Chapter 65 Chapter 65
Leonidas's POV
"My brother has finally found us."
The First Child's voice barely sounded real as gone was the calm, unreadable being who spoke about gods and destruction like they were simple memories.
Now, she sounded afraid.
And if something powerful enough to create gods was afraid then every instinct I had screamed that we should run immediately.
The silver hand pressing through the crack flexed slowly against the crystal wall but the moment its fingers touched the chamber—
the entire mountain groaned.
Not from force but from recognition like it knows who owns the hand.
The Origin Heart reacted violently behind us, pulsing so hard the chains binding it rattled loudly, while the Creator snarled from inside the Heart.
"He should have died."
The silver hand froze.
Then suddenly, a soft laugh echoed through the chamber.
But this time it was a male voice, and was also gentle but still somehow far more terrifying than the Devourer's roar.
"You tried very hard to make that happen."
The First Child stepped backward.
Like she actually stepped backward. Her silver–black eyes locked on the widening crack while the dragon moved protectively in front of her instinctively.
"What is he?" the Shadow King demanded.
The First Child didn't answer immediately rather the silver light spreading through the darkness intensified until the crack looked like a doorway between worlds.
Then, a figure stepped through.
Tall.
Slim.
Beautiful in a way that felt unnatural. Silver hair fell loosely around his face while glowing silver markings ran beneath his pale skin like veins of light.
But his eyes—
his eyes were terrifying.
One silver.
One completely black.
Like him and the Devourer had been fused together somehow yet he looked young.
Too young for the ancient pressure flooding the chamber.
And when his gaze landed on the First Child, something inside the mountain trembled.
"Sister."
The word echoed softly.
The First Child looked shaken. Like she actually shaken.
"You shouldn't exist."
The man smiled faintly.
"And yet."
He stepped fully into the chamber. The crack behind him remained open while the darkness was shifting slowly beyond it.
Watching and waiting for what will happen next.
My wolf snarled violently beneath my skin.
Danger.
Not predator.
Catastrophe.
The silver–eyed stranger looked around calmly. His gaze paused briefly on the dragon. Then the Shadow King. Then Caius.
Then—
Sable.
And the moment he saw her, he froze though it was not for long.
Barely a second but I noticed and so did my wolf.
Interest flickered in his expression.
Dangerous interest.
Sable stepped closer to me instinctively.
Good.
Let her stay close to me.
The stranger smiled softly at her.
"Well."
His voice was smooth.
"That explains a lot."
I moved slightly in front of Sable. His mismatched eyes shifted to me lazily.
"A wolf."
He sounded amused.
"Of course."
I was getting tired of ancient beings reacting like that.
The First Child finally found her voice again.
"You were consumed."
The stranger looked at her calmly.
"No."
A pause.
"I was abandoned."
Silence.
Heavy silence.
The chamber darkened slightly around the First Child as pain crossed her face briefly.
Real pain.
The stranger noticed too.
And smiled sadly.
"You remember now."
The dragon growled low in its throat.
"Stay away from the Queen."
The stranger looked toward the dragon slowly.
And suddenly, the dragon froze completely like it just recognized who he was.
Like reality itself had ordered it not to move.
The stranger tilted his head slightly.
"You still serve."
The dragon's jaw tightened.
But it couldn’t move.
Couldn’t even growl.
My wolf reacted instantly as I feel myself stepped fully in front of Sable.
The stranger's eyes shifted back to me but he was still calm and still curious.
Then—
he laughed softly.
"She really does prefer wolves."
The First Child snapped sharply.
"Enough."
The chamber shook.
The stranger's smile faded slightly.
"There you are."
He looked at her carefully.
"My sister."
The words sounded affectionate.
But underneath it was deep resentment.
Centuries of resentment.
The First Child clenched her fists.
"You joined him."
The stranger's expression darkened.
"He listened."
The Devourer.
My stomach tightened.
The stranger noticed immediately.
"You fear him."
He looked genuinely curious.
"You should."
Kael finally spoke carefully from behind us.
"Quick question."
Nobody looked at him but he continued anyway.
"Who exactly are you?"
The stranger smiled.
"I've had many names."
The black eye darkened slightly.
"But once...."
His silver eye shifted toward the First Child.
"She called me Orion."
The First Child closed her eyes briefly. Like hearing the name physically hurt.
The Creator laughed bitterly inside the Heart.
"The forgotten son."
Orion's smile vanished instantly.
The chamber temperature dropped violently.
The chains around the Heart strained as darkness flooded the room.
The Creator growled low and that was when I knew he feared Orion too.
Orion looked toward the Heart. Murder flashed briefly across his face.
"You should still be screaming."
The Creator snarled.
