God of Destruction: Living Among Mortals

Lunaris then licked Nova, then stopped, as Nova's eyes slowly stirred open. He blinked several times, blurring, the remnants of his dream still lingering like smoke in his mind.

Slowly, he sat up, one hand pressed against the cold, uneven stone beneath him. His breathing steadied as the vision of the Convergence faded, the roaring sky, the speaking Auri, the collapsing horizon, all replaced by the stillness of Beastaria's morning haze.

The cave was quiet. The light outside shimmered faintly, a bluish hue that bent through the mist. He rubbed his temples, murmuring, "Just a dream." His voice sounded hoarse, roughened by sleep and lingering exhaustion.

Lunaris tilted his head from beside him, purring softly, his tail flicking with mild concern. Nova smiled faintly and gave the creature a gentle pat on the head. "You worry too much," he said, though he didn't quite believe his own words.

He looked over to the Auri, the small, birdlike creature with translucent feathers that glowed faintly from within. It stood a few feet away, watching him closely, its crystalline eyes wide and unblinking. There was intelligence there, recognition, even, but not comprehension.

"You're real, at least," Nova said quietly, still half-expecting it to reply like it had in the dream. He leaned forward slightly. "Speak, Auri. Please, speak."

The Auri tilted its head again, then let out a faint, melodic trill. It wasn't words, not even language, just a sound that echoed through the cave, soft and uncertain.

Nova's heart sank a little. "So you can't." He sighed and leaned back against the rock wall. "Figures. Even in my dreams, things make more sense than reality."

Lunaris hopped closer to the Auri, sniffing it with quiet curiosity. The Auri didn't move away; instead, it mirrored Lunaris's movements, as though mimicking his behavior.

Nova couldn't help but chuckle. "At least you two get along. That's something."

He stood, brushing dust and faint ash off his clothes. His body still ached from the past battles, but the pain was more like an echo now, a dull reminder that he was still alive.

"We should move," he said, looking toward the cave mouth. "Staying in one place too long isn't smart here."

Lunaris meowed softly in agreement, while the Auri stretched its wings, the faint shimmer of its feathers lighting the dim cavern. Together, they stepped out into the wild.

Outside, the Expanse lay open before them, a world of fractured terrain and shifting light. The horizon stretched infinitely, yet it seemed to move with them as they walked, as though the world itself refused to stay still.

The air carried a strange, metallic scent, and the distant hum of mana resonated through every step they took. They traveled for what felt like hours. Nova didn't speak much; his mind was too entangled in the dream he'd just had.

The memory of the Convergence, of the Auri's human voice, gnawed at him. There was meaning in that dream, perhaps a warning. He could still feel the lingering pressure of that other reality pressing faintly against this one.

Lunaris broke his thoughts by darting ahead, his tail raised, ears twitching. The little creature stopped near a cluster of crystalline fungi that pulsed faintly with blue-green light.

Nova crouched down beside him. The fungus was edible, or at least, non-lethal. He recognized it from one of Freya's old expedition reports on Beastaria's flora.

"Looks like lunch," he said, plucking a few of the glowing caps.

Lunaris meowed softly, and the Auri chirped in response. Nova smiled. "Guess that's a yes."

He found a patch of flat stone near a stream that trickled down from somewhere unseen above. It wasn't much, but it was enough to rest.

He built a small flame using a spark of his mana, careful to control it, as the ambient energy here reacted violently to even minor disturbances.

The smell of the cooking fungi filled the air, earthy and sharp, like roasted herbs and ozone. Lunaris sat patiently, tail wrapped around his paws, while the Auri perched on a nearby rock, watching intently, head tilted at every movement Nova made.

When it was done, Nova handed a portion to each of them. Lunaris immediately began eating, his small fangs tearing through the glowing meal.

The Auri hesitated before finally leaning forward and taking a cautious bite. Its feathers flickered with brighter light for a moment, perhaps a sign of satisfaction.

Nova took his own portion, chewing slowly. It wasn't the best meal, but it grounded him. Reminded him that he was still here, still fighting, still breathing.

"You know," he said quietly, glancing at his companions, "I used to eat at a table. Real food. With people."

Lunaris blinked up at him.

"Now it's just us," Nova said.

He leaned back, staring up at the pale sky above. The clouds here didn't move naturally; they pulsed, expanding and contracting with the world's mana flow. Everything in Beastaria was alive, but not alive in the way mortals understood.

When they finished eating, Nova doused the flame with a wave of his hand and stood. "We'll rest for a bit. Then I need to meditate."

Lunaris stretched, curling up beside him, while the Auri fluttered to a low branch nearby, folding its translucent wings. The hum of the world quieted around them, the only sound being the faint trickle of the stream and the occasional rustle of shifting energy in the air.

Nova crossed his legs and closed his eyes. His breathing slowed, syncing with the rhythm of the mana surrounding him. Meditation wasn't just peace; it was survival here. If he didn't stabilize his inner flow, the distortion of Beastaria would eventually tear him apart.

The moment he centered himself, he felt it, the pulse of his Circle of Pillars, deep within his being, beating in quiet rhythm. The runes etched along his spiritual core flickered faintly, responding to his focus. He reached for the energy, letting it flow through him like a tide.

The world began to fade. The sound of the wind, the water, and even Lunaris's quiet purrs drifted into a dull hum. He sank deeper, into the still void within himself.

Images flashed behind his eyes, fragments of memory and vision. Freya's smile. Elesch's voice. The roaring face of the Absyalling. The mark on his arm burned faintly, reacting to his concentration. He didn't fight it this time. Instead, he observed.

The mark pulsed once, then again, like a heartbeat not his own. The sensation wasn't painful, but heavy, like the weight of something ancient pressing down on his soul. For a moment, he thought he heard whispers, too faint to decipher, like words spoken underwater.

He exhaled slowly, forcing the noise away. "Not now," he whispered.

The Auri's head lifted slightly, as if sensing the disturbance. Lunaris opened one eye, watching him quietly before lowering his head again.

Nova steadied himself, letting the mana flow return to balance. Slowly, the whispers faded, replaced by calm. His body relaxed, his breathing evened out, and his heartbeat aligned with the rhythm of the world around him.

In that stillness, he felt something else, faint, distant, but familiar. A ripple of power brushes against his consciousness, like a memory trying to find its way back. He reached for it instinctively, but it slipped away, dissolving into the vastness of the Expanse.

When he finally opened his eyes, the sky had darkened to a deep violet. The horizon shimmered faintly, alive with spectral light. Lunaris was sleeping soundly beside him, while the Auri perched above, silent and watchful.

Nova exhaled softly, feeling a strange serenity wash over him. For the first time in what felt like eons, there was no fight, no monster, no chaos, just stillness.

He looked at the sleeping forms of his two companions and smiled faintly. "Guess it's just us, huh?" he whispered. "Let's make it count."