The world trembled as something ancient stirred. Beneath the surface of the earth, deep within the forgotten abyss, a presence long erased from history awakened once more.
A pulse—faint at first, then growing stronger—rippled through the vast chasm, sending shudders through the stone and soil. Something lay buried beneath centuries of darkness, something monstrous.
And now, it was waking up.
---
Pain.
It was the first sensation.
A crushing weight pressed against its form, jagged rocks biting into thick, leathery flesh. Its mind was shrouded in a fog of confusion, memories flickering like dying embers.
Who… am I?
The thoughts came sluggishly, as though its very existence had been fragmented. Yet even without clarity, it could feel the hunger—the overwhelming, insatiable hunger.
A deep, guttural growl rumbled from within, reverberating through the cavern walls. Its limbs twitched, claws scraping against stone, sending tiny tremors outward. The hunger gnawed at it, urging it to move, to hunt, to feed.
And then, the ground above cracked.
Light—harsh and searing—spilled through the newly-formed fissure, illuminating the monster's grotesque form.
It was massive, its body covered in scales blacker than the void, jagged spikes protruding from its back. Its maw, lined with rows of serrated teeth, dripped with thick saliva. And its eyes—burning crimson slits—snapped open, locking onto the source of the disturbance.
There were things above.
Living things.
Food.
A primal instinct took over, and the creature lunged.
---
The Hunters Become the Hunted
"Damn it! What was that?!"
Kara's breath came in ragged gasps as she pressed her back against a tree, gripping her spear with trembling hands. The earth had moved, a violent tremor splitting the ground open. Her hunting party had been tracking a wounded ironhide boar when the quake struck, nearly swallowing them whole.
The others weren't so lucky.
She could still hear the screams—brief, choked, and horrifyingly wet.
Something had emerged from the depths, something that defied reason.
A low snarl echoed through the trees, sending ice through her veins.
Move.
Her body obeyed before her mind caught up, muscles coiling as she sprinted deeper into the forest. The thick canopy above barely let any moonlight through, casting long, shifting shadows that played tricks on her vision.
She had to reach the village.
Had to warn them.
Had to—
A blur of darkness shot past her.
Before she could react, a clawed appendage slammed into her, sending her flying. Pain erupted in her side as she crashed into the underbrush, her vision swimming. Gasping, she tried to rise, but a heavy foot planted itself on her chest, pinning her down.
Then she saw it.
A nightmare made flesh.
Its mouth parted, revealing a cavernous maw lined with jagged teeth, saliva dripping onto her face. The scent of death clung to it, thick and suffocating.
This wasn't a beast.
This was a devourer.
And she was prey.
---
A Mind Reforged
The monster loomed over the fragile creature beneath it, nostrils flaring as it took in her scent. The hunger clawed at its insides, demanding it to feed.
But then—
A flash of something else.
A memory.
Not its own.
It was brief, disjointed—visions of an ancient battlefield, warriors screaming as darkness consumed them, a name spoken in reverence and fear.
Devourer.
It knew that word.
It was that word.
For a moment, the hunger waned, replaced by something deeper. Awareness.
It looked down at the trembling human, the fear in her eyes unmistakable. She was weak, insignificant. Devouring her would bring no satisfaction.
Something greater awaited.
The hunger shifted—not for flesh, but for power.
It turned away.
The woman gasped, confusion replacing terror. Why had it spared her? She didn't have time to wonder. As quickly as it had appeared, the creature vanished into the darkness.
She lay there, staring at the broken trees and bloodied ground where her companions had been slaughtered.
The Devourer had awakened.
And the world would never be the same.