As far as I know, there were over 400 tribes, big and small, in the realm we lived in, and it was known that only three of these tribes had an Azt. We were one of them. You might ask what Azts are for. Since Azts have signal receiving capacities up to hundreds of kilometers, we could hear and talk to the other tribes. We could secretly listen to our enemies and send messages to our friends.
I had wanted to name my Azt Jose, but the tribe couldn't even pronounce it, their tongues couldn't wrap around it. Instead, I had named him Ogve, which means "Healing" or "Cure" in a way you would understand. He was the cure of our tribe…
Of course, for an Azt to be born was not enough for him to be successful. Many Azts lost their minds and bodies because they couldn't control the signals. Constantly remembering the sacrifices and pains endured by his Ega, The Rotten (which was me), Ogve never gave up and perhaps became one of the most successful Azts in history. It was impossible not to be proud of him.
***
With the birth of Healing, I had become a Holy Ega. My name changed from The Rotten to Ogvetna, which means "The Bringer of Healing."
Over the years, our tribe developed significantly. Thanks to Ogve, our enemies decreased, and our friends increased. We could now fight monsters more easily, learn about supplies sooner, and increase the number of survivors by establishing the necessary communication to plan with the surrounding tribes.
As mentioned before, this realm had four habitats, and though not as sharply cut as pizza slices, these habitats were quite distinctly separated from each other. There were three great tribes in this four-habitat realm. Three Azt-possessing tribes... One of them was us, the Coldfangs... We lived in a forest near the icy lands, and our winters and living conditions were tough. The others were the Sandwanderers... As you can guess, they lived in a desert habitat. And there were the Stinkers, who lived in the swamp.
We were a more passionate and angry tribe, having lived in harsher conditions compared to the other tribes. It could also be said that we were a bit ignorant. We couldn't focus our minds on other things from trying to resist the cold.
The tribe called Stinkers, on the other hand, seemed to enjoy slaughter more than fighting. They were masters at hunting and killing. They just had no laws or a certain order. While our tribe saw animals as food and respected the hunt, they were in favor of hunting everything recklessly.
The last great tribe, the Sandwanderers, was a weak tribe whose Azt was near death and was not very numerous. It was said that they constantly fought among themselves, which is why their population never increased.
***
"Ogvetna…" my child Ogve had said, coming up to me one day.
"Yes, Ogve…" Since I was now a holy Ega, I was sitting under the moonlight in my furs, watching the outside from the cave.
"I always listened to your signals. Throughout all the time I grew in your belly and afterwards until I became an adult Azt…"
"And?"
"And I noticed this. The signals from your brain are different, Ogvetna."
"Because, Ogve…" At that moment, I had wondered whether or not I should tell my own child the truth. I desperately wanted to tell my child about humanity and the destiny expected of their race. Instead, I had explained this difference as follows: "I am an Ega who bore a successful Azt like you… Before giving birth to you, I was an outcast Veg who had lost their memory. Is it not normal for a Veg who has suffered so much to be this way, my child?" And so, I had lied to my own child.
I hadn't mentioned that I was human, but then again, what was left of my humanity during this time I lived as a Veg, lived as a Dermovox? What difference would it make if I said I was once human? I didn't know... I didn't even remember most things. The few scenes I remembered before becoming a Dermovox were limited anyway.
Every now and then, I would look at the moon and think: "Is there such a thing as a human? Am I just crazy? Was it all a dream?" Then I would tell myself that what I thought didn't matter. "Because I will die as a Veg!"