[ Five Years Earlier - Ratiora]
[ Imperial Castle - Instructor's Keep, Study Chamber ]
Sera shuddered as a familiar hand slipped beneath the hem of her dress, a cold shiver racing up her spine. "Endure it," her Instructor murmured against her ear. His breath was warm as he pressed slow kisses along her neck.
"B-but, hngh!"
Sera yelped as his teeth grazed her clavicle, leaving a dark mark behind. His left hand tightened around her waist while the other slid further up her inner thigh, fingers pressing deliberately.
"Slow sips, remember Sera?"
His voice dropped to a low growl as he leaned closer, their breaths mingling.
"It won't be good if you eat too fast."
His lips brushed hers. He kissed her firmly, teasing her mouth open with the slow push of his tongue.
And just as Sera's lips parted to accept it–
Sera woke up.
✦ ♡ ✦
[ Ratha Guild - Residential Wing, Guide Quarters, Floor 5 ]
"Wuh!" Sera jerked awake and promptly rolled off her bed. Her head cracked against the edge of the nightstand on the way down.
"Fuck, ow!" She groaned, rubbing the back of her head as she lay sprawled on the floor. After a moment she pinched her own cheek in irritation.
A dream about the Instructor?
Sera winced.
Of all the memories her mind could dredge up, it chose that one. She must be hungrier than she thought.
Sera rolled onto her stomach and buried her face in her arms with a muffled groan.
It was true that, under the Instructor's supervision, she had never gone hungry. There had always been meals waiting for her - small ones, carefully rationed, but enough to keep her from losing control.
But she hated the memory of it.
Hated how every bite had been measured and granted at someone else's discretion.
Hated how that old perverted, sadistic man always acted as though he knew what was best for her.
Still…dreaming about feeding with him?
Sera grimaced.
Her stomach growled loudly. She clutched it miserably.
The raid announcement had completely disrupted her schedule. Her normal guiding sessions, her feeding times, had been suspended while the guild prepared for the operation. For the past three days she had been stuck in orientation - information bootcamp.
Dungeon studies.
Monster identification.
Combat protocols.
Guides weren't expected to fight, but they were still required to attend defensive training and emergency survival drills. Classes ran until two in the morning. Training resumed at eight.
There had been no time to sneak away to the clubbing district at night to siphon kisses and heavy petting from willing strangers.
Which meant Sera had essentially been fasting.
Or, as her stomach preferred to phrase it: starving.
The C- and D-rank espers she normally guided had been reassigned to non-raid guides.
Meanwhile the B-rank espers joining the raid were relying on guiding supplements so they could focus entirely on training.
The next time Sera would have a legitimate guiding session would be during formation training four days from now, when the entire raid team would practice drills together.
As was tradition, the Espers assigned to the raid would begin requesting more intimate guiding to keep their pollution levels as low as possible before the gate. Paired espers and guides often took the opportunity to sleep together. Even those without partners tended to become far more relaxed about such arrangements.
Like soldiers before battle, many sought comfort wherever they could find it.
Sera stared blankly up at the ceiling fan.
I might die before then, she thought glumly.
Die waiting for the pre-raid buffet.
Her stomach growled again.
Food. Food. Food.
Gah, stop thinking about it, she pressed her palms against her eyes, suppressing the rising anxiety in her chest.
The situation wasn't good.
If she didn't feed soon, her control would start slipping. And she absolutely could not afford that.
Previous experience had taught her exactly how dangerous that was.
After all, she had nearly killed someone once.
It had happened only a few months after she first arrived on Earth. She hadn't meant to take that much, but she had been starving and panicking and the man had…
Well.
He was still alive.
But he would never walk again.
Sera exhaled slowly. She had no intention of repeating that mistake.
Sera pushed herself off the floor and began getting ready for the day.
At least orientation was finally over.
From today onward she would finally be training alongside the Espers she would support during the raid, which meant she might finally see a few friendly faces again.
The last three days had been miserable. Guide training groups were not particularly welcoming. Hibiscus wasn't the only guide who disliked Sera. Far from it. The rumor mill had already done its damage.
And hungry as she was, Sera had struggled to keep her temper under control while enduring their petty harassment.
A shove during sparring practice.
A drink "accidentally" spilled into her lap.
A sewing needle hidden inside one of her shoes.
Sera brushed her teeth slowly, staring at her reflection in the mirror.
At my big old age, I'm seriously getting bullied?
She sighed.
The worst part was that dealing with enemies had always been very simple for her.
Beat them into a pulp.
Crush them into paste.
Or eat them whole.
All three options would solve the problem immediately.
Unfortunately, all three options would also alert Causality - the cosmic bloodhound her Instructor had inexplicably managed to make friends with. She shuddered. That was not a risk Sera was willing to take.
She had already tested that boundary once before - when she had nearly killed that man.
