NOVEL WEB Chapter 055: Clarity (18+)
I stare at Volnika, the taste of the tincture lingering on my tongue; its taste is unpleasant and I will suffer some side effects tomorrow, but… I can already feel it working. However, I did not expect the way it would work; I can still feel the cramps, but I can somehow ignore them, pushing them to the back of my mind. The sensation of my body feel really strange in general, as if it was partially separated from me.
“It wasn’t a painkiller, was it?” My voice sounds different, as if not spoken by me; is it how others hear me? “What does this mixture do?” I stay level-headed the entire time; it is curious how I can still experience my emotions without being influenced by them.
“Indeed” says the witch with a pained smile. “It’s a potion of clarity… while it does not block the pain, it forms a sort of a barrier between Body and Mind, allowing the drinker to keep a clear mind and sort out the sensations and emotions” suddenly, a flash of a memory from the not-so-distant path resurfaces. I remember my first talk with the Alchemist and it makes me understand everything what is happening right away – or at least most of it. According to my Creator, living creature consist of three parts: Soul, Body, and Mind; the latter connecting the former two. And I can now perceive all of that, I think as I observe swirls of red, orange and black flame spread all throughout my body, mixing with it in a curious way. I cannot really tell where one ends and the second begins, as if all what I’m seeing is the same stuff; I get the feeling it is not a normal state – and I’m pretty sure it’s not because of the tincture.
“However” the Witch is not finished and her words stop my musings; she hesitates and I can see she’s genuinely apologetic. “It also means that pleasant ones are subdued as well… and it means the sex won’t feel as good as normally.”
“If you knew that, why did you give it to me?” I ask, carefully observing her. “I can see you yourself feel bad about that and I’m willing to listen to your explanation; but wouldn’t just giving me some painkillers have been better?”
“Not really, for two reasons” the Elf seems relieved to see I don’t have a grudge against her. “First, you still have yet to speak with Baba Yaga – I doubt she would try her tricks on you again, but you can never know with her – and the state the potion puts you in allows you to easily identify any outside influence.”
“Really?” I tilt my head. “Can you show how?” The Witch nods and closes her eyes; lo and behold – after a moment I can indeed feel some prodding into my Mind, nearly scratching a part of my Soul; I block and eject it instantly, fearing that it might harm Volnika the same way I’ve harmed the elderly Wylderkin.
As I defend from the mental attack, another fragment of my talk with the Alchemist resurfaces: “their Spheres of Existence are immensely more connected with each other than among other beings” said my Creator about primordial Souls… right before bragging about making me one partially. Is that the reason my Soul, Body and Mind blend together so much?
I focus on the outcrops my Soul and how it meshes with my Body – it’s difficult to perceive my Mind the same way for some reason. Anyway, the appearance of my Core, as my Maker called it, is mesmerizing: the unceasing dance of red, orange and dark flames it consists of soothes my nerves. I realise my Aura – my Banefire to be precise – is a manifestation of it in the real world – and it must be the reason why Baba Yaga suffered such a severe backlash; I must have used my power subconsciously… but what exactly did I burn? Her Mind… or her Soul?
I notice Volnika is about to say something, but I silence her with a gesture. “Wait a moment, please” the Elf looks surprised, but complies. I use that time to focus on my Body and how my Soul interacts with it; I close my eyes and meditate.
I see myself from a different perspective. It is clear my Body is nearly perfect in look and function. Only the scars I acquired from my fight and to lesser extent the period that came too early from stress and disrupted my hormonal balance, as well as effects of the tincture in my stomach break the beauty of it. It feels… incorrect and it bothers me more and more the longer I mull over it. Then another memory pops into my head – the memory of my wounds getting healed… by my Flame! It gives me an idea. If I remember correctly, menstrual bleeding is caused by the walls of uterus shedding their unused layers; what if I were to burn them?
I don’t waste time and do just that, removing the excess very carefully and slowly. And it appears to work! Soon the walls of my womb are clean and lean – and they stay that way! A sense of deep satisfaction washes over me – and I smirk. Excited by my success, I focus my attention on my old scars; after a while they are burned away, replaced by new, unblemished skin. I am back to my original, perfect form!
“What have you done?” My joy is swiftly interrupted by curious Volnika. The Elven Witch grabs me by my shoulders and stares at them intensely. “Your scars… disappeared!” I chuckle.
“You see, Volnika – due to how was I created, I’m a little different from others” I share, genuinely happy and proud. “I don’t fully understand how it works myself, but the potion you’ve gave me worked a bit differently on me, seemingly making me more aware of myself… and some things I can apparently do!” I smile the brightest smile I can. “And so I healed my old scars – I had them as a reminder to not be reckless, but… they bothered me so much in this state I had to remove them – and I also ended my period by burning away… the useless stuff!”
