3 “Huh, not that bad!”

Several [Void Shackles] shot out of the miniature [Void Gate]. They shot out at both Zack and Jack and restrained their wrists, neck and ankles. They both weren't given even a single second to breathe, as Jack felt something strike his back with inhumane strength, knocking him over. He fell face first into the ground as Zack saw what had toppled his younger brother over.

On his back, a seemingly deranged Nemesis was glaring at him with his amber eyes. He was terrified, he had to no idea where the [Void Gates] came from nor the shackles within or Nemesis himself! Maybe they had displeased him by running? But he hadn't stated that they couldn't.

"Why! Why're you doing this, did we offend you by running? If so, sorry great vampire lord, please leave us be! We'll donate our blood if that's what you wish, let us live!"

"Displeased..? I haven't been displeased, now silence. You're making this harder on yourselves and I'm already trying to be gentle."

Before Zack could respond, he felt something sticky crawling on his arms and legs. He shot quick glances at the [Void Shackles] restraining him and Jack and saw a sort of charcoal coloured mucus being oozed out of the [Void Gates]. They were dragging themselves across the chains which connected both the shackles and the [Void Gates] towards them.

It had already covered half his arm and was rapidly encasing him in a black, slime like tomb. His growing fixation with the slime broke when he heard a muffled scream. He blinked repeatedly then turned to see Jack. He saw Nemesis lift Jack's seemingly lifeless body to face him. He witnessed that within his brother's mouth, the black slime which threatened to conceal him had gorged itself into his brother's mouth. Tears streamed down his face with his eyes telling his brother. He heard his continuous pleas for help through the black sludge.

Inside he felt the adrenaline surge throughout his entire body. He struggled continuously to try to break out of the chains firm grasp.

"Stop! Let go of my brother you fucker! I'll kill you when I'm free! You won't survive! Let me go, urgh. Damn chains break!"

Nemesis threw Jack onto the ground letting Zack hear the painful sound of Jack's body being smashed into the ground. He even heard the horrid crunch of his brother's bones breaking. A pool of blood began to build up. He stared at Nemesis with a hate-filled gaze. If gazes or thoughts could kill, not even a million deaths would've calmed Zack down.

Nemesis just stared at Zack's eyes withheld a colossal amount of contempt. Zack gnashed his teeth as he struggled to not blankly stare into Nemesis' amber eyes, but something within his brain forced him to. He was dwelling further and further away from reality as the world around became distorted. He was soon lost within his subconsciousness as the chains unwrapped themselves off of him. They returned back to the [Void Gates] and Zack's body, losing all support, fell face first into the pool of his brother's blood.

Nemesis studied the two for 30 seconds seeing if they'd show any reaction. After 30 seconds they had shown no reaction, just lying there motionless. They weren't even breathing! If it weren't for Nemesis having the ability to see their [Void Circuits] which told him that they were still alive and seeing the red hue which covered the twos entire bodies, he would've thought that they were dead.

Jack's [Void Circuit] told him that his condition was that he was in a comatose state while Zack's circuit told him that he was lost in his own mind, in a mental prison. He peered into Zack's subconscious, via the circuit, to see that he was lost, navigating his way through an endless forest. He had no sense of direction and was randomly picking ways to go, in the hope for an escape, all the while screaming about how he just wanted to save his ill mother. He even pleaded with Nemesis that if the two were to die, to at least get their mother the elixir she needed to survive.

Nemesis returned back to reality, pitying the two, tears unconsciously fell from his face and it wasn't until they were dangling off the edge of his chin that he noticed them.

"It's time. The faster you do it, the sooner it'll be dealt with. Hurry up Nemesis."

"Alright... hey Hunger?"

"What?"

"Never mind, just some thoughts still within my head I haven't dealt with yet."

"Okay..."

Nemesis sighed, then dragged the two demons out of the pool of blood. He dropped them in an open area then firmly gripped Jack's right arm. With a single pull, he detached his arm from his body, blood spewed out of the wound as Nemesis licked hip lips. He heard his stomach grumble. He lifted the arm up to his mouth and using his perfectly white teeth, he tore into the arm.

Once he finished his first mouthful, he couldn't help but remark, "Huh, not that bad!" He remembered the foul taste his first encounter with flesh brought, it certainly wasn't something he would've eaten before if it weren't for the punishment of death hanging over him. He quickly finished up the arm, trying his best to just focus on the taste, telling himself it was just a cow.

Soon the arm was finished and then he went for the leg, tearing it off, not seeing the blood that splattered onto his face as everything was bleached in an orange and red hue.

———

Several minutes later, Nemesis sat down on the ground, a half-eaten heart lay in his blood-soaked right gloved hand. His eyes now reverted back, from amber eyes back to white ones. His irises changed once again to reveal for his left eye, a vibrant azure blue, which even the clearest of days would be envious of, while his right iris now was emerald green.

He turned his head to stare at the where the two demons lay. Their bodies were now mutilated with their stomachs possessing wide circular holes, filled with black sludge, happily eating away. Their right breasts had holes which revealed an empty section where their hearts used to beat proudly. They both were missing an arm and leg. Jack and Zack's eyes were closed. As if they were in peace before his death. It disturbed Nemesis. Not because of the meaning. But because he wasn't sure on what force had pressured him into closing their eyes.

