The Cure
Prologue:
Near the middle of the 21st century food production reached an all time high, but malnourishment was still an awful truth for those who lived in poverty. Dr. Shelly Anko addressed starvation in a way that the ‘free market’ couldn’t subvert for profit, a hope for people getting the nutrition they needed. She developed Symbioglobulin, a more specialized version of ImmunoglobulinA that focused on its ability to regulate gut microbiota making them both more symbiotic with their human hosts and more symbiotic with each other. This adaptive system enabled even the most virulent strains of bacteria and fungi to be integrated into the microbiome and supply nutrition. With Symbioglobulin it became possible to meet an average human’s needs with less than 5% as much food.
Along with Symbioglobulin, she also cultivated a new kind of fat cell. AdipocyteB could handle containing even the most toxic of substances, making overdose toxicity impossible. These otherwise toxic substances were put to use by advanced protein folding tools in Symbioglobulin, enabling internal creation of things like graphene to enhance muscle, bone, nerves and more. This ability to get value out of things which were otherwise toxic reduced waste output to essentially nothing. The processes at play prompted frequent voluminous belching to release the non-toxic minimally useful byproducts. Since Symbioglobulin had way too many syllables to be communicated to the masses, this new way to avoid malnutrition and be immune to food based pathogens was simply known as “The Cure”.
The Cure was spread through belches, a resilient way to insure that people’s needs were met without market pressures putting a price on a pill. Just because someone could now survive off only a small bowl of rice for a month didn’t fix the pain of hunger. Ghrelin, and Neuropeptide Y ran wild without a hint of Leptin in sight. Despite this flaw in The Cure’s functionality, people in first world nations were pretty excited about the concept of being immune to foodborne pathogens.
When The Cure was brought back to nations abundant in food, its impact was more extremely visible. The increased ability to extract nutrition and abundant access to food, made the weights of those infected with The Cure increase dramatically. They had vastly superior health, but the forces of fat-phobia didn’t let that slow oppression down one bit. As more people were Cured, more of the population witnessed how so much infrastructure they had taken for granted wasn’t accessible to people of size. The power structure had no interest in adapting to meet people’s needs and as average weights doubled then quadrupled, infrastructure was useless for serving the needs of the growing populace.
The majority of government powers appealed to their wealthy donors that this was an emergency, new infrastructure was a necessity for society to keep functioning. When it came time to vote, infrastructure spending was slashed and subsidies were given to the top 1%. The attempt to have a better embodied experience of life was demonized by the power structure, saying those that used The Cure to fix their health challenges were weak of will and didn’t deserve infrastructure that served their needs. In order to more effectively demonize these people that now made up the majority of the population, those in power engineered the Predator Pathogen. It skyrocketed the appetites of those it infected and expanded their capabilities to handle swallowing prey larger than themselves whole. It could sneak through the immune systems of The Cured because it didn’t actually do anything harmful to the body, just functioned as a catalyst for increased capability and behavioral change. The image portrayed in the media was that The Cured were human eating monsters, to be feared, despised and hated. As time passed, more people contracted The Cure and the Predator Pathogen and weight continued to increase.
Vehicles, buildings, and devices that were everyday necessities were no longer available at scales that met the needs of the people. This became incredibly problematic when production of vital goods and services died out. The proletariat could no longer operate the tools needed to keep making food, vehicles and computers. Most nations collapsed.
The small Pacific island nation of Ki’Azu was ruled by queen Azaka, a powerless yet beloved figurehead in place to take publicity while parliament did the actual work. Azaka was quite the massive presence both energetically and physically. The engineers of Ki’Azu had been customizing larger infrastructure to meet Azaka’s needs for decades. These engineers had already investigated the challenges of the large and knew how to handle everything from door frames to cell phones to address her needs. While the rest of the world was collapsing, Azaka insured that the needs which had been met for her were also met for her people. Ki’Azu restructured all public systems to meet the needs of all their citizens including those of incredible mass. As an island nation, Ki’Azu couldn't handle their increased need for food. To solve this, they provided their expert skills in rebuilding infrastructure to what had been their biggest mainland trade partner, Cha’Tzien.
