They ventured north, toward the skeletal mountains where the first Broken God—Varron, the Hunger-Eater—was said to sleep.
The journey took days through toxic valleys and mazes of distorted time. Whispermutt led the way, unaffected by the warped reality.
Varron was not what they expected. He wasn't massive or grotesque.
He was a child.
A boy no older than ten, curled inside a crystal orb at the summit of a dead volcano. He wept silently.
"The Shatter turned him into this?" Elira asked, eyes soft.
Takeshi reached out.
"No. He did it to himself. He tried to contain the hunger consuming his world."
As Takeshi approached, Varron opened his eyes. Rows of teeth. Echoing whispers.
"I'm not safe. I'll eat your bond. I'll eat you."
But Takeshi sat, opened the Codex, and began reading stories of the monsters he'd saved. Their names. Their trust.
"I don't fear you. I trust you."
Varron screamed—and then cried. The orb cracked.
The child stumbled out, sobbing into Takeshi's arms.
[New Pact Formed: Varron, Hunger-Eater – Calmed Form]
A god tamed by kindness.
They had one.
Three more to go.