Outside the assembly hall, in a corridor, Elizabeth, her mother, and Theudas stood aside. Sera, Ravenna, and her wives—Aiden, Li, Isolde, Selene, and Lyra—gathered near the waterfall while Ravenna seriously questioned her two wives, Selene and Lyra.

  “What is the meaning of this? Why didn’t you tell me before proposing something like that to the matriarchs?” Ravenna demanded.

  “And what would you have done? Would you allow us to propose it?” Selene retorted.

  “That’s not the point.”

  “Then what is?” Lyra shouted, tears streaming down their faces.

  “Sera isn’t listening to us. You keep saying it will be okay somehow, but we don’t know what to do,” Lyra cried.

  “Alright, alright, I’m sorry. Can you both stop crying?” Ravenna coaxed her wives gently.

  “Hehehe, see? Didn't I tell you, mother can’t win against them?” Sera whispered to Elizabeth.

  “Hehehe, I know,” Elizabeth giggled.

  Bang, bang. Theudas knocked on Sera and Elizabeth's heads.

  “Ouch, ouch,” they both excimed.

  “When you both have your wives in the future, you’ll understand these troubles,” Theudas said, gring at the two who are rubbing their heads, embarrassed and resentful.

  “Hahaha,” everyone started to ugh, calming the crying mothers.

  “Mothers, I know you did this for my own good. But...” Sera began.

  “You keep quiet,” Lyra gred, silencing Sera.

  “Yes Ma'am” Sera stiffened.

  “What is wrong with the matriarch's suggestion of marrying someone?” Selene asked.

  “I tried, but I can’t,” Sera shrugged.

  Sera’s nonchant attitude earned a gre from Selene, causing her to shut her mouth once again.

  “Rave, can’t you do something about her condition?” Lyra asked Ravenna.

  “No, even the matriarchs are incapable of dealing with her artifact,” Ravenna replied.

  "I even took her to various pces to meet different people to see if she might be interested in marrying someone she likes. We met with other demon kin, adventurers, high nobles, and even priests, but it was of no use."

  “Then can't you just take her as your wife?” suggested Lyra.

  “You know I can’t. It doesn’t work like that.”

  Selene and Lyra’s faces turned gloomy.

  Ravenna smiled gently. “I know you both love Sera very much, but some things can only be resolved with time.”

  “But...”

  “Moreover, your daughter has already found an appropriate solution on her own.”

  Selene and Lyra gnced at each other. “Are you talking about the artifact—Lamia’s Embrace?”

  “Yes.”

  “Is it able to break her inherited artifact?”

  “No, but it will help address her immediate concerns.”

  “Mother, why didn’t the matriarchs just agree to give me the artifact? They only lent it for ten years,” Sera asked Ravenna.

  “I believe it’s because of its drawbacks.”

  “Drawbacks?”

  “Yes, it’s a very powerful artifact we received from the abyss during ancient times.”

  “Although it is powerful, it has a fatal drawback.”

  “What is it?”

  “The more the user employs it, the more they will be affected by psychotic thoughts. They will slowly start to lose control of their sanity, corrupting them slowly.”

  Sera’s eyes widened in shock, a slight sense of fear creeping into her expression.

  “Not only the user, but also those around them will be affected by it gradually.

  “And this drawback becomes even more fatal for demon kin, who are more susceptible to corruption.

  “I believe that’s why the matriarch restricted its usage to ten years.

  “Although it’s a temporary fix, you can’t rely on it forever. You need to find other solutions.

  “A good estimation is that you could keep things under control for at most seven to eight years.

  “The area you chose is remote, so there shouldn’t be much trouble. If the people around you start to get more sadistic and psychotic, it is a sign that things are getting complicated. At that time you need to leave immediately.

  “I understand,” Sera said, taking a deep breath.

  “But Rave, if it’s so dangerous…” Selene and Lyra became worried.

  “I know. But Sera doesn’t have many choices right now. If it’s her, she’ll be able to manage herself properly,” Ravenna consoled her wives.

  Elizabeth asked, “Sera, you said you were pnning your future. Is this pn your future?”

  “No, it’s only a means to achieve my dream,” Sera shook her head.

  “Oh, Then what is your dream?” Elizabeth asked curiously.

  “To give birth to my child.”

  “Huh?”

  “?”

  “?”

  Everyone in the group looked stunned at her unexpected answer.

  Seeing their expressions, Sera chuckled.

