Juicy Secrets Forbidden Tales of Lesbian Love

By Nuit du Loup

A rush of hot summer air tingled over Sora’s skin, carrying with it the still-fresh scents and sounds of a vibrant forest. She inhaled deeply to enjoy it, her arms raised against the frame of the window she’d just opened in her bathroom.

It was much hotter than the last few days had been and considerably more humid, but nonetheless, Sora enjoyed it a great deal simply because it was all so new. She also liked the warmth because it reminded her of her new big sister Ayaka who adored this place in a way she couldn’t know.

The sun bathed her naked body, and that felt good too, since her nerves were still a bit sensitive from the attention it had received only a short while ago.

“Sora!” Isana called from behind, back in the bedroom.

Sora turned around, letting her slim arms drop. She was standing in the bathing area of the spacious bathroom, which was beautifully tiled like all the others, and gazed towards the door that she hadn’t even thought of closing. She’d decided finally to stop being such a dummy about things and asked Isana if she could move her stuff into the fourth and final master bedroom. Isana had responded as Sora now knew she would, with enthusiastic support. It was one of the many reasons she fully trusted Isana and cared for her so strongly after only a few short days together.

“Yeah?” she called back, flicking her ears once, unconsciously, in acknowledgment. It no longer occurred to her to be shy about her body with her new family. She was happy to let them see her. But Isana remained in the other room and couldn’t see her anyhow.

“Do you care which drawers your clothes are put in?”

“Not really,” she answered, smiling because it was nice to have someone who cared enough about her to ask about such a simple thing. Isana had shooed her into the bathroom to start filling up the bath for them while she put Sora’s possessions away. Sora argued that it was her stuff, so she should have to do it, but Isana insisted and so there she was. Sora already thought of her as a mother figure.

She glanced back at the spacious bathtub. It looked like it would be full enough for the two of them soon. “The tub’s just about all filled up, Isana. I can finish putting my stuff away later, you know!”

“Oh hush,” Isana teased back, chuckling from the other room. It was a sound that made Sora’s heart thrum with joy. If only to spend her life with such loving, casual joking as this, she’d be happy to live here forever. “It won’t take me more than a couple minutes.”

Still smiling, Sora paused as she caught sight of her reflection in the large full length mirror mounted opposite of the marble, double-sink countertop. Sora figured that some previous occupant of her room must have been a bit vain to have installed such a monstrosity.

She turned to regard her naked self, with the sun shining around her like a nimbus. Normally, self-critical thoughts would have pestered her at a time like this, but now…

Her lips curled up into a wider smile as she reconsidered her petite, elfin body in light of her recent experiences and developing relationships. She took a full step forward to get a better look with a new outlook on things; one that had been emphatically explained to Sora by her new family. They loved the way she looked, and she liked how her sisters enjoyed her appearance.

The one thing she’d always liked about her body, even when she felt less than confident about herself, was her skin. Even to her eyes, it was a pleasantly warm shade of golden-brown, like caramel. The only visible blemish was a very small birthmark on the inside of her left ankle, and she had hardly any hair on her body at all, so there was nothing to hide its smoothness. She was not nearly as dark toned as Karin, who she thought was incredibly pretty. She liked the looks of her new sisters very much, actually. Karin was so exotic and enticing, while Ayaka had a creamy, beautiful complexion like you saw on clothing models.

She trailed her right hand up her bare tummy to touch the slight rise of her left breast. It didn’t feel nearly as good as when Isana did the same thing when they’d last made love, but she liked doing it anyway. Gently teasing her nipple to get that pleasant tingly sensation, she felt it stiffen.

Sora knew she wasn’t destined to have large, gorgeous breasts and curves like Ayaka, but all of the other girls of her new family seemed to enjoy what she did have. Not even half an hour ago Isana had suckled on her nipples, which felt incredible, and her sisters had both done the same. She no longer felt ashamed of her slight figure.

Watching her reflection as she touched herself generated a sudden bubble of amusement when she realized what she was really doing, but she didn’t think to stop. Instead, she grew curious about her body in a way she had never truly allowed herself before. Sitting before the mirror on the cool tile, she spread her thin legs and scooted close until her knees were almost against her chest. If she was going to reevaluate herself, she decided, she was going to do things right this time. That meant taking a good look at everything.

