The texture was smooth, surprisingly light, and riddled with microscopic porosity. Calcium.
A shell. A corpse, indeed.
Vance ran his fingers along the curving, petrified wall of the structure, his mind running calculations. He tried to picture a massive, ancient crab or mollusk inhabiting a shell of this scale—the surrounding mountains submerged under a prehistoric ocean—and wondered if in some other world, crab-like beings had evolved and conquered the planet instead of mammals.
"Vance..." Lilith groaned, leaning her back against a nearby stone and fanning herself lazily with her hand. "It's literally just a dead shell. A bone. An old rock. I told you yesterday, there are hundreds of these stupid things buried all over the valley. Why are we standing inside a giant corpse on our very first day here?"
She was back in her subtle human disguise, wearing a light summer dress that swayed in the mountain draft, her amber eyes practically screaming with irritation.
Vance glanced at her out of the corner of his eye, quietly amused. He saw right through the performance. Lilith was far from stupid—she was fully aware of why they were here, and she knew better than anyone what Vance was capable of. She had seen him handle threats that would crush armies, and she knew he was inspecting his surroundings with purpose.
This dramatic complaining, this constant insistence that the shell was useless, was just her desperate bid for his absolute attention. Ever since his teasing on the boat, her mind had been trapped in a chaotic loop of pure, unadulterated self-recrimination: Fuck! I could have had him! I could be with him right now! He was literally in my hands and I didn't see it because of some clothes! Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!
It was infuriating her to her very core, and since she couldn't turn back time, she was doing everything in her power to drag his focus back onto her.
She's practically radiating regret, Vance thought with a faint smirk, turning back to the calcium wall.
He expanded his Perception, letting his senses map the sheer scale of the cavity. The calcium walls showed no signs of tools, doorframes, or artificial shaping. There were no hearths, no markings, no living quarters—nothing that indicated intelligence or shelter.
Not a structure, Vance concluded silently. A graveyard.
It made biological sense. Many aquatic species across different worlds traveled vast distances to specific, isolated trenches or reefs when their natural lifespans drew to a close. Millions of years ago, this valley must have been a deep oceanic basin where these leviathans gathered to perish, leaving behind a silent, petrified necropolis.
Satisfied with his conclusion, Vance withdrew his hand from the bone-white wall. It was a fascinating piece of natural history, but ultimately harmless—a monument to an extinct species that time had swallowed whole.
"I think I'll have to dive and try to reach the bottom of the lake," he casually added as they walked out onto the mountain path.
"Boring. Why don't you just bait it and wait?" Lilith replied, swinging their joined arms slightly. "I doubt a creature that eats one or two people every once in a while is more dangerous than the elder."
"It wasn't easy to defeat the elder, Lilith. With my powers alone, I would have eventually been defeated," he admitted.
"Even now that you are stronger?" she teased, shooting him a playful, sidelong glance.
For a fraction of a second, his newly unlocked skill flashed through his mind—its name hovering in cold mental text: [All That Is Weak Shall Be Devoured]. He didn't fully understand what it could do yet, but he had a deep, instinctual feeling that it was something definitive. Something absolute.
"Hello? Vance? Is someone in there?" Lilith pressed, waving a hand in front of his face.
Vance sighed softly. "I'm a little stronger, yes," he conceded. "But that doesn't mean we can afford to be careless. All that is weak shall be devoured, Lilith. And 'weak' is relative. I might be strong compared to a human, but weak to a god, meaningless even... and even gods are less than tiny insects compared to the beings who produced things like that elder."
"Booooring!" She pouted dramatically, crossing her arms. "I even put on this cute sundress for you, and all you can talk about is all this nonsense."
[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION: [HEAT] ACTIVE.]
Your Lilith is entering her fertility window. Her body will demand to receive your seed, growing increasingly persistent until you breed her or the cycle ends.
Vance stopped in his tracks, looking at her with entirely new eyes.
