119 Emotions (2/2)

The creature felt a small but growing calmness deep in its heart. I could recognize that it felt that this emotion was unnatural in some way. And it was. The calmness in its heart was due to my theft of its sanity. As its sanity decreased, its calmness increased because a growing part of it began to revere me. The part of it that revered me wasn't at all afraid of me.

Another emotion it felt was anger. This anger had started off powerful and plentiful, but now it was beginning to fade away.

”I can feel the change in your heart. Can you feel it too?” I asked the dragon, smiling at it. The beast silently ignored my question, trying to cling to the anger and pride that lingered stubbornly in its heart. That was amusing so I decided to play with Ygaynth a bit.

I moved my head forward and gently kissed its neck. My lips met the cold and hard scales that protected the creature's bare skin, but they offered no resistance to my powers. The dragon shivered and sighed breathily, surprising even me.

”Oh? I didn't think you'd be able to actually feel that.” I said a grin on my face. I kissed the scales again, and the dragon shivered once more, slightly more this time. I also felt more of its sanity melt off of the beast, as a consequence of my kiss. I delivered another kiss to its scale and laughed as the dragon shook in a mixture of delight and frustration. Shortly after I finished laughing I spoke to the shadow-scaled beast.

”You should know that I'm a thief. My kisses can steal away your sanity.” I informed the dragon. The dragon growled, a vibration visibly shaking its neck. The vibration was visible, but there was almost no hostility in the cat-like gesture.

”I bet that you don't mind though, do you?” I asked. There was a coy smile on my lips. I watched as the throat of the beast moved, but no sound came out of its mouth. I immediately sensed its discomfort and annoyance. I was able to piece together what had just happened without much difficulty.

”Did you try to lie to me just now? I am a god of truth. Unless I allow it mortals cannot lie in my presence.” I informed Ygaynth.

”It's okay though. I am the king of succubi and incubi.” I revealed, smiling as I considered ways to toy with this feared, semi-mythical being.

”I can feel your lust.” I said to the dragon, lying through my teeth as I did so. Even as I lied, I activated an entertaining power named ”Believe me” that caused the dragon's heart to twist in fear and confusion as it wondered if it felt lust towards me. As it struggled with my lie, and the overwhelming compulsion it felt to believe what I had said, I kissed its scale-covered neck again.

The dragon let out a sloven sigh, and I laughed mirthfully. I was enjoying myself.

”To think that you are feared this region by almost everyone. And yet here I am... Toying with you.” I said, feeling the power that defined gods so keenly at this moment.

”Is this the real difference in power between a god and a mortal?” I wondered, thinking aloud as I felt the dragon slide closer and closer to the edge of madness.

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My life so far had led me to have a particular perception of mortals. I had presented as one of them to entire communities for pretty much my whole life until this point. I had walked among them and worked to protect them. A not so small part of me even viewed them as equals. But now...

I had rendered a greater member of one of the greatest species of mortals helpless and was toying with it. I had no inclination to hurt Ygaynth or anything, but seeing how easily I had dealt with an ancient black dragon was definitely forcing me to contend with the realities of godhood.

I was not a mortal. And I never would be. That was a reality that I had blinded myself too, until the moment I had decided to embrace my godhood to bring an end to slavery. And now I was once again being reminded of the differences between myself and even the most powerful mortal.

I could do anything to this dragon and it would have no choice but to accept it. As a god I doubted that anything similar to that could ever happen to me, especially since the mythic age was over and I was in all likelihood the only god and the last higher being to come into existence.

I felt a few distinct emotions radiating within me at this moment. I felt anger aimed at Ygaynth for the cruelty he had shown to his fellow mortals. I felt a keen sense of happiness towards myself and my own, undeniable power.

I also felt anger at the mortals that I knew intended to disobey me. There was a part of me, a portion of myself that was driven by my pride, that wanted to torment slaveowners and nobles who intended to continue to wage war despite my commands.

I also felt a growing coldness towards Ygaynth. I had envisioned us having a philosophical showdown, and instead I had easily overwhelmed the beast and it immediately began to fear for its life. I was still resistant to the idea of killing the beast, but that resistance was fading.

Ygaynth's negative feelings were fading away. I had successfully stolen enough of the beast's sanity to render it harmless while I was introspectively mulling over my own emotions.

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”I suppose I ought to make a decision concerning your fate.” I muttered, staring at the beast. There was just a tiny bit of sanity left in the beast, but I pulled my hand off of the thing's scales which slowed the rate at which I took away its sanity. This would give it another minute or so before it sunk into irreversible insanity.

I took a step away from it and the beast's head turned to face me. There was a look of sadness on its face as if it somehow missed the sensation of my hand on its neck. I gazed at it, anger, disappointment, and curiosity mixing together in my eyes.

”Ygaynth... Why did you do what you did?” I asked the creature, wanting to understand it before I did anything. So far everything I had done was reversible. And with my current level of power even killing Ygaynth would be reversible. That said, I wanted to understand the beast now that I had ensured that the thing wouldn't try to hurt me or anyone else, unless I commanded it.

”Why did I do... What exactly?” The dragon asked, unsure of what I was asking.

”Why did you destroy so much? Why did you kill other sapient creatures, destroy their homes, and order other creatures to capture sacrifices for you?” I asked, wanting to gain a glimpse into the thing's mind.

The creature fell silent for a moment. In its gaze, there were an array of new emotions, intense ones. One of them was an unsettling reverence for me, or at least its insane understanding of me. I had stolen just about every bit of sanity the thing possessed, and I was unsurprised to see that it adored me, in its own way.