Nezzar

Part One: Desperation

They rushed at Ziba. Innumerable unhinged jaws. Fangs that trailed venom. Eyes black and feral.

Ziba's gleeful laugh turned guttural as flames rose from the pit of her belly, shot past her lips, and incinerated a path before her.

She flew higher and admired her work from above. Like parting a sea. And the way the serpents moved. Shooting from the ground like that. Fascinating. They slithered in the air as though they possessed unsteady invisible wings, and their movement was frenzied and twitchy.

Great tides of snakes rose and advanced at Ziba from every angle. She opened her arms, blue fire trailing her fingertips and spreading as she twisted around. They were in her domain. Nothing and no one could sneak up on her. And she was aware of the mother of them all—a large 'sleeping' albino monstrosity curled up north of the domain.

Ash fell like snow and melted to nothing. Their hissing grew louder and more frequent.

Ziba caught a boa by the neck, stopping its attack mere inches from her face. It hissed, exposing a pink mouth lined with rows of backward-facing needle teeth. As she burned it from the inside out, she summoned fire from the ground. Blue flames rose, a circular blazing wall around her. Tall. Furious. Hungry. Eating everything in its path as it spread outward. Taking and taking the serpents' selfless offering.

I'm bored of this.

Sighing, Ziba retrieved the staff floating an arm-length away, and waved it. The inferno sped across the domain, not stopping until it had touched every nook. Finally quiet came. Nothing remained of the snakes except the great white mass resting in a lazy coil a distance away, unhurt by her flames. Interesting.

Allowing her feet to touch the ground, Ziba strolled in its direction, all the while suppressing the urge to do an excited little dance. She felt alive. Every day should be like this day. To consume her enemies. Turn them to ash. Show them just how far Chaos could go. How—

Sighing again, Ziba shook her head. These thoughts. "It's fine... truly it is. I am not unhinged. Chaos simply did what he was supposed to do. The human is safely tucked in her house."

Your random acts of goodness are futile... why do you find it difficult to accept this truth?

Ziba frowned. Who said that to her? Halting, she forced her mind, pleading with it to remember. Someone significant had said those words. Someone—

The attack was swift and brutal. One moment Ziba was standing and the next her body was cleaved in half with a single vicious bite. The white serpent had come from beneath her feet in a move faster than a blink. The upper part of Ziba's body soared through the air; she caught a glimpse of the serpent diving into the ground as one disappears into a river. The phantom pain from the bite fried her senses and in crazed desperation she called Chaos, surrendering control. Chaos was quick to answer.

What was left of her body transformed into the blue dragon. This time Chaos was much larger, longer, and a thousand times fiercer.

Now trapped within Chaos, Ziba looked through his eyes. Everything was washed in a warm tone—like the sun was on the cusp of setting. The flames that poured from his maws were bright yellow and red. Wisps of blue could be seen here and there.

The white serpent materialised at a safe distance, its appearance making an instant change. Black intelligent eyes observed Chaos. Its hood—now covered in polished iron plates—fanned out. It sprouted two muscular arms from the spot its hood merged with its trunk. Blades appeared in its grip and the weapons resembled... Ziba focused some more. Bastet. Those blades had Bastet's essence all over them. If Ziba had lips, she would have grinned hard. Stupid serpent with its stupid impractical arms.