"I never thought that a succubus could be bad."

Elophia laughed.

"You thought that they only live for pleasure?"

Alec nodded, munching down his last piece of sweets.

"Succubus can be either the best dream you've ever had or the worst thing you've ever felt. These things work both ways, it's like when you see an oasis in the middle of a dessert but in the end, it's just a mirage.” Elophia sighs softly, looking straight forward.

She looked calm. As calm as she was when he was talking to her in the shop. House?

“Back then, Succubus only lived to seek pleasure in mortals who didn't know better. Mortals- uh, Humans, would think that it's great that a succubus came to them. But what they thought would only be a temporary promise of sexual relief will at some point turn sour. Temporary becomes permanent, and before you know it, they die. Although they were a topic of interest back then, there are still cases now that are caused by such creatures."

Alec stopped dead in his tracks. He looked at the woman in front of him with disgust.

"The Weiss family case..."

Elophia looked cheeky, eyes playful, waiting for him to ask.

"Um...is that what happened to Jonathan Weiss?"

The woman laughed a wholehearted laugh, the one where tears would come out of your eyes and your stomach would hurt.

"He died with an erection!"

This woman, no matter how old she is, is acting shockingly immaturely.

Laughing at a man who had- uh, sexual problems was just downright cruel, don't you think?

"Oh, when Andreea wrote that in her letter I couldn't help it, I had to go and see it for myself! I sat on a bench near that Weiss house, and hell, even the EMTs were freaked out!" She laughed, while Alec blushed profusely.

“I heard one of them saying sadly, ‘What a shame.’ HAHAHA!|”

Bit by bit, Elophia stopped laughing and looked at Alec with a twinkle in her eyes.

"Were you interested in Desdemona, boy?"

Alec looked at her in shock but said nothing else.

"No way-" She began, gasping loudly to show her shock.

"It was- I don't know weird pheromones maybe I don't know-" He defended what pride he had left. But judging from where this conversation was going, he had none.

"She was not giving you air to breathe! She was choking you!"

It wasn’t his fault honestly, the Succubus had a great body.

"I know!" He tried again to defend himself but to no avail.

"Or...maybe you like it?" She teased.

"Kill me now." He groans miserably.

They both laughed loudly and continued their slow walk. A light breeze pushed through the trees, the sound of the leaves rustling softly.

"Speaking of Desdemona-"

"What? Do you want to meet her on better terms now? Want to get to know her? Want her number?" Elophia teased again, amused with Alec's reaction.

"No!"

"Sureee."

"Seriously! I have a question."

Elophia hums and he takes it as a signal to continue.

"You said you trapped her in this forest. What happened?" Despite thinking that Desdemona was attractive, the boy was still curious about her story.

"Well, she was involved with the Weiss case."

Elophia paused almost as if she was asking for permission to tell the story and he nodded at her to continue.

"She struck a deal with him, and he agreed. Pleasure for her, and knowledge for him. He was an old man, longing to go out and wanted to learn what her world was like. But he couldn't."

"Why?" He asked.

"He was blind."

She sighed and then continued.

"What she was seeking was not sexual pleasure, it was more to secrets and desires. She wanted to know how he felt when his wife left him for another man but stayed for his money. But every time he answered it was just, these kind answers.”

“Not the angry, jealous ones she was looking for. He said he was fine as long as his wife was happy.

Slowly, Jonathan became sick and was bedridden. His wife didn't care, so there were no visits from her.

Instead, Desdemona stayed. Told him stories of her world, talked about Lich's, Vampires, Fairies. Needless to say in his last days, he was satisfied. Satisfied with the pleasure of having company."

"Different than what you thought, huh?" The woman questioned, absent-mindedly staring into the woods in front of them.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

"Very." He nodded.

"Well continuing on, after his death, Desdemona was lonely and looked for another prey. Trying to strike another deal like before.

Nothing sexual, just company.

But unfortunately she met me. She was devastated after his passing, trying to find comfort in other people like how she found comfort in him.

So, I struck a deal with her. I can give her as much knowledge and comfort as she wants, but she will have to live bound to me until death. And as you can see,"

Elophia made jazz hands,

"I'm still alive."

"So she's pissed?" Alec assumes, who wouldn't be pissed? Having to live for so long and not having entertainment is overkill.

"Yup."

"Did she fall in love with Jonathan?"

"Yes. She admitted it to me herself. That's why she hates me. I'm the only one who realizes her weakness. Kept calling herself a divine creature because she felt ashamed that she fell for a weak mortal who only had a few years left to live. Not to mention the guilt she must've felt when he died earlier than that."

"Why would she feel guilt?" Alec asks curiously, biting his lip and scrunching his eyebrows.

