|| -- Chapter 1 -- ||
"Hey, Calista. Have you corrupted that human yet?"
Calista froze as her name was called. As a succubus, it was her job to pervert humanity and corrupt humans to demonic temptation. However, the query made her thoughts freeze up. She had no easy answer to give.
"I'm afraid not. I'm still working on corrupting the human." Calista turned around to face the one to question her, Azura.
Azura was a succubus, similar to Calista herself. She had dark hair, lustrous smooth skin, black-painted lips and a pair of piercing yellow eyes. They both looked the same, down to a leather-like outfit which left little of their bodies to the imagination, but Azura was lacking in several areas.
Her breasts were A-cups, much smaller than Calista's D-cups. She was also shorter, coming a head lower than Calista herself. She had to look down to meet Azura's eyes, but the smaller demon carried a confident smirk, as if she knew exactly how Calista would answer.
"You've been working on that human for months, haven't you?" Azura gave a derisive sneer as she spoke. "Don't you think that's pathetic? Where's your pride as a succubus?"
Azura's tail whipped back and forth, and her leathery wings spread wide behind her. In the narrow stone hallway, even Azura's tiny wingspan filled the space. Perhaps it was meant to intimidate her, but Calista couldn't care less.
She had more experience than Azura, lived for centuries longer and fed on legions more humans. She had no reason to entertain the challenge, so she turned her gaze to the side, staring out the window of the stone hallway.
The ley-lines were beautiful this time of year. A multi-colored river of mana carved through the sky, weaving between fluffy cumulus clouds. Calista sighed to herself, staring at the sky through the stone pillars of the hall.
"So? Aren't you going to answer me?" Azura's tail whipped faster behind her, and her brow furrowed in frustration. Despite her smugness moments earlier, she hated getting ignored--or so Calista assumed.
"I'm still working on the human. I don't think it'll take much longer to corrupt her." Callista didn't have any other way to answer. She'd spent months trying to corrupt a single human. If she answered differently, it would put shame on her heritage as a succubus.
Even if reality was to the contrary; even if Calista was nowhere near to corrupting the human; even if it felt like her own heart was unfurling from her contact with the human--she couldn't answer any differently. All she could say was that she needed a little more time, even if that was a bold lie.
--
Several hours later, Calista flew through a starry night sky.
She left the demon world and returned to the human world, just as she did every night. The feeling of the cool air against her wings felt refreshing, and the tension of the day melted away. Her mind felt free in the human world, like an enormous weight had lifted from her shoulders.
The burdens and expectations of the demon world weren't here. The human world didn't care if she was a hundred years old or ten thousand. They saw her only as another demon. A few millennia prior, she would have bristled to be compared to other demons with only a few centuries to their name, but Calista found it a comforting fact now. Compared to the expectations of being an ancient demon, to be seen the same as any other demon felt comforting.
Calista landed on a grassy hill near a cobblestone church.
This was the location of the human she was trying to corrupt. Sister Margaret, a nun living in the church. She should have been an easy mark, as most women of the cloth were, yet Calista had never met a human like her. Despite her frail human body, it was Calista who always felt like she was on the back foot.
"So you've come." A silky smooth voice called out to her.
Calista let herself in through the window to find Sister Margaret sitting at her desk. The room was pitch black, only illuminated by a pale pool of moonlight where Calista stood. For any other human, they would have struggled in the darkness, but not Sister Margaret.
"I thought I was being quiet," Calista said. She padded into the room, leather tail whipping behind her. She spread her wings and towered over the human, but Sister Margaret smiled kindly up at her.
"You can't fool my ears, Calista." She held out a hand, giving her an expectant look.
Most humans would have been overcome with terror. For a demon to tower over them, bear their wings, and stare them down, Margaret should have been helpless before her might. Calista could pin the nun down and force herself on her, but Calista couldn't bring herself to do such a thing.
She kneeled down in front of Sister Margaret and took her hand, kissing the back of it.
