As Dorin approached the dying animal, he felt a tug from somewhere deep inside. Suddenly the darkness alongside his hunger flowed into the elk, and he felt the toll that his body had taken. 'I can't keep this up.'
Dorin left the blade in and sat beside it. The beast dissolved slowly as he caught his breath. His body had never been so sore, it reminded him of how he felt after battling the river in the Spire's world.
Eventually the darkness condensed, leaving a ball of darkness with a red dot in the center.
The shadow that Dorin consumed was still a mystery to him. There had been no stories about such a thing, except for Muata's warning of the unimaginable terrors deeper in the forest.
'I hope that was the worst of it.' Dorin didn't think his body could handle another transformation anytime soon.
Dorin sat on the forest floor until dawn. 'If I ever want to sleep, it'll have to be during the day.' Dorin found two trees twisted together, which created cover for him to bury himself in brush while he slept.
. . .
Dorin awoke to a pull from his left hand. It was sticking out of the bush towards where he had left the ball of darkness.
Shaking off the brush, he walked out into the rays of the sun shining through gaps in the trees. He had made them himself last night on his rampage through the forest.
In the place of the ball, there now laid a baby fawn. It was body was completely black, but on its face was a golden eight similar to his left hand which wrapped around its closed eyes.
It was much less domineering than Anya was, but Dorin knew that if his terrifying ego had created such a thing that it couldn't be weak.
Suddenly its eyes opened, and Dorin scrambled back. 'What in the light. . .' The fawn had the same dark red eyes as the shadow.
The fawn wobbled to its feet and let out a small meep before rubbing its head on Dorin's leg. Once it opened its mouth Dorin saw its sharp teeth, similar to the beast that he had impaled last night.
Dorin was torn between joy and fear. On one hand he had a new companion, but on the other he didn't know if he could handle something created by such a horror.
'The only way is forward.' Dorin made his choice, and patted his hand on the fawn's hide. Another meep came from his ego beast, and he couldn't help but wonder how long it would take for it to grow. 'I'll name you . . . Eki.'
The problem now was that his weapon was gone. Dorin looked back towards the decimated forest and was reminded of Morah's stakes. He walked towards the wreckage and sifted through, trying to find a long and pointy stick.
Every piece of wood he threw to the side was chased by Eki, who proudly brought it right back to him. Dorin was frustrated at first, but then he saw that his companion had bitten on the ends of each stick, turning them into a point.
Dorin felt his eyes water as he patted Eki's head. 'I'm never letting you leave my sight.' Ever since losing Anya, Dorin had felt like there was an emptiness inside him. The bird had made him feel safe and taken care of, something he never had as a child.
Eventually Dorin found a properly sized branch and gave it to Eki, who promptly gnawed on one end with playful fervor.
The two walked side by side deeper into the forest, which didn't seem nearly as harrowing during the day.
. . .
Ara
"So, have you chosen?" Ranell said
Ara thought of her last battle with the fanged fox. She had been forced to throw her dagger into its mouth due to its diminutive size. She would never have been able to fight with such a beast in close quarters.
"Yes." Ara scanned the wall of weapons, and grabbed a spear.
"Good choice." Ranell applauded. "I wish I had chosen something with longer range when I was your age. That's part of why I decided to create a beast ego."
The memory of Ranell tearing that fish apart in the air flashed through Ara's mind. She felt like even if she was given the greatest weapon imaginable, it would still pale in comparison to having, or becoming a powerful beast.
"Why are beast ego's forbidden?"
Ranell stopped clapping and put her hands by her side. "There is the reason why we only have one spark a year. An ego can become more powerful than the human that wields them if given enough resources and time."
"If we can control them, why is that a bad thing?"
"The problem comes when their creator dies. Once that happens, the ego beast becomes a wild animal. The only one who can face such a thing at that point is the Spire."