Years passed, and Liam's obsession with finding the lady who turned him to an immortal monster only grew stronger. He had witnessed many occurrences where a young villager or immigrant would resemble the lady. He had her sketch hung at the main gate of the nearby village. He would stay there, watching intently, hoping to see anyone who resembled her or had come across her.
One fateful day, he was at the main entrance when the sketch caught a young man's attention who had a soft, curious murmur. The young man told Liam that he had seen the drawing of the same woman somewhere on the street. Liam followed the young man directions and went to the building. The sound of creaking wooden floorboards as Liam enters the building, leading him to a dimly lit .
He met an old, weak man who happened to be the owner of the building. A raspy, quivering voice, "How did you know about my drawing?" the old man asked with excitement. "I spotted this woman passing by the village, and I could not forget the sight of her, so I drew this," the young man replied, laughing weirdly with his broken, spaced-out, hollow teeth.
Liam's reply was sharp. "Where did she go?" A tense, demanding tone.
The old man's voice was like a rusty gate, his eyes gleaming with an otherworldly intensity."I killed her," the old man declared, his words dripping with malevolence.. "How long was it?" he said, laughing maniacally, "I felt the desire to kill as soon as I saw her. It felt like I was born to kill her," the old man continued, sounding devilish with a deep, guttural growl.
"Strangely enough, there was another man who looked for her," the old man said, snaring.
"Who was it?" he demanded, his voice low and deadly.
Liam's grip on his dagger tightened, his eyes blazing with a fierce determination. "
"A young man with a dark emptiness. He said he was after her soul." his voice dripping with malice."Then, I realized that I, alongside many others, was after her soul."
Liam's eyes widened, the memory of the monster he killed years ago flooding back. "You will pay for this... I will remember your soul, and I will get my revenge." the creature had hissed, its voice like a snake slithering through the grass.
"I know now, the soul you are after is actually mine. You desire to take revenge on me, not her. You were a monster in your previous life, and I killed you. You should not have reincarnated as a human, but here you are," Liam said, altering his dagger from its sheath.
"That was also what the man with dark emptiness said. He said I was a murderer because I was a monster in my previous life," the old man replied on his knees, trembling faking innocent.
Liam drew his dagger towards the old man, the sharp sound of steel cutting through the air.
"Why was I born like this?" the old man said with teary eyes. "Does this mean I am not a human?" He wailed."Kill me with that dagger of yours," he said, trying to behead himself with the sword.
"Please..." the old man said as he hurriedly thrust the dagger into Liam's heart, laughing cacophony.
Liam had a pain gasp.
The old man tried to deceive Liam by hiding in the hung clothes in the dark building. "You are not a human, are you? I knew it! Seeing how you do not die, you must be Orexis. He laughed. You have no soul, so you live forever. I envy you," the old man said.
Liam replied, "How does it feel? I feel endless pain, so how could you envy me?"This is the underworld! This is hell!" he exclaimed, sorrowful.
"Take this old man's soul, dear Orexis!" the monster replied mockingly. "Or will I also turn into Orexis if I ate your flesh?" He laughed ironically.
Suddenly, the old man jumped at Liam and bit his neck. His teeth sinking into Liam's flesh, he had a pained grunt. Liam tried to attack him, but he failed again as the old man rustled in a fabric.
Liam was fortunate enough to track the old man down by his body odour. Liam struck him into a sharp wooden pole in the middle of the building. "If you go after that woman again in your next life, I will kill you then as well," Liam said. He took out the old man's soul to destroy it completely.
Liam went to the old man's shrine, where he had hung the lady's drawing, surrounded by flickering candles. He wondered what he could do now that things had become quite complicated, knowing he was not the only one looking for her, with his soul. He knew the lady would also take his karma, and the monsters he had destroyed in the past would look for his soul and try to get revenge.
"Before a reincarnated monster gets to you, I'll find you first. Hold on in there!" Liam said, determined.
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