Vol II, Ch 78 – These bedding arrangements are clearly unacceptable. I-I’m not actually meant to sleep like this, am I?!

Seni squeezed my hand as we made our way back to the towering white structure of the main temple building. We walked through the darkening gardens, with her continually shooting glances my way. The silence between us felt awkward, mostly because she clearly had no idea what to say to me but really wanted to say something. I was too caught up in my own thoughts to pay her much mind, my heart still thumping somewhat erratically.

I was completely and thoroughly fucked. And I only had myself to blame. It should have been obvious that going through a portal into the Under of all places wasn’t exactly the brightest of ideas. Now, I was stuck here in this godsforsaken temple and surrounded by demons who wanted to twist my mind until I was their compliant, loving pet. Or at the least some equivalent of that.

Why had I gone to speak to Hetkala? Why hadn’t I just found the way out and simply left?

I shook my head. As if that would have helped me. If not here, then someone even less scrupulous outside the Sanctum would have abducted me. At least now I knew exactly what sort of situation I was in.

My panic faded as we moved through the large arching doors back into the temple, only to be replaced by a surge of embarrassment. It was unlike me to become so overcome by emotions, regardless of the reason. I hadn’t had something like that happen since childhood, and really, there was no reason for it.

After all, it wasn’t as though Hetkala was actually forcing me to do anything. While she claimed she had no intention of allowing me to leave here, I was still quite certain that I could find a way to escape, should I decide to. Besides the barrier, the entrance didn’t seem particularly well guarded. Though that could very well be simply because the threats were hidden. I needed to keep my eyes open for such things.

And as for the dangers outside the Sanctum… I would assuredly come up with something. Perhaps even a deal with the fighting arena.

There was no reason that I had to stay here. Was leaving what I wanted, though?

The promise of magic still lingered in the back of my mind.

Despite being in the halls with passing priestesses, I made two more attempts at casting, confirming that it still eluded me. Perhaps demonic magic was just that much different from the magic of humans. Or perhaps I was still missing something. There was a chance that I could still figure it all out on my own, but why take that risk when the Sanctum was offering to teach it to me?

It would mean dealing with its “guests,” but I would have to drink blood in some form no matter where I ended up. At least here I knew exactly what their intentions were, and if Seni was right, no one would force me into a bond or try to force themselves onto me.

I hoped.

A hidden weapon seemed to be in order.

Part of me hated that I was even considering this. It would be easier, in a way, to run off and prove to Hetkala just how little control she had over me.

At the same time, though, with a bit of planning and magic, perhaps I could demonstrate how wrong she was. I’d seen how strong demons from this realm could be. If I could grow to be as powerful as that despicable ogre, it would certainly shove the oversized moth’s words right back into her face.

In a strange twist of irony, I was essentially back to where I had started before my untimely transformation. My plan to summon a succubus had only ever been a first step to gaining some level of protection from my peers and the others at Fir’va Academy so that I could study and grow in power without consequence. And while the circumstances were certainly different now, my goal was much the same.

The only real question was whether Hetkala would keep her word and find Lilis. I couldn’t help but frown at the idea of trusting her to do so after everything the demon had said. Were her words just an effort to appease me, or would she follow through with them? A part of me almost wanted to believe in her. The rest of me was still filled with doubt.

Seni slowed as we turned a corner, pausing just a few meters away from two knights, or priestesses, or whatever the armored demons standing guard in front of the door ahead were supposed to be. One of them eyed us for a scant few seconds, but they otherwise seemed to take their guard duty quite seriously. Their backs were straight, neither moving a muscle, despite how heavy the layers of gleaming silver and white armor likely were. Both had a sword at their side, and their hands were clutched together in front of them, passive, but obviously ready for any hint of trouble.

Not that they likely needed the weapon to defend themselves, given that I was certain both would be quite proficient at magic.

“Right,” Seni spoke up, breaking the silence. She took in a deep breath of air and released it. “So the lift here will take us down to the private area of the temple. Private for vyxa, I mean. There’s also stairs if you like, but I usually take the lift, even though it’s not that far down.”

