Snowflakes fell slowly from the dark sky.
At an ungodly hour sometime between late and early,heavy breathing and snow crunching underfoot could be heard, consequence of two figures walking the same path, one in front of the other.
The second figure stared at the first one's back, before speaking with a voice muffled by the thick mitts held up against its mouth.
"How much longer do we have to be out here in the cold?"
The first figure looked over its shoulder towards the second one, its tone conveying a mild sense of amusement as it responded.
"I did tell you to put on something warmer."
"I didn't want to dress too warmly."
"And now you're freezing your butt off instead."
Sighing ruefully, the first figure took off its thick coat and draped it over the second one, revealing the fact that under the thick coat it was only wearing a red tee and a pair of jeans.
The second figure stared at the first one in silence for a while before curiosity got the best of it.
"Aren't you feeling cold, Ise?"
The first figure, one Hyoudou Issei, flashed a smirk at the second one.
"The breeze never bothered me from the start."
"A 'Frigid' reference? Really, Ise?"
"It fits the weather, Aika, so why not?"
The glasses-clad girl sighed fondly as she curled as deeply as she could into the fur coat she was given. She stared at Issei's back as the two of them went back to walking silently, before speaking up again.
"Where are we going?"
"Saint Leona's."
She blinked in surprise at that.
"The school Lilith's in?"
"The very same."
"...Alright. Why?"
The brunet turned around towards Aika at that, his gaze shining with something the girl found herself incapable of describing. He turned back towards their path, facing away from her as he responded.
"To answer the questions you've stopped yourself from asking since that day."
The glasses-clad brunette's eyes widened in surprise, before shifting into a neutral frown as she went back to silently following her boyfriend.
The two reached the front gates of the academy only to be met by Lilith, who nodded silently at them before motioning for them to follow her.
They circled around the outer perimeter of the academy grounds before reaching a door marked 'For Authorized Personnel Only'.
Aika's curious gaze stayed on Lilith as the purple-haired girl pulled a key from the depths of her cleavage and unlocked the door. The girl nodded her and Issei in, locking the door behind herself before moving to the front of the group and leading them.
A few minutes of walking and various turns and corridors corridors later, and the three of them were standing in front of a very conspicuous pair of doors.
Made of some type of dark hardwood and with a glossy finish, the most impressive thing about the doors aside from their apparent sturdiness was a pair of golden plaques that lined up to one-another when the doors were closed, each of them having the word 'PRINCIPAL' engraved into it in a variety of languages and alphabets.
Aika raised an eyebrow at the sight before turning her gaze towards Lilith."The principal's office, I take it?"
Lilith's response to the rhetorical question was a snort of amusement before she pushed the doors open, allowing the three of them to walk into said office.
A splendorous sight met the three of them.
Various paintings were arranged the side walls, most of them depicting scenes of nudity and eroticism that could arguably be said to the skirt the line between tasteful and pornographic.
A pair of marble statues of beautiful women stood on either side of a window, one of them clad in a thin, gauzy 'dress' that still allowed the sculptor to give her breasts and genitalia a good amount of detail without breaking realism, while the other one hoisted an urn of some sort, with her own breasts and genitalia somewhat obscured by the water flowing out of it.
Impressive sculptures, all in all.
A large bookcase lined the majority of the office's back wall - the exception being a nine foot tall stretch of wall that the case arched around - with each and every one of the spaces on the shelves taken up by a thick book. Most of the books had garishly colored covers and titles written in a variety of languages that Aika had zero knowledge of. Some of them she didn't even know existed.
The drawings and diagrams on some of the covers did let her know that they were thoroughly not safe for work books unless one's workplace is a BDSM dungeon, though.
A large chandelier hung from the ceiling right at the center of the room and various candelabra lined the wall, all of them holding thick purple candles that seemed to provide much more luminosity than what should be physically possible
Aika's gaze was fixated on the sconces suspending some of the candelabra above the book case.