Cha’Tzien was the first nation to obtain infrastructure while also having access to lots of land. It became the primary food supplier for a much hungrier world, innovating agriculture through vertical gardening and other scalable systems.With the support of Ki’Azu, they stabilized the world's food supply. The human devouring practices from the Predator Pathogen had wildly unforeseen impacts. Symbioglobulin took in foreign bodies, analyzing their inputs and outputs. Pathogens were the original application, but when applied to complex things like humans, behavioral outputs also ended up being integrated into Symbioglobulin. It was able to develop an answer for any element, structure or potentially pathogenic being and built a database based on what had been consumed. When a person was consumed, their symbioglobulin was also absorbed, integrating the way their database understands inputs and outputs.
Predators of people developed an intuitive sense of how things could effectively nourish humans and how to interact with others to modify behavior creating greater symbiosis just like they did with pathogens. These beings that devoured others become known as Oracles because of the intuitive knowing they developed. When an Oracle visited a place they found a key person. This person could be a delinquent causing problems, a community leader organizing people, or a mail delivery person. Oracles would find these people who happen to be at ideal nexus points to influence a community and radically bless that person's life. The Oracle taught them lessons they needed to learn, gave them resources they need to have, and connected with them in ways that were nourishing. Oracles supported people in the self actualization process and the communities were blessed with these actualized individuals.
Oracles made all communities better and were a sought after resource, yet there were serious fears around consuming other sapient beings. The people of Cha’Tzien’s religious background was fertile ground for these new capabilities to be cultivated. They believed that people were the impact that's left on the world as the result of all the actions they took during their lives. A special class of religious clergy took on the perspective that the most effective way to have actions which leave positive impact on the world is to participate as Prey for Oracles. They expose themselves to a broad variety of pathogens, chemicals, etc. to build up strong databases in their AdipocyteB and Symbioglobulin with the intention of cultivating a diverse inner system to nourish the Oracle which would consume them. The sum of the Oracle’s actions plus their Prey actions without consumption would have been lower than the actions of them as a combined entity.
Cha’Tzien cultivated a public service supporting those with perspectives that enabled effective Oracle work. They embrace those with personalities that allow them to participate in consuming other people while remaining respectful of Prey and emotionally healthy. Cha’Tzien welcomed these people in so that they could become Oracles in safe and supported ways. Professional Prey got to 'live on' by making the world a better place through the Oracle’s actions. They were the social development devourer center of the world, where those that desired to improve the world go to hone their skills and appetites. They invite people in, train them as Oracles, and make the world a better place.
100 years after the collapse, Paratzia was born, she knew her destiny was to become Prey as long as she could remember. She grew up in Appo, the religious capital of Cha’Tzien, it wasn’t exactly known as a space for children and she grew in the strangeness of this existence. There were only three other students in her class, and each got the time and attention needed to flourish. In an environment surrounded by Oracles, life was kind. All kinds of support fell into place wherever her life could become more blessed. She spent most of her development running around doing errands for the devout Prey, grabbing everything from uranium to krocadil for those who needed to build their inner libraries to cultivate themselves as nourishing meals. Future Prey and Oracles traveled in from all over the world and Tzia learned exceptionally basic forms of dozens of languages, able to help people with directions, and generally figure out what’s needed. She was so well regarded in the Prey community that she even developed the nickname “Heaven’s meal”, an honoring of the truth that before even studying at the academy she was considered the finest prey in the world.
Developing life in such a unique situation gave Tzia a perspective that enabled her to be blessed with the role of Oracle. This came as a serious shock to Tzia when despite getting a perfect score on the entrance test to be accepted into the Prey Academy, she was turned away. She was told that she had the correct perspective to become a truly great Oracle. This turned everything she had learned on its head. She knew that the Oracles often had a way of knowing what would work out, so despite her uncertainty, she took the dive and enrolled as an Oracle.
