‘Very well. Sadiya I indeed find you annoying, especially when you hug me like this. While your breasts might as well be pillows, they are currently suffocating me. So, if we could please just proceed?’

It was fortunate that she wasn't looking at me at this moment because I still hadn't figured out a proper excuse for why I was suddenly using telepathy. And honestly, I highly doubted that moving my lips in conjunction with “talking” was a thing that worked in real life. Even if you were to be exceptionally stupid you would have to catch up on that. I had to come up with something though, and a bit quick actually. Maybe saying I had a cold could work, after all, Sadiya had no idea as to what I could and couldn't do. Thankfully it seemed that for now, she was more occupied with figuring out if I had insulted or complimented her.

“I wasn't hugging you!”

As sudden, as it had come her arm retreated from me again, only now did I realize that only her biological arm had touched me. The other one was curiously hidden behind her back, that was… odd. Stepping back I upped my game and threw her a coquettish smile, which was immediately met by a frown.

“What are you staring at twerp?! Just get to the fucking car already!”

Ah, sadly it seemed that this woman was as sensitive to her own and other’s body language as a stone. Did I really have to openly court her for my charm to work? Well, add that to the list of things I wish I would have never had to think about. I would have sighed if I hadn’t feared for it to sound like the breathing of a monster. So instead I simply grabbed a muffler from the coat rack and left the house with a shrug. Despite being so brash and volatile Sadiya just stood there and looked at me with a weird mix of contempt and fondness.

‘Are you not coming Sadiya? After all you were so insistent on me getting to the car?’

“Wah!? Screw you; just do what I tell you!” With not another word she stomped past me and towards the car.

The actual car drive was, well, underwhelming to say the least. As I was sitting in the back and Sadiya had to focus on driving, the interaction I between us was rather lacking. With the current traffic it would take close to half an hour for us to arrive I decided to take a little nap. Quicker than I had thought my eyes fluttered shut and I fell into a welcoming vast sea of blackness. ‘This is odd I am asleep yet I feel as if fully conscious. Where am I? Why do I feel so... trapped safe?’

‘You are safe, little one. Rest.’

‘Who... who are you? You seem so monstrous familiar...’

‘You already know the answer to this my child. You are my youngest but you shall be my greatest. For now just rest.’

‘Yes. Resting seems like something I would like. Wake up, flee! Welterusten, Mother.’

I’m still not sure why or how it could be but there in the lap of my true mother, I slept for what felt like days. I was so exhausted after all. My birth was taxing on both my body and mind. But like a caterpillar becoming a butterfly, I too would emerge as something beautiful, mother was promising that I was. Sadly all that was nice had to end at some point. While I was laying there and rested I heard that gentle voice again.

‘Arise, my daughter, a storm is coming.’

‘A storm?’

“Will you answer your fucking phone already!? It has been going crazy for at least a minute!”

Still somewhat confused by the whole situation I had to blink a few times to adjust to the sudden brightness assaulting my eyes. Slowly I looked to my handbag, Sadiya was right there was a bunch of annoying noise coming from it. How could that be? Unsure on what to do but clearly feeling someone glaring at me through the rear-view mirror I opened it. To my surprise in there was my phone, not a back up I had could have grabbed from my room, but the very same Sadiya had broken this morning. Only that this phone wasn’t broken it looked just like it had before without a single scratch.

Honestly, I couldn’t even remember picking it up after it had been destroyed. So how by the hells was it here? Almost scared of what might happen, I took it out and turned it on. In an instant, the raked stopped and the screen lit up but instead of the background, I remembered I was met with five words before swirling darkness.

“Your birthday present,

Love Mom.

‘That... makes sense, I guess?’ I was as shocked as I was intrigued but I wasn’t going to question a being so ancient and powerful that it could bend reality to her will. Even if that being was referring to herself as Mom and sending messages ending with heart emoticons. But while I wasn’t questioning her motives, how she had done this was very much beyond me.

‘Say Sadiya, what happened to my phone after it broke?’

“Huh? The fuck are you on about? You have it in your hand right now!”

