He wandered beyond the city, leaving Lok, his faithful steed, to slumber peacefully in the darkness of humanity’s sin and debauchery. The lazy thing would even enjoy some time off; some great Demon General he was, wanting to do nothing but sleep and eat all day. Still, Lok was a trusted companion, who – begrudgingly – has stayed by Jin’s side ever since he awoke in this world. Leaving him alone for hours, days, weeks, months, and even years has never been a problem; in fact, Lok would happily stay in place forever, doing absolutely nothing, if he could – the damn Sloth Demon.

The bitterness of Takeo’s soul lingered on his tongue, an unpleasant aftertaste that just wouldn’t go away no matter how much he willed it to. For once, Jin felt actual regret; the soul nourished him well enough, but it wasn’t worth the bitterness. Just what was up with the man’s soul for it to taste like it did? On hindsight, eating any of the other criminals would’ve been a far better alternative. Their souls would’ve offered far less nourishment – probably – but they wouldn’t have left the same unwanted taste on his tongue.

The worst part was that his appetite was pretty much dead – for now, at least. Not that Jin was famished; far from it, in fact, considering the immense boost in power and energy granted to him by two new souls in his collection, which was a not so impressive seven. It was still a strange and unwelcome feeling to actively not want to indulge in his favorite activity, his sole reason for existing.

If only old man Gaunter were here; he would know what to do or what to tell him.

Jin drifted across the rice fields and bamboo forests, unseen and unheard; no mortal may perceive him, no human mind or human senses capable of doing so. He traveled for what felt like hours, simply walking at a slow and leisurely pace, unbothered by the trivialities of material space and reality. He walked until high noon, where the sun was at its peak. And then, Jin blinked once and found himself standing at the edge of a tree line, overlooking a massive plot of farmland with equally massive rice paddies that stretched on for several acres. Farmers and other workers toiled in the field as Jin walked forth.

They didn’t notice him of course and he paid no attention to them, seeing as their souls weren’t utterly drenched in misery and pain, and most of them were strangely happy and content with their lot in life. So, while he could draw nourishment from them, he didn’t want to; their souls would probably taste even worse than Takeo’s soul. Hence, Jin held no real interest for them. Even their auras were a little too pleasant.

To the far end of the farm was a massive manor that likely belonged to the owner of the plantation. It was tall and sturdily-built structure, made entirely of hardwood and stone, large enough to house ten or so people. Huh, that reminds me; I still need to find that dagger Takeo was talking about. Now, where the in the heck did I end up?

As he drifted forth, Jin became acutely aware of the smell of guilt, doubt, anguish, regret, and heartbreak. Normally, only anguish would’ve attracted his attention; the other emotions were negative, but were more akin to candy than an actual, filling meal. However, that was not the case here as the emotions that fluttered out of the manor were so hideously powerful and intoxicating that they now smelled absolutely delicious, even for the light snacks that they were. More than that, however, was Jin’s burgeoning curiosity as to the secrets held within the manor. A good snack might just be the key to getting rid of the bitterness on his tongue, Jin realized, and quickly drifted towards the manor, excited at the prospect of another meal.

There were guards standing and patrolling the grounds around the manor, muscled ruffians who could hardly hold a spear correctly, but were likely intimidating enough that prospecting bandits and angry farmers would think twice about trying to raid the manor. Jin passed by them and very easily walked into the manor. The interior was richly decorated, but not quite as luxurious as the homes of nobles and wealthy men who dwelled in the cities. However, the walls and the floor were clean – spotless, in fact. Strangely enough, for such a large home, there were only two people whose presence marked them as the owners – the smell of their souls permeating every area of the house. There was a woman, a very young child, and an old man, who was close to death’s doorstep.

The intoxicatingly sweet emotions were coming from the woman, whose soul was heavily laden by the burden of guilt and regret.

Jin glided up the stairs and entered the woman’s personal chambers, a quaint and simple place that belied her wealth. The lone bed was massive, despite the simplicity of its design; upon it lingered the smell of copulation and libation, and stained by sorrows, which were drowned in futile and hasty pleasure. Jin raised an eyebrow and traced the smells to… most of the guards that patrolled the grounds. There was no accounting for taste, it seemed.

