The door opened and Jake saw the face of his oppressor.
He or rather, It, was fully black with no indication of its gender. It was tall, about seven feet tall, and had sharp claws protruding from its fingers. Its head was faceless, no mouth, no eye, no nose, no hair as if the creature wore a skin to cover its features. It was the complete representation of an androgynous creature.
"What are you? Are you wearing a skin suit?" Jake couldn't help but ask.
"Oh, you shouldn't be the one asking questions? What are you, Jake? I can smell something special about you" taunted the creature, slowly.
"What are you talking about?" scoffed Jake.
He watched the creature's reaction to understand what its endgame was.
Up till this moment, he was not in control of his body and he didn't like that. Jake was all about control and seeking perfection. How can one find perfection if one is not perfect?
The creature hissed, controlling Jake to move closer to him, "Oh you don't know. How do you think we have been able to communicate?"
"Obviously, this world's language….. Wait, what is this world language?... What language am I speaking?... When did I learn that?...." Jake got confused, as he realized that something was wrong with him.
"Allow me to help you. In our world, humans and other races, speak the universal language. It helped solve the language barrier problem in ancient times. However, some races preserved their native language. It gives them an advantage."
Jake smartly figured out what the creature meant, "So, you are from another race? It explains why you look so ugly."
"Hehehe, you still don't get it," mocked the creature.
It stretched forth its hand and beckoned Jake to kneel beneath him, applying an unknown pressure on Jake which instantly forced him to the ground.
The creature moved its face closer to Jake, "Now, do you understand? I am in total control of your body. Now, where were we?"
Although he was thrashed around, Jake didn't feel angry. Instead, he felt his urge to kill. However, he was too powerless to do anything.
'He can somehow telepathically talk to me and control me. Yet he can't read my mind, or else, he would have known what I was thinking. He is too powerful. I can't defeat him. I have to play along,' thought Jake.
Thinking back to the creature's words, he got a shock, "Are you implying that we have been conversing in your native language?"
The more Jake thought about it, the more plausible it became to him.
"It seems like you are a smart one. My race language is sacred to our members, no outsiders can speak it. So why is it that you are an exception and that you speak it so fluently?"
'I have been so ignorant,' Jake thought.
He had been too comfortable to notice his language issue. Now that he thought of it, it was most likely a side effect of his rebirth.
If he could speak the creature's language and also the world's universal language, then theoretically, he could speak almost all the languages in this world.
'Also, for me to have not noticed, this ability must have been hardwired into my very existence, my soul,' analyzed Jake.
With his new discovery, Jake was able to fully understand the situation.
It turns out that his body gave out a scent that was attractive to the creature. When the creature tried to converse with him in its own language, Jake had replied back perfectly, increasing its interest.
Jake hid this discovery, and instead asked a question that had piqued his interest, "What race are you?"
"A race far superior to you weaklings," bragged the creature in a silvery voice, refusing to give any more info.
"By that, you mean humans, right? That's sad. What did they do to you?" Jake made a crying expression as he mocked, "Steal your girlfriend? What a sad life? Though, I can't say I blame your girlfriend."
Annoyed, the creature increased the pressure on Jake, making most of his bones pop, "Quite the joker, aren't you. Let's see if you can keep your annoying smile for long."
Jake looked at the creature threatening. His gaze said it all, but Jake went the extra mile, "What plans do you have for me? You kept referring to me as a food, do you intend to eat me? I'm not sure I volunteered to be a food."
"Hehehe, boy. I'm afraid you have no choice. Also, I do not intend to eat you."
"Oh, so. You intend to flavor me, then eat me"
"No. As I said---"
Jake interrupted, "--You do not want to season me. You just want to cook then eat me?"
"I do not cannibalize!" shouted the creature.
"But if you think about it from another perspective, you are not human, and I'm human. So, if you eat me, it will just be like how humans eat demon beasts.," grinned Jake, as he ruffled the feathers of the creature.
The creature threw an outburst, which ended up blasting Jake across the shop, "I have said I have no intentions of eating you!"
Blood draining down his mouth, Jake grinned, "What? You are feeling lonely? You want us to be friends? "
"Who do you think you are?!"
*Boom!*
Jake found himself planted into the ground. His air supply seemed to have been cut short as he was gasping for breath. Red hue rushed to his face, but Jake didn't beg for the creature to stop. Instead, he looked at the creature and smiled, his eyes showing the ferocity of an ice storm, cold, silent, and deadly!
Looking at that, the creature couldn't help but be terrified. He released the pressure he planted on Jake as he couldn't have Jake dying....yet.
After being free from the invincible chokehold, Jake huffed for breath, but he didn't forget to ask another question, "Say, you say you are part of a superior race... Where are your other fellow members? Can you at least bless me with the name of your race?"
Since his fate was left to this creature, Jake wanted to at least know his race. Jake was a very curious person. He read all kinds of books.
In his pre rebirth life, he was a human among other humans. Sure they were animals, but they were not to the extent of demonic beasts. The only races he ever saw were his master, M, who was of a feline race, and Mira, who was of a technological race.
Luckily, he read a lot of books in the Dungeon of Miracle's library. Sure, he could identify the race of the creature and figure out its weakness. However, the problem was the rebirth process scrambled with his memories. They were some things that he could not remember and one of them just happened to be a whole library-worth information on various races!
So, all Jake could do was ask, hoping the name of the race could jumpstart his memory.
However, he was ignored...
The creature disappeared before reappearing back with a chair with metal cuffs on it.
Its hands made a pulling motion and Jake was instantly forced into the chair.
It bent its head toward Jake, its breath ringing deep in Jake's ears. With a raspy voice, it said, "Any last words?"
"Yes, what are you going to do to me? Don't you want to tell me all about your brilliant plan?"
The creature looked at Jake silently. It contemplated a bit before it spilled the beans, "Ok, let me humor you. You see this."
The creature pointed at its body.
At first, Jake didn't notice, but later, he realized that the vibrant blackness of the creature's skin was waning. It was definitely not a good sign.
"I don't have much time left. I was hoping to temporarily eat some humans to preserve my life, but when I smelled you---" the creature put its face at Jake's neck, "---Ah! I changed my mind. Tell me would you kill a hen that lays gold?"
Jake thought, 'Of course, you wouldn't! Shit, I'm doomed!'
He realized that his situation was similar to a captured golden hen.
He faced the creature, "You want to keep me? No, that's not right. You want to....possess me."
Jake's face turned into a white sheet, as he understood his looming fate.
"It seems that you are smarter than I thought," taunted the creature.
"Possessing is not something you try every day, isn't it? Tell me, what made you so determined to possess my body?" asked Jake.
The creature replied, "Your smell, it's like a fresh meal. The scent of bread just baked out of the oven."
Its euphoria was outwardly expressed as the creature kept making strange poses.
With death hanging by his neck, Jake calmly smiled, "Is that so....? Then come possess me!"
"With pleasure!"
The creature pointed his figure at Jake's forehead. It transported itself into Jake's mind.