"Here are your first opponents," I said as I pointed to the snarling pack of drooling beasts hungering for human flesh.
It was a pack of Juvenile Viperwargen, snake-like reptilians with fur legs like wolves. They had a venomous bite, raking claws, and a snapping tail and were extrely agile. Adults grew to be four to six ters long from ophidian snout to tail and were third-rank monsters, but these were only two ters long and second-rank. I tuned my Eldritch Aura until they were weak enough to give the girls a good challenge but without much danger for them with all the buffs. My participation would lower their Exp award but I didn't care much about that, what they needed now was combat exposure and confidence.
"Aren't they venomous?" Madge asked.
"The pill I gave you is a general immunity booster. That, combined with the Perk you got will be enough to resist the venom should they bite you."
"I wished I could fight in the iron can," Mona bemoaned.
"Too late for that. Get so Attribute points and you'll fight in armor. Now, here they co! Defend yourselves."
I kept myself in a position where I could be considered "in combat" with the monsters since they could co at . This allowed to activate my [War Technique] Abilities along with a slew of others.
> Lead from the Front (up to 2,840 troops gain 44% Morale, Damage, Accuracy, damage reduction, and Evasion)
> Shining Beacon (447 allies gain 8 Strength, Dexterity, and Endurance)
> Commanding presence (up to 1,600 allies gain 5 Strength, Dexterity, Endurance, Mind, and Willpower)
> Song of Heroism (up to 284 allies 50% damage dealt, -50% damage received, 20 all Proficiencies, 10 to three highest Attributes).
> Song of Sacrifice (hearing range, you shoulder 50% of damage dealt to allies).
> Untouchable Performance (75% damage reduction to you so long you perform and take no actions).
> Muse Aura (allies gain 142 to all Attribute and Proficiency tests)
The four [Juvenile Viperwargen] charged, their gait seed clumsy but it belittled their real agility. Madge moved forward, her staff ready to block the snapping mouths while Mona started to draw a {Firebolt Volley} spell circle. The lead monster leaped and was promptly smashed on the head by Madge's staff, driving it down to the ground with a snap. The other three hesitated and were peppered by Mona's {Firebolts}. They yelped as they flinched away from the fire, circling around the girls to find a better spot to attack from. Angry singed spots where the firebolts hit caused two of them to limp.
Madge moved her staff in a semicircle as a blade of Force appeared as it went and shot toward the monsters. One of them ducked underneath the spell and went hissing for the girl's exposed shin behind the hem of her armored dress. She flinched as the monster sank its teeth in her flesh.
Then Mona shouted and brought the head of her staff on the monster's neck, snapping the weakened spine. Another one seized the opportunity and jumped on Mona's back, raking at her dress with its front wolf claws.
Madge didn't bother removing the dead monster from her leg. She swept her staff like a baseball batter, connecting with the reptilian underbelly and launching the light critter against the tunnel wall. Her unique Perk gave her a damage bonus whenever one of the faithful was in danger.
"Thanks, sis!" Mona said.
"Behind you!" Madge warned.
Mona spun on her heel, backhanding the Viperwargen that was trying to sneak behind her. The monster dodged the haphazard strike and bit her forearm. Madge slamd its body between the hind legs, cracking the hip and making the monster recoil and disengage the venomous bite. I took the opportunity to use {Force Tongs} to also remove the one biting her leg. Even dead, the fangs kept injecting venom.
The other monster tried to run away but I dialed my aura up, hindering their mobility. That allowed the girls to finish them with angry blows from their staves.
They healed themselves and sat on the tunnel floor to suck MP regeneration pills. Though they had skill, their pools were still limited by their Attributes.
"How did we fare, Your Highness?" Madge asked, a victorious grin on her sweaty face.
"You did great," I grinned back.
For a first fight, with assistance.
"How can you take half the damage the monsters dealt on us? I didn't even see you flinch!" Madge remarked, alard.
"I have much more HP than you. Half the damage of a vicious bite like that wouldn't even be a scratch on ."
"The privileges of Royalty... Hey!" Mona waved a hand in front of her sister. "Can we level up now?"
