==== Draconic Demon ====

I am surrounded by darkness, with no sound, taste or any feeling. Even the sense of up and down is missing making me feel a little nauseous. To say this feeling is uncomfortable is an understatement. It doesn't hurt but it doesn't feel nice either.

Having nothing better to do I start to ponder on how I ended up like this and quickly come to the conclusion it's the blonde boy's fault.

-”Well, it could've gone worse” I chuckle to myself. “I have to say death by collar sucks but at least I didn't go alone, That little blonde haired shit must have had the shock of his life”

It was a weird feeling, the attack had cost me my life but the kill was supreme and filled me with immense pride. The only disappointment I felt was that I was too quick and don't think he really knew what happened.

-”What's the point of going out in an epic way and not knowing about it. Totally pointless”

My own words shocked me as I didn't really know how or why I died. I took a swipe at the boy removing his throat and then felt the world blur with agonising pain before waking here.

-”I wonder if I died from the collar or from his friends?”

Although my senses were extremely limited in range and I didn't bother to look around as the cover was removed, I could almost instinctively feel some very strong people quite close when I pounced.

-“Aww well, the dead have no worries.”

An ancient voice, neither loud or quiet pierces the silence resonating from nowhere and everywhere at the same time.

“You're not dead.” [Ancient Voice]

-”Phew, I was starting to think I was going to die of boredom, you know being dead and alone…”

I imaginary sigh as I think about all the phrases I can't really use now I am dead. It's quite bothersome as they are quite emotive and I liked them.

Finally giving into the temptation to start telling a story ending with a cliffhanger and ‘dead men tell no tales’, I am rudely interrupted by the voice.

“I am not a voice in your head, and you are still alive… well just about.” [Ancient Voice]

A long silence follows as I try to define what is a voice inside my head, and what is one in a dark void. This one seems different from the last two but how can I be sure what's normal in an imaginary voice.

If I think about it I have no way to actually tell where the voice originates, it's either in my head or the void but both make little sense so I can't be bothered to think about it anymore.

“What an interesting fellow, most souls lose themselves when they stare into the void let alone when they hear the voice of higher being” [Ancient voice]

-”Praise me more!”

“I guess it's because you left some screws behind when your soul was torn from your dimension” [Ancient Voice]

Another phrase that sounds weirdly familiar.

-”Going to steal that one… if you can steal from your own imaginary voice.”

-”Well seeing as I am in a void speaking with myself I am not exactly going to win Mr Sane of the year am I?”

A hearty chuckle fills the silence causing me to mentally frown. Great, if the other two come back, I'll have the most annoying entourage. Mr Chuckles, Mr Sadist and Mr Angry. Then again if this is how I am to spend eternity I might need some distractions.

“Look, time is running short and although I know you're dying for a back and forth, I am going to have to disappoint you. For the last time, I am not a voice in your head, I am actually closer to what you would call a god.” [Self Proclaimed God]

-”..... Well, at least you're not boring like the other two. Kill this, torture that, that's my cookie, those two never shut up!”

I am completely ignored as the so-called god continues.

“A god is not omnipresent nor all powerful but I am going to use a little power to prove my point so we can hurry up and get down to business… oh, also this power would have been used to grant you a gift at the end.” [Self Proclaimed God]

-”you should have been a mercha…”

Suddenly I feel a warmth envelop me causing a tingling sensation, which is actually quite shocking seeing as I have been unable to feel anything for however long I have been here. Time doesn't really have meaning when nothing changes.

“You may call me Grim, it's one of the many nicknames you would've given me once you regained a few of your previous life's memories and is the one I like the most.” [Grim]

After what feels like an eternity of all the tests and questions I can think of being successfully answered, the most interesting being if I could make myself immortal by going back in time and fathering myself getting stuck in a paradox, I decided to give up and just accept that this is a God and I probably should stop pretending to pay attention and listen. Doesn't mean I will but the intent is there.

As it turns out I am a soul summoned from a different dimension, shoved in a magically created body and enslaved for the purpose of world domination… well, the last bit I made up but it sounds about right from what I have been told. Humans seem to have a chip on their shoulder about being slaves/oppressed/slaughtered in the past so want to crush the world under their heel to make themselves feel better. A bit of a pathetic reason, in my opinion, they could just be honest and admit that they like to be in control, but whatever floats your boat of genocide.

It also looks like my little stunt pretty much has me on death's door which strangely enough enabled me to have this near death experience...literally. Apparently, I should be quite honoured as he normally just takes your soul and judges where you need to go but I am starting to feel the entanglements of others wrapping themselves around my neck. You don't get summoned to another dimension and meet with a god for tea and biscuits, or do you? Never met one until now.

Although officially a demon, I am a new subspecies or more specifically a draconic demon which I have to admit sounds pretty cool. Gives the impression that I should be running around burning down villages, demanding sacrifices and stealing princesses.

He has also given me a name. Mors Letus. It seems to have significance to the world I left and was something I would have picked myself having being given the choice but he refused to tell me anymore saying too much info at once can be a bad thing. I kind of get it, like knowing the ending of a series before you start, ruins the whole thing.

When a soul is summoned, it usually involves a body being created that reflects its energy. That's to say mine was full of darkness, anger, selfishness and pride. Go me.

-”Wow what a catch I am, throw in some homicidal tendencies and you have the perfect little monster”.

Grim continues to ignore what I say and carries on with his explanation.

-"Booorrriingg"

“.... and so there are 31 of your fellow souls serving the humans as slaves, however… and the point of our meeting is that you are different and have caused no end of trouble by showing up”.

-”Yay… full of all the best things and now I am different to boot, I hope I don't have to go to school…then again I am pretty sure if you kill a few bullies the rest will leave you alone, survival of the fittest aka prison yard rules and all that.”

