Book One – Chapter One – Part Four – An Unforgiving World And An Unexpected Ally

“My dear child, please find the strength to open your eyes, to move your hands, to take breath into your lungs once more.  My dear child, please find the courage to face your situation, to come back from the brink of death, and to take hold of this power.  My dear child, please save me.”

Who is speaking right now? What is this about power and courage? Wait, am I alive?

Servi’s eyes jerked open, and color flooded back into her sight. The dark and cold black abyss that she had seen moments before dying had disappeared.  In its place sat a dank and tiny jail cell.  A foul-smelling liquid covered the floor, and scratches littered the walls.  There was no light she could see, but the room was illuminated.

Looking around, Servi discovered that she was sitting in some sort of chair, and she was looking down.  From this height, she could see the entire tiny cell in all of its disgusting glory. Waste sloshed around the water that made up the floor of the room. As she looked around, Servi saw something that looked unnatural and out of place.

Wait, is that a person chained to the wall?

On one of the walls, a person, or rather a humanoid shape of red energy, was shackled to the walls by rusty chains. Nails were hammered down into the palms of their hands and the ankles of their feet.

Its head was hanging low but suddenly jerked up.  It was looking up directly at Servi.

A black set of teeth appeared on what would be its head, and it smiled and spoke.

“My dear child, how happy I am to finally see someone, how happy I am to finally speak to someone, how happy I am to finally smell someone! Now that you are here, perhaps you could take the time to talk with me?”  It spoke with a voice that changed its tone from masculine to feminine, high pitch to low pitch, and anywhere in between. Even though there was a considerable distance separating Servi from the being, it sounded as if the two were only millimeters apart. Its voice radiated near Servi's ears, the voice filling her mind.

“Where am I?” Servi asked, looking down upon the speaker.

“This is my prison. My home. My punishment. I assume that it is not to your taste?”

“….” Servi remained quiet.

“What is wrong, my child? Have you not the strength to speak with me? Or, perhaps, you are so infatuated you know not what to say?” it said. Her voice changed every other word, and it was hard for Servi to follow along.

“…..I thought I died. The last thing I remember is…..That’s right!” from atop her chair, Servi quickly and recklessly maneuvered her hands over her body, checking for wounds.

It was strange. If Servi's memories were correct, then her clothing should be nothing more than straps of cloth and torn bits of leather, but that wasn't the case. They looked just like the moment she woke up. Perfect and in pristine condition. Putting her hand to her cheek, Servi gently rubbed it.

No blood…. And my gloves aren’t torn anymore. The same with my armor.  Did I actually die? Is this... She didn’t finish that thought because the speaker, the one in chains that she looked down on, spoke.

“Be still your heart and worries, my child. You need not fear pain or death while you’re here.” The red humanoid-like figure spoke again, this time with no smile.

“Why am I here?”

“You were on the thin divide, bordering between life and death. If I had not acted, you would not be here.”

“…. So you saved me?”

“That I did. Let it be known that I have tried many times over the many years to save someone's soul, yet yours was the first to answer. That I am thankful for. It has been many an eon since I last had the chance to talk.”

Eons? Soul? I don’t have any idea what that thing is talking about. Somehow, I’m not scared. It’s kinda funny. For the first time since waking up, I feel safe.

“I’m sorry, but I don’t understand,” Servi said after thinking for a second. An unwelcome smile appeared on her face like she didn’t know what kind of emotion she should feel. Servi didn’t feel scared but not safe. She wasn’t angry, but not happy, either. It was a weird combination of emotions and feelings that shouldn’t be possible, like being glad a loved one passed away.

“Do not be sorry, child.”

“Um, can I ask you something?”

“Of course, child. The reason I brought you here was so that I may finally have a conversation partner.”

It was weird. Voice and sound were coming from the chained up being, but neither a mouth nor the face moved. Now that she thought about it, Servi wasn’t sure if she was moving her mouth when she spoke. It was like the words she wanted to say appeared from her.

