Chapter Text
Once a year, every year.
The moon seems brighter. The air seems moist. The world takes on a different hue, as if someone had placed a colored filter over the eyes. The time of the year when thoughts get hazier, and instincts suppressed begin to well up and rebel against the mind. The time of year when everything smells different, and the body craves warmth.
It has been some time since she’d dropped down to Earth, hot on the heels of her elder sister. In the span of just a few months, friends and memories have been made; friends that would undoubtedly last for many more years to come. With her new bonds, it seemed as though no obstacle was too great and no obstacle too tall to overcome. Life had been fun.
And yet now it felt like a great crisis was coming with little else to do save for gritting one’s teeth and braving the storm.
The timing was impeccable. Impeccably atrocious.
“…seriously?” Selen muttered, eyeing the calendar on her desk with anxiety. She did her best to hide the anxiety that would otherwise bleed into her voice. Halfway between denial and acceptance, she extended her hand out to slowly rub her finger against the glossy paper. As if it would help, Selen placed her hand over the red lines encircling the 30th day like she was trying to cover it up. The friction between her fingers and the paper increased as she put a little more pressure into it. She knew that it wouldn’t come off. Selen just wanted to channel her feelings into something.
As expected, the permanent marker cheekily marked by her older sister was too persistent to disappear.
It was the month of November, just a week shy of December. Selen usually saw this as one of her favorite times of the year. Normally, she’d take this opportunity to stream since many people liked to spend their time indoors when the weather takes a turn for the colder. It was also an excellent opportunity to hang out with friends or family, going shopping or playing games. Even doing something as simple as eating out with an old friend to catch up on current events; this was the season to do it.
But instead of the excitement that would have usually coursed through her veins, all she could feel now was a tinge of anxiety colored with some drops of desperation.
“Yeah, it’ll be fun! We’ll all come over and bring some food. We can play games too! I have Life!” Petra’s excited voice punched through the earphones on Selen’s head. “Or we can play Cards Against Humanity! That, or we can watch something on Netflix!”
“I’d think it’d be so fun!” Rosemi chimed in, her familiar icon lighting up on the Discord call. “I mean, we can do whatever you want after streaming, anyway. It’s your birthday!”
Yeah…my birthday. Selen felt a shade of annoyance run through her veins again. She bit it back down again. She didn’t want her friends to perceive an inkling of how she was feeling right now. It just had to happen right around my birthday. Sometimes, I wish that I wasn’t a half-dragon just so that I didn’t have to deal with this.
“Yeah, that sounds awesome. But we don’t really need to meet at my place, right? We can just hang out on Discord and eat pizza with the cameras. Play, like, Apex or Jackbox or something.” Selen commented, twiddling her hair in between her fingers and trying to keep the nervousness out of her laugh. “We can just save meeting in-person for Christmas, y’know? That way, we can rent an Airbnb somewhere or something. Make it a blowout.”
“No no no,” Elira’s familiar voice cut in. “It’s your special day! We can’t do nothing! Besides, mom and dad will probably send something over. We can unpack it together and see!”
Selen’s shoulders sagged. She could tell she wasn’t winning this conversation; she could only be glad that her webcam wasn’t turned on or she’d have to worry about her facial expression and body language. Not wanting to come off as ungrateful, Selen continued the conversation. “Okay, okay. So…what’s the plan, though? Are you guys coming over on the first of December or…?”
“Uhhh…” Pomu’s voice stepped into the spotlight this time. “…sounds good to me. But I don’t remember everyone’s stream schedules so we should probably make sure the time slots work out for everyone.” Though no webcams were on, it was easy enough to tell that everyone nodded their heads in agreement.
Finally, I can end the call. Selen thought to herself, relieved. But as she was about to open her mouth and try to lead the conversation to its conclusion, someone else chose that moment to speak.
“Maybe we can sleep over, then. And bring mini-setups so that we can stream from your place.” Finana sheepishly smiled and giggled.
At the thought, everyone’s voices lit up with excitement. “Ooh, that sounds like a fun idea, Finana!” Rosemi declared, her eyes twinkling with the innocence of a thousand rainbows unbeknownst to Selen’s sinking heart. “We should do it! I’ve always wanted to see what Selen’s house looked like!”
