[Spirit of Lust] Chapter 166: Sexual energy crash course. (Patreon)

It was very interesting how, the moment Ishtar opened the door to let Ruth in, the blonde spared her a single look and immediately knew it wasn’t William in that body.

“It’s still difficult to get used to it,” she said, stepping into the apartment.

“What gave me away?” Ishtar asked.

“The way you stand, the way you look at people… It’s different.” Ruth took a seat on the couch with Reina after kissing her on the cheek. “How did everything go?” she asked Ishtar.

“Well enough. We kicked butt, got ours kicked a bit, but we won. Jack Evans is no longer an issue.”

Reina grimaced. “Did you… kill him?”

Ishtar shook her head. “He’s technically alive. Just… asleep, dreaming. When he was about to lose, he gave control of his body to Belphegor, the Spirit of Sloth who possessed him. It backfired on him, because old man Belphegor now wants to keep the body, and there’s literally nothing Jack can do about it.”

‘He can’t do Jack shit about it.’

Ishtar cracked up, laughing at a joke no one but her heard, causing Reina and Ruth to give her odd looks. “Will said something funny… ANYWAY.” Reina had gotten dressed already, but Ishtar only put on some pants. She stood in front of the sitting girls, ready to give a lecture. “Like I was telling Reina. If you two are now able to use sexual energy, then I better teach you a thing or two before it backfires on your faces.”

“Hold up,” Ruth said. “I only got the gist of it from Reina this morning. So what’s happening to us, the… heat, the stares, the extra energy… That’s sexual energy?”

“Exactly.” Ishtar nodded. “Will used his powers on you to make you feel good during sex. We didn’t know it would have the side effect of making you awaken to similar powers. But if they are similar, they might come with the same downsides.”

“Which are?” Ruth asked.

“Overwhelming emotions, for one. Simple joy may turn into ecstasy, sadness into depression, and an annoyance into a fit of fury. It also may have some more physical consequences, like muscle strain if not handled properly.”

Just some hours ago, Will’s arms nearly burst from a failed attempt at Evocation magic. Better try to avoid them going through something like that.

Ruth swallowed. “So… What can we do?”

“Don’t get so nervous. You’ve already felt some of the benefits, right? Those can only get better if you learn to control the energy, and that’s on top of avoiding the downsides. What we’ll do now is I’ll give you a crash course on what you’ll feel and some tips to help you learn. At the end of the day, it’s up to you to know what works best.”

Reina nodded. “Okay. I’m ready.”

Ruth sighed. “I’m not, but go on.”

“First thing you need to understand is that sexual energy is all about feelings. Things that turn you on, feeling sexy, the desire to do something kinky… Those things will give you power. How much power, I can’t say for certain, but I can promise it will.”

“So… We can only use sexual energy when we’re horny?” Reina asked.

“No, but it helps. Sexual energy, or aether in general, doesn’t just go away when you’re not using it. It stays there, in your body, flowing. For people like Aoi, who learned to use aether, things like resting and eating will slowly replenish her natural reserves of aether. Of us, we can replenish it quickly and as many times as we want so long as we have sex. And with aether having a direct connection to your health, that means replenishing aether improves your condition.”

“So basically, having sex is good for us. Is this sex propaganda?” Ruth asked.

Ishtar smirked. “No, but it works as propaganda.”

Reina held her chin. “So… when I was doing the photoshoot… I felt sexy, the camaras turned me on, and as a result, I started building sexual energy. Is that correct?”

“Ding ding ding! I’d give you a gold star if I had one.”

Ruth pursed her lips and her cheeks turned pink. “So it’s the same for me? When I was waiting tables, with all those guys ogling me? That… turned me on?”

“Nothing to be ashamed of.” Ishtar shrugged. “You’re a babe. Own it, relish in it. Everyone wishes they could spend five minutes with you. Let it fuel you.”

“Is that what Will is thinking all the time?” Ruth asked.

“Well, no. In his case, he’s thinking of how much he wants to do dirty stuff. Having sex with one girl, having sex with two, trying different positions, having a huge harem… That’s his fuel. Other than outright sex, of course. Nothing beats that, and for beings like me, it’s a necessity. Sex doesn’t just empower me, it sustains me. Literally can’t live without it.”

Both girls giggled. “Why am I not surprised he’s thinking that?”

“Hey, no shaming here,” Ishtar casually chided. “You can walk around showing you assets to feel sexy, he can think how nice it is to have two girls in his bed, alright?”

“Right. That’s fair,” Ruth agreed, now a little more relaxed.

“Now that you know how it works,” Ishtar continued, “the most important thing is to be aware of your emotions, especially when you’re feeling that heat inside you. If you ever feel like you’re overreacting to a situation, do your best to take a step back and analyze things. The more you do, the more you’ll generate a natural resistance and it’ll soon become a non-issue.”

Reina grimaced. “That… sounds difficult.”

“No kidding. It takes a lot of self-awareness to notice that stuff,” Ruth agreed.

“You’ll probably notice. Will got sick a couple of times from strong emotions, even. Once from disgust at himself, the other from jealousy.” Ishtar didn’t leave them time to ponder on that. “Finally, there’s actually using the new powers you have, and that is something I can’t help you much with.”

“Why not?” Reina asked. “Aren’t you an expert?”

“I am. Which is why you can believe me when I say that using sexual energy is a lot more about instincts, imagination and feelings than theory. Aoi and Nanami sometimes call them spells, but I don’t agree. There is no chanting, no magic circles, no weird ingredients involved. It’s just your mind, your aether and your intentions. It takes practice, don’t get me wrong. You need to be aware of your aether and create a thought process that works for you, but that process can be different from person to person. I can always give you tips, but what’s important is that it clicks for you.”

Ruth pursed her lips and rubbed her arm. “This is… a little overwhelming.”

“Yeah.”

“No one is saying you need to master this today or tomorrow. Like I told you, Will just happens to have a talent for it, so he got good really quickly. Also, I’m not bragging when I say this, but even though you awakened to sexual energy, you won’t be as strong as I am. If I had to compare, right now you’re a lit match compared to me, a huge bonfire. Side effects should be relative to the amount of power, so don’t worry. And besides,” Ishtar grinned. “Will and I will be watching over you.”