Waking up, I felt groggy as I tried to figure out my surroundings. However, as the world around me came into focus, it made me gasp in slight panic. Pure darkness surrounded me, the air itself seemingly shimmering with gray wisps making it seem almost alive. It was then that I noticed the absence of my physical body.

Looking down at myself, all I could see was a gray, outline of my limbs, nothing to show any indication it was even me. Like a ghost lost in nothingness. For the first time in a long time, I was genuinely scared. I knew now why this place seemed so familiar, not because I’ve been here before, but the sensation was the same as when I had died. No. Was I dead? Did someone kill me while I was unconscious?!

Sudden fury replaced the fear. I tried to move around, but it felt like I was standing still, despite being able to move. No matter in which direction I went, everything was the same flickering nothingness, “Hello!?” I shouted with slight desperation, my voice distorting in my surroundings before being swallowed by it.

Then I saw it. Her. Grinning at me with twisted satisfaction as the blood dripped from her slit wrists. The filthy dress clung to her body, still dripping with the vile fluids she had died in. Her yellow teeth flashed, those mocking eyes glaring at me with an unknown agenda. Her brown hair was caked, creating an unsightly mess on top of her head. A picture straight out of my nightmare, even the faint sound of buzzing flies seemed to permeate the air.

I froze. She took a step toward me, sound of buzzing intensifying, almost echoing inside my mind, “You’re not real.” I muttered, but the murderous desire seething within me was indeed real. I tried taking a step in her direction, the desire to wring the life out of those eyes intensifying by the second, but I couldn’t move from my spot. Putting a hand on her hip, she tilted her head, “I am real and so are you.” She muttered with an emotionless voice, nothing like how she used to speak. There was always a bitter undertone to all her words, the hate, the cruelty.

Walking a circle around me, measuring me up and down, she nodded in approval, “You’ve used your second chance well and, most importantly, remained true to your essence. To my essence. Good.” A wicked gleam appeared in her eyes, “How much you will remember of this encounter is up to the strength of your soul. Last time it was broken and weak, this time, it just might hold out.”

Realization set in, “You? Why do you look like her?!” I hissed, the fact I needed to stare into those vile eyes made me feel like vomiting. It chuckled, “Because of you, Atkozott. Your mind cannot comprehend me, therefore, it sees what makes most sense, gazing upon my true form too long would shatter you. As I am the representation of all hatred, malice and anger, you shall always see the one you hate the most, the one you wish to hurt the most.”

“What is all this? Why am I here? Am I dead again?” I asked the last question with the most trepidation. She tilted her head, “Many questions, not nearly enough time. Pick them wisely, my Chosen. You will never get this opportunity again.” She shrugged, “You are not dead, your body is still in transition which is also the reason you are here. As one of the Damned, you survived and achieved maturity in your new body, therefore receiving the right for guidance from your patron. This is something all the Virtuous and all the Damned have the right to.”

I quivered, recalling Thalia’s explanation. She did mention she met the entity again, I just didn’t realize until now this was what she meant. Avoiding looking at the imitation of the whore, I couldn’t help but feel like this wasn’t just a check up visit, “What the hell do you want from me?”

“We have no wants, we have no expectations. We are observers, all the evil and all the good given sentience and form. We send our representations, our Chosen, you, to compete for dominance in worlds but we do not interfere. As the Virtuous one told you, you have the potential to change worlds, however, nowhere is it specified that you will fulfill that potential.” It suddenly grinned mysteriously, “But we chose wisely, those who refuse to change, those driven by their basic needs and ego. One way or the other, you have already affected the world, the change has begun, yet only the end is questionable.”

All I was left with was more confusion. I couldn’t understand what the hell this thing was talking about, “What do you mean you fight for dominance?”

“Fight is too strong a word. We do not fight, we compete. All of the universes and all of their worlds are dominated either by the Virtuous or by the Damned. I do believe something like this is beyond your comprehension. However, I shall attempt to explain on something that is familiar to you. Earth.” Stopping for a moment, I could feel my fury rise as it locked eyes with me, “Once upon a time, it belonged to us, all the worlds at one point belonged to us. We brought forth change be it by disease or by war, our Chosen defeating the Chosen of the Virtuous. Unfortunately, they would not give up on it. The tenacious bastards will never give up on any world, as their essence born of hope commands. Just as our malevolent nature shall never allow us to give up. It is a never-ending cycle.”

