[u][b][i]Ten days later. Deep under North Crown...[/i][/b][/u] [hr] No consciousness. No thoughts. No time. Only fusion. A strange bulbous sack had formed around the two Divine Cords which had over the course of ten days woven around one another, encircling each other forming a helix. This strange cocoon of skin was pulled tightly around the strange fetal creature that laid within. This cocoon was pale like snow just like the skin of Oao's former form which laid cast aside next to this growing fetus. It was time to hatch. As the fusion reached it's culmination the form that had grown around the bundle had reached it's emergent state. The glow which seemed to emanate through the thin skin walls dwindled down over the course of her growth. At this final stage the glow had vanished altogether leaving the mass bathed in the deep darkness of this cavern's belly. With a visceral rip the top of the cocoon split in an X shaped tear. The skin ripped along these tear lines, the four corners of the cocoon peeling open like a blossoming flower wrought from human flesh. Pouring from the wounds in the cocoon was blood as well as a strange viscous grey yolk. Coiled in the fetal position of the egg was the shivering new form of Oao, the frigid cavern air bringing chills as the comforting warmth of it's cocoon fell away. Now awake she started to squirm, unused to this new form and how it functioned. Like any newborn it was a struggle to even crawl. She had the innate advantage of not only being a goddess but retaining a portion of the knowledge she held from her previous incarnation. Her knowledge was not fully intact however. Having been reborn to encompass two separate Divine Cords half of her remembered who she was but the other half remembered nothing for it held no memories to even remember. Her memories were fuzzy, half of them missing entirely while the rest were in a jumble thanks to the gaps in her recollection. The events of her life that she could still recall were not sorted quite as they should, simply falling together into a lump without a clear timeline as to when what took place when. _ After a bit of time struggling she brought herself to stand upon shaky new legs. Still caked in the embryonic fluid she cast her sight into the darkness and looked upon herself. She was quite different from meek frail creature that she once was. Having taken on a domain primarily derived from humans her form in turn had taken on a more human likeness. She was taller than before, now standing at around five feet and four inches tall. Her form was shaped into a remarkably more human design which in many aspects was strikingly similar to Anu'Varr's own. Her flesh was no longer barely thicker than string tied around the bones. Her shape was mesomorphic, her flesh filled out with accentuated curvature highlighting her more feminine features. While with Anu'Varr this was to draw out the more carnal desires in the male humans for Oao there was a different purpose to her less meager proportions. Staring at her flesh her skin was still quite pale but it now possessed a grey tint to it. She mentally likened the color to the beam that winded around the divine light during the Divine Cord's conception. With her flesh more filled out she could see pale blue lines visible under the surface. She was familiar with humans and their veins but hers weren't quite the same. They moved, squirming very slowly to the point where it was questionable whether they were moving. What was not questionable were the other movements traveling beneath her skin. Shallow shapes that were ever so faint but definitely there could be seen moving beneath the surface. Tracing lines, questionable ripples and occasionally what appeared to be human faces twisted into expressions of sheer horror would surface just below the skin every so often. It was infrequent enough to not be commonplace but often enough that it was impossible to look at her without seeing the subtle motions taking place beneath that light grey skin, the shallow blue veins an ever constant reminder of the blood that lurks within. It was a design with purpose, one Oao had yet to grasp but a purpose nonetheless. It's likeness to the soft feminine body of a human female served to lull those who observed it into a false sense of security. Beneath it lurked the horrors that all humans held at heart: A fear both of the unknown and of what laid within themselves. Humans are trained by instinct to recognize the human form. Out of all creatures humans identify one another the most readily, able to distinguish one another purely by sight not to mention the other senses involved. It is the dissonance created when the image of a person is distorted, revealed as wrong, that the terror sets in. This uncanny effect combines with the natural horror one feels towards the sight of what belongs inside, things like organs, blood and bone, all things that when seen beyond a person's body provide a grave notice that things are not where they belong. The idea that the very image of a human being, a thing that humanity is meant to empathize with, can be disassembled into bloody parts that most rarely dwell upon but are never without can terrify even the most stalwart of people. Such is the nature of Oao's body, a form in the likeness of a human's idealized form but distorted just enough to remind of the terrors that lay below. Of course further down the arms her hands tell a somewhat darker lesson on the nature of fear. _ Her hands were still similar to how they were before the transformation though larger to keep their proportions matched to the size of this new form. The once thin spider-like fingers had grown thicker, ripened with blood while the finger tips had twisted into gnarled claws. When once she held two fingers now she held four, each finger now as thick as a child's forearm and long enough to wrap around the entirety of a fully grown man's head. As for her feet they had become relatively normal for a human woman, somewhat small and fairly soft which made it easier to sneak about in silence. Her hair was the same as before, long straight hair as black as the night sky which was currently a bit sticky with blood and yolk. As for her eyes they were only slightly different from the last form. They were still as dark as the yawning infinity of the void with naught but a single point of light serving as the pupil but now that point which was once finer than the tip of a needle was now twice as large. The light which shined in the darkness within her eyes was the only light that could be found inside this embodiment of darkness, the light of the Divine Cords themselves. Her teeth were still fine like needles which covered every side of her mouth all the way down her throat. The teeth now seemed to be constantly wet with blood now regardless of what she ingested, the blood always dripping down her fangs regardless of circumstance. Her new form was strange to her. She was unaccustomed to being this tall or sporting this much flesh. It was like a warm coat for her bones which wobbled and squirmed. She felt bloated with all this new blood in her, her muscles now engorged with it. [hr] [u][b][i]Meanwhile near a mountain just south of The Deep Castle...