The little Lower Plane village was in chaos. People and beasts clashed just past the stone houses, though the shockwaves of the fight traveled further, destroying what was once a modest living.
Strangely enough, despite both humans and beasts being in various stages of the Spirit Realm, many of them fought with their physical power alone. Plenty of them were almost drained of Qi, the beasts especially, and they couldn’t afford to use up what little they still had left.
Thalza moved through the chaos almost as if dancing. She jumped over corpses, twirled around stray magic, and dodged strikes aimed in her direction. In the place of carnage, she almost seemed at home. Both sides ignored her, too preoccupied with killing each other to notice her slender form poking and stabbing as she passed them by.
Sacks of blood burst like fountains, spilling the precious crimson liquid on the thirsty gravel floor. Nobody could detect her ethereal form as it slipped away. Nobody, except one. A large creature with the shape of a dog, yet way too many eyes to be one, focused its gaze on her. Thalza twitched as she detected the attention aimed at her.
The beast opened its mouth and roared, the fangs alone longer than her arms, announcing its intent. Thalza spun around, tapping a man on his shoulder as she whispered in his ear. “Protect me.”
“Yes, ma’am.” The man replied and turned towards the beast, blades drawn.
The colossus lunged, aimed at the Drow.
“Go.” Thalza ordered.
Without question, the man threw himself at the beast, into its open mow, getting devoured while she was spared. The crunching sound of bones was loud, yet there was not even a squeak from the Cultivator, not that she cared.
Thalza was already dancing away, slicing and dicing both man and beast as they continued to ignore her presence. It was too easy.
While she could make illusions and make seem real what wasn’t there, she could just as easily do the opposite, removing something that was. And so she did. She removed herself from the world, from the conscious mind of everyone present, allowing her to do as she pleased.
Not all were affected, especially those with sharp senses, such as the beast, but there were enough distractions for her to disappear in the chaos. She noticed Lee, the mighty leader, and he had similarly noticed her as well as her actions, but he was too preoccupied with his fight to bother with her.
She smiled at him, even waving, mocking his inability to protect his people. Many died to her blade and even more were left wounded, only to be slaughtered by the monsters when they couldn’t defend themselves anymore.
Beasts killed beasts, men killed beasts, and sometimes, men killed men. It was glorious. An orgy of blood.
“Oh, hello.” Thalza greeted a speedy Cultivator who was busy slaughtering beasts. “Your name is Sonic, right? Could you help me find my friend?”
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An all-you-can-eat buffet. That’s what the beast horde was for me.
The beacon, though originally created to mark the village so that I could return after my adventures, became something so much greater. It was a call for every creature, every monster and beast, to come, and feast. It promised power and energy, to satisfy the deep hunger that ravaged these desolate lands.
It was all a lie. The beacon was nothing but a bright light for the moths to follow. And I was the fire that would snuff them out.
I swooped down, mouth opened wide, and tore into the beasts below as they tried to escape. The satisfying crunching of bones, the sweet bags of blood exploding in my mouth, the warm packets of fat coating my mouth… I was in heaven. The only thing missing was the subtle spiciness of Qi, the ravenous beasts having exhausted nearly all of it already.
Not everyone had hundreds of Souls stored inside them for a midnight snack, or for when they needed more power. It was either kill or be killed in the Lower Planes. The only other option was to starve. For me, that would not do.
I flapped my wings and rose higher, swimming through the air in an elegant motion, relying solely on the resistance of the air against my body to stay airborne. Magic? Who needed magic to fly when every flap of the wings brought a hurricane?
Not Gerald Fireborn, the Shapeshifting Dragon, that’s for sure.
That’s what some called me. Not out loud, not to my face where I could hear it. But in their hearts, they did.
They called me mad, they called me a god, they even called me awesome and stupid in equal measure. Some were satisfied to admire my form from afar, while others were itching to take me out. To dinner and otherwise. They knew nothing. What they saw, the flames, the magic, the brutal power… It was but a fraction of what I was capable of.
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The creatures in the Lower Plane were weak. The people were weak. The land itself… Yes, weak. Such stench of weakness I abhorred, but as there was nothing better, I begrudgingly accepted it all. At least the food was decent.
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Time passed, and the battle was coming to an end. The remaining beasts escaped, some with their stomachs full, others with grievous wounds. The human village was utterly decimated, but many human fighters remained standing, having resorted to their ultimate techniques when it really mattered.
They stayed their demise. For a while.
I saw captain Lee looking at me from afar with a complicated gaze. He fought bravely, but the fight was over, and there were things to rebuild and wounded to heal. He had his hands full and no time to bother me.
I did, however, have guests all the same. I saw the Drow approaching, accompanied by a young, middle-aged man.
I dropped from my observation platform in the sky, hands crossed behind my back, and landed silently on the gray rock below. The blood and gore had long since absorbed into the stone, leaving only slightly darker spots behind. A desolate land indeed.
[Hello.] I greeted them first, turning to the Cultivator and awaiting an explanation.
“Hi. Pardon the intrusion, Senior.” The man began. “My name is Sonic. I admired your work and wanted to seek pointers. I came with your friend here…”
I lifted my hand to stop him and pointed at the Drow. [Her? She’s not my friend.]
