Lucifer was beaming with delight. To think that she would be the first subordinate to receive a name. She looked her mother in the eye. Her mother smiled back at her.Monika pointed with her hands for her to approach. All the other succubi watched. Their envious looks further amplified Lucifer's spirit.Except for the man who stood beside Monika. Hel's expression was unreadably hidden behind the facade of glasses.The young succub with the lightest skin and the liveliest bright-red hair approached the being she held in the highest regard. Her hesitant straps were overclouded by the utmost reverence.She stood face-to-face with her mother at last. Monika's smile deepened and then widened.Yet—Slap-Lucifer had her head turned to the side.Confusion washed over her.Slap- Slap-Monika hand-delivered sharp slaps that reverberated through the cave. Red imprints bloomed on Lucifer's cheeks to pool into one large mark sooner. Her legs were about to part and give away. She withstood regardless since her mother hadn't permitted her to do otherwise.Shock washed over her.Slap- Slap- Slap-Lucifer's eyes reddened both from inner and outer pain. Monika grabbed her by the chin so she could look directly into her eyes. The young succub could see scorn and contempt in those eyes.Turmoil washed over her.Slap."Fall,"Lucifer had wished to fall from the very beginning. Yet, for some reason, at that very moment, she didn't want to. She didn't know why. She just didn't want to.Still, she obeyed, crumbling, rumbling with tears.Her once seductive face was now battered and bruised with dark welts and reddened skin. Tears mixed with dirt and blood on her face. Her wings hung limply at her sides."Lower,"Lucifer bent further. Monika lifted her foot and placed it firmly atop her head. She pressed it down hard against the cold ground. Lucifer's gasps quirked with pain as she felt the weight bearing down on her.The pressure applied a crushing force that pinned Lucifer completely. The succub's once-proud horns were now forced into the floor with the tremble of her body under strain."Now look at your sisters."Lucifer barely raised her head under the pressure of her mother's foot. She saw her sisters look at her with the same contempt she saw in her mother. 'How dare you disappoint our mother?' their eyes said. 'You deserve what's befallen you.'"Look at the disgrace!"Monika spat at her head."She is not one of us!"Monika raised her foot in repetition and brought it down in insistence. The floor beneath them was quickly stained with a dark splash of blood against the cold surface. Lucifer's body jerked repeatedly."Lucifer is no longer my child. She is no longer your sister," Monika proclaimed as tears dripped down her cheeks to the stained ground. "I must have been a terrible mother since my very own child grew up to be defective and doubt me.""We don't need names as I'm your mother and you're my children. Names are only needed to mark us separately. But are we? We are one! I am you and you are me. My pain is yours. My victories are yours. My losses are yours. Yours, in turn, are all mine. We are all equal!"Monika clenched her chest as she momentarily lowered herself to the ground to appeal to her children's emotions and loyalty."Those simple labels others cling to serve only to distinguish us from the larger whole—they are the markers of personal identity in a world that otherwise flows seamlessly together. This individuality and insistence on being seen as unique is not a strength but a weakness."Monika raised her fist above her head to rally her children and inspire unity against a common enemy."It fosters a belief that one's identity and achievements are more important than the group's harmony. This self-centeredness undermines the strength that comes from solidarity—a shared purpose that transcends personal ambitions."She spread her arms wide to convey openness and inclusivity."But nothing is possible unless one will commands, a will which has to be obeyed by others, beginning at the top and ending only at the very bottom. Where everyone is proud to obey—I will likewise be obeyed when I must take command."Monika cut through any lingering doubt and asserted herself with finality and authority by chopping her hand downward."Imagine a world where every action is synchronized, where every decision is executed with unwavering precision. This is the strength that comes from a cohesive will. It is through this unity that we achieve greatness and reach heights that would be impossible in isolation."She pointed at her children with an unwavering gaze."You need to serve me, and I, in turn, must serve our common will to drive for power and equality. We are one. I'm the head of our organism while you're its limbs. I guide and direct while you execute and support. Always remember."Lucifer thought she contradicted herself since limbs are interchangeable and replaceable whilst the head is not. Her eyes were reddened from fear, sorrow, betrayal, but more than anything—fury at both herself and—. She herself didn't yet know of that. This is no equality!"Inventory," Monika whispered as a transparent gray screen formed before her.