Of Leaf and Lust - Arc 01

Mom sat serenely nursing a cup of tea at the kitchen table, idly looking out the window at the lovely Spring day. She turned and smiled. My sight instantly zeroed in on the placemat next to her holding my breakfast. The scramble looked extra crispy on the bottom, probably on account of having to keep it warm for so long after it finished cooking. I sat down only to wince in pain as my jumbo sized testicles managed to find their way underneath my thighs. I rose again and awkwardly lifted my package before sitting.

Mom giggled at my discomfort, "Like father, like son."

I was busy stuffing my face with potatoes and eggs and little bits of vegetables, so I ended up making an inquisitive hum in lieu of an actual question. At first taste, what I suspected turned out to be true. The red sauce on top was more of her secret spicy sauce.So good.

"Your father also had trouble with his endowment when distracted."

Awkward to learn my dad's dick size before anything else. I quaffed the huge glass of milk before me. The subtle discomforts of dehydration disappeared with every gulp. I could already feel life returning. The empty glass hit the table and I let out a satisfied ah. It was only when I finished did I realize I woke up today without feeling exhausted.

"Do you need more?"

"Please."

She got up, taking my plate and glass with her. Something compelled me to look at her, to watch carnal beauty in motion. I bit my lip and stiffened my neck muscles.

"Don't hurt yourself. It's natural to want to look. Allure is part of what I do."

I gave in to temptation. "And what else do you do?"

"We mostly lead human lives. The main differences come from longevity, food, and magical talent."

Based on her transformation, I had a guess on the talent. And food she already told me about. I knew I shouldn't ask, but curiousity got the better of me. "How old are you?"

"Oh, my. I didn't think I raised such a rude young man. Asking a lady her age." Her lips quirked up in amusement and the tone made it clear she said it in jest. "About thirty-eight. Practically still a baby in succubus years."

"Do they live long?"

"Immortal, as far as your parents knew."

"You don't know?"

My mom sat back down and handed off the next round of the meal. Melancholy settled across her features and she looked away. Her sight drifted towards the ceiling while she thought of days long by. "No... I don't remember much of my early days. Your parents found me, abandoned and malnourished. They thought I was maybe four years old, but it's particularly difficult to tell the age of a species you've never seen before. They saved my life that day and raised me as their own with all the love and affection I could ever ask for. Besides my daughters, I'm the only known extant succubus. Truthfully, I don't even know if I am a succubus. Texts describing my features and capabilities exist, and we just went with it. If more of my species does exist on Earth, we're quite rare."

"Do you know where you came from?"

"We had our theories. Throughout the world there are rifts in reality, cuts bridging to other universes or planes of existence. They're normally closed, little more than a weakening in reality's fabric, or so small that almost nothing can transit. Theoretically, with enough concentrated magic, one might be able to open a rift enough to slip through. Your parents found me near one of these rifts."

Thoughts of other worlds creeped into my head, of being an explorer like no other before me. What would they be like? Desolate wastes? Teeming magical civilizations? Fantastical advanced technologies? Surely something existed out there if that's where mom came from. "Would you ever want to go back?"

"To stay? No. My home here is on Earth with my family."

Family. I girded my loins for the tougher questions. "Can you tell me more about my parents, growing up?"

"I might be able to conjure something from my memories, if you'd like?"

"Conjure?"

"Yes, illusions come naturally to me. I could show you how I remember your parents."

Would it hurt to see them, even as a facsimile? I didn't think so. I lived a nice life with my family. I'd never known my birth parents. Would never know them, not really. But curiousity got the better of me. I wanted to see. "Okay."

Two people appeared in the room, standing next to the dining table. One, a giant bear of a man that probably gave rise to rumors of sasquatch with his wild unkempt black hair and beard down to his belly, the other a woman with a long thick braid of brown hair draped over her shoulder who looked tiny by comparison but still vastly outstripped my stature. They wore simple clothing, looking handspun or homemade, in muted natural colors. Their skin held the deep tan of people who spent much of their time outdoors.

