Rise of the Devourer

Book 2: Chapter 55 — Freedom

With a light groan, Snow felt consciousness return to her heavy body. Slowly, she opened her eyes to a marbled chamber she had never seen before. Pale light filled the insides of the room, voices whispered nearby as a blurred figure appeared in front of her, placing their hand upon her forehead. She enjoyed the sensation of warmth coming from the hand, the feeling luring her back towards sleep. She had been comfortable, away from the pain, worries and nightmares. Just endless dark.

But her body didn’t seem as inclined, almost aching to wake up. She opened her eyes once more, her vision more clear now, as she saw a man standing above her, an unfamiliar face, with sharp slit eyes telling her he wasn’t human.

“How do you feel, child?” the man asked, his voice deep and soothing.

Snow looked at him blankly, not understanding what was happening, yet his words held a compulsion, and she spoke without even realizing it. “Better,” she said, and found the words alien.

Whose voice was that? It was… deeper. Smooth and firm, without any stutter in it. She touched her throat, finding it changed somehow.

The man smiled at her response. “The plague has been purged from you, but as a result of the treatment, you’ve also aged like you should have in all those years.”

Snow slowly raised herself up, realizing she had been lying down on something extremely comfortable. Even her clothes were new, not hers. Yet the most striking changes remained underneath them. Her body had grown, her limbs growing to be much longer, her frame had changed, there was more definition present in her thighs, legs, waist and arms. Her chest had grown as well, giving her a much more feminine look compared to her scrawny childlike self that had constantly appeared malnourished.

Snow looked up at the man next to her in confusion. Failing to find the right words to ask him. Too many things moved around in her mind right now. How had she even survived in the first place? And… and what about the other Noah? Was he okay?

“We can tell you are confused. That much is natural. To answer the questions you seem to be working up to, Noah brought you to us, and we cured you of the plague from the zombies. As a result, your body has grown, drinking in the life-force it had lost feeding the void fiend inside of you. So you now have the physique you already should’ve had. Here, you can see for yourself.”

At the man’s words, a mirror floated in front of her, and Snow saw a stranger reflected there. A young woman sat on the bed, a beautiful dress covering her body. Her horns had also grown, slightly larger and more defined now, her face was sharper, but not in a malnourished way, and for a lack of a better word, she looked… beautiful. Her skin was still pale, but no longer did it look sickly, and her hair had taken on a deep black lustre, almost shining under the light.

Watching her reflection in the mirror, she felt horror growing inside of her. She looked like a delicate young woman now instead of the scrawny girl she had been. Even if Vix herself didn’t do anything to her, she would no longer appear as a child. What would she do if her men tried to do something to her? Being beautiful was a curse to a slave.

“I can’t… I don’t want to look like this… The way I was… it was better. Safer. I want to go back to that,” Snow said, looking at the man, almost pleading him to change her back.

A sad expression took over the man’s face. “We have seen many slaves, child. A lot came to seek Ryugan for refuge, and thus, we had met many just like you. But time made us forget the pain, dulled its edges. Even after everything Ryugan had done, it was one of his greatest regrets that he could not truly abolish the vile practice,” the man said, placing a hand on her shoulder. “Look again, this time at your neck.”

Snow followed his words, though she did not understand why. What about her neck—

Her mind froze at what she saw. Reality not quite settling in upon her. She touched her neck, feeling her hand at her throat. As she had before. But the realisation had never even made it to her mind. Her collar… the chain that had bound her for so many years was gone.

“I know it can take some time to accept what you see, but the truth is in front of your eyes. The choices you make no longer have to depend upon others, and what they wish you to be.”

Snow looked at the man next to her, telling her that she was freed, when she’d long ago lost even the slightest hope.

“Did… did you do it?” she asked, trying to make sense of her circumstances.

“It was Noah. He brought you here, and broke your chains. We are a little restricted ourselves, you see,” the man said, raising his hand as she saw a complex runic shackle around his wrist. With the ease he moved, with which he used his magic, she struggled to see him as being bound.

“Though it will not take us long to break these, but other matters require our attention first. One of which had been keeping you alive.”

Snow looked at the man, trying to think of something to say. Yet, she felt nothing. She was free now, but a part of her almost wanted to return to the chains. To be bound again. That’s how she saw her life, as a slave. That’s what she had been for almost half of her life now.

What was she to do now? The freedom felt terrifying. What if they caught her again?

“We know that look, girl. We’ve seen it many times. Those who have been chained for too long, often forget what it means to be free. The chains seep into their minds, their spirits. And while Noah may have broken the chains on your neck, we would like to help you break the chains within your mind,” the man said, as magic began to glow upon his fingertip.

The ball of light floated off his finger, before slowly sinking within Snow’s chest. Darkness began to seep into her vision, the man’s voice growing distant.

“These are memories. Your own memories. They will remind you, what you have forgotten.”

***

Snow looked around herself, feeling her mind muddled. What had she been doing?

“Snow! Don’t stop, we have to go home before the sun sets!” a girl’s voice came from ahead.

Snow’s attention snapped back. Oh right, she was collecting sticks for burning with her sister. She needed to get back or mom and dad would get mad at her.

Letting out a breath that puffed into a white cloud, Snow ran ahead to catch up to her sister. “Wait!” she called out, huffing against the weight of the sticks in her basket.

Her sister looked back at her, face flushed against the cold of winter. “Do you think snow will fall tonight?”

Snow’s face scrunched. “I hope not. Work will be so much harder tomorrow.”

Her sister laughed at her words. “It’s always so funny to me that you dislike snow that much. Mother should’ve named you Snow-hater if anything.”

Snow stuck out her tongue at her sister’s giggles, though she eventually found herself laughing alongside her as well. As the two girls walked down the hilly path, her sister stopped.

