SSS-Ranked Lust System: Taming Beauties Is My Calling

The voice rolled through the darkness.

"Finally."

David stopped.

One foot remained on the stair below him.

The word had not come from his mother.

He knew that immediately.

Her voice had been weak. Human. Frightened.

This was different.

It wasn’t loud, yet it seemed to vibrate through the stone itself, settling somewhere behind his ribs.

Sophia’s hand closed around his arm.

"David."

"I heard it."

Rliqs stepped down beside them, weapon already raised.

"Keep moving."

David glanced at him.

"That’s your solution?"

"It’s better than standing here."

Fair point.

David continued downward.

The staircase was narrow, carved directly into the black stone beneath the throne. There were no torches, no markings, nothing to suggest anyone had built it for people to use.

The only light came from David’s chest.

Blue pulses crawled beneath his skin with every heartbeat.

THUMP.

The walls answered.

THUMP.

Something below answered back.

Sophia looked at him.

"Your chest is glowing again."

"Yeah. I’ve noticed."

"Does it hurt?"

"Not yet."

"That’s not reassuring."

"It wasn’t meant to be."

They descended another few steps.

Behind them, the chamber grew smaller.

The throne disappeared into darkness.

So did Kael.

David looked back once.

The old guardian was still standing at the top.

Watching.

Not following.

That bothered him more than it should have.

"Kael."

The man’s silver eyes met his.

"Why aren’t you coming?"

Kael’s expression was unreadable.

"I cannot."

"Can’t or won’t?"

"Both."

David frowned.

Rliqs pulled him onward.

"Leave him."

David turned back.

Kael spoke before he could say anything else.

"David."

There was something different in his voice now.

No amusement.

No cryptic smile.

Just warning.

"Do not let her touch you."

David’s steps slowed.

"Who?"

Kael didn’t answer.

The darkness swallowed his face.

Then the staircase curved.

David lost sight of him.

He looked forward again.

"That was helpful."

Rliqs didn’t respond.

Sophia did.

"He means your mother."

"I figured."

"No. I mean the way he said it."

David glanced at her.

"You think he knows something."

"I think everyone here knows something."

"You’re getting better at this."

She gave him a look.

"At what?"

"Being suspicious."

"I’ve been suspicious since the first skeleton tried to kill us."

"Fair."

They reached the bottom.

The staircase ended at a massive stone door.

Unlike the circular entrance above, this one had no handle.

There was only a single symbol carved into its center.

A crown.

David stared at it.

His stomach tightened.

The Crown.

Kael’s words returned to him.

Your bloodline took it.

He reached toward the symbol.

Rliqs caught his wrist.

"Don’t."

David looked at his hand.

Then at Rliqs.

"You’ve been saying that a lot."

"And you’ve been ignoring me a lot."

"Also fair."

Rliqs released him.

"Wait."

David stepped back.

Rliqs approached the door carefully.

He examined the crown.

Then the surrounding stone.

His expression became increasingly grim.

"What?"

"The door isn’t sealed."

David raised an eyebrow.

"Then why isn’t it open?"

Rliqs looked at him.

"Because it isn’t a door."

The stone trembled.

The crown glowed.

Blue light spread across its edges.

David took a step back.

The entire wall began sinking into the floor.

Sophia grabbed David’s sleeve.

"That’s definitely a door."

Rliqs stared at her.

"I hate when you’re right."

The stone disappeared.

A vast chamber opened before them.

David’s first thought was that it was too large.

The staircase couldn’t possibly have led into something this enormous.

The ceiling vanished into darkness.

Pillars stretched upward on either side, covered in old carvings.

At the center stood a circular platform.

And on that platform—

a woman.

David stopped breathing.

She was sitting with her back against a stone pillar.

Her clothes were torn and faded, but beneath the dust he could see traces of what might once have been royal clothing.

Long dark hair fell around her shoulders.

Her head was bowed.

Silver chains wrapped around her wrists.

One ran into the floor.

The other disappeared into the darkness behind her.

David stared.

He didn’t know her.

Not really.

He had no memory of her face.

No childhood image.

No voice stored somewhere in the back of his mind.

And yet something inside him recognized her.

Before he could stop himself, he whispered,

"Mom."

The woman’s head lifted.

Her eyes opened.

They were the same color as his.

Blue.

For a moment, neither moved.

Then her lips trembled.

"David?"

His chest tightened.

He took a step forward.

"Mom."

Sophia’s grip loosened from his sleeve.

Even Rliqs lowered his weapon.

The woman stared at David as though she couldn’t believe he was standing there.

Then she smiled.

It was small.

Broken.

But real.

"You came."

David swallowed.

"Yeah."

His voice almost failed him.

"Apparently, I’m really bad at staying away from dangerous places."

