“Let us out!” Carmen shouted. “Come on! Just open!” She banged on the walll.
“Are you sure that’s where it was?” Ichika asked uncertainly.
“Pretty sure,” Carmen answered. “I mean… it has to be, right?” She looked at the solid black wall, the image of the now missing door lingering in her mind.
“I mean. I can't even tell if you’re even next to the wall at all,” Ichika observed. “We need more light. Like...” she looked at Annie.
“I already tried,” Annie muttered. “It’s not working.”
“Annie?”
“I’m such a failure,” she whimpered. “I couldn’t save Mel. I can’t transform. I couldn’t even resist that fucking succubus! It just took one look at her, and I just lost all control. I couldn’t help myself. I couldn’t...”
“Hey, that’s not your fault. I mean, she’s a succubus right? Charming is what they do,” Ichika reassured her.
“Yeah, but Melody was able to resist her,” Annie cried. “She loves me so much, she was even able to resist that. But I… I couldn’t. I didn’t… Does that mean...”
“Stop it!” Ichika grabbed her shoulders. “Don’t you dare suggest that!”
“Chi...”
“Annie. You love Melody more than anything. You two have been head over heels for each other since I met you two. Don’t start questioning that because someone used magic to mess with you.”
“I guess...”
“Annie...”
“Well, well, well, look what we have here.” Another voice intruded. The girls looked to another wall as it opened up, revealing…
“Riri… or should I call you Thor?” Carmen hissed.
“Riri please.” The short Latina goddess smirked. “You all seem well.”
“Since when did ‘well’ include crying your heart out,” another voice wondered as Sue entered beside her.
“Sue...” Ichika said coldly.
The moon goddess took a deep breath. “Listen Chi, I realize I’m not your favorite person right now, but we need to talk.”
“Oh, you just want to talk? Is that all? You kidnap us and now you-”
“Chi!” Sue snapped, silencing her. “Just… listen. If you want to escape, there’s something you all need to do first.”
“Wait, are you about to send us on some kind of divine quest or something? Like those Greek heroes or whatever?” Carmen asked.
“Heh, not a bad guess,” Riri laughed. “You could call it something like that. But less finding the Golden Fleece and more slaying a hydra.”
"Wait, you're a norse god, right?" Annie questioned. "Why reference Greek myth?"
"Hey, I know about their stories too, besides I know you guys learn more about them than us in school," Riri chuckled. "I've learned all that stuff too, y'know. And hey, we didn't even have quests like that for warriors."
"I guess that's true. Epic hero journeys were more of a Greek thing, huh?"
“Wait, you want us to go fight something?” Carmen asked. “Oh! Is it a dragon? I’ve beaten one up before!”
“See, I told you she’s fun.” Riri smirked.
“That aside,” Sue continued, “you won’t be fighting a dragon or anything. You’ll be fighting us.”
The two stared at them. “We’re what?” Carmen asked. “Hold the phone! Why!? What does...?”
Riri made a fist and slammed it into her other hand, a loud thunder clap filling the room. “It doesn’t matter why. If you want to save your friend and get out, you’ll have to fight us.”
“Fine!” Carmen growled. “Bring it on!”
“Wait, you’re just going to...?” Sue tried to ask.
“Annie, wait here. We’ll handle this,” Ichika stated, cutting the goddess off.
“Chi...” Annie frowned at her, “but I...” She clutched her pendant.
“Setting aside that you’re way too eager to fight a pair of goddesses, she’s coming with us too,” Sue stated.
“Huh?”
“Your opponent is waiting to meet you,” Riri stated.
“Opponent? What are you talking about?” Annie grumbled as she rose to her feet and Riri started down the hall.
“I guess we’re explaining there then.” Sue sighed. “Come along, follow us,” she instructed them down a dark stone corridor.
“What’s with them?” Annie asked, trying to fight back her sniffling and trying to compose herself.
“To be honest, I don’t really know,” Ichika stated. “Earlier, Sue seemed really nice and friendly, even cute. But she’s just a jerk now.”
“You know you can call her a bitch, right?” Carmen noted.
“I mean, I guess,” Ichika said with a shrug. “What about Riri? Do you think she’s changed?”
“Not really. She’s been pretty direct and dorky the whole time.”
“Ow, tell me how you really feel,” Riri laughed.
“Yeah, I can’t get a read on her,” Ichika admitted.
“I don’t know what there is to get.” Carmen shrugged.
“That’s weird,” Annie whispered to herself, glancing between Carmen and Riri. “They almost seem like each other. Carmen and Riri are direct, and if what Chi said earlier is true, then...” She looked at Ichika and Sue, noticing a similar sternness and resolution to their eyes. “Am I imagining things?” She glanced between the pairs again and again, and no matter how many times she tried to think about it differently, one conclusion stared her down. “But then… what could it mean?”