“Do you hear that?” she asked.

“What?” Snow said, trying to pick up on the sound.

“It sounds like an animal crying,” her sister said, glancing around, before she began to head towards the sound.

Snow followed behind, curious, as they walked off the path.

“Here!” her sister said, jumping down a small incline, as she found a tiny cavern. Snow peered from behind her sister, watching the animal.

“It’s a puppy!” Snow exclaimed, trying to rush in when her sister caught her hand.

“Don’t. It’s a monster,” she said, her voice tense.

Snow looked at her sister in surprise, before glancing at the little creature. A small pup, with black fur, and a white scar on its forehead. It looked at the two of them warily, blood flowing from its wounds.

“But…” Snow protested.

“We don’t help monsters,” her sister said, ending the argument. “Let’s go back.”

Snow looked at the pup, watching its eyes regarding her silently as she was led back home. After returning, Snow put down her dry-wood, moving around the house. Her mother stood in the kitchen, cooking while her sister told her what they saw. Her mother shook her head, saying something, but Snow didn’t hear it. She walked around, back to her and her sister’s room, yet her mind was still on the pup she saw.

Within a few minutes, the sun began to set and her mother’s voice came, telling her it was time for dinner time. Snow sat down with her family, her father back from the hunt in the woods.

“How was it?” her sister asked.

“Not great. There’s been something wrong with game this winter. We may have to get some food from the nearby towns,” her father said.

“I hear there are cultists moving around these parts. The girls saw a void fiend in the woods today,” her mother said.

“What’s a void fiend?” Snow asked, looking at her mother.

“It’s a monster. A bad monster,” her sister said, doing her best impression of a roaring monster.

Snow ignored her sister. “But it was a puppy!”

“They don’t all look like monsters, dear. But they’re still dangerous, now eat your food before it gets cold,” her mother chided.

“Try to avoid that path from now on. I’ll let the other hunters know to kill the fiend by tomorrow,” her father added.

Snow’s eyes widened. They were going to kill that puppy? But… why? It was a kid, and it was hurt. Shouldn’t they help it?

The topic changed, something about harvest and Snow lost interest. As her father talked, she silently tore a chunk from her bread, hiding it under her clothes, before quickly finishing her meal.

Waiting afterwards, Snow remained in her room as the sky turned dark. As night fully settled upon the world, and Snow heard the sound of her sister’s even breathing, she opened her eyes. Carefully rising, she walked out of the house, before heading out into the forest with the food. Rushing through the woods, she looked around, eventually finding the area.

Walking inside, slowly she offered the bread, as the pup yapped at her, trying to bite her hand.

“It’s okay. I won’t hurt you,” she said, leaving the food in front of it, as she moved back.

The pup did not move, keeping its eyes on her, and Snow sat silently, content to watch it. Time passed, the night growing colder, and after just a few minutes, it began to quickly devour the piece of bread.

“You must’ve been hungry huh?” she said, reaching out as she gently began to rub its head. The pup pulled back for a second, but decided the food was worth the risk and began to eat again.

“I have to go back now. But I’ll bring you some more food tomorrow.” Snow said.

The pup ate the last bit of its bread, looking up at Snow as she stood up. Slowly, it moved closer, letting out a howl.

“I wish I could take you with me. But I can’t. Don’t stay here though, the hunters might try to hurt you,” Snow said, before giving it one last pet.

The wolf looked at her, its eyes glancing at her with a strange intelligence. A moment later, dark wisps flowed from it, as the wolf’s body dissipated, before mingling back into her shadow.

Snow’s eyes widened, as she saw the wolf vanish. But she could feel its presence somehow, inside of her shadow.

A moment later, the wolf returned to physical form.

“You can do that?” she asked, and the wolf pup growled in response. Somehow, she knew it was answering her.

“Wow… you’re really smart huh? Okay, if you can hide in my shadow then I can take you home. And the hunters will just think you ran away.”

The wolf pup nodded, before once again jumping into her shadow.

“I’ll need a name for you though,” Snow said, thinking to herself. “How about Shadow? That sounds like a nice name!”

The wolf pup, Shadow, let out a quiet growl, letting her know he was pleased.

Snow smiled to herself, as she began to quickly make her way back home. She’d gained a new friend today.

***

Snow opened her eyes, the memory slipping away. Tears flowed down her cheeks, and she found herself unable to stop them. The man put a hand upon her shoulder, as Snow found herself breaking down into sobs.

“Let it out child. It is better to do so now, than to keep the pain inside,” the man said. “Noah and his friends have gone to cleanse the nearby area of monsters. By the time they return, we will discuss what needs to be done next. But until then, take all the time you need. We are here with you.”

Snow’s cries continued, years of pain echoing through her as she wrapped her hands around the man she did not even know, and simply let herself sink into the comfort of his warmth. She felt Shadow in her chest, silent, watching, the one friend she still had from all that time. The one thing she had never lost, even when everything else had been taken from her.

The cries eventually faded, slowing down as a new emotion rose in front of her. She pulled back from the man, wiping at her eyes, a new determination rising in her chest.

“This place is a trap and I need to tell the others,” Snow said, looking at the man. As she did, she touched her neck, feeling at the missing collar. “I… I also want to help. Help Noah, and the others. I want to grow stronger. For both me and Shadow. I know I have no right to ask But… can you help me?”

The man smiled. “We will, child. But first, perhaps you would like to speak more of this trap,” the man said, as a glowing circle appeared in their chamber and Snow saw Noah, Aurelia and Erwest return together.

She looked at the man, giving him a nod. Shadow stirred in her chest, sending her a rumbling sensation of comfort.

I know, Shadow. Snow replied, touching her chest.

She was free now. No. They were free now. Both of them. And they would never be bound again.

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