Evil Unleashed
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A huge blast radiates outward from Zahara, and Frey is thrown back. He uses the sword to steady himself somehow. Manal is knocked off her feet and Kane rushes to check on her.
A glimmer of grim hope forms within Zahara.
“Maybe I’ll make it out alive after all.”
Suddenly, she notices snakes emerging from her shoulders. They reach their full height, spread their hoods and bare their fangs. She lets out a scream of horror, terrified at what she has become. She sees a familiar blue orb hovering in front of her face.
“YOU. YOU DID THIS!” she bellows in anger. The orb drops down towards the ground and morphs into a glowing humanoid figure.
As the light fades away, she sees a being gallantly kneeling on one knee, with his fist resting on the floor. His form becomes clearer as he gets up. Hellish, his face is scarred by a thousand cuts and his body is made of scales covered by a crimson tunic.
“Well it was about time! A thousand thanks for releasing me. You were a good host and I had a marvelous time pulling your strings, but now you’re free,” he chuckles in an almost melodious voice.
“Who are you?!”
“Ahri. Pleased to meet you. I have been within you ever since you had the misfortune of releasing me from that lamp. That was a very kind old lady, was it not? Taking you in and giving you shelter, giving you a spell to ‘be safe’ from evil, some would say she was a bit too kind, don't you think?”
“Damn me!” Zahara shouts. She realizes that instead of keeping her safe, she had become a safe; a vessel for the monstrosity she wished to protect herself from.
“And with that, I bid you adieu,” Ahri concludes. Before she can retaliate, he slips into the shadows and vanishes from sight.
“Do you realize what you’ve done?” Frey screams at her.
He lets out a battle cry and leaps at her, Zulfiqar poised to strike. Zahara has no time to react. One clean sweep from Frey’s blade and a reptilian head hits the floor. But it grows back, a horrendous sight to behold. It springs forward towards Frey, catching him off-guard and sinks its fangs into his shoulder. He falls to the ground, writhing in pain.
Zahara turns to see where Kane has gone and sees him lifting Manal onto his shoulder. “I’m doing this for your own good, and for the good of the world,” he proclaims.
Kane roars as his pupils warp into the shape of two crescent moons coalescing into each other. An arcane aura emerges from his body as his entire frame contorts into a feral form. Sharp canine teeth protrude from his mouth and thick brown fur cover his torso. With a spine-chilling howl, Kane the were-hyena moves in for the kill.
Glossary:
Frey — an Iranian mythical king, he is an emblem of victory, justice, and generosity.
Zulfiqar — Known as the spine-splitter, this double-pointed scimitar was named after one of the stars of Orion’s belt.
Ahriman — the personification of Evil, this diabolic entity schemes for world domination.
Werehyena — a mystical being capable of switching from a human to a hyena or a werehyena, a terrible being analogous to werewolves.
