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existential-pain
The entity experiences deep pain linked to a moral or existential failing rather than physical harm or traditional crimes.
1 chapter across 1 book
Up the Walls of the World (1978)James Tiptree, Jr.
Chapter 1
The chapter introduces a vast, powerful, and solitary entity described as an 'evil presence' that roams the star-streams. This being is tormented by a profound pain stemming not from murder but from its failure to fulfill its race's collective duty, having chosen to deviate and drift away from its assigned task. The entity is isolated from its race, which continues to act in unison, while it remains a solitary, potent, and lethal force wandering the cosmic expanse.