The crimson light of the blood moon cast an eerie glow over the scene, bathing the five beautiful MILF women in a sinister radiance. Each of them stood proudly, their flawless, naked bodies illuminated by the moon's haunting light.
Their hair cascaded down in waves of fiery reds, earthly brown, deep blue, blonde and inky green, framing faces that exuded a mix of seduction and menace. Their hair and pupils tinged a deep crimson, gleamed with a predatory intensity as they gazed down at the shriveled and dried up corpses of their victims at their feet.
The women's curves were accentuated by the shadows and light, creating a captivating dance of light and dark across their skin. Their movements were fluid and confident, exuding a primal power that seemed to ripple through the very air around them.
The air was thick with a heady mix of fear and desire as the women stood tall and unapologetic, their beauty belying the deadly nature of their actions. In that moment, they were as intoxicating as they were terrifying under the unblinking gaze of the blood moon.
“Huhuhu”
Sera, stunned by the scene before her, was jolted by Hecate's chuckle.
“So, what kind of ritual was this?” Sera asked, still in awe.
“It's a massive advancement ritual unique to our race,” Hecate explained. “It allows us five, along with everyone who participated, to complete at least one phase of reversion for our magical bodies.”
“The ritual requires a vast number of victims with substantial magical and life force capacity and can only be performed during a blood moon eclipse. The process involves:
* Contacting and binding a temporary contract with Red Moon Nymph Spirits.
* Gathering and marking a large number of victims who have high mana capacity and lifeforce. Which is a time taking process. You already know what the marking process is.
* Activating the massive magic circle by singing the ritual song of the red moon nymphs. This is the hardest part as it involves drawing the magic circle and ensuring that it doesn’t get erased during the orgy.
* Summoning the presence of a High-Ranked Demon Noble of our race and the red moon nymphs on the night of the blood moon eclipse.
* Participants must be of red moon nymph descent i.e., even if it is diluted they must have the bloodline of our race, only then will they be able to guide the energies in our body during the reversion process since they exist at a higher level.
* The one conducting the ritual must at the very least be able to activate the circle.
“As compensation, the high level entity will take the souls of the victims, while the red moon nymphs will take a portion of the drained energy.
“The ritual was planned for months before the Marquess incident. We came up with this undertaking as soon as we heard your plan to use the church to eliminate the Marquess. Your contribution is much appreciated.
“The rare red moon eclipse was at hand. The focus of the priests and the empire is on the awakening ceremony. And we had ample prey, who were gathered here.
“Not to mention,” Hecate added with a dark smile, “many in the hive would have been reluctant to participate if the sacrifices were innocent, due to feelings of guilt. Since these victims were all people who abused their powers under the Marquess’s protection and their clans, everyone was quite enthusiastic.
“It’s a complex and time taking procedure, where even a slight mistake is unacceptable, but various coincidences helped us execute it.”
Sera listened, absorbing the details.
“How many members took part in this ritual?” asked Sera.
“All senior members and those reaching a threshold in their reversion process, most of the 69 clan members, all the heads of the 17 major clans and their families have participated.
“Excluding Ravenna, her wives and yourself, all her concubines, children including Eleanor, and other notable clan members joined,” Hecate continued.
“As for why Ravenna and her wives did not participate, you should be well aware of their circumstances.”
Sera nodded, understanding.
“To sum it up, most of the members of the hive participated other than those with special circumstances.”
“And how many victims were used?” Sera asked.
“We lost count, but the numbers were significant, maybe about half a million,” Delilah said.
“Even if you add the members including all his immediate family, extended relatives, and their loyal followers, and other demonkin clans who are known to be in acquaintance with the Marquess. Would they add up to half a million?” Sera asked, incredulous.
Salome chuckled darkly. “You would be surprised.”
Jezebel chuckled, “Not to mention, we have a lot saved up in the underground prison as food stock.”
At this moment, the terrace door opened, revealing a sexy curvy blonde Milf, in the hive’s maid outfit, with hair cascading around her shoulders, deeply exposed cleavage and thighs.
She carried several thigh-length, thin, white robes and began draping them over the five matriarchs.
Sera, watching this, thought, ‘Is she the old nanny?’
After a moment, Hecate's gaze turned toward Sera. “So, Seraphina, how have you been?”
“I am fine.”
“Indeed, you’re still sane. What were their names again?” Hecate asked, trying to recall.
“Tia and Vina, madam,” the maid hinted.
“Ah, yes, Ardentia and Corvina.”