She paused somewhat awkwardly, clearly wanting to say more but forcing it down. After brushing the strands of exceedingly long black hair from her face, she strode forward, a hand still pulling me along with her. Seni didn’t bat an eye at the two guards as she casually approached the door. I tried not to look nervous, yet I couldn’t help but feel as though I was obviously going somewhere I wasn’t meant to be. Usually I was either staying far away from guards or trying to sneak past them.

Though, it’d been a while now since my father had sent me to do the latter.

Seni pushed the door open, and it creaked into the outdoor air. A small courtyard greeted us—or at least it was small in diameter. The vaguely circular area extended up and down several floors, something that caught me off guard, given that we were on the ground level.

In front of us, a worn, brick balcony curved both ways around the temple wall. Its railing was covered in flowering vines, and a group of what looked like overly large fireflies hovered around them.

To the left, a series of stairs went downward, and next to it was the mentioned lift. It was small, with a decorative iron fencing made to look like curling vines and leaves. As I stepped fully out onto the balcony my gaze traveled upward. A handful of other balconies and windows jutted out into the odd courtyard from the upper floors, along with a diverse plant-life. Hanging directly above us were two lanterns, glowing with a calm magical light. Another group of the unfamiliar fireflies circled around them.

“Make sure you use this one,” Seni said as we stepped onto the open lift. “There’s always guards at the door on this side. The lift on the other side goes up to where suitors and guests stay, and umm, some of them may take it as a sorta invitation if you don’t already have someone accompanying you.”

I eyed the lift on the other side. It mirrored this one, except it quite clearly went up instead of down. Still, I could see how someone might make the mistake… if they were perhaps drunk or half asleep, that is.

She continued, “Of course, I’ll be showing you around for at least your first couple days, I expect, so it should hopefully not be a problem.”

My ongoing silence seemed to only make her more anxious, so I nodded and said, “I’ll remember it.”

Though she likely could no longer understand my words, it seemed to ease her mind.

The lift took us down to the ground level. Or at least the ground level of the courtyard. I couldn’t help but think of the underhalls of the academy, though they were far less bright and green. We stepped off onto more paved stonework, and Seni led me into a small, cozy looking hall with an arched ceiling.

A long and thick purple rug covered the floor, crooked and creased, as well as quite a few scattered pillows of varying shapes. Some were like normal pillows, while others looked like cutesy demons or animals that I wasn’t at all familiar with.

Pressed between two pillows and the wall, one girl was splayed out across the fluffy rug, fast asleep. Her mouth was open, drooling all over her bright crimson arm, and I watched as her nose twitched from the gust of air we’d let in.

She was also completely and utterly naked, save for the simple choker around her neck. Her legs were spread open in front of us as though to give anyone entering a clear view of her privates. That combined with the heavy scent of sex that lingered in the air gave a fairly clear picture of how the vyxa spent their time here.

Seni let out an embarrassed cough, speaking somewhat quietly as she said, “Sorry, it’s pretty much always a mess down here. We sometimes clean up, but umm, it doesn’t really stick for very long.”

I followed her lead, almost tripping over a stray blanket as I stared at the unknown girl just casually laying in the hall. The sleeping vyxa snorted and turned onto her side as I stepped over her.

The short corridor ended with three open doorways, and Seni led me through the one straight in front of us into a wide circular room. She paused just inside and released the sigh of someone finally arriving home after a long and arduous day.

Then without a word, she began stripping out of her robes. I stared at her as though she’d lost her mind, only to then move out from behind her and notice the other vyxa in the room—all of whom were also in the nude. Much like the girl outside, one was sleeping in a chair, while two others appeared to be making out on the circular bed. Though it was difficult to see them through the sheer, red curtains.

And oh what a bed it was! The circular mattress sunk down into the wooden floor, taking up quite a large part of the room in the center. Ten or more posts rose up from the edges, creating a large canopy that nearly touched the ceiling. The thin fabric of the curtains covered my vision of most of the bed, but an opening directly in front of us and on the opposite side revealed small steps down into the bedding.