Selen felt mortified. On any other month, Selen would have felt the same. But she knew where the conversation was going and she knew she wouldn’t be able to stop it. As much as Selen knew how much harder a sleepover would make things, she’d always wanted a sleepover with her friends.
…no, Selen. You can do it. It’s only gonna be one night, nothing’s gonna go wrong. Yeah, you’ll be fine. Don’t worry about it. Under the desk, Selen’s grip on her clothes tightened. “Guess we should cook dinner, then! What should we make?”
With a resounding click of her mouse, Selen left the call with an overwhelming sense of relief. Clicking the red button on a Discord call with her friends has never provided a greater sense of relief for Selen than it did tonight. She felt her entire body slump and the oxygen in her lungs leave her in a single movement, all at once. Leaning back into the chair, Selen closed her eyes to try and ignore what she was feeling.
Heat, from every corner and cranny of her body.
Her heart beating just a little faster than normal.
A craving for something she’d never tasted.
Something base. And carnal.
…why did it have to be now, out of any month of this year? Did some gods from Ethyria curse me? Did they make this happen? Selen began taking deep breaths as she clenched her eyelids, trying to chase the thoughts and feelings out of her body. Okay, don’t think about it, Selen. Don’t think about it. If you think about it, then it will happen and it will bother you. So the key is to not think about it. You know what they say, right? Out of sight, out of mind. So…out of thoughts, out of mind…
The buzz of her phone, followed quickly by the familiar and pleasant melody of a chiptune rendition of Diamond City Lights, quickly chased away the peace Selen was trying to establish within herself. Clicking her tongue, Selen stood up from the chair and grabbed the phone from her desk, allowing her body to crash into her bed.
“Who the fuck? It’s, like, 3 in the morning.” Selen wondered to herself out loud as she unlocked her phone. “What kind of- oh.”
The name Mom stood out at the top of the screen. Biting back further comments, Selen opened the message with the tap of a finger.
Hi, Selen! Happy Birthday! Your dad and I are so proud of you! Congratulations on making it this far with your new job! I still don’t really understand what it is you’re doing but your dad tells me that you’re doing so good at your new job! As long as you are able to provide for yourself and you’re happy, I’ll support you all the way! All the best! Love, Mom.
P.S. Your gift should be there! It’s too expensive to pay for shipping to your world so I just zapped it straight into your house. Your sister gave me the coordinates so if something happens and it teleports into a neighbor’s house like last time, it wasn’t my fault.
Selen smiled and laughed a bit. “Dammit, Mom. Could’ve told me sooner.” Tucking the phone into her pocket, Selen gingerly opened the door of her bedroom. Walking out into the hallway, Selen quietly descended the stairs.
…I should probably ask Mom about it. Selen’s hand hovered over the phone that she had just stored in her sweatpants. Hesitating, her gait slowed. It would be hella embarrassing but if anyone would know how to deal with this kind of problem, it’s her. There’s no way in hell I’m asking Elira.
Reaching the base of the stairs, Selen continued down another hallway before she stopped at the front door of a closet. She reached forward and pushed it open, revealing a medium-sized but empty room. It was barren of furniture and the walls were white. On the floor in the center of the room was a dark red circle, filled with a series of patterns and symbols intricately painted, drawn, and carved. A five-pointed star dominated the circle; within the star’s five arms were plenty of other symbols.
Selen could tell that the room was humming with residual magic, the product of her mother’s delivery spell. In the center of the magic circle was a large cardboard box roughly half a meter in height and width, sealed with packing tape. Upon lifting it, Selen felt the box was somewhat heavier than she expected even for its size. “Happy birthday to me~” she sang to herself quietly as she left the room, using her legs to close the closet door behind her, and ascending the stairs before reaching her room once again.
“I wonder what you’ve got…” Sitting down on the floor and tenderly setting the box down, Selen reached out with her clawed hand to carefully cut along the length of the tape. Unfurling the top of the package, she was greeted with a host of gifts inside. Selen spied a pile of clothes, a framed portrait of Selen with the family, treats for Ember, sweets from back home, and a host of other goodies. Selen smiled fondly as she reached out for one of the smaller plastic bags. It contained one of her favorite snacks: Moonchips. “They really pulled out all the stops, huh? I’ll have to send a thank-you message tomorrow.”
