Reborn as a Succubus: Time To Live My Best Life!-Chapter 307: The Artifact, Part Three

{Melisa}

Melisa found the gang waiting for her at their usual spot—the stone benches near the central fountain. Armia was sitting primly, her back straight as always, while Isabella lounged with her head in Raven's lap, much to the stoic girl's visible discomfort.

"There she is!" Isabella called, sitting up so fast she nearly headbutted Raven in the chin. "Our library explorer returns! Find any ancient treasures? Secret tomes? Dirty magazines from a hundred years ago?"

"No dirty magazines," Melisa replied, dropping onto the bench beside Armia with a dramatic sigh. "Just a weird metal disc thing that Javir made us put back where we found it."

"You went to Javir?" Armia asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah, Ms. Goody-Two-Shoes insisted," Melisa jerked her thumb over her shoulder, indicating the absent Jaylin. "And then Javir gave us this whole lecture about 'unknown magical artifacts' and 'responsible magical research' and blah blah blah."

Isabella snorted.

"Sounds thrilling. Where's your shadow now?"

"Jaylin? Probably making a color-coded study schedule for our project," Melisa rolled her eyes. "I bailed as soon as we put the artifact back."

"How very responsible of you," Armia said dryly.

"Hey, I needed a mental health break from all the glaring and sighing. And I know I promised we'd hang out after classes," Melisa said, nudging Isabella with her foot. "So, what's the plan? Wanna come back home?"

"Hell yeah," Isabella answered.

"I need some of Margaret's cooking," Armia said with a sigh. "What they feed the army is a war crime in itself."

"What are we waiting for, then?" Melisa grinned, standing back up. "Let's go!"

They made their way off campus, Isabella skipping ahead while animatedly describing all the desserts she planned to sample. Melisa and Armia walked side by side, with Raven trailing slightly behind, her ever-watchful eyes scanning their surroundings out of habit.

"So what was this artifact?" Armia asked quietly. "The one in the library, I mean."

"Just some old disc with weird markings on it," Melisa replied with a shrug. "Javir seemed to think it might have something to do with memory or thought transfer, but we didn't get to test it."

"Probably for the best," Armia said. "Memory magic can be unpredictable."

"Maybe, but it would have been interesting to—"

"Melisa!" Isabella called from up ahead, cutting off whatever Melisa had been about to say. "Come look at this!"

Isabella was pointing excitedly at a shop window display. Before Melisa could see what had caught her attention, Isabella bounded back to her, grabbing her arm and practically dragging her forward.

Isabella pressed her body against Melisa's, practically vibrating with excitement. Their skin touched where Isabella's hands gripped Melisa's arm, and suddenly—

The world tilted.

Melisa was no longer on the street.

She was in Isabella's bedroom, watching from Isabella's perspective as she examined a sleek, crystalline wand. The wand glowed softly in her hand—Isabella's hand—as she turned it this way and that, admiring its craftsmanship.

Then the scene shifted.

Now Isabella was lying on her bed, completely naked, her pink tail twitching with anticipation. The wand was in her hand, but it wasn't being used for magic—at least, not the kind they taught at the academy.

"Let's see if this works better than the last one," Isabella's voice whispered, and Melisa felt her lips move with the words.

The wand moved lower, tracing patterns across Isabella's bare stomach, then lower still. Isabella arched her back as the smooth crystal pressed against—

And then, just as suddenly as it had begun, the vision ended. Melisa was back on the street, Isabella still clutching her arm, staring up at her with a puzzled expression.

"Mel? You okay? You went all weird for a second there."

Melisa blinked rapidly, her cheeks burning.

[What... What just happened?]

---

{Javir}

Javir tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear as she approached the manor.

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She'd left the academy earlier than usual, partly because she'd finished grading all her papers, but mostly because she couldn't stop thinking about that strange disc Melisa and Jaylin had brought to her.

She shook her head, pushing the thought aside as she reached the front door.

[Eh, it's probably nothing.]

Right now, she needed a cup of tea and perhaps one of Margaret's infamous honey cakes.

As she entered the house, she heard voices from the living room. Hazel's high-pitched giggles, underscored by Melistair's deep rumble.

"Absolutely incredible, Hazel!" Margaret was saying as Javir entered the room. "When did you learn to do that?"

Hazel, standing in the center of the room, was creating tiny floating lights with her fingers, making them dance in patterns around her head. For a nine-year-old, it was an impressive display of magical control.

"Mommy's been teaching me!" Hazel replied proudly. "I can make them change colors too, watch!"

The lights shifted from white to a soft blue, then pink, then green. Melisa and Melistair applauded, both looking equally proud.

[Margaret's been making good use of Jaylin's lessons, I see.]

"I'm home," Javir announced, setting her bag down by the door.

"Javir!" Hazel's eyes lit up, quite literally—the lights around her head brightened. "Look what I can do!"

"Very impressive," Javir said with a genuine smile. "You're quite the talented young mage."

She moved to join Melistair on the couch.

"Good evening," the gentleman said.

"Likewise," Javir replied, giving him a quick peck on the cheek. As their skin made contact, the world spun around her.

Suddenly she was in the bedroom, but she was seeing it from Melistair's perspective. Margaret was pressed against him, her silver hair spilling over her shoulders as she kissed him deeply. Her hands were working at the buttons of his shirt, while his—which felt like Javir's own at that moment—tangled in Margaret's hair.

"The kids are all out," Margaret murmured against his lips. "We have the house to ourselves for once."

Then, just as quickly as it had started, the vision vanished.

Javir found herself back in the living room, her hand still resting lightly on Melistair's cheek. He was looking at her with mild confusion.

"You all right?" he asked. "You went a bit rigid there for a second."

"Fine," Javir replied automatically, her academic mind already analyzing what had just happened. "Just remembered something I forgot to tell a student."

She glanced over at Melisa, who was watching her with an expression of dawning horror that probably matched her own. Their eyes locked, and in that moment, Javir knew they were thinking the same thing.

The disc. It hadn't been as harmless as it appeared.