As Vice made merry with their newly recognized might, their pursuer continued to give chase. The recently transformed Abi Quinata and her scarf-formed ally, Peatrice, continued to drive through the woods on their stolen and shapeshifted police motorcycle. But as they rode through the untamed wilderness, they began encountering a few… problems.

“Gold-freaking-darn-it! For the last diddle-die time Abi! No, you cannot drive! You trying to get us killed or something!?” Peatrice erupted as they used their clothy appendages to take reins of the motorcycle. 

“C’mon, we were in a clearing and everything. I wasn’t going to crash into a tree or something stupid like that.” Abi replied, her childish intonations still sounding wrong given her mature form.

“You were traveling at 80 kilometers per hour, at night, and in the middle of the woods! Now if you’d please, stay quiet for just a moment. I sense that we’re onto something.”

Hearing his words, Abi pulled her arms away from the dashboard and to her person, clumsily folding her arms under her sizable chest while looking off into the distance. With Peatrice handling the driving, she began staring at the dense unmaintained forest as it zoomed past her. In doing so, she maintained surprisingly good balance considering the number of stones, roots, twigs, and generalized debris that lined the dirt roads the two drove across. As she saw this sight, she took a deep sigh, wishing that it had been daytime and she could have driven as wildly as her hero character did in the show she vaguely remembered. She was eventually pulled out of her stupor by the smell of ash and smoke, nudging her to focus on what was in front of her, where an orange glow persisted through the dense foliage.

“Is that a forest fire?” Peatrice commented as they stopped the motorcycle. 

“This was either caused by some incredibly reckless drug-riddled addicts, a pyromaniac, or Black Soul. It’s best we avoid the fire for obvious reasons. But if this is our target’s doing, then they should still be nearby. Abi, please give me a moment to try and pinpoint their location, because I think… they are… closer than… I’ve got it! They’re only a few kilometers away and traveling by foot. Heh. And here I thought I would be able to give you a riveting car chase, kid.”

After saying that, Peatrice resumed driving, narrowly avoiding many overgrown or teetering trees along the way while keeping a, metaphorical, close eye on the building inferno that radiated throughout the forest. 

“We’re gonna have a big fight though, aren’t we? The Super Guy always ended each episode with a big fight!” Abi asked while looking down at her purple scarf-shaped friend wrapped around her neck.

“Yes, Abi. Don’t worry your pretty little head. With my power, you’ll be able to punch Black Soul to… to the next dimension, let’s say, with relative ease. And you won’t need to wait for the opportunity, since we’re almost there.”

Several kilometers away, in a place where the burgeoning fire could not be seen, the so-called Black Soul, Vice, carried out their plans of jogging throughout the woods. With their Walkman blaring Talking Heads as sweat seeped from their pores, building up around the pits of their shirt, and dripping down their bare legs.

Under normal circumstances, their body would have been overwrought with fatigue by now, but Vice’s will allowed them to keep moving forward, effectively granting them an unlimited pool of stamina to fall back on. As such, they were able to cover a good deal of land in just a few minutes. It was great progress, yet Vice was still lost. It was a problem Vice could easily solve by conjuring up a map or compass to help them pursue the right direction. However, confidence had been a running theme throughout Vice’s return these past few hours, and they were certain that, one way or another, they would get out of these woods before too long. Yet, even if they were wrong, they were still enjoying themself. 

Between the cathartic act of running, the nostalgic and gorgeous setting of the night-stricken woods, the sensation of their womanly bits bouncing and shaking with every step, and their favorite music blaring into their ears, Vice was having a pretty fun time. Sure, it might not have been the most productive or visceral experience, but it was one that put a smile on Vice’s pretty brown face.

Upon reaching a clearing, Vice summoned a cold water bottle, chugged it, and dumped what little remained over their face. They did so to cool them off, but as they momentarily enjoyed the sensation of near-frigid water seeping through their bra and onto their nipples, they began to feel as if something was amiss. Vice ripped off their headphones, letting them dangle from their waist before unlatching the Walkman from their skirt. The cassette player fell to the grassy ground with a soft thud while Vice’s eyes darted about, examining their surroundings in detail 

The animal population was low tonight, likely having vacated the premises due to the developing fire, and things were quiet, lacking even the murmur of a police siren. Still, Vice could hear some mechanical noise developing in the background. They momentarily considered hiding away while this noise passed, but Vice was on a bit of a high after having proclaimed their divinity and were willing to take on any threat that came their way. Including a queerly dressed motorcyclist that stormed into the clearing, took note of Vice, and was made a beeline straight for them. 

