Something was wrong.
Something was very very wrong.
Heat burned its own path. My screams unheard and unknown. The numbing cold suddenly melting as a fire raked sharp claws across my body. Glowing tendrils of pink seared there way over me, the colors changing and shifting as I thrashed to escape. The smell of smoke making me cough and gag, my lungs burning as I gasped for air.
And then, it was darkness. The hissing fire slowing, dying. The heat becoming nothing more than a soft warmth. The colors dissipating, whisking away as darkness reclaimed its position over me. The throbbing pain subsided as things went back to black. The shadows slipping their arms around me as they pulled me into a sea of sorrow and guilt, then nothing at all. No emotions, no feelings, no pain. My existence became nothing. And that is what I preferred.
Clinking. The sound of metal hitting metal softly, the sound of a sink turning on, the sound of a microwave beeping as it swirled. It felt like home. The smell of bacon and eggs tickling me as I winced at my slow movements. My eyelids were heavy, and my body felt exhausted, I glanced around, taking in nothing. My sight wanting nothing to do with the room that surrounded me. The blankets were soft, fuzzy. They were a deep blue with intricate gold stitching stretching around its shape. The figure of a snake forming before disappearing into swirls again. The walls were a light yellow stone; I'm guessing it to be limestone. The floor was a sandy stone color and a fuzzy dark blue rug was off putting against the soft yellow. The pillow and sheets were white, matching the clothes that covered my body. This was definitely not my room. But I didn't care. My stomach growled and I slowly stood. The white baggy shirt and gray sweats shifting awkwardly as they fit my small frame. I walked slowly, my mind dizzy and foggy as I followed my nose. I leaned against the wall as I moved down the short hall, my eyes growing heavier as my body fell into exhaustion again. I slid down the wall, my muscles relaxing as they gave way. I leaned on the wall, panting softly as I closed my eyes. My mind was blank and dead. No thoughts or emotions touching me as I sat.
"I didn't expect you to get up today." A soft male voice said. My eyes fluttered slightly, looking up at the figure as I forced myself to focus. The blue eyes were watching me, as I stared up at him, marking every detail on him. Now that I looked him over he had sharp blue eyes with what would probably be eyeliner in the human world. His hair was short and choppy, matching his tan complexion. "I never introduced myself properly." His hand came into view, offering to help me up. "The names Apophis."
His hand was soft as I took it, pulling me to my feet with ease, hesitating, I softly asked, "are you a demon lord too...?"
"Well...In a way, I suppose you could say that." He smiled slightly "I'm a god in Egyptian history. But far stronger demons have come into play."
I stared at him surprised, "god of WHAT?"
"I am the serpent god of chaos. How do you not know this? You humans are the ones that wrote our stories." He frowned and sighed softly, "no matter." He smiled chirpily again, "hungry?"
"Yes.."
He walked me to a small table with only four chairs around it squared perimeter. It looked like it was birch wood planks, but at the same time, it looked like limestone marble. It was quite beautiful. I slowly started taking in the decor he had strung around the place. There were carvings in the limestone like walls, all about four feet off the ground. Two lines were at the top and the bottom, as if it was line paper. The pictures were intricate and confusing, but stunning.
"Hieroglyphics." I sat down and looked to Apophis, "they are hieroglyphics." He walked to the other side of the room where a cauldron sat, a green fire sizzling and popping underneath its big metal frame. Apophis grabbed a ladle and a small bowl, scooping some soup from the pot. He walked back to the table and sat it down in front of me. I looked over the carefully made soup. "Its chicken with a bit of onion and some vegetables. It's not poisonous."
"I know it's not. Why would you save my life just to kill me?"
He chuckled, "touche." I looked up at him as he carried over a plate with eggs and bacon, and in the other hand, a bread basket. He laid it down before me and smiled. "I wasn't sure how hungry you would be, but I figured you would need as much strength as possible for your training."
"Training?" I sipped the hot soup and tried not to look disappointed. Its taste was bland and spice less. Only a few chips of garlic and something else I couldn't place made it taste edible.
"Combat training. You won't be able to survive if you just run away. You need to learn how to fight, otherwise, you might as well kiss yourself goodbye. I nodded slightly as I listened to his explanation, my focus turning to the rich spell of the bacon. I took a strip and took a small bite. It was also a little bland but had a little more pop. Salty and buttery. Strange, but good. Apophis sat across from me, grabbing a bread roll and breaking pieces from it to eat it.
"Am I in any condition to do that though?" I ate up the bacon quickly, the pain in my stomach easing as it started to get its wish.
"Yes.. the only proof that it was their is the scar. and...well...uh..." His eyes looked me over as I stopped, curiosity striking me as I narrowed my eyes.
"And?"
He eyes darted to the hieroglyphics, "how does the food taste?"
"Bland but edible. Now what else proves that I had an injury?"
He winced, "harsh aren't you?"
"Stop changing the subject! What did you do to me?" I stood, my hands on the table to stabilize myself as I leaned across it. My anger flashing into my mind.
"Kasey, calm down! I only saved your life! Alright? you'll be fine!" His eyes were darting over me.
"Apophis! Tell me the truth! What did you do?"
"A blood transfusion!! Alright?! Now calm the fuck down!" He stood and grabbed my arm, raising it up for me to see. Pink flames licked my fingers and I froze, the flames suddenly disappearing as I jumped back, horrified. "You had to much blood loss! I didn't have a choice! If I didn't give you something, you were going to DIE."
"What....what....?" I looked at my hands, shocked and confused. "You...whose...whose blood did you use?" I looked at him, his eyes looking away as he pushed his lips into a tight line. "Whose blood did you use?!"
"Does it matter? You're alive, isn't that what is important?" His eyes met mine again as he waited, "I did what I had to..."
"It does matter! Whose blood did you infect me with?!" He winced and looked away.
"Kasey..." He hesitated, eyes calculating and quizzical as he looked me over. "it's not a disease..."
"Apophis!!"
"Mine.." He sighed and started to pace as I stared at him. "I didn't have time to travel to the human world, that can take days, and you would've been dead. Would you have rather died in this place? You'd be sent to the lowest level of hell. I didn't want that for you..." He paused, looking at me.
"What do you want for me...?" I watch him as he looked away sheepishly, a soft pink kissing his cheek as he turned away. "Apophis...?"
"We should start your training. Combat and control."
"Control?"
He turned back to look at me and smiled, "well.... if you got my power of fire..you probably also got a power to shift."
I stared at him then laughed, "that's not possible. I am not like you."
He sighed and bounced his head slightly from side to side, his gaze staring at the wall behind me. "I didn't think it was possible either...But when you think about it, it makes sense. Kind of like how you need to drink a vampires blood to become half vampire. Since I did give you a lot of my blood, and we're in a more...spiritual environment, it's only natural for such mischief to go down."
"You got to be kidding me." I mumbled, sitting back down as I became light headed. "You have got to be kidding..."
"Wouldn't you at least wanna know...?" Apophis moved closer, crouching down to meet my gaze as I stared down at my feet. "Just think about it as getting a new weapon to defend yourself." I met his gaze and hesitated, my mind going on a roller coaster that was not going to end any time soon.
"...When do we start?"
Apophis grinned and stood, holding a hand out for me to take. "Right now."