Upon arriving home, I made a beeline for the bathroom, craving the solace of a refreshing shower. The water cascading down, blending the soothing sensations of hot and cold over my naked skin, was a balm for my weary soul. With each lather of shampoo and every lathering of soap, I felt a cleansing of not just my physical body but also my troubled mind. It was as if the abundance of soap bubbles held the power to purify me, washing away the dirt, pain, debasement, and suffering that had consumed my thoughts and soul.

I let myself release the floodgates of emotions as tears and more tears mixed with some laughter cascaded down in the shower's solitude.

The presence of my succubus lineage, as Cala referred to it, my mutated demonic heritage, seemed to have played a role in preserving my sanity, at least to some extent. Nevertheless, my mind, battered and worn, struggled to process the events that had unfolded throughout the night.

Oh, what a fucking night it had been! A night filled with tragedy and turmoil, a relentless onslaught of challenges and revelations that shook the very core of my being.

Fortunate circumstances had granted me the solitude I needed at home. It was a stroke of luck that the girls were not present, likely still recovering from a night of revelry at a different location.

This suited me well as I was spared the burden of explaining the tumultuous events to anyone else, and secondly, it provided me with the freedom to engage in unhindered conversation with Cala, my alter ego.

An hour passed, and I emerged with my hair wrapped in a towel, making my way to the sanctuary of my room.

Shutting the door behind me, I slipped under the comforting embrace of the blanket, burying my head beneath the pillow.

There, in the sheltered confines of my room, I continued my soliloquy, engaging in a conversation with myself. But now, it was time to gather my wits and approach the situation with a rational mindset. The phase of distress and freaking out had run its course, but now I needed to try to use my brain to think rationally.

One question that continued to haunt me was why Cala had resurfaced in my mind, even if in a different form. Now I did not have her powerful body and her assassin's skills, only her mind and something from her strange demonic lineage.

According to her own account, Cala's presence was a result of my unintentional activation of her spirit when I absorbed magic through her body from the ethereal world. Our connection, she claimed, was a consequence of White Flower's possession spell, which had relocated her essence to the ethereal plane, allowing me to manifest in the physical realm.

On the other hand, in my own interpretation, Cala existed as an alter ego, a coping mechanism born out of the madness and anguish inflicted upon me through the act of violation. To maintain my sanity, I needed a construct to bear the weight of my suffering. The succubus narrative provided a vessel through which I could transform the pain and torment into a semblance of empowerment and vengeance. Though, whether I could still be considered truly sane remained a subject of debate.

According to Cala's account, White Flower had made an attempt to separate us, but the intricate circumstances surrounding our unique situation hindered her success. With White Flower possessing both my body and Cala's, the coexistence of two distinct entities in the same space was deemed impossible. It was conveyed to White Flower that a choice had to be made between me and Cala in order to achieve separation, with the potential risk of her own life being endangered in the process.

In my interpretation, White Flower is simply another manifestation of my alter egos like Cala. The concept of separation implies that one of us would cease to exist, leading to a sort of "death" in a metaphorical sense. So, in a sense, she is correct that the notion of separation would result in the loss of one of us.

As I couldn't determine which of the two versions held the truth, although I was inclined to trust my own perspective, I let out a sigh and turned my attention to the next pressing question that plagued my mind: How did I manage to escape from the army's compound?

If my recollection was accurate, and I was indeed at the hospital healing those individuals, it was highly likely that I had been captured and held captive at some point.

According to Cala's account, I was fortunate enough to utilize the teleportation ability known as "call for arms" possessed by the amazons. However, the sheer improbability of that coincidence occurring precisely when I needed it made me dismiss her explanations with a snort.

However, I had no explanation of my own, as I had no recollection or understanding of how I managed to escape.

It seemed that, at some point, I had lost touch with reality, possibly due to being drugged during their attempts to control me.

The encounters with harpies and amazons, the sensation of "getting older," all those things might have been hallucinations induced by the drugs they administered.

Nevertheless, despite the haze in my mind, I must have found a way to magically extricate myself from that situation and presumably return home. While I longed to comprehend the details of how I achieved such a feat, it is often in times of extreme stress that our bodies and minds can exhibit remarkable capabilities.

Why would that not apply to magic too?

So, what do I have now?

First of all, I know that I'm not crazy; I mean, I'm not just imagining all these things. Magic is undeniably real, but it's not something that can be easily researched and tested. It's fucking magic, for crying out loud!

And then I found myself confiding in Hew. Why Hew? Why did I choose to reveal all this to him when nobody else knew so much about me?

The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

Maybe it was because he happened to be there at the right moment, and I felt a sense of trust towards him. I can only hope that he won't betray me.