Mom was right. I did see similarities between my eyes and my father's. Though I hoped I looked less feral. She had conjured him with a manic toothy grin. Mischief seemed to be afoot based on the twinkle in his eyes. My birth mother had an amused smirk, one I shared, posed to be looking back up at my father while they held hands. They looked so real, like those statues at wax museums, but more. It was them. The parents I never had.

Something tickled my cheek. I went to scratch it only for my finger to come away wet. Oh.

Mom held my hand. "I can dispel it if it's too much."

I blinked a fresh set of tears away and shook my head.

"Your parents, John and Aelia, were wonderful people. Kind, giving, easy to laugh and love. Your father's laugh boomed so loudly it would echo in the valleys. He could make a new friend with barely more than a handshake and a smile.

Your mother held the quiet intelligence of the family. Well, everyone was quiet compared to your father. He could talk anyone's ear off. Her decisions became law and he deferred most things to her. She always kept us on track for whatever plans she came up with, but built in leeway for your father's whims. She indulged his childish side and always smiled brightest when he thought of something silly to do and she worked to see it come to fruition. Her legendary hugs--"

The image of my parents disappeared. Mom's head snapped towards the kitchen and slowly pivoted. Her chair skidded across the floor as she burst up to her feet. Simultaneously she lost her succubus form, having returned to her human persona. "Shit. I thought we had more time. Arden, with me."

"What's going on?"

Mom rushed to her bedroom and I followed. "Two supernaturals, relatively weak. They're approaching our neighborhood. Your hatching surpassed our property's wards so they're likely investigating."

"Is that a bad thing?"

The twins still slept, passed out in bed and none the wiser. Mom touched each one in turn. Green and purple vanished. Once more my sisters looked completely human. "Yes. Need I remind you that mages, who are among the supernatural, killed your parents? Take Amerys."

She lifted Esmera onto her shoulder like she weighed less than a bag of groceries. My slightly improved physique didn't allow such casual displays of strength like my mom just performed, but I at least got Amerys into an awkward princess carry. She led us down to the basement.

"We've survived this long by hiding from magical society. Almost all mages stem from bloodlines, which makes new awakenings extremely rare. No supernatural families live near us in this small town, so I'm surprised they tracked down your residue source this quickly. Or at all."

Stairs proved to be difficult to navigate while carrying someone, especially so when the light was off. I supposed mom kept it off for a reason. Ill-fitting clothing didn't help either. Slowly and steadily I made progress down each step, sweat building up from both effort and nerves.

At the bottom of the stairs mom moved only by the dim light coming in from the tiny window on the wall near the ceiling. My eyes were having some difficulties adjusting, but she seemed just as confident in her gait. She literally walked through a wall. I stopped. I blinked. I debated going back upstairs to turn on the light.

Apparently I took too long because mom poked her head, and only her head, back through. "Get in here."

Her head disappeared and an offered hand reached out to guide me. Her tone brooked no argument so I waddled forward and poked my foot into what looked to be a solid surface. My foot clipped out of view. No ripple. No shimmer. Just my bare foot ended and wall began. Cognitive dissonance struck hard. I pushed the rest of myself though, ignoring the horror of watching Amerys in my arms phase through solid concrete.

Barely a step into the room my foot caught on something. I stumbled, but mom steadied me. The hidden room was small. Two cots covered the majority of the floor. Soil lined the foot of the walls. From the dirt, woody-looking vines sprouted into complex angular shapes that tessellated up the wall and over the ceilings. A single large blub shone in the center of the ceiling, casting a light that reminded me of the sun's purity.

Some vines had branched off and woven themselves into shelves for storage. Meticulously organized packaged food and water, enough to last maybe a week for four people by my estimate, filled them.

Some vague extra feeling emanated from the vines. I couldn't put a word to the sensation. The vines clearly had some kind of pattern hinting to me. I simply didn't have the cognition to know what.

"This is the most heavily warded spot in our home. You'll wait in here with your sisters while I deal with the mages."

I laid Amerys down on the bed next to Esmera then immediately sprung back up to my feet. "Mom, no. Why don't you hide in here with us?"

Mom reached over and undid the clasps on a long metal box. She pulled out a shotgun.

"Mom, what the fuck? Are you going to shoot them?"

She started loading shells into the gun. "If I have to. Mages killed your parents, Arden. I'm not going to let them harm my family again."

