WINTER'S SWEET EMBRACE

The blinding light of the dismissal spell receded, but neither the familiar clouds of the Divine Realm’s Golden Gates nor the warmth of his mother’s estate were nowhere to be found.

Instead, Vincent materialised thousands of feet in the air, greeted by nothing but the freezing, rushing wind.

"Oh, shiiiiiiiiiiit!!!"

He plummeted through the sky, tumbling head over heels as the wind blasted in his ears. Reacting on pure instinct, he summoned his divine power and transferred, flaring his wings wide open.

He stabilized himself, hovering gracefully in mid-air as he swept a hand through his windblown hair.

"Okay... I should’ve known this, but note to self. When I get dismissed, I spawn back in the exact spot I left from."

Adjusting his flight path, Vincent folded his wings slightly and dived toward the horizon, shooting like a meteor back toward his mother’s estate.

......

When he touched down at the front doors, he tried opening up only to realise that it was locked.

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK!

"Mama! I’m back!"

Within seconds, the sound of inner doors slamming open echoed from inside the manor. Vincent took two steps back and spread his arms wide.

The double doors flew open, revealing Maribelle – her hair a wild, beautiful mess, wearing a satin nightgown.

"VINNY!"

She launched herself off the doorway, throwing her arms around his neck and knocking the air out of him in a smothering, bone-crushing hug.

She then pulled his face down, planting loving kisses all over his cheeks, forehead, and nose. "My baby! You’re back! Oh, I missed you!"

Vincent wrapped his arms tightly around her waist, burying his face in her shoulder as he felt her motherly warmth. "I missed you too, Mama."

"Come inside! Come, come!" Maribelle ushered him into the warmth of the estate, practically dragging him into the main living room.

She pulled him down onto the sofa, curling up beside him and leaning against his arm while her fingers gently ran through his hair. "Tell me everything. How did it go? Did that princess treat you right? Did anyone try to pick a fight with my boy? If they did, you better have knocked them into next week."

Vincent smiled, relaxing into the cushions as he recapped the last two days.

He described the grand sights of the Imperial City, the people he’s met and its different races, sneaking into the boutique to kidnap Lucianne, the fight with the gargoyle, the socially awkward girl, and the eventual conversation in Maelle’s dorm room.

He shared her disdain for dragons, her acceptance of him, and how she had cherished his white denim jacket.

Suddenly, while twirling his hair, her nose twitched. She leaned in to sniff him and immediately crinkled her nose with a smile.

"Ugh! What is that smell, hahaha!" She swatted his shoulder playfully. "Sewer water and waste? Go take a bath right now, young man! I’ll whip up something for you to eat."

’So I did smell! I’m sorry, Ava! Wait–!’ Vincent’s eyes lit up. "Your home cooking? Hell yeah! I’m already on it!"

He practically disappeared up the stairs to the bathhouse.

After a thorough, hot wash and changing into fresh, comfortable clothes, Vincent returned down to the main hall. On his way to the dining room, he paused in front of the pedestal holding the dragon egg. He reached out, rubbing its smooth, warm surface while lost in thought about it.

"... Vinny! Food’s ready!"

"Coming!"

At the dining table, surrounded by a feast of heavenly dishes, Vincent dug in while adding a few more details.

He mentioned his summoner test, his official EX-Rank rating, and how the small fish back on Earth – Levana – was actually an EX-Rank Familiar like him. Maribelle laughed happily, entertained by his stories.

.....

A few hours passed in quiet comfort. Vincent sat cross-legged on the living room sofa, meditating to refine his divine power.

’I need to find a way to buff a person without them drinking my blood... or kissing them. Divine power is volatile. The moment it manifests into the air, it practically becomes a bomb waiting to go off... Urgh. I wish Dee was here. Dee, huh...’

When Maribelle stepped into the room, he paused, opening his eyes and scooting over to make space. She sat beside him, resting her head gently on his shoulder.

"Vinny..." she spoke softly. "I’ve been thinking... about the harem situation. And about your feelings for Deina."

’Did she just read my mind? Is this a mother’s perk?’

