Riiip—! Squelch… crunch… crack…
The sound of flesh being ripped apart, bones being crushed, ground beneath the jaw of a powerful figure.
All around, the dimly lit environment was smeared red. The quiet of the forest hung heavy, pierced only by the monstrous shadow feeding on its prey.
The thick, metallic smell of blood lingered in the air, signaling a fresh kill. Mangled bodies, horror-struck faces, limbs scattered across the ground. Organs half-eaten, intestines draped like trophies, the remnants of life displayed with grotesque finality.
"Crack… crack…"
"This is another human… and I am devouring this one alive," I muttered, my eyes dimming slightly as they fell on my large palms, skin roughed and shivered, almost unrecognizable.
Blood coated my hands, thick, messy, nearly drying.
Below me lay a human corpse, my prey. Perhaps a mother, maybe a wife, or a daughter whose parents prayed for her safe return. I didn't know her life, her story but I did know I had taken her from this world. All hopes, all dreams, all goals, gone.
Did I feel regret? Guilt? Maybe. Maybe not. Dying in this fucked-up world was perhaps a blessing for her.
"I am sorry," I whispered. Perhaps to her, for stealing her life. Perhaps to myself. I had never imagined I would fall to this position, but desperation had no room for morality. My life was ending under the weight of debts and bills, I couldn't leave like that anymore.
But I won't lie to myself.
Does this justify killing a young woman? Taking her life and devouring her, leaving barely enough for a proper burial?
No. That is the truth.
Maybe I am selfish, or maybe I am just trying to survive in this self-eating world. But if I hadn't done this…
This would have been me in two years.
It was either me… or her.
And I chose my life over hers, a random woman, a random human, a random life.
With every piece of her I devoured, I could feel the power coursing through me, destroying my weak body yet rebuilding it in an instant. Intense pain burned so fiercely that I was too numb to react. I could only watch as my fragile human body was discarded and rebuilt stronger.
My limbs cracked, my jaw shifted, my skin morphed, rougher, tougher, more powerful.
With each pulse of energy, I felt my body evolve, and I became addicted to it.
Finally, after what felt like an eternity, I felt new… reborn into this strange, yet familiar body.
"Argh…" I looked around. The once pitch-dark forest now seemed bright as day.
Even with barely any moonlight, I could see everything clearly.
And the horror of what I had done hit me.
A body, nearly devoured, lay before me. Half the chest gone, the lower body gnawed like rats on cheese, bones broken and consumed during my transformation.
A life… a life had been taken by me. And after the transformation, I felt no pity, no remorse.
"What have I become?" I whispered, tears streaming down my face.
My body was bigger, stronger. I felt full of life, yet I had traded the one thing that truly made me alive: my soul.
This power wasn't free. It came at the cost of surrendering myself and I had made the trade.
"I… am sorry," I cried as my new body trembled.
My thick palms moved over the remaining body, unable to resist. There was a sweet aftertaste, calling to me.
It whispered…
"Come"
…" eat… devour…"
"come and dine, "
"with flesh as bread and blood as wine."
"Though you be reborn, go through a rebirth…"
Crack… crack… ripp…
My body moved, tearing through the flesh, drinking, licking the blood. With each bite, I felt more complete, more whole.
Was this truly humanity's evolutionary path? Was this it?
With every bite, my tears faded.
My eyes grew colder, darker, and an unquenchable hunger rose within me. I became more unknown, even to myself.
And with the last piece, a small eyeball, containing all the hopes, all the wishes of this human...I realized I had lost my humanity.
Humans… were nothing more than prey to me.
Crunch…
The taste was nearly heavenly. The eyeball was squishy, inviting, soft yet unstable, like a grape bursting with juice once pierced.
Click…
"It's addictive," I murmured, licking my lips as I moved.
Slash…
My feet touched the ground as the wind brushed past my neck. My body froze, time slowing around me.
And then… I felt it.
My body… gone. I fell to the ground, yet my body remained standing..headless. That's when I realized I had been beheaded.
Splurt…
Blood sprayed from my neck as thoughts fell silent. Surreal. No cold, no warmth, not even fear only stillness.
I felt lost.
Thud…
My head hit the ground as my life flashed before me, every happiness, every joy, every sadness, regrets, shame, rage.
I felt it once more.
And in that moment, my new body felt almost human again. Glad? Perhaps…
Yes. I knew what I would become by consuming another human. The same creatures that had devoured my parents.
I didn't do this because I wanted to. I had no choice, no hope.
I couldn't survive otherwise. This was the only way.
But seeing my eyes losing focus… that huge, unfamiliar body slowly falling to the ground…
I felt glad.
I had died, yes… but at least I wouldn't hurt anyone.
I wouldn't make other children orphans as I had been made. My selfish self had been disposed of.
And finally…
I found the peace I had craved, and with that…
My life…
Came to an end.
Thud…
"Tch… disgusting," a male voice filled with irritation sounded as he looked at the body on the ground.
This creature was a Zeravore not human, but a Zeravore.
Traitors of humanity… and I despised them. All for the sake of power, they killed and devoured humans.
Yes, they transformed into monsters, but their souls had already become monsters before their bodies did. For a human to eat another human while still human… they were no longer human...they were monsters.
But isn't that the irony of the world?
This sick, twisted world I was born into.
I looked at the monster, seven feet tall, bulging muscles, thick rough skin, long claws easily five inches in length on both arms and feet, and massive teeth that chewed through bones like snacks.
"Sigh," I muttered, taking my eyes off the monster and staring at the blood-dyed ground. It was red, but no different from usual.
Outside the safe zone, all the land was painted red with spilled blood.
"He didn't even leave a body…" Dylan felt a pang of ache as he closed his eyes.
His gaze lifted to the pitch-dark sky as he gripped his sword handle tighter.
"I am sick of this cursed world," Dylan muttered.