"I draw the line at him." I growl into its grotesque face. It intimidates me. I am not use to seeing so many open wounds and sores and pus and disgust in one entity again. I am scared to death, but its throat is in my hand, I am holding it above the ground. Crushing it, feeling the power absorb. But it kicks, I fly, and it backs away.

I growl louder as I swing clumsily at its cheek. Another smash into its exposed abdomen. It is missing bones. It doesn't need bones. Those bones don't even belong to it. The thought enrages me. How dare it take the bones of other creatures, the bits and pieces of other flesh that deserves to live, and merge it with its own body? So I rip the inhuman crusted flesh off its arms. I should have paid more attention to its other two arms I suppose, because the next thing I felt was a searing, burning sensation through my chest. I was suffocating. The fire it struck was slowly and painfully searing through my form. I had nothing underneath. I was dying.

"Long time no see, Princess." My opponent went flying into the darkness. It screamed like a banshee as my companion impaled it with his long scarred arm. He twisted it, and it screamed louder, and slowly shrieked as he was consumed by my saviour. He was grinning, his fangs exposed, his eyes glowing red from the surge of power that he was consuming. It was disgusting, and I turned my head as my body slowly began to regain a bit of power. I sat up, he walked over and kneeled down, stroking my cheek gently with his claw as I keep my head down, trying to hide the tears.

"You're rusty." His voice was painful and soothing to hear at the same time. I didn't want to look at him. To remember everything, everything I buried and left behind.

"But she has grown beautifully." I know that voice. It was the voice that whispered comforts in my ear as a child when I hid under desks and closets and cried from the pain of everyone I called family. She slid fluidly from behind the tree. I looked up confused, her red hair was gone. It was dark now, black like ink. She gained a few scars, but she stood tall again unlike the last time I saw her.

"Saya…" I mumbled, resisting the urge to tackle her. These things aren't meant to be embraced. She leaned against the tree and crossed her wounded arms. I tried not to look worried.

"Well. Go ahead. Tell her, why you've been fucking around lately." She said, managing to sound seductive.

He sighed and sat in front of me. "A Divine was murdered."

Xxx

I walk up the familiar wobbly stones and up the steps. The large copper doors opened as I advanced forward. Up the spiraling steps again, I have done this a hundred times over, it feels like I never left. But there are many differences now. There are large chunks of the building missing. Gaping ugly, I look at the city I guarded for years. There was a deafening warning bell that chimed at every hour. The place was deserted. The sky was scarlet, blood and bodies everywhere. I felt dizzy from the sight. I have lost my edge. I do not have the stomach for any of this anymore. A few seconds later I saw my own stomach contents fly down the huge gape, splash on to the floor loudly and I breathed for a few minutes. Everything had gone to hell.

Xxx

Three divines in their pristine white cloaks sat in front of me, as the others stood around, encircling me. I pulled down the hood of my cloak and I could see the muscles in their face tense slightly fearfully.

"To pursue a life of mortality was absolutely foolish of you. Look at what you have left us with." His hand came flying down and I took the hit. I was numb at this point. I was tired. All of them tensed when he slapped me. They were expecting me to catch his hand, twist it, and maybe break his wrist. But I'm so lost. I looked at him blankly.

"You are a Divine too. You all are. Why can't any of you do this?"

The atmosphere turned solemn. "We tried, the day it came. We were unprepared. We did not expect this. Half of our abilities are gone. Ren was able to wound it, so it left. But we are significantly weaker now." His voice was tight. I understand it. This was their identities. They devoted their life to this, however corrupt it was. The beast took it from them. I had another life to go to. This life is all they have.

The scarred saviour appeared again, from the shadows as always. The Divines cautiously moved back, fearful of his tall stature.

"Zaz.." I groaned, warning him.

"I am not trying to intimidate these weaklings. I am simply here to notify you of something." He bends down, face to mine, and touches his lips lightly to my cheek. He smells like sulfur. "Training starts tomorrow."

"I draw the line at him." I say to him, on the way back to reality.

"I know you do, that's why you must fight. To make sure that line is never crossed, the way it almost was last night."