"Remember the draining feeling you felt? That's what it was probably like for him. It's like a possession. Succubus drains life from their prey."

"But, as much as I hate handling prideful creatures, I can't help but pity the young thing. It must've been lonely when he left. The intelligent, kind man who gave her comfort instead of asking for sexual favors. Must have been hard to move on."

Alec chuckles,

"And then she meets someone claiming that they've lived for eons and then laughs at the person she loved for dying with a...problem in his pants."

They both laughed.

Slowly, the air around them got lighter. It's the same comfort he felt when he walked into her house. Or was it a shop?

Before they knew it, they were already home. Alec was absentmindedly kicking a twig when all of the sudden he hears-

"Dryad?"

"Witch."

By some invisible force, Alec is pushed to his knees, forced to bow as if he met royalty.

Elophia was instead left standing.

"Dryads rarely come out at this time. And there's nothing bad happening at or in this forest. So why are you here, Saoirse?"

"I am not accustomed to human manners, but wouldn't it be better if you invite me inside, Elophia?"

"I would rather not. Too much to clean if there are guests."

"Very reclusive, aren't we?" Saoirse deadpans, lifting her chin as if she was looking down on Elophia.

"Make fun of me all you want, I still won't invite you inside." Elophia however, was unfazed. With how things went earlier, Alec doesn’t doubt that Elophia is strong enough to kill things with a snap of her fingers.

"Well, I am here today because of what you did."

"What I did?" Elophia cocked her head innocently.

"You've harmed ten acres in length and width of the forest in your fight with Desdemona."

"They're trees. It'll grow back." Elophia scoffed, ignoring the dryad and walked casually back to her house. Shop. One of those two.

"You're taking this very lightly, aren't you?" The dryad narrows her eyes towards the woman, nose scrunched with frustration.

"Because I know you do a great job at making things grow, Saoirse."

Saoirse cleared her throat. In the corner of Alec's eyes, he could tell she was annoyed.

"I'll let you off with a punishment this time."

"Kay’." Elophia shrugged.

The dryad turns to Alec and waves her hand. The pressure swiftly lifts from his shoulders.

"What is your name?"

"Alec Ciobanu." He was sweating. First, it was a succubus, now it's a Dryad? How is he going to handle it this time?

He’s seen enough male marketed games to understand strange but attractive plots. Of course, that doesn’t mean he wanted to be a part of it. Maybe.

"A Ciobanu is a rare name yet not unheard of. Your bloodline is scattered across this world today isn't it?"

He nodded silently. She wasn't wrong, but it still hurts when the only thing people know about you is just your bloodline. Usually, people like you because of personal attributes or something you know?

"It seems like there was something you were looking for when you came here. May I ask what it was?"

"I wanted Elophia's help."

"Oh, do you still need her help?"

He nodded.

"Well, that's good. Thank you." The dryad seemed pleased, her smirk looked like it was stamped on her face.

Alec’s chest felt strangely tight, as if it was tied with a thick rope.

What is up with everybody in the forest and his lungs?

Saoirse turned her body to Elophia and lifted her hand towards the woman,

"Elophia-"

"Do not say my last name." The threatening air he felt when he was with Desdemona was evident once again, the air was so thick with tension he felt lightheaded.

The Dryad nodded.

"Elophia, the traveler. I shall punish you to a punishment, where the only way you can prove you have repented is by completing your task. Elophia, I now sentence you to an Undying Punishment, you must help the kin from the bloodline of Ciobanu to ease his heart from his worries-"

"Huh?" Alec and Elophia said simultaneously.

"Until you have completed your task, you are not allowed to step foot into this forest."

"Wait a minute, you fucking tree hugger- What the Hell does that mean?"

"I'd like for you to refer to me by dryad instead of tree hugger-" Saoirse was cut off by Elophia’s threatening voice.

"You know I can kill you, right Saoirse?"

"I know."

"Then stop this nonsense. Break this punishment."

"I can't. Much like your unspoken spell, it can't simply just break and render itself useless. Once the words are spoken, it's impossible to stop it."

Now the tables have turned, Saoirse looked calm and uncaring while Elophia was annoyed.

"Damn you," Elophia says quietly.

"If you want to come back home, I suggest you help this boy."

"What do you want?" Elophia asked him roughly.

Both women now turn to Alec, who was fiddling his thumbs nervously.

"This... You won't like this Elophia." He said anxiously.

"Spit it out."

"I want to change my fate."

And thus, with no more words spoken, the scenery around them changed.

Now they were in a field, with less trees than before. It felt less suffocating and much more spacious. But it was dense enough to hide them from strangers.

"Where are we?"

"I want to get this over with as soon as possible. We're meeting a friend of mine. Tell me what you've done so far to change your fate so we can find where to start."