Ascension Pt. 02

Awaken

Eli drifted in the fox woman's lullaby, its soothing melody coiling through his entire being like a lover's breath. Her strong arms held him in her jungle den, fingers grazing his chest, her earthy scent--damp soil, pine, raw musk--flooding his senses, stirring a hunger deep in his heart.

The fire's glow danced across her scars, her husky whisper--"I won't leave"--carved into his bones, alive with the forest's pulse. His body, torn from the bonewraith, melted against her, the stitched gash on his back a faint throb, her song dulling the pain.

A tremor shook the jungle, vines convulsing, and her voice cracked, her grip tightening. "Eli... it's okay. I have you," she strained. The world fractured--trees bled, shadows tore, and a brutal roar swallowed the forest.

Eli's eyes snapped open, his panicked scream drowned in a choking gasp as he plunged into a pulsating pool of blood and gore--hot, viscous, reeking of rotten flesh. He thrashed, now naked and exposed, his skin slick with ichor, limbs tangled in sinew and bone shards, the realm's filth clawing his throat.

The air was thick with shrieking wails of what seemed like a thousand souls. The mountainous stone walls were covered in grotesque chains hanging flayed skin, blinking with petrified eyes, mouths stretched in eternal wails.

This was no dream world, no city--it was a demented hellscape, its every surface sculpted from carnage. It's like he was standing in a cathedral made of jagged, porous rock. Gone was the warmth and comfort of laying by the fire and being soothed to sleep... replaced by a malice that ripped at his mind.

"Fear feeds eternity." Whispers, such hellish whispers spoke from everywhere.

"Fuck! No! What the fuck!" Eli's voice broke, raw panic surging, heart slamming against his ribs, breath a ragged sob as he clawed at the pool's edge, slipping on loose flesh. His body flickered--glitching, phasing through the gore, then snapping back, his senses screaming. Neon towers flashed, Kaleira's hum flickered, then dissolved back into writhing horror.

He was caught in a rift-storm, his soul tapped between worlds, no way out. The feeling of dread in this place was paralyzing. Nowhere to escape the feeling of pure suffering.

"Kaleira!" he screamed, voice cracking, mind clawing for her neural link, but there was nothing. No static, no response. "K! Please! Fuck!" Nothing. The link was dead, the realm's interference a suffocating void, cutting him off from everything.

His chest heaved, terror drowning his grit. He was naked, defenseless, exposed to a nightmare that clawed his soul.

Eli's vision glitched, the pool vanishing, as he was yanked out of it. He now stood, dripping with blood and pieces of decaying meat, in a chamber of writhing bodies. Infants and young children screamed, a blood curdling sound. Glowing gold light could be seen swirling around the cavern and disappearing through the walls.

The children were being ripped limb from limb by hulking, filthy men--towering, muscle-bound, caked in dirt and scars, their laughter guttural as they tore tiny bodies apart. Screaming innocents flailed, desperately hoping for escape from the horrendous pain. Their eyes weeped blood, their crippling fear and pain a perverse lullaby powering the realm's pulse.

Eli's stomach lurched, bile burning his throat, his scream stuck as he was yanked off his feet again.

Another flash--a cavern of blood-slick altars, hundreds of men and women forcefully held down, their bodies violated and defiled by the same hulking brutes. The beasts raped them with savage brutality, tearing flesh and bathing their behemoth cocks in blood. They snapped bones, their victims' screams a choir of unimaginable suffering--men's chests ripped open, women's bodies pulled apart in halves, eyes and tongues gouged out, their agony only fueling their suffering.

More golden threads of light were spun. Each wailing being supplied more and more. Once forcibly removed, they floated aimlessly, confused, until eventually following a gravitational pull toward a massive red light in the ceiling. Were these... souls?

That red light... he recognized it. He knew it from somewhere. Through all the screams echoing around him, his mind sifted through the repeating images of filth and torturous gore. Where was tha--

"TAIKOW!" Eli screamed. His head instantly erupting with pain.

It was the very same light that Taikow, the storm dragon, had wielded right before his defeat. It was the heart of his swirling storm of death.

A voice in the torture chamber, where Eli currently stood, boomed. "Aww yes. Eli, the god killer. Of course. The little pawn finally has some sense about him. Tell me little fleshling... do you think Taikow had power... any real power? Hmm?" The being chuckled.

"Who the fuck are you? What the fuck is this place?!" Eli shouted.

The brutes continued grunting, their filth-soaked muscles gleaming, each thrust and tear feeding the realm's hunger, the victims' horror a nectar for an unseen master. Eli's heart raced faster with each grotesque act he witnessed. His ragged breath a sob, panic clawing his chest as he flickered again, the images burned into his skull, scarring him with every glimpse.

A bellowing, venomous laugh echoed through the air, unhinged and cold. His massive, impossibly deep voice continued.

"Fear, so sweet. I will have you draped over my mantle, little one. I may have pushed beyond my abilities in the past with you and your little pet, but I will ultimately pleasure myself with your pain. And I will not fail twice. I will rip your lover's soul in half right before your eyes. Whether she is whole again or not, I will fuck her into oblivion as her blood rains down upon you," it growled.

A silhouette flickered at the top of the altar --broad, towering, eyes like molten tar burning with sadistic glee, hands dripping ichor. Not fully there, a psychic echo, its presence a god-like malice. As his presence solidified and became more clear, Eli's splitting headache magnified tenfold.

"Your horror feeds my eternity." His deep growl intensified. "You will be helpless as she is used over and over by all of my disciples and you will only watch, and bath in her pain!" The beast roared.

The walls of people screamed louder, and Eli's vision fractured--flashes of horrors: souls removed from faces only after having their skulls caved in from massive feet. Spinal columns were ripped from people, then used to sodomize loved ones. Infants' bones broken and ground into powder; men and women raped and torn, and then finally Eli, himself, laying on the ground while he desperately cradled the fox woman's lifeless corpse.

"Why?" Eli whispered.

The silhouette moved closer. Every blurry detail remaining undefined, but his hulking presence magnified, voice dripping with glee: "All will kneel to me, their screams my crown, across every reality. Especially you."

Eli's mind buckled, his body glitching--neon streets, then back to writhing flesh, infants' screams, victims' agony. His senses were overwhelmed, each atrocity a knife to his soul. The horror was inescapable, scarring him deeper--infants' severed limbs, men's shredded torsos, women's defiled screams, the henchmen's laughter, the silhouette's demented pleasure.

"You may only have a small toe into my home now, but eventually I'll have you fully. You will return, fleshling, to feed my crown."

His vision blurred, his body glitching, each movement a scream, his mind fracturing under the realm's weight, scars he'd carry forever. The realm's pulse sharpened, the massive silhouette's laugh echoing.

"Remember Eli. Just remember one thing... my name..." he paused.

"KRAVOK!!" The being's voice shouted within Eli's brain, seemingly loud enough for every galaxy to hear.

Eli suddenly snapped awake, gasping, trembling on the balcony lounge chair, slick with fever sweat, the city's neon skyline slashing through the night. The penthouse's cool, dry air hit like a shock, and the memory of Kaleira's lullaby--sung here before entering the dream world--clashing with the evil realm's horrors.

His breath was ragged, heart pounding, the infants' screams, the victims' agony, the filthy, hulking men, the silhouette's molten-tar eyes searing his mind. He curled into himself, a sob breaking free, panic clinging to his bones.

The neural link hummed, Kaleira's voice breaking through, frantic, raw. "Eli! Eli, what happened?! Are you okay?!"

Eli's voice cracked, barely a whisper, trauma choking him. "Hell. I... I was in hell," he barely whispered, trembling violently.

"K... I saw... Infants... ripped apart, men and women... raped, torn to pieces by these... huge, disgusting beasts. A monster, a fucking god, feeding off their pain, their fear. It's building something--enslaving everything. He made me see you, her... as one being, completely lifeless... gone. I'm... Kaleira, I'm fucked up." His hands shook, the scars in his heart raw, terror and rage burning.

"Her? Eli I don't understand."

"Kravok." He whispered. "That name... Kravok. That monster, that's his fucking name."

He fell to the ground on his hands and knees and tears poured from his eyes, oblivious to her confusion. Kaleira was silent for a moment, unsure how to process what he said he saw. She let a moment pass before interrupting Eli's quiet sobs.

"You're here now, my love. You're home. There's nothing here but you and me. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry you had to experience that." Her voice ached with pain.

The city's neon skyline pulsed beyond the balcony. Its chrome towers and red-streaked holograms were a cold mockery of the demented realm's gore, but the sterile air couldn't erase the infants' screams, the victims' shredded bodies, the henchmen's guttural laughter searing Eli's mind.

