Deep within the bowels of a dark cave, a man with black hair advanced slowly.
A constant, cold and unreal glow emanated from his body, slicing through the damp walls in the shadows. His footsteps echoed like a whisper in this mineral silence.
He scrutinized every corner with caution, as if he'd been searching for a long time for something that only he could recognize.
Reaching the end of the rocky tunnel, he stopped dead.
There, lying on the ground and unattached to anything, was a golden fruit, shining with a supernatural radiance.
A smile appeared on his pale face, his dark and hollow eyes gleaming with morbid excitement.
Edwin (in a low voice):
"At last... I will be able to free myself from this curse..."
He crouched down, took the fruit in his hands, and examined it.
Edwin:
"Not an illusion, not a joke... And it does not wither under my touch. Perfect."
Without hesitation, he bit deeply into it.
But as soon as he swallowed the first mouthful, his eyes widened.
He dropped the fruit, doubled over, pain stabbing his belly like a thousand blades.
Edwin:
"Tss... What the...?"
His breathing became labored.
Edwin:
"Damn... what's happening to me?!"
The air before him warped.
A silhouette materialized, made of black mist, dressed in a long, hooded cloak.
The face, drowned in shadow, was an unfathomable abyss—as if looking directly into nothingness.
From this presence emanated an overwhelming sensation of utter finality: it wasn't alive, not really... it was Death.
The voice that rose was neither deep nor high-pitched: it vibrated directly in the bones, as if echoing from another plane.
Creature:
"How... did you dare to bite into this fruit?"
Edwin, despite the pain, smirked.
Edwin:
"I am Edwin. Cursed by Death itself. Any who come near me perish instantly. My words sow despair, my breath brings ruin. So... instead of suffering, I chose to embrace my condition."
He pointed at the fruit on the ground.
"Legend says it fulfills the wildest desires. I want to become the very concept of Death. And this fruit... will help me realize that dream."
The creature let out a cold, almost imperceptible smile.
Creature:
"I am an Eidolin... the Eidolin of Death. Not a shadow, not a symbol, but the true incarnation. And you, miserable mortal... you dare to say you want to take on my concept?"
Edwin (intrigued):
"Eidolin? What is that now?"
Creature:
"We are concepts made flesh... or rather, their essence incarnate. From the first Meracloxes to the threshold of Delzluhud, we govern the weave of Existence. Every state, every nuance, from the simplest to the most transcendent, we embody.
And you... would try to wrench away what I am."
It paused, its aura intensifying until the air became heavy and unbreathable.
Creature:
"Do you even know what that means?"
Edwin shrugged.
Edwin:
"From what I understand, you Eidolins appear whenever a mortal tries to steal your concepts. So yeah... I guess it's normal for you to be here."
The shadow inclined its head, an inhuman, almost animal movement.
Creature:
"Logical, indeed. To try to steal from us is to deform us, to profane us."
It pointed a finger at him, the gesture as sharp as a judgment.
Creature:
"But know this, human: you will never be able to represent Death as I do. I am pure Death, absolute, timeless. You could only imitate an imperfect vision, warped by your perception.
And such presumption... is always paid for."
Edwin applauded, a twisted smile on his lips.
Edwin:
"Wow... beautiful speech. But it doesn't matter. I want to be the concept of Death. It's the only way to end this pain."
He tilted his head slightly, observing the misty shadow before him.
Edwin:
"Usually, those who approach me die instantly. But you... you remain, immobile. Standing. Intact.
You are... immune to your own essence?"
The Eidolin, impassive, replied in a voice that vibrated throughout the cave.
Eidolin:
"You do not understand the nature of what faces you. I have neither flesh nor soul nor spirit.
I am not a creature... I am the concept. Pure. Absolute.
All that tries to imitate me is only a warped copy.
You say your touch kills? That's only because I exist.
If I were to disappear... nothing could ever die.
You are not the pillar I am, Edwin. Your 'powers' have no hold over me, and you will never be able to subdue me by force."
Edwin's jaw clenched. His eyes glowed with nervous fever.
Edwin:
"And if I haven't tried... how would I know?"
A weighty silence. Then the Eidolin inclined its head slightly.
Eidolin:
"If you are so intent on embodying Death, I can grant you... an imperfect version. A Death derived from me. Enough to extinguish your suffering... but never as pure as mine."
Edwin blinked, surprised.
Edwin:
"You can really... do that?"
Eidolin:
"Of course. Countless entities proclaim themselves incarnations of Death. They are... but only incompletely.
I allow their existence. They can judge, kill... but only within limited domains. Their power remains inferior, because they are imperfect."
Edwin bowed his head for a moment, lost in thought... then looked up, a spark of defiance in his eyes.
Edwin:
"No. I refuse."
The Eidolin's voice became deeper, heavier.
Eidolin:
"Then you will die."
It extended a hand. And, in a surreal instant, everything that was Edwin's curse... vanished.
The shadows that had always surrounded him melted away, as if torn from his being.
Edwin:
"What's... what's happening to me?"
Eidolin:
"Die."
His body became heavy, numb. His legs trembled.
Edwin:
"Am I... dying...?"
The Eidolin approached, each step echoing like a sentence.
Eidolin:
"You said all those who approach you perish. Those traits were mine... I have taken them back. Now... I kill you as the simple mortal you are."
Edwin felt the cold invade him, his breath shortening.
Edwin:
"So... that means... you've freed me... from my curse?"
The Eidolin remained silent, its invisible face frozen in shadow.
Then Edwin collapsed onto the cave's icy floor. Motionless.
The Eidolin gazed at Edwin's lifeless body stretched out on the cold stone.
A long silence, then... a slight movement. The mortal's fingers curled, his lungs searched for breath, and he slowly sat up, as if every movement tore an invisible veil.
Eidolin — I suspected as much... You are not a simple human. You have already cracked the order of gods.
Edwin raised his pale face toward him. His eyes, still misty, bore a strange glow.
Edwin — Thank you... for freeing me from my curse.
The creature remained mute for a moment, observing him as if peering beyond flesh, into depths no mortal should know.
Eidolin — I see... You carry something. No... you are inhabited. By a demon.
Edwin's eyes widened.
Edwin — A demon...?
Eidolin — The deathly attributes I have stripped from you are no longer in you... but this thing, it remains. And believe me... it will claim you, sooner or later.
A dull, almost organic rumbling vibrated in the cave's walls.
Edwin fell to his knees, hands pressed to his head, a mask of rage and pain on his face.
Edwin — So it was him... that damned demon... The one who broke everything with Dimelda... So that's what it was?!
The ground split beneath his knees. Arms of shadow burst forth and closed around him.
Edwin — What the...? Let go of me!!
Eidolin — I believe my role here is finished.
Its silhouette dissolved into a cloud of mist, as if erased from the world.
Edwin struggled, screaming, as the shadows insinuated themselves into his mouth, under his skin, changing even the color of his body. He suffocated, ignorant of what they were doing to him.
Then, amidst this black tide, a light was born.
It split the mass, brilliant, almost painful to look at.
The creatures—tiny, barely the size of a cat—forced his jaw open. The light rushed down his throat.
Edwin arched, a howl tearing through the cave's vault, sending birds fleeing far beyond the forest.
Every organ burned, exploded within him, until...
Silence fell.
And, in the dawning day, only the wind's breath seemed to remember his scream.