Ebony was in a foul mood. The flight to get to where she was going was long to say the least. 33 hours and then some. She wasn't even sure the time or date now. "Hainen flight 071 to Luizhou has arrived. The local time is 1547 hrs." the attendant said in mandarin. She gathered her carry on and stepped off the boarding platform onto the Tarmac. Being a westerner made her stick out. Being a beautiful one made her stick out more. She could feel the lecherous eyes of the men on her. If she was inclined, she would satisfy some urges with them but this was not a social call. Her future son in law and dutiful servant, John, had told her that the Mogwai was not entirely on board with her plans. Even the arranged marriage between him and her daughter seemed to be not enough. A personal appearance was in order. In her dealings, she knew the location of the Mogwai capital lay outside of Luizhou. However, powerful magics obscured it from scrying and conventional means.

"Where is my escort?" she asked herself looking around as her high heels clacked on the old paved surface of runway 01. She ignored the worker pulling her luggage behind her after getting it from the cargo hold of the passenger prop. Then, a Maybach pulled onto the road. In the back seat was a woman stepping out and smoothing her attire. She went to approach Ebony. "Greetings Ms. Heart. I am Xaimei. I will be your escort to Xanzhou" she said holding her hand out. Ebony politely shook it. After that the woman yelled for the driver to come get her luggage. "At first I thought you had forgot I was coming" Ebony said. "Not at all. You are our honored guest. This way please" she said bowing and pointing to the limo. Ebony sat down on the plush leather back seat hearing quiet murmurs. Xaimei joined her a moment later. "Do you wish for refreshment or massage?" she asked. "I could go for both" Ebony sighed. Xaimei pressed a button and up popped a pair of glasses and a bottle of rice wine. On the floor was a small box that went unnoticed until she reached for it.

She yanked out a fistful of tiny people and dropped them on the floor. "Work on feet" she said sternly pointing to Ebony. Ebony grinned as she slipped off her heels. Her sweaty nyloned feet ached for some pampering. She sighed as tiny hands rubbed her heels and arches. Xaimei poured her a glass and handed it to her. "Something wrong?" she asked seeing her guest not drinking. "I make it a habit to hold drinking when I'm in unfamiliar company or foreign lands" Ebony replied. The woman smiled and nodded and poured herself a drink. She clacked the glass to Ebony's and took a sip. "A wise practice" Xaimei said. "Tell me. Do all your guests get such treatment?" Ebony asked pointing to the tiny people at her feet. "We don't many guests actually. Only the high-ranking ones in Chinese government or Mogwai deployed in the human world coming home" Xaimei replied. "You seem young to do this. They think a pretty face will disarm me?" Ebony chuckled. "A tactical decision. Not one to be meant as an insult. May I ask how old you are?" Xaimei asked.

"In terms of this body? It will be 40 years of age come September. In terms of my soul. Oh, so much more. China was not even an idea when I first came into being. Xaimei, are you Mogwai or are you a human servant?" Ebony asked. "I am three quarters Mogwai. Luckily, my human ancestry was not considered when my rank was made" she replied. "Rank?" Ebony asked. "Yes. Our society is based on ancestral rank. Full blooded Mogwai are at the top and granted sovereignty and special privileges over the lesser" she replied. "Lucky you" Ebony said taking another sip. "Well, truth be told, it's unusual to have someone with my blood given important tasks dealing with people like you. More so for my age. Even though I'm only 19, I've excelled in diplomacy" Xaimei said smiling.

"Diplomacy? Explain" Ebony asked. "Last year there was an official we could not bribe, could not threaten, to have him install a Mogwai into the Ministry of intelligence. I found a solution" she said. "Oh? Do tell" Ebony said leaning in. "Every human has a weakness. Just the question of what it is. In his case was the wish to have children. If he did not comply I would make him sterile. He changed his tune" the young woman said grinning. "Good. Humans are foolish creatures who do not know to bow to their betters" Ebony said nodding. "I agree. Take these humans at your feet. Their parents thought it a good idea not to give over their share of yearly harvests. We took their children as punishment for disobedience and turned them into slaves. Their peasant lives over and now they live and work alongside the other humans we graciously let enjoy our rule" Ebony pulled one from her feet. A boy of 16 or 17. "When was this?" Ebony asked. "Ten years ago. Some died in accidents or whatnot. Others fell into line. The act was very effective. An entire village losing over 50 children in one night" Xaimei said with a satisfied grin.

Ebony callously dropped the boy into her glass. The shock of the cold wine made him gasp. "So is it true you are Fae?" the Mogwai woman asked. "My soul is if that's what you mean" Ebony replied watching the boy shiver. "What's it like to live so long?" Xaimei asked slipping her heels off. "An odd question. Ehats it like to live for a month?" Ebony asked. "Nothing. One month passes and another begins" she replied. "That's how it is for me. A century comes and goes. I've seen kingdoms, dynasties, regal bloodlines born and turn to dust. One thing remains though, humans. Their capacity for death and destruction never wanes. The bow, the gun, the atom bomb" Ebony said coldly looking at the boy trying not to freeze. With her finger, she pushed him under the surface of wine and held him down. "Look at China. Countless wars and massacres. Gunpowder. And when they chose a new form of government, they lied to the people saying it would liberate them. They conceal knowledge. Murder girls because they think it's better to have boys. Sterilize women for having too many kids. They complain of imperialism but turn around and copy their products. If there is anything humans are better at than destruction its hypocrisy" Ebony said seeing tiny bubbles of air float to the top of the wine. She released her finger from the boy's head. He floated lifelessly to the top. She downed the rest of her wine, letting the teen boy's corpse slip down her throat.