“It’s them! We’ve got this Abi! We’ve got this by the plums!” Peatrice exclaimed while driving towards Vice at full speed.

Abi screamed as she realized what Peatrice was trying to do— run over a seemingly innocent young woman, and, in response, she took hold of the handlebar, veering the vehicle to her left. Vice smiled as they saw this, and made their own efforts to divert the course of the motorcycle, channeling their will into one hand and using a mere gesture to telepathically fling the motorcycle with an immense force. The force sent caused the motorcycle to unceremoniously crash into a tree, where it fell apart on impact. 

Abi was fortunate enough to realize what was happening, and, using her gifted abilities, leaped off the vehicle as it was mere centimeters from the tree, triumphantly jumping two meters into the air. As her body was floating for a fraction of a second, Abi attempted to position her form in order to make a dramatic pose upon landing onto the forest ground below. But, given how she was still not fully accustomed to her new womanly proportions, she instead landed on her rump. 

Vice, not being a fool who would simply dismiss the acrobatic feat of this motorcyclist, slowly made their way to Abi, aiming to interrogate her for answers to some fairly obvious questions. Abi, meanwhile, was still acclimating herself, getting up slowly while rubbing her plump booty, before looking forward at the water-drenched individual glaring at them. 

As the two stared down, Peatrice shouted words of warning and frustration at Abi, blaming her for their crash. Yet his words fell on deaf ears, As Abi locked eyes with Vice, and the gears in her head began to turn. Abi hopped herself off the ground and dashed towards Vice, latching her arms around them and hitting them with the full force of their body in a rousing… hug.

“Auntie Jessie! I missed you so much!” Abi exclaimed, her voice wrapped with glee.

“What!?” Both Vice and Peatrice shouted as they were caught in Abi’s cuddly embrace.

“Heh,” Abi began as she eased out of her hug. “Sorry, you probably don’t recognize me right now since I did so much growing up! Well, I may be a bajillion times sex-er now, but beyond that, I’m still the same old Abi you’ve always known, and loved!”

Abi. That name caused Vice’s inherited memories to come rushing to the forefront of their brain. Flashbacks of caring for a young girl. Babysitting her during the winter of 1984. Playing games with her using her grab bag of cheap Asian toys. And developing an almost sisterly relationship with the little scamp before the time came again to rush off to college for their final semester. There were not necessarily cherished memories held by Jessie, but good ones nonetheless. Or at least good enough for Vice to feel a modicum of compassion for the spandex-clad woman before them. 

It was outlandish to claim that this woman, no less than 10 years older than the Abi that Jessie knew, was the same person. However, looking at her face, reading into her mannerisms, and skewing the sense of what is possible based on the things they discovered these past few hours, Vice decided to accept this surreal reality, at least for the time being.

“Abi? What the hell happened to you? I know kids your age have some wild growth spurts, but this is just absurd.” Vice commented, imitating Jessie as they pulled away from Abi’s clutches.

“Hahaha! Wouldja believe me if I said all of this happened over the past few hours? I was running away from my poopy-butt parents and ran into a house in the middle of the woods and they had this weird pig in the oven that—”

“Abi! What in the name of fu—dgesicles do you think you’re bloody doing!? That’s Black Soul!” Peatrice shouted, their mental screams of anguish filling Abi’s mind.

“Peaty, don’t be a stupid! This is Jessie. The best babysitter ever! But now I don’t need a babysitter anymore, so she can be my best friend!”

“It’s all a disguise!” Peatrice proclaimed. “I can sense it… and it is worse than I feared! The concentrated rottenness within them is darn-near visible! This thing is merely using a friendly visage as a means of confusing you, and probably killed the real Jessie in order to accomplish such a dastardly feat!”

“But why? Why would they even kill Jessie in the first place? She never did anything bad to no one.”

