The forest was silent.
Far below the mountain—
Traveler lay motionless among broken branches and stone.
His white hair covered half of his face.
Three blades remained buried across his back.
The wound on the right side of his head had stopped bleeding.
But he had not moved.
Several meters away—
Seris lay unconscious beneath the trees.
Her body was badly injured from the fall.
The night passed without either of them waking.
Then—
the darkness moved.
Not the trees.
Not the wind.
Something beneath them.
A low vibration traveled through the earth.
Thump.
Another.
Thump.
The ground cracked.
Something enormous emerged from beneath the forest floor.
One tentacle.
Then another.
Then another.
Until twelve massive tentacles slowly rose between the trees.
The Devourer had arrived.
It did not roar.
It did not attack.
It simply looked.
Its enormous body remained hidden within the darkness.
Its attention settled on Seris.
Then—
Traveler.
The creature became completely still.
For several seconds, it said nothing.
Then one tentacle slowly moved toward him.
It stopped above his body.
The Devourer sensed his wounds.
His heartbeat.
His blood.
His silence.
Then it noticed the three blades.
The blow to his head.
The Light Whip still wrapped around his body.
The Devourer lowered one tentacle.
It touched the strange weapon.
The Light Whip immediately flickered.
The Devourer pulled away.
"...Interesting."
Its voice was deep enough to make the surrounding trees tremble.
It looked back toward Traveler.
"You were bound."
Silence.
The Devourer waited.
Traveler did not respond.
It moved closer.
"You were struck."
Nothing.
"You were thrown from the mountain."
Still nothing.
The Devourer lowered itself until its enormous presence filled the darkness around him.
"And yet..."
It paused.
"...you remain."
Traveler's breathing was extremely faint.
The Devourer stared at him.
"I have watched gods die."
Its voice became quieter.
"I have watched worlds disappear."
A tentacle moved beside Traveler's body.
"I have consumed beings whose names were carved into the heavens."
It stopped.
"But I have never seen you like this."
Silence.
The Devourer leaned closer.
"Lord Arafial."
Traveler didn't move.
The creature waited.
Nothing.
Then the Devourer spoke again.
"You cannot hear me."
A pause.
"Or perhaps..."
Its eyes narrowed.
"...you simply cannot answer."
Traveler's fingers remained completely still.
The Devourer looked at the blood beneath him.
Then at his face.
"Tell me."
Its voice became almost a whisper.
"Where did you go?"
No answer.
"Who took you?"
Nothing.
"Why were you separated from yourself?"
Still nothing.
The Devourer's twelve tentacles slowly curled around the surrounding trees.
It had waited for ages.
It had searched countless worlds.
And now—
the being it had followed for eternity was lying unconscious before it.
Yet he did not remember.
The Devourer lowered its head.
"You don't know who you are."
A pause.
"Do you?"
Traveler remained motionless.
The Devourer stared into his closed eyes.
Then—
Traveler's lips moved.
Barely.
The Devourer immediately became still.
A faint sound escaped him.
"...where..."
The Devourer leaned closer.
Traveler's voice was almost nonexistent.
"...am I..."
The Devourer froze.
For the first time—
something resembling shock passed through its ancient expression.
It answered quietly.
"Far from where you remember."
Traveler's eyes remained closed.
His breathing weakened again.
The Devourer continued.
"And you still don't remember me."
Silence.
Then the creature spoke one final sentence.
"But I remember you."
The forest became completely silent.
The Devourer looked toward the mountain above.
Then back at Traveler.
"They believe they killed you."
Its voice became cold.
"They are wrong."