The luxurious room shimmered in golden light, sourced from the crest below Fleur's abdomen.
She suddenly felt unimaginable power stemming from within. It was as if the world was getting accustomed to her very own existence.
It felt distant, it felt unknown, it felt mysterious. The golden crest felt warm to the touch, but Fleur felt something different inside of her.
"What is this feeling?!"
The illusory figure behind the snake already disappeared, hence, the latter responded to her, "You are being attuned to the world! At such a young age too!"
Flickering particles of gold appeared out of thin air, slowly being sucked towards Fleur.
At first there were only tens of particles, then there were hundreds, then there were thousands, and then there were ten thousands!
The entire room bathed in golden particles, the air rumbled as it coagulated into one single existence.
Fleur struggled to take it in.
She wanted to vomit her soul out of her body as it burned relentless flames inside of her. Alas, she kept resolute, crouching down on the smooth floor while embracing her abdomen tightly.
Fleur wanted to scream but could not do so! No voice came out of her, only a breath of pain and misery!
The pearl-scaled snake watched closely as the particles gathered inside of her. She shifted her gaze towards Fleur's crest.
Suddenly!
Her eyes widened, thoughts flashed in her mind as realization began to set in.
"Th-This!"
The snake then trembled and changed form. The scales became skin, the head enlarged, a pair of white bat wings emerged. Horns emanated from the head and a human face slowly formed, revealing a beautiful yet surprised look!
Her entire body turned similar to that of a human's, only that it was more seductive.
Golden light reflected from her red eyes, "Her crest?! Could it be one of the Apocalypse-Ranks? But which one is it?"
"A golden hue, a bow at the bottom and a pattern resembling a crown on top, numerous patterns that connect to one another as if unified. This one is it.. The Conquest!?"
A few minutes passed and all of the flickering golden particles successfully entered Fleur's crest and body. Due to it, her defenseless body lay down unconscious on the floor.
The Grandmother carried her and put her on top of the bed. She focused on the golden crest on her abdomen, continuously amazed by its existence.
"How did I fail to realize.. This human, if I possess her right now, will I be able to absorb such powers?"
Greed and malice arose within her heart but ultimately dissipated.
"No.."
She calmed herself down and breathed deep, "How amusing~"
Her lips slowly curled into an arc.
*
"Grandmother, did you succeed?"
A pair of footsteps rang in the middle of an everlasting hall where obsidian pillars rose up towards the cloudless sky.
A succubus with black-feathered wings walked alongside a subordinate with white bat wings.
The two of them held great status among their entire species, the latter being the leader while the former being her advisor.
"Nay.."
"May I ask why?"
In an emotionless voice, the Grandmother responded, "Charinah. my child.. The era of the 7th Grandmother shall end."
"W-what!?" Charinah stopped, looking at the white winged succubus in front of her, "E-excuse my tone, dear Grandmother."
"It is excused."
The two walked along the halls in silence for an hour.
Arriving at a single wooden door with an iron handle, the two of them stopped and looked at each other.
"Do you know why I brought you here Charinah?
"Why, Grandmother?"
The black-winged succubus caressed the iron handle, slowly twisting it open and leaving the door slightly ajar.
"Because you will bury me beside the others, and then become the 8th Grandmother.
*
An hour after being unconscious, Fleur woke up facing towards a pearl-scale snake.
The scene that she had just seen still lingered in her mind. Many questions arose but Fleur ultimately decided not to pursue them at the moment.
A more important task was at hand.
She looked down and saw her golden crest. She felt power pulsating deep within, seeming as if an uncontained ability lay inside.
Before she could inspect further, the Grandmother spoke:
"My granddaughter~ you're awake.."
Fleur squinted her eyes.
'Granddaughter? When did I become her granddaughter?'
The pearl-scaled snake moved towards her and circled around the pillows.
"I've decided that from now on, you are my granddaughter. As your Grandmother, you should be more respectful."
Fleur looked at her with disbelief and thought perhaps this was a custom to Succubi..
He shook his head and dismissed that thought.