“They did it because they are Black Soul. A being that developed a concentrated spiritual and mental rottenness from a young age that only deepened as their mind narrowed. Within these limitations, the rot overtook their entire being, allowing it to ferment and develop beyond the constraints normally available by any normal life form, let alone a human being. They are a creature that desires only to deal harm and only grows more powerful with each misdeed they commit— every vice they indulge in. They are the corrosive black evil that can only be stopped by the power of righteous white light that courses through your person Abi! And as the bringer of this light, I implore you. Rise up and save the world from a dark black future! Fill their black soul with the power of light! Concentrated! Pure! White! Light!”

As Peatrice finished their internalized tirade to Abi, Vice glared at the possessed fabric, letting out a small chuckle. 

“Heh. Thank you ever so kindly for the exposition, talking scarf. But I believe I have all the information I need.”

“W-What? How could you possibly hear our mental transmission? No other being in this universe should be able to hear our conversation”

“I could tell that something was going on with Abi, so I willed myself a way into your conversation. It’s really that simple.”

While Peatrice was reeling from that reveal, Vice took advantage of the situation by, once more, using their will to bend the limitations and laws of reality. They summoned a handgun into their right hand. Before either Abi or Peatrice could do more than express surprise over such a feat, Vice was firing at them, sending a total of 8 bullets coursing through Abi’s being, tearing through her spandex and metal armor with ease. One bullet embedded itself within a lung, while two others veered towards her head, shredding through her teeth and devastating her temporal lobe. 

The wailing, twitching, and sounds of gunfire soon ceased, and as they did, Vice sought to end this conflict before Abi had any chance to retaliate. They clenched the emptied firearm in one hand and had its form and composition shift into that of a grenade. A weapon Vice promptly unpinned and lobbed it towards Abi’s convulsing person. A twinge of terror managed to escape her eyes as the grenade plopped onto her torso, where it detonated, sending debris scattering throughout the clearing, including at Vice. Yet, with a mere hand gesture, they were shielded from any and all shrapnel.

As the debris began to settle, Vice found themself in hysterics. A girlish giggle escaped from their throat as they began to comprehend their actions. While they had accepted their divinity, it was one thing to recognize their power and another thing to express with such high proficiency and low effort. While they planned to continue until their voice grew hoarse, their laughter was silenced soon after it began. From the dispersing smoke came a stream of radiance that forced Vice’s eyes shut. Shielding their face with an arm, they leered at the intense whiteness before them, only for it to disperse, revealing Abi, fully healed and with a body that emitted a faint yet unignorable light upon the world.

“You killed my friend and tried to kill me! You know what that means? That I’m gonna kill you, monster. I’m gonna kill you to death!” Abi screamed, her wit as sharp as ever.

Vice stifled a laugh upon hearing such a line and looked at Abi with a sincere smirk adorning their stolen face.

“Monster, you say? Then perhaps it is best I look the part. After all, if you truly wish to fight me and put my merit as a deific being to the test, I wouldn’t want you to hold back just because I wear the face of a loved one.”

Upon uttering that reply, Vice spread their legs, stretched out their arms, and looked up at the black void that lingered within the star-riddled sky. While they could have rejected the narrative presented by Peatrice and Abi— that they were a vile creature with a dark and rotten heart known as Black Soul— they instead found themself agreeing with this interpretation. They were both unable and unwilling to argue the claims that the past five years of their life had been filled with constant hatred and contempt for those around them. Or that they were anything other than a devastatingly immoral person before all this. As this night began, they maintained a facsimile of humanity. But now, all pretenses were gone, they could indulge in their desires freely, and adopt a form befitting their truly rotted soul.

Vice’s skin began to harden, fortifying itself for the impending battle, twisting in shape, and building upon the existing human form in a manner akin to a ‘monster suit.’ A suit that covered every morsel of their form in a coarse obsidian-like armor that protected their most vital areas while increasing their offensive capabilities. Spiked tendrils poked up from the edge of their face, their fingers reshaped themselves into claws, their eyes narrowed as their color shifted to a radiant crimson, and their mouth burst open with piercing teeth. Though their shape was that of a human, their face and slouched posture made them more comparable to a beast. One whose dark appearance, imposing features, and immense height, being well over 2.5 meters tall when standing up straight, filled Abi with more than a morsel of concern.

“C’mon Abi! You can do this! I believe in you!”

