Inside of a quiet, unremarkable room in an unremarkable inn, something quite remarkable was happening. A young man and one of his companions watched, astounded, as the third person in the room began to transform before their very eyes.

The third person in the room was a succubus. She was laying, in her true form, on the bed in the corner of the room. The grand adonis responsible for her transformation gazed at her, and she gazed back at him. She gazed at him with something surprisingly pure for a demon: love. He gazed at her and felt a fondness for her he didn't feel for many people, but he was much colder than she was.

His divine power was coursing through her, spreading from her womb and touching every centimeter of her skin. As his power coursed through her, she felt it changing her. She felt it improving each of her abilities, down to her physical strength and her brain's ability to process information. She felt her body accepting the strange, deific power she could have never imagined feeling coursing through her.

The demoness was growing more beautiful by the second. Her face was transforming and becoming almost celestial in its beauty. Her lips grew fuller and more kissable. Her cheekbones rose and sharpened. Her eyes grew in size. The rest of her transformed as well, becoming more both more powerful and more alluring.

Raul smiled at her, radiating power and majesty, even if it was a naive and inexperienced sort of power and majesty. He was a darkly handsome sort, a powerful-looking, masculine, muscular entity. His dark skin looked especially handsome in the light of the early morning sun and his dark features appealed to the demoness on an aesthetic level. His new companion felt an intense desire for him, one that eclipsed the amount of desire she felt for him last night before she felt his power coursing through her like some sort of infernal drug.

Hours ago Riezel was an enemy but now as I stared into her golden eyes I knew that she was mine. I sensed her unconscious desire to be close to me, to feel my touch. I knew she'd obey me if I gave her commands, and that so long as I kept her satiated she wouldn't misbehave. We gazed at each other, silently, for many moments.

Her eyes were filled with unspoken questions. She wanted to understand what I was, and what I wanted. After a short while, I chuckled and began to speak, ready to answer some of the unspoken questions visible in her soft gaze.

"I suppose it's only fitting that I will be the one to break the silence. As you have guessed by now, I am not a human being. I am a grand adonis." I told her, knowing that I didn't need to lie to her. Her eyes widened when she heard me tell her what I was and she began to stammer.

"A... Grand adonis? That... I... Wow..." She uttered, in shock at the news. Though internally I chuckled at her response, I didn't do that externally. Externally I gave her a sympathetic smile and continued to speak.

"My spark of divinity, the spark that every grand adonis possesses in our souls, surged to life days ago and allowed me to ascend. While I was testing my powers I inadvertently spooked the National Arcane Academy, including your summoners. They don't know that I, as in the person they sent you to charm and bring to them, am the same individual responsible for unintentionally spooking them. I used my powers on you as an act of self-defense, but I know the pleasure and power coursing through you right now. I feel it as keenly as you do. I gave it to you, willingly." I revealed, smiling and gazing into her eyes.

I wordlessly activated telepathy and began to peer into the mind of the demoness, ready and eager to discover what she knew and to fully bring her over to my side. I wasn't going to rely on the sex that we had just had to sway her to stay as my companion, I was ready to understand her and to persuade her, reasonably, that staying with me was the best option.

Riezel was a succubus. Succubi were demons, creatures of chaos, lust, evil, dreams, pleasure, and sex. They were from the dark dimension of evil and malice known as "Hell".

In peering into her mind and reading her memories I was being brave and taking a big step towards advancing my understanding of the omniverse. My choice to enter the mind of the centuries-old demoness resulted in my immediately acquiring enough new knowledge to fill entire libraries' worth of empty books.

I felt my understanding of the arcane, of demons, of monsters, of evil, and of lust and pleasure themselves expanding as my enhanced mind copied all of the knowledge Riezel had ever learned. The more of her knowledge I processed the more I began to smile. She wasn't extraordinarily wise or anything, but she had lived a full life and now, through her, I had too.

Every secret the succubus had ever learned, every secret shame, every deep fear, every single moment she had ever felt pain, her every victory... Even her true name. Everything she knew was a part of me now. And it felt good. It felt good to be wise. And I intended to use this knowledge.

"Riezel your summoners wanted to use you against me. They wanted to control you as surely as Anthrios does. They felt entitled to your power like you were a weapon they could use against their enemies without proper compensation." I whispered, purposefully uttering the name of Riezel's most hated enemy, an incubus who madly desired her and wanted her to be his plaything.