“YOU DID WHAT?!” Unexpectedly, Volnika is livid; her long fingers wrap around my shoulders painfully… but the Potion of Clarity allows me to ignore that. “ARE YOU… ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND?! DO YOU REALIZE HOW BADLY YOU COULD HAVE HURT YOURSELF?! DO YOU KNOW HOW EASY IT IS TO MESS UP YOUR INTERNAL ORGANS WITH MAGIC?!” The Witch pauses and takes a deep breath, massaging the base of her nose; I stay silent.
“Look” she says after calming down a bit. “Do you know exactly how your organs work? Or do you just have a vague feeling of how they should work?” I look away. “Exactly. You could’ve made more damage, permanent damage, to you. You could’ve died or – considering where you ‘burned away the useless stuff’ – make yourself permanently unable to conceive” she forces me to look her in her concerned eyes. “Or do you not want to, ever?”
A chill runs down my spine, clear despite the effects of the potion. I didn’t even take into account that I might mess up, everything appeared perfect. I look at my arm, to where the scars were; I start regretting their removal already.
“You are right” I say, deflated. “I was reckless; it looks like this tincture doesn’t work as well on me, seeing as there are other side effects. And as for your question” I steel my resolve, despite the blush of embarrassment creeping on my face. “I do want to conceive, carry the pregnancy… and give birth at some point in the future” a memory of Nugund resurfaces, deepening my blush despite the effects of the potion. I stroke my belly, imagining it swelling in size and warmth with the growth of our children. “Maybe even closer future than I initially thought.”
“It seems you’ve got someone specific in mind” Volnika says with a knowing smirk. “But you don’t need to hurry – and remember that while childmaking and childrearing are very pleasurable… the time between them is not” her smile sours and I tilt my head.
“Oh? And aren’t you the one trying to get pregnant here and now?” I say coquettishly. “Why even do this if you aren’t looking forward to it?”
“There are reasons” she says assuredly. “I do look forward to having a kid again… and to having it with you! You are incredibly powerful, stunningly beautiful and amazingly kind – an extremely rare combination” her praise makes me look away in embarrassment. “Those qualities would make me wish to have a child with you even in less dire situation” she hesitates. “I gave you the Potion of Clarity, knowing that it will make sex less enjoyable for you, in part so that you could impregnate as many women in the Tribe as possible without harming yourself; we need a strong new generation if we want to survive. The tincture should make it easier for you to notice your limits, but… I’m not so sure anymore.”
“Well – there’s only one way to test it!” I say as I embrace and kiss the Elf. She’s surprised initially, but soon reciprocates with enthusiasm. Soon our hands wander around our bodies and we proceed to undressing each other, then lick and touch all over, but… there’s a strange sensation to all of it. Usually I’m the one who gets completely lost in the moment of pleasure – but not here. I do feel every touch and kiss and my dick stands proudly, but… everything my partner does to my nethers would normally have me howling in delight. This weird sensation only strengthens when I enter her tight pussy. I feel her walls grabbing me hungrily, I see her face twisting in satisfaction… yet the sex lacks the usual spark.
On the other hand… I feel I can appreciate the sheer technique better. I would be normally overwhelmed by the sensation – and the Witch does everything she can to satisfy me. Normally I would be melting in her embrace – and I honestly hope we can have another go when the effects of the potion wear off – but I realize I can use this opportunity to learn.
And so I pay attention to the way she moves her hips along with mine and how she sways them slightly; I memorize how she sucks and touches my erect nipples and how she massages my breasts; I notice how her fingers gently sweep along my spine – even in the state of Clarity nearly causing me to orgasm. Although… if it was Pola doing this, I have a hunch I would already be lodged deep inside her, cumming, despite the influence of the elixir. Not because Volnika is a worse lover than my Moonberry – even though she objectively is – but because every sensation is partially obscured and filtered. I truly like being fucked senseless, huh; I wonder what the religiously prudish parents of the past me would think seeing me like this…
I shake my head; strange thoughts started surfacing in it and I have more important issues. I am in a middle of an intercourse, even if not as hot for me as normally. And I realize I have been slacking; I got so absorbed in learning from my partner, I nearly forgot that sex is a team effort – and so I start putting what I learned into practise.
To my surprise, I enjoy it greatly. There is a great satisfaction in the fact that I can use my skills appropriately; there is also a certain pleasure from the fact I can make a woman squirm under me. They aren’t new for me, but… it’s the first time I can experience them so clearly, as they usually get lost in the sea of other sensations. And they are intoxicating – so much that they are what finally pushes me over the edge. Well… they and the Elf wrapping her legs and arms around me as she rides me in her own orgasm – and she gets nearly another one when my swollen knot parts her folds when I thrust my hips one final time. With that, I release my baby batter into her hungry, fertile womb.
