Jace pushed off the ground, bloodlust shining in his eyes, the shadows powering his every step. There was a whisper in the back of his mind, but he ignored it, slashing and stabbing with his sword made from the shadows.
Another whisper, more insistent this time, another man cut down. A firm tug that made a spark of discomfort run through him, another neck snapped. A bleak roar of frustration, failing to penetrate the hazy red filling his vision, from blood or otherwise, he didn't know. The boy swung his sword out, angled to sever the spinal cord of the last man left alive in the massacre, "STOP THIS! KRONOA!"
His sword stopped abruptly, coming to a halt in front of the man's heaving chest. The man slowly lifted his eyes to meet the menacing poison green of his opponent. There was a moment of silence before he screamed, a primal noise like a wild animal, that came from the deepest part of the realm of fear.
"DEMON, IT'S A DEMON!" he scrambled away, half crying, half screaming, as he made his way back to the village, not sparing a single glance for his mangled comrades.
The boy stared after the human's fleeing form before turning to the source of the outburst. The shadows had coalesced into the form of a wolf, not a very big one, maybe the size of a fox, but it's narrowed red eyes were terrifying in and of itself.
"Void," his eyes flickered from poison-green to ice-blue before switching back in a split second, "why did you stop me?" his voice was deeper than Jace's, eyes cold and calculating. His stance was familiar to Void, he'd seen it every time he looked at his previous host, though it, and his haunted eyes, looked out of place on the young, black-haired boy. The exact shade that demon royalty had. He filed that information away for future use, turning his attention back to the situation at hand.
"Kronoa," he growled, "you are long since dead, that body, that life, isn't yours to take."
The newly named Kronoa smirked, "you seem to like this brat, Void. You should be thanking me, I got rid of those idiotic pests."
Void snarled, digging his claws into the ground in agitation, "Those lives, weren't yours to take."
Kronoa sighed, "the boy's gonna have to be able to kill, you know that. Maybe this'll help ease him into it. Hell, if he has half the past I witnessed when I took over, he'd be completely okay with what I just did."
The wolf's ears twitched, "yes, but that's not your decision." He was pacing and snarling, fur pricked up and lip curled up threateningly to show his fangs. The shadows were writhing and flailing at his anger, reaching out to the boy before shying away.
Kronoa sighed, rolling his eyes, "fine, fine, I'll give him back." His eyes slowly stared to fade back to their normal color, but before they did, Void's sharp hearing picked up on muttered words that made him growl. "Sheesh, overprotective much."
The poison green gave way to a cloudy, confused blue. They flickered over Void's form before landing uncomprehending on the bloody scene in front of him.
"Jace?" the wolf asked tentatively, voice unusally soft, "are you okay?" He stepped forward hesitantly, going to nudge the boy with his snout, when he stepped forward, dropping to his knees and staring blankly at the sight of the mangled corpse.
"What, happened?" he breathed out shakily.
"I guess I should explain, huh?" Void murmured, padding silently over to the kneeling boy. "The ones before you, the ones I thought worthy of my power, the shadows stayed with them throughout their lives, watching their every move, shuffling through their thoughts, absorbing their knowledge. Once the host died, the shadows made their way back to me, telling me of their adventures. This was how it had been forever, until a few centuries ago. You see, even when I lend my power to the humans, rarely do they get to see my actual form, Kronoa was the first."
"Kronoa?" Jace lifted his head to peer questioningly at the wolf, getting absorbed in the tale.
"Yes, the boy that was much like you, he also drew my interest, and so, instead of letting my shadows seek him out, I did instead. We met, in dire circumstances, similar to yours, the Holy Kingdom's knights had burned his village, deeming it to be the location of one of the Supreme Demon General's forces. He hungered for revenge, and my power let him have it. I was intrigued by him, human lives never mattered to me anyway, why be bothered by those with such a short lifespan?"
Void closed his eyes, grief welling in him, "he died by the Holy Kingdom's sword and snarling promises of vengeance, but when my shadows returned, they came not only with his experiences and memories, but with his hibernating soul as well. I didn't know what to think, and eventually decided to just leave it. Kronoa desires revenge against those who killed him and his family, though you don't have to worry about him taking over again, unless you're in a dire situation."
There was silence for a moment before Jace spoke up, "I can't pretend to understand him, there's been no one in my life who I would've cared if they died, but I know what it's like to hate, but in the end, blind hatred is what gets you killed."
He stood up, stepping over the body of one of them and kneeling down to pick up a sword. He lifted it up and examined it, shadows shooting up the length. "I'm not opposed to killing humans though, I could get used to this power," he said smirking, giving the sword a few experimental swings, watching as wisps of purple smoke trailed through the air.
Void stood up, red eyes piercing through his very being, "What do you plan to do now, wielder of shadows?"
Jace gave a slight hum, letting the shadows disperse and slinging the sheathed sword over his back, "I suppose, I could just have some fun!"