Devour Vol 2 Ch 2: challenge Accepted, The Pink Hills!

(Legend)

In the beginning, before time spun its threads, before stars cast their first light, there was a single being. It was the First, a being that existed in the void, before life and death had meaning, before worlds and skies had shape. The First drifted alone in the dark beyond the dark, surrounded by an endless silence, a silence so deep it seemed to press in from every side. This being, though vast and powerful, was like a child, untouched by understanding, knowing nothing of itself or its purpose. All it knew was loneliness.

Ages passed, ages beyond counting, and in that time, planets began to form, great orbs of matter spinning out of the darkness, each with its own mysteries. Some glowed with fire, others were icy and still, and on a few, life began to stir. Creatures of all shapes and forms appeared, living and dying in the blink of an eye. But even as the First watched these new worlds bloom with life, it remained alone, untouched by their fragile warmth, set apart by a power and existence that none could share.

It was then, after countless eras of solitude, that an idea formed in the First's mind. For the first time, it felt a desire—a longing not for power, but for a companion. A being that would be like itself, one who could stand beside it in the vastness of the multiverse. The First looked upon all it had seen, and it began to understand the ways of life, of creation and companionship.

And in a voice that was deeper than oceans, older than stone, it spoke, its words echoing through the void. "I shall create a being... a being the same as myself. A being that will stand with me for all time."

With this decree, the First reached out into the void, drawing from the essence of the multiverse itself. And from its own power, from the breath of the eternal and the fire of existence, it created... the Other.

Thus, the legend says, was born the first companion to the First—one who would share in its power, its knowledge, and its endless journey through the depths of eternity. And together, they became the beginning of all things, the first of all beings, a pair that would set the multiverse into motion.

***

Zephora crouched over the mountains, her immense form casting a shadow that swallowed the valleys below. Her bare feet pressed down on the earth, towering over peaks that barely reached her ankles. From her lofty perch, her piercing blue eyes, framed by dark strands of hair, gazed down between her feet, where a lone warrior stood on a cliff overlooking her toes. She smirked, hardly expecting anything from this small, defiant figure. But she found herself amused—why not give the little creature a chance? She was curious, after all, and a part of her craved that thrill she had felt once before on a distant, lifeless world, long, long ago.

"So, tell me, little warrior," her voice rumbled through the air, each word trembling through the stones beneath his feet. "Do you accept my challenge?"

The man looked up at her in silence at first, his face drawn but steady. "You said you'd give me an opportunity... what is it?" he asked, his voice carrying a note of forced calm.

Zephora's laughter boomed across the land, her amusement rippling through the very sky. "You remembered," she said with satisfaction, a gleam of approval in her gaze. "Good." She clapped her hands together, and the force of it sent a shockwave through the planet, a thunderous sonic boom that shook mountains, rattled forests, and sent animals scattering in terror. "It's simple," she continued, her face barely visible through the swirling clouds that circled her head. "Fight me and win, and I'll spare your planet. Fight me and lose... well, then this world is mine, to do with as I please."

The man looked down, his fists clenching, then looked back up, his expression firm but uncertain. "I can't possibly fight against someone so large," he admitted, a hint of defeat coloring his words.

Zephora's smirk softened, a spark of intrigue lighting her gaze. "Worry not," she replied. "I'll shrink down further to match your height, as close as I can. I'll even create a battleground, a place where the rest of your people won't be caught in the fury of our fight." She cast a glance downward, at her massive feet planted in the ground, the earth blackened and smoldering around them. The dust and smoke drifted upward, clouding the air with the stinging reminder of all she had crushed beneath her steps. She closed her eyes briefly, feeling the faint echoes of their terror and pain.

"But there have already been... many casualties," she said, her voice carrying a faint note of indifference as she looked back at him.

The man's heart pounded, his gaze hardened as he took in the scale of her form, the endless strength in her every movement. She was a monster, a destroyer, and yet here she was, offering him a chance—a slim, impossible chance. And even knowing it was likely hopeless, he felt his resolve stiffen.

"Then so be it," he said, his voice barely a whisper as he prepared himself for what lay ahead.

The warrior stood firm, looking up at the vast, looming form above him. The ground still trembled with the force of her presence, but he gathered his courage, his voice steady. "My name is Kaelen, and I accept your challenge."

Zephora's dark smile gleamed from behind the clouds, her eyes piercing down with a gleeful malice that sent chills through Kaelen's bones. She looked like a dark goddess, a being who held power over life and death, poised to drown his world in madness.

"Good choice," her voice thundered, shaking the earth beneath him. Her words echoed, vibrating through the air and rumbling in his chest. "Shall we be off?" she asked with an almost playful tone.

"What—" Kaelen managed, but before he could even complete the thought, a blinding light enveloped him, and his surroundings vanished.

As his vision cleared, he found himself in an entirely new place. Gone were the dense forests and the endless plains of foot-shaped craters he had seen before. Now, he was surrounded by a strange, soft terrain—massive pink hills rose around him, towering slightly higher than him, each one rounded and smooth, stretching as far as he could see.

"Where am I?" Kaelen muttered, a sense of dread creeping in.

"Where indeed?" The words came like an explosion, so loud and intense they forced him to his knees. The very air seemed to vibrate with the power of her voice, and he clasped his hands over his ears, gritting his teeth as he yelled, "So loud! It's... too much!"

"Sorry," came a softer, more controlled feminine voice, much closer to him this time.

Kaelen slowly removed his hands from his ears and turned to the right. Standing there was a woman with long black hair pulled into a high ponytail. She was clad in gleaming red armor, her eyes sharp and thoughtful as she looked down at him with a hint of pity.

"I'm still not used to speaking to lesser beings," she said with an apologetic shrug.

Kaelen stared at her, his mind reeling with shock. This woman—this powerful figure now standing at his own height, maybe a bit taller—was the same being who had towered over his world, her mere footsteps capable of devastating entire cities. Her feet alone had carved through the land, her body casting shadows over his mountains. Yet now, here she was, human-sized and almost... approachable.

"Y-you..." he stammered, unable to keep the tremor from his voice. He could still hardly believe it. This was Zephora, the same monstrous presence that had shattered his world with a careless touch.

"Yes," she said, a hint of amusement flickering in her eyes. "Once again, my name is Zephora. Welcome to our battlefield," she said, gesturing around with a slight smile. "My body... or, I suppose..." She paused, an unexpected flush coloring her cheeks as she looked slightly away, her expression almost embarrassed. "My nipple."