Going back to where she’d let off, Sora resumed playing with her breasts, simply because it felt so good. The almost rubbery feel of her hard nipples was a really cool sensation, and they looked nice in the mirror, sticking up from her chest like little nubs. With her other hand, she stroked along the tops of her long ears, shivering at the pleasurable tingles that went down her back and settled somewhere down low. These things felt better when the others did it to her, but it was nice this way too. In fact, she felt a warm glow of happy pride when she grew hot and wet between her legs again.

Interested in her little puss, she reached downward, feeling the soft, wet outer lips that were now slightly open and glistening from her arousal. They were still a little puffy from the sex she’d had with Isana just a short while earlier. She was also very sensitive from being licked there, so the gentle caress of her fingertips felt really good.

Little moans escaped her lips, and she let them, knowing now after having sex with her whole family that the others enjoyed hearing her express herself, and she liked letting her emotions free, now that she didn’t have to hold them inside.

After several passes, she raised a wet finger, and before nervousness could stop her, popped it right into her mouth.

“It’s good!” she gasped in surprise, reaching down eagerly for more even as the strange liquid coated her tongue and her ears quivered with excitement. She’d been hesitant up until now about tasting herself, even after both Ayaka and Isana had used their mouths to make her feel amazing. That thought made her want to sigh, because she’d acted like a dummy again. There was nothing bad about it at all. The next time, she promised herself, she would use her mouth on them, especially since it felt so incredible and the other two really seemed to like doing it to her. She also wondered if the others tasted like she did, and what Ayaka’s pubic hair would feel like against her face.

Getting back to the important task at hand, she saw her little clitty peeking excitedly out again and gave it a little ‘hello’ rub-and-squeeze between her first and middle fingers, giggling reflexively at the sudden rush of good feelings and additional wetness that leaked out of her. Then she used the fingers of one hand to gently spread herself open to look inside, because she’d never thought of doing so before.

The interior of her puss glistened in the sunlight, It was very pink, with the more delicate inner lips framing it, all swollen and flushed from her renewed arousal. It was amazing, really, how good it felt to stroke herself there and rub along those pink folds. But what drew her curious gaze just now, was the tiny opening of her vagina. As she watched, a translucent drip of her juices dribbled out and down to her butthole.

She’d always thought that the doctor’s word for her puss, vagina, sounded kind of funny and dumb, but she decided it didn’t really matter what it was called, not right now. Putting her middle finger at the opening, she slowly pushed it all the way inside. The sensation made her toes want to curl, it felt so good, and she liked the way her finger was being squeezed by her internal muscles. And it felt even better if she rubbed her clit at the same time.

She did just that, occasionally pausing to lick her fingers, and noticed how her body was reacting the exact same way it did when she had sex. That odd sense of something tensing up inside her body, begging for release, was a big part of what she liked about it.

Sora was delighted with herself. Masturbating wasn’t that hard at all, and it felt really great! She was getting close to coming, too.

“What are you doing, honey?” Isana laughed delightedly, slinking in through the doorway, tail swishing from her happy mood. She too wore nothing at all and her pale skin, white hair, and pink nipples drew Sora’s eyes and made her pause with her finger in her mouth. She loved Isana a lot, and thought the young woman was incredibly beautiful.

Isana quickly slid around behind Sora, sat, and embraced her with strong arms and legs. Now they were both looking in the mirror at the young girl’s aroused body. Sora liked where Isana’s hands went as they touched her, especially when they began toying and pulling at her nipples again.

“I’m thinking,” she answered with a happy sigh, enjoying the skin-on-skin contact. “And trying stuff out.”

A hot, wet tongue slid along her left ear for just a second, and then Isana said, “Still worried about being cute?”

“Not anymore,” Sora said with a shrug, now shivering with pleasure. She smiled and leaned back against her new ‘mom’. “I guess, maybe, I was being silly. I like all this stuff.”

A deep purr hummed from Isana’s chest against her back. Sora could also feel the hardened tips of her breasts. The smell of sex in the air was strong now. “I don’t mind if you’re silly, Sora. It’s just a part of you. But it seems like I interrupted something. Go ahead and finish. I just want to hold you some more.”