"Only to level five. You need to adapt to the increased Attribute values. Don't allocate the free points yet. Just the Class bonuses are enough. Also, don't select any Perks right now. You need to have a better idea of what build you are gunning for before committing."
Mona raised her hand. I nodded. "Sorry, what 'gunning for' ans?"
Nenandil snickered.
"Aiming. I ant aiming."
"Right..." she stared at , unconvinced.
At the end of the day, I allowed them to increase their levels by five two more tis, bringing them to level 15. They had enough Exp to rank up but I wanted them to grind the Fast-growth they earned and then gain so points the hard way, so they knew how much the earlier training was beneficial to them.
The difference these fifteen levels brought was enormous as most of their Attributes doubled or more. The Viperwargen we t in the morning would be a normal challenge without my aura weakening them (but with the leadership buffs and songs nonetheless).
Tired, we walked until we found a dead-end tunnel to camp in. I set my silver rods on the ground, raising a barrier to keep monsters out and prevent spawns. They didn't happen close to people most of the ti but it still required a watch schedule.
I laid a fluffy carpet and large cushions on the ground as we took off our shoes and laid on a cushion each.
"Adventuring is hard work!" Mona complained.
"I like it. At least it's not the Palace again," Madge smiled. "Maybe I'll grow bored of Adventuring later, but right now I'm excited."
Since Madge had a mostly martial Class, she gained a lot of physical Attributes and was in better condition than her sister. On the other hand, Mona mostly cast spells and moved little, leading to the belief she was faking it to gain pity points.
"Do you girls want to take a bath? I have a tub and soap with . Warm water is easy to co by."
They said yes so I set a private bathing area and let them have their fun. I was always spotless clean thanks to my pseudopods so I declined when Mona invited to join them.
They left the bath wrapped in robes. "Are all Labyrinth delves this relaxing? Or is it just because we're with you?"
"No, that's on . Usually, people don't let their guards down, and those who did don't live longer. Rember that when the Labyrinth is open to the Adventurers, several teams are delving at the sa ti. It isn't unusual for them to prey on each other. Down here, other people are as dangerous as any monster. Or more."
"I don't think I can fight people," Madge lanted. "You make it seems so easy but I froze in fear when you were arguing with the Knights this morning."
"You'll have to fight people sooner or later, but we can make it later. When your ntal Attributes increase, you'll find it easier to deal with these problems."
"So, Percival, are you going to take a bath?" Mona asked, excited.
"It depends. Are you going to peek?"
"Soone has to. It's a rule. Since you didn't peek on us..." She trailed off, eyes sparkling together with a mischievous grin.
"If you want to see naked, you just have to ask," I replied as shalessly as her innuendo.
"How dare you, Your Highness!" She pretended to pout but then gave a hungry look-over. "I'm a maiden without any impure thoughts. But Madge there wants to see you naked."
"I bet she does," I said without glancing at Madge. I think that if she gave any hint, even just a nod I would strip down on the spot.
An awkward silence took over our camp.
"Look," I continued. "I think this is a good mont to reveal everything. I promised you, we are here on the delve, away from anyone who could have a chance of hearing us. I'm going to tell you everything, every little secret I've been keeping from you. I think it's better to rip the band-aid at once."
"There you go with your weird words. What's a 'band-aid'?"
"I think it is a type of bandage," Madge offered.
"What terrible secrets you hide from us, Your Highness?" Mona asked, her smug smirk practically indelible.
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"Terrible enough that you'll feel betrayed, you'll hate , and will want to run away into the darkness of the Labyrinth just to get away from ."
She puckered her lips at my candid answer, while Madge closed her eyes and sighed. If I had to guess, I think she'd already figured out a few of them. Probably the fact Mona and I were sisters. Not sisters, but siblings. My birth gender would be one of the hardest secrets to disclose and the first one to go. Rip the band-aid even if it costs you a pound of flesh.
"Okay... I guess? Percival, if you are going to reveal a secret so dire that it will make hate you, there's sothing I want to ask you first," Mona answered.
"Go ahead. I promise I'll answer with nothing but the truth."