I gaped, “You’re saying the wars are induced by the Damned? You reincarnate people on Earth too?!” She grinned, “Not all the wars, we had to begin somewhere, but our chosen are everywhere, take for example the latest Chosen of Ego, a man that will bring forth the Third World War and with the nuclear winter, the Earth shall once more become the land of the Damned. All those unions created by the Virtuous will be wiped off the face of the planet, leaving only death and pain, so that we may thrive there once more.”

I remained silent, slightly understanding that these entities were not something to be messed with, “So what, you expect me to start a war? To kill the Virtuous.” I asked skeptically, ready to fight tooth and nail if this thing tries to control me. I’d rather die.

It tilted its head again, “You are just one of many, there is no point to killing the Virtuous, another will take their place. The competition between us is not Chosen murdering Chosen, Atkozott. It is the battle of whose change will prevail, for better or for worse, the stalemate must break. War is already brewing. The world of Atelior has been the domain of the Damned for centuries yet just might soon fall into the hands of the Virtuous.”

Staring at this creature, I couldn’t help but feel nervous at the lack of care it showed to something that was potentially going to be taken from them, “You don’t care if the Virtuous take it, do you?”

It shrugged, “We care not. We shall simply take it back one day, it has always been this way and it shall forever continue. Unlike the worlds, we can never change.” It stared at me deeply, “Your time is running out Atkozott, best ask your questions while you still can.”

I shook my head and sighed, “Why this body? Why me?”

The emotionless expression melted into a savage grin, “Because of your core, your hatred is bittersweet to me with a touch of deep-rooted rot. Just the right flavor. Unflinching, unchanging as all the Chosen should be. You wished your hunger to end, so you gained a body that needed little sustenance. You despise all of humanity, so you gained a body that lacks it. You sought freedom and the ability to take it was given to you. The body is there to suit the soul’s needs, to enable you to remain true to what keeps it from unraveling back into the pieces it once was in. Your essence.” It suddenly widened its arms theatrically, “You really should look more closely at your own hatred.”

A knee bending agony suddenly burst in my mind as visions flooded me. As the pain subsided, it became clear those were my memories. In clips, they flowed through my mind, returning even those that were once lost in the passage of time. The pain and humiliation flowing along with them. Groaning, I felt as if I were dissolving before everything stopped. Lifting my head to glare at the creature, I couldn’t help but stumble backwards in shock.

It stood there, grinning as a seemingly endless army of people stood around her, surrounding me on all sides. Men and women, from my old world and the new one were standing as still as statues. Some wore suits while others wore armor yet all were faceless. There were exceptions in the very front of the endless crowd, those with faces. Seth, Anya, Evergreen, Sandra and many others stood with their eyes locked on me, “What the hell is this?” I whispered with a disturbed voice.

As if moving with the speed of light, the entity wearing the skin of the whore appeared mere inches from my face with an insane look in her eyes, “This is why you were chosen!” Moving away, it widened its arms as it danced among the eerie crowd, “This is the extent of your hate! Nearly everyone that has ever crossed your path! Even if you do not remember them or their faces, the hatred has remained.”

Suddenly stopping, it pulled over Anya and grabbed her face while bringing her near me, “This is your reminder Atkozott, so that you never forget! So that you may remain true to yourself.” Memories once again flooded my mind, my time on the Preiss Farm suddenly renewed in my mind as if it happened yesterday. Groaning, I didn’t even have time to recover before a faceless person in a nice suit was brought in front of me, “Do you remember him?” It whispered as an old memory resurfaced.

***

I was sitting on the hard pavement, my cardboard sign making it clear I was here to beg for just about anything. My metal can had a couple of pennies, nothing much but eventually, it will turn into a dollar, then into two until I can afford whatever I may need yet cannot find in the garbage. The day was hot, sweat dripping from my head while the busy street bustled with activity. Most people passed me by as if I was invisible. That was normal, it’s the ones who stared that worried me.

