Power spread from my belly to the tips of my arms, and indescribable arrogance arose within me. I felt like nothing, not death, not pain, not gods nor demons could touch me. I felt as if all the world were at my feet...for a second.

Then I was left with nothing but the cold emptiness of my soul.

I shivered, and tried to hug myself to keep the chill away, but it was to no avail. The closer I hugged myself, the colder I grew, and the more empty I felt. The orb I had eaten just seconds ago was gone, it had left without a trace.

'heh, just my luck...but, I can't really blame the orb. I'd leave me too, if I had the chance...'

Time ticked by, and the chill neither grew nor shrunk. I moved to the edge of my limit, trying to see if I could maybe get closer to one of the other spheres and get just a little warmth, for just a second...

But, they were far out of reach. I held my non-physical hand up to my limit, to try and reach through--my hand passed through the limit. I quickly pulled my hand back, and froze. The chill within seemed to pulse, and i grew afraid.

'What is this... just a few moments ago, this felt like a stone wall...but now...'

I held my hand out once more, and pushed it out of the limit. As I felt at the wall, I encountered something, but instead of feeling like a wall, it instead felt like a thick honey. With effort, I pushed through the limit and took a step outside of the limit. It felt like walking underwater, even though I was floating, (and dead) but I didn't feel like I was getting tired. I guess that was one of the advantages of being dead...right! Look on the bright-side, that was what my father had always said! Right up until he was lying in his deathbed, at that time he started screaming, and swearing at my mother and me...apparently, he had been cheating on my mother with the waitress at the inn... Then my mother started yelling back, and told my father about how she had been 'doing it' with the blacksmith...

Right! Bright-side!

...But what is there that is bright?

I started to feel less pressure from the honey-like air, and could move faster, my target: A grouping of seven orbs, one of which was a big as two fists put together!

While doing this, I made sure to stay as far away from the bone totems as I could. They weren't only disgusting, but they also made me want to throw up the closer I got to them. As my mind wandered in the direction of the totems, I felt a disturbance...like that feeling I had when the bear woke up.

'I'd better move quickly... don't want to waste time, even though I'm dead, so I have all the time in the world...'

...When I got close to the grouping of orbs, I saw that I had arrived a hut twice as big as the others. Inside, I heard snores...well, not really heard so much as felt the vibrations of the air made by the exhalation of the living bodies inside.

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'huh, since when did I think in terms of "vibrations" and "exhalation" anyway? And why did my head classify them as "living" in the first place?'

Still, the chill within was growing colder by the second, and the warmth of those orbs of light was tantalizingly close...

'I can't wait any longer.'

I held my hand up to the wall, to see if I could push it down, when my hand simply passed through it.

...

'Well, that's conviennent.'

Floating through the wall, the first thing I noticed was how dark it was, and how well I could see. Every detail of the sleeping bodies was sharp and focused, and I could even feel the beats of their hearts. But, hearts were not what I had come for. At least, not today.

'where did that thought... anyway, how do I take the orbs? With that first guy, I just sort of pulled and it popped out... will that work again?'

I reached toward the smallest one, which was in the chest of a small boy around ten, but stopped when I "touched" his chest. 'I didn't think of that...since the orbs are hiding inside of the people, will I still be able to take them?'

I gently reach inside of the boys chest, and he seems to take a deep breath, but I whisper in his ear and he calms down. Once he is settled, and the gentle snuffling of his breathing is once again smooth and even, I push further and grab ahold of the orb.

His heart starts to beat faster, and I lightly pat his head (even though I can't really "touch" anything) which seems to calm him down. This orb seems to be resisting me...honestly, why did this orb have to hide in a little boy? That's just dirty.

I pulled, slowly increasing my pressure, calming the boy at intervals until-

with a 'POP' the orb came out. Smiling, I once again hold the warm orb in my hands, cherishing the sweet heat. Ignoring the fact the little boy had stopped breathing.

'So nice...'

But, just like the first one, this orb turned purple and cold within seconds. Frowning in displeasure, I crush the resistance out of it, and stuff it down my throat.

'Why do they resist? And why do they hide in people?'

Then, my body froze, and I heard a voice behind me. It was wizened and frail, but somehow pulsed with power.

"Well, well, well, what do we have here?"

I slowly turn around, and see a small man in a loincloth, holding a staff with an animal skull on top, hanging with ribbons.

The old man had a triumphant smile on his face, like he was scolding a naughty child.

"A brand new undead has developed a taste for humans souls, has he? Kukukukuku...

We can't have you killing my tribe, can we?"