They continued their journey through this cursed land, guided by the swordsman's cold demeanor. Each day, the creatures they faced fell with more ease. Their movements grew sharper, their instincts honed. Yet, the closer they worked together, the further apart the swordsman seemed.
One night, they made camp in the hollow of a cave. The young man and the girl huddled close, using her jacket as a blanket, sharing warmth in the biting cold.
Then, she began to twitch.
Violent spasms wracked her body. A piercing scream shattered the night.
She clutched her stomach, retching black blood onto the stone floor. Her breathing turned ragged as unknown memories forced their way into her mind—visions of what she once was.
She saw through eyes that weren't hers. Familiar shapes, huddled around her. A city, towering above.
Then, in an instant, she was older. A battlefield stretched before her. A bow in her hands. War.
And then—emptiness. A void so vast it crushed everything beneath its weight.
The visions blurred, moving faster and faster until they became indistinguishable. A pulse of energy surged through her—a force so potent, so alien, that no mere mortal could contain it.
Outside, the world roared.
A deafening sound echoed through the cave. The ground trembled. Something was moving. Something massive.
Then—a hand.
A colossal, stone-like hand crashed down, barely missing them. Dawn's light revealed an enormous silhouette against the sky. A figure as large as a mountain.
A giant.
The young man hoisted the girl onto his shoulder, running as fast as his legs would carry him. His master followed close behind, mumbling something under his breath.
The titan loomed over them, its body a grotesque fusion of rock and flesh. Moss and trees sprouted from its form, clinging like parasites. A massive crystal hung from its chest, vines wrapping around it like tendrils.
Another hand came crashing down.
They were caught. The giant's fingers closed around them, sealing their fate.
And then—
She awakened.
A burst of energy sent the hand flying back. The girl's body twisted and changed. Wings unfurled from her back, dark and jagged. Her horns grew longer, curling like those of a devil. Her skin hardened, transforming into something closer to armor.
She was… something else.
With an explosion of energy, she charged toward the titan's heart.
The giant reacted instantly. Crystalized spikes erupted from its body, blocking her path.
The two men stood frozen, witnessing a battle beyond their comprehension. It was as if gods clashed before them, the sheer force of their attacks shaking the very world.
The titan was known as the Devourer, though they did not yet know its name.
Blow after blow, their fight escalated.
The young man watched, eyes wide with awe and horror. His master, however, saw what he did not—the energy surrounding the girl, the crackling purple aura, was faltering.
The swordsman's voice was tense.
"We have to run. I spotted a spatial fold nearby."
The young man clenched his fists.
"We can't abandon her. She's fighting for us."
The swordsman's expression darkened.
"For her sake—tell me, what do you plan to do against that thing? I can't even fathom scratching its body, let alone fighting it."
The young man opened his mouth to argue, but he couldn't. He knew the truth. He would only get in her way.
Then—
The world stopped.
A purple hue enveloped everything. Time itself froze.
They could not move, could not even breathe.
The young man felt it—an energy akin to the Embers of Infinity.
And then, in a final, deafening detonation—
The Devourer's arm exploded into crackling purple flames.
The young man ran, his heartbeat pounding in sync with the deafening blows behind him. The world trembled with each clash of titanic forces.
Ahead, the swordsman pointed.
Shards of broken reality floated in the air, fractured glass suspended in nothingness—the spatial fold. Their escape.
The young man didn't hesitate. He leapt onto his sword, channeling his aura just as he had practiced. With a surge of energy, he propelled himself forward, shooting through the fold.
The swordsman, however, lingered for a moment longer.
He turned back.
He saw her.
A beam of pure energy, unleashed from the titan's core, struck her midair.
Her body crashed to the ground beside him.
The transformation faded. Her wings withered. Her armor-like skin softened, becoming flesh once more. She lay there, weak and trembling, her power completely drained.
She looked up at him.
Her eyes, once burning with an otherworldly fire, were now dim—dying.
A whisper escaped her lips. A plea.
"H-help me…"
The swordsman hesitated.
For a moment, he simply stood there.
His grip tightened. His jaw clenched.
Then—he turned away.
Without a word, he stepped through the spatial fold.
He could have saved her.
He should have saved her.
But he did not.
She lay on the cold ground, alone.
Her body trembled, her breath shallow. The warmth drained from her limbs, seeping into the lifeless soil beneath her.
She reached out, fingers twitching, searching for something—someone.
But there was nothing.
Only the cold.
Only the silence.
Until her final breath escaped.
The Devourer.
The name was not without meaning.
A being as old as time itself, a predator of gods.
Long ago, it was cast into the Red Horizon, sealed away by those who feared its endless hunger.
But time had not dulled its nature.
Its instinct remained. To consume. To erase. To devour the divine.
And now, after eons of dormancy…
It had feasted once more.