Rise of the Devourer

Book 2: Chapter 43 — Saving Noah Brown

The projection walked through the forest, sensing the lingering shadows in his wake. The cloak he had retrieved from Noah's Dimensional Pocket before their separation now clung to his back as he roamed aimlessly through the forest.

Nearly a week had passed, during which he had done little more than battle other creatures, consuming them to increase his mana. Despite his newfound independence, he remained something other than human and subsisted on mana. With his connection to Noah severed, most of his abilities had vanished, forcing him to engage in combat just to stay alive. However, as he aimlessly wandered, a persistent question nagged at his mind. Why had he run away? What was his purpose? Was he afraid of death? Or had he grown too distant from the original and his own identity?

No, that wasn't the truth. He was a part of Noah, and if the need ever arose, he would not hesitate to sacrifice himself to save him. Then what was driving him, and towards what?

The projection continued to move skillfully through the shadows, having become highly proficient in using the shadow cloak, a necessity for hiding from creatures too powerful for him to defeat.

He was steadily growing stronger, but the absence of the abilities he had grown accustomed to was a harsh reality. He retained fragments of some abilities, like Quadrivium Ink, alongside a few other remnants, but most abilities now felt distant, beyond his reach.

It was akin to attempting to flex muscles in a limb that no longer existed—a highly unpleasant sensation that gnawed at the projection's mind. He had considered ending his existence and reuniting with the original multiple times, but something had consistently pushed him forward. As the projection sliced through a thicket in front of him with his mana blade, he glimpsed the ruins of a nearby village.

Something drew him toward the village, an almost premonitory feeling, as he ventured into the dilapidated place. Small void-lings scattered as he walked along the pathways leading to the center, where an inexplicable force called to him. Raising his arms, he summoned mana blades through his Quadrivium Ink. Although he had reached level 27, he was still far from regaining his former strength. He needed to proceed with caution.

As the projection ventured deeper into the ruined village, he discovered the remnants of a building, and a strange sensation coursed through him. With a swift kick, he sent the barely hanging shattered door crashing down. Inside, he observed a pulsating mass of flesh throbbing on the ground, with tendrils sinking into the earth. It resembled a grotesque tumor, surpassing human size, fused with the very ground and siphoning away life force.

Pressing a palm against the fleshy, pulsating mound, the projection sensed a massive pool of life force intricately tied to the ball of flesh, with more being poured into him every passing moment. Was this the result of the cultists' spellcraft?

As the projection focused more on the connections within the pulsating heart, he also sensed something else linked to him—an indescribable sensation that resonated deep within his soul.

The projection felt the aspect of [Devourer] stirring within him. He could sense another fragment of the Shard connected to this, interwoven with the spell itself. Shock widened the projection's eyes as he sensed it again. The Shard was undeniably tied to the spell. But if that were the case, then why...

A shiver coursed through him as the projection leaped to the side, blades flaring out in readiness. His gaze locked onto a towering wolf bearing down upon him, its fangs bared. The wolf's body bore scars, with dried blood covering its fur.

The wolf roared, pressing against the blades, poised to tear the projection apart in an instant. Then, the projection caught sight of the creature's face and found it strangely familiar.

"Shadow?"

The wolf paused, a glint of intelligence entering his otherwise crazed eyes as he pulled back from the projection. Confusion flickered in his gaze as he sniffed at the projection before growling once more, baring his teeth in warning.

"I'm not Noah, but I'm his projection. I've been searching for you," the projection explained, his eyes shifting to the injuries covering the wolf. "Are you okay? You look injured."

The wolf continued to growl, though this time not at the projection. Upon a second glance at the projection, the wolf lay down, gradually transforming back into Snow.

The projection moved closer and, after a moment's hesitation, wrapped his cloak around Snow. "Are you okay?" the projection asked, crouching in front of the girl. She silently shook her head.

"I need to say something," Snow said, her voice choking, as if each word required tremendous effort. She looked up at the projection, took a deep breath, and clenched her teeth.

"You need to... get... awa..." The girl clutched her collar, a radiant light flaring as she fell to her knees, her words transformed into silent agony and writhing.

"Stop, you don't need to," the projection said, holding the girl in his arms. He poured mana into the collar, pushing against the magic. The projection felt the magic attempting to bend his will under its command as well, but he resisted.

The blinding light faded after a few moments, as Snow took slow deep breaths to calm herself down. Tears streamed down her cheeks, and scars covered her body. The projection picked her up and cut his arm with his mana-infused blood, letting it well up. He was thankful that Lifeblood had remained, but any lifeforce the projection lost could not be naturally recovered.

"Drink this," he said, offering his palm. Snow looked confused but did not object as she drank the blood, and her wounds visibly began to heal. A few moments later, after she had calmed down, the projection picked her up. "You were telling me to get away, yes? Don't reply if your collar doesn't let you."

Snow looked at the projection, blinking her eyes. She didn't say anything, yet her expressions were indication enough.

"I'm assuming you realized something while you were out there. And I think I have an idea," the projection said, glancing back at the pulsating heart. If his assumption was correct, then this entire situation was going to be much more difficult than he had realized.

The projection considered going back to the Original and explaining but quickly abandoned the idea. It wouldn't work. Noah would simply continue anyway. He needed to work from the outside to make a difference.

Walking toward the mound of flesh, the projection placed his hand into the spell section and began to Consume. Lifeforce and mana rushed into his body in a powerful torrent, causing his reserves to rapidly swell. Within moments, the mound of flesh was reduced to a dry husk.

"I'm starting to understand why I needed to act separately. Noah does not know what's happening, and even if he did, he would still not change his actions. The price is too high to stop," the projection said, glancing at Snow.

The girl looked at him, her eyes wide. "But... why?"

"That’s just the kind of person he is," the projection said, smiling. "But me? I'm all his selfish desires. The craving for growth, the sense of command and power. I don't have his sense of justice. No, calling it justice would be wrong. I don't have his guilt, and neither do I think that trying to do good in this world will make up for the mistakes of my past."

"I don't understand," Snow said, looking at the projection.

Moving closer, the projection put a hand on Snow's shoulder. "What I mean to say is, my Original is an idiot and will get himself killed here if we don't do something to stop him. But to do that, I need your help. We need to find all of these fleshy life blobs and destroy them, and then we need to head to the castle together where you will likely meet with the rest. But I need you to promise that you won't tell the others about me."

"Would that help Noah?" Snow asked.

"I really hope it does," the projection replied, offering a hand to the girl. "So, are you willing to help me? You don't need to do anything against your orders. Vix did tell you to listen to me, yes? So just continue to do that."

Snow looked at the projection, then placed her hand into his, giving him a nod.

The projection smiled. He had answers now, answers the Original likely knew but would never act on because he was simply too damn righteous for his own good. But he wasn't, and so he would act.

Finally, he understood his purpose. His purpose was to save an idiot named Noah Brown.