I woke up without any pain.

My body was numb, not like I was drugged, but like what happens when you stay up too long and your body craves sleep. Slime encrusted my eyes, making it impossible to open them. From the cold, wet feeling, the slime covered my face, even opening my mouth didn't seem possible.

Laying there, trying to feel something, I realized I hadn't breathed for at least two minutes. My lungs started to feel uncomfortable. Not hurting or burning like when you are desperate for air, just a gentle reminder that air is necessary. The slime filled my nose, making breathing impossible.

I thought about raising my arm to my mouth, it seemed like too much work. It was peaceful, for the first time I was calm when outside of a dance. Why disturb it until I really needed to breathe? I started counting the seconds.

When I reached two hundred, I finally needed to take a breath. Lazily my hand went to my mouth. At least I tried.

Something slammed into my face, I tasted blood on my tongue, it felt like I'd been lightly punched. My hand was touching air, my forearm was covered in greasy, cold liquid. Dragging my arm across my face, I could breath again. More carefully, my hand wiped the slime away, letting me open my eyes, the room was full of colours I couldn't describe.

I saw all the usual colours, but there were others that I'd never seen before, brighter than the sun, darker than the depths of the deepest ocean. The pine trees, rocks, grass and water surrounding me changed and wavered, shifting shape, melting, turning into gas, changing elements, solidifying into squares with eight sides, spinning in place, and moving a thousand kilometers away at the same time, yet remaining stubbornly solid.

A hand picked up a pebble. It hummed, vibrating so gently I couldn't see it moving. But I knew it was dancing to a song only the universe could hear. As I watched, the humming changed, it grew legs, crawling onto the arm holding it. Eggs fell from its hard body, they drilled into the pale flesh, blossoms of amber erupted from the holes, forming vines and thorns, circling the slender arm, driving roots and thorns into the veins and skin, thickening as they drank deeply.

The long fingers, my fingers, bent as the amber plant-animal encased them, cracking as I moved, forming joints. Thorns or maybe claws burst forth in showers of red from my knuckles and fingertips. Every twitch of my hand clicked like the mandibles of an insect.

My right hand moved of its own accord, it was larger than I remembered, the skin was dark red, the colour of fresh blood. Making a fist, muscles bulged, the knuckles looked almost sharp under the thick leathery skin. Long feminine nails tipped each finger, they were blue, like the water, tipped with whitecaps that roared with the power of the ocean.

Hair tickled my naked back, blowing in a non-existent wind. It felt like wires. Shaking my head, it sounded like screeching metal. Cold, golden wires fell over my eyes, they gleamed in the dim light. Blood beaded on the strands, disappearing a second later.

Looking down, there were breasts, small, firm, muscular. My skin glittered in the unearthly colours I shouldn't be able to see. Spinning, I glowed like a prism, a hundred different colours laughed and danced around me.

Hooves of moonlight, as flexible as my old feet, edged with razors of flames, burning the ground where I stood. The silver light turned into blood red skin as it rose up my smooth, muscular, legs. Stepping forward I felt as light as air, as fast as lightning. The humming of reality screamed with each stepped, changing, recoiling, repulsed and drawn to me.

The grass turned into a perfectly smooth mirror. My vision saw the perfection in it. Kneeling down, I caressed it, my skin was electrified where it touched. My face, my adult female face, looked back at me. I kissed it. Feeling the hard lips, covered in tiny thorns, dripping with poisons, my reflection bled as I did I. My tongue reached out, running over icy fangs, bleeding, hurting, needing more.

Stopping myself, I got to my knees. The mirror was red, cracking where I had kissed it. Snapping, groaning, shattering, I laughed at the pretty music.

Jasper looked at me, his face that humans could see was joyous. The other faces, the faces of the fae, shuddered, whether in ecstasy or horror I didn't know. I didn't care. I could see that he was weak. Desperate for power, yet limited, servile. But useful. A warrior needs a craftsman, and he was an expert in his craft.

Walking on thunder, I went to him, towering over his once terrifying form.

“You've done well. Continue to help me, and you shall be rewarded,” I told him. My smile split my face apart, my voice was the fluttering of butterfly wings.

“Thank you,” he preened. “I will of course help my greatest creation.”

"Can Calandri change me, like she did before?" I asked.

"So long as she's you're leader there is nothing I can do to stop that. But to change you now, she'd be a fool," he said, looking at me with love.

The answer didn't satisfy me, but that was not his fault. I kissed his forehead.