"We do not disagree on this matter. Mogwai have not had any love for humans for many centuries. Between the toes!" she snapped at the woman rubbing her feet. "But try as we might, controlling the nation has eluded us. The humans are many and we are not" Xaimei said. "Not for much longer. How many of you are there?" Ebony asked. "There are 30,000 of us in the capital right now and another 15,000 abroad. We pride ourselves on the knowledge we are the most numerous species of tiny on Earth" she said with a nod. "And those abroad are I places they can be useful? Politics? Economy? Military?" Ebony asked. "Indeed" she replied as the limo made a turn. "Good. Very good. We turned off the main road" Ebony said. "Our capital lies in a cave system" Xaimei said. Ebony nodded. Not long after, the car pulled up to a steel double door. It opened and the car pulled in. A loud clack and an elevator took them below. "How deep does it go?" Ebony asked. "212 ft. by human standards. Much deeper for ours as you will see shortly" she said before closing her eyes. Xaimei chanted and it appeared nothing happened until the car pulled forward from the elevator. Ebony saw that the ceiling of the cave was monstrously higher. "You shrank us?" Ebony asked. "Necessary as space is a priority and car exhaust would be dangerous otherwise" Xaimei replied. The car continued past government buildings, barracks, and upscale apartments.

"How far does this extend?" Ebony asked. "2.2 miles with connecting 15 cave tunnels. Those over that way are reserved for those human sized for various duties. Those that way are for extended top tier families. The ranks lower as you further north" Xaimei explained. "And their all Mogwai?" Ebony asked. "Oh no. About a thousand or so humans reside her too. We for a lack of a better word farm them" she replied. "Breeding program?" Ebony asked. "At first many years ago but no longer. Half of them are taken from orphanages an a very young age. The rest are given over to the state and made to serve in the field for 20 years" Xaimei said. "Don't you worry about them talking?" Ebony asked. "They are conditioned at a training school to be absolutely obedient. By the time they are 15, it's mentally impossible for them to disobey" Xaimei said as the car turned into a parking lot. "Here we are. This will be your accommodations while you are here. Allow us to carry your luggage to your room" she said kicking the woman exhausted from cleaning between the giantess' toes away from her and putting her shoes back on.

They all got out the car and Xaimei unlocked the door. Her room was the penthouse of a well to do apartment block. "Nice view. How do you do electricity?" Ebony asked seeing lights. "LED lights powered by solar panels attached to air vents. It would not do well to live in a cave like rats and bugs without some comforts" Xaimei replied smiling. Ebony sat down her belongings "The banquet in your honor isn't until 6. Care for a tour in the meantime?" Xaimei asked. "That's sounds lovely" Ebony replied. "Good. Please leave your shoes here as we will be walking human sized and don't want to damage the streets" she said slipping her own shoes off. Ebony followed suit and left the room. With a clap of her hands they were back to human size standing outside. Ebony eyed the apartment with some amusement. "This way" Xaimei said.

The pavement felt cool under her sweaty feet. Soothing actually for it bent slightly under her weight. The street wasn't concrete or Tarmac. Ingenuity has led them to make the top layer out of tiny shredded and melted bits of old tires. This way the street had given under a human’s weight even though it was much thinner than a normal road. "When was the built?" Ebony asked following her as they took their first steps. "1947. When the revolution didn't turn the way we wanted, our first residents began building this. However, it didn't really take off until 1949 after China detonated their first nuclear bomb" she replied looking down at her bare feet. "So, this is a bomb shelter?" Ebony asked. "Hardly. This is an ark. Our bloodlines, culture, and literature are stored here. To call this a shelter is like calling Moscow, Beijing, or D.C. another city" she said. Xaimei looked at a nearby building. "Something the matter?" Ebony asked. "My home. Just seeing if father had left yet. Apparently, he had. "Xaimei. Has father left?" she asked loudly at a window. The window opened. "He has milady" a woman said peeking out the tiny window. "I see. Also, I commend you on my pedicure. No chipping" Xaimei said looking at her toenails. "I love to serve" she said nodding.

"Your servant?" Ebony asked. "And wet nurse. She has been in my family's employ for almost 20 years now. One of the few humans I have found capable and trustworthy" Xaimei replied. 