"You betrayed creation."
Orion's black eye flickered unnaturally.
"No."
His gaze turned cold.
"Creation betrayed me."
The silence afterward felt endless.
Sable stepped slightly around me.
"What are you talking about?"
Orion looked at her.
And gods—
the expression on his face changed instantly to a softened one.
It was not love but recognition just like all other ancient beings.
Like seeing a memory.
"The Queen asks questions."
'Leonidas. Control yourself", I whispered softly to myself because my wolf was dangerously close to lunging at him.
Sable frowned.
"Answer it."
Orion studied her carefully.
Then sighed softly.
"The Heart created three children."
The First Child stiffened and everyone could see it but Orion continued anyway.
"One to create."
His silver eye shifted toward his sister.
"One to protect."
Then—
his black eye darkened.
"And one to consume."
The realization hit the chamber instantly.
The Devourer.
No.
Not exactly.
Orion smiled faintly at our expressions.
"Yes."
Kael looked horrified.
"You're the Devourer?!"
Orion laughed softly.
"No."
A pause.
"I was his vessel."
The chamber trembled again.
The First Child looked furious now.
"You let him inside you."
Orion finally looked angry too.
"I was alone!"
The roar in his voice cracked the crystal walls.
Sable flinched slightly behind me which Orion noticed immediately.
And calmed down instantly.
Interesting.
The Shadow King narrowed his eyes.
"You merged with the Devourer."
Orion looked toward him.
"He understood me."
The First Child’s voice shook with rage now.
"He corrupted you."
"No."
Orion's expression hardened.
"He freed me."
The black eye pulsed.
Darkness leaked briefly across his skin before disappearing again.
The Creator laughed bitterly.
"And now you're both monsters."
Orion looked toward the Heart slowly.
"You made us monsters first."
Silence followed.
The kind of silence filled with truths nobody wanted to hear but still Sable stepped forward slightly.
"What happened?"
Orion's gaze returned to her.
Gentler again.
I had noticed he was always gentler with her and my wolf hated that.
"The Heart gave us purpose."
He pointed toward the First Child.
"She created life."
Then toward himself.
"I carried endings away."
A pause.
"But endings never stopped."
Pain flickered briefly across his face.
"I was alone in the dark forever."
The black eye deepened slightly.
"And eventually..."
The chamber temperature dropped further.
"I became hungry too."
The Devourer didn’t consume worlds because it was evil.
It consumed because Orion had. Because endless loneliness later twisted into endless hunger.
Gods.
That was worse somehow.
The First Child whispered softly,
"You could have returned."
Orion smiled sadly.
"To what?"
The question shattered the chamber into silence.
Because none of us had an answer.
The Creator suddenly growled from inside the Heart.
"He's stalling."
Orion’s gaze shifted sharply toward the Heart.
"And you're afraid."
The chains rattled violently.
The Creator's silver eyes glowed through the cracks.
"You brought him closer."
Orion looked calm again.
"Yes."
The dragon finally forced itself to move slightly.
"You'll destroy everything."
Orion looked genuinely confused.
"Why does everyone say that?"
The black eye darkened.
"Everything already dies."
Sable stepped out from behind me completely.
"Sable—"
She ignored me.
Her gaze locked onto Orion.
"You don't actually want the world to end."
Orion froze.
The chamber stilled with him.
The First Child looked surprised.
Even the Creator went silent.
Sable took another careful step.
"You're lonely."
Orion stared at her.
And suddenly, the blackness in his eye flickered.
Just slightly to pain.
Real pain.
The bond between Sable and me pulsed sharply.
Because I realized something terrifying.
She understood him.
Though not fully but enough.
Enough for him to notice.
Orion's voice softened dangerously.
"You sound like her."
The First Queen.
Again.
Always her.
Sable shook her head slowly.
"No."
Orion smiled faintly.
"No."
A pause.
"You sound kinder."
Absolutely not.
My wolf snarled violently.
Too much interest.
He was giving her too much attention.
Orion looked at me again.
And amusement flickered across his face.
"The wolf dislikes me."
"Yes."
Instant and absolute answer.
Orion laughed softly.
"Good."
The mountain shook violently again.
The crack behind Orion widened further.
Darkness flooded through it like smoke.
And this time, something moved inside it.
Massive.
Watching.
The Devourer.
He was closer now.
Orion's expression darkened slightly.
"He's impatient."
The First Child stepped forward sharply.
"You cannot let him through."
Orion looked at her sadly.
"You still think I control him."
The chamber went cold.
Very cold.
The First Child realized it first.
Fear crossed her face again.
"You don't?"
Orion’s smile vanished completely.
And for the first time—
he looked exhausted.
"He stopped listening a very long time ago."