Guts walked through the forest. Morning had yet to come and Merlin had decided to make sure Jill got back to the village, promising Guts she'd remain undetected. He dragged DragonSlayer behind him, not bothering to sheath it. His wounds were barley healed, only fixed up enough to prevent any permanent damage. The trees around him were dead with out leaves, allowing the moon to shine down onto him.
"YOU DID IT."
"YOU KILLED AGAIN."
"AYE, YOU KILLED PLENTY."
"CHILDREN......BABIES."
"YOU KILLED......COUNTLESS."
Guts didn't pay the spirits any heed as he walked forward. The spirits emerged from behind the trees and the fallen leafs on the ground, moving in a serpentine like motion as they flew around him, laughing. They wouldn't dare attack him so close to morning, but they had a habit of mocking him. Merlin quietly watched.
"YOU KILLED TO SETTLE YOUR GRUDGE AGAINST HER."
"YOU KILLED, JUST TO ACHIEVE YOUR OWN GOALS."
"YOU KILLED SO MANY POOR CHILDREN."
"SO LONG AS THEIR DEMONS, ITS ALRIGHT?"
"EVEN THOSE CHILDREN DIDN'T BECOME DEMONS BY CHOICE. THOSE POOR CHILDREN....."
"FOR YOUR ONE AND ONLY DESIRE, ITS RIGHT TO KILL?"
"DOZENS OF THEM."
"CHILDREN, HUNDREDS OF CHILDREN. SO ITS RIGHT TO KILL......SO THAT YOU COULD SURVIVE?"
"YOU STINK OF DARKNESS."
"YOU DO."
"THE STINK OF DARKNESS SO VERY CLOSE TO US."
"IT LIVES. IT LIVES INSIDE OF YOU...........THE BEAST."
Some of the spirits merged together into a glob of shadow as it followed beside Guts. The glob of shadow began to take form, the body consisting of the spirits' faces all over as it took a lupine like appearance and laughed at him. Guts's eye widened upon seeing the figure they formed.
"BLACK, BLACK."
"THE BEAST OF DARKNESS."
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"IT THIRSTS WHILE INSIDE OF YOU. MORE AND MORE IT THIRSTS. THE MORE BLOOD IN WHICH IT BATHES, THE MORE IT WILL THIRST. THE BEAST HAS AN INSATIABLE APPETITE." The lupine spoke as an amalgamation of voices. Other spirits acted as if they were fleeing from it, only to be consumed by its jaws. The lupine smiled, showing off it's dagger like teeth as it floated behind Guts, leaning of his shoulder and whispered into his ear. "AS YOU KILL, IT THIRSTS. AS IT THIRSTS, YOU KILL. THE BLOOD MUST FLOW, SO KEEP KILLING. IT WILL STILL THIRST. FOREVER. ALL ALONE. ALWAYS ALONE." The lupine laughed as Guts tried ignoring it, still walking forward. It's form began to shift till it resembled Guts's head, his one eye containing multiple tiny eyes as it's teeth were replaced by fangs. "THEN THE BEAST WILL CONSUME YOU, IT WILL TAKE YOUR PLACE."