Tzia was a massive woman. At 5’10” and 19,083 pounds, she already had the figure of an Oracle before any training! Her strong muscular core absolutely drowned in an ocean of fat, giving her incredible width and depth. To move at such an extreme size she learned the Oracle technique to stay mobile, flowing. Flowing was when a being moves in alignment with the waveforms traveling through their fat, accumulating power for motion, setting the massive body cascading like an avalanche. Tzia could gently shift her oscillation to adjust the angles and speeds of the crashing waves of flesh to keep her adipose abundance moving with her core. When entirely still it could be up to a minute before Tzia really got going because of her awe inspiring mass. For most of her days she was in constant motion, her neutral hip sway was like a grounded hover to keep herself ready for action. Her fat distribution was absolutely lovely, stretching out her rich gold, olive-splashed skin into a flowing lake in all directions. Her feet and legs dramatically taper, the stretch mark covered rolls of her massive thighs reaching the ground on every side. Such huge thighs were necessary to support hips over 16 feet wide, supporting her enormous stomach that surged across the ground and her many rolls of back fat. Her shoulders start a beautiful cascade, dripping as a liquid testament to just how much she’d consumed, a symbol of her power and capability. Her upper arms were each wrapped in thick roll that made a divot multiple feet deep where it intersected her elbow. She often wears simple grey robes which always seem many sizes too small, more like a capelet accenting her back, bits peeking out between her rolls. Tzia’s eyes are brown curious orbs that react with a terrifying awareness and reaction speed. Those skilled at reading emotions often see her react before events even happen, but she’s actually reacting to the conflux of factors that lead to the event in the first place. Her hair would be mid-back length if the path it had to go was straight down, but because of the depth of her neck and back it barely makes it to the top of her shoulders. She has five solid chins that are all incredibly expressive exaggerating and broadcasting her emotions to all who witness her.
Tzia had brought many things into her system, studied and grown in so many unique situations making her very adaptable. She oscillates between polar confidence expressions. Sometimes she flows from a place of deep humility, having witnessed many truly great oracles that show even at her incredible scale, she’s but a grain of sand amongst stars. She knows that no matter how impressive she seems that there are always bigger fish in the ocean. She can also express supreme confidence. This isn’t arrogance on her behalf, she’s very aware of her skills and which tasks have success rates near 100%, unwilling to apply false modesty when it’s unnecessary. Lots of things that would be very challenging for others don’t intimidate her, and she keeps trying until the task is done, or intuition shows a better path. Tzia deeply respects and loves Oracles, she knew that she’d become a part of one for her whole life, and as she joins new Oracles in training her perspective shifts to be less servile. Now that she’s thinking about the path of devouring from another angle, she actually finds it really empowering and sexy, interested in exploring possibilities with those who feel alignment.
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Chapter 1: Learning and Monsters
Although it was clearly a most blessed and beautiful day, Tzia was still confused by her entire life plan being completely upended last night, denied study at the adjacent Prey academy. She had heavily internalized the messages that she would end up being the pinnacle of prey some day, and finding that her path was different filled her with a tentative curiosity as she shed old beliefs like a snake’s skin. She looked at the broad academy of Oracles with an entirely different perspective, she had known she would be within this space, but never thought it would be in this role. She felt an anxious flutter inside her chest as she pressed a hand to the sliding wooden door. It was still cool from the night, hydraulic support to insure that those of varying strengths had access to this sacred facility. Since it was the first day of a new class, she took the opportunity to share her awareness of where things were. After getting the news last night she prepared, making signs with directions written in each of the languages that new students spoke so that people could find their way through the massive facility.
The Academy of Oracles was obviously designed with large people in mind to even greater degrees than that of the general populace. The building was so wide that it reached the horizon on every side, each of its eight floors reinforced to handle incredible amounts of weight with ease. Even inside it felt more spacious than most outdoor environments with a vastness that felt oceanic in scale. Everything looked classic in design, all the machinery to increase accessibility hidden behind wood and stone. There was a large pack of roombas keeping the floors clean and bright, light bouncing off them. In the warmth of the early morning sun, the space felt open and accessible. Despite being such a huge space, there was an intuitive flow of the architecture that made it easy to find whatever one was looking for, Tzia’s signs only serving as a backup measure.
The rooms beyond the sun’s reach were lit by LEDs in lantern wrappings, a soft ambient light that spoke of a place free of secrets. Tzia briskly flowed to the Honoring Prey orientation where all the new Oracles would get acquainted with exactly what being an Oracle was and why it was important. The room felt like a welcoming cave, natural stone floors with carved pools and rivers flowing through the space providing a gentle background noise before they disappeared through slats in the walls. She was grateful to have arrived before the clamor and confusion of many people being exposed to a new environment. Despite those that were present having clarity, the environment was far from quiet, a constant stream of belches erupted from all over the room! There were sixty Oracles spread out across the room to lead small groups of the orientation, being fully aware that environments where people could ask questions and actually get them answered were far more conducive to learning than just blasting out information and hoping people would integrate what was said. There was free seating so people could go wherever their intuition lead, and connect with the teachers they desired. With each Oracle there were twenty Prey, and everyone was chatting eagerly about training this new batch of people here to make the world a better place.
