Devour Vol 2 Ch 16: Family Of The Cosmos!

The moment Conrad stepped onto the endless white plain, it didn't feel real. It stretched farther than his eyes could follow, glowing faintl

The moment Conrad stepped onto the endless white plain, it didn't feel real. It stretched farther than his eyes could follow, glowing faintly under the cold light of distant stars. This was Elara, or rather—this was Elara's endless body. The Devourer's true form, resting in the void of space like a cosmic monument.

He still couldn't believe any of this was happening.

"I'm walking... on her," he muttered to himself.

And not metaphorically—literally. He was walking on the soft, living surface of a naked titaness who made entire planets look like paperweights.

The texture beneath his feet was strangely firm with an almost invisible give, like the world's most luxurious mattress. But when he looked put into the distance, he saw what looked like hairs. Not strands of string, but thick, tower-sized fibers rooted deep in skin that looked more like landscape than flesh. They swayed just slightly, like unstable skyscrapers in an invisible breeze.

Everything about this was absurd.

Conrad pulled the straps on his pack tighter and looked up at the alien sky, where gas giants turned slowly and the light from a thousand burning stars blinked in the distance. The Earth was far, far behind them now—just a blue fleck in the dark. Out here, standing on Elara, gravity had been adjusted somehow. She'd told him so herself.

"You won't float away, Conrad," she'd said with that amused smirk. "I made it comfortable for you."

Comfortable was one word for it.

"She basically turned herself into a walking... living planet," he muttered again, this time with a weird mix of awe and exhaustion. "I don't know if I should be grateful or terrified."

He set off across the skin-like terrain, wandering aimlessly. Occasionally he'd rest beneath the shade of one of her "hairs," their bases wide enough to serve as picnic shelters. Once or twice he took breaks, using his jacket as a blanket while napping inside a wrinkle in her skin that could've passed for a canyon.

After several hours—though time was hard to keep out here—he reached a change in elevation. A slope. No, more than that. It rose.

Up ahead was a massive hill, soft at first but growing firmer the further he climbed. It was like no mountain he'd ever seen. It jiggled slightly underfoot, then firmed up, giving him just enough resistance to push upward.

"What kind of terrain is this?" he asked, brows furrowed.

Then a voice boomed overhead.

"What are you doing?"

Conrad nearly tripped as he turned. The voice wasn't angry, not really—it sounded more confused than anything. Still, the air vibrated with its strength.

"Elara!" he shouted back, slightly out of breath. "You scared me."

She didn't reply right away. Then came a response, laced with dry amusement.

"You seem to be enjoying yourself exploring my body," she said. "But I thought you'd have... a little more tact."

Conrad raised an eyebrow. "What? Didn't you say I could go wherever I wanted?"

"I did," she replied. "I just didn't think you'd climb that particular region."

"What do you mean?" Conrad looked around and up at the massive slope. "Where exactly am I right now?"

A long pause.

"...You're scaling my rear."

He stopped. Blinked. Then blinked again.

"...That explains the terrain," he mumbled, biting back a grin.

"Conrad," Elara said, her voice low with warning.

But he was already climbing again.

"I've come this far. Might as well finish the journey," he said with a defiant smirk. "Consider this payback for all the times you destroyed my planet.

There was a low growl in the air—less angry and more incredulous. "You're absurd," she muttered.

"Hey, I didn't make the rules," Conrad said, laughing now as he continued his climb. "You're the one who said gravity wouldn't be an issue. I'm just making the most of this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity."

Another rumble.

"Fine. Do what you want," Elara said, voice fading. "Just... don't get lost. Or stuck."

"You're saying that now?" Conrad called back.

But her voice had gone quiet, leaving him with only the distant hum of cosmic winds and the soft, rhythmic pulse beneath his feet.

He couldn't see her face from where he was, but he imagined her somewhere in the dark, watching, shaking her head with a smile she pretended not to have.

Conrad smirked to himself as he climbed. "Planet or not," he said aloud, "you're still ridiculous, Elara."

And maybe, just maybe... she was starting to grow on him.

***

Crimson drifted through the abyss between galaxies, the stars behind her dimming into the velvet dark. No planets, no light, no prey—just the quiet hum of nothingness and the gentle curl of her own hunger gnawing at the edges of her patience. She floated lazily, arms crossed beneath her chest, and let out a low groan that reverberated across thousands of light-years.

Her stomach let out a quiet rumble.

"Ugh... I hate this stretch," she muttered, rubbing her toned midsection with an irritated sigh. "No planets. No moons. Not even a damn asteroid to chew on."

Suddenly—without warning—a blinding light pierced through the endless black like a spear of white fire. Crimson's eyes snapped open.

"Huh? What the—?"

The streak of light roared toward her at impossible speed, and for once in eons, Crimson braced herself.

BOOM!

The impact shook the very fabric of the void.

Two massive forces collided like ancient gods clashing in the forge of creation. The explosion rippled across the darkness, tearing through space-time with enough power to echo across galaxies. Cosmic winds howled like banshees, and radiation waves danced like flames across the stars. In a few hundred years, scientists on distant worlds would watch helplessly as their stars flickered out, their worlds split in half by a shockwave birthed in this very moment.

And yet, from the swirling fire of impact, two familiar shapes began to emerge—glowing and massive, shadows against the searing light.

Crimson blinked and looked down, only to find herself being hugged—tightly—by a smaller Devourer with jet black, short hair and a cheeky grin spread across her face.

"&;!/':):&38&!," the girl said happily—an ancient name not meant for mortal tongues.

Crimson rolled her eyes. "Don't you think you should be a little more careful flying around like a damn comet?" she asked, lightly tugging the girl's arms off her waist.

The black-haired Devourer giggled, spinning in the air beside her elder sister. "Sorry! I was just really excited to see you again. It's been... how long? A few thousand years?" She tapped her chin in mock thought.

Crimson arched a brow. "Longer. The last time we gathered, you weren't even spawned yet."

"I know!" the young Devourer squealed with delight. "That's why I'm so excited! This is going to be the first time I meet all of them—all ninety-nine of our sisters."

Crimson gave a slow nod. "Then brace yourself. It's a circus."

The black-haired Devourer twirled in the void, her enormous form gleaming with starlight. "Oh, oh! That reminds me—guess what?! The mortals gave me a nickname!"

Crimson chuckled. "They always do. What is it this time? 'Doom Girl?' 'Planet Slayer?'"

"Nope!" she grinned, placing a hand proudly on her chest. "From this moment forward, I shall be known as—the Friendly Devourer."

Crimson burst into laughter. "Friendly?! You're kidding. You really do still have that weird habit of trying to make friends with your food."

The younger sister shrugged. "Is that so bad? I think it's better for the mortals to die with a smile on their face... rather than terror. And sometimes they're actually funny! Did I tell you about the one who tried to teach me chess before I ate his planet?"

Crimson snorted, shaking her head. "You are a menace."

"You love it," the Friendly Devourer teased.

They floated there for a moment longer, two colossal beings drifting peacefully in the endless dark between stars. The Friendly Devourer spun slowly, trailing glimmers of leftover cosmic dust from her impact behind her like stardust ribbons.

Crimson stretched her arms overhead, the light of a distant quasar gleaming against her crimson skin. "Well, come on. No point stalling."

"Right! Right!" her sister nodded eagerly. "I can't wait to meet everyone! Do you think Big Sister Love will be there? Or maybe Flame?

Crimson chuckled again and started forward through the void. "They'll all be there. All ninety-nine of us."

She paused and looked over her shoulder with a small smile.

"And Friendly? Try not to get too excited. Most of them aren't as... gentle as you."

The younger Devourer floated beside her and gave a small hum.

"I'm not scared," she said confidently. "Besides... I've got you."

Crimson gave a rare, genuine smile, and with that, the two streaked forward through the void—leaving starlight in their wake.

The reunion of the Devourers had begun.