{"sf1_id":788972,"sf2_id":null,"title":"Last Hope of Day","author":"skiesofsilver","words":3502,"posted_at":"2014-11-28T22:27:00.000Z","tags":["Coatl","Gender Shifting","Magic","Reptile","Transformation","serpent"],"url":"https://fse.anthro.fr/stories/788972-last-hope-of-day","original_url":"https://sofurry.com/view/788972","image_url":"https://www.sofurryfiles.com/std/thumb?page=788972\u0026ext=.jpg","description":"","content":"\n            Atop\nthe Divine Mountain, Kana stared sightlessly into the sky of eternal of night.\nSight beyond sight granted him vision of what hung in the sky: a green moon,\nswirling, purple stars, and nothing else. The unnaturalness of these celestial\nbodies abhorred him and the light they cast did little to ease his discomfort.\nIt was a cold light, one that inhibited growth rather than encourage. Already\nthe crops below the Divine Mountain withered in a time when they should have\nbeen blooming under the sun's watch. \n            The\nsun was gone though. One day it had just gone out. For a day and a half the\nland had known only darkness. Then the eldritch moon and its companions had\nappeared. They offered false hope for a land Kana recognized would only know\ndoom.\n            \"Kana.\"\n            The\nvoice called from behind. Kana turned around and saw not the speaker, but the\nspeaker's silver aura, his mystical presence and prowess. Who really stood\nbefore Kana was an aged man who could barely walk if not for the stout stick he\nleaned upon. Though he appeared Kana's elder and was on the verge of a century,\nhe wasn't even a tenth of Kana's age. Like Kana, he did not see as others; instead,\nhe saw strands of the future. Unlike Kana, he was not blind to his surroundings\nand he saw the present as well as any other man. \n            \"There\nis hope,\" the old man said. \"I have seen its brightness again.\"\n            \"Where,\nIsei?\" Kana asked. The name came from the aura. He had never met the man\nbefore, yet he already knew his intentions. \"Not here.\"\n            Isei\nshook his head. \"Both. It is elsewhere and here. Others are not cursed as we\nare.\"\n            Kana\nremained silent.\n            \"There\nare places where the rains eats the flesh, where the very air is poisoned.\nThere are other things, creature that consume one's very essence--a Reaper. The\nseas elsewhere are dried or frozen or infested. In the south the wind flays the\nflesh and the snow burns. Some lose their minds, others their shapes, some\nboth, and most their lives.\"\n            \"And\nhere we are under the light of blight. We will starve. Those others are\nfortunate to die so quickly.\"\n            \"Ah,\"\nIsei said. \"But in reality, we are the fortunate. I have seen the sun again in\nour sky. We can reverse the blight. The future bears hope. All we must do--\"\n            \"No.\"\n            \"The\ngods--\"\n            \"Are\ndead. I slew them for a reason.\"\n            \"Dead,\nbut not gone. We can revive them and restore the sun.\"\n            \"I\nwill not allow it. I will not aid you. You do not understand--we were their\nslaves. We were bound by their precepts, their rules--\"\n            \"Much\nlike our laws?\"\n            \"No!\nThose are ours and they are not as immutable as the gods. They may change if\nthe people so desire. The gods not so much. They hated our choice. They hated\nus. We did not even have choice of worship, of role, or of one's future. I\nstopped that once. I will not allowed us to be bound again.\"\n            \"You\nwould have us die?\"\n            \"Yes.\nNow leave and do not speak to me oft his again. Your words will not convince\nme.\"\n\n            \"Very\nwell.\"\n            Isei\nbowed towards Kana. The blind man did not return the gesture, instead turning\nhis back to the man and towards the eldritch moon.\n\n            Time's\npassage had long ago became difficult to Kana, especially after the day was no\nmore. He did not need to eat, sleep, drink or conduct any action that would\nsustain mortal life. The only way he knew time had passed was when others\nvisited him, a happening that occurred perhaps once a century. Thus, he was\nunsure how long it was before Isei returned. He could, however, guess it was a\nshort time given what Isei saw as the severity of the situation.\n            As\nbefore, Isei bowed towards Kana before speaking: \"My visions are clearer. It is\nyou who saves us all. It is you who restores the sun.\"\n            \"Me?\"\nKana laughed, keeping his back towards the seer. \"I cannot even see.\"\n            \"But\nI can. You are the last hope of the day.\"\n            \"I\nthought we needed the gods.\"\n            \"We\ndo.\"\n            Kana\nclenched his fists. \"Then you know I will not help you.\"\n            \"Yes,\nI know.\"\n            \"Then\nyour visions are wrong. You are lying.\"\n            \"I\nam telling you the truth. You said my words will not convince you. I hope then\nthat another's might.\"\n            Kana\nheard someone step forward and bow. He finally turned towards Isei and saw an\naura he had not detected before, an aura that was close to his own. Not as\nstrong, but possessing similar attributes--a warrior's spirit.