“What do you want?”

A growl escaped my throat as I rose to my feet and glared at the people I loved. I hated them just as I hated everything, and it was time to do something about it.

No.

This is not what I am. This is not who I am.

They are not responsible for my feelings, and they have done me no harm!

I took a deep deep breath and recentered myself. I reexamined my body and my mind. My hearts pumped a steady rhythm, and one of them worked extra hard to refill the capacity of my blood that had been depleted. My flesh was stronger now, it held more power, it was cursed. There was a weight on my back as a massive mass of sheer wing unfolded.

I flapped them once, twice, and then thrice. I laughed as the winds responded and blew all around the enclosed area, spinning dust around. For but a moment, the endless rage was forgotten.

[Congratulations! During the process of evolution, the curse of menace had become integrated into your body and soul.]

[You have obtained a new Soul Feat: Progenitor II!]

[Progenitor 2: Gives you two additional free choice Mutations.]

[You have obtained a new Soul Feat: Demon Progenitor!]

[Demon Progenitor: Gives you one free choice Mutation. This Mutation will become part of the Demon lineage. The Mutation will start at Level 10.]

[You have obtained a new Soul Feat: Demon Harbinger!]

[Demon Harbinger: You are the harbinger of demons. From you, a new web of existence will emerge. Your soul yearns to be a demon, allowing you greater success in evolving your species so long as your species remains in the strain of demons. New Mutations that you obtain will start at half of your general level. You gain the ability to further customize them based on their new starting level.]

That answered some questions, but not enough of them. Not the important ones. I opened up my Status Screen, skipped all the additional notifications, and pulled up that which I thought was the cause of this endless burning anger for all that ever existed and will ever exist. Even their deaths, even their ends, will never be enough. I was fucking mad and I needed a poor pitiable target to vent it all on.

[Wrath Heart - The heart of a being that knows only hate. Pumps wrath mana into your blood.]

And I was right about my assumptions. That explained my behavior, my feelings, it explained everything. My menace heart had changed, it had evolved into a wrath heart, and it was far more intense than it had ever been before.

That was a problem. A big one. But this was not the first time I had to deal with a change like this. No longer was I a naive imp, but I was now a demon who would rage and war against all of existence until either one of us yields!

…Oookay. Maybe I wasn’t in full control just yet. But, it should be easier this time. I just needed time.

“Hey Mom, Moonwash,” I smiled, and found it to be a genuine one already. “Just like last time. I think I’ll need some space.”

I glared at all the people gathered here as my wings flared up to their full and imposing size. For one crucial second, I felt an urge to pour mana into my eyes and turn my stare into something more sinister– but I didn’t. I knew who I was, and I would not break those that I loved.

…Not that I would have won under these conditions. And that weakness made me loathe both myself and them.

They all wished me well and climbed back out of the basement, leaving me alone in an empty space where only the remnants of the prior ritual remained. The artworks created were entirely gone, the plants had sagged and basins of water had gone stale. It was dark, for even the ring of hellfire had been extinguished. I wondered how much of that was a function of the ritual, and what was merely an aftereffect.

Alone, in this large and empty room, I took the time to sit down and just breathe. The world disappeared as my eyelids closed, and so too did my wings disappear into my back. I was safe here, and I was at peace.

And I hate that peace. I want to rip it apart!

The rage remained. It pierced through my eyelids even when closed. My wings sought to break free of their confines and soar.

There was no one here but me. There was no one that could even be an enemy. And yet I still wished to destroy.

It was easy to see how a lesser person could lose themself to the hate.

But I had changed. I was stronger now. Unlike the last time this happened, I didn’t even try to attack anyone. I will not lose to a mere set of new instincts!

“...instincts!”

Before I knew it, I had been shouting. Blushing, but not blushing, I sat back down and got my anger under control.

…No, that was wrong. I lived with it, I accepted it, I took in that rage and subsumed it. It was a part of me now, but it was only one of many. It would not define me.

Now enough of that sappy shit. It’s time to look at my fucking gains!

“...fucking gains!” I growled out, and the sound was nasally and absolutely appalled. I really needed to stop doing that.

[Menace Heart has evolved into Wrath Heart!]

[Demon Eyes have evolved into Evil Eyes]

[Mana-infused Blood can now hold multiple types of mana.]

[You have obtained the Mutation: Demon Wings]

[The rest of your existing Mutations have been significantly improved!]

I looked at the rest of my notifications, and found that only three of my Mutations have really changed. After all the work I put into gathering all those materials, that was all I had to show for it! SO WHY THE FUCK DID I EVER BOTHER!?

Crack!