“Oh.” The man’s eyebrows rose. “But she said...”
“Silence human!” Thalza barked loudly and Sonic’s mouth snapped shut. Then she pointed at me with an angry finger. “You!”
[Yes, honey?] I smiled at the angry little girl. They could be so fun to tease sometimes.
She returned the smile, only her was more of a wicked grin than a teasing expression. “Linmos Eclud!”
Oh, that familiar call of the void…
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I blinked and looked around, finding myself in a familiar place. White walls, tiled floor, decorated furniture… There was a table in the room, and a woman working there.
[Hey, mom.] I greeted.
“Gerald, honey, you are back!” The woman exclaimed. She smiled warmly and then went back to… whatever she was doing before. Cooking, I think.
[So, what’s for dinner?] I asked, trying to make a casual conversation.
“How about me?” I heard a familiar female voice coming behind me and jerked around.
[Mom, what’s Liz doing here?] I slowly said, not moving my eyes from the young woman who stood in the kitchen doorway.
“Oh, honey, Liz was just asking me for my famous Brussels sprouts with sour spinach and soft maggot cheese pie recipe. Want to try some? I got some right here.” The woman, my mom, offered.
I looked at her in disgust, feeling utterly betrayed. [Ew! Fuck no, keep that garbage to yourself. Man, this illusion sucks.]
I turned back to Liz, my gaze momentarily pausing on her curves, before I looked her in the eyes. [So, what are you doing here? I know it’s not for that garbage. Also, didn’t we break up like a decade ago? Why can’t you just let it go?]
“Well…” Liz began, a shy smile forming on her face. She was like a young girl, touching the tips of her fingers together and not daring to look me in the eye.
"After we broke up, I spent a lot of time reflecting, and I realized that the universe has a funny way of showing us what we need. I kept seeing signs everywhere—like when I randomly saw our favorite song's lyrics on a coffee shop chalkboard, or when a pigeon landed on my car exactly where we used to park. I was talking to my astrologer, and she told me that Mercury is finally out of retrograde, which means the bad vibes that caused our breakup are gone. She also mentioned that our star signs are entering a perfect alignment for reconciliation. It’s almost like the universe is telling me we’re meant to be together, and I just can’t ignore it anymore. Plus, I've realized how much you’ve grown and changed—probably because of the time I gave you to do that! Who am I to argue with the stars, you know? Hehe."
I zoned out somewhere after the second sentence, my eyes silently judging the illusion while going over her mature figure. Liz looked good. Plumper than I remembered but also more well-endowed. How close was she to reality? It’s been a long time since I last saw her, so I don’t know.
After she finished her speech I quietly sighed and took a step closer, pulling her towards me. I grabbed a handful of her buttocks and looked her in the eyes. She gasped.
[Well, since you are already here… Wanna fuck?]
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“Die!”
Sonic blinked a few times, his mind muddled.
“Die, die, die!”
He remembered talking with a pretty girl and then… He looked at the Drow madly stabbing a body with her swords.
“Die! Die! Die! Die! Die! Die! Die! Die! Die! Die! Die! Die! Die! Die! Die! Die! Die! Die! Die! Die! Die! Die!”
He felt like something was wrong with what he was seeing, but he couldn’t put his finger on it.
“Die! Die you piece of shit! Bastard! Just die! Die! Die! Die!”
He was almost there, just a hair’s width away from grasping the truth. Why did it have to be so difficult?
“Die! Die! Die! Die! Die! Die! Die! Die!”
[Oh, my god, Thalza! Can you shut up already?! If you create an illusion, at least let me enjoy it in peace!]
The Drow paused for a moment, the blades hanging by her side, but then that moment was over, and she launched herself at the guy with a scream.
“No! Die! Die! Die! Die! Die! Just die! Bastard! Asshole! Thug! Cheater!”
Sonic and the other guy locked eyes, and the latter sighed.
[Women, am I right?]
He didn’t seem at all to mind the attacks. Even as sharp points struck his eye he didn’t react. Heck, he didn’t even blink.
“Uh-uh…” Sonic answered, still confused by what was going on. Nothing made sense, and his mind felt like it was in a fog. Until it all suddenly became clear from a single order.
[Wake up.]
Sonic was jolted awake and instantly remembered all that happened. “Hey, you! It’s you! The bitch that killed my friends! How dare you try and enslave me with your wicked charms! I ought to kill you where you stand!”
“Shut up, human!” Thalza roared back. “Filthy, weak, useless, human garbage! How dare you talk to me in that tone! Kneel!”
[Don’t.]
The counter order was all that was needed for Sonic to stop lowering himself and freeze on the spot. Cold sweat began pouring down his back. He was in it way over his head. That was already the third time he failed to resist the command, and he was beginning to get scared.
He was just beginning to look up and maybe escape if the opportunity presented itself when he saw the man suddenly grab the Drow by the ear and drag her away while she cursed at him and tried to stab his balls. Unsuccessfully, of course.
“Fucking lunatics…” He wiped the sweat from his brow and quickly turned the other way, running for his life. He wanted nothing to do with those two. Coming in between their lover’s quarrel was a quick way to lose a life, and he very much wanted to keep his.