\n            \"Who\nis this?\" he asked.\n            \"I\nam Ome,\" the other replied, her voice soft yet stern. \"I am your descendant.\"\n            \"Hmm,\"\nKana grunted. \"I did not think any of my line survived. But once in all these\nyears have I had a lover. Is it a direct trace?\"\n            \"Yes,\"\nOme nodded. \"I have your strength and will, godslayer. I am the Emperor's\ngeneral.\"\n            \"An\nempire, again?\" Kana pursed his lips. \"And where is your army?\"\n            \"I\ndo not need it for this task. I will do this alone as you did.\"\n            \"Do\nwhat?\"\n            Isei\nheld his hand up, halting any of Ome's words. He stepped forward and wrapped an\narm around Kana's unflinching form. He leaned his head and whispered into\nKana's ear:\n            \"She\nwill repeat history.\"\n            Kana\nturned his sightless gaze towards Isei.\n            \"You\nare the god,\" Isei continued. \"You will restore the sun. And she...\"\n            Kana\nnodded. Isei pulled away and took his place away from both Kana and Ome as he\nsat up against a tree. Kana turned to the old man.\n            \"Then\nfollow me.\"\n            \"She\nwill,\" Isei said. \"But I cannot.\"\n            \"Why?\"\n            \"I\nwill die in a few minutes, consumed by the same gift that grants me the\nvisions. They have grown stronger with age and grow only stronger now. Already\nit is difficult to tell now and then...now and then...\"\n            \"I\nwill see you soon then.\"\n            \"Yes,\"\nIsei nodded. \"Yes...I only wish I could pass under familiar skies. I envy you.\"\n            \"You\nshould not.\"\n            \"No...\"\nIsei sighed, leaning up against the tree. \"I shouldn't.\"\n            Ome\nwalked over to Isei. She bent down and straightened out a crease in his kimono\nbefore giving him a quick kiss on the check. He looked up at her and smiled.\n            \"I\nforesaw this,\" he said.\n            \"I\nknow,\" she said, wiping away a tear before it could even be seen. \"Farewell, oji.\"\n            Kana\napproached the pair and waited with folded arms. They maintained eye contact\nfor a moment longer and then Isei's gaze focused only on the sky.\n            \"I\nhate that moon,\" he muttered. \"It's good it's gone.\"\n            Ome\npulled away from the seer and turned to Kana. She met his sightless gaze.\n            \"Where\ndo we go, godslayer?\" she asked.\n            In\nresponse, Kana rotated left and walked down the beginnings of a dirt path. She\nhad to jog for a moment to catch up, for his pace was far faster than she had\nanticipated. They walked in silence even when the dirt path ended and a more\nrefined path constructed of rock and ruins lay before them. Only when they\npassed a shattered monument of the god known as the Chimera King did Kana\nspeak.\n            \"I\nhope you have a twelfth of my strength,\" he said. \n            \"I\nhave that,\" Ome replied. \"And more, godslayer.\"\n            \"Is\nthat what they call me now? Godslayer?\"\n            \"Isn't\nthat what you are?\"\n            \"Yes.\"\nKana paused, putting a hand upon a withered shrine of the fox god of tricks and\ntreachery as they passed it. \"What province are you from?\"\n            \"Sukota.\"\n            \"Never\nhave I heard of this province. What do they think of me there?\"\n            \"It\nis your birthplace. You are seen as legend, a great warrior of myth. Few\nbelieve you yet live.\"\n            \"Yes,\"\nKana said, balling one hand into a fist. \"Live.\"\n            \"I...\"\nOme scratched the back of her neck. \"I know of your curse.\"\n            \"Oh?\"\n            Ome\nnodded.\n            \"Then\nwhy are you not frightened of being cursed yourself?\"\n            Ome\nthought for a moment how to reply. \"Why are you not afraid to--\"\n            Kana\nheld up a hand and they came to a halt. To the left of their path was a small\nshrine with a bright star inscribed upon it. Leaning against the shrine was an\nunblemished sword. Kana walked to the shrine and picked up the weapon. He held\nit out to Ome.\n            \"This\nwill be your weapon,\" he said.\n            Ome\ndrew her own katana and compared them. She frowned.\n            \"Why\nmust I use that?\" she asked.\n            \"It\nis from a different time, the sword of the dragonslayer Leof. It serves just as\nwell against gods.\"\n            \"Dragons?\"\n            \"Extinct\nand irrelevant. You may know my curse, but do you know I left here before I\nslew the gods? I could find no weapon that could slay our gods, but outside of\nhere I could because outside of this land they have no influence. There are\nother gods, truer gods that look over other places. It was in the Iron God's\ndomain that I found this weapon.\"\n            \"What\nis different about it?\"\n            \"It\nwas forged under a different power. Now come.\"\n            Kana\nleft Ome while she still hefted the sword experimentally. When she found that\nit was balanced up enough for her, she ran until she walked by his side. They\ndid not speak again until they came upon the House of the Gods.