Marvel - Soul Reaver

My world shifted, and I found myself inside of the Spectral Realm.

"What happened..." I muttered.

"The vampire hunter slayed you. Now your soul has returned to the Spectral Realm..." The Elder God's voice rebounded inside my skull. I'd almost forgotten the sound of his voice, it'd been so long.

"Where've you been?" I asked.

"I have always been here. Watching. The longer you retain your Material Form, the harder it is for us to communicate."

I couldn't see organic life from the Material Realm while in the Spectral Realm. However, I could see Blade's sword pull itself from the wall. Likely confused, that must've been the doing of the daywalker himself in the Material Realm.

"So, am I immortal?" I asked the Elder God.

"You are immortal so long as your soul still exists. However, your soul can be destroyed or consumed in the Spectral Realm. Any death you experience here would be a permanent one."

"Understood..." My Spectral form felt weak, just as it did when I'd died two days prior. I could see a lost soul wandering in front of me, having the silhouette of a man. I approached it, but it started to cower in fear. 

"Please! Don't hurt me! I beg of you!" Its human voice compelled me to stop my approach. 

"Elder God..." I muttered. "Are the souls that fill this space the souls of those who died in this location in the Material Realm."

"Yes, Raphael. Those are indeed the lost souls of humans. You are far too weak to reenter the Material Realm as you are. You must consume them to have enough energy to turn your spiritual body into a physical one."

"That's bullshit! I refuse to consume even one human soul!"

"But you must, Raphael. Remember, you cannot interact with objects of the Material Realm. Therefore, you are trapped here until you transform. Either consume the human souls or perish."

My Spectral form lacked a heart, but if it did, I am certain it would have ached then. "Elder God... What happens to the souls after I eat them?"

"In eating lost souls and souls of the Material Realm, you sustain me, extending my life."

"But what happens to the souls? What do they experience!?" 

"It is a painless experience, Raphael."

"That is not what I'm asking! What do the souls experience? Where do they go? Do they die!? Why do souls even come to the Spectral Realm anyway!?"

The Elder God was silent for a moment before finally, he gave an answer. 

"They experience an eternity of painless darkness. As for why they go to the Spectral Realm, it is due to their refusal to subscribe to any Earth religion. You see, Raphael, those who believe in Christ go to Christian heaven upon death. Those who believe, but are still sinners will go to Hell. This goes for all Earth religions. As the Elder God, I am in charge of the souls of nonbelievers, whether they sin or not."

"Painless..." I repeated. "Eternal darkness isn't painless. That's hell in its own right. I will not subject any human souls to such torture."

"Then you will rot here until another wraith consumes your soul and that fate you refuse to inflict on others will instead be inflicted on you."

Thus, I was struck with a conundrum of all conundrums. Either I selfishly inflict eternal suffering on other souls, who may or may not have deserved it, or, in a noble act of self-sacrifice, I suffer that fate myself. The choice was made easier once I realized this game was rigged. Regardless of my sacrifice, these lost souls would inevitably turn into wraiths, be eaten by one, or both.

No matter my choice, these souls were doomed.

Reluctantly, I approached the soul who begged me to spare them just moments ago. 

"Fine," I said, grabbing the soul that took the shape of a faceless human.

"Please! Spare me! I beg of you!" 

I ignored their pleas, unhinging my jaw and creating a whirlpool in front of me. The soul whirled before me, still begging as I swallowed it whole, restoring myself. 

"Good, Raphael. Things will go much more smoothly so long as you obey. Now, return to the Material Realm. Try not to pick fights that you cannot win -- unless you would like to consume more human souls."

The Elder God was displaying only a fraction of the cards he was dealt in making me his wraith. As he once said, I was his. And there was nothing I could do to change that... 

I returned to the Material Realm. The first thing I saw was Brielle punching her father's chest as she scolded him. 

"Why would you kill him!? Unlike you, he actually gave a fuck about me!"

Meanwhile, Blade was staring directly at me. I imagined that his eyes were giant beneath those glasses upon seeing my resurrected body.

"Brielle, you might wanna see this." Blade pointed at me, causing his father to look.

Brielle's tearful eyes embiggened. She ran toward me, nearly knocking me down as she embraced me. This reaction dumbfounded me; I'd only known her for twenty-four hours, yet she clung to me as if we'd been friends for years.

"I thought you died..." Her voice was muffled into my shoulder.

"I did. But I can revive myself... at a cost."

"So it's true then. The Elder God has found a new wraith." Blade said.

"You know about the Elder God?" I asked.

Blade sheathed his sword, then bounced his head. "I know of him. I thought it was all made up. But then I heard about some kid running around talking about eating souls. I wouldn't kill one of my daughter's friends without a reason to; doesn't mean I loathe you any less for fucking up my operation."

"So you only killed me to see if I was an actual wraith? You could have just asked me..."

"And take your word for it? I'd rather see it for myself."

I exhaled. This Blade character was a jester, which did not match the descriptions given in the legend. 

"And what operation did I fuck up exactly?"

"I'd been watching these warehouses for weeks, having heard that they were making a delivery to Dracula's residence. You see, he disappeared a few months ago without a trace. I'm trying to look for him. Keep tabs on him. If it wasn't for your ass coming in here, fucking everything up, I could've waited to see where they took the humans!"

"I'll admit, your plan would've been easier, but at least we know what day they're coming. Five days from now. Saturday night. That's when the delivery will happen. If you know where the other warehouses are, then we know the exact date and place."

"Not bad... But next time, let me handle it."

"Well... Perhaps if you were in your daughter's life, you could've told us your plan..."

"You wanna die again?" 

"I'd rather not..."

"But you're right. And I owe Brielle an explanation."

I decided it would be best to take my leave, allowing them to discuss their family matters personally. I journeyed home via rooftops, leaping across gaps with my vampiric abilities. As I journeyed home, I further conceptualized my cursed fate.

The thing I detested vampires for, taking human life to extend their own, was now something I participated in. The reveal of deities such as the Christian God being real also shook me to my core. Say this was true, that a god who created our world did exist, why would they torture nonbelievers in such a way? Why would monsters such as vampires and wraiths exist? I wished I could meet that god or any other deity that wasn't the Elder God. For all I know, he could be a liar...

The Elder God had no reason to speak in truth. Perhaps everything he'd said to me by now were lies to string me along -- to keep me on a leash. However, I was certain of one thing. The longer I go without entering the Spectral Realm, the less of a hold he has on me. Though I imagine there are limitations to this, I doubted that I would ever become free from his clutches via this method.

I figured the library would have more information about Nosgoth and the Elder God, and perhaps it could lead to me breaking my curse. However, it was late. I decided that I would look into the matter come morning.

Until then, I slept in my own bed -- my stomach full of both human and vampire souls.