The group spent the next few hours talking and generally just enjoying themselves. Listening to each other's stories and having fun. Van was very enraptured by the stories that Alecto told of her life growing up with her coven and by extension, her clan. Going into great detail about the things she faced, the monsters she fought, the schemes conspiracies she was a part of, and the men she bedded. Though Van could have done without that last part…

During this time, Agnès seemed to have finally realized that she was wearing nothing but her underwear and an apron. And while most women would have not cared, in fact, some would have done away with the underwear entirely… and the apron… Agnès excused herself to go change into something more appropriate. Returning quickly with a similar black dress like her mother’s, though a touch better tailored and with more embroidery and frills with a more gothic appearance.

After that, the conversation slowly changed back to Van and the problem with his soul realm, and what could be done to help speed up its recovery. He went even so far as to allow Alecto to draw near and take a first-hand look at the outer layers of his soul realm, in hopes that she would be able to see anything worth mentioning.

“Hmm…” Alecto hummed as she drew up close and personal to Van, mere inches away. Her eyes and gaze looked like they were seeing right through him, which in a way she was.

“Interesting…” she mumbled. “Normally damage like this would take years to heal… and it could take somewhere to four to six months before you could even get near to using your soul realm again, even if it was only a little… and yet…” her gaze sharpened as if seeing things even deeper into Van, making him feel uncomfortable.

“It’s almost as if you are having help… from the inside…!?” brows furrowing and an incredulous tone to her voice. Her gaze then refocused and she pierced Van with her vibrant green eyes, that at first seemed soft like her daughters, but now were hard and as sharp as a snake…

She stared at him for a good long while, Van doing his best to prevent his face going pale, though he felt like he might have been unable to prevent a few beads of sweat.

After a moment of this, she leaned away, allowing him to have his secret, and instead, turned away to walk over to a large shelf behind her, talking as she did so. “While I don’t know what exactly you're hiding… it doesn’t seem to be a bad thing and no offense to you… but I will find out eventually… till then…” she rummaged through the shelf, gathering a few things and throwing them into a big bowl.

“Till then, I’m going to make a more powerful version of that tea I gave you. This medicine will require you to come back at least once a week, as the ingredients used to make the powder quickly lose their potency over the course of five to eight days once they have been processed. Just take a dose every morning after you wake up with your breakfast, and every night before you go to bed, eat something like a small snack before you do, it works best when you have something in your stomach.” She then continued listing off a few things to watch out for and how to best bring out its effects. All in a very clinical and professional manner.

After she was done with that, she left to a nearby room. Van saw her enter what appeared to be an atelier of sorts, or perhaps an alchemist's studio with which he was familiar. Promising to be back in ten minutes or so.

After a while, she came back with a small jar filled with blue-green powder and handed it over to him. “Mix only about a tablespoon in, no sugar or milk, it has to be taken as is. Don’t take it cold, but if it’s too hot for you, you can take it when it's cooled off a bit, so long as it’s still warm.”

Van got up and accepted the medicine. “Thanks,” he said with some relief, “you have no idea how worried I was about not being able to access my soul realm. With this, I should be able to do it a lot sooner.”

Alecto nodded. “It should be able to double the rate of your recovery. But as for using your soul realm right after it has healed… I wouldn’t recommend it. From what I can see, you are still months, if not years away from properly using your soul realm without exasperating the wounds on your soul.”

Van looked a little crestfallen. “Then what am I supposed to do? I really need to be able to access my soul realm as soon as possible…”

“While I don’t know what has got you in such a rush…” Alecto began. “The next time you come to visit I can give you a few lessons about how to properly develop and use your soul realm. There are a few tricks I’ve learned over the years dealing with Agnès’s problems, perhaps they could be of use to you as well?”

Van looked up at her, hopeful. “You really mean it!?” amazed that someone would part with soul realm related information to a complete stranger. Something that most would keep to themselves. Since the development of the soul realm can directly relate to personal growth and power.

Alecto shrugged. “Sure, I don’t have anything better to do. Not to mention it just means you have to come by more often.” she then gave Van a lewdish grin. “And if you are around more often, perhaps a few things can develop between you and my daughter. Increasing the chances of me getting a grandkid!” Very excited by the prospect.

“Mom!” Agnès yelled.