Vincent paused, taking a slow breath. "Honestly, Mama... I haven’t really had the chance to process all of it yet. Everything’s moving so fast over there. I need a little more time."

Right at that moment, a sudden, familiar pull tugged at his chest.

His body began to glow with a translucent light as the summoning magic pulled him back to Pristina.

"Well... looks like Maelle was right. Ava really wasn’t just being socially awkward."

Maribelle scowled playfully, standing up and reaching out to adjust his jacket collar one last time. She leaned in and planted a warm, lingering kiss on his forehead just as his body began to fade.

"Go show her how cool my baby boy is."

"Will do, Mama."

SHEEN

With a flash of light, Vincent materialised back inside Maelle’s dormitory suite... where he was met with utter destruction.

The sliding balcony doors is wide open, allowing the night wind to whip the curtains into a frenzy. The long sofa was flipped on its side, the wooden coffee table was shattered into splinters, and bookshelves had been completely overturned, scattering books and paper across the floor.

"What the hell?!"

Down on the floor, leaning heavily against the small cupboard, was Maelle. Her pajamas were partially torn at the shoulder and waist, her skin was flushed with an unknown feverish pink, and her chest heaved as she panted sensually.

Despite her compromised and embarrassed state, she forced her head up, pointing a trembling finger toward the open front door of the room.

"Haah~ Ngh– V-Vincent! She’s... she’s getting away! Haah~! STOP HER!"

Vincent’s eyes snapped toward the doorway.

Down the dimly lit hallway outside, he caught a brief, fleeting glimpse of a long, slender spade tail whipping around the corner as a figure fled into the darkness.

Vincent’s expression hardened into a predator hunting its kill.

He turned on his heels and burst forward at full speed through the air! He flew over a shattered bookshelf, tore through the doorway, and rocketed down the red carpeted hallway of the girls’ dormitory in hot pursuit.

"Hey! Get back here!"

Up ahead, Ava – now in her true succubus form – was leaping through the corridor with supernatural agility.

Her pink hair billowed behind her, and her black horns caught the faint glow of the magical wall-mounted lights.

Vincent channeled a burst of power into his wings to close the gap in a blinding flash. He reached out, his fingers grazing the very tip of her spade tail.

"No–!" Ava’s eyes widened in surprise.

By pure instinct, she whipped her spade tail upward like a whip, kicking off a decorative suit of full plate armor standing against the wall and sent the iron breastplate straight for Vincent.

Not hesitating nor slowing down, he smashed the armor aside with a forearm strike. "I told you to stop! It’s over! Give it up!"

The loud clanging of iron and heavy footsteps of Ava echoed through the quiet dorms. One by one, doors along the corridor creaked open where sleepy girls in nightgowns and granny pajamas stepped out into the hall, rubbing their eyes in confusion.

In the dark, all the students saw were two fast-moving silhouettes tearing through the passage at terrifying speeds.

"I-Is that... a monster?!"

"Why is an angel chasing a devil woman in our dorms?!"

An unlucky student who happened to be awake, carrying a wicker basket full of freshly folded clothes, stepped directly into the center aisle.

Ava acrobatically vaulted right over the poor girl’s head, the tip of her spade tail flicking the girl’s sleeping cap clean off.

"EEEEK!" The girl jumped in terror, throwing the laundry basket straight into the air.

Vincent expertly caught the falling basket, as well as catching every single piece of clothing that fell out of it, and effortlessly slapping the sleeping cap back onto the girl’s head as he rocketed past.

"Sorry about that!"

Ava reached the staircase leading down to the main lobby. Instead of taking the steps, she threw her body over the wooden banister, dropping straight down through the air.

"Oh no you don’t!" Vincent launched himself straight over the railing.

He shot past her in a blur of light, landing gracefully on the lobby floor right in front of her exit path. He crossed his arms, stepping into her way.

"Got you. Nowhere left to run."

Ava hit the carpet, sliding to a halt just inches from his chest.

She froze, her glowing magenta eyes widening as she sniffed the air.

Being this close to him again – feeling his sweet scent wash over her – sent a sudden wave of heat straight to her core. Her cheeks flushed red as she trembled with dark, irresistible delight.

