Devourer: Echoes of the unwritten

[Scene: Black Void – Location: Devourer Council Domain]

Somewhere outside time and space, a throne chamber floated in pure darkness.

Twelve seats.

Twelve beings.

Only five were currently filled.

Each figure looked different—some human, some monstrous, one made entirely of shifting code.

At the center of the room, a glowing sphere flickered to life—Kaito's image projected in firelight.

One of them—the Crowned Maw, a beast with spiral horns and hollow eyes—spoke first.

"He devoured Ravok."

"And he lived."

Another—The Hollow Queen, a silver woman with no face—stood, her voice echoing like broken music.

"He wears the four fragments. That makes him… a threat to balance."

A third figure, Nullchild, leaned forward. Half-machine. Half-shadow.

"He could be the true one. Or he could break the rest of us."

The final, largest being—a living flame known only as Ashcore—grunted.

"Then let's test him."

"Let's show him what the Council truly is."

[Scene: Mid-City – Rooftop Over the Ruins]

Kaito stood alone, wind blowing through his tattered cloak.

He had felt it—a psychic pressure descending from above. Not from the System.

Not from any Hunter.

But from something deeper.

Something ancient.

[New Quest Unlocked: "Summons of the Council"]

– Objective: Survive First Contact

– Warning: This is not a fight. It's a judgment.

"So they finally noticed me."

"Good."

He stepped into the center of a rune circle the system drew on the rooftop.

Black tendrils emerged, wrapping around his body.

The world twisted—and snapped.

[Scene: Trial Zone – Devourer Council Projection]

Kaito opened his eyes.

He stood in a circular arena floating in a void of dead stars.

Before him, the five Council members stood.

The Hollow Queen glided forward.

"Kaito Ryu. Devourer Prime. Fragment Bearer. Reality Breaker."

"You stand before the last Devourers—creations made to destroy gods."

"But unlike you, we survived… because we submitted."

Ashcore grunted. "And now you challenge the order?"

Kaito didn't bow. He didn't blink.

"I challenge the chains."

"The system broke me. You're its leftovers. I'll eat my way through the rest of you if I have to."

Nullchild chuckled.

"You're confident."

"Let's see if you're ready to join us… or burn."

[Scene: Combat Trial – Council's Test Begins]

Suddenly, the arena morphed into a brutal battlefield.

Skies rained fire.

Ground shifted like a living thing.

A figure formed in front of Kaito—a shadow clone of himself.

But not just him.

Him… if he lost control.

Eyes wild. Aura corrupted. A Berserk Devourer.

"Defeat yourself," the Queen whispered.

"Or be erased."

[Scene: Kaito vs. Berserker Kaito – Mirror Fight Begins]

CLASH!!!

Berserk Kaito attacked first—faster, more violent. It howled instead of speaking. No strategy—just hunger.

Real Kaito dodged, barely. Each strike shook the arena.

"So this is what I'll become if I lose control…"

[Instinct Override Rising: 39%]

[Emotion Drift: STABILITY]

[Systembreaker Pulse – Ready]

Berserk Kaito launched Flame Tail + Gravity Coil + Void Pulse in one combo.

Kaito absorbed the hit—then grabbed the clone by the face.

"I'm done playing games with my past."

BOOM!!

One final Systembreaker Pulse to the core.

The clone exploded—screaming in his voice.

[Scene: After the Test – Judgment Given]

The arena returned to black stillness.

The Council stood quiet.

Then…

The Hollow Queen raised her hand.

A sigil floated into Kaito's chest—burning but not damaging him.

[Devourer Council Mark Received]

Status: Watched

Authority Unlocked: Tier 3

New Skill: Black Sigil – Council Aura

– Passive deterrent vs weak-willed enemies

– Grants limited command over minor Devourers

Ashcore spoke last.

"You are now one of us."

"But we will kill you if you lose yourself."

Kaito turned, cloak flaring.

"Then I'll just stay ahead of you."

[Scene: Outside the Trial Zone – Kaito Returns]

He landed back on the rooftop.

Lightning cracked above him.

[System Sync: 74%]

[System Collapse: Delayed]

[Next Objective: Awaken Sleeper Devourers – Optional]

Or…

[Confront the World Core Directly – Unlocked Early]

Kaito looked up at the black hole swirling where the moon used to be.

"Soon."

[Final Scene: Deep in the North – An Old One Awakens]

Far below the Earth, in a prison built before history, a frozen Devourer opened one eye.

Its thoughts were fire.

"He wears the mark…"

"Then I will rise."

Next Chapter: "The Sleeper's Howl – Rise of the Old Devourer"