“Oh hush now!” Alecto said addressing her. “If I don’t do this, then who will? Back in my youth, if a nice piece of man meat like this was around, I would have jumped him and bedded him within the hour!” she then gave a thoughtful expression. “Or perhaps you're just being shy because you don’t know how to win a guy over? If so, I know a few pick-up lines I can teach you that are sure to win him over!” she said with confidence.

“Mooommm…” Agnès said in a long-suffering tone, looking at her mom with pleading eyes to stop.

Alecto rolled hers. “Fine, have it your way.” but then she drew close to Van’s ear, “but if you ever want to have fun with an ‘experienced’ woman. Don’t be afraid to drop by my room, okay?”

Van just nodded a little nervously. After that, he said his goodbyes and Alecto escorted him out the house. Just as he was about to leave through the doorway, Alecto drew close to his ear once more.

“I know it might be too much to ask… but do please give my daughter a chance. And if not that, at least please be her friend. It breaks my heart not being able to provide her a more normal life for her to grow up in. and while it’s nice she has made friends with the fairies, I feel like she’s sheltering herself from the outside world intentionally. So if you can help open her up, I would very much appreciate it.” she said in a kind and caring voice.

Van was touched by how much Alecto cared for her daughter and so readily agreed. “Sure, I don’t see any problem with trying to get close to her and befriending her. If anything, it would make me more than happy to be able to share with someone who had the same, or at least, similar problems I had growing up.” giving a pleasant smile in return.

“And even if all we become is friends, I’m sure your daughter would eventually meet a nice man and make you proud. And whether or not we remain friends or more, I promise to take care of her.” he finished, trying to say things she would like to hear.

“Ohh! You!” Alecto cried, getting misty-eyed. She then leaned forward and gave a large kiss on the cheek. “You are such a precious little thing!” now pinching his cheek. “I would love to have you as a son-in-law!” then stopping her pinching and leaning forward again to his ear in a whisper. “But before that maybe the two of us can be something else.” in a sultry voice that tickled Van’s eardrums.

Van swallowed, leaning back away from the milf witch that exuded sex and pheromones like a dog in heat. “Umm… thanks for the offer… I'll… think about it.” though the tone of his voice promised anything but, and merely his attempt not to be rude and shoot her down.

Alecto pouted as if she saw through Van’s response. “Aww… playing hard to get?” she then smiled. “It’s been a while since I enjoyed a chase.” showing a predatory grin his way. “You know… you look like you have been through a lot… I also provide a massage service… it’s on the house if you want…” she said coyly.

“I’ll… think about it…” Van said again. “Anyway… thanks for having me, I’ll drop by next week.” then turned to walk away, only to be stopped once more by Alecto who placed a hand on his shoulder.

He turned nervously, and now a little bit mad, ready to hear her out and tell her off should her excuse in stopping him not be satisfactory. But what he saw in her expression made him pause. Alecto looked at him with a now very serious look on her face. The playful attitude she had mere moments ago, now gone.

“Van… I know what you are… and while I don’t fully know how it happened… or what you have been through recently… I do know enough that you're about to explode…” the look she gave Van, made him pale a little in fear.

“What you need to do… is to fuck and kill… or… to meditate… whatever you can do to control your new urges… that’s one of the reasons why your soul realm is under so much stress.” she gave a look like she was looking through Van. “that’s probably why whoever is helping you, told you to continue to have sex, right?”

Making Van’s eyes go wide, making him wonder if he should be ready to fight or flight. Trying to figure out how Alecto knew.

“Your new urges are crushing onto your psyche, keeping the damage you have from properly healing, you may be unaware of it for some reason, but i’m sure you have at least experienced a few signs of your new warped perspective right?”

Reminding Van back to when he saw the forest wolf and the rabbit kobold.

“Normally… with a strong soul realm… over time you could learn to control those new urges and make them yours. But now… not so much. So while I know you are actually trying to rein yourself in, it's probably for the best that you don’t.” she then drew close to Van’s ear one last time. “Be free… I’ll watch from afar so you don’t hurt yourself or break any taboos... I promise… and my little surprise should be kicking in just about… now...”

Van felt a little shiver run down his spine. It felt like his brain was having a little electrical thunderstorm in his head like he was making connections and processing information thousands of times a second.

Alecto finally let him go. And he ran. He ran into the forest, his brain a whirl. Filled with guilty thoughts and hidden urges. Fear too played a part, that the milf witch would somehow see everything.

He ran, jumping from trees and logs, allowing the exhilaration of his body's movement to get him high. He ran towards home, then paused, feeling like he didn’t want his people to see him like this. Frantic and aimless.