“Is something wrong, Annie?” Carmen asked.
“No. I just...” Annie’s voice trailed off. “Oh goddess.” She stared forward.
“Goddess? What are you…” She looked down the hallway and blinked. “Goddess almighty.”
Ichika followed their gaze, taken aback by the darkness giving way to a wondrous and beautiful temple full of mystical runes, familiar pictoglyphs, and gorgeous red arches bordering an elegant golden carpet. “By the goddess...” Ichika muttered. She pulled her hand to her mouth. “Why did I…?”
“It shouldn’t be a surprise, my dear. It is only natural to venerate the divine in this hallowed place,” a rich and beautiful womanly voice answered, echoing through the chamber. The girls looked to the far end, where seven separate shrines stood, each one glimmering with ethereal energy.
Each shrine was adorned with a color familiar to the girls. From left to right they went yellow, cyan, magenta, black and white, red, blue, and finally green. The mysterious black and white one had what appeared to be a pair of crystal orbs glowing with power, a black orb and a white orb, seemingly orbiting around each other.
The magenta shrine was bathed in the dazzling light of a lavender orb hovering before it, which emitted a bright cheery light. Similarly, the blue shrine had a deep blue orb hovering above it, unlike the other one, its light seemed to ripple and shift like the tide. The other four shrines in turn seemed dull and plain, with no such glimmering orbs decorating them. Then at the center, standing before the black and white shrine was a tall, slender, and beautiful woman with dark skin and long braided hair falling to the small of her back. She smiled elegantly. “Welcome to our shrine.”
“Your shrine?” Ichika repeated.
“That’s right. Each of these shrines are dedicated to the goddesses here. Well, mostly anyway. There are a couple shrines for a pair who have yet to enter our fold.”
“What does that mean? And who are you?”
“My name is Isis. A goddess of what you call Egypt,” the goddess revealed with an elegant smile.
“Wait, Isis? Aren’t you like the queen of the gods?” Annie gawked.
“I suppose that’s true in a sense,” Isis stated noncommittally.
“Forget all that! Why are those shrines our colors!?” Carmen snapped.
“Wait, what the?” Ichika gawked. “You’re right!”
“I didn’t even notice that. But why are they like that?” Annie wondered aloud.
“If you’d like to know, you’ll have to finish your quest first,” Riri answered with a grin.
“You still haven’t told us what that is,” Annie noted, crossing her arms.
“Sue, Riri, I’m disappointed. I expected you to tell them before getting here.”
“Tell that to Miss Energy over here,” Sue complained. “She was in such a rush to get here I didn’t get time to explain.”
“Explain what?” Ichika asked. “What do you want from us?”
“Very well, I shall explain,” said Isis. “Simply put, your ability to fend off the mighty Zeus has drawn our attention. And we would like to test your abilities.”
“Zeus!?” Carmen gawked. “Wait, Riri, don’t tell me you three are working for that slime ball!”
“Working for Zeus, huh?” Riri repeated. She then began to grin. “What do you think, Sparks?”
“I...” Carmen hesitated. She looked at Riri with a pleading look, hoping that her gut feeling was wrong. Or was it really how she felt. As she thought about it more something about the situation continued to nag at her.
“Regardless of what you girls might think,” Isis interrupted, “you will not be leaving until we’re satisfied. You will fight us, one-on-one and prove your might.” She snapped her fingers, and in an instant, each girl’s locket flew open, magical energy engulfing them and transforming into their elegant magical girl forms, much to their shock.
“How did you…?” Annie wondered aloud. “Never mind that. Carmen, Ichika, on me! We’re getting out of this together!”
“Right!” the two girls answered as they moved to her side.
However, in that moment, light erupted from the ground, forming bright walls between the girls. “What!?” Annie gasped. She looked to her sides, her friends vanishing behind the luminescent walls.
“Like I said. You will be fighting us one-on-one,” Isis stated. “Although, in your case, that’s not entirely true.”
“What do you...” Annie fell silent as a shadow flew across the ground, a brilliant colorful bird descending before Isis. The bird pulled its wings forward before flapping them, a mighty gust erupting from them, embers left in its wake. From the bird’s form rose a beautiful woman, red tipped blonde hair creating a radiant contrast with the darker tones of her body, the highlights of her skin practically glowing against her skin. She grinned at Annie.
“Thank you for joining us, Hori.”
“Of course, Mom,” Hori responded. “So, this is their leader.” She smirked. “She looks like fun. What you wanna bet that she’s easy to tease?”
“Focus, Hori.”