She fidgeted a bit before blurting all at once. I had difficulty understanding her words but perfect mory allowed to replay it in slow motion. As she stalked, her hands and eyes went every which way like a clumsy rapper. "Do you prefer man? I an sexually. You never showed any interest in the maids, you never tried anything with us but a few kisses here and there. It felt you weren't enjoying kissing us. Or at least . You favor my sister, don't you?"
The last ca as a plea with the hidden words, "please don't say yes."
I stared into her eyes, the sa as mine. I changed many things in my body with Flesh magic and hormone replacent therapy but the eyes were identical. "No, I don't like n. The idea of laying with a man in bed gives the heebie-jeebies. And I an sexually. I am not interested in the maids at all, even though I like won very much. And I enjoyed each mont we spent together, even right now. These monts are all precious to because you two are everything to ."
She felt touched and hesitated before pressing on. "You favor my sister, don't you? That day, I had to steal a kiss but you kissed her on your own for way longer than !"
That was getting too ssed up. One, two, three, and pull!
"The answer to that is the first secret I must reveal to you. And I'll strip bare to show you the body I was born in to do so. Are you ready?"
"No," she mumbled, her resolve wavering. "Wait. If you're going to make hate you, let say this: I love you. I love you and I want to have you. Right here, on these cushions." She shot everything at once, hiding her face in her hands at the end. She squealed nervous, unable to believe she said it out loud. I put a hand on her shoulder and kissed the crown of her head.
"I know that. And that's why this will hurt you a lot. I'm sorry, Mona. Madge, would you hold her hand."
The calm and quiet girl stood up and approached us, "I will. I am confident I can keep her from running away." We exchanged a glance and I could read in Madge's eyes she was aware Mona wasn't her birth sister.
"Mona, look at . I'll dispel the modifications on my body to show you at the ti I was born. Please look at ."
Madge whispered words of encouragent in her sister's ear, and Mona nodded in agreent. I blocked them so I couldn't hear. It was between the two of them. Mona looked at and steeled herself. "I am ready."
I pulled the hem of my tunic and slowly took it off. As the fabric hid my body, I shifted it underneath to what I should look like should I've kept my birth body unaltered. Chest, face, cheeks, chin, hair, hips. When the tunic ca out, my breasts were exposed and I looked at Mona's horrified face. Madge nodded solemnly and tightened her grip on her sister. Mona was shaking when I dropped my trousers and underwear, baring my whole body as it should be without the modifications, especially the dangly bits. Mona was trembling.
"You look exactly like ! How? Who are you? And why are you a WOMAN?" She cried in disbelief.
"This is , Percival, as I was born, Mona. My father gave the na 'Percival' when I was born because he was fooled into thinking I was a man. The Raswarian Royal Wizard changed before father saw . He changed so the [Emperor] wouldn't figure out I was born a woman."
Tears streaked down Mona's face, mimicked by Madge who also grimaced with a somber certainty that she had figured it out correctly.
"Why do you look like ?"
"[Concubine-Queen] Marion birthed two children that day, identical twins. Two sisters, you and . She committed the cri of giving the [Emperor] two daughters, yet the mage only had ti to hide one and mask the other. One girl was given to the milkmaid, to raise as her own. That's you. The other girl got male parts grafted onto her to fool the [Emperor]. ."
"Since when?"
"I am aware since the day we were born. But before today, I had no power to protect us, and no opportunity to openly speak about this where nobody could truly hear us. And you weren't grown enough to comprehend that."
Mona almost fell to the ground in despair. Her voice broke as she started to sob, "No. It can't be true. Who's the [Princess] of the prophecy? The one who will destroy the Empire? You or ?"
"It is true, but don't pay any mind to that stupid prophecy. If I had to guess, the Mad Empress said it about . It doesn't matter. I am your twin sister, Mona. You are the daughter of Rhiannon and the [Emperor]. We are twin sisters. Princesses in all but title."
"NO. No. No."
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I stood stark naked in a female body that was a copy of Mona's as the two girls slowly lowered themselves to sit on a cushion. Mona was inconsolable, weeping on her adoptive sister's shoulder. Madge resonated with the hidden and title-less [Princess], crying along with her.
