---

July 2016
I arrived at my parents home with mixed feelings. It was good to be home, but that also meant I had to return to hiding who I am. My parents would never understand.

"Mataio!" mother yelled when she saw me. She hugged me and dragged me inside, leaving my father to retrieve my luggage.

The rest of the day was spent happily telling my parents about all I was learning in Fiji. They were very proud of me going to Fiji for an education. I was the first in the family to do so.

That night as I lay down to sleep I thought of all the things I couldn't tell them. Of how I had been found out by a friend who was surprisingly supportive of me and had even helped me get some female clothes. Or how I was spending most of my time out of classes as a woman. I feared that I would never be able to be myself in Kiribati.

Over the next few days I spent a lot of time helping my parents around the house. My mother spent a lot of time talking about all the newest gossip about our Lord. Apparently his palace was finally complete and she had gone to see it last week. I was excited to see it myself.

Finally the weekend arrived and we went as a family to see the palace in Tarawa.

I was in awe when I first saw it. Admittedly, it isn't the most ornate structure in the world by a margin. But for us in Kiribati it was amazing!

We were in luck. Shortly after we arrived our Lord walked out onto the balcony facing us and waved at the crowd. I could have sworn He was looking straight at me when my world suddenly went dark...

As quickly as all light left the world it suddenly snapped back into place. But something was different. Very different!

The crowd gasped and backed away from me. Even my parents! The looks on their faces were of fear and horror. I looked down and the first thing I noticed was my breasts. Breasts! How wonderful such a simple thing is to see! But on closer examination, while I had indeed become completely female, I was also dark skinned. In fact, my skin was as black as coal!

What had happened was clear. I had gone Wyld. But I must have looked frightening because everyone around me was staring at me with fear or even hatred. Fear began to build up within me, but it had little time to do so.

Several people in the crowd gasped and stared up at the balcony. I followed their gaze and saw our Lord flying down towards me! I cringed; afraid He would denounce me as a demon. Everyone certainly looked at me like I was.

When He landed in front of me I bowed before Him as the rest of the crowd did. "Rise." He said, His voice full of love and compassion. I looked up in surprise to see Him standing very close to me and smiling.

"My Lord?" I whispered fearfully.

"Shh, my sweet child." He said, lightly pushing my chin up so He could look me in the eyes. "You have nothing to fear from me."

There was consternation from the crowd. I could hear whispers and movement and imagined they were wondering why our Lord would take an interest in such a hideous creature as I surely must be to invoke such fear. But I could spare little attention to anything else but his beautiful blue eyes. They were mesmerizing.

He must have seen the uncertainty in my eyes. He smiled wider, "You fear you have become a monster? I assure; you could not be more wrong. You are beautiful! I can see that your transformation is traumatic for you. It would be for any man. But you are man no longer. Come with me and I will help you learn who you really are."

He held his hand out to me. I looked at it in surprise. I was stunned that He was being so kind to me. He even seemed interested in me! Numbly I reached out towards His hand. He grasped mine firmly and pulled me along as he turned and walked back into the palace. The crowd parted before us, bowing as they went. I caught many glances my way that were filled with all sorts of emotions but I had eyes only for my Lord. I couldn't believe this was happening!!

---

Japan
"Is there nothing that can be done about this man?" the woman known as Kami said, staring at a newspaper article about the so-called Lord of Kiribati.

Her friend Keiko, who had helped her to learn the ways of Japan when she first arrived many years before, looked at the article before looking at her friend in confusion. "What is wrong?" she asked.

She sighed, "He is passing himself off as a god and stripping an already poor nation of everything they have to live in the lap of luxury! It's infuriating. Even I'm not a god!"

"There are those who would argue with that, Kami-sama." Keiko said impishly.

She sighed, "Don't you start on that, Keiko! I'm no god."

"I'm sorry, I know that bothers you. But you're the closest thing this world has." Keiko said apologetically.

