Suddenly A Succubus

High above the Earth, cast in the rich, decadent warmth of the morning sun, towering pillars of clouds reach high into the atmosphere as if attempting to graze the Kingdom of Heaven itself. Powerful currents of air race amidst these clouds, propelling them across the sky at incredible speeds while their shadows dance across the surface below. To the average onlooker, the beautiful tapestry might appear as nothing more than a bit of nice weather, a field of floating cotton meant to brighten up their morning commute. They wouldn’t see the complex machinations at play in the depths of these clouds, nor would they understand the true size of these majestic formations.

They might, however, see occasional glimpses of a brilliant rainbow. A splash of iridescent color arcing between the clouds, appearing without rhyme or reason and disappearing just as quickly.

A frantic businessman hoping to scramble up the corporate ladder grimaces as he rolls his neck. He doesn’t mean to look at the sky, but there is little else to do as he seeks refuge from the persistent pain inflicted by hours hunched over his computer. When his eyes land on this unexpected rainbow, he can’t help but smile. He closes his laptop, calls his wife, and invites her out for an impromptu lunch date.

Sitting alone in the corner of a high school football field, a nervous young girl frantically taps a pen on an empty notebook. She wants desperately to create, to inspire others with her words while weaving tales of adventure and passion, but she cannot give shape to her boundless imagination. She falls backwards, tears in her eyes as the callous voices of indifferent teachers echo in her head. The clouds momentarily part above her and she sees a burst of color, a flash of iridescent radiance that fills her heart with wonder. Grabbing her notebook, she clicks her pen and starts writing.

An elderly woman nervously twiddles her thumbs while sitting beside a stranger. He was once her son, but years of spite have created too much distance for her to think of him as such any longer. He is a shell of his former self, perhaps for the better, and he weeps as he begs for forgiveness. The woman hesitates; she is scared of opening herself up again, scared of exposing herself to more lies, more betrayal, more manipulation, and she looks to God for an answer. An innocent ray of sunlight refracts into beams of color so vibrant that, for the first time in years, she’s inspired to trust once again. She turns to her son and smiles, taking his hand and pulling him into a tender hug.

Atop a small hill, surrounded by miles of forest and hiking trails, a girl awkwardly stumbles over her words. She’s been planning this day for months, yet now that it’s here, the words she’s rehearsed so many times simply won’t come out. Clutched in her fingers, nestled deep in a pocket, she holds a ring that once belonged to her grandmother. It twists and turns in her grasp, and in her frustration, an idle breeze happens to pull her attention to the nearby trees above her. She sees hints of a rainbow in the sky and furrows her eyebrows in confusion. The conditions don’t make sense, such a phenomenon shouldn’t be possible in this weather, but the impossibility of what she’s seeing crystallizes her thoughts. She pulls out the ring, falls to one knee, and turns to her girlfriend.

The two descend the hill as fiancées, both too excited to pay any further attention to the glittering iridescence above them.

—

Of the hundreds of people across the countryside that happened to see this rainbow, none bothered paying it a second thought. It was a momentary distraction, a simple anecdote to share in between conversations of greater import.

Had any of them looked just a bit harder, they might have seen the inconsistencies. The way the rainbow changed directions in midair, how it only lingered for a few seconds after appearing. They might have seen it collide with the towering clouds, leaving tiny gaps in the massive walls of fluffy vapor. Perhaps they might have drawn a connection between the lingering colors and the bursts of flame just ahead of this trail of light. No matter how hard they looked, however, they never would have seen the source of this particular miracle, for it was cloaked in illusory magic.

There were two such veils, each a circular cloak of demonic illusion centered on a being of immense power. They both raced through the sky on magnificent wings, hoping to best the other in a contest of speed.

Currently in the lead was Amara Lamour, a mortal succubus empowered by the lust of humanity. Her blackened horns buzzed with information, their resonance a way of reading the temperature, direction, and strength of nearby air currents. Her deep crimson tail acted as a rudder, guiding her movements as she angled her similarly colored wings to dive beneath a patch of darker clouds. A thin layer of sweat and rainwater sizzled atop her rich, sienna skin, and demonic embers cascaded through her wavy auburn locks. Feeling adventurous, she turned her glowing amber eyes to the skies above her, watching the love of her life disappear.

Vequaniel Bennett, eager to claim victory, charged through the storm clouds without a second thought. She was an angel of the Lord, and the Miracle bound to her soul gave her access to a fraction of Creation itself. Through this connection, she manifested a wave of magic and commanded the clouds to part around her, which they did without hesitation.

When she emerged on the other side, a triumphant laugh rang through the skies. The sun itself seemed to share in her celebration; its many rays bent towards her, exploding into bursts of color as they collided with her immaculate wings. A tapestry of pure white feathers, each lined with the golden radiance of the Divine, held her aloft. With a nimble corkscrew, she quickly spun around to shake off the lingering residue of the cloud, then locked eyes with Amara and gave her a playful wink.