"If there is something I learnt from the story of the Library of Alexandria," She said mildly, "Is that having fire close to books is a very bad idea."
"No need to worry about that, dear. We have spells to keep accidents from happening."
Aika's head snapped towards the source of this new, unfamiliar voice, only for her eyes and mouth to widen in complete and utter shock at the sight that greeted her.
A series of glowing symbols lit up the stretch of back wall that was untouched by the bookcase. All of them appeared clustered together in the center of that space bound together in a tangle of lines and squiggles, before slowly spreading apart as if a repelling force emerged right in the middle of them all.
More thin, straight lines and squiggly lines showed up, forming a series of varying concentric geometric patterns ranging from basic circles up to octagons, all of them equidistant from one-another.
The expansion of the patterns stopped as their outer rim reached the wood of the bookshelves, ultimately culminating in an extremely intricate diagram of some sort that simultaneously drew Aika's focus and gave her the desire to look away from it, resulting in a mild headache.
Her surprise further increased as the previously very-much-solid wall rippled, just as a pond would if someone threw a pebble inside, before a woman that could only be described as stunning walked out of the wall as easily as if it were as much as a bead curtain.
The woman was slightly shorter than Issei, with pink hair with a purplish tint to it coiffed up into a very intricate bun. She was clad in a smoky gray pinstriped skirt suit that did absolutely nothing to hide just how ridiculous her body was.
Neither the jacket nor the shirt underneath it did a good job in hiding a massive pair of E-cups that proudly defied gravity with zero need for support, if the ludicrous amount cleavage being shown was to be believed.
The skirt of the outfit reached halfway down to the woman's thighs, though it was a mystery whether it was by design or simply because they were incapable of coping with the thickness of said thighs, the prodigious hips the skirt noticeably clung to, and the bodacious and plump-looking derrière attached to them.
A pair of elbow-length gloves covered the woman's arms, while black stiletto heels adorned her feet.
When Aika finally succeeded in looking at the woman's face she was met with a knowing smirk from what looked like an older up version of Lilith, aged up to the point filled with the most mature appeal possible, yet devoid of a single wrinkle, or any other signs of age.
The woman's outfit was topped by a pair of horn-rimmed glasses, really bringing the stereotypical sexy principal/secretary/businesswoman look to life.
The woman glided along the floor, her motions much too graceful and sensual to be described as mere walking, before stopping right in front of Aika and giving her an assessing look from top to bottom. Her lips quirked into a tiny smirk as she all but purred out.
"Kiryuu Aika. I have heard much about you."
Clearing her throat and doing her best to moisten her suddenly dry mouth, Aika spoke up.
"You have?"
"Oh yes! My daughter mentions you very often. The person in Kuoh closest to her that doesn't just lift her legs over her head and ravage her whenever possible. Although..." One of the woman's fingers trailed down Aika's cheek, a devilish smile splitting her face as she leaned close enough to the teenaged girl that her warm, sweet breath tickled her nose as she whispered, "That seems to not be too far off in the future?"
"Will you please stop teasing Aika, mother? She's still figuring out how far her attraction towards women goes."
The woman's devilish smile turned into a pout as she took a step back away from Aika, crossing her arms under her bust as she whined.
"Lilith, darling, why won't you let your dear old mother have just a small bit of fun?"
Aika's eyes widened further at that, her shock - and lust - pushed to the back of her mind as her gaze snapped towards Lilith.
"That's your mother!?" The surprise and confusion was easily audible in Aika's tone of voice, "Not sister, but mother?"
"Oh~" Laveria once again breathed out what amounted to a purr, "What a silver tongue she has, complimenting an old lady such as myself like this. I wonder what else that tongue can do~"
"Laveria," Issei sighed out as he pinched the bridge of his nose and adjusted his pants, "Stop making me confused on whether I should be horny or territorial."
The woman's pout changed back to a seductive smirk as she moved towards Issei , pressing her body onto his own while dragging a couple of fingers down his chest.
