Chapter 4: Is it still okay if siblings decide to sleep together?

Ryzelia didn’t want to get out of bed. His body was heavy and burning up like a scorching oven. The rays of light that beamed into the room from the window forced him to draw his covers over his head. I guess I was bound to get sick after being dunked into an ice cold river. At least I can whip up a medicine that will help after a few hours or so, Ryzelia thought as he heard a knock at his door. Entering into his room around the same time as always was Alyice carrying a tray with plate full of breakfast items and a cup of coffee.

— Good morning, master. Did you sleep well?

— I think I’m sick.

Alyice placed the tray on the night-stand and pulled back the covers.

— You do seem a bit sickly, Alyice said as he placed the palm of his hand against Ryzelia’s forehead.

— It should clear up in an hour or so with one my remedies. You mind getting it from my coat pocket? Should be the inner right at the bottom of the coat.

Making his way over to the closet, Alyice dug through the indicated pocket and pulled out a vial that was filled with a calming light blue liquid.

— Is this it, master?

— Yeah. That will get rid of this fever. I’ll still have to take it easy for today.

Popping the cork off of the vial, Alyice handed it over to Ryzelia. Downing the whole thing in one swig, Ryzelia looked over to Alyice.

— Is there anything I can do for you, master?

— Would you mind checking up on Elyiena for me? If she is sick too then I’m going to need to whip up another vial of that medicine.

Nodding at the request, Alyice exited the room and made his way down the hall. Stopping at Elyiena’s bedroom door, he noticed it was left slightly open, as if someone was already inside. Knocking on the door, Alyice let himself into the room to see Blythe standing at Elyiena’s bedside.

— Pardon, Elyiena my master asked me to check up on you.

— I’m fine, no need to worry, Elyiena said as she tried to get out of bed.

— You’re not fine. You need to stay in bed and rest, Blythe said.

Blythe ensured that Elyiena stayed down on the bed and made her way over to Alyice. Without saying anything, she motioned for him to meet her out in the hallway. Following her out into the hall, he watched as she leaned against the wall and closed her eyes, crossing her arms and sighing heavily.

— How is she? Alyice asked.

— It’s not serious but she won’t stay in bed.

— Master said he could create a medicine that would remedy the illness. He just has to make it when he gets better, Alyice said as he leaned against the wall next to Blythe.

— Or, we could try to make it ourselves.

With a smile, Blythe made her way down the hallway for the first floor. Alyice quickly followed in step with a worried expression on his face.

— I don’t think that’s a good idea. Neither of us know how to mix up ingredients like master does.

— Hey, I’ve been studying in my downtime. I’m sure I could make it. All I need is the recipe and a bit of determination, Blythe said with a cheerful tone.

Alyice followed Elyiena down into the atelier and watched as she looked around at the various vials and books.

— Where does he keep his notes? Blythe asked.

— The desk over there.

Blythe made her way over to the desk and sat down in the wooden chair before looking over all the pieces of parchment. For a moment, she was silent as she read through each of the notes. There were many different recipes that she had never heard of and wondered if she could make any of the tonics that she was reading. Before long, she found a recipe that was labelled as Cyurcest which was stated to help with colds, fevers and headaches.

— Here we go! Okay, we just need to get the ingredients and then mix them together.

— Even if we have the ingredients, if we don’t get the ingredients right or mess up there is a chance something could go wrong, Alyice said as he watched Blythe look around for the ingredients listed.

— Just grab the Syain and…

Blythe looked over the list of what needed to be done with each of the ingredients.

— Grind up the Syain and add it first.

Grabbing two vials off the hanging shelves that were described in the notes, Blythe read the instructions once more. The mixture called for two vial’s worth of Bugsbells, one vial’s worth of Klyal and half a vial’s worth of boiled Nightsbane.

— Okay… Wait a minute.

— What do you mean? I already started crushing up the Syain.

— Just let me read this. This recipe calls for two vial’s worth of Bugsbell but master only has one vial here.

Sitting down in the wooden chair, Blythe carefully read the directions. She continued to question how the two of them were going to create the medicine without the needed amount of ingredients. Blythe looked over the notes scattered on the desk and began to wonder just how the master was able to find anything within the atelier and was now questioning if she could create the tonic needed without Ryzelia’s help. If she and Alyice screwed up, they could end up losing a limb, causing toxic smoke to rise up through the air causing them to go blind or any other number of horrible accidents – it was also possible they could end up with a potion that made Elyiena even worse. In the worse case scenario, they kill themselves or anyone by messing up a dosage of ingredients.

— I think we should stop and just get the master. This is beyond our skill level, Blythe.

— It’s just a setback, all we need to do is take this one step at a time. First, we need two vials of Bugsbell. Since we have one already, we just need to make another.

