Iris couldn't sleep.
She got up from her bed, walked around, and settled in front of her desk, completely awake. Pale moonlight peered through the thick curtain, dimly revealing half of her figure. The other half, cloaked under the darkness of the night, glowed dimly as the dispersed moonlight caressed its fabric.
Alone, she sighed, then took off the Virtual Space Ring. The cracked gem on its head flickered. Blue light shone, revealing silhouettes of countless items. Though most of what Iris owned had been lost to the void forever, she still retained a sizable portion in her ring.
"I’ve somehow grown used to sleeping with others," Iris mumbled. "I've become soft, too soft."
While grumbling, Iris searched through the Virtual Space Ring. She slowly confirmed the condition of her items. One by one, she pulled the exotic material out of the virtual space, inspected its texture, and nibbled at some while putting others back.
To progress in the Transformation Phase, a Monster Girl needed to practice her innate talent, innovate, and elevate it, as well as devour and digest exotic ingredients. The more compatible the exotic materials, the faster the progression.
At first, Iris planned to distribute them with her sisters once she got back, but it was no longer feasible.
"What is this?" Iris took out a broken black star fragment. Its smooth surface revealed distortive images, which morphed into something new in each instant. "Power of distortion . . . so it was you, Kurion?"
When Iris volunteered to sacrifice herself, the other Monster Girls expressed their gratitude to her. In particular, Kurion patted her shoulder and, during that moment, gifted Iris a life-saving treasure, which would automatically help its owner when she was in danger.
This power of distortion, for an instant, confused Nupian and granted Iris a precious moment to escape. More importantly, Iris was too fragile. If Nupian moved too fast and grabbed too hard, Iris would crumble into slime vapours, utterly annihilated.
"Sister Kurion, I know you can't hear this, but thank you." Iris held the black star fragment close to her chest. "I won't forget this help. Even if my mind forgets it, my body won't."
Iris opened her mouth and placed the black star fragment on her tongue. Her slime tongue gradually assimilated the star fragment. A sour yet addicting flavour ruptured inside Iris’s mouth as she digested Kurion's power of distortion.
As the star fragment fused into Iris, she moaned. Her body gained a hint of intimacy with Kurion. She could recall more vibrant Kurion's silhouette, figure, facial expressions, eyes, lips, breasts, thighs, everything.
It was as if she had become Kurion, fused together, inseparable.
"There, I've remembered your everything." Iris bit her lips. "It feels amazing, way too amazing. I'm getting addicted to it."
In fact, it felt too strange. The other things didn't help me this much. Why? Iris frowned. Is it because I have a compatible attribute with the power of distortion? It can’t be. Is it because this object has Kurion's lingering scent?
"I need to do it to become stronger?" Iris gasped. "I'm a Monster Girl now. It's in my nature. I must do it to become stronger. I have to do it. I won't get addicted to it. I know how to control myself!"
Iris shuddered. She looked down. Her left hand was pressing against her breasts while her right hand was reaching further down. Blood rushed to her face and spread pink shades on her cheeks, neck, and ears. She forced her hands on the table and inspected the remaining exotic materials.
Don't think about it. It's just a lapse of judgement.
Iris absentmindedly absorbed an exotic material. It didn't feel as good as the star fragment. It also didn’t provide much improvement if at all.
With just the ordinary exotic materials, my progression speed will crawl. I . . . have no choice.
Something clicked in Iris, and she smiled. Logic and instinct blended into a mix of desires. It permeated her body, fusing into her soul. Her moral code, one which she upheld since the transmigration, turned dark, corrupted. Her nature suppressed her reason and flooded her mind with fantasies she found herself unable to reject.
No. Don’t let go of your humanity, Iris! You can do it!
When she came back to herself, she had already gone through everything inside the Virtual Space Ring. To stop her hands from moving around, she commanded them to hold onto Speculative Divinity, the only book she took out of the Legacy Ground.
One step at a time, Iris. One step at a time, and you'll find yourself a thousand miles from the beginning. All it takes is that first step. Keep moving. Do not stop.
Iris placed down the book and lit up the candle lamp beside her. A soft yellowish glow painted a corner of the room in a shade of orange. As Iris focused her attention on the pages, the faded ink symbols glimmered and came to life, providing Iris with ethereal knowledge.
Despite her superhuman comprehension speed, Iris could not rapidly flip through the pages like when she did in the library. The content of Speculative Divinity was impossibly dense. Its sentence structures were like a spell, one which, even in the absence of intention, activated itself upon reading. It conjured unreal imageries inside Iris's mind, imprinting the strange impressions of the lost era unto her memories.
With each symbol containing a spell within, everything connected with everything else, forming a string of formation, a vast, complex, and unified array of meanings. This perplexing experience continued even when Iris took her gaze off the page, and when she returned, she found the contents unfamiliar. They had already rearranged themselves, transforming into new information.
