[rayquaza7996]

Curse

The Hisper grinned. It had teleported itself deep below to a dias in the middle of Craiss Caverns. A quiet place, full of knowledge...and blood. Craiss wasn't peaceful at all, really. And it was time for it to take its place, no longer a ghost, but a full-blown Spirit, able to finally kill the boy who had so much of its power and take over those pathetic ones it was bonded to.

It held four tiny vials of blood up and then smashed each at a different corner of the circle. "Blood of the stars to seal the strength, blood of the thief to bind it, blood of the child to take back the shared and blood of me to gain it." The dark red liquid trickled through thin lines to form a complex pattern, first lighting and then glowing, forming an odd, hazy aura in the air. There was a low hum in the air. Something was happening, now, and only Curse knew exactly what. Being nonphysical, he was never to evolve, to become his next form. Now? He would.

"And blood of me to gain it."

The last line, repeated. It would finally let him kill those pathetic beings, and he would be strong. He'd find the source of the whispers in the places dark even to him and kill them. None would stand before him. He was small now, yes, but he would become a bloody giant when this was over.

The humming intensified. He would black out soon. He couldn't stay awake, for his body was literally ripping apart to reconfigure stronger, better.

And so the darkness surrounded him.

"I am your Judgement. Repent."

[rayquaza7996]

The deep orange haze of its - his, now, he would call himself a him from now on - dreams dissipated. Curse was slowly waking into black.

He couldn't feel his back, his head, his eyelids. Everything was wrong! He couldn't move! He couldn't breathe! Actually, he didn't have to breathe, but still! Panicked, his instincts took over, and he found himself, eyes open and alert, curled up defensively, fangs bared, hood out.

Hood out.

He had succeeded. He had a hood. He was huge, now, big enough to swallow that pathetic Magma Creeper up in one strike. He couldn't wait. However, it would probably benefit him to train a bit - to learn how to move around and fight in his new form. He needed to fight!

(1.1)(Curse's character transfer is complete.)

[rayquaza7996]

But how to move? He couldn't right now, he was crippled, at mercy to his foes, with only instinct to guide him. Shouldn't moving be instinctual? He wasn't sure. Perhaps he ought to have used more of the blood. Still, it couldn't be that hard. Release enzymes causing muscles to retract and pull out. Simple enough.

Concentrating, he managed to uncoil his body. He could at least turn around now. But he could really be sure of one thing, above all others, one thing that was so commonplace, so normal, compared to his pyscho, his weirdness, his insanity, his feelings - or lack thereof - and his bloodlust.

It was going to be a long, long day.

(2.1)

[rayquaza7996]

Coil. Retract. Coil. Retract.

It was slow-going, but Curse was now slowly slithering across the floor. He was massive, now. No one would be able to defeat him, not anyone. Not even -

"We will."

The whisper in the dark, again. He didn't know its source, or its name. He'd taken to calling it Crow, for it was so similar - small, annoying, and squacking. It was probably some sort of celestial bird. Not that he really cared or anything. Bird, paragon, bleeder...it was still going down the moment he had killed his hosts, draining the last speck of power from their cold, dry bodies.

He wondered if he'd have any luck with necromancy. His hosts had buried their firstborn here, dead in birthing. Perhaps she could live again as his slave. Not only was no longer weak, he was no longer genderless. A mate who could do naught but listen and submit to whatever twisted desires he might have - be it a lustful desire or otherwise - sounded like a fine idea to him.

But first, moving at more than 50 feet an hour.

(3.1)

[rayquaza7996]

Okay. He had the hang of this now. He was slithering. Moving. Success. Great success! He could move! Now the whole world would be his!

Well, after he figured everything else out.

First task accomplished, the tired (and rather lustful) serpent set his nose to the ground, searching for traces of the place where the corpse of his soon-to-be-mate was kept. A zombie would be perfect...he would give her a soul, yes, but she would always have to listen to him. She would be his.