My mind spun faster. Think, think, think. "Do you know they're here to harm us?"

She paused and stared at me. "You broke my seal on your core. I may not blend with magical society, but I know I am stronger than most. Yet as an untrained juvenile, you overpowered me. What mages cannot control they eliminate like they did with your parents."

"What if we act ignorant? We've been hiding, right? Can we continue to hide in plain sight? Pretend that we're completely out of the loop?"

"Why lose the surprise attack? To what end?"

"I don't want people to die. Surely all supernatural people aren't a monolith of evil. My parents were mages, right? What if these people are like my parents, just passersby seeking to help someone who, in their minds, is probably feeling lost and confused? Besides, if they are evil wouldn't it be better to trick them into leaving us alone? Death would only bring retribution."

Mom looked to her daughters who were still completely vulnerable and passed out from their morning meal. Worry creased her brow. Her fingers flexed around the shotgun in her hands.

"Please. For me?"

She stared down at me. Her hand rose to rest flat upon my chest. "Very well. But you have too much essence to pretend to be a complete novice. You must give me all but your dregs."

Between the questions and emotion and panic I hadn't noticed just how much my core had filled again. A single meal had done wonders for my recovery. It wasn't close to full yet, but the comforting warmth coiled once more into a spring of potential. I released the tension and willed it towards my mom's palm.

She smiled. Where my sisters managed the tiniest of tugs, mom slurped up my offering like a voracious vacuum. In a blink she emptied my entire reserves, leaving behind a brittle aching core. Heartburn beyond any reckoning blossomed in my chest. If my core was a little permeable sphere then my mom had nearly torn it open with how forcefully she siphoned from me. Its shape now more nearly resembled a pill after the agonizing stretching. The bulbous bulging-out portion stung, raw and sensitive like a bleeding wound dunked in rubbing alcohol. But it wasn't a limb that hurt. It wasn't truly my heart either. Something deeper, more fundamental signaled this agony. What is my core? A part of my soul?

Darkness bled into the corners of my vision. Lightheadedness would have buckled my knees if mom hadn't held me up by my shirt. Any semblance of strength left my limbs. Sleep called for me.

She leaned down. Before a coherent thought passed through my head she planted a kiss directly on my lips. Something beyond just warmth flowed from her lips to mine. The dizziness evaporated, but the constant raw pain in my chest continued. "Mmm, thank you for the tasty snack. I look forward to my first meal,my bonded."

Mine, the bond echoed in return. The urge to facepalm made my hands itch, but I simply couldn't summon the strength. I wanted to hide in shame. I should have seen it coming. Esmera just told you, you idiot.

I feebly reached for my chest, but failed to bring my arm up to clutch it. "...it hurts."

"Of course it does. I brought you to the precipice, any more and your lifeforce would have been taken."

"Why?"

"You need to understand that decisions have consequences. I thought the twins' words on bonding would have stuck. It is disappointing to learn that they hadn't. So pay attention this time. To give up a part of yourself without second thought is sheer stupidity. Not only is it rude to your current bonded, it is extremely dangerous. Any entity with an inkling of malice would have taken all that you are and killed you in the process. Raw essence is not to be given freely, except to your bonded. Do you understand?"

The harsh words made me feel like crap. "Yes."

"Good. The path to power is not a gentle one. Until you are strong, anyone can crush you. Whatever drove you to bond three succubi, be it ignorance, innocence, hubris, or greed, smother it. Never do it again. You are ours. And we are yours. No more."

My cheeks flushed. "Okay, mom."

She let go of my shirt and my weak knees were forced to take my full weight. I locked them out to prevent collapsing.

Mom kneeled down on the ground facing away from me. She patted her own shoulders and looked up and over them to see me. "C'mon up."

"Uhm, what?"

"You're too weak from the drain, right? Piggyback time."

I ungainly flopped onto her offered support. Much like my sisters, my weight proved to be no obstacle for my mom's supernatural strength. She helped steady me upon her back with a single hand then rose to standing smoothly without a single hitch of effort. I watched over her shoulder as she put the shotgun back into its case.

A tension left me knowing she wasn't going to pump people full of lead.

