In the depths of an eternal abyss, a pair of eyes opened and a purple light broke through the darkness, revealing an ancient beast with obsidian black scales.
Its colossal reptilian body possessed a single pair of torn wings and on its back and its feral face was torn apart by terrible scars that ran from its scales to its flesh and bones.
In the beast's chest, a golden spear was driven into its heart, breaking through its back. From it flowed a purple liquid that burned hot enough to melt steel.
The beast raised its head, and the abyss shuddered as it opened its mouth, letting a powerful, ancient voice escape its lips: "A soul?"
The beast's eyes were fixed on a form of light that was lost between gold and black, writhing painfully as it tried, unsuccessfully, to take on a physical form.
The beast raised one of its claws and supported the soul with it, bringing it close to his face as if holding a tiny ant, studying it carefully.
"You're a long way from where you should be, little one. A long way from anything that could save you from your eternal doom"
The beast proclaimed before closing its eyes again.
Minutes became hours, and hours became days until the beast once again opened its eyes.
The soul was still writhing painfully, slowly losing the strength to fight against the advancing darkness.
"I know your pain..." A faint thread of mana flowed from the beast's claws, falling onto the light form, which, for a brief second, seemed to find peace.
"Perhaps we are the same... corrupt beings banished from existence and condemned to the abyss of eternal darkness."
The beast used the thread of mana to draw the soul closer to his face and let it rest on his snout.
"You hate them, don't you? Those who left you like this, those who deformed your body and condemned you to such a miserable existence..."
The beast spoke, and although the soul was unable to answer, its clear agitation at the question was enough for the transcendental being to understand its feelings and thoughts.
"I've hated too." The beast lowered its colossal head, resting it on a faint veil of mana that seemed to emerge from the confines of that abyss.
Its wounds had already drained much of its strength, and what little remained was barely enough for it to support itself.
"But no more. I've existed in this abyss for eons and eons, so long that your mind wouldn't even be able to understand..."
"I was once a God among those of my race, but today, I'm just a long-forgotten echo among the death of countless stars and planes. A transcendental being lost and denied existence itself."
The beast's gaze flickered with melancholy as it recalled memories of the distant past.
"But time has erased the hatred I felt for those who made me like this. I can barely remember their faces, and I'm sure they're all dead now..."
The beast shook its huge head before continuing:
"Do you think that one day time will erase your hatred too?" it asked, with a touch of cheer in its cold, morbid voice.
It was good to have someone to talk to after so long, even if the only answer she got was a tremor in her light form.
Long seconds passed, and the answers the beast received were confused and inconsistent, as if a baby was trying to explain complex feelings that even it couldn't understand.
"Ah...", the beast made up its mind and sighed, the purple light emanating from its eyes intensifying into a blinding flash, as if a second sun had fallen over that abyss.
The little soul tried to move away, but was soon swallowed up by the light, which grabbed it as if it were taking on a physical form and tore it to pieces.
The beast's eyes didn't even blink as it brought one of its claws up to its jaws and used its sharp teeth to tear at its flesh, which, along with the blood, flowed towards the little soul, forming a humanoid figure.
"I cannot heal the wounds of your soul, but my flesh is enough to heal your lost body," a voice echoed in Ethan's mind, and the blinding light ceased.
For the first time in what seemed like ages, Ethan could look at his own hands, which now seemed different; the marks of his father's torture were no longer there, and his skin was as soft as a baby's.
The memories of his encounter with Alice still exploded in his mind, and the sensation of touching her soft breasts was still vivid.
Although he denied it, he knew full well that he had a complicated relationship of hatred and desire for that woman.
One side of him wanted to kill her, let hatred prevail and make her suffer a miserable death, but the other dreamed of dominating her, exploring that voluptuous body, sinking his hands into her flesh and tasting the sweet honey she could offer.
"Any other mortal in your situation would fall to their knees and beg for their life, but even in my presence, lustful thoughts are the first things that cross your mind?"
The beast's gaze became steely, as if it could clearly see Ethan's every thought.
At that moment, the young man shuddered and his new body tensed under the beast's gaze, his heart almost leaping out of his throat and for a brief moment, he felt nothing but oppressive, absolute terror.
"Hahaha, don't worry, kid. I like that," the beast's gaze softened, and his lips curved into an amused smile.
"W-what are you?" Ethan asked in a trembling voice.
He didn't feel particularly threatened in his soul form, as his reasoning ability was too primitive to understand the true nature of the power emanating from that creature.
However, now that he had regained his human form, he was finally able to contemplate all the terror that creature represented.
Hearing this question, the beast pondered for a few seconds before answering: "My kind have named me Seraphar, and I am the primordial of corruption."