Chances were I had opened a rift between my twin sister and , one that would be nigh-impossible to nd. The barriers blocking the Labyrinth beyond our campsite were two-way, blocking monsters and interlopers from entering and people from escaping.
I'd intentionally kept them hostages. I was afraid that they would run away if they were anywhere on the surface but here they depended on to go back. Trapped in the tunnels in the dark depths, they had to rely on .
I felt like a coward. Scum.
I should've told them earlier. But what I said was true. I didn't feel they would have the maturity to understand why I kept the secret, and I wouldn't have the power to just say fuck it to the Empire. But I was more powerful than ever right now. The biggest resource pools, the highest Attribute values. I was willing to go head-on against our father and make the prophecy true if it ant saving them.
So I stood there, naked, watching my heartbroken twin sister cry. She cried for her fate, for her forbidden feelings, for her own misery. She cried because I'd betrayed her. There's that saying about what paves the road to hell.
The band-aid ca out and took with it a pound of flesh. And it was only one of many.
Mona turned her head and stared at . Her eyes were swollen, her face red. Streaks on her cheeks marked where the tears passed. "That's not the real you," she remarked, her voice catching on the knots of her throat.
"No. This is how I would look if I hadn't had my body changed by Buscalpaun, our birth mother's wizard. If I hadn't taken dicine to change my body into a male."
She sniffled and blew her nose on the sleeve of her robe. "Show . Show the true you, brother."
I did. Undoing the transformation, I beca Percival, the transgender prince. She couldn't see one of them but I still had both sets of unntionables. Sothing to rember this life, engraved upon this body forever. My body was ripped, manly muscles showing underneath lean skin. My chest was flat and looked like two slabs of hard at, my abs a six-pack. My shoulders weren't too broad, I wasn't too tall (Mona was taller than but at this age, so girls were as I still had a few growth spurts in ) but my physique was that of a martial artist.
"Did you know that, sister?" She asked Madge.
"Of course not, you dummy!" Madge rebutted as she too wiped her dripping nose. "But I had a hunch. C'mon, don't look at like that! You are the spitting image of the [Concubine-Queen]! And you have the sa eyes as Percival there," she said and stole a glance at , swiveling her head away imdiately after.
I resummoned my clothes.
"What happens now? What about my feelings?" Mona asked.
I had no answer for her.
She rembered sothing and quickly hid her face as her ears burned an angry red. "I can't believe I did THAT thinking of my own twin brother!" She whispered to either herself or Madge, followed by a short prayer. "Matriarch, save ."
"Well, About that..." I said, picking the edge of yet another band-aid. "Rember when you asked how I could anoint you [Priestesses] of the Matriarch? Or how I had Nenandil's favor?" Both girls stared at . I pulled another taphorical bandage, opening another wound. "I'm the Matriarch's current incarnation."
Four unblinking eyes stared at . Nenandil ca out of my soul carrying Pandora. The golden warmth of the {Gifted Divinity} aspect, boosted by all the Divinity she had stored, washed over us, slowly eroding our worries and psychic wounds. Pandora, or more precisely, Rosalinda's soul which rged with the [Wisp of Creation] did that on her own. Even now, dozens of lives and thousands of years apart, my mother still looked over . Protecting , helping .
"Behold, [Priests] of the Matriarch," Nenandil cried solemnly. "This is Pandora, the [Wisp of Creation], the source of the Matriarch's divinity. Gaze upon its mysteries and be healed."
the fairy sent a ntal wink.
The fairy giggled in my mind.
We basked on the golden brilliance of the Divine Wisp until our hearts rested at ease. Compared to the unfathomable depths of Pandora's mysteries, what transpired was just a sibling squabble. One could say I cheated myself out of trouble but I was actually bailed out by them.
Mona smacked her lips, looking at with disbelief. "So, not only you were born a girl, my twin sister, I'm secretly a [Princess], the [Emperor] is my father, my very existence is a threat to the Empire's existence, but you're also the Matriarch."
I didn't answer. It wasn't a question.
