Samus nodded, her gaze lowering again.
"Yes. It starts subtly. Food loses it's taste. Scents in the air seem to become more... bland, somehow. Heat and physical sensation lose their potency. But as time goes on, you lose more and more of what makes life worth living. You lose the ability to feel joy, sorrow, or anything. Your very soul rots away. Some turn to cannibalism to cure themselves. They murder their neighbours and friends, to consume their souls in order to slow their own decay. Others lose hope, and allow themselves to deteriorate, until they are a soulless, hollow creature with no control of its own actions. These creatures hunt human souls as well, though by then, they are beyond recovery." She shuddered, and poked at the plate of food with a fork. Though she had no appetite, she knew she needed to eat anyway. Even if that were not true, somehow, it seemed important. Taking a reluctant mouthful, she continued.
"Of course, there are beasts and bandits in my home that threaten people's lives, but hollows are different. They... we... cannot be killed. Not really. If I were slain, my heart and breath would stop, and my body would begin to decay, but I would not stay dead. I would not even be granted the oblivion of losing my mind. I would simply go on as before, until I could restore something of my humanity, or surrender my soul entirely."