"Why not both? I'm sure I could find some way to help relieve both your arousal and aggression. After all, it has been a while since I last partook~"
Issei's grip on the the bridge of his nose tightened,with the brunet silently making a 10 count before speaking up again.
"This is a business visit, Laveria. Unfortunately."
"And I even wore my sexy principal costume..." The woman let out a rueful sigh and shrug before stepping away from Issei, a snap of her fingers causing a desk and chair to appear a few feet in front of the portal in a flash of purple.
Any jocosity and flirtatiousness she was bearing vanished the moment she sat behind the desk, allowing the mild haze clouding Aika's mind to fade. The glasses wearing brunette stared at the wall portal, the desk, the woman - Laveria - and Issei, a massive amount of questions flying around within her head.
A steadying breath helped Aika recenter herself, allowing her to organize her thoughts properly before speaking up.
"I have many questions, but what I want to know the most right now is..." She looked at Laveria, then Lilith, before finally switching her gaze to Issei, "What are you?"
Issei nodded approvingly in response to Aika's first question, before responding.
"Laveria and Aika are more qualified to answer that question on their side than I am, so I won't try to do it for them. As for myself..." The brunet gave his chin a thoughtful rub before answering, "I was born fully human, but some stuff happened and I'm some sort of man-dragon hybrid with some succubus in the mix, now. I think. Honestly, I'm still trying to figure this stuff out."
Aika stared at Issei with wide eyes, shocked both at what he said as well as the surprising amount of candor with which he said it. She took a few minutes to process this information, turning towards Lilith - who now stood beside her mother - prompting her to speak up.
"Mother and I are succubi."
"Succubi? As in 'eat the souls of men through sex' succubi?"
"Essentially correct," Laveria said with a nod, "Though quite a bit more complex than and nuanced than that."
Aika raised a questioning eyebrow at that, prompting Laveria to elaborate.
"Most tales about succubi fixate on the fact that they tend to appear to men in their dreams, stoking their lust and inflaming their passion, before finally going to them physically and consuming their souls. What these tales are unaware of is the fact that succubi don't need to feed on the souls of men, but rather on their arousal.
"There is a force in the world called 'Tantric Energy', which is the energy released by sentient beings when aroused. This energy is the primary nourishment for succubi. Succubi can also feed on souls, true, but that method carries a set of both ethical and practical problems that resulted in it being made illegal for all succubi."
"Illegal?" Aika said in a half-curious half-incredulous tone, prompting Laveria to nod.
"Humans aren't the only beings with set societal structures based on law and order. And just like humans, supernatural societies' rules are tailored to facilitate the survival of the whole.
"Moral and Ethical considerations put aside for the moment, consuming men's souls in the specific manner that succubi are capable of puts a massive target on our backs, as both humans and other supernatural factions will do their absolute best to either kill us, or take us as slaves or vassals."
"I guess I can understand being wary of other supernatural beings or societies - which your words imply to exist - but... Why would you be afraid of humans?"
Issei was the one to speak up next.
"Humans aren't completely helpless in the face of the supernatural, Aika. You should know this first hand."
Issei's words caused the memories and feelings regarding that night to break free from the corner of the mind she shoved them into and jump back to the forefront of her mind.
Chains moving in animated and sinuous manners, sudden clouds of snow and frost, leaps that covered great distances and speeds that made the motions of hands and feet turn into a blur.
The male in the room walked up behind Aika, his right arm wrapping around her waist and pulling her against him, an act which felt no need nor desire to resist, and instead leaned into. His left hand took her own, softly and tenderly rubbing the back of her hand, her knuckles and then her palm.
"Remember that night. What you were thinking. What you were feeling."
And Aika did. Irritation was the first feeling to emerge, followed by tension. There was quite a bit of fear, though it was paired with a desire to survive.
Each new feeling caused a semi-familiar warmth to set within her chest.