Turning away, I howled into the air. For once it was not in pain, not in terror. It was a greeting. A greeting from a warrior shouting her power to the world and challengers. Demanding respect until someone greater appeared who could defeat me.

Fae came out of the woods, eager to see what new thing had been created, like children running to see a parade.

Watching them, I looked for what I needed. A human like rose, came from a bush of thorns, garbed in a dress of pink and green. I was on her before she could scream, my hand on her throat, my lips almost touching her mouth, my amber claws pressing into her stomach. “I need clothes,” I whispered. “Give me yours.”

She struck at me, raking my naked stomach with her thorns. I barely felt it. My hand tightened. “One last chance.”

**

Closing my eyes, I felt the tug of Crier. Lifting the hem of the petal dress to keep the fragile fabric from ripping, I walked through the woods, forcing the path before me.

The sword would learn who was master. And then so many others would as well.

I laughed.

**

The land twisted and bent around me. The shapeless, ever changing nature of the outer steading, shaped only lightly by the human slaves who were kept near the heart of the land, fought me. The path turned, changed, twisted. With new eyes, I watched time flowing, splitting apart, recoiling, circling into itself only to shatter apart into raindrops pooling once again into something new, bringing the past, present, future, what was, what could be, and what is into the now.

If I had been normal, if it had been that morning again, I'd have been lost. Wandering in circles. Now I saw it clearly. There was one constant for me. Crier of Souls. It was part of me now, until it was taken from my hand. It pulled me, gave me a place to go. I followed like a dog on a leash.

When the path twisted, I broke through the rain of glass angels, each one screaming in fear. Breaking a new trail, cutting through trees of flesh that grasped my skin, moaning of the pleasures to be had if I simply sat beneath their boughs for a time. Children of sunlight, speaking through rainbows sang to me, their songs of love turning to hate as I crossed their path, changed by the miasma surrounding surrounding me.

A black dog, its eyes level with my own growled in a mist of its own making, red eyes burning like the fires of hell my aunt was so fond of telling me about. Its lips parted, revealing bloodstained teeth, and a throat as black as the depth of space, it panted, drawing the light into the never ending blackness. An owl, black feathers blazing brightly in the dark with souls, shrieked above the dog, watching me with human eyes.

I smiled at them, flashing my own fangs of freezing ice. “You want death?”

They nodded.

“Come with me, and there shall be death.”

The owl, as large as a child, launched itself at me with a lonely, banshee like wail. It shrank as it flew, landing easily on my shoulder. The claws of dirt drew some blood. I nuzzled the cool feathers with my cheek. My fingers wiped the blood from my silken pink dress. The black dog came to my side, licking my hand clean.

We marched on.

**

The sterile hallway, filled with half seen human shapes, ended abruptly. Opening a random door, I was in the beating, heart-like antechamber. My new companions shifted, smelling the future, excited at what was too come.

Knocking on the hard wooden door, I whispered almost lovingly to it. “Paula.”

The door shifted, creaking, protesting. Running my hand down the wood that was older than the trees, I pushed. “Paula. Paula. Paula. Paula. PAULA!”

The door screamed. Cracks erupted from the frame. Splinters tore into my hand. The door opened.

Paula's room lay before me. It was brightly lit, a beautiful couch sat before the largest tv I'd ever seen. The walls were lined with alcohol and candy. There were other doors. Looking around, I knew why she liked her position so much. Grabbing a bottle of booze at random I laid down on the couch, taking a drink. It burned on the way down.

My two companions made themselves comfortable.

We were there for a few minutes before Paula walked in. She was saying something to a few people, laughing happily. I had the pleasure of watching the smile on her face freeze, the laugh dying in her throat as she saw me. Confusion reigned, she didn't know if I was a fae, a human, or something else. I couldn't blame her for that, I didn't know what I was either.

I rolled to my feet, taking another sip from the bottle. My golden hair swirled around me. Cracking my amber hand, my flaming hooves scorched the carpet. The owl swooped to the top of the door, eyeing Paula as if she was a tasty mouse. The black dog growled, stepping out from behind the couch.

“Who are you?” she demanded, trying to stare me down. I was impressed that she only trembled a little in fear.

“So many names to choose from. Whichever one shall I choose?” I leered at her, enjoying the fear.

“I-I am protected by the Lady. If you attack me, it shall be as if you attacked her. There shall be repercussions.”