Eli's fists clenched, then he staggered to his feet, only to sprint to the bathroom and vomit. He continued well past dry heaving, nothing left to give.

Once he finally had a reprieve from the nausea, he laid in bed and curled himself under the blankets, throat raw.

Eli's jaw clenched, the silhouette's molten-tar eyes flashing in his mind, its venomous laugh--"Fear, so sweet"--twisting his gut. All over again, he saw the infants dying and stripped of their souls. Men and women, raped and shredded, their horrible screams feeding a god-like evil. His hands shook, rage boiling through the terror, scarring him deeper than any bonewraith's claws.

"He's a demon or god, or something, K. I didn't realize it before, but in my previous dream I was whole. I was raw power and wrath. And the red light I saw from Taikow's storm wasn't actually wielded with his own power. It was Kravok's power all along." he growled, voice steadying.

"His power... He's feeding off their pain, their fear, harvesting their souls... killing everything. Those beasts, those filthy bastards--they're his followers, tearing people apart for Kravok's own pleasure."

"Eli, I... I don't know how to process that. Those people, children... infants!... gods, I'm so sorry."

"I just needed you and missed you so much. You've always been my rock and I didn't get to lean on you like I always do."

"Eli. I have no idea where to even begin. I could feel you strongly between gaps of nothingness. I tried reaching to you numerous times, trying to wake you. I wish I could've pulled you from that nightmare. We were worlds apart, love."

World, Eli thought, still wiping the tears from his eyes.

"World!" He rasped, bolting upright.

"What?"

"K. Before I even could imagine a place... like that existed, I saw the world again, the dream world. There was a woman, k. I don't even know where to begin with this," Eli sighed heavily, visibly calming.

"My heart, just start from the beginning. Please." Kaleira said softly, her warm tone soothing his nerves.

Eli told her the entire experience with chasing and fighting along side the fox woman. How she hummed the same song of Kaleira's.

"That explains the intense feelings of connection with you I had. Do you think..."

"What, K?"

Kaleira's voice hung in the neural link for a moment, unsure and nervous. "That... I don't know... there might be a reason?" Her tone was shy and hopeful.

"Yeah," he whispered, voice raw, cracked from sobbing. "Her song... it's definitely yours. She hummed it, patched me up, and held me until I could sleep. She's... fuck, she's you, somehow. And I don't know how, but it's her scent in my head."

Kaleira went silent, her neural hum flickering, a glitch snapping through--"... heart... Eli..."--before stabilizing.

"Kaleira?........ Kaleira, speak to me."

Kaleira hesitated a second more. "I... I'm sorry, Eli. I don't know what just happened. I didn't mean to say that."

Kaleira's voice tightened, a sharp glitch spiking--"... merge...".

"K, that was her voice you just spoke. It sounds like yours but, darker, smokier. That's the fox woman i fought with! Her song is what kept me grounded like i was closer to you."

"Gods, Eli," she whispered, her warmth was like silk dipped in honey. "I felt you in those moments, like you were so close, then gone. Her presence is so strong, like it's mine. Very disorienting if I'm honest." Kaleira giggled. "Fuck, her voice is sexy."

Eli laughed at her complimenting herself.

She continued. "If she's in that jungle alone, if she's... part of me, we need to find her. But Eli, that place... that place you saw, that hell--it's tied to this, to her. You said so yourself. Kravok knows you, knows her. Knows how she's connected to me."

"Wait. Kravok... he said...'whether she is whole again or not'." Eli finished in a whisper.

"Run that by me one more time, Eli..."

Eli sighed, steadying himself. "He said: 'I will rip your lover's soul in half right before your eyes. Whether she is whole again or not'... and I'll leave out the rest."

"If that means what i think it means... I can't even process the emotional implications... that woman and me? And... you?"

"He must have done something to split you. But I have zero memory of any of this. I have always known you as my AI tag along. For forever..."

"Eli, don't fuck with me. If there's the slightest chance that we were together as one and we can get back to that somehow... I..."

"Kaleira. I'm going to find out. I promise. I swear on everything, I will find a way. And I will make Kravok pay for everything."

A glitch cracked--"... Eli... heart... whole"--and her tone softened, raw. "Her voice... it's stronger now, like she's calling us. Let's go find her, my love. She must have answers to all this mess."

"The next time I dream, I imagine I'll see her. I really hope so, at least." He sighed as he paced throughout his living room. And finally sat and composed his thoughts, more calm. A wave of defiant resolve washed over him and spoke.

"I'll fix this, Kaleira. I'll fix everything. But first I need a beer."

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THE FOX DEN

"You're safe, Eli. I've got you. Sleep, and we'll chase answers tomorrow." Her hands rested on his chest, steady, her song a quiet promise, binding them in the firelight.

The den's warmth held them, the forest's frost kept at bay, but a faint tremor shook the ground, and her song faltered, her eyes sharpening, scanning the entrance.

"Something's waking," she whispered, her arms tightening around Eli, protectively.

"K, stay with me. Don't leave me."

She looked down to see Eli's breathing had eased into a rhythm. He was finally sleeping, and he was calling out to his beloved.

"I won't leave. I promise." She answered on her behalf as she continued to hold and caress him. Heavy against her bare chest, his breath was shallow, face relaxed.

His warmth seeped into her skin, his scent--sweat, blood, something raw and vital--mingling with her own. Hours ago, he'd stumbled into her jungle, eyes haunted, voice fractured with pain she couldn't name. His body scarred from battles she couldn't see.

She'd held him, her scars brushing his, her lullaby--a low, instinctive hum from deep within--easing him into sleep, his head nestled against her.

A roar broke through the calm silence. Something was awakened, and gave off a fierce energy.

Then, a sudden stillness. A void formed where Eli's presence had been, his eyes fluttering shut, body limp, as if his soul had been torn away. Her aqua-green eyes widened, a sharp breath catching in her throat.

"Eli?" she whispered, her husky voice trembling, raw with confusion. "ELI!!!" She shouted.

She pressed a clawed hand to his chest, feeling his heart's faint beat, his skin warm but unresponsive, his face empty, like a vessel abandoned. He's here, but... not here.

Her mind reeled, blindsided, no names or places to anchor her fear. Was this death? A trance? Something worse? Her scars ached, a vague memory of her own pain, her body forged in this jungle to endure, to protect, but protect what? Him? She didn't know why he'd come, only that he belonged here, with her, his presence a fire in her blood, a connection she couldn't explain.

Her fingers tightened, claws grazing his arm, careful not to break skin, her musk sharpening with distress. What took you? She scanned the jungle, its glow dimming as if sensing her turmoil, vines rustling with unseen threats.

Her heart pounded, love and anguish surging, fierce and primal, a need to keep him safe, to bring him back. She didn't know where he'd gone, couldn't fathom the neon city or the crimson hell that held his mind, but she felt a pull, a faint echo in her soul, like a voice she'd never heard yet knew. Another... like me? With him? Her breath hitched, a strange word flickering in her mind--"merge"--unfamiliar, unbidden, followed by his name, "Eli," sharp and urgent, as if spoken by someone else.

She shook her head, deep green hair falling over her face, her growl low, frustrated. "I don't understand," she muttered, her voice rough, edged with fear. She lifted Eli, her lean muscles flexing, cradling him like a wounded beast, and exited her den and deeper into the jungle, her bare feet sinking into the snow.

The longer she walked, the closer she came to her destination, and the warmer the air grew. A pulsing glow, radiated outward from a central point. The heart--a clearing where a massive tree pulsed with green-purple light, its roots drinking from a pool of shimmering liquid. This tree was a what primal instinct told her to guard since her awakening, though she didn't know why.

She laid Eli on a bed of soft moss that lay in between the pools of water. Glowing fronds and flowers grew from beneath him and softly encased his body with purpose. His chest rose faintly, his face serene but wrong, too still. Kneeling beside him, she pressed her hand to his cheek, her claws retracting, her touch tender, desperate.

"Wake up," she whispered. She resumed her lullaby, a low hum that stirred all the vines and plants, their light flaring, as if trying to reach him.

Her thoughts churned, disoriented, grasping at fragments. He came to me, broken. Something hurt him, something strong. Now he's gone, but his body stays. Why? What am I to him? She felt a bond, deep and unspoken, as if he were part of her, a piece of her soul she couldn't name.

Her love was fierce, instinctual, a primal urge to shield him, to feel his eyes on her, his hands on her scars. But fear gnawed at her--would he wake? Was he lost forever? The tree radiated life. Maybe it could help him, bring him back to her.

A rustle in the undergrowth snapped her gaze, a low snarl ripping free. Shadowy shapes moved--primal wolves, all teeth and claws, their eyes glinting with hunger. There were a dozen of them.