The star of the show was a large box within the box. This one was gift-wrapped with a bunch of flowing ribbons and a night-sky design. Letting out a small laugh, Selen reached inside and began to take the gift out of the big box. Her eyebrows climbed higher when the weight made her lurch forward. Composing herself, Selen placed the gift box on her lap and tenderly unwrapped it.
“…damn. I wonder how many of my streams Dad has watched.” Selen muttered to herself, letting out an awed coo and a whistle in appreciation. The last of the gift wrapping unfurled to reveal a model R-99 submachine gun, seemingly custom-made given that it even had a small Dragoon hanging from a chain on the side. Her smile broadened as she realized, with the airsoft ammunition accompanying it in the gift box, that it wasn’t just for show and tell. She placed the airsoft gun down, her mood vastly improved. “Love ya guys.”
Continuing to rummage through the contents of the package, Selen noticed that there was a small journal-sized book near the bottom when the back of her hand nudged it. She reached inside and pulled it out. Though it was unassuming at first without even a title on the front to provide an identity, the odd aura and feeling she felt from the object gave it away. It tingled under her skin like electricity was running through her fingertips. “…a spellbook? Weird. I can just give it to Elira, I guess. She was always better than me at this…I wonder if they sent me Ember’s clothes. I don’t wanna have to buy any new ones…”
But curiosity got the better of her. She glanced at the spellbook that she was just about to put to the side. Holding it in her clawed hand, Selen opened the hardcover and carefully began sifting through the pages. Contained within the book was an easy-to-understand series of spells and how to execute them, numbered and categorized for simple reading and indexing. Many of them were convenient like keeping a drink warm or cold for an extended period of time, reducing or entirely eliminating the noise entering a defined space, and even delaying the onset of fatigue or sleep deprivation.
Everything was in her mother’s beautiful cursive handwriting. Selen couldn’t help but smile fondly upon seeing it. Without meaning to, she reached out with her hand to trace some of the letters with the tip of her index finger.
“Man, she really thought of everything. But I still suck at mana channeling so I can’t really use most of these…” Selen pursed her lips, thumbing through the book. “Maybe I should just ask Elira to teach me instead of giving it-”
As she reached the center of the book, Selen paused.
This is…
The spell that could solve her problem was right in front of her eyes. If not, the spell would definitely help delay the problem worsening until after the sleepover. Selen blinked twice before a small grin appeared on her face. Suddenly, there was hope.
Selen, using her tail to hold on to the spellbook, closed her eyes. “Okay…Selen, this is the only spell you know how to do. Don’t fuck it up…”
Extending her arms outward, Selen held her breath and concentrated. Every single muscle in her body went taut and even her cranial wings stiffened. The room lit up as a small, light-purple sphere slowly manifested several inches from Selen’s hands. It remained suspended in the air, slowly revolving and pulsing with light. Selen opened her eyes and let out a sigh of relief, lowering her arms. “Alright! Third time’s the charm, I guess.”
The circle immediately began to warp and project an image. Her mother’s face began to slowly fade into view in the projection. Selen smiled and waved somewhat sheepishly at the magic circle. “Hi, mom!”
“Oh, Selen! Is that you? Happy Birthday, sweetie!” Her mother smiled from ear to ear, putting on her glasses. “I’m so happy you called! You finally did it on your own without any problems, I see. Perfect. You don’t have any more excuses to save you from using the communication spell, you hear?”
“Fine, fine. I’ll call more often.” Selen did not want to let the conversation dwell on this topic or it would just be another round of messing up spells. “I just wanted to say thank you for the gift box. I just opened it. Ember’s gonna love the treats!” Selen smiled and bowed her head slightly in gratitude.
Her mother laughed and leaned her chin onto the palm of her hand. “Oh, absolutely no problems, sweetie. I’m surprised you called, though. You usually just tell Elira to tell us anything.” A sly grin began to form on her lips. “You’re not calling because you’re short on funds, are you?”
Dropping the spellbook from her tail and into her hands, Selen showed the book off to her mom. “I saw this in the box and there’s a spell in here that looks useful. I kinda wanted to ask you about it.”
Her interest piqued, Selen’s mother leaned forward. “You don’t usually ask about magic. Which spell is it?”
“Uh…” Selen sighed. “…it’s this one, on page 12. You numbered it as…uh, spell 9.”
Silence. It lasted for what felt like an hour to Selen, though it was only a few seconds. Selen knew that her mother understood the implications of asking about this particular spell.