"Perhaps. But this man... I don't have a good feeling about him." she said.

"Will you get rid of him?" Keiko asked.

She frowned at her friend, "You know I don't approve of killing in cold blood. Besides, those people worship him. If someone more powerful comes along and swats him like a fly they'll just shift their worship to that person. The last thing I want is all those people worshiping me as a god!"

Keiko hugged her agitated friend, "You'll find a solution. You always do."

---

Kiribati
The first thing my Lord did once we were inside the confines of the palace was summon some of His wives. When they arrived He turned to me, smiled and kissed my hand, and said, "My wives will help you get comfortable in your new body. Once you are cleaned and properly dressed we will talk more."

With that He swept out of the room, all of us bowing as He went. Once He was out of sight the three women he had summoned turned to me. One was a tall, athletic looking blonde woman who looked American. The second was obviously local but beautifully petite. The third had fiery red hair and piercing green eyes. She was the one who spoke with what I thought might be a European accent, "Welcome to the palace. I'm Maria. This is Katelyn," she pointed to the blond, "and Mareta." pointing to the second woman. "What's your name?"

I stammered, almost blurting out my female name before remembering to give my male name, "Mataio"

Mareta laughed, "Well, we can't call you that any more, can we? What do you think girls? I think she looks like a Rutia."

"Hmm," Katelyn murmured, "maybe an Anna."

"No, such an exotic woman deserves a better name. I think, perhaps... Itabera?" Maria said.

They exchanged glances and nodded. "Okay, Itabera it is!" Mareta said.

I stood there, stunned that they had just chosen a name for me without even asking for my opinion. I thought about arguing, but I didn't want to anger the wives of my Lord. Besides, it wasn't that different to what I had used before.

From there it was a whirlwind of activity as they dragged me from room to room. First was a long bath where they insisted on bathing me themselves. It was strange to be naked in a bath with these three beautiful women. At first I was very shy but they didn't give me a chance to hide myself.

After drying me off they dragged me into a huge room full of women's clothing of all types. They consulted each other on what would look best on me before deciding that my unusual skin needed showing off. I wasn't so sure about that, but they gave me no opportunity to protest.

Before I knew it I was dressed in an odd sort of purple wrap around garment that managed to cover all the strategic areas while leaving most of my skin bare. I felt naked, but they assured me I was beautiful. Then they wrapped bracelets around my wrists, anklets on my ankles and necklaces around my neck. Several pinpricks later I was also sporting three different sets of earrings. An obsidian navel ring was added at Mareta's insistence and Katelyn decided I needed high heeled shoes. Maria found a pair with ridiculously high heels (though a substantial platform so they weren't nearly as uncomfortable as they looked) and ribbon that wrapped up my leg just short of my knees that matched the outfit perfectly.

Next I was sat down at a table and my hair was trimmed and styled. Makeup turned out to be a problem, though, since none of them had skin as dark as mine. They settled for a dark purple eyeshadow to match my outfit and mascara and lipstick (also purple, which I thought odd). Only then did they allow me to look in a mirror and finally see what I looked like now.

They stood very close to me when I saw my reflection for the first time, and it was a good thing. I nearly fainted at the sight! My black skin was odd enough, but it was made odder by my long pointed ears and deep purple eyes. Though my eyes at least explained why they thought purple was my color. I had to admit that the makeup and clothing suited me well. I really was beautiful, in an odd sort of way.

"I think she likes it!" Mareta giggled when I failed to contain my smile.

"You were born to be a woman." Katelyn added confidently.

"Yes, it's a good thing our Lord found you." Maria agreed.

"What do you mean?" I asked in confusion.

"What, you didn't think it was a coincidence that you went Wyld just when you were within sight of our Lord, did you?" Katelyn said with a smirk.

"You mean... He did this?!" I exclaimed, gesturing down at my new body.

Mareta laughed, "Of course, he's a God!"

