Serenith paces like a caged beast.
Her arms are crossed tight, her wings twitching with every moan and grunt echoing through the twisted, smoky air of the Void Mother's strange realm.
"Mortal mating rituals are one thing," she mutters, grinding the heel of her palm against her temple. "But this is divine nonsense."
A particularly loud grunt from Lucien, followed by the Void Mother's delighted howl, makes her wings flare in irritation.
"That's it!" she snaps, stomping to the strange door. If it could even be called a door. It looks more like a slowly pulsing membrane of moonlight and shadow.
She kicks it open anyway.
Then her eyes widen.
"Wh-what in the realms..."
The space beyond the doorway defies comprehension.
It looks like a nightmare from a twisted mind. Stairs that curl into themselves, walls folding into floors, and floors slinking up into impossibly coiled ceilings, gravity apparently more of a polite suggestion than a law in this particular corner of existence. In the middle of it all, floating atop some kind of vibrating, ash-shadow tentacle throne, Lucien is straddled by the now-sultry and goddess-tier version of the Void Mother. Her luminous skin glows with chaotic energy, long black hair trailing like liquid smoke, and her hands grip Lucien's shoulders like a starving woman at a banquet, nails leaving faint glowing tracks down his arms with every roll of her hips.
Serenith's halo fizzles and flickers as if unsure whether to stay lit or abandon ship.
Lucien, hips rotating like an alchemist stirring up something extra forbidden, glances back over his shoulder. "Hey, angel-cakes. Something wrong?"
The Void Mother moans, arches her back, and turns her head to smirk. "Mmm, join us? There's plenty of room."
Serenith clears her throat. Twice.
Then loudly announces, "It's been hours. Your entire empire's probably panicking."
The Void Mother gasps lightly as Lucien twists his hips in just the right way, the throne beneath them rippling like water disturbed by a stone. "Oh, don't worry your pretty little halo. Time moves differently here. Mere moments have passed in your mortal realm. I'm very considerate."
"Considerate?" Serenith gestures wildly at the scene around them. "You've been riding him like a sacred stallion through a geometric nightmare!"
Lucien gives a cheeky wink, his hands still firmly on the goddess's thighs. "Call it cardio."
"I'm starving," Serenith huffs. "Do demi-goddesses not offer snacks in their mind-bending sex dimensions?"
"Oh! My apologies," the Void-Mother coos between gasps. With a click of her fingers, a buffet table plonks into existence behind Serenith, stacked high with steamy breads, roasted meats, fresh fruit, decadent desserts, and something suspiciously jiggly that pulses faintly with its own internal heartbeat.
Serenith blinks.
Her stomach growls.
"...Thank you," she says, voice softening despite herself. She turns to the food, eyeing a glazed tart with unconcealed hunger. "But hurry it up. Some of us aren't turned on by eldritch acrobatics."
Lucien raises a hand to salute. "Promise. We'll wrap up soon."
Several hours later...
Serenith lies draped across a plush couch, a half-eaten fruit tart still balanced on her stomach, three empty plates stacked beside her like trophies. Her face slack with food coma, she mumbles something about "divine punishment" and "too much sugar." A small drool trail traces the corner of her lips, and somewhere behind the impossible walls, the muffled sounds of the Void Mother's realm have long since become background noise, the kind you stop noticing after the fourth hour.
The slam of a nearby door jolts her awake. She groans and cracks open one glowing eye.
Lucien looms over her, shirt halfway buttoned, hair tousled like he'd fought a wind elemental, and wearing the most self-satisfied smirk in existence.
"We're done," he announces grandly.
Serenith groans again. "Finally. I was starting to think I'd died and gone to horny purgatory."
Behind Lucien, the Void-Mother is reclined on a chaise made of light and shadow, a long pipe in her hand and a dreamy, post-coital smile on her glowing lips.
"Lord Lucidius, dearest," she coos, "thank you for the stimulating company. I look forward to watching your little empire play out. Should you ever need inspiration, chaos, or someone to confuse the heavens, you know how to call me."
She clicks her fingers, and a shimmering portal opens like an eye blinking into existence.
Lucien bows, ever the showman. "Thank you for your divine hospitality. Five stars. I will definitely visit again."
Serenith stands, brushing crumbs from her chest. "Let's go before I file a divine grievance."
The Void Mother's amused gaze follows her. "Careful, angel. I see the way you look at him. I wonder, will you remember your place?"
Serenith's mouth falls open. "Excuse me!?"
Lucien gives the goddess a wink and struts through the portal with regal flair.
Serenith sputters, crosses her arms, and stomps after him. "I will absolutely be mentioning this in my report!"
Back in the real world, the hot Ashland sun greets Lucien as he steps out of his royal tent. His coat flutters in the breeze, his grin wide enough to melt brick.
Ignara and the twins are waiting nearby.
Ignara arches a brow. "Well? What happened in there?"
Lucien gives a deep, satisfied stretch and then looks at them all with an infuriatingly smug smile. "Ladies, do you even know who I am?"
He turns and struts away like a rockstar leaving the stage, hips swaying, chest puffed, radiant confidence oozing from every pore, boots kicking up little puffs of ash with every deliberate step.
Serenith glides after him with a weary expression.
Ignara leans in and whispers, "What happened?"
Serenith pinches the bridge of her nose. "What always happens. He screwed her brains out and turned her into a loyal friend."
Ignara gasps. Then bursts into laughter, slapping her thigh.
Vex and Vile gasp dramatically and clutch one another.
"Do you think he still has energy left for us?" Vex asks, bouncing on her heels.
"After handling a demi-goddess?" Vile adds, eyes wide with awe.
Serenith sighs. "When it comes to sex, he has infinite energy. Believe me."
The twins squeal and dash after him, giggling like schoolgirls chasing a forbidden dream.
"Hopeless. All of you," Serenith mutters, throwing up her hands.
Ignara lets out a dreamy sigh. "You'd be hopeless too if I got a taste of the demon lord."
Serenith snorts. "I'd rather be banished to the Eternal Void."
Lucien, without turning around, calls back, "I heard that! And it really hurt my feelings, feathers."
Serenith cups her hands around her mouth. "You'll survive! You've got a harem of willing women to soothe your emotional wounds!"
The twins, catching up to Lucien, leap into his arms with joyful squeals.
He catches them with a smug grin. "Oh, ladies, the angel was so mean to me. I'm emotionally devastated. I could really use some comforting."
Vex presses herself against his chest, eyes sparkling. "You can cry on me all you want, my lord."
Vile wraps her arms around his waist and purrs. "As long as you come on us after."
Lucien's eyes twinkle.
Behind them, Serenith facepalms so hard she nearly knocks her halo off.
"What did I do in a past life to deserve this?"