He had already taken Jack's soul from his body. Hunger had already dealt with him as well. He felt happy that he wouldn't be haunted in his sleep or when he was awake by pissed off spirits. He cracked his left hand's knuckles as he stood up. In one swift motion, he threw the rest of Zack's heart into his mouth and gobbled it down quickly. Once he swallowed it down, he walked towards Zack's body.

He placed his left palm directly onto Zack's face. "[Soul Absorption]" Nemesis murmured quietly, as he lifted his hand off of Zack's face. A red soul, with a sour expression, appeared within his left hand. It immediately screamed profanities at him while also begging him to save his mother. He continuously screamed,"Save my Mom! Save Mary!" It irked Nemesis, but he didn't lash out on this soul. Instead, like he did with Jack's soul, he raised his left hand as high as possible.

Behind him, his shadow grew. It grew and grew, until finally enlarging itself enough to be several meters tall [Nocthum]. An infamous type of demon due to their ability to hide within any shadow and power to morph into an exact replica of the host. They were infamous back in their time, during the [Age of Phantoms], where they ran rampant before their extinction, assassinating all who dared to challenge their claim.

"Go, do it, Hunger. I can sense his fear. Consume him and get this over with, I have 8 more I must finish off before tomorrow, so hurry it up...geez, to think your race used to be so feared, now it has fallen off into obscurity."

Zack's soul trembled in fear at the sight of the Nocthum leaving Nemesis's shadow, using its lanky and sharp claw to grasp it. The claw then moved Zack's soul closer towards its sapphire coloured, pentagon-shaped single eye. There the eye absorbed Zack's soul. The Nocthum turned to look at Nemesis directly. Nemesis also stared back into Hunger's single eye.

"We're done here."

"Agreed...Nemesis."

"So... the notification going to-."

Before he got to finish, he got a notification sound out in his brain. He frowned due to the fact that he got the notification before he could finish his sentence.

"...show up or something... Damn, was beaten to the punch. Anyways truthfully, it wasn't that bad. Wonder why it tasted like trash previously though... maybe it's because of me getting so used to it? If so, I'd rather it revert back to tasting like trash..."

"..Does the taste really matter?"

"Yes, yes it does. If it tastes better than trash, I may actually...ugh. Now that's an uncomfortable thought."

Nemesis couldn't help but remark on his 'meal'. He made himself uncomfortable, especially with the insinuation of how he could systematically deconstruct a body then devour it was. He cursed himself for getting so used to the taste, now he was internally debating on whether he should cancel all [Void] circulation in his tongue, so he would lose all sensation of taste in his tongue.

He shook his head in denial. Everyone had to suffer in life, his suffrage was the countless nightmares and pessimistic thoughts which he would soon encounter. He guessed he could add the possible addiction for flesh as another one of his less than ideal flaws in life.

"Hunger, show me the mission status screen."

Nemesis softly said. Hunger told him all the details of his quest. He then tapped Nemesis's forehead, using his sharp claw, careful not to pierce his skull by accident. Nemesis got an automatic updater to his quests, which made him slightly happier. He wouldn't have to ask Hunger each and every time he wished to receive an update. He truly got the short end of the stick when it came to a system if he could even call his that.

"I'm going back now. You know how taxing it is for me to stay in my true form."

"Yeah yeah. I know Hunger. Nighty night, re-enter my mind now."

".Jeez, what got into you?"

"Nothing much really. Guess I'm just impatient because I may or may not be missing a key event which will-..."

"Alright, I got it."

The several meter tall Hunger retreated back into Nemesis' shadow. He did it so swiftly that it only took less than 3 seconds, the Nocthum behind Nemesis, disappeared back into his shadow.

"..He sure was fast. Damn, he even took over a minute just to show up, show off. Well, show me my mission status."

—————

<<Mission Objective: Quest 1;>>

<<Mission Status: Mandatory Quest: Accepted.>>

<<Quest Progress: Not completed. >>

Devour the flesh of 2/10 demons.

Restriction: Demons must be at least [Rank-12 Demonic Trainees]. Demons must be alive during the consumption process. Must devour their lungs, kidneys, and at a minimum of an arm and leg and finally their heart. Keep targets alive during the whole procedure. To silence the target shall be allowed. I apologise for not allowing you to do so last time.

Gather the souls of 2/10 demons.

Restriction: Demons must be at least [Rank-12 Demonic Trainees].

Note for Reference: Souls can only be extracted from those who've been consumed. Souls shall be devoured instantly by me, I shall not let them haunt you any longer.

Reward: Sorry, nothing is left. You have already achieved the goals I set previously. All I can reward you with is hope and words of praise.

Price of Failure: Death. You know the drill.

Time Limit: Until the end of Day 1.

11 hours and 47 minutes remaining.

—————

Nemesis mentally attacked himself for taking nearly an hour to finish that process. He decided that the games would have to be put on hold until he finished the first step, a step which had to be done before there were only 8 hours remaining on Day 1. He stepped out of the pool of blood, walking out of the pool of blood. Once he was several steps away from the pool of blood, a dark aura surrounded him, it swirled around him, from feet up, as all the blood on his body disappeared.

He opened a [Void Gate] once he was immaculate, it would transport him to [Vanquished Town]. He snapped his finger and the black sludge which was happily feasting disappeared. He let out a deep breath and walk through the [Void Gate] with only one thought in mind.

'I shall end this stupid project.'