A/N: There's a little guesswork in this chapter...I find my willing suspension of disbelief snaps that the monsters went around the world in less than a day, probably a few hours or MINUTES, with the H.E.A.T watching...

That said, on to the story!

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Our master is quiet throughout the journey but his will remains palpable in the back of my head, guiding our movements across the vast ocean. I sense his eagerness pulsating through our links that makes me rather proud – surely Mother and I are of significance that our arrivals come to be expected by our master?

Silence is the mark of obedience but my curiousity cannot bear the unanswered questions swimming in my mind. I dare myself asking Mother of our purposes in an occasion or two, to be met only with a patient silence or cryptic assurance; not quite the response I would have found satisfying, but better than total puzzlement.

-Our might is needed to cleanse the world, she had once said to me. That our strengths are recognized is gratifying even if the mention of 'world-cleansing' is a little vague for my understanding. Mother's patience is not without limit, though, so I let my bafflement to rest before I exhaust her good grace – I'm sure the answers will come in due time.

'In due time', as it turns out, take a few more days as we travel ever Southwards. Cold water becomes steadily warmer; many islands we see and pass by, lands big and small that we barely give thoughts to. We press onwards relentlessly, towards the calling voice of our master – but as we near our destination, so does my anxiety grows with the shortening distance. I have sensed 'voices' whose origins I rather not meet, creatures of whom our mutual grudge would make my presence more than just uncomfortable.

But master is calling for us and so I obey even as my instinct retaliates to be anywhere near these 'voices' are. I steel myself against my personal misgiving and follow Mother as she resurfaces. Predators do not cower before threats – I'll be damned to call myself one if I ever retreat without giving a good fight. Setting a foot upon the sandy beach, master's presence is even more pronounced here than anywhere else I have ever felt. His welcome is warmly felt in my mind, enough to overpower the sense of imminent danger ahead of us. I head inland after my mother's heel, curious as to what lay beyond those high hills and thick vegetation. I keep my vigilance to my surroundings –the undisputed presences of enemies are…well, it makes me restless and agitated to be near these creatures I have once fought. My strength is considerable, yes, but I rather not be caught in ambush before Mother –

-You are here too, Firebreather…

I know the hissing voice behind me; even before I whirl around to face the source, I know with utter certainty that the first Big Enemy who has chosen to face me is the creature from the East, the Spitting Snake. I hate to be reminded of its nasty blinding trick which has left me sightless – temporary, of course, but massively annoying nevertheless. It rises on its serpentine length, the hood behind its head flaring open with menace, long fangs bared before my face. As if I can be frightened by these petty tricks.

Touch me, and I'll make sure you stay DEAD this time!

I roar back at it, letting malice bleeds into my tone. One snake is fine but a rather familiar buzzing soon ripples around us, heralding the arrival of another enemy that I remember meeting on a volcanic island. I am none too pleased to glimpse the Big Bee hovering at the corner of my vision, still alive after I have left it to burn in the depth of said island's fire-spouting mountain. Honestly, how could it have survived all the spilled lava from the erupting volcano?

-I remember you, fire-lizard. You are not welcomed here.

That is also a recognizable voice, one who brings out my dreadful memories of a sickness that very nearly brought me my death. I turn around to face the horrible, portly figure slumped beside the much smaller bee – the Big Worm, though no longer as big as I remember it being before. However, that is already saying much considering that I have brought my flame and foot upon it during our last meeting. It brings with it another nasty surprise in the form of another enemy I thought to be dead; the foul-smelling Rat Chief in all its stinky, disgusting glory. No wonder I hate it so much.

-Leave before I break every single bone in your body, Firebreather!

The Spitting Snake must have forgotten the outcome of our last battle, confident in the support of the other Big Enemies and its blinding spit – the latter which has made fighting it so difficult. I give it that much credit but its overconfidence is greatly getting on my nerves. This arrogant creature will not find me an easy opponent!

Make me, snake.

These are all Big Enemies which I have – supposedly – killed. Neither have any common interest except me, one who has given them all hell of a time. Their differences are petty against their greater desire of seeing me finally dead, so it does not come really as a surprise when the other Big Enemies decide to join forces with the Spitting Snake as soon as I issue my challenge to it. It isunnerving – a little – to be faced with so many enemies at once but I'll bite my tail off if I cannot even leave a scar or two on each of them as a reminder…

Come if you dare! Come! I'll kill you all!

It is recklessness, I know, but submission before a fight is shameful to a predator, especially to this annoyingly haughty excuse of a snake. I widen my stance, discarding all shred of reserve for the incoming battle – even if I myself bleed to death, I WILL make them regret for not staying dead after their first time meeting me.

Then, the master speaks to us.

There is displeasure to the master's words which echo in all of our minds. His desire is transparent, commanding us to stand down and cease the aggression between us. I see in the others' body languages the reluctance to do so and honestly, the feeling is mutual. Despite that, I still obey my master. His wish precedes mine although my claws itch to tear open their hides and break their bones to tiny little pieces. The look in the eyes of the Big Enemies speaks of the same grudging withdrawal even if they do not dare to openly defy our master's order.

-You are lucky…this time.