I nestled my head deeper under the pillow, seeking refuge in its softness and feathers.

What should I do now? Should I talk to my parents, as I had considered earlier?

Things have changed. What would I even tell them now? That I had become a succubus?

No, that was out of the question.

Or that I was a witch?

While I knew deep down that I wasn't crazy, how could I provide any proof if I tried to explain it to them now? The truth was, I had no evidence to back up my claims.

Perhaps I could intentionally inflict wounds on myself and then heal them in front of someone, proving my supernatural abilities.

I scoffed quietly from beneath the pillow, thinking of the only way how I could heal myself with my new witch self-iteration. That was hardly the kind of demonstration I wanted to perform for my parents, or anyone else for that matter.

For now, it seemed more sensible to postpone that conversation until I had something concrete to show them, something that could provide tangible proof of my extraordinary circumstances.

So what should I do?

"You should try to help Matt. You cannot ignore him." -I told myself.

I pondered my alter ego's words and let out a sigh, raising an eyebrow in response.

"How exactly do you suggest I help him? I can't just go on a succubus-killing spree to gather life energy, can I? After he undergoes the operation, all I can do is pray that he pulls through."

"Not true."

I listened to Cala's explanation and contemplated her suggestion. Extracting a fraction of life power from several individuals seemed like a little less drastic approach than resorting to taking someone's life, especially knowing that they would completely recover in a week or two.

"So, you're saying I could gather the necessary life power by extracting a small fraction from multiple individuals? How many would I need for that?" I asked, my curiosity piqued.

Cala nodded.

"Around ten to twelve people should be sufficient to replenish your energy and enable you to aid Matt," she replied.

I was taken aback by her suggestion, almost choking on my own breath. "So, if I understand correctly, you're suggesting that I... sleep with a dozen individuals? Are you insane?" I exclaimed.

She let out a sigh, clearly exasperated by my reaction.

"No, that's not what I meant!" she retorted.

I was confused. "Then how does this whole thing work?" I asked, trying to grasp her explanation.

"The sexual act itself is not absolutely necessary. It's just a means to an end," she clarified. "What you're actually doing is a less potent form of life-stealing, and to accomplish that, you need to lower their natural defenses and awareness. Kissing can also work; you did something similar with Matt. You can utilize your succubus gaze to entice them and your succubus voice to command them, then extract their life power through kissing. It's a feasible approach."

I let out a scoff. "Succubus gaze? What's that supposed to be?"

She responded with a snort. "You've already used it with the cook and Hew. By the way, you shouldn't use it with Hew! I thought you two were friends!"

That caught me off guard.

"With Hew? I used it with Hew?"

"Yes, when you asked him to drive you home!"

"Oh, so that's why you were angry with me," I murmured, realizing I had unknowingly used the succubus gaze. I sighed and raised my shoulders in apology but quickly refocused on the main topic at hand. "Alright, so I have to lure some guys and kiss them? Just like that? And then what? Tell them to go away?" I swallowed, feeling uneasy. "Isn't there any other way?"

She shrugged nonchalantly.

"It's not that straightforward. A simple kiss won't be sufficient, especially since you're still a low-level succubus."

"But it worked with Matt?"

"It worked with Matt because you were performing a reverse spell, empowering him. When it comes to extracting life force, it's different. It goes against their will and the natural order, so you need to break their resistance. That's why it takes time. Succubi are actually one of the weakest life stealers. When you're using kissing as the method, it's even slower. With your level, it would take around fifteen to twenty minutes before you can properly extract some life power. If you take too much, you can give them a little bit back. That's why the reverse spell exists. You'll notice that they enter a kind of trance and are only partially aware of what's happening."

I felt a sense of unease as I processed the planned procedure.

"So, I'll be tricking them?" I asked, my voice tinged with uncertainty.

She burst into hearty laughter.

"Are you feeling a bit let down? Well, you can always choose to sleep with them if you prefer. That would be faster and more efficient!"

I let out a snort. That was not the cause of my objection.

I turned and sat on my bed, burying my head in my hands as I rested my elbows on my knees. I needed to think this through.

The idea of having to hook up with multiple guys sent shivers down my spine, but at least I had the choice in selecting them. Shouldn't I do it if twenty minutes of kissing multiplied by ten poor slobs could ensure Matt's survival? Was my pride and shame worth more than his life?

Could I live with myself if he died after the operation, knowing that I had hesitated?

A deep sigh escaped from the depths of my troubled soul. I had made up my mind.

I would do it.

But if it took around half an hour per person, I would need at least five to six hours to complete the task. Time was of the essence, and I needed to act swiftly.

Strangely enough, I felt a strange mix of nerves and excitement bubbling within me as I prepared myself for this unconventional hunt.