Reborn as a Succubus: Time To Live My Best Life!

Melisa woke to sunlight streaming through the dorm window and Raven's solemn face hovering inches from hers. She nearly screamed.

"Gods, Raven!" She clutched her chest. "We've talked about this. Normal people don't watch others sleep."

"I wasn't watching you sleep," Raven replied matter-of-factly. "I was waiting for you to wake up. There's a difference."

"Barely," Melisa grumbled, but she couldn't stay annoyed. Not today. "What time is it?"

"Eight-seventeen. Javir expects us at nine-thirty."

Melisa stretched, her tail uncurling from around her leg where it had wrapped itself during the night. Just a few more hours and they'd be free of the Memory Snare and all its complications. No more accidental glimpses into people's private moments, no more worrying about touching anyone, no more Shadow Mage hunts in royal palaces.

"Can you believe it's finally going to be over?" she asked, sitting up.

Raven's expression remained neutral, but Melisa had learned to read the subtle cues—the slight softening around her eyes, the barely perceptible tilt of her head.

"I will miss certain aspects of the experience," Raven admitted. "The research potential was significant."

"Well, you've certainly put it to good use," Melisa teased.

Raven reached into her uniform pocket and withdrew a small paper-wrapped package.

"I got this for you," she said, extending it with mechanical precision.

"What's this?"

"Chocolate. Dark with sea salt. You mentioned liking it once."

Melisa's heart melted a little.

"That's really sweet of you, Raven."

"It's practical," Raven countered. "You need to eat before the ritual."

"Sure, sure. Very practical." Melisa unwrapped the chocolate, breaking off a piece and popping it into her mouth. The rich bitterness with hints of salt spread across her tongue. "Mmm, perfect."

She offered a piece to Raven, who hesitated before accepting it with careful fingers.

A mischievous idea struck Melisa.

"You know," she said casually, "since this is our last day with the Memory Snare active, maybe we should use it one more time. For science."

Before Raven could respond, Melisa reached out and touched her shoulder, focusing her thoughts on finding a secret memory.

The world tilted.

Raven was standing by a window in the dormitory, completely alone. Afternoon light slanted across her face as she simply... stood there. Not training, not studying, not doing anything productive. Just gazing out at the academy grounds with no particular expression on her face.

Reality snapped back, and Melisa found herself staring at Raven, who looked uncharacteristically embarrassed.

"That's it?" Melisa laughed. "All your secret memories are just you... being a vegetable? I was half expecting some crazy Shadow Mage ritual or at least you masturbating or something."

Raven's pale cheeks flushed pink.

"It's... not significant," she mumbled.

"Then why did the Memory Snare show it to me? It usually reveals intimate secrets."

Raven looked away, her fingers fidgeting with the hem of her uniform.

"It's embarrassing," she finally admitted. "Standing around. Doing nothing. It's inefficient. Wasteful."

Melisa's laughter died off slowly as understanding dawned.

"Raven," she said softly, "were you allowed to relax? Before, I mean. When you were with the Shadow Mages."

"Idleness was punished," Raven replied, her voice flat. "Every moment had a purpose. Training, missions, study. We slept when we were permitted to."

Upon hearing that, it felt like Melisa finally understood. For her, doing nothing was a luxury, a chance to recharge. For Raven, it was literally a forbidden indulgence. A secret rebellion against her training.

"So when I see these memories of you just... existing," Melisa said, before finishing in her thoughts:

[It's because that is a secret moment for her. She wasn't allowed to do that much.]

Raven still wasn't meeting Melisa's eyes.

"... God, you're too cute."

Then Melisa grabbed Raven's face and kissed her hard on the mouth.

Raven stiffened in surprise before cautiously returning the kiss, her hands hovering awkwardly in the air as if unsure where to land.

---

Precisely twenty-seven minutes later, they arrived at Javir's office, Raven looking slightly rumpled but otherwise composed. Javir and Jaylin were already waiting, the Memory Snare sitting on a small table in the center of the room, freed from its glass case.

"You're cutting it close," Javir commented, raising an eyebrow at Melisa's hastily buttoned shirt.

