Devourer System : Infinite Paths

'Aafia, yes, the cook and the cleaner took Aafia and Jack,' Nero mumbled, clouded memories slowly returning to him.

The young Nero was struggling to sleep because of Jack's loud snoring. A few hours into the night, Bertie sneaked into their quarter, and like waiting for her, Aafia left her bed to welcome her.

They seemed to have something planned, and when they were sneaking out, Jack woke up, and to keep the big oaf silent, they took him with them.

Nero followed them to the main corridor out of curiosity, where he thought they were caught by the cook but it seemed he was wrong and their encounter was already planned.

In a flash, the cook knocked both Aafia and Jack before saying something to Bertie with a displeased look, only to slap her like she did something wrong.

It was then the cleaner came carrying an unconscious young boy, someone new to the orphanage that he did not recognize, and after a small exchange, they turned around and left with the three unconscious children while Bertie ran away.

The cook and cleaner took his friends to Matron's office, so Nero was left confused about what was really going on, but since he trusted her, his first thought was to leave. If it was Elder Mother, he could trust her with the safety of his friends.

The situation seemed fishy, but in his twelve-year-old mind, Nero thought maybe it was some prank, maybe they were being adopted, maybe they needed some secret health care, and ten such scenarios.

While he did consider some dark scenarios, since they were taken to Elder Mother's office, it was hard for him to think about them for long.

'It's Elder Mother, so they should be fine,' Nero thought, yet a flicker of reluctance lingered. 'But just to be sure, I will check on them myself.'

'I can't just enter from the front door since the last thing I want is to be punished for breaking the rules,' Nero thought as he began to follow his friends. 'So, what should I do,'

'Hehe, I know, I can use the window,' Nero snickered with a small smile before he quickly left his hiding place beneath a table and approached the large wooden door at the end of the corridor.

The corridor was shrouded in near blackness, small rays of moonlight seeping through the closed windows lining the right side, which were covered by dark curtains.

Nero reached the end of the corridor, trying his luck by placing his ear on the large door, but as he expected, he heard nothing, so without a moment's waste, he pushed the curtain aside and opened the nearest window, doing so as silently as he could.

'I should have just gone to my warm bed,' Nero thought as a gust of cold wind greeted him, making him shudder to shake it off.

Nero looked out finding the ledge located just a few feet below, and after a deep breath, he climbed over to the other side, and once he felt his footing was secured he closed the window.

Nero gulped as he looked down, understanding that if he fell, it would surely break his leg, but now that he was here, there was no going back, so shaking off his fear, he began to move.

After a few careful steps along the narrow ridge, he reached a sharp corner, and with a swift move, he slipped around it, arriving at the back end of the head office.

The window was opened, and Nero could hear someone talking. He recognized the voice as Elder Mother's, so with his body pressed against the wall, he began to move forward to get a quick look and be on his way back.

As he got closer and the sound became clear, Nero felt like he had heard something wrong, but the following words made his legs feel like jelly. His eyes went wide, and his heart fell into his stomach.

"Are you sure you can not do anything with this muscle head?" An elderly female voice sounded calm and steady, carrying a gentle warmth.

"If he is of no use, then we can only kill him," The Matron said, making Nero slump onto the ridge, barely staying on it.

'No, No, No, No, No, No, No, No'

'She must have sensed my presence. Yes, she is a magician,' Nero thought, quickly dragging himself closer to the window, hoping he was right.

Nero did not even care about getting punished anymore because the sheer thought of losing his friend frightened him.

Nero quickly reached the open window, raising his head up without care to see inside. He was welcomed to the sight of a lady in white robes standing before a boy, a dagger covered in a glistering dark aura firmly held in her left hand.

"Our business is selling vermins like you to rich people with great taste, but since no one is currently in the market for the giant muscular man-child, well, I guess I have to kill you,"

"Oh, Jack, you were such a great child," Matron said, her hand inching closer to the unconscious boy, who had a goofy smile on his face.

Nero felt his every nerve burn as he climbed the window without even thinking. He made a mad rush for the female he considered his great mother, bridging the distance in a flash, but his entry did not go unnoticed.

Nero was a few feet away when he dived forward, aiming to crash into Head Olga, his eyes fixed on the blade that was inching closer to his friend, but just as he was about to push her, he felt a cold grip around his neck before his head was slammed into the floor.

"GRRAAAAGG"

Nero ground his teeth as he looked up, thinking he had crashed into the Head Olga, but quickly realized that he was pinned to the floor.

"This is surprising. Let me see who we have here," Head Olga said, picking Nero's head and pulling on his hair. 

"Little Nero? Oh, child, you should not have come," Head Olga said, sounding sad, and her following words revealed the reason. 

"Actually, it's alright since I already have a buyer for you, a great merchant wife. She is willing to pay top gold for a boy toy as good-looking as you," she said with a twisted smile, shattering the motherly image Nero had of her in his mind.

"HOW CAN YOU DO THIS? WE CALLED YOU OUR MOTHER," Nero lost it seeing her twisted smile and roared what came to mind.

"I also saw all of you as children of mine, some I loved more and some a little less," She replied, with her calm elderly smile, "But, to me, everything has a price, so when someone pays good, I have to reluctantly let one of you go,"

Nero wanted to roar out curses, but his mouth was forced shut as she placed a foot on his head before giving a signal to the hood man whose hand moved, knocking him in an instant.

"He is a high-value product, so handle him carefully," she told the cloaked man.

Nero felt his consciousness drifting away no matter how much he wished to stay awake, but just as he was about to lose hope, he heard a whisper that grew louder by the moment.

'Devour' 'Devour' 'Devour' 'Devour' 

'Devour' 'Devour' 'Devour' 'Devour' 

'Devour' 'Devour' 'Devour' 'Devour' 

The word repeated in his mind, growing louder and deeper each time, and the more he listened to the inner voice the clearer his mind became and he unconsciously understood what he was being told to do.

Nero opened his eyes and looked at the insufferable bitch that he wished could drop dead with all his being, to die a terrible death, and slowly a wide smile stretched across his face because he knew he could deliver it.

"Devour"

Nero said his voice barely a whisper, his hand stretching out, taking hold of her leg. As if given the command, the ravenous power within him moved, inky blackness oozing from his hand as it gushed out.

"AAHHHHHH"

Head Olga screamed in agony as darkness engulfed her robe and leg, spreading across her body like fire on the fuel, covering half her body before she could even think straight.

She struggled, but it was already too late, her efforts to tear away her cloaths and the dark energy bearing no result, her screams of agony getting silent in a matter of seconds.

The cloaked figure behind Nero was frozen in terror, but he was brought to his senses as he felt pain unlike any he had before, his very body going through a pain far worse than being eaten to death by ants.

It was quick yet terribly slow, as his very mind was drowned in pain for what felt like hours before his senses faded into pitch darkness as death embraced him.

"DIE, DIE IN ANGOY," Nero growled as he stood up, pitch-dark liquid pooling around him. The second cloaked figure, who was seated on the sofa, struggled as he tried to rush for the door.

"ALL OF YOU DESERVE TO DIE," Nero roared, and acting on emotion, the dark, gooey liquid gushed forth, turning into a massive faceless maw that devoured the cloaked man in his entirety.