I am Blood (2)

I'm roughly smashed into the ground for one last time before my tail is let go. I shake my head to clear the dizziness and look for my opponent.

That monstrous woman suddenly appears in front of my eyes and gives me a threatening glare.

"I know you are thinking on going back on your word but know this, if you attack again after having yielded, I won't stop the next time you say you yield."

Scary. She knew exactly what I was planning on doing. Aaah, now I have a headache.

"What do you want?"

"Information. You said you didn't know me before but is that really true? I doubt you, as an alter ego can't at least communicate with Jade to get her memories."

I instinctively prod that hidden region inside my mind and recoil at the horrid feeling it gives off. I don't even want to think about it but that woman won't take no for an answer.

"The other one, she… doesn't want to talk."

"So Jade is hiding somewhere inside your soul… at least some good news. I feared that we might have lost her. Can you feel how she is doing?"

"Going near her feels… bad."

"That must be the dying fatigue that has gone out of control… as an alter ego whose core is murder and slaughter, you aren't impacted by it unless you get too close to the main ego."

What the hell is she going on about? I can't fully understand what she wants. Sigh, why do I need to put up with this headache. Maybe if I kill her this headache will also go away…

I instinctively open my maw and prepare to bite. However, my head greets the floor before I can attack. I try to raise my head but find that her boot is placed on my head, keeping me down.

"You just tried to bite me, didn't you? I know it's not entirely your fault since you are created to kill but we have to get those violent impulses under control."

Violent impulses? The lady who just kicked me, is stepping on my head and beat me up before is telling me about my violent impulses! Go get your own impulses under control! Sadly, I can't say that to her face or she'll beat me up again.

"Not answering? I guess you not trying to kill me now is progress. Here's what we'll do now. I'll recall your body back to our headquarters and there, we'll get you fully connected to our network. You'll take over Jade's position until she has recovered. And no attacking people or destroying stuff, got it!"

"Fine."

What else can I say? No? I'll just get beaten senseless with no benefits to show for it. I have no desire for pain or my own death for that matter.

My body suddenly fades away weirdly and I enter a strange space. Is this… my birthplace?

All around my me death and slaughter is omnipresent. Thousands of beings kill and are killed around me. And then, I see beyond the killing, I see something that wasn't there when I was born.

Void, pure, endless and insatiable void. It encapsulates the area around me that is filled by death like an endless ocean of nothing. I feel so insignificant and scared. And suddenly, I know what it is that I see.

This is what the other one within me sees every time this, whatever it is that is happening, happens.

What could possibly create such a void, and what could ever hope to fill it…

"Hey, you! I'm talking to you!"

What? The strange space is gone and I'm lying on something soft, staring up at that woman. I must have spaced out after seeing that void.

"Did you go deaf?"

She steps back and angles her hips as if ready to kick me again. I sit up and raise my hands to show that I don't want to fight.

Wait… HANDS?!! I don't have hands! And how did I sit up?

"Yes, you have a partially human body now. Though the human portion continues to become more and more subdued as you insist on evolving further away from anything remotely humanoid."

Looking down at my lower body I see the scaly tail I am accustomed to. My hands are also covered in scales that only slowly transition into scales starting from my elbows.

That woman hands me a small mirror allowing me to see my face. My hair is red, sanguine red, with white streaks running through it. The white streaks form an odd pattern, as if they are cracks breaking the unity of my red hair. My eyes are also red while my skin is pale and almost white.

I lightly open my mouth, revealing a split tongue and a dozen sharp teeth.

"What am I right now?"

"Hard to say but I would describe you as a mutated Naga. But we'll need to address that and make you look more human. Otherwise you can't do your job."

"Why do I need to look human? What even is this job?"

"Sigh, I keep forgetting the whole separate memory thing. The original ego of your body is called Jade, she entered a contract with. In exchange for her defending dungeons for us and acting as an instructor, we saved her life and gave her the ability to be revived infinitely. You are an alter ego so you must also abide by the contract. Follow me, this will be much easier once we get you connected."

"Connected to what?"

"All those bound by the contract are part of a network that I govern. You are only indirectly connected through Jade so we'll need to change that."

"And why would I want that?"

"Because I say so and unless you can put Jade back in charge of that body, you are obligated to work for us. By the way, I'm Navi."

Navi… I feel a faint ripple of emotion from the other one at the mention of that name.