This book is absurd. How am I going to finish it? Maybe my reading method is wrong. Iris shuffled through her memories, but she found no clue that could lead to the answer to this mystery. The other books aren't like this. Who wrote this? Why?
Iris furrowed her brows as she closed the book. The cover lightly lay on its pages, revealing a clean, brownish leather-like frame. On its surface depicted a curious being. She initially resembled an angel, her eyes shut, her hands on her chest, forming a prayer gesture, but the more Iris looked, the more detail she gleaned.
The angel now looked demonic. She had a pair of spiralling horns beside her temples and one exquisite, almost holy, sharp horn protruding from the middle of her forehead. Her feathery pair of wings, growing out of her back, spanned twice her height, touching the cover frame.
"This isn't here before." Iris placed her right hand on the book, conjured a fireball, and burnt it. Nothing happened. The cover remained unharmed. "Strange. This texture, although mimicking the leathery feel, is much more durable than anything I know."
Speculative Divinity . . . ?
Iris closed her eyes and called out to her soul. The ray of Faith inside her responded with a muffled cry. It gushed out sacred energy, which mixed with her Corruption Power. They violently crashed before merging into a unique form of energy.
Channelling it to her fingertips, Iris pressed her fingers against the principal horn of the angel. They passed through the cover and plunged into the page, reaching into the depth of the untold story.
Sensing a guest, the praying demonic angel opened her eyes. Her pair of wings fluttered, and another pair of fleshy, bony wings unfolded behind her. She raised her head and opened her eyes. Her gaze pierced through the world inside the page and landed onto Iris, who leant forwards and met it.
The two maintained eye contact as Iris's hand moved towards the angel, while the angel also reached out to Iris. On the page, the angel was tiny, but in the world inside the page, she was taller than Iris. Her height was double that of Iris's.
"Miss, can you speak?" Iris said. "Are you trapped? Who trapped you in here?"
The angel, with serpent scales covering her lower body and breasts, smiled at Iris. She grasped Iris's hand and tugged Iris gently as if inviting Iris into the page. Still, Iris refused to move forwards. She had not trusted this mysterious angel yet.
The angel remained smiling. She did not yank Iris but relaxed and moved closer to Iris. She pressed her face against Iris's backhand, rubbing her cold, smooth, scaly cheek against Iris's soft skin. Iris felt a tingle on her hand, but she could not pull back. Her strength faltered in front of the angel.
If the angel desired so, she could have easily pulled Iris into the page.
This power is at least Condensation Phase. She is stronger than most people in this world. But even as strong as her, she was trapped inside a mere book. Who did it?
After a few moments, the angel kissed Iris's palm and let go. She waved her hands at Iris, then pushed Iris's hand away. The world inside the page froze, and the angel returned to her initial posture, becoming the cover once more.
Maybe she is not trapped, but she is the guardian of the book?
Iris examined her right hand. There was a black and white symbol of a mixed face, one a crying angel, the other a smiling succubus. The two mixed and separated like yin and yang before they sank inside Iris's skin, invisible to the eyes, dormant, waiting for the day Iris called upon it.
"I seem to have stumbled upon a major secret," Iris muttered. "This book is obviously not something the Legacy Ground made, but how did they get it? Who is the author?"
Iris shifted her gaze. Aside from the title and the silhouette of the demonic angel, there was another blurry line on the cover. Shrouded in a thin layer of mystery manifested, it quivered and pulsated like blood vessels.
I can't read it? I can see and recognise the symbols, but I can't comprehend them. They feel out of reach. Do I need to read more before I can understand them?
As Iris was about to read the book again, she noticed bright orange glares flashing beside her. She turned her head towards the curtained window. The moon had already fallen, the sun risen. Unknowingly, she had spent hours reading the book as well as communicating with the demonic angel.
To get the fresh morning air, she got up from the desk and opened the curtain. Sunlight bounced inside her room, painting it bright and shiny. Chill yet warm breezes drifted past her. Its temperature gave her a refreshment, dispelling her fatigue.
A new day, a new goal. Maybe, this time, I'll have a chance to retaliate. My hope rests within you now, Speculative Divinity.
Burning with hope, Iris sat back and began reading the first page.
A knock interrupted her experience. A few more followed, then a creak. The door gently open as Ludmint, with her messy hair and darkened eyelids, walked into the room, excited and flustered.
"Iris, I think I need a break. How about we go to a secret base of the Court of Indulgence today?"
Iris sighed. She wanted to refuse, but the matter was too important. The Court of Indulgence would be her new home for the upcoming future. She needed them if she wanted to live safely.
"Sure." Iris stored Speculative Divinity back inside the Virtual Space Ring, her expression unchanging. "But first, you should take a bath and tidy up. We can't go there without dressing up, right?"
She is both the crying angel and the succubus :V