I only wanted to eat.
"…"
Ever since I came into existence as my brothers and sisters, I always wondered what being in the mortal realm was like. There were many stories, told to us by our siblings, of those lands. All of them said that those were nice places; with lots of souls to eat, and 'violence' to strengthen our powers. Personally, I didn't know what 'violence' was, nor did I care for it. But from what they made us believe, those were mortals killing their own for various reasons. And it made me interested…
Nevertheless, while we excitedly listened to their stories, our siblings would also mention these 'guardians' called 'gods,' protecting those worlds from us. They were from a place called 'heaven,' and they led armies of wing creatures, 'angels,' created to fight and destroy us. I always shivered in fear whenever I imagined those terrible beings swooping down our sanctuary, and erasing our cherished darkness. Still, our brothers and sisters reassured us it wouldn't happen, for these gods would rather stay in the comfort of their worlds, instead of bringing the fight into this place.
Our siblings told us that the gods force everyone to follow 'Order' and 'Peace' through their edicts and mortals that worshipped them. This was so they would never attract us—or if they already did—to weaken our powers. They would always follow that part of the story with examples of our fellow beings killed by the combined might of mortals and gods, despised and forgotten 'till another of us would surface and try to 'feed' and 'devour' them.
It's a vicious cycle of eat, or die.
"…"
As for me, I only wanted to eat. I was already tired of listening to those stories; I just like to taste a mortal's soul…or if I was lucky, a god's soul. And maybe, also, to see what was in a mortal's realm. Wasn't that unfair? Why am I even created, if my purpose is just to linger in pain and hunger in the eternal darkness the mortals call the 'Void'?
So, when I had the chance, I summoned my strength and pushed myself out of the Void and into a world. Any world was fine; I just wanted to experience what it's like to be in the land of the mortals and sample a soul's taste if there's a chance.
----------
The white light nearly caused me to disintegrate as I traveled between the planes that separated the mortals from the immortals. I thought I was going the wrong way, for the journey was long and seemingly endless. That was until I soon found myself staring at the blue vastness of what my siblings referred to as the 'skies,' and I was lying on a sea of green, silent creatures they named 'grass.'
"…"
But then, I was still formless. As my brothers and sisters said, they always took a mortal's form, or any creature in these worlds, to blend in. However, weakened by the journey from the Void into this place, I couldn't even summon my strength to pull up any manifestation. So, I just lay in wait for a long while in that spot I found myself in, staring at the azure sky, or would sometimes look around for any change in the surroundings. I did see a few of those 'mortals' pass by, killing those other mortals they would label as 'trees' with a weapon they referred to as an 'ax,' or the smaller creatures that roamed nearby with bows and arrows. I was fascinated by their appearance, as well as their behavior.
So, this was how the mortals 'live'…they kill others for their benefit, huh?
However, what puzzled me was, that even with all the violence I was witnessing, my powers wouldn't return to me. It had been a frequent occurrence, but my hope to regain strength went for naught. Perhaps, the killings I saw were normal, and this place was too peaceful for me to gain any of my abilities. Nevertheless, I would stay; even if I wanted to go back to that eternal darkness I call 'home', I couldn't muster my powers to return to the Void.
It was a banal existence, waiting only in this place, at the same spot, with only the passing clouds—and occasional mortals doing the same acts repeatedly—as the only things to break the monotony. There were countless times I wished I never left the Void, that I shouldn't have let my curiosity and endless hunger get me, just to never end up stranded in this world. There were also moments I would wonder, were my brothers and sisters who went to other realms experienced this, too, before they were fed the violence they needed to manifest in a form?
However, there was no one to answer me. I was hungry, bored, and weak.
"…"
I thought it would always stay the same until one time, something stirred from the distance. Much to my surprise, I saw a group of mortals, traveling near my spot. Unlike the ones before, these creatures wore different clothes. If I could describe those, it would be 'dirty', 'ragged', and 'torn'. With them were weapons I've only seen just now—I think those were what my brothers and sisters call 'swords', 'spears', and bows and arrows. Someone led them, and that mortal went all over the place before it ordered its companions to hide themselves in certain places around the area. It seemed that these mortals were waiting for something, and I could feel bloodlust oozing from them.
"!!!"