Finally, the new students started arriving, three hundred in total for 5 students per each Oracle. It was apparent that most of these new people had only ever seen one or two Oracles in their life before, witnessing so many people of such incredible scale was overwhelming, like being an ant among titans. On average the Prey were between the weights of the students and Oracles, with substantial meat on their bones from their own training. Tzia was surprised to witness how tiny these students were, it was amazing to think that these scrawny little things from across the globe would become the next wave of change that this world needed. As people spilled in she made sure to help folks who looked confused or threatened find a space, bringing them to an Oracle who aligned with each student. As the space started to fill, new students saw others already in position and were less confused about what to do, diffusing more naturally, finding suitable Oracles to teach them.
Since English was the common international language, that was the official language of the Academy. Even though all natives of Cha’Tzien were fluent in the language, there were still some differences in cultural understanding. Where most cultures had let the constant belching interrupt conversation, things here were much more harmonious. When someone was speaking if they felt a belch come up they just let it roll through their words and kept going. The English was pretty flawless and the gassy additions added a thick accent which was both strangely alluring and also somehow felt like a more natural way to speak . When others were speaking, if someone needed to belch they’d modulate their tone into a frequency range that increased coherence, so despite the fact that in this room of 960 people having not a single moment of silence, it was still entirely possible to understand what people were saying with perfect clarity. The group nature meant that there was a background of juicy gurgles, sounds softening into each other forming something similar to white noise, but far more harmonious.
Paratzia ended up in a group of 10 with others that had congregated in a carved out hot springs. She was drawn to the group with the most experienced, fattest Prey, the scrawniest of which measuring in at a good 6 tons and the largest at 8. She decided to join this group because she was already friends with all the Prey and began chatting with them excitedly before orientation began. The Oracle dwarfed even these huge women at well over 30 tons, far from the largest of the teaching Oracles, but substantially larger than anyone else in this group. Once the last of the students settled in she began her orientation. “ Welcome new Oracles and esteemed Prey!” She belted out, the appetizing aroma of the whale shark she’d snacked on for fifteenth breakfast booming forth with her words. This put an end to the cross chatting in a way that didn’t feel like oppression, but giving an opportunity for something even greater to be shared.
“Today you continue your journey of making the world a better place. You are here to become Oracles, those who witness the flow of the world and upgrade all forces to greater cohesion. I’m going to start with the most important lesson you will learn in your entire time here.” She gestures to the assorted Prey relaxing in the hot springs. “Without these brave, brilliant women an Oracle is nothing.” She pauses for emphasis, “So, before you do anything to increase capacity or listen in to the wisdom of the Universe, the most important thing you can do is learn to -URP connect with these women from a place of love and respect. Most beings have instinctual fear of those that consume them, in the Honoring Prey classes that I will teach you, you will learn how to conduct yourself in such a way that you are inviting enough to not only overcome this default fear, but offer a new excitement for the opportunity to participate in this blessing. Anyone who isn’t open to learning how to treat Prey with love and respect can leave now.” She offers before punctuating her words with a particularly meaty belch that leaves flesh jiggling throughout the entire room and reinforcing the powerful aroma of her meals.
It was pretty common for Tzia’s immense roles of flab to reach others, however she wasn’t accustomed to them interfacing with those as small as the new students. She hadn’t really given it much thought, personal space in Cha’Tzien had no boundaries against being in physical connection with those nearby, here what was valued was making sure to not cause any harm that may be a byproduct of incredible mass. However when Tzia felt a particularly rumbling bellow shake her side it draws her attention to one of the new students. Did those huge things really come out of this 500 pound pipsqueak? Before Tzia could explore her curiosity further, the Oracle invites “Since none of you are opposed to the proper treatment of Prey, you’re henceforth in Oracle training. My name is Iyaka and you’re group eight of the thirtieth Oracle class. Cha’Tzien subsidizes the lives of Oracles and Prey, within this facility there is lodging, food, services and more. You’ll be staying in house Eight, the lodging there supports up to fifty tons, if you near that range we’ll shift you to more appropriate dwellings. Prey will live with you and cycle so that by the time you’re able to eat them you’ll consistently have your fill and you’ll have cultivated the proper relationship with them rotating through your life” She offers, starting the intensive process of shifting enough that she could start flowing.
