The robotic disembodied voice echoed through the space around them. Its tone was still as monotonous as before, but this time, the faintest hint of perplexity could be heard.
Nevaris gulped nervously as he unconsciously took a step back saying, "W-What is going on? This isn't going the way you said it would!"
The voice sounded again. This time the coldness in its voice returned.
"What about this is following my wish!? This is not what I asked for! You are breaking the deal."
A sudden pressure crashed down over him. Nevaris fell to his knees with a sickening thud. The pain was so intense he couldn't even scream out.
As if not hearing the increasing iciness in its voice, Nevaris continued to argue back.
"I asked for a righteous soul with unbreakable willpower! Not a schizophrenic who changes his personality at the drop of a fucking hat! This freak is insane!"
Before the voice could reply, a sudden chuckle sliced clean through the tense argument.
"I didn't understand what that guy meant before. But now it kinda makes sense."
Nevaris whipped his head around in anger, about to scream at Caleum. But the words died in his throat before he had the chance to even begin rolling his tongue.
He saw…something. Something that frightened him so much his soul began to shake uncontrollably.
"No more masks huh? Maybe I spent so much time trying to blend and coexist in human society that I suppressed everything about who I am."
As Nevaris watched, a dense gray fog began to approach him. It held no form, like a cloud that could disperse at any moment.
And yet looking upon it filled Nevaris with a soul-crushing fear.
As the fog continued to get closer Caleum's voice echoed from within it once again.
"Hey Casper, quick question?"
Though the voice had no physical presence, Nevaris could swear he heard its existence tense audibly.
<...my name is not Casper. My designation is the Universal Core->
"Yeah, yeah, boring long-ass magical name got it. Answer my question pal."
<...Speak.>
Ignoring the dissatisfaction in its tone, Caleum asked, "Would it be an issue if I swallowed his soul instead?"
Nevaris, still kneeling on the floor like a wounded animal, froze.
The voice fell silent for a moment before replying.
<...As long as the core of his soul is absorbed by the host then it does not matter.>
"W-WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU-" Nevaris screamed in panic before being cut off by a hand gripping his throat.
His eyes began to water as he gazed into the chaotic gray mass before him.
His eyes dilated in fear as he felt something essential began to flow out of his soul.
The gray mass began to solidify into the shape of a man. As his features became more defined, Nevaris' eyes began to turn bloodshot as he struggled to escape.
The figure's face was indistinct, but the vicious smile on his face nearly caused Nevaris's soul to disperse on the spot.
"Wonderful! Do you hear that worm? No rules broken and I don't have to fuse with a pathetic insect like you! Win-win in my opinion, don't you agree?"
Caleum's voice sounded in all directions as if it came from the void itself.
Nevaris continued to struggle futilely. Kicking and scratching at Caleum's still reforming body.
"Why!? I gave you a new start! A chance to be more than a weak, stupid human! Even if you aren't grateful you should at least consider the fact that I have given you the opportunity to be more than you ever were. Why…WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS!?"
Listening to Nevaris' pitiful ravings, Caleum tilted his head to the side. Though his eyes had not yet formed, Nevaris could feel Caleum's gaze coiling around him like a serpent. Slowly strangling the life out of him.
"Because everything you are, amounts to nothing." Caleum responded.
The simple, matter-of-fact tone he used stunned Nevaris so much he stopped struggling. His body hung limply in Caleum's grasp as his brain worked to comprehend what he said.
"W-What?"
"I said you are nothing." Caleum rolled his eyes in exasperation before continuing. "Yeah you were bullied relentlessly. Your strength compared to others around you was abysmal and you had no real talent for anything. But so what?"
Caleum loosened his hold on Nevaris' throat. Letting his withered soul collapse to the ground like a broken kite.
"You were a sheep among a flock of wolves…no wait, I guess a snake among dragons would be a better analogy in this case. In any event, you were weak, they were strong. But did you ever try to improve? Did you ever seek any way to become stronger? Did ever, even once fight back?"
Nevaris lay on the ground in silence, his gaze distant as if his soul had left his body.
"No, you didn't. You laid down. You groveled. You cowered like a rat until you became nothing but a bug. I was human, just like everyone else in my world. I could never act on my desires because society would have crucified me. I had to lock myself away and act like all the mindless drones around me. But now…"
The mass of fog around "Caleum" had disappeared. Replaced by a person whose features were both foreign and familiar to Nevaris. But the eyes…HIS eyes, were different.
Staring into them made Nevaris feel as though he was staring into an endless abyss. The darkness within them threatened to devour his soul.
"Now, I have no need to hide. I will devour you. Consume you in your entirety and erase your stain from existence. So congrats, coward! Your wish is about to be granted. I will become Nevaris, the true Nevaris. And don't worry about your family or those new fiancees. I will take very good care of them."
Before Nevaris could even say a word in response, Caleum's mouth cracked open at the sides, opening impossibly wide like a serpent and devoured him in one clean motion.
When his mouth returned to normal, Caleum let out a satisfied burp and patted his stomach in contentment.
As if realizing something, he brought his hand to his chin and muttered to himself, "That last line didn't come out right. I sounded like some kind of disgusting NTR villain."
Caleum shuddered at the thought, but his thoughts were interrupted by the return of the voice from earlier.
The voice no longer contained the imperious, commanding tone it had previously. Now, there was a subtle cautiousness when it spoke.
Hearing the disbelief in its voice Caleum chuckled, "I said I would, didn't I? Why so shocked?"
The voice fell silent for a moment before speaking again. Its voice returned to the familiar apathetic tone from before.
"Proceed." Caleum replied without any hesitation.
With that, Caleum…no, Nevaris was pulled from the void as his vision went black.
…
"Gasp!"
With a start, Nevaris pulled his hand back from the cube.
Taking a look at his surroundings, he realized that while he had years within the memories, barely a minute had gone by in reality.
Thinking back on everything that had just transpired he let out a small smile. The anticipation in his eyes could barely be hidden as he clenched his fists.
"I don't care if I'm a wyrm, a dragon, or a goddamn turtle. I'm done holding myself back. I was born for this world. No more human bullshit. No. More. Masks."
Nevaris let out a manic smile. He felt as if a weight that he had been carrying for a long time had been lifted from his very being.
But before he could relish in the feeling of freedom, a familiar robotic voice echoed in his mind.
For some reason, Nevaris had a bad feeling about the situation.
'I KNEW IT!!' Nevaris screamed internally.
Without a second's hesitation, he made a mad dash for the lavish silk sheets, or he tried to. The strength within his weakened body leaked out of him like a popped balloon.
His body instantly deflated as he crashed face first into the ground.
With tears in his eyes, he uttered one final curse.
'That fucking bastard. Next time I see him, I'll kill 'em. I swear I'll kill 'em.'
"ARGHHHHH!!"