Archer was in awe of the stunning architecture in this new world. He couldn't help but let slip a whispered, "It's truly breathtaking."
"Yeah it really is." Lakara agreed with him, the garden was well maintained and full of vibrant flowers in full bloom, with large trees stretching into the sky a level above them. "Come on let's get back before the sun set so you can remember how to get back to campus."
They walked down the path, the round grand doors opened automatically letting them through, revealing the sprawling campus. "This place is breathtaking, I imagined something incredible but this..." Archer let out a sigh of appreciation.
"Mhmm," Lakara replied, "This is just the older part of the campus, the entire three inner layers of the city are all part of the academy. The two middle layers are for military districts, and the outer most is privately owned and public grounds, same with the land beyond it for quite some distance." She pointed in the distance, "That massive tree over there is the center of the Botanical & Fauna Research District where the Maxi Familia lives. Erenelle Maxi, my Familia's Matriarch, is the director of that academy district." She then pointed to the far north-east. "That massive tower is the Administration Center, run by the Royal Magistrate's and Priestess's." She turned back towards him, "I don't know how Matriarch Erenelle does it, but I think she's almost never been inside Administration Center, she avoids Magistrate's like a plague."
Archer's gaze averted to look at their immediate surroundings, the amount of Succubus engaging in perverted activities was a sight to behold. Everywhere he looked all sorts of sexual acts were happening in plain sight. The idea of being completely exposed was quite unfamiliar to him; there were numerous individuals not even wearing clothes, yet everything appeared to have a surprisingly ordinary atmosphere to him given the context.
"I guess I should have known this was an erotic fantasy land, I just figured there wouldn't be this many people when we walked into the city. This is a normal sight then? In my old life you'd never see anything close to this." Archer said as he stared wide-eyed at the countless orgy's, threesomes, and other mixed groups engaging in various acts of pleasure, many putting profound arts to profoundly perverted use, he honestly admired the ingenious methods people were using to get off.
"I'm pleased that you appreciate our captivating culture," Lakara said, a mischievous smile playing on her lips. "However, this is quite commonplace for us. It is a longstanding tradition to embrace our natural desires rather than suppress them, especially when we experience our heat cycle each month." They continued walking together until eventually reaching one particular door which stood slightly open
"Plus, how else are we supposed to cultivate our Divine Core without sexual excitement? Fucking in public is basically a guaranteed bonus to our Divine Seeds awakening process, you're bound to get a little extra from all the passersby. As you can see, some even stop and ask to join in; sometimes I feel like making friends that way is a little too easy." She pointed towards a group of six Succubi who all appeared to be engaged in two overlapping threesomes, a blonde Succubus approached the group, asking to join in on the fun. The other girls obliged, inviting the blonde Succubus to join them. The new girl eagerly jumped in with them, causing the other members to engage in their activities with renewed vigor.
Archer felt a jolt from Lakara's elbow jabbing him in the side, she turned and flashed him a wink. "Come on you'll have plenty of girls to ogle on the way." She lead him through the vibrant academy city towards her home.
Archer's eyes never stopped searching the surrounding environment for the next sight to marvel at, he loved the eclectic assortment of architectural designs, exotic plants decorated more of the surrounding the closer they approached the massive tree. As they made their way through the city, Lakara occasionally pointed out what she knew of the various buildings and their inhabitants, most were departments of the Botanical & Fauna Research District.
A group of Succubi noticed them and began to follow them with gleeful eyes, one called out to her, "Hey Lakara, is that the guy!? The Dean sent out a announcement he'd be staying in our district!" She was dressed in a black short dress with red heeled ankle boots, and her hair was long and straight, with vibrant crimson streaks. She wore no undergarments as Archer could see her lower regions peaking through as she approached, her breasts were large and full with perky round teardrop shaped.
"Oh! Yeah, that's him alright!" Lakara exclaimed, a devious smirk spreading across her lips as she looked at Archer. "This is Archer Bell, he's going to be attending his first semester with the rest of you new girls." She turned to him and introduced him. "Everyone, this is Archer Bell, he's the disciple of The Progenitor, Goddess Abala."
"Archer, these are the new members of our Familia." She then proceeded to introduce them, "This is Mona Maxi, she's a first year this semester like you. Her and I are both directly descended from Matriarch Erenelle. She's quite the slice of trouble, but she's still a newbie so be nice to her." She pointed at the next two, introducing them as friends from another Familia but they weren't particularly interested in him rather than what was between his legs.