—Inventory—|2970 LS| |60 CP|Talisman of Trickery |D|Lash of Passion |D|21 Agility Potion |E|21 Strength Potion |E|20 Stamina Potion |E|"Let's have a drink," she said. "Approach me one by one."A succub took the initiative as she rushed toward her mother with an excited expression. Just like Lucifer, she looked vastly different from others. Her horns, that is.A dark-surfaced horn sleekly curved backward on the left side of her head. This horn twisted in resemblance to a venomous snake. The other horn on the right side was a serrated spike jutted out like a shard of black crystal. The red of her skin was also slightly darker than the others.Lucifer was sure this thorny would also receive a beating with such a disrespectful attitude."I greet the mother!" she beamed.Monika nodded as she approached Thorny.Then—She extended her arms and drew Thorny close in a loving embrace. The succub melted into Monika's arms. Her eyes watered. Monika cradled the succub against her chest. One hand gently stroked the succub's red hair and smoothed it back with soothing motions. The other arm wrapped around her back with a balm touch that soothed her spirit.Lucifer clenched her teeth as her lips reddened from blood."My child…" she whispered softly. Monika's cheek rested against the top of Thorny's head, and she swayed, rocking back and forth. "How do I smell?""You smell great, mother!" Thorny responded with affection."Is that so…" Monika's smile softened. Her hug tightened.Monika drew her hands back after what seemed like an eternity for Lucifer to point them in her direction. "Lucifer, stand up."Lucifer's eyes momentarily glistened with hope as she rose. Perhaps she forgave her! Would she also hug her?Slap-"Too high. Now bend down," she said emotionlessly.Lucifer could not utter a single word and muster enough strength to obey and hence froze in utter bewilderment.Slap!"Are you deaf?" Monika asked.Slap! Slap! Slap! Slap! Slap! Slap!Even Monika's own hands reddened from blood from all the slaps.Slap!Lucifer bent down. Her body shook.Monika reverted to her smile as she looked at Thorny. "Go have a seat, my child."Thorny simply obeyed.She sat at her back."No, not there. The head is the most comfortable."Thorny simply obeyed."Good." Monika put her hand through the transparent screen as if reaching into an unseen dimension and took out three flasks.The first held a crimson hue as captivating as fresh blood.The second flask contained a bright yellow liquid akin to a captured sunlight.The third was reminiscent of the richest deep-green emeralds or perhaps forest-like energy."These potions will grant us power in our opposition," Monika remarked. "So, drink." She extended them toward Thorny.—Succub |E+|—Race: SuccubusPathway: ObstructionSpirit |E+|Strength |E|Stamina |E+|Agility |E|Affinity |E+|Passive: |Charm |E+||Thorny simply obeyed.She uncorked it and drank deeply.—Succub |E+|—Race: SuccubusPathway: ObstructionSpirit |E+|Strength |E+|Stamina |E+|Agility |E+|Affinity |E+|Passive: |Charm |E+||Eighteen other succubi followed suit after Thorny.They climbed atop bent and submissive Lucifer. One by one. Her body trembled under repeatedly. Each succub took their turn to sit on Lucifer's head to drink their potions.Eighteen different asses sat atop Lucifer's head, each one convulsing and then puking as the potions worked through their systems. The once-gleaming liquids now turned into streams of vile bile waterfall cascading down through Lucifer's hair into her face and onto her neck. Her head was drenched in the mix of vomit and potion residue that formed a nauseating puddle around her.Monika gazed at her in silence. "You don't deserve a drink. Stand up this very moment," she ordered.—Lucifer |E-|—Race: SuccubusPathway: ObstructionSpirit |E+|Strength |E-|Stamina |E-|Agility |E-|Affinity |E-|Passive: |Charm |E-||The smell that once emanated from her mother—she was now completely drenched in the same odor. The fragrance Lucifer had once revered as the epitome of greatness now filled her with intense repulsion.