“Jacob, what have you done…”


    “Hey. Akuma… What even is a God?”


    “W-What have you done-”


    “JUST ANSWER THE DAMN QUESTION!!”


    “…Well. He’s the embodiment of love. A king that leads you to your summit… Somone who’s really awesome!”


    “He’s the embodiment of love, huh?”


    “Yes. He is.”


    “Ha. Ha-ha. HAhA. HAHAHAHAHAA. YOU REALLY CALL THIS LOVE?!! ARE YOU MAD!! No don’t answer that, you clearly are. Next, you’re gonna tell me to trust that God will save us, right? HAHAHA”


    “He… will…”


    (…Right?)


    “Tell me. Was me clobbering that child to death part of God’s magnificent love?”


    “… I… I don’t know.”


    “You don’t know… *Chuckle. I’ll tell you the answer you’re looking for. It’s so simple even a kid like you could figure it out. THE GOD YOU LOVE SO DAMN MUCH HAS VANISHED!! HE’S ABANDONED US!!”


    (No. That isn’t true. It can’t be true. Mother said that more than anything, he loves us. God is someone who loved all things! Someone so cool can’t be a liar.)


    I was so consumed by his words that everything else faded away. My mind struggled to process the reality my eyes were witnessing. That’s why I didn’t notice Jacob had plunged a nearby blade into me, its cold steel piercing through my flesh. The warmth of my blood surged up my throat, spilling from my lips like a broken dam. I barely managed to croak out the question:


    “Jacob… why…?”


    Was this really the same Jacob that befriended me that time long ago? The one who saved me from my crippling isolation? When I’d all but given up on people, he was there to reach out a helping hand. Where was that Jacob? That bird who couldn’t stop chippering.


    He gripped his hair in a frenzy, as if teetering on the brink of madness, and said, “I truly wish it were real -a person that lends a hand simply because you asked with kindness. I think the world would be a far better place…”


    Suddenly, and even strangely, a blinding flash surged through my mind, almost like an ancient, dusty computer being bombarded with a terabyte of data. Honestly, the sensation didn’t feel that different from falling asleep. A daydream maybe? No, it was more hypnotic than that.


    Whatever it was, it glimpsed a tapestry of life into my consciousness. I could see trees, people, culture, animals and even mystical beings. I could also see clear images of the unknown like heaven, hell, the divine and even the deepest of earth''s oceans. I could perceive every imaginable entity within this boundless universe and even beyond it. “Why?” I pondered. Why was I able to see such mysteries as if they were staring right at me?


    Oh right...


    I''m the one who made them.


    The realization struck me as absurdly laughable. “I see now… The being these people revere and cherish really has abandoned them… I abandoned them…"


    Dammit all… I was so fixated on the world that I forgot to save the people within it. I labeled it as my greatest masterpiece and forgot all about the beholders… No. I think somewhere within me, I even blamed them for blemishing my masterpiece… Dammit. Dammit! DAMMIT!!! Was it possible? Could it have been done? Could I have really saved both? Is it really possible for a masterpiece and its mistakes to live in harmony?


    The last vision that flickered in my mind was of a young boy, a single tear tracing down his cheek. His hair shimmered like spun gold, and in his left hand, he clutched tightly a sacred blade, while his right hand formed a fist of boiling rage. Anger coursed through him, aimed at humanity.


    No! …It doesn’t matter if it was possible! Somehow, someway, I should’ve created it. I should have been there for both, to appreciate both… To love both… This time, I’ll do it. I’ll see to it that both can prosper! Because that’s the world I envisioned.


    “Watch me, Tenshi…”


    In that moment, the chains binding my wrists shattered like fragile trinkets. Gradually, my once-white hair transformed into a radiant golden hue, and a majestic fur cloak settled over my shoulders, one worn by an ancient emperor. Moments later, an unusual crown appeared above my head.


    "...I will fix our world."


    Jacob sank to his knees, his eyes locked onto the ominous figure looming above him. He was confused, but more than that he was afraid. “W-What are you?!” he stammered, his voice trembling with dread.