Hearing Peatrice’s voice pulled Abi out of her intimidated stupor, reminding her of the gravity of the situation. She exchanged her childish fears for a childish sense of reckless bravery that she expressed by rushing towards Vice. Pulling her arm back as she wound up a punch that emitted a pulsating white energy. Vice did little to resist the blow, merely adopting a sturdy stance as Abi punched their chest. A solid and direct blow that was enough to shoot Vice through the air, where their body slammed into a tree. For a brief moment, Abi and Peatrice wondered if a single punch was all it took to bring down a foe of this caliber, only for them to leap back onto their feet and rush toward Abi.

Abi mimicked her foe, dashing towards Vice with the intention of slugging them once more. But right as the two were within arm’s reach, Vice latched onto Abi’s right arm, immobilizing it and leaving her dazed. With a second of opportunity available to them, Vice sent their free hand towards Abi’s, where they ripped through the spandex covering Abi’s arm and into her flesh. Severing and tearing away several muscles while digging their way to the elbow. A second or two away from having her arm severed, Abi managed to push Vice away with a mighty kick to the torso.

A cascade of tears and screams erupted from Abi as she freed herself, clenching her immobilized arm. Worry filled her being for only a moment, when both she and Vice paused to see rays of light emitting from the wound. As the wound glowed, whatever flesh that remained in Vice’s hand dissipated into nothingness. Following a few scant seconds, Abi was good as new with a restored arm and outfit, allowing her to regain her composure. Whatever Vice ripped away from her, she would recover, and any conventional ways of destroying Abi were out of the question. This revelation stirred a current within Vice’s mind. A stream of consciousness devoted to potential strategies to exterminate this foe, a figure who, as far as Vice could theorize, was the only individual even remotely close to their level in the world. And the one figure who stood between them and the throne of the divine.

Vice’s eyes widened as they happened upon a solution to the problem before them, and a guttural chuckle emitted from their monstrous maw. Wasting little time, Vice lurched towards a recovering Abi, grabbing her by the head and flinging her into a tree. Abi was fast to recover, and dashed up into the air, blood dripping from her forehead. With a positional advantage over her foe, Abi opted to perform a kick aimed squarely at Vice’s face. It was a flashy move reminiscent of the hero figure she was so keen on imitating, but just because it made good television did not mean it had any place here.

As Abi positioned her jump kick, Vice retaliated by craning their neck forward and opening their mouth, causing Abi’s leg to get caught in Vice’s maw. Though their teeth were unable to penetrate Abi’s silver boots, she was still in a precarious position, dangling down from Vice’s jaw, where she soon found herself face to face with Vice’s foot. Vice smacked Abi in the back of the head repeatedly, causing blood to seep from behind her hair, and after a few solid kicks to her cranium, Vice loosened their toothy grip and punted Abi back into the tree-filled sidelines, where she proceeded to get caught between a cluster of branches.

“Why is nothing working!? They’re not supposed to counter!” Abi shouted from the sidelines of this makeshift battlefield.

“Perhaps… fisticuffs may not be the best approach here,” Peatrice said, doing little to mask the concern laced within his voice. “Abi, channel your power and imagine a weapon for yourself. It will be an extension of the power I have given you, and even though you’ll have zero clue how to use it effectively… give it a few seconds, and the skills should come to you real easy-like.”

Choosing to believe her only ally, Abi quickly settled on a weapon to arm herself with. She jumped back onto the battlefield, and raised her arms up high, gripping a non-existent handle while exerting her desires against reality. A series of sparkles began to pop in and out around her hands as a shimmering entity began to form within her grasp. The sparkles began fading in and out at a faster rate as the weapon within her hands grew in size, culminating in the creation of a one-handed sword made entirely out of light.

“I have the power! The power to end you and your rotty soul once and for all!” Abi shouted as she admired her blade.

After examining it lightly, Abi brought her hands down and tested the weight of the blade, slashing the air before her with extreme ease. Much to her surprise though, the blade released a wave of energy as it cut through the air. The wave caught Vice off-guard, forcing them to raise their arms in order to block the energy. They succeeded, still standing after the wave struck them directly, but discovered that the wave of light had indeed wounded them, leaving a discernible cut through their arms that, while only half a centimeter thick, was still a concern.

Abi, having the wits to recognize this opportunity, reverted to her strategy of charging toward Vice, this time with her sword of light in tow. Vice expediently avoided her thrusting dash by sidestepping Abi. Vice thought Abi recklessly left an opening, but Abi had planned on Vice dodging, as she transitioned her thrust into a slash, and struck Vice’s arm with a horizontal gash. 