The backlash had been severe - her mana stripped temporarily as punishment. For weeks afterward, a red interface had noisily occupied her vision, blaring at her to return to her world.
Sera had lain low in her shabby apartment, half convinced her Instructor had sensed the aberration and was already on his way to retrieve her.
It took nearly a month for her mana to disassemble that obnoxious real-world popup. And it took two months before the tight knot in her chest finally loosened and she stopped looking over her shoulder.
If Sera truly wanted to, she could probably kill every guide on this dorm floor in a single night. But she didn't.
So she had patiently endured three days of aggressive snark from her fellow guides, keeping her head down focusing on her studies.
Sera grabbed her black duffel bag and headed out.
The training hall was already beginning to fill when she arrived. Espers and guides trickled in through the wide double doors, many already dressed in their workout gear.
Sera scanned the room. Then someone called her name.
"Sera!"
A melodic voice cheerily called out for her and she turned her head to see a tall, muscular woman jogging toward her, ponytail bouncing behind her.
"Julia!" Sera beamed.
Julia was one of her regulars.
A blonde-haired esper with bright pink eyes and a broad athletic build, Julia was the fraternal twin of Administrator Risa Agnato.
Their compatibility rate was surprisingly high - hovering around seventy percent, far above Sera's usual average. Which meant Sera could safely pull a decent amount of pollution from her without risking injury. Julia's vitality was strong. Strong enough that Sera sometimes suspected she might awaken to A-rank someday.
Julia scooped her up in a big, crushing hug.
"I've missed you! Sera-cutie-pie!"
Sera wheezed.
"I want a session so bad," Julia continued cheerfully. "These guiding supplements are disgusting. Chalky chewable tablets that taste like dirt. You'd think the research department would improve them."
"J-Julia… I'm suffocating."
"Oh! Sorry!"
Julia set her down.
"Hehe~ It just feels nice being around you and touching you."
She rubbed her cheek against Sera's hair affectionately.
Ah, of course it does, Sera thought, smiling faintly.
People - especially espers she had contact with - often felt an instinctive pull toward her. It wasn't anything so physical as pheromones. Rather, it was part of the natural nature of succubi and incubi. From birth, they unconsciously projected a faint illusionary and psychic influence that encouraged others to remain close to them.
All succubi did it without thinking. It helped keep their prey nearby.
The effect was subtle.
It worked best on people who already liked the caster - those who were relaxed, friendly, or emotionally open. Or those who were emotionally vulnerable.
More like a gentle persuasive nudge than true manipulation.
For those who disliked the caster, however, like Hibiscus, the effect simply collapsed under the weight of their hostility.
"I appreciate the compliment." Sera smiled. This is why she liked Julia - bold, straightforward, and honest, Julia was an esper who spoke her mind and was proud of her athletic build and masculine demeanor.
She didn't hide her thoughts and didn't care about rumors. And she showered her with friendly affection, judging Sera solely by their personal interactions rather than what others said.
Julia continued chatting happily and Sera found herself staring at her lips.
Should I ask her if she wants to do impromptu guiding? She's not a fan of the guiding supplements…
But Julia's not very sly…if we do it, she might let it slip and then we'd get in trouble for an unauthorized session.
Sera couldn't pull her gaze away from Julia's mouth, Julia's voice fading into the background.
Her lips.
They were pink and supple with a subdued shine that reminded her of chapstick.
Hm, Sera mulled. Tempting.
If I could just have… a few kisses. Just a little.
Her hunger was clouding her judgment, sharpening Julia's mouth into razor focus and blurring everything else into the background.
Just enough to take the edge off.
Sera leaned forward. Julia kept talking.
"So then I had to go to the storage room and-eh?" Julia blinked.
"Hey, Sera?"
Sera's eyelids had lowered. Her breathing slowed.
Her gaze remained fixed on Julia's mouth.
I want to bite them.
She leaned even closer. Julia's breath brushed against Sera's cheek.
Closer–
Julia suddenly placed a palm against Sera's forehead.
Sera blinked and the spell broke instantly.
"Are you okay?" Julia asked. "You look flushed. Do you have a fever?"
Sera exhaled slowly.
Ah.
Julia.
Blessedly oblivious Julia.
She hadn't noticed Sera's advances at all.
I'm so hungry I almost made a move. At work. On Julia. That would have been… a problem.
"A-ah, I'm fine," Sera said quickly. "Just a little dizzy. I skipped breakfast."
"Oh no!" Julia dug into her bag.
"You've gotta eat before martial arts training. Here."
She held out a banana. Sera stared at it and an extremely inappropriate thought crossed her mind.
I'd rather have someone's banana than this fruit banana-
She shook her head firmly. Bad thought.
"Thanks."
Sera peeled the offering and began chewing slowly while stretching beside Julia. The proffered fruit tasted thoroughly disappointing.