“What's going to happen to me? And who are you? You said you were locked up here, right?”

“Hahaha! So many questions! I will do my utmost best to answer them, so please, bear with me. My name is Itarr, and I am a Goddess, and yes, I am locked in here. Sealed away would be more appropriate. The reason? I do not know. All I know is that I have been counting the time since my imprisonment. A total of 750,561 years have passed since then. There is nothing more poisonous to the mind than the passing of time.”

Itarr, huh? That’s an unfamiliar word, but it sounds like a girl’s name.

“You only remember your name and how long you’ve been here? That’s the same as me. Well, I think I know my name at least, but past that, I don’t have any other memories. But I still know what trees are, so I guess I still have general knowledge like that. Oh, my name is Servi.”

“I see. It may not be the right thing to say, but I feel a sort of kinship between us. We both have no memories of our past,” the being said, still changing its tone of voice every other word, but Servi didn’t mind that. It felt nice talking to someone.

Itarr continued speaking. “Now then, as for what will happen next, you have two options. One, you can stay here with me for all of eternity. You will know neither pain, hunger, nor death. Two, you may pass on to the afterlife, though I know not what will happen after that. Now, there is a third option if you wish to know.”

While I don’t think I’ll mind being here forever, I don’t think that's the right option for me. And I certainly don’t want to go to the afterlife. And wait, did that thing say it was a Goddess?! I feel like I really should've said something.

“As for the third option, it is painful, and it will hurt, but you will gain your life back, and I will finally be released from this place. But it will require us to work together.”

“Really?”

“Yes. However, it will hurt.  Do you want me to continue?”

“Please do.”

“As I said before, I only have a few memories. Those being my name, how long I have been imprisoned, and the fact that I am a Goddess. There is one piece of knowledge that is implanted into every God. And that is the power to bless the children of the world.”

Servi shook her head. “I have no idea of what any of that means.”

“My apologies, I shall explain it better. By blessing a child, that child would be able to channel and use the power of that God. A child blessed by a God of Water would be able to use skills of the water element.

“What kind of Goddess are you?”

“That I do not know. All I know are the skills I can pass on.”

With a cautious breath, Servi asked the question on her mind. “What skills?”

“Immortality and Absorption. The first being the inability to die. The second will allow you to absorb the strength and skills from those you kill, along with storing items.

“……” no response from Servi, who closed her eyes. She meant to ask the question ‘what do you mean, skills?’ not ‘what skills do you know.’ Still, perhaps it was a testament to her knowledge, but just from hearing Itarr’s response, a skill must be some kind of magic or technique that one could use.

The being known as Itarr continued speaking.

“I am in no position to bless you. But there is another way. Speaking to you unlocked a tiny part of my memory. But to do it that way, you must leap from your position.  Be warned, once you leap and come down to my level, you lose any chance of passing on. Once you jump, there is no returning.  Please, take some time to thi— What?!”

A wave of water covering the bottom of the cell exploded from the impact. Servi had leapt from her chair and landed in the cell. And Itarr, who had been so composed up until now, was at a loss. She stared at this woman, who threw away the easy path that was before her and jumped down to her level. Water fell like a light rain shower as gravity took over and brought it back down.

Why would she jump without thinking?! Doesn’t she know… Itarr was about to admonish Servi, but she was taken back.

“I choose the third way. What do I have to do to get us out of here?”

“Child, are you mad?! I never expected you would jump!”

Servi, face to face with the Goddess, stared directly into where her eyes should be.

“I want to live, and I want to get out of here. I’m sure you feel the same way, so tell me,” Servi spoke with such an assertive tone that Itarr felt like she needed to respond immediately.

“You must eat me.”

“….”

“….”

“….” Servi blinked twice and shook her head.

“….”

“What? I’m sorry, I don’t think I heard that right.”

“….You must eat me. By consuming my flesh, you will gain access to my power. Much more than you would have if I blessed you normally.”

“….” Servi stayed quiet and listened.