Xaimei began walking once more pointing to various districts. Each one had a specific function. "This one is the hub for food distribution where food shipments are allocated according to need, population, and rank" she said. "How much food do you need?" Ebony asked curious. "An average day requires 200 lbs. Once the product is processed, it is shrink down and delivered to satellite stations. The human station requires the least as they are twice shrunk" Xaimei replied. "So humans are kept smaller than the rest?" Ebony asked. "Indeed. Only 35% of the humans are Mogwai size. Those are workers assigned to the upkeep and needs of our city. Sanitation, maintenance, construction, and special training and the hospitality department" Xaimei replied. "Training?" Ebony asked. "Yes. They are human facilities. In fact we are not far from one of them. I'll show you" she said. She led her to a building with three floors and an open concrete expanse outside of it. The number 009 stamped on the front.

"This is training facility number 9. There are 25 in all" Xaimei said looking at various windows. The children inside saw a giant brown eye peering at them but continued to listen to their instructors. "And kids are inside it?" Ebony asked. "Depending on their age, human children are placed in a facility. Numbers 1 through 10 house the oldest before conscription. Ages 10 through 15. Number 11 through 20 have ages 7 through 9. Numbers 21 through 25 ages 4 through 6" Xaimei said. "Interesting. These seem Mogwai size" Ebony said pushing a window open. "The human children are shrunk to bug size at age 4 and stay that way till the age of 10. Then they begin job placement testing" Xaimei said inspecting some classrooms. "Job placement?" Ebony asked. "We conduct tests to see which skill set they're good at. High scores in math and science gets them trained for construction, infrastructure maintenance, and urban planning. Those who excel in all fields and show obedience are teachers for the next batch of humans. Those that don't become...unskilled" Xaimei said. Ebony raised an eyebrow. "Unskilled means they have no job market value. They are made into servants. Taught how to cook, clean, and pleasure their masters sexually. You've met some in the car" Xaimei explained.

"And then there's the real exceptional ones that get advanced classes. They test high in all fields, obedient, and are at top physical form. They become bodyguards for our higher rank members out in the human world" Xaimei said. "Fascinating" Ebony said licking her lips as she gazed at a female student. "You may eat one of you wish. You have permission as an honored guest" Xaimei chuckled. "You sure?" Ebony asked. "Oh yes. I myself choose one now and then for sport" Xaimei replied blushing. "No need to be embarrassed Xaimei. It's a pleasant rush to eat humans. Their lives cut down as they lose their place at the top of the food chain. Being born and loving their lives only to die in your belly. Never let a human make you feel embarrassed" Ebony said touching her shoulder. Xaimei looked into her eyes with a sense of awe. She had never met an outsider that shared so many ideals of her people. Ebony reached into a classroom and grabbed the girl she had her eyes on and a boy with the bad luck of sitting next to her.

Ebony placed the boy in Xaimei's hand. With a sick glee, she tore off the simple state issued clothing for teenage girls leaving her young victim naked. Xaimei followed suit with her own. "Remarkable. No whimpering or begging" Ebony whispered. "We teach them well. Observe. Young man. I am going to eat you. You understand?" Xaimei asked. "Yes...my mistress. I...live to serve" he muttered bowing. Ebony was so impressed she got wet. This boy was no older than 14 and he was willing to be devoured by a giantess. Only because he was taught at a young age that to serve was his reason for existing. To him and the girl in Ebony's hand, Mogwai were gods. To shrink anyone they wished. To grow to the height of a building. To conjure fire, ice, wind, and lightening out of thin air. Surely, they were supreme beings. Ebony placed the girl on her tongue and slurped her in. For no reason other than pleasure, Ebony bent down and opened her mouth revealing the spit logged student to her soon to be ex classmates.

Thing was this was shocking to them. Not because someone they knew was getting eaten. No, they had seen that before. Enough times that one out of 5 students met their end in a Mogwai stomach. More so if you were attractive. It was Ebony herself that caught their attention. Their lives so sheltered, they had never seen a giantess not Asian. And her eyes, a faint orange glow in them. Ebony shut her mouth and swallowed. "Delicious Xaimei. Absolutely delicious" Ebony said savoring the aftertaste of sweat and sweet young human flesh. Xaimei herself savored the boy. Sucking on him the right way brought forth a secondary flavor. And when that tiny burst of flavor hit her palate, she knew he had cum and cum for the last time of his young life. She gulped loudly and rubbed her belly. "You're very cute when you indulge" Ebony smiled. "Ms. Heart you flatter me too much" Xaimei blushed. "I give credit where it is due. Come, I shall show you my favorite place" she said.

Xaimei had them walk for a food 20 minutes well past the decent looking buildings and into the more dilapidated and far tinier ones. "This is the human district. As you can see the added shrinking edict is in effect. But this is not what I wanted to show you. That over there is" she said pointing to a small stadium. Shaped like an oval and two feet across and a foot wide, it had stacked seating. Shouting, very weak shouting came from it. A Mogwai woman only a few years older than Xaimei sat watching. Sitting on her legs, she didn't see them approach. "Greetings Fei Hong. How are the fights today?" Xaimei asked startling the woman. "Xaimei! Scared me half to death. Who...who is she?" the woman asked looking at the foreigner. "An honored guest and friend. Ms. Ebony Heart" Xaimei replied. "A friend of hers is a friend of mine" the woman said bowing. "What's this here?" Ebony asked peeking in seeing movement from very tiny people. She had to squint to get a better view. "As humans have natural aggressive tendencies, we solve this by having fighting bouts. The winners get vouchers for days off from work or better food. We also bet among ourselves" Xaimei said whispering the last part.

