"My baby…. He's all grown up!" Mythos's mother cried. She blew her nose into a tissue as the zalzi from 6 months ago picked him up and harnessed him to his back.
"I know… he's turned himself into quite the man, you should be proud" The zalzi said.
"What is wrong with you people!" Mythos thought. "I'm only six months old!"
Holding himself back, Mythos composed himself enough to say goodbye to his mother.
"Err…. Goodbye Mommy?" He said trying to seem as innocent as possible.
In the past 6 months he had become quite accustomed to the language, and could speak fluently but he decided he would conceal his progress, from fear of being cleansed by the witch doctor.
"Good boy! Since the Circumcision you have been so well, I'm glad your finally free of that demon!" She exclaimed
"Heheh, the only thing I'm free of is that horrible doctor! My penis still itches!" Mythos thought.
"Redface!" His mother said to the zalzi that was carrying him. "Please… take care of him! Please send a letter for me every couple of months"
The red faced feral turned to her and gave a thumbs up.
"Couple of months?" Mythos thought. "How long am I going for?"
"When will I see mommy again?" Mythos asked Redface
"You won't see mommy until your tenth birthday little one" Redface said.
"Ten years…" Mythos thought. "I'm leaving for ten years? Just where exactly am I going?"
"I know its going to be hard, but to become a Zalzi, you cannot simply just hunt animals, you need to know them, and embrace their chain in the spirit world." Redface said.
"I know it doesn't make much sense Mythos" His mother said crying. "But at ten years old is when the great zalzi contest begins, most mothers send there children at four, but the earlier you leave the stronger you will become…" She said crying
"Staying longer will just make this harder," Redface said. "We will leave for Cayuga forest at once, goodbye Netala," Redface said walking along a path.
"Goodbye My baby!" Mythos's mother said crying.
As Mythos and Redface made their way into the forest, two dark figures watched as they walked along.
"That's him" The man from the shadows said. "Mythos the demon child, a blight upon our species."
"Tsk, my brother had many sons with many wives… and yet this one is given special treatment? An infant placed into the forest? They are trying to give him an edge, they want this demon to be the next chief! Well not if I can kill him now."
" Shall we attack now?" The second man said
"No… we will do as the vigris does before it latches its prey" The man answered.
"Then we wait for night"
"That we do."
As Mythos moved into the forest on Redface's back, his eyes opened, amazed by the beauty he was encountering.
He saw trees as tall as mountains, and bugs as big as rodents. The forest was filled to the brim with overwhelmingly exotic life.
The trees had leaves that stemmed from deep green to neon pink, each sprouting from branches that looked like glow sticks.
"The trees here do not just gather sunlight young Mythos" Redface said. "They also collect essence, the life of our nation"
"Essence" Mythos thought. "Does he mean mana?"
"Essence is in every living thing, and it moves from place to place in a never ending stream, it does not die it does not disappear it merely changes form! For example!" Redface said walking up to a tree.
Redface closed his eyes and lifted up his hand.
"Ohhhhhhh!"
After channeling his essence into his hand, it became red and powerful glowing with a neon humm. His arm stretched and expanded into the sky reaching high into the forest.
As he did so, the trees around him began to glow. All of a sudden the entire area Mythos was surrounded in began to light up like Christmas lights.
"No way!" Mythos said, amazed.
"That's the flow of essence, it starts in your heart, and then is channeled through your body, We ferals have the ability to transform our body's with our essence, that his how we fight!"
"I see!" Mythos thought. "We humans cannot do that, we have pools of mana but we manipulate the matter around us! We cannot use it to transform our bodies! In that case the attacks I am doin gare not spells! They are natural abilities!"
"Once it leaves your body it doesn't go into thin air, it is absorbed by the trees and the soil around you, even once you die your essnce continues to flow through the stream. HEy what are you" Reface began
Mythos raised his hand into the air
"Let me see, it looks like he first allowed the essence to flow to his hand…"
Mythos began to feel a pull on his heart strings all flowing down his arms.
"This is impossible…" Redface said. "A child being able to control his flow of essence… that takes years of practice… this kid is no demon" He said looking down at Mythos. "He's a genius!"
"Ahhhhhh!" Mythos said as the energy began to build up inside of him.
"Go!" Mythos's hand expanded, becoming nearly twice its size. As it stretched it became hard and black filling with crystal spikes.
"Go!" He screamed releasing a barrage of spikes into the air.
"It's incredibly small, but you did amazing!" Redface exclaimed. "Great jo-"
Toooot Tooooot!!!!!
A foul gas emitted from Mythos's behind.
"Ehhhh?" Redface said, taking a whiff.
"Shit!" Mythos screamed.
"He channeled his energy…. Into his fart…." Redface said face palming himself. "He is a demon child!"
"Godamnit!" Mythos thought. "I was so close!"
"Hmmm what's that running down my…. Nice! He pooped himself!" Redface screamed. "You little devil!"
Mythos blushed as Redface turned around.
"AND YOU GOT IT ALL OVER THE FOREST!" Redface said finding poop sprayed all across the trees behind him.
"That's it! No more Essence training for you! Not until you're potty trained!"
"I've seen enough!" A man said coming out from behind the trees. A Zalzi with large hands and thick black fur all around his body emerged from the shadows.
"Gorilla!" Redface yelled. "What are you doing here!"
"I've come to end that monster! Look at what he's done to the forest! Look at what he's done to our people!"
"Ehh…. Gorilla…" Redface said scratching his head. "You've got something… uhh on your forehead there."
Gorilla slowly raised his finger to his forehead and swiped it across. As he brought his fingers into view, he saw a dark brown substance.
"I wouldnt't.."
Sniff Sniff
"I warned you…" Redface said.
"THIS IS THE MOST FOUL SMELL I HAVE EVER COME INTO CONTACT WITH! WHAT IS THIS? ESSENCE FILLED POOP!" He screamed.
"Hehehehe Poo Poo head!" Mythos laughed.
"I WILL KILL HIM!" Gorilla said running at Redface and Mythos. "I WILL Kill THE DEMON CHILD!"