‘Curious, she can’t even remember smashing it? Almost like it never happened in the first place. No matter I should look at the reason for all the messages.’ When I looked down again the words where gone from the screen but the darkness remained. It was odd how comforting it was to look at, almost like a piece of home. Before I could lose my self in my pondering I opened up the messenger. I had gotten six new messages all from my current boyfriend Adrian.

“Val? Valerie? Come on pick up already!!! It is important! Damn it, it seems like you are busy. No matter I’ll give you a heads up either way. Valerie if you read this seriously, do NOT come to university today! I don’t know the details but there is a shit storm growing right now. Somebody leaked some photos of you covered in puke and allegedly drugged out of your mind entering your house this morning. I know it is false but the students and teaching staff are pretty riled up.”

‘Wait, what!? How had they even gotten a photo of that? Damned paparazzi!’ As quickly as I could I wrote back.

“Thank you for the info, dear. How is the situation right now?”

I didn’t even have to wait a single second for his reply. “Oh Gods, you finally picked up! Right now it seems like the situation is getting worse. Flora Banks is actually raising a petition to kick you out of the student committee.”

“That is fine. I no longer care. Do you know who started posting the photos?”

“Not specifically, but it seems that Flora actually had her hand in this, though she doesn’t have the connections to get them.”

‘Hm, of all the people I know on campus there are only a few I know could get these photos and even fewer that would wish to harm me. Can it be... no, Clarissa wouldn’t sink this low. But her brother does work for a boulevard magazine. Still, we are or at least were friends. I shall have to ask around.’

I was so lost in my thoughts that I didn’t even realize when the car stopped, only a rather loud cough from Sadiya made me lookup.

“We’re there, get out, and uhm, good luck. Now get your ass out of my car already!”

‘See you soon Sadiya.’

Showing her a smile I opened the door and stepped out. As the car drove off and I looked around I could already see signs of the chaos that was about to come. I pulled my fluffy muffler up a bit and braced myself mentally for the inevitable. Every step of the way to the front entrance I was met with stares, giggles and the sound of hushed conversations. While it was annoying it wasn’t as bad as what followed. When I finally stepped inside the building some random weirdo actually had the audacity to walk right up to me.

“Hey! You’re the Puke-Princess! I’d ask for a kiss but I’m scared you’d actually turn me into a frog instead of the proper way. Am I right boys?”

The rather childish attempt at entertainment was, to my surprise, actually met with a round of laughter and applause from a small group of equally enthusiastic guys. Oh ancient one, I would never understand this humour. Instead of answering them I just stared at them, in my mind, I already imagined their mangled bodies floating in the sea. Thankfully I didn’t have to endure their companionship for long as my rescue came in the sight of a young man in a badly fitting tweed suit.

“You there, no noise in the entrance hall. And I assume that you are Valerie Sherman? If you would come with me the dean wishes to speak with you.”

Again I didn’t answer but only stared at him; I honestly got a kick out of how spooked they seemed despite me wearing glasses. When he got no response he just frowned and motioned for me to follow. Though when he walked off I could hear him mutter into his beard. “The kid is still out of it. Damned junkies.”

‘Oh, now I get it. The pictures, now me turning up covered and wearing sunglasses inside. Yeah, they will kick me out of the committee. Hmmm, I don’t really feel all that upset about it. After all, there is nothing left for me in this institution anyway. I already learned what they could teach me and soon I will be beyond them. Then why did I even come here? Just to keep up appearance or is there something else I could gain... Many Vessels, many potential sisters. Oh, she is intruding on my mind I like the sound of that. No! Get her out! I always wanted siblings!’

The last portion of the way I couldn’t stop myself from humming in delight. It was a beautifully eerie sound, the frequency was far too low for the others to hear but I could still see it affecting them. They started laughing when they saw me but once my song reached them their looks changed from humour to a primal paranoid panic. I was like a wolf stalking sheep, like a shark in the sea, you knew that it was there but it always kept just out of your sight. Indeed it was true, I was something terrifying, something abominable... a monster a predator, the first of my kind since ages past.