“You see, if you took on my power of Absorption, I’m sure we could get out of here. ”

“But if I eat you, how will you be free? Wouldn’t you be dead?”

“Yes, but actually no. I will live on in your mind. I would not be dead.”

“But wouldn't that be the same as being imprisoned?”

“No, it would not. If I am in your conscience, I can talk to you, and you can talk to me. Since speaking to you, I have started feeling like I’m on the cusp of remembering something important. Not to mention that I will do everything in my power to support you in whatever you want to do. As long as we can talk, it matters not to me.  And there is always a chance I can regain my true form, whatever that may be, later on.”

“Are you sure you’re okay with this?” Servi asked one last time as she kneeled beside Itarr, whose red figure was visibly shaking.

“….Yes, I am.”

Servi reached out a hand, touching the red energy. She was shocked to discover that the piece she grabbed started cracking in her hand. With haste, she tossed it in her mouth and chewed. It was crunchy and flavorless.

Grabbing another piece, she bit into it, and this time, red liquid shot out, filling her mouth with the taste of iron. But Servi did not spit it out, nor did she vomit. Forcing her body to listen to her, she swallowed blood and all.

She repeated this process many more times. Each bite tasted strange and shot out a different liquid. All the while, Itarr whimpered silently.

IT HURTS!!!!! IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS!!!!!!!!!!! Itarr screamed in her mind. She was literally being eaten alive. Piece by piece, bit by bit, swallow by swallow. Now more than ever, Itarr wanted to feel the release of death. Freedom from pain. But that would not come. Agony and anguish and discomfort and even more torment flooded her being, but the Goddess stood her ground.

Soon, the deed was finished.

Servi, covered in many different liquids and feeling sick, groggily stood up and breathed before collapsing to the ground face first. Filthy water covered her mouth, and soon Servi found that she couldn’t inhale. Well, it was the fact that she no longer needed to breathe. No longer did her lungs require the sweet medicine known as oxygen. And the pain that surged through her body disappeared. Now, she stood up for the final time in the dark, claustrophobic cell.

Though they don’t know it, the act of eating the body of a God was unheard of, and it was certainly not something a regular God or Goddess should have knowledge of. How Itarr had come across that knowledge, she did not know. Rather than tapping into a small subsection of her power and borrowing it, it would be more accurate to say that she became a new Goddess.

But the two would not find that out for a long time.

“It’s finished. I’m sorry if that hurt,” Servi said. She placed a hand to her stomach and waited for any response.

Good job. I’m sorry for making you go through that.

Servi jumped, alarmed at the sudden voice making itself known inside the depths of her mind. “Is that you, Itarr?”

Yes. How do you feel.”

“…Strange would be one way to describe it, but I’ll get used to it. How do I use your power?”

Do you see that object on your finger? Servi looked down and saw a small red ring on her right hand.

Anything you absorb will be stored in the ring.  If you wish to use Absorption, hold your hand up high and imagine the seal is shrinking.  Once you do that, imagine the room becoming even tinier. When the cell in your mind is small enough, cast it into the ring.  Do not be afraid of failure.  We have some time to practice.

Servi did just that. With her arm held high, she imagined the room, already tiny, becoming tinier and tinier.

Smaller.

Servi imagined that a hand was crushing the room.

Smaller.

Instead of a hand, it was a mountain falling on top.

Smaller.

Now she imagined the planet itself was falling onto the single, tiny, filthy, and disgusting cell filled with waste, crushing it until it was a nanometer in size.

And that was when it happened.

A loud noise, like an explosion, occurred within the room, blinding Servi for a few seconds.  It felt like time and space were intertwining, wrapping themselves around each other like they wanted to devour each other.

Servi's --Itarr's-- ring glowed bright red, burning her hand as the dark jail cell flashed, offering brief glimpses at the world outside it.

"AAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!" yelled Servi, who shouted as if her life depended on it. After one more explosion, the horrible jail cell vanished from existence, becoming trapped in the ring on Servi's finger.

