight, a fact that had always cast a long shadow over him.
Beyond that realm lay stages so distant, so overwhelming in scale, that Kael hadn’t even bothered to read further—Sword Saint, Sword Emperor, and Sword Sovereign.
Those nas sounded like myths.
But now... with this strange new Lust Energy coursing through him... maybe, just maybe, he would carve a new path that didn’t need to follow theirs.
Nyx’s voice pulled him back to reality. "You’ve finally stepped a foot into the Apprentice Knight realm," she said, her tone casual yet proud.
"Now, you need to build up your Lust Energy. Only then can you truly begin your training."
She yawned, stretching her arms lazily above her head, then flopped back on the bed with a satisfied sigh. "Okay, aunty’s tired now. I’ll sleep. You go train."
Kael stood there, watching her—the way her breast rose and fell with each breath, the curve of her waist, the faint sweat that trickled down her face.
And that’s when it happened.
A strange heat surged in him, wild and addictive. The re sight of her was enough to stir the energy inside him. Unlike mana, which needed ditation and circulation, this new force responded to pure, raw sensation.
He felt his fingers tremble slightly, his heart thudding fast.
It wasn’t just arousal—it was power.
He clenched his fist as the purplish energy flared within him, thick and pulsing. It was growing. Nyx’s body, the scent of her hair, the sound of her voice—all of it fed the energy.
This was the price and blessing of his new path.
Kael grinned to himself.
Training might be more... enjoyable than I thought.
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