"Wow!" I breathed, even more grateful now for my Lord's attention. I never could have transitioned in Kiribati. But now, thanks to my Lord, I didn't need to!

---

I was given a tour of the palace after that. It mostly consisted of our Lord's living quarters and those of his wives. There was also the baths, the 'closet' as they called the big room with all the clothes, and the kitchens where all the food was prepared. There were a few places they didn't show me but I was too overwhelmed to pay much attention.

Finally we stopped in a large circular room that doubled as an anteroom to all the bedrooms and a sitting room for the wives. I was seated on a soft, luxurious chair like nothing I'd ever sat in and left alone to wait for our Lord. I was afraid of what would happen next. What did He want to talk to me about? Would my parents accept me after I left here? What would I do?

My musings were interrupted by the arrival of my Lord. Two large double doors that led out to the rest of the palace were opened by two of his wives wearing some kind of armor and wielding long ornate spears. They bowed to Him and He strode in like the God He is. Once inside the spacious chamber He spread all three pairs of wings wide and seemed to fill the whole room with His presence.

"Ah, I see my wives have done their usual excellent job of preparing you, my sweet! Stand!" He said, His voice reverberating around the room.

I hastily did as He asked and bowed. His eyes roved over my body approvingly. With a smile He stepped forward and kissed me! I was too stunned to react but felt a warmth fill me and nearly fell over trying to move with Him as He stepped back. He laughed, "So eager! Good! You will like being one of my brides, I think, Itabera."

"B-brides?!" I stuttered in shock. Never had I imagined this!

He laughed again, "Of course! How could I let such a stunning creature get away? Especially after I went to the trouble of freeing you from your former shell. We shall be wed immediately. Unless you object, of course." He looked at me then as if such a possibility had just occurred to Him and seemed afraid that I would.

"No, of course not my Lord!" I squeaked out hastily. "I would be honored beyond words!"

The worry disappeared from His face and He smiled again, "Wonderful! Come!" With that He turned and headed back out the way He came. I hurried to follow, stunned that this was all happening.

He led me to one of the rooms I had not been in before. His warrior-wives opened the golden double doors and bowed. He strode purposefully forward into a large hall. It quickly became obvious that it was a chapel! Were we to be married that quickly?!

It turns out, we were! The rows of benches were already filled with people. Most of them women who I guessed were his wives but there were others as well. Including my parents! They seemed as shocked and surprised as I was but wouldn't meet my gaze. That depressed me but a quick kiss from my Lord erased my sadness as He pulled me up to where the priest stood waiting to marry us.

The ceremony was a blur, but I happily said my 'I do's when it came time. My Lord said them as well. When it came time for Him to kiss me he did so with enthusiasm and, this time, I was able to return it. It was heavenly! But then, what would one expect of a God?

---

Hawaii
"Will you look at that?!" Erin growled. "He's gone and gotten himself another wife! What do they see in that slime?!"

"What's gotten you so riled up now, dear?" Tessa asked.

"It's that so-called god in Kiribati!" he replied angrily. "He's just gotten married again!"

Tessa shook her head sadly, "I don't see why those people put up with him." She looked over her husband's shoulder and looked at the article. It showed a picture of the newly wed couple smiling and waving.

"It's criminal! He's just a Wyld; like you and me!" Erin complained, slamming his hand down on the paper.

Tessa rubbed her husbands shoulders to try and calm him, "I know, honey. I wish there was something we could do, but there isn't. His people worship him."

"Somebody really needs to put that bastard in his place." Erin sighed as he leaned back and began to relax. Tessa smiled down at him and wondered how long it would be before he gave in and took Joe up on the job offer.

---

Kiribati
That first night was the most wonderful night of my life. My Lord and new Husband took me to bed and showed me how wonderful it can be to be a woman. Not that I needed a lot of convincing, but that was my guilty secret.