The unexpected maneuver staggered Vice, imploring Abi to once more take the initiative and impale Vice through the chest with her blade of radiant light. As blood squirted from their mouth onto Abi’s scalp, Peatrice let out a cheer of glee for having finally dealt significant damage to their foe. Only for Vice to retaliate by brushing their claws against Abi’s neck, carving through her flesh like a hot egg beater through boiling batter. 

Abi fell to the ground and clenched at her gushing wound while Vice grabbed the blade of light within their chest and pulled it out as quickly as they could. Their hand was seared as they cast the blade into the woods, and their torso retained the hole made by Abi, with Vice being unable to heal from the injury. While it was not bleeding, and did not hit a critical area, Vice was still impaired from the damage. It was only then that Vice began to truly recognize Abi as a potential threat to their existence. Something that they, a self-proclaimed god, would not tolerate.  

Searching for a strategy to overwhelm, overpower, and incapacitate their foe, Vice realized that the most efficient way to accomplish this was to cease any and all forms of fairness they had provided by choosing a humanoid form. After all, if they could manipulate their desires into reality, why settle on transforming into what was extensively a super-powered bestial human? Why not become a true monster?

Vice recalled the many creatures that they saw brought to life through film, through illustration, and through the written word. They thought of the multitude of other lifeforms that walked this Earth, and the horrors that many of them epitomized. They thought about what would defeat the frantic child-turned-adult before them, and what form would feel the most satisfying to control. Their imagination raced at infallible speeds, and once Abi had fully recovered, the transformation had already begun.

The monstrous armor that adorned Vice shattered open as new appendages burst from within. A mass of shadowy tendrils began to pour out from their person, sprawling across the clearing while the center of this mass began to expand, fully breaking away from the humanoid form they once wore. In its place was a pulsating black entity that expanded outwards and upwards, rapidly growing with each passing second, and quickly surpassing the height established by the undisturbed forestry. By the time its growth had ceased, Vice had become well over 25 meters tall, towering over everything around them.

Vice’s very existence had become malleable, ever-changing, and their movements were erratic, if not biologically impossible for a creature of its size. They were a being that should not exist, but did anyway. Just the sight of them was enough to leave Abi petrified. She stared coldly at the creature that Vice had become. A being with jagged mouths and crimson eyes that rearranged themselves whenever she diverted her attention. A mass of sprawling appendages that branched out from themselves like roots of a tree aged more than any living man. A creature whose very existence was shrouded in blackness. They were a living shadow, a being that Abi could not fully comprehend, and if she could, it would probably only fill her with a more distilled form of horror. She remained in this dazed state until boisterous words finally passed through her overwhelmed senses, and a voice spoke directly to her mind.

“—Do something Abi! Do something or we’re both gonna die!”

Abi found herself thrust back into reality, where her body was quivering, her breathing was heavy, and her face was drenched in a cold sweat. She looked around for her sword, but she merely saw grass and dark tendrils. With her legs shaking too much to wander this darkness, Abi held her hand outward and mentally called for the blade, causing it to come spiraling throughout the forestry surrounding her, severing trees, bushes, and even grazing some of Vice’s black tentacle-like limbs, all before returning to her palms. Rearmed, Abi sought to do what worked last time and began slashing away at the monster before her.

Her relentless assault allowed her to close the distance between her and the core of Vice. Yet with each swing came more of the dark viscous substance. It coated her being in black, and puddled across the grassy floor beneath her boots. Her movements steadily slowed, grew sluggish, and became insufficient to keep up with the erratic behavior of the appendages, which eventually overwhelmed the young girl. They latched onto her limbs, covering them and rendering her unable to do anything beyond twist her hand and squirm in futility. The sudden assault caused her sword to fall to the ground, where it was consumed by the dark fluid released by the severed tentacles.

She found herself hanging in the air as the tentacles went from restraining her, to completely covering her person, immobilizing her from the neck down. Once fully covered, the tentacles began bleeding together to form a singular entity that encapsulated Abi in a bubble of black fluid. Abi attempted to move her limbs while lingering in this substance, but was unable to so much as wag a finger, leaving her helpless as the ice-cold goo began to eat away at her spandex suit. It began to not only embrace her bare skin, but to assault her body from within.

