Choosing was hard. And painful. Not actually. But almost. Something it was learning quickly. Really, to it, they all sounded good. Since they were evolutions. And evolutions were always better. Which meant that from the two options it had, both were good.

Fragment was new-not. But it was "abnormal." Why that was important it didn't know, but-

"Abnormals are usually good. Since they're rare. And rare things are usually good. See?"

Maked sense. Also, "mist" felt...big. If it became bigger it couldn't stay in its helmet. Which would be sad. But fragment was big-not. And new-not. And, and - evolution. Evolution was good. So even if it was fragment, it would be better.

With that out of the way.

"Only took you a trip's worth of time."

"Trip?" What was a trip?

"How long it usually took the tribe to kill an average wolf pack."

Maked sense. Why not bears though? And why was the sun still here then?

The sun just looked at it. It was good-not at this, but he looked happy-not. Not sad though. Whatever.

"I sleep here. And haven't been able to since you're still TALKING IN MY HEAD!!!"

He needed to learn how to relax. 'Status.'

Unnamed Corrupted Spirit Level: 10/10 Species: Corrupt Wisp (E) Affinities: Darkness, Death, Pseudo-void Age: 663 years Titles: Size: 50 lems Status Points: 19 Health Points (HP): NA Mana Points (MP): 50/50 Intelligence 14 Wisdom 12

That was just the status. Where was evolution?

"Really? Ignoring again?"

Oh. Maybe. 'Evolution.'

Possible Evolution(s):

Corrupt Wayward Wisp (E+)

Not particularly strong, however these spirits are known to intentionally lead others to their deaths, often indirectly and by interfering at crucial moments. They are considered malicious. While laughed off by stronger individuals, these spirits have been known to sometimes even suicidaly jump into a battle and self-destruct. While the trigger is unknown, many rookies succumb to these spirits when they underestimate them or don't pay attention to their surroundings.

Corrupt Greater Wisp (E+)

It is still just a wisp, usually having somehow amassed more mana than should be possible for it under normal conditions. No special qualities except naturally greater mana.

Pseudo-void Fragment (F+)

An abnormality. A spirit that has somehow formed a pseudo-void affinity. It has interacted with pseudo-void, intentionally, and lived. Whether it's sane or not, this type of spirit is rare.

Corrupt Living Mist (D-)

A corrupt mist's ranking often betrays its real danger. It is able to camoflauge into the normal air like a regular mist, but unlike a regular living mist, it is innately able to poison those who inhale it. Older living mists can release concentrated bursts of posion gas that have even been known to be colorless or odorless. Even a stronger individual may be in danger against one of these.

Oh. So that was how to bring it up. It had come up again after that battle but it just went away when it didn't pick right away. Annoying, but then again, it would have been stuck thinking about evolution for time-long back then. Whatever.

'Pseudo-void Fragment (F+).' It wasn't sure if it was going to take long or-

"Care to listen to my complaints?"

When did he ever ask?

"Ok, look. I don't know what you evolved into. But you're gonna wanna tone it down. A lot. It might have even been good this is a hole or we would have been noticed for sure."

Why? What did it do?

"Well, the color change is fine-"

OH! OH! COLOR! I WANT TO-it wanted to know.

"Wow. Using 'I?' I always wondered why you used 'it' even though you know what 'I' is. Care to-"

COLORCOLORCOLORCOLORCOLORCOLORCOL-

"Black."

YAY...just normal black? Or abnormal black.

"You're not funny. And yes. REALLY deep black. Like not black-black but deeper black. Kinda like what the inside of a rift looks like. Minus the small splashes of color in the background. Now that's all fine and dandy, but look at what you're doing right now."

Doing? It wasn't doing anything.

"Exactly."

What did he mean? The sun was being weird again.

"Just look around you. And my arm."

The ground was...blacker. And the sun's arm was...also blacker? Wait, what was he-

"See, when I pick at it, small bits of...ash? Dust? Float off. And that spot feels numb. Like it's not there anymore. Your...body? Extra whip things? Do that to stuff. My arm and the soil. By the way, could you turn that off or something?"

What "whip" things. It was nor-oh. There were thingies coming off its body. They were its body. It could feel that. But they were very big-not and looked like the weird thing around the up-sun when it was up. All around it, going long everywhere.

"That and the air near you also feels...stagnant. It's breathable but unpleasent. Smells horrible. And hurts after a while. Probably killing my insides. All in all, you have become a monstrosity."

Was that bad?

"NO! GOOD JOB! I'm proud of you. Now you can be a little killing machine too. You were too safe before. Now though, now you can pile up the corpses just by being around! You can probably do even better if you try! Really, good job."

Yes. It did do a good job. Now it should evolve again. 'Status!'

Unnamed Pseudo-void Spirit Level: 1/10 Species: Pseudo-void Fragment (F+) Affinities: Darkness, Death, Pseudo-void Age: 663 years Titles: Size: 50 lems Status Points: 19 Health Points (HP): NA Mana Points (MP): 50/50 Intelligence 14 Wisdom 12

"Uh, the...arms?"

Oh, right. It tried to make the ar-arms!? Could it use clubs! SUN! GIVE THE SHOVEL! GIVE!

