2 Mission Objectives.

Two pairs of footsteps squishing against flesh was all that Zack and Jack could hear. They weren't sure where Nemesis had vanished to but they didn't dare delay their return home any further. No matter how quirky he was, he was a vampire. This gave them hope to save their mother now as vampires were noble demons who kept to their word, being known as the [Royalty of the Underworlds]. They weren't sure on why they were named as such, they only found out about their nickname on one of their adventures in another town they stayed at to try to find the elixir that their mother needed.

"Jack, we should hurry up. That vampire is probably above us as a bat, so if we speed up, he'll speed up as well! Let's run."

"Yeah, I get your point. We may have all the time in the world now, but Ma doesn't, the vampire lord didn't talk about not running, so I think we're in the clear."

The two quickly agreed upon the idea between the two and started to run. Their huge, muscular bodies allowed them to run constantly without rest for around an hour.

Unfortunately, the two didn't even notice due to their speed walking earlier and now their running, a limping Nemesis far behind them, gasping for breaths while trying to catch up. The two had lost sight of him a minute after they had started their journey back after meeting him, so they just presumed he transformed into a bat and flew high in the fog covered sky, withdrawing from sight.

"Dammit! Damn this strenuous...physical exertion... how could they, forget me?"

Nemesis stopped to relax for a moment, his young four-year-old body certainly wasn't made for travelling. He couldn't help but shake his head at his own fragility.

"Dammit, I'm as fragile as glass...I need to work on this, though obviously, I'm not going to turn into a muscle head. I like my lanky appearance just fine... Anyways, Hunger, they're far enough away to hear let alone notice me, so stop laying in your dormant state and wake up."

"...Finally. You. Decided. To. Call...."

"Stop, you're acting like a girlfriend angry at her boyfriend for not calling her sooner. I'm disturbed...I know we're both male and all but...I don't swing that way. I prefer someone who's the opposite sex and is either two years old or younger than me, also they must have emerald coloured eyes and soft, long hazel coloured hair."

Nemesis told Hunger, the voice within his own head while shaking both his hands and head in denial as if Hunger was actually in front of him

"..So you mean Deale... you could've just stated that, no need to go off on a tangent. You didn't need to question my sexuality either. I'm as straight as a ruler! If you're going to be this ungrateful, I mean I can always..."

Hunger stopped there, building up the tension and dread Nemesis felt immediately.

"No, no, no! Sorry, I'm seriously sorry! I apologise, I grovel, I beg you. Please don't do it. I want to see Deale again...I don't want to be lost in that accursed, empty space, my mind can't handle it..."

"...Alright. I'll be here if you need me, like always, partner. Don't forget my little 'quests' which you have to complete..."

"Must I really have to do those quests again? I don't want to suffer again. The screams, the nightmares, the guilt I felt, even now, is unbearable...please Hunger, I beg you, don't make me do it again. My sanity is already dangling off of a thin thread, I-I can't take it... my mind can't handle it! You have been around for aeons while I, Nemesis, have only been around for a total of 12 years! The other 4 years I don't even have a single memory of!"

Nemesis cried out in protest with tears visibly falling from eyes in distress, trying his best to alter Hunger's 'quests'. He couldn't handle it, to act of committing a deed which he was frightened by. Cannibalism. Cannibalism for survival.

He recalled the ear piercing screams of anguish, cries of hate, pleas for mercy, curses for eternal suffering and the countless haunting nightmares he had to endure. The souls which he had to capture, each scarred his fragile mind permanently with their shouts for freedom and obscenities. Though what broke him down the most were the numerous questions of why he didn't allow them to pass through to the next life. Why he had to keep them captive in an eternal prison, similar to the one he was confined in. His body violently shook, showing how vulnerable he was to this. It shocked Hunger to see Nemesis, who was usually calm and confident with lots of gusto in his actions to be so mentally impaired against this sort of thing.

"I'm sorry Nemesis. I really am, though I can't stop the missions. They're mandatory for my survival, I require the sacrifice of other to strengthen my existence. If I'm not fed flesh and souls I'd...."

Hunger spoke softly, full of remorse and guilt towards Nemesis. Even he had forgotten one thing, while he was obsessed, devious, calm and courageous, he did, in fact, have a fragile mind. He had overlooked the fact of what Nemesis had to suffer, completing over a thousand quests for him, each more mentally challenging than the previous one.

"..I...I understand. I want to live also, I know that feeling. Sorry for overlooking the problems you face and are currently facing. I..I remember what you said to me before you granted me my wish, how much you wished to live for once, stop being entirely fiction....but I had to lose it in rage, we were only one step away from setting you free...I don't forgive you for what you made me do Hunger, but I understand why you did so."

Nemesis swallowed the saliva that built up in his mouth as he took a deep breath, then continued:

"Hunger, I'll do it. I accept all the quests, but I wish to skip the second last quest. I don't wish to kill Deale once again. I can't handle it."

"Thank you for understanding. I'll try a bit more to view things from your perspective as well. Err... I haven't ever said the word before but. Sorry... sorry for mandating and dehumanising you, I didn't know that it affected you, that badly."

"You too, Hunger... Now. I think I'm ready for the quest, give it to me. Though, I'll always wonder why the quests seem to extremely similar to how quests are represented in video games."