“Hori…?” Annie repeated. “Wait, if you’re Isis’s daughter, then would that make you Horus?”
“Oooh, someone’s been paying attention,” Hori giggled. “That’s right, sun goddess of the Egyptian pantheon, as you mortals like to call it.”
“Huh,” Annie grunted. “I guess I shouldn’t be surprised you’re a goddess given what Carmen was saying about Thor and Tsukuyomi being reborn as those girls.”
“You’re mostly right,” Isis chuckled. “Although, Lady Tsukuyomi’s circumstances are bit different from the thunder goddess, my daughter, and myself.”
“Different?” Annie frowned. “Different how?”
“You sure do like to ask a lot of questions, don’t you humi?” Hori crossed her arms with a condescending pout.
“S-sorry, I’m trying to be a teacher. I can’t help but be curious about stuff like this. Especially since I love history,” she admitted, a bit embarrassed.
“My, oh my. I suppose Hori had a point. The girls of this era certainly are quite quick to blush, aren’t they?” Isis observed.
“Yeah, especially when it comes to you Mom,” Hori chuckled. “But enough of that, right?”
“Yes, it is about time we moved on to our real task. Annie, Prism Red of the Prism Girls, to escape this place you must pass my trial.”
“Trial?” Annie repeated. “So, what, do I have to fight you? Because, goddess or not, I’m not letting you keep me from Mel!”
“Oh, ho. I can’t tell if she’s trying to insult us or if she's just overly confident,” Hori chuckled.
“Relax, child,” Isis said with a calm and cool tone. “I’m not the young thunder goddess. I have no interest in engaging in violence with you.”
“Y-you don’t? But I was under the impression that Zeus...” she thought aloud only to notice Hori quietly laughing to herself, as if she thought it was a joke. Did that mean that they misunderstood his goals? Or…
“Choose to believe what you’d like,” Isis continued. “But I will not engage in such a poor excuse for a trial. Rather, you have a simple, if more difficult task. Hori here will return to her avian form. It is your task to pursue her and channel her flame into your blade.”
“Channel her… How am I supposed to do that?”
“That’s for you to find out,” Hori remarked with a grin. “You either alight your blade with my strength, or you stay here. I’m sure Lady Lilith would always enjoy another toy.”
“I would never...”
“Ah, don’t knock it till you try it,” Hori laughed. “She’s really good, y’know. Kinda missing her right now, to be honest.”
“Hori...” Isis spoke with a refined if menacing tone.
“Uh, sorry Mom. I’ll try to get better about that,” Hori scratched her cheek. “Alright, human. Ready or not, here I go!” She declared as she ran at Annie. Before the magical girl could react, Hori had already spread out her arms and in an instant a beautiful golden bird with red tail feathers took her place and escaped into the sky.
“She’s so high...” Annie gawked at the divine bird flying through the sky. It was at that moment Annie truly began to understand the bizarre reality before her. Whatever magic was responsible, she was now standing on a bridge overlooking a rustic city made of stone, and Hori had already begun making her way into the city streets below. “W-wait!” She pleaded as she gave chase.
“Good luck,” Isis said with a warm quiet voice. She smiled as she watched the girl depart.
* * *
“Come on, you can do better than that!” Riri laughed as she blocked Carmen’s attack. Carmen grunted as her fist met the goddess’s fantastical armor. She charged her left fist with electricity and threw yet another strike, adding it to the flurry, hoping the force would be enough to shatter her guard. And yet, it was nowhere close to enough. “You’re not going to get anywhere like that.” She goaded her opponent.
“Damn. For a moment there I almost bought what you said about this being easy.” Carmen panted. “I had no idea breaking your guard would be so tough. I know you were known for your strength in all those old legends, but you’re not even anything like those stories.”
“Oh, you thought that just because I’m a small teenage girl that I wouldn’t be able to fight as well?” Riri laughed. “While it’s true my body is a lot different than it was before I reincarnated, that doesn’t mean I’m weaker.”
“Wh-what?”
“Muscles can do a lot, but they don’t have to be massive to get the job done. If anything, the size this era expects of me would only get in the way.”
“Wait, are you saying that in a combat sense or because you’re trans?” Carmen asked. “I mean, if what Vivi and Wisp have said is anything to go by, I guess having big muscles could give you a bunch of dysphoria.”
“Huh? Oh, I think you have the wrong idea about that,” Riri laughed. “I’m not really sure if I’d say the old me was trans. It’s not like I had some huge attachment to my body, even if Loki tried prodding me about it a ton. But I didn’t hate the old thing. I do like this body a lot more though. I get to be strong, cool, agile, and especially cute,” she said, trying her best cute wink. “Either way. This is just the body I reincarnated in, and I just get along well in this body. That’s all there is to it.”
