I never enjoy coming to these parties. Not because of one factor that attributed to my disliking, but a plethora of them. For most people, it deals with the root of its socialness, as many prefer to keep to themselves, allowing those individuals to remain engrossed in their world while seldom permitting people to enter it if they hold the same views. 

Rather for my case, I desire to have a conversation, to find a deep connection that lies within those words. However, in my society, a conversation primarily contains the intricacy of the murders they have committed to prove their dominance and power.

This should not come as a surprise since every species has a hierarchy, but can differentiate by specific aspects that determine one's status. For bereachers, one's stature solely rides on the sins of their parents. Every bereacher has a certain branch that they get their powers from, and since sins are as diverse as flowers, the powers attained can be as plentiful as the sea.

To understand one's standing in the hierarchy, you need not look farther than the colour of their irises and hair. For those with yellow eyes and hair representing the sin of ignorance, they lie at the bottom of the pyramid. Above them is blue, the colour associated with stealing, while green is a symbol of actions tainted by the desires stemming from greed. 

Next is the class which Tama is from, yet has two colours to symbolize it. Pink for the females and purple for the males, both linking to the crime of adultery. Murder is above all these. After all, it is one thing to deprive a peer of one aspect of their life, but another to remove everything from them by destroying the core that powers this enjoyment.

Now that I have gone through the classes, you may imagine that there are thousands if not millions of us roaming my planet. You know that not every person is perfect, and that not every action they do is intentional. Besides, if it was intentional, it could be because of the duress invoked by others. Well, do not fret. This curse lies only in a selected number of villages and does not punish those based on the action itself, but on the amount of darkness they have permitted to taint their heart.

If a person were to take an object by accident, their child will not suffer this consequence. However, if that person knowingly took an item with the intention of ruining someone else's life, it should not shock you when the child grows the very scians it will use to end you once it thirsts for a soul. However, what about the other possibilities? No one commits one sin in their lifetime. 

In our world, there are a handful who wish to attain the luxuries of life through any means necessary. The individuals who have killed, stolen and connived their way up the ladder to get the riches they dreamed of for years on end, give birth to bereachers of bronze, silver or gold, depending on the severity of the crimes and the number of times committed.

The bereachers with such parents are the vainest of them all. They take pride in ostentatiously adorning their scians with the finest of jewellery from their victims. They want to be the staggering centrepiece that outshines the decor of the well furnished room.

However, many others, like me, find those vain people's attempts to assert their superiority unimpressive. Instead, the bulk of us are indifferent to it.

I know the majority uses those weapons of our body to kill criminals, yet some like to use their powers to kill the innocent in high-ranking positions to create chaos. Their reasoning for their acts is "because they can."

I apologize for slowly trailing off, as these facts, as relevant as they seem to you, are merely a fragment of what bores, if not disgusts me when interacting with my kind. As much as learning how a bereacher had expertly lured its target for the slaughter seems somewhat intriguing, particularly because of the psychology behind it, I would like to understand their fears, doubts, joys, including memories of my peers. 

Occasionally, I hear these things from the others, making my time at these parties somewhat tolerable. Nevertheless, I have concluded that they hate to divulge those details, in fear of appearing more human, a species believed to be inferior to us. Note that I do not say "we believe," as it would mean I share this belief with the others. Like the scarce few, I view humans as far superior to us in many respects. 

Yes, I will admit that we can kill these beings, yet they have more to enjoy than we do during the course of our lives. Humans do not continuously look out for their next meal. They have opportunities to develop hobbies that contribute to their personality. Bereachers share a plethora of characteristics with the apex hunters of the animal kingdom. It is because of our shape-shifting, and critical-thinking, that distinguishes us from the predators of my world.

I gazed across the room I stood in. It had only been a few moments since Tama's and my arrival, and I am already so deep in thought. For a few seconds, I awoke myself from my aloof state, only to return to it with a changed subject. Beyond the bodies, I admired the room in which everyone gathered. On the ruby red walls were multiple paintings, all of which have faded. If you looked closely, you could see the faces, yet none belonged to the faces in this chamber. 