Just as he was at his wit's end, he felt the presence of one of the creatures he put a blood tracker on. Though he didn’t know why, he ran for it, and in what felt like moments, he was back in the clearing with the forest wolves that he saw earlier.

Taking a deep breath, he entered the clearing. The wolves looked up at him but made no motion to attack or show their displeasure about being intruded upon. Their nature of being forest wolves showing through, being welcoming of all creatures that were not hostile.

His eyes landed on the larger of the forest wolves, the one that played with its younger siblings and was about stomach height compared to him. The wolf noticed his gaze, and returned it with a tilt of her head, wondering what the two-leg could want with it.

Van gulped, somewhat disbelieving himself and what he was trying to draw up the courage for. But in the end, he did it…

“Hey, you… can you…” he swallowed again, his body shaking a bit. “Can you… mate with me…” his fear and confusion showing through, on top of that he was beset upon by a wave of guilt so strong it made him want to cry.

The forest wolf looked at him sagely, she then turned to her siblings and with a slight woof, sent them away. After they had left, she turned back to and walked until she gave a gentle head bump to his stomach. Looking up at him with those blue eyes, she then turned, shaking her ass, and gave a come hither look his way.

Van couldn’t believe it, he knew that forest wolves were empathic by nature, but this showed some real intelligence… but it didn’t matter… now it was his turn…

The two made love, he was surprised by how soft and warm she was. They went at it like two wild beasts. It almost felt like he was making love to a real woman…

After an hour they stopped, and he thanked her for her kindness. The wolf ignored him, and simply enjoyed her afterglow. But just as he was about to leave, he felt something between them. He turned around, but the wolf was still right where he left her. Thinking that it must have been his imagination, he turned to leave. But his desires were still not met…

He ran around the forest, building his adrenaline again, running at ludicrous speeds. But he was getting close… he could feel it…

Soon he was upon the rabbit kobold. Who he landed in front with such grace and power that it stopped her and her sisters in their track. At this point his overwhelming desires exuded from his body, giving him a very intimidating aura. He looked right in her eyes like a predator would a prey. And they were frozen in place by it.

But in contrast to the scary entrance, he spoke in a gentle voice. “I would like to mate with you… would that be okay?”

The leader of the rabbit kobolds blinked, looked around, and pointed at herself as if to ask. Me?

Van nodded. “If that’s okay with you.”

The kobold gaped at him. Then as if realizing what she was doing, shut her mouth with a click. She then gave him a good look over, and almost couldn’t believe her good fortune. A hunky male came out of the blue to ask ‘Her’ of all people to mate. Obviously, she wasn’t going to refuse…

After sending the other kobolds away. The two made passionate love. Van enjoyed how soft her fur was and how tight she was. And the kobold was having the time of her life. The two went at it for an hour before they finally stopped.

Van felt the same feeling of something happening between them he did with the wolf when he got up to leave. But like before he ignored it.

Off he was again. But now he had a new desire burning in his blood. He felt a little crazed, wondering why he was so against having sex with the kobold in the first place. After all, she was effectively the equivalent of a regular harpy. If she was introduced to him back in the castle when he got his troop, he probably wouldn't have felt bad about it. Maybe the same for the wolf…

But that was not important right now, now he needed to do something else… and he grinned like a madman when that opportunity showed itself. A large thorn bear was minding its business right in front of him. But he couldn't help equate it to the thorn bear that killed one of his hobgoblins so long ago.

Without even caring, he rushed the bear much to its surprise, and attacked it. Angry it released a flurry of spikes his way, only for Van to laugh as he found it funny how easily he dodge them. With a will he jumped above the bear, drawing its gaze, only for spikes of shadow to pierce its lower body.

Angry, it gave a roar that seemed to give off a debuff of sorts. But Van didn’t care, he charged up his blade and swung it down with three full layers of aura. Releasing all his pent-up rage and bloodlust.

The thorn bear didn’t see what happened, before it had time to register it, it was dead and split in two. Van laughed and landed in between the bear's corpse as he was showered with blood rain. He then sunk his teeth in its flesh and enjoyed its fresh blood with a goofy happy flushed face. Chuckling all the way, easily he sucked the blood from the corpse. Filling his stomach full.

Azra… looked a little worried, but in the end, ignored her master's antics and curled up and laid on the ground to wait for her master to finish.