Suddenly A Succubus
Chapter 21.2

It was fortunate that the cult was meeting so late. Obviously they picked obscure hours so as to not be discovered, but Amara was thankful that their secrecy made it easy to cross campus without being recognized. The walk also gave her more time to get used to this body, to figure out how men were supposed to move. She took a running start at several flights of stairs, even vaulted a couple short walls to get some practice in.

Entering Lysander Hall was easy, someone had left the door unlocked, which bolstered Amara’s confidence that she was in the right place. Inside the elevator, she pushed the secret button Tessa had found earlier in the week, and started the descent.

It was immediately apparent that the elevator was going much deeper than the basement. The floor indicator numbers stopped glowing as she traveled, and after another minute the doors opened.

In front of her was a simple stone hallway. Several dim lightbulbs glowed overhead, leading the way further into this strange complex. Down the hall, she saw a large room with several shapes moving around. With a deep breath, Amara did her best to get into character; she wasn’t a hot, young college girl, she was a cocky teacher that was eager for a taste of magic. She belonged here, this was nothing unusual, and she didn’t have to worry about anything.

She walked casually but briskly down the hall, and soon enough she’d entered the main room. It was bigger than she expected, roughly the size of a school gymnasium, or possibly the gymnastics building. She could see entrances to other hallways elsewhere in the chamber, and made a note to try and explore those at a later date once the facility was empty. Closer to the center of the room sat four thick columns, and just inside those stood a ring of people.

Amara immediately noticed that, just as Tessa had predicted, everyone present had donned a large, hooded cloak, though they wore red instead of black. A few people turned to look at her, their faces filled with silent judgement, but one person seemed worried and walked over to meet her.

“Garrett!” the stranger whispered. “You’re almost late, what are you thinking?”

She recognized this man by his voice, he was the second person she’d overheard underneath Brandt Hall. “Phone’s busted, I lost track of time.” Amara whispered back.

The deeper voiced man grabbed Amara’s arm, pulling her to the side. Thankfully, she saw he was leading her to a box of cloaks, and she sighed in relief as she put one on. Pulling the hood over her head, she rushed to take her place in the circle.

As she stepped into line, she finally got a look at what they were all standing around. In the center of the room, much larger than any she’d seen before, sat another magic circle. It thrummed with power, slowly pulsing with light as she examined it. She could also see heavy traces of some kind of energy leaking from it, as if the circle had its own aura.

When she tore her eyes from the circle, she was able to get a look at the other people present. She recognized about a third of them, and among those, most of them were teachers. Some of the cultists appeared younger, and she suspected they were students, though she didn’t recognize any. She also didn’t see any of the bodyguards Nick had pointed out, which she took as a sign of hope.

The sound of approaching footsteps cut her inspection short, and she turned towards the source. Entering the main room from a different hallway, carrying himself with far more confidence than he likely deserved, was Sebastian Wellington. Much like everyone else present, he wore a deep red cloak, though his had additional gold lining on the outside. His hood stayed down, and Amara got a good look at him, studying him close in case she ever needed to impersonate him.

He had deep brown hair, with intense blue eyes that seemed to view everything as property. He had sharp features, with a broad face and low-set cheekbones. His smile was faint, but certainly not lacking in confidence. As he approached the center of the chamber, two cultists parted to let him through, and he stepped onto the magic circle.

“Gentlemen!” Mr. Wellington said. “The time has come!”

Hushed murmurs traveled through everyone present, though they were quickly silenced when Mr. Wellington held up a hand.

“We stand here today, stronger than ever, and ready to embrace our destinies. I couldn’t have done this without your help; each and every one of you has proven yourself to me countless times. While there may have been some… setbacks,” Sebastian’s icy stare settled on Amara, “they are insignificant in the face of what we are about to accomplish.”

Amara heard several people chuckle, and she did her best to appear ashamed of her actions.

“However, before we take our next steps, I have an exciting announcement. We have a new member!” As the words rang through the large room, Amara saw another figure leave one of the side hallways, a hood blocking their face. “This young man has proven he has the drive and the passion to further our goals. Even before I found him, he had already begun to unravel the magical secrets of this campus, and his aptitude is without question. I want you all to welcome Brandon Nowak!”

Her eyes wide, Amara watched as this new member pulled his hood down to reveal the same person that had tried, repeatedly, to claim her as his own.

That bitch!

“Thank you so much for your kind words, Sir. I promise to do everything I can to help us take that which is owed to us.” Brandon lowered his head slowly, bowing in respect before stepping back and joining the circle.

Would he tell Mr. Wellington about me? He doesn’t know we’re trying to stop the cult, but there’s no way he wouldn’t use the knowledge of my existence to try and earn status here… Fuck!

Amara didn’t have much time to dwell on the ramifications of this new discovery, as Mr. Wellington had begun talking again.

“Now, with that business attended to, I understand you all have many questions about what we’re doing here. I have, of course, given you all small gifts already; enhanced physique, stamina, and mental acuity. However, those gifts are only the first step of your journey. They exist to prepare you for our true goal; ascension!”

Several members present gasped, others smirked in anticipation as their leader continued.

“By weakening the seals, we have given ourselves the ability to commune with beings greater than us. They hold wisdom, power, and abilities far beyond your comprehension, and they are willing to share those gifts with us. You see, their presence is limited, and they cannot survive in our world as they are. However, by offering ourselves as vessels, we can combine our minds with theirs, and ascend to a new level of existence!”