After the last few days and all the new experiences she’d had, it didn’t embarrass Sora to do just that. Only four days ago she would have blushed horribly at just the thought of being naked in Isana’s presence. Now she simply put her hands back where they’d been and returned to fingering herself. The addition of Isana’s hands sped things along and it only took a few minutes for an orgasm to quiver through her, one that lifted her butt off the tile floor, making her gasp aloud. It was a really good one.

When it was finished she automatically tasted herself, enjoying the glowing, warm feeling she always got after an orgasm. She was going to lick the fingers of the other hand too, but Isana gently snagged it and brought it to her own mouth, and cleaned Sora’s fingers with a slurping sound so deliberate that they both laughed.

The sight of her flushed body in the mirror Made Sora smile. She really liked how she looked, all wrapped up in Isana’s limbs and a happy smile on her face. It wasn’t hard to imagine herself in a similar position with her sisters.

“That looked like it felt pretty nice,” Isana said, nuzzling Sora’s left ear. “I thought I’d worn you out, though.”

“I got better!” Sora replied, laughing and enjoying the moment. “I like all this sex stuff.”

“So it seems,” Isana chuckled, squeezing her tightly for just a second. “But you forgot about the bath, I think.”

“Oh, no!” She had forgotten, and squirmed to look in the direction of the tub. She could hear the water splashing close to the top.

Isana let her free, and Sora quickly raced over to turn off the faucet. There was only about two centimeters of space between the water’s surface and the lip of the tub. That had cut it a little close. A bit more, and there would have been a mess.

“Just drain a little bit out and it should be good,” Isana suggested, coming up behind Sora and hugging her around the waist.

Sora was quick to comply, stopping when Isana indicated. The older woman nodded, satisfied. “Well, let’s get in, honey. We can’t keep the others waiting all day for us.”

They stepped over and into the water, sinking down into the heat. Sora got a laugh out of seeing the wet mess Isana’s furry white tail became once it was soaked. In response, Isana gave her a smile and snagged the new soap from the tray set in the back wall. A short while later, Sora found herself thoroughly washed and nearly tickled to death. Apparently having sex with someone can also show that same person where all your sensitive spots were. While Isana washed herself with a pleased and proud grin, Sora could only watch in appreciation and breathe deeply to recover her wits. Baths were especially fun if you had a friend to enjoy them with.

Slouching down into the water was relaxing, and Sora let her mind wander. She felt something nice inside herself and realized her magic place was almost humming, like music. When she focused inward on the sensations, her vision slowly changed the weird way it did when Isana fully awakened their magic.

Cloudy, bluish tendrils of light were wafting out and away from her, and more wisps filled the inside of the water in the tub. The water seemed to move with that light. The walls, floors, and ceilings were entirely translucent and she could see other colors there and feel them in a strange and funny way she couldn’t describe very well. Many lines of obviously ordered magic seemed to be forming in patterns, shapes, and symbols inside the house’s rooms and outside too. Looking down again, she saw two very bright spots that were close together.

The golden colored one, with roots running outside of the house and into the forest, almost immediately blazed hotter at her attention, and warmth she couldn’t fully attribute to the bath filled her. A tendril of that golden light reached out to touch her in a way she somehow knew was affectionate and loving. Then she remembered, just as the other glowing spot began flickering, popping and shimmering, that she’d seen and felt this before. “Ayaka?” she said aloud in awe. The golden magic pulsed in response, a clear yes.

Then magic blazed up right next to her and a white glow gently encompassed Ayaka’s tendril and guided it back to its source. Sora adjusted herself so she could watch Isana caress Ayaka’s representation in this weird world, and the golden ball settled back down to a tiny sun neighboring what she knew to be Karin’s. It was now a cheery red and like before it seemed to sizzle with energy. Isana touched her too, quieting the magic.

“What am I seeing?” she asked.

“It has many different names. Actually, I was hoping to save the magic lessons for after breakfast,” Isana chuckled. “Wait until I can explain it to all three of you, Okay?”

“It’s so pretty,” Sora said softly. Then she frowned at the feeling of something like a mild pressure against her awareness and a little tingle that seemed to come from one direction. She focused that way and somehow understood what it was, like some kind of strange instinct. Far beyond what her normal sight would register even if the forest was gone, she saw something. She spoke without really thinking about it. “I think it’s going to rain later.”