\n            For\nits title, the building was not that impressive. It was a small lodging that\nalmost any rice farmer could have owned. Ome could hardly imagine fitting five\nindividuals in it, let alone twelve. She thought that perhaps it could be\nbigger on the inside.\n            \"This\nis where they live?\" she asked.\n            \"Lived,\"\nKana corrected. \"And where they died. I killed them outside. Some fought. Most\nfled down the path. Does their blood still stain the path?\"\n            \"No.\"\n            \"The\nrains must have washed it away.\" He sighed. \"Inside the house is different. It\nis their place and it is the only thing of theirs I could not destroy. The\nhouse is an illusion.\"\n            \"I\ndon't understand.\"\n            \"You\nwouldn't. You do not understand them. No one but I did. They require us.\nWithout a vessel they cannot influence our world. I killed their altered hosts,\nforced them back to their world where they squabble amongst themselves about\ntheir absolutes. And now I must release one of them.\"\n            \"To\nsave us.\"\n            Kana\npursed his lips. \"Do not follow me inside. I must go in alone. When I emerge,\nwait for me to return. Be ready and resist.\"\n            Ome\nnodded. Kana suddenly lurched forward and placed a hand on her shoulder. She\ninstinctively took a step back before remembering whose hand was upon her.\n            \"I\nam trusting you too much. Do not allow others to regret your mistake.\"\n\n            With\nthis, Kana removed his hand and turned his back to Ome. He walked to the House\nof the Gods, stopping when he stood before its door. He brought his hand to the\ndoor and then gently pushed it open. He stepped in and disappeared.\n\n            Kana's\nsight was restored upon entering the house. He blinked at the first thing he\nsaw upon entrance: a long mirror that showed the reflection of a woman. Her\nhair was short, her almond eyes stoic, and she wore d? armor. In one hand she carried Leof's sword, and\nthe other was clenched in a fist. Kana recognized and knew the woman. He\nwondered if Ome looked similar or completely different. A lot could change in a\nthousand years...\n            He\nlooked down at his gnarled hands, the same hands he had possessed for nearly\nthat long. He gazed at the woman as he rubbed his hands across his wrinkled\nface. He felt a sudden twinge of regret at what he had done so long ago. His\ngaze fell to the smooth floors. It didn't have to be this way. He could have\ndied long ago if he had not ended others' lives.\n            Kana\nblinked again and returned his sight to the mirror. The woman was still there,\nbut she was dressed differently. Not as a warrior, but as a wife of Kana's\ntime. He shook his head and turned away from the mirror and found himself\nstanding in front of a round table. Around the large table kneeled twelve\nhumanoid shadows. Though they were mostly similar, there were a few\ncharacteristics about each that distinguished one from the other. One had\nfoxlike ears, another three heads, and the one Kana was there for shined\nbrightest for a shadow. When he stepped forward, they all turned their slightly\ndifferent visages to him.\n            \"Kana,\"\nthey whispered in unison, twelve voices of hate and desire. \"You've returned.\"\n            \"I\nhave,\" he said.\n            \"Why?\"\nthe bright shadow asked. \"To undo your curse? We cannot as we are and we would\nnot. Women are not warriors.\"\n            \"I\naccepted the curse long ago. No, I am here for one of you.\"\n            The\nshadows whispered excitedly amongst themselves.\n            \"You\nhave changed your mind?\" one with glowing red eyes asked.\n            \"Yes,\"\nKana lied.\n            \"It\ndoes not matter,\" the fox-eared one snickered. \"We all live at once or none of\nus live at all.\"\n            \"One\ncould save many,\" Kana said. \"I am offering myself as a vessel. Do you really\nrefuse?\"\n            \"Yes!\"\nHalf of them said.\n            \"No!\"\nthe other half replied.\n            Kana\nwatched as the shadows squawked and squabbled. They talked amongst themselves\nin a language that he didn't understand nor cared to, the speech of absolutes,\nof choice or the lack of it. The conversation escalated to an argument when one\nof the shadows pushed the table over. From there the shadows whirled around the\nroom, shouting and shoving with insubstantial appendages. Kana folded his arms\nand waited as the binary creatures feuded. \nHe did not have to\nwait for too long before the brightest shadow rose above them all. This shadow\nglowed brighter and brighter until Kana had to hold his hands in front of his\neyes. When the light was so intense that he could no longer see, the brightness\nsuddenly dimmed. He blinked and saw that the table was gone. He stood in front\nof the mirror again and the woman stared back at him. Coiling around her was a\nreptilian creature, a feathered serpent. Kana turned his head and saw the\nbright shadow standing next to him.\n            \"When\ndid you realize I was right?\" the shadow asked. \"How long did it take you?\"\n            \"A\nthousand years,\" Kana replied.