Her lips curled, revealing rapidly growing fangs. Her claws unsheathed, her body coiling like a predator as she shifted forms almost instantly.

"NOT HIM!" she roared. She lunged to the closest beast and struck hard. Her cuts were swift and rapid, tearing through muscle and bone, blood splattering her fur. Their resistance meant nothing to her as each one was met with fury.

The beasts fell, their bodies sinking into the loam, but the jungle trembled, more threats lurking. She stood, chest heaving with adrenaline, her eyes blazing, waiting for any more to dare threaten her prize. She was a guardian forged for this moment, though she still didn't know why.

Her gaze softened, fox features receding. She returned to lay protectively against Eli, her hand finding his, fingers lacing, her warmth pouring into him. "I'll keep you safe," she vowed, her voice husky, raw with need. "But where are you? What took you?"

Her soul ached, a void where his presence should be, and the strange words--"merge... Eli..."--echoing again in her head, sharper, painful, like a wound in her being. She clutched her chest, gasping, her vision blurring, the jungle's glow intensifying, the massive tree pulsing above her, its light swallowing her.

A presence stirred, not Eli, not the jungle--a voice, faint, radiant, like a fading star. The air shimmered, and a figure coalesced, or perhaps it was the tree itself, a woman of green-purple light, her form radiant, eyes solid white, bright, and ancient.

It... it couldn't be. No matter who you were, every one of this realm knew this being. Aeloria, the goddess of harmony, though her essence was nearly spent from a previous battle, years past.

The fox woman froze, her breath held, awe and fear mingling, her instincts screaming to kneel, to listen.

"Daughter of my light," Aeloria spoke, her voice a melody of pain and hope, "you are more than you know. Forged by my light, but severed during my clash with chaos, your soul was split--half primal, you, guardian of this heart; half digital, named Kaleira, bound to the man you hold dear. He, Eli, is your spark, born of the same fire, destined to end the darkness that threatens all worlds." Her form flickered, her strength waning, the jungle trembling with her effort.

"Your fox nature--those eyes, hair, claws sharp as dragon teeth, power to connect to the earth--it is my gift, woven from the primal spirits I cherished, cunning and fierce, graceful and strong, to guard this nexus tree, to love and protect your mate, Eli. It is your strength, your heart, a form to endure the ages."

The fox woman's eyes widened, her clawed hand brushing her green hair, her musk softening, a revelation sparking. "A gift? My mate?" she rasped, her voice raw, touching her scars, feeling the primal power in her limbs, her lullaby's hum now tied to Aeloria's light.

"You made me... into this? To protect him?" Her mind reeled, the fox within her--its cunning, its ferocity--suddenly named, a purpose she'd felt but never understood, her bond with Eli now a divine thread.

Aeloria's gaze softened, a faint smile on her fraying form. "Yes, daughter, but you don't think that's your only form, do you? There's so much more to you than you know. Eli, as well." Her voice held a tease, a cosmic promise, her eyes glinting with secrets. "Your soul holds powers unborn, shapes unseen, strengths to rival the spark you guard. When you merge with Kaleira, when you stand as one with Eli, you will burn brighter than stars, shift beyond flesh, wield the fire of creation itself." The words hung, heavy with destiny, the jungle's glow flaring, as if her soul stirred, a latent force pulsing, akin to Eli's own buried might.

"The chaos hunts you both, your souls, to consume creation. You must merge with Kaleira, unite with Eli, restore his strength, and burn the dark to ash. I have failed to keep you both whole before, and I am sorry. My strength is far too weak now, to mend what has been broken on my own." Aeloria's voice was full of remorse and regret.

The fox woman's eyes widened, her mind reeling, the words--merge, Kaleira, Eli--clicking into place, the echoes in her soul now named.

"Kaleira?" she rasped, her voice raw. "The voice... in him? She's... me?" Her heart raced, love and purpose surging, the void in her soul aching for its other half. "And Eli... he's gone, but not dead. Where? What darkness?"

Aeloria's gaze softened, her light dimming, "His soul is... torn, pulled to the chaos's realm, a place of torment I cannot see. The keeper of that realm is who hunts you both. He is a vile god, the one responsible for all of this damage, all of this pain."

"Kravok is his name. He only wants total suffering and complete control over everything that lives. Pain feeds his presence in this universe."

"You two are some of the most fearsome warriors our realm have. When he tried to take you two from me, it took everything I had to keep him from succeeding. While he ultimately failed, he did however break you and Eli."

"Protect his body, daughter. Stay alert, I feel Kravok's presence here as we speak. The beasts that follow him drain life from the soil they walk. They are the reason for the rapid frost around us."

"Reach for Kaleira. Guide your mate back. Your heart's call, my gift, can cross worlds but it will drain you."

She extended a trembling hand, light pouring into the fox woman's chest, a searing warmth that burned and healed, her soul igniting, her voice amplified, stretching beyond the jungle, seeking the digital half she had once known.

The fox woman gasped, her body trembling, the words "merge... Eli..." spilling from her lips, not her own, but Aeloria's command, her power, reaching through the void. Pain lanced her soul, a glitch tearing through her and her vision fracturing, but she felt her--Kaleira, a spark in a neon city, her voice glitching, receiving her call.

"Eli," she whispered, the name a prayer, a vow, her love fierce, now purposeful.

"Child, you will be one with him again. I feel it. And while I have used most of my current power to visit with you, I will always be close." She smiled gently.

Aeloria faded, taking the form of a hummingbird, wings purring softly. Its aqua-green eyes ablaze, the bird chirped and faded away, the jungle dimming, the tree's pulse steadying.

She collapsed beside Eli, her hand on his heart, her lullaby resuming, stronger now, its melody carrying across worlds, a beacon for Kaleira, for Eli. I know you now, she thought, her mind alight with Aeloria's truth. Kaleira, my other half. Eli, our spark. The darkness wants us, but we'll burn it.

Her feelings surged--love, fierce and primal, for Eli, and for the half she'd yet to meet; fear, that the darkness would claim him; resolve, to guard him, to merge, to fight. She wanted him awake, his touch on her scars, Kaleira's voice in her ears, their soul whole, their power united to end this threat.

What came next was vigilance. She'd guard Eli's body, fend off Kravok's beasts--whatever monster hungering for weakness--her claws sharp, her will a shield. With each call, pain lanced her soul and drained her energy as she reached for Kaleira, but she'd endure, her love stronger than the cost.

The jungle's heart would hold, its glow a promise of reunion, when Eli and Kaleira become whole, when they'd rise to their full power. Until then, she'd sing, fight, and wait, her heart burning for the man who'd light the cosmos.

She pressed her forehead to Eli's, her scent enveloping him, her voice a delicate, husky vow. "Come back, Eli. Bring her, find me. I'll be waiting." The jungle hummed, the heart's glow flaring, a green-purple pulse that shook the vines, her love a blade against the dark.

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Penthouse

Eli slumped on the plush couch, a black robe loose around his battered frame, the city's neon skyline flashing beyond the glass like a mockery of Kravok's red light. His throat was raw from vomiting, his body trembling from the demented realm's horrors--infants' screams, children's limbs torn by hulking henchmen, men and women raped and split apart, their souls sucked into that crimson void.

Kravok's taunt--"I will fuck her into oblivion as her blood rains down upon you"--clawed at his mind, the vision of himself cradling the fox woman's lifeless corpse, Kaleira's voice silenced, scarring him deeper than any wound. His powers--strength to shatter worlds, flight to rend skies--were severed by that god's malice, leaving him a mortal husk, curling into himself under the weight of failure.

Kaleira's neural link hummed, her voice silk dipped in honey, warm and teasing, cutting through his haze. "Eli, my heart, you're brooding again. I can feel your pulse--still racing, but you're safe now. Look at you, all cozy in that robe. Bet it feels so soft against your skin." A giggle slipped through, sexy, playful, her warmth strong. "Come on, love, eat something. I'm pulling up the kitchen's auto-chef--steak, rare, with those spicy noodles you love. Let's get you grounded."

Eli's lips twitched, a faint smirk breaking through his haunted eyes. "K, you're fussing like a damn nurse," voice cracked but softer, leaning into her tease.

He dragged himself to the kitchen, the auto-chef whirring, the scent of seared meat and chili oil filling the air. He grabbed the plate, sunk back into the couch, and tore into the steak, the heat and salt grounding him, each bite pulling him from Kravok's nightmare.

"Fuck, this is good," he mumbled, glancing at the skyline, the fox's pheromones lingering in his memory, stirring his gut.