"Important pre-ritual preparations," Melisa replied with a straight face.

Jaylin snorted.

"Yeah, I bet."

"Let's focus," Javir said, gesturing them toward the table. "The ritual is simple but requires complete concentration. We'll form a circle around the Memory Snare, each place a hand on it simultaneously, and acknowledge the memories we've seen. This should sever the connections and end the artifact's influence."

"Acknowledge how?" Jaylin asked nervously. "Do we have to, like, describe them out loud?"

"Gods, I hope not," Melisa muttered, thinking of some of the things she'd witnessed.

"Just a mental acknowledgment," Javir assured them. "Though speaking aloud may help focus your thoughts."

"Before we do this," Jaylin said, fidgeting with the sleeve of her robe, "can I just say that some of the stuff I saw... I didn't mean to. It just happened."

She was looking directly at Melisa, who suddenly realized what she meant.

"Wait, how many memories have you seen of my mom?" Melisa asked, her eyes widening. "Is that why you've been acting so weird around her?"

Jaylin's face went crimson.

"I-I wouldn't say 'weird,' exactly—"

"Oh gods," Melisa groaned, covering her face. "I don't even want to know. Let's just do the ritual and never speak of this again."

"Agreed," Javir said firmly. "Places, everyone."

They formed a circle around the table, each positioning a hand above the bronze disc. Javir began a soft chant in an ancient language, the words flowing like water.

"Now," she commanded.

Their hands descended simultaneously onto the cold metal.

The world didn't just tilt—it spun wildly, fracturing into a kaleidoscope of memories.

Margaret bent over a table, Melistair pounding into her from behind.

Armia's massive cock buried deep in Isabella's ass.

Queen Aria touching herself in the dark, whispering Melisa's name.

Raven standing alone by a window, allowing herself a moment of peace.

Jaylin accidentally walking in on Javir changing clothes, then staring a moment too long.

The memories flickered faster and faster, bleeding into one another, until suddenly—

Silence. Stillness.

Melisa blinked, finding herself back in Javir's office. The Memory Snare sat inert on the table, its bronze surface now dull and ordinary-looking.

"Did it work?" Jaylin asked, her voice shaky.

Javir released a long breath.

"I believe so. The connection feels severed." She turned to Melisa. "Touch me."

Melisa reached out hesitantly, placing her hand on Javir's arm. Nothing happened. No memory transfer, no visions, just ordinary contact.

"It worked," she confirmed, relief washing over her.

They all sat in silence for a moment, processing the experience.

"So..." Jaylin finally said, "anyone else see Queen Aria masturbating to Melisa, or was that just me?"

"JAYLIN!" Melisa shrieked.

"What? I thought we were acknowledging memories! That one was pretty memorable!"

"I also observed this memory," Raven stated matter-of-factly, "though the queen's technique seemed suboptimal."

"Can we please," Javir interrupted, pinching the bridge of her nose, "focus on the important part? The ritual worked. The Memory Snare is deactivated."

"Right, yes, that's the main thing," Melisa agreed quickly, desperate to change the subject. "What do we do with it now?"

"I'll return it to the library archives," Javir said, carefully wrapping the disc in a cloth. "Ms. Milly has prepared a special storage box with additional sealing spells. With luck, it will remain dormant for another century."

"Good," Jaylin said firmly. "That thing caused enough trouble."

Yet as they filed out of Javir's office, Melisa couldn't help feeling a hint of nostalgia. The Memory Snare had been dangerous, invasive, and ethically questionable—but it had also shown her sides of people she'd never have seen otherwise.

She glanced at Raven, who walked silently beside her.

"Any regrets?" she asked softly.

Raven considered this for a moment.

"No," she replied. "The data collection was valuable, but the privacy violations were... uncomfortable."

"Yeah," Melisa agreed. "Though I might miss seeing the queen's secret fantasies about me."

"You don't need the Memory Snare for that," Raven pointed out. "She looks at you the same way Jaylin looks at your mother."

"WHAT?"

From behind them, Jaylin made a strangled noise.

The Memory Snare was gone, but some information, it seemed, was here to stay.