"The sky was beautiful today..." Calista looked up at the nun, smiling softly. "I wish you could have seen it."
"That is not the path given to me by the lord." Sister Margaret put one hand over Calista's, rubbing it. She returned the smile and gently squeezed her hand. "Were you busy today? Did your junior give you trouble again?"
"Azura was as troublesome as ever." Calista smiled, and she began recounting her troublesome life in the demon world.
This was how it started. She found herself confessing her troubles and worries to Margaret. Even as an ancient demon, she had things that bothered her. There were issues she couldn't share to anyone, things that would expose her weaknesses to other demons. However, she could tell them to Sister Margaret.
"Let's get a bit more comfortable, shall we?" Margaret stood up, and she reached over to the bed, patting it before sitting down on the mess of blankets.
Calista nodded, and she took a seat beside her. The bed was hard, much stiffer than anything she experienced in the demon world, but it felt comfortable. This was Margaret's bed, and it felt all the softer because of it.
She recounted all her stress and worries to the nun, leaving nothing out. It took over an hour, but Calista felt like she could tell Margaret anything. Despite being a lowly nun, she had the patience and wisdom of a saint.
"Calista... As always, you've put too much weight behind the words of others. Only the lord has the right to judge us. Remember the lord's name when others seek to condemn you, for only the lord may determine the weight of your sins."
"I don't think I'm going to heaven," Calista said, and she gave Margaret a rueful smile.
This was a discussion they had every night. Margaret attempted to preach to her and speak of the lord's forgiveness. However, there was no way for a demon like her to pass through the gates of heaven. It would be easier for a rich man to squeeze through the eye of a needle than for her to enter heaven.
"Perhaps there is no place for a sinner like yourself. You snuck into my chambers with an ulterior motive, didn't you?" Margaret smiled kindly as she spoke. "You harbor sinful intentions towards me, don't you?"
"I do..." Calista swallowed, hard.
She came here to corrupt this holy nun. She wanted to steal her away to the demon world, show her the beautiful sky she spoke of; show her the ley lines unique to the demon realm. She wanted Sister Margaret to become one of the few humans to see such a beautiful view. With Calista's magic, it would be possible. She could show this devout nun the world and give her experiences far beyond what was possible within the dark confines of this monastery.
However, that was not the lord's way.
A chill ran down Calista's back as Margaret's favorite phrase echoed in her mind. She knew it was impossible. She'd tried for months to convince Margaret to abandon her faith, but she always declined. Even when promised the beauty of the world, Margaret remained resolute.
"We're both doomed souls." Sister Margaret said. "You, who steals into my room each night, and me, who indulges your fantasies. Neither of us will pass the lord's judgement."
She leaned over and kissed Calista on the lips. For a demon like her to receive the kiss of a nun, it was wrong. Not only because she was a demon, but Margaret's religion forbade such acts. A kiss out of wedlock, between two women, and with a demon, no less.
In some respects, Calista felt like she was making progress. Sister Margaret had broken her vows. Every night, they indulged in the sins forbidden by her religion. However, it was Calista's heart which felt like it was coming undone. Her emotions felt like a tight knot being teased apart by Margaret's kiss.
She melted into the bed, leaning back and basking in the tender embrace. The longer the kiss continued, the more Calista's head spun. She got lost in the moment and gave herself over to Margaret's kiss, moaning into the other woman's mouth and eyes fluttering in delight.
Then Margaret pulled back.
"Such a naughty kitten, always sneaking into my room." She whispered the words, tickling Calista's lips with her breath. "It seems I need to punish you again."
Calista let out a mewl. She felt like nothing more than a helpless kitten before Margaret. Just like the nun said, she was a pathetic, needy little kit, begging for attention, and Sister Margaret was like a warm sun, allowing her to bask in her warmth.
(I'm supposed to be an ancient demon.) Calista thought to herself. (I shouldn't be thinking like this, but... These feelings are impossible to deny.)
"Please, Sister Margaret," Calista said, and she swallowed hard. "Punish this naughty kitten for her sins."
