Acedia POV:

The dark and cold Anti-Energy, for lack of better word, was swirling all around me, poking my soul.

This was very unlike the previous times I’d been here.

Normally, this world would tear into me without warning and eat me alive and whole.

But now, despite poking my soul, I could not detect any intent to harm me.

“Welcome back, Immortal. It’s been a while since you were last here, although this time with proper tribute. Multiple, in fact.”

The loud voice echoed all around me.

It made my body shiver not out of fear, but simply by the vibrations his voice gave.

I looked around trying to find the source of the voice, but all I noticed was darkness everywhere.

Even the souls of Anna and Damien were gone, but now is not the time to think about this.

First, I need to deal with whatever this… being is.

“Hahaha. You don’t have to be on guard. I won’t bite. Not this time, at least.”

Although still sounding as ominous and powerful as before, it carried with it a strangely soothing feeling.

It washed away the feeling of fear I had, consequently making me drop my guard.

Behind his words I could feel he was welcoming, if not glad, to see me here.

But why?

According to his words, he had been here the previous times I was in this place, but only now does he reveal himself and even show hospitality.

But why?

What is this about a tribute.

“Why?”

I simply asked, my voice sounding weak compared the its.

“Four tributes you gave me. The first when you blew a hole in space by use of a ship. The second when the World used an excess amount of Energy to drag your soul back. And the third and fourth just now, created out the thing you call a… ‘Black Star’, was it?”

His words worried me.

For how long has he been watching me?

Did it start when I created the purple sun?

Or was it way before?

“I’ve been watching you since the beginning. In short intervals, of course.”

Its mind reading freaked me out.

It would have made me jump in surprise if it wasn’t for the lack of ground.

Since ‘the beginning’?

I wanted to ask ‘yours or mine’, but instinctively, I knew this being was ancient, perhaps even older than existence itself.

Older than me.

The thought scared me.

What does such a being want with me?

I did those ‘tributes’ unconsciously, so it could have easily ignored me, but it didn’t.

Why does it care?

What does it need from me?

“Indeed. Why do I not just abandon you or devour you like I did the times before? But that comes last. But first, let’s talk about what YOU need.”

What I need?

“Yes. You gave me four gifts and thus, I owe you four favours. Isn’t that common sense? So ask me anything. Anything you need, I will grant you. As long as it is in my power, of course.”

It sounded like the devil playing a trick on me, but strangely enough, I could not help but believe.

Perhaps that was the greatest power of devil?

But, what do I need?

What do I want?

I’ve never been ambitious.

How could I?

I never had a chance to accomplish anything in the world of the living and was only shunned and hated by everything, like it was natural.

But if there was one thing I always wanted, it was a reason.

An answer to the question ‘why’?

Why am I who I am?

“Hahahaha. The ‘why’ it is then, a large question indeed. But to make you understand would spend all your favours.”

All of them?

“Yes. Why one exists is never an easy question, let alone why you exist and why everything went as it id. Is this what you want?”

‘Is this what you want’, it asks.

For how long does it think I’ve hated this life, without even being able to crush it as I have crushed so many others?

Explaining why is the least I deserve, yet it was always deprived from me.

And now it is given to me on a silver platter?

Do I even need to think about it?

“So that’s how it is. Well then, to understand yourself, I need to ask you: What am I?”

The devil.

The thought immediately sprung to mind without me being able to stop it.

“Hahaha, so that is what you think of me. Leading you astray without you being able to stop it. An apt description, perhaps, but it is not what I am.”

Suddenly, the darkness seemed to part and a small but bright light was created.

A light very familiar to me.

“Yes. The beginning of everything. I was created alongside you, albeit in a different manner. Whereas you were created and trapped in the material world without knowledge and reason, I was thrown outside with a single goal, a single desire…”

The scenery changed.

The bright light expanded a million fold into the universe in all its magnificent splendour, lit by the thousands of galaxies, solar systems and milky ways, while I was looking at it from ‘above’, able to somehow see everything.

All around this construct were threads woven through them, representing the Energy which bind the world together.

Everything that existed was run through by these threads and held within a giant cube of this web of Energy.

But then, the scenery changed again.

“… TO DEVOUR!”

From all around me, I felt the extreme drive behind his desire tearing through my body, soul and mind.

It was filled with longing, a strong desire to devour everything and anything coursed not only through my mind, but through the entirety of this realm.

Everything began to vibrate and shake with its passion, the darkness that enclosed us all suddenly reacting to it.

I sensed more than saw hundreds of tendrils made out of this darkness rush towards the model of the world.

It tore into it, ripping everything apart.

The milky ways, the galaxies, the suns, the planets, the moons and everything on it was torn apart and swallowed by smaller tendrils, while the bigger ones fed off of the threads of Energy keeping everything together.

The destruction of the world.

Seeing as what it represented, I was horrified to see this imagined scene of carnage play in front of me.

“…But no matter how much I want to absorb all that Energy, I know it is impossible. Even if it was, what then would I use to sate my desire? So I merely nibble away at what I can, manipulating the beings on the planet into temporarily destroying the fabric of reality, so that I could have a small feast upon the Energy that becomes available before it restores itself.”

I understand, but I don’t at the same time.

Although it does explain some things, how does this concern me?

“Impatient are we? But having you feel what I do will make you understand the next part better.”

The scenery once again changed to that of the small, bright light of creation.

“Just as you and I was created, so was another. With different intentions and inside a third layer.”

The scenery once more changed into that of the entire universe, but this time there were no threads representing Energy.

But somehow, I could sense everything that is on the map and so, I noticed something different.

Bright white sprites walking the planets.