"This one here has been winning all week" Fei Hong said pointing to a bug sized human. They all peered in and watched. The spectators noticed the goddess like beings hovering over them and thought not much of it. However, like before more eyes lingered on Ebony. The champion won his match. "See? Keeps winning" Fei Hong said. "Look" Ebony said. The loser stood up and rushed the champion as he was distracted by the cheering crowd. With little ceremony, Xaimei brought her gigantic big toe down on the loser squishing him into oblivion. Just a tiny red dot on the pad of her toe was all that was left of him. "Fool. He should've dealt with his loss with some dignity instead of cheap revenge" Xaimei replied. "He was a human. What did you expect?" Ebony asked. "I like your friend. Thank you Xaimei. I've been grooming this champion for the summer tournament" Fei Hong said. "Let me know when you enter him, so I can place a bet" Xaimei replied. Her friend smiled and nodded. An hour later, Xaimei and Ebony had returned to her room.

"I greatly appreciate the tour Xaimei. It has been eye opening" Ebony said. "I hope you liked the tour" Xaimei said. "Most impressive. Functional and you use the humans so efficiently I'm jealous. I hope the deal I propose works. The Mogwai would be invaluable to my plans" Ebony said. "Father told me you had a plan to eradicate almost all the humans" Xaimei said. "Indeed I do. It's in motion as we speak. But there are doubters here in your city. The arranged marriage between my daughter and your brother seems not to be enough" Ebony replied. "In truth, my brother doesn't carry much respect in our family. Probably why my father wanted him married out of our people" Xaimei said. Ebony turned to look at her. Xaimei immediately cowered under her gaze. "I...I have said something I shouldn't have" she muttered. Ebony placed her hand on her shoulder. She winced. "Thank you for your honesty. What's wrong with John?" Ebony asked. "John was the product of our father raping a European foreigner and since his blood was half human, he was looked at to be a mongrel" Xaimei replied. "Damaged goods" Ebony muttered. "My opinion is...varied on the matter. John can't help his parentage" Xaimei said. "True. One can't help the circumstances of one’s birth. Help me into my dress" Ebony said.

Ebony slipped off her short sleeve top and shorts. She grinned as the woman shyly eyed her body. "You'd never expect I had given birth. Well...restorative magic helps" Ebony quipped. "How does that work being in that body?" Xaimei asked picking up a dress Ebony pointed to. "Since the war, I've given birth and inhabited my daughter when the time was right. This body here, her soul is still lingering but she's long to have given up struggling. She enjoyed my power for years beginning in puberty. Shrinking girls that bullied her and ending their lives. Making boys fall in love with her. On her 21st birthday, the bill came due so to speak. She fought me pleading for more time, but her body was ripe for the taking. When I did take over, my old host fell dead. My power was all that kept her alive all those years. The inheritance was set up by me before that so I had more than enough money to live off of and go to college. Not that I needed to. Just keeping up with the times as it were. Zip me up" Ebony said adjusting her shoulder straps.

"And your daughter?" Xaimei asked. "A product of a somewhat decent man. I made sure his bloodline was strong with fae blood before anything went forward. I was 24 in this body when I had my daughter, my future vessel. With that done I had little need for him anymore. I didn't kill him. He had been dutiful. A provider. As humans go, a decent one. Happy as could be when my daughter Danica was born. Then some years later, he learned of my true nature. There was a boy bullying my daughter at school. I took care of it and even though the news reported the boy missing, my husband thought nothing of it. About a week after the boy went missing, my daughter innocently blurted out that mommy made him go away when the news reran the story. My husband asked me of it. I told him what I had done. After all this child hurt our daughter. He called me a monster. A cannibal. The hypocrite sided with someone who showed no mercy to our blood. I made him "go away". After a year he was declared legally dead and I got the job insurance money."

"And Danica is fine with your arrangement?" Xaimei asked. "Danica was taught certain spells and as you'd imagine she enjoys shrinking spells the most. I've lost count how many times I've found tiny shoes or shirts in her room. She knows the price my gifts have. In fact, she looks forward to the day she can share the title of ruler of all" Ebony replied slipping he heels on. "You look nice" Xaimei said. Ebony held her arm out. "Shall we go?" she asked. Xaimei chuckled and led her by the arm out the room.

It was a short ride to where they were going. The main providential building housed the governing body of the Mogwai capital. 10 ft. by 5 ft. and 8 ft. tall, it was the tallest building in the city. The top floor housed the assembly where the banquet was being held. The walls were plated brass in the elevator as Xaimei and Ebony rode to the top. "Nervous?" Xaimei asked hearing Ebony tap her foot. "Anxious is more like it. Your people are very secretive. How do they rule?" Ebony asked. "Our governing body is divided into four separate families. The North Heaven, the South Heaven, the East Heaven, and the West Heaven. There are three family members for each one" she replied. "Who would be an issue?" Ebony asked. "That...I do not know" Xaimei replied just before the elevator dinged. Xaimei led her out to a group of 12 men and women standing around a long table. "Honored families. May I present to you the esteemed Ebonheart. Master of arcane, smiler of humans, and petitioner of the alliance between her and the Mogwai" Xaimei said extending her arm.

