Nepenthe

"Shit! Shut up... SHUT THE HELL UP!" Luther fired his pistol three times at Jia who blocked each bullet with a golden green membrane that rivaled the toughest of metals.

"All of that... Matters little... Now. You slew... My new... Most treasured... Item... My love for... Cahlan. You killed him..." Jia stood up, free of any wounds as golden green scales formed along her body. She found no point in a full transformation, only to transform to the point where she caused an extreme fear to build up in the most detestable of all humans. It worked.

Luther, in his fear, expended all of the bullets in his gun at Jia, each of which bounced off of Jia's scales. He tried to use his force magic some more, pushing with both arms.

"This is... A human's... Magic? Weak... You cannot hope... To expect to... Reach the level... Of those of... The... Above and below." Jia was completely unaffected. "Let me... Demonstrate... How powerful one... Must be... To even fight... The weakest of... Their soldiers."

Jia opened her mouth and released a breath of fire common to many dragons though not exclusive to dragons as well. She liked fire breath as it allowed her to melt down gold, silver, and other precious metals so they could be reformed into objects of her desire. Though as she said, guarding her vast treasure is a thing of the past, there was only one thing she wanted to guard and he was dead. 'No, he's not dead... How wonderful.' Her inner self, which came out during times of full transformation told her this.

Luther received the full impact of Jia's breath, completely burning his entire body to the point of near death.

"GYAAAAHHH! MAKE IT STOP!" Begged Luther as he writhed and rolled on the ground to put out the flames.

Jia suffocated the flames with a wave of her arm to revealing charred and burnt skin. The smell of roasted human flesh permeated the air. Jia loved that Luther was feeling this. Still, Jia also held no desire to allow Luther to remain alive. "Humans may one... Day be able... To challenge the... Heavens and Hells. However... That is... A long time... Off. It is time... For you to... Die."

Jia sliced her arm through the air, sending an arc of cutting wind at Luther's neck, severing the head from his fat; disgusting body.

"Cahlan..."

-

"Oh shit... I feel like complete absolute shit right now." I groaned as I lifted myself up on a strangely unsteady surface.

"That is... Fitting considering you were... Shot and killed by... Luther." I recognized that strange voice.

"You're Jia's other side? Fucanglong?" I asked the voice. I now realized that the voice belonged to the unsteady surface I was standing on.

I was standing on the back of a golden green dragon with a set of magnificent scales every jeweler would covet. I looked around and found that Fucanglong, the dragon, was swimming in the ocean with its currents. Well, I would probably have fallen off if she were flying and not swimming, so that's good.

"Correct. I, as in my... Other self... Healed you and brought... You back to life."

"Wait, what about that piece of shit Luther? And Ddraig? And everyone else?"

"I will explain. Please... Sit down."

I did as Fucanglong asked and sat down on the top of her head. If someone saw us now, the sight would be more comical than fearsome considering I was sitting right on top of a dragon's face.

"Jia Fucanglong... Killed the swine... Luther. She healed you using... Her spells that... She lost with her... Memories. It is strange... That we regained our... Memories thanks to your... Death... And not the cure... To Nepenthe itself."

'So I really did die. Man, dying sucks, I don't ever want to do it again.'

"Jia Fucanglong... Healed our sister... Y Ddraig Goch. As well as our... Other sisters... Who were unconscious. Soon after... An angel appeared with... The cure to... Nepenthe. The angel departed and... Left the curing to... You and... Y Ddraig Goch. It was... Successful. All of our sisters... There are cured... Of their amnesia."

I sighed with relief, "That's good news. Still, why are we swimming here? Where are your sisters?"

"Y Ddraig Goch... Suggested to our sisters... That they go and... Destroy Theta Sector... And cure the rest... Of our sisters. Jia Fucanglong... Wished to stay out... And take care of... You."

I smiled happily. "What did they do when they woke up free of their amnesia? I would think that sister of yours, Lamia would still be hostile."

"No... Lamia was extremely... Grateful and... Apologetic. Also, we... Were informed of a... Sad occurrence... When we learned that... Wildrose and Hydra... Were ordered to kill... Our sister, Apophis. They went to... Theta Sector to see... If she was truly... Dead. As well as cure... The remainder of our... Sisters. It will be a... Slaughter of the... Theta Sector... Personnel."

"This has all turned into a giant mess. At least its pretty much over, I hope. So if you're swimming, I assume we're headed back to my apartment? You know it won't be able to fit you."

"Do not worry... I will transform... When we are close. Jia Fucanglong can... Fly you and her... The rest of the... Way with a... Partial transformation. Please rest... You need it... Cahlan."

I mumbled in acknowledgement as I leant back and rest on Fucanglong's firm, but yielding scales, and soon fell asleep again. My muscles ached, the areas where I was shot ached, just about everywhere ached, and it was all erased once the allure of dreamland came to me.

-

"Oi! Jia, that's not edible. I've told you before, just because it looks realistic and food like does not mean it's actually food. So put down the darn faux fruit." I called out to Jia who was apparently interested in munching on a batch of decorative wax fruit I bought purely because my annoying mother was coming over.

My mother was the type of person to go insane over plain table arrangements, so she bought a large table and placed a new set of table decorations at least once a day. Even though wax fruit was pretty basic stuff, it should be able to appease my mother.

"Cahlan... I am... Hungry." Begged Jia with moist eyes that should only belong to cute kittens, puppies, and now dragons.

"Can't you at least wait till dinner? Gah, fine, eat this." I handed Jia a bowl of berries I was planning on using for a dessert.

Jia blissfully accepted the food and munched on them as she discovered the thrill of television. She was currently engaged in a reality show I couldn't stand before, but relented to watch since Jia was so into it.

"Cahlan... Cahlan... Cahlan... Cahlan... Cahlan..."

I tried to ignore Jia, but I failed in the end. "Whaaat?" I wasn't angry or mad, I was actually laughing at that point.

"Cahlan... Is your... Mother as kind... As you?" Jia asked innocently with her ever monotonous and mystical tone.

"Good god no, she's a bloody devil." I remarked as I recalled the numerous times my mother exacted her "devilness" on me in my childhood.

"I see... So we will... Have to fight... Her."

"Fight? Wait- No we won't be fighting her! I was being sarcastic. Man, I seriously need to teach you sarcasm next." Sometimes talking with Jia left you utterly exhausted or demoralized.

"Cahlan..."

"Hmm?"

"I wish... I could show... You my... Family someday."

"I've already met and spoken with most of your sisters, don't tell me you've also got parents?" Well, it should be somewhat obvious that was the case, everything that lives has a mother or father, usually both.

"My mother... Birthed me and... My sisters."

"We'll have to see her sometime. Wait, she's not living in some monster infested cave filled with traps and stuff of that like from some dungeon delving game?"

"She might... Be. She lives alone... I have no... Idea of her... Location."

"She's probably fine, and I bet she's worried about you guys more than anything. If there's one thing I know about mothers, it's that they're always worried about their children."

I didn't see it, but Jia revealed her widest smile to date. "Cahlan..."

"Hmm?"

"I... love you."

"And I love you."