The students parted before me even if they didn’t know why. Maybe the mage students were able to feel my otherworldly presence but even if so, none of them spoke up. I had half a mind to rip off my disguise and show them what I was becoming show them the horror beauty awaiting the ancient ones chosen. But no, I knew all too well how they would react I would have to wait, wait until my birth was complete. Then I could show the world the beauty of my mother’s gift. For now, I simply followed behind the academic and let him guide me to the dean.

The Dean’s office was as unspectacular as it had been the last time I had seen it. No personal touches and no colour. From what I had noticed of her the woman had little creativity and even less inspiration. She was mostly cold, boring, and efficient. Even seeing her now that idea was reinforced by the grey costume she wore and the unfashionable glasses that were sitting on the tip of her nose. Honestly, in my opinion, her face had something of a shrew that was only topped by her nasal voice when she spoke.

“Ah, Miss Sherman, finally. I presume you have been informed about the situation?”

While she spoke I took the time to take her in fully but no matter how I looked at it she was boring and worthless. ‘She is nothing but pathetic prey not worth elevating. A useless vessel, old, broken, cold. I was honestly repulsed by the thought of making her one of my siblings. No, I had no interest in her, I was done here.

‘You can stop talking now. I am stepping back from my position on the committee. In fact, I am considering leaving this institution forever. Goodbye.’

“Hey, wait! I need your signature!”

My only response to this was closing my eyes, they had been hurting for a while now, something was changing. When I didn’t respond and just stood there for almost a full minute the dean approached me concerned. I could tell that she was just about to touch me when the change was over. The very second I opened my eyes again I saw what had changed my vision was... different. Not technically better or worse but different almost as if new colours had joined the spectrum, I liked it. But from the look, the dean was giving me she didn’t like it at all. She seemed almost frightened and I couldn’t help and smile as I slowly removed my sunglasses.

“GoOdbYe~”

Without another word but a very toothy smile, I left the woman to her panic attack. ‘Why had I even thought about hiding? This is supremely delightful! To make people shudder with a single word... this is the power I dreamed magic would gift me. But now I actually have it... even if it means that I gave up on any magic besides circle magic. Still, I could not well my mana-well like before, but I did feel my core growing stronger over time. Something was awaking in me and I was curious to find out what.

Yet there was something else I wished to check up on before I left the university. The pictures they had spread around the student body had to come from somewhere and I doubted that Flora Banks was her own source. She had always been more of an opportunist working upon other's glory of failure. Though there was one person on campus that I both knew had connections to paparazzi and might have an axe to grind with me.

Clarissa Tolemen was someone I would have called a friend some time ago. Sadly like with so many people in my life my focus on studying and learning the mysteries of magic had quickly pushed her away from me. As I spend more and more time trying to find some solution to my sickness, I had spent less and less time tending to her needs and wants. About half a month ago our friendship had more or less truly ended as we had thrown some quite rude comment at each other’s heads. After that, I had lost myself in my studies and she had turned to more physical activities like swimming contests. But even now I couldn’t quite believe that she would really do this. ‘If I remember correctly the swim-club should have just finished with their training... I wonder if Clarissa still likes to spend so much time under the showers. I could certainly go for a bath again.’

Having made up my mind I send a quick message to Adrian telling him not to wait for me, turned around, and started walking towards the baths. On my way there I already came across several other people with wet hair. When they noticed me, their chatting slowly trailed off and ended in silence. When I paid them no mind one of them whispered to the other.

“Hey Lasse, isn’t that...? Do you think she knows about Clarissa?”

“Shut it and let’s just go. This chick seriously creeps me out.”

I let them pass without interjecting; they had already given me what I had wanted to know. ‘So it was actually her? I can’t believe she would do such a thing. Had we not been friends? I... I should punish?, indeed... this was not something I could just let go!’ As I got closer to the bath doors, my before amused smile turned into something that must have resembled a snarl. She would have to be punished for her transgression. I would have to show her that nobody was allowed to just step on me. I wasn’t quite sure of what I would do but I would come up with something!