  “I know it doesn’t sound like much. Although I previously had some pns to help my mother and cn with various things, with my current ck of magical capabilities, I am useless.

  “Although I don’t want to admit it, I might not live past seventy years, unlike you all, who will live for at least two hundred years due to magic.”

  Sera’s words made everyone turn gloomy.

  “This pn is my way of repaying the hive and my parents. In five years, once this task is complete, I intend to live a carefree life with my child. If possible, I would like to form my own trinity.”

  “Who knows, maybe my child will be my spouse.” Sera chuckled.

  “You're not marrying anyone. You refuse to have sex with others. You’re still a virgin. How do you intend to become pregnant?” Elizabeth criticized.

  “To begin with, do you like boys or girls? Do you even have a preference?”

  “As a matter of fact, I do have some preferences,” Sera replied. “It’s not that I have anything against men, but I think I prefer girls in my bed. Still, as long as I like someone, it doesn’t matter to me if it’s a boy or a girl.”

  “Oh! Then what would you do if you liked a man in the future?”

  “Hmm,” Sera pondered seriously. “Right, Mother, is there magic to change one’s gender?” she asked, her eyes lighting up with a moment of eureka.

  “Hahaha!”

  “Hahaha!”

  Hearing her conclusion, everyone ughed, including Selene and Lyra.

  “Sera, this is something every member of our race thinks of at least once in their lifetime,” Li said, rubbing the tears from her eyes. “But too bad, we never found such magic. Even the matriarch searched for this, but none was found.”

  “Argh, that’s too bad,” Sera said. “Then I’ll do the next best thing.”

  “Next best thing?” Everyone looked puzzled.

  “I'll crossdress my spouse as a girl and treat her like one,” Sera said with a grin.

  As if struck by lightning everyone stood astounded, their eyes wide and motionless.

  Meanwhile, Theudas and Aiden, who were standing by, felt shivers run down their spines, sweat dripping from their foreheads.

  As if on cue, Ravenna and her wives turned their heads like creaking creepy puppets towards Aiden, while Elizabeth’s mother turned to look at Theudas, causing them to step back.

  Shaking off their stares, Aiden and Theudas ran to Sera, grabbing her ears and twisting them.

  “You little vixen, what kind of preposterous idea are you getting? Can’t you keep it to yourself?” Theudas scolded.

  “Ouch, ouch, it hurts, it hurts!” Sera screamed.

  Hearing Sera’s scream, they released her.

  “Why? Don’t you think it’s an interesting idea?” Sera asked, looking resentful while rubbing her ears.

  “Do you think you’re the first one to think of it?” Theudas said.

  “Given enough time in the company of the women in our hive, all the men would be prepared at some point to be asked to dress as women. It’s a miracle none of them thought of this till now. Everyone just kept quiet,” Aiden scolded.

  “We’re suppressing the boys who are into this stuff with threats and bribes because we know it won’t end with them.”

  “Because of you, it won’t be long before all the women start pestering us to dress up as women.”

  “Girl, you’ve just turned most of the men in our hive into your enemies,” Theudas said sternly.

  While they were reprimanding Sera, Ravenna and the other women slowly crept up to Aiden and Theudas and grabbed them.

  “Aiden, why don’t you try the new dress I bought recently?” Ravenna said with a smile.

  Shaking off their hold, Aiden decred vehemently, “Don’t even think about it, Rave. I’m not doing it.”

  “Come on, just once,” Li added.

  “Never,” Aiden shouted.

  “Darling,” Elizabeth’s mother approached.

  “Not a word,” Theudas gred.

  “Tch.”

  “Don’t click your tongue.”

  “Even if I don’t mention it, someone will get the same idea someday. The inception of the concept of crossdressing is inevitable,” Sera interjected justifying herself.

  “Some day, not today,” Aiden retorted.

  “Why? What’s so wrong about it? It’s just for fun.”

  “It might be fun, but we have our pride too. Not everyone is okay with some kinks.

  “You’d find it hard to find people with such tendencies. You might even have a better chance if you make them dress up as girls from their childhood.”

  “Come on, it’s not like you’re losing anything. Don’t you want to grant the wishes of your spouses? Look at their pitiful faces,” Sera teased.

  Aiden’s mouth twitched. “If we were to start granting all the demands of these sassy, sadistic nymphs, we wouldn’t see the sun for weeks.”

  Theudas added, “It seems like you don’t know the hardships of domestic life.”