"My dear granddaughter.. or maybe I should call you grandson, since you were previously a man after all.."
"I was once a nameless with no identity. I have now disregarded that past, I am a woman now so I shall identify as one."
"Owkay~ Have you any questions that you may be curious about?"
Pointing below her abdomen, Fleur looked straight on the snake, "This.. What is this?"
"Oh~ Going for the main course immediately are we? No matter, I was itching to explain it anyhow.. That, my granddaughter, is a crest.. a source of the Song tuned specifically to succubi-"
Sitting straight up, Fleur placed her thumb under her chin, "So am I a succubus now?"
"No, you are still a human.. But you are a special case, ehe~"
She squinted her eyes, "Special case?"
The snake coiled around Fleur's neck, "Yes, my dear granddaughter.. Originally, I marked your previous body to gather your soul and create a new vessel for my being. Your previous self is already dead, or rather, it has died. Right now, due to my Succubus Mark, your original body has turned into a woman and with it, your soul returned thus reviving you.."
"Upon revival, I was to consume your Soul and gain a new body for myself to use and live on for another century.."
"How did you return my Soul?" Fleur scratched her cheek, curious about this peculiarity.
"Well, my dear granddaughter~ that is the power given to me by my Attunement to Souls.."
Fleur massaged the pearl scales of the snake with her smooth fingertips, then let out an inquisitive tone, "What's an Attunement?"
The Grandmother flicked her tongue and said, "You truly lived under a rock, have you? Simply put, all beings in the world is Attuned to an element. Some.. have an Attunement to flames, some towards winds, water, earth, it goes on.."
"Moreover, races have evolved to being Attuned to their natural element. In the alliance, the Dragonborn are Attuned to flames, the Elves favor the winds, the Dwarves forge the earth, the Fishfolk harness water, the Beastmen perfect their physique, and us Succubi control emotions. "
"You humans, however, are different. Somehow, humans always have a random knack for being Attuned to the Song. I once knew someone who mastered Illusions. She was quite the troublesome individual if I may say~"
"The point is humans have the potential to be something great.. Heroes of the past were always you humans after all. Why do you think we agreed to form the Omni-Race Alliance with you all?"
Fleur was lost in thought, she didn't know that there was a whole different world beyond her knowledge.
"Then.. What is my Attunement?"
The snake faced Fleur's delicate face, its round eyes focused entirely towards her.
"That, my granddaughter, is something that we are yet to find out~"
Fleur felt a finger slowly touch her nose bridge, making its way down as if it were teasing her.
Disregarding this, she carefully placed her delicate fingers below her abdomen, touching the golden crest resembling a crown and a bow.
"You mentioned this being a source of the Song, and you've mentioned the Song quite a few times now.."
"I take it that you are curious about it?"
"Yes."
The snake laughed silently, its already curved lips forming into a downward arc.
"I am as curious as you are.."
Deep curiosity emerged from within the snake's eyes. It looked like a deep passion that had long been hidden away.
"Researchers once sought the truth about the Song. The world was enveloped in it as it formed everything, and every being around us. From mountains to rivers, to the races that live in the world, everything is made up of Song."
"They studied relentlessly, trying to figure the building blocks that held up everything. Alas, it took years, decades even. However, on one fateful day, a researcher made a breakthrough. He kept it to himself and went on a journey around the world alone. When he returned, he uttered a poem.."
[When shadows walk the Earth.
The moon absorbs light.
Beings unified, gaze above.
Seeing a tenebrous eye.
Keys of a piano.
Strings of a guitar
The humming of life.
Note of the divine.]
"No one knew what he meant by it, some thought he had gone crazy for going to such lengths. While others theorized that he had reached the truth and had heard the Song, hence the instruments mentioned in the second part of the poem. The next day after, he hanged himself inside a cathedral. The nuns became traumatized not at the sight of a dead body, but of the last moments of his death."
The Grandmother's tone became solemn and dark as she uttered under her breath:
"They said that he was humming an ode, one filled with unimaginable bliss and joy.."