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

The healers worked frantically over the king's prone form, their hands glowing with soothing light as they tried to stabilize him.

But despite their best efforts, the king's condition continued to worsen, his breaths growing shallower and his face turning a sickly shade of blue.

The entire time, all Melisa could think about was how she was probably going to be decapitated soon by some particularly annoyed knight.

[Crap, crap, crap, crap, crap, crap, crap, crap, crap...]

Melisa watched in horror as the situation deteriorated, the desperation in the room rising to a fever pitch.

Nobles and servants alike whispered and murmured, their voices tinged with fear and uncertainty as the king twitched and gagged on occasion, Melisa's heart threatening to burst out of her chest each time.

[Come on, come on,] Melisa thought, her heart pounding rapidly. [You have to do something, Mel. If he dies, you're fucked.]

For the first time, she wished she'd paid more attention to this world's religions because she wasn't sure who she should be praying to right now.

Even as she began yelling internally at the sun goddess though, Melisa couldn't help but notice the way Queen Melara's eyes gleamed with a cold, calculating light.

[You cold bitch,] Melisa glared. [I... I can't just let this happen.]

Suddenly, a thought struck her.

It was a desperate idea. A half-formed idea that made her heart race with equal parts hope and terror. But, it was an idea nonetheless.

[The spell!] She recalled. [The one I invented, the one that combines Blood and Life magic. It's risky, but... it might be his only chance.]

She had no clue whether this would work or not. If someone more scientifically minded, an enjoyer of high probabilities of success and well-founded theories, was sharing her mind space right now, she may have just gotten kicked out of her own brain.

But, she didn't really have any other options. She just had to hope this would work.

Before she could second-guess herself, Melisa stepped forward, her voice ringing out clear and strong.

"Wait! I... I might be able to save him."

The room fell silent.

A few of the healers did a double-take.

All eyes turned to her.

Queen Melara's gaze snapped to her, sharp and piercing.

"You?" she scoffed, her voice dripping with disdain (and, maybe, a tinge of sudden fear?) "A nim, claiming to have the power to save the king? Don't make me laugh."

But Javir was at Melisa's side in an instant, her hand resting reassuringly on the nim's shoulder.

"Your Majesty, with all due respect, what do we have to lose?" That question made the room pause. The king twitched. "The king is dying, and if Melisa says she has a way to save him, I believe we should let her try."@@novelbin@@

Although Javir addressed Queen Melara, staring her down as she gave each word, Melisa knew what was actually happening.

Really, Javir was telling the crowd that. Or, very specifically, the knights who were one final breath away from drawing their swords.

Melara's eyes narrowed, her lips twisting into a snarl. But before she could argue further, one of the knights stepped forward, his voice gruff and urgent.

"She's right, Your Majesty. We're out of options. If the nim can help, we'd be fools not to let her. And, if she makes his condition worse..." He looked at Melisa. "We'll take her head off immediately."

GULP

For a moment, the room held its breath, waiting for the queen's response.

Finally, with a curt nod, she waved her hand dismissively.

"Fine. But if she fails, if the king dies... it's on her head," Melara conceded, though she made sure to remind the nim of the stakes.

And suddenly, Melisa had a chance.

She swallowed hard, the weight of responsibility settling heavily on her shoulders. As she stepped forward, the knights nearby allowed her to pass, albeit reluctantly.

Melisa knelt beside the king's still form, Melisa's mind raced with the details of the spell she'd crafted, the intricate weaving of Blood and Life magic that she prayed would be enough to bring him back from the brink.

[Okay, Mel, you've got this. Just like you practiced. Just like you...]

But even as she tried to calm herself, Melisa couldn't shake the gnawing doubt that ate at her insides. This spell, this untested, unproven magic... she'd only invented it yesterday, for gods' sake.

For all she knew, it could make his condition worse.

[No. No, you can't think like that. Javir's right, there's no harm in trying. As things stand right now, he's just going to die anyway. You need to try.]

Melisa sighed.

[And, well, hey,] she smirked wryly, [if he does die, at least they'll just kill you immediately instead of drawing it out... That's nice... Right?]

Taking a deep, steadying breath, Melisa placed her hands on the king's chest, feeling the weak, fluttering beat of his heart beneath her palms.

She had to try.

---

{Raven}

Raven and Isabella charged at the Shadow Mages, their hearts pounding with adrenaline.

The robed figures wasted no time, their hands weaving spellsigns in the air as they launched their attack.