She spared this warmth little attention, instead diving even deeper into her memories of that night. More tension. More fear, increasing the closer her assailants got to finding her. A deep feeling of helplessness threatening to completely engulf her...
Then, frustration.
Towards the situation in general.
Towards her fear.
Towards her helplessness.
Towards her weakness.
She felt angry at herself for being unable to make a significant impact in the situation.
Heat.
The anger turned into determination. She had to do something. Anything. She couldn't just watch and do nothing! She couldn't just accept death like that!
Resolve.
A raging fire.
Aika gasped aloud as fire raged within her chest for all of a moment, leaving her unhurt despite how much it burned, before a weight fell into her left hand.
She raised said hand to eye level, allowing her to finally get a proper look at the veritable hand cannon that had been featuring in her dreams as little more than a hazy silhouette.
The gun looked like some sort of silver-colored oversized Desert Eagle, with a series of overlapping lilies detailed onto it in black gold, with a barrel that was almost as long as Aika's forearm, and a grip that looked far too large for her to hold onto even two-handed.
Despite that, she could still easily hold and move the gun around one-handed.
"That is what is known as a Sacred Gear." Issei spoke directly into Aika's ear. "One of many items, weapons and abilities bestowed upon humanity by the biblical god, all for the purpose of allowing us to more easily defend ourselves against supernatural threats."
"That's not all, though."
Aika's focus turned towards Laveria, who finally deigned to speak up again.
"Despite not naturally possessing high reserves or the ability to shape it with their imagination as other species do, human magicians are still considered to be the strongest and most versatile in the whole supernatural world."
"Plus," Issei spoke up, "Humans can also grow strong enough to defend themselves through martial arts, or just by training a lot. Some people are even just born strong for no reason."
He traded looks with Laveria, who gave a discreet nod, before continuing.
"You remember about the Tantric Energy that Laveria spoke about?"
"Let me get this straight... So Adam's first wife, Lilith, ate a fruit from a forbidden tree before Eve even existed. She consumes lust, which is actually a physical manifestation of non-platonic love rather than an out-and-out sin, and becomes the originator, as well as the sole holder of Tantric Energy, which is why Adam and Eve were embarrassed about their nudity after eating the apple of Eden, rather than trying to bone each other to oblivion.
"She splits up into a true version and a shell, the first of which spreads lust and love across the world, and the second of which sleeps with lucifer and originates the devil race.
"She originates two races, succubi and incubi, which hold different aspects of the Tantric Energy.
"Except, because Lilith was, alongside Adam, the first model of humanity, certain humans can also use Tantric Energy as long as they fully embrace their own lust?"
"Indeed." Laveria spoke, "Though, keep in mind that not every person that embraces their own lust can just use Tantric Energy. It requires a natural inclination and talent towards it."
"Alright." Aika nodded. "Makes sense so far. So... How can someone know if they have this talent?"
Lilith took charge of answering this once.
"Humans with talent in Tantric Energy tend to manifest some sort of trait or ability related to its various aspects. The ability to more easily understand other's feelings, blend in with crowds or into the background, that sort of thing."
Issei continued after that.
"Remember when we first met and you tried to figure out my junk size? Well, that ability of yours is a mix of a tiny bit of reinforcement for the eyes, and a more empathy-based sensory ability.
"If you can get him to really focus on running with a lewd thought in mind, Matsuda can give his legs and lungs a minor reinforcement.
"Motohama... He actually reinforces his brain. It's how he calculates the three sizes of women with little more than a single gaze. His ability to actually remember all of that... Well, that's just his freaky numbers-oriented brain."
"I'd like to learn how to use Tantric Energy."
Laveria narrowed her eyes at Aika's words, leaning forward until her elbows settled atopd her desk before asking a single question.
"Why?"
"When we're in bed and Ise's asleep, I like to feel his body. It... It makes me feel comfortable. Secure. So I do it a lot. Almost every day, actually. I especially like to put my hand right over his heart and feel it beating.
"It's how I even noticed that his skin there is different. Rough.