“I don’t doubt that, with this much humidity,” Isana agreed.

Sora suddenly felt a hand clasp hers and there was another tingle of magic, this time directed at her. “Ah!” It was a pleased exclamation from Isana. “It looks like you might be a natural weather witch, Sora.”

“What’s that?” the young girl asked, feeling more and more new stuff now that she was looking around with this weird sight outside the walls of the house. It was like she could always recognize the way the air was moving around her.

Isana explained. “Well, most witches can become proficient at predicting the weather given enough time, but sometimes a witch like you can do it very accurately and instinctively, without the aid of spells and such. You also seem to have a natural affinity for air and water. It would explain why the uncontrolled outburst you told me about resulted in a mini rainstorm.”

“Is that good?” Sora asked. It sounded cool.

“Oh, sure it is!” Isana laughed, hugging the girl, both of them still in the water. “People will happily pay you to tell them about the weather that is coming days in advance with near perfect accuracy. And the affinity just means it’ll be easier and take less energy for you to manipulate those things with magic. There are a lot of applications for air and water with magic.”

“Neat!” she paused. “Um… how do I make the weirdness go away, though?”

“Oh, it’s just like the aura control I told you guys about yesterday. Just imagine pulling the magic back inside you. In this case, back inside your eyes.”

Sora breathed deeply and tried to do that. It turned out to be shockingly easy. The expectation of a struggle left her feeling a sense of anticlimax when she looked at Isana with perfectly normal eyesight. But Isana seemed very happy for her, and delighted by what she’d done. She leaned in and gave her student a brief kiss.

“That was kind of fun,” Sora commented, smiling back.

“With the way things have been going lately, I’m tempted never to bathe or sleep alone again! You girls are a damn godsend.” Isana laughed, pulling her in closer, which sloshed the water dangerously. “Now, I think I’m ready to get back to relaxing. Cuddle with me.”

“You like baths too?” Sora closed her eyes, trusting Isana to hold her up.

“Oh I sure do. Maybe it’s one of my cat-like qualities, but I like getting clean.”

“I just think it feels nice and relaxing,” Sora murmured, then sighed when a hand softly caressed her butt. Isana had made sure to clean her very well back there when Sora commented on how much Ayaka had liked touching her butthole. She would have to remember to do that too from now on.

They stayed in the water for a long time, ignoring their wrinkling skin as long as the water remained hot. Isana said she could have used magic to heat it right back up, but theirs was a long enough bath as it was, and Isana claimed it would tire her out. “Best to save your magic for when it’s really needed,” she said.

When they finally climbed out, a simple wave of Isana’s hand dried them from head to toe, leaving two balls of water that Isana tossed into the draining tub. “On the other hand, this is really easy to do,” she said. All the while, she kept looking at Sora with a pleased smile.

“What is it?” Sora finally asked when those glances made her feel a little self-conscious. “You’re staring at me.”

Isana’s smile only grew wider, and she leaned in to give Sora another quick kiss. “Oh, I was wondering where that shy young girl went, the one I met last week.”

“She’s still here,” Sora replied with a quiet giggle, putting a hand to her naked chest. “It’s just that I trust you guys now. I feel safe here.”

“Clearly,” Isana grinned, placing her hands on hips to display her own nudity. “I think you’ve probably been naked more than clothed since you got here. All of us have!”

“It’s been fun!” Sora laughed back, ears quivering a little in amusement. “I like going without clothes.”

“Well, how about we both get dressed – for now, at least – and we can join your sisters for breakfast? I’m getting hungry.”

“Sure!”

“Good,” Isana nodded, ruffled Sora’s hair, then left, with a parting twitch of her tail as she went.

For the most part, Isana had kept to Ayaka’s sorted piles when putting her clothes into the dresser of her new, bigger bedroom. The wallpaper was, according to Isana, nautically themed. Sora had never seen a real boat in her life, so she barely had an idea what that meant, but the repeating pattern was of different colored flags and a ship’s steering wheel.

She dressed quickly in just a skirt and sleeveless shirt, since all her new stuff was still downstairs in the bags from the stores. She also spent enough time to brush her hair a bit so it looked nice.