“…now I see why you didn’t want to talk about it with Elira.” Selen looked up to see her mother tilting her head, her facial expression baffled and concerned. “You’ve already dealt with this at least once since you got there, didn’t you? What makes things different now? Is something else going on over there?”
Selen shifted her position on the bed. She was never comfortable discussing this topic with anyone; knowing that she was talking to her mother about it now, after all this time, felt only doubly embarrassing. “…you see, I have friends coming over soon. I don’t want this to get in the way of our celebration. They wanted to hang out to celebrate my birthday and I can’t put it off. I don’t want to disappoint them. I was considering just enduring it while they were here but when I saw this spell in the book,” Selen tapped the page with her human hand. “I thought that I could make things easier for myself.”
Her mother nodded, smiling and letting out a small giggle. “Well, aren’t you just the cutest little thing? It’s okay, I’ll teach you how to cast it. When are your friends coming over?”
“Uh…later this week,” Selen said sheepishly, scratching the back of her head.
“Oh, dear.” Her mother sighed, placing her fingers on her brow. “I hope you’re ready, Selen. Your mana control has always been unstable so I can’t guarantee you’ll be able to successfully cast this spell before then. At your skill level, it would usually take a month or two. You should’ve talked to me about this sooner.”
Selen shook her head determinedly. “I know, I know. But that’s in the past now. I’ll do my best, mom. So please, teach me how to cast this spell to repress these stupid urges from going into heat. I won’t quit until I can do it, I promise.”
Her mother pushed her glasses further up her nose bridge. “I’ll hold you to that, honey. The last time I taught you a spell, you blew up the garden, remember? You’re going to need at least twice the level of control for this one.”
“Ugh, please don’t remind me, Mom.”
Five days later…
Going into heat is a seasonal problem for all dragon-kind. Typically occurring once a year, it happens at somewhat irregular intervals and varying intensities across the lifespan. For most dragons, it isn’t an especially big deal and is mostly manageable even without resorting to sexual self-satisfaction. Selen knew this; it was something that most of the family controlled well. Even when she was in heat, Elira usually kept a good lid on her urges and their mother was even more experienced at handling them.
But Selen was also aware that she was not only the youngest and the least experienced out of her family when it came to controlling sexual desire, her situation was also unique in that she was a half-dragon. It was not uncommon throughout history for dragons to mate with non-dragons but it was also not typically common in recent history. It was even rarer still for mates between dragons and non-dragons to produce offspring. To Selen’s knowledge, she was one of the most recent half-dragons to be born in the past century.
As such, there were very few people to consult about this dilemma she faced. But from what Selen could tell, at the very least, she had far less control over her urges than the others.
“I think your half-dragon blood is a part of the reason your desires are more intense than mine or your sister’s, Selen.” Her mother remarked through the portal, pursing her lips. “I don’t remember experiencing anything like what you’re going through. At least, to this degree.”
Selen exhaled shakily. She could feel her body shivering. Light chills wracked it from top to bottom, leaving her breathless and anxious. Selen was on the floor, on all-fours, as she struggled to catch her breath. “…is that also why I’m having a hard time controlling the spell, mom?”
They were in the basement with the magic circle. It had become the designated spell-practice location over the past few days. A sleeping bag was tucked into the corner, the proof that Selen had spent nights here instead of her comfy bed. A worried Ember glanced at Selen from within the sleeping bag. He could sense her anxiety and pain.
“Pureblooded dragons never have problems with magic control, as far as I can remember. The last half-dragon half-human I remember was an uncle of yours from several millennia ago.” Selen’s mother closed the book in her hand. It was a copy of the same spellbook she’d already shipped to Selen. “While he was still alive, I remember he also had difficulty with things regular pureblooded dragons didn’t. Whenever mating season came around, he’d seek mates of either race. Any dragons he mated with said that he was rather rough and animalistic, even by dragon’s standards. He also had difficulty with controlling magic and changing between his different forms.”
Selen grimaced. “Sounds an awful lot like me, huh? So, me being a half-blooded dragon is what’s making it harder to control?” She drew herself up to a crouched position before sitting back down again on the basement floor, exhausted. “Damn, this is way more difficult than I thought.”
“Well, honey, you’re trying to suppress your body’s urges with magic. It’s technically an unnatural way of controlling it. Humans would equate it to taking drugs or medicine.” Selen’s mother shrugged. “It would be much easier if you could mate with someone to relieve the urges but as you said, you don’t have anyone to help you in this way.”