"Greetings Ebonheart. I am Liu of the North Heaven and father of Xaimei. We are honored by your visit. Please have a seat" a middle-aged man said. "Thank you...all of you. It brings be honor for you to accept my visit" Ebony said bowing. As she did she glanced at them. Liu himself and the north wore red ceremonial clothes. The west was a woman in her 30's that wore yellow. The south was commanded by a man that wore blue. And the east was a young man that wore white. It was him that caught her eye the most. Everyone else showed some degree of respect but this one had clear disdain for her. "There's always one" she thought. "The food will be served shortly. In the meantime, Ebonheart, we know much of you, but we do not know why we should ally with you. You are not the first human to ask boons of us with the promise of mass killings of humans. In fact, humans once promised an entire province to us if we overthrew the last emperor. He reneged" Liu said with a slight tone.

"My body is human that it is but the soul is not. I do not lie North. When I say a thing will be done...it is done" Ebonheart replied. "And what is your plan?" the east asked. "I plan to utterly decimate humanity the likes nobody has ever seen" she replied. "And how so?" West asked. "With a plague. A plague so horrible it makes the Spanish flu look like a summer cold" Ebonheart replied. "Hahaha! You already tried that and failed!" East laughed. "Shang" Liu said narrowing his eyes. "True. The Black Death did not fulfill its task but back then the spell lacked power and then the Yaksha interfered" Ebonheart said. "Yaksha! Accursed creatures! To think we are related to them turns my stomach. If it was up to them, we'd all be extinct because of the humans!" West yelled. "Aunt Wu. It is a sentiment Ebonheart shares. She shares many with us" Xaimei said. "This time it's different. Very soon I will have access to the most powerful caster in the world. She will craft a plague that will burn the world" Ebonheart said. "If this was even true, human medical technology will prevail. You may kill millions, maybe a billion but that is all" South said. Three waiters came in and began placing plates of food before them. "My plan in its totality will leave 99.9% of humanity extinguished. That is of course your people help me" Ebonheart said looking at her plate of lobster and other delicacies.

"Intriguing math. And how does our help make this happen?" Liu asked. "You have people in missile installations correct? Nuclear missiles?" Ebonheart asked. "And there we go! Another fool that thinks nuclear fire will solve everything!" Shang of the East yelled. "I never said nothing about nuking everything. No. Once my spell takes effect, it will spread out of control. It will infect every major city on the planet within 72 hours. Millions infected within just a day. My disease will have days to incubate and spread and when the dying begins...then we launch. Missiles detonated high in the atmosphere will unleash an electromagnetic pulse that will fry or cripple infrastructure across the world. Cars, trucks, planes, hospitals, water treatment, power grids. They all come to a halt and humanity dies whimpering in the darkness. By the end of the year, the planet will be a quieter place" Ebonheart said. They were speechless. "That...that is an ambitious plan but to cast such a spell would require enormous power. You said that will be possible soon? How?" Wu asked.

"There will be a child born soon that will wield power even I thought was once myth. Etherion" Ebonheart replied. They all looked at one another. "We've been seeking that power for centuries ever since the spineless Yaksha held it. If you give us access to that power. We will consider allying with you" Liu said. Shang snapped his chopsticks in half. "You cannot be serious. This westerner just shows up, spots off this plan and then entertains you with this fantastic lie of obtaining Etherion?!" he yelled. "Shang. If she can deliver, this will make our goal reality. Show restraint with your judgements" South said. "I will not! Look at her! She has to draw circles in the dirt like a child to cast spells or wear gaudy jewelry like a cheap whore" he hissed looking dead at Ebony.   Ebony put her own chopsticks down for a moment to slip off her philosopher ring. With a very benign gesture, she commanded a special spark of orange light to escape her fingertip. It raced to the floor and zipped towards Shang. It went up his pantleg.

Satisfied, Ebony gave a slight grin. "So you think I got where I am today with cheap tricks and baubles? I got here by sheer willpower and cunning" she said picking up a chopstick. While they had been eating, tiny waiters and waitresses had been standing still on the table for the sole reason to assist their masters with eating. Spicing food, dressing it with soy sauce, tossing ice cubes in drinks. Ebony looked at the one closest to her and with no warning stabbed him with her chopstick. She had run it completely through his little twitching body. Coughing blood and hanging limply as she raised the chopstick, Ebony sighed looking at the young man. "Doing what is necessary. Forsaking everything for the good of fae, Mogwai, and any tiny species ruthlessness hunted by man. Casting compassion aside to save our world from destruction. Losing my immortal body in the process. And you...you mortal flea would disrespect me is casually" Ebony said tearing off the bloody clothes of the young human. She placed his groaning body in her mouth and sucked him right off the chopstick. She savored his blood before chewing. Shang sneered at her as the sound of tiny crunching bones could be heard. "You think that scares or impresses me? Do you know how many humans I've done in? Thousands. You speak of millions but those feats were of a different woman from a different time. You have no power except empty promises of such" Shang said to her. Shang had not noticed something odd was happening to him. He was sweating profusely.

