Reborn as a Succubus: Time To Live My Best Life!

Melisa settled onto the bed next to Raven, her heart racing with a mixture of excitement and nervousness.

[Focus, Melisa! You're here to learn, not to ogle your roommate.]

Raven cleared her throat, her voice taking on a more clinical tone as she began her explanation.

"The fundamental spellsigns of Life Magic are based on the flow of energy within living beings," she said, her hands moving in graceful, precise motions. "Watch closely."

Melisa leaned in, her crimson eyes fixed on Raven's pale fingers as they traced intricate patterns in the air. She could almost see the threads of magic gathering around them, responding to Raven's commands.

"This is the base sign for vitality," Raven continued, her fingers forming a complex spiral. "Vini is the base word for a lot of Life Magic incantations. And this," her hands shifted, creating a diamond shape, "is for regeneration."

Melisa nodded eagerly, her own hands mimicking the movements.

[It's more like a dance than the other schools,] she thought, marveling at the subtle differences between these signs and the ones she was used to.

As Raven demonstrated a few basic spells - a minor healing spell, a diagnostic spell - Melisa found herself picking them up with surprising ease.

Her nimble fingers seemed to intuitively grasp the flow of this school, adjusting her movements to match Raven's with minimal instruction.

Raven raised a brow.

"You're... a very quick study," Raven remarked, a hint of surprise coloring her usually stoic tone.

Melisa felt a blush creeping up her cheeks at the unexpected praise.

"Thanks," she mumbled, ducking her head slightly. "I dunno, it just feels... natural, somehow."

Raven nodded, the ghost of a smile tugging at her lips.

"I didn't see many other people who could pick things up as quickly as you do. You should be proud."

The compliment sent a warm flutter through Melisa's chest, but she pushed the feeling aside, focusing on the task at hand.

"So," she said, clearing her throat, "where does conventional Life Magic diverge from... from Blood Magic?"

Raven's expression grew serious once more.

"The fundamental difference lies in the source of power," she explained. "Conventional Life Magic draws on the natural energy of the caster and their environment. It's about balance, about working with the existing flow of life force."

She paused, her grey eyes growing distant.

"Blood Magic, on the other hand, forcibly takes that energy from another source. It's... invasive. Destructive. Instead of nurturing life, it consumes it."

Melisa nodded slowly, processing this information.

"But the basic principles are the same?"

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"In some ways, yes," Raven admitted. "The spellsigns are similar, but... twisted. Corrupted. This part is a bit hard to explain without you feeling the effects of casting this type of magic yourself."

A shiver ran down Melisa's spine as she imagined the implications.

They continued their discussion, delving deeper into the intricacies of Life Magic and its darker counterpart.

As they talked, Melisa couldn't help but notice how at ease Raven seemed, how freely she was sharing her knowledge.

[It's like she's a different person when she's teaching,] Melisa mused. [More open, more... alive. I wonder if she's done this before.]

A thought struck her then, a question she'd been curious about since their earlier encounter.

"Raven," she began, hesitating slightly, "can I ask you something... personal?"

Raven tensed visibly but nodded.

"Go ahead."

Melisa took a deep breath.

"Do you... do you feel affected by my pheromones right now? I know earlier it was pretty intense, but..."

To Melisa's surprise, Raven's expression remained neutral.

"No," she said simply. "My attraction to you has not gone away, but it is not quite as... intense as it was earlier."

Melisa's eyes widened.

[Just like with Isabella and Armia,] she thought, her mind racing. [Once we've been intimate, they become more resistant to my pheromones.]

"That's... interesting," Melisa murmured, more to herself than to Raven. "It seems to confirm a theory I had."

Raven raised an eyebrow, curiosity flickering in her grey eyes.

"What theory?"

Melisa hesitated, unsure how much to reveal.

[I mean, I can't exactly tell her I'm trying to build up a harem to manage my Essence addiction,] she thought wryly. [Or, can I? What would she say? I feel like out of everyone, Isabella would be the most okay with it.]

"Just... something I've noticed about how my pheromones affect people," she said finally. "It seems like once someone has been... intimate with me, they build up a sort of resistance."

Raven nodded slowly, a thoughtful expression crossing her face.

"That makes sense, from a biological standpoint. The body adapting to a new stimulus."

"Exactly," Melisa agreed, relieved that Raven didn't seem put off by the topic. "It's fascinating, really. I wonder if there's a way to study it more systematically..."

Suddenly, someone knocked on the door.

The sharp knock on the door made both girls jump, startling them out of their intense discussion.

Melisa and Raven exchanged a quick glance.

[Who could that be?]