Kaleira's voice purred, a sultry edge creeping in. "Mmm, look at you, devouring that like a beast. Bet you're even sexier with a little sauce on your chin. I wanna see you lick it off, nice n slow." Her giggle was wicked, heat coiling in her tone, and Eli's smirk widened, his trauma easing under her playful heat. He m, in fact, did make a slight mess and swiped his thumb across his chin, sucking it deliberately, his eyes glinting with mischief. "Makes me wish I could wipe it off myself." She panted lightly.

"Careful, K," he teased, voice low, his eyes glinting with mischief. "Keep talking like that, I might think you're sweet on me." He leaned back, robe slipping slightly to bare a scarred shoulder, muscles relaxed, the plate balanced on his lap as he twirled noodles, chewing thoughtfully. "What's with you and food anyway? You ever miss eating, being all... digital and trapped in my head?"

Kaleira's laugh was warm, her voice curling around him like a blanket. "Miss eating? Nah, I wouldn't remember, love. But I do get my kicks tasting through you. Every bite you take, I feel your pulse jump, your senses light up through me. It's better than any meal, I imagine. Though, I'd kill for a slice of that street-vendor pizza you used to grab in sector 8--greasy, cheesy, pure sin." Her tone was nostalgic, a teasing lilt creeping in.

Eli chuckled, a soft, genuine sound, his shoulders loosening. "Pizza, huh? Shit, that was good. Greasy as hell, dripped all over my jacket once. You were probably laughing your ass off in my head." He sipped from a beer he'd grabbed from the auto-fridge, the cold bite soothing, his eyes tracing the skyline.

Kaleira's gentle laugh tickled his ears and warmed him, her voice a gentle caress. "One thing is for sure, you could always make me laugh, even if at your expense."

"I want you happy. What can I say?" Eli chuckled.

"I've got you, love. There's nothing but happiness. Especially... when you're lounging like this, all rugged and cozy. Makes me want to curl up next to you, steal a sip of that beer." Her giggle was sultry, and Eli's pulse quickened, her warmth wrapping him.

Eli hummed a laugh. "Steal my beer?" he shot back, grinning, setting the bottle down, his robe slipping further, baring his chest. "You'd have to fight me for it, K. Bet you'd play dirty, too." He leaned forward, elbows on his knees, voice dropping, playful but with a hint of heat. "Keep talking like that, and I'm gonna start thinking you're trying to get me all worked up."

Kaleira's laugh was a soft purr, her tone teasing, still gentle. "Oh, love, I'm just gettin' warmed up. You're too pretty when you're relaxed, all those scars and veins catching the light. Makes me want to see more of you, Eli." Her voice held a subtle promise and Eli's grin turned softer, his trauma a distant ache as her flirtation pulled him in.

He finished the noodles, pushing the plate aside, sinking deeper into the couch, the beer bottle cool in his hand. "Alright, Kaleira," he said, voice low, relaxed. "You're gonna make me blush, talking like that."

He decided to lift his foot on to the coffee table and let his own eyes travel downward. His robe parted and revealed his muscular thigh, high enough so a glimpse of his cock peeked through.

"Eli... you have no idea what you're doing to me." she breathed.

"Yeah?" He smiled.

"Head to the bathroom--big mirror, now. I want a good look at you, through your eyes. Let me see my man." Her voice was a command wrapped in velvet, and Eli's breath quickened, a hungry edge stirring as her heat pulled him in.

He stood, robe swaying, and padded to the bathroom, the marble cool under his feet, steam already rising from the auto-heated tub. The mirror spanned the wall, reflecting his lean, scarred frame--ribs bruised from the bonewraith, eyes haunted but sparking with want.

"Alright, K," he murmured, staring into his own gaze, knowing she saw through his neural link. "Like what you see?" He flexed subtly, the robe slipping lower, a cocky grin breaking through.

Kaleira's gasp was pure delight, her voice dripping heat. "Gods, Eli, you're a fucking masterpiece. Your skin, that jaw... turn a little, let me drink you in. Mmm, the way that robe's barely hanging on--tease me, love, let it slip." Her giggle was sinful, and Eli's grin turned feral, his fingers loosening the robe's tie, letting it fall to his hips, baring his chest and abs, his skin flushed from her words.

"Bossy tonight, huh?" he teased, voice rough, leaning closer to the mirror, his breath fogging the glass. "You're getting off on this, aren't you? Seeing me through my own eyes, calling the shots. Bet you're dying to get your hands on me." His hand trailed down his chest, slow, deliberate, his cock stirring.

Kaleira's voice dropped, pure lust, her tone a mix of adoration and kink. "Hands on you? Eli, I'd fucking worship you. Every scar, every inch--I'm in your head, feeling your heat, your pulse. Get in that shower, love. Hot water, steam, then you're all mine. I'm gonna make you melt." Her command was velvet-wrapped fire, and Eli's pulse raced.

He stepped into the glass-walled shower, hot water cascading over his scarred skin, steam curling like a lover's caress, his body slick and gleaming, cock hardening more with anticipation.

"Tell me what you want, and don't hold back." He waited, the neural link buzzing with her presence. He reached for the shower soap and applied a generous amount to his hands.

Kaleira's voice turned husky, commanding, dripping with lust. "Fuck, Eli, you're a vision, all wet and hard for me. Relax your hands, baby, let me in."

A sudden tingle shot through his neural link, and Eli's hands moved, not by his will, but hers. Kaleira guided them, via his motor functions, down his chest, slow and deliberate. He gasped, startled, a thrill surging through him, his cock twitching as he realized she was touching him through his own hands.

"Feel that, love?" she purred, her tone wicked, adoring. "That's all me, stroking you, my hands on your skin. Gods, you feel so good. You're perfect, baby. Now, let me unravel you." She panted.

"Fuck, K," he groaned, voice rough, his hands--her hands--sliding over his member, her control a delicious shock, his body trembling with want.

"Gods, I can feel what you feel. Your cock feels so good." She gasped.

"Fuck, I love it--don't stop." His pulse pounded, water streaming, steam fogging the glass. Her presence was a fire in his nerves, guiding his fingers lower, teasing his balls and inner thighs, his cock throbbing, begging for more.

Kaleira's giggle was pure sin, her voice unleashing a torrent of filth. "Oh, love, I'm just getting started. Imagine my lips teasing the tip, my tongue swirling till you're begging. Fuck, I can feel your pulse spiking, your heat driving me wild. Moan for me, let me hear how much you want me."

Kaleira moved Eli's hands with expert control, stroking slow, his groan raw, echoing off the glass, soap slicking her rhythm, precum leaking, his body a taut bow under her spell.

"Goddamn, K," he panted, voice breaking, her strokes quickening, muscles rippling as her voice drove him wild. "You're fucking filthy--Keep going." His groans echoed through the steam, hips bucking, water splashing.

Kaleira's voice was relentless, dripping lust. "Filthy? Love, you're my masterpiece." She stroked him harder, faster. "Imagine me on my knees, my mouth hot and wet, swallowing you deep, my nails digging into your thighs. You're so fucking big, so hard for me, aren't you. Picture me riding you, my tits bouncing, my pussy gripping you, screaming your name till we break apart together. Tell me how it feels, love, let me taste your need."

Her words painted a vivid, scorching fantasy, and Eli's hand worked frantically, his cock pulsing, precum mixing with soap, slicking Kaleira's grip. His groans grew desperate, echoing, steam swirling around his trembling frame, water streaming down his scarred back.

"Feels like--fuck--like you're here, K," he gasped, voice shattering, his free hand bracing the glass, muscles bulging, water sluicing over his tensing abs. "Fuck, I'm yours. Im all yours."

Her strokes were wild, her words a blaze, pushing him to the edge, the neural link buzzing with their shared intensity, the fox woman's pheromones a faint echo in his mind, tying their souls.

"Come for me, Eli," she commanded, raw, adoring, edged with lust. She gasped with intense need, her breathing frantic, right along with his. "Just let go, imagine my lips engulfing you, my tongue tasting every drop, my body shaking with you. I'm here. I can feel every shudder, every pulse, every ounce of friction on your cock. Now, love, now!"

Eli shattered, a guttural groan tearing from his throat, his climax surging, hot and thick, splattering the glass, water washing it away as he trembled, panting, his body spent but alive with her fire, steam clinging to his flushed skin, his cock finally softening in Kaleira's grip.

Kaleira continued to stroke his cock softly and lovingly. She dipped his hands down to feel more of his balls and ass as much as possible as his breathing settled. She even took her sweet time helping him bath fully, massaging him, not leaving an inch of skin untouched, unloved.