"My dear Shang of the East. You do not look well" Ebony said. Shang paused and felt the sweat on his brow. He wiped it and felt feverish. "Fool. You think casting a disease on me would frighten me?" he asked chuckling as he cast a healing spell. Seconds passed. "Still not looking better" she said. "Why isn't it working? What have you done?!" Shang yelled. The others stood up. "Don't worry everyone. You will come to no harm. This one however needs to learn that insulting a person you judge based on looks alone is very foolish" Ebony said going back to eating. Shang got dizzy and fell to the floor. "103 degrees by now. At 106 your brain begins to cook" Ebony said looking at him. He crawled towards her. "Can you even cast a spell on such a state?" she asked as she finished her lobster tail. "What did you do to him?" Wu asked. "I may have lost the ability to cast spells directly but I still have control over my personal guard...the Slaugh. Right now, a very tiny one is in his bloodstream. You be surprised how damaging a fire elemental based soul can be in the body."

"Can you hear it Shang? You blood plasma boiling? Blood cells popping like popcorn? Your brain cells sizzling? Oh...he lost consciousness" she said looking at him with blood oozing out his nose. "I can save him still but by this point, it's like salvaging an over cooked eggplant" Ebony told them. They held up their hands as if to do what we would. She snapped her fingers and the Slaugh soul burned through his chest. It hovered in the air. "And you control these spirits?" Xaimei asked. "I do. This one here is new to my flock. Say hello Titania" Ebony said. It flew to Xaimei who was frozen in place by fright. The soul took human form and touched Xaimei's cheek. Xaimei herself gasped waiting for the pain. It didn't come. "They only burn what I wish them to" she explained. Xaimei reached out to the soul and touched it. "It's feels warm but not hot" she said. "To foster friendship, I will tell you what I have done and how I ended up at this point. Then judge me as I see fear and mistrust in some eyes" Ebony said. Over the course of the meal, Ebony told her story. She told them about the lone boy found in her realm, how humans began destroying the forests, how it caused a civil war. She told them everything. But as she had, she had another plan in the works.

Distracted by her words, they didn’t notice her using her ring to cast a hypnotic spell. A compulsion spell that would infect the fellow humans who shared quarters with these waiters and waitresses. As for what compulsion it was, hate. Simple hate and wrath. These humans that served the Mogwai had seen cruelty tonight and would spread word of it but that was just the first part of her plan. The rest would come later when she could work alone and undisturbed. As Xaimei escorted her back to her penthouse room she spoke. "Your story sounded sad and arduous" she said. "Try living it. Xaimei may I ask a question?" Ebony said. "Of course" she replied. "If you were head of your family, would you side with me?" Ebony asked her. Xaimei glanced at her. "Because of my blood, that would never happen. Such duty would fall to my uncle" she replied. "If so...just if. Would you?" Ebony asked. "I believe I would. Our people had made no headway in recent years. If anything we lost footing as China opened its economy to the west" she replied. "Another honest answer. I rather deal with you" Ebony said touching her shoulder. Xaimei blushed and smiled.

"Good night Ebonheart" Xaimei said. "Can you stay? I wish to...talk to you more" Ebony said. "...as much as I'd like that. I have an early rise tomorrow" Xaimei replied. "Then I won't keep you. Good night" Ebony said kissing her cheek. Xaimei blushed furiously and nodded before leaving. She watched her from her window get into a waiting car. "Cute girl. More importantly she's kindred and honest. She doesn't hide her feelings because of honor and policy. Useful" Ebony thought. As she got undressed, she sensed her dresser mirror was not as it seemed. "Interesting. A gazing spell on it. Do they spy on all their guests or just me? No matter. It serves my purpose nonetheless" she thought. She put on a show for whomever was watching her through the enchanted mirror. Lewdly undressing herself and posing. "Vain creature" a man said watching from his own mirror. "Maybe so but Liu and Wu said to keep an eye on her" his friend said. Ebony entered her bathroom and sensing no eyes on her cast an illusion spell. A doppelgänger appeared and satisfied it was good enough, shrank herself to bug sized. She had her copy climb into bed and turn out the light. Using a flight spell, she flew out her room and eventually outside.

