"So you haven't gone through the ritual yet?" Questioned the Spirit Elder as he turned his gaze to Tang Wulin.
"What is the ritual?" Asked Tang Wulin.
"Well the put it plainly, the ritual is where we fully release the hidden potential of us humans." Said the Spirit Elder with a bitter smile.
"You are going to need its release if you don't want to be enslaved by the spirit beast." Said the Spirit Elder with a look of regret.
"Enslaved?" Question Tang Wulin causing Xia Yan and the Spirit Elder to look at him in surprise.
'Could he have come from another continent?' Thought the Spirit Elder but then shook his head, as it doesn't matter now.
"Well it seems, you don't know the terrible reality that is happening on this continent." Said The Spirit Elder, causing Tang Wulin to raise his brow.
'So this confirms it, he is not from this continent.' Thought Xia Yan as he saw the look of confusion on Tang Wulin's face.
"Where do I even begin? I guess I can start from the beginning." Said The Spirit Elder.
Long Ago, the Dragon Clan used to rule the world. They were mighty and strong as all things bow before their might. And then a calamity came as balls of ultimate destruction descended upon the world, dropping into the sea and land.
The Dragon Clans ascended into the sky and exercised their enormous bodies to block the fireballs. The fireballs broke apart and brought countless catastrophes.
The lush forests were on fire, the mighty rivers ran dry and the cultivated land cracked open. The entire world seemed to be collapsing after being struck by an untold number of fireballs.
It was truly everlasting hell on earth but with the Dragon Clan sacrifice, the other clans and beings on the world were able to live. Through their deaths, other spirit beasts were able to gain the power to control and use spirit energy, at will.
All except the humans. The spirit beast mocks and laughs at the puny humans who couldn't do half the things they could. It wasn't anything harmful at first, as they never really cared about the human clan in the first place.
But a thought started to go around. The thought that the human clan couldn't use spirit energy because they were lower than bugs.
Because of this one thought and rumor, the Spirit Beast began to enslave the human clan.
#
CRUNCH!
A Spirit Beast with a bristly appearance was sitting on a throne. It was covered in the spikes from its head down to its body and had two massive horn protruding from its head. It had two large black wings behind it.
"Isn't there anymore." Said Nergigante as it was chewing on something hard.
"I'm sorry sir. But recently it has been hard to find any humans lately." Said the Spirit Beast in front of it.
Nergigante grunted as it moved its arm to pick up something from the overflowing basket that was next to it.
"Ahhh! Please!"
Nergigante ignored the bloodcurdling scream coming from his hand as he merely began to munch down on the thing that was screaming.
Nergigante then shifted his eyes to the human kneel behind the spirit beast he was talking to. The Human whole body was trembling with fear and despair, as they anxiously watch their own race get eaten in front of them.
'How amusing.' Thought Nergigante.
"I don't get why you humans are struggling so hard. There is no hope for you all and yet you still struggle to the very end. But I guess that a fitting trait for bugs." Nergigante Began to laugh out loud as blood began to leak from his cruel mouth.
Nergigante turned his head outside to look at his personal garden.
Inside the garden was a row of human kneeling with their guts all cut-out and in the open, as they all slowly died.
This was known as the gut garden, made from the curiosity of the spirit beasts who wanted to know how long it would take for a bug to die without their guts.
'Such beauty.' Thought Nerigante as he began to chuckle.
#
"The humans were enslaved?" Questioned Tang Wulin.
"Enslaved?" The Spirit Elder lips began trembling.
"That would have been way better. No, we weren't enslaved, something like that could never be considered slavery." Said the Spirit Elder, as he was clenching his fist.
The humans didn't know why but the Spirit Beast didn't just saw them as bugs but also felt insulted by their entire existence. The Spirit Beast brought upon them atrocious cruelty that not even the Dragon Clan dared to do.
"Those monsters! They didn't enslave us to work for them! They only enslave us for fucking entertainment!" The Spirit Elder roared as tears began to leak from his eyes.
The Spirit Beast didn't enslave the humans for anything other than sheer entertainment. They raided the settlement of the human clans, taking all the useless and utilizing them as food. Then all those who were capable of work were made to be their plaything.
#
"Come on, you can do it." Said the Ape as it was laughing at the humans in front of it.
"Please! I beg you! Don't let me do this!" The human male in front was crying desperately as he held on to the sword the cruel beast gave him.
"Come on now, if you want this little bug to not be eaten. Then do it." Said the Ape as it raised its enormous hand and in it was a small child crying.
"Wahhh!"
The male tremble as tears and snot were leaking out of his face as he saw his child crying.
"Its ok honey. Do it." Said the women from across him, as she too was breaking down. The man trembled as he saw the choices he had to make.
Kill his Wife or watch as their baby gets eaten.
"You have four seconds." Said the Ape as it started to open its mouth wide, causing the man to scream in agony.
"AHHHHH!"
The man ran toward his wife and stab her through the heart. Yet, he kept on screaming as he watches as her life began to drain from her eyes.
"Please…. Watch over our Child." Said his wife, as the light started to leave her eyes. The man screamed as he started to pull his wife close to him and yet, the Ape just kept on laughing at them.
"Splendid! Amazing! Hahahahaha!"