"Anthrios wants to possess you. He doesn't care that you don't want him. The magi of the National Arcane Academy didn't care that you are a living creature pursuing your own objectives and whose time was valuable, they only saw you as a tool. Doesn't that just... make your blood boil?" I asked her, purposefully stoking her anger at her hated enemy and associating him with the people who sicced her on me. I felt her anger beginning to rise as she listened to me.

"So many people and groups never gave you anything. All they did was use you to fulfill their own objectives. They viewed you as a tool, or as a weapon, or worse; as a possession. But you know who didn't? Me. Despite the fact that you intended to charm me and take me away, we shared a night of passion and I gave you power, and freedom." I told her, speaking slowly and carefully as I gazed at her.

"You gave me freedom?" She asked, unsure of what I was talking about. I smiled at her and nodded.

"Yes, I gave you freedom. While we were enjoying each other's company I used magic to track down Respen and got him to break the contract. You are now free to roam the mortal plane. This means that now you are away from Anthrios, who only ever viewed you as an object to be possessed, a trophy to keep and admire. You could go back to Hell, if you wanted. Or you could do something else." I revealed while using my telepathy to make certain words reverberate through her mind.

"I understand you Riezel. I know your secrets. I know your fears. I accept them all. And so, with that knowledge, I am going to give you what you've always deserved and what you've always wanted: freedom. Freedom and the power to choose what you will do next. You could leave this place. I wouldn't banish you back to Hell if you did. I wouldn't even rescind the boost to your powers that I gave you. I give you your freedom and increased power freely. If you choose to leave you'd be free, and alone, but that'd have been your choice. And for once, your choice would be respected. Or... you could stay with me." I offered, beginning to smile at the succubus.

"If you choose to stay with me, to be beside me, and to work with me I'd give you more power. I'd further empower you. Maybe someday I'd even give you a copy of one of my powers. But that's if and only if you decide to stay with me. To embrace me, and to some extent serve me. But that too is a choice. And now... The time has come for you to make that choice." I said to her, my smile wide and proud.

Riezel gazed at me thoughtfully. Her face was calm as she considered the offer I made her. When she spoke next, it wasn't to accept or to reject my offer. Instead, she had a question.

"What are you? Are you really a grand adonis? Or are you something else? Something... darker?" She asked, eyeing me skeptically. I audibly laughed at her remark.

"I am a grand adonis. And you, Lys, are a succubus. Grand adonises are gods. We have the same sparks of divinity that gods do. We gain power through worship and we can do miracles. We can learn the ancient secrets of the cosmos, even down to the true names of those who attack us. And we can give little demons the power to defeat demon lords. At least if those little demons decide to join us. If they choose to be by our sides." I replied, using the first few letters of Riezel's true name. Her face paled when she heard me utter those three letters.

"Ugh... I... I suppose I could join you. For a while at least." She whispered both awed and intimidated by my knowledge of her true name. I smiled and got up, clapping my hands together in delight. Acquiring my first companion felt excellent and it made me happy to have come to Jasper.

"Fantastic! Now we're gonna go ahead and get started. First and foremost... What do you want to wear? Keep in mind that we are going adventuring today, but I can instantly fashion any sort of clothing you want me to. I know you often disguise yourself as a ranger, would you like for me to make you an outfit one would wear?" I asked her, eager to get her dressed and to get out the door. I was excited to venture into the Emerald Cavern, which was how I planned to spend the day.

It took us about ten minutes before the newly dressed and equipped Riezel and I left the inn and began to walk towards the distant dungeon. My demonic partner wore an outfit made of divinely fashioned leaves that covered her body and gave her natural camouflage. I wore my usual adventurer's uniform, cleaned and maintained by magic.

Riezel held a bow I had made for her, and had a quiver of arrows on her back that were also created by me. She was a ranger and I intended to practice hunting as a team today, as well as exploring the mysterious dungeon many adventurers in Jasper loved to explore. I was also excited to use my powers in combat and to get to see Riezel hunting with her new physique and enhanced abilities.

The two of us walked silently towards the dungeon, eventually exiting Jasper and walking along a small shoreline towards a cave at the bottom of a grand cape. It only took us about twenty minutes of walking to find ourselves at the mouth of a grand cavern, where a line of other adventurers were also waiting for a chance to enter the dungeon and encounter monsters, mysteries, and treasures.