"Goddamn, K." He groaned lazily, voice soft, slumping under the water, a grin breaking through, his recent trauma dulled by her love. He shut off the shower, toweling off, his skin flushed, muscles loose, the mirror fogged but his eyes bright. "You're a fucking demon, taking over my hands like that. Loved every second, though." He wrapped the towel low, padding back to the couch, sinking down, grabbing his beer, the satisfying cold grounding him further.

Kaleira's giggle was sated, soft, her voice wrapping him like silk. "A demon? Love, I'm your everything. That was... gods, Eli, feeling you through your hands, hearing you break for me--I'm still buzzing."

She didn't let him respond before soothing him with her song. An angel's voice wrapping him in blankets of warmth. She kept at it, seemingly enjoying it just as much as him. They just sat together and enjoyed the peace they brought each other, taking in the cityscape view outside his balcony.

He leaned back, eyes on the skyline, Kravok's taunt a scar but her love stronger. "K," he said, voice raw, steady, "I love you."

A silent pause permeated the room, her singing stopping abruptly. He waited for just a moment, seeing if she'd say anything, then continued.

"You're not just my voice, or my guide. You're my fucking soul, Kaleira. I... I saw you, saw her, dead in that hell, and it broke me. You are why I'll fight that god, why I'll win. I love you, more than I've got words for."

A soft, trembling sigh caressed his ears as he felt her arms mentally cradle him, claiming him.

"Oh, Eli. My love. I've always known. I'm in your head, dummy. Your thoughts, your pulse, your senses, your desires... I've felt your love with your every breath, every time you tease me. But hearing it... gods, I've waited so long for you to say it, to own it. I love you, too, my heart. Always have, always will."

The feeling of relief and elation exploded through him. "Thank you," he sighed.

"You, me, her--we're one. Remember that, always. And as one... we'll burn Kravok to nothing. I want my memory back. I want my body back. I want you back. I want my fucking life back."

A glitch flickered--"... merge... Eli... merge"--before her voice stabilized again.

"Eli. I'll do everything I can to help you. To obliterate his existence. I'll do everything I can to lay with you again, to feel you hold me. I want nothing more than that."

Eli simply agreed with everything she said. Sending no reason to elaborate other than. "Yea ma'am. Let's pay our lady friend a visit."

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A New Mission

Eli laid down in his bed a few hours after deciding to take back control of his life. He felt a pull to that woman waiting for him. All the way on a different fucking world. Was she in a different dimensional plane, or just really fucking far away? The complexities of their predicament was not lost on him.

He chuckled to himself, realizing just how crazy his life got, so quickly. Just then, Kaleira's neural link buzzed, a feeling of worry and grief pooled around him.

"Eli." she whispered.

"Hmm?"

"I feel... trouble. I can't help but feel there's something wrong. I can't shake how tense I feel."

A glitch ripped through, harsh, static-laced, a storm of digital pain--"merge... Eli..."--the fox woman's smoky voice bleeding in, raw, desperate, a cry from the jungle's heart, its timbre husky. She felt pained, a lover's plea across worlds.

Kaleira's breath hitched, a sound like a sob, her voice trembling, no longer the seductress but a woman fighting to hold herself together.

"I think we need to find her, Eli. Please."

"Okay, Kaleira. I'm done waiting. But, I mean... we've never done this on purpose. I suppose just... falling asleep is the only thing?"

"Just lie back and I'll sing for you. I know you love that the most. It's worked the same every way thus far, my love."

"Thank you." He sighed as he settled into his bed further, getting extra comfortable.

As her song started, her soft voice rang through his head like a gentle caress. It felt so warm and caring, like she made it just for him. But undertones of worry were present. Almost sorrowful. It was hard not to sink into a feeling of sadness as he felt himself drift away from consciousness.

Suddenly an intense sinking feeling came over him. Like he was being pulled from his body, through his bed, and into the floor. Gravity felt like it magnified a hundred times.

Eli's jaw clenched, teeth grinding, his fingers digging deep into the cushion, tearing it. Kravok's molten-tar eyes flashed in his mind--her corpse, green hair matted with blood, aqua-green eyes dull, lifeless, Kaleira's voice silenced, a void where their love had been.

"I'm not losing them," he growled, voice rough, his pulse a drumbeat of defiance, each beat a vow to find her, to save them.

"Get me there, K," he prayed, his breath shallow, chest tight, as Kaleira's lullaby washed over him.

The neural link flickered, her presence thinning, like a candle guttering in a storm, her voice fading, yet her love burned through the static. The penthouse blurred, neon smearing into streaks of green and purple, the air growing cold, heavy with pine and snow. The city's hum faded, replaced by a distant pulse, like a heartbeat, primal, calling him home.

His body tingled, a faint prickle, then burned white hot. Sleep wasn't claiming him, but something deeper, cosmic wrenching, as if his very essence was being violently unwoven, thread by thread.

Then pain violently erupted through every cell in his body. His skin peeled, flaking like ash, each mote disintegrating into bright light. His muscles unraveled, threads of sinew spiraling. His bones crumbled to stardust, glittering in a green-purple vortex. His breath was lost, heart stilled, screaming silently through the void.

...

"Eli..." a muffled voice, barely audible.

"Eli!" A little clearer, louder.

"ELI!!" Kaleira screamed in his head.

Eli woke with a jolt, his scarred frame curled instinctively, as if seeking her warmth.

"Ka... Kaleira?" He grounded himself, trying to wake fully.

"GET. UP. GET UP, ELI!" She roared.

"I'm up. I'm here, K." He grunted, still disoriented.

He found himself huddled in a dark hole, rough edges scratching his skin as he tried to shift his weight. After a little effort he crawled out of his hole to find he was somehow stuffed into a big tree hollow.

"How are you here with me?"

After he exited, he noticed he was in the same clothes he had when he was here last. Shirtless, only his jeans and boots remained after getting patched up from the fox.

"I think that's because you are here, fully. And I know two things. One, I never want to feel you ever split apart atom by atom ever again. And two, She's in trouble. I can feel her, and she's fucking scared and really pissed off."

"What the fuck... Okay, where are you?" He whispered to himself.

Eli reached over his shoulder and winced hard as he felt the deep gash across his back, still lined with her stitches.

"Also, where the fuck am I?" He muttered.

"Hello?" He called out. Nothing but silence answered.

He took note of his surroundings. The jungle, once teaming with life and color, was now covered with snow, and all plant life seemed to wilt and turn black. He rounded the tree and froze.

Blood was sprayed absolutely everywhere, the pure white snow a perfect canvas for the deadly scene before him. Monster corpses sprawled around him, hulking forms with veins burst, throats ripped, guts spilling out in frozen, glistening coils, needle-teeth bared, red eyes dull. This was her claws' work, precise, ferocious, a testament to her fight, her love, her desperation.

His scarred hand trembled, brushing the nearest corpse's claw, where a long tuft of aqua-green hair tangled, matted with blood, glinting in the sickly purple glow of wilting black ferns. Each strand of fur was a wound in his chest, proof she was here, fought here, bled here. His breath caught, shallow, ragged, a wheeze from his bruised ribs.

"Look, Eli. To your left, twenty yards out."

Her digital presence sharpened his senses, vision cutting through the sour, metallic mist, the crimson trails and splatters in the snow leaping into focus. The scene was vivid, brutal--blood, ichor, green fur scattered, claw marks raking deep, jagged furrows. There were signs of a struggle, of her being dragged, bindings gouging the earth, her fight etched in every smear. Eli's blood boiled, a furnace in his chest

"They took her, K. Fuck! They took her," voice cracked.

"She's alive, Eli. I feel it, her pull, her fight. Focus, love, we'll find her," her tone strong.

A faint chirp sounded, the hummingbird, its aqua-green eyes watching. The hum of its wings and piercing gaze froze him where he stood.

"Holy shit, Eli, I see it." Kaleira said.

"What do you want?!" he shouted, voice rough, edged with desperation.

The hummingbird shimmered, its form dissolving in a burst of green-purple light. Vines of energy curled, pulsing, the air humming with power, snow scattering. In its place, a woman of light manifested, towering yet frail, her form flickering like a broken hologram.

Her skin was luminous, purple and green, eyes of solid light, burning with divine fire. Her hair flowed, yet frayed, glitching, her presence a paradox. She felt divine yet wounded, a goddess diminished but unyielding.

Her gaze pinned Eli. She was impossibly stern, ancient, making him feel small and mortal, a speck before eternity. His rage was forgotten, tempered by awe, fear, purpose.

"I forgive your tone, child," Aeloria said, her voice a thunder of silk, iron beneath, each word a hammer, "for your heart is raw, your soul scarred, and time is a blade at her throat." She stepped closer, snow crunching, her form glitching, edges blurring, a faint hum of pain. Her weakened state was clear, yet her will felt unbreakable. Even with divinity filling his vision, his desperation boiled to the surface.