Selen shook her head in response. Her mother let out a loud sigh. “You children living in this generation have yet to learn the value of maintaining short-term partners. Before I fell in with your father, I spent many centuries relieving my urges through more direct means. But things aren’t so simple anymore, especially with humans.”
Selen laughed. It was a bitter laugh, unlike her usual ones. “If I was better at controlling magic or my urges, we wouldn’t have to do this. But thanks anyway, Mom, for staying around past midnight for the past weeks to help me with this. If it weren’t for you, I’d have probably given up by now.”
Her mother smiled warmly. “Anytime, sweetie.” The smile quickly faded, replaced by a look of concern. “However, I should warn you that your multiple failed attempts might be taking a toll on your body. Your unstable mana control means that you’ll fail more often, sure. But the failed spells could cause side effects on your spiritual essence, honey. We should stop for now. If we keep this up, you could hurt yourself. Or, in the worst case, they can affect your body if we fail to control the spell’s lingering effects. On that note, how are you feeling, Selen? Any worse than you did before?”
Selen bit her lip, gripping her arm tightly below the magic-powered camera. “I-I’m fine. Thanks again, Mom.” Selen’s mother smiled and waved her hand goodbye, dispelling the projection and leaving Selen alone in the basement.
With a few seconds of silence, Selen allowed herself to collapse to the ground.
…fuck. Mom’s right. It’s only gotten worse. Shit.
Previously, Selen could feel a great heat from within her body and especially from her unmentionables, accompanied by urges and desires that she knew how to relieve but refused to. In her mind, touching herself in any way would lead to a desire to do so again. For that reason, Selen refrained from it. But after the past few days of practicing the spell, Selen only felt her body having grown much hotter as if she had a fever. Selen could also tell that her head was growing foggier; her judgment was getting murkier and her ability to think was already one foot in the door. Each inhale was needier, clawing for more air.
Selen knew her body was craving intimacy and warmth. Even more so than before; it was almost painful at this point. She knew that deep down, she wanted release. But Selen didn’t want to relent.
If only I was better at magic like Elira, I wouldn’t have this problem. Selen felt her heart sinking, old memories resurfacing. Being a half-dragon makes everything so much harder. Sometimes, I wish I was a pureblooded dragon like her and mom.
The thought reminded her of things she never thought she’d recall again.
Selen glanced at her draconic limb. It seemed to ache and quiver. Her claws glinted in the dim light. A phantom pain jolted through her skin.
A reminder of the fact that she was a half-dragon.
Always in-between. Stuck between two worlds. At this point, it’s more trouble than it’s worth. Selen’s thoughts were like a train. They bounced from one idea to another, and each thought hurt a little more than the last. If I was more like Elira, then maybe I wouldn’t have turned out this way. If I’d tried harder back then, maybe I would’ve become better at magic. Then I wouldn’t be struggling with this stupid basic-ass spell like I am right now.
If I was more like Elira, then I could transform into a human instead of being stuck looking like a half-monster. It’d be easier to blend in outside and no one would have to give me strange looks.
Fuck. What’s wrong with me?
A whimper penetrated the thoughts whizzing about in her brain. It came from beside her. Selen looked to the side to see Ember nuzzling against the back of her dragon hand, looking up at her with a concerned expression. Selen smiled in spite of her fatigue and took Ember into an embrace. “Thanks for worrying about me, boy. Don’t worry, I’ll give you some treats after I’m done practicing. Just a little bit more, m’kay?”
Don’t think about those things, Selen. Just a little bit more. Just a bit more and I’ll be able to get through this. C’mon, Selen. You got this.
Selen dragged herself to her feet. When she caught another glimpse of Ember’s worried eyes, Selen laughed it off and gently patted his head. “I’ll just take a shower first. See you in a minute, Ember.” She trudged over to the bathroom, the door swinging open when she pushed it lazily. As she stepped inside, Selen saw herself in the mirror above the sink.
She looked haggard and tired, hair frayed and unkempt and all over the place. Selen’s eyebags were already beginning to darken, the sign that she got even less sleep than she usually did. Selen couldn’t tell at this point if her skin was paler than before or if it was a trick of the light. To her surprise, there was blood trickling slowly from her lower lip. She leaned closer to the mirror, turning on the faucet and wiping the blood off with her hand. Turning off the tap, Selen walked over to the shower and switched it on.