This new desire to look good for her sisters and Isana was strange, but enjoyable too. Normally, she wouldn’t have cared that her hair was a little disorderly, but now one look in the mirror had been enough to make her reach for the hairbrush. She appreciated how the others had complimented her on her looks, and wanted to keep them liking what they saw. There was no way, she knew, that Isana, Ayaka or Karin would say bad things to her, but she primped anyway, at least until Isana popped back through the door.

“Leave your poor hair alone, girl!” Isana chided, coming over to take the brush away. She’d dressed in a pair of jeans and button-up blouse, and had obviously spent some time of her own on grooming. Her tail was super fluffy, as were the bits of fur on her cat ears. She looked clean and competent, not at all like she’d thrown something on in a hurry.

Sora had a good idea why that was, and made a silent bet with herself about it. “I look good, then?” she asked instead.

“Tsk, you know you do,” Isana replied with a smirk and a wrinkling of her little nose. “Now come on.”

Without even really thinking about it, Sora held out her hand and felt a sense of comfort when Isana took it. Being loved was the most amazing thing, and that warm train of thought carried them through the upper floor halls and down the main stairwell.

In the spacious and very welcoming living room, they found Karin and Ayaka together, sitting on the couch. Ayaka was bending over to examine something on the table before her and Karin was leaning closely against her, looking on as well.

Both girls looked up at the same time. They too were already dressed for the day. Karin was in shorts and t-shirt, and Ayaka wore a knee-length skirt and a tank top that accented her large breasts. Now that Sora was so well acquainted with her new sister’s body, it was hard not to stare. Akaya’s pleased smile made it clear that she was on display intentionally.

“Good morning,” Isana said cheerfully.

“Oh, we already felt your ‘good morning,'” Ayaka said in return.

Sora flicked her ears at the delight she saw in Ayaka’s eyes as the girl got up and came towards them, practically flowing into Isana arms. They kissed slow and deep, like passionate lovers, gently caressing one another. Sora grinned, knowing she’d just won the bet she made with herself. Isana and Ayaka didn’t just love each other; they loved each other in a we-should-get-married-and-have-kids way.

“Sorry, I can’t match that,” Karin said with a laugh as she approached Sora.

“I don’t mind,” Sora replied, happily letting Karin hug, then kiss her for a long, lovely moment. When they separated, she decided her life couldn’t be more perfect.

Next to them, Isana and Ayaka were gazing blissfully into each other’s eyes. Then Ayaka’s gaze shifted to Sora, and the younger girl felt herself glow with a happiness that was downright explosive.

“I felt you, Sora,” Ayaka said, reaching out a hand that Sora eagerly accepted. “We both did.”

She knew it was her turn when Ayaka gently tilted her face up and their lips met. This kiss wasn’t a hungry, lets-have-sex-right-now one,but it still made her tingle and her heart race. She was absolutely sure no one could kiss like Ayaka did. It made you go ‘WOW’ inside your head and the world kind of drifted away. It also helped that Karin’s hands were exploring beneath her skirt.

“Okay, okay, let’s not get carried away here,” Isana chuckled. “I know we’re all a little worked up, and you guys are new to the whole sex thing… but we need to have some kind of self-control around here or nothing will ever get done. You’ve got a lot to learn about magic today, and I’m looking forward to teaching it. We can’t do that if everyone gets worked up again.”

“Plus, you and Sora are still hungry,” Ayaka said knowingly. “Karin and I were waiting for you two before we got started on breakfast.”

“What are you doing with those?” Sora asked, pointing at the table. Two shirts were laid flat across it, side by side.

“Trying to help Karin,” Ayaka replied, smiling at the girl in question. Karin answered with an amused snort. “We’re debating on how to modify her new clothes for her wings.”

“Show me!” Isana said quickly, taking interest.

Ayaka brought them back over to the table. “See this one?” She pointed to a plain blue t-shirt with a trapezoidal shape cut out of the back. “This is one of Karin’s old shirts with openings for her wings. I was wondering if we ought to do the same for her new clothes. Seems to me that cutting a pair of slits would work better.”

“That other shirt looks like one of yours,” Isana said, gesturing at the second garment.

“It is,” Ayaka nodded. “I’m using one I don’t care about messing up. The hard part about doing slits is measuring for them. Each shirt has to be different.”

“Oooh, that does sound difficult. Maybe even annoying,” Isana agreed, pursing her lips in thought.