My hand had slammed into the floor without thinking, and it produced a stronger impact than I intended. The packed stone had cracked, and a stream of red flowed from my equally red skin. The wound throbbed, my hearts pounded in panic, and so did my body tense and coil in preparation for battle. The pain was so little, it should not be enough to even cause me to wince, but it only added fuel to the hate and my desire to lash out at everything around me. Rage, rage, RAGE!

I breathed. I forced myself to remain still and do nothing.

I recognized the outburst for what it was, I’d seen it many times before. I wasn’t above venting my anger on inanimate objects myself, but I did not want to be the type of person who does that without thought. I loved my power, but I would not become a slave to it. I am in control.

I shook my hand and wiped the blood off my knuckles. I willed my wings to disappear once more into my back after I had unfurled them earlier on reflex. My shirt was torn and straining from how much I’d grown just in the past… few minutes? My hand visibly regrew, and I watched it happen in sheer fascination for however long it took.

I had succeeded in my main goal. Maybe I did not get everything that I wanted, but I had also gotten some new gifts that I didn’t even know I would get. And the most important thing had definitely been fulfilled, for no longer did the system call me a lowly imp, but I was now classified as a proper demon. I had successfully evolved twice now, when once was already supposed to be a miracle!

The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

“Wooooo!!” I celebrated as I got up. I ran around and did a few laps, already noticing how much faster I was. Every movement was new and different, they carried a force unlike before. I’d gotten stronger, I'd gotten bigger, and I couldn’t wait to explore more of what my newly improved body had to offer! I even had wings, and… they can just disappear or be absorbed into my back? That was nice! I wouldn’t have been able to act as an adventurer if there was something that obvious that marked me as something entirely new and wonderful.

I’d explore more about that later, but for now it was time to rage! In the good way!

I moved my body, I did some exercises, I punched the air that had remained stale. I pushed my wings to their full span. I flapped them once, I flapped them hard, I strained and felt the weird feeling of simply moving my new limbs. I was at best able to glide through the air for longer if I jumped very high.

I landed back on the ground frowning, scowling. I was immediately distracted by the feeling of my weight. My body had grown more dense once again, the sheer momentum of every motion was just different. It did come with better reflexes, but I could very easily wreak some havoc if I wasn’t careful.

Crack!

I struck a tree just to see how much havoc that was, and the wooden bark splintered from the sheer force of my punch. The rage came almost before anything else, but I had known that it was coming, so I was able to adapt. The trunk shook, its sagging leaves fell, and I took a deep breath as the pain in my hand radiated outwards as it healed. I could just imagine what it would feel like to turn all this power into an unsuspecting enemy. I wanted to utterly demolish them, I didn’t wish to ever stop!

I responsibly indulged in my wrath for a short while longer.

_________________

Name: Haell Zharignan

Species: Demon

—Mutations—

Wrath Heart: Level 20

Demon Brain: Level 20

Demon Skin: Level 20

Evil Eyes: Level 20

Demon Flesh / Demon Bones / Demonic Musculature(synced) : (All) Level 20

Demonic Hands: Level 20

Demonic Hooves: Level 20

Hyperdemon Gland: Level 20

Demon Horns: Level 20

Mana-infused Blood: Level 20

Regen Heart: Level 20

Demon Wings: Level 20

—Soul Feats—

Reincarnator

Progenitor

Imp Progenitor

Progenitor II

Demon Progenitor

Demon Harbinger

_________________

That’s a whole load of new Soul Feats. I already knew what they did, and I was so happy for the extra Free Choice Mutation that I got. I wasn't even sure that I could get progenitor again, let alone a better version! So that was very nice.

Demon Harbinger was amazing. Getting to skip 10 levels for my free choice Mutations, and get even better customization was insanely good! The part about being able to evolve my species easier was unclear, but I was sure it could only help. I was already a demon, but I would absolutely love to become say a Demon Lord or a Demon Queen. That would be amazing.

I looked at my new or altered Mutations next.

[Demon Wings - Wings that are able to carry your demonic body by itself once charged. Can be extradimensionally hidden. Can be recharged while hidden.]

I revealed my wings once more, and I shivered as I made it twitch here and that. I had a new set of limbs, and it felt weird once I was actually paying attention to them! The surface area was larger, the thin membrane caught the breeze, and that made me shiver now that I had other things on my mind other than the rage.

Not that it was gone. It was still here, forevermore. Like a good friend, someone who would stay with you through the thick, and the thin.

Hello anger. Make yourself comfortable, because this is a ride that will never end!

[Evil Eyes - Your gaze will intimidate and break the will of your foes. This effect may be altered or enhanced by channeling mana into your eyes.]