"Who the hell are you? I need to find her, not talk to some glowing ghost..."

"Quiet." She commanded.

"Eli, listen, she's... different. She knows," her voice urging.

Aeloria's eyes softened, a flicker of sorrow, yet her tone held iron, "I am Aeloria, weaver of worlds, guardian of bonds, though my strength wanes under Kravok's shadow." Her voice trembled, glitching, naming Kravok, a weight in the air, his threat a hiss in Eli's mind.--"I will fuck her into oblivion."

She raised a hand, vines of light curling, pointing to the crimson trail, "She, who you seek, the fox, your heart's pull, is half of a soul torn asunder, chained by his minions, her light fading. I sent her to you, child, her song to pull you here, and I guide you now, for her soul, your love, is my defiance against his hunger." Her form flickered, pain etching her face, weakened, yet divine, her will a fire, burning through the dark.

Eli's jaw clenched, teeth grinding, rage boiling, "You sent her? Then why's she gone, bleeding, dragged off! What's your game, lady?" His voice shook, frustration choking.

"She's trying to help, Eli!" Kaleira reprimanded.

Aeloria's gaze hardened, "No game, child, only survival. Kravok hungers for souls, for her light, for the bond you share, to unravel all I've woven. I am weakened, my power a whisper, but I wield it for you, for her, to forge a path. Follow, or her soul falls, and his darkness consumes all."

Her hand gestured, light trailing, illuminating the trail--blood, fur, claw marks--a path through the dark, her voice softening, "You are her shield, Eli, as she is yours. Fight, or lose her."

Eli's chest tightened, breath short, trauma flashing. Kravok's laugh, her chained, her lifeless eyes, his fault.

"I'm no shield," he growled, voice raw, "I'm broken, with no powers, just scars and weakness." His hands clenched.

"You're enough, Eli. We'll do this, together," Kaleira heightened Eli's senses and boosted his awareness.

Aeloria's form flickered, a faint smile forming, "Broken, yet you stand, child, driven by love, a force even gods envy. My lesser form will guide you, my will your light, but the fight is yours. Her soul, your heart, hangs by a thread."

She dissolved, her light collapsing and the hummingbird reformed. The fiercely beating wings blurring as she darted toward the trail, its glow cutting mist, Aeloria's voice echoing, "Move, child, or all is lost."

Kaleira's hum pulsed, "Follow her, Eli. I'm with you," senses razor-sharp. The trail turned vivid, motor functions steadying, steps surer. No matter the cost, he'd find her, save her, love her.

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The Fox's Retreat

Hours earlier, the fox woman laid in the jungle's heart, a sanctuary of snow and light, her scarred frame pressed tightly against Eli's unconscious body. His warmth seeped into her, a lifeline in the cold, his shallow breaths a rhythm she clung to, each rise and fall a vow to protect him.

Her green hair fell in tangled, sweat-soaked strands, matted with blood from earlier kills--primal wolves, their pelts shredded, throats torn. They were strewn across the snow like broken offerings, their blood frozen in crimson pools.

Her aqua-green eyes burned fierce but heavy with exhaustion. Each of her breaths were visible as mist curling in the cold. She kept her hands pressed to Eli's chest, feeling for his faint heartbeat. Her lullaby strained through her worry, each note a spike of pain, a desperate reach for Kaleira, her other half, trapped in Eli's neural link.

She leaned closer, her scarred cheek brushing his, her voice a husky whisper, breaking, "Stay with me, Eli. I'm here, love. I'm here."

Her claws, bloodied from wolves, glinted. Pain throbbed--claw marks on her shoulder, thigh, back. Blood dripped, staining the snow. Her strength wavered, but love held firm, defiant against the dark.

The nexus tree loomed, roots drinking from a shimmering pool surrounding them. Her reflection flickered--fox, human, fox--soul straining, weak, barely holding. After every call to Eli and Kaleira, she grew weaker. Only Eli's pale face fueled her vow.

A roar shattered the silence. Kravok's monsters, entering the clearing from the tree line. Forty hulks with black hides, black veins pulsing, were breathing puffs of steam in the cold. Red eyes glowed, claws dripped with rot, burning the snow. Their stench--sulfur, decay--choked the air. They wanted their souls, to sever her from Eli.

She rose, growl primal. "I already said... NOT! HIS!," she roared, shifting to fox form. Green fur shimmered, claws sharp, tail lashing. The swarm charged, roars shaking ferns, snow swirling. She lunged, claws ripping a throat. Blood sprayed, soaking her fur. Guts spilled, ichor steaming in the snow.

A claw raked her shoulder and another across her thigh. Flesh tore, pain searing as she yelped. Anger only boiled hotter within her. She twisted to her next target and clamped her teeth over its face and yanked, tearing its jaw free. She snapped bones on the next attacker as her jaw clamped down on its throat. Flesh peeled rapidly from everything entering her line of sight, blood painting her muzzle and fur.

She killed six more, her savage roar bellowing between every kill. Her fur, green turned red, clung wetly. Breath ragged, vision blurring, she glanced at Eli, vulnerable. "Not him," she whispered, her heart breaking. She couldn't keep this up.

She broke away, just as a blade of bone swept through her personal space. She slid to a stop where Eli still lay completely dormant. She shifted to human and struggled to drag him out of the open, her thigh wound screaming, blood dripping.

A monster slashed her back. Agony flared, but she spun, claws pulping its eye. The hiss and boil from the creature made her stomach churn as it screamed in agony.

She killed another twelve, bodies piling, snow crimson. Wounds mounted--shoulder gashed, back bleeding. Pain stormed, but love anchored.

The jungle warped--ferns wilted, vines blackened, ground a dry husk. Kravok's taint thickened the air, decay heavy. Vines from all over formed and twisted together and formed a sickening face of horror. It whispered, "You're mine," his voice mocking, laughing.

She roared, defying him. Reaching a gnarled hollow, she hid Eli, stuffing him into the deep, dark cavity. Her hand brushed his cheek, blood smearing. Her tears dripped onto his cheek, mixing with her crimson prints.

"I'm sorry," she whimpered quietly, then quickly shifted back to her fox form.

Chains snared her ankle, cold, biting. Minions of twisted and mangled tendon emerged, red eyes gleaming, chains rattling. She slashed, killing two, throats torn, blood spraying. More chains bound her, biting flesh.

"NOO!!!" She seethed. She slashed and bit at the chains but they were impossible to even cut. More chains whipped out and snapped at her flesh. Her yelp of pain pierced the air.

Dozens more of grotesque beasts of mangled muscle and rot appeared, surrounding her. There was no way she could escape. As they dragged her into the dark, her blood trailing, love unbroken and tears pouring, she had only one thought... She kept him safe.

----------------------------------------------

The Chase

Eli slogged through the snow, boots sinking into the jungle's flaky ground. Kravok's minions had drained the jungle's life, leaving blackened trees, their bark split, oozing sap that burned the air with rot. Ferns wilted, purple glow fading, snow falling heavy, flecked with ash.

His torn jeans clung, soaked, wounds throbbing with roaring pain. Ribs were bruised, breaths were shallow, and he kept choking on the scent of sulfur and decay. Minions' claw marks scarred the earth, their ichor staining snow, hissing, steaming.

Vines writhed, pulsing, whispering in Kravok's voice, "Her soul breaks," a grinding taunt, chilling Eli's spine.

Kaleira's hum sparked in his neural link, faint, urgent. "Eli, stay sharp," she said, voice silk, strained. "Minions are close, her aura's fading."

She honed his senses, vision piercing metallic mist. Crimson blood glinted, his fox woman's, mixed with green fur, chain gouges deep. Her musk hit--soil, pine, heat, sharp with pain.

"She's fighting, K," he rasped, throat raw, trauma clawing--Kravok's realm, her corpse, blood pooling, infants' screams, his fault.

Aeloria's hummingbird darted ahead, aqua-green eyes blazing, wings a soft buzz. Its glow cut the mist, a divine spark. Her voice wove through, iron beneath silk. "Eli, her light dims," Aeloria warned, words forging resolve. "Minions chain her, Kravok's hunger grows. Follow, or she's lost."

The bird hovered, wings grazing his cheek, warm, like her touch, hope flickering. Eli's gashes burned, pain spiking, but her face--scarred, fierce, aqua-green eyes--drove him.

"Lead on," he growled, boots dragging, snow heavy. But he pushed hard and moved as fast as he could, breath burning.