“Is that so?” Carmen smirked. “Guess I still have a lot to learn about this stuff, huh?”
“Hey, don’t feel bad. If I did have dysphoria back then, it’s not like I ever put two and two together either. Can’t blame ya for that,” Riri chuckled to herself. “Anyway, let’s get back on track. My muscles weren’t what made me strong.”
“Wait, they weren’t?”
“Course not. What matters more is awareness. Our bodies are smart and our muscles can do a lot, big or small. You just gotta learn how to work with them. Figure that out and you can do pretty much anything. That’s why I like this new body, it feels a lot more responsive.”
“I see,” Carmen said as she began thinking to herself. “It’s like in one of those training arcs. I gotta fight smarter, not harder, right?”
“I mean, yeah. But that’s pretty vague,” Riri scoffed. “I mean, you gotta figure out what smarter means. Like, figuring out how to swing a hammer isn’t the same thing as figuring out how to use the… What was it called again? The Pythonteon Serum? Uh, I think you get it though.”
“Yeah, I think I do. Alright then, that gives me an idea.” Carmen smirked and readied her stance. She curled her fist and took a deep breath. Earlier she’d tried a variety of approaches. A flurry of attacks. Channeling all her strength into a single blow. Using her magic to enhance her blow. Expelling a bolt of electricity as she attacked and then again after she attacked. None of them worked. But maybe there was another way to empower her strike. She could feel the lightning arc along her arm.
If she opened her eyes, then she would’ve noticed Riri grin. Her grin grew into an eager smile as she caught the blow. “Heh, not bad. Maybe you’ll break my guard yet.”
“Oh, I’ll do more than that. I’m gonna break your guard, beat your test, and get out of here.”
“That’s the spirit. Now let’s see if you can keep it up!”
* * *
Ichika sighed as she made her way through the dark cavernous room. She came to yet another familiar face, much like she had several times before in her wandering. The girl looked upset, giving a frigid glare, brimming with animosity. Seeing her own reflection was beginning to get more than a little frustrating. “You’re getting colder.” Sue’s voice called out.
“If you’re not going to help me, then be quiet!” Ichika demanded.
“Hey now. I was just trying to give you a hint,” Sue answered, clearly frustrated. “I mean, you definitely look like you need it.”
“‘Trying to give me a hint?’ You think you’re helping me? After you sucked the light out of the room!?” Ichika argued to the darkness around her. She shook her head. “I’m not letting you get to me,” she said in defiance, desperately trying to tune the goddess out.
“Brr. Do you treat everyone trying to help like that?”
“Quiet!” Ichika snapped. She tried taking another deep breath, it only helping a little bit to dull the edge of anger cutting through her. She pushed it back down, releasing her breath, a sense of calm reclaiming itself within her. And then she looked at her reflection again.
She shuddered… or at least she thought she did. She thought she should have. But her reflection didn’t. “I...” her reflection whispered. It was so creepy seeing the pristine snow maiden quietly staring back with her quiet and dull eyes. They almost seemed dead, as if all her emotion had been frozen. Was that how she was? A quiet doll-like girl with her unsightly emotions hidden away. She trembled. “N-no… Stop it!” she demanded, a spire of ice erupting from the glassy floor and shattering the crystalline pillar, her reflection replaced with a web of reflections showing a panting girl.
“I have no control over what you see in here,” Sue reminded her. “This place will only show you what you believe it should show you.”
“If that were true, I’d have found you already!” Ichika shouted. “All you need to do is find me, and then you can leave,” she repeated Sue’s words with a patronizing tone. “Let me just stick you in an empty cave and then pretend that you can find me, while I just stay away.”
“It wouldn’t be much of a trial if it were easy.”
“I don’t care about your trial! I care about finding my friends!”
Silence hung in the air as Ichika tried to calm herself down and focus on the task at hand.
“You’ve had it pretty rough, haven’t you?” Sue’s distant voice asked.
“What do you care?” Ichika asked. “Just want to mock me? Find something to make me feel vulnerable and weak and then use that to hurt me?”
The uncomfortable silence continued on, only a handful of sounds, ‘uhs,’ ‘ums,’ and ‘ehs,’ filling the air.
“I know what it’s like to have awful expectations on you, y’know,” Sue finally stated.
“What would you know? You’re a goddess. You can’t relate to me.”
“I…" Sue’s voice filled with hesitation. “I do, actually. Back in the past… I did some not great stuff. I hurt my sister a lot, to the point that the rest of my family refused to speak to me,” she explained. “I… I didn’t understand why I did what I did. At first I felt like I was being singled out, and then, as I was just left there to think, I eventually began to realize a few things. Like why I always felt miserable.”