“Ardentia has especially become the lucky charm to both of you, I see. When will you introduce us to our grandchildren?”
“If possible, not in this lifetime,” Sera replied sharply.
“Hahaha”
The five matriarchs chortled at her response.
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“Don’t worry, we won’t eat them,” Delilah teased.
Sera furrowed her brows in response.
“Oh my, look at how possessive you are,” teased Cercie.
While the chief maid continued to don the matriarchs with loose white robes, which are still left untied and only covered their boobs leaving their feminine core exposed.
“Alright, enough teasing,” Hecate interjected.
“So, what is the reason for your visit, Seraphina?”
“I’ll get straight to the point then.” Sera said firmly.
“Why are you not giving me Lamia's Embrace?”
“As far as I read in the clan records, this artifact was an old antique, rotting and collecting dust in our treasury until I took it out. No one cared for it, no one could use it either due to its side effects.
“To get it, I had already made substantial contributions to the hive. I have fast forwarded our hive’s development by at least a century. Even now you have reaped its after effects in this ritual.
Even if I want to accomplish something similar, you and I know that we can't take that kind of risk. And I am also incapable of doing anything more due to my lack of magic aptitude.
“You’ve previously given more valuable artifacts to others with less contribution. So why am I being denied?”
Jezebel tried to explain, “Seraphina, you should understand that this artifact is a symbol of our clan. It holds more symbolic value than practical use…”
“Enough with your cock and bull,” Sera raised her voice.
“Even if you won’t give it to me outright, you could at least lend it to me for the remainder of my life. It could be returned to the clan in 50 years or so.”
“Don’t tell me you people are seriously thinking of making me and my children into breeding sows for the clan?”
“Seraphina...” Salome, softened, tried to say something.
“I know.” Sera cut her off, her voice steady.
“No matter how special the three of us are, you guys are not such kind of people. You treat everyone in the hive as your own children. You think of me as your own granddaughter. That is why we respect you as our matriarchs. That is also why I am asking. Tell me the truth. What are you hiding?”
Copyright © [December] [2024] [The Rainy Imp]. All rights reserved.
The five matriarchs exchanged uneasy glances, a silent acknowledgment passing between them.
Delilah sighed deeply, “Go get those documents from our chamber.”
“Yes mistress.” The nanny left promptly.
As the door closed behind her, Hecate turned to Sera. “Seraphina, why do you think we’ve been so reluctant to hand over the artifact?”
Sera paused, “At first, I thought it was because you didn’t want me to rely on it, fearing it might lead to corruption over time due to prolonged exposure to its psychotic influence.”
“Yes, that was one of our concerns, but it was still something we could have handled.
“As a precaution, other than helping with the pregnancy, we asked Matilda to keep an eye on you people so that she could interfere if things go out of control. That is the reason why she remained in the Raven’s Crest, yet she stayed away from the castle so as to avoid getting influenced by the artifact.
“However, your Tia’s constitution managed to rectify that issue for you.
“During the last months of her pregnancy with Ardentia, she noticed that the influence of the artifact seems to be suppressed. After a long time of observation, Matilda deduced that it might be due to the special constitution of the baby, who is yet to be born.
“She was in disbelief at her own deduction for a long time. That’s how ridiculous it was.” Hecate chuckled.
“An unborn baby suppressing an abyss demon. Hahah. It was so interesting. But considering his lineage and the crippled state of the artifact, it might not be implausible.
“But that’s not the reason. You see, this artifact is something we acquired from the abyss in ancient times. It has been used in countless battles, and at some point, it sustained heavy damage. Since then, it has been slowly deteriorating.
“For a long time—ever since the ancient battles—craftsmen capable of repairing artifacts of this level have not appeared in this world. Because of this, no one can fix it.
“Still, the artifact was continuously used in battles, until it degraded to the point where the majority of its features are no longer functional.
“To make matters worse, the artifact siphons energy each time it’s used to drain someone, storing it within. The amount it has accumulated is phenomenal.
“You saw the energy vortex generated in this ritual. We estimate the stored energy in the artifact could be a hundred times more.
“Even if we wanted to use the stored energy, no one knows how to extract it. As the artifact’s deterioration continues, it may release all of that stored energy at once when it reaches its breaking point.
“This massive release of energy could be catastrophic—enough to wipe out half the empire. We’ve been troubled by what to do about this. We’re planning to take the artifact to a desolate area when the time comes, but we don’t yet know where or how.
“Until we find a solution or a place to dispose of it, it could only be locked away to gather dust, acting only as the symbol of our race, with most of its functions being no longer usable.
