Having already overstayed his excursion on account of a good time, they decided to head back after Salome cleared the area.

Even if Vale was superhuman now… his calves still hurt after the insane amount of inclined steps he had to take.

'How does Toy do this daily?'

Thankfully, they reached the dungeon without incident, and Vale was able to take cover inside, finally no longer being drained to death by the sunlight.

All in all, it had been a pretty fun day to spend in leisure. A day he didn't even know he desperately needed until he had it.

Ever since becoming the Master of Lust, he hasn't really had… fun. Sure, he'd indulged in his desires, and that could be classified as fun, but this meaningless excursion was much more meaningful than transient, fleeting feelings of ecstasy.

It was a moment like this that helped Vale recognize himself — his true self.

If such a thing still existed…

Well, if it ever did.

***

The sun fell, and the moon rose; about nine hours later, the sun returned and chased the moon out.

At the dawn of the new day, Vale had set one goal for himself: progress.

Well, that was the goal every day. But this day was meant for self-enlightenment progress.

Salome and Toy continued their daily hunts to feed the Legion and gather materials for the artisans. Ximena kept a watchful eye on the entrance. The warriors, Awilix, and archers trained. The workers mined or crafted — their hollowing of the large room nearly complete.

It was almost time to begin expanding the layout, but not yet, so Vale had time to put his efforts elsewhere.

Mainly… once again attempting to dissect and understand his Traits.

Now that he had more overall Aether, he could understand what it was more easily… Well, he still didn't 'understand' Aether at all. But it was more so becoming easier to understand the underlying mechanisms and driving principles it followed.

From just observing Ximena, he was able to 'see' how Aether moved and behaved. Well, he couldn't see it, at least not yet, but he could most definitely feel the different levels of cold in relation to distance from her.

Then, when the wave of 276 Aether smashed into him, he'd also literally felt his core.

It wasn't just a number to quantify his Aether reserves as he thought; there was a literal condensed sphere of Aether inside of him. Though he was pretty sure it wasn't physical.

Either way, Aether was stored in this core that existed around the area of his chest, but at the same time, this core wasn't perfect. He could faintly sense it, but even within the dungeon, his core was constantly leaking Aether, but it was also continually being replenished from the dungeon core.

Vale leaned back in the comfy throne, which he wished he could make a bed, and began his rumination.

'[Lust]...'

He understood his Aspect a little more now, just a little.

While the description seemed pretty straightforward, at the same time meaningless, Vale was starting to see the nuances of each phrase reflected in himself.

He'd already lost himself and become a slave to desire in his venture with Awilix, plus his lust was affecting those around him — he was spreading the flames of passion.

As for the words themselves…

There were two words in the description that Vale was stuck on:

'Lust and Origin…'

Why were they capitalized?

Vale had his suspicions, but he hoped he was wrong. He must be wrong. He had to be wrong.

But sadly, the description of his Trait [Ember of Lust] reinforced his budding theory… A theory he'd had ever since the first day he'd read the Traits.

'Lust… are you just a concept, or a being?'

If it were a concept, resisting it would be much simpler.

If it were a being — an entity… Vale had no idea how he'd control or face it once it grew. He didn't even know what exactly such a situation would entail.

All Vale could think was:

'Will I still be… me?'

Just what was the cost of indulgence? What would be the cost of strength?

What would be the cost of survival?

He could already feel the flames of passion burning away his other desires. But at least he was aware of the slow erosion of his personhood.

What Vale feared most at the moment was…

'What if I become unaware…'

What if there's a day when Vale no longer recognizes he's different from how he once was? What if he thinks of his actions as entirely normal and in line with his beliefs? What if he loses… himself?

As long as Vale was aware that his personality was being robbed and desires addled, he felt he could resist it to a degree… but if he ever failed at this recognition, then Vale feared for what he'd become.

Simply… he feared becoming the embodiment of Lust itself.

Ironically enough, his one ability that he thought would be practical in combat is the one that may be his saving grace.

[Rudimentary Shapeshifter] - [Your understanding of passion has led you toward a mastery of the body in pursuit of becoming the ultimate being of pleasure who can cater to anyone's desires.]

While he hadn't thought precisely 'why' before, the most important phrase in the description was 'mastery of the body.'

Vale had initially interpreted this as merely the ability to shift form at will, but no… There was much more to it. What Salome had said to him earlier made it clear to him:

'Succubi are masters of lust, but they are also masters of themselves. They train to know their mental and physical limits...'

Mental…

He'd been so focused on the physical implications of 'body,' that he never even considered there may be mental ones.

After all, there was much more to a Trait than what was read in the description; even more, Salome had made it clear it wasn't the words that mattered, but his interpretation.

If he interpreted Rudimentary Shapeshifting as an ability that just affected the body, that's what it would develop as… If he interpreted it to include a mental transformation, it should develop accordingly.

With a better interpretation, maybe, just maybe, he'd be able to control his lustful impulses.

It was time for a little journey of self-discovery.

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