When I opened the door I could already hear the flowing water and instinctively the tentacles in my vagina started to squirm around. My body was responding to the environment and... something else. One of my tentacles slipped out and I got even more confused. I could have sworn I was... tasting something in the air. Whatever it was it got my body pretty riled up and I was almost lead by my genitals to the source of their desire. Getting closer I started to hear an oddly familiar sound. ‘Is that panting? That voice... could it be Clarissa? Was this the reason why she always stayed longer than the others? No, she can’t actually... not after what she did today!’ I was almost about to step out and tell her my mind when something odd happened.

It was like my body was acting with a mind of its own. Before I could stop myself I had already started walking towards the sounds. Almost like I was in a haze I started stripping out of my clothing. The glasses fell to the ground followed by my muffler and hoody. I cared little for them getting wet after all I did love the moisture of this place. Once I had also gotten rid of my skirt and shoes I stopped for a moment. Letting my tentacles slip free I took a deep breath relishing in the humidity around me. Having stripped down to my truer self I walked on and soon I laid eyes on a curious sight.

Right there before me was Clarissa and what my genitals had tried to tell me was indeed true. Without knowing that I was there she was continuously slipping several fingers in and out of her own little flower. The panting was far more audible now that I was so close, but considering that she hadn’t even locked the doors, maybe she got a kick out of the idea of being discovered. Whatever her motive was my body was aching to get close to her. I had never been truly attracted to Clarrisa but now I had to admit that she was rather beautiful, if faulty. ‘It is almost like I think she could be better? No! Yes! Vessel creature, young, pretty, troubled. Take her! Make her mine!’

All of a sudden I had problems focusing on my thoughts, why was it that I had come here? To punish someone? No, I had come to embrace my friend! She was so troubled I still remembered how she had cried in my shoulder; neither her magic nor her athletics had ever been perfect. She had always tried so hard but never achieved her goals. I had to help her; I had to show her true beauty...

‘Clarissa.’ I got up from my hiding spot, sadly I hadn’t received my new skin an all of my body yet... it would have made hiding so much easier. But this too would pass, soon I would be better. With a gentle smile I approached my sister to be.

“AH! Holy shit! Valerie is that you? Wha- What are you doing here? If it is about the pictures I’m sorry! I never intended for it to blow up this much! You have to believe me! Wait why are you naked... what is going on Valerie?” She tried to cover up her body but I had already seen it, so there was no use. While I stepped forward I could feel the skin on my face reacting to the moisture in the air, it was almost rippling.

‘Shhh, everything is all right my dear. Mother showed me how to set you free. Just let me help you.’

“Valerie... how are you talking and not moving your mouth? Oh gods, what happened to your face! Sta- Stay away! I don’t want to get infected with a MAV!” Slowly she began backing away from me; it looked like a mating dance! I truly enjoyed her effort, she was such a good friend. And my smile widened while I could feel the skin on my face rip.

‘Silly girl. This is no MAV it is simply a sign of my rebirth. Don’t let it distract you. I have such delights to show you!’

“Valerie, if you are still in there please, stay back I don’t wish to hurt you but I will!” I didn’t like the sound of that, I couldn't allow her to hurt me. Instead of further trying the gentle approach I quickened my steps.

“NO!”

All of a sudden I found myself on the other side of the bath. I hadn’t been prepared for that before I could reach her she had sent a bolt of condensed mana at me! Crude it may have been, but she must have put most her well’s capacity into it. ‘This really smarts; I like her spirit! Oh, what is this, I... lost my face?’ A bit confused I put my hands to my head. Even though I could see several shreds of skin on the ground my fingers still felt a face even if it seemed a bit different than before. ‘I will have to check out my new look after this. I wonder what changed?’ Not waiting any longer I started searching for my soon to be sister. Rather quickly my tentacles had figured out where she had run to. I wasn’t sure why she thought running to the swimming pool was clever but I cared little, more water was fun!

