[Reminder: This story contains explicit sensual content, violence, mature themes, and references to trauma/abuse. Reader discretion is advised.]
His body went limp as she fell back.
Standing above her was Phiri. The demon within him stared icily at her with a bloodied arm.
No doubt he wasn't going to give her a chance to attempt another exorcism. His eyes turned to dark, red slits as he growled. His body started shifting.
His arms were lined with spotted fur, and his neck was stacked with muscle right up until his enlarging jaw, chomping at the air menacingly.
His face broadened while his eyes flickered at her.
Is he transcending?! But…this is too much. How is he able to do so with a demon in him?
"Pathetic," the demon said, growling and raising its claw. "As if we'd fear you."
She noticed that the renegades had all partially shifted, circling into her with no chance of escape.
Phiri was already monstrous, yet there were two others nearby, even bigger than him, who were possessed by demons with an aura equally as strong.
Instinctively, she shot up and turned, speeding away. Phiri chased her, but she kept on it, then she saw someone beastly charging at her.
Before she even realized who it was, she slid back through the grass while Phiri jumped for her neck. In a split second, the beast had leapt higher and thrashed Phiri off the air, snapping into his neck.
Salīa's eyes widened.
That beast was Bazil!
It was also partial, but his locs had become a mane, his face widened with gnashing jaws, and black lined his vicious eyes.
His body was still the same, if not more muscled, except that the tops of his clothes had been shredded from attacks. The dark of his markings shone and revealed glowing gold lines that traced beside them.
He pulled his face back, looking right at Salīa, void of expression.
She sped for him. But just then, one of the other demons in a monstrous beast vessel darted for her.
Bazil slashed through and jumped, too late to realize the feint as the other large demon beast appeared above him and yanked him by the neck. Just as they were about to hit the ground, a titan shadow loomed over them.
Before anyone could make out what was happening, the beast gnawing into Bazil was smashed into the ground with a heavy claw pressed into it.
The claw belonged to another lion, even bigger than the boulder and beasts. His mane was bouncy, but the rest of him was pointed and flexed. He transcended too much to tell his identity, but Salīa could almost make out a bubbly smile through his striking, snapping jaws.
He almost looks like—
She instantly felt someone running at her and was certain it was the beast who feinted before. Her body froze still, knowing she couldn't turn or avoid it in time.
The other lion flew to her at breakneck pace and knocked her away just as the beast thundered down. It crushed into the lion mid-air. But as the beast was about to sink its weight, a figure appeared behind it.
Taller and larger than the boulder, certainly larger than any beast Salīa had ever seen before.
It slipped through in the flash of her eyes, its black scales glimmering and its hollowed eyes flickering as it cracked the beast's head back and twisted it.
The body dropped in front of this snake-like figure that Salīa was certain she'd met before.
All the remaining possessed renegades ran fourth at once. But in one stir, the air shifted.
Out of the shadows appeared other figures taking them on, the glimmer of their markings, jeweled teeth and covers apparent. Salīa knew those sigils and shields well.
While some had xiras, the rest maneuvered their fang-like blades, throw blades, war-disks, darted fans, arrows, and daggers.
Even braided whips and vine bolas snuck through. Most of the zazi ran through, leapt from trees, or used their gliders to fly in ahead and attack. All swaying as if dancing, but ruthlessly cracking the life out of each renegade.
Salīa felt her heart hollow witnessing all this death, and it made her dizziness worsen. Her spirit struggled to digest all the life swallowed up. But she didn't know what to do.
Her own power had withered; it was unlikely she could expel more demons. Even without them being possessed, the people who were vessels had the very same intentions with her.
While faint, she looked to the lifeless Mkango. Then, not too far from him, she saw Bazil, sprawled out on the ground, mercilessly wounded.
"Bazil!" she hugged him, sobbing.
Most of his form had returned except for his eyes, staring deep. His hands reached for her face.
"I'll protect you," he tried getting up, letting the blood race faster out of his wounds.
"Stay," she pushed him back down.
"No, I can't. I promised it would never happen again. I failed. I always fail," he sobbed deliriously. "I'll protect you!"
His jaws went wide again, his teeth gnashing as he wrested free. He looked over angrily at the last threats, trying to transcend.
Yet the more he tried, the more his body bled, and the more erratic his mind became.
"Līa! I'll protect you! I promise!"
He trembled violently, trying to get up. Salīa felt her eyes get hot with tears as she tried to keep him down.
"Just rest, Bazil. Please, I'm safe."
"I'll protect you," he murmured, nuzzling into her hand. "I promise."
She stroked the back of his head, feeling her eyes get heavy.
"I know, Bazil, I believe you. Now rest."
His eyes shifted back, staring at her drowsily.
"Did I protect you?"
She pulled him close and whispered, "Yes."
"So, you're safe?"
"Yes."
"Can we see the monkeys now?"
"Hmm," Salīa smiled. "Yes, we can see the monkeys now."
Bazil nodded, satisfied as he snuggled her. She felt her head swirling as she heard the clinking of metal and cleaving of bodies.
Her eyes kept blinking as she saw two figures approaching, the lion and snake, shifting back into their state. Yet Salīa's vision had already become blurry.
They got closer, saying, "What should we do with them?"
As her innate instinct kicked in, she hovered over and shielded Bazil so no one could touch him.
Her eyes glowed as she summoned the last of her essence, and she shouted, "Stay away from him!" before everything went blank.
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