The system text dissolved, leaving him staring down at the demoness beside him. Through the lens of his baseline instincts, she looked impossibly cute—almost fragile—striking a deep, primal chord within his chest. It stirred a sudden, protective possessiveness, making him crave nothing more than to wrap his arms around her and hold her there forever.
She wasn't actively using her charm, yet she was practically gleaming—overflowing with warmth, radiance, and vibrant life.
"You look perfect... You are perfect," Vance murmured gently. He reached up, caressing the side of her cheek with the back of his fingers, his touch so deliberate and careful it was as if anything harsher might break her.
Lilith's eyes widened, a deep, genuine blush rising across her cheeks at his sudden softness.
"Will you behave for me?" he asked softly, his gaze locked onto hers. "If you do, then I will be good to you. We have to hunt whatever monster lives in this lake, raise an army, and prepare to face anything... even the heavens."
Lilith let out a long, quiet sigh, all her dramatic complaining evaporating into the mountain air.
"I know... I'm sorry," she admitted, pouting cutely as her frustration vented. "It's just... I'm so mad at myself for not reading the mood the other night! So mad! I can't believe I completely missed it! How about... if I put on that lingerie again tonight?"
Vance chuckled, a warm, low sound.
"The best things happen naturally. It almost did once," he replied smoothly. "I think if we just let it happen when the right moment comes, the reward will be... immense."
A wicked, triumphant grin slowly stretched across Lilith's lips. She stepped in close, standing on her tiptoes to whisper directly into his ear.
"I am wearing a ridiculously scandalous piece beneath this dress right now..." she purred, her breath hot against his neck. "And from now on, I'm only going to wear the most revealing, easily accessible ones... so when that moment comes... Fufufufu..."
Vance's dark eyes gleamed with quiet promise.
"The moment will come," he whispered back.
Taking her hand once more, he turned and led her back down the trail toward Silver Lake Town.
Thanks to Aria, they had been given the finest accommodations the town could offer.
Silver Lake Town was home to around three hundred families—a small, vibrant settlement whose economic pulse was maintained through its trade connection with Silver Harbor. Local farms stretched outward into the surrounding valleys and mountain slopes, producing rich yields of potatoes, vegetables, poultry, and livestock. The best of these goods were gathered at Silver Lake Town and shipped downriver to supply the region.
"I didn't know such a tragedy had been unfolding, my lady!" Alfred, the mayor, exclaimed.
He and a crowd of local citizens had gathered in the town plaza around Aria, who was publicly recounting the fate of Silver Harbor.
Silver Harbor's declining trade traffic had severely impacted the town's economy. To remedy this, Aria had brought a chest of gold coins to revitalize local trade and reactivate the normal flow of supplies downriver.
Already, two hundred families were working to restore Silver Harbor. It would be a process of years to mold it into Vance's ultimate vision.
"The hero is here..." someone murmured from the crowd.
Eyes shifted toward Vance, before immediately being pulled toward Lilith's captivating presence.
"Who told them they could look at me like that?" Lilith muttered under her breath for Vance alone. He smiled faintly.
"Welcome back, Vance, Lilith," Aria greeted them as they approached. "Did you find anything?"
"Unfortunately, no," Vance replied calmly. "I'm thinking I'll have to dive into the lake."
"Dive?!" Mayor Alfred gasped.
"He said dive?"
"How could he?"
"Dive into the depths? Would he really?"
"He killed an angel..."
"He killed an eldritch horror! The woman killed the angel..."
Whispers rippled through the gathered crowd as color drained from several faces.
"These are Mayor Lord Alfred Alva, Lieutenant Silas Smith, and Captain Harry Larsson," Aria introduced, gesturing to the men standing near her. "The rest are citizens concerned for the safety of our lands. Everyone, these are Vance and Lilith. They saved both Silver Harbor and the capital."
Aria had transformed into an unshakeable believer in Vance. She found it nearly impossible to rest unless she felt his presence nearby. The maddening, intrusive song of the elder had fractured something fundamental within her psyche—a core piece of her being held together solely by Vance's existence. And he was fully aware of it.