Souls.

“Just as I live behind the veil of Energy and seek to devour it, he lives behind the veil of Souls and, in turn, seeks to claim them for himself. And just like me, he knows that it is impossible. Seeking to somehow get this Souls for himself without hard work. Just like I manipulated the living, he manipulates that what Souls cling to: life. And so, he invented death, allowing him to reap the Soul as soon as life ends.”

Things started to get a little clearer.

Since I was created at the same time as the two, whereas life began much later, I was not affected by the creation of death, allowing me to live forever.

But this just barely explains my long life, not everything that transpired.

“You seem to get the point somewhat, but it is so much more.”

It said, once again reading my thoughts.

“You see, although we wish to interfere with the world to fulfil our needs, there is one thing obnoxiously standing in the way. One small, pathetic little thing whose simple existence seems to strengthen the world against our powers! YOU!”

His fury was clear in his voice and the darkness seemed to wrap and tighten around me, freezing me and starting to slowly choke the life out of me.

But then, it stopped and a loud sigh was heard.

“But, it is futile. You do not die, no matter what, so I decided not to let it bother me. Unfortunately, he is much pettier compared to me. Since Souls come to him as the living beings die, he diverted all his attention to making you suffer, manipulating the world to make everything hate you, to make everything hunt you and revel in your suffering. And every time you suffered, he became more and more enthusiastic about it.”

Does he mean what I think he does?

Manipulation?

“Unfortunately, the more you were tortured, the more interested you became in your power. It forced you to advance and in return, forced him to make more and more outrageous plans. The more complicated his schemes became, the more he failed at implementing them and the more powerful you became, the easier it became for you to foil them. The People of Sloth, and afterwards, your wife, were one of the breaking points.”

They were failed attempts to harm me, which resulted into my happiest memories?

“More recently, he even began revoking the condition of ‘death’ to some living beings, in order to have undying tormentors ready for you whenever he wishes. But even that you seemed to foil, Emily being the proof. Do you understand what I’m trying to say? Your suspicion was right all along. A cycle of suffering made just for you and you alone, prepared by a being you would call God.”

Behind his words, I could sense him smirking like a devil whose prey had been caught, but I didn’t care.

For how long have I been alive now?

It had been 257 billion years since the beginning and thirteen billion before life began to hate me.

For so long…

For so long I thought it natural.

That life just simply was like this to me.

That it was that fate or destiny or some illustrious almighty being had been behind it all.

But most of all, I blamed and hated myself for it.

And now, this devil reveals to me that someone with too much free time on his hands merely had a pathetically petty reason to harass me, to torture me, for 257 billion years?!

“DON’T FUCK WITH ME!”

I shouted, my voice carrying with it a weight almost the same as the ruler of this place.

Anger is not enough to describe it.

Fury is too soft a word.

For all my life, I had been manipulated by a bastard who is not even something as high as a God, but by something created at the same time as me.

The death of my wife, the death of the Sloths and the torture of being hated and hunted down for 257 Billion years, everything that ever happened to me done by one person, who simply didn’t like I exist!

I will make him suffer for infinite times longer than I have, and much, much more!

“Good, good! That’s what I like to see! Tear his world of Souls asunder in your vengeance! HAHAHA! That’ll do him good!”

The voice of the odd being brought me back from the depths of my mind, although not lessening my anger.

“What is your stake in it? Why do you tell me this?”

What does he get out of it.

“He has such an easy time collecting souls that it annoys me! For an eternity, I needed to work hard at manipulating mortals to temporarily destroy the fabric of Energy, yet he just needs to do one thing and then gets an easy life?! Fuck the bastard!”

So… it is envy.

But this doesn’t seem enough and doesn’t explain why to tell me this now.

“Indeed, there is a reason why I told you this just now. But first let me tell you something you might not have realized. Just as I control this realm behind the veil of Energy and the bastard controls his behind the veil of Souls, you too have your own realm. The realm of existence, where both these things reside! So, you control both!”

Another shock to me.

I control Energy and Souls?

Energy I could already barely believe, but the Soul?

I would have noticed if I was able to control such things, so it’s impossible.

“You are the same as us, albeit not born with the same knowledge. You control your own realm, like we control ours. And that is why I told you this, to propose an alliance. One day, you’ll be able to strengthen and protect your world from both mine and his influence, and then I’ll be left to starve. So, see this knowledge as a token of… friendship and an opening to future dealings.”

A devilish smile was immediately projected into my mind.

He simply wants me to send him Energy once I become too powerful in my own realm.

What a slick negotiator…

But still, if it is true what he says, then….

As for the deal, I feel as if I’m being tricked, but it is not as if I mind.

This devil gave me the answer I longed for most and if everything it says is truthful, it is only right that I give it something in return

Who cares about sometimes giving it a galaxy or two?

Simply out of… friendship, as it said previously

“Good – no, Great to hear it! We don’t need to sign anything and, to celebrate, I threw the Souls of those children and the woman out of here, free of Blue Fire and free of cost! I ate the others though, but that probably doesn’t matter to you anyway. So now, get the fuck out of my realm! Your presence here disturbs me!”

Even the last lines were said with a jolly voice, as an immense force washed over me and forced me through the network of Energy encasing the world.

I arrived on some mountain, the city and the palace nowhere to be found, though probably devoured by said being along with the Gold-masks.

Beside me lay three souls, two firmly encased in the spell I used on them and one inside Emily’s body.

The souls of the children were automatically regenerating themselves.

I smiled.

I genuinely smiled in anticipation of the future.

I will take control of my world and then I will hunt down death himself, and make him suffer like I have.