A twisted smile glowed on his face. His. His slave, of a sort, and he could do anything he wanted to her, and she'd never object. He liked that idea.

"Turn back. This is not the path you are meant to follow. This is the path which will bring you great pain and great sorrow."

A whisper on deaf ears.

(4.1)(this is getting some...disturbing...undertones)

[rayquaza7996]

It felt like an age before he caught the cold, confusing scent. It wasn't like Flash at all, the irradiated undertones long gone from the cold, rotting corpse. Actually, it likely wasn't rotting, for he'd guess that Moonlight would enchant it not to. But he wouldn't know until he saw, now would he?

Following the scent wasn't easy, dead bodies made a mess of smells and they were hard to track. But scent was easy for him, it had been since he figured out how to breathe. That had actually been rather hard, but he thankfully didn't actually *have* to breathe. He only chose to so he could scent enemies and admittedly that it felt nice. He was going to try necromancy now, though, and the air didn't really matter for that. Curse was relatively positive that zombies didn't need to breathe at all, he wasn't even sure if they could scent things.

However, here it was - the gravesite. Inscribed on the wall were the words "For Peace". The corpse within would be newborn, but corpses generally aged with resurrection if one was careless (or, he supposed, trying to get them to age) and, like Harbringers, Kodiles and their similar matured quite quickly.

(0.2)

[rayquaza7996]

He quickly set himself to digging, using his long, sinuous, powerful tail to scoop dirt out of the way until he reached a stone box of sorts. He tentatively bowed his head, catching the lid with the tip of his horn and pushing it up off onto the ground. There was a sharp, painful shock, one that would have been deadly to any usual grave robber, but Curse was hardly usual. He looked down.

"Perfect..."

A pristine body lay in the box, looking so weak...innocent...older, almost? Moonlight, perhaps, had made it age naturally? Well, he didn't want it to age further, so he'd have to be careful. He didn't want his mate to be an old lady, no, he wanted a lover around his age. Which wasn't really that old, but his immaturity (or near-immaturity, anyhow) had never occurred to Curse. He was the rough equivalent of a 16-year-old human, young, new to the world, but still an adult in many ways. This had never really occurred to him, though, not at all.

The dias was the best place for magic, it had its own sort of magic air to it. He carefully picked up the corpse and began to slither to the stone circle that was so important to his plan.

"Turn back..."

(1.2)

[rayquaza7996]

Ignored, again. Just a whisper in the dark, no more. Unlamented and uncared for. The stone dias was far away, and he still wasn't at his best. Still holding the corpse gingerly in his teeth - he needed a perfect example for the resurrection - he slithered towards the room holding the mystic circle. He needed its amplifying magic to make the resurrection the best - he simply wanted a smart, powerful, obedient woman to follow him around everywhere he went, doing whatever needed to be done by her at the time.

"If you choose the path of Darkness, then leave the dead to rest!"

Ignored. He had reached the stone dias, now. It was time for some vital preparation.

[rayquaza7996]

With a hiss, the serpent carefully bit himself on the side, right where his binding marking glowed. The blood there would be most magical. This he allowed to pool in the previously dry center of the dias - the cracks formed a perfect circle around the place where his body had lain, where hers would soon. The pain wasn't absent, it was simply to be ignored, an obstacle existing only in his mind. About as important as that whisper in the dark.

He then turned to the corpse and carefully snipped its arm. He didn't love her, but she would be his. His. He liked that. But first, her blood, to the center of the dias. Blood-magic, this was, taking power from life's essence of the living to give the fallen their own. This magic could hardly even be considered evil, for who had died for its sake? The female had been dead long before he had decided to try this spell. She would be dead if he didn't. This was a good spell, really, taking unneeded energy and transforming it info that which breathed. But the serpent was in no way Evil, moreso Chaotic Neutral. Okay, that was stretching it, but he didn't really do things just to be evil. He did things for his own sake, disregaring others. What was wrong with that? It was the state of humanity.

"Good luck."

He couldn't help but thank the voice.

