Rennia's head hurt, and her throat was hoarse. She'd had a hell of a night, probably caught a flu out there in the orchard. There were little treant monsters, and delicious golden apples, and Lyanna—Lyanna...
Oh no.
She struggled to open her eyes. She blinked hard. Coughed. Something thick came loose in her throat, a clot of slime. She was in her bed. She didn't remember getting to her bed.
Oh.
And—how could she have forgotten? How could she have forgotten the bullshit, the pain and misery she went through? How could she forget any of it?
She closed her eyes. Tried to center herself. Something was wrong with her class.
Main class: [Pathfinder Level 1]
Unique subclass: [Maiden of Eros Level 1]
"What the fuck!"
Her class was gutted. Gone with the wind. She didn't wait to question it. She wasn't a [Hayseed Jack] anymore, she could feel it in her bones. But... her levels! She had just leveled up. Wait. Worse news was coming.
Rennia sprang out of bed and rushed to the mirror. Something was off. Her tits looked different. Slightly bigger, just enough to throw her proportions off. Her hips too—wider, heavier, more pronounced. She rubbed her ass, still sore from the whipping she'd taken.
She swallowed and stripped. Her panties slid off her ass. There it was. Almost tucked in, small, but stiff enough to bounce and wiggle.
A cock. She had a cock. And it was likely permanent.
Her hand covered her face. She'd have to live with this. This fucked curse. Her fingers slid down past it, brushing the familiar wet heat between her legs. Her pussy was still there. Her baby-maker. Her fuckhole. Still intact. There might be hope. But she needed to get rid of this curse sooner rather than later.
There was noise downstairs. The sun was barely above the horizon, pale blue and lavender hues soaking the rooftops of Kibblestadt. She peeked out the window—no villagers, but a retinue of guards stood posted near her home.
One of them turned, caught her gaze, then turned back as if she didn't exist.
She closed the curtain and dressed. Walked to her door. Froze.
Someone was moving around outside. Boxes shifting. Bags. Something heavy being dragged. Her gut sank. She didn't want to deal with her mother. But she had to. She had to explain herself.
"Rennia!" her mother called out. "Renny! I know you're awake. Get in here now!"
Her voice—stern, too sharp for this early in the morning. It had been years since Rennia had been yelled at like this. She was too old for scolding. Her mom sounded... distressed. And she didn't know how to deal with it.
Rennia opened the door. Her stomach dropped.
Boxes. Stacked high. Kitchenware. Personal items. Her mother wasn't even looking at her. Just folding, packing, organizing with brutal efficiency.
"Mom... what the fuck are you doing?"
Ilna Perillion smiled. Not kindly. Not warmly. It was the smile of someone who had already made peace with doing something awful.
"Packing. We can't stay here. They'll be here soon."
Rennia felt like tearing her hair out. "They? Who the fuck are they?"
"Language, Renny!" her mother snapped. Rennia flinched. Just because the world had flipped didn't mean she got a free pass to act feral.
"Listen. We need to leave. We can't stay anymore."
"But... we can't just go. I have friends. People here know me. I have obligations at the guild. I—"
Her mother cut her off. "Shut up, Rennia, and listen. Your little friend is being sent away. And rightfully so. The Inquisition will be on her like fleas. Best you say your goodbyes."
"What? Why? She didn't do anything wrong. Who's sending her away? Who—"
"Because you fucked her, Rennia. Fucked her raw and silly. Her parents are shipping her off. Who else?"
"I... I didn't—"
"Everyone knows. Edric ran screaming into town, telling the whole story. I always knew you and your friend did little things when I wasn't looking. But this? I never imagined it'd be like this. Not this early. Still... I don't blame you."
Rennia grabbed something from a nearby box and hurled it across the room.
"Who the fuck are you? You don't talk like my mother."
Ilna Perillion looked sternly at Rennia, almost angered. It frightened her.
"I told you to calm down!"
Ilna stood up, stepped forward, and slapped her across the face. Hard. Rennia flew back, crashing to the floor. Her mother's strength was monstrous. She was a former adventurer, after all—not that Rennia knew she was that powerful.
Rennia cupped her cheek. Tears welled up.
"Renny. I need you to act like an adult. Just this once."
Ilna sighed.
"See, here's the thing. I'm not your mother."
The words hit like a hammer to the temple. Her world cracked. Her mother... wasn't her mother? What kind of fucked-up joke—
"Let's get to the point before you lose your mind. The world doesn't care who you love. It cares what you are. Lyanna is as good as dead to you now."
Rennia's brain jumped to the Eve's apple. The cursed thing she thought had done this. It didn't add up.
"It wasn't the Eve's apple, was it?"
Her mother froze, then winced.
"No. It wasn't the apple. It just... accelerated what was already coming."
Rage flared in Rennia's stomach. "Then what the fuck did this to me?! Why now? Why like this?"
"Do you even remember your father?"
Rennia's eyes drifted back through time. Memories half-formed. Blurry men. None stood out. She shook her head.
"No. Why?"
"That wasn't your father. That was my brother. Your uncle."
Rennia reeled. The implications hit her like poison in her blood. Some freak genetic thing? Maybe. But that still didn't explain why a cock had just sprouted like a damn branch out of nowhere.
"Wait. What the fuck are you saying?"
"Don't jump to conclusions."
Her heart pounded. It wasn't over. There was more.
"Because I'm not your mother, Rennia. Not biologically. I didn't bear you. Or your sisters."
Rennia dropped to her knees. Trembling. Her world had turned inside-out. Ilna turned away, hands resting on her thighs.
Something shifted beneath her skirt.
Rennia choked.
She saw it. Clear as day.
"What... what are you?"
"A monster who tried to be a mother—I guess I still am. But your real mother died a long time ago. You'll never see her again. Do you remember the woman with the big belly? The one you'd always stare at, confused?"
No. She didn't remember. Nothing.
"That was your mother. She left after... after everything. She didn't—I didn't—"
Rennia shook her head.
"You could have told me years ago. Why now? Why do you have it too?!"
She pointed at the thing under her skirt.
"It's a gift. From the Lady Eros. Our goddess."
Rennia collapsed. Full sobs. Wetting herself as she curled into a ball. Rocking. Silent.
Then she went still.
Seconds passed. Her body twitched. Rage bloomed inside her. Edric. Lyanna. The shame. The guilt. The confusion. The pain.
She stood.
Then lunged.
Ilna didn't hesitate. Her instincts kicked in. She caught Rennia mid-air and slammed her into the wall.
Hard.
Rennia collapsed again. Coughing blood.
"Who even are you?" she gasped.
Ilna knelt. Voice low. Strained.
"A failure. I lied. I tried to protect you. And now I've cursed you too."
"More lies!" Rennia shouted.
"Yes."
"I'm leaving for the capital," her mother said flatly. "I need to check on your sister. Make sure none of this happens to her. I need a new place to lay low."
Lay low? Lay low from what?
Ilna walked towards the edge of the doorway.
"I'm sending you away. To someone who can train you. My old master. Someone who won't pity you. Someone who will teach you how to survive with your new 'problem.'"
Rennia spat on the ground.
"I hate you."
"Good," Ilna said. "Hate me. Just don't become me."
This woman, if you could call her that—this stranger—had lied to her. Her whole life, Rennia knew she could never look at her the same again.
She was her mother, but she was not.