I believed years went by, as I laid in that pit of glowing diamonds, which Zarathul called essence gems, during those times I had shed my skins five more time, each shedding was more painful than the last, as the toughness and elasticity of my skin got increasingly perverted.

On the third shedding my fingers became retractable, and glowed when it caught the light with a reddish lustre, on my fifth shedding, I lost my teeth and puked up what felt like all my internal organs.

Now I await the last shedding. my body, an endless pit, this was the tenth time Zarathul have recharged the essence gems after the last shedding, and I still drew more. my skin had been feeling tight for a while, a persistent Agony I had gotten used to. now it felt like my entire body was bloated, I timed my breathing to manage the intense feeling of irritation.

Zarathul came as the sun set, and the first of the moon arose- Passus. The second will be up in a while- Ores, and finally the gem of the night skies- Pandora. A moon so huge it dominated a third of the sky, the other two mere gems to decorate its glory.

Zarathul crouched by the edge of the pit observing me “Not all hatchling can shed till their seventh, that is passable result.”

I suddenly felt a nasty premonition and growled at him

“Old dragon”

He frowned.

“ how many more shedding is left?”

“for you?. After the seventh, you have two more.”

“two more" my features warped “ I am not sure I would survive the pain of the seventh shedding, the eight will most likely kill me!"

He cocked his head "Death is a better alternative, than to be weak".

I chewed my lower lip " I beg to differ"

He sighed and sat down “I will tell you a tale".

I grimaced “I don’t see how that would help In this situation you want to subject me to".

He ignored me “ Anansi the spider king had ten thousand gold pieces, ten thousand shields and ten thousand spears, he looked at his Palace that was rooted in the sky, and he says to his court. I can challenge the gods.”

“And he set off on an expedition to conquer the gods, and the footsteps of his spears shook the realm. But before he could leave his kingdom, he came across a black spider at his gates.”

“Oh great Anansi the weaver of wealth, your gold brighten the sky, and your shield hold the northern winds at bay, your spears famed to be the sharpest in the world are all but untested! For the taste of blood on the battlefield is unknown to them, they could as well be made of straws.”.

Anansi angrily called for his head, but the spider quickly replied “You know I speak the truth great king, beneath you lies the world of mortals and above you lies the world of the immortals, how can you claim to slay the immortal when the mortals lay uncontested.”

Angry at the provocation, Anansi the spider king threw the might of his spears against the world of mortals, after ten years of war he conquered seven of the nine kingdoms of mortal.

But he grew impatient, drunk on his conquest, he set his sights once more on the kingdom of the gods, on the day he was to set off, the spider stood before his gates once more.

Anansi looked at him and declared with pride “ you have witnessed the might of my spears, the world of mortals exist only at my whims”

The spider nodded “ you speak truth, great king. Are you done with the conquest of the mortal world?”

Anansi grew impatient, “my might has darken the world of mortals, my spears has drank enough blood to fill an ocean!”

The spider placated him “be patient great king, your feats are mighty, for that a gift of equal measure is in order"

And the spider drew upon a great working and all the dead from the six Kingdom were called forth, their skulls were ripped from their bodies and a grand cloak was made from their screaming skulls.

Presenting the cloak to Anansi, the spider said “ with this cloak, you shall tread through hail, fire and lightening, and you shall not be harmed.”

The spider noticed a space in the cloak, a gap the size of a single strand of spider silk, and it flew into rage “ my grand work is not complete for the dead are not enough!”

Anansi the spider king disregarded the cry, for a gap this tiny, surely nothing will penetrate this defences, he said "why fill a cup with an ocean when it can be done with another cup".

Anansi was greatly pleased with the gift he wrapped it around his body, only his waist showing a tiny gap. And with a great cry, he swung his spears towards the heavens.

All the host of heaven gathered at the Plain Of Dusk led by the seven principalities and they clashed with the spears and shield of Anansi the spider king.

The battle was bitter, losses piled up on both sides. The firmament wept. The blood of her children came down with her tears.

Anansi impatient with the progress of the war, challenged the principalities to battle and was mocked by the seven. furious he charged into the battlefield and promptly broke the stalemate for he was invincible against flames, lightening and blades, the principalities seeing their host on the edge of defeat entered the fray. Anansi laughed and engaged the principalities in battle.

Menhit- principality of war, struck with his wooden axe so great a blow, it tore the world in two, and all weapons might was dulled in half from that moment, for he drew on the might of every weapon that ever was and will ever be in the universe but Anansi was unharmed. He took that power and forged for himself a new teeth and he bit off the arm of Menhit.

Gleti -mother of myriad stars, threw twelve flaming suns at the spider king, and he swallowed them, stripping her of half her light. And Lo, half the light in the universe was lost.

Bastet- Rock of ages. Was the principality that could hold him down and all the principalities unleashed such devastating forces on Anansi, the bones of the universe was broken. The pride of Anansi was broken also.

for the devastating powers unleashed had a mind of their own and it found the chink in the cloak, the tiniest of gap located on the spine of Anansi and he was torn in half. One part fell from the battle field covered in the remnants of his invincible cloak while the other still remains trapped within Bastet for all eternity".

I had been lulled into the atmosphere of the story, and the abrupt ending threw me off, my mouth opened and closed again, vestiges of questions in my mind fleeing my head.

Zarathul looked deeply into my eyes. “ perhaps you don’t understand my purpose for you.” A deep forlorn look washed through his face and his shoulders sagged. “ I gave Miranda the best of trainings, the greatest of weapons and the knowledge of ancients.” He gritted his teeth “ yet she still fell.”

I was silent as I watched his grief, as of this moment I had not fully processed my loss, not really having time to think, my ever changing condition not giving me time to grieve for the world I had lost.

Or perhaps.....^##:@@^&@@””

My heart went to the old dragon, and I said to him “Miranda stood tall till the end, and the darkness itself feared her might”

“Fear?” Zarathul said “is not enough”.

“my purpose for you is simple, you shall tread the path no one has done before, the hands of fate shall not hold you. For you shall crush her bones. The gate of death shall be barred to you. For you shall tread on them."

“What I want from you my son, is..... "