The sun bared down on the Crescent Valley, scorching Gregory’s bare back. He ignored the pain of his back blistering and boiling in the sun’s light. All that mattered was the shaft of the shovel between his hands, the repetitive motion of digging 5 holes side by side. Pushing the head of the shovel into the ground, bending it back, tossing the dirt over his shoulder. Once he could no longer see outside the hole, he climbed out and started on the next one.
He laid to rest his family one after another, followed by the remains of the young healer. When he returned to the spot where he left the healer, he found him in pieces. The sight was familiar and it made his mouth water slightly. Upon realizing what happened he knelt down and purged the contents of his stomach. Dying the forest floor with further remnants of the poor healer.
After he finished burying the dead he made 4 piles of stones, leaving a single solitary stone atop the healer’s grave. By the time he finished the sun was busy dying the horizon purple. Just then the entire world disappeared, everything an endless blackness, lit only by the blood-red moon above. Gregory felt his blood heat up as his heart started pounding in his chest. He started shaking with rage until he just couldn’t contain himself. He looked up at the moon and screamed, he let out every last ounce of frustration. After he finished, he felt as if he had been forced to swallow thorns, but his heart was more at ease.
“I do so love an angry, broken man.” A voice echoed out all around him.
Then, as if the world itself had spat him out, a man in a silver mask and black robe appeared before Gregory. The masked man was taller than him but he didn’t seem threatening. The man’s mask was what drew the most attention, it was carved in a way that resembled a demon with many sharp teeth and horns. The strangest part was that the mask had four eye holes, each had a red glow shining through.
“Who are you?” Gregory asked.
“I am the Void God, your creator, and your master.” The masked man said as if he was talking to a child.
“Do not be scared, I am not a controlling God. Do what you will, when you will. I only ask that if you ever meet someone with eyes that glow like mine, you will serve them as if they were your God.” At first, the Void God had a playful tone, but the last sentence felt more like a threat than an order.
“Why did you make me a monster?” Gregory cried out.
“A monster? No, no, no, I made you a predator. The ultimate hunter, the top of the food chain. Well, tied for the top anyhow. You see, those vampires you’ve spent all night clashing with were your counterparts.” The Void God explained.
“Counterparts? What does all this mean? Why do I lose myself? Why did I kill the-” He was so full of questions.
“Oh my- QUIET! I’ll explain everything just shut up and wait.” The Void God roared.
The evil deity explained the transformations in detail, using words the uneducated farmer simply didn’t understand. The masked God explained to Gregory how his transformations worked. He told him that the more blood he fed on the stronger he would become. The farmer was now much stronger, even without transforming, and his senses were much more acute. As the God drolled on the man fell to his knees and broke down.
“Can you please bring my family back? I miss them so much.” He sobbed.
“No one can resurrect the dead. Even if I reanimated their corpses, they would simply be puppets on my string.” There seemed to be genuine sorrow in the Void God’s voice.
“Despair not, you may never be able to revive the family you lost but you can build a new, stronger one. In wolf form, your fangs produce a venom that burns a creature from within their soul. Should they survive the bite, they will become like you. Each Lycan you add to your pack, the stronger you will get. That’s the most beautiful part about you, the connection you will have with your pack members.” As the Void God said these last words, the moon above them started to drip like blood.
“It seems our time is up. When you leave this dark abyss, you will find yourself overlooking a new village far away from your home. There you will find a man named Jerisai Blande, you might find… kinship with him. Convince him to share in your transformation and he will be a wondrous ally.” The Void God spoke fast as he began to fade away.
“Wait! How do I convince someone to become a monster?!” Gregory shouted.
“You are not a monster, you’re a predator…” As the words faded in his ears, Gregory’s vision faded.
Suddenly his eyes met new light and new sights. He was standing at the top of a hill, in front of him was a long, winding dirt path that led towards a rather large village. Gregory looked down and found a fresh pair of clothes clinging to his body. All of his wounds were gone and his skin was free of bloodstains. He turned around and didn’t recognize any of the mountains in the distance. There was nowhere else to go but towards the village, so he began walking.
‘Jerisai Blande…’ He thought as he stared up at the moon hiding in the blue sky.
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