“I've survived worse,” I said, chuckling. “Please get your thugs. You're going to need them.” Omar and his two goons, who'd so recently beaten me almost to death stepped inside. “Omar, it's so good to see you again. Let's see, in the first dance, I kicked your ass and let you walk away with your life. Then you nearly beat me to death. Let's go with best out of three, shall we? Instant death round.”

I threw myself past Paula, pushing the bottle into her arms, aiming for Omars' throat. They were expecting it, but not that fast. Paula was too distracted by the bottle to do more than push me a little, throwing me off balance. Omar for his part, grabbed big foot using him as a human shield. They were fast and it saved their lives for a few seconds.

My hard fist should have hit Omar's sternum, killing him, instead I hit big foot square in the stomach. The hairy man bent double over my fist, vomiting all over the floor. It missed me completely as I spun around them, breaking the fat man's knee with a kick. Screams filled the room. My cheering squad shrieked in pleasure.

Omar jumped away, drawing his tattoo sword. Paula lashed out with a low kick through the falling bodies. I wasn't there anymore, climbing the fat man even as he fell howling in pain. My fists pounded his skull, until he was motionless on the floor.

Rolling backwards to avoid a sword to the head and a fist to the throat, I ended up in the hallway. They tried to slam the door shut, dragging the fat man inside to clear the way. My hooves hit the door, leaving two burning dents in it even as it thumped against the wall. Bodies fell to the floor shaken.

Stepping back into the room, I kicked big foot who was still clutching his stomach, between the legs. He collapsed, blood began to pool around him. Omar tried to take my head off, his colourful sword sparked against my armoured hand. Jumping, my legs encircled his waist as Paula's kicked flew with deadly speed where I'd been.

My sharp, watery nails dug into his back, he screamed. I kissed his neck, the thorns on my lips cutting into his skin, leaving a reddish black liquid on his skin. It seeped into him. He couldn't scream. Paula's fist finally connected with my temple.

I hit the ground, seeing spots.

Paula screamed.

Laughing, I watched her clutch her wrist. Her hand was so cramped it looked as if it was broken. “Paula, you're not the only one with help.”

Her eyes widened in amazement. “Ant!” she said my name like a curse.

“It's Alex now. Remember that you stupid bitch,” I corrected her. “I can't kill you yet. I want to, but you're not worth dying for. Still your men are dead. If you try anything, I'll kill everyone around you.” As if to make my point, the owl, now the size of a car flew down, grasping the fat man in its talons flying through the ceiling. The black dog grabbed Omar, who had fallen to the ground barely breathing, by the head. The two of them disappeared into the growing pool of blood coming from big foot.

Grabbing her by the neck forcing her to bend down a little, my hair stroked her terrified face, with my lips brushing her ear, I laid down the law. “I'm the top bitch now. If you don't believe me, you can throw anything you want at me. But every time you do, I'll take something from you. If you push me too far...” I paused remembering something she had told me before. “I'll make your life a living hell until you beg me to kill you, until you are licking my shoes in the hopes that I'll end your living nightmare.”

I turned and walked away, closing the door on my stunned and beaten enemy.

It was time to deal with Crier now.

**
My head hurt a little, I smiled anyways. Compared to what Paula had to be feeling now this was nothing. And quite frankly seeing her scared before me, I'd have cut off my right hand if I'd had to. A few humans were looking out of their rooms wondering what the noise had been. When they saw me, they ducked back inside.

Sin with her glittering skin smiled at me, not afraid of the bloody tracks I left or my new appearance. “You've given yourself over to the dreams. Congratulations. I knew great things would come to you.”

I smiled clicking my fingers together. “They haven't come yet. But soon, very soon they will.”

“I cannot wait to see what you accomplish again, Sorrow.”

Sorrow? I rolled it around my head, whispering it to myself. It sounded good, it was appropriate. “Thank you Sin. I like that name. I'm busy now. Goodbye.”

Rolling my hips as I walked, getting more comfortable with my new body, I went on my way. The face on my door had changed to match my new look turning to amber rather than the old bronze. The woman who looked at me was grinning like a cartoon devil. She looked to be in her twenties, all traces of weakness had been burned from her face. It was appropriate.

Stepping inside, my eyes scanned the room for threats. It was empty except for Crier who laid where I had thrown him. Closing the door, I crouched down. “Crier of Souls, I'm back. We need to talk.”

The tall man rose from the sword. “So you are back with yet another new body. Are you a true fighter now or a scared child seeking help from others?”

