The Master of Souls (Ahri x OC)

Chapter 17: Bandits

I was in a dark place, but not the landscape of darkness where I'd met my . . . evil side.

No, I wasn't in a place. I was floating in a dark space.

"Where am I?" I asked no one.

"Good question," a deep voice answered from behind me.

I whirled around and saw that a figure in long dark hood was floating behind me.

The figure was almost camouflaged, except for the fact that a red light was glowing from underneath his hood. He looked like the incarnation of death.

"W-Who're you?" I asked while trying to step backwards, which didn't work for some reason.

"I'd a name once," he said, "but I'd forgotten about it."

His voice was deep as a dark ocean, as if it was filled with mysteries and secrets of thousands of years.

"But I only remember one name," the figure continued, "and it was . . . the Devourer of Souls."

Then, he took off his hood, and my eyes grew wide in horror.

"And I'm the one who'd created the power that now you have in your body."

The figure didn't have a head. Instead, dark and red flames were flaring up where a human's head should've been.

"You're the one who'd created that magical orb?!" I asked him in disbelief.

"Yes," he answered, "and I'm here to warn you."

"Warn me about what?"

I felt his eyes staring straight into my eyes, even though he didn't have any eyes. "Have you ever heard about the Rune Wars?"

I thought for a moment.

I think I'd heard several stories about those wars . . .

Then I remembered.

"Rune Wars was . . . umm . . . the war when magicians used the World Runes against each other for . . . power and it ravaged the landscapes of Runeterra, right?"

He nodded. "Because of the Rune Wars, I lost my lover."

He was quiet for a moment, as if he was thinking a painful memory.

"Umm . . . I'm sorry to hear that," I said tentatively.

"She and many were killed by one of the mages who owned a World Rune when he fought and won against another mage that owned another World Rune . . . and I'd decided to create something much more powerful than the World Runes themselves to avenge my lover's death."

Then, he leaned closer to me, making my skin feel the heat of the flames. "Do you know that hatred could devour . . . anything? Even the gods themselves?"

I shook my head while sweat trickled down my spine.

"Well," he floated backwards, the burning feeling now gone from my skin. "I'd decided to use hatred to get my revenge."

He turned around and looked out at the endless dark space like a person who was staring out at the vast ocean of nothingness. "I could use magic back then. So, I'd created the magical orb that consumed the life essence of dead creatures filled with hatred."

"So . . . basically . . . it consumes angry souls?"

He nodded (yes, the flaring flames nodded). "I'd to make it consume them at night to not get caught by that mage. Night after night, I'd let it consume the hatred-filled life essence while walking across the ravaged landscape made by the two mages with the World Runes. It was easy, because everyone's life essence was filled with hatred. The hatred against the murders that'd caused their deaths. Even the animals had hatred in their life essence. When the orb had gained enough power, I challenged the mage."