Eternal Temptation: Awakening Sinful Desires

Asher didn't wait for death to claim its prey and immediately turned his attention towards the fallen creatures.

The corpses of the Star-Beasts were littered about haphazardly, their bodies torn and shredded from battle. There wasn't a single soul among them anymore.

Looking at the carnage he wrought, Asher felt no remorse or sorrow, just a detached sense of satisfaction over getting rid of a threat that posed danger to his existence.

He gazed up towards the heavens and sighed as a gust blew through the woods.

The wind whispered through the trees and rustled leaves all around, sounding almost mournful, as if mourning the passing of such mighty creatures.

However, Asher didn't dwell on these thoughts too long, choosing instead to focus on his current objective of absorbing the spirit essence of the beast with his Midnight Embrace gloves.

He walked up to the Alpha Star-Beast's corpse, which was sprawled out in an unnatural position on its side, while its lifeless eyes stared blankly ahead.

Asher extended his arms towards it and channeled his spirit essence into his gloves, causing the runes on them to glow faintly as shadow tendrils seeped out of his hands and wrapped themselves around the carcass.

He watched as they slithered along its skin, absorbing its essence into it before returning back to the runic patterns inscribed on his black gloves. The process took only a few seconds but felt longer to Asher as he stood motionless beside the slain beast.

Once it was done, Asher released some more shadowy tendrils towards each of the other slain Star-Beasts' bodies nearby and repeated the procedure, absorbing their spirit energy too.

A feeling of blissfulness and elation spread through his whole body as he felt the rush of spirit essence filling his Dantian and replenishing his spirit reserves. He hadn't used much during the battle, but this was a welcome treat nonetheless, as it helped him restore all of his expended energy.

The experience also made him feel invigorated, refreshed, and energized at the same time, giving him renewed strength.

It took some time for the process to finish before Asher withdrew his tendrils into his gloves, retracting them back into his sleeves. He was content with his hunting for today, having collected enough spirit essence from all the beast corpses for his use.

A faint smile lingered on his lips as he turned to walk away from the scene.

He took one last glance at the numerous bodies strewn around and left without uttering a single word or showing any trace of emotion on his face.

As the sound of his footsteps faded away into the distance, only silence remained in the darkness surrounding the dead carcasses.

He walked through the woods in relative silence, surrounded by shadows, feeling the night's cool breeze blowing against his face.

After traveling for a while, Asher stopped as he came upon an open clearing with moonlight illuminating the area. The soft glow of the moon illuminated everything around him and cast a pale white glow over the grassy terrain, making it seem almost ethereal in appearance.

He stood there alone, staring up into the starry sky above, admiring its beauty as he felt a strange sensation welling up inside his heart. It was a feeling of longing mixed with a sense of loneliness.

A small smile played across his lips as he gazed into the vast expanse of stars above, lost in thoughts of home and his mother, Aria Blake.

In this moment of solitude, Asher recalled how far he had come. He remembered the times when he was merely an orphan living on the outskirts of the capital city, struggling to survive each day, hoping for better things to happen one day.

But it all changed when he got into an accident and woke up in this body. He thought it was all a dream at first. However, after experiencing several bizarre occurrences, he realized that it wasn't one.

At first, he didn't care about any of that because he got to live again. It didn't matter what world or reality he ended up in, so he chose to go with the flow and adapt. But he soon realized that this was reality, and he had to care about the people and things here.

For example, his maid, Nadia, would take good care of him as his personal attendant. She was an important person to him. Not only was she responsible for his safety, but she also treated him with unconditional love and affection that he had never received in his previous life.

Moreover, he'd gotten a second chance in life in this new body and was blessed with the ability to cultivate.

He was extremely fortunate. If not for the second chance given to him, he would have died a miserable death after living such a pathetic existence.

All sorts of thoughts and emotions swirled in his mind, causing him to reminisce about the past while thinking about the future.

As he gazed at the sea of twinkling lights stretching out before him, Asher smiled when he remembered his encounter with his mother, Aria, on the very same day as he woke up as Asher Blake.

It was when she came home from work while he was looking at the same stars walking around the garden of their mansion.

"Hahaha.... I was really dumbstruck upon seeing her that time, wasn't I?"

As he recalled that moment, Asher chuckled to himself.

She had taken his breath away and left him speechless. He was unable to believe that such a beautiful woman existed. Her appearance was like that of a goddess descended from heaven, with a charming face and an enchanting figure that was impossible to forget.

Not to mention the overwhelming aura of maturity and confidence radiating off of her, which made her seem untouchable by mere mortals like him.

Her presence overwhelmed him, causing him to lose track of time as he only stared at her, mesmerized.

Even when she came over and began talking to him, he couldn't bring himself to respond to her words as he had continued to remain fixated on her visage.

It was embarrassing at that time.

"Her smile was breathtaking, and the way her eyes sparkled when she looked at me made my heart skip a beat. I struggled to decide what to think of her. All I knew was that I wanted to spend the rest of my life by her side."

"Hah... Even now, whenever I look at her, she always makes me feel special, as though there's nobody else in the world besides the two of us. I can't help it, though. I can't stop myself from loving her, and every moment I spend with her feels like paradise to me." Asher let out a sigh as he shook his head slowly at himself.

Then he thought about the time when they watched a movie together in her bed while cuddling, sharing the warm blanket, and spending quality time together.

"That moment was too precious..."

His lips curled into a nostalgic smile as memories flashed through his mind.

"I remember how comfortable she made me feel by holding me close to her, making me feel safe and secure as though nothing bad could ever happen to me again. When she held me in her arms, I felt protected and loved. Making me feel for the first time that I have someone that I could lean on and depend on no matter what. And she is not just someone but rather a parent whom I can look up to, my mother."

His eyes softened slightly while he remembered the feelings he felt when they shared that special moment.

"Sometimes, I wonder why I'm so drawn to her? Why do I desire her company? Is it because she gives me a sense of belonging? Or was it her beauty that awakened the hidden desires within me? I don't know for sure. Perhaps it's a combination of both factors."

Asher shrugged at himself and chuckled as he realized the answer to his question.

"Well, no matter what reason it might be, I simply love her for who she is and wouldn't trade this feeling for anything in the world."

Asher took a deep breath and exhaled before feeling the urge to see his beloved mother right now.

"Is it because it's my first time fighting against monsters while going on a long journey that I feel lonely and want to be with her?"

With a nod of affirmation, Asher made his decision and decided to return to the Mystic Starry Realm through his connection.

"It's enough training for the day now."

Without wasting any more time, Asher willed his soul mark, which was connected to the Astral Nexus Core Orb.

The very next moment, his vision blurred as his surroundings swirled around him until they faded into blackness, and all went silent.

Asher only felt darkness surrounding him, but he could sense something tugging at him from within his chest, pulling him through space towards an unknown destination.

It took no longer than a blink of an eye for Asher to find himself standing in the middle of a spacious hall of the main palace in the Mystic Starry realm, which stored the Astral Nexus core orb.

"Since I have been away for more than half a day, considering the time difference in this realm, I should have been away for at least half a month from their perspectives," Asher thought and proceeded to head out from the hall, looking to return to the mansion.

He stepped outside into the open and paused for a moment to admire his surroundings. Slowly, he took in the picturesque scenery before him, breathing in deeply, letting the fresh air fill his lungs while enjoying the feeling of coolness against his skin.