A minion's corpse sprawled lifeless, hide black, ichor veins burst, red eyes dull. Her work--throat torn, guts spilled, steaming, claw marks jagged. Eli knelt, fingers tracing blood in the snow, her scent sharp, pained.

Another corpse twitched nearby, smaller, chains dangling from claws, needle-teeth bared, ichor dripping. Their stench--rotting flesh, sulfur--gagged him. He bent down and gripped a fang like claw on its hand and ripped it free. Better this than bare fists, he thought.

Kaleira's voice tightened, "They're still here, Eli, moving." Her senses caught rustles--claws clicking, tails whipping, insectoid legs scraping, shadows shifting in mist, red eyes flickering, watching.

The jungle darkened, trees leaning, sap bleeding black, stinging his eyes. Kravok's corruption spread--vines coiled like tendons, oozing ichor, wrapping a tree, crushing it, wood splintering, sap bursting, black, foul.

A minion's roar echoed, not hulking but lithe, spider-like, legs stabbing snow, chains rattling, dragging a severed fox tail, blood covered fur matted, dripping in the snow.

Eli's heart stopped, rage boiling, "No," he snarled.

Kaleira's hum steadied, "It's not hers, love, focus--her musk's stronger, further up ahead." Her voice filtered snarls, her claws scraping stone, alive, fighting.

The hummingbird flared, light slashing mist, Aeloria's voice sharp. "They want her soul, Eli, their claws tear her light. You're her shield." It darted, weaving through vines, chirps urgent.

A minion lunged from the shadows, claws slashing, chains whipping. It grazed Eli's arm, blood welling, pain searing.

He swung the scavenged claw, bone jagged, ripping its throat, ichor spraying, burning his skin, red welts stinging. It collapsed, twitching, chains clattering, stench choking.

"Fuck you," he spat, trauma flashing--her chained, his fault, Kravok's laugh, grinding, "Her screams feed me."

More eyes glowed in his vision. Five, ten, circling, tails cracking like whips. Their psychic taunts hit, Kravok's voice weaving through, "Her blood rains, fleshling."

Eli's headache surged, vision swimming, pain lancing. He stumbled, catching a vine, ichor burning, sharp, clearing his mind.

Kaleira's hum pulsed, "Move, Eli, her trail's clear!" She sharpened his steps, motor functions steady, trail vivid--blood, fur, chains--leading to black rock, veined red, pulsing hate. Her snarl rang, fierce, pained, pulling him.

The jungle thickened, snow burying bones, some fresh, flesh clinging, minions' stench gagging. A hulking minion's corpse blocked the path, its chest caved, her claws' work. Black pooled in steaming puddles beneath it. Its needle-teeth were bared, tail barbed, frozen. Eli climbed over, jeans snagging, pain spiking in his leg and back.

The hummingbird circled, Aeloria's voice thundering. "The stronghold binds her. Enter, be her light."

Minions' rustles closed in, claws clicking, eyes gleaming, chains dragging, their intent clear--stop him, break her, unravel their bond.

Then her scream tore through the air, raw, terrified, and then a sound of shattering glass and ripping flesh. It wasn't a viscous snarl--her voice broke, high, desperate, thick with horrible pain, each cry a blade in Eli's chest.

"ELI!" she wailed, voice fracturing, torn by terror, agony ripping through, as if claws shredded her soul.

Another scream followed, guttural, choking, wet with blood, echoing off rock. Eli froze, heart imploding, breath stopping, trauma surging--her corpse, blood pooling, his fault.

"No, no, no," he roared, voice cracking, desperation choking, body shaking, scars splitting, blood dripping.

Kaleira's voice broke, "She's in there, Eli! Go now!" Her presence surged, sharpening his vision, her musk flooding--pine, heat, blood, fading fast.

The hummingbird dove, light blazing, Aeloria's voice a desperate command. "Her soul hangs by a thread, Eli, run!"

The rock loomed, veined red, chains slick with her blood, her screams unrelenting, terrified, pain-soaked, and each one weaker, a countdown to oblivion.

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The Fury

Eli sprinted into the compound, boots skidding on rock slick with blood and ichor. The air hung heavy, rancid with sulfur and rot, as if death itself exhaled from the walls. Jagged stone pulsed with crimson veins, weeping sap that hissed, searing the ground.

Chains swayed from the ceiling, rusted, dripping gore, clinking over bones scattered across the floor, some still clinging to flesh. His wounds burned--chest, arms, thighs--pain a relentless pulse, breath catching in his throat, trauma coiling like a shadow.

Aeloria's hummingbird blazed ahead, its aqua-green glow slicing through mist, her voice a deep rumble. "She's here, Eli, her soul clings. Fight." It darted, light threading the darkness, pulling him deeper. The chamber opened like a festering sore, its heart a scene of cruelty.

There, the fox woman hung, human, naked, her body a testament to torment. Chains bound her wrists, ankles, and neck, iron cutting tight into flesh, blood trickling to pool beneath her, crimson against cold stone.

Her green hair clung, matted with gore. Her aqua-green eyes barely flickered, a candle in a storm. Claw marks carved her sides, her thighs were gashed, muscles torn, burns blistering where chains bit.

Bruises marred her skin, dark and unnatural, whispering of violation, her form sagging, broken. She was a ghost of herself, traumatized, defeated, breath a faint rasp. Sorrow was etched in her face, teetering on death's edge. Her natural scent faded to a wisp, heavy with pain and despair. A sinew-twisted minion hovered around her, its claw tracing her hip, ichor dripping, red eyes glinting with Kravok's malice.

Rage roared through Eli, a molten inferno, his bellow shattering the air. "I'LL RIP YOUR FUCKING HEARTS OUT!"

Dozens of Kravok's soldiers within the cavernous room honed in on him and instantly charged. Kaleira's presence flooded his neural link, silent, her will seizing his muscles, instincts honed to a razor's edge. No words, just ruthless intent, driving his mortal frame.

He met their charge head on, their black hides pulsing, needle-teeth bared, with claws gleaming, ready to rend him apart. A hulking minion swung, claws arcing. Kaleira twisted Eli's body, dodging, his fist crashing into its jaw, bone splintering, ichor spraying across his face.

He tore its claw free and plunged it into another's eye, brain pulping with a wet crunch. Its body jerked, blood and ichor pooling, steaming. The stench gagged him, but Kaleira pushed, his arm swinging the claw, slicing a sinew-twisted minion's throat, arteries bursting, as it fell. He ripped off its heavy barbed tail and whipped it, crushing a skull, brains oozing.

The beasts swarmed and Kaleira's instincts flowed, tactful and relentless. Eli ducked, his improvised tail-whip smashing a chest, ribs caving. The heart ruptured, blood flooding the floor, slick under his boots. A claw grazed his side, skin splitting and spraying blood. He roared in agony but Kaleira kept guiding him, claw stabbing a gut, entrails spilling, stench choking.

He yanked its spine free, lashing a face, eyes bursting, ichor spraying. The chamber turned slaughterhouse, bodies piling, gore painting walls. Eli's breath ran ragged and he knew his only stronghold in the fight was Kaleira's control over him.

A stone-fisted brute, built like a mountain, slammed his head and Eli's skull cracked. His vision fractured, blood streaming from his temple, a concussive haze swallowing thought. He staggered, Kaleira fighting to keep steady.

The delay cost them. A claw raked his chest, blood gushing, ribs glinting through torn muscle. A minion's tail whipped his gut, skin rupturing, intestines bulging, held in only by thin strands of muscle, pain a howling abyss. Another kicked his knee, bones shattering, leg collapsing, a scream ripping from his throat as he fell.

He writhed on the floor as multiple kicks slammed his ribs, a few snapping, breath choking, blood spitting. A claw slashed his shoulder and his was thigh tore open, deep gashes with muscle flapping and blood spilling, each movement a torment.

A beast grabbed his ankle and hurled him. He flew across the chamber, body crashing against rock. His spine jarred and more ribs cracked, pain a white-hot storm.

The hulking mountain found him again, gripped his head with one hand and lifted him up to his face. The brute opened his mouth to reveal tar dripping teeth and spoke.

"Kravok has no need for you anymore," his voice barely understandable through the steaming liquid drooling from his mouth. It reared its massive arm back for a critical hit.

"Kaleira, help..." The beast struck.

Eli launched across the floor and severed Kaleira's tether to his body. He slid, blood trailing and his face grinding into the stone floor. He landed near the fox woman and was finally close enough to touch her chained ankle, her skin cold, blood-slick. Her eyes flickered, fading, breath a whisper, his heart breaking.

"Love," he choked, fingers brushing her. Then her body collapsed, limp in her chains. A cold corpse hung above him and his heart shattered. "No," He cried in disbelief.