“Why you felt miserable?” Ichika repeated.
“It took me a long time to recognize the sad face of the girl on the other side. But once I accepted her… accepted myself, things finally started to get better. I didn’t think I deserved it for a while. But I’m glad I did it.”
“I...” Ichika mumbled to herself. She shook her head. “Just stop talking. I have to focus.”
“Chi...” Sue gazed upon the maze of crystals, watching Ichika wander in circles all the while. The goddess frowned.
She had been watching the girl fervently search for what must be approaching half an hour now. She started out well enough, but Chi had been doing a good job of getting in her own way, looking down the right path and then getting in her own head and getting lost again. From afar the problem seemed all too obvious for the goddess.
“Please… it’s okay to let yourself heal.”
“Don’t worry too much,” another voice intruded. Sue looked over to see another very pale woman with long dark hair approach. She had a unique radiance to her that made her skin almost glow. She approached Sue and watched the yuki-onna scramble about down below. “Sometimes to heal, you need to get lost. You should know that better than anybody.”
“I guess,” Sue mumbled.
“It’s okay. They all have their challenges to work through. The others are still deep in their trials too.”
“That’s true. Isis sent me a message earlier. Sounds like that Annie woman hasn’t really figured things out yet. I don’t know how Riri’s doing though.”
“Yeah, uh, she’s really enjoying herself,” the new goddess giggled. “I took a peek earlier. Carmen seems to be the closest to figuring things out, but she’s still not quite there. Although, I wouldn’t be surprised if the fairy girl finished first.”
“Oh, then they’ve already arrived?”
“They arrived a little after you three started. Sweet little Pink has already managed to push on ahead. I imagine Lilith will be meeting with her soon.”
“Well, guess we’re on the clock then,” Sue thought to herself. She sighed. “I hope they can do it before...”
“I have faith in them. You should too.”
“Yeah. I do.” Sue smiled.
* * *
“This place is huge!” Erika remarked, her eyes practically sparkling with amazement. “This Lilith lady really knows how to live,” she giggled. Her eyes lingering on a portrait of the demoness hugging a beautiful woman from behind.
“Really? I think it kinda clashes,” Vivi commented as she eyed a few oddities. There was a collection of seemingly new posters placed sporadically in places that seemed at odds with the otherwise rustic feel of the house. “Still though, it does feel kinda homely, I guess. Nostalgic almost."
“You think? I mean, I guess it’s a bit old-fashioned, but I love the feel of classical manors with all this nice fine wooden furniture. The nice shiny finish that makes all the gentle curves shine. The pretty and cushy couches. It makes me think of my grandparents’ place back east.”
“Oh, right. I forgot your grandparents lived out there too.”
“Yep. We used to live in New Jersey before my family moved out here.”
“The pit of the world,” Vivi teased.
“Pittsburgh’s in Pennsylvania, sweetie.”
“Yeah, but it doesn’t smell like Trenton. You know what they say. Trenton makes, the world takes.”
“I guess you can take the girl out of Philly, but not the Philly out of the girl, huh?” Erika joked.
“I mean. We never lived there,” Vivi admitted. “But Grandma lived in Harrisburg.”
“Oh, that’s close enough to catch the attitude.”
“I guess so,” Vivi laughed before settling into a blissful smile. “Hey, Eri?”
“Yeah?”
“Thanks for being there for me. It really means a lot.”
“Oh, sweetie. I’ll support you no matter what. Even if you’re wrong about New Jersey.”
“I’m not though,” she teased with a confident playfulness.
“I think the beaches would beg to differ.”
“You can’t trick me. I know you moved when you were really little, Ms. 'I’ve never been to the beach.'”
“I… uh… meant west coast beaches…” Erika scrambled, Vivi looking at her with an unconvinced look. “Okay, fine you got me,” she giggled in surrender. “But my parents really talked them up when we finally went this summer. Shame we always visit my grandparents for Christmas and not summer. They sound so fun.”
“Well… there are nice ones when you get away from the ones with casinos like Atlantic City. Especially the ones owned by that one creepy guy.”
“The one with the toupe?”
“Yeah, him,” Vivi groaned. “I remember going to Carmen’s house one time and he was on the TV. He’s so gross. Especially the way he treats women.”
“He’s really disgusting. He’s from New York though, not New Jersey. No, instead it has all that tasty fresh produce, and the woods, and fun restaurants, and...”
“I get it. I get it,” Vivi giggled. “I’ve told you a lot about my trips to the shore haven’t I? I’m surprised you remembered.”
“How could I not?” Erika smiled adoringly, her voice becoming soft and kind. “They were some of the only times that you’d get all cute and giddy back then.”
“I did?” Vivi asked, her eyes widening.