"Nice to meet you all," Vance addressed the assembly. "We have come here not only to support your economy, but to eradicate any threat lingering near your homes."
"T-That means..."
"The Silver Bird of Silver Lake will meet its end at my hands," Vance declared.
The citizens exchanged looks of awe mingled with tentative hope.
"We will assist you in any way possible, my lord!" Mayor Alfred stepped forward, displaying a brave front for his people. "I can assemble three hundred armed men if needed. When do you require them?"
"Bait..." Lilith muttered playfully under her breath.
Vance let out a soft, amused sigh, casting a subtle side-glance to reprimand her.
"What? They said they want to help, right?" she defended herself cutely, feigning innocence under his gaze.
"Before we mobilize anyone, I need to gather intelligence on this creature," Vance explained to the leaders. "I need to observe it directly if possible. Otherwise, I require every account, written record, or rumor regarding its behavior. That information will be vital in formulating a strategy to kill it. If anyone has survived an encounter with it, I want to speak with them directly."
"Mrs. Gena..." a voice called out from the back.
"The madwoman? She can't be trusted! Remember when she tried to cook that cat?" another citizen interjected.
"She thought it was a rabbit!" a third added.
"Ahem..." Mayor Alfred cleared his throat, regaining control of the conversation. "We do have one survivor, Lord Vance... though her mind has been unhinged for some time. She claims she saw the bird while traveling back from Silver Harbor to Silver Lake. It is common knowledge that no one sails during full moons, but she and her husband disregarded the warnings. She was recovered alone from the wreckage of their vessel. Her husband and three children were taken by the creature."
Lilith's hand suddenly tightened on Vance's arm. Her nails dug firmly through the fabric of his coat—a grip tight enough to hurt anyone other than Vance. He felt a sudden, sharp wave of fierce defensiveness radiating from her.
"We have to murder that creature, Vance," she stated, her tone dropping into something icy and absolute. "We won't let it harm any more children."
Vance raised an eyebrow slightly, a faint smirk touching his lips. This sudden burst of motherly protective instinct from his demoness was captivating.
"Yes, ma'am," he whispered back smoothly.
Turning back to the town leaders, Vance commanded, "Bring her to me. I may be able to mend her mind."
The locals looked at one another with renewed wonder.
"Is my lord a healer of the mind?" one asked softly. "Can you truly cure Aunt Gena's madness?"
[MADNESS]
The word echoed sharply through Vance's thoughts. Yet, as spoken by the mortal, it felt light and meaningless compared to the true, abyssal Madness awaiting him at the end of his perception's progression path.
For a single fragment of a second, Vance disconnected from reality. Time stretched thin. He felt like a leaf torn violently from a branch, swept away by an indifferent storm without a shred of free will, floating above the cosmic void.
"Vance?" Lilith's soft whisper pulled him instantly back into his body.
"I am," Vance replied steadily to the townspeople.
Shortly after, Vance, Lilith, Aria, the mayor, and Mrs. Gena's nephew gathered inside the mayor's private office.
The elderly woman was on her knees in the center of the room, her forehead pressed flat against the carpet like a devoted cultist bowing before a god.
"Oh, vast and endless... Oh, timeless master of all that is..." she repeated over and over in a trembling chant.
The mayor and her nephew stood back, deeply unsettled by the display. Lilith and Aria watched intently—both instantly recognizing that the woman's shattered mind allowed her to perceive a terrifying dimension of Vance invisible to ordinary mortals.
Madness...
The concept resonated in Vance's mind like thunder. He became acutely aware of the silent song echoing through his existence—the non-melody that had unravelled the Elder, a residual aura born of the abyssal essence he now possessed.
Mrs. Gena slowly lifted her head, her tear-streaked face looking up as if she could hear the cosmic hum beneath his human disguise.
"You are so beautiful... endless... please..." She wept, tears spilling down her weathered cheeks—tears that subtly mirrored a cold, dark gleam in Vance's own eyes.
"Devour me," she begged.