Once Iyaka starts moving it’s breathtaking to behold, something beautiful and awe inspiring that feels inhumane to have not been witnessed before. The cohesion and elegance of her crashing rolls felt like the contrasting blessing to counterbalance the chaos of natural disasters. The students and Prey follow Iyaka to House Eight. It has hot springs, rivers, and beautiful stone. Beds were positioned so they were easy to access, but had strategically placed mountainous outcroppings of rock so that people could have privacy if they desired it. Despite accessible privacy, the majority of the space was communally designed so that people could easily connect with one another. There was no distinction between beds for Prey and beds for future Oracles, a reminder that Prey are not inferior, but people, just like the students. It was much quieter here without needing to hear the continuous enormous eruptions of other Oracles in the training hall, but even with the increased quiet it still felt more chaotic. Despite being the noisiest place any of the students had ever been to, the training hall felt serene in some way. All the noises worked together and the huge eruptions of teachers smoothed out background noise to help everything fall into place perfectly.
Iyaka lets out a satisfied “URRRP!” Her short, powerful belch echoing through the massive room. This leads her to smile in warm satisfaction, expression spreading across her massive cheeks with angelic beauty. “I know a lot of you are accustomed to being one of the bigger people in your home towns and that the contrast of being among Oracles who actually have experience eating can force you to re-examine your world view. Orientation is brief so that you have time to adjust to your new homes and make friends with the people here. Remember that the path of the Oracle is to be friends with all, get to know the people living with you and remember, you’re here to make the world a better place. If you have questions about anything feel free to ask any of the Prey or Paratzia.” She pauses for a moment gesturing to Tzia who don’t seem at all phased by being singled out or related to the Prey in that way, embracing the truth that she has awareness that can help her fellow students. She waves, making sure to make eye contact with each other student, letting them know that it’s safe to talk to her and that she is here to support. Iyaka starts to flow out of house eight, mentioning over her shoulder, “Along with answering questions they also know delicious places to eat around here.” She teases playfully as she leaves, leading to a scramble of new students who hadn’t eaten in an entire hour and forty five minutes scrambling to talk to various Prey and get that situation sorted out.
The powerful pipsqueak that Tzia heard earlier comes to ask her for guidance in finding food. Tzia beams a welcoming smile back at her. She nervously asks, “H-hi, I’m Simone. would you please, Urrrp, show me where to get food?” Tzia does a little shuffle with her hips so her fat is more side oriented than depth oriented as it jiggles back and forth, freeing space for Simone to get closer to her. When Simone belched mid greeting Tzia doesn’t exhibit any of the disgust or disdain symbols that were prevalent in Simone’s homeland. Tzia is momentarily surprised, but it does nothing to shake her warm and inviting nature as her hips jiggle hypnotically with the side to side motion. Instead of chastising Simone’s eruptions Tzia giggles, “Don’t worry, you don’t need to show off here, we respect people of all sizes and know that big Oracles come in small packages.” She responds. Not only did she not think it was gross, she was actively impressed with Simone’s eruptions. Tzia responds with a huge encouraging rumble of her own, her shifting stomach gurgling with a gaseous wetness with the bewitching beauty of a geyser about to erupt. “ORRRRRRRRRRRRRP! UAAPeeeorrrrRRRRRRRP. Urrp, urp Buap, BORRRRP.” Despite not being an Oracle yet Tzia most certainly belched like one! The intriguing tones of the eruptions were immersive, when she belched just for the pleasure of it all her eruptions were worlds of their own, bassy soundscapes that swirl through a narrative of pressure, release, and satisfaction, resonating the entirety of Simone’s flesh with those feelings. Tzia’s belches are so big that even the desperate pleas for food from many students stop momentarily as people just stare in awe. Despite the six beefy blasts, she barely pays notice to them, idly flicking her wrist as if to dismiss them. Her voice is cheerful with a hint of seductive allure to it in response to Simone’s own eruptions, “Welcome Simone! It’s lovely to meet you, I’m hungry too, let’s grab some seventh breakfast!”