I stared, realizing that this was not a bed for one or two people, but one meant for a large group. Which struck me as exceedingly odd. Did they not have more private quarters here? Or at least individual beds?

Seni tossed her clothes to the carpeted floor before turning back to me. And unfortunately, she wasn’t the only one now looking my way.

I fidgeted as curious eyes met my own, counting four pairs in total. The two vyxa that were making out now peeked out from the canopy, their bare red skin outlined against the silky fabric. One of them had shorter black hair, while the other’s hair was a mess of white and black patches with strands that curled in and out of view.

Unlike Seni and I, they all had matching white chokers around their neck. And it was only then that I finally put together what they really were.

They were collars.

“The new girl!” the longer haired vyxa shouted and jumped to her feet before I could even begin to unravel that realization.

The sleeping girl snorted awake from the noise, almost falling out of the chair she’d been curled up in. “Wha?”

Then came a round of welcomes and introductions from all five vyxa in the room, which I completely failed to pay any real attention to. Partly because I was tired. And partly because it was just too difficult to focus with my raging headache and a bunch of nude girls distracting me.

It took several minutes, but Seni eventually managed to insist that we both needed sleep, which calmed their enthusiasm.

“Don’t you have any sleepwear?” I grumbled, still feeling both nervous and out of place.

I did my best to mime out exactly what I was asking for. It took a few tries before someone caught on.

“Huh?,” Seni replied. “Why would you want clothes for sleep? That seems pointless. I mean, you’re asleep the whole time!” Then she stared at me as though I was the crazy one here.

“Oh, I’ve heard of that,” the girl with short hair said. “Apparently some demons like to sleep in their clothes. It protects you from the snow, or from getting cold, I think.”

“But, we don’t have snow here,” Seni pointed out.

“That’s not at all the point,” I mumbled, knowing that none of them could understand me.

“I mean, you can wear the vestment you have on, I guess,” she continued. “But if anything, you might get too hot, right?”

Seeing that this wasn’t going anywhere, I sighed and decided to just give in. It wasn’t as though I hadn’t slept naked before. In fact, I’d gotten used to sleeping that way with Lilis. It just felt quite a bit different to do so with a bunch of girls I didn’t know.

Taking a deep breath, I pulled the circular robe up over my head and dropped it to the floor.

There. Now I was just as naked as the rest of them. Well, minus the collar, which I would definitely be asking Seni and that stupid oversized moth about.

Stripping did not stop any of them from staring at me. In fact, it only seemed to encourage them to look at other places besides my eyes, which made me feel even more exposed.

But I refused to cover myself. None of them were at all shy about being in the nude, and for whatever reason, I didn’t want to be the odd one out here. That didn’t stop me from feeling incredibly awkward, though. Strangely enough, I felt as though I wasn’t sure what to do with my tail of all things. It curled up in front of me, and I grabbed hold of it. Then Seni approached me with something in hand.

“Here. I know you’re nervous. Having something to hug usually helps.”

She held out the plump animal-shaped pillow that looked vaguely wolf-like. At least, if wolves had three horns on their head and a spiky tail. I suspected the proportions were wrong. Surely no animal could survive with stubby little legs like that.

I met Seni’s gaze, her eyes pleading.

Then with great hesitance, I released my tail and reached for the pillow creature with both hands, before stiffly holding it out in front of me. Seni beamed, and I was certain that I heard another girl mutter “cute” under her breath.

“Right! Let’s get to sleep then,” Seni said, with such bright enthusiasm, one might think we were about to embark on an adventure instead.

I had to bring the pillow up against me as she grabbed one of my arms and dragged me over to the massive circular bed. As I stepped down through the canopy and into the fortress of pillows and blankets, my fatigue finally started to catch up to me.

Several moments later, the translating flower was no longer in my ear, and I was lying beneath a thin white blanket. Seni snuggled up next to me, her arms gripping around one of mine, and almost instantly falling asleep. The realm of dreams did not reach me so easily.

But oddly enough, the demonic wolf pillow did help me relax, if mostly just because it covered up my chest.