"Come in," Raven called, her voice betraying no emotion despite the slight tension in her shoulders.@@novelbin@@

The door creaked open, revealing a young courier who looked slightly out of breath.

"Message for Melisa Blackflame," he announced, holding out an ornate envelope.

Melisa blinked in surprise, rising from the bed to accept the letter.

"Thank you," she murmured, her curiosity piqued by the official-looking seal.

The courier bowed and retreated, closing the door behind him. If he picked up the scent of sex and pussy at all, he did not show it.

Melisa turned the envelope over in her hands. Her heart rate picked up a bit. The envelope looked a little too... fancy.

[Oh god, please, please. Don't be some new huge issue...]

"Well?" Raven said with the tiniest smirk Melisa had ever seen. "Are you going to open it, or just stare at it all night?"

Melisa shot her a playful glare before carefully breaking the seal. She cleared her throat and began to read aloud:

"'Dear Miss Blackflame,

On behalf of Their Royal Majesties, we are pleased to extend to you an invitation to the upcoming Summer Solstice Gala at the Royal Palace. Your achievements in the field of magic have not gone unnoticed, and we would be honored by your presence at this prestigious event.

You are welcome to bring one guest of your choosing.

Please find enclosed further details regarding the date, time, and dress code for the evening.

We eagerly await your response.

Yours sincerely,

Lady Lara Brightsun

Royal Events Coordinator'"

Melisa's voice trailed off, her mind struggling to process what she'd just read. The letter slipped from her suddenly numb fingers, floating to the floor like a leaf on the wind.

[The royal family... invited me? Me? To a gala?]

Her heart, which had been racing moments before, seemed to stop entirely. Melisa swayed on her feet, her vision going fuzzy around the edges.

"I... I think I need to sit down," she mumbled, stumbling back towards the bed.

Raven, who had been watching this display with a raised eyebrow, reached out to steady her.

"Breathe, Melisa," she instructed, her tone matter-of-fact. "It's just a party invitation, not a death sentence."

Melisa let out a slightly hysterical laugh.

"Just a party? Raven, this is... this is huge! The royal family! I-I-I didn't even know they knew of my existence!"

She turned to Raven, her crimson eyes wide with a mix of excitement and terror.

"Oh god, what am I going to wear? Who should I bring as my guest? What if I make a fool of myself in front of the entire nobility of Syux?"

Raven blinked at her, looking thoroughly unimpressed by Melisa's mini-meltdown.

"I'm sure you'll figure it out," she said dryly. "It's not like you haven't faced worse challenges than choosing an outfit."

Melisa gaped at her roommate's nonchalance.

[How can she be so calm about this?]

"Raven, this is a big deal! Aren't you even a little excited for me?"

The former assassin shrugged.

"I am happy for you... It's just," she shrugged, "this sort of thing has never been... for me. Too many people, too much noise, too many potential security risks people insist on ignoring. Even as someone hired to exploit those security risks, it annoyed me."

Melisa couldn't help but laugh at that.

"Of course you'd be thinking about security risks at a royal gala."

Raven shrugged.

Shaking her head in fond exasperation, Melisa's thoughts turned to more practical matters.

"I should probably talk to Javir about this," she mused. "She'll know how to handle all the... political aspects of attending an event like this."

As she spoke, Melisa suddenly became aware of an intense gaze fixed upon her.

She turned to find Raven staring at her thighs with no small amount of hunger.

[Oh,] Melisa thought, her cheeks flushing. [Oh my.]

The air was suddenly crackling with some tension.

Melisa's breath caught in her throat as Raven's gray eyes roamed over her body, lingering on the curves of her hips, the swell of her breasts.

"Raven," Melisa whispered after swallowing. "I thought you said my pheromones weren't affecting you anymore."

"They're not," Raven replied, her own voice low and rough. "Not at all."

For a moment, they just stared at each other. The invitation was... momentarily forgotten.

Melisa swallowed hard, her body thrumming with want even as her mind tried to regain control.

"Maybe... maybe we should take a break," she suggested weakly. "From studying, I mean. It's getting late, and we've covered a lot of ground..."

Raven's hand shot out, grasping Melisa's wrist with surprising gentleness.

"We should," she agreed, her thumb tracing small circles on Melisa's pulse point. "Take a break, that is."

The implication in her words was clear, and Melisa felt a shiver of anticipation run down her spine.

[Well,] she thought, a grin spreading across her face as she allowed Raven to pull her closer, [I guess the gala can wait. I've got more... pressing matters to attend to right now.]

And, as their lips met in a heated kiss, all thoughts of royal invitations and magical theory flew from Melisa's mind.