— Okay… and what about the Klyal and Nightsbane?

— Alyice, we got this. I read and memorised all the pages master told me to.

Alyice could see by the look on Blythe’s face that she was ready to give it her all in making the medicine. He sighed for a moment and then smiled.

— All right, let’s do it then!

While Blythe prepared the ingredients for the Bugsbells, Alyice crushed up the Nightsbane in a small wooden mortar and pestle. After grounding up the Nightsbane into a fine-grade powder, Alyice turned to Blythe.

— Okay, so we have the Klyal and crushed Nightsbane. Did you get the other vial of Bugsbells?

— Almost, I just have to pick out these little ‘bells’ as they’re called from these… bugs or whatever they are. After that, we just need to crush these up and boil them to a liquid and add something called Iycestizide.

— Bet you didn’t think alchemy would be so much work, Alyice said with a smirk.

— I mean, I know it would be but…

— But you thought you could do it and now you’re trying to prove yourself.

Blythe blushed and pegged Alyice playfully in the shoulder with her fist.

— Shut it or I’ll tell master about the fact you stole his socks.

Alyice blushed heavily with embarrassment and averted his gaze.

— I… That’s…

— Weirdo. Be glad we’re childhood friends, otherwise I’d rat you out like the freak you are.

— You know I still haven’t told anyone about your secret.

— Then we agree. We’re in this together?

Alyice twirled the tip of his hair around his finger, his face and cheeks still a soft shade of pink.

— Just you, me and our secrets.

— Good, now let’s create this medicine, Blythe said with a smile.

Once the two of them finished preparing all the ingredients needed, Blythe read over the instructions several times before carefully mixing all of it together into a miniature cauldron. After giving the tonic a few minutes, Blythe and Alyice both noticed the mixture changing colours before their eyes. The dull grey liquid slowly turned into a pink-ish tone with hints of white. Blythe sniffed the liquid to find that it had an odd scent of sweat and curdled milk.

The mixture gave off a sense of being drinkable and harmless, yet Blythe was unsure as to what would happen if the tonic wasn’t what they had hoped for. Taking a second to get her mind set for what she was about to do, she looked to Alyice.

— If I happen to die… burn all traces of my history… please…

— Don’t worry, I’ll be sure to.

— And yes, you can have all my socks to use for your freaky kinks, Blythe said blushing and averting her gaze.

— It’s no wonder you’re still single, Alyice mumbled under his breath.

Ignoring what Alyice had said, Blythe braced herself for downing what seemed to be a disgusting tonic. Downing half of the liquid quickly, a burst of something like a citrus and cherry hit her throat.

— Huh. I guess we did it right. It tastes a bit odd but not too bad.

Alyice took a small sip of the liquid and as surprised that the mixture they had created was pleasant to palette. A few minutes passed before Alyice before a slight pain rushed to his head. He turned to Blythe only to see that she too was holding her head. The feeling was like that of a pounding which proceeded from inside the skull and was trying to break free from the confines of the skin.

— What is this pain? Blythe shouted as she fell to her knees.

— I told you we should have just let master do it.

The pain lasted only for a minute before the two of them realised they were different. It felt as if something was growing from their skin. Looking over to Blythe, Alyice could see two pointed ears that resembled rabbit ears. They were the same tint of colour as her hair and protruded about a metre out from her head. Touching his own head, Alyice could feel furry ears that were short and wedge-shaped.

— I think…

— Don’t… say… anything, Blythe said in a defeated tone.

— You look like a rabbit, Alyice said as he gazed at the ears.

— And you look like a wolf.

Alyice lifted up the backside of his skirt and noticed that he had a small tail growing out near the lower part of his spine – it was the same for Blythe, who’s tail was similar to a bunny.

— So, what should we do? Blythe asked as she looked over to Alyice.

— I think… we need to tell master and hope he isn’t mad.

— All right, you go speak to him and I’ll try to figure out what went wrong.

Alyice nodded and exited the atelier. Making his way down the hallway, his heart pounded as he drew closer to the door of his master’s bedroom. With a light tap on the door, he opened it slowly, bracing himself for a scolding from his master.

— M-Master…

Ryzelia was busy sitting up in his bed reading a book before he looked up to see Alyice and his changed state of appearance. Guess he and Blythe tried to make the medicine without me and they ended up turning into animals, Ryzelia thought as he closed his book.

— W-We… have a small problem…

Alyice avoided eye contact with Ryzelia as he stood by the bedside. For a moment, the room was quiet until Ryzelia finally spoke.

— I know. Come on, sit down, Ryzelia said as he patted the bed.

Slipping off his shoes, Alyice laid down beside Ryzelia and continued to avert his gaze. Ryzelia could only smile and gently petted Alyice’s head.

