Devour Vol 2 Ch 10: The One Who Destroyed It All!

The golden Devourer stared down at the speck in her palm, her glowing blue eyes narrowing slightly as she took in the sight of him. Conrad lay curled up, his body trembling, as though everything that had just happened had finally broken something inside him.

She sighed softly. Mortal minds were so fragile.

She turned her gaze back to her sisters. "I would like a moment alone with him."

Crimson raised an eyebrow. "Conrad?" she asked, her voice laced with confusion. "You mean that mortal?"

The golden Devourer gave a slow nod, her eyes not leaving the tiny man in her palm.

Darkness smirked, tilting her head slightly. "We will be waiting, sister," she said, her voice echoing through the void.

Crimson scoffed, glancing between them before rolling her eyes. "Fine," she muttered. "But don't take too long." With an annoyed nod, she and Darkness disappeared in a burst of energy, leaving only the golden Devourer and her tiny, trembling guest.

She glanced around, confirming that she was alone before looking down at the broken little thing in her palm. What a mess. She had never interacted with a mortal in this way before. Usually, their lives were nothing more than flickers of light before being snuffed out, insignificant in the grand scheme of things. But this one—this Conrad—had somehow managed to get involved in their affairs, and for reasons she didn't quite understand, she found herself compelled to handle this... carefully.

She sighed and closed her eyes. A moment later, a smaller version of herself began to take form, a fraction of her consciousness slipping into the avatar.

The golden light of her energy pulsed around the much smaller version of herself as she descended from her palm, stepping down onto the vast, flesh-like ground of her larger form's hand.

As she approached Conrad, she could see how utterly wrecked he was. His face was hidden in his hands, his shoulders shaking. His entire body was curled in on itself, as if trying to disappear. He was young, she realized. So young.

She knelt beside him, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder. "Are you alright?" she asked softly.

Conrad flinched at her touch but slowly lifted his head. His eyes were red, tears streaking his face. He looked at her—the woman who had changed everything, the woman whose kind had brought ruin to his world.

Then, without a word, he turned away from her and buried his face in his hands again.

"I won't hurt you," she said.

A bitter laugh escaped him. Then, suddenly, he screamed. "I DON'T BELIEVE YOU!"

His voice echoed around them, raw with anger and grief.

"You and your kind have destroyed everything! You've killed so many people! Do you even understand what you've done?!" His voice cracked, his fists clenching. "So many lives... gone. Just like that."

Before she could react, Conrad lunged at her.

The impact caught her off guard, and she fell backward onto the soft surface of the palm. He was on top of her in an instant, his hands wrapping around her throat. His grip was weak—pathetic, really—but his face told another story. His expression was twisted with grief and rage, his tears falling onto her skin.

"I should kill you," he whispered. His voice was trembling, but there was no hesitation in it. "If I kill you, maybe I can stop all of this. Maybe I can save my planet. My family."

She didn't struggle. She didn't fight back.

Instead, she just... looked at him.

With sadness.

"Kill me," she said softly. "You do have the right."

Conrad hesitated.

"So do many others," she continued. "So many others who have suffered because of me." She glanced upward, and Conrad instinctively followed her gaze—only to feel his stomach drop.

Above them, the massive, unfathomable face of her true form stared down, her glowing blue eyes filled with a quiet amusement.

Even if he somehow killed this smaller version of her, it wouldn't matter. The real her was still there.

Conrad scrambled back to his feet, his heart pounding. "Damn you," he muttered under his breath. Then, louder, "DAMN YOU!"

His voice was tiny compared to the colossus watching him, but the rage in it was real.

He turned on his heel and stormed away, putting as much distance between himself and the two versions of her as possible.

"Wait," the smaller Devourer called.

He ignored her.

She stood up and jogged after him, her much smaller feet making soft sounds against the flesh-like surface. Reaching out, she grabbed his shoulder and spun him around. "I said wait."

"What?!" he snapped. "What do you want from me now?"

For a long moment, she was silent. Then, finally, she spoke.

"I want to apologize."

Conrad scoffed. "An apology?!" He threw his hands up, laughing bitterly. "What the hell would an apology even mean at this point? Will you fix what your sisters did? Will you bring back all the people you murdered? Like you did before?"

The Devourer slowly shook her head. "No. No, I will not."

Conrad's mouth opened, then closed again. "Why not?"

She sighed. "Because it's too late."

He frowned.

"The last time, the damage was small," she explained. "Not many had died. It had only just happened. But this? Too many people are gone. Too much has been destroyed. Too much time has passed."

Conrad clenched his fists. "But you could do it, couldn't you? If you wanted to?"

She looked away. "Even if I could... I wouldn't."

His breath caught in his throat. "What?"

"It costs me too much energy," she said. "Our kind are meant for destruction. That is our purpose."

Conrad shook his head in disbelief. "Then what the hell is the point of an apology?"

She hesitated. Then, suddenly, she reached out and grabbed his wrist.

"Come with me."

Conrad blinked. "What?"

She looked him dead in the eyes. "Come with me. To the Grand Meeting of my family."

He stared at her like she had lost her mind. "Why the hell would I do that?"

"Because," she said, "if you do... you might get the chance to meet my mother."

"...And?"

She tilted her head slightly. "And maybe she could undo the damage."

Conrad's stomach twisted. His whole body felt like it had been thrown into cold water.

"...Your mother?" he echoed.

The Devourer nodded. "Yes. She is far more powerful than I am."

Conrad swallowed hard. He had no idea what he was getting himself into.

But if there was even a chance to fix what had been done...

"...Fine," he muttered.

The Devourer smiled. "Good."

Then, with a simple flick of her wrist, the world around them began to shift.