Published at 31st of July 2026 7:44 am

Chapter Interlude Choices IV (+Artwork)

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This sucks. Trudging through this cave for hours is boring. In every story about heroes vanquishing monsters, they leave out all the slow parts before they get to the dragon slaying. I dont sleep, I dont tire, and I have endless stamina so I can chase Ouroboros from one end of the country to the other for as long as it takes. God, I hope I dont have to. I will, but Id rather just fight the giant snake rather than chase after it. Keeping focused on the task in front of me helps me forget how hungry I am. And I am starving; its been hours since the last time I ate, and my stomach is protesting the lack of food. That is one of the worst aspects of my current existence. The constant, ravenous, overwhelming hunger that is always there. That and the whole, Im stuck as a monster with no way to change back into a human. I let out a snort as I laugh, an odd animalistic sound.

I shake away the depressing thoughts as I continue to run through the dark tunnel. My surroundings are so drab and uninteresting, just rock, dirt, and the occasional bit of sand or gravel. Galloping on, Im eating up distance rapidly, but I still havent seen any signs of the giant snake. Wait. Whats that? My nostrils flare, and my tongue flicks out as I smell something familiar in the air. Its blood, lots of blood. I speed up, the scent encouraging me on. Blood means Ouroboros, and Ouroboros means bodies. The tunnel begins to curve upward, and I leap up into the air and start flying. I see the night sky above, stars shining in the sky, and the scent of blood grows stronger the closer I get to the surface.

I zoom out, turning intangible as I soar into the sky. Feeling fresh air on my scales, getting the dust and dirt off myself, makes me feel more human. Or as human as I can feel. Now that Im outside, my eyes take in everything in my surroundings, including the burning city around me. Ouroboros burrowed out into the middle of a city. The flattened buildings, the spreading fires, and the crushed vehicles are just the structural damage caused by Ouroboros. Its so quiet here; I dont hear anything or anyone. The only light sources are the burning piles of debris and garbage. The electrical grid mustve been knocked offline by his attack. Theres not a single building left undamaged.

I fly through the city, searching for any survivors, but find none. I cant even find a corpse. Where are the bodies? Did he eat every single person? Seeing all this carnage strengthens my resolve. How can anyone stand against this monster? The only thing that can kill Ouroboros is a scarier monster. Like me. I need to find that serpent and put an end to him before theres no one left in this country.

Oh, someones been a busy little beasty. What have you been up to since our last check-in, Six?

Its him. The man who turned me into this.

You, I growled hatefully.

Where are you? It brings me such joy to see you finally fulfilling your role. What city have you devoured in my name? He asked giddily.

Youre a monster, and I didnt do this. I will never give you what you want, I yelled.

From what I see, you already have. I made you to destroy civilization, to devour people, and to raze cities to the ground. It is only a matter of time before you give in to the hunger and bloodlust. You cant fight your nature forever. Sooner or later, you will become the harbinger of the apocalypse that I created you to be, he stated matter-of-factly.

I REFUSE! I WILL NEVER BE WHAT YOU WANT! I WILL FIND YOU, KILL YOU, AND SWALLOW YOU WHOLE, I roared into the night.

Oh, looks like youre in a Spanish-speaking country. Hmm. You are quite a way away from home, or are you? He asked, taunting me.

I shouldnt let him get under my skin, but hes in my head, and I cant shut him out. Its not like I can ignore him or get away from him. Im stuck with him.

The all-white road lines mean South America. And judging by the stop signs that say Pare, youre in Chile. What are you doing there? He asked me.

No.

Eventually, Ill figure out what youre doing there, and then Ill be free to stop whatever youre doing. You cannot escape your destiny; I always get what I want. I made you to be my weapon. My sword to cull the weak, reaping the lives of those who arent fit for survival.

You mightve turned me into a monster, made me into a weapon, but I will never be yours. Ill be a weapon to rid the world of monsters like you. I SWEAR I WILL NOT LET YOU WIN!

