What lay before my very eyes was something I could only describe as a pale imitation of an Imugi.
An Imugi(imoogi) was a snake attempting to leap into the dragon's gate and become a true dragon. There were two basic paths, one of which required a Yeouiju and one that did not. A Yeouiju was a heavenly orb, a dragon's bead, pearl, or ball. A dragon destined for greatness would construct their own, and another loved by fate would find the orb that fell from heaven. The second method was living for one thousand years.
The Imugi that stood before me did neither of those things. Its blood-red eyes, which leaked madness, and its red-stained teeth told me all I needed to know.
Something told me this malevolent being didn't have the patience for either method.
The Imugis' blood-red eyes narrowed into thin vertical slits, and a laughter of malice erupted from its maw. Each time its voice traveled, the cave walls trembled violently around its half-hidden body. The scent of blood traveled from its mouth, the pungent odor causing my sensitive nose to wrinkle in disgust. Pieces of rocks and pebbles were falling around it, hitting the shrine maidens. The maidens didn't react to the falling pieces of the cave, letting them hit them on the head.
The corners of its mouth curved like a crescent moon. A smile so wide, it threatened to swallow the very sky it worshipped, its eyes gleaming at the moon.
"The heaven's-s-s truly des-s-s-ire my as-s-scens-s-sion. A fledgling dragon ripe for cons-s-sumption." Its forked tongue slithered out of its mouth, licking its teeth. It looked down, its red eyes staring into mine, its head swaying back and forth in a rhythm.
A third more hideous and taboo method.
"With you, I can become a DRAGON GOD"
The head of the snake tilted slightly, "I do as-s-sk? How are you here?"
Hathor growled from behind me, the temperature lowered, and the ground around our feet froze.
"My lord." Hathor's voice trembled, as if he couldn't contain himself.
[I know.] I interrupted him, there would be no diplomacy, not this time.
"Say the word, boss." Niles added from my right.
[Erase it from my sight, before I dispose of it.] While my words sounded calm, my insides boiled with hatred. A strong urge to rip its small budding horns welled deep inside me.
The blood inside me trembled, and I felt a visceral hate. My claws dug into my scales. My head started to throb, and my breath became visible.
All the thoughts of peace and preventing bloodshed vanished. I wanted to rip his mortal coil apart and drag his soul across the sun god's projection.
Heresy, evil, vile.
Those words repeated themselves in my head as I stared at the imugi.
Perhaps noticing my rage, my sister tapped my shoulder.
I turned to look, her big, round eyes reassuring me. Her lower lip trembled incessantly, while her jaw was clenched.
Her softened gaze narrowed as she turned to glare at the Imugi.
[When they fail, we will rip that arrogant snake into pieces.] She growled through her teeth, flames leaving her nostrils.
Look at this kid.
I almost smirked at her, my pride dimming the fire boiling inside me.
As the older brother, I had to maintain my composure.
If even my sister could maintain a semblance of self, why couldn't I?
I gave her a silent nod, patting her head before turning towards the Imugi.
The Imugi looked at me, its head tilted, while it swayed its eyes, smiling. In a blink, it sprang forward. Its maw was open, the gigantic fangs dripping with saliva. Crack! The sound of the serpent's scales cracking echoed as Niles slammed into it, knocking it off its course. The rock formed on his body crumbled into pieces.
The snake crashed into the side of the mountain, creating a crater. Niles flashed a smile; earth gathered around him, forming an armor of stone. He dashed towards the serpent.
Leah, who had yet to move, propelled herself forward with her flames, her auburn hair alit with bright yellow fire.
The cold temperature rose, and the ice around me melted, but as if not to be undone, Hathor trailed behind her a blade formed from ice held in his mouth.
The Imugi recoiled, its eyes seething with anger, and the red seemed to glow in the night. It coiled up like a spring, its body swaying rhythmically. It looked downwards towards where its scale fell off. The air around him changed, like a volcano about to erupt.
"Is that all you got, worm?" Niles spoke with a smile on his face as he inched closer. He leapt into the air, his hands held together high above his head.
The snake's pointed eyes looked at Niles, its fangs dripping with venom. "Dragon kin." His words dripped with hate.
"How fortunate to have dragon blood running through your veins-s-s." Its coiled body sprang up towards Niles, "All the better for me." It twisted its head, and mana surrounded its body; clouds formed above, and water droplets started to slowly drip, mechanically simulating rain, something only a dragon with a Yeouiju can do.
My jaw clenched, and the fire deep in my veins reignited.
"Damn your breath stinks" Niles taunted with a smirk.
Like a shark breaching from beneath the water's surface, the snake attempted to swallow Niles with its unhinged jaw.
Hathor jumped into the air, his feet skating through the currents, the air freezing around his steps.