The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

He peered into her soul and gleamed her name, Shinobu, the only-child of one of the richest merchants in the region. She only needed to wait a few more years to inherit her father’s fortune, but… strangely enough, the thirst for wealth and power were the farthest things from Shinobu’s mind. Her soul was untainted by greed, unlike most heirs. No, regret was the one emotion that dominated her soul, which cascaded into guilt, heartbreak, sorrow, and pain.

What is the source of your regret, I wonder?

Shinobu sat in front of her dresser, combing her long, black hair in front of a mirror. Her eyes were red and puffy; she’d clearly been crying.

With a wave of his hand, the woman’s mind dimmed with glamour. Her eyes widened and her shoulders slackened; the comb she’d held onto was dropped on the floor, her hands drooping to her sides. Whatever emotions were on her face disappeared as her features flattened. She breathed in and out, and seemed utterly at peace. Jin chose that moment to appear beside her, though no other would be capable of perceiving his presence. While he could’ve very easily just forced her to answer all his questions or simply rip the information from her mind, a part of him wanted to hear it from her mouth. And, really, he had all the time in the world. “Child, why do you wallow in regret?”

Her blank face twisted into a frown and tears gathered at the edge of her blank eyes. “I betrayed my love and doomed him to die, because I was afraid… because I was a coward… because I was a fool.”

Jin raised an eyebrow. The bitterness in his mouth intensified. “Elaborate.”

“His name was Shimura Takeo,” Jin blinked, his mouth slightly opening in shock as the name of the one whose soul brought bitterness to his mouth was said aloud. And then, it all clicked. “He was a farmer – kind, strong, and determined. We fell in love and swore to marry each other when my father finally died. We kept our love a secret; my father would’ve executed Takeo if he learned of our love. One night, Takeo and I shared wine and made love under the moonlight; father caught us and accused my love of raping me, of breaking my honor.”

Tears streamed from her blank eyes. “Takeo was drunk. I was confused and afraid, and so I ran away and hid my face in shame. He was arrested and sent to the dungeons soon after. I was too afraid… I am a coward. Even as our child grew in my womb, I kept my silence, because I was too afraid. I cannot look at my son, without feeling my heart break. I am filled with nothing but regret.”

Jin stood still, eyes narrowed and darkened as the woman wept and wept and bled her heart out, even through the effects of the glamor. Something stirred within him. Jin wasn’t sure just what it was, but it was a wholly unpleasant emotion that he wasn’t sure he was even capable of feeling. It might’ve been anger, but that wasn’t the word he’d use for it; anger was too weak and too shallow to even describe how he felt.

A pair of chopsticks appeared in his right hand. Jin grasped the pair with both his hands and held them aloft. His power stirred and the world seemed to freeze as he spoke, “You shall find no reprieve from your pain; no pleasure shall ever sate your need. You shall weep tears of vinegar and all the food in the world will bear the taste of dirt and dung. No mirror shall ever again welcome your reflection and all who love you will see you for what you truly are – a cowardly snake. I bound you to the ground, where you shall slither and crawl and weep till the stars expire.”

He snapped the chopsticks into two And the world shuddered.

Not a moment later, the woman's child walked into the room and screamed. "MONSTER! THERE'S A MONSTER IN THE HOUSE!"

The mirror cracked and shattered into a thousand pieces. Jin smiled as a massive, humanoid snake-beast that'd once been the beautiful woman whose name was Shinobu cried out in agony and shock, only for hisses and bestial grunts to come flowing out of her fanged maw. She stood up and fell back down almost immediately, unbalanced by the presence of the long and sinuous tail that extended from her back. At the sight of her frightened child, who looked at her with fear and disdain, the woman's heart broke and she cried. But the vinegar that streamed out her tear ducts made her claw at her own eyes in pain, hissing all the while. She writhed on the floor, fangs spouting venom everywhere. The beautiful kimono she'd once donned lay tattered and ripped on the floor.

The guards rushed up the stairs.

Jin grinned and licked his lips, before walking away. The bitterness on his tongue had disappeared, replaced by a savory sweetness.

A link was borne between him and the woman's soul - for as long as she suffered, and the curse upon her remained intact, she would feed him, no matter the distance between them. Her pain, her anguish, her slow descent into madness, would give him power, filing his collection of souls. More than that, however, cursing her felt good. It felt natural.

Jin chuckled as he walked out of the manor. I should curse people more often.