Tzia grabs Simone’s hand and flows off, the rest of the classmates still gaping at the powerful sensations that accompanied those eruptions. There’s a food court staffed by religious devotees who were not prey, but still wanted to contribute to the nourishment of Oracles. There were all kinds of cuisines and Tzia had a good friendship with everyone who worked there. She offers, “Since I was given the opportunity to become an Oracle I made a personal vow to never eat another dead thing again. So I’ll only partake of the living stuff they have at that final eatery, but feel free to enjoy whatever aligns with you!” Gesturing to some of the amazing aromas wafting over from each restaurant. Despite her personal vow, she expresses no hint of judgment as she shows off the wonderful opportunities! There was an incredibly broad array of things available, and the quantities were intimidating. First there was Japanese cuisine, serving a bowl of Udon that looked more like a bathtub than a menu item. Then there was Shanghainese cuisine with endless xiao long bao steaming, their pork soupy aroma mixing with that of the Udon. Then there was some more Western diner food that had a platter displayed in front with 3 dozen eggs, fifteen pounds of chicken fried steak, many biscuits smothered in gravy, mashed potatoes, cole slaw, macaroni salad and so much more. These were only the first few of dozens and dozens of eateries all of which had vegan options available.
While starting to gesture to the fiftieth place down Paratzia looses a big rumbling, “BUAAAAPP! Mmmmm that was good.” She groans out, the powerful smell of her seafood meals carrying a powerful sense of life with it, just witnessing the loud wet belch brought a rush of endorphines, feeling of movement, and witnessing of a deep power. She appends, “If you want to eat what I’m eating we’re going down there.” she continues her gesture, other hand slapping her incredibly adipose gut as it growls expectantly. The slap sets off a myriad of waves across her massive form as she licks her lips, mouth open, gaseous after shock burps blasting forth every few seconds as she gets to re-taste the flavor of her sixth breakfast. It was very obvious that she was a woman who loved belching, but her eruptions instead of being violent were powerfully inspiring, alluring and inviting, like a neon sign pointing to the truth that there’s so much more to learn.
As Simone gets massive trays of wonderful food, every person working there treats her with respect. All the chefs and servers are friendly and inviting, happy to give her as amazing of an experience as they can. Each dish is prepared with compassion as if for a lover, despite being massive and full of many elements, the meal feels incredibly intimate, each part like a poem crafted with the consumer in mind. It felt like the kind of omnipresent love some experience at religious institutions and other deeply communal activities. In many ways it was an act of sacred service for those involved, creating food as if for a deity, each element of cooking ritualized in a way to bring it depth, power and passion. Each delectable morsel that buried an enormous serving slab was well executed and felt catered for royalty. Despite this act of service there was none of the standard behaviors that often come with the power imbalance of serving someone’s needs. The chefs and servers were more than happy to look Simone in the eye and address her, not as a superior or inferior, but just as a person worthy of care.
At the final eatery there were live sea creature troughs with a high nutrition bait in them that broke down into small particulate floating out into the open ocean through an underground cavern, bringing in many animals. Because of global climate change, the most common sea life of substantial size were Humboldt Squid which had taken over both the Pacific and Atlantic. Bait attracted the squid and the squid was a satisfyingly massive meal that was great to consume. Since there were such massive numbers of the squid, even with incredible needs of a hungry populace they were a great food source. Where most would cook them up in a variety of ways, Paratzia’s vow of life meant she needed alternative approaches to these 4 foot long behemoths of the sea. She went into a larger dining area of water where the squid could roam freely, taking time to meditate in prayer and align herself with the squid. Although they weren’t human like Prey, they needed to be treated with respect as well for the gift they provided. Nutrition, another day of life.