I raised an eyebrow–an evil eyebrow–at that description. It no longer had demon in the name, which was inconsequential and irrelevant, but it did annoy me, just a little. And then that little annoyance turned into a burning rage, for I was a demon but it was not up to this stupid system or my soul to label me as good or evil! My morality was my own.

But that didn’t matter. I liked the substance of the change, and I was sure it was still a demonic sort of Mutation, and my species still called me a demon. So it’s fine.

I was truly excited to test out what this Mutation could do later.

[Mana-infused Blood - Blood that is able to hold and store 2 types of mana.]

It was a very small change to the description, but something that meant a whole world of a difference. The storage capability of my blood was vast, and even if it didn’t compare to a repository for how much it could store in terms of volume, there was just so much more of it. Having another element was certainly useful, even if that same storage had to be shared between the 2 types of mana. My blood’s overall capacity hadn’t even risen by much despite its evolution because of how it had been specialized in a different way, but I believed that this was still very much worth it.

Now all I had to do was pick a strong element. A properly demonic one.

I can’t wait!

[Wrath Heart - The heart of a being that knows only hate. Pumps wrath mana into your blood.]

I brought this one up again, just to round things out. I’d looked at it earlier, but I hadn’t really looked at it. To know not just what could be found in the description, but to understand the mana that shall suffuse my blood anew.

It filled my blood with every pump of the wrathful heart, and I had stockpiled enough to experiment with now. It wasn’t a series of horrible horrible thoughts like my menace mana was, but instead a single overwhelming emotion. It was easier to keep track of in some ways, but that did not make it better. Emotions, anger, could cause some very serious and dangerous mistakes if mishandled.

I poked it. I took a metaphorical finger and poked the wrath mana.

“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGHHHHH!!!”

I screamed as the wrath intensified and all I wished to ever do was to kill and destroy whatever was in front of me. I recalled how in that haze a silent dining table, and the suffocating conflict that waged unseen. I remembered how I’d died, and just what sort of new world and society I had been reborn in. Life had already proven itself to be unworthy, two times over. It was deserving of my rage, and I shall no longer hold back!

A resounding crash echoed throughout the enclosed space, and it took a few moments too many to register that I had broken my hand again. The wall that I attacked shook, and cracks spiderwebbed through a large area, but it was still standing. I was the one who was hurt, I was the one who was bleeding, and my bones were fucking broken. THIS CANNOT STAND!

CRACK!

My hoof crashed into the same wall with all of the vitriol that I held. The shock and pain of the action vibrated through my bones and stung across my flesh, but I could only grin evilly at the large pieces of stone that had began to fall apart. A jubilant growl rumbled out of my throat as I prepared to finish the job, then the rest of this basement, and then beyond!

A cloud of dust dared to blow into my face before I could make good on my threat, and it flowed towards me in the most irritating manner. It was not painful, it could hardly obstruct my vision, but I still fucking hated it! I snarled in indignation, I swatted it away with all of my fury, only for just a little bit to be left behind every time. It coiled through my every moment, it stuck to my skin, it grated at my mind to no end. It was utterly maddening and I could only scream!

“AAAAAAAAAAAaaAaAaaaAAaAAaAaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhh!!??”

What the fuck am I doing!?

I realized then, finally, just how silly I was being. I was still angry, I was still mad... but why the fuck was I furious with an inanimate fucking wall!?

That was fucking stupid.

I was fucking stupid.

I loathed myself in that moment, and I clutched at my head and screamed.

"Hey, Haell!”

"Are you okay?"

My parents climbed down the stairs, and then they paused upon seeing me panting and hunched over. I glared back at them and growled.

"WHAT!?"

I immediately regretted my outburst the moment I said it.

"No, wait! Sorry! Wrath heart! ARGH!" I slammed a fist into the wall once more. My dad frowned in worry, while my mom only gave a comforting smile.

"It's okay, Haell. We understand."

"Yes…" He turned to me. "But are you sure you should be--"

"Rallem," my mother patted Dad's arm. "She's already made her decision."

"I... you're right." He sighed. "We can only support her, I know. I'm just worried, that's all."

I scratched my head, now feeling just a little bit smaller despite my recent increase in stature. "Ah, sorry Dad. It's not your fault. I get it. But you know how I was last time! This'll pass. It's just part of evolving."

"I don't think it's part of all evolutions... but it's certainly part of yours. Fight on, Haell."

"Yeah. I know you can do it! You didn't even attack anyone this time!"

"Hey that's what I said!" I waved them goodbye as they disappeared back up into the stairs leading out of the basement. “Thanks Mom. Thanks Dad.”

“Of course! Great minds think alike!”

“Not a problem. Talk to us anytime.”

My lips quivered, and I allowed a few happy tears to fall once I was left alone.

They truly were the best, and I would not let something so silly as my newfound temper tear us apart.