"Before we leave the heavy wards, we need a story. I don't know if they can pierce the house's wards."

"What do you mean?"

"Assuming they don't barge in spells-a-blazing to kill us all, they will at some point speak to us. We need to agree upon a consistent story."

"Uhm, can it just be the truth with tons of omitted details?"

"Explain."

"I got a bad case of hearthburn from all the spicy wings last night. You gave me some medicine to help and now I'm just trying to recover from feeling crappy."

"Simple, but perhaps that will be enough. One thing to remember: a novice should not have pierced the veil. So if they are inhuman, do not let it surprise you. No more supernatural talk outside this room. Act as if it were before all this happened until I say otherwise."

Mom brought me upstairs then dumped me on living room couch within sight of the front door. She handed me a Switch controller and turned on the television. A simple blanket covered my body. "Comfy?"

Just act normal. "Could I get some water?"

"Of course, sweety."

The controller shook in my hands. My nerves just wouldn't let me stay still. I tried to distract myself from both my aching core and my ever-growing nervousness by booting up my Tears of the Kingdom save. I couldn't even concentrate enough to remember the last thing I was doing. Link stood onscreen somewhere in the underground and I immediately left the zone. Too spooky for my heart right now. I picked some lighthearted cooking side-quest to find ingredients for.

The doorbell nearly made me fall off the couch in fright. I had forgotten we even had one. We didn't exactly entertain guests. Our neighbors hated us, and solicitors avoided the weird house on the block. Most didn't bother trying to navigate through our little patch of forest.

Mom strode into the living room with a glass of water. She placed it on the end table. "Hmm, I wonder who that could be?"

"Should I go to my room?"

"Nonsense, stay there and enjoy your game. I'm sure it's just another person trying to sell us lawn care services."

My clammy hands stuck to the controller. I tried to keep my eyes on the television and ignore my mom as she casually walked to the front door. Solid, loud knocks rattled the frame. Are they trying to break down the door?

"Coming~" Mom said in a sing-song voice.

She unlocked the door and cracked it open, leaning forward so only her head could be seen through the gap. "Oh, hello there officers. Is there a problem?"

Out of my sight an average run-of-the-mill male voice replied, "Are you... Ms. Trill?"

"Yes, what's going on?"

"I'm officer Vandis. This is officer Rhea. We got a report of a disturbance and we're here to investigate."

"A disturbance? What do you mean?"

"Loud noises, strange smoke. May we come inside?"

"Everything's fine. You can go."

An unearthly voice, overlapping in self-resonance like a slightly offset chorus entered my ears, "Ma'am, I think you should welcome us inside."

"Of course, come on in." Mom immediately said, a smile in her voice. "Though I am a bit underdressed for guests."

The command wasn't even directed at me and its pull to obey made me freeze for a moment. Mind magic? Oh fuck. Act normal. Am I breathing right? I don't think I'm breathing right. Why aren't I breathing right? Breathe in. Breathe out. Play the game.

The front door swung open and I just had to watch, game forgotten. Two people dressed in police outfits -- black slacks, black polo, combat vest, thick utility belt, and heavy boots -- walked in and closed the door behind them. Prominent badges adorned their sleeves and vest declaring them to be DMA agents. I had no clue what DMA stood for.

My mom, even in bare feet and human form, eclipsed both officers in height. One was a male human, as far as I could tell, wiry in build, not like any police officer I'd seen. Every police officer I'd met before had been either jacked or overweight, but not this guy. His hair was buzzed nearly to the roots and his was face completely clean shaven. Searching squinty eyes, like some kind of bad Clint Eastwood impression, scanned the room before ultimately landing on me.

I don't even know what stood next to him. A creature? She (he? it? They?) was the shortest of the group. Grey-blue skin, large glossy solid black eyes, only thin vertical slits for a nose, a too-wide mouth filled with too-many sharp teeth, and black hair completed her visage. Slits on the side of her neck I took to be some kind of gills and webbed fingers ending in sharp claws gave hints of her true nature. Fish lady?

She, too, focused on me. A transparent eyelid blinked horizontally across her eyes.

"Hello." Rhea said in a normal voice. She sounded somewhat feminine. "Who might you be?"