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Seven Deadly Sins: a collection of short stories

A collection of dark fantasy short stories based on seven deadly sins

VeridianAK · Seram
Peringkat tidak cukup
7 Chs

**Lust: The Sinful Masquerade**

In the heart of the decaying city of Morlind, where twisted spires pierced the sky like skeletal fingers, a malevolent aura hung heavy. The city was under the spell of an ancient curse, and its inhabitants were trapped in a never-ending cycle of debauchery and desire—a curse brought forth by the sinister temptress known as Lilith, the embodiment of Lust.

Morlind was a realm cloaked in perpetual night, the moon obscured by an ashen haze that seemed to feed on the city's sins. The streets were lined with taverns and pleasure houses, their crimson lanterns casting a seductive glow on those who walked their thresholds. The inhabitants of Morlind had become slaves to their desires, chasing pleasure without regard for consequence.

Amidst this maelstrom of lust and decadence, a figure emerged—a man named Lucian, a scholar who had journeyed to Morlind in search of forbidden knowledge. His presence was an anomaly in a city ruled by primal urges, a mind untainted by the curse that held the others captive.

Lucian's quest led him to a tavern known as the Velvet Chalice, where whispers of forgotten secrets mingled with the smoke of hookah pipes. As he entered, his eyes met those of a woman who stood alone at the bar—a woman of unearthly beauty, her raven hair cascading over a dress that left little to the imagination.

"Join me," the woman purred, her voice a melody that stirred desires Lucian had never known. "I sense an insatiable curiosity within you."

Lucian's heart raced, his rational mind warring with an inexplicable attraction. With a cautious nod, he approached the woman, his thoughts clouded by the aura of temptation that surrounded her.

The woman introduced herself as Lilith, a name that resonated in the depths of Lucian's consciousness. She spoke of the curse that held Morlind in its grasp, the curse of insatiable desire that drove its inhabitants to the brink of madness. Her words were a siren's song, pulling Lucian into her web of intrigue.

"As a scholar, you seek knowledge," Lilith whispered, her fingers grazing the back of Lucian's hand. "But what if I offered you a different kind of knowledge? The knowledge of pleasures beyond your wildest dreams."

Lucian's rationality faltered as Lilith's touch ignited a fire within him—a fire that consumed his thoughts and judgments. He found himself nodding, his heart pounding with a fervor he had never experienced before.

With a subtle gesture, Lilith summoned a vial filled with a shimmering liquid—a potion of ecstasy, promising to reveal the secrets of desire itself. Lucian's fingers trembled as he accepted the vial, the elixir's glow reflected in his eyes.

As the liquid touched his lips, Lucian's world erupted in a symphony of sensations. Colors danced before his eyes, and his senses were heightened to an otherworldly degree. He was engulfed in a whirlwind of pleasure, his mind succumbing to a torrent of desires he had never known.

Days turned into nights, and Lucian was lost in a haze of indulgence. The city's taverns and pleasure houses became his sanctuary, each encounter more intoxicating than the last. He reveled in the pursuit of pleasure, his rationality a distant memory.

But as the haze began to lift, Lucian found himself plagued by an overwhelming emptiness. The pleasures he had once craved now held no satisfaction, and the city that had once seemed alluring had transformed into a prison of debauchery.

Amidst this realization, Lucian's eyes met Lilith's once again—eyes that held a hunger that transcended desire itself. He saw through her facade, recognizing her as the puppet master who had orchestrated Morlind's downfall.

"You've served your purpose," Lilith hissed, her voice a venomous whisper. "You've sated the city's lust, feeding the curse that binds them."

Lucian's heart surged with a newfound clarity, his mind unclouded by the elixir's influence. With a surge of willpower, he resisted the pull of Lilith's aura.

"You won't control me any longer," Lucian declared, his voice strong and resolute.

Lilith's eyes blazed with fury, her beauty transforming into a grotesque visage of desire and corruption. The city of Morlind trembled as the curse's grip began to weaken.

Lucian's defiance sparked a ripple of awakening in the city's inhabitants. As the curse's influence waned, they emerged from their debauched stupor, their minds liberated from Lilith's control. The ashen haze that had shrouded the moon dissipated, revealing a sky filled with stars—a sky that had been hidden by the curse's power.

With a final cry of rage, Lilith's form dissolved into smoke, vanishing into the night. Morlind began to transform, its inhabitants reclaiming their agency and rebuilding their lives.

As the first light of dawn broke over the horizon, Lucian stood amidst the ruins of Morlind—a city forever changed by the battle against Lust's grip. Though scars remained, the city's inhabitants had learned the cost of surrendering to unchecked desires.

Lucian's journey had been one of awakening—a journey that had exposed the allure of desire and the darkness that lay beneath it. As he gazed at the rising sun, he knew that the battle against temptation was a lifelong struggle, a battle that required strength of will and an unwavering determination to resist the pull of darkness.

And so, the tale of Lucian and Morlind became a testament to the dangers of succumbing to unchecked lust, a reminder that desires, when left unchecked, could transform even the most vibrant city into a realm of corruption and decay. In the end, it was the power of self-awareness and the strength to resist temptation that illuminated the path out of darkness and into the light.