Chapter 312: Mind Keeper

"Who?"

An echo into the infinite expanse.

"So... hungry."

A low vibration shook the ground below them.

"Hunger. I’m so hungry. It’s not enough."

Memories floated around in their mind, but they weren’t their own, yet they were.

"I am... a god. I will devour all those who come into my territory."

Black tendrils wrapped around any creatures that came close, fueling their already infinite pool of energy.

"My darkness will cover this earth, ride every wave of the sea, and infest every molecule of air in the sky. A world with just... me. My hunger will be satiated then."

And so, they consumed the entire world. Every creature, every plant, every drop of water, every particle of sand, hand all been consumed by their corruption. Yet, it wasn’t enough.

"More. I’m not satisfied. I need more."

One day, the hunger was slowly replaced by a strange feeling of unfamiliarity. There was something else with them in this existence. Something different than them.

"Something else. There is something else I must consume."

However, try as they did, they never once managed to consume this unique presence in its entirety. They had an opposite, yet they were not satisfied. They craved more.

"They stand in my way. I will topple them. I will consume what was never meant to be ate. Only then, I will be full."

And so, they spent years upon years eating away at this strange power. They would bring this power to its knees, yet it would persevere every time.

Likewise, this power would consume them, yet they would also persevere.

A long fight back and forth, time danced around their battles like a gust of wind passing by.

"More. I’m still hungry... I’m-"

Suddenly, everything went quiet. They were separated somewhere along the way. And now, the endless hunger ceased. All that was left was them.

"I’m... I’m not hungry, but I crave more. I am lost."

They had been cast out. They were small. They were nothing.

A small creature passed by.

"I have no hands. I can’t reach it."

A flock of birds flew above them.

"I have no wings. I cannot reach them."

Finally, a river formed next to them, brimming with fish.

"I have no fins. I cannot reach them."

They didn’t have arms, they didn’t have legs, they didn’t have fins, but they did have their mind. That was all they needed.

One day, small squirrel walked into its path. For the first time in thousands of years, something entered their domain. A small hole appeared below the squirrel, consuming it in its entirety.

"More."

They grew larger. Another thousand years passed before the next small critter.

"More. I need more."

They grew to the size of a small hill. A human man with a group of adventurers were travelling across them. They had heard about humans, how they were created and how dangerous they could be.

They ate all of them.

"More."

Eventually, they adapted. They allowed humans to settle on itself before moving themselves into the very structures they built. Their presence expanded to entire kingdom. Yet, it wasn’t enough.

One day, a horde of monster approached their area. Monsters who felt like family. Creature they had never seen yet could understand what they were with a simple glance.

Each one was consumed.

Now, their reach had grown beyond what anyone thought possible.

Their other half unaware of their existence.

Their other half walking around with no will.

Their other half with no mind.

They were their mind.

"A mind."

The eternal thoughts of the first ever God was separated from its body, leaving an empty vessel with no will to take control.

An uncomfortable, familiar feeling strapped coursed through their being.

"I’m unsatisfied."

A large rumble shook inside of them.

"I’m lost."

A searing pain stretched through their area.

"I’m gone."

They crumbled away, leaving no trace of their existence behind.

Leno wiped his face, his fist still glowing brightly as he stared at the rubble of the kingdom below himself. A small tear fell down his face. He touched it lightly and stared at it.

"It’s gone. I sent my energy through every part of its being. It didn’t survive."

Everyone else was far away as to not get caught in the collateral damage from Leno’s attack. The kingdom was gone, turned into nothing more than a pile of debris.

The Keeper had been slain.

Leno appeared right next to Lidia.

"Your eyes. Were you crying?"

Leno shook his head.

"No. I don’t believe so."

She looked out at the destruction before them.

"Were they strong? What was this thing anyway?"

Leno looked away.

"They were very strong. I used up a lot of energy, but I have plenty of time to restore it before our fight. It’s hard to comprehend, but I believe that was the mind of Zalo."

Lidia turned her head.

"Mind of Zalo?"

"Indeed. I don’t understand how it’s possible, but it makes sense to some extent. After all, thoughts and ideas are one of the only things as eternal as time."

"If we just killed the mind of Zalo, how is he still able to move and spread his influence?"

"You don’t need a mind to do that. He must be an empty vessel, only following instinct. A being without reason, in other words."

He looked back at the rubble one last time.

"There’s nothing left for us here. It’s time."

Squabee helped lead Sarah towards Leno. Sarah grabbed his fist and healed it to its full condition. Even though nothing was broken, she felt it was still important to make sure everyone was at their best possible condition.

Squabee walked grabbed the dagger from her sleeved and planted it in the ground before closing her hands together, silently praying for the three people they had to slay.

"I’m sorry, Enki. I’m so sorry."

The ground beneath them shook violently. Lidia helped Squabee stand up as she looked off into the distance.

"Let’s get the hell out of here."

As they were about to be teleported away, the only thing left standing in the wake of destruction was a small mound of dirt with a strange wooden figure on top.