*swoosh*

Immediately retreating I look to my right, where the growl came from.

*roaaaar*

Suddenly, a piercing pain shoots across my back. They tricked me! Two! There were actually two magical beasts! How could they escape my senses? They managed to totally mask their life force and blend with the shadows! These must be… shadow stalker! They were shadows stalker! How could my luck be that bad? These are dangerous magical beasts, of at least the 4th rank.

“Tsk! BURN!”

Grasping the fine red lights within my vicinity I feed my magic, chanting the short incantation before sending out a massive flame sphere all around me, scaring the panther like creatures.

Taking two steps back, I face my new foes and take a hold of the burning life around me, funnelling it into my own, fuelling the wildfire as it now burns through the withered vegetation.

The warm light illuminates my playmates. Dark green panthers, totally shrouded in their night black qi, slowly adapting to their background. Their hungry eyes staring at me , with their tongues slithering, which are way too long for a creature their size, an astounding 3m in length. They truly seem outlandish…

Taking a combat stance I quickly jump at them as they split up, trying to hide between the shrubbery. Oh no you don’t! Enhancing my hands with battle-qi, it distorts into a hideous purple claw, bigger and harder than my previous hand. As I draw near a thin, bony tail lashes out at me with an astounding force, the wind ripping by my ears. Forced to hold my charge I quickly change my approach and summon a huge pillar of fire underneath the stalker.

Fighting against it, the approaching feline behind me almost escapes my notice, barely dodging its attack aimed at my throat. Hanging on to a tree with one of my claws I check my current state and see the gashes and even part of my ears seems to be sliced off! Damn them…If I just had the time to heal… alas, I might be forced to flee. While their speed is faster than mine, they also focus on hidden ambush and stealth kill attacks. My own demonic arts favour speed and unrelenting attack speed, sapping at the life force protected by a combatant’s battle-qi.

I need to get out of here… but how? Thinking hard while trying to fend these bastards off, an idea shoots into me like lightning! Of course! I just have to use that…

Erasing the elemental energy around me, I enter a semi-trance like state, leaving me temporarily vulnerable. Of course these two predators immediately smell their chance and pounce at me, only to retreat, cautiously staring at me in wonderment. Right now a black void is surrounding me as even the light is devoured by my endless hunger, the occasional wave of battle-qi sending them back while dispersing the excess energy absorbed by my gluttony.

Trying to discern this strange creature before them, they send out their tails. Just the chance I was waiting for. Instantly moving within my sphere of darkness I let the tails pierce my hands, holding on to them at the same time. Not letting go I quickly chant my strongest fire spell and huge snake suddenly coils around me, before shooting out and devouring the shadow stalkers. Panicked they wanted to flee, but as I don’t let them go, they suddenly change their mind, trying to eat me first. As they bite into my flesh, a faint smile forms on my lip as my snake has already weakened them. Using my battle-qi I supress these two.

Abandoning all reasoning I enhance my teeth biting deep into them, as they bite into me. Supressing my pain I begin healing my wounds, consuming their life force, not letting them get away.

You think you could kill me, annoying pests!? You will learn your place!

With a blinding rage I consume their power, seeping my own life blood all the while. My blood boiling, sudden flames seem to escape my flames. Drenched in blood and gore I feel a sudden surge of strength and crush one of their heads with one hand.

*pant* *pant*

This… this is…

This is life force manipulation! Of course! Blood… my blood was the key… how could I miss it?

A sudden deep belly laugh, that quickly turns into a pained gurgle is the last I can manage before the darkness consumed me and I my consciousness escapes my grasp.

……………………………………………………………………

“Welcome, child. Again you find yourself in this lovely landscape, having escaped death another time.

I must say… were it not for the blind abandonment into your lesser urges of pure rage and hunger, it would have been a very close match.”

“Demon… what… is this place?”

As a chilly wind sends shivers down my spine, I look around, seeing a vaguely familiar sight. Withered flowers and dead vegetation everywhere around me, a black cloud looming high above, blotting out the sun.

A sudden weight tugs at my heart, a hand slowly clenching it. This overwhelming feeling of loss and loneliness is driving me crazy! How can this be? Where… no… it cannot be.

“What… you cannot remember the last time you paid me a visit in my lovely prison?”

A familiar figure suddenly comes into my sight. So… it was here, after all. What happened here?

“Demon… “

“Owen.”

“Why is it, that whenever I seem to be at my lowest, you appear to torment me even more?”

“HA! Maybe it is to remind you that you have indeed not hit the bottom of despair. Or maybe you just hate yourself subconsciously? No matter the reason, you have fought valiantly… for a first fight, it was not too shabby. To us, however it was not a first true fight! You need to remember the war, our glorious battles. It is not all flames and pain and you will need the experience in this environment.”

“I don’t care about your past! I will make my own memories. You tell me we are one, but I am NOT you! I am not some heartless bastard set on his road to revenge and bloody murder!”

“You are afraid! I knew it. I can sense the fear… oh, fine you dashing hero of light and justice. Hide behind your petty reasons for your lust for power. If you cannot withstand my pain, then you will never succeed in your endeavour to protect, but go and face the road of despair. When this world is on the brink of destruction and our brother, in his insanity, has been punished by the Overgods for his transgression in dooming this realm entirely, maybe then will you finally listen. “

“SO WHAT! Who could withstand such a thing? I don’t know what you did to deserve such agony and despair, but I don’t want to know! Even thinking about the fire, coursing through my body as it begins to eat through my very bone, every second seeming like an eternity. I hate to remember you past so it will stay YOUR past! I am my own man, not some clay for you to mold.”