I don't know for how long they've waited. What I did remember was, their bloodlust was giving me strength. Before, I couldn't even turn around to have a better view of my surroundings, but, with them, I could now crawl to another spot, which I did. Then, I heard another noise…
"…"
This time, it was a carriage traversing the dirt path that passed near the spot where I was before. Compared to the group of mortals that came here early, this crowd looked nicer. The carriage itself was filled with golden ornaments, and strange designs and trims all over. It was also escorted by mortals in thin metal sheets covering their bodies and heads, riding on animals my siblings called 'horses.' If I remember right, they did say that the mortals would do that to their important fellows, so I guess the one inside that carriage must be someone they held in high esteem.
I watched as one of the mortals from the hidden group showed itself in front of the second group, effectively blocking the latter's path, and raised its sword. The mortals on the horses were shocked at the former's appearance and drew their swords as well. I didn't know what happened as they were making strange noises but never attacked each other. Then, another one from the hidden group signaled its friends, positioned themselves to surround the carriage from the trees, and quickly set their arrows loose on the mortals with horses.
It was a massacre. Those creatures inside the thin metal sheets were dead after their bodies were peppered with the poisoned barrage. Still, while the others died, some fought back, clinging desperately to their shields and swords in an attempt to protect whatever was inside the carriage.
Fascinating…why would these mortals do that, even when the odds were obviously against them?
"…"
However, the fight was a one-sided affair. Soon, all the mortals in thin metal sheets and horses were dead, and I fed on their souls. I could not forget the taste of the first mortals I consumed…it was delicious, just like what my brothers and sisters said. Yes, the more of these mortals killed, the more I satiated my hunger, lying in wait as their souls escaped from their bodies, screaming in pain and anguish. Wishing to feed more, I crawled towards the carriage, while the attacking mortals broke down its doors, and dragged more mortals outside.
"…"
I guess, the creatures from inside the carriage tried to fight, though their hands had no weapons. The mortals from the first group dragged them by the hairs, and those that put up fierce resistance were killed…beheaded usually. It was a meal of plenty, and I realized that I wouldn't easily forget that taste of a suffering mortal soul, so I drew nearer to the creatures…waiting for them to kill more.
One of the mortals from the carriage wore clothing that was different from the rest. It was also the one who made the loudest noise, though it never tried to fight, as it was carrying a smaller mortal in its arms and was kneeling. From where I was, I could see water falling from its eyes, and its face was contorted in an anguished, funny expression. The first group surrounded this particular mortal, smiling, and their bloodlust was even more powerful than before. They pointed their weapons at it, striking the mortal's face with the flat of their swords, spitting, pulling its hair, slapping, and kicking it. I had no idea of what was going on, but whatever it was, I could feel my strength returning to me…enough to make a manifestation of my miasma.
"…"
Still, the mortals didn't notice me. Perhaps they were too focused on that other mortal in a nice dress and the smaller mortal it was trying to protect in its arms. Soon, one of the violent mortals raised its sword and ran through the kneeling creature. It took a while before it died, and I saw its body shiver as it dropped the smaller mortal, which gave a loud noise. I guess it would die later, or these violent mortals would kill it; whatever they planned to do, I would wait to feed on it. But for now, I turned for the soul of the freshly killed mortal to come of its body, and ate it when I had the chance.
But…
"…"
Instead of a screaming, scared soul, I saw a spirit filled with rage and thirst for vengeance. That soul was blacker than my miasma, and it was looking back at me.
"Who are you?" it said.
"I don't know myself," I replied. "However, I feed on the souls of the dead, and I find you tasty.
"Well, it doesn't matter," the soul told me. "Consume me if you wish, but I will make a deal with anyone—even the demons—if it means I will have the power to kill these despicable murderers in the most painful way possible."
"Interesting…that hatred of yours is making you tastier! Consider it done! Let me eat you, and I'll grant your desire!"
With that, the spirit gave itself up to me. And accurate enough, its soul was the best food I tasted!
"!!!" At that point, I didn't know what happened next. For some strange reason, I lost any memory I had when I fed on that creature's soul. And when I returned to myself, I already gained a body similar to these mortals and was carrying the small mortal earlier, with a smile on its face as it stared and touched me.