I wouldnt be so sure of that, he said, and then he was gone, leaving me alone.

With the man gone, my hunt can resume. I might not be able to kill him yet, but theres at least one monster I can do something about.

After Ive thoroughly checked every single building, the sewers, and piles of rubble for any survivors, I finally give up. I lower myself down onto a mountain of rubble. I may not be able to get tired, but that doesnt seem to be true for my mind. Im mentally exhausted. Getting so close to Ouroboros and then losing him is demoralizing. Missing him and seeing the destruction hes capable of only further darkens my mood. The fires have died down, the rubble has settled, and the smell of ash floats in the wind. This is what that man wants me to be.

Behind me, dust swirls in a small cyclone in a way that cannot be natural. My fur bristles, and I focus my main eyes on the phenomenon. Streaks of silver are drawn into the whirlwind as the cyclone condenses down into the shape of a man. Featureless, like a bald, naked mannequin, but thinner. The swirling of the humanoid tornado starts to slow, the rotations eventually coming to a stop. In its place is a tan-skinned man with spiked silver hair, the same color as the wind. His stubble is sharp, framing his face to make him look more dynamic. Hes got black suede loafers, tapered white pants, and an emerald silk button-down shirt. The top two buttons are undone and show that his chest and arms are covered in streaks of silver. A simple gold chain adorns his neck; hes got an expensive-looking watch on his right wrist, and a pair of sunglasses in the pocket of his shirt. Who the hell is he? I smell sweat on his back, and I can hear his heartbeat speeding up the longer he stands there. Hes afraid of me. Does he think I did this?

Buenas noches, he said, looking around the ruined city. He has a pleasant accent that scratches an itch in my brain. Are you solo or are you here with a hueva?

I dont speak Spanish. I did not cause this destruction. I blurted out immediately. I am by myself.

No estoy loco, he laughed. I know you did not cause this, weon; no, this is the work of Uroboros.

Yes, it was. Now, what do you want? I growled.

Is he here to kill or capture me? Memories of waking up in that laboratory, strung up like some sort of test subject, are coming to the forefront of my mind. Unfortunately, so are the memories of killing and eating all those people and then being attacked by that group. They also had a weirdly dressed guy with them. The man in the striped suit. Is this guy with them?

Piola. Im not here to fight, he assured me.

If you arent here to fight me, then why are you so nervous?

Weon, have you seen yourself? You are de miedo a cagar, very scary. Add to that, you talking to yourself? Disculpame, I cant help it, he exclaimed.

Enough, I barked. Hes irritating me with the useless chatter, and my stomachs roaring at me. A pool of saliva is growing on the street beneath me, and my tongue keeps darting out of my mouth to taste the terror in the air. Do not eat him. Looking like a monster is one thing; acting like one is a choice. Relax. Who are you and why are you here?

Ahh, sipo, sipo. I am Vicente. Youre here to hunt Uroboros, no? He asked before hurriedly moving on. I will help you find him.

Is e trying to control me? Anger at the idea of him trying to manipulate me bubbles to the surface, but I wrestle it back down. He heard me talking to that man, so he heard me say Im here to kill monsters. Hes not lying, but he must be truly desperate to ask me. Still.

Why would you do that? You have powers; why dont you stop the snake?

Because this city is mi casa, was mi casa. Soy un amante, no un peleador. My power is not suited for moquete, for fighting. I am but a breeze, not a tempestad. I am fast, but useless in a scrap, Vicente admitted. I can lead you to Uroboros so tu sacis la cresta. Sorry, Ill show you where he is so you may kill him.

Lead the way. And change back into the wind so I cant eat you, I warned.

Eris chistoso, weon. Very funny. What should I call you by? He asked.

Six, my name is Six, I said, opening my mouth wide. And Im not joking.