Finally having vent my anger I stare at this demon, which looks at me with an almost sad look… wait, how can I suddenly read his facial expression? This twisted, demonic looking thing kind of looks so human to me now…

A faint shadow slowly moves in the distant, catching my intrest.

“What is that?”

“Hm? What do you mean?”

Looking at it, fixing my gaze, I start to make out it’s features. A more normal looking humanoid, his skin rough and cracked, like my own personal demon, but more… human. The only inhuman thing about it would be his hands, feet and eyes. Three long, thick claws came from his hands and feet, instead of five thin fingers. His eyes a piercing, shining cold silver with a cat-like iris looking directly at me. His hair, as silver as his eyes, seemed unworldly beautiful in contrast.

Just from looking at him I could feel a sense of wrongness, a sense of displacement as if all this was just a bad dream. I felt insignificant and tiny, as if looking at an endless abyss with a darkness so deep it makes one dizzy.

“This… this guy there behind you, is what I mean. What sort of horrors are you making me witness!? Is this part of the past you want me to remember?”

A puzzled look upon the demons face was the last thing before the world changed around me, a blue mist hiding the landscape in a foreboding calmness. Oppressing silence hit me, even dulling the sound of my own blood coursing through my veins.

“Awake, child. Embrace your destiny and slay your brother. Your role in this play is just starting to begin…” (???)

.........................................

An unfamiliar voice echoes within my head in a ghostly tone, until I finally awoke, drenched in blood, gore and covered with the two dead carcasses of my former enemies. It seemed like I wouldn’t have too long to rest however.

“uurgh” Why must they pester me, so? These damn beasts.

I try to make out the five different beasts that must have smelled the blood and made they way over here, while trying to ignore the countless more that are closing in. Jjust how has my vision and hearing improved so much? They, like the shadow stalkers are hiding their presence from my demonic senses, but can still notice them with just sight and hearing!

It seems as if I have inherited some of the traits of these stalkers, or maybe more of my power has returned to me?

Casting aside my thoughts for the moment, I ready myself for battle, looking for a way out.

Damn you for driving me north, demon. This can only go wrong…

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Thank you for reading! Please give me feedback in what I can improve and let me know any mistakes you have spotted! For anyone interested I’m going to talk a bit about the planes of existence or dimensions in my story.

Spoiler :

There are an infinite amount of planes of existence in this universe. They are generally divided into two types: the lower planes and the higher planes. The “higher” a plane, the more divine it is. These higher planes house many deities and beings such as angels, demons or celestials. In general there are several types of higher planes, but only a few types of lower planes. To move between the higher planes takes next to no effort and you may even travel with your material body, with the right preparation and gates. To move from the lower to the higher planes, one must have enough divinity within one self. One cannot, however, move from the higher planes to the lower planes without great sacrifices. You can only possess a willing host, destroying his soul in the process. If that host were to die an unnatural death whilst possessing it, your soul would wander into the astral plane, being destroyed/cleansed in the process. The material and power needed for the transfer is also substantial. Moving from lower to lower plane is nearly impossible and has never (intentionally) been done. :

Lower planes: Spoiler :

The mortal planes: Spoiler : Our MC is currently on one of the “lower” mortal planes where there is not much influence from the high divines; however it is on the verge of being a central mortal plane. Here people have access of a spark of divinity, making it possible to ascend their mortal state and ascend into a higher state of being. In the higher mortal planes people have access to the power of the high divines, known as “mana” and can wield powerful spells fairly easily.

The abandoned planes: Spoiler : This would be our plane. These are void of any divinity and even the smallest of intervention of the high divines takes tremendous power. They lie at the centre of what makes reality.

The higher planes: Spoiler :

The elemental planes: Spoiler : These planes are of their respective element and house the elementals, or divine beings that train in the respective law they pursue. In the elemental planes to growth of those with the respective affinity is tremendous, however they will lack the insight to deal with their elemental weakness.

The planes of chaos: Spoiler : Known as the planes of death, in these planes no life has any chance of living unspoiled by the twisting chaos. Here nothing stays the way it is, all laws seem void and without hold. It is rumoured to house the ancients, powerful beings beyond that of the Overgods that have no beginning or end, giving only chaos and insanity. Sometimes they would spare those unfortunate to have been cast into one of these planes unwillingly and twist them to their own humour and design.

The neutral planes: Spoiler : Planes of nature and balance, these are the most reminiscent of the mortal plane. It’s a very balanced place, used for many meetings, treaties and unfortunately, a place of many wars amongst the planes.

The planes of ethics: Spoiler : These are also known as the planes of good or evil. Most house a certain aspect and are very intangible and esoteric planes. The Nine Hells is an evil plane with nine sub-planes, or layers, giving it its name. Each layer houses a different aspect of torture, torment and war. The seventh layer is a frozen wasteland full of deceit, intrigue and coldblooded murder, having a lake of tormented souls that fuel it’s ever burning waters. While it is hotter than the sun in the inside, it generates cold, as if robbing its surroundings of their heat. Many think of it as the reason why the seventh layer is frozen.

The astral plane is an enigma that connects all planes. It is also known as the “Land of the Dead” or “Plane of Souls”. All the deceased souls gather here in the maelstrom to slowly trickle back into the wheel of fate and be reborn in a random plane of existence. Not even the high divines can tread in this sacred plane of souls.