Chapter 9: Death by...

Zac could really only hear his own breath… as well as the sound of the somewhat sweet and salty juice going down his throat.

Like everything he had experienced in the desert, he no longer knows how long he has been drinking this… water. But it didn't matter, as his thirst felt like it could fit an entire ocean — No, an entire universe.

He doesn't get tired, he doesn't get satiated — his stomach doesn't even feel it. He just continued to drown himself in this magical water. And he also discovered that if you caress and lick the wall, more of this magical water comes out.

And so, he did. He moved in a way that could let more and more of this water flow through. And soon, he didn't know how long… but soon, the desert became filled with life.

It became an oasis. Plants started to bloom, and trees started to erect themselves. Still, Zac did not bother to glance at this sudden miracle of life and just continued to drink from the waterfall that now endlessly gushed to him.

He continued, and he continued.

And soon — a wail thundered through the skies. The air itself started to tremble from this voice, the clouds that once littered above him, now rippled away completely.

But still, Zac ignored everything as he continued.

"S…!" A loud hiss then followed the wail, and soon —

"Stop!"

Zac could no longer ignore the voice as he covered his ears. But even then, the voice thundered through his bones, loud enough to almost cause him to faint. For Zac, however, it had the opposite effect — it finally woke him up from the stupor he found himself in.

"Ha... interesting," Zac blinked a couple of times as he looked around him, finally noticing the lush forest that now veiled him in an oasis.

"W— !!!" He stepped forward, only to fall into some sort of lake. Of course, he was able to quickly swim up to the surface, taking in a deep breath as he found himself surrounded by the magical water he endlessly consumed.

Being dipped into this pool instantly cleared his mind. Sadly for him, before he could even react, the sky was suddenly bathed in darkness.

"...Fuck."

And this darkness came in the form of a hand covering the sky — a hand… that seemed to be coming for Zac.

"..." Zac did not really think twice about it as he started to swim away. But alas, the only thing he could really do was watch as the colossal hand dug through the desert itself, taking him along with the oasis as it lifted up.

"Kh!"

The oasis quickly withered away as the hand continued to ascend to the sky, seemingly without even caring for the little things it held. The only thing Zac could really do was feel his skin stretch beyond their limits from the sheer force — at this point, the hand might as well take him to heaven.

And soon, Zac really did find himself in the sky… but the hand didn't stop there. As now, Zac was surrounded by nothing but darkness — the expanse of space.

Zac tried to remain calm the best that he could, but what use is being calm when he couldn't even breathe?

"..."

"..."

"...Weird."

But then, a revelation — he inhaled. He was about to question himself how that was possible, but then finally remembered where he was.

He was inside a Curtain — the laws of physics, the laws of men? They do not apply here.

And so, once again, Zac calmed himself down as he stood up; quickly looking and checking at the hand where he now stood.

"..." Zac looked at the other end of the hand, only to see fingers that were bigger than any skyscrapers he had seen.

"This… is this Buddha?"

Was he supposed to fight a god in this Curtain? If so… why didn't it just kill him? That was the only conclusion of this drama.

"Oh… I find that slightly offensive."

"!!!"

Zac immediately crouched as he heard a voice that seemed to span for a thousand miles — it was loud, incredibly so. And yet it also contained this serenity that felt almost like a whisper.

"..." Zac then very slowly turned around from where the voice emanated… only to see a pair of eyes that might as well be moons staring at him.

"Which part of me looks like that child… hm?"

A woman.

It was a woman's voice.

"..." Zac's breath stuttered as he stared back at these eyes; and soon, he found himself walking closer to these colossal crystals.

A second.

A minute.

An hour, it took him to reach the edge of the colossus' palm. And there, he was finally able to see what truly held him.

And no, it's not Buddha, definitely not Buddha.

Her eyes which seemed to be devoid of any color were like little moons. Her skin, resembling that of the desert as the setting sun bathed it with its sleeping light.

Her long black hair… seemed to encompass and blanket the universe. No — her hair is the universe itself.

Is that why he could breathe? Because this entire Curtain… was veiled in her hair?

"You…"

Zac then slightly took a step back as the colossus whispered,

"...You should have just uttered the words if you wanted to see me in all my glory."

"Kh!"

Zac then once again held for his dear life as the hand moved, this time farther away from the colossus' face. And with the hand ceasing to move again, Zac was finally able to see everything.

Beautiful — perhaps that was really the only word that could describe the scenery that laid bare in front of his eyes. The longer he stared, the longer this ethereal painting lingers. This naked scenery was truly only covered by a set of tattoos, but even still; it could only add to her beauty.

And Zac sees everything — everything.

The beautiful colossus was as bare as him, showing everything. And yet like him, not even an ounce of shame could be seen through her eyes. No, only her plump red lips moved as they slowly formed into a smile.

"You…" Zac very slowly looked down as he whispered,

"...You're definitely not Buddha," he then muttered as he saw… the two glorious mountains beneath.

"No," a quiet giggle then came from the colossus' lips,

"I come in many names. In some… I am known as the Destroyer of Worlds, The Powerful One."

"..."

"And in another, I am called the Goddess of Love, Fertility, and War."

"You… are a god?" Of course, Zac already knew the answer to this.

"Maybe, even I am confused about my own existence," the colossus once again giggled, causing the universe itself to shiver with her, "I am but whatever the one who satisfies me desire. And you, weary warrior lost in time…

…have satisfied me much."

"...What?" Zac could only blink in confusion as he once again stared at the goddess' eyes.

"Now tell me, old warrior…

…what do you desire in return?"