Bella's next act was crazy. She drove her fist into her own chest, the crack of bone echoing in the stillness. Blood seeped from the wound, but she was unfazed, pulling free a dagger. With deliberate care, she sliced the snake from head to tail, its body unfolding to reveal a trove of glittering jewelry.
Her fingers hovered over it and then plucked a bracelet of white gold, encrusted with sapphires. "This is yours, Mina," Bella said, holding it out, blood still clinging to its surface.
Mina's hand trembled as she accepted it, even though she was still suspicious.
"It's only fitting, sister Mina," Bella said, her smile softening but no less unnerving. "May it guide you in your new life."
"Sister Mina… Sister Mina…" The chant rose from the circle. The world blurred, colors twisting, reality buckling under the weight of their words. Mina's stomach churned, her vision swimming until—
She screamed, her voice raw as she sat up in a forest glade, burnt grass tickling her bare skin. Sunlight filtered through the canopy, a golden ray striking her face. She raised her arm to shield her eyes and froze. The bracelet gleamed on her wrist. Then, as if alive, it shimmered and dissolved, sinking into her skin. A tattoo took its place, its lines pulsing faintly with her heartbeat.
"Where am I?" she whispered, her voice hoarse, as if she'd been screaming for hours.
The forest was silent, save for the rustle of leaves and the distant call of a bird. Mina stood, her legs unsteady, and touched the tattoo on her wrist. It felt warm, alive.
Mina got up and staggered deeper into the heart of the shadowed forest. Not noticing behind her even though healthy grass has grown over the burnt grass. Underneath them were dead bodies and skeletons. The whole area has massive potholes around it but Mina was too confused to realize this.
Her stomach growled, as well. Spotting a cluster of crimson fruits dangling from a gnarled tree, she lunged for them, devouring them with a ferocity that startled her. Yet, no matter how much she ate, the gnawing hunger persisted—a craving that felt not just physical but rooted in something different.
"Is this all a dream?" Mina muttered, her voice trembling as she trudged onward. "My family… gone. My home… gone. I thought that happened some years ago so why am I remembering all of this now. Why can't I remember anything else? And now this—this perverted feeling?" She clutched her chest, her body thrumming with an unfamiliar, shameful heat. "How can I be so consumed by lust in a moment like this?" Tears welled in her eyes as she wrestled with her conflicting emotions, each step a battle between grief and an overwhelming desire she couldn't name.
After what felt like an eternity, the dense forest parted to reveal a bustling village. From the shadows of the underbrush, Mina watched the villagers intensively. Their laughter, their warmth—it felt alien to her. Her tattered cloth barely clung to her body, exposing her curves and the strange, otherworldly features she'd begun to notice: small horns sprouting from her forehead, leathery wings tucked against her back, and a sinuous tail swaying behind her.
"If they see me like this, they'll think I'm a monster," she whispered, her voice laced with fear. She shrank deeper into the foliage, her gaze darting nervously. But then, her eyes locked onto a young woman moving through the crowd. Her ivory skin glowed under the moonlight, her wild, tousled hair framing an exotic face that stirred something primal in Mina. The woman's beauty wasn't anything much but she was pretty.
Compelled by an urge she couldn't resist, Mina followed the woman as she slipped away from the village, her steps silent through the darkened woods. Her heart pounded, a cocktail of desperation and desire urging her forward. Finally, gathering her courage, she called out, her voice raw and trembling.
"Please, wait!"
The woman turned, her eyes widening at the sight of Mina—disheveled, barely clothed, but she was still beautiful. Mina's cheeks flushed with embarrassment, her makeshift covering doing little to hide her body's unnatural changes. The woman, however, offered a gentle smile, her voice soft and inviting.
"Are you lost?" she asked, stepping closer. Her gaze flickered over Mina's form, curiosity mingling with caution. "Are you alright?"
Mina shook her head, her voice cracking. "My body… it feels hot. Strange. I need… help. Medicine, maybe." She clutched her arms, trying to suppress the heat pooling within her.
The woman approached, her expression shifting to horror as she noticed Mina's horns, wings, and tail. She stared at Mina curiously. "Are you a succubus?"
Mina froze, the word slicing through her like a blade. Succubus. The realization hit her with chilling clarity. That's what I've become. A creature that feeds on the essence of others through sex.
Acting on instinct, Mina gently but firmly took the woman's hands, pulling her toward a secluded grove. The woman intrigued by Mina didn't resist and stared at her curiously.
Mina didn't relent, her grip steady but not cruel. She guided the woman to a massive tree, its bark rough against their skin. Slowly, deliberately, Mina shed her tattered cloth, revealing her curvaceous body. The woman—Fown, as she would later learn—gasped, her eyes wide in surprised.
"I'm Fown, the chief's daughter," she stammered, with a flushed face. "If you're really a succubus I don't mind. Not like I got much experience anyway," Down said bashfully.
Mina silenced her with a kiss, fierce and consuming. Fown stiffened, resisting at first, but as Mina's lips moved against hers, a strange hunger flickered in Fown's eyes. Her stiffness softened, her body yielding to the sensation. Mina's hands roamed, tracing Fown's arms, her touch igniting sparks of desire. Fown moaned softly, her lips parting as she surrendered to the kiss.
Pulling back slightly, Mina's breath grazed Fown's ear. "I won't hurt you," she whispered. "I need you."
Fown's body melted against Mina's, her trembling hands clutching at Mina's shoulders. Their kiss deepened, Mina's tongue exploring with a fervor that drowned out the world around them. The scent of pine and earth mingled with the heat of their bodies, and for a moment,
Mina cradled Fown's head, her fingers tangling in her wild hair, as Fown's moans grew louder, her body arching into Mina's touch.
Mina's eyes locked onto Fown's, her voice low and seductive. "Can I go on? I won't do anything without your consent."
Fown, caught in the haze of Mina's aura, nodded, her face flushed with arousal. "Yes," she breathed, her voice barely audible.
Mina's lips curved into a dark smile. "It's been so long since I've felt this," she murmured, trailing kisses down Fown's neck. Kneeling before her, Mina lifted Fown's skirt, her fingers brushing over the damp fabric of her panties. Fown shivered, her breath hitching as Mina's fingers teased her swollen folds, stroking with deliberate care.
"Please," Fown gasped, her hips bucking. "Don't stop."
Mina's touch grew bolder, her fingers slipping beneath the fabric to explore Fown's warm, slick core. Fown's moans filled the air, her body trembling as Mina found every sensitive spot, coaxing her toward the edge. But Mina pulled back, her voice a sultry whisper. "Not yet, my dear. I want to savor you."