“Due to your unique circumstance, it finally has some use for you.
“We would have liked to give it to you, even if you hadn’t made contributions. But since you devised a plan, we allowed you to proceed as we thought it would be helpful for the hive.
“We wanted you to find another solution without relying solely on the artifact.”
“Why?” Sera asked.
Hecate sighed. “In conclusion, that artifact is no longer viable. More precisely, it can’t be used much longer. Everything in this world has an expiration period, and so does this artifact. We estimate you might be able to use it safely for another 15 years.
“After that, we don’t know when it will break apart.”
Sera’s heart sank as she listened to Hecate’s explanation.
“We were planning to retrieve the artifact from you before that happens.”
“Ten years ago, your mothers proposed turning you into a breeding sow—currently, it’s still the best solution for you to survive.
“We know you won’t opt for that. You’d rather choose to die.
“This means, if you don’t find another solution—if you still refuse to have sex with others—the most you’ll be able to live is for another 15 years.
“After that, your death is inevitable.”
Fear gripped Sera’s heart as Hecate’s words sank in. She wanted to say something, but she couldn’t.
Despite her relentless efforts, she had yet to find a proper solution to her problem, managing only to buy herself a little more time. The thought of her children's uncertain future, should the worst befall her, weighed heavily on her heart, pulling her further into depression.
The chief maid, who had gone to the Matriarchs' chamber, returned with a stack of papers.
“We didn’t want to burden you with the full truth,” Jezebel continued. “Even though you have little time left, we wished for you to live without much worries. That is why we only gave you pressure indirectly.
Cercie said, “Over the years, we’ve been searching for possible solutions to break your dead artifact.
We have referenced many cases, theories and solutions people came up with in the past. We’ve found many possibilities. Some tried and were successful, but most were failures. Unfortunately, none of them are applicable to you. The race’s inherent drawbacks and your peculiar reluctance seem to be complementing each other, making it impossible to find a viable solution for your situation.”
The chief maid handed the stack of papers to Sera.
“Those documents contain all the information we’ve gathered so far. Go through it. We’ve done everything we can. The choice is now in your hands.”
Silence hung in the atmosphere as the sound of the blowing wind echoed loudly.
Sera, whose mind became blank, at the sudden revelation of her death sentence, no longer spoke. She slowly turned to walk away.
“Seraphina,” Salome called out, stopping her.
“No matter what choice you make, don’t worry about your children’s future. As long as Ravenna and the five of us matriarchs are alive, your children will be treated like prince and princess in our hive, just like you. We won’t allow anyone to treat them any less.”
Sera neither replied, nor nodded. She continued to walk away in silence.
“Matilda, prepare the carriage for Seraphina. It seems she wishes to return home,” Delilah instructed, watching Sera’s departing figure.
“Yes, mistress, right away.” The chief maid hurried off.
A moment later.
“Sister, can’t we do anything more for her?” Jezebel asked.
Hecate shook her head solemnly.
“Why don’t we attempt the ritual again to break her dead artifact? Is it not feasible with our current strength?”
“It's of no use. I don't know what kind of artifact it was in ancient times. But when we tried to break it previously, I felt that it was not possible for us. Not to mention us, I surmise, to break that artifact, dead as it may be, only a noble demon is capable of it, if they use their full strength.”
“You know as well as I do that summoning high-level demons to this world is impossible.”
“What in the world was it before it broke? Above all, just what could destroy such an artifact?”
“Then there’s nothing more we can do?”
“We did everything we could. The rest is up to her and fate.”
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Clutching the stack of documents Sera walked silently through the castle’s corridors and inner courtyard which are filled with shriveled corpses everywhere.
Sera slowly walked outside the castle. The castle is filled with laughter and joy of Sera’s race who succeeded in their reversion. All of them are still naked and most of them are women while very few men are seen.
As she passed through them, most did not recognize her; they merely glanced her way before turning back to their revelry.
Sera remained detached, her mind blank.
By the time she reached the castle entrance, Matilda had arranged a carriage and entourage for her.
Without speaking anything to Matilda, Sera got into the carriage with a vacant expression.
Matilda silently closed the carriage door, signaled the entourage, and bowed slightly.
Under the cold light of the moon, Sera’s carriage began its return journey to Raven’s Crest.
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Copyright © [December] [2024] [The Rainy Imp]. All rights reserved.
No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permission requests, contact the publisher at [[email protected]].
This is a work of fiction. Unless otherwise indicated, all the names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents in this book are either the product of the author's imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.