I have seen it all.

  Every world is a flawless replica of one another. Even if the fates of each living may be slightly born different after numerous iterations, they all are bound to end at the same path-- each immaculately woven by destiny itself. No amount of detour will change one's fate.

  Yet.

  These threads of life, no matter how much entangled they may seem, their lines will always end up towards the point of origin.

  Life and Death.

  Beginning and End.

  Alpha and Omega.

  As old threads snap, new ones are naturally born from each of them to continue the endless journey. The perfect Ouroboros tuck in a pocket universe, replicating itself tirelessly away from the devious outer Celestials.

  This repetitive loop, of course after countless cycles, slowly bore fruit to something evil born from the malicious intents and emotions accumulated through untold millennia. A malignant Entity that flooded the Void with beings that weren't supposed to be part of existence. Not contented, the Entity vied to defile the entire creation by enveloping the whole parallel world to darkness, making it possible for the Void beings to thrive and spread the entity's grasp for destruction.

  The Overseer, the sole creator and keeper of the cosmic realm--omnipotent as He is, was too late to act due to the Entity carefully hiding and slipping in and out from the Void cracks, waiting patiently before baring its full fang at Him.

  As infinite worlds succumbed to darkness beyond comprehension, the Overseer desperately gave up His celestial soul, separating it to twelve mythical beings who once dominated the Primordial Era, imparting untold powers to the selected remaining survivors that have the potential to defy destiny. He wished that the chosen ones would push humanity to evolve further and fight the encroaching darkness. Though, unbeknownst to Him, the shrewd Entity also gave part of its own wicked soul to tarnish the so-called Emissaries of Light to become Bringers of Doom, mind and body, now torn between good and evil, coexisting yet also repelling one another.

  Before perishing and fading to cosmic dust, the Overseer used all His mana to teleport every living He could mustered to the origin point, where the first earth existed. Enveloping it with His undying will, the blessed world persisted against the cold embrace from the Void.

  But it won't last long.

  As darkness grows stronger, it will eventually break the thin shell protecting the world against it, like a balloon popping from a single pointy needle. And then the remaining survivors will be entirely overrun by incarnations of nightmares, ending the cycle once and for all.

  Aghhh!!

  I jolted from my deep slumber, visibly gasping for some air after being submerged far too long in the cavern stream. My foggy mind is still unsure if I was having a nightmare or a glimpse of history. The vivid dream might be the key to what's happening now in this entire universe.

  Helping myself to stand up again, I carefully looked at the pulsing pair of gauntlets resting within my arms. The intricate designs became more vicious and wicked. My fingers are now armed with sharpened plated talons that can be retracted at will. A pair of three slit eyes which are still closed, each rested atop my hands.

  "Mhm.."

  "What's that?!" Startled by a noise within my vicinity, I hastily turned my head, straining my ears to discern where the sound came from.

  "I... am.. hun--gry.." incoherent words coming from a raspy male voice.

  Still unsure where it came from, a sudden tingling sensation from my arms turned into an undescribable pain like I'm being bitten wildly by rows of tiny razored-sharp teeth. My blood continually drips below the cold rushing water. Trying my hardest to forcefully detach the amok being from my arms, yet couldn't do it as the black tentacles already wrapped itself tightly. Its sleepy eyes opened and gleamed with pure red full of sinister intentions, looking directly at me. My gauntlet became a living thing, no--it mutated more akin to beings from the Void.

  Not content with my blood, it tried to eat the flesh underneath my skin.

  Ting!

  [You have taken 20 hp damage]

  But.

  "I had enough!!"

  With a swift knuckle slam followed by countless punches landing on the hard rocky floor that shook its entirety and leaving a big crater now filled with water, the pain from my arms subsided subsequently.

  Kneeling at the center, water slowly rose up to chin deep, washing away the blood stains as my wounds healed. Raising my trembling arms, the once wicked glare turned into a subservient gaze.

  This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

  "You! What are you?!" I asked in a commanding voice, imposing my dominance.

  "I... am... your weapon... made alive through... consuming boundless... flesh, blood and soul. My deepest apology... for my recent behavior... my Lord. I was... consumed by... hunger too maddening... to... ignore." It replied in a docile tone with its slit-like mouth under my palm, its slithered eyes looking for mercy.

