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The treacherous glacial of Talokan no longer hid her beneath the depths of the ocean. Nova found the sun again. A breeze gently moved her further where the jungle welcomed her with open arms. Tangled up vines tempted to trip her. Fresh moss masked the scent of the flowers dangling from the branches tickling at the nape of her neck. Birds sang blocking out the distant waves. Soon fireflies flew out of the tree lines becoming her small source of light as the moon moved towards the horizon.
"I see you found your way back" a familiar voice appeared from behind. Nova halted from path. A panther jumping down from the branches. In a blink of an eye the animal transformed into a feline headed woman. Her slender body clothed in a sheer gown that was hugged in golden chains. A sistrum lied in her small hands.
Nova wasted no time. Her knee hit the ground with her head lowering in respect."Bastest" Nova formally greeted. The deity gently trailed her fingers across Nova's jawline. A sharp nail picked at the skin of her chin, forcing Nova to lift her head up. "Rise child." Nova does so. Bast is smiling. "Come. We have much to discuss" her hand extends. Nova is hesitant, yet she takes it. Bast guides her through the jungle where the grass beneath her bare feet are soft as a pillow.
"Do not worry. Here it is safe. There are no more nightmares. Only sweet dreams" Bast said. Questions flood Nova's thoughts.
"Why am I here?" Nova inquired. Her heart had no harsh beat to it.
"There will be plenty of time for questions, but for now you must pass through the realm of the Duat"
The realm of the Duat. T'Challa's words came to mind. He claimed that once a soul passed they would encounter another God to weigh their heart on Anubis scale. And if they remained pure by the end of the journey they would go to the ancestral plane or the Field of Reeds, a place of paradise. T'Challa promised their unborn child rested there waiting for her. "Wait" Nova stopped, pulling back, forcing the deity to meet her gaze. Her cat iris slimmed in the midst of watching the spy crumble to pieces."Am I...Am I dead?"
"It is still debatable."
Nova raised her eyebrows, quizzical, "debatable?" She repeated the deities words, "What the hell does that even mean?"
"Your body is resisting death. It is only a matter of time when you finally give in"
Her feet stumbling in shock. Nova's mouth twisted as if she were in pure agony. The none sense spewing out of Bastest's mouth only bewildered her. The chills rolling down her spine added to the gruesome sensation aching her chest. Nova lurched forward gripping onto the deity's arms, "So, that's it? I'm never going to see my kids again? I'm gone just like that?"
Bast smiled, gently prying her trembling hands off of her. "Is this not what you always wanted? To see your husband again?"
That was unfair. This was not how she wanted to get to her happy ending. The world had taken far too much for Shuri to handle a war on her own. And her children...they would soon be playing on a graveyard. "My family needs me."
Bast sighed, briefly glancing to the hues of blue and purple horizon that danced around the evening stars. "They are no longer your concern. It is time that you finally rest and be at peace." The anger boiling Nova's blood was difficult to manage. It would be satisfying to just scream out in frustration, but it seemed that Bast was trying hard to keep the spy on a timed schedule.
"Come, I promised the son of T'Chaka I would be the one to guide you through the journey to the afterlife" Bast gestured forward.
However, Nova already made up her mind. "No, screw this. I'll find my way back with or without your help." Suddenly, the birds fall silent. The animals that would have been her compass have left her side. The river is rushing at her feet. It doesn't slow her down. She runs with the water splashing and the leafs slapping at her face. Nova senses something chasing her. They're feet tussle through the vines that nearly trip them. Like a pack of wild dogs in full speed.
There is no point in looking back. Fear is quickly replaced by hope. A house is nearby. Nova rushes to the porch and slams the door shut, yet a new threat appears.
Fire descended. The world erupted in smoke and flames. Showers of sparks come at her. Wood collapses, tearing the house apart. Nova shielded her eyes, nearly cowering to the corner. The boiling room is nearly suffocating, but tolerable. Nova proceeds forward where a bloody corpse is plastered across the kitchen floor. She kneels down, turning the man to his side to get a better look, yet it was difficult to tell. Gashes we're all over his face with his left eye swollen like a balloon. A child stands in front of her. Her bruised arms are swollen with her knuckles turning white. The body knife in her hands direct Nova's eyes to the man's neck.
The pieces of the puzzle came together. It was the night her innocence was merely taken from her. Her father hadn't been there to protect them. No Gods had answered her mothers prayers while she hid in the closet. No one had come to their rescue. Nova lowers her head, grieving for the child. The alien blood coursing through her veins was no precious gift. It was the vermin that spoiled her heart and spoiled any little chance of happiness she had left. And her first kill was the start of it.
————— note: there are more chapters to come, I'm just taking my time writing them, especially with how busy I currently am.