‘Clarissa! Dear sister, don’t be scared. I won’t harm you... at least not if you don’t want it. You know I can hear you whimpering behind those pool noodles. I don’t like hide and seek, let’s just have fun in another way~’ I walked around to where I could hear her and plopped my head into her hidey-hole.

‘BUH!’ ‘Oh, now she just looks scared, that is no good.’

As quickly as I had found her she jumped back and started wailing on me with one of her fortifications. “Stay the fuck away from me you monster!”

‘Haha~ See this is far more fun! I can be the sexy monster and you can be the naughty princess!’ I had to practically stop myself from laughing out loud, this was pretty funny! But honestly, I didn’t understand why she was panicking so.

“Valerie, please! I don’t know what is going on with you but if you are still sane, know that I am really sorry! I- I just wanted to be close to you but you kept pushing me away... I got so lonely. Please don’t kill me for it.”

At this I had to hold in, why would she think that I wanted to kill her? I just wanted her to experience the same fun as I had! ‘Fun? What fun? I was being changed against my will and now I had almost forced myself on my once best friend! I would have to... Bad daughter. If you can’t do it I will make you.’

‘What was I thinking! Of course, I have to share this great gift with those closest to me!’ Caring little for Clarissa’s pool noodle I lunged forward. The wet spongy weapon hit my head but it could as well have been a slap from a teddy bear. In the next moment, I was already on my beloved sister. Once more I unfurled the tentacles from my twat, after all, she would have to see my new found glory to fully appreciate it!

“Are... are those tentacles coming from your vagina?”

‘Yes! Do you wish to feel them inside you?’ I leaned in closer and began kissing Clarissa's exposed skin. It was curious my lips seemed fuller than before I was really wondering what I looked like now. Sadly her reaction to this wasn’t quite as romantic.

“What!? No! Get the fuck off already you damned freak or I will scream!”

‘No, I can’t have that! But I know how to shut her up properly~.’ Before she could realize what I had planned, I quickly seized both her arms and pressed her to the ground. Despite her athletic build, it cost me next to no effort to overpower her, after all, who needed muscles if your mother gifted you telekinesis? Once she noticed what was going on she opened her mouth but I had a plan for that too! Thanks to my mother’s guidance I knew just what to do. With one fluid motion, I leaned forward and sealed her lips with my own. This time she didn’t struggle as much and I could have sworn that she was responding to my advances!

The longer our kiss lasted the more I could feel her getting into it, at the same time her eyes became unfocused if from lust or something else I couldn’t tell. What I could tell though was that beneath the scent of fear and adrenaline I faint hint of arousal was hidden. Maybe she did want this as much as I did after all! Spurred on by the thought I started ravaging her mouth with my split tongue. I wrapped it around her own, massaging it and finally wrestling it into submission. At the same time, my hands began caressing her form, trailing down from her sporty breasts to her six-pack and finally grabbing on to her tight ass-cheeks. When I pulled her closer she responded by wrapping her legs around my waist with almost crushing force.

This was simply incredible, never before had sex been this intense. All my previous boyfriends had always treated be like a frail bloom that had to be protected but Clarissa was raw, violent, and almost feral. When she started biting my lip I would have all most come from the sensation alone. When I started to encircle her vagina with my lower tentacles her own advances suddenly increased in intensity. The little control I had over the power gifted to me was no longer enough to hold her. Her muscles bulges and strained and with an almost animalistic grunt, she pressed her arms against the ground and turned both of us around.

Now on top of me, she simply ripped away from the kiss and I could see the fury in her eyes. All the years of being told she was only mediocre, that she was never going to be anyone special condensed into this very moment. One of her hands wrapped around my bundle of tenta-dicks and in the next second she had already impaled herself on them. I could only watch in both horror and arousal as any kind of agency was ripped away from me.

“Ah! Ahhh~! Valerie!”

While she was humping me like a woman possessed her eyes had gotten back a bit of focus but what I saw there made my skin crawl, there was no love only desire in them and the crazed grin didn’t help in the slightest. Before I could act she had already wrapped both her hands around my throat both choking me and digging her fingers into my siphons. Like a spell being broken, the pain removed what ever hex had made me act for the last few minutes. But it was already too late, even if my mind realized what was going on I couldn’t stop my body from reacting. In a last attempt to save Clarissa I yelled at her mentally.

