When the war ended and everyone went their separate ways, I returned Eudora's tower back to where she had raised it nestled between two waterfalls. A scenic place she had no reason hogging for herself, but she did nonetheless. I imagined that wild witch occasionally took a dip in the pond's pristine waters. It was only right that I bring it here.

Vegetation was thicker around these parts because of the excess water in the soil, more so now that magic flourished the lands uninhibited by the towers. They grew unimpeded because the tower's presence scares off both predators and their prey that would graze upon the flora.

We stepped onto the teleportation circle at the foot of the tower, and it transported us onto the all too familiar gazebo and facing the all too familiar mansion.

A part of me was hoping to hear her condescending voice as we entered. I would turn around and find her in a seat, sipping tea and offering us snacks with a snap of her fingers.

Of course, the seats were empty. We had been the ones to occupy it after all. Our number of visits dwindled over the year, coming here was becoming an afterthought.

Save for some.

Right through the front door of the mansion, Mira and I kicked a pile of vines. Green and brown tendrils snaked across the floorboards and walls like veins.

"The alraunes are really letting themselves go." Mira chuckled at her own joke.

I rolled my eyes and called for Lantessa, the new head of the house.

"Oh, bother. More guests?" the gorgon hissed as she descended from the second floor.

She had decided for herself to stay behind for a few more years before returning to the Valisca Archipelago. 'Gorgon politics' bored her, or so she said, and would rather be here than home.

"Who else is here?" I asked, trading a glance with Mira.

Lantessa pointed a clawed finger to the floorboards, which could only mean the basement of sex slaves. We had no need for them since we wouldn't be moving the tower anymore. Eleanor refused to take no for an answer and threatened to cut us all down if we didn't release Aurelias, despite the mindbroken knight's pleas to stay. Winnegan was too dangerous to be kept here and was returned to stand trial in Grathir. The former instructor and member of the Elder Board was caged under the Academy's dungeons.

That only left Auren, the incubus demon. If I had to fathom a guess, the guests Lantessa was referring to were the succubus twins, Lorica and Xana.

"Any luck finding Eudora's research?" Mira glanced upstairs, wondering if she should take a look.

"None. Why do you not just bring it back to that city full of your witchkin? I'm sure they would be more suited pouring over this place than I," Lantessa groaned.

"That can't happen." I shook my head. "We don't know what another witch might uncover here and head down a dark path themselves. The rest of us who know about the tower have sworn a covenant's oath to remain quiet about this place."

The gorgon scoffed. Since she decided to live here for the time being, we asked a favor of her to continue combing through the mansion. Although, it might be a good thing that she hasn't found anything worth reporting. But we did hope something about the towers might turn up.

I would occasionally wonder if Eudora had lied to us about searching for a way to dismantle the towers. That was a possibility I couldn't dismiss. Did either Eudora or Edith foresee that the towers, once cut off from the magic of the world, would go on to sustain themselves?

Impossible. We didn't know that could happen until recently. The texts from the witches of old suggested the towers would come apart on their own.

Putting the headache of a thought aside, Mira and I headed downstairs. Lantessa returned to her own peaceful leisure.

Crack!

"NNNNGGHHH!"

Crack!

"HNNGGHNNGGHH!"

Pained screams rang in our ears as soon as we opened the basement doors. Lorica and Xana were downstairs, taking turns whipping their brother's ass while he was hopelessly chained to the bed. The blue tint of Auren's skin on his ass had taken a shade of red from all the beatings.

"At it again, I see," Mira remarked as we reached the bottom step.

"I shall never tire of this," Lorica said, filling the chamber with her laughter.

"How does it feel now, dear brother of ours? Not so fun when it is the other way around, hmm?" Xana asked, whipping him again and causing him to scream into his mouth gag.

This had been going on for almost a year. They would make visits every now and then to torture Auren. When they were absent, the alraunes of the mansion had their way with him.

"I don't know… I feel kind of bad for him," I said.

The incubus, who was laying face down on the bed, turned to me with pleading eyes for release.

"Do not pity him," Lorica fired back. "He has enslaved and broken many human and demon women alike back in the nether realm. Our sex are nothing but toys to him, and he must learn otherwise. What better way to do that than to reduce him to a doddering fool?"

She handed the whip to her sister.

Crack!

"HHRRRRNNNGHH— hhn…"

The color in his eyes drained away. Auren had fallen unconscious.

"You hit him too hard! Now the fun is over," Lorica complained.

"Oopsies." Xana giggled into her hand, not one bit remorseful.