My Lord proved very adventurous in the bedroom and every night He would introduce me to something different. I could see there was some jealousy among the other wives over how much attention he was paying to me, but most of them seemed to take it in stride. There was one who acted differently, however. She looked at me with sadness. I wondered why that was in passing but was too happy to worry. All my dreams had come true in ways I had never imagined possible and there was simply no room for worry.

That all changed a couple of weeks after the wedding. My Lord had seemed increasingly dissatisfied with me. I tried everything I could to please Him, but with little success. The woman who had looked at me with sadness wouldn't look at me at all while the other wives smirked at me whenever they saw me. I assumed it was because I was loosing favor with our Lord. I was half right.

That night my Lord came to me with two of His wives. One I didn't really know but the other was Maria. They were both wearing that armor that His wives always wore when working as his guards. He trusted no one else but us to guard him. I hadn't filled that role yet.

I bowed as He entered and waited to learn why He wasn't there alone.

"Your performance lacks inspiration." He finally said after staring at me emotionlessly for some time. "We are here to... inspire you." His wives smirked at his words.

"Lord?" I said worriedly at the evil grin that began to grow on His face.

"Bring her!" He barked, turning on his heel and walking out. His wives moved forward quickly to grab me by the arms and lift me bodily from my bed. Dragging me behind them like a sack of potatoes they followed our Lord into a room I had never been in.

That room shocked me more than anything else I'd seen so far. The walls were of rough stone. The room was small; no larger than my bedroom. One of the women dragging me let go so she could shoot a jet of flame from her hand to light the torches mounted on the walls. The flickering torchlight revealed a simple bed with restraints attached to all four corners. Beside it stood a wardrobe. There was nothing else in the room.

"You know what to do." He said. They nodded and dragged me onto the bed. I tried to resist, but they were too strong. With ease they tied the leather restraints onto my wrists and ankles and tightened them until I couldn't move more than an inch. Then He stepped forward and opened the wardrobe.

Spreading it open wide so I could see it's contents, He perused the instruments revealed. Most were a mystery to me but some were obvious such as the whips. I shuddered as He selected something out of a drawer and turned to me. He held a leather collar in His hand which He tied almost painfully tight around my neck. There was a metal ring affixed to it that puzzled me until He pulled a chain from the frame of the bed and attached it to the ring. Once tightened it left me even less room to move than before.

I did not learn the purpose of all of the objects in the wardrobe that night. I did learn, however, not to do anything to displease my Lord. He drilled that lesson into my head until He tired of it and then left His wives to finish the job. They did so with gleeful abandon. I had thought Maria a friend but she proved me wrong that night.

After that my life became one filled with fear and pain. And I wasn't the only one. Even Maria ended up on the receiving end of our Lord's 'pleasure' when she failed to punish me thoroughly enough. Every moment of every day became a struggle to make sure not to do anything that would displease Him. And every night was filled with fear that I would fail to please Him. His...appetites became ever more extreme until He was only satisfied if I was screaming in pain.

One day, about a month after our 'marriage', I begged to leave.

"Am I, your God, not good enough for you now, wench?!" He thundered.

I cringed in fear, shaking my head, "No, of course not my Lord!"

He seemed not to have heard me as He growled, "No one rejects me!!" As He spoke I suddenly felt heavy. My knees buckled and I fell to the floor at His feet. But it didn't stop there. I felt as if a great weight were pulling me down. I fell to the floor and laid there, feeling as though I were being crushed and unable to move or even speak. The pressure was so great I couldn't even breath. Eventually, I gratefully passed out.

---

To my surprise, I awoke. And largely without injury. But I knew that would quickly change when I realized what room I was in.

What followed was the most brutal treatment I had yet received from Him. When he was finished I had to be carried to the baths, cleaned by one of His wives, and then carried to my room. The woman who did this was the one who had looked at me with sadness when I first married Him.