— Relax, I’m not mad at you or Blythe. In fact, I’m glad the two of you tried it instead of just coming to me for answers. That said, do try to be careful. I don’t want to lose my best maids in the whole world.

Alyice’s cheeks lit up like a candle illuminating a room. He was unsure what to say. Most of the time, he saw himself as just another maid to serve the Aytelier family but the words from Ryzelia made his heart skip a beat.

— T-Thank you… master.

— Now, the question remains if you and Blythe want to stay that way or change back to normal.

— You mean, we’re stuck like this?

— Well, some tonics end up only lasting for a few hours and wearing off, others are permanent until you find a cure to reverse the effect.

Ryzelia held out his hand showcasing the bright pink liquid that covered his fingertips. In his old world, it was similar to nail polish, albeit different.

— See this pink liquid on my nails?

Alyice nodded. Removing the blanket from under his legs, Ryzelia brought his knees to his chest to reveal that his toenails were also coated in the pink liquid.

— This will never come off no matter how hard I try.

— Your sister said it would though.

— She knew it wouldn’t. We both knew it.

For a moment, Alyice was unsure about what to say. He had been around Ryzelia for a long time and knew him well, yet, there were still things that he didn’t know about his own master.

— I’m sorry that happened to you, master.

Ryzelia smiled.

— Don’t be. I’m glad it happened because it helped my older sister create something unique. Because of that failure, she was able to create non-permanent dyes that could be used for not just nails but also hair. She created inks that could be applied to the skin and easily washed off with warm water.

Ryzelia continued to praise his older sister and took a moment to breathe.

— Anyway, Alyice, I’m fine with everything that has happened as it improved lives.

— That’s such a humbling thing to say, master. You’re truly a kind person.

— Now, back to the issue. Do you want to stay like that?

— Do you wish for me to stay like this, master? Alyice asked as he twirled the tips of his hair with his finger.

— I can go either way because no matter what you’re cute and my loyal friend.

— M-Master…

— You also make cute sounds when I play with you, Ryzelia said with a smug expression.

— M-Master!

Ryzelia could only laugh as he got out of the bed.

— Wait, master, you should stay in bed.

— No, no. I’m feeling a bit better. The medicine kicked in an hour ago. Even though I need to take it easy, I can still help out you and Blythe.

Making his way down the hallway, Alyice followed behind Ryzelia until he made his way into the atelier. Blythe was busy scratching her head over the notes and confused by what had gone wrong.

— I take it you’re still struggling to figure out what went wrong.

Blythe jumped from the chair at the sound of hearing Ryzelia’s voice.

— M-Master! What are you doing out of bed?

— Just thought I’d help out. Here, let me see the notes.

Ryzelia looked over all the notes that Blythe had used during the creature of the animal-making mixture.

— How quickly did you pour the ingredients in and mix it up? Ryzelia asked.

— I poured them all in and mixed them up.

— Then there’s your problem. You needed to get them all down into liquid form and mix them up one at a time. Here, I’ll create a potion for the two of you so you can see how it’s done.

In less than a few minutes, Ryzelia had created a potion that was white as the snow.

— Here we go, both of you drink this and tell me how it taste.

— What is it, master? Alyice asked.

— It isn’t harmful so don’t worry.

Alyice and Blythe downed half of the liquid and looked back to Ryzelia.

— So, what exactly does that drink do, master? Blythe asked.

— You’ll see.

Both Alyice and Blythe downed the drink before handing the vial back to Ryzelia.

— Wait a minute… Master, is this…

Ryzelia smiled and sat down in the wooden chair.

— Succubus’s Desires? Yes, yes it is. I also added in something a bit extra.

In that moment, Alyice could feel his body collapsing to the floor, his strength leaving with every passing second.

— M-Master…

— Why are you doing this, master? Blythe asked as she fell to her knees.

— Well, I figure this is the best way to teach you both a lesson. Don’t worry, it won’t last too long. But both of you are going to hate it for a while. I’ll be busy whipping up the medicine for Elyiena.

Without warning, Blythe’s clothes shredded in mere seconds, as too did Alyice.

— Wait, why are we still in our underwear, master? Isn’t this potion supposed to remove fabric from the person’s whole body? Alyice asked as he recalled the memories of ingesting the liquid before.

— It’s like I said, I modified it. This version keeps you both in your underwear, paralysed and also puts you both in an uncomfortable state of heat.

— Like sweat? Blythe asked.

— No, not that kind of heat, Blythe, Ryzelia said with a chuckle.

Alyice could no longer move his body has he found himself stuck in a position with her face just a few centimetres from the soles of Blythe’s bare feet. He was unable to move any part of his body but could still feel the large cauldron bellowing between his thighs.

