FALAHA'S JOURNEY 2: Graveyard of the Gods

Episode #26

We arrived at the designated location many long hours and hot encounters later. Me being a Baalat and Orewen being an Eater male was a bonus as we reached our destination without losing much of stamina needed for our mission. Though it felt a bit cramped in Bradoh's cockpit, mostly because Orewen was such a big guy, and we shared a single seat that was completely inappropriate for all the lascivious acrobatics. Still, it turned out to be a fun ride. I was pleased; Orewen was pleased and now sported a large, satisfied grin on his face, fully relaxed yet focused on what we initially came here to do.

This region of space was far enough from any possible inhabited stellar system. No Enclaves were in the vicinity either.

"Suit up, love, we're going into open space now," I said. "You should prepare the tank and fold your Bradoh, while I shall shift into one of my larger forms. Then I shall put you and our equipment into my mouth to avoid the damage from the final shift. And then we can proceed with gathering blood."

"Understood," Ore replied. He unfolded his tactical suit until his full body was covered and he was ready for a spacewalk. I shifted to my Baalat form, ready for outer space as well. "Opening the hatch," he said.

Once we left the machine, drifting in the vastness of the void, Ore floated towards th baggage compartment and took out a large tank, still sealed, but with a tube attached.

"What about the needle?" he messaged me. The needle was an understatement. It was a large rod to harvest blood.

"You'll need one once I puncture the vein with my claw, otherwise no needle will be able to breach my skin," I replied. He signed me with "Understood."

After all the preparations were complete, I shifted into an even larger form, at this size now able to hide Bradoh in my mouth completely. Bradoh's coating shimmered and it folded itself into Orewen's figure. He remained only with the tank in his hand.

I floated towards him and carefully placed my Second spouse with his container into my mouth.

Comfy? I asked him through my soma.

"I'm happy you are my spouse and not some random Baal with such sharp teeth and hunger for flesh," he replied with a laugh.

I'm going to shift now.

I was gathering energy for a massive shift. The Jainaa Core was the best source to get some. No black hole or star could provide enough for such a transformation. I would need a whole array of those, and questions would be asked by those who live in their domains. Questions which better be avoided completely.

The energy grew, flowing into my black blood. Space and time curved and folded, expanding me to infinity. Borderless, I became so shiny, so... enormous. A Universe was being born, spreading through my body, proliferating with countless jainaa. I felt it all, I saw it all, I was it all.

My real body began to change.

The power grew, and grew, so intense, demanding to be poured into the world.

I fully unfolded this unstoppable massive body, exploding.

This super-dense, super-hot fireball expanded, consuming everything in its wake. It propagated far and wide, until I managed to pull it back and collapse onto myself.

And paused, listening to these new feelings and the surroundings. No signs of curious presence. Then opened my mouth to release Orewen. He was so tiny now.

I slowly picked him up with my two claws, careful not to damage the coating of his gear and placed him onto my arm near the elbow where the vein was.

Ready? My mind asked him.

"Yes, love."

I punctured my vein with my claw, drawing black blood. The wound would close fast, so Orewen needed to hurry. He was already on the spot, collecting precious liquid as fast as he could. Once the tank was full, he waved at me that he was done.

Meanwhile my soma was listening to our surroundings. Still no interest from anyone. Good.

The shift back to my smaller state was less energetic, yet I still hid Ore and his precious cargo in my mouth.

Once I released him, we hurried to take place in his machine again. After the pressure and air was restored, and decontamination completed, I was able to shift back to my Danna state and Orewen was able to unsprout his helmet and gloves.

"We should stop lingering here, we need to leave immediately," I said.

"I'm on it." His hand, assisted by his soma, was quickly working on the course for our return to the Grave. "Ready."

Bradoh entered a dive-fold, and we were on our way to our crew.

"I've never seen a Baal of such size before," he said after a while.

"This form is unique to Yajur Sangu or Somg himself," I replied. "No other Baal has such a thing implemented in their builds. But the Maok share this function. It came from them."

He nodded. "I see."

"I was thinking if I somehow can make improvements to Bradohs as well. You two are massively strong, but perhaps I could make you even stronger."

"That would be interesting indeed. To the present day I still don't know the limits of my power. Neither does Eyuran. That time during the war, when Shaamta made us fight each other, we went all out with each other, and it still feels like we both held back, as if some kind of safe mechanism was holding us back... Or maybe it was a subconscious awareness of the dangers of our own power. I can't tell."

"At least you didn't kill your own son, and he didn't kill you. But you came close."

"For that alone I cannot forgive Shaamta," Orewen replied, serious.

"I know. I still cannot forgive him for hurting my parents so much."

"The Baali are a ruthless, even a heartless kind."

"Will I become like that too?" I placed my head on Orewen's chest.

"You certainly aren't like a Danna. But neither is Kieren, and he is one of the best Danna men I know. I'm sure you will follow in his steps. At least I hope so."

"I try. But I know I'm not perfection."

"You are still very young. You have plenty of time to grow, both personally and professionally. We are by your side to help on that path. We aren't perfect either. But we grow as well. At least try to. Actually, I'm very excited at what the future will bring. The possibilities are endless."

"True. That's why I like mature people. They have a vision, goals, and their expectations are flexible enough to navigate life."

Orewen chuckled. "We all started somewhere. I'm glad I have you so late in life, Falaha. You wouldn't possibly tolerate my younger self. I wonder how Kieren did."

I laughed. "My father has an eye for quality. I got that from him."

"You give me too much credit, love."

"No, I just love you the way you are, silly."