"Wait... You’re not Ava?"

"V-Vincent..." her raspy, mature voice trembled. "Your scent... it’s so close..."

"How do you know me? Actually, let’s save the questions for later. You’re coming with me."

Before Vincent could reach out to grab her, Ava impulsively grabbed a nearby curtain. With a desperate heave, she yanked the massive fabric off its brass hooks and threw it straight over Vincent’s entire head and body.

"Whoa– hey! You mother–!"

At that exact moment, the dorm mother – a strict, elderly woman with hair rollers and a nightcap – pushed open her office doors.

"INTRUDERS! THIEVES! UNHAND THE DRAPERIES AT ONCE!"

While the dorm mother was screaming and dozens of students were peering down from the upper balconies, Ava used the distraction to dive headfirst through the lobby window.

CRASH!

Glass shattered in a gorgeous shower of shimmering shards as Ava leaped out into the moonlit academy gardens below.

Vincent finally tore his way out of the heavy curtain. He stared at the gaping hole in the glass where the window used to be.

"You’ve gotta be kidding me..."

He leaped through the broken frame, diving out into the dark night to continue the chase.

Outside in the expansive, shadowed courtyard, only the sight and sound of the wind rustling through the trees could be seen. Ava was nowhere around.

Undeterred, Vincent focused his senses. He scanned the ambient mana in the air and almost instantly picked up a glowing, lingering trail of pink-hued aura leading straight into the dorm’s hedge maze.

"Gotcha."

.......

Deep within the center of the hedge maze, Ava fell to her knees, her chest heaving as she panted for breath. Sweat glistened across her skin.

"Why... Why was the princess ready for me?! I nearly had her! And Vincent... those wings... those eyes... that hair..."

She took a deep, shuddering breath, her mind swimming in pleasure. "...that scent! What the fuck?! It’s so much stronger now!"

Driven wild by the lingering scent burning through her senses, Ava whimpered softly. Unable to stop herself, her hand began to slide down toward her wet–

"FOUND YOU!"

"GYAAAAH!!!"

Vincent smashed through the thick hedges with a loud shout. He immediately tackled her straight onto the soft grass, pinning both of her wrists firmly above her head.

Ava shrieked in absolute terror, squirming beneath him.

With her beneath him and under the moonlight, he finally got a clear look at her. He took in her appearance – the voluptuous, mature body in revealing clothing, the pink hair, the black curling horns, and the spade tail whipping frantically against his legs.

"Okay... You definitely aren’t Ava."

"Let me go! Please, let me go! Otherwise I’m gonna–!"

Her voice was high and panicked, but being pinned directly beneath him overwhelmed her succubus instincts. His divine warmth and clear sky scent washed over her in suffocating waves.

At the same time, the potent, intoxicating aphrodisiac aura radiating from her body began to bleed into the air, making Vincent’s own head feel fuzzy, warm, and strangely hazy.

Losing slight control of himself, Vincent’s hands instinctively gripped firmly into her soft chest.

The sudden touch – combined her own overwhelming lust – sent Ava straight over the edge.

"HA-AHHH~!! VINCENT~!"

*SQUIRT~!!*

Her back arched off the grass and her tail locked straight out as she climaxed from the sheer sensory overload... before her eyes rolled back, and she passed out completely cold.

As her consciousness faded, her succubus transformation dissolved, along with her revealing clothing that changed in the academy’s uniform.

The curling black horns dissolved, her spade tail vanished into thin air, her voluptuous curves shrunk back, and her long pink hair dissolved, reverting back into a dark mess.

Within seconds, the dangerous demon assassin was gone – leaving only the petite, flat-chested teenage girl in glasses lying unconscious on the grass beneath him.

Vincent snapped out of his hazy, confused trance, rubbing his forehead as he stared down at her in shock.

"Holy hell... it WAS Ava."

He sat back on his knees, running a hand through his hair as he looked at the unconscious, disguised girl resting peacefully on the lawn with a satisfied look on her face.

’Man... Now how am I going to carry her back to Maelle’s room without causing a full-blown riot?’