We left Auren to the mercy of the alraunes and returned upstairs to discuss the reason for our visit. The twins led us upstairs to one of the alchemical laboratories where they had been slow at work on a teleportation circle. This one, however, was tuned a little differently than the ones I knew of.

"It was difficult to calibrate, but we are sure it will work," Lorica assured us.

"Forgive me if I am skeptical of a demon's handiwork, but have you tested it?" Mira asked suspiciously.

"Tampering with it never crossed our minds, we swear it! You both are our masters, and we serve you as loyally as Thelia does," Xana said.

"Speaking of Thelia. I don't see her anywhere. I thought she traveled with you two?" I asked them.

The twins glanced at each other, then at the teleportation circle.

"Oh," Mira and I uttered together.

One of the first things we checked upon returning to the Weeping Expanse right after the war was the megatower. The very one that was essentially a gateway to one of the demonkind's nether realms. Unfortunately, the teleportation circle at that tower stopped working. The runes and etchings were fine on the outside end, so it was an issue on the other.

Mira, Belle, and I feared that Zertos might have freed himself and locked the tower from the inside. If that were the case, he reneged on our deal and returned to his former masters. That couldn't be allowed to happen. Which was why we tasked Xana and Lorica to forge a teleportation circle using their blood to connect both towers.

I also had… ulterior motives for wanting to return to the megatower.

"What do we do?" Mira whispered. "Shall we go together?"

"If something goes wrong with the teleportation circle, the twins will need your expertise to repair it. I'll go alone. It shouldn't take too long," I said.

Mira nodded. We kissed each other deeply, maybe a little too passionately because the succubi twins began to fall into the mood.

"The two of you shall entertain me while Ellori is away. Is that understood?" Mira winked at the succubi.

"Yes, Master!" they answered at once.

Neither of them will last long, I thought to myself.

I stepped onto the teleportation circle and held my breath. A second later, I appeared in a dark cathedral.

"I'm… I'm here? It worked!" I shouted, hearing my own echo call back to me.

It was the same one. Pews still pushed to the side. Rubble and debris lay strewn on the ground from when I enlarged myself to do battle with Zertos. The knights we had left here were no longer present. Large, floating crystals… were without the said grishka demon chained to it. Zertos was gone.

"Master! You have come here yourself?" Thelia, the erinyes demon, flew down from a balcony and knelt before me.

"Please, you know there's no need." I pulled her up. "What's the situation here? Why is Zertos gone?"

"I'm afraid I do not know. None of the demons know either. When I arrived here, that flea-ridden pig was already gone," she answered scowling.

That was a troubling revelation. One other being should have been here keeping watch on Zertos.

"Where's Taurac?" I asked, hoping not to let my eagerness show on my face. As important as it was to find out what happened to Zertos, my pussy was on fire. I needed to get hammered by his manly bull cock.

"Ah. As it turned out, the minotaur has taken residence in the manor far to the west. He also hasn't a single clue where Zertos went, and figured his watch here was meaningless and so returned there," she explained.

"Good, ahem— Not Zertos being gone that's good. That Taurac is doing well is good. The circle is working fine, so you should return to the other tower. I'll resume the search in your stead," I suggested.

"Are you… sure?"

"Master's orders. I will have to give you your reward another day. For now, Mira shall suffice." I crossed my arms, leaving no room for discussion.

"At once!" Thelia scurried to the teleportation circle and bowed before the light took her away.

Well…

Zertos wasn't here. Thelia confirmed that neither she nor Taurac knew. And I trusted both of them to tell the truth.

Which meant I didn't need to search.

I wasted no time flying as fast as I could across the hellscape. The manor Thelia referred to could only mean one place— Demos' manor. The absent god had no use for it anymore now that he was gone.

Once I got to the large ornate doors embedded into the side of the craggy mountain, I pushed it open with magic. A gust of wind flooded into the endless halls of infinite doors.

"Taurac!" I screamed at the top of my lungs.

Silence.

Then a stampede echoed down the hall. My heart filled with joy. I raced in and jumped into Taurac's strong arms. He lifted me up to his chest.

"Hello at long last," I said, stroking his snout.

We shared a kiss that was tender at first, but quickly became a sloppy one as our lust began to overflow. A whole year outside must have been something of an eternity in a place like this. My minotaur lover must be so pent up, I couldn't wait to satisfy him properly after all this time.

"Long time," Taurac said. "Finally be with mate again."

"I've come to bring you back to the outside world, but first… We have all the time in this world to do as we wish. Carry me to our room and fuck me until I can think of nothing but your cock," I begged him.

Taurac grunted approvingly. He kicked the doors closed behind him and did as I asked.