As Simone looked around her enormous food covered slab, she observed the behaviors of the squid change as Tzia enters a trance-like state of gratitude. They curiously approach, swimming along the creases of her rolls, arms drifting along them. There was a combination of tension and serenity as her belly loosed an incredible growl, it rumbled up through the water, gut visibly quaking with the intensity of its desire for food. The squid reacted in a startled but almost mesmerized way, they could tell they would be eaten and fight or flight had kicked in, but it was paired with a kind of acceptance and exhilaration that was absolutely enchanting. As a big woman swimming was a lovely experience, Tzia grappled one of the many armed creatures and stuff it into her mouth, quickly followed by another. The upgrades in her physical durability from Symbioglobulin made even the impacts of their strong tentacles and razor sharp beaks a paltry assault on her enduring form. What would have been able to eviscerate a human back at the turn of the century was just a small section of a greater meal now.
Paratzia absolutely gorged herself on squid, gulping down their long heads and powerful arms. The sight of her throat bulging massively with their large forms tautening her many chins as each of these incredible meals went down was beautiful. It became even more apparent when she started devouring multiple at a time. She ate like a force of nature, taking in mouthfuls that were more than the entirety of Simone’s body and gulping them down with a kind of visceral, ravenous beauty so substantial that it was like opening a doorway to a greater world. Tzia’s lips, teeth and tongue all participated fully and despite her passionate action there was a tenderness that could only be witnessed in those with true power. She didn’t use her incredible bulk to tear her teeth into her meal, but to support it, grasp and guide, supplementing its squirming motion with the peristalsis of her throat, the pressure of the back of her tongue, and moving the squid to her belly. The sheer quantity of what she ate was astounding as well! With the first 5 of them she ate more than Simone’s entire mass, but she didn’t stop there, she didn’t stop at 30 or even 60. Other new students gawk as in the course of 20 minutes Tzia polished off 4 shoals of squid, 48,000 pounds in total! Although her belly was already the centerpoint of her frame, seeing it bloated out to over double the rest of her mass made it even more mesmerizing. The squirming motions of squid were visible, the entire surface of Tzia’s belly undulating and writhing with life inside. She was full of bliss, gratitude and squid. There was no mistaking the fact that she loved to eat, and loved being full of life. The new students were gawking, while the chefs and servers kept their cool, but were still impressed with her feat of incredible consumption.
Paratzia checks back in with Simone, “Now that I’ve shown you where the food court is, I have a previous commitment to attend to, but if you like you can come with me.” Simone nods, choosing to accompany her. Tzia responds with a smile, giving warm and positive feedback to Simone for exploring new opportunities, giving her shoulder a soft brush with a pudgy hand. Her skin is angelically soft and the mass behind it shows the care and precision with which she conducts herself to support instead of flatten the smaller student. She takes Simone through the facility, unlike the orientation space, lodging and food court, the area they go to isn’t quite as easy to find. Tzia flows while Simone walks for what must be three miles of twists and turns through the academy as she explains. “One of my commitments I’ve had for the last decade has been to support Neakiha in her rehabilitation, and I make sure to visit her every day. Just as a warning, she’s the reason for the part of the introduction and class on treating prey with respect.” Tzia offers honestly since the information seems pertinent, but without the judgement that would often be applied to such a controversial figure. Neakiha had been one of the primary people that the media used as a sign that those infected with The Cure were monsters. In the fourth Oracle class, she went on a rampage, consuming over 10,000 people during the 4 months it took to apprehend her, a person who had commited a crime so heinous anywhere else would have been executed, or at least imprisoned for life. Cha’Tzien had no death penalty, focusing on rehabilitation instead of imprisonment.
The duo get to an area marked very clearly, “REHABILITATION” There were no locks or guards, the space was just as clean and beautiful as the rest of the academy, far more luxurious than one would expect a society to put the greatest mass murderer to ever live. Paratzia also seems to not have a terribly somber view of the situation, happily rubbing her gurgling, squirming stomach as it writhes with prey and gas as they approach a room marked. “Space of the Oracle in Darkness” Tzia knocks swiftly, calling in a friendly tone. “Hey Kiha, it’s Tzia, and I’ve brought a new friend, Simone.” The door slides open, and the two enter. The inside of the room is beautiful wood, with one wall of dark wood with thousands of names carved in filled with dark crimson resin. On the opposite wall there are at least quintuple names carved, but filled with a golden resin. Neakiha looks far different from the images the media had put out. Where everything from that era had shown her with a crazed, inhuman look in her eyes, now those same brown orbs look sweet. “Come on in, I’ve got some tea brewing.” She offers with a slight Korean accent. She’s only slightly larger than Tzia is at 13 tons, with long black hair and kind brown eyes. Despite her kindness, she’s aware of her reputation and turns to address Simone directly.