After exchanging pleasantries Archer and Lakara parted ways with the group. They continued walking up hill through the districts shopping center. The smell of food filled the air all around Archer. 'I haven't eaten for more than 24 hours yet I don't feel hungry, odd.' He thought as he looked at the food booths that were packed with customers. 'I wonder if since I'm Incubus all the sex I've had is substituting for food?'
However, he did not express his desire to explore exotic cuisine to Lakara. He was already overwhelmed with new experiences for the day and was eagerly yearning for some rest. After reaching the summit of the hill, Archer came to a halt. "I knew your family held control over this district in the Academy, and I already anticipated that you'd possess a lavish estate to match. However, what I am witnessing surpasses anything I could have imagined. Lakara, this is truly fucking spectacular." His tone was stoic as he spoke, but his mind was doing flips.
Looking down from the hill top Archer could finally see the mystic tree from its base to its peak. The surrounding land below the tree had a radius of at least six kilometers (~3.73 Miles). A wide glossy river shining in the evening sun with a warm golden light wrapped around its circumference making it an island. At the base of the hill below them was a very wide gothic stone bridge stretching across to the island where to grand guard towers too.
The entire island's perimeter was lined with a stone wall, its smooth surface intricately detailed with inscriptions that reflected a deep relation with nature. Below, the river bank boasted an exquisite design of royal marble with embedded gold, perfectly complementing the sumptuous walls above. A long path led straight to the base of the tree, lit by golden light. Archer couldn't quite make it out but, it seemed to lead right to a tall set of dark brown doors, obscured by a blurry golden light.
The towering tree at the heart of the island stretched towards the sky, offering a breathtaking juxtaposition with the metropolis sprawling across the distant horizon. The extensive network of roots stretched out both above and below the ground, along with the trunk, which measured at least one kilometer in width (equivalent to 0.62 miles).
The roots extended all over the island, halting their growth just before reaching the walls. All the surrounding buildings were carefully constructed around the root structure, ensuring that the tree remains unharmed and undisturbed.
The combination of science, magic, and nature, flawlessly intertwined, resulting in a delightful fusion of arcane gothic architecture with Solarpunk aesthetics. This cityscape view before him represented everything he wished humanity in his old world would have embraced whole heartedly – creativity without boundaries; ingenuity paired alongside practicality.
He activated his passive skill {Eyes of the Infinite} and scanned the landscape under a myriad of visuals. Lakara looked back realizing he wasn't following her anymore, she walked back to him exaggeratively carful not to block his line of sight.
She stood beside him looking out at her Familia's home, and bumped her hips against his lightly, "You really are a slut for a good view, aren't you? At first, I believed it was due to the culture shock. However, whenever we stumble upon a beautiful sight, I see the way your gaze traces and savors ever detail like that."
While beginning to daydream herself, she stared lovingly ahead stating, "If I found a girl who looked at me every time she saw me the way you do right now she'd have my heart and soul in her hands." She spoke quietly, almost in a whisper, glancing back at Archer's eyes emitting black and white strands of light. Utilizing his skill, he was able to zoom in quite a bit closer than his naked eye could on its own. She noticed that his pupils, shaped like the symbol for infinity, were now divided by a vertical line with a pointed tip on each end.
Archer not looking away replied, "I've always longed to live in a place like this, I was never satisfied with the bleak uniform simplicity the world was ever moving towards. Abala actually commented to me about my obsession for creating a world like this, she said all the gods found my plights quite ironic. The common phrase to their inside joke about me was 'if only he knew', and well they weren't fucking wrong. I always dreamed of a land where efficiency was as much a purgative as creativity, free will, and emotional expression. And here I am now, in that very world. Yet a part of me is always anxious, skeptical, trained from my last lift to never expect more, expect to fail, waiting to be let down, waiting to be disappointed."
He let out a long breath deactivating his skill, and meeting her eyes, "Then I find myself at moments like right now, and all of that gets blown away to the back of my mind, forgotten. I want to savior these moments now, because those feelings have always possessed me like the devil. My insatiable desire for an unattainable world caused me to abandon many things and led me beyond the brink of exhaustion. In my past life, I only had two true friends and I basically just used them to further my work, I never gave them anything back." Tears gently streamed down his face as he slowly shook his head.