The Ape then started to think and let out a vicious grin.
"Here is your baby girl." Said the Ape as he held out his large hand to the man.
The man's eyes widen and hastily made his way over.
But before he could touch his baby, the ape hand closed. The man's eyes widen in horror and a scream rang out as he saw the blood flow out of the ape hands.
"Ops, I instinctively react when you came closer to me." Said the Ape with a huge smile.
The man didn't say anything as he slumps down on the ground as he saw the Ape drop down the broken and bloody body of his baby. He slowly moved his hand to try and pick up the body, even as the life in his eyes was turning hollow.
"How sad, your wife died for no reason." Said the Ape, causing the man to tremble.
"NO! My baby is still alive!" Scream the man, refusing to believe his baby is dead. He slowly picks up the bloody body and held it to his face.
"HAHAHAHAHA"
"HAHAHAHAHAHA"
The Ape kept on laughing at the man, who refuses to accept the reality that his baby was dead and he killed his wife for nothing.
#
"Those goddam monsters." Said The Spirit Elder.
"Thier games were so sick." Said the Spirit Elder.
One of the Spirit Beast's favorite past time was literally tearing and using human flesh as a sculpture. The act was so horrific as it wasn't just done to human adults but to even innocent children and newborn babies.
Parents and families were forced to watch as their loved ones got sculpted. They had to watch as they loved one raw flesh got ruthlessly torn. They had to watch as their loved one got defiled.
And once it was done, they were forced to compliment on how beautiful it looks. They could not say their true feelings for the overwhelming fear of having another person they loved be defiled.
The sculptures would then be put in front of the place where the human slept. As a reminder to them of the 'Benovalance' of their masters who allowed them to stay with their loved ones.
#
"Please help me!"
The humans tremble uncontrollably and watch as a human woman was running desperately toward them with uncontrollable tears in her eyes. The woman fell to her knees with tears in her eyes and was begging.
"Please!"
They all saw the Spirit Beast laughing at them as they watch from above. This was one of their sick and cruel game. They would pick a human that would go to other humans and try to get one of them to plead for their lives.
But the cruel part is if the Spirit Beast doesn't accept there plead then both of them get eaten ravenously in front of everyone. The humans didn't know what cause the Spirit Beast to accept their pleas as it was inevitably on a whim.
This caused everyone to be afraid and this fear nurture deep distrust in everyone.
"HONEY PLEASE HELP ME!"
The Women ran to her husband, but he shifted his head, as he held their kids in his arms. He knew he couldn't risk both of them dying and leaving their children by themselves.
"PLEASE HONEY!"
But it was too late as a giant wolf drop down behind her and merely lifted her up, even as she was screaming.
"Too bad, I guess your husband wasn't faithful enough." Laugh the Wolf as he started to slowly chew on the women, even as she screams in agony.
Everyone turns their head from the scene, too ashamed to look or listen. The man who was the women husband covered his kid's eyes and ears. He held his head down as he was crying uncontrollably and screaming as his wife was being eaten in front of him.
'Is their a god? If so, how can he watch as this cruelty goes on.' Thought the man as he felt the trembling of his kids and himself.
#
"It wasn't until the previous Spirit Elder before me, that we were able to find a method that could allow us to fight back." Said the Spirit Elder.
"It's called Spirit Metamorphosis. It allows a human to bring out their hidden power." Said the Spirit Elder as his eyes had so much despaired in them.
Tang Wulin was silent as he was still reeling from the information. While slavery wasn't surprising, the degree was honestly baffling.
"To think my race was this horrible back then." Said Sleipnir as she was trembling in disgust and sorrow.
Tang Wulin said nothing as he didn't find it surprising that the Spirit Beast had a dark past. After all, any race can be cruel they just need the power and motive.
"Young man, I don't know where you came from or why you came here." Said the Spirit Elder.
"But I don't care right now. I will make you a deal. I will help bring out the hidden power inside of you in exchange for your strength." Said the Spirit Elder.
"My Strenght?"
"Yes. I need your help in rescuing the humans and freeing them from those monsters." Said the Spirit Elder as he began bowing his head before Tang Wulin.
Xia Yan said nothing as he knew why the Spirit Elder was doing this. He couldn't allow his people to suffer anymore because of his pride.
If he could gain Tang Wulin strength, then they would have enough people to assault one of the Spirit Beast bases and rescue the humans there.
"Why are you so invested in saving all the humans? I would understand if it was your own people but all of them?" Tang Wulin questioned him.
"Because I made a promise with myself. To not be a coward again." Said the Spirit Elder as a memory he deeply regrets resurfaces up.
The memory of him ruthlessly sacrificing his own people to save his daughter. Who in the end, died because of the lack of food on him all because the beast wouldn't stop hunting them down.
Tang Wulin was silent as he stared at the Spirit Elder who was bowing his head in front of him who was trembling uncontrollably. He glances at Zeref who face was covered by his hair and Sleipnir who had a look of overwhelming sorrow in her eyes.
Tang Wulin thought back to the terrible atrocity of the Dragons. Various memories of those time began to show up and then a memory of a little girl being played around with by a few dragons.
"Alright old man, I will help you rescue your people." Said Tang Wulin as he unconsciously clenches his fists.