“Your soul was not the targeted soul for the summoning due to the fact it's been reincarnated too many times. This makes your soul extremely powerful and nearly impossible to control. This is what enabled you to resist the power of the slave collar and kill the human”. [Grim]

“Oh, I thought that was down to skill, guess not. Anyway, what is an old soul?”

“An old soul is a soul that has been reincarnated many, many times as it continually fails to move onto the next realm. It gets more powerful as each reincarnation happens, which is meant to give it a better ability to pass the next time. However in your case, after over a thousand iterations you're still a little shit that hasn't learnt that violence doesn't solve everything so were doomed to repeat the cycle.”

-”So, me being violent is to blame? Look, the little blonde kid had it coming and that blanket was itchy as fu-”

“That is not a problem. The existence of old souls have many benefits to us gods, but as I said you were not the target for summoning and thus you were never destined to be here. Your brother was the target”

-”I have a brother?”

“Yes you can sense him when you're awake, now stop asking pointless things.”

The knowledge that I have a brother is overwhelming. Feelings I didn't know I had start raging, relief that I wasn't alone, fear that he would reject me as he probably didn't know and incredible anger at the fact that he was a slave and hurt by those infernal collars.

In my anger, my indifference to slavery caved and I decided to find a way to end it, or those that practised it one way or another.

“Basically the summoning causes an event that will destroy the soul's container making them ‘free’ to be summoned. If you dodge one event, the next one gets you. You managed to save your brother from one event by sacrificing your life however as your soul left its body you watched your brother die to the rebound, becoming enraged and violently devouring a soul heading in the same direction as his, basically hijacking your way into the summoning.” [Grim]

-”SOUL ANGRY, SOUL SMASH!! Question, is my soul green?”

An intense light enveloped me and the worst pain I have ever felt including the collar, floods into my consciousness.

-”SORRY!!”

“As I was saying, it was not your destiny to be summoned and so your threads of fate have been irreparably destroyed making you a black hole in terms of destiny.” [Grim]

Wow, even though I don't understand it, that sounds pretty serious. Then again I don't like the idea that everything I do is set by something else so I guess it's alright. No one's going to tell this little bundle of draconic demon fury what to do.

“It's not only your destiny that is affected, any action you take unwittingly changes the destiny of anything or anyone you come into contact with.” [Grim]

“Think of it like this, the world is a large pond and you are a huge stone. Once you hit the water ripples spread out changing everything they touch” [Grim]

Getting slightly annoyed at all the things I have been referred as in this conversation, I puzzle over the example as it feels like Grim’s words have a hidden meaning. Maybe it's one of those, your understand when you're meant to things.

-”So what's the problem? I just cause stuff to change? No harm done and all that. ”

“Gods have been planning and guiding the world for aeons. Although the goal is the same for all god's, not all agree on how to reach it. We are not too happy about having someone about who can change everything with a sneeze.”

-”So what's the e…”

“Anyway, there are three groups of gods that have been duking it out since this realm came into existence. The gods of light who like order, rules and control and their rivals, the gods of darkness that are more carefree and prefer free will, chaos and chance. The last group are neutral and aim to keep the balance between the two.

“Balance?”

“.... sigh, I should've listened to $%£%^& and just supplied you with a transcript, this is getting tedious.” [Grim]

“Listen, there is not enough time to go into the details of the fractions but as a rule of thumb, ignore anything you think you know about them. Light and darkness doesn't equate to good and evil in any way, shape or form.” [Grim]

I haven't really noticed it before but the void is slowly getting lighter turning the black to an almost dark grey.

“Looks like you're about to wake so let's wrap it up. As your an interesting one, and technically I can't touch you because you're not destined to die, I decided to give you a proposition. You can also take it as a threat as I really only care about the outcome.” [Grim]

“Behave and try not to disrupt the balance between light and dark too much and as a reward, I will help you out from time to time, with your character you're going to need it. Side with one of the fractions and break the balance and I will find a way to drag you to the deepest pits of hell for all eternity, Old soul or not”.

If I could have shivered I would of at the last words. They left no room for doubt that this wasn't an idle threat or one I should ignore.

“Oh and the last bit of parting advice, Try to avoid getting too close to people. You don't take loss well and although I already know you won't blame me for doing my job, turning up to collect a soul and having to clean up an unplanned massacre is a hassle I would like to avoid. Sigh, not that you're listen to me anyway”.

====

“That demon, I’ll be taking him” [Unknown]

A tall, brown cloaked figure vanishes from their position on the wooden platform before reappearing next to Beth holding the unconscious draconic demon by the neck.

“You can't, he needs to be trained by order of the king” [Beth]

“He is now conscripted into the Pathfinder core in accordance with your constitutional law and the Federation” [Unknown]

Beth lets out a ragged sigh. The Federations pathfinders were normally deep in hostile territory, hunting down the corrupted and other major threats. Why were they here now of all times?

The Federation was a collective of kingdoms, empires and nomadic people of varying races with the goal of ensuring the safety of all. and stop the larger independent empires from swallowing all the kingdoms.

Although the human kingdoms openly hated the other races, Vonai had to join as the other human kingdoms in the basin were constantly at war. Not joining would have resulted in them being easy prey for others looking to get a foothold. Although they were allowed to fight amongst themselves if an outside force attacked all had to rally to the defence and put any hostilities on hold.

The Federation had imposed many laws on Vonai but had given up trying to push the abolishment of slavery in exchange for being able to conscript anyone, slave or noble into its army. The quality of Vonain troops was world renowned even if its military strength was tiny.

“… don't worry he will be back for your little battle début… if he doesn't die first.” [Unknown]

Chuckling the cloaked figure drags the demon towards a side gate and disappears round a corner.

“I think he had a better chance facing Rolf” [Beth]