"..."

Nemesis accepted Hunger's reform. If it wasn't for him, he'd still be stuck in his purposeless future, a life without Deale. He dreaded the thought then gathered what was left of his will, awaiting the words he became familiar with. Soon several words resounded in Nemesis' head.

————

<<Mission Objective: Quest 1;>>

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

<<Quest Progress: Not completed. >>

Devour the flesh of 0/10 demons.

Restriction: Demons must be at least [Rank-12 Demonic Trainees]. Demons must be alive during the consumption process. Must devour at minimum an arm and leg and finally their heart. Keep targets alive during the whole procedure. To silence the target shall be allowed. Sorry for not letting you do so before.

Gather the souls of 0/10 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.

12 hours and 34 minutes remaining.

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Nemesis placed his left hand against his forehead as a colossal amount of dread assaulted him. Formerly shrouded memories resurfaced themselves of his first 10 victims. Their agonising screams alarmed Nemesis as he began to continuously murmur to himself.

"You're all fake. All imaginary, you can't possibly be real... This is just my mind playing tricks on me. You're all fake. You're all still alive..."

After a minute he shook his head, the voices quieted themselves to that of a quiet chant. He ceaselessly heard bellows of hatred, "Murderer! Monster! You'll pay for this! The Gods shall slay you! Rot here forever!" He also heard relentless cries of, "Cannibal! Save me! Bastard, you'll never get away with this!" He was emotionally crushed, between a rock and a hard place, almost losing sight of his goals in this ongoing madness.

Fortunately, Hunger aided him and broke him out of his delusions of despair, waking him back up to reality. The sounds he was lost in, perished. He blinked quickly, reassuring himself that it was all fake then got to work.

'I shouldn't forget the mission objective...Two down.'

When he first saw Jack and Zack both of their [Void Conduits] were already connected to him. He knew precisely where they were, what they were talking about and thinking. He waited for them to leave the field of bodies and for it to be out of their sights.

While waiting, he tugged at the locket hidden underneath his suit, tied around his neck. He pulled it out and stared at the glistening gold cover and unique inscriptions it held on said cover. Sadness was all he could feel staring at it. He gently slid his thumb across the cover.

"...Hunger?"

"I know...it must be hard having the key to finding your origin yet not being able to see it."

"My...origin... I... I don't think I'm normal. I've held this feeling ever since I turned 10 last time. When I became, you know... Why am I so different though? Why can't I even see the content of this locket?"

Nemesis began a mini-rant about his locket and why he couldn't perceive it's contents. No one could in his past life, all saying it was empty. On the other hand, all he saw was the [Void] covering the contents from him, as if trying to conceal it from him. He didn't understand why he couldn't manipulate the [Void] which obscured his view of the locket. He sighed.

'It's best if I think of this later.'

He tucked it back in as he waited for the two to leave the meadow of bodies and once they did and was sure that the meadow of bodies was not in their sights anymore, he placed his palm onto one of the corpses.

"[Void Vanishment]."

Nemesis mumbled softly as the corpse swiftly turned pitch black, it had been contaminated by the [Void] like bacteria. It quickly spread throughout the meadow, infecting every corpse and even the ghastly fog produced from the heavy aura of death. Soon every single thing in the field excluding himself turned a pitch black colour.

The entire meadow then vanished without a trace, including the aura of death and the fog. Nothing was left excluding the red-tinted rock ground which Nemesis landed on elegantly. Nemesis stared up at the dawn like sky then quickly shook his head.

"Hunger, let's do it. I didn't stop it previously so I'll stop it now. I can't allow the [Invoked Project] to continue any further. [Vanquished Town] awaits us. We can't leave them hanging, now can we?"

Nemesis decided to fulfil one of the goals which he had already set for himself. He regretted that he didn't halt the [Invoked Project] in his former life and always held a pang of guilt for his desertion of the victims of said project, thinking that he could've saved them. He looked directly ahead of him. Now wasn't the time to regret his actions, nor was there time to waste. He had less than 4 hours to start the next sequence of events to start the butterfly effect which in the end, allowed him to meet Deale.

"[Void Gate]."

With those words, a small, circular vortex appeared in front of him. He shut his eyes, humming a song he remembered vividly, a song he had created for Deale in his previous life yet had been too shy to actually sing it to her and instead always sang it to himself every night, pumping himself up with false courage, telling himself that the next day he'd sing it for her... he never did.

When his song ended, he initiated his [Primordial Instincts]. Nemesis' breathing grew ragged and distorted. He heaved heavy breathes as he hunched over in a predatory stance, ready to lunge out and strike his prey. Suddenly he opened his eyes slowly as their colour was replaced with a sickly amber. His pupils were now two slim, stretched out slits, similar to a crocodile's eyes. His vision changed, everything held a tint of orange, yet staring through the [Void Gate] he could see two figures with distinctive black outlines and red shaded silhouettes.

"Hunger... Nevermind. I'll devour."

With that, Nemesis lunged out towards the [Void Gate] phasing through it, appearing right behind the two unsuspecting demons. At the same time, multiple smaller versions of [Void Gate] appeared around Jack and Zack and a solid, black in colour object flew out of each [Void Gate] aiming at the two of them.