“Yeah. Well those and when you went traveling for Leah’s tournaments. But… It was always kind of amazing. It was always like watching you turn into someone else. It was pretty cute.”
“T-thanks...” Vivi started to blush, as a tingly warmth gathered in her belly.
“And I think I figured out why.”
“Why?”
“It’s because they were the only times that this cute girl got to be herself, even if for a little bit. And let me tell you, she was adorable.”
“Y-you’re just teasing me,” Vivi stammered as she tried to look away, the sense of warmth growing and a tightness forming in her chest. She fluttered her eyes, combating a slight sting in her eyes.
“I’m serious though. I really did enjoy listening to all those stories. And I’m excited to hear you talk about any other vacations in the future.”
“Um… well...” Vivi mumbled. She tried to look back at Erika, her breath hitching as her eyes lingered on the dryad as if to admire her soft curves and elegant sway of her body as she walked. “I’d… kinda prefer not to. B-because… I’d rather if you were there with me. Y’know on those vacations. I mean, if you’d want to.”
“Yeah. That sounds a lot more fun.” Erika smiled. She looked up, a smile planted solidly on her face, at least for a moment.“Hmm?”
“Y-yes’m?” Vivi looked at Erika as she looked at her closely.
“N-no… it’s nothing… I just…” she took a deep breath. Her breath hitched as a gentle blush crept upon her cheeks. “About earlier, back in your bedroom.”
“I… sorry, I must’ve made you uncomfortable. I…”
“No, no. I had a good time. It’s just… earlier, when you mentioned what happened with the track field. I-”
“I’m sorry!” Vivi yelped, her face getting hotter. “I didn’t mean to. I was feeling anxious and… I don’t know what came over me, and…”
“Vivi, I’m not upset. I like looking at cute girls too… Like you,” she giggled.
“E-Eri?”
“I… I mean like, I like looking at cute girls like you do. I mean I like looking at you that way too. I mean like the way your hair curls around your ears, and the way your face gets all red, especially when you’re smiling, and… gosh, did you always smell this nice?” she wondered aloud with a dreamy look in her eyes and a deepening blush. Vivi shivered under her enamored gaze. She shook her head.“S-sorry… you’re just super cute, and… I’m getting off track. What I’m trying to say is that it’s okay to feel horny like that. There’s nothing wrong…”
“I… It’s not a big deal. I’ll get it under control. These… feelings… I won’t...”
“Vivi…” Erika mumbled and then sighed. “I didn’t want to bring it up again, but… Your eyes…”
“My e-eyes?” Vivi repeated, the warmth forming a pool of dread.
“They’re red again.”
“They’re... red…?” Vivi slowed down, her hands retreating to her chest. She shivered slightly as her hands brushed her breasts, the heat growing as Erika’s eyes painted over her, lavishing Vivi’s form with their gaze. Her breath hitched again. It was happening again?
“Vivi? Are you okay?”
“I… I’m fine… I just… don’t understand,” she stammered. It felt like her mind was beginning to spin from and then swim in the warmth. A vision of Erika’s lips closing in on hers, the phantom touch of her kiss sending chills down her spine. She shook her head. ‘These aren’t my thoughts,’ she thought to herself. “This… something has to be messing with me,” she whispered. Something was off about this, it had to be. Something was messing with her, and… She took a deep breath, pushing on and looking forward.
“Is something wrong? You can talk to me. You know that, right?” Erika smiled gracefully. Vivi couldn’t help but blush as her girlfriend’s kindhearted warmth seemed to wash over her… and it lingered even more, refusing to be abated. Warmth began to build within her even more, a whisper forming at the back of her head. A quiet yet insistent pull that seemed to grow, as pleasant as it was unfamiliar and foreign. They couldn’t be coming from herself, right? It had to be this place or… Vivi’s mind flashed to Lilith. She had to be behind it. These intoxicating and wrong sensations. They had to be something she was doing to mess with her, and yet, she couldn’t deny how warm and comfortable it made her feel, wrong as it was.
“Oh, look!” Vivi nearly shouted, choosing to push on.
Erika stood behind for a moment. “They didn’t change back this time,” Erika whispered concernedly. Vivi tightened her grasp, uncertain why she could hear her, much less so clearly. She swallowed, ignoring a tickle at the tip of her ears, pushing the questions and thoughts aside.
“I-I think we’re here,” she said as she dashed towards the door at the end of the hall, desperate to flee… whatever was causing these feelings. She gazed upon the massive wooden panel. There was no door like the locked ones they’d kept passing. The hallway just let out into a dazzlingly large and beautiful place. It was as if Vivi’s dream library had fused with her story time ideals of a ballroom. A large room, vast and open enough for more than a dozen couples to dance, surrounded by a veritable maze of large beautiful bookcases stretching to the tall ceiling above. However, the ceiling went even higher up above the ballroom, revealing an extravagant second floor with yet more books and what seemed to be a cafe off in the corner.