Kiha’s voice carries the air of someone who has had to say this thousands of times before, but contains the clarity of why it’s necessary that she share. “It’s nice to meet you Simone. You’ve probably heard a lot about me, some of it I’m sure is bullshit, but I’ll confirm the things that are true. A decade ago I hunted through Appo outside these walls and devoured 10,352 people. At the time I felt I was strong and they were weak, the law of the jungle and all of that bullshit. I was apprehended by an experienced Oracle from the first class with ease, all that strength I’d acquired from consuming those I found inferior was nothing in comparison to her. I saw that there were still those stronger than me in the world and felt it was my time to end as I had lived, be devoured as I had devoured others. However, she didn’t destroy me, didn’t send me beyond this world, but took me and held me close, rubbing my back. For the first time in my life I didn’t feel like I needed to fight to justify my right to live and I cried. It was so beautiful that someone so clearly had the power to abuse me if they chose to do so, and I knew I deserved it, but they supported and loved me instead. She took me here to Rehabilitation, where I could work out the toxic patterns that lead me to treat others as less than human. That’s how I met Tzia!” She says, voice growing excited at the end, reaching out to grab Tzia’s hand.
“She was expected to be the greatest prey in all of Cha’Tzien, I didn’t know why they’d put such a valuable asset with me after I’d taken such despicable action. Despite getting there in the wrong way I was an Oracle, and my intuition told me Tzia was part of my destiny. I wanted to lash out, to destroy anyone here to help since I didn’t deserve it, I was guilty of ending those people.” Paratzia interjects fiercely, “We all deserve help, those that are unhelped are more likely to cause harm, those who receive the support they need can make better decisions.” Kiha chuckles, “And this is why I needed her, I swear in that first year I tried to eat you what, a hundred times?” Tzia rolls her eyes playfully, “Every day for a year is more than a hundred, but yeah, you’re lucky I was told not to take any bullshit from you.” Neakiha blushes, the warm color spreading across her massive frame. “I’m grateful that for such a peace and love lady you had some fight in you. No matter how many days I tried she’d come in here and sit with me, just someone to talk to who didn’t see me as a monster. She’d known people I ate, but she was friends with plenty of Oracles who ate those she loved. She knew I’d done it in the wrong way, but saw my actions as a mistake instead of as who I was. I only saw that look in the eyes of Oracles, but here I saw this delicious dish who didn’t hate my guts and that pissed me the fuck off. How could she not hate me after what I’d done?”
Tzia retorts, “Because you are a living being, all that lives is worthy of love, from the smallest microbe to the greatest predator. I don’t need to be an Oracle to see this system. How would your mother have felt if we executed you? How would more death honor the sacrifice of those that were lost? Dying doesn’t counter death, the only way to address death is by embracing life.” Neakiha sighs, “Since she was born into all this ‘path of helping the most people’ stuff, she was exactly who I needed to help me realize that although what I’d done was deeply wrong, me suffering wouldn’t make that any better. She encouraged me to start my project.” Kiha references the walls, “Those dark red words are the names of each person I consumed during those 4 months, each person that I ripped from this world because my heart and mind were lost in darkness without a light to guide me. These names in gold are for each life I’ve saved using the gifts I’ve gained as an Oracle. This is to remind me that no matter what I do, it won’t bring back those that were lost, but it lets their loss contribute to something good.” Kiha hands Tzia a stack of letters, “I use my gifts as an Oracle to send invitations to those who are persecuted in their homelands, I sense those who feel that their only option is to turn to that same violent darkness I did and I tell them that there are other paths for them to be safe, to be loved. I tell them timings for when people will walk by, how to get plane tickets and more. Those that spirit says would die or kill if left alone are given the chance to make better decisions and come to join Cha’Tzien where they can be supported in finding a better path.”
Simone gasped, able to feel the truth in Kiha’s words, fighting the programming from her own culture that told her the best way to respond to violence was with more violence. Kiha’s voice took on a powerful and prophetic tone, eyes shifting from brown to a beautiful storm of color and light, “The three of us are a confluence, and through our connection we will bless the world.”
