{.....Mother, please Revive them....}
The entity's echo reverberated with clarity sharper than ever before, slicing through the oppressive silence like a blade forged from raw willpower. Even Jörmungandr, whose existence stretched beyond comprehension, felt a flicker of surprise ripple through her ancient form. The Void Veil—once a mindless embodint of pride, capable only of guttural growls and monosyllabic hisses—had grown. Centuries had carved sothing new within its essence, or perhaps it was rely fear sharpening its voice.
The serpent's three eyes narrowed as curiosity overtook her massive fra. Her gaze shifted between the two lifeless bodies sprawled on the ground and the flickering shadow now reduced to an eye and a mouth.
{{{....Why?}}} she questioned, her tone low but tinged with intrigue.
{Why?....actually, actually I am in this state because of this human....becau...}
{{{Then isn't it good the one who tried to kill you is dead?}}} Jörmungandr interrupted, her words dripping with calculated indifference.
The Void Veil hesitated, its single glowing eye fixating on Atlas's corpse. His once-burning golden stare now extinguished, replaced by empty sockets that mirrored the void they stood in. Slowly, deliberately, the entity spoke again, each word trembling under the weight of revelation.
{Mother...for the first ti in my entire life, I have converted myself to this small size, rather than overarching all the shadows of the high mountains to the deepest dark seas. And this is also the first ti I have sensed clarity within . Maybe it's because of my size, or maybe my pride has been swallowed by the fear of death—but in the end, I feel like I've grown. And I wished to grow more. This...insec...Human, showed . He laid his life for that weak human girl. Displaying power it should not have been capable of. I need that...I want that.}
Jörmungandr's third eye flared brighter, piercing through layers of deception until it reached the truth buried deep beneath flesh and bone. She saw flashes—the mont when Atlas was still nothing but a simple human, easily crushed with a single strike. But then ca the shift, the transformation. When the weaker human fell first, he changed. No longer just Atlas, no longer mortal. His burning throat devouring fruit ant for gods, slicing off limbs without hesitation, throwing blood like offerings into the abyss.
{{{Child...So you are doing this for power in the end?}}}
Veil paused, its lone eye narrowing slightly. Then it shook its head—or what passed for one. {....No, I want to know its source....}
A smirk tugged at the corners of Jörmungandr's enormous jaws, invisible yet undeniable. Sothing about this exchange stirred mories buried eons ago. mories of her own defiance against those who sought to cage her, label her monstrous. Perhaps not all her children would turn out like the prideful dragons after all. One of them dared to take a different step—just as she herself had done.
She turned her gaze toward Atlas once more, the human who had fed her entire forests, ridden her back like so twisted steed, and ultimately let her child grow even infinitesimally wiser after centuries of stagnation. A Strange human indeed.
{{{Strange Human.....}}} she prophesied, her voice rumbling like distant thunder. {{{What if he tries to kill you again?}}} It wasn't so much a question as it was a warning wrapped in silk.
Veil didn't hesitate. With uncharacteristic certainty, it pointed directly at the fallen woman beside him. As if reminding her—it had asked for both humans to be revived.
Another smirk spread across Jörmungandr's maw, wider this ti. {{{Very well.....if you wish to dwell with this human and, by chance, he accepts, your siblings—no, no monster—will ever see you rrily. No monster has ever been with two-legged beings from above...}}}
The entity thought for a mont, unconsciously shrinking further into the shadows. Its consciousness sharpened to an almost unbearable degree, condensing itself into a marble-sized speck of darkness. Still, its resolve burned brighter than ever.
{.....then I will just be called Betrayer of Monsters like you, Mother. Nothing more, nothing less. I don't see a problem in that?} it muttered, defiance gleaming in its singular eye.
In the centuries to co, Jörmungandr felt pleased. Such words—spoken by a monster, no less—and yet that monster was her child. It was pleasing to the core of any parent, even one as ancient and monstrous as she.
She knew well the path ahead for this child would be fraught with hardships unlike those faced by its siblings or any other creature born from shadow. Denial sharper than steel, isolation colder than the void between stars. But it would also evolve differently—grow stronger not in brute force but in cunning, clarity, and comprehension. And she vowed silently, fiercely, that this child would never walk alone as she had eons ago.
Perhaps the human understood too. Perhaps he could see through the veil of arrogance that often blinded mortals. Or perhaps... perhaps he didn't need to understand at all. Not if his heart already beat in sync with sothing greater.
Jörmungandr's body stretched across the entirety of the Fifth Realm, consuming every inch of light until only darkness remained. Yet with just a flick of her tail against the branch of Yggdrasil, the fruit fell once more—a star plumting into her waiting maw. She devoured it like a tiny candy, encroaching the realm further into eternal night.
{{{ I can't revive them, Child.... But I can give them a chance, if they wish to return so. }}}
Her voice echoed like thunder wrapped in silk, three glowing eyes piercing through the oppressive blackness. Slowly, achingly slowly, tears began dripping from her third eye—not red, not crimson, but golden. Pure liquid sunlight carved straight from the essence of creation.
Veil watched in awe and terror as the translucent drops cascaded down her massive jawline, finally splashing over the two lifeless bodies below. The impact sent ripples outward, subrging Eli and Atlas in an ocean of golden radiance. For a mont, everything was still—the world holding its breath.
And then Veil felt it. The power coursing through the tear wasn't rely healing—it was rebirth itself. Centuries spent yearning for such purity, and now here it was, handed freely by the titan who birthed worlds and swallowed suns without batting an eyelash.
Its form shifted, growing larger yet retaining sharp consciousness. A paradox most monsters couldn't fathom. Its shape morphed closer to that of a human child—not because it desired humanity, but because understanding required perspective. Strength ant little without context.
After the splash settled, Veil turned back toward the humans. {....It's working!..} it exclaid, excitent bubbling within its singular eye as it witnessed Eli's gaping wound knitting itself shut, leaving behind unblemished skin.
.
.
.
After a mont of silence.
"Haaaaa!!!!"
Eli gasped, her eyes snapping open wide enough to swallow galaxies. Her sudden awakening startled Veil, causing it to recoil slightly.
"...what...where...where am I...?" Eli muttered, confusion clouding her features as she tried to piece together fragnted mories.
___________
Monsters Guide
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Chapter 13: THE HOLLOW KING
The Shadow That Gnaws on Ti | Devourer of Forgotten Souls
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Title: "The One Who Waits in the Between"
Epithets:
The Crownless Monarch
The Silence After the Scream
He Who Feasts on Echoes
Domain: The Chronophage Abyss (a rift where ti rots)
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"DO NOT SPEAK ITS NA IN DARKNESS.
IT REMBERS.
IT HUNGERS."
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Strength:
Unravels flesh into "mory-ash" with a touch.
Its whispers rot ti itself—victims age centuries in seconds or vanish from history entirely.
Weakness:
Theorized to fear pure silence (but who can survive not breathing long enough to test this?).
Feeding Habits:
Preferred Prey: Those who die unmourned; it steals their last monts and wears their regrets like jewelry.
Last Witnessed Attack: An entire battalion of Revenant Knights (undead warriors) reduced to faded portraits on a crumbling wall.
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