Chapter 1 — Rise of the Devourer

Noah opened his eyes, and realised he was dead. The realization was immediately followed by an intense feeling of

A vast creature spread through the endless void. Massive tentacles spanned across infinity, dwarfing entire galaxies underneath them.

What Noah beheld made his thoughts explode. Space didn’t feel linear, the infinite dimensions of the creature were all consuming and maddening. He tried to look away but found he couldn’t. What he perceived was ever-present, all around him all at once, and he could see every side of it together.

“

A dark rumble vibrated Noah’s soul, the voice pulsing through him. The words were more screeches and shrieks than words, but the intent was conveyed nonetheless.

The creature’s sight was enough to snap Noah out of his existential horror at being dead.

“I… died?” Noah asked, his thoughts still a swirling jumble. He tried to recall his death, yet a gap persisted in his memories, as if something had cut it out from his soul.

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“So… you recreated my soul?” Noah asked, not sure how to respond. “Thanks, I guess?”

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“Noah. My name is Noah.” He was oddly detached from the situation.

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The rumble passed through Noah, distorting something within him. The sensation of wrongness was further amplified alongside the odd disconnection from his emotions. He didn’t linger there for long, the lack of any intense feeling helped him think better. If this was a dream, then it was the most aware he’d ever been in one.

“Alright. Well, I have some questions first,” Noah said.

There was a pause, as if the Void god couldn’t believe Noah’s audacity. Then it simply projected, “

“Where am I?”

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“Okay… how did I get here?”

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“You killed me, is what I’m getting,” Noah said to the giant realm-ending monster.

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“Alright, well. How did the seal get to earth? To me?”

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Noah paused, taken aback by the response. “Really? Aren’t you some kind of world ending infinite creature of doom. How come you don’t know?”

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Reeling from the shock, he took a moment to recover. “Jeez, alright, no need to be so aggressive,” Noah said. “So… I don’t think I have the seal. I’m not entirely sure what happened to be honest.”

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“And… How do I do that? Or rather, why? I see no reason for you to not eat me after I give you the seal. Or just erase me from existence.”

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Something swirled around Noah, flowing into him. Like chains, he felt the words of the creature bind it.

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“Reach into my soul you say…” Noah trailed off as the Eldritch monster made space itself vibrate, doing as the creature told him to. Surprisingly, the act came as naturally as breathing, which was ironic given how he was dead and couldn’t breathe.

Noah looked in surprise at the text appearing in front of him. Taking a moment, he read through the description.

“Umm… it says the seal is fused with my soul,” Noah said, growing slightly concerned. That did not sound good.

The eldritch monster shifted, and space practically warped around him at the creature’s movements.

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“Guess that’s too bad.”

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Noah froze. Normally he’d laugh at the notion of making some pact with an eldritch universe-ending cthulhu, but each moment he spent in this void, he grew more and more numb. Each non-existent sensation made something within him crumble. The desire to have a living, breathing body grew like a hunger he could not satiate, eating him from the inside out.

“What would this pact entail? I refuse to become a puppet trapped in my own body,” Noah said to the creature.

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“What happens if I break this Pact?”

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“How delightful,” Noah said with a flat voice, thinking everything over. The moment he decided, his fate would be determined. If he had a body, Noah suspected his heart would be racing. “I feel like I shouldn’t sign a soul pact without getting it checked once. Do I get a lawyer?” Noah asked the gigantic tentacle monster.

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“And you being a realm-eating creature, your spirit will likely be stronger too, making this an unfair pact. How can I trust you to not harm me?” Noah asked.

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“Fair enough.” Noah thought over his next words. “Do I get a choice here?”

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“So… basically no. That simplifies it then. As long as I’m not made to do things against my will, and or mind controlled, I can agree to it.” But could he? Noah was still unsure.

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Words flashed in front of him, as a warmth rose from his soul.

Noah hovered over the selection for the

His soul wavered, swirling and distorting, before he refocused on the eldritch creature swirling in front of him.

“No. I refuse,” Noah replied.

The eldritch monstrosity stirred, infinite tentacles moving through space. “

“No, I heard you loud and clear. And I refuse. Go ahead and eat my soul. I’m already dead after all. May as well die again for good and proper.”

The universe stilled, slowing down. The dark Void creeped around Noah, and for a moment, he felt as if time had stopped moving. After a long silence, the creature spoke once more.

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“Because it feels like a trick. Aren’t you a god? Just take it from me. Literally everyone knows not to make soul pacts with swirling void entities. It never turns out well. I refuse,” Noah replied, selecting the

Another silence filled the endless void, before a shudder broke through as the monstrosity dissipated, fading into nothingness.

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Dark tendrils rose around Noah, grabbing and holding him in place, as a shadowy silhouette of a man moved toward him.

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Dread rose in Noah’s soul as a finger touched his forehead.

New words appeared.

“No,” Noah whispered, and the world pushed him harder.

The words pushed against Noah’s soul. “No.” The words faded once more and space distorted, crushing his spirit under its pressure.

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“

For a brief moment, the pain eased, letting Noah speak. His spirit wavered, settling from the torment as it coalesced back together.

“Fuck you. I refuse to give up my freedom.” Noah gave a metaphorical middle finger to the endless shadowy silhouette of the Incarnation of Void.

A hum echoed through the dark at his words.

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“I think it’s you who doesn’t understand. I refuse. I will not bow to you, and I will not bend to your demands. So either kill me or—or leave me in this void. Do whatever the hell you want,

The shadow retreated, and the pressure faded from Noah’s spirit. “

The Void stirred, and for the first time, he couldn’t sense it threatening to consume him. Free from the agony, his mind raced to come up with a solution. Despite everything he’d said, he didn’t truly wish to die for good.

“Make a Pact with me,” Noah said. “Allow me to live my life, and in return I will not rise against you. This ensures that I can’t use it against you.”

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“The same reason you haven’t already. You’re not sure that forcing it will work,” Noah replied.

The Void listened. The Void swirled. The Void laughed.

A thousand screams echoed in his mind as the universe rippled. He stared at the giant swirling silhouette with concern, waiting for it to reply.

After a few moments, the laughter faded as the Void settled around him. “

Words appeared in front of Noah.

“

A pull tugged at Noah as he felt darkness begin to seep into his soul. At first it was a light pressure. That soon changed, flooding into a boundary he did not know existed inside of him. Pain replaced the pressure, growing more intense with each pulse of the endless Void pouring itself inside his soul, cramming itself in until there was nothing left to fill. The sensation left Noah feeling denser, like he’d gained more substance, even though he was just as immaterial as before.

When the Void settled around Noah, another prompt opened.

A call pulled him toward… something. A distant chant that latched onto his soul like a hook, and reeled him in. Slowly but surely, a great sucking sensation dragged Noah away. With each passing moment, the resistance heightened, the space around him feeling thicker and thicker, as if reluctant to let go. He felt like he was being squeezed through a thick bundle of space jelly, and forced through viscous layers of dark and cold.

Suddenly, a bright light manifested in front of Noah’s eyes, and with a satisfying pop, he broke free of the Void.