As she pulled the blankets over me she spoke to me for the first and last time, "You mustn't anger Him so. Life here is difficult but it can be rewarding if you please Him. Be careful."

Her expression belied her words. She was afraid. Of Him or for me I couldn't be sure. Perhaps both. There was something in her eyes that seemed to suggest to me that she was trying to tell me something else. But I was so tired I failed to see it, if in fact it was there.

I was left largely to my own devices while I recovered. But once I was healed enough He came to me again. I managed to please Him without suffering serious injury this time to my relief. But I knew this couldn't continue. Maybe the other wives could handle living like this, but I couldn't. I knew now that He wasn't a God, he was a Demon!

I carefully planned my escape for days. I felt I was being watched, but I managed to do much without other eyes around. And yet, when I finally made my move it was as if he had been waiting for me. I had managed to tie some sheets together to make a rope and escaped out the window of a seldom-used room. But once my feet hit the ground I felt His power again. Instantly I was crushed to the ground.

"You disappoint me, Itabera!" He growled as the world faded into darkness.

Once again I awoke in what I had come to think of us as the dungeon. This time it was filled with women and, of course, Him. His punishments in that room had never been overtly sexual before. This time, they were. Many items I had no name for were used on me by Him and His wives. By the end of the night I had been raped and beaten by every one of them multiple times. It was a wonder I was still even alive. Halfway through I retreated into my mind as best I could and simply let it happen. I had no real choice, anyway.

When I was deposited back in my room I curled up into a ball and cried. But tears just weren't enough to express my pain. I didn't dare scream and attract attention, but within the confines of my battered mind that's exactly what I did. At the top of my lungs.

---

England
Elspeth jerked upright in bed and held her hands against her ears but it did nothing to stop the screaming. As awareness returned she realized what she was hearing. "That poor girl..." she thought.

---

Lake States
Liz stumbled and cried out in pain, clutching her head. Chris tried to catch her, but he was having similar problems. "What is that?!" he gasped.

"Pain." Liz replied. "Terrible pain."

---

Hawaii
"What the fuck is that?!" Erin growled, clutching his head.

"I... don't know." Tessa gasped. Crying could be heard from the other room. Glancing at each other they both bolted out of bed and ran to the baby's room. She was wailing as if in great pain but they couldn't find anything wrong with her.

"Should we take her to see Nancy?" Erin said.

Tessa shook her head as the pain eased, "No, that wasn't her. That was someone else."

"Who?" Erin asked.

"I wish I knew." Tessa replied sadly.

---

Japan
Keiko rushed to her friend's side and helped her sit. "What is that?!" she asked.

"That," she gasped, "was someone in incredible pain."

"Who?" Keiko said.

"Give me a moment, and I'll know." Kami replied grimly.

---

Kiribati
My mental screams were cut short when He barged into my room and angrily slapped me. The blow knocked me out of bed. My head hit the floor and darkness consumed me.

---

Hawaii
Erin was sat watching Tessa breastfeeding their baby when there was a knock at the door. Frowning at the interruption he walked over to see who it was. After glancing through the peephole he grinned and opened it, "Hey Joe, what's up?"

"Hi Erin, mind if I come in?" Joe asked with uncharacteristic seriousness.

Erin frowned, "Sure, come on."

"Hi Tessa, how are you?" Joe asked as he walked in. He smiled slightly in amusement as she hurriedly covered herself.

"Uh, fine, thanks." she said, glaring at him.

"So what brings you here, other than ogling my wife?" Erin asked.

Joe smiled sheepishly, "Sorry to barge in on you guys but we've got a situation. Just about everybody on the island, and maybe beyond, heard some kind of scream this morning. We're scrambling to find out what's going on. Did you two hear it?"

Erin grimaced, "Yeah, we heard it. You don't know what it was?"

Joe shrugged, "Not really. Some people are saying it was some kind of psychic call for help or something. But nobody knows where it came from."

