Learning

*

After my descent on this massive ball of energy, I noticed the difficulty that I had faced in feeding was far more intense.

Of all the large masses that housed those little creatures full of the alluring energy, this one had given the most resistance.

In my pursuit of getting rid of Hunger in the different masses, I had also begun to experiment with my newfound body that held many consciousnesses.

I had decided to see which was the most effective way to cure my Hunger. Using my body to feed on them one by one or to create creatures linked to me that would devour the alluring energy on my behalf.

I found the latter to be much better.

It was not that it was more efficient, but it was more satisfying. I wouldn't have to do anything. My creatures would devour the energy and send it back to me while I rested.

The downside was that I had to constantly supply them with energy and in doing so making me feel fatigued. In fatigue came more hunger.

Also, as I only implanted these creatures with small fractions of my body and not my consciousness, they would not give me feedback. I would only gain the energy they devoured.

I found it refreshing nevertheless. I had traversed among the lights for a long time. A chance to be fed while doing nothing was welcomed. And so I adopted this method for conquest.

The little creatures of the large masses would hesitate to attack their own sometimes and some of the creatures I created awakened unique powers that allowed them to easily fight these little creatures and subdue them.

Some fought very hard, forcing me to intervene and some were pitifully weak.

As time went on, I began to sympathise less with these creatures. I needed to live also. My years in the dark were too horrifying and Hunger was always on my case.

On this massive ball that was a lot more lively than most of the ones that I had conquered, the little creatures fought hard.

Some of them had pulsing energy within them that resisted my influence, but once they were killed, the energy would escape from their bodies and only then would I be able to devour it.

The process to feed took too long. I started to get hungrier than usual after some time. These creatures hid and fought viciously.

It was on this large mass that I had discovered how to implant my consciousness into one of the little creatures. It was a hard process, but once it was done, the creature became immensely powerful and I could communicate through it.

I had successfully created one that was far stronger than the others I had created. I was confident that it would do very well.

However, when I sent it to go and retrieve some of that alluring energy for me, it was killed almost instantly.

I had been able to see what it saw and experience what it was doing, and I saw the figure of one of the little creatures standing above a large circular thing that covered where these little creatures hid and then.....

Nothing...

It was as if I was back in the darkness.

I had panicked for a moment but then realised that my creature was dead.

I was frustrated.

I tried creating a new one, but it was extremely difficult. I understood that to bear my consciousness, these creatures had to be very sturdy and most were far from it.

In my rage and hunger, I decided that it was time to do it myself but then a strange phenomenon happened.

My body started to increase in size and something started to appear on it.

It felt familiar and it grew till it almost touched the blue above.

I saw it was grey and the look of it felt both disgusting and beautiful. I had seen, no, felt it somewhere. It was too familiar.

After some time, my body began to grow smaller and then I found myself in a peculiar body.

It wasn't the mass of energy I had been, nor the spherical body with no protruding parts.

It was a form similar to the little creatures here.

Before I could think more about it, one of the stronger creatures that I had made returned. It had things it used to fly in the air.

It dropped down and lay down another one of these little creatures before me.

I had instructed it to bring me some of these powerful little creatures.

This latest one was the sixth.

Unlike the ones with only a little energy within their bodies, these ones were like beacons and they were strong, the pulsing light in them much more vigorous.

I had decided on something.

Ever since I started taking the lives of these creatures, I discovered that I could actually see into their minds. See their thoughts and learn what they knew.

But I had not done that.

The reason was that I knew from the way they walked and interacted that they didn't see the world as I did.

My world was black and white, light and dark. I was not good. I knew that. My actions couldn't possibly be considered beneficial to anyone but me, but at least I knew that it was simple for me. I had to eat.

However, for these creatures, with their complicated tools and actions, I could see that the world they saw and made was not simple at all.

I had been hesitant to reach into their minds and be corrupted by them into turning into something that was not black or white, but grey.

However, now I changed my mind.

The creatures here were strange. I needed to know what they were and where they kept that alluring energy they used. It was time for a change. I wasn't making much progress anyway.

I had to reach into their minds.

The little creature that had just been delivered to me had been laying on the ground, only starting to rise up now.

It caught a glance at me and started to walk backwards with an expression of disgust on its face.

Was I repulsive?

The way it looked at me showed only hate and unwillingness.

It somehow made me angry.

I rushed up to it and grabbed it by its neck.

A string of energy poured from my body and into its body.

The energy inside the little creature resisted very hard. I tried to force my way in, but to no avail.

My energy couldn't do the trick. So I tried something else.

Even with my body changed, I still felt the trillions of consciousnesses within me. I picked one of them and softly tried to make it invade the little creature.

My consciousness manifested as a barely noticeable white string that seamlessly invaded the little creature. It pierced the head leaving no harm to the body and the energy within her did not react.

The string of consciousness went into her mind and greedily began absorbing her thoughts.

I began ....learning.

So this is what I've been missing.

ARGH!

Names.

People.

Planets.

Animals.

Love.

Hatred.

Food.

History.

Earth.

Life.

Power.

I was enlightened.

My mind that felt empty, hungered for more.

This little creature....human.. was called Grace. The concept of names baffled me.

It was interesting.

I saw her life. From her home to her parents, to her school.

She was a lover of animals. As she grew she always nagged her parents to buy her pets. Parrots, dogs, cats and many others.

She never neglected them and always cared for them. When her parents died when she was 10 years of age, she started studying Biology and Veterinary Science.

She learned all she could about animals and their anatomy, creating a business of her own to tend to animals when she was older.

Her love for animals warmed the hearts of her clients and even the animals themselves felt a strong connection to her.

Nothing brought her more joy.

I then learned that these humans called my descent the Apocalypse. I destroyed their lands and loved ones, their hopes and dreams.

I felt the turbulent emotions that Grace had felt when she watched all the animals she had tended to die from either suffocation, burning acid or the unstable gravity.

She had cried, and then I noted that this experience had reminded her of the death of her parents.

Apparently, even though she had always loved animals, when she lost her parents she dove deeper into her study of animals to escape from the pain she felt.

Animals became her family and the one thing that kept her from growing cold.

When she lost that too during the apocalypse, she had almost been driven mad.

Then, the answer I had been searching for surfaced.

Mother Earth.

This planet had a consciousness.

A voice.

A soul.

I finally understood why these people were so strong.

It was her.

She had given them the strength to fight me. I and my Stragglers as the humans called them.

I saw the Safe Zones.  

Invigorated.

Innate abilities.

Everything. What was so complicated now become so simple.

"I see," I spoke my first comprehensive words.

The young woman before me was shaken when I spoke, staggering backwards with a shocked expression.

I dropped her to the ground as I looked at myself, finally able to tell what was what.

I smiled.

My body was grey. I looked like a mummy, with an unusually tall height.

I finally remembered where I had seen this before.

This was my original body when I was in the dark.

I had finally retained it even though I didn't understand why. It was very weak as of right now. I needed nourishment.

Luckily...

My mind was no longer blank.

There was no need for more tactless conquest.

I had just watched films, read books and seen different scenes in the last few seconds.

My mind was now active.

No more cannon fodder.

No more games.

It was time to use a little imagination.