The constant feeding of shadows sated my hunger just enough that my mind swirled. Memories were hard to recall but the pain of being burned for so long by the fire imps stayed fresh as I looked around as the land had changed. I saw movement from the top of the sand as the tendrils moved under the sand. On the ceiling, tendrils reached down and tried to grab those on the ground and drag those they caught up to the ceiling to eat. Sometimes those that were captured would manage to eat the tendril and fall back to the ground. The land closer to me was a bit quieter but I felt the shadow tendrils were far stronger than those further out, they probably slowed down when they didn’t have enough food to feed their hunger like me. I looked at myself and saw that the sand that once covered me had melted and changed. A hole filled with black liquid that would bubble and release fumes. It released energy similar to mine and was so nice to stay in.

I stayed in the pool watching all the shadows squirming and eating each other. I was tempted to eat them all but I couldn’t get the will to do so. Some of the stronger shadows eventually moved closer to me and I absorbed them once they reached the pool. As the shadow was absorbed more sand melted very slowly growing the pool. Eating imps was different than absorbing shadows, imps struggled and fought but the shadows seemed to fade away when I ate them. I watched them all as suddenly a light appeared and covered everything as a pillar of fire rose high. The shadows in the sand swam toward and around me as those on the ceiling joined above me. The light from the flames blinded me as heat flowed out, but I remained where I was. As the heat reached me I tasted the hate of so many imps as images of the land of fire from before filled my mind. I reached out and absorbed more heat and anger as parts of me left the pool and entered the air.

Those parts continued to absorb the heat creating a wall of heat and blocking the light that came with it. Next to the pillar of fire, I saw a massive group of imps with the fire imps and the other 2 demons in front of the group facing me. They moved their mouths and I floated a small piece over to them. “Your fire no longer hurt us. You will not call this place home.” I say through the piece as the four reacted differently. The fire imps yelled and radiated rage as the clothed demon radiated joy. The plated demon radiated nothing before looking at the fire imps. “Deal with this.” The plated demon says as it turns to look at the piece of me as the fire imps quickly burn the small piece of me. It quickly fades as a large piece of me rises from the pool and dips into the sand swimming to the imps. I absorb any shadows I touch on the way as the fire imps charge in. The ground imp charges and the flying imp takes to the sky but as it reaches higher I finally manage to think of a way to split them up for good.

More pieces of me rose and entered the fused shadows on the ceiling, instead of absorbing the shadows like normal the pieces got absorbed instead but the fused shadows moved toward the imps. I feel some of myself in the shadows but I don’t have complete control as the shadows got closer to the fire imps the harder it was to push them to get closer so I sent more pieces to harass the flying imp dimming the light of flames. This made it easier to move the shadows. Before the ground imp could help the flying imp the large piece of me finally reached it charging out the sand and diving into the imp. The ground imp was different though, one of its arms was smaller than the other and as my power invaded its body I found no traces of myself though I saw scars in the bones that all led to the small arm at the shoulder. The small arm had no wounds on the bones, instead, something flowed out like a wave that pushed back my power. This wave pushed me out of its body as flames that were harder to consume burst out.

The flying imp burned away several pieces of me as I harassed it letting the shadows get closer. The imp seems better at seeing my floating parts but it doesn’t matter. Once the shadows were above the imp I fought for complete control as I forced the shadows to drop from the ceiling onto the imp. The shadows writhe as the fire burns them but it is enough to push the flying imp to fall from the ground away from the ground imp. The parts of me in the shadows tried to smother the imp flames as they landed on top of a strong shadow resting in the sand. The shadow feels the imp on top of it and attacks it trying to drag the imp below the sand. The movement stirs other strong shadows that move in feeling the imp’s power. The imp struggled to make fire as it tried to burn the shadows but with each shadow that burned another 2 came to take another piece off the imp.