‘You need to get off me, NOW!’

“Argh! NO! You are mine now! I no longer care what happens to me, I wished for this moment since we had met. I will have you no matter if you are sick. Hahaha~ I’ll just be sick with you!”

Even while saying this she didn’t stop. I could feel myself approaching the edge and then I knew that the ancient one had gotten her wish.

‘I’m sorry Clarissa. We’ll be sisters soon...’ As I came my entire load into her womb I passed out both from shame, disgust, and exhaustion.

I don’t know how long I had been asleep for but when I woke up the sky I could see from the large windows on the ceiling was already showing first trails of orange. I looked around and noticed to my surprise that I was lying in the whirlpool that was normally closed. The next thing I saw would have almost certainly broken my heart if I still had one. A few meters away from me sat Clarissa as naked as I had first seen her but by the look on her face she was far less happy. With an empty gaze she stared at the blackened dead flesh in front of her. When she noticed me moving her head slowly almost mechanically turned to face me.

‘You’re awake.’ She hadn’t even bothered to try moving her mouth it was still tugged into a mirthless frown as the words echoed out from her. ‘By the gods, what have I done? It wasn’t enough to curse myself now I have even spread it to another person, someone who had been my best friend. What she said is true, I am a monster and I just created another one.’ Not sure what to say I just went with the first thing that came to mind.

‘I am. How long was I out?’ When I looked at her I could see the same dark veins crawling over her skin as they were doing with me.

‘About five hours I think. Enough time for our mother to invade my body.’ She nodded over to the pile of dead flesh lying before her on the tiles. My throat closed up as I saw how dejected she was; from the marks on her cheeks, I could tell that she had already cried all her tears.

‘I’m so sorry. I never wanted this to happen!’

Before I could go on in explaining myself and apologizing for the horror I had brought upon her I was stopped by her walking closer. Without saying another word she stepped inside the pool and wrapped me in a hug. We just sat there for several minutes nobody talking but just her holding me as I wept. My tears didn’t burn my skin anymore something had truly changed and Clarissa would experience the same thing, I was so incredibly sorry.

‘Don’t be.’ Clarissa was holding my cheeks and looked me straight in the eyes. Unlike with the others that had seen them, there was no fear but simply honest affection.

‘But... I forced you to become something inhuman, something monstrous!’

‘No, it was mother, not you. I felt enough of her presence to know the futility of going against her. You were just the tool of her whimsy. At least she has the decency to let us in peace right now. But no, I don’t hold you responsible; it was alone my fault for not being able to resist her call. Had I not acted upon my desires, maybe...?’

‘But... I brought her back into this world! I am at fault for anything that is going to happen from now on.’ I couldn’t help but look down dejected and feeling guilty.

‘Hahaha! Your fault for trying to defeat a sickness of yours!? Not many other people would have called upon her for lesser reasons.’

‘Wait! You knew about my condition?’

‘Yeah, I did. Heard you talk about it with one of the professors. I was so jealous and angry back then but what I did with the pictures is still inexcusable. Hadn’t I done that we wouldn’t even have met today and you wouldn’t have to feel guilty for my mistakes.’

‘So, what now?’ I was honestly surprised at how mature and matter of fact Clarissa was taking all this, but then again she had several hours to come to terms with it. Though the look she was giving me right now I could really place. It was something between fondness, amusement, and pity. Finally, she sighed and stood up.

‘First, you should look into the mirror. I have no clue as to what hidden desire inspired your new form but I can certainly tell that there will be a lot more tentacles to come soon.’

‘What do you mean?’

‘Just... look.’

She went back to the bench she had been sitting on before and handed me a small pocket mirror. I would have almost dropped it the moment I saw what she had meant. I wasn’t disgusted but just shocked by the sight. The first thing that came to mind after giving myself a look over, was that I really had no need for a hairbrush anymore.

‘I am truly inhuman now!’