My brain wasn't like before, new ideas and concepts were racing through it. I wasn't sixteen years old anymore. “I am me. I am no longer your student. No longer weak and innocent. I don't believe you understand this.”

He raised a well manicured eyebrow in question.

“You were given to me, not won in combat. Since then you have been less than loyal. Giving me hints rather than answers, treating me like a student, even after I proved my worth.” He was still taller than I was, but only by a head. With the feelings rushing through me I didn't care about that little difference. I'd seen him fight, I'd listened to him talking, I'd watched everything about him for weeks. I knew his measure.

“I have treated you as you deserve to be treated. What more do you expect of me?”

Stepping back, putting one leg forward, I raised my hands prepared to fight. “I expect you to be my servant. To do that I need to win you fairly. Prepare yourself.”

“I've told you that I cannot fight a battle for you,” he said looking confused.

I punched him in the chest. It was more of a love tap compared to what I was capable of. Crier stared at me in amazement. Rage twisted his pale, tear stained face. “You hit me!” I heard the clashing of swords in his voice.

“There is only one owner of Crier I can fight, since I am not yet your rightful master. You can yield to me, or fight. Either choice will have the same result.” In a move too fast to see I slapped his face.

Crier the sword appeared in his hand. “You disrespectful little worm. I kept you alive and this is how you repay me.”

I shook my head, never taking my eyes off the ebony blade. “There's no disrespect. You respect strength, I had none so our relationship was uncertain. Now we see who is stronger. Who will be the servant and who will be the master.”

Twisting to the side, I narrowly avoided being decapitated. My own kick at his long leg was easily side stepped. We circled each other, flowing around the bits of furniture, barely even blinking. Metal shrieked against stone as the blade chipped my amber forearm. I threw a hard punch just under his arm.

My head rocked back, blood flowed from my mouth from a hard fist to my jaw. I retaliated stomping his foot. Backing away again, I resisted the urge to shake my head. He was limping a little, but barely slowed. This was fun, a real challenge.

We charged each other.

The air was filled with the sound of breaking furniture, bone hitting flesh, and metal striking rock. I'd never moved so fast, with so much certainty. The second sight was almost distracting. I could see what Crier was going to do, what he was thinking of doing and what he would do if I didn't do something else. My cheek opened up with a long gash, when I saw him kicking my leg, but in reality he was slashing with his sword. Even as the blood ran down my jaw, I kicked him in the shoulder seeing where he was going to be a second before he even moved.

Bruises covered his body, his left arm hung limp. I was cut, bleeding badly and my amber covered hand was cracked, chipped so badly I could see my ghostly white skin beneath the clear golden rock. The room was torn to shreds. The bedpost had fallen, one to a sword, the other to a kick. I'd thrown Crier into the wardrobe. My dresses bloody and ragged, lay strewn on the floor from his desperate struggle to free himself before I could get on top of him.

Crier started talking. “Do you remember sniveling in fear, ready to beg Paula for your life, Ant?”

The room shifted, we were in the round entertainment room, tables were on the walls and even the ceiling. Me, the old me, was pushed up against a table, bloody, crying, with Paula's hand around my neck, trying to choke out an oath to her. Swearing myself to her service. My throat ached in memory.

The black blade struck at my chest. I twisted out of the way, not quite fast enough. I screamed. The cold blade pushed through my flesh, scraping against my collarbone. Crier loomed over me, dragging the sword to the side. My chest and arm were numb, freezing as the muscle was split and torn. With my hand of amber, I grabbed the blade, holding it in place. Another scream as we struggled for control of the blade. My hand began to bleed.

My naked hand grasped Criers wrist. My nails, as sharp as daggers, dug into the flesh and veins. It was his turn to scream, blood ran down my fingers. We snarled at each other unable to move, unwilling to yield. He sawed into my body, I sliced his. Darkness filled my vision.

Letting go of the blade, I leaned in, the blade coming out my back. With my nearly shattered amber hand I grabbed Crier by the neck. Pain spread across his face for a second as I crushed his throat.

I was holding Crier by the hilt, panting with exhaustion. The blood stained blade was quiet in my hand. Falling backwards onto my bed, I heard the sword laughing. I knew it didn't laugh at my weakness, it was a laugh of joy and pleasure, knowing it had a master worthy of holding it.

Bleeding into the sheets, I joined it. I was wounded, but it had been a joyous battle. The first of many more. There would be no more weakness in me, it had been beaten out. No more hesitations, no more qualms, no more mercy.

I could see the future, and there was only glory before me.