  "If you just asked nicely beforehand, then maybe I could have fed you my flesh and blood willingly." I whispered nonchalantly.

  "Re...ally?" The thing replied with a hint of enthusiasm.

  "But now, meh... I don't feel like it." I coldly affirmed, watching the thing tremble slightly as my red eyes glared upon it.

  "What's up with the way you talk anyway?" I asked curiously, trying to ease the tension building.

  "My Lord... this is because.. I exhausted my energy during... the upgrading process... Making my evolution.. somewhat incomplete. If I consume... enough materials, I will.. surely be complete." It said slowly, closing its eyes again while drifting in and out of sleep.

  Glancing upon the bloated carcass of my mother lying at the ground near me, I walked over closer to do the deed, even though my inner self is against it. Touching the dead meat with both of my palms, each slit opened widely, revealing rows of sharp teeth neatly aligned with one another. My fingers--having a mind of its own, elongates as long as it can before digging its claws so deep and tearing voraciously the body to small pieces.

  My voracious weapon consumed as much as it can, leaving nothing but bones. Now fully fed, a notification popped out confirming my speculation. The evolution is completed, it did not add any stats to my weapon but rather unlocked its potential to hold a soul. Earlier, it couldn't talk more fluidly due to the fact that its soul was not fully materialized inside. And now, this thing has a perfect twin sphere soul retaining no prior memories, born through countless souls being wantonly consumed and compressed.

  With this, I now have three soul cores inside my body. One primary core that represents my soul located inside my heart, and two secondary cores that sustain the consciousness of my weapon, residing within my hands.

  [Evolution Completed]

  [You can only rename your weapon once.]

  "Name... I'm used to calling it Tiny Terror.. hmm." Contemplating, I immediately recalled my furry friend--a black puppy, given by my father when I celebrated my 5th birthday.

  "Hunter... come forth."

  Sheeeeerwk!!

  Black threads tangling and intertwining burrowing the cores, forming into flesh gauntlets that rapidly hardened like plated steel with its color turning to dark shimmering red. Its previously wilder design became tamed, now more majestic-looking. It still retained its sharp claws, yet more refined and less ragged. The gauntlets vaguely emit interwaves, interlinking both of our consciousness.

  ["My Lord."] A faint voice of a feisty kid echoed inside my head, coming from my company.

  "Hunter, from now on you can only feast with my permission. As long as you do your job and follow my rules, I'll make sure that you won't be hungry. Break my trust and I won't hesitate to feed you into my forge as a scrap goods. Understood?" Declaring my intentions clearly, the gauntlet trembled again ever so slightly.

  ["Ye.. yes, my Lord."] It replied, somewhat agreeing with my terms.

  "Good. Anyways, why do you keep calling me 'my Lord'?" I skeptically asked, finding it off.

  ["Because you are my creator and it is my duty to uphold my Lord with high respect."] It gleefully replied.

  "Then why not call me 'father' instead coz I made you?" I interjected.

  ["It seems rude for me to call you my father.. but if you insist... I'll be honored!"] Its tone rose with expectation. That anticipation got immediately toppled down when I rejected the notion.

  Since I can now shoot black webs and stick to the walls, it was easy for me to get myself out of that cavern. I already scanned the entire area below with my interwave and concluded that there are no pathways beneath and within the massive marbled room, other than climbing up to the gaping hole in the ceiling.

  With the mother's head tightly clenched in one hand, I scaled the steep hole without breaking a sweat. Launching myself upward, slinging back and then sticking on protruding rocks until finally emerging above.

  The opening is somehow connected inside the same dense forest, giant wicked trees enveloping the terrain. Nearby, a waterfall can be heard rushing down giving life to a crystal clear pond where I headed to clean myself, after burying the remains of my mother first.

  "I'll avenge you... Mom." I said firmly after ending my prayers.

  Covered with sticky bloodstains and slimes from rock algae, I jumped without hesitation, diving myself to the cold water, clearing my mind and body.