"I'm dreaming, isn't it? Those last stone monsters knocked silly when they hit in the head, and now I'm dreaming."
"I don't think so. Sister," Madge said. "This isn't surreal enough to be one of your dreams. I think it's mine."
Still, in that fluttering state of mind, Mona stared into the eyes of her adoptive sister. "I guess you're right. It's YOUR dream. Because it ant I lost. Percival isn't your brother, you can fuck him all you want."
Madge glanced at and hid her face against Mona's robe.
"I an, I'll doubt his commitnt to not liking n if he doesn't do at least one of us," The female twin continued with her rambling.
"Mona, neither of you are dreaming. This is very real," I tried to bring her back to reality.
She stared at and slowly shook her head. "No. Don't ruin this, Percival."
"I think he's right," Madge replied. "This is not a dream. It ans that..."
Mona tapped her hand, "Shush. You only want him to be right because you want to bed him in real life. But you know what? It's your dream, I'm not here. Do as you wish. Don't miss this opportunity."
And she made think about doing it. The way was clear to make Madge mine. The thought made stand at attention. Mona stared at my pants, and I used the {Pleasing Physique} Perk to quiet my unruly soldier.
Pandora wasn't ssing with our minds as so might believe. Her soothing presence was as natural as a calm breeze, warm sunlight, or the sound of birds singing. The Wisp's subli presence caught one's attention and made their unconscious minds realize the greatness that lied beyond the mortal shell. A promise made between a [Hero] and a [Demon Lord], unwanted gifts willingly exchanged by enemies. The dance of souls, dood to rebirth in oblivion heedless of their past greatness or wickedness.
Then again, mortal minds weren't ant to peek behind the Universe's greatest mysteries. I recalled Pandora, and the mystical mont ended. Like a real dream, the feelings of the beyond faded quickly, bringing us mortals back to the harsh reality.
One of hidden birthrights and forbidden desire.
"Are you strong enough to defeat the Emperor?" Mona asked out of the blue.
"It would be a tough fight but yes. If I had to fight our father now, I would win."
I wonder why she asked that but I didn't have to wait. She revealed her true intentions straight away.
"Mom always treated differently," Mona said, oddly self-aware. "When we did sothing wrong, she would scold Madge but not . Now I know why." Madge only nodded. "Do you resent , sister?"
"No. Why should I? I always thought it odd that you, mom, and I were so well-treated in the Palace. Why the [Prince] played with us, treated us as equals, even shielded us from harm. Now it all makes sense. Do you think I'm your lesser, sister? Or Your Highness Mona?"
The great divide. In a society where status was everything, the fact Marion and Madge were commoners could place a rift between us. But Mona would suffer nor allow any prejudice.
"Don't be silly. And never call that again. I might carry the [Emperor]'s blood, but I'm your twin sister even if we ca from different wombs. What happened minutes before mom received from that [Wizard] doesn't change what happened all the years after that."
"I'd like that. Sister."
"Sister."
The two hugged. Then Mona whispered in Madge's ear sothing I wish I hadn't overheard but still made my spine shiver with anticipation. She stood up and took one of the cushions with her.
"Percival, I'm going to the other side of that screen to sleep. And maybe cry a little," she sniffled. "Who am I kidding? I'll probably cry a lot. You two, I'm not in your way and I'm rooting for you. I..." Mona dropped the cushion and rushed to hug . She rubbed her face on my chest. "Your chest feels better like this, and not with the dangly bags of fat."
"Mona, I..."
"I know why you did that, but it still hurts," she cut off. "The [Emperor] would kill everyone if he knew about us. I know that. But it still hurts. Is it supposed to hurt like this?"
I exchange a glance with Madge. She nodded back. I brought my hand up and caressed the crown of my twin sister's head. "I think it does. But it will get better. I'm sorry."
"I'm sorry too."
She didn't say anything else. Mona took her cushion and walked around the screen to the bathing area.
Madge stood up and dropped her robes, baring herself. "Would you please raise one of those silence wards?"
I smiled and nodded. I made my clothes vanish and raised a barrier between us and Mona.
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