"I didn't really enjoy the simple things in life, except for the few times when I had no other option. Even then, I'd find ways to learn more knowledge to put into my fantasy world, never stopping to appreciate anything. While I miss Yorik, Alexia, and my family, I regret never truly getting to know them to the point my heart feels like it'll shatter. I want to show them this world, and that it's everything, but I don't think I ever will. I couldn't tell you how my parents, or Yorik and Alexia met, I couldn't even remember their birthdays without my calendar. Everything was about creating Infinity Skies to me, even them. I just wish I could tell them how sorry I am. Hold them in my arms shouting how much I loved them." Archer spoke softly, a slight trembling in his voice. "But I can't, no matter how strong I get. So instead, I'm really really trying to live my life like they all wanted me to."
"When I was younger, and my research started taking off I got a huge award, I only showed up to it because of the money. After my parents were so happy for me they were glowing, they tried to take me to dinner or something, I can't remember since I was a self absorbed prick. Anyway I emphatically declined and stormed off back home, leaving my parents there, I think I even cursed them out. I called my mom a dunce saying her or my dad would never come to comprehend the my work. I left them there that night on the side of the street tears in there eyes. Later my Dad came into my room, he was really upset with me but some-fucking-how he didn't lash out or yell at me. He tried getting me to come back out and it wasn't too late to get dinner, I refused again and again which led to him saying — You need to savior it's every moment for what it is now, not what it could be tomorrow, don't get caught up looking for what its not. Haha. Life is good Archer. Life is good." After choking out those last words between tears Archer laughed out self mockingly.
Archer's head turned back out towards the view, "You know what I did after he said that? I threw him out by literal force, pushing him right out the door. Slamming and locking it behind him and I got right back to fucking work. That's the one event I regret most in my entire last life; our relationship was terrible after that. I practically moved into my lab later on, and only ever saw them when Yorik or Alexia brought my parents to meet me. Thinking about it now I'd honestly give everything up, just to change what I did that one night. Every time I get that look you mentioned, his words are echoing throughout my mind; I tried to push those words away at first, but I'm starting to embrace them. It took me dying to understand them, and I never want to forget them."
Archer's gaze was focused on the cityscape in front of him. He hadn't spoken of those memories to anyone, they were far too painful for him. He spent his last life denying them, it was long past due that he finally acknowledged them.
He felt Lakara's hand touch his shoulder, and he turned his head back to her beautiful amber eyes as she gazed down on him. "I'm sorry I didn't mean to upset you I just-" she cut herself off.
His smile returned, and he placed his hand on hers, "No, no, it's quite alright, there's a long winded point to my self loathing tangent. When I saw my parents as died, I knew the one thing I regretted most right away. I can't change what I said to them. I forgot to be grateful for their love, for my life, for everything I had, and well, I don't want to repeat those same mistakes."
As he spoke, his countenance turned serious again, and he expressed his sincerest thoughts: "Lakara, I am uncertain of the extent of our time together, but during your time by my side, I implore you to continue helping me find the beauty in life. I truly believe that very few people would demonstrate the sincere compassion that you have shown towards a stranger. I must admit, I wouldn't have behaved in the same way in the past. I deeply appreciate your help and guidance. From the depths of my heart with Abala herself as my witness, I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart and I'll make sure to repay it in anyway I can. I have a request as well: would you please help this isolated, self-centered, obsessed researcher to become even a little more like you?" He finished his request with a slight smile, tilting his head.
Lakara blinked her eyes a few times processing his words, her gaze shifted between the ground and back to his face, before she eventually sighed, "You're hopelessly strange, aren't you?" She paused, stepping back away from him before comically striking a bow, "Thank for your high praise, this lowly Succubus will do her best to guide the great disciple of Goddess Abala herself upon his noble quest to cut loose." She spoke in an overexaggerated tone, rising back up, "This one humbly accepts your request, and wish you in return provide her your continued support in awakening her Divine Seeds." She struck a proud and heroic pose with one hand placed over her heart, the other held at her waist with her hands flat.
He let out a chuckle at her teasing display towards his excessive formality and replied, "You'll never see me whine about that." She gave him a sly look back, "I'll be putting those words to test myself." She gave him a wink, the two ended their little public spectacle and continued down the hill towards the mythic tree.
