The Touch of Malice, how it works, and why it hurts you.

So, after doing the quest for it, I'm sure you know that the touch of malice contains Oryx's soul/heart, which allows him to I've on through the weapon. With all the world's he's devoured, with the countless races that have been slaughtered and eons he's lived for, his power is unimaginable in strength, and likely almost limitless in terms of amount. This is why the weapon never gets completely empty. I'm sure you've also noticed that when the magazine is full, there's a sort of shield around the heart. This shield is what keeps us from being harmed with every single shot. The "magazine" we load is essentially a magical battery that maintains the shield. That battery can only keep Oryx's energy at bay for 10 pulls of the trigger. Once it's gone, his full power is unleashed with each shot fired. This is why the gun gains damage when at the final shot. Third, if you hip fire it while in the last round, you'll see that the heart literally attacks you with every shot. This is because while Oryx has recognized that you are superior to him since you ended him, he still seeks to destroy the light, so he strikes at your light every time you call upon his full power. And lastly, the touch of mercy. As I said before, Oryx acknowledges that you are superior, but still wishes to extinguish your light. Well, when he sees you performing feats of exceptional cruelty/evil (murdering three beings in a matter of seconds) he grants you a reprieve from his punishment, as a way of telling you to live on through the killing of others, as he was taught to live by the worm gods.