I saw him, just like many other times when I camped on this spot, leaving the large, glass building, wearing his slick suit as he made his way to the coffee shop located just a few feet away from me. Something felt wrong though. Shouldn’t he have a face? Looking more closely, I realized many people in the street were faceless. However, it did not worry me too much. I didn’t know why though.

I saw the man enter the shop, then exit with two steaming cups. Just as he passed by me, he stopped and tilted his head down. The blank slate that was his face suddenly shifted, revealing a blond man wearing a deep, disgusted frown, “You’re here again? Didn’t I warn you last time you’d regret coming back here you shitty hobo?! I get my coffee here every break, how do you think it makes me feel having to see your filthy mug while trying to enjoy my break?”

I didn’t answer, just glaring at him in annoyance. He smirked and glanced at one of the cups, “Though this was for my colleague, I don’t mind giving it to you.” Before I could react, he made a clumsy gesture and spilled scorching coffee all over my face and arms. I screamed from the shock, grabbing for my face while falling over, “My bad! I’m so sorry! He’s fine people, he’s fine.” The man said loudly, I could sense him still standing in front of me. I finally managed to open my eyes, the burning pain making my vision blurry, and saw that the crowd took his word for it. No one gave a second glance.

Looking up, I saw him grinning at me, “If I see you around here again, I’ll do worse than this. Now get lost.” He muttered and spit into my metal can before walking off to his building.

***

Panting, I felt as if I was shivering, the pain of having my memories pried open and recreated made me want to kill something. The entity still stood there, holding the man who wore the same face as the one in my memory now. It was then I understood something, “It’s you. You’re the one making me remember all those things.” I hissed, still in pain. Dropping the man like a rag doll, it shrugged, “Indeed. It is necessary to remind you on occasion where and what you come from.” It said and brought a few more until I was left panting from exhaustion. Despite the increasing agony in my mind, I knew if I had had teeth in this moment, they would have shattered from the force I was gritting them. All those encounters, all those people, I could now remember a great deal more, the once foggy memories renewed with a new vengeance, “Never forget.” It whispered with a barely audible voice.

“What?”

“Your time is up Atkozott. I shall leave you with one, last warning. Though you have potential to induce change and break the status quo, you yourself are never meant to change, do you understand?” There was a severity to its voice, a looming threat.

I gaped at the entity as the people around us seemed to vanish into wisps of smoke, melding back into the darkness. The whore’s face suddenly began to melt, the skin loosening in a disgusting manner before being absorbed into the surroundings, revealing a pitch-black figure underneath. It’s glowing white eyes seemingly staring into my very being while the unnaturally wide mouth grinned at me. Feeling dizzy after only a moment of staring at it, I heard it’s last words, “I am Nemesis and you are my Chosen, never stray from who you are, remain true or you shall unravel, the tethers binding your soul to that body breaking as you return to the River of the Damned.”

***

I felt bleary as I slowly woke up in my own body. I frowned when I felt that my arms and legs were restrained with some kind of binds. I blinked rapidly, trying to chase away the annoying light that seemed to be shining at my face, "Fuck! Why the hell is it so bright!" I hiss in irritation and yank at the rattling chains lightly. In that moment, it hit me like a tidal wave. The entity, its words breaking past the fog. It was like remembering a vague dream that gradually gained more solidity.

With an infuriated snarl, I tugged again with some more strength but was still too dazed to put any real effort into it. As the vertigo slowly passed, I shook my head and tried to peek through the light. Confusion made me stare stupidly at the room which was completely covered in mirrors. Where the hell was I?!

My eyes finally adjusted enough for me to open them. A bright orb of light was floating above my head, pissing me off with its annoying brightness. It took me a second to process my own reflection in the mirrors, my eyes widening in shock.

For one, I was completely naked and tied to a vertical, square metal plate as large as my body, which was a lot bigger than before. Staring at myself, I could guess my height was over 2 meters at this point, not including the horns which had not only grown out a bit more, but a second, smaller set is now following the larger one, trailing backwards and up.

