Lilith snapped her fingers once more, the sound of her gesture echoed throughout the room. It seemed to reverberate through my being, shaking my spine like a tuning fork. My ears rang and I closed my eyes tightly against a blinding light. The first difference I noticed was that I had to tiptoe in order to feel the ground when just moments ago my feet were planted firmly on the stone floor. Whatever slack I had been granted was no more and my bonds stretched me to the limit. Next, I felt something tickle the back of my neck, a whole lot of something thin and smooth. Finally, the rest of my body started feeling… off. It’s hard to describe since I’d never really paid much attention to how my body felt but I knew that a whole lot of luggage had shifted during transit because everything felt, for lack of a better term, imbalanced. When I finally managed to pry my eyelids open again, Lilith was smiling from ear to ear. Actually, it was more emotional than a simple expression, it seemed as though she might break down and cry at any moment out of sheer joy.

I felt a pit in my stomach. I knew what had happened to me. I knew, yet I had to look down at myself once again to confirm. With my tunic still open, the first and really only sight I took in was a pair of mid-sized perky breasts on my chest. Now, as a college-aged individual who was very much into girls, you would think that any boobs would have been a welcome sight, right? “Oh, hell no!” I guess not. “When, how, and why the hell did you do this!?” I squeaked; my now raspy feminine voice only grew higher as I became more agitated.

“Just now, magic, and why the hell not? Now that the Q and A portion of our little rendezvous has concluded, I think it’s high time we got started.” At her command, the sand in the hourglass began to fall through the small tunnel connecting its chambers.

“No, we aren’t done talking, I still have questi-ahhhh,” That, my dear friends, was the moment when I forgot what words were. Lilith was on me immediately and lightly ran a fingernail up the inside of my thigh.

“Wow, you’re out of practice, dear. If you’re this sensitive now, imagine what’ll happen when we do away with your obstructive clothing.” Lilith hooked two nails around my trouser waistband, one over my left hip the other over the right. She slowly brought her hands down, the leather of my ‘armor’ putting up so little resistance you would have sworn she was simply pulling on a couple of zippers. Once she had sliced down to the leg holes all it took was a quick tug and I was exposed. “Much better.” Lilith paused for just a second to drink in the sight of me. I was shorter than before, around 160 cm tall. My skin was pale, but was flushed a bright pink at the moment. My brown hair had grown lighter and longer… much longer, now reaching my mid-back. Lilith produced a small hand-mirror and held it up to me with a flourish; as if to silently proclaim ‘ta-da’ at the end of an impressive magic trick. My face had been reshaped; my features were softer, rounder and quite frankly, cuter. These were the features I had always thought I wanted growing up. It was as if someone had taken all of the mental pictures I had of myself at sixteen and mish-mashed them into one person: Rose. If I hadn’t been so determined to resist Lilith, I may have broken down on the spot. She was real, and just as beautiful as I’d imagined.

Lilith ran a hand through my hair, grazing my scalp and tracing her fingers down the back of my neck. Her other hand busied itself scooping my chin between its thumb and forefinger, gently suggesting that I meet her gaze. Her gorgeous hazel eyes stared directly at me, unblinking. “Don’t worry, we will both enjoy this.” She spoke tenderly. She didn’t mock, she didn’t flirt, she didn’t tease. This was the Lilith I knew, and I knew she was right.

The next few minutes were filled with Lilith running her hands across nearly every inch of my body. She worked slowly and with a practiced, sensual touch which constantly sent shocks, shivers and strange tingling sensations across my nerves. She made mental notes as she discovered my weak spots, humming to herself as she went. I begrudgingly cheered her on with a chorus of gasps and stifled moans. She left me breathless, acutely aware of two very excited audience members present on my chest. Yet, no matter how much they pined for attention, she wouldn’t ever come close to touching them. In fact, by the time she had her fill of exploration, she must have touched everywhere that wasn’t traditionally considered an erogenous zone. My entire body was covered in goosebumps. The air in the throne room, still as it was, seemed teasing and cold against my soft, hypersensitive skin.

Lilith put a gentle hand on my shoulder, a welcome change of pace from the relentless assault of pleasure. “Are you ready to call it? I know you must be burning for satisfaction by now. I would be happy to oblige in exchange for one simple word.”

This was a game I was meant to lose from the start. In the end, there is no defying gravity. “M--” But part of me, some damn prideful part of me wouldn’t let go. Or maybe it wasn’t even about winning at this point. Maybe I just wanted to keep the game going a little while longer. “N-not a chance,” I stuttered, sounding one hundred percent convincing.