Leah was a hairsbreadth away from the snake's side, her fist burst into flames. Her fist punched him as he met Niles in the air.
Her punch made him twist, his mouth off course. He twisted in the air, and mana held him up. he roared into the sky, before the little bumps on his chest burst out, and grotesque new arms were attached to him. The sky and the mountain shook, and the snake's screams echoed into the sky.
Niles, who narrowly missed being consumed by the giant snake, landed on the ground with a thud.
"Thanks for the save, babe."
She gracefully landed next to him, and her lips curved gently into a smile.
"No problem." Her face turned back to the Imugi, and her lips pressed into a thin line, her eyes narrowed.
Hathor, reaching the Imugi, faltered, as the giant serpent pulled out a blade of water formed from the rain, its mouth twisted into a violent sneer.
The white wolf shook his head; ice trailed behind him as he dived under the first swipe of the blade, another swing made it his way, but Hathor nimbly dodged.
He formed ice beneath his feet and launched himself towards his belly, his blade gliding into the Imugi's belly, creating a thin line.
The Imugi shrieked in a frenzy, whipping its tail, swatting Hathor away.
Hathor's blade disappeared, and he tumbled in the air. Niles jumped up and caught him, placing him on the ground when he landed.
"Thanks"
Niles merely nodded.
The imugi touched where he bled, his hands shaking in a fury. He touched the blood, his fake dragon claws stained with his blood. He looked at it, his eyes trembled, and he shook uncontrollably. "Y-you"
"You WILL PAY FOR THAT." It charged forward like a speeding bullet towards Hathor. Leah stepped in front, her hands caught flames, a brighter hue bordering on a white flame.
She planted her foot; her feet dug into the ground. Niles wasn't idle ready to assist his wife.
"Water beats-s-s fire," The Imgui roared, as her fist was about to reach his face, the rain intensified. The fake rain that once evaporated from her heat, now doused her fire completely.
"Shit" The word felt odd from the usually gentle Leah, but she clamped her mouth shut and raised her arms to hold the charging Imugi.
A hand on his upper jaw and one on the lower to prevent him from closing his mouth and swallowing her.
His momentum forced her leg muscles to bulge, and her body was pushed back slowly, her feet carving a path.
"GIVE UP." Its putrid breath caused her nose to wrinkle in disgust. His words motivated her to do the opposite. Her fiery eyes brightened, her biceps tensed and bulged as she pushed forward.
Crack! Niles punched his side as she caught his jaw, causing another scale to fall, but the Imugi did not budge.
"AH"! It roared as the sky quivered. The imugi stopped pushing forward and now only tried to swallow Leah. It hovered above the air and used its lower half to wrap itself around Niles.
Niles, caught in the imugis body, started pounding heavily, his attacks forming cracks in the scales.
The imugi wailed, widening its jaw further, "LET GO!" It tried to shut its jaw with all its might
"Let go." Its lower half tightened around Niles, attempting to strangle him. "Let go." "Let go." "Let go."
Hathor launched himself towards the Imugi, who attempted to catch him with his hands. Hathor dodged instead, sinking his teeth into his arms.
It hissed in pain, its tongue slithering out of its mouth.
"ENOUGH!" The downpour intensified, the water dropping like rocks, and he swung Niles, launching him off and focusing everything on closing his mouth.
I will never stop," Leah declared through gritted teeth, her hands glowing bright, and flames started to flicker around her hands, this time blue.
The heat from her hands started scorching his mouth.
The imugi ignored, Hathor chewing on his arm. Mana gathered around him, the water surrounding him in a thin layer. He forced all his strength into closing his jaw.
"Kidding." Leah smiled while letting go and slamming his mouth shut.
It recoiled backwards, Hathor still on its arm, its eyes dizzy, it opened and closed its mouth. It grabbed Hathor by the nape and hurled him to the ground. It flew up using its magic to simulate flight.
For a second, it just stood blankly and stared at us, its red eyes unreadable.
He covered his mouth and screamed, his mouth shaking violently. "YOU FORCED ME TO DO THIS-S-S!" His giant body in the air, trembled incessantly, his body convulsing and morphing into something else, something far worse.
I could feel the atmosphere around him change. He wasn't using mana anymore; he was using something different.
A sense of disgust overcame me. I could feel the cries and hatred from the dead souls he consumed.
A twisted sense of pervasive worship.
Was this faith? Was he using divinity to ascend into Dragonhood?
A fourth more ludicrous method that bound you to the place of your worship.
The shrine maiden, the blood.
It was always planned to become a dragon through evil faith.
Was this strange energy I was feeling faith? I could feel him gathering it around him. I could also feel the inherent evil of the faith he collected, fear, and forced sacrifices. Evil seeped deep into his religion.
It was attempting to forcefully ascend with it.