While Vivi stood in the center of the room, Erika began looking around it, her gaze wandering the luxurious space excitedly, only to catch upon Vivi more and more, giggling before surveying the area again.
Meanwhile, Vivi’s mind couldn’t help but continue to spin, the feeling from before somehow growing even more intense. “Stop it,” she whimpered to herself as she pressed upon her blazing cheeks. “This can’t be happening, not now. These feelings aren’t… I wouldn’t…” She shook her head, her eyes darting around the room. She needed a distraction, she needed… her… It was her. The woman from before sat quietly on a nearby couch, summoning a scowl to her lips as she stared at the woman in the back corner of the room.
The succubus sat comfortably on a plush looking velvet red couch, casually reading as she sipped tea from a cup on the fanciful table beside her. She looked up from her book, before closing it and setting it on the shiny white coffee table, which glittered from the rainbow of gems lining its edge. Her free hand busily pet a resting Melody’s head, who sprawled out on the remainder of the couch they sat upon. Lilith’s lips curled into a smile.
“I’m glad you’ve finally arrived my dear,” Lilith spoke, her voice strangely gentle and even nostalgic. Vivi shivered at the bizarre twist of emotions building within her. This woman seemed so familiar, but why? She tried to remind herself of the stakes by looking at Melody, but the blissful smile of the mermaid as well as the kind smile of the demoness made it hard to question, much less fight. “Oh-ho?” Lilith chuckled as she eyed Vivi, a sly smirk growing upon her face. “I hadn’t expected you to start without me,” she whispered, Vivi ignoring her words.
“Melody...” Vivi stared at her zoned out friend. “W-who are you? What do you want?”
“I’ve already told you. My name is Lilith. And don’t worry about your friend. She’s quite comfortable right now, I assure you. As for what I want, that would be you,” she said playfully.
“Me?”
“Yes. You’re a rather remarkable young woman, Vivi. You have so much potential. You can feel it, can’t you?” Vivi trembled, unable to deny her words. “I simply desire to see it unleashed.” Lilith grinned. “All of this has been for you.”
“For me? What are you talking about?” she deflected.
“You know what I’m talking about,” Lilith said with a hushed confidence. “You may try to run from it. You may try to hide, but you already know you can’t run from yourself. You know that better than anyone.”
Vivi shook her head, trying to dismiss the succubus’s clear attempt to confuse her. She already accepted herself. That’s why she was able to stand here now. Of course there was nothing else to run away from. “What have you done to Melody?” she demanded again.
“You needn’t worry.” Lilith asserted. “It’s a charm that puts those around us at ease, calms them, and draws out their inner feelings. Think of it as a sort of soothing scent, which relaxes those around you so they can be honest with you.” Vivi scowled. Surely she was trying to mislead her. There was no way that she could calm down Melody like that. Melody would have resisted her all this time. She wouldn’t just accept this. Lilith chuckled as Vivi realized she’d instinctively declared that thought. “She had no reason to reason to resist. Like I said, it’s a simple charm we succubi have. Not our magic mind you, its a basic aspect of the pheromone we release. You have it too, you know. I can smell it from here.”
“W-what…?” Vivi stammered, shocked by the sudden comment. “N-no! I’m not! Mom might be one, but… I‘m not!” She denied as she pulled her trembling hands to her chest. She winced as they pressed upon her skin. Her soft sensitive skin. Her mind went blank for a moment as warmth engulfed her, her breath easing, a quiet moan escaping her lips.
As her breath hitched, she couldn't help but remember the awkwardness of the first several days after her mother changed. Her increased sensitivity, the deeper sensations she seemed to feel, her enhanced hearing, even her sense of taste seemed to grow more complex, causing her to savor each bite more deliberately. And it reminded her of the words that echoed in her mind at the time, the words of the goddess who'd fought along her side, Athena. 'There may come a time you could change like your mother did,’ she'd warned. Vivi’s breath became shallower and faster as the startling revelation began to take hold. She shook her head, desperately throwing such feelings aside.
“I… B-but…” she whimpered. At first, the idea seemed almost exciting. When her mother became a succubus, she became so strong and confident, even being able to fight back against Zeus, but now… She trembled as the sensations seemed to intensify. It was so much. The warmth continued to nip at her, pressing upon her in ways she could hardly fathom. Her own touch sent tingles down her spine. The thought of another's... of a precious beloved, made her mind drown in fuzz. It was too much. No matter how hard she tried to dismiss it before, the passing sense of arousal and warmth had been building for a week, maybe more. It was already so intense, and it was only growing stronger. It was overwhelming. Was it supposed to feel like this? Was this what it meant to become a... She… She didn't want this... She had to run… She had to...