Archer continued looking around in awe as the walked across the bridge to the island. After over an hour of gawking and talking ideally with Lakara they arrived before the mighty grand entrance to this, two doors around eighty meters high stood before them. Lakara took out a necklace and raised it before the door, she inserted an oval crystal that looked like glass into a slot on the top of the door, which lit up and activated.
The doors rumbled as they slowly opened inward revealing a luxurious enchanted living wood hall, decorated with vines, plants, and many different adorable creatures Archer had never seen anything close to before.
"These are our pets you could say, all of them are harmless if not beneficial to have around. Matriarch Erenelle has been collecting them for a long time, and our home serves as a good habitat for them to just roam free. The tree itself is linked with her directly through her Divine Traits, so it keeps itself clean and organized autonomously. I'll show you to couple rooms, the actual size of the tree inside is many times that outside. We have around two-hundred and fifty members last I checked." Lakara informed him as they stepped inside, the door closed behind them with an audible thump.
The room was breathtakingly enormous, it could have easily held an entire mall inside. Lakara showed him to a couple rooms on the second floor which were a little too big and impractical for his tastes. She got the message and showed him one of the rooms close to her own. It was fitted with an ample study, various storage spaces for research & precious materials, a small kitchen like space with most things being an arcane equivalent to what he was used to.
He noticed the lack of bathrooms and asked her about it, she seemed rather confused by the question, 'why would you need to relieve yourself? What would you need a specific room to relieve you of anyway?' she asked him in return. After a short explanation she laughed at him for a good bit saying that was human thing, pointing out he hadn't had to go to the relieve himself once this new life. Instead, she led him to a different floor filled with a wide range of open-air baths, showers, and numerous other self-care amenities.
There was a special section that offered the same luxurious amenities as a health spa retreat, plus some extra ones only possible within this world. It was connected directly to a medical care and recovery hall, all run by a number of Succubi that specialized in this aspect of study. "Since we're here Archer do you wanna hop in the bath for a bit?" Lakara offered with a raised eyebrow.
"I'd love to but I know where it'll lead, if not pass out the second I relax." Archer said with a chuckle. She sighed in slight disappointment, but understanding his point. "Well you're room should be done personalizing itself now, it won't be much different functionally but the tree uses a soul art to get a good base line of your tastes."
"What do you mean by Soul Arts?" Archer questioned her, "Like the one the Dean used to cast on me right? Wait. Wait I don't wanna know yet Ill be up night about it if it's what I think it is. Lemme just roll with it all for tonight."
"From what you told me earlier that's probably for the best." She agreed with a shrug and a smile, before leading him back to their floor.
When they got back to his room, he saw everything had changed to take on a more Arcane look, yet still maintaining they enchanted living wood look. He instantly recognized the golden threads that interwoven throughout the various fabrics and surfaces as he entered, 'Heh, it's similar in theme to the outer edge of the island where the tree roots meet the bridge and the walls. I really liked that area, guess it picked up on that.'
He removed the small white chest Harcacia gave him from his over coats pocket, setting it on the bedside table before beginning to remove his clothing to sleep.
"Do you need anything else before you head to bed?" Lakara asked as she moved towards the exit, he paused and shook his head, "No I'm alright, I just need a good night's sleep. Thank you again Lakara, have a good night."
"You too Archer. I'll come by in the morning to get you for breakfast, or when the Dean sends over those course recommendations." She smiled, turning the lights out before exiting, and closing his door behind her.
He stripped down climbing into his huge bed, even the bed adapted to whatever position he laid in to best support his posture. "This is fantastic, I wonder what it's like to be able to make something like this." He thought as he sat up on his knees and glanced around at his room. He couldn't help but marvel at how every little thing was perfect for him, from the golden threads to the comfy chairs, to the size, shape and temperature had even changed a little to better suite his tastes.
He ran his hands through his hair, letting out a deep sigh, 'This is a new life, and I intend to embrace it. This is the life I always wanted, and I'll live it the way I always should have. Thank you Abala for brining me here.' As he thanked Abala in his mind, a warm sensation overcame him for a moment as if she was telling him she heard that. He smiled and wrapped himself in the soft silky sheets getting comfortable, he thought of the fleeting precious moments he had with Yorik, Alexia and his parents as he fell into a deep sleep without delay.
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