Her short blonde hair dazzled in the morning light, and her bright blue eyes were more vibrant than ever. Above her head, an impossible collection of lights and colors spun so quickly that, to the average onlooker, it would appear as nothing more than a simple halo of pure, white light.

Determination filled her eyes as she turned towards the horizon, and a burst of magic propelled her forward. Amara, temporarily distracted by the intoxicating beauty of her girlfriend, shook her head to gather her thoughts. A few miles ahead, nestled deep in the rolling countryside of southern Wisconsin, a large radio tower served as their finish line. Amara set her sights on the sky above the tall spire, then connected with the innate well of demonic hellfire that served as the source of her magic. Powerful swirling flames pooled just beneath her feet before exploding with incredible force, launching Amara forward.

Vee’s daring plunge into the storm cloud had temporarily given her the lead, and Amara refused to lose without a fight. She extended her magic into the world around her, taking command of every scrap of nearby heat. She used this connection to form a pocket of magic, one perfectly suited to cutting through the sky, then flattened her wings. Heat pooled beneath and behind her, catapulting her forward at ever-increasing speeds, and the gap between them began to close. Sparks of Enochian magic trailed behind Vee, threatening to disrupt Amara’s infernal abilities. Her nose twitched and the buzzing of her horns grew erratic, but it only took a few seconds for her to power through and claim the lead once more.

With a final burst of hellfire, Amara passed over the radio tower and celebrated with a triumphant spin of her own. The heat around her dissipated and her pace slowed, allowing Vee to catch up. Her angelic girlfriend, however, opted not to slow down.

Vee tackled Amara at full speed, wrapping her arms around the demon’s waist and pulling her into a spinning dive. They both giggled playfully as they spun, not a care in the world. Their auras collided with equal force, scattering a magnificent flurry of magic invisible to any human eyes. Amara’s hellfire darted around and between Vee’s angelic light, both forces equally opposed in strength and determination.

“I never took you for a sore loser, love,” Amara whispered, her tail lovingly wrapped around Vee’s waist.

“What, a girl isn’t allowed to have a bit of fun with her new wings?” Vee countered, giggling all the while. “How about we say it’s practice. You and I both know it’s only a matter of time before we have to fight some kind of flying monster. Didn’t you say a dragon attacked you in The Wilds?”

Above them, the ground spun ever closer, yet neither girl seemed worried in the slightest. “Whatever you say, Vee. You’re just mad you lost.”

“You have more practice than I do! This was hardly a fair competition!” Vee briefly dug her fingers into Amara’s side, causing her to burst out laughing. The conflict was short-lived, however, as the two decided they’d much rather shower each other with affection.

Their magic collided one last time, creating trails of impossible auroras around them both. Their lips met in a tender kiss, and the conflicting auras settled into a peaceful resolution of their own. The sky around them calmed, then both girls glanced towards the rapidly approaching ground and decided to pause their affection. They drifted apart and soared back into the sky, settling once more amongst the clouds before reuniting.

“Okay, but seriously, how are you so fast?” Vee asked. “I really thought I had you at the end.”

Amara held up a hand and summoned a burst of reddish-purple hellfire. “I can control heat, remember? Controlled explosions propel me forwards while concentrated pockets of heat make me more aerodynamic.”

Vee drifted closer and happily kissed Amara again. “Well, enjoy your victory, love. You earned it.”

“Actually, speaking of flying mysteries,” Amara glanced behind Vee. “How do you stay up here without constantly moving your wings? Even when I’m giving myself a pillar of warm air, I’m still constantly making micro adjustments to stay upright.”

Beautiful, feathered wings moved between them as Vee examined her plush white feathers. “I’m not exactly sure, honestly. If I had to guess, the wings represent the idea of flying more than anything else. I still need them to fly—believe me, I’ve tried—but they don’t seem to obey physics the way yours do.”

Amara lightly traced her fingers across Vee’s wings, her demonic hands sparking as they touched the potent angelic manifestations. “Right, your magic doesn’t have to make sense. I don’t think I’ll ever get used to that.”

“To be fair, you also don’t understand how Tessa’s magic works, despite it following a very strict logic.”

“That’s different!” Amara protested, blushing out of embarrassment. “Although, speaking of the others…” She pulled out her phone to check the time.

“Should we head back?”

“Yeah, looks like it.” Amara pocketed her phone, then quickly kissed Vee on the cheek. “Race you back to campus?”

“Oh, you’re on, Hellspawn,” Vee said, grinning deviously. Before Amara had a chance to get into position, Vee turned south and launched herself forward without warning. A flurry of angelic sparks appeared in her wake, disorienting Amara just long enough to give Vee a considerable head start.

“Hey! Cheater!”

Angling herself towards Vee, Amara summoned her own burst of magic. The flames tickled the bottoms of her feet before launching her towards her girlfriend, laughing all the while.