    Silence enveloped the moment, a chilling absence of sound that offered no forewarning. In an instant, his neck was severed, and his head resting lifelessly in my palm. As I gazed at the expression on that severed head, I chanted with a chilling calmness, “...Hear me Yggdrasil and heed my demand… Devour. And send these children to heaven.”


    If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    Suddenly, the image of a library appeared around me, no, it was more like it’d enveloped the entire prison, as if I’d restructured the space itself.


    Within that library, countless books of varying thickness, size and color, each glowing as they returned to their owners. Each book was labeled in bold letters by various phenomenon, as well as an Author’s name just below it, they name their author was most associated with.


    The children looked around, awestruck as they bore witness book soaring through the air, resonating with their owners. These books represented their fate, their futures and everything that dictated what would happen next. In short, it was the story of their destinies. One in which I devoured, changing the futures within them, and forcibly sending them to heaven. Of course, only their celestial bodies could ascend, leaving behind their physical forms. In which, to prevent someone else from possessing, I dismembered and butchered. A cruel showing, yes, but with the intention of saving them from their current fates.


    You see, for someone to ascend to heaven after death, they’d have to practically be a saint. And not one born with power, but the kind of person to clean up after people who litter trash. Naturally, these children did not fall under such a requirement, especially after what they’ve done today.


    But I had the ability to bypass that rule.


    This was the power of the “Devour”, the ability to manipulate one’s destiny using your Empower. But the toll was enormous, resulting in my wings, halo and golden glow fading, returning to my previous appearance.


    Akuma hadn’t yet realized, but the prison guard, who should’ve received the same fate as the other prisoners, had vanished long before he used Devour. It wasn’t as if he ran, but rather he’d seemingly vanished from time itself.


    *Zip!


    Suddenly, Akuma’s father, Iphicles, crashed through the prison’s walls, carrying both Frankenstein, the Queen of Clubs, and Megara, his mother. As for how and why they showed up, it was due to overwhelming pressure radiating from Akuma as he unleashed the Devour technique, a force so potent it resonated even to the highest floor of heaven.


    “Akuma, are you-!” Megara''s voice trembled with worry, cutting through the heavy air.


    “Dear God…” Iphicles gasped, his eyes widening in horror.


    Frankenstein, with a look of curiosity, murmured, “What on earth is happening here…”


    Before them lay a floor drenched in a deep, unsettling red, strewn with remnants of brains, flesh, and shattered bones. Piled atop this gruesome scene were countless lifeless bodies, tragically, those of children. At the center of this madness stood a boy, clutching the severed head of a child in his arms as if it were a cherished toy, a chilling smile spreading across his face.


    “Hmm? What are you guys doing here?” I questioned, haven not realized when they arrived with how fatigued I felt.


    “Akuma...” Megara went, her face that of concernment. “D-Did you do all this?”


    “Yeah. Don’t worry though. I sent them to heaven. They should be living in paradise.”


    You may have realized this, but when someone says “I sent them to heaven” in reference to a pile of dead bodies around them, often times, people won’t take you literally.


    (Crap. She doesn’t believe me, does she?)


    However, unbeknownst to Akuma, it was not his sanity that worried them so, but rather his current predicament. He’d used the Devour technique, and he did so without checking out his story. Though confused on how he did so, the two knew that only one fate awaited him now…


    “I’m sorry, Megara…” Frankenstein interjected. Haven just received my memories from my time as God, this woman looked almost familiar, but I just couldn’t discern why. “…But his soul is way too overbearing for your Empower to work. And that’s not even the start of it. Not only did he break the seals around his soul, but he used Devour without any past lives as reassurance… But more importantly, we need to hurry before he finds Akuma with the Akashic Records… I fear we may need your Devour.”


    “Alright then…” Megara said, her eyes fading into a glittering sky blue, as she intoned, “…Hear me Yggdrasil. Lend me the power to connect to your Library and alter my story.” All around her, a shower of black stars spurred forth and condensed into the space in front of her. Bit by bit. Piece by piece. Those glowing started to morph into a thick dark book.


