Nyx,
Supreme Ruler of the Box Realm.
Devourer of Nectar.
Victor of the Great Throne War,
slept.
Peacefully.
Gloriously.
Unbothered by the trivial concerns of lesser beings.
His body rose and fell with slow, regal breaths, tail tucked with perfect symmetry around his form. The scent of victory still clung to the walls of his throne—his throne—reinforcing the natural order of the universe.
All was as it should be.
All was under his control.
All was—
Strange...
A shift in the atmosphere happened.
A tremor in the fabric of reality itself.
Nyx's eyes snapped open, not in a slow, graceful way this time,
but sharp and immediate,
like a ruler sensing the first whisper of trouble.
His ears twitched to attention.
His whiskers stiffened as he sensed that something was coming.
And then, true to his senses—
trouble arrived!
The big door to the abyss split open.
(The absolute barrier that giants used was breached.)
A Giant entered the realm.
For a second, Nyx thought that he was panicking for nothing, but then he froze.
This was no ordinary Giant.
No gentle bringer of food.
No calm guardian of the Great Mother.
No.
This one carried… a weapon.
In one hand was a long, coiled serpent.
It dragged itself behind him like some ancient, slumbering beast forced into servitude.
In the other hand, a big demon, lumbering forward on round leg… things.
Nyx rose slowly within his throne, his posture rigid, eyes locked onto the intruder.
The Giant moved with purpose.
With horrifying intent and confidence.
And then—
he plugged the serpent into the very fabric of existence.
Nyx's soul left his body for half a second as a low hum began.
Unnatural and growing.
Nyx could not breathe.
The world could not breathe.
And then reality itself screamed in horror as it was being torn apart.
Fuuuuuuuuu!
Nyx launched straight into the air.
Literally leapt as high as his legs were capable of.
His entire being expanded in pure, unfiltered terror as the sound tore through the universe, shaking the very foundations of his domain.
This was not a simple challenge.
This was not a rival.
This was an apocalypse.
The serpent and demon came alive. They hissed and roared.
They devoured everything in sight.
The ground trembled as the beast surged forward, its gaping maw pressed against the earth, swallowing everything in its path with a hunger that knew no bounds.
Dust—gone.
Crumbs—obliterated.
Entire civilizations (a suspiciously important crumb from earlier)—erased from existence.
Nyx watched in horror.
This…
This was not a fight he could win, and his siblings knew that too.
Around him, chaos erupted.
Those foolish subjects of his, reckless creatures who had once dared challenge his authority, were already in full retreat.
Scattering and fleeing in all directions, as long as it was away from those monsters.
They vanished into the void.
(Under a few blankets.)
Cowards.
…Smart cowards.
Nyx stood frozen for exactly one second longer than them.
A full second.
A ruler's second.
To assess and calculate the threat, as well as to maintain dignity.
But then the serpent turned towards him.
It saw him.
Nyx screamed.
Not outwardly.
Of course not.
But internally? Yes, internally!
Internally, he screamed loud enough to echo across dimensions.
He chose retreat.
He ran with his life on the line.
There was no strategy.
No elegance.
No calculated retreat.
Nyx bolted from his throne like a tiny, fluffy comet of pure survival instinct, paws scrambling against the ground as the monstrous roar chased him.
His throne—
His beautiful—
Perfect—
THRONE—
abandoned.
This would be addressed later.
If there was a later.
The world blurred around him as he sprinted, heart pounding against his ribs like a war drum of impending doom.
The serpent was everywhere.
Left.
Right.
Back again.
It lay around on the ground without reason and occupied the whole space… his retreat was cut off from many directions.
Without mercy.
Without hope.
Nyx did not look back.
He told himself that heroes don't look at explosions, even though that made no sense right now.
And also because he was absolutely certain the all-devouring demon was directly behind him.
Through sheer panic and divine intervention, Nyx reached the only place that mattered.
The Great Mother.
He could not slow down, announce his presence, or even request permission.
He crashed into her with the full force his mighty body could muster.
A collision of fluff and desperation as Nyx buried himself against her, climbing, scrambling, clinging like his life—which it absolutely was—depended on it.
The Great Mother shifted slightly, startled, her own unease evident as the monstrous roar filled the air.
What?! Even she was terrified?
The provider of nectar, the pillar of existence.
Even she was wary.
Nyx was shocked.
If she was not in control… then who was?
The demon was still roaring.
Nyx pressed himself deeper into her warmth, paws gripping tightly, refusing to be separated from the only thing in this world that still made sense.
His ears flattened.
His eyes remained wide.
Unblinking.
This was it.
This was the end of his handsome and mighty existence, of his glorious life.
The Devourer had come.
The universe was being undone.
And Nyx—
Great ruler.
Mighty conqueror.
Undisputed king of the throne—
would be eaten right here.
Nyx trembled.
Suddenly, the apocalypse and end of the universe fell silent.
He remained beside the Great Mother—not clinging to her like a coward, but merely ensuring that she was safe...
A calculated and strategic position.
Slowly, he lifted his head.
The Devourer was leaving, back through the barrier of the universe.
Silently this time.
Defeated.
Nyx narrowed his eyes.
Of course, he was in no small part the cause of this victory.
His siblings crept back from their hiding places.
Disheveled and unimpressive. There was nothing worth acknowledging, so he didn't.
He rose carefully.
Slow—entirely unhurried.
He glanced at the barrier one more time… just to ensure the safety of his mother and siblings, then he returned back to his throne.
Confident in his stride, as if reality had not recently attempted to collapse.
The throne stood waiting.
Unshaken.
Nyx climbed in with effortless grace, turned once, and settled inside the throne—his rightful place, tail wrapped neatly around him.
Still.
Was this a test for him, made by the giants? Perhaps.
Nyx had definitely passed it, though.
He was a stellar leader, ordering his siblings to retreat.
He had exemplary strategy and courage.
Last but not least, he was protecting his mother until the apocalypse… stopped existing.
Yes.
A wise decision by him.
There was no fear.
He was never scared!