Nothing but brightness met him as he felt his soul drift out of existence momentarily before snapping back. Slowly the brightness subsided into pleasant daylight as he once again was granted the ability to see. Peering around he realized he was still nothing more than a shapeless spirit, drifting aimlessly above a lush wooded forest. He felt an invisible force guiding him along as he tried to take in his new surroundings.

Where are we?

“We are gathering your new body little one” the voice seemed to simultaneously come from everywhere and nowhere at once. “Here it is”

Looking down he could make out a small animal skin tent in a tiny clearing several meters below where he was now suspended. A large skinned animal hung by the lone tree that the tent had been tied to.

Where is it?

As if on cue the tent flap opened as two women revealed themselves, their tanned skin and dirty appearance testament to the outdoor life they lived. He carefully looked over the two, both women were tall and had excellent tone, with every step they took he could see firm muscles flex under the leather-hide clothing they wore.

Trappers perhaps? Wait… I thought we were gathering my body?

His thoughts momentarily lapsed as he realized that either of these women could very well be the body his Goddess spoke of.

Wait! Please! Don’t give me a woman's body!

His forceful thoughts were met with silence as he simply drifted above the two as they began taking down their tent.

Are you there??

As if to answer his pleading question a dark pressure began to build in the area, the woods fell silent as birds and small animals stopped their calls and quickly fled. Both women paused as they felt the increasing pressure, stopping their tasks, they looked around the clearing, a sense of confusion present on their faces.

“All who hear my voice, shall answer the call to the void”

The deep genderless voice rang out over the clearing, as soon as the words were spoken both women collapsed to the ground, like puppets that had their strings suddenly cut. Their lives were now forfeit to the Goddess of death.

“Now we have the flesh needed, but it will refuse to bend to your will unless you are bound to it during its creation. Stay strong shaman.” The voice was void of its earlier playful tones, instead nothing but a solemn warning rang out as she spoke.

Slowly he felt his soul being drawn towards one of the girls, the sickening feeling that he would now be residing inside a woman's body washed over him.

“Prepare yourself.”

As he felt himself pulled into the corpse his view blurred as his consciousness suddenly swapped, slowly opening his eyes he felt a sense of alienation coming from the body, as if it moved to reject his presence.

Sucking back a deep breath of air he sighed aloud “So I’m a woman now?” The voice that met his ears was raspy and strained, like the body couldn’t quite form the words properly.

Feeling himself over, he noticed the clammy skin was much paler than it had originally been, quickly feeling his wrist, he searched for signs of life.

“I’m…a corpse still?” Despite his best efforts no sign of a heartbeat could be found.

“What the hell’s going on- eurraRRRGGGHHHHH!” Pain swelled in his chest as the woman's torso violently bloated outwards, as he frantically clawed at his chest at the sudden influx of agony the sound of skin and clothing tearing reached out to his ears, momentarily drowning out his pained gasps.

With a sudden wet pop the body’s torso violently ripped open, his eyes widened as the internal organs of the woman's body entered his view, opening his mouth to scream he found only silence as his lungs had ruptured open and were incapable of drawing breath.

As he thrashed on the ground his intestines coiled outwards like a snake, ripping itself free it swam out like an extended tongue before burrowing itself into the corpse beside him. As it did so his consciousness again momentarily lapsed, before splitting itself into two separate minds linked together.

As his view split into two, he instantly screamed out from the new corpse now being impaled by the intestines of the first, frantically pulling at the organ now connecting the two he desperately tried to find relief from the gruesome agony now running through both bodies, just as his grasp firmly latched onto the organ sinking into his flesh, he felt another wave of agony wash over him as the second women’s body began to swell, threatening to repeat what the first had done.

With a second pop the woman's torso split open as her organs split apart and reached out towards the skinned animal hanging nearby. His violent screams again muffled as the lungs ruptured open causing him to again enter a sickening silence as pain racked through his two bodies.

The organs wrapped around the beast before violently pulling it from its hooks, no sooner did it hit the ground when they began to feverishly burrow into its flesh, As the connection was completed his mind once again split. One for each body present.

As his thoughts returned from its momentary confusion, unimaginable pain ripped through his very being, the third body now completely void of organs and skin sent nothing but agony back through its link, the corpse began to seizure and thrash violently, causing its skinless body to rub harder against the dirt, furthering the anguish that now threatened his very sanity.

Slowly the organs now connecting all three bodies together flexed up, dragging them to each other. As they neared the skin and tissue began peeling back as the flesh detached itself and began balling together.

Bones snapped, sinew tore, muscles split and skin peeled as the bodies melded together, even the eyes popped, robbing his sight of the gruesome fate now befalling him. With a final heave, he could feel the woman's head splitting open as his brain matter was wretched from the very skull holding it in, but despite this, his consciousness did not leave him, throughout every rip, tear and throb, his mind held on and felt every drop of pain.

Slowly the ball of tissue began to mold outwards, forming arms and legs. As the torso solidified and muscles reformed connecting the melded bone structure together, he began to thrash around again as control of his flesh was returned to him. Slowly eyes opened, allowing him to frantically look at the gruesome sight playing out before him, as organs grew within his chest and a mouth split open in his face, he sucked in air, before letting it back out as a blood curdling scream.

Slowly thick dark gray skin began to grow over the exposed flesh, as a sudden surge of pressure built within his head, finally splitting it apart as two horns pierced out of his skull. As the thick ashen skin finished covering his exposed flesh, he finally felt relief, panting hard, his weary eyes slowly closed before his consciousness drifted away.