“What did you do in the winter, Karin?” Sora asked, fingering a hole in her sister’s shirt. “Don’t your wings get cold?”

“Nope!” Karin grinned at her. “This nice lady made wing mittens for me. They’re really warm and soft with felt on the inside. But as I was telling Ayaka, I don’t mind having holes cut out of of my clothes. I like showing some skin.”

“It’s certainly easier to make,” Isana agreed. “Here, let me try something.”

She picked up Ayaka’s old shirt. A shiver of magic ran through the room and they all watched with widening eyes as the threads of the shirt squirmed, moved, unwove and rewove themselves. After only several minutes of work, Isana had made an exact copy of the cutout. The excess material sat to one side on the table She handed the shirt to Karin. “Try it on.”

Shrugging, Karin took off her current shirt. She was wearing one of her new undershirts, and Sora stared, licking her lips. “That looks so pretty,” she said, even though she’d already seen Karin wear it at the lingerie store. It was beautiful, and made Karin look a little older somehow.

“Huh.” Karin looked down at herself. The white, silken material hung nicely over her athletic figure. “Ayaka wanted to get these clothes we bought sorted out, and I wanted to wear this again when I saw it, so I did. I’m not the only one wearing new stuff, though.”

In one quick move, Karin slipped behind Ayaka, yanking up her shirt. To Sora’s surprise, Ayaka didn’t even bother to stop her. Instead, Ayaka held the garment up, giving everyone a good look.

A sharp intake of breath made the three girls look at Isana. She was staring at Ayaka’s breasts, barely concealed by one of the girl’s new bras. It was white and practically transparent. It was also what gave Ayaka all that nice cleavage. Without even asking, Isana reached out and lightly fondled Ayaka’s right breast, running her fingertips over the material.

“You like seeing me wear stuff like this, right?” Ayaka asked Isana.

Isana blinked, and then gave her students a chagrined smile as she withdrew her hand. “Yeah, I love sexy lingerie on a beautiful girl. I had to restrain myself when we were in the store. I was tempted to touch all three of you, actually. It’s a personal weakness of mine. I didn’t see you try this one on, though. You look stunning in itl.”

“Good to know,” Ayaka replied with a wink.

Sora noticed something odd about her sister. “What are those red marks?” she asked. Moving to get a better look, she pointed at Ayaka. “They’re all over your back.”

For some reason, Karin’s face got a bit flushed as Isana moved to look. Ayaka, however, didn’t seem to be concerned, while Isana raised a curious eyebrow at Karin.

“Those are from me,” Karin admitted, sighing. “I don’t really remember making them, because Ayaka is some kind of sex monster. I just remember screaming stuff and worrying I might be wetting the bed or something. Then I fell asleep.”

“I didn’t hear you complaining at the time,” Ayaka replied with a snicker, then cooed softly when Isana placed a hand on her back. There was a stronger pulse of magic this time, and all the scratches healed over in only a second or two. Dropping her shirt, Ayaka turned and gave Isana a hug. “Thank you.”

“Why did Karin scratch you?” Sora asked, not quite getting what they were talking about. She knew it had something to do with Ayaka and Karin having sex last night, but not much else.

“I didn’t mean to!” Karin protested, pouting prettily at Ayaka. Sora loved those dark lips. She wanted to kiss them again. “She was on top of me and I was feeling really, really good… and I think I just started grabbing at her really hard. We got kind of crazy, but it was awesome.”

“Just be careful next time, please,” Isana sighed, giving them all a look of amused resignation. “Okay, enough of this for now. It’s time for breakfast. We need to start your real lessons, and talk about more important things.”

Nodding their acceptance, the girls followed Isana into the kitchen. All the things they’d bought the day before had been sorted into distinct piles. One each for the girls’ personal items and clothes, one for Isana, and one for household items like detergent. These were in the back corner of the kitchen. Isana ignored them and headed for the pantry.

After a moment, the group decided cold cereal and fruit would be just fine to start off the day. While Sora and Karin got bowls and silverware, Ayaka retrieved cartons of milk and juice from the cooler. It was not, as Isana explained, a normal refrigerator since it used magic to slowly draw heat from the inside to a wide metal plate on the back until a certain low temperature was maintained.

