__________ POV Ashton__________
My travels took me on faraway paths... But they weren't unfamiliar to me.
I've walked these plains before, alongside my friends. Now, I fly alone, but I am still not there yet... I have quite a lot to go, so why have I stopped?
I'm almost a week away from the swamps of the Hellbells. But they have suddenly taken second place in my mind for a few minutes.
Why is that? Well... I'm soon going to pass by my old home. A place that I lived in for the longest of times.
That cave is going to serve as my stop for now. I need to look for something inside that place. It's just a thought that keeps nagging me.
And, since I am quite close right now, why not visit the place? What exactly could go wrong?
Well, a bad omen would be the earth-shaking underneath me right now. I stand in front of where my cave formerly was, now an empty mountainside.
Something just isn't right about this. I am sure this is the exact place where my home was supposed to be. I doubt I'd make such mistakes so easily.
The surface looks too 'Clean' for this to be a cave-in. The only possible explanation would be that a cave-in happened, then it was compressed by a few earthquakes.
But even then, it wouldn't look this perfect.
Well, there's only one way to find out what happened isn't there?
I took a horse stance and prepared my fist for a punch, strengthening them through the Gauntlets of Neith.
My punch landed with a powerful *BANG* the wall in front of me was instantly filled with cracks as a good part of the mountain trembled.
The earth in front of me seemed to be breaking apart, revealing a cave behind it. The only problem here... It isn't supposed to be this large.
The air in this cave was strangely fresh too. Which means there must be some other exit somewhere else.
It seemed to go a lot deeper than I remember it. It seems something else claimed this as its home while I was away.
I might also have a hunch as to what exactly it is...
I walked deeper down the cave system, which leads me to simplistic looking Nest.
Just a raised rock platform in the middle of a large open space.
And sleeping on that nest... An nothing other than an 'Earth Screetcher'.
A strange, worm-like entity, its skin is covered in thick scales and its mouth opens up like a flower. Inside the mouth, one can observe the upper body of a human-like woman.
She is usually featureless, only shape similar to that of a human female.
Information on this species is extremely scarce. And this is the first time I've actually seen one in person... It's said to be able to control the dirt and rocks. Digging through them with ease.
The Compendium describes them as: 'An abomination created by an amalgamation of Post-Mortem Nen. Fueled by a powerful desire to survive.'
Which makes this entity more of a Nen Beast turned alive than an actual being... Wait...
A living being created out of Nen... One that even the compendium recognizes as a true lifeform... And this beast is most likely created by humans...
Isn't then this basically what the 'Greater Gods' did? What exactly is their identity then? If humans also have the capability to create life in this manner, then how exactly are these 'Gods' special?
I mean, don't get me wrong. Humans are perfectly capable of scientifically engineering and modifying life but this is basically creating life from 'nothing' using only Aura.
How exactly do I know this is made by humans? The only beings with willpower strong enough to translate to Post-Mortem Nen are, you guessed it, Humans.
And, maybe, Chimera Ants, but that's debatable(I've not actually seen one yet). They are also a new species, so they don't count in these calculations.
This is a species that has appeared at least near the end of the second human Era. The last one that was on this continent.
So their will to live transmitted into a powerful Post-Mortem nen, fermented over the centuries and turned into a new form of life.
A truly fascinating beast... But there's something else that is interesting here. The mouth of the Screecher seems to already be opened up.
It's usually supposed to be protecting its soft spot. But this one is just blatantly showing it off in its sleep...
The woman-like figure inside that mouth is leaned over on the side, appearing to be peacefully asleep.
In her hands, is what I've come here for. A small, plush doll. It's a simple, almost primitive design.
Yellow hair, small dotted dress. Its eyes are long since lost. And one of its hands is missing...
A doll that I had as a child. I had left it here that fateful day when I left for Lake Mobius, and it's now in this beast's hands.
I'm quite sure it's not even my doll, but it must be one of the last things I had grabbed onto as a child while the ship was being swallowed up by that whirlpool...
So, why have I returned for it? Well, I have some strange foggy memories about it. Sometimes I felt as if it was speaking to me. It's an odd feeling.
It was seemingly possessed. Well, I didn't notice it at first. But that wasn't the only thing strange about it.
The memories are far too messy for me to properly recall. But it would sometimes move around by itself. Not large movements, mind you, but small, almost unnoticeable ones.
I didn't expressly come back due to nostalgia. But I just had an inkling that this doll might also be more important to this mystery I'm trying to solve...
I mean, It's literally the only item I had on me besides the clothes on my back at that time. It definitely has something to it.
But... Now that I see it. I just get a strange feeling of dread. It's not even from the strange beast holding it, it's aged appearance is starting me dead in the eye.
A reminder of the fact that I should definitely be dead. Time is a slow and insidious killer, and I have dodged its attempts for centuries more than a human should.
Is my longevity really only related to the treasures that I ate? So many things that I thought I knew, turns out I actually didn't find a conclusive answer for.
I just enclosed myself in an illusion that I had everything figured out. That I somehow knew what I was doing and that I was correct.
The Beast isn't showing any sign of waking up. You'd think that the sound of my fist smashing through that wall would've woken up anything nearby, but this thing looks almost dead...
Upon closer inspection, there seems to be no sign of movement whatsoever. I don't know if this thing is supposed to be breathing or not. But it certainly isn't now.
The Earth Screecher is supposed to be a species with less than 10 living examples... Is this one truly dead?
____________________________________________
Hope you liked the chapter.
If u want to support me look up VeganMaster on Patr_eon.
Discord: