The Mythic Defect

CHAPTER 7 The Devourer Beneath the World

The ground split apart beneath the Grand Summoning Plaza. The crack appeared without warning, slicing through the shattered arena floor like a gigantic wound opening across the heart of Ashveil City. Stone collapsed inward. Ancient pillars crumbled. Hundreds of spectators who had not yet escaped screamed as they stumbled away from the widening abyss.

A violent shockwave erupted from below. The chained wolf immediately dropped into a defensive stance. Grand Elder Varis's face drained of colour. Even Azhareth's golden eyes narrowed dangerously. Drake felt it too. Whatever was awakening beneath the city felt fundamentally different from the other prison beasts.

The chained wolf carried anger. The imprisoned serpent carried resentment. The reptilian giant carried hatred. But the thing beneath the deepest chamber felt utterly alien. It did not radiate rage. It radiated hunger. An endless, bottomless hunger that seemed capable of swallowing the world itself. Another laugh echoed upward from the darkness.

The sound crawled across Drake's skin like icy fingers. Around the plaza, spirit beasts reacted immediately. Several collapsed unconscious. Others began trembling uncontrollably.

One Sacred-Class summon belonging to a Temple executioner suddenly tore free from its contractor and fled toward the city walls in blind terror. Nobody tried to stop it. Because everyone else wanted to do the same thing."What is the Devourer?" Drake asked.

The question emerged before he could stop himself. For several seconds, nobody answered. Then the chained wolf spoke. Its deep voice carried a note of unease that Drake had never expected from such a powerful creature.

"The Devourer is the reason the prison was built."A heavy silence settled over the plaza. Varis slowly closed his eyes. The old elder looked exhausted. Not physically.Spiritually.Like a man forced to watch the consequences of ancient mistakes unfold before him.

"Thousands of years ago," Varis began quietly, "before the current kingdoms existed, there was another age."

The ground trembled again. Yet nobody interrupted him. Even the chaos spreading across the city seemed distant for a moment."There were no Beast Tamers then. Humans and spirit beasts existed separately. Some coexisted peacefully. Others fought. But eventually, something emerged that threatened both races."Drake listened carefully.

Azhareth remained silent. That silence bothered him. Because until now, the ancient beast has always corrected information it disagrees with. This time, it simply listened."The Devourer consumed everything," Varis continued.

"It devoured spirit beasts. It devoured humans. Entire cities vanished overnight. Forests disappeared. Rivers dried up because the creature consumed the spirit essence sustaining them."

Lyra's face paled."That's impossible."It should be," Varis admitted."But reality rarely cares about what should be possible."Another laugh echoed from below. This time, the sound felt closer. Much closer. The crack splitting the arena widened further. Dark crimson mist began pouring upward from the depths.

The moment the mist touched the nearby stone, the surface started decaying. Not breaking. Not burning.Decaying.Like centuries passed in an instant. Drake watched part of a pillar crumble into dust. His stomach tightened."What happened to it?" he asked.

The chained wolf answered."It took everything."Its glowing eyes focused on the abyss."Then it tried to consume him."The wolf nodded toward Azhareth. The atmosphere changed instantly. Every gaze shifted toward the First Beast. Azhareth stared into the darkness below. For the first time since Drake met him, the ancient creature looked genuinely serious. Not amused.Not indifferent.Serious."You fought it," Drake realised. Azhareth remained silent. Varis answered instead.

"According to forbidden records, the Devourer attacked the First Beast at the height of the ancient war."

Drake frowned."And?"The elder hesitated. Then: "And nobody knows who won."Those words landed like a hammer. Nobody knew? Azhareth was supposedly the strongest creature in existence. The origin of all beast bloodlines. The being that entire civilisations feared. Yet even he had apparently struggled against this thing. The realisation sent unease spreading through Drake's chest.

The abyss exploded. A massive tendril of crimson darkness erupted upward. People screamed. The tendril shot through the air before slamming into a nearby tower. The structure collapsed instantly. Not from impact.From decay. Stone aged hundreds of years within seconds before disintegrating into dust. The executioners atop the tower never even had time to react. One moment, they stood there.

Next, they were gone.Consumed.The plaza erupted into panic."It has breached the chamber!"Retreat!"We need reinforcements!"Several nobles fled immediately. Others dropped their weapons and ran. Drake watched in stunned silence. The same people who had ordered executions minutes earlier now looked utterly terrified. Another tendril emerged. Then another.Then another. Each one moved like a living predator searching for prey.

