As soon as he was gone, Elena turned back to Alex.
The lust was gone from her eyes, replaced by a sharp, calculating suspicion.
She stepped closer, and Alex instinctively flinched, pressing his back into the wall.
"This isn't over," she whispered, her eyes narrowing as she scanned his smooth, glowing face.
"You seem to have done something to me. I don't know what kind of perfume you're wearing, or what happened... but I'm going to find out."
She leaned in, her voice dropping to a warning.
"And Alex? If you look at me with those eyes again... I might not stop next time."
She turned and marched down the stairs, leaving a trail of hot, confusing energy in her wake.
Alex slumped against the wall, sliding down until he hit the floor. He buried his face in his hands.
"My, my," the Empress chuckled in his head, sounding thoroughly entertained.
"That was close. And exciting. Did you feel how wet she got? Or were you too busy enjoying her hand on your… sensitive parts?"
"Shut up," Alex groaned, closing his eyes. "I hate this. I hate you."
"Liar," she purred. "Your heart is beating so fast. You loved the submission."
"You loved being small. You better hurry up and accept it, Alex. Because the more you fight it... the more feminine you become."
Alex looked down. The bulge in his pants wasn't going away.
If anything, the residual fear and the memory of Elena's aggression were keeping him hard.
He needed to get through this day without jumping on his cousins or getting jumped by them.
He stood up on shaky legs, buttoned his pants, and walked to the mirror one last time.
Alex stood by the edge of his bed, his hands trembling as he buttoned the oversized red flannel shirt.
It was an old shirt of Uncle John's that had shrunk in the wash, but on Alex, it still looked like a tent.
"Just survive the day," he muttered again, catching his breath.
The heat in his groin was fading into a dull, throbbing ache, but the sensation on his skin was getting worse.
It felt tight. Itchy. Like he was wearing a suit made of dried glue that was about to crack.
"What is happening to me now?"
He squeezed his eyes shut and focused.
"Status."
The blue screen appeared in front of his eyes immediately.
[Feminization Progress: Phase 1/9 (Ecdysis)]
[Energy Absorbed: 6.7 Units (Source: Intimacy/Arousal - Elena)]
Alex's jaw dropped. "What? 'Energy absorbed'? I didn't do anything!"
"You did enough," the Empress whispered, her voice curling around his mind like smoke.
"You made her heart race. You made her wet. You made her touch you. My sweet vessel. That is raw, unfiltered empathetic energy."
Alex read the next line on the screen, and his stomach did a flip.
[Unlocking Racial Trait: Shedding]
[Shedding (Passive):
[Current Progress: 1.5% -> 2.2%]
Effect: The host's old, rough human skin to accommodate the new gene, the body must purge the old layers. Dead skin will peel away slowly to reveal the new, superior dermis underneath. Once the shedding progress reaches 100%, the host will undergo his first Molting.
Requirement: The higher the Ecdysis phase, the more Empathetic Energy is needed for shedding. Empathetic Energy is most efficiently absorbed during intense intimacy (Sexual Contact, Exchange of Fluids, Deep Emotional Bonding). ]
"Intimacy… Empathetic Energy," Alex read the word, his face pale. "Does that mean... sex?"
"Ohh, you already figured that? Or close to it," the Empress corrected. "The Naagin feeds on desire. When that girl squeezed your cock, she was feeding you her lust. It speeds up the process."
"Speed it up?" Alex hissed. "I want to stop it! I don't want to become a woman!"
"Too late," she laughed darkly. "Look at your arm."
Alex looked down.
He scratched an itch on his forearm.
As his fingernail dragged across his skin, a layer of dead, greyish skin peeled away like wet paper.
It didn't hurt, it actually felt amazingly relieving, but what was underneath terrified him.
The new skin wasn't just 'clean.' It was very soft and smooth.
It was a pale, creamy white, completely hairless, and soft as butter.
It glowed faintly in the dim room.
Compared to the rough, tanned skin of his hand, that patch of arm looked like it belonged to a porcelain doll.
"Oh god," Alex whispered, frantically brushing at his arm. More dead skin flaked off like dandruff, falling onto the floorboards. "I'm... I'm peeling."
"You're shedding, usually done by all snakes periodically…" the Empress corrected. "That rough, male hide is falling off. Soon, you will be soft everywhere. Smooth everywhere. Perfect for touching."
She paused, her tone turning serious.
"But be warned, little one. This new skin is... incredibly sensitive for the first few sheddings."
"If you thought the shirt was uncomfortable before, just wait until you've shed the first layer completely. The wind will feel like a lover's breath. A rough hand will feel like a brand."
Alex grabbed the flannel shirt and buttoned it all the way to the top, hiding the patch of smooth, feminine skin.
He felt sick.
It's only two percent, and there was already a large patch of old skin missing over his hand…
"What's gonna happen when it reaches 20% or 50% or even further?"
If he kept having "moments" like that with Elena, or anyone else, he would transform faster.
But if he didn't, he would be stuck in this weird, mutating limbo.
"I just need to avoid people," Alex decided, shaking the dead skin flakes off his bedsheet. "No touching. No looking into eyes. Just work."
He took a deep breath, grabbed his canvas bag, and opened the door.
He needs to get some breakfast and get to the forge without shedding all over the floor or accidentally seducing his family.
Easy, right?
He walked down the stairs, the smell of bacon and eggs hitting him.
"Finally!" A loud, boisterous voice boomed from the kitchen.
Marcus.
Alex's older male cousin was sitting at the wooden table, shoveling eggs into his mouth.
Marcus was huge like his father, bigger than Alex, broad-shouldered, with messy brown hair and a permanent grin on his face.
He was the opposite of Elena: loud, clumsy, and completely lacking in subtle awareness.
"Though you died in the rain!" Marcus laughed, spraying a bit of toast crumbs. He stood up as Alex entered. "Dad said you were shivering like a wet dog when he found you. You okay?"
Marcus didn't wait for an answer. He walked over and slapped Alex heavily on the back.
SMACK.
"Ow!" Alex yelped.
The slap, which usually would have just stung, felt like Marcus had hit him with a hammer.
The vibration rattled Alex's entire ribcage.
"Whoa," Marcus pulled his hand back, looking at his palm, then at Alex. "Jeez, sorry. Since when are you so fragile? I barely touched you."
Marcus squinted at him. He leaned in closer, sniffing the air.
"And why do you smell like... flowers?" Marcus frowned, looking confused. "Did you use Elena's fancy soap?"