“Jeez. Maybe I shouldn’t have bothered with the spell after all. I look like hammered shit.” Selen laughed dryly to herself, turning on the shower and doffing her clothes. “If I’m not careful, they’ll notice I was up to something.”
As she stepped into the shower, it hit her like a truck. The water felt icy cold to her skin; Selen could see steam rising from her skin and scales as the water hit her body. Selen was surprised but didn’t have the energy to let out a yelp. Instead, she took a deep breath and began to clean herself. It would be thirty long minutes in the shower before Selen would emerge. Though her body was cleaner, Selen felt no better than she did earlier.
“…ugh, I think I overdid it. I need sleep, stat.” Selen groaned, dragging her feet behind her in her journey to the bedroom. Every step forward felt like her ankles had been bound to iron weights. Opening the door, she reached the foot of her bed and promptly allowed herself to crash on the mattress. The thud barely registered in her brain as her already-drifting consciousness quickly faded away.
Mornings were always a struggle to Selen. The next morning was no different; in fact, feeling as ill as she did last night made it even harder. Mustering the willpower to get out of bed felt impossible. But as Selen felt her groggy brain slowly kick into gear as she woke up, every fiber and scale of her being screamed that she was not ready to start the day. Despite it all, her phone alarm was a loud enough indicator that she needed to get up. Each day was a new day, a new stream. To Selen, she wouldn’t fuck up her stream schedule if it meant staying awake all night.
Fucking up a sleep schedule was a preferable option to fucking up her stream.
“…ugh…” It took all the strength in her body to force herself up from the bed. Selen still felt some aches and pains still resonating from her arms and legs. Her entire being was sore, like someone had punched her body into a wall. “…fucking…what the fuck…god, my body still hurts…”
Yet surprisingly, to Selen, she didn’t feel nearly as bad as she did yesterday. Taking it as a sign that she was on the road to feeling better, Selen nodded to herself affirmatively, got to her feet, and put her phone into her pocket before beginning to walk outside. Ember, who was lying nestled in his little bed next to Selen’s bed, leaped up and followed behind his master. He let out a concerned whimper when Selen teetered to the side, falling onto the wall and leaning onto it for support.
“Why do I…feel nauseous?” Selen muttered to herself. The feelings of need and heat were more bearable but now she just felt sick. Almost as if she were in a daze, she managed to make it to her kitchen by tottering and staggering whilst leaning on walls and counters for support. “Man, the sleepover is tomorrow. I think I need to take medicine or some shit if this keeps up…”
…right, the sleepover’s tomorrow. That means I’ve only got until tonight to master the spell.
That single thought, somehow managing to penetrate the haze of her still-half-asleep mind, roused Selen further until she was acceptably awake. As she began preparing a light and easy-to-make breakfast for herself, that thought propelled her actions far more effectively than any coffee or energy drink could have. Wolfing down the last of her sandwich and washing it down with a glass of water, Selen reached into a nearby cabinet and pulled out a small glass bottle. The liquid inside glowed with a faint blue light.
“Ugh, mana potions always smell like medicine,” Selen muttered to herself, rummaging through the medicine cabinet and grabbing the Tylenol. Downing both at once, Selen let out a loud high-pitched exhale not unlike the same noise one would make after downing a glass of liquor. “Alright, that should be fine. I should be good.”
Okay, Selen. You got this. You were almost there last time. Selen muttered and repeated the incantation to the spell over and over, putting away the plate and utensils she’d used for her breakfast. Just one push and things should be fine.
The typical morning urge to use the bathroom came to her at that moment. Selen cleaned up the kitchen quickly before beelining for the restroom. Closing the door behind her, Selen was halfway through the motion of lowering her underwear when she noticed something different.
Her lower half felt different.
She felt chafing where she should have felt none.
“Huh?” Concerned, Selen glanced down at herself.
Two seconds of silence passed.
“…I need to call mom. What the fuck.”
Her urge to use the bathroom vanished, replaced by panic and confusion. Pulling her pants back up, she slammed the bathroom door and rushed to the bedroom. Ember, sensing Selen’s bewilderment, simply stared at her as she ran around the house.