It was late and nobody was out on the streets except one or two humans sweeping the streets. Everyone had gone home and went to bed or just was occupied with other matters. Ebony looked over the city marveling at the twinkling lights and the faint hum of air vents feeding fresh air into the cavern. Concentration was key for what she had to do so she flew to the quietest part of the city, the human quarter to cast her spells. Using her ring, she scanned the sleeping minds of the human servants quartered in where Xaimei had shown her earlier. She was pleased as her hypnotic suggestion had performed well enough for the next part of her plan. The waiters and waitresses had indeed voiced dissatisfaction with their Mogwai overlords. Of course the others dismissed their stupid ranting as folly. They were gods to them and gods do not err. But as the old saying goes, a rung bell cannot be unrung. How she was at the moment, Ebony was now Ebonheart. A being of pure malice that casted suggestion spells in their minds that were more pliable asleep and already open slightly to hating Mogwai. When she felt it had infected at least 100 of them she stopped. Now for the second part of her plan. Each one she had touched she gave knowledge of fire arcane. For what good is a revolt without weapons? 

Now came for the most diabolical part of her plan. Ebonheart knew human nature. Fear, worship, and mental conditioning could control humans fairly well but there was one thing about human nature that was uncontrollable. Resentment. Even the most dutiful human will resent their master at least once. She just needed to find a trigger. A memory in each and every one of them. She reached out with her ring to find it. It was exhausting even for her but she found what she was looking for. Scores of them saw loved ones die in trivial ways. A boy loved a girl and saw her crushed underfoot by a passing Mogwai. A girl watched a boy plucked from the training gym and eaten on the spot by a bored middle-aged woman. A giant Mogwai girl crushed a mother and father flat just for fun. An older brother watched as his younger sister was torn from their home never to be seen again. An older sister hearing her younger brother seek forgiveness from a Mogwai woman for dirtying her shoes after spilling garbage near her feet. His mistake met with her crushing him slowly bit by bit. She hears his screams in her sleep.

Each one dreamt of a painful memory and their animosity grew by the second. The dream would end only to have it begun again. They were little time bombs and soon they would explode. Ebonheart returned to her room and had her copy go to the bathroom. There she dismissed it and took her place returning to bed with none the wiser.

Sirens woke her up. Ebonheart crawled out of bed and opened the glass door leading to her balcony. In the far distance was smoke and fire. Mogwai below scrambled to shelters and homes. "Stay indoors! Do not stay on the street! Proceed to your home or shelter!" a voice said over the sirens. It was Xaimei's voice. "Ebony stay inside!" Xaimei said walking to the balcony. She was human size and towered over Ebony who was shrunken down to their normal size. The Asian giantess was obviously concerned and Ebony knew her plan had taken flight. "Ebony! Stay inside!" Xaimei yelled so loud it shook the glass. "What's going on?" Ebony asked. "Human teenagers are in revolt! They're killing any Mogwai they find and burning the city!" Xaimei yelled. "You may need my help. I know a multitude of spells and my ring can supercharge them" Ebony said feigning concern. "It's too dangerous! You are a guest!" she yelled. "Please Xaimei. If it concerns you...it concerns me. Let me help" Ebony said. "Very well but stay close. Climb into my hand!" Xaimei said extending her hand. Ebony boosted herself over the railing and fell into the giantess' hand. Still in her nightgown it was breezy on her skin. The sweaty clammy skin under her little bare feet told her that Xaimei was genuinely upset. Xaimei placed her on the ground and unshrank her. "This should give you more protection this size" she said.

"I'm not really seeing many others our size" Ebony said looking over buildings. Only three others were their size. "The city is too compact for many others. Still we should be able to..." Xaimei was saying until one man going to stomp a group of humans was set ablaze by them. His screams echoed throughout the cavern and when he fell, he destroyed an apartment block. His burning corpse set alight the rubble cooking any survivors. The giants body caused the nauseous smell of roasting flesh to engulf the city. Xaimei was aghast. "This is your fault! We did not have problems with our humans until you showed up!" a man yelled at their feet. Ebony turned and moved her bare feet near him. Her toes wriggling slightly just to give him pause. "I've done nothing. It is you who gave them the tools to kill you. They didn't learn fire magic on their own" Ebony said. She recognized him as one of the three of East Heaven. "I warn you not to cast blame just because you're still angry I taught that fool of a leader to respect his elders" Ebony mocked. "YOU DARE!" he bellowed. "Enough!" Xaimei said stamping her bare foot in front of them. "My concern is to stop this debacle. We will use our ice magic to subdue them and put out the fires!" Xaimei yelled. She raised her hands and it became cold. "NO! Do that and you'll risk even more innocent deaths. The shards will demolish buildings and when they melt flood part of the city" Ebony said. "We must do something!" Xaimei yelled. "Let me handle this. Do you trust me to do so?" Ebony asked. More officials and soldiers had gathered around them as Xaimei do defend her answer.

It was unbecoming to rely on an outsider to help Mogwai. To push their agenda was one thing. To save their lives was another. It involved complete trust and trust was not something a Mogwai gave to those not of their kind. Her city burned. Smoke and the smell of burning flesh heavy in the air. "...please help us" Xaimei said. "So be it" Ebony said. As she stepped, her bare feet felt the gritty soot that fell upon the street. Emboldened by their killing of a human sized mogwai, they clustered in the middle of the street 200 ft. away. This actually pleased Ebony as such a formation, which could bring the full brunt of an attack on a target, left them vulnerable to a wide area attack. Xaimei held her breath as Ebony raised her arm and put her hand out. Arcs of fire streaked towards her and Ebony easily deflected each one with a spell of wind. It set buildings on fire but it caused no worry for the giantess. Their attack was fearsome as she got near. They called her names, foreign bitch, white whore, murderer but one in particular made her grin. "One of them" some hissed. "Of like mind maybe and maybe more soon, but you won't survive long enough to see" she said looking down at them.