"I knew it was a scar. Despite knowing that, I was happy to pretend that it was just a birthmark, or something equally unimportant.
"I told myself that it had to be a birthmark since he had one on his back that completely matched the one on his chest, and the implications of that thought were... Horrifying. Not something that a normal person could survive.
"But... Everything changed. I know you're not a normal person, Ise. I can't pretend anymore. A normal person wouldn't have survived having their heart run through front to back. But you did."
The brunet nodded solemnly at that, grimacing lightly at the memory of having his heart all but obliterated by a blade of blood. He said nothing, however, allowing Aika to continue.
"I'm scared. I won't pretend that this whole supernatural business doesn't have me on edge, or that it won't take a good while to get used to it. But... The idea of Ise dying terrifies me. Just imagining it makes my heart squeeze in worry.
"I want to become strong so I can protect Ise, just like he's been protecting me, and this whole town, all this time."
Aika completely stunned Lilith and Issei by prostrating herself to Laveria, her forehead firmly planted on the floor as she shouted out.
"PLEASE, HELP ME BECOME STRONG ENOUGH TO PROTECT ISE!"
Laveria's stern expression melted into a light smile, a flash of wistfulness and nostalgia flitting through her expression. She shook those feelings - as well as the associated memories - off, before addressing the kneeling girl.
"I cannot teach you. Not for a lack of want, mind you, but because my position as the Empress of Luxuria entails a series of responsibilities I cannot detach myself from. However, that does not mean that I cannot arrange a good teacher for you."
"I guess that's when I'm supposed to come in."
Aika, Lilith and Issei all turned their gazes towards the same wall that Laveria had emerged from, before Issei's eyes widened in surprise, Lilith's narrowed in knowing delight and Aika's blinked in confusion.
"Aika," Laveria said with a smirk, "I'd like you to meet Xinthia, the interim principal of Saint Leona's henceforth, and your tutor in the use of Tantric Energy."
The figure that emerged from the rippling wall was a 6' tall woman with ear-length Auburn hair arrayed in spikes, modest B-cup breasts, and a build of corded muscle slightly denser than a swimmer's. A light scar split her left eyebrow, and her plump lips were quirked into a massive grin, its intensity matched only by her amber eyes.
"It's been a while since I've had the pleasur- I mean, the responsibility and privilege to break a novice in." Her gaze turned towards Issei, "You were the latest one, you know? Until now."
Aika, who had risen from her Dogeza to stand beside Issei, could do nothing more than shudder under the leer that the hot amazon-type woman shot her, though that shudder was one of fear more than anything else.
A hand on her shoulder had Aika turning towards Issei, who gave her a look of commiseration.
"Hang in there, Aika."
"Ise?" The girl said with trepidation.
"I'm sure you'll be fine... ish."
"Ise." The girl said with fear.
"Xinthia is a good person. Sometimes. I think."
"Ise..." The girl said while trembling.
Before anything else could be said, Xinthia had already hoisted Aika over her shoulder like as much as a sack of potatoes.
"I'll pray for you, Ai-Eh?"
Lilith's words were interrupted by Xinthia, who hoisted her onto her opposite shoulder.
"Ehhhhhhhhhh!?"
"You managed to dodge my training again and again before, but ever since that whole kidnapping thing, my lady has given me permission to toss you into the meat grinder, so no more running away from aunt Xinthia's training camp for good girls (and Issei)."
The two girls turned pleading gazes towards Issei, who suddenly found a particularly interesting book to focus on while whistling innocently.
And like that, Aika was introduced to the supernatural.
-Chapter, End-
Holy shit this one fought me at every step of the way! I don't know how this one stacks up to the previous chapters, but I know that I'll do much better in consecutive ones.
Also, sorry for my long absence. As always, life's been kicking me in the nards over and over again. Mostly health-related stuff and lack of inspiration. So... Yeah. Sorry. Anyways, I hope you all enjoyed the chapter, and see you in the next one!