In the infinite void which stretches behind the infinite universes, connecting and separating them all simultaneously. There stretches the river of souls, a practically infinite path that all souls travel down and up and through. Leaving old lives and entering new bodies, wisps of light drifting in from the abyss to join the ever stretching highway of glittering souls, some big, some small, but all equal in their purpose and immortality.

Until a soul joins the river though the memories stick to the outside like the flesh of a fruit sticks to the seeds. Some souls will wait for their loved ones before moving on, some being their journey to the next life right away. In the end, everyone joins the river, or so it should be. Some souls can bear such a grudge that they will wait for however long, and do whatever they can to satisfy themselves. Souls however, cannot do much on their own, a situation that some entities have realized, and made a business of.

Of course there are those who guard the river making certain it is unhindered, and ensuring that all souls eventually reach it. The reapers, as they are oft known, gather those souls who fall far from the river and become lost in the void. They will make sure that nothing obstructs the river, for though it can't be stopped, it can be slowed. And they will claim the souls of those unfortunate immortals who drift in empty universes, cursed to outlive their very reality.

Then there are the deities, who create new souls, and use old souls alike to create life for their universe. The flow of millions, billions, or trillions of souls from the river but a mere stream which flows from, and back to the void.

And worst of all, there are the devils, those who take advantage of grudge and hate. They sit in the void, hiding from reapers and deities alike, making deals with hateful souls for benefits and costs for both parties as varied and numerous as the devils themselves. Some used as slaves for a time, or as batteries for the energy of the universe, perhaps simply to torment them for a time for their own amusement. Perhaps even to turn them into another devil just for the fun of it.

Here, is where one story ends, and one story starts. With a life ending in hate, misery, and desperation, a tale for later time. Where a devil finds a victim, a contract is formed, and a desperate, unwilling, unwitting servant is made.

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Awareness comes back slowly, like after a long night of fitful sleep, not sure if it's just a continuing nightmare or finally reality reasserting itself. 

Not helping is the fact that everything feels wrong. I know I'm naked but it's doesn't feel uncomfortable, it doesn't feel like much at all really, just the pressure on my back and the feel of the grass, as well as the lack of feeling on my... shall we say bits. opening my eyes reveals the world to be rather dark, though my eyes aren't having much difficulty piercing the black. Not the strangest thing to wake up in the middle of the forest for me, I think, everything's rather foggy. waking up naked as the day I was born is a bit more of an oddity, though I think that day also happens to be today. If what the they told me is true then I'm in another world.

The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

It's a hard concept to grasp for sure, though when I finally get the nerve to inspect myself I find I can't refute the evidence. The only thing to see is smooth, pale flesh. Standing, I see I am also much longer than I used to be, though just as thin, like a human stretched too tall. If I'm naked, I suppose I'm at least not indecent, nothing there for clothes to hide.

The woods are quiet around me, though that is more so a sign of danger than one of safety. Something loud or obvious passed by here, or happened here. Likely my arrival, but better not to leave it to chance. It's all a bit confusing, but if I can find a town, maybe I'm not a monster to whatever civilization has tamed these lands. Maybe I can get some clothes and a bed to sleep in, just live a peaceful life... heh, as if.

The deal I made, and the only thing I remember about it was simple. Revenge on those who wronged me, and in exchange I'll server as many lifetimes as those I take. Simple, effective, brutal, and given this feeling in my heart, unsatisfying. I know what that thing wanted, it's bored, and now I'm it's entertainment. There's nothing fun about peace to it, it took joy in slaughter and battle, so I know what awaits me in the future. I don't even know if what I got was worth it anymore.

But the past is gone and the deal was already made, I just need to serve it and then I can finally rest, so the only option is to move forward.

Now if I remember correctly, people like to settle near water, and water gathers in lower areas. Considering the mountain range looming above me, I turn my sight to looking down into a valley, and cant help but stare in wonder.

There is an ocean of lights spreading out below me, banishing the black and white I see all around me. Bright yellows, reds, pinks, greens, and every color imaginable dancing in a nearly hypnotic ripple, slow and steady they change colors the slightest amounts. If the lights were all, then I may have been able to understand it, but many, many leagues out there stood impossible structures. I have seen the opulent palaces of emperors, the mighty castles of kings, and the enchanting towers of wizards. but never had I seen even a single structure of such height and silent majesty, yet here, there was an entire city of them. Gleaming surfaces cut into straight lines and ponderous curves, with all kinds of architecture represented in each of them, as if every building was competing with the others for attention. The lights reflected from inside and below practically banishing the night into day.

Truly, this must be a true utopia for whatever built it, such a show of might and engineering marvel would surely daunt any would be invaders into cowering and running for the hills, or in this case mountains given the landscape.

I suppose that is my destination then, if they look as I do, then I shall live life in such a magnificent city as to destroy any memory I had of magnificence itself. And if they do not look as I do? well, I know how people react to those who are alien to them...

The edge of the sea of lights is a mere few leagues down, so with a destination in mind, I start my trek.

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In a room miles from the creature that has just arrived in the world, a monitor shows a deep red spot steeped in blue on the edge of the city limits. Only appearing for a moment and then logged and faded into blank space a moment later. Nearly lost amidst the hundreds of gold and blue dots that constantly move around the city, and ignored in favor of the larger crimson spots appearing inside and out the city, a problem for later, for someone to deal with when it really becomes a problem.

After all, the heroes can only kill so many demons, and apprehend so many criminals in a day. In the end, they are only human after all.