Vicentes face pales, the smell of sweat thickening on him. He nods, taking a step back. The wind begins to gather around his feet, gradually becoming stronger and growing to encapsulate his body as small chunks of rubble are picked up by the wind. I can still see through the whirlwind as his body dissipates into streaks of silver that join the growing cyclone. It continues to pick up speed before suddenly ceasing, the rocks, ash, and small pieces of debris dropping abruptly. Hes gone; theres not a single sign of where he used to be. Not a streak of silver anywhere around me.

Hello, Vicente suddenly said. My back insectoid leg snaps out, piercing through the space where the voice emanated from. All I hit is air, so I retract the limb. A scared gasp comes from the same location. I can't sense him at all. It's like the sound came from nothing.

Disculpame, I did not mean to startle you. I will lead you to where la serpiente is. He said, this time his voice coming from ahead of me. A blurred silver line curves to the right. Follow along, and Ill show the path.

I run after the silver line, twisting and turning as I chase after it through what remains of the city. Barreling through a tipped-over truck, leaping over a collapsed bridge, scuttling across the side of a toppled building as I pass over a gigantic crater. The wind blasts through my fur and my tails slice through the air as I race forward. We quickly escape the city confines and follow the trail of destroyed highway, the road flattened into the shape of a snake. No longer underground, I can see the black serpent, the heat it's giving off making it stand out despite the darkness of the night. Its miles away, but I can see it, which means I can attack it.

Youve done your part, Vicente. Ill take it from here and stop that monster once and for all, I said aloud, knowing Vicente can hear me.

I hear him say something in Spanish, but my blood is boiling within me. I leap into the air, taking flight and shooting toward the cloudline. Up higher and higher until I reach the height that should protect me from Ouroboros mental attacks, my flight evens out; I soar straight as fast as I can to catch up to the beast. I retract my insect limbs and clutch my four legs tight against my body. I am a reptilian missile, blasting through the night after my prey. Im excited, so very excited. HUNT! FEED! PERISH! GROW! Flying, Im faster than my target, and Im gaining on him. YES. YES. YES. Gnashing my teeth together, I swallow the flood of saliva in my mouth.

Im above him, floating as I take in the size of the creature I am to hunt. It is massive. The size difference between us is like a gnat to an anaconda. But it doesnt matter to me. I have killed so many since waking up as Six, snuffed out many lives: animals, Neuvohumans, and regrettably some civilians. But this will be the first time I take a life and improve the world because of it. The first kill that will give back, that will start to tip the scales of my debt. I deactivate my flight, falling out of the sky down toward my target. Like a bird diving to grab a river fish thats swam closer to the surface, no, like the meteorite that killed the dinosaurs, I descend. Faster. Faster. FASTER.

Ouroboros hears me coming and moves with a swiftness that shouldnt be possible at his size. So instead of slamming straight through his skull and brain, I graze the side of him, my claws sparking as they slide across his scales. I reactivate my flight to slow my fall so I dont become a pancake. No way. There isnt a mark on his scales from my attack; I wasnt able to harm him at all. Before I can reposition to try again, he hits me with his mental attack. My brain lights up in pain, dropping me out of the air. Several of my smaller eyes burst, exploding like water balloons. My main eyes see the gigantic serpent moving, twisting around his massive body. The razorblade smoothie inside my skull is debilitating, and I struggle to remain on my feet. The ground is pulverized into gravel beneath his belly, as Ouroboros head appears before me. Im smaller than his eyeball.

His tongue darts out of his mouth; the hissing is so loud it vibrates my skeleton. His reptilian irises blink as he observes me. My popped eyes are regenerating; the pressure isnt as strong as the first time I dealt with it. This is going to be easier than I imagined. Suddenly, it ramps up, and I drop to my stomach, clutching my head in my claws. I start releasing mist, hoping to hide myself from his mental strike.

Ssssssilly sssssnack, Ouroboros said, his voice rebounding in my head amidst the anguish Im feeling. Before I can reply, his giant maw punches through my created fog and snaps closed around me.

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