"You'll do the thing to it remember? Also, seeing as those 'arms' of yours just pass through stuff like my arm, I don't think they can pick anything up."

No! It could! It would try!

"And ruin a shovel."

Reasons, reasons. No details worry! The slaughter would be its!

"Or you could find out how to control the arms first."

Of course it could move the arms. It didn't need to "find out how to control" them, they were its. They could go up, and down, and left, and right. Why didn't the mana go more?

"That sides left, that sides right. And probably because evolution doesn't always mean stat increases? I mean you could lose stats too."

"Lose stats?" Ever-not to it. It was too good for that. Sides were also whatever. Like that sun, this sun, same thing.

"Uh, those actually are not the same things."

Reasons, reasons. It said be-

"Hey, look just-"

It had arms. That could make dust the sun's arms. So he should relax. It moved an arm near the sun and then away.

"H-he's learning! They grow up so fast!"

Why was he happy? Weird.

"No self-respecting young demon would just listen that calmly like you. Be more assertive! I'm teaching you life skills like I taught - nevermind."

Also, it was not he.

"I-I just assumed-"

It was it. Not he. Done.

"Sure."

"Assertive" was good. With the sun since he was stupid. Ralvath and Argin were stupid-not though and assertive would not be needed.

"Hey, that's just-"

Stupid.

"Hey, that's not what-"

Stupid.

"That's not what-"

Stupid.

"I meant."

Stu-what? That was, that was not ok! He wasn't doing it right!

"Meh. You much to learn young one."

Bleh.

"Not enough. Put more emotion into it!"

This sun was not fun to fight anymore. It had arms to use and no things to use it on here! Sun, where was the shovels!

"You were only out for, oh I don't know. Most of the night? During which I couldn't sleep because YOU woke me up with the arm injury and then KEPT WAVING THOSE AROUND RANDOMLY! I HAD TO CURL UP IN THE CORNER! Now, if you don't mind. I'd rather catch what little sleep I can before I have to get up and work myself to exhaustion. AGAIN."

Oh. Well, if it maked him felt any better. It had evolved. So the stupid sun was dead probably-not! Since it could kill stuff better now.

"Right. Thanks. Go away for a bit or shut up please. Goodnight."

Goodnight.

Now, what to do? The shovels were there. Or there was random monsters to kill. If it could go away from the camp where the normal mana was anyway. The here-not had more bad mana. Maybe the shovels were a better option? Except it also was evolved. Some bad mana couldn't still hurt it? It at least had to do the find out for when it was here-not ever.

The sun would get up, but it didn't have to be here so that wasn't a problem. And it would be in the shovels space when it was with the sun some time anyway. So. Killing monsters. If it could find them. Or hurt-not from the bad mana. And find enough normal mana to eat and keep going.Yes, this was looking bad-more by every more time.

Without it seeing it was already out of the "hole" and moving to the here-not. The here-not was where the wolves were right? Though, it wondered what the here-not in the other ways of the here was worded. Since the new-not place was only where Ralvath and Argin went from. Which was weird since the bad mana was in every way.

As it moved up and over the big here, it could see many demons moving around. It saw Stix and went down, finding it talking to another demon.

The other demon moved closer to Stix, "Master expects your presence by the next Storm. Well, around there."

"Storm?" "Master?" What?

Stix looked happy-not and moved close to the other demon, making it move away, "Father does know that I have things to do here?"

Master was "father?"

The demon went away again, "Yes. Master knows. And He expects your attendance for your own birthday at least."

What was a "birthday?" WHAT WERE THEY EVEN TALKING ABOUT!

Stix moved away, the demon didn't. "Tell him it depends. Depends on if the fortress here is built by then or not."

That maked sense. Seemed like a good way to do in its head. The "fortress" sounded important from what the sun said back at that time.

The demon started moving again, but it couldn't know what the two were talking about and had monster killing to do, moving away again.

From up, the whole here seeed big-not. More-not big-not anyway. But it could see new demons everywhere. One looked like a wolf, but with two down legs. It was with another demon. It looked like a moving bones. Where were all the new demons before?

And what was that thing in the other way? A many rocks-like thing. It was big up and to the sides. There were demons on up of it and more demons putting weird rocks on up each other or on sides and making the big thing more big.

Even more to the other side it could see many weird caves with fires inside. The demons were taking clubs out of them.

It would do more find out from the sun after. Also, after touching the bad mana, it hurt less. Still hurt. But less. That was good. It still hurt. That was bad. It tried eating the bad mana like the other mana but runned away when the pain suddenly became more. So very more. It could still feel the pain. So it would not be eating bad mana anytime near again. Unless it remembered-not.

PAIN! Ok. Time didn't make different the eating bad mana. Maybe evolution? So killing. Killing was starting to look more and more like the thing when not getting what to do. It had ever-not not did before. This would be different-not.

WOLVES! COME DIE!

...They weren't coming...

Spoiler: Status Unnamed Pseudo-void Spirit Level: 1/10 Species: Pseudo-void Fragment (F+) Affinities: Darkness, Death, Pseudo-void Age: 663 years Titles: Size: 50 lems Status Points: 19 Health Points (HP): NA Mana Points (MP): 50/50 Intelligence 14 Wisdom 12