  Now refreshed, I recounted the memories I uncovered from the soul core of my mother--or technically speaking, the replica of her in this world. After consuming her soul, I found out that she was not the one I sought, which brought a huge relief to my conscience. But at the same time, I have to track down my other self to avenge her. Luckily, I don't have to rip spaces just to find him as I can feel his crushing pressure and imminent hostility on top of a visible high tower looming beyond the far south.

  Also, from what I deduced earlier, the fragmented memories of the celestial being and that vile entity might have been a residual effect from feeding the black goo sticking to her chest to my weapon.

  "I have been wondering all along the purpose of my Morality stats, piece by piece, I came to understand that it represents my mental physiology being torn between the remnant souls of two extremities." I concluded.

  As light and darkness collide into one, this unprecedented event gave birth to beings siding none--Emissary of Light? Bringer of Doom?

  No.

  We became the Emissaries of Doom!

  Neither born good nor evil. Yet, with how I preserved my memories before becoming one--I presumed the other chosen ones kept their consciousness and moral values intact too.

  In short, there's no way to ascertain whether the rest of my fellow emissaries will even help humanity or just bring them to destruction. Also, that strange voice that made the system by itself.

  Is he an ally.. or an enemy?

  "I must exercise caution from now on." I mumbled, dipping my head once again, learning that I can't trust anyone other than myself and my companion.

  "Hey, do you have some idea or knowledge about these gods and demons lurking beyond the universe?" I asked casually while my buddy was hiding and sipping water in my palm.

  ["Unfortunately... As I was born just a moment ago, I don't have sufficient information to process. I need to consume more beings from the Void.. preferably strong ones.. I'll send you every memory shell I decipher without fail, my Lord."] It replied immediately to console me.

  "Okay then! Now that I'm freshened up, let's go hunting!" I vigorously claimed, making my weapon wriggled in delight.

  Badly wanting to get my revenge on those three who battered me to death when I was just searching for my solace, and that vicious aberrant with multiple arms who instilled fear when I was weak, I roared loudly, blasting the slumbering silence. My bellowing voice travelled far and wide, followed by surges of interwaves--mapping almost the entire area and keeping tabs of every detectable movement.

  "There you are.." I whispered--wicked smile painted my face, running straight towards those familiar aberrants, each rushing to my proximity.

  Bumping first with the faceless humanoid that got torn in half and consumed by my weapon at breakneck speed before it could even react in time, it gave me confidence that I can definitely kill the remaining ones effortlessly. Without waiting for too long, both the bulky monster fuming with rage and the headless one with bladed limbs now completely serrated, have found their way in front of me.

  "You twerps better be prepared!" I maniacally said, eyes burning with hatred.

  I immediately dashed and engaged both of them in a one-sided slaughter, with the two now trying to run from me. Unfortunately for them, my speed even outmatched their pacing by ten fold without me sweating. Blood spraying, bones cracking and flesh flailing, the terrain is my canvas--butchered left and right, their freshly ripped bodies lay down on the ground rigorously eaten by my weapon, regenerating my health back and earning me 100 experience points each.

  "Lastly, the main course." I chuckled, trying to hide my arching smile, eyes glowing with sinister madness.

  I already found it prowling behind the trees during the slaughtering of these poor sods. Having an inkling of my strength, the aberrant seems hesitant to go near me with its pack, around 30 weaker sods, tuck-tailed and rallying behind it.

  "If you don't want to come, then I don't mind going in first!" I blurted loudly, now running straight towards the quivering lot.

  Blitzing my way forward, each step leaving a splitting footprint--speed rivaling a sports car, I ended up ramming all of the monsters within my path, shredding them to pieces on impact. Few have survived, mindlessly waiting for the order from their leader.

  Sadly for them, their leader's severed head is being juggled up and down between my hands before it got consumed completely. These monsters couldn't comprehend what was happening or do they even have the capacity to do so?

  Anyways, I cleaned up the rest and was glad that it all ended fast as expected. With my current stats, the previous monsters don't even stand a chance. My buddy Hunter is enjoying its meal, while I collect the rest including their cores to upgrade it as much as I could before setting out towards the south.

  "You just wait there, I'll come for you." I declared, mopping the scene and carrying my steps straight into the abyss.

  The night is dark.

  And I am its sole Herald.