— M-Master… it hurts…

— I know, Alyice. Just wait for it to wear off and take care of it.

— Alyice, you better not have lewd thoughts about me if you value that thing between your legs.

— Blythe, I can’t do anything about this!

Ryzelia smiled and grabbed a vial from his desk.

— Well, you two have fun with each other. I’m going to go give this to Elyiena.

— What the hell!? You mean you already had the medicine and it was right there the whole time?

Ryzelia nodded.

— Master… please give me something for this pain, Alyice moaned in a begging tone.

— I could give you one of my shoes to use.

— Master, please!

— Fine, fine.

Grabbing an empty vial from one of the shelves, Ryzelia carefully stuck it down Alyice’s underwear in such as way that the flood would collect in the vial and not the floor.

— Master!

— Hey, collecting that stuff is useful for alchemy. Do it for the cause, Alyice, good luck.

Without another word, Ryzelia left the room.

#

Ryzelia made his way down the hallway and stood in front of Elyiena’s bedroom door. Knocking on the door, he waited for a moment before he let himself in. Laying down on the bed, Elyiena seemed almost lifeless. Making his way to her bedside, he could hear her cough under her bed sheets.

— You sound like you’re dying.

— I feel like I’m dying.

— Care for this medicine? It’ll at least help.

Elyiena took the vial without a second to waste and downed the whole thing in one gulp.

— Why does it taste so horrible? Elyiena asked.

— I’m actually surprised you would just take something like that without asking what it is.

— If you wanted to kill me or use me, you would have already done it. So, I’m not worried about that.

Ryzelia smiled and sat down on the bed.

— Glad you trust me.

— So, where are Alyice and Blythe? Elyiena asked.

— They’re a bit busy in the atelier. They tried to create that medicine for you but things backfired a bit. But don’t worry, they are completely okay. It’s just they have to do some clean up for a while.

— I see, Elyiena said as she closed her eyes.

— You need anything?

— Just for you to get out of my room and let me sleep, Elyiena said with a playful smile.

#

The hours passed until the sun began to set below the horizon. Ryzelia closed his after finishing the last page and placed it on the night-stand. I do feel a bit better. Hopefully by tomorrow I can get back to working. For now though, I need some water, Ryzelia thought as he made his way into his atelier. Grabbing some ingredients, he quickly mixed it all together to form a crystal clear blue liquid and poured it into a small empty vial. Before he could sit down in his chair, he could hear the sound of footsteps echoing down into the room.

Standing at the bottom of the stairwell, was Alyice who was dressed in a more causal outfit. His hair was wet, indicating that he had just got out of the baths. Ryzelia smiled and held out the small vial in his hand.

— Care for a sip?

Alyice smiled and sat down in the other chair.

— What are you going to drug me with this time, master?

— Just the clearest and purest water you have ever had in your life, Ryzelia said as he took a sip of the blue liquid.

Taking the vial from Ryzelia, Alyice downed a small sip from it. The overwhelming pleasure of the refreshing coolness alleviated his thirst almost instantly.

— That’s cold and slid down my throat with ease.

Ryzelia held back a chuckle from the comment that Alyice had made. Alyice blushed for a moment after realising what he had said and how it could have been taken out of context.

— I didn’t mean it like that, master!

— I know. It was still funny.

The two of them sat in silence for a moment before Alyice finally spoke.

— Master… do you love Elyiena?

Ryzelia didn’t speak as he down the last drop of liquid from the vial.

— I can’t say. It’s still too early to tell. She is sweet and kind. There is no doubt in my mind that given a few years I could see myself with her but I doubt she would ever feel the same with me. Regardless, I’ll always see her as a wonderful friend that I can count on if nothing else.

— I see.

— And what about you, Alyice?

Alyice averted his gaze and didn’t speak for a moment. It was hard for him to just bare his feelings out onto the table. Yet, he knew that he could trust Ryzelia, after all, he was his master and always cared about him.

— I’ve always been in love with Blythe.

— I already knew that. Why don’t you tell her?

— That’s the problem. I try to when we’re alone but she just makes fun of me or ignores it.

— Ah. I see. Well, I can probably help you there.

Standing to his feet, Ryzelia headed over to his bookshelf and pulled out a book. After finding what he was looking for, he placed it on the desk and showed it to Alyice.

— I can make a potion that will make her reveal her true desires. This can help you understand how she sees you.

— Master… this seems wrong though.

— Relax, this isn’t altering her memories or anything like that. She will still be the same Blythe only with this potion, she will reveal how she feels. All you have to do is get her to drink it.

Alyice thought about what he wanted to do. He cared about Blythe with all his heart but he was afraid of changing her in any way. In a way, it felt like bypassing the laws of the world. Still, he was curious and wanting to know how she felt and this was the only way he could ever know.