  Aiden said with resentment, “Sera, you seem to have the tendencies of a Granter. We curse you, to meet a troublesome poris.”

  Theudas nodded, “I hope you do.”

  “Again with Poris. Why is everyone cursing me with this Poris? What is a poris?” Sera inquired.

  “Everyone is cursing you like that?” Aiden asked, blinking.

  “Yeah,” Sera nodded.

  “Haaa,” Aiden sighed. “It seems like you’re annoying a lot of people.”

  “Sera, it means you’re being naughty and irritating a lot of people who are close to you and care for you,” Theudas expined.

  “In our race, when we want to curse someone who is annoying yet precious to us, we wish for their happiness but want them to feel some hardships. In such cases, we use this phrase as a curse.”

  “??”

  “This retes to the concept of trinities.”

  “Are you talking about the Pact of Trinity?” Sera asked.

  “What?” Ravenna suddenly excimed.

  Copyright ? [September] [2024] [The Rainy Imp].

  She approached Sera in rge strides and grabbed her shoulders.

  “Where did you hear about it?” Ravenna asked anxiously.

  All the adults turned pale.

  “I read it in one of the books in the library. I don’t remember which one, though. It didn’t mention much information, just a rough description,” Sera said, taken aback.

  “Isolde, immediately go to the library and order them to search for all the books. Shift all the books with its mention to the restricted section,” Ravenna commanded.

  “On it,” Isolde replied, running at her maximum speed.

  “Damn, what are they thinking, leaving those accessible to everyone?” Theudas muttered.

  “Mother, what is it? Why are you so anxious?” Sera asked.

  “Sera, remember this well: do not ever attempt the ritual to form the Pact of Trinity. It is one of the forbidden rituals.”

  “Isn’t it the ritual to form trinities in our race?”

  “No!” everyone shouted at once.

  Taking a deep breath, Ravenna expined, “Sera, forming trinities is like a race-specific tradition, simir to forming a group of friends or a family. But forming a Pact of Trinity is different. It is a ritual that has existed since ancient times. Even before the birth of our race.

  “We don’t know who created it or for what purpose. Its requirements for success are vague and incalcuble. The gains we obtain when succeeding don’t compare to the side effects we have to bear. Even performing this ritual is equal to suicide, and its consequences are unpredictable.

  “Only those who are extremely ignorant, desperate, delusional, or insane would even think of attempting this ritual.

  “Even I would not dare to try it. So don’t even think about trying it, okay?” Ravenna stressed.

  Seeing the anxiety in her mother’s eyes, Sera nodded like a pecking bird.

  Feeling relieved, Ravenna let go of Sera.

  “Father, how do all of you know about this ritual? Did anyone you know try it? Will it not suffice to just warn others not to try it?” Elizabeth asked.

  “There is no trying in this ritual. You have to succeed on the very first try. Otherwise, you will die. It's like an all-in gamble,” Theudas replied.

  “The young members of our race tend to become delusional when it comes to this ritual. It’s better to keep them ignorant until they reach proper maturity. And yes, the matriarchs of the cn succeeded in the ritual.”

  “....”

  “....”

  “I should really keep away from it then,” Elizabeth and Sera muttered with some fright in their eyes.

  “Wait, didn’t you say the matriarchs performed this ritual? But aren’t they five people?” Sera asked.

  “Trinity doesn’t imply the number of people performing the ritual; rather, it indicates its other aspects,” Ravenna replied.

  “In our race, we form trinities. Do you see only three people forming them?”

  “No,” Sera shook her head.

  “Then what does Poris have to do with the trinities?”

  “Right, we digressed. In the trinities, everyone takes up a role, such as protector, caregiver, etc. Among these roles are some special ones such as Wisher and Granter/Fulfiller.

  “You can consider these roles simir to a man or a woman who wants to satisfy the wishes of their lover to gain their favor.

  “Sometimes it is like parents finding happiness fulfilling the wishes of their children. Or elder siblings finding joy in the satisfaction of their younger ones.

  “Most of the time we form sexual retions. But there are always exceptions.

  “Physiologically and psychologically, there is a strong attraction between a wisher and a fulfiller. Granters are obsessed with their wishers. They find joy in fulfilling their wishes, while the wishers find joy in relying on their granters.

  “As long as the wisher asks for something, the granter will do their utmost to fulfill it, regardless of the consequences.

  “Everyone craves them because they make perfect partners for each other. This is something you have to experience to understand fully.