Mr. Wellington’s voice echoed throughout the chamber, and his excitement was palpable. Amara was shocked so many people were on board with his claims; did he truly have them so convinced they weren’t just sacrificing themselves?

“And to demonstrate my good will, I am willing to forestall my own ascension, giving it instead to the worthy among you. Samuel, if you could please step into the circle.”

Amara watched as one of the cultists stepped forward, removing his hood. She recognized him as Mr. Mendez, one of the music teachers. His wide smile betrayed his excitement, and he beamed as if he’d just won the lottery.

“It is an honor to be here, Sir, and I welcome this gift with open arms.” Mr. Mendez said.

“After tonight, you will each ascend in turn, and in one week’s time I will celebrate our success with an ascension of my own!” Mr. Wellington said. A chorus of cheers erupted, and Amara played along as best she could until the leader finally signaled their silence.

The music teacher centered himself in the circle, and Amara watched everyone present step backwards. There was now a comfortable amount of space between them and the circle, and Mr. Wellington began speaking again, though she didn’t recognize the words he spoke. She suspected they might be latin, and as he spoke, she saw various runes flare to life in the circle. She could also see runes on Mr. Mendez and Mr. Wellington, though she knew she could only see them because of her enhanced vision; the runes were otherwise completely hidden underneath their clothes.

The energy of the magic circle continued to pulse, the lights growing brighter and the strange aura intensifying. A soft wind picked up, circling Mr. Mendez, causing his cloak to billow and dance. After another minute of chanting, the magic reached a climax, and Amara saw a burst of energy break free from the circle. It circled the music teacher several times before ascending into the air and diving down into his body. She wondered if anyone else had seen that, or if this was another feature of her demonic senses.

Mr. Mendez gasped, throwing his head back as he floated several feet into the air. When the magic finally dispersed, and the energy in the circle quieted again, he quickly fell to the ground. The chamber was deathly silent, and after a few moments, he stood once more. He took a deep breath, seeming to take pleasure in the act, before opening his eyes and looking up at Mr. Wellington.

His eyes were blood red, and they were glowing. Amara watched as his aura came to life, though it didn’t resemble Mr. Mendez’ aura at all; in fact, there wasn’t a trace of the energy that had once belonged to the music teacher. This aura felt sinister, malevolent, and most terrifying of all, it felt strangely familiar. Amara stared at this new creature, a horrifying sense of kinship forming in her gut, and she knew without a doubt she was looking at a demon.

“Sebastian,” the demon hissed, “it is a pleasure to finally make your acquaintance.”

“We welcome you to our world, and rejoice that the ascension ceremony was a success.” Mr. Wellington said.

“Indeed it was. I am reborn, I have transcended, and I am eager to see others share in these gifts.” The demon’s nose twitched, and an uncomfortable look crossed its face. “Although, it appears I was under the wrong impression. I assumed I was to be the first.”

Mr. Wellington hesitated, though quickly masked his concern. “I can say with absolute confidence, Samuel, that you are. This ceremony hasn’t been performed before now.”

“Then why do I smell another?” Another pause, and the creature wearing Mr. Mendez’ body began to look around the chamber. “I smell… excitement? No, this is something different, more potent. It reeks of… yes, this is lust. There is a succubus present.”

Oh fuck. Fuck! Not good!

Across the circle, Amara could see Brandon’s eyes go wide in surprise. Her body grew tense, and her breathing quickened. She quickly glanced at the hallway leading to the doorway, wondering how fast she could get there. Before she could think of a plan, however, the demon’s blood red eyes met hers. It raised its hand, pointing at Amara as it grinned with sadistic pleasure.

“This one. She wears his face, but she is not him!”

Every face in the chamber turned to face Amara, and she froze. Tension filled the chamber, and she didn’t know what to do, her mind racing through her options. Before she could make a decision, or think of anything to say, the person standing next to her grabbed her arm.

The touch shook her to her senses. With her free hand, she grabbed the stranger and pulled him close, throwing him to the ground between her and the rest of the cultists.

“Don’t let her escape!” Mr. Wellington yelled.

Amara sprang into action, running for the exit as fast as she could. She felt more hands reach for her, grabbing her cloak to try and hold her back. With a burst of flames, she burned away the ties on her cloak and kept running.

She had no idea how fast everyone else was, or if the demon was in pursuit as well. She could only hear the sounds of dozens of footsteps chasing after her. With a flick of her wrist, she began manifesting flames behind her, filling the hallway with a veritable inferno. She heard several people crash into each other, and when she finally reached the elevator, she finally dared to look behind her.

No one was foolish enough to cross her wall of flames. To keep them scared, she held out her hand again and intensified the fire, the flames turning purple as she nervously slammed the call button behind her.

Everyone paused, the cultists unable to cross the flames, and Amara unable to leave until the elevator arrived. As she waited, she saw the crowd part, and Mr. Wellington stood just in front of her hellfire. Anger filled his eyes, and he glared at Amara as the elevator door opened. She stepped inside, urging the fire to jump out at the cult leader, but he didn’t so much as flinch as the flames threatened to take him.

Their eyes met, and Amara could feel Mr. Wellington’s hatred. She couldn’t bring herself to look away, and after another moment, the doors closed. She collapsed against the back railing, panting in exhaustion, as she waited for the elevator to bring her to safety.