Chapter 34: The Child Who Consumes
Inside the dense ball of roots, Liam floated in a strange dormant state. His body hung completely limp, blood still seeping from multiple deep wounds across his chest, abdomen, and arms.
Yet the devouring process never stopped. A slow, relentless suction pulled at the abyssal fragment embedded deep within the dying Mother Tree, drawing its dark, ancient energy into him like a black hole quietly feeding on a dying star. Even unconscious, his buttonless pit body refused to rest.
A voice spoke, unfamiliar, the same layered voice that had comforted Emily only moments earlier. It was gentle and ancient, carrying both feminine warmth and masculine depth, echoing softly through the withering wood.
"Even if you devour that fragment, child, you are already too badly injured. You will still die."
Liam couldn't speak. As he was unconscious , his body far too drained to form even a single word. He could stay in silence, suspended in the dark cocoon of roots.
The voice let out a long, weary sigh that seemed to echo through every fiber of the collapsing wood around him.
"I know you wonder why a fragment of the Abyss lies within this cursed tree. Very well… listen closely."
The voice grew heavier, filled with centuries of old regret and quiet shame.
"A being appeared before me many centuries ago. He looked like a devil wearing the skin of a man, tall and strikingly handsome, with eyes that burned like dying coals and a smile so sharp it could cut souls in half.
Horns curled back from his temples like polished black iron, and shadows clung to his broad shoulders as if they were living cloaks that moved with their own will. He called himself a traveler between planes, a wanderer who had seen the birth and death of worlds.
He promised me salvation in the sweetest voice I had ever heard. He said that if I could claim ten thousand lives, ten thousand young, vibrant souls to feed my roots, the curse would break completely. The land would bloom again in eternal spring. My sap would run pure and golden once more.
The Shadow Lurkers would vanish into nothing, and I would finally be free to wither away in peace instead of suffering this eternal torment. His words hit like iron nails driven straight into my heart. Every single promise felt absolute, unbreakable, heavy with divine weight.
He even swore on fragments of the Abyss itself, binding the oath with power I could not refuse.
In my desperation, in my overwhelming guilt over the gentle God of Eternal Spring I had helped betray, I believed him without question. I began to hunt. Night after night I sent my children to steal souls. I became the monster you see now… all because I clung to that devil's iron promises."
The voice trembled, cracking with raw pain.
"That devil… he never returned. He left me with this fragment as a mere 'token of good faith', a piece of the Abyss to help me endure the long wait until the ten thousand lives were reached. But the number was never enough. No matter how many I took, the curse only grew stronger, twisting me deeper into darkness. And now… here you are."
The wood holding Liam captive was already withering rapidly, its bark turning gray and brittle, cracking like old bone.
Anki's voice cut through the heavy silence, sharp and direct. "Did this being drop his name?"
The voice stayed silent for a long, heavy moment. Then it spoke again, softer this time, almost reluctant.
"He didn't give his name. But he spoke of a child. A child who would consume everything it came across. A child who would one day walk his way into the planes of gods."
A faint female figure suddenly materialized within the dark space, ethereal and strikingly beautiful, with flowing hair that shifted between soft light and deep shadow.
She reached out with infinite gentleness and placed her hand on Liam's cheek. Her touch was warm, almost motherly, carrying a tenderness that cut through the pain.
"Who knew he would come so soon," she whispered with a sad, gentle smile. "Finally… I will die and leave this filthy world. Just so sad that reincarnation will never taste my lips again."
She leaned closer, pouring the last of her remaining energy into Liam's broken body. The abyssal fragment flared once, bright and violent, then surrendered completely, its power flooding into him without resistance.
"Child… live long. The gods depend on you, baby Omi, the one birthed by a god."
After those final words, her form dissolved into glowing golden particles that streamed gently into Liam's chest. Her voice lingered one last time, soft and sorrowful, like a fading lullaby.
"Child, I weep for you… as your journey is one even gods do not dare."
Then she was gone, her essence fully absorbed.
All of Liam's wounds closed seamlessly. The gaping holes in his abdomen and right hand sealed without a single scar. His aura stabilized, surging stronger and deeper than before. Anki understood everything, he had known these truths from the very beginning, watching silently as the pieces fell into place.
The ball of roots that trapped Liam suddenly caught fire from within.
Purple flames erupted across the entire surface, burning away the last remnants of the Mother Tree's life force and fully consuming the abyssal fragment. The entire structure blazed like a violet sun, roaring with hungry power.
Outside, Emily's eyes widened in pure shock as the massive root-ball ignited in roaring purple flames. She staggered back a step, silver hair whipping wildly in the sudden scorching heat, her mouth falling open in disbelief.
"What the?!"
The burning roots crumbled rapidly. Liam began to fall from the collapsing sphere, still unconscious, his hand gripping Anki tightly even in his limp state.
Emily moved with blinding speed. She leaped into the sky without hesitation, stretching her arm out desperately. Liam landed heavily in her embrace, his head resting against her shoulder as she twisted mid-air with practiced grace. She landed smoothly on the devastated ground and carefully laid him down on the cracked earth.
"Fuck… I was such a fool," she muttered, staring at his gentle sleeping face. Blood and dirt still covered him from head to toe, yet somehow he looked strangely peaceful, almost innocent.
"If you truly wanted to kill me when we traveled…"
She trailed off as a single finger suddenly pressed lightly against her lips.
"But I didn't, right?" Liam said quietly, eyes still closed, a faint, tired smile curving his lips.
Emily's face turned bright red in an instant. She jerked back, completely flustered.
"Damn it, you're so heavy! Stand up from my arm!"
She suddenly realized she had accidentally sat on his hand when she landed. With a startled scream she punched him hard in the gut.
Liam groaned, eyes fluttering open at last. "Ow… that was my good hand you just destroyed. Help me up, would you? I can't feel my fingers anymore."
Emily blinked once, twice, then burst out laughing despite herself, the tension, fear, and adrenaline of the entire mission finally breaking in a wave of relieved laughter.
She grabbed his other arm and pulled him steadily to his feet, still blushing furiously, her silver ponytail swaying as she shook her head.
The blind boy from the outer academy now stood beside her amid the smoking ruins of what had once been the Mother Tree. Both of them were battered, exhausted, covered in blood and dirt… and somehow still alive.
The mission was finally over.
But the questions about who Liam Heart truly was had only just begun.