    The cover read:


    Amplify


    By: Megara


    And as she uttered these words, a beast akin to a ghoul spewed from her back and swallowed her and the book whole. “Devour.”


    Soon, the cocoon of darkness subsided, displaying the brand-new Megara.


    Matching her obsidian hair, she had a long cloak that flailed about as it rode the shockwaves her power produced. Her old outfit was replaced by an almost gothic-like short dress. As well as boots matching that aesthetic. But even more interesting was the open book that rested comfortably in her left hand. A book that displayed her fate.


    It read:


    “You will be helpless as you watch your son crumble away from the payment of Devour.”


    Moving her right index finger in strange motions, the contents of her story began to change.


    Now it read:


    “You manage to amplify your son’s exhaustion, thus putting him to sleep. And after amplifying your chances of success, as well as Victor’s power…”


    A tornado of power spurred from my body, blowing away the two invading parasites. It wasn’t as if I was trying to unconsciously harm them, but rather, a mysterious force spurring from within me that wanted to.


    “Victor!”


    “Already on it… Royal Flush Empower: Assemble!” With those words shouted, Frankenstein’s hair faded into a Rich gold. A halo appeared above her head and slowly it shaped into a giant screw, piercing through the side of her head. “My priority should be recreating those seals that he broke, that way Lucifer won’t notice him…” She muttered, as if to organize her thoughts. “…I just hope I make it in time.”


    She held out her hand, and with her power amplified by Megara, she recreated the seals that trapped his use of Hoshi.


    “*Pant! *Pant!” Naturally, this was a very taxing ordeal.


    “Alright... Next up is the Yang part of his soul… But damn. I’m not strong enough to assemble a broken soul... Crap... What do I do.”


    She hadn’t explained the situation to Megara and wasn’t muttering at a volume high enough for her to have overheard. And yet she knew. Whether it was motherly instincts or something else entirely, somehow, she just did.


    “Victor! Use mine!”


    “But… if I do that, then you’ll...”


    “It’s alright. I was prepared for this. And it’s not like we have any other option. It’s impossible for someone to restore a person’s soul once it’s destroyed, even with Devour. Our best bet is to just create a barrier around it…” She faced me, her son, though I was unconscious. “I’m sorry Akuma, but this is goodbye… And goodbye. Iphicles.”


    Her smile was like a field of freshly bloomed flowers for Iphicles. In a way, she reminded him of his brother.


    “If thar is what you wish, then fine… Royal Flush Empower!! ASSEMBLE!! …With this much of Megara’s soul, I should be able to create an exoskeleton of sorts… You still hanging in there, Megara?!”


    “Y-Yeah.”


    “Alright. Let’s do this. One more push!”


    “HAAAAA!!!”


    Whether it be man, phenomenon, concept, or even an idea, every conceivable thing in this world has a story. A story that can be found within the infinite Library of Yggdrasil.


    In this world, there are people who wield the power to grab ahold of their stories, and forcible change its contents. In other words, the power to devour their own destiny.


    But.


    Despite what people want to believe, their stories are not theirs. Every book, every single page, belongs to one man. If you choose to alter his books… then that… That is vandalism. And trust me when I say this.


    *Crck! *Crck!


    He will charge you as such.


    *SHATTER!


    The fading page from Megara’s book read:


    “You manage to amplify your son’s exhaustion, thus putting him to sleep. And after amplifying your chances of success, as well as Victor’s power, you were able save your child’s life… The End.”


    The two -Victor and Iphicles- shed a single tear each.


    “Thank you, Megara. I’ll never forget the sacrifice you made today… But geez. To think the boy created his own Library. And without a holy scripture at that. He might have more potential than he did during the first timeline… Or I guess, ‘the Prophecy’.


    Later that day, when Akuma awoke, his hair had become a permanent dark black, and all his memories were wiped clean. The only thing he could remember was a strange, abnormal thirst to become a perfect being.