This building, as grand as it may appear because of the various gold items, was a fortress which a kingdom took over and later gifted to a nobleman. Several decades later, the nobleman and his family died from a plague, causing this property to remain abandoned until the first generations of bereachers took over. 

I always wondered how the bereachers discovered this fortress and restored it to its former glory. Usually the owner of the fortress is the eldest of my kind, yet he is currently nowhere in sight. Regardless, I never got much of a chance to devote my attention to history, because, as mentioned before, we are merely creatures on the hunt for food.

"Hello, Kanica. You look ravishing as usual."

"Ladron, always trying to sway me."

"What can I say," he said while kissing my hand. "My parents may have been thieves, but all I hope to do is steal your heart."

"How cute. Sadly for you, there is not much merit from stealing a heart as cold as mine."

"A man can try."

I had known Ladron since my first time attending these parties. Despite being from a common branch of my breed, there was something about his dark navy blue hair and striking cerulean eyes that drew me to him. I did not know anyone, but for some reason, I felt that our perspectives were similar. 

Like me, he refrained from killing people as frequently as the others of our race, restricting his choice to vicious criminals. Aside from Tama, I would confide in him, but with matters of minimal significance. Either way, he continued to stay by my side, enabling us to exchange information that helps us avoid getting into conflicts with our fellow bereachers or humans.

For quite some time, I have acknowledged his advances to me but brushed it off because of my uncertainty of whether his feelings were genuine or because I was the only other bereacher he communicated with, without a motive for consolidating information. I also did not want to get involved with anyone since it felt as if I was living like a human, a way of life I am unworthy of, considering the acts I do to stay alive.

"So what brings you here? Surely you are not planning to woo me for the hundredth time?"

I looked at him while sipping my drink, a concoction of sangria coloured poisons for humans. Poisons was probably the only other thing aside from souls that held some taste, making my ideal choice to have when I am bored or stressed. Although when consumed in large amounts it can hold ill effects to the mind and body overtime.

"What can I say, I enjoy being in your company."

"Enough small talk, then. What do you want to talk about?"

"I have heard from the other bereachers and outside sources that the concentration of criminals is moving to your territory and mine. Some ruling powers have sent their soldiers to the outskirts of their nations, forcing these crooks to change their bases to villages outside the border to avoid being caught."

"Wonderful," I rolled my eyes. "It will be only a matter of time until someone challenges me to gain my territory."

"Maybe you could share. You wouldn't want to kill anyone."

"Are you kidding me! If I do that, then I will have no food source," I replied in a harsh whisper. "You know what happens to us when we starve for too long! These morons can live with killing innocent lives! I cannot!"

"Calm down. I was joking. Although I cannot guarantee you will not need to fight every minute for your territory."

"I fought viciously for this land. The older ones and the lower ranks would not dare to challenge me. It is the young ones desperate for a chance to gain recognition"

"I feel bad for those poor souls," Ladron smirked. "Despite your aversion to murder, you will tear your enemies to shreds in seconds."

"Anyway, could we please change the topic?"

"How is Tama? How come she is not talking to you?"

"Tama is doing well. She found a mate some time ago and wanted to spend time with him."

"You seem happy about it."

"I have seen that girl for the past several years grow. She has a beautiful soul. She deserves to socialize."

"I know you told me to avoid the topic of killing, but has she taken her first soul yet?"

"No, she hasn't. I have prohibited her from such things. I would hate for her to partake in the atrocities we commit."

"I am guessing you use that pendant to do so."

He asked, gesturing to the black crystal attached to the gold chain around my neck. The crystal had a subtle crimson glow, showing that the soul belonged to a killer.

"I use these to collect souls for Tama, and for me when food is scarce."

"The things your type can do. You know that because you share your territory with her, the others will target Tama. She hasn't hunted at all, which the others see as a sign of weakness."

"I have trained her. She is just as good as me, if not better in some areas. She will put these idiots in their places, without hesitation."

"Of course you did."

"She is like a sister to me, you know, and if something were to happen to me, I want to be sure she can take care of herself."

"That is nice to know. Kancia, may I ask you something?"