Amaris' vision went black, and she suddenly found herself inside a dark space with glowing blue hexagon tiles covering the floor. She looked around, trying to find anything, but everything was pitch black. She looked around for a while and then heard a voice coming from behind her.
"You? A human? You dare try to take my essence as a soul ring? I'm not sure if you're cocky or ignorant." The voice said.
Amaris turned around and saw a figure standing behind her. The figure had a humanoid shape but didn't look like anything. It was just a dark shadow. But from the voice, she could tell it was the demon who just died.
Amaris gulped and stepped back, her body trembling, causing the area around her to shake.
"W-who are you?" She asked.
"I am a demon. I used to be, but now I'm just a soul ring. That bitch of an angel killed me when I was out hunting." The demon said, its voice filled with resentment.
"Soul ring? Angel? What are those?" Amaris asked, her eyes blinking.
"Ha ha ha! Are you kidding me? How can a human not know about angels and demons? Unless... you're from the other dimension. Is that right?" The demon asked.
Amaris nodded, causing the demon to laugh even more.
"Hahahaha! So that's why you don't know anything! Humans from the other dimension are weak and ignorant. They don't know anything about this world. Hahaha!" The demon said.
Amaris frowned, getting irritated by the demon's laughter.
"What's so funny? Why are you laughing so much?" She asked angrily.
The demon stopped laughing and looked at Amaris.
"Because you're from another dimension. Haha! Humans from the other dimension are nothing compared to demons and angels. You're merely a food source for us, but it's ironic, considering my essence is becoming your first-ever soul ring. You should thank the angel for that. If I had just died normally, I would have corrupted your soul by now." The demon explained.
Amaris furrowed her brows, confused about the situation. None of the demon's words made any sense at all!
"Soul ring? Essence? Corrupt my soul? What are you talking about? Just tell me what's going on here!" Amaris shouted.
"Soul ring is an item that contains a demon or an angel's essence. An essence is a part of our soul. It allows us to use magic and abilities. Corrupting your soul means I'll kill you and be reincarnated. Well, that's if you're weak enough." The demon explained.
Amaris calmed down a little after hearing the explanation, but she was still confused.
"So, will this ring allow me to use magic and abilities? Is that right?" Amaris asked.
The demon nodded her head and spoke.
"Yes, but you have to absorb my essence first. And for a weak human like you, it will take a long time to do that. Right now, you've currently absorbed thirty percent of it. Once you consume all of it, I'll disappear into your soul, and you'll gain all of my abilities."
Amaris thought for a bit before asking another question.
"How long will it take to consume all of your essence?" She asked.
The demon shrugged.
"I'm not sure. It depends on how strong your soul is. But judging from your current strength, I'd say it'll take you at least 3 days." The demon said.
Amaris was shocked and disappointed at the same time. She didn't want to wait that long! But she didn't have a choice anyway. But a question arose in her mind.
"How the hell am I supposed to leave this place?" Amaris asked, and a sense of crisis arose in her.
The demon laughed madly, its voice echoing throughout the room. "You can't until you fully absorb me! That means the current you are standing in the open while being motionless." It said with a grin.
Amaris's expression paled; that would be really bad. If another demon saw her motionless, they'd most likely attack her! Amaris tried to get out, but there was no exit. The demon looked at all of this with a smile.
"You fool. We're in your inner consciousness. There is no escape." The demon stated, causing Amaris's fear to increase. Her hands shook, and she kept walking back and forth, trying to figure something out.
"Just sit and relax." The demon said, its body slowly regaining its form.
Its body became more and more tangible until it regained its humanoid form.
"Who are you anyway?" Amaris asked.
"Oh, right... Introducing myself! I am Zaleck. I am a part of the Snazl tribe. My attributes are darkness and poison, and my weakness is light. I am a rank 34 demon." The demon introduced itself.
Amaris raised an eyebrow. A few words stood out to Amaris
"Rank? Attributes?" She asked, puzzled.
Zaleck sighed and said, "You still don't understand? Demons have ranks. The higher the rank, the stronger we are. Different demons have different attributes like you humans."
Amaris blinked and scratched her head in confusion.
"Why are you so knowledgeable about humans?" She asked.
Zaleck shrugged and said, "I ate a lot of them."
Amaris was dumbstruck by the answer Zaleck gave and backed up a little.
"Anyways... Where is this place exactly?" Amaris asked.
Zaleck explained again, "Like I said, we're inside your inner consciousness. Only souls can come here."
"No, no, not that. Like the dimension we're in." Amaris corrected herself.
"Oh, that... this place is called 'Heaven's Demise.' It's a parallel universe. We demons came from the underworld." Zaleck said.
Amaris nodded as the explanation helped her a little. But there were still many questions in her mind.
"Parallel universe? Underworld?" She asked.
Zaleck sighed and replied, "Yes. The underworld is where we demons came from. There is also a place called 'God's Sanctuary'. That's where those damn gods live."
Amaris was confused yet intrigued by all the information she was getting.
"So, angels and demons came from different worlds?" She asked.
Zaleck sighed again and rubbed her forehead with her right hand.
"Look, human! Don't bother asking me all these useless questions! Just absorb my essence and get out of here! And don't waste your time learning this useless stuff." He said impatiently.
Amaris frowned but then smiled and sat on the hexagon tiles, looking at Zaleck.
"Fine then. Just teach me about the rings and how it works." Amaris said with a grin.
She knew that absorbing Zaleck was the only way for her to survive in this hell and the only way to get stronger.
Zaleck sighed again but explained, "A soul ring contains a demon or an angel's essence. This means your soul will absorb their power. Only humans can do this, and that's why we other beings want to kill you so badly. You threaten us and hold the key to stopping our reincarnation."
Amaris looked at Zaleck and listened to her closely. She held up her hand when she didn't understand something.
"So how am I supposed to use this 'magic' you spoke of?" Amaris asked.
Zaleck rubbed her forehead for the 3rd time and explained again, "Once you absorb a demon's essence, you can use their magic and abilities. It becomes an instinct and is engraved into your soul. The only limit is your soul's strength."
Amaris understood and closed her eyes, concentrating on absorbing Zaleck's essence. After thirty hours of silence, Amaris opened her eyes and saw only half of Zaleck's body, meaning she was half way done. She was sweating, and her entire body felt tired.