[rayquaza7996]

Curse placed the Kodile corpse in the pool of their mingled blood and then quickly added a bit more of his foe's blood to each corner. The dias was finally ready for the ritual that would bring his soon-to-be-lover forth from the near-pristine corpse in front of him. Pristine, before he had moved it out of its safe enchanted box and cut it to take its blood of this ritual. Or two rituals, of course, for he needed to call forth the soul of the one he loved. But what was the soul to be called by to create it? He'd have to guess, he had a -

"Rainaya is a word, literally "come forth bird," that used to be used for creating souls out of life energy, "bird" being the part of the human that flies free upon death - the soul, obviously. One would say "rainaya; appetaya" in your case, literally "come forth bird; caged bird." This is the path you've chosen. Walk it."

Curse nodded. He didn't trust the Whisper, but he knew it was telling the truth. But first things first, to awaken the body.

"Blood of the mother to wake the mind, blood of the father to protect it. Blood of the lover to recieve the heart and blood of thyself to give it."

The runes glowed again, no longer for him, as he coiled in a circle at the edge of the dias, just touching it with the tip of his horn.

"And blood of thyself to give it."

He could feel it now, the heartbeat, like a quickening of the air.

"Rainaya; appetaya, to my mate, a bind of her to me. I offer you my blood and breath, you offer me her heart.

[rayquaza7996]

"I...awaken." The Kodile crawled out of the pool of blood to Curse, before carefully licking his wound - confirming, for all, that the blood of her heart was this one's.

"Ah, yes, it is me, love, back again to protect you for the second time. Your name, has it changed, love?"

"I do not...know. I do not...remember."

"Then you, you are Aya."

"Aya...the atoner's bird."

[rayquaza7996]

"Yes. The Hawksong, or the Atoner's Bird. It's a common, and a fine name. And I suppose you could say your love has redeemed me, in a different sort of way."

"I hope...you're happy together...I hope that you find the path...for you." There was a sorrow to the whisper's voice, as if the voice was sad. "If you need help...find a Lucain, named Ravustrauxa."

"Master Curse, what is that voice?"

"You can hear her too? She's the Whisper. However, for you question, I have a bit of a price of my own, love. It's been such a very long time, and I miss you..."

Alone, they were, no one to intrude. Alone, and together.

[rayquaza7996]

It was much later when Curse woke up, wrapped protectively around his mate. He was a possessive person - that was why he cared! - and he wasn't going to let anyone mess with what was his. Especially not his Aya, who he had worked so hard on rebirthing and controlling.

"Curse, could you uncoil a bit? I know you love me, but I can't breathe! Figuratively, of course, since I don't breathe in the first place, but do you get what I'm trying to say?"

The serpent uncoiled to allow the Kodile to squirm free, floating in front of his face.

"It has been too long, hasn't it?"

"Indeed it has, love, indeed it has."

[rayquaza7996]

"What now, Master Curse?" she asked. There was a bit of a flirty undertone to her voice, but she always talked like that. It was simply her vocal speaking pattern, if a rather odd one. It was common enough in those reborn before aging enough to be strange, though.

"A couple of scandalous lovers stole away some of that which makes me who I am. I need to kill them to take back what was once mine. They heard about you, too...If you see them, they'll shapeshift into someone you love, possibly even your parents, so be prepared."

"I would rip my parents' still-beating hearts out for you, Curse, and I wouldn't even dislike it. Nothing could possibly be more important to me but you, and you know it."

"Good luck."

((yup. rambling enough to describe their vocal patterns.))

[rayquaza7996]

"The problem is, something else happened to me, and I no longer understand my own body."

"You seemed to-"

"For fighting, love. I can't remember how to fight. I've heard Craiss is actually great for training, so I'm doing all my training here. But it's a mess, as you can see. I'm sure I'll get my issues sorted out eventually, though."

"That I can believe." The Kodile nuzzled Curse gently. "You've got a strong will and a strong heart, you're the sort who won't bow to danger. You'll remember fighting in no time."