[Day 2679]
The deer was looking weaker. Its once powerful, vibrant yellow eyes had dimmed, and the pallor of its fur was more pronounced with each passing day. I'd been observing it for weeks now, trying to understand the nature of its power. It had been a while since I first encountered the beast, and it was no longer the terrifying force it once was. Yet, there was something strange about it—its regeneration speed, the way it could manipulate gravity and energy bursts with such ease. Those abilities couldn't be ignored.
I didn't trust it. Despite its weakened state, it still held that terrifying ability with those yellow eyes, and that made me cautious. I wasn't sure what it had up its sleeve, but it was more than capable of becoming a problem once more.
This world... It devours others, pulling fragments of ruined realms into itself. And the deer? It was at the center of it all. I had a growing suspicion that the deer wasn't just a beast anymore—it was something far more sinister. A god, perhaps, born from the devouring of fragments of countless planes. And if that was true, I was going to be very careful.
I couldn't keep waiting, though. I'd read the stories of such beasts before, the ones that evolved, adapted, and then broke through their limits. I needed to act, and soon.
But it was complicated. My own thoughts were conflicted. Was I going to kill it now, or was there something more to its existence I needed to understand? I couldn't ignore the strange connection it seemed to have to this world. Something was pushing me to end it before it fully realized its potential.
The decision came swiftly. I called for Philip.
"Prepare the base. Bring out all the strength we can muster. I'm going after the deer," I ordered.
Philip hesitated, his brows furrowing. He knew the dangers of hunting the beast, but he nodded, understanding the weight of my words.
The others gathered quickly—Scarface, Cecil, Noah, Reynolds, and the rest. They all knew what was at stake. We couldn't let the deer's presence continue unchecked.
I made my way to its lair, a desolate clearing shrouded in mist. The eerie silence was broken only by the faint rustling of leaves and the soft creaking of trees.
"Come out," I called, my voice cutting through the gloom.
It appeared, as if summoned by my words. The once majestic creature now seemed less formidable. Its eyes flickered briefly with that yellow glow before it locked onto me, watching warily.
"Do you know Aldric?" I asked, the name slipping from my lips despite myself.
It didn't respond immediately, but its eyes narrowed. The air thickened with tension. Then, with a flash, the yellow light flared, and the beast struck first, sending a gravitational shockwave that shook the earth beneath us.
I smirked. "Is that all you've got?" I wasn't planning to transform. There was no need to show them my true form just yet.
With a burst of black wind, I propelled myself backward, avoiding the full force of the attack. The entire area around us trembled as the gravity fluctuations spread like a wave. But I wasn't concerned. I had my own tricks.
Charging electricity through my body, I closed the distance in the blink of an eye. The deer seemed to realize the gravity of the situation—no pun intended—and attempted to evade me. But I was faster. In a single move, I pierced its heart with a bolt of lightning.
The beast screamed, a terrifying sound that echoed through the forest. But it was not over.
It regenerated, its body mending itself at an unnatural rate. That was the moment I realized the extent of its abilities. It wasn't just fighting me—it was trying to adapt. To learn.
I didn't let up. I kept attacking, aiming at its core, hitting it again and again with enough force to keep it from regenerating. I wouldn't give it a chance to loop back.
Philip, Scarface, and the others sprang into action, launching grenades and gunfire in unison. It staggered under the onslaught, but the beast still fought back fiercely, its gravity manipulation turning the tide at times. I saw it slam into Philip, sending him flying back with a blast of force. But I was already there, drilling through the deer's heart with another strike of lightning, forcing it to stumble back again.
Noah watched in awe, eyes wide, whispering to Reynolds, "Can we even interfere in this battle?"
Scarface answered, grimly, "No. Not unless the lord orders it. We wait."
It was a strange thing, watching my subordinates react to this battle. They were stunned by the sheer force I wielded, the way I controlled the lightning, and how the deer was slowly being worn down.
The deer was furious now, its yellow eyes burning with defiance. I could see the pain in its body, the exhaustion setting in, but it was still dangerous. And it knew I was toying with it.
"I'll end this now," I muttered under my breath. I wasn't playing anymore.
I kept up the onslaught, using lightning, bursts of force, and my black wind to keep it from getting away. With each strike, the deer weakened, its attacks became more erratic. It tried to manipulate gravity again, but it failed.
Then, in a final attempt to resist, it sent out a shockwave so powerful that the ground beneath us split open. The blast pushed me back, but I quickly regained control. I saw the moment the deer faltered. It couldn't even stand anymore.
"I'm done," I said, eyes narrowing. "Any last words?"
The deer, for the first time, spoke. "Will you kill me?"
I nodded, my voice cold. "Yes."
Everyone around me was shocked. The beast, capable of speech? They had never seen anything like it.
Ignoring their astonishment, I commanded Philip to fire. The others joined in, their weapons tearing through the deer's weakened body. It was futile. It attempted one last act of defiance, throwing a burst of gravity at us, but I was ready. I unleashed a final, devastating lightning blast that reduced the deer to ash.
Its body disintegrated in an instant. But as it died, something strange happened. The air shifted, and a wave of immense gravity slammed into me. I barely had time to react before the beast's antennae stabbed through my abdomen, the sharp point piercing my flesh.
I gritted my teeth, catching its antenna, my body cracking under the pressure. But I didn't let go. My fingers clenched around the offending appendage, and with a roar, I unleashed a final electric burst. The deer's body burned, sizzling, as the lightning coursed through it. I felt its life force wither away.
It was over.
But before it was fully gone, I retrieved the core. It was as large as a football, dark and pulsing. I swallowed it without hesitation, feeling the surge of energy flood through me.
The ground cracked open as the beast's essence was consumed. I ran as deep into the forest as I could, desperate to get as far away as possible.
It was anticlimactic, yes. But I felt no sense of relief. Only a gnawing suspicion that something wasn't right.