A World of Monsters Reboot Ch. 01

~I know it's been ages since I last posted. I've been very busy with work and life in general, though it seems to have stabilized somewhat for me. Looking back on what I wrote, I no longer believe it holds up to my standards, so I will be restarting the story. I won't delete the old stuff, though it will now be considered non-canon. Thank you all for your patience. As always, I appreciate feedback and character suggestions. This chapter will mostly be exposition and setup. Also, I'm used to first person, so I may struggle with third person at times.~

Ever since the portals opened up, humanity hadn't had a break. First there was the war with the monsters, then there were the peace talks, which were almost more painful and time consuming than the war, and now we had to completely rewrite society from the bottom up. But, Ira mused, at least it was being rewritten for the better, for the most part. More focus on equality with a concerted effort to remove systemic issues. Joining two worlds together wouldn't be without its issues, but thankfully it seemed to be benefiting both humanity and monsters. Though it seemed that the term monsters was losing favor to the term Others, as a way to refer to those who aren't human.

All in all, Ira much preferred the post-alliance world. It almost felt like he had stepped through a strange portal and entered a fairytale, like in a pre-alliance book, yet everything was beautifully real. Many issues that had plagued humanity were cured through magic, and Ira had found out he had quite the talent for it. Food and water were no longer scarce, and the one issue that groups were still trying to fix was a lack of space for everybody to live. However, progress had been made on dimensional apartments that took up less space than they should, so Ira expected even that issue to resolve soon.

Overall, he thought, he would never want to return to the old world. He loved others, there were so many different kinds and individuals that he never got bored of people watching, watching streams of humans, fairies, orcs, felids, dragons, and numerous others walk past the window, almost completely packing the street outside.

"Ira!" A voice shouted, shaking him out of his reverie. Ira turned away from the window, looking further into the dusty building he was in. Shelves of books lined the walls, and seemed to go on as far as he could see. This was theLast Page, a bookstore that Ira had been working in for the last few months.

After the worlds had been brought together, human currencies started to lose their value, as magic and the advances in technology made moves to make capital somewhat obsolete. However, many of the systems enabling this remained in place, so a shaky compromise had been reached, at least for now. All currencies had been merged into one, the universal Credit. However, most individuals dealt more in barter, favors, and negotiation, with the Credit typically being used for official or large transactions. Ira's payment from theLast Page didn't amount to many credits, but he had been able to negotiate room and board as part of his compensation, living in a surprisingly spacious room upstairs.

"Ira!" The smoky voice called again, and a sinuous woman slithered out of the stacks of shelves and into Ira's view. She was a tall woman, with long black hair, coffee colored skin, and full lips. Her eyes were gold and seemed to see right through a person, and she always looked like she was smirking. She had on a light gray t-shirt withMuse printed on it, pulled taut over her rather large bust. Below the waist, however, she was technically naked, slithering on a long, green snake body, with sharp, shiny scales, pushing her height to well over 6 feet, even with most of her tail behind her.

"Ira, really, you must pay attention!" She said, her smoky voice lilted with an accent Ira could never quite place. "We have customers up front, and where do I find you? Daydreaming. Again." Ira couldn't help but be slightly aroused every time she spoke, her voice itching at the darker, hidden corners of his primal mind.

"Sorry, Lucia, sorry, I promise it won't happen again." Ira said, making a pleading gesture with his hands. "I just can't stop thinking about everything that's happened, especially while I'm waiting to hear back from Lustermore." Lustermore Academy was the premiere magic university in the sprawling city, known around the globe for educating individuals who would go on to change the world. Ira had recently gone through its rigorous placement exams, and was nervously awaiting results.

Lucia's tone instantly went from irritated to motherly, as she said, "Oh, it's no problem honey, I'm sure you made it in. We both know how well you'll fit in." She clucked her tongue at Ira, and then slithered back into the stacks, as Ira watched her smooth, silky hair cascaded down her back. He sighed, crossed his fingers, and followed her into the stacks.

After quite some travel time, Lucia having quickly outpaced him, Ira finally made it to the cash register, where a short catboy was standing patiently. He had short black hair and poofy clothes, and he quickly placed his book in front of Ira. Ira scanned it, barely reading the title, and accepted the man's proffered Credits and placed them in the register as the man quickly left the store, again leaving Ira alone with his thoughts. As cushy a gig as this was for Ira, he was really hoping he could make it into Lustermore. While he knew enough about magic to help with everyday tasks, he greatly desired to know more, to understand magic on a more fundamental level and how it could help him and those around him. Plus, he thought, who doesn't dream of learning magic?

The rest of the work day passed in a blur, as people slowly filtered in and out to purchase whatever caught their fancy. After work ended, Ira made his way upstairs to his room, glad he had the day off tomorrow, and stepped into his room. It was surprisingly sizable, with a twin bed, a kitchen and bathroom, and even a nice space where he had placed a comfy couch and a tv. Waving his hand lazily, he opened the fridge with a thought, and began preparing dinner, a simple casserole. One of the many advantages of the treaty was that magic made the creation of food simple, ensuring even the poorest of people would never go hungry again. Before the war and everything, a post-scarcity world could barely even be imagined, and now it was reality, Ira chuckled to himself.