"Sanguis, ferrum, impetu!" one of them snarled, a crimson glow emanating from his fingertips before a sphere emerged.

Raven's eyes widened as she recognized the spell by the incantation - Blood Magic of course, designed to cause severe internal irritation, making the affected target feel like their blood was boiling beneath their skin. In doing so, it would almost certainly create an opening for a killing blow.

[Shit!]

She dove to the side, rolling across the stone floor as the spell soared past her.

The other Blood Mage went to attack Isabella, muttering a quick incantation and aiming his hand at her.

Next to Raven, with a cocky grin, Isabella raised her wand, tracing a complex pattern in the air.

"Ventus, spirare, defendere!"

Your next journey awaits at My Virtual Library Empire

A swirling vortex of wind erupted from the tip of her wand, slamming into the incoming Blood Magic spell and dissipating it harmlessly.

"Huh?" The man who cast the Blood spell pulled back. "S-So fast..."

Raven felt the same, looking up at Isabella. What she just did, if Raven wasn't mistaken, was a spell parry. Not every school of Magic had one to offer, but to those that did, spell parries were invaluable, allowing one to instantly eliminate an incoming magical attack.

People didn't really use these often though, for one simple reason. Casting spells took time, what with all the spellsign drawing and incanting. Not many mages, not even back at the Shadow Mage headquarters, were quick enough to pull this off. And, even if they were, not many mages had the reflexes to pull this off.

And yet, Isabella just did and did so seemingly with zero effort.

[... I guess she and Kimiko actually do more than just have sex all day, assuming Kimiko is who she learned this from,] Raven thought, a grudging respect welling up inside her.

But there was no time to dwell on it. The Shadow Mages were already preparing their next attack, their faces twisted with rage beneath their hoods.

Raven gripped her knife tightly, her muscles coiled and ready. She lunged forward, closing the gap between herself and the nearest mage with lightning speed.

Their blades clashed, sparks flying as they danced back and forth in a deadly rhythm. Raven could feel the mage's breath on her face, hot and rancid beneath his mask.

Behind her, she heard Isabella cry out a warning.

"Raven, look out!"

Raven's head whipped around just in time to see the second mage launching a spell in her direction, a sickly green light emanating from his outstretched hand.

[Fuck, I can't dodge this one...]

But before the spell could reach her, a shimmering barrier sprang up around Raven, absorbing the magic with a crackle of energy.

[Light Magic?] Raven's brows shot up.

Again, she was surprised. The cocky, smug, show-off that was Isabella Summer actually took the time to learn how to shield others?

She could hardly believe it.

"Don't worry, Rae~" Isabella called out with that usual, infuriating smirk of hers. "I've got your back." She winked.

"That's not my name..."

Up ahead, Raven could see the server they'd been chasing trying to slip away in the chaos, his eyes wide with panic. Isabella saw the same thing.

"Oh no, you don't!" The fox snarled.

With a few quick flicks of her wrist and a hushed incantation, she sent a gust of wind hurtling towards the fleeing man, yanking him off his feet and slamming him against the wall next to him.

"You just sit tight, sweetie," she purred, her eyes glinting with malice. "We'll be with you in just a moment."

Taking the opportunity to strike, Raven doubled her efforts, her blade flashing in a blur of silver as she pressed her advantage.

She and the Shadow Mage in front of her traded more blows. The Shadow Mage was skilled, but Raven had been training for moments like this since she could remember. Quite literally, one of her very first memories was being handed a knife. She was more than ready.

They clashed again.

It seemed like Raven's opponent realized what Raven just came to understand, as, this time, both Shadow Mages up ahead glanced at each other and nodded.

"For order," the one Raven had been fighting muttered.

Then, the man stabbed himself, right in the heart.

[Shit,] Raven glared. [I didn't think they'd actually do it...]

She hadn't seen this technique in a while.

"They're-"

Suddenly, the other mage used an Earth spell to shift the ground beneath Raven, making it tremble.

"AH!"

Her balance faltered and Raven hit the ground.

The mage dashed toward her.

Blood siphoned into him from the man who'd just ended his own life.

[A sacrifice,] Raven pointed out with her teeth clenched. [To make this guy's next spell stronger.]

Raven's knife skittered across the floor, just out of reach.

She scrambled to get up, but the mage was already on her, his blade gleaming in the dim light as he raised it high and cast a Blood Magic spell simultaneously.

[Shit,] Raven thought, swallowing. [I may have messed up.]