A fire ignited in Lilith’s eyes and her smile grew wider. “Good.” One word. One damn one syllable word, filled with so much intention you could drown in it. Much like I was about to. Lilith produced a blindfold and the world went dark. I felt Lilith’s gentle touch across my flat stomach, but now things were different. That one touch nearly sent me into a frenzy. Not being able to see, not being able to anticipate, this changed things entirely. Two fingertips slowly traced the curve which connected my lower back to my now shapely behind. A loud moan escaped from my lips, the sound of which was followed by a sharp crack. A stinging pain exploded across my left buttcheek. I let out a yelp and heard Lilith chuckle in response. This new sensation brought more attention to the previous stimulation, a sprinkle of chili powder in a scoop of ice cream. Lilith began alternating between pleasure and pain, each concurrent sensation amplifying the next. It was as if two talented musicians were competing for the same audience's attention, but in doing so crafted a masterful duet. At times, Lilith wouldn’t do anything at all. I would hear the click of her heels on the stone flooring to my left as she uttered a playful chuckle to my right. She circled me like a shark circles prey, her movement disorienting me and serving to fuel my desire for her next move.

After what seemed like an eternity in my sightless limbo, Lilith removed the blindfold. My eyes took a few seconds to readjust to the presence of light. As the world blurred back into focus, I was treated to a pair of welcome sights. Where the throne had once stood as the centerpiece of the room, I noticed a large four-poster bed clad in violet satin sheets, adorned with more pillows than a couch at an open house. Standing proudly next to the bed was Lilith, no longer in her elegant gown. Black lace was all that remained to cover up the ample curves of her body. She smiled weakly at me. “I’m impressed, dear; time’s almost up.” I shot a quick glance of confirmation towards the hourglass which was definitely running thin on sand, before placing my eyes firmly back where they belonged. “We’re done with these.” The cuffs which had bound my wrists vanished and I collapsed towards the ground. Before I made contact with the cruel stone floor, a force drew me through the air and gently deposited me onto the soft, welcoming bed. Lilith laid down next to me; one hand slowly stroked my cheek. “Stay with me as Rose, please.” Lily was gone. I know I hadn’t been thinking of Lilith as Lily, but all acting had left the building. This was Lilith, my friend, my first love, her eyes pleading. “I’ve missed you so much. Please, don’t leave me again.”

In all of my years knowing Lilith, I’d never once seen her cry. I was there when her dog died, when she broke her leg during PE, when she was asked to speak at her father’s funeral; she did not shed a single tear. As far as I knew, it wasn’t physically possible for her eyes to produce tears… until this moment. Two thin streams of tears ran down her face as she tried to stifle a sob. I had triumphed over her seemingly impossible game. But what was it I said about fighting gravity?

“Mercy.” I had spoken the word calmly; not out of desperation, or lust. That ‘mercy’ was a mercy, it was an act of compassion… possibly something more.

Lilith gazed at me with unbridled joy, her tears still streaming down her face as they multiplied rapidly. She grabbed me and held on tightly; it was an embrace I gladly reciprocated. We lay together, entwined with one another for a long time which still felt too short. As we disentangled from one another, Lilith graced me with one last smile. It wasn’t the wicked smirk of Lily. No, this was a joyful expression of reunion. The last thing I remembered in that dungeon was the goofy grin of my next-door neighbor as she held my hand tenderly.

I woke up, Ross once more, back in the same room of the comic book shop where we had begun our game. Nash and Reg were nowhere to be seen, nor were the snacks and guides, which had all been packed up. The only remnants of our game night remaining were my stuffed suitcase, Lilith, and myself.

“Good morning, Sleeping Beauty, have a good dream?” Lilith was sitting on the table next to me.

“It wasn’t bad; I can’t complain.” I might not be able to match her confidence, but that sure as hell didn’t mean I couldn’t fake it. “I guess Nash and Reg already left?”

Lilith nodded. “I said I would keep an eye on you until you came to. They seemed to enjoy the adventure I sent them on, said they can’t wait to do it again next week.” The conversation lulled as we both looked towards the wall. You know which wall I’m talking about, the one which seemed to become so damn interesting when awkward situations arise. “Well, I suppose you must have a few questions.”

“Oh, I think I have a bit more than a few.” First question, how the hell did you do that? Second question, can you do it again?

Lilith chuckled, “Mind joining me for some coffee? We can actually catch up this time.”

I nodded with an enthusiasm which could have easily snapped my neck. Lilith smiled and offered me her hand. I took hold of her hand gleefully and the two of us made our way into the night in search of caffeine and a quiet place to chat.