Abi whimpered in response, confused about the sensations that were coursing through within bodily parts she had never explored. She felt her power being sapped, her mind became foggy, and her will to fight diminished as the attack continued. A sense of dread was able to resonate throughout this overwhelming sense of lethargy that plagued her person, one that had her worry not only for her life, but something more. Something greater than herself.

“White Nova,” The voice of Peatrice muttered. “Say those words and channel whatever power you have left. I underestimated Black Soul. They… they are too much for normal procedures, and can only be defeated through drastic measures. Say those words, and all your power shall be expended. I’ll be banished from this realm, but you will get to live, and the world will be saved… Do it Abi!”

“…Okay Peaty,” Abi said with a quivering tone as she attempted to channel her fear into hatred before she screeched as loudly as her lungs would allow her to.

“WHITE NOVA!!!”

The darkened landscape of the forest was drenched in a searingly white light that expanded outwards beyond the clearing, spanning a 500 meter diameter. The light lingered only for a few seconds before it receded. The forest was undamaged by the light, but the clear had been freed of all monstrosities. And there was not a trace of Vice remaining amongst the overgrown grassy bed. All that remained was a young naked Southeast Asian woman, her body wrapped in a fetal position. 

Minutes after silence had returned to these parts, Abi rose from the ground, her body still numb from the blast, unable to so much as stand up. She sat herself upright, crossing her legs ‘Indian style,’ and let out a hearty moan followed by a stream of tears.

“I was so scared Peaty… I… I’m sorry mama and papa. I… I never wanted this and I… I don’t know where I am. Somebody… Anybody… P-Please… Please come save me.”

Her words devolved into an unintelligible cascade of sorrow and regret. Apologizing for running away, for doing mischievous acts, and stealing food from Vice’s former residence. She continued in this dilapidating state, unpacking her emotional baggage and trying to come to terms with everything she experienced tonight. 

Once her eyes were thoroughly reddened, and her face was stained by profuse sobbing, she felt a lot better. Though her body was still weak, and she was doubtful that she could make it out of these woods, given how she truly had zero idea where she was.

As such, she simply sat there, looking up at the glimmering stars that fought against the darkness to bring light to this world, even on a moonless night like this. It was a sight that remained consistent no matter where she was in the world, and in all the traveling she had done on behalf of her parents throughout her life, Abi had unconsciously internalized the night’s sky as a great equalizer. As something that brought her peace of mind and tranquility even when she felt oh so lost. Because no matter where in the world she was, the stars and night’s sky would always be the same. It was something she needed now more than ever, and something that the world around her was willing to provide. 

After staring at the inconceivably distant celestial bodies for a sufficient amount of time, Abi looked down to see a cottontail rabbit no more than a foot away from her. She smiled at the rabbit, who hopped closer to her, almost as if it were asking to be engaged with. With a slow and steady hand, Abi reached out to give this cute little fluff ball a nice pet. But as her hand grazed against their fur, Abi felt something cold and gooey instead of warm and soft. She retracted her hand accordingly and found it to be covered in a… viscous black substance.

Abi’s eyes shot open as she stared at the innocuous rabbit before her, whose eyes transformed from a plain black to a dire crimson. Her mind skipped from denial into full-blown acceptance within a second as she stood up and clumsily made her way to a tree. There, she was greeted by a deer who poked its head from the woods, their eyes also bearing a familiar hue of red. She looked to her right, left, and behind herself, and was met with a similar sight, piercing red dots that glowed from the darkness around her, belonging to creatures great and small. 

Dread filled her body. She had no ally, her strength was sapped, and she was still mentally recovering from the traumatic battle. She was not prepared for this and lacked the strength to do anything more than crumble onto the forest floor. 

“P-Please. Don’t… don’t kill me,” Abi quivered as she found herself sprawled against the ground.

Upon hearing those words, the crimson dots adorning the woods all vanished. Abi, perplexed,then brought her attention back to the rabbit in front of her, whose form began to melt into a pile of black sludge. This paltry pile served as a beacon, signaling for dozens of globules to rush across the forest floor at a surreal pace. They merged together into a single mound that swiftly shifted and molded itself into something that would have once been a sight of joy for Abi, but now filled her with terror. The naked form of Jessie Shines.