The spell she cast was one that killed two birds with one stone. She created a dome of air around the area making sure she was not affected. Once done, she transmuted the oxygen into helium. With no oxygen, the fires were snuffed within seconds, and the rebels found themselves with squeaky gasping voices trying to breathe. 30 seconds had passed and each one that had gathered had passed out from lack of oxygen. "You can come get them now!" Ebony shouted ending the spell. Xaimei and three others rushed to her. "Amazing! You not only stopped them so quickly you put out most of the fires!" Xaimei exclaimed. "Sometimes the best approach is the gentlest one. Your people can take it from here?" Ebony asked. Xaimei nodded. "Then I'll get some breakfast and a shower" Ebony said looking at her dirty sole. Ebony walked back pleased that she had impressed so many of them. She was confident they would support her now.

An hour had passed, and Ebony stood on her balcony sipping coffee and listening to the loud hum of the air vents working overtime to clear the smoke. She wore simple clothing as she was not so keen to impress anyone right now. Ebony was concerned though. She had called for Xaimei just minutes before and was told she was unavailable. The woman she spoke to was not rude in her answer but sounded concerned. Ebony called for a car to pick her up and when she saw it coming around the corner, she left her room to meet it. "Take me to Xaimei" Ebony said. "My apologies Ebonheart. She asks not to be disturbed" the driver said. "I'm worried about her. Do it" Ebony commanded using her ring to twist his resolve. The driver obeyed and drove her down the road. At this size she could see the devastation much more. Scorch marks on streets. People bagging and tagging the dead. She only let herself feel guilty for a moment. And when the car turned a corner, she could see Xaimei as a giantess sitting in her courtyard. Her legs and bare feet jutting out into the street. The car itself drove under her dirty soles and Ebony smelled the scent of footsweat and ash. The car came to a stop and Ebony got out. Xaimei hung her head sniffling and hadn't noticed her arrival.

"Came to check on you" Ebony said looking around. Her home was partially burned. Probably from a deflected shot by Ebony herself. At Xaimei's giant feet was a body bag. Xaimei looked down. "You shouldn't see me like this" Xaimei said softly. Ebony walked up to her ankle and petted it. "Tell me what happened" Ebony said. "When we decided to look for survivors, we tried contacting my father to organize a search team. There was no reply. I came home to see if he was here and my servant was standing in the courtyard in shock and my home still smoldering. She told me my father pushed her out of the way of the falling roof. He was not so lucky. He lies there in the bag. I couldn't even recognize him. My father is dead" Xaimei said in shock. "I'm sorry for your loss. I'm here for you okay?" Ebony asked touching her pale skin. Xaimei looked at her and then glanced at her servant. "You. My father is dead because of you! Why couldn't you have died?!" Xaimei yelled. Her servant walked right up to her and got on her knees. "If I could've died in his place I would've" her servant said looking at the giantess.

To Xaimei, her words were hollow. Worse yet they were spoken by a human. "Filthy creature!" Xaimei said moving her bare foot over the woman. Ebony was more than happy to see this woman squashed by the pretty giant foot of her friend but she sensed something different from the servant. Something only those deeply attuned with magic could. Magical talent was inside this woman. Her servant was not human at all. Mogwai blood was very strong in her no doubt about it. "Xaimei. This won't solve anything" Ebony said. "Don't...if this will make my mistress happy...don't interfere" the woman said. Xaimei lowered her foot down on her. Her giant grimy toes covering her face. The ball of her foot pressing on the delicate as straw ribcage of the woman. Xaimei looked dead into the teeny eyes of hers. Eyes she knew just as well as her own. Ebony gazed at the woman and her demeanor was not of a slave dying for her mistress. This...this was more like love. It made Ebony curious and she used her ring to get a closer look. "It makes sense now" Ebony replied.

Xaimei knew this woman her entire life and visa versa. This woman helped her learn to walk. Made her food, cleaned her clothes. Doctored her bumps and bruises. Tucked her into bed. Held her when she had bad dreams. "Xaimei. This will given you no peace. It will not bring your father back. At least honor his wish for her to live" Ebony said. The combination of her words and the tears streaming down her servant's face dissuaded her from squashing her into the courtyard dirt. "Wen...please leave my sight" Xaimei said taking her foot off her. The servant arose and bowed. Xaimei sobbed into her arms and Ebony said nothing until she calmed down. She grew to her height just to hug her. Xaimei sunk her head into her bosom. When she had calmed down, Xaimei spoke. "Thank you for stopping me. Wen was not at fault for my father's death" she said. "Xaimei, this is not the best time, but a friend is upfront about things. I am your friend right?" Ebony asked. "...more than that. Much more" Xaimei whispered. "What do you know about your mother?" she asked.