Like a doll with no strings, Servi fell on her back, landing on dirt instead of filthy water. The moon, big and beautiful, stared down at her, but it wasn't alone. The stars and night sky joined in as if gently applauding Servi on a job well done. She felt the wind pass by. It felt nice on her face and exposed body, now mysteriously healed of any and all wounds she sustained when she ran through that swarm of bees.

The same couldn't be said about her armor and attire.  The brown leather armor was gone, and it had done its duty of protecting Servi. The white shirt underneath had ripped so that only the top half remained, still dripping with blood. Her stomach was bare and covered with dirt and dried crimson. The leather pants and boots were in better shape, though that was an overstatement. Still, what little remained did well to cover her chest and lower body. The vital bits were covered as well as they could have.

She laid on the ground for a bit while staring up at the night sky.  The moon, in particular, caught her attention. Pain coursed throughout her body, but she didn’t feel it. The smell of nature invaded her nose as it fought against the smell of waste that had taken uproot in her nostrils.

“I’m alive…” she said softly.

She looked over at a hand that shouldn’t be there and raised it up. Clenching and unclenching, she made a fist and slowly moved her palm to her bare stomach. It was a bit cold to the touch, but she didn’t feel any cuts or scars.

Good job, Servi. I never thought you would accomplish it so quickly.

“I couldn’t have done it without you. You saved me.”

And you saved me.

The two wanted to continue speaking, but they were interrupted by the loud buzzing of wings.

“It’s those things from before.”

The wha—

Itarr was interrupted by a fast-moving object. The flying beasts were stained red and black with guts and entrails. There was nary a spot of yellow left on them. They flew fast and hard but stopped some distance away from Servi.

It was a group of three, but Servi swore there were more. That was the truth, there were more, but due to the unexpected arrival of more guards, the rest were slaughtered. Luckily for the bees, they managed to defeat the enemies attacking, but only three survived the battle. Weak and afraid, they had chosen to run for their lives when they suddenly came across a weird Human with a missing appendage. However, the bees could see that the Human had that appendage back. And yes, she was still bloody, but they could not smell fresh blood. Nobody could survive from wounds like that.

The bigger bee, the one leading the small pack, buzzed and flapped its wings as if sending a message saying, ‘Brothers, that Human was the one who led those other Humans in metal that killed our brothers. How dare they interrupt our ritual! We must take revenge.’

The buzzing became louder, and the group positioned themselves so that their sword-like stinger faced Servi.

Three stingers pointed towards a single girl. They all dripped with blood, and they were sharp enough to slice through wood, bone, and weaker metal with ease.

The one on the left launched first, aiming for the right side of Servi’s chest. It struck gold, and Servi would have died for the second time as an impossible amount of crimson flowed out.

The one on the right launched, like a cannonball being shot from a cannon, found a home right in the middle of Servi’s stomach. Blood, guts, and intestines flooded out, and Servi would have died for the third time.

The biggest one, the leader who was winning the mating ritual, launched last. It was slower, but he had to aim for a particular location: the heart. With a meaty impact, the bee skewered Servi’s chest, and her ticker exploded instantly. The excessive amount of blood was like something out of a fantasy novel.  With three spots it could leak from, crimson waterfalled down Servi's body, dousing her stomach, legs, and feet while forever flowing outward.

Servi would have died for the fourth time from a combination of many things, but there she was. Standing and very much alive.

And that was thanks to Itarr, the Goddess who currently shared Servi's soul.

Pain coursed throughout her body, but she wasn’t afraid of it. Before, she was fearful because death was a real possibility. In this case, even if she was in great pain, she wouldn't die. So for her, was there even a reason to be afraid? It’s just a little bit of discomfort, and before she knew it, that feeling would be gone. All she had to do was bear with it.

"How odd," Servi spoke in such a quiet voice she wasn't sure if she was even talking at all, "This pain is nothing.  I should feel it, and it should hurt, but it almost feels like a mosquito bite."

A sinister smiled covered her face.

A banquet of death was about to begin.