“That is the essence of your trial,” Lilith said, drawing her out of her thoughts. Vivi looked at her with desperation and confusion. “You must embrace who and what you truly are.”
“Trial?” Erika piped up, startling Vivi. “What are you talking about? And how do you know Vivi’s name?” Vivi blinked as she tried to refocus. How had she missed such a detail? And... Her gaze lingered upon Erika, the warmth edging again at her mind.
“I know a lot of things, my dear dryad. As for what I’m talking about, I’ve assembled Vivi and her friends to take on a series of trials,” she explained, Vivi doing her best to tear her gaze back toward the succubus and focus on her words. “Admittedly, this one here is a bit of an exception,” she said, gently patting Melody’s hair. “The others have already begun their own. All that remains is Vivi herself.”
“M-me…?” Vivi’s voice shook.
Lilith giggled. "Having difficulty focusing, dearies?" Vivi frowned, unable to deny her accusation, but also... dearies? Did that mean Erika was also... "It seems you went ahead and got started without my intervention. I had a feeling this might happen after learning of your budding relationship. I'm glad you made it here, this is much safer under my supervision."
"W-what are you...?"
"As I’ve said, you’ve holding yourself back, haven’t you?” Lilith teased. “That look in your eyes. There’s certainly plenty of fear, but that fear is hiding something else isn’t it? Beyond that are your true feelings. That raw inner desire. That need. It’s so eager and desperate,” she chuckled. “Why don’t you let it out? You don’t need to fight your inner desires like this.”
“S-stop it!” Vivi shouted. “I… you don’t know what you’re talking about! These feelings aren’t mine, this isn’t who I am! I…”
Lilith sighed. “You need to stop restraining yourself, my dear. It’s not good for you. Just ask your friend.”
“My…?” Vivi turned to see Erika standing there looking back with a strange look in her eye. “Eri? Erika!” Vivi called, trying to snap her girlfriend from her daze. Erika looked at her with a smile and giggled. “What’s… “
“It’s okay,” Erika said in a quiet and caring voice. “Just focus on me for a moment. I think I get it..." Her voice trailed off. "I... It’s all going to be okay.”
“W-what are you talking about?”
“I know you’re scared, but it’s okay, I trust you. Whatever is happening, I know that you can handle it. You’re my Vivi after all.”
“I’m… y-your…”
“Heheh, you’re really cute when you get flustered,” she said with a breathy voice, the heat in Vivi’s cheeks intensifying.
“E-Erika… but… w-whatever she’s doing to you… I don’t want you to get hurt…”
“Oh, Vivi. You’d never hurt me. I know that. You’re much too kind for that. Sweet too. And pretty… P-pretty kind… I mean…” her voice trembled slightly. “A cute thing like you couldn’t hurt a cute girl like me, you’re not cruel like that,” she said as Vivi’s eyes hesitantly traced the contours of her body. “Do you like it?”
“H-huh…?” Vivi squeaked as she realized how she’d been ogling her girlfriend. “S-sorry… I shouldn’t…”
“But Vivi… I want you to look at me. I love it when you look at me,” she giggled cutely. “Just like I love looking at you.”
“A-at me…? B-but… there’s nothing...”
“Vivi…” her smile grew bigger as her gaze lingered upon her girlfriend. “Oh, Vivi, you’re so modest.” Erika continued to giggle, Vivi’s expression twisting with concern. “I just can’t get over it. How amazing you are,” she said adoringly. "You're just..." she leaned in close, burying her nose in Vivi's hair and taking a deep breath. "...irresistible," she giggled before turning her gaze downward, "And just... wow, I always love seeing you in that outfit online, but I hadn’t realized how amazing it looked in person.”
“H-huh?”
“Those videos didn’t do it justice. You’re so cute and pretty in person. Kinda sexy too.”
“Wh-what are you talking about!?” Vivi yelped. She looked at Lilith. “What did you do to her!?”
“Heh,” Lilith chuckled wearily. “I haven’t done anything to her. You already noticed, didn’t you? The charm upon her began before you even reached me. This is your power, and I know you’ve already realized that.”
Vivi blinked. What did that mean? Suddenly, a force engulfed the young woman as Erika pulled her into a tight hug. “Vivi,” Erika cooed. “Didn’t I ask you to focus on me?” she asked needily. “Come on. I wanna make you feel good.”
Lilith quietly chuckled to herself. “It’s okay. I know this is difficult for you, but this is important. This needs to happen.”