\n            \"Seconds\nfor us,\" the shadow said. \"You banished us for seconds. Was it worth the\ntorment?\"\n            Kana\nwanted to tell the truth to the shadow, that the torment had faded long ago and\nnothing would ever change his mind. Instead, he lied again.\n            \"No,\"\nhe said.\n            \"Why\ndid you not bring others? Only I will be happy now.\"\n            \"They\nhave forgotten you.\"\n            \"You\nwere beautiful,\" the shadow said, wisping over to the mirror. \"Why did you have\nto fight? Why did you have to kill us? It matters not now. You can be radiant\nonce more. We will show them our beauty combined. They will remember us. They\nwill ask again for our blessings, our gifts, our guidance. How lost they must\nbe. We will shine together and put the world as it was meant to be. Do you\naccept me?\"\n            Kana\nfroze. He didn't have to say yes. He could live as he always had, but there\nwould be no visitors. None living below him, none to enjoy the freedom he had\ngiven them through the slaughtering of gods. He could live...\n            \"Yes,\"\nhe said. \"I will be your vessel.\"\n            The\nshadow did not speak. Instead, it glided over to him and melded into his form.\nNo--he was melding into it. With their\nminds so close, Kana could detect that the shadow, the goddess of the sun, did\nnot want a body aged and wrinkled, one cursed by her own hand. Rather, she\ndesired a form sleek and serpentine, feathered and aerial. It was fortunate for\nthe goddess, then, that she could remake Kana's body to her desires. His verbal\ncompliance and presence in a strange realm not his own meant he was more\nmalleable than clay.\n            Thus,\nKana's melted into an amorphous mass. The mirror and any illusion of reality\nfell away to an equally formless void as the goddess reshaped her vessel. The\nmass twisted and lengthened into a long, form sleek and serpentine with shining\nscales of gold. This new shape was female as Kana had been before, but it did\nnot feel any more complete than her accursed one. In truth, she only felt\nhorror as rainbow feathered wings formed a quarter down her body, new\nappendages that would grant flight. White feathers formed in a plume at her\ntail and around her head. When she opened her eyes, they shone with the\nradiance of the sun. She opened her mouth, revealing curved fangs that carried\nboth poison and antidote. Afterwards, she opened her wings and flapped her\nwings, flying within a place of no space. \nIt was after a few\nminutes of flight that Kana realized she was no longer in control. Her mind had\nbeen pushed aside by one not necessarily complex, but greater, one replete in\nmethods arbitrary, but there was power in that focus. It was power overwhelming\nand Kana could not resist it in such mental proximity. It became easier to\nbecome assimilated with its views than resist. In addition, it was more\nappealing to see the space she occupied not as formless, but one of infinite\npossibilities. However, what was the point in existing in a space with eleven\nothers whose views contradicted or contrasted one's own when there was another\nplace outside? She could access it now again, and why not? She would only be\nhelping the pitiful people who lived there. They would appreciate her order,\nher views, her impositions. \n\n            So,\nthe coatl goddess of the sun left.\n\n            The\ncoatl burst out of the House of the Gods and sprang into the air. She briefly\nlooked down at where she had just left. The House of the Gods was pitifully small\nin her view, not a proper dwelling for the dawn of the gods' return. And was\nthat a woman with a sword and clad in armor? Women weren't warriors. Before the\ncoatl could think any more on these, she took note of the darkness. It was\neverywhere, save for the area she illuminated. That was incorrect. It was\nnearly midday and all that hung in the sky was a green moon and alien stars.\nThe house and woman would have to change, but she would be back for them later.\n            The\ncoatl soared through the sky towards the moon. Her radiance brightened the\nsickly sky and the strange stars began to fall away, retreating to their own\nworld. The moon stood steadfast until the coatl sent a lance of light that\nshattered its surface and revealed a core of burning fire. The coatl coaxed the\ncore with a flap of her wings and it grew under her care into a true sun. With\nthe sun back, the unnatural darkness was banished. The day was proper again and\nthe coatl could see mortals beneath her peeking out of their houses, no doubt\nsurprised by the sudden light. Some even saw her, their mouths agape as they\npointed to her. The coatl examined the mortals from afar, bodies that could\nprove to be useful for both worship and vessels for her kin. They too would\nhave to be altered and she would attend to them in time.\n            The\ncoatl goddess swooped away from the sun and towards the Divine Mountain. She\nlanded upon the House and saw that the wrong warrior woman was still there,\nweapon drawn and ready. Yes, the goddess of the sun would have to do much to\nrebalance the world as it had been before, but first she would deal with this\nwoman.\n"}