"I can answer that." a new voice said, startling all of them. They turned to find Kami standing by the door in her distinctive kimono.

"What the..." Erin said in surprise.

She smiled, "Please be calm. I've come to help."

"Help with what?" Tessa asked.

"The woman we all heard screaming. She is in a very bad situation and needs our help." Kami replied.

"Uh, Kami-sama? What's going on?" Joe asked.

"May I sit?" she asked, looking at Tessa. Tessa nodded. "Thank you." she sat and seemed to gather her thoughts. "What we all heard earlier was a telepathic scream of pain. The one doing the screaming isn't aware that her scream was heard by others. But she does indeed need help. She is the newest wife of the so-called god of Kiribati."

"What?! But she looked so happy..." Erin exclaimed, remembering the pictures in the paper.

Kami nodded sadly, "She was, at first. But her husband is not a very nice man. Unfortunately, she has now learned this in the most thorough fashion. She tried to escape him and was punished. Severely. It's a wonder her mind is still intact enough to send out a telepathic scream across the globe."

"Across the globe?! Do you mean that everyone heard her?!" Joe exclaimed.

"No, not everyone. Her range is impressive, but not that impressive. And some people are protected. But a large percentage of the population of the planet heard her." Kami replied.

"Wow." Joe breathed.

"That's nice and all, but what about getting that girl out of there? You can do it, easily, right? Unless... he's not another Untamed, is he?!" Erin said fearfully.

Kami shook her head with a laugh, "No, definitely not! His power is gravity, nothing else. But it's enough to defeat many other powers. I could, indeed, get her out. But if I get involved personally it could cause... problems."

"Wait, are you saying you want us to get her out?!" Tessa exclaimed.

"Not all of you. Just you." Kami replied, pointing at Erin.

"Me?! How am I supposed to get her out?!" he protested.

Kami smiled, "You aren't aware of the full nature of your powers, are you?"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Tessa asked, wrapping her arm protectively around her husband.

"Flight isn't Erin's primary power. At least, not exactly. Her shield is the important thing. Anything within that shield can be moved with the power of Erin's mind, but, is also immune to the effects of gravity." Kami replied.

"Holy shit!" Erin breathed, the implications immediately obvious.

"Yes," Kami agreed, "you can easily counter his powers. So long as your shield is up, you're immune. And you can fly, so you can get there quickly and fly her out. Will you do it?"

Erin sat back, stunned. Tessa watched the thoughts flicker across his face fearfully. But it wasn't long before he gave his answer. "Of course I'll do it. Just tell me how to get there and I'll get her out. And kill that bastard in the bargain!"

"No!" Kami and Tessa yelled simultaneously. They glanced at each other in surprise. "No," Kami continued, "it's best not to kill him. Kiribati may be poor, but they could still cause you a lot of problems if you kill their 'god'. He'll be exposed soon enough, I'm sure, but for now the important thing is to get that poor girl out. She's suffered enough."

Erin sighed, "Yeah, I guess you're right. Where is she?"

With that Kami produced a map and showed him the location. Folding it up, he tucked it into his shirt and got ready to leave.

Tessa grabbed his hand before he could take two steps. He stopped and looked at her questioningly. "Be careful? You may be immune to his powers but there's bound to be guards." she said.

Erin nodded, "Count on it."

"Good luck." Kami said, disappearing in a flash of light.

Joe rubbed his eyes, "I hate it when she does that."

"You've talked to her before?!" Erin asked in surprise.

"No, but I've been around when she 'ported in to talk to my boss a couple of times." he replied.

Erin shrugged, "Well, guess I better get going."

"I wish I could go with you." Joe said wistfully.

"Yeah, I could use the fire power. But I can only carry one person at a time and I need to get that girl out." Erin said.

He kissed his wife and daughter goodbye and stepped out onto the lawn. Hope I know what I'm doing. he thought as he shot off into the sky.

---

To Be Continued...