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As the flying imp was dealt with, I focused more on the ground imp. It was a struggle trying to overpower the imp and snuff out its flames but it flames resisted me just like their body. Before the hate that fueled their flames was aimless and without purpose besides burning but now it seems their flames burned me with hate directed at me. As I tried to eat its hate it burned me even more as the large piece of me shrunk. I’m forced to send more large pieces of me out of the pool and toward the ground imp shrinking the pool. As the first large piece of me shrunk down due to being burned from the inside out the ground imp grabs the piece and shoves it into its mouth. As it swallowed the piece I felt the imp fight for control of my power in the piece. The piece drowned in hate that despised that I ever existed but as I was being pushed out rage boiled in me.

“It's mine. My power, my rage. Your flesh and power were forfeited long ago so just give it to me.” I yelled through the piece as the shadows that made it broke into several smaller slivers that invaded every piece of meat. The slivers burned even faster but the large pieces of me finally reached the imp and rushed into its mouth where those pieces were turned into slivers too. The imp tried to stop the large pieces but was unable to protect its mouth and push away the pieces that tried to drag it around. Soon its body was filled with me as I continued to be burned but no matter what I tried I couldn’t enter the bones. The bones would allow me to hide and fight for control of its body but the meat outside was enough to fight for control. I forced it to keep its mouth open as I moved one leg at a time toward me. The pieces of me continued to enter it as the energy in the imp burned away the slivers that fought for control. Its ribcage and skull held pieces of meat that I couldn’t take over and burned the slivers even faster. Despite that, the imp slowly moved toward the pool as I burned even more power. Some of the stronger shadows stirred as the imp got close but my pieces consumed the shadows that moved toward the imp. ‘They can eat the fly imp but this one is mine.’

The imp finally reached the pool that had shrunk down a lot due to me losing so much of myself to the imp but joy floated in my mind as the imp stood at the edge. The struggle from the imp had grown as it got closer to me but pieces of me had wrapped all over it as most of its power was directed at the slivers that were inside of it but it had run out of time. I forced the imp to fall into the pool as it wrestled against my control and I slowly took pieces away from it. The pool was barely enough to cover the imp's body but the pool slowly grew again as I fed off the imp and kept it at the bottom. It tried to burn me but in here its hate was snuffled out before it could make heat. I’ll take my time with the imp but my mind went to the demons as I looked at the group of imps.

On the way, I looked at the remains of the flying imp. Where the imp was a hole filled with large shadows that were thrashing about. The imp was still alive but only enough to continue to feed the shadows. They should become fat on those and slow so I should be able to eat them afterward. I looked toward the pillar of fire and saw the demons talking. I sent a piece toward them under the sand trying to stay hidden and trying to see if I could destroy the pillar. “- it wasn’t a complete waste. This way when we come back it’ll prove a challenge. It would be too dull if Dra won and we treated this like a normal takeover.” The clothed demon said as the piece of me reached and listened to the demons. “We should destroy it now and be done with it. If we let it get stronger it will eat more of us and what if it finds a way to reach other layers? We’d have an even bigger problem.” The plated demon said as it continued to look in the direction of the pool of me. “More fun for us then. It's either this or have those mortals do as they wish. Why should we spread for them? Let them fail and make this shadow stronger so we may just burn it all. I remember the last shadow we fought, one flame, and the entire layer burned so wonderfully.” “And we lost half of our forces and the lord had to step in to make that flame.” The clothed demon and plated demon continued to speak so I moved toward the pillar.

It allowed me to see the land of fire from the imp memories that I had. Before I could look at it even more though the clothed demon walked over to the pillar. “Make sure to get big and fat for our lord little shadow.” The clothed demon said before walking through the pillar to the other side. The plated demon raised its hand and gathered power. “I give you some power so try to burn those shadows and rescue your fallen imps.” The plated demon said and a wave of power went through the massive group of imps as fire flowed out of them. The plated demon soon stepped through the pillar after the clothed demon and the pillar disappeared. Several imps of different sizes were left behind with fire in their eyes. Some of the smaller imps merely burned away into nothing but the group didn’t shrink at all. There flames were duller compared to the other fire imps so I left them be as I felt the larger shadows start moving to the group. I returned the piece to the pool as my mind slowed as the memories of the ground imp’s life filled my mind. It was amazing as I made sure to keep as much of its form intact. ‘I hope those shadows will leave behind bones so I can make that large pile of bones with this one at the top.’ I thought as my mind became overwhelmed by the memories.