  “In simple terms, they would be like lovers, father-con, mom-con, bro-con, sis-con etc. People with a lot of complexes, where they just want to pamper their other party.

  “When a wisher and granter meet, in most cases they form a trinity because this is what they desire deep down. But it’s rare to find one.

  “In my trinity, I am the wisher, and all my wives are my granters,” said Ravenna.

  “Then how do we know who our Wisher is?” Sera asked.

  “No one can tell. Your heart will know.”

  “A Poris is a special role simir to a Wisher. Unlike other roles, a Poris need not necessarily be someone from our race. Their role in the trinity is a mystery. Only those who find them know why such a role exists. They are said to be more troublesome than a Wisher.”

  “Is there someone like that I know of?” Sera asked.

  “Yes. There were some mentions in the long history of our race. The matriarchs were actually six sisters. Their youngest sister is your te great-grandmother, and she was the Poris for the five matriarchs. Two others were specially recorded in the hive’s history.”

  “One of the recorded Poris supposedly caused their trinity to betray, bringing disaster upon our race and leading to its ruin. It took centuries before the matriarchs took it upon themselves to rebuild the hive again.”

  “Aunt Ravenna, does your grandmother have that special constitution?” Elizabeth interjected.

  “Special constitution?”

  “You said everyone craves their Wisher.”

  “I see, I understand what you mean.”

  “No, people with the special constitution and Poris are different. Although both are what we innately desire, it’s for different reasons. Wishers are retively easier to find. People with a special constitution can become wishers, but it is not always the case, while a Poris is something decided by fate.

  “Another difference is that a body with a special constitution is craved by everyone due to their ability to give pleasure to anyone they sleep with. But a Poris is completely reted to the individual, simir to how your great-grandmother is a Poris for her sisters but not necessarily for others.

  “At least that’s how our race’s history was recorded. For a long time, people have been afraid of finding their Poris because it is believed that once you find your Poris, it will be like falling into an endless abyss. It’s like eating a forbidden fruit. You will never be the same again. You can never get away from them.

  “You will be helplessly attracted and attached to them. They would become your raison d'etre. We are a race that craves pleasure. It was recorded that finding a Poris can lead you to unimaginable pleasure. However, unlike a wisher or someone with a special constitution, they may not provide pleasure directly.

  “Some records state that the role of a Poris is not one of pleasure. There are many contradictory statements that cannot be verified. Thus, while finding a Poris might be the ultimate wish for members of our race, it is bound to cause trouble, maybe even life-threatening situations. So, avoiding it is best.

  “The curse of the Poris started with this idea—people wishing you to find unimaginable pleasure but cursing you to go through troubles to obtain it. Currently this is only used for bantering, no one thinks so deeply into it,” expined Ravenna.

  “If they are that rare, then how do we find them?” asked Sera curiously.

  “Just like with a wisher, our hearts will tell us when we meet them. Still, there is a poem that was passed down since ancient times in our race as a way to identify or realize our Poris. It goes like this:

  “In the vast expanse …..

  ………

  ………

  “Princess, Princess.”

  “Huh?”

  In the depths of a pitch-bck forest, under the night sky illuminated by a red full moon, the carriage arranged by Ravenna traveled through the forest and arrived at the castle at a hidden location after a few days of travel, escorted by some female knights.

  Sera, who was reminiscing her past in her carriage, was interrupted by the maid, bringing her back to her senses. Looking out of the carriage window, Sera looked at the maid who was riding her horse.

  “Yes?”

  “Princess, we will be reaching the hive soon. Please make your preparations if any.”

  “Alright. Thank you for informing me.” Sera smiled.

  ….

  Smiling to herself, she thought, ‘Although I did not find a Poris, I found my trinity.

  ‘I made my dreams come true. My little protector and wisher are more than enough for this lifetime.

  ‘They are my Raison d'être. I don’t need a Poris.’

  Sitting back comfortably, Sera gazed at the full moon hanging in the sky, its blood-red hue casting a strange light.

  Suddenly, she noticed a small shadow creeping across the edge of the moon.

  “Huh?” Sera sat up straight, frowning.

  She muttered, “An eclipse.”

  Copyright ? [September] [2024] [The Rainy Imp]. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright w. For permission requests, contact the publisher at [[email protected]].This is a work of fiction. Unless otherwise indicated, all the names, characters, businesses, pces, events and incidents in this book are either the product of the author's imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resembnce to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.