Isana was seated at the table while she explained this, because Ayaka made her sit while she and her sisters got everything ready for the morning meal. Once they were all seated, she was between Karin and Ayaka on the bench.

“So what was that earlier, Sora?” Karin asked after they’d all had a few minutes to eat.

“Yeah, I felt Sora looking at me, too,” Ayaka agreed, giving her little sister a wide smile. Sora smiled back, knowing the moment had been a special one. “Then I just reached out to her without even thinking about it. Was that my aura again?”

“Well,” Isana replied, “answering Ayaka’s question will partially answer yours, Karin. Yes, it was much the same as an aura, but with active magic. Using magical power is, at its most absolute basic, the focus of  witches’ will to draw out and use energy. Ayaka, you felt Sora’s gaze because she was looking at you with magic and because you love each other, so you naturally extended a ‘hand’ of magic to her to accept the touch. But since it was mostly uncontrolled, it contained your thoughts, and Sora could feel those as well.”

“But we could see it too,” Karin said. She looked down at her hands. “I saw you touch me.”

“Yes,” Isana gave Sora a knowing smile. “It has a few names, like witch sight, mantic sight, third eye, inner eye, and some others. As you saw, it’s quite useful for letting you see active magic immediately around you. Unfortunately, it can also be tiring to use for long periods, and if you tried to walk through the forest, you’d probably plow face first into a tree. You think you see a forest, but it’s actually your brain’s reconstruction of one, not the actual forest you’ll be smacking into.”

“I kind of saw the house, too,” Sora protested. “It looked like glass.”

“Yes, because a house this old has gained a degree of permanence in the world, and also it showed up like it did because I’ve inlaid a number of protective spells upon it for safety and utility. Another important reason is because my place of power is here.”

“Okay,” Karin eagerly leaned forward. “You know you have to tell us about that last part.”

“I was trying to get you interested just then… guess it worked!” Isana replied with a grin, making them all laugh. “Magic itself has only recently risen to prominence in the world, so there’s a lot about it that’s unknown, and still being discovered or defined. I believe that, like physics and math, many generations will be spent figuring things out. I want you three to be inquisitive, and to realize there is a lot to learn. Magic is also very personal and there will be differences between each of you and me.”

Sora was thrilled by Isana’s words. The mystery of it all was tickling at her brain. She wanted to learn alongside her sisters and discover their unique magic along with hers. “When do we start?” she asked.

“Hmm,” Isana cast her gaze around the table in an assessing manner. “Are we done with breakfast?”

“We are,” Ayaka answered for them all, already moving to collect the dirty dishes. No one disagreed, so Sora handed her bowl and glass over. She hadn’t even noticed what she’d eaten

“That’s one chore that will get much simpler for all of you,” Isana remarked as they all slid out of the nook.

“Why?” Sora asked, happily accepting Karin’s offer to help her stand up.

“Magic is much like learning to play a sport, like baseball,” Isana explained after a moment of thought. “At first it’s awkward and hard to swing a bat and throw a ball the right way every time without concentrating on the task. But eventually, your brain and muscles learn those motions so well that it takes hardly any thought at all to make them. Your brain does all the hard work for you.”

“Muscle memory?” Ayaka asked from the sink. The sun was coming in through the kitchen window and her long, lush hair was pretty and soft looking in the morning light.

“Yes, exactly,” Isana nodded, pleased. “I’m going to have you use magic for everything as you learn. You will wash dishes with magic, clean floors with magic, and anything else you can. When you see a magic user actually speak or make a spell with their hands, it’s because it hasn’t been ingrained deep enough for them to simply do it by thinking. For example, I used a small bit of magic to dry Sora and me off after our bath earlier, because I’ve been drying myself that way since I was eleven. This way, you’ll always be ready to deal with everyday problems, and your magic will grow healthy and strong.”

Before she could say more, a deep buzzer sounded from the basement. Isana glanced toward Ayaka. “You figured out the washer and dryer?”

“Yeah,” Ayaka answered, toweling her hands. The dishes were stacked neatly in the drying rack. She came over to join the rest of them. “Karin and I made a mess out of my bed sheets and they needed washing. I used one like yours before, so it wasn’t hard.”

“Then you can show your sisters how as well,” Isana told her. She clapped her hands briskly. “All right, girls – let’s get to work!”

On to Chapter Twelve!