The Black Stars of Melanin

Chained By Survival

"Y-YOUR VICTIMS!? Just what are you Aneikas!?" Jinto uttered, his very words having to force their way through his clenched teeth. Crimson red flames burst sporadically from him violently, like a volcano desperately trying to hold back its eruption. For Jinto's anger was reaching boiling point, he'd had enough of those who love to subjugate the weak, he'd seen enough oppression. His personal mantra of strength being everything, took form in his mind once more.

"Mwahahahahaaa... what's with that look human? Yes they're our victims! We Aneikas feed on the life force of humans. Even beings of light need to eat you know?" Sigma goaded as he winked, flippantly shrugging his shoulders at the angered Melanin man!

"Tch!" (SHOOM!) his flames intensified, just as he prepared to attack Sigma!

"Uh, uh, uhhh... easy human, I'm not done explaining! Besides don't you want to rescue that woman?" the Aneikas leader said, halting the flaming fighter in his tracks. "Goooood, now come with me." Sigma ordered as Jinto and company followed him cautiously from behind, with the other twenty Aneikas retreating into the reflections of the crystalline cave.

Sigma was indeed shrewd, intending only to stall his enemies and lower their guard by bombarding them with information. All the while, riling up Jinto to create an opening to take out his true threat Juri. "Listen carefully human, we Aneikas cannot go out into the sunlight, furthermore we cannot leave this mirror world dimension without moonlight touching the mirror. So, once we manage to gain a victim we drain his life force dry and assume their form. Using their image, we then lure others into the mirror and the cycle repeats itself." he explained

"You mean to tell me you prey on innocent people!?" Jinto responded sharply.

"Ha! 'People'? What's that supposed to mean to us? We are not people we are Aneikas! You are nothing more than a source of sustenance for us!" Sigma rebutted. Jinto stilled is fiery heart in order to ascertain the true nature of his enemy.

"Is that so...? Well you're still killing my kind! Why are you even in this weird dimension in the first place!?" he asked.

"Good question human, we Aneikas used to inhabit the same realm you do. We dwelled in caves and places usually uninhabited by humans. We used to feed on the life energy of animals, however... one day a stray human wondered too far into our territory. We usually avoid your kind but one of us decided to feast on his life force. And then... from that day on we developed a... how should I say? A particular liking to human life energy. So we began hunting down and devouring any and every human we could find!" Sigma shouted  excitedly, drunk off of the mere thought of human prey, his long tongue now dangling from his mouth.

It was taking every ounce of will power, every essence of self control Jinto had, for every fibre in his body wanted to slay the inhuman creature before him! "You still haven't answered my question." he said sternly.

"Hahahaha patience human, your kind wasn't as utterly defenceless as we thought! And a wretched warrior sealed us all inside the mirror you entered, it being the gateway to the mirror world dimension. However he placed a jewel on top of the mirror that would temporarily open a gateway through the mirror into your world should moonlight touch it. Even when we take the forms of our victims and venture into the night, the jewel teleports us back by dawn." Sigma explained.

"WHAT!? Why on Earth would he even do that when he knows your kind preyed on us like wild animals untamed!?" Jinto shouted in fierce defiance of the strange answers he was receiving. Juri and Tahseen looked on in silence. Despite having defeated some of the Aneikas previously, she wanted to seem unassuming and remained quiet.

"You humans are so self righteous." Sigma fired back.

"SELF RIGHTEOUS!? Are you not arrogant!?" Jinto bellowed in disbelieving anger at the preposterous words falling from Sigma's mouth.