Chapter 4

• Tezy
• _____
• Kigga’s snake shifters ganged up on me. I thrashed my body against the black snakes that were about less than four times my size. My white aura spread out, reducing them into black ashes.
• “No!” Kigga screamed in my head. She looked furious when I turned my head in her direction. She was behind me, slithering towards me to pounce once more. We tussled, breaking more pillars and walls in the process. My powers were depleting. But the good news was that hers were also spent.
• “You should be weak by now!” she commented, hissing as my fangs grazed her scales. I could see black blood dripping from her body. Her eyes wavered upon seeing it.
• “So are you,” I told her.
• She retaliated, using her powers to make the blade on her tail sharpen more. The sharp tip glowed dangerously. She raised her tail to slice my body. I must admit my powers grew weaker and weaker while strengthening my scales against her attacks. It was not only once or twice but multiple times. I could feel my energy getting drained every time.
• This would not do. I had to escape from her. But I reflected that I could not go back to Benzai. Otherwise, my worshippers would be put in jeopardy. I did not want that. If I would not lead Kigga there, she might spare my worshippers.
• But where? Where should I go? I kept asking myself this.
• It would do me no good if I would stay here and let Kigga kill me, as she was now bent on doing so. Putting me to sleep just like she did to our brothers was like killing me, too. Since we were immortals, there was no death for us, per se, unless the Mighty Deity would call us.
• Before I could even think twice, Kigga’s body was entwined with mine. I knew she was already exhausted. I could feel it, too. She must have used more powers than I had expected. Or, perhaps, the powers she stole from our brothers would have rejected her eventually.
• I took advantage of it. I had no time to analyze her predicament at the moment. Whether or not she could keep those powers she absorbed from Yrdis and Famiq, I had to temporarily escape from Hebbiza before it was too late.
• I procured a portal. It did not matter where it would take me, whichever dimension it was, as long as it was not here. Hence, while scuffling with Kigga, we portaled to a forest. The cool temperature there was not the same in Hebbiza. It was less. However, it did not matter for now.
• Trees and creatures that were on the way turned into smithereens upon touching the portal and our bodies. It must mean that these things around us were far less powerful than us. Only very powerful beings could withstand the touch of our bodies, as well as the portals.
• “Y-you!” Kigga blurted. “Why did you bring us here?”
• I chuckled in her head, which came out as a hiss from my mouth. “If I’ll die, then you’ll die with me, Kigga!” I told her telepathically.
• She struggled hard to get away from me. The bright portal was closing. Her bladed tail was stopped by my magic. It trembled. So was mine. I tussled with her again. More trees and other creatures were pressed against our massive bodies. They were smashed and became ashes.
• Kigga pushed me so hard. I opened my mouth instinctively, trying to get back at her. Instead, my right upper fang hit something fleshy. That fleshy and furry white creature moved away, simpering in pain. My eyes grew round when my fang grazed him from the neck down to his arm. I pulled away to not hurt him further. At the same time, I noticed that Kigga summoned another portal to get away and return to Hebbiza.
• “Kigga, you coward! Let’s end it here right now!” I hollered at her telepathically.
• I glided to rush towards her. And yet, she already entered the portal, with only her bladed tail left behind. It stabbed me by the neck. White blood started to trickle from it. But luckily, it was just a small scratch. It was nothing to worry about. It would be healed in a matter of hours.
• The bright portal closed. I tried to summon another to go after her, however in vain. My powers were completely drained. As the aftermath, I felt my energy leaving my body.
• No, no, no! There must be something wrong with this dimension. I must be wrong for coming here!
• I just realized that Kigga made the right decision for leaving this place as soon as possible. She could recuperate faster in our realm than in another nameless one. Who knew? She might be able to get back all the powers she stole from our brothers.
• And it was not good. Not good at all.
• To refrain myself from spending more energy with my massive body to recuperate, I shifted into my human form. It would be much faster than in my snake form.
• I immediately looked around. Gray creatures moved away speedily, separating from the others. Their weird sounds echoed in the forest. The remaining ones were wounded, but some were not. I noticed the white furry creature that I accidentally fanged earlier. I ran towards him to attend to him. I could still use my powers to keep him from bleeding to death.
• My eyes went round when I saw him shift into a male human form.
• And very, very naked.
• Oh, Mighty Deity! He’s a shifter, too?
• I refused to look further down south of his muscled, drool-worthy body. He was sitting, looking at me with hatred in his now interestingly blue-black eyes. Like me, his eyes changed when he was not in his human form. His was black in his other form, while mine was red.
• Now, my maroon eyes met his beautiful pools.
• “I-I’m so sorry for hurting you!” I apologized in my native tongue, kneeling beside him.
• “What? You’re sorry?” he roared.
• I was astounded. He understood me? I did not actually expect it.
• But wait, he spoke to me in the same language. I looked at him with a bit of confusion.
• His hand pressed against his neck that was still bleeding. Red liquid continued to drip from his long flesh wound. Now I understood. It was because of my fang that wounded him. It was even more amazing that he did not turn into ashes. He must be powerful for holding out like that.
• We barely noticed that his fellow creatures also shifted, but my attention was on him. I stepped closer to him and held him by his hurt arm.
• He grunted. “What are you going to do with me, you monster?”
• I huffed. “Huh! You’re lucky that monster portaled back to Hebbiza!” I pointed out, running my hand from one point of his wound to the other.
• He looked at me with wonder when his wound closed, but I winced, seeing the ugly long scar that my fang made. Oh, Mighty Deity! How could I hurt someone like him, an innocent one?
• I cursed Kigga in my head.
• “Did you just curse me, you monster?” he snarled. He did not even thank me for healing his wound.
• “What? No! And don’t you call me a monster! I have a name! It’s Tezy Hebbia!” I shot back, maroon eyes blazing.
• Mighty Deity! No one had ever called me a monster. How dared he? After apologizing and healing him, this was what I got from this hostile creature? Really, how dared he?
• “If I was a monster, I wouldn’t have even bothered to heal you!”
• His reddish lips pursed. “I never asked you to heal me! But you,” he paused, holding me by the neck and looking into my eyes deeply, “you killed my family!”
• I never saw rage and hate mix beautifully but dangerously in someone’s eyes before. I caught his scent even more by his nearness. It was musk, pine, and earth. Our faces merely a few inches away from each other.
• “I-I…” I trailed off.
• “Bring them back!” He whispered those words, but it equaled like a shout in my face.
• His warm breath smelled oddly delicious. I must be delirious. No one’s breath smelled delicious, right?
• My eyes wavered, and I slowly swallowed. “I-I’m sorry. I c-can’t…” I spoke slowly, straining from his hold around my neck. “Even if I wanted to, I can’t!” I added.
• He rose from where he was seated, bringing me along with him. My neck was still in his hold. Our eyes held for the longest second. Then, his eyes traveled down to my chest. I realized he was staring at my golden tips that oddly puckered against my see-through dress.
• “Then, you’ll pay for it with your life and body, sugar tits.”