“I have to say, I was surprised that you had so much power within you,” Vice began. “But you and Peatrice truly should have been more organized with your execution. I could hear you two as you prepared your ‘white nova.’ As such, I was able to react to that attack of yours. If you must know, I divided myself from my body, shooting the core of my essence elsewhere. I planned on returning to you the moment your ‘white nova’ was done, but then I found a group of rabbits, decided to test out my powers a bit more, and give you a nice little scare. I thought it would make for a fun time, and… it did.”

“Now that I’ve taken care of all of that,” Vice continued, “I really ought to take care of you, mon chère. However, I will not be confident in simply killing you outright. If I did that, then there is a minuscule, yet real, chance that you may rise up one day, more powerful than ever, and actually stand a chance of defeating me. I cannot allow a threat of that sort to exist, even as a mere possibility. Instead, it would be best if I dispose of you in the most thorough manner I know how, and it is quite a nasty one. But I have already had my fill this fine evening, so perhaps it would be best if I make you a mere snack. It will be less painful for you, and make you far easier to digest.”

Vice then grabbed the terrified young woman by her head and lifted her above the ground. She simply stared at her attacker, terrified and unable to devise a way to meaningfully resist Vice in her current state. She attempted to squirm and released a stream of well-vocalized cries, but they were futile acts that did little to bring her ease and were barely registered by Vice. 

Shortly after she was pulled up into the air, Abi began feeling as if something about her surroundings was… wrong. It was as if everything around her was expanding, most notably the hand that was rapidly covering the majority of her head. In actuality, she was being shrunk by Vice. The process, and Abi’s panicked resistance, continued as she lost 90% of her height and mass, transforming into a doll-sized rendition of her adult self. Shrunk and dazed by the change in surroundings, Abi found herself falling shortly thereafter, landing onto the ground, where she was surrounded by blades of unkempt grass that stood taller than her head. 

She was small, she was weak, and she was powerless against the imposing giant before her. A giant that smiled at her fear, and grabbed her by a single leg, yanking her upwards, and placing her firmly above their head. As Abi dangled in the air, suppressing nausea and struggling to understand her surroundings, Vice craned their mouth open, revealing a row of piercing teeth. The same ones from their armored form. Before Abi could comprehend what she was looking at, let alone develop a sense of concentrated fear, she found herself at the whims of gravity, free-falling into the maw of a beast.

Abi found herself crammed in Vice’s mouth. A dark, wet, and fleshy place where she lacked the room needed to stand. She could move, but only barely, and at the whims of Vice’s tongue, which wasted little time rolling her about, positioning her limbs between the teeth. Within a second, they rose and fell, severing everything between them like a guillotine. 

Once her limbs were removed and her body was merely a torso and head, Vice’s tongue brought Abi down their esophagus with a hearty gulp. She tumbled against the esophageal wall before splashing into a pool of stomach acids, along with what remained of her limbs. Abi attempted to flail about in these vile skin-melting juices, but it was of no use. All she could do was scream and let it happen, hoping that her restorative power of light would heal her wounds like it did once before. But whereas her wounds once exuded a radiant whiteness, her severed nubs only released streams of blood.

Abi’s screams were soon stifled as Vice exerted their will over their own biology, narrowing their stomach and causing their digestive fluids to rise, fully enveloping Abi, and sending her deeper into Vice’s digestive system. She found herself wedged in their small intestine, where the intestinal walls sprouted small appendages that latched into Abi’s person, penetrating her skin in order to suck out everything that remained in her body. Blood, nutrients… and something more. 

Abi died then and there, her body unable to sustain herself as everything that made her a human was drained away, consumed by Vice. Yet, within her remains, something most peculiar lingered. A curious white mass that glistened even in the dark recesses of Vice’s body. The intestinal tendrils consumed this as well, latching onto it and decomposing it as swiftly as they did Abi’s outer flesh. 

It was as this final remnant of light was absorbed by Vice that they became afflicted with a great pain. They fell to the forest floor with a loud thud, convulsing through the dirt and grass, mimicking the cries of pain and suffering that Abi expressed moments before. It only lasted for a scant instance though, as their agony was followed by weakness, exhaustion, and, soon enough, the loss of consciousness. And so, Vice laid there, their body naked and exposed, lying in the midst of a clearing in the wilderness. There, they lay undisturbed and in silence. At least until the sounds of sirens began echoing throughout the tranquil forestry.