Without missing a beat, Selen quickly conjured the communication spell again. Selen’s mother appeared in the sphere again, only this time wearing a bathrobe and a towel on her head. A moment passed before Selen’s mother realized that the spell was active at all. “Oh, Selen! Funny you should call right now, I was just thinking about you. Are you feeling okay?”
“No!” Selen shook her head vigorously. “What the heck is going on?! Is there something wrong with the spell that I cast last night?! You didn’t make a mistake writing down the incantation, did you?”
At that, her mother was taken aback. “Honey, calm down. What happened? Are you feeling sick? Did you blow up a part of the house by accident again? We can always fix that in a jiffy, you know. But you look ill. Why is your face completely red? Or is that just a trick of the light? Did you cast the spell corre-”
“No, mom!” Selen sat down on her bed, struggling to get the words out. “I-it’s, uh…are there any side effects that could happen from casting a spell that suppresses my sexual desire?”
Selen’s mother shook her head in reply, removing the towel from her head and pulling out a hair dryer. She began plugging it into a wall as she spoke. “No, sweetie. Although if you miscast it too many times, I imagine it could make you feel a little out-of-it for a day or two. Nothing major.”
“Then…why do I have a dick?”
Selen’s mother froze just as she was about to start the hairdryer. “…can you repeat that for me? I may have misheard you.”
She was already unwilling to say it twice. But the reality of the situation was setting in. This was not normal, by any stretch of the imagination. “Mom. I have a penis. As in, male genitals. A schlong. Ding-dong. Last time I checked, I didn’t have one.”
Selen’s mother nodded very slowly like an old computer slowly booting up Windows ’95 after cleaning a mountaintop’s worth of dust off the monitor. “…okay, that was not what I expected. Especially at eight-o-clock in the morning. I can only imagine one explanation. I’ll need you to listen to me, okay?”
Selen nodded. Her mother placed the hairdryer down onto her bedside table and then looked directly at Selen through the magic projection. “Dragons are a long-lived species, honey. In many worlds, we’re considered as one of the apex predators in any ecosystem we visit. But you also know that it isn’t common for dragons unrelated by blood to live together for any period. The bodies of dragons are also very adaptable. They can adjust to biomes that they occupy for any extended duration. That’s why sea dragons, land dragons, wingless dragons, wyverns, and the like exist.”
Selen’s expression was continuously growing impatient, and she did a poor job of concealing it. Noticing this, her mother decided to keep it short. “The reason I’m explaining this is because dragons, due to their nature as sometimes-nomadic and practically immortal creatures, need to have a means of reproduction available to them in most any situation. From what I can see, animals on Earth have a similar trait in which they may experience a strong desire to have sex and make offspring when close to death. We dragons have a different version of that trait.”
Selen’s mother pointed at her own body’s lower half. “We are able to biologically adapt and change based on our bodies’ needs. Drastic changes take much longer but this sexual change you’re experiencing is not uncommon. If I’m not mistaken, some of my friends have gone through similar feelings over the years.”
“…are you telling me that dragons grow dicks when they need to fuck? Or what, am I about to die?”
Selen’s mother shrugged. “No, no, you’re probably not dying, Selen. Your body was experiencing a great deal of sexual desire and frustration, no doubt. I suspect that practicing and failing the spell to repress your instincts did, in fact, make things worse. Since your body detected an intense need to experience sexual stimulation, one much more intense than it used to, I imagine that your body grew male genitalia to be able to vent those sexual needs and frustrations more effectively.”
Selen looked down at herself again, and then back at her mother. “…what am I supposed to do now?”
Her mother shrugged. “I expect that finding an outlet and relieving your urges should make it go away. I’m sorry, honey. But short of cutting it off, I can’t really do anything for you. It’s a part of your body, whether you like it or not.”
Still trying to take it in, Selen dug her hand through her hair. “…what the fuck do I do? The sleepover’s tomorrow. I can’t let my friends see…this.”
“For starters, Selen, I’d see to it that you do not sleep in the same room as your friends.” Selen’s mother said, looking worriedly at her daughter. “In your current condition, I imagine that you would have a difficult time being in the general vicinity of other females. You may need to take human medicine to keep your urges down.”
Selen nodded. “…okay, I guess I can start there.”
“Alternatively, I’m aware that once human males relieve their urges, they are unable to experience sexual arousal again for some time. Perhaps you can explore-”
“Please, mom, shut the fuck up!”