"Hmm."
I open my eyes to an unfamiliar ceiling.
For a few seconds, I simply stare at it, my thoughts slow and heavy, as if I am clawing my way back from the bottom of a deep, lightless ocean.
The ceiling above me is high—far higher than it should be—and intricately carved. Gold-lined patterns arc across polished white stone, reflecting a soft glow that seems to come from no single source.
I turn my face slightly, my body sluggish, uncooperative.
"Where am I…?"
The words leave my mouth in a quiet whisper.
As my vision sharpens, the room slowly reveals itself. It is enormous, far too grand to be any normal bedroom. Golden pillars rise at the corners, their surfaces etched with designs I don't recognize. Dark silken drapes hang along the walls, embroidered with strange symbols that feel ancient, watching. Above me, a massive crystal chandelier floats in place, scattering light like frozen starlight.
Beneath me is a bed—no, not just a bed, but something closer to a throne disguised as one. It is impossibly soft, swallowing me whole, as though I am sinking into something unreal.
'This is not my room.'
The realization hits hard.
This place is far beyond my reach. Beyond anything I should ever see, let alone wake up in. My chest tightens as I try to remember how I got here, but the moment I reach for my memories, pain blooms behind my eyes.
Fragments surface—then vanish.
My thoughts feel scrambled, tangled together in knots I can't untie. I know I should remember something important, but it's as if a wall stands inside my mind, blocking everything beyond it.
"Oh, you're awake."
The voice slices through my thoughts.
It is a woman's voice—soft, smooth, and dangerously beautiful. Angelic doesn't quite capture it. It sounds wrong in the best way, as if it does not belong to this world at all. The moment it reaches my ears, a strange shiver runs through my body.
Before I can stop myself, a raw, intrusive desire sparks to life inside me. Heat spreads through my veins, vivid images flashing through my mind without my consent. The urge to pin the owner of that voice beneath me, to—
"Fufu. Your mind went straight to naughty things the second you woke up."
I groan, bringing a hand to my head as pain surges through my skull.
"Ugh… who—?" My voice comes out hoarse, strained. The heat inside me intensifies.
"Calm down, boy. Let me help you."
Her voice is closer now.
Before I can even turn toward the sound, hands cup my face. They are cool, unnervingly gentle, yet firm enough that I cannot pull away. I am drawn to the right, my vision shifting.
She is lying beside me.
For a moment, my thoughts stop entirely.
Beautiful is not enough. It feels like an insult to even try to define her with such a small word. Her presence overwhelms the room, bends it around her. Compared to her, every standard of beauty I have ever known feels hollow.
Her hair spreads across the bed like spilled ink—deep black with a faint violet shimmer at the ends. It occupies nearly half the mattress, framing her body like a deliberate display. Her skin is pale and flawless, warmed by a subtle rosy hue that makes her look almost alive in an unnatural way.
She wears a black dress—if it can be called that. It resembles a nightgown, loose and thin, barely clinging to her form. It leaves little to the imagination, tracing the curve of her chest, her narrow waist, her full hips.
*chuu*
My lips brush against something soft before my mind can react.
A sweet, intoxicating scent floods my senses, making my thoughts blur. Her eyes lock onto mine—deep violet, like polished amethyst catching candlelight. There is amusement in them. Awareness. Control.
I lose myself in her gaze.
I barely register when her tongue slips into my mouth. Warmth spreads, dizzying and overwhelming. Her saliva is as sweet as honey.
My heartbeat pounds in my ears as my thoughts dissolve into static. I move on instinct alone, my hands drifting downward to hold her waist.
But, suddenly, she pulls away.
The bed beside me is empty.
I freeze, staring at the space where she was just lying. My breath comes unevenly, my body still buzzing. For a brief moment, I wonder if she was ever there at all.
A dream.
A hallucination.
"No," her voice says calmly. "I am not your imagination."
The sound comes from my left this time.
I turn and see her again, lounging as if nothing happened, watching me with lazy amusement.
Before I can speak, she reaches out. Her finger traces my cheek, then slides down to my lips, while her other hand supports her head.
"So," she asks softly, "are you feeling better now?"
Only then do I realize it.
The pain in my head has dulled. The burning heat inside my body has receded, no longer raging out of control.
"It's still not completely gone…" she murmurs, more to herself than to me.
I stare at her, unease and fascination twisting together in my chest.
"Who are you?" I ask. "And where am I?"
Instead of answering, she vanishes.
This time, she appears above me.
She floats effortlessly in the air, her body suspended as though gravity does not apply to her. Her chest hovers just inches above mine, close enough that I can feel warmth radiating from her skin.
"Shouldn't I be asking that question?" she says playfully. "You are the one who appeared in my chambers."
Her fingers press into my cheeks, squeezing them lightly, as though I am nothing more than an amusing toy.
"Well, regardless… thanks to you, I've awakened from my long slumber."
None of this makes sense.
"What are you talking about?" I didn't understand a single thing she said. "I don't remember coming here. I don't even know you. Why would I wake you? And how are you doing this floating thing?"
"Fufu."
She laughs—and disappears again.
I exhale sharply and push myself upright. The moment my feet touch the floor, my body reacts strangely. My bones click and shift, as if adjusting after years of disuse. I sway, disoriented, feeling both present and disconnected at the same time.
Something is wrong.
Very wrong.
I try again to search my memories, forcing myself to think clearly.
"Start from the beginning," I mutter. "I was going to Alex's house for my assignment, and then—"
My gaze drifts toward a massive, floor-to-ceiling mirror of dark obsidian.
I stop. The words die in my throat.
"…Is that me?"
The figure staring back is taller, broader. My body is defined, sculpted with muscle as though I have trained for years. Six-pack abs. Strong arms.
My skin is unnaturally pale, almost porcelain, and my hair has changed—now a deep, abyssal black with violet tints at the tips.
Just like hers.
My eyes glow faintly, amethyst in color, though duller than hers. My face is sharper, more refined, as if reshaped by unseen hands.
Suddenly, I feel cool air against my legs.
I look down and realise- I am naked.
Even my weapon between my legs… it got bigger. I mean, it was not small before, but now, it is…
"…What the hell…"
"Judging by that reaction," a familiar voice says, "I'd say you like your new body."
"Ahhh!"
The woman appears beside me without warning, and I jump back instinctively.
She laughs openly. "What are you, a scaredy cat?"
"I am not!" I snap. "And who are you?!"
I lunge toward her, trying to grab her arm, but my hand closes on empty air as she vanishes once more.
"Rude manner," she says cheerfully.
I turn.
She lies sprawled across the bed in an unapologetically provocative pose, watching me with half-lidded eyes. The heat inside me flares again, responding against my will.
"What do you mean by 'my new body'?" I try to suppress my growing desire and ask. "What did you do to me? Where am I?"
My gaze betrays me, lingering on her chest despite my anger. My soldier is already standing, saluting her beauty.
A little more, just a little more, then I can see her nipples. Her movements are as if teasing me to move and claim her, but I know that if I move towards her, she will again disappear.
She smirks.
"You're far calmer than I expected," she says. "Most beings would have already thrown themselves at me."
"Who—"
"Yes, yes," she interrupts lazily. "I know."
She shifts, her expression turning slightly more serious, though amusement still lingers in her eyes.
"My name is Velora Lust," she says calmly. "And I turned you into an incubus… to save you from your death."
Death.
Hearing this word, my previous memories start surfacing, as if the wall blocking my memories falls apart. And with memories came a sudden headache, as if someone was hitting my head again and again.
"AGGGGGGHHHHHH."