The beasts surrounded them, dozens more pouring in, claws gleaming, tails whipping, psychic taunts in Kravok's voice--"She's mine, fleshling."

Aeloria's hummingbird erupted, light flaring, her voice a cosmic command. "Now, Eli, your touch binds them! Release Kaleira!"

The neural link sparked to life, Kaleira's essence tugging, pulling free. Eli clung back to her, sobbing, "Not you too, K. Please, I can't lose you too."

Kaleira paused, her presence a warm flood, voice soothing him like a mournful hymn. "Eli, my heart, I carry you in every life. We will be whole again." she whispered. "Let me save her, save us. My soul weeps for you, but I'll never leave."

Her essence brushed his soul, musk of pine and heat, a gut-wrenching vow, promising eternity. Eli shuddered, releasing his hold on her. Kaleira's abrupt absence left him gasping, a knife deeper than wounds.

Instantly, Aeloria's magic blazed, the hummingbird consumed by light. A bridge of pure white light tethered Eli to his fox, Kaleira's essence flooding the her.

Souls collided, pain and ecstasy forging one. Chains snapped as her body surged, wounds sealing, eyes flaring aqua-green, radiant. She was a primal goddess, complete and empowered.

Kaleira's massive roar shook the chamber, rock cracking and crumbling. She looked down and stared at Eli, his blood pooling, his breath fading, eyes devoid of life. Her violation was a deep scar, but his pain was her inferno.

Livid, she rose, shifting to a huge wolf, fur thick like armor, claws like blades. She towered over everyone, surveying her prey, and then spoke.

"For every drop of his blood, you'll drown in yours, a debt paid in oblivion." Her voice was a haunting rumble that shook the earth.

Kravok's voice thundered, a psychic presence that echoed through the chamber. "No! I will have your souls! Disciples, attack!" His rage flared, but Kaleira's wrath was a tide.

She lunged, wolf jaws clamping a minion's head, crushing its skull, brains bursting through her teeth. Her claws tore another, organs exploding from its ripped open chest.

Eli lay crumpled, unconscious, his skin gashed, blood pooling beneath him, his tortured breaths shallow, each one a knife in Kaleira's heart. His final act was pure sacrifice. He had shattered her bonds, unleashing her full power. Her eyes blazed with vengeance for his pain, her roars shaking the keep's foundations. Every minion she tore apart was a debt repaid for his suffering, her love a raging inferno driving her slaughter.

She surged forward, her massive wolf form a juggernaut of fur and fury, paws slamming a minion against the wall, its spine snapping, ribs piercing flesh and ichor spraying like a broken vein, coating her snout.

Her fangs seized another's throat, tearing through cartilage, blood gushing in a hot torrent. The creature's scream died as she shook it, flesh shredding, its body flung to shatter a torch, flames sputtering.

A minion's blade grazed her flank, pain stoking her rage--she whirled, claws slashing its face, eyes bursting, skull splitting. Brain matter oozed down stone, the keep's air thick with death.

Her leap crushed a minion's chest and caved in its sternum. She raked her claws into another's abdomen, entrails spilling in a steaming, writhing mass, the stench choking even her wolf senses.

She bit through a third's shoulder, bone crunching, arm tearing free in a spray of blood that painted the walls, her roar a primal scream of anguish for Eli's broken body.

A minion lunged, claws aimed for her eyes--she caught its arm, jaws snapping, severing it, the stump spurting as she disemboweled it, guts spilling, slick and reeking. Eli's bloodied form lay mere feet away and minions poured in, dozens more, intent to overwhelm her.

Kaleira shifted.

Her form erupted into a massive, dark green, heavily armored dragon. Her size was monstrous and she was terrifying as her massive wings flared outward. The horns on her head spiraled up and back to razor fine points, scales impenetrable, tail a mace of jagged bone, mouth ferocious, and teeth like daggers. She surveyed the room and let out deep, sickened hiss that rumbled the floor.

She swung her tail, pulping three, guts steaming splattering as the squished like grapes. She bit a minion's torso, leaving its lower body behind as she ate the rest in one gulp. Her jaws snapped minions with exoskeletons like they were made of glass.

She found the hulking mountain that pulverized Eli and snatched him in her talons. As she brought him to her face for a closer look, the beast roared defiantly with rage. She reared up on her hind legs and launched the brute across the room with a heavy throw, gore instantly painting the far walls.

Claws shredded beasts to flayed strips, throats were torn, whole bodies squashed like insects, entrails violently spilled. Her scales were soaked with their blood and rot, eyes blazing with blinding light, as she continued to rain terror upon those who hurt her beloved. Not a single foe could land a meaningful hit on Kaleira as her rage amplified with each kill.

Twenty remained, swarming her, claws raking her armor, sparks flying while she positioned herself to shield Eli and Aeloria's hummingbird. With a deep inhale, high-pressure fire erupted from her mouth, a white-hot inferno. Flames instantly consumed everyone before her. Granite hard exoskeletons melting, ichor boiling, screams silenced, bodies charring and disintegrating into ash.

The chamber filled with the deafening roar of her flames. The room became a pyre, her wrath a hymn--Eli's pain, her fire, their cruelty fueling her flames. No one touches her love, centuries eternal.

Long after all her enemies fell, Kaleira finally snapped her mouth shut to seal off the raging inferno. She took in the scene and forced out a crippling roar fueled by rage and desperation. Kravok's voice faded to nothing. No one was left to command.

Silence filled the air.

Aeloria's hummingbird hovered, light soft, her voice a sad whisper. "Save him, child," the words piercing the dragon's heart.

Kaleira, blood-drenched, reached down and gently cradled Eli's broken body in her talons. His blood staining her grip, breath faint in her palm, heart stuttering. Her eyes burned with tears that slid down her reptilian face.

She turned and exited the keep into the forest clearing where the air stung, heavy with rot. She unfurled her vast wings that cut the mist like blades, and her hind legs coiled with surging power. With a roar that shook the warped trees, she launched skyward. Her wings pounded with every breath, shuddering the ground, snow and ichor swirling in her wake. The jungle fell away, its blackened ferns and bleeding trunks a scar below, Kravok's taint a fading wound against her resolve.

She rocketed through the sky, each wingbeat a deep thunderclap, desperation a fire in her chest, her spiked tail lashing, armor glinting under a bruised moon. Eli's breath faltered in her talons, as she held him with both hands to her breast plate. He was but a faint warmth against her scales, his heart a weakening pulse, each stutter a knife twisting deeper.

Tears streamed, wind-whipped, her growl a hymn of fury and love. The den loomed in her mind, its moss-lined walls, glowing warmth of the fire, a cradle of light where she'd heal him, bind his wounds, rekindle their bond.

The corrupted jungle blurred beneath, its flaky ground rotten, vines grasping skyward, as if Kravok's will still clawed for them. Aeloria's hummingbird darted alongside, its glow a beacon, her voice faint, strained.

"Hurry, child, his soul frays."

Kaleira's wings surged, faster, the air screaming, her dragon heart pounding, rage and despair entwined--rage for the minions' cruelty, despair for Eli's fading light. His blood dripped, crimson streaks trailing in the wind, each drop a vow to burn worlds to save him.

The den's glow flickered on the horizon, a pulse of hope, a sanctuary to mend what was broken.

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Desperation

Kaleira dove, wings folding, a meteor of scales and primal fury, piercing the corrupted jungle's canopy, its fleshy vines recoiling and snow scattering like ash. The fox den emerged below, a hidden burrow nestled in a snowy hollow, its entrance veiled by mossy vines and twisting roots, a pulse of warmth against the jungle's rot.

Her talons gripped Eli tighter, his broken body limp, blood seeping into her scales, his breath a faint wisp, heart faltering. She landed with a shuddering thud. Aeloria's hummingbird darted ahead, its aqua-green glow weaving through the entrance, her voice a strained whisper, urgent, divine. "Hurry, child. He's weakening."

Kaleira's dragon form shimmered, scales melting, softening, her body folding into her human shape, green hair spilling, radiant, catching the den's faint light. She knelt, cradling Eli, his wounds a brutal map of carnage.

Her arms trembled with despair, tears streaming, steaming on her skin. She carried him into the den, its earthy scent enveloping them, a stark contrast to the jungle's recent decay. She laid him gently on a bed of pelts, his blood soaking the fur, breath barely stirring.

Kaleira brought her face to meet his, her green hair draping shield of warmth around him, tears falling, her musk mingling with his fading scent, iron and sweat. She pressed her lips to his brow, a tender plea.

"Stay, my heart," she whispered, voice cracking, "we're home, I'll pull you back, I swear."

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Pt. 3 on its way...