The chained wolf growled."It wakes."Azhareth finally stepped forward. The movement drew everyone's attention. The ancient beast's chains rattled softly against the shattered stone. Blood still dripped from its wounds. Its body remained weak. Yet somehow, the creature still felt larger than the entire city. Not physically.Existentially.Like reality itself recognized its presence.

"The seal weakened more than expected," Azhareth murmured. Drake looked toward him."You sound surprised."

The golden eyes shifted toward him briefly."I am."That answer worried Drake more than anything else. If Azhareth was surprised, then things were worse than they appeared. Far worse. Another tremor shook the city. Buildings collapsed throughout the western district. The Heavenly Lock flickered violently overhead. Then something unexpected happened. Drake's pact mark suddenly burned. Pain exploded through his arm.

He staggered backwards. Lyra caught him before he fell."Drake!"The world blurred. For a brief moment, his surroundings vanished. Darkness swallowed everything. Then he found himself standing somewhere else. A ruined landscape stretched endlessly in every direction. Mountains of bones.Broken stars hanging motionless in a crimson sky. At the centre of the wasteland stood a gigantic silhouette. Drake's breathing stopped.

The figure resembled Azhareth. But vastly larger. Entire galaxies seemed trapped inside its golden eyes. The vision lasted only seconds. Yet Drake understood something instinctively. This wasn't a memory. It was a warning. The vision shattered. Reality returned. Drake nearly collapsed. Azhareth was watching him carefully."What was that?" Drake demanded internally.

The First Beast remained silent. Which was answer enough. He knew. And he wasn't telling. Drake felt irritation rising. Every revelation seemed to create ten new mysteries. Before he could push further, Lucien Ashthorn suddenly stepped forward. The noble heir looked pale. Sweat covered his face. Yet determination burned behind his silver eyes."What if we kill it?"

Everyone turned. Lucien pointed directly at Azhareth."If everything started because of that creature, then killing it should stop this."Several frightened nobles immediately agreed. The idea spread rapidly. Like desperate people grasping at any solution. Drake felt anger flare. Not because of the accusation.

Because part of him understood the temptation. People were dying. The city was collapsing. If sacrificing one creature could save thousands...Wouldn't most people choose that option? The thought lingered longer than Drake wanted. Azhareth noticed. Of course, he noticed."You are considering it."Drake clenched his jaw."I’m considering every option."

The ancient beast looked away. For some reason, that reaction bothered Drake. Not anger.Not disappointment.Something closer to resignation.As though Azhareth expected betrayal.As though he had experienced it many times before. The realisation struck unexpectedly hard. Because Drake understood that feeling. His entire life, people had abandoned him the moment circumstances became difficult.

The silence between them stretched briefly. Then Drake exhaled."No."Azhareth looked toward him. Drake met the creature's golden gaze."I'm not sacrificing someone just because it's convenient."For a moment, the ancient beast simply stared. Then something unusual appeared in those ancient eyes.Respect.The moment passed quickly. But Drake saw it.

The abyss exploded again. This time, a gigantic claw emerged. The sight stole everyone's breath. The claw alone was larger than most buildings. Black scales covered its surface. Crimson veins pulsed beneath the armour-like hide. And wrapped around the limb were fragments of ancient chains thicker than city walls. The Devourer had reached the surface.

Panic consumed Ashveil. People ran in every direction. Priests prayed desperately. Even veteran Beast Tamers looked broken. The claw gripped the edge of the abyss. Then slowly, something began pulling itself upward. A massive eye opened within the darkness. Drake froze. The eye was wrong. No other word described it. Looking into it felt like staring into a bottomless pit that wanted reality itself to disappear.

The Devourer looked toward the plaza. Toward Azhareth.And then it smiled. The sight chilled everyone present. Because monsters were not supposed to smile. The laugh returned. Louder now.Clearer.And for the first time, words emerged from it."Azhareth..."The entire city fell still. The Devourer knew his name.

The gigantic eye narrowed with obvious amusement."I finally found you."The smile widened. And beneath Drake's feet, the pact mark began burning hotter than ever before. As though something inside his soul recognised the creature climbing from the abyss. And feared it.