A quiet laugh escaped her.

It sounded painful.

"You haven’t changed."

David stopped.

"You remember me?"

She stared at him.

"I could never forget you."

He moved closer.

Rliqs immediately stepped in front of him.

The woman looked at Rliqs.

Her expression changed.

"You."

Rliqs went still.

She smiled faintly.

"You kept your promise."

Rliqs’ jaw tightened.

"I failed."

"No."

Her eyes returned to David.

"You brought him back."

David looked between them.

"Can someone please stop doing that?"

Neither answered.

He pointed at Rliqs.

"You know my mother."

Rliqs remained silent.

His mother spoke.

"Rliqs protected you."

David’s eyebrows rose.

"From what?"

Her eyes lowered.

"Your family."

David’s expression hardened.

"My family?"

"The royal bloodline."

She looked toward the chains around her wrists.

"They wanted what was inside you."

David stared.

"What was inside me?"

The second seal pulsed.

[Second Seal: 74%.]

His mother looked directly at his chest.

Her face drained of color.

"They found you."

David looked down.

The blue glow beneath his shirt had intensified.

"Found me?"

She shook her head.

"No."

Her voice became desperate.

"They found the Crown."

David’s eyes narrowed.

"Kael said my bloodline took it."

His mother looked toward the darkness.

"Kael is still alive?"

"Yes."

A strange mixture of relief and fear crossed her face.

"Then the first seal has already failed."

Rliqs stepped forward.

"The first seal hasn’t failed."

She looked at him.

"It has."

Rliqs’ expression tightened.

"What do you mean?"

"The first seal was never the prison."

Silence.

David looked at the glowing percentage.

"Then what was it?"

His mother looked at him.

"Your memory."

David froze.

"What?"

"The first seal erased what happened to you."

He stared at her.

"Why?"

"Because if you remembered, they would find you."

"Who?"

She didn’t answer.

The chamber trembled.

A deep growl came from somewhere beneath the floor.

His mother closed her eyes.

"We don’t have time."

David stepped closer.

"You’ve been down here for how long?"

She smiled sadly.

"Long enough."

"That’s not an answer."

"It doesn’t matter."

"It matters to me."

Her eyes softened.

David hated that look.

It was the same look people gave when they already knew the conversation would end badly.

"I thought you were dead."

"I know."

"I spent years thinking—"

His voice broke.

He stopped.

His mother reached toward him.

The chain around her wrist pulled tight.

She winced.

David instinctively moved closer.

Rliqs blocked him again.

His mother shook her head.

"Don’t."

David looked at her.

"Why?"

"Because Kael was right."

She lowered her hand.

"Don’t let me touch you."

David stared.

"Why?"

Her eyes filled with tears.

"Because I am no longer entirely your mother."

The words landed harder than they should have.

David didn’t move.

Sophia’s face tightened.

Rliqs raised his weapon.

His mother looked at him.

"You still think I’m the enemy."

"I’m not taking chances."

"Good."

She smiled weakly.

"At least you learned something."

David looked around the chamber.

"What happened to you?"

She looked down at the chains.

"When the king died, the thing beneath the kingdom woke."

"Kael said the king was possessed."

"He was."

"By what?"

Her gaze shifted toward the floor.

"The Hunger."

David frowned.

"That’s what Kael called it."

"Because that’s what it is."

Another tremor shook the chamber.

Dust rained from the ceiling.

His mother looked toward the darkness behind her.

"It doesn’t want power."

"Then what does it want?"

"People."

David’s expression hardened.

"People?"

"It consumes souls."

The chamber went silent.

Sophia whispered,

"That’s what’s beneath Eldoria?"

His mother nodded.

"The kingdom was built over it."

David looked at the platform.

"Then why the seals?"

"To keep it asleep."

"Seven seals."

"Yes."

David looked at the percentage.

[Second Seal: 78%.]

"Then why is this one opening?"

His mother stared at him.

"Because it recognizes you."

"The blood?"

"The Crown."

David frowned.

"I don’t have a crown."

His mother shook her head.

"Not one you can see."

The blue glow in his chest pulsed.

THUMP.

The entire chamber answered.

A black line appeared across the floor.

Then another.

Then another.

They spread outward from David’s feet.

Rliqs immediately moved toward him.

"Back."

David didn’t move.

The lines formed a massive circular symbol.

At its center appeared the shape of a crown.

His mother stared at it.

"No."

David looked at her.

"What?"

She whispered,

"They found you."

A sound came from behind her.

A wet scraping noise.

Something moved in the darkness.

Sophia raised her weapon.

"What is that?"

His mother pulled desperately against her chains.

"David, run."

"Not happening."

"Run!"

The darkness behind her shifted.

Two enormous silver eyes opened.

David’s body went cold.

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