[/i][/b][/u] [hr] It had been some time since her home was destroyed at the hands of the fire tribe, those invaders who destroyed her home and took all who were dear to her. Sitting within a circle of gentle white roses she still could not keep the memories of that fateful day from her mind. It was the worst event in her entire life and, as she believed, had Hayim not saved her that day she would not be alive to recount it. Since her arrival the people of the mountain have been very welcoming and kind to her. She stayed with the wise woman alongside her three daughters. They practiced a fascinating art in which they would shape clay into ornate pots which they used to store their food and belongings. The murals engraved along the sides of the pot painted many stories of the gods, history of the world taught in the form of scenes depicted in clay. It was the cave tribe's main form of art. While she still practiced the ways of her tribe she held great respect for these people who took her in. She could only hope to be able to repay them someday for their kindness somehow. _ Stirring from her daydreams she saw that the sun was beginning to set which meant it was time to return to their village within the cavern. She picked up the clay bowl that she used to carry water to the flowers she was tending to so that she might show them off to Hayim one day. With it she began to walk back to the mountain when she felt a sudden tremor beneath her feet. Great concern flooded her heart as the tremor only continued to intensify with each passing second. She wanted to run out and try to help the other tribe members in case the tremor was causing rock slides but the tremors had gotten so bad that she had to brace herself against a nearby tree in order to not fall. As the tremors only continued to grow in strength she looked in awe as the mountain began to shudder. Suddenly in a terrifying spectacle two beams of intertwined light erupted through the top of the mountain sending forth showers of shattered stone raining down upon the surrounding land. Surrounding the beams was a twisted tower of jet black stone poking up through what used to be the top of the mountain. One beam was the purest shade of white while the other beam consisted of a vibrant green color. Her fear for the lives of those who lived within the mountain was dwarfed by her fear for her own life as a hail of boulders impacted the land around her. Still the rumbling did not cease, the land thrown into turmoil by the outpouring energy. She could see upon the side of the mountain in the distance there were villagers fleeing out the mouth of the cave. What she saw mortified her. _ The people who were fleeing for their lives from the cave appeared to be transforming as they ran. Their flesh was twisting and morphing into bark, their legs quickly changing into roots which grasped into the ground, bringing them to a halt. Their bodies were stretching upwards, their hair changing into branches all tipped with leaves. Their faces were twisted, expressions of horror stretched across the dark wood their skin was becoming. She could hear their screams become wholly unnatural as their vocal cords morphed into strange plant-based fibers but she could look on no longer. Steeling herself she turned to flee lest she befall the fate the village now suffered. As she dodged around a boulder thrown eskew she could see that the rock had developed roots which stuck into the ground as well as small pink flowers which seemed to merge seamlessly onto the stony surface. Even the trees around her seemed to be actively growing before her eyes, their roots elongating as their branches reach for the lights. She ran until a stray root erupted up from the dirt, tripping her. She scrabbled to try and stand up but it seemed another root had grown over her leg, pinning to the earth. She pulled frantically to try and free herself but her efforts were in vain against the mighty strength of the tree's roots. Out of options and now desperate she turned to her last resort: To pray for aid. "Dear Hayim, in this our time of greatest need I beseech thee! Please hear my prayer and save us from... Whatever this is!" With her eyes clenched tight and her hands tightly pressed to her heart she focused on these prayers as hard as she could, hoping down to her very core that her god would save her from the fate which afflicted the unfortunate victims upon the mountain. She could not see but the edges of her arms were turning green, small leaves forming all the way down to her forearms. She could not feel it but her body was already becoming a plant. [hr] [u][b][i]Meanwhile back beneath North Crown...[/i][/b][/u] [hr] Newly born she felt gravely malnourished. Yet to break her body in to the rigors of this world she looked around for something to fill her empty stomach. With a shaky step she staggered forward only to stumble immediately, collapsing to her knees over something. Looking down she saw it. It was her body, it's face locked in a permanent result of transfixed fear. It was strange to look into her own eyes now lightless knowing those were the eyes she once stared out from at the world beyond, gazing through the darkness. Staggering on weak knees she pushed herself up from the floor and reached down to her old body. She lifted it up by it's small head, staring into the gaunt pitiable face with her own. It was similar but hers was now more flush, her cheeks filled out and her lips no longer just flat seams for the mouth to open with. Driven with hunger her maw opened to an inhuman extent, clamping her mouth over the entirety of her old head. Her hundreds of fine teeth went to work rending the flesh from the old body as she worked her way down. It was a meager meal but her old flesh still held lingering divinity. She planned to sup the very marrow from her bones to take in any and all lingering essence. It was her first meal. She was ravenous. _ [center][b]Fear of blood creates fear for the flesh.[/b][/center] [hr] [u]Relevent to:[/u] - [@Duoya]