The rat's growl is rich with its unspoken desire to sink its teeth and claws into my flesh. I simply answer with a derisive snort, not bothering to give its threat much concern. It is only luck that has saved it from my fire before – I have no problem to roast it for the second time if it decides to do anything foolish. In fact, give me a reason and I will have no qualm whatsoever to breathe my fire to any of these Big Enemies until nothing but ash is left behind.

-Cease this! We are allies from now on!

Mother announces, her roar startling us all out of our lingering dissension. In the chaos of our meetings, I scarcely notice her presence – or lack thereof – in the face of the Big Enemies' combined threats right until she reappears from behind us. Of us all, she carries with her what feels to me like a tiny piece of our master. Her roar echoes with his authority, solidifying the command which has been previously spoken in our minds.

-Your bloodlusts will be much better used in the cleansing instead of each other.

There is still some leftover aggression that we long to vent on each other but under her watchful gaze, we keep the dissatisfaction to ourselves. It is a dangerous foolishness to commence with the violence when the master has already expressed his disappointment of our behaviours. Besides, this…'cleansing' she speaks of so certainly sounds like a more promising prospect than these Big Enemies before me.

There are more Big Enemies that I have not met, it seems. I sense more 'voices' scattered throughout the island, familiar ones, including one that I recognize to belong to one of the flippered snakes which have once guarded the Sunken Leaf. It is rather peculiar to be in the vicinity of so many Big Enemies and yet not expected to fight any of them – my conscience despises their presences in what I come to term as my territories which makes the waiting for this 'cleansing' all the more frustrating.

I feel like being at the end of my restraint when the master speaks to us, but not with words. Although my feet are standing upon solid ground and I can feel the grains of sand shifting under my weight, my sight is sent zooming away from the Big Enemies and Mother before me, to be plunged underwater off this island. Visions stream into my mind in dizzying succession but they burn themselves into my memories – there is a glowing ring floating in the water, framing what seems to be an endless blackness that does not at all match the more natural darkness of the surrounding water. A doorway of some sort, it seems, and my vision is thrust through the ring only to emerge on the continent where I came from. I find myself barraging through the streets of a proud city heavily infested with vermin; I see a tall spike-like tower of stone, a domed white building in the middle of wide grassy clearing and a sharp-angled construction of many pillars facing a pool as clear as a mirror, among many others that these vermin have built.

The next moment, though, the city and its sprawling building dissolves into a multitude of colours and suddenly, I am back again on the island surrounded by the other Big Enemies. There are no words exchanged between us but we are all aware of the message our master has imparted. As one, we head towards the doorway from the vision. The Spitting Snake and the Big Worm disappear underground, presumably for their own doorway which is being opened beneath the surface. The Big Bee, now accompanied by the bat I just fought a few days ago, departs for its destination on its wings. The urge for a battle, already great at the prospect of killing those wretched humans, grow almost alarmingly when the First Big Enemy suddenly strides into my view, its long, spindly legs carrying it easily over the hills that line the shore. I will myself to ignore it, insisting to myself that it is an ally that I have to come to term with if our missions are to be completed. Mother keeps her silence as we slip underwater, and I keep mine; our thoughts are much too focused on the pinprick of light ahead of us, continually growing until it materializes as the light-encircled ring I have seen in my vision.

-We will see each other again once we are done with the cleansing, my child.

I stare after her, shock creeping into my thoughts at her out-of-the-blue statement. It occurs to me suddenly that we are to go our separate ways as I observe the flying Big Enemies vanishing into a separate ring that opens in the sky. It is a gateway that will disperse us all to places all over the world, to wherever our master wants us to be – relenting to separation at the thought of her promise of reunion, I watch her enters the gateway and lets herself be swallowed by the darkness contained within the glowing ring. I have to avert my eyes from it because the passing of Mother seems to trigger it into…some sort of convulsion. The outer light circle pulses and flares erratically, like an enraged beast trying to break free, only to settle down again a few seconds later. The First Big Enemy goes next, propelling itself, squid-like, into the centre of the ring. It too disappears into its warping darkness; again, the ring-like door brightens momentarily as the new creature passes through it. I am about to enter myself when I am nudged aside by the flippered snake. It baffles me for a moment to see it without its twin until I realize that the other must have not survived the crashing weight of the boulders that I have brought upon it.

Does it bear revenge for my doing? I do not know, but perhaps it is more afraid of being somewhere near a murderer of its kind. My remorse is simply that I was compelled to violence when protecting the human I once adopted as my father – if I am made to realize sooner how distasteful where my loyalty has been placed, these complications are unnecessary. I shake myself out of my reverie as the light of the ring calms down after receiving the flippered snake into it.

As I stare into the darkness swirling inside the circle of glowing light, a speckle of doubt creeps into my thoughts. My conscience seems to whisper something quite…off in this scenario, like I am missing a key piece to an understanding. But then, the pull of master's call brings me back to reality and to the urgency of this 'cleansing' he is commanding us to perform. I allow myself a momentary pause to collect my strayed thoughts and steel my resolution before throwing myself right into the centre of the gateway, knowing that the other side holds the vermin that I am tasked to rid of the face of this world.