The biggest change must have been the huge black wings pressed between my body and the metal plate. The way they were squished annoyed me greatly. If I had to guess their size, I'd say they were only a bit larger than my body. The black, leathery texture seemed sturdy and thick, from the root of my wings and all the way to the end, they had grayish, blade-like bones tracing along to the tip, the same color as my hands and spikes. It gave the impression that they were as deadly as the rest of my appendages.

Grimacing, I realized bitterly why my back had so much agony during the change. Though they were a pleasant surprise, I couldn’t help but worry on how I’ll even learn to use those. Do I need to learn? Looking within, I could sense some additions to my instincts. Hopefully, one of those was related to my new limbs.

I felt incredible discomfort along my spine, so I moved a little, just to be greeted by the screeching sound of metal yet unable to budge. Scowling, I glanced to the side mirror and saw four inches long, sharp black spikes sticking through the metal plate, secured by chains on the other side. My eyes snapped lower as I took a look at my tail, also sticking out on the other side. It was covered in black scales that gave off a deep, verdant gloss.

It was considerably longer than before, the spike at the tip received its own upgrade. It looked a bit like a spearhead, but it was a bit slimmer, slightly curved. I moved my tail a little and noticed how easy it seemed. There was no more pain in my body and I finally felt comfortable again in my own skin, the mana that was previously keeping my body from rending itself was peacefully settled in my mana gland.

Looking to the front, I observed my claws. There was no change, the color appeared darker, like ebony but the tattoos seemed to have spread to them, making it seem as if they were engraved into my hands. Seeing the other tattoos on my body, I noticed how they twirled across my whole body, stretching up my chest and back, then down to my legs and tail. The muscles of my body seemed more defined as I finally looked at my face. My hair got longer again, turning from a dull gray to a pitch black. My eyes seemed to glow with an emerald sheen, despite it being bright here. I raised an eyebrow and kept observing myself without caring about the fact that I was still restrained to the metal platform.

Now that I had recovered slightly, I felt like I could break free at anytime. However, I could sense many enchantments in the room, hidden behind the mirrors. They gave me a pause. Despite having the entirety of my mana now at my disposal, the power laying behind those walls gave me a sense of danger.

Just as I was done observing and was about to rid myself of the binds, I heard a creak come from one of the mirrors. The sound nearly deafening in my ears, making me groan. It would appear my senses once more received a boost. Great, one more thing to adjust to. I frowned when I saw a short gray-haired woman walk in with a large feline, holding demonic markings over its body. The woman was petite, skinny and almost had no curves. She had the build of a little boy.

Deep scars ran over the lower side of her face, stretching down her neck like wiggling worms while a long one was dominating the right side of her face. Going from her eye to her lips, it marred the features I would guess were once decent. Shimmering red eyes stared at me with glinting curiosity and some reservation. Her hair was tied into a messy braid, falling down her left shoulder.

She looked like she partook in literally drinking acid, the burn scars clearly not from a fire. Even her arms were covered in them, making me think she might have at one point been submerged into it. Her clothes seemed simple, however, I could sense the intense magic radiating from everywhere on her body. The gray robes and light armor underneath were completely enchanted with god knows what.

Just as I was about to speak, she beat me to the punch. Letting out a loud, excited squeal that hurt my ears, she hugged the large feline, "Hahahaha! I can't believe my luck! Look, Ris, HE'S ALIVEEEE!!!”

The feline resembled a tiger of sorts, but the fur was lined with pale, demonic markings instead of stripes. The deep violet color of it glistened in the light of the shining orb, the overgrown cat watching me indifferently with sliver eyes.

Narrowing my eyes at the strange woman, I tilted my head with some annoyance, "Who are you and where did you take me?"

Her eyes widened as she smiled and fist bumped the air, "Hahaha, not only did I find a variant demon, but he can understand me!? This is even better than I thought! You’ll be a fine addition to my collection, be honored!"

I cringed from the way she was speaking and scowled at her in anger. It was high time to snap off the binds and strangle the little bitch. Just as I was about to shatter the chains, her next words made me freeze in place. Putting a hand over her mouth, her eyes narrowed as she chuckled, "I am the great necromancer and the Witch of the Vidas, Grim Benett. What is your name demon?"

Staring blankly, all I could think of saying was, "How convenient."