After eating, he cleaned up with another quick spell, and took a nice hot shower, before removing all but his underclothes and lying in bed. Today, he thought, was just like every other day. Work, eat, sleep, repeat. But, he smiled to himself, tomorrow could be the start of something completely new, a new chapter of his life. And so he slept, dreaming of magic and new experiences.

~

The next day, Ira woke and stretched beside his bed, catching a glimpse of himself in the mirror. He was in great shape, with toned abs he was very proud of, partly due to working out 5 days a week, and partly due to how using magic was like exercising for him. He had mid-length reddish brown hair that curled slightly no matter how much he tried to comb it, bright blue eyes, and, as he checked himself out in the mirror, a noticeably sized bulge in his underwear. CHanging out of his underwear, he tried not to pay too much attention to his swollen member, though the morning wood today was especially firm. He had a large, girthy cock, one that the few women he had been with in his life seemed to greatly enjoy. But, he thought, that was all in the past, and finished getting ready for the day, putting on a nice polo and jeans. Today would, hopefully, be a big day.

Stepping downstairs, Ira first checked his mail, though he found it distressingly empty. Sighing, he started to leave through the front door, around the large "Closed" sign, but was stopped by Lucia before he made it out.

"Sweetling," she hissed, in that darkly sexy voice, "Where are you going? Should you not stay here and wait for your letter?" Even with such casual words, her voice caused Ira's body to shake a little, though he wouldn't be able to explain exactly why. He turned to face his employer, and said, "If I just sit here and wait for the letter to arrive, it will feel like it took decades, but hopefully spending a little time on the town will help distract me from my impending fate."

Facing her now, he could see Lucia was still dressed in the clothes she had slept in, hair frizzy and tight white shirt bedraggled over her massive chest, revealing a hint of toned, dark stomach and abs. Ira catches himself before he licks his lips, and Lucia says, "Mmmm that is a good decision, small one. Go, have fun. I will wait back here to celebrate with you when you return."

Ira appreciated her enthusiasm, though he wasn't quite as confident, and with a nod goodbye, he opened the door and exited out into the street.

As usual, Lustor was bustling, as one of the foremost collaboration hubs between humans and Others. Ira had to press himself close to the side of the street as numerous people of all shapes and sizes passed by him, going about their own busy lives. After a decent bit of travel, around 15 minutes of walking, Ira finally came to his favorite cafe, a small building on a corner namedThe Sugar Spoon.

Ira loved to just sit at one of the outdoor tables and just watch everybody passing by, enjoying a nice cup of tea, letting the day calmly pass him by. Today was very busy, with the streets around him constantly packed with numerous individuals. Ira had begun to notice that every time he did this, the crowds looked more and more diverse, as Lustor continued to be a central hub and melting pot of the clashing cultures still settling in around the globe. Ira sipped his tea, watching people and the day go by around him, still mentally crossing his fingers that he could make it into Lustermore Academy.

~

As day turned to night, Ira slowly made his way back to the bookshop, simultaneously dreading and anticipating what he would find there. His pace slowed the closer he got, but he never quite stopped walking, neatly sidestepping the crowds that still filled the streets of Lustor.

Finally, Ira arrived at the closed door of theFirst Page, the lights inside dimmed. Using his key, he let himself in, neatly stepping between rows of shelves until he made it to his mailbox, in which sat a single letter, stamped with the elaborate seal of Lustermore Academy. Hand shaking, he picked it up and started moving, taking the stairs two at a time until he made it to Lucia's room, and knocked twice on the door.

After waiting a moment, the door opened, and Ira saw Lucia framed by light in the doorway, beckoning him in. She was wearing a tight sports bra, showcasing her tight abdominal muscles and her smooth stomach. Quickly averting looking up into her eyes, Ira proffered the letter.

"It's here." He said, "Thought I should open it with you." Lucia blushed at his words, and bowed her head slightly. "I'm flattered, sweetling. No more delays, now, I want to properly celebrate." She responded, one hand gesturing toward the letter. Not delaying any longer, hands no longer shaking, Ira ripped open the envelope, eyes hungrily devouring the words on the paper.

While most of the legalese made no sense to him, he quickly found the only words that mattered, at the bottom of the page.Welcome to Lustermore, Initiate. Too overcome for words, Ira gestured the paper to Lucia who quickly read it, gold eyes moving swiftly.

As Lucia finished, she beamed and, in a moment of intense emotion, wrapped her arms around Ira and locked her lips against his. Surprised, Ira kissed her back, feeling her long serpentine tongue pushing into his mouth as well. He felt an erection start to swell, as Lucia broke contact.

They stared into each other's eyes for a moment, before her gaze shifted downwards, and that dry smile split her mouth as she liked what she found there. "I have a present for my successful little boy." She said, and Ira again shivered as her smoky voice ran through his ears.