First Demonic Dragon

Luckily for Apophis, he didn't actually have to keep down what he'd eaten.

Devouring Apep was more symbolic than anything. Once he put him in his gut even once then anything useful was transferred over without any lingering issue.

But Apophis didn't know if what he'd just put himself through was worth it.

Forget about the physical constraints his body was currently struggling under. This taste in his mouth was way worse than any of that.

'Erm... Are you not feeling well?'

"That guy tasted like cheeks, Grandpa Yesh... And not the fun, clean kind."

*Sigh...* 'You are your father's son..'

Yesh cleaned up Apophis' vomit while he shrunk back down to normal size.

The young man was busy wiping his mouth when Yesh suddenly handed him a bottle of some familiar pink medicine.

"..." Apophis looked at it with pitiful eyes.

'What? It's for your stomach.'

Apophis continued to stare at the bottle like a kicked dog.

'...' Yesh changed the bottle of pesto into an ungodly sandwich with an abhorrent mix of meats, cheeses, and French fries.

Apophis' eyes lit up and he accepted the plate with gratitude. He practically unhinged his jaw a second time to take an inhumanely large bite.

Mid chew, he gave Yesh a grateful thumbs up.

His stomach would be fine, he just needed to get that god-awful taste out of his mouth.

Midway through his victory treat, Apophis suddenly sensed a danger that he couldn't actually avoid.

A silver and orange rocket barreled into him from above; knocking his barbaric sandwich to the ground.

"Nooo!!"

""BABY!!""

Bekka and Lillian were near total messes.

It was hard to watch your child fight with their life on the line. It's even harder knowing that you can't do anything about it.

No matter how old or how strong Apophis or any of his siblings got, they would always worry about them. That was their job as parents.

That was why Apophis couldn't find it in himself to be too upset with his mothers for being overbearing.

Even if the pressure of their hugs was enough to crush his already struggling muscles.

"T-Thanks, Mas. Sorry I worried you, but you can let me go no-"

"Don't tell us what to do!"

"We're the parents here! We'll let you go when we're good and ready!"

The girls only squeezed Apophis tighter; causing his sore muscles to sing in agony.

Even though Bekka and Lillian both still looked like monsters, they were the farthest thing from.

"...Can I atleast get my sandwich while you hug me?" Apophis asked.

Bekka: "No, baby."

"Why not!?"

Bekka: "Because I'm going to eat it. Now stay still and let mommy love you."

"..."

Apophis was beginning to feel that maybe he should have let Apep eat him when he had the chance.

In the midst of being coddled, Apophis saw a hopeful sight heading towards him.

Abaddon was descending from above slowly; his eyes never leaving his son's as he grew closer.

Even though Abaddon did not actually posses a mouth at this moment, it was still easy for Apophis to read his facial expression.

Relief, pride, and immense joy could all be seen swirling around in his glowing eyes.

When his feet landed in front of them, he immediately knelt down and joined the trio in a very meaningful group hug.

Bash was being held by Nyx above their heads. He didn't feel quite comfortable joining in such utter mushiness. Especially not with so many eyes present.

However, Gaia seemed to notice that there was something different about Tartarus this time around.

He still seemed rather uncompromising and aloof, but Gaia knew him well enough to see that there was something new there as well.

But she didn't have the foggiest idea what exactly it was, or when it had developed.

"I'm contesting this outcome."

The nonexistent air within the domain turned icy cold within the span of a single second.

Izanagi folded his arms across his chest with a haughty attitude. "The boy had clearly used the last of his energy at the last moment yet he miraculously gained more somehow. Am I the only one who-"

A gust of wind blew past hs hair and a loud clang rattled his ears to the very core of his brain.

Shiva and Yesh were standing just in front of him. Holding up a barrier that was just barely strong enough to keep Abaddon, and his claws, on the other side of it.

'...He only asked a question. Do not be so quick to anger.'

"His implication was that my son should have died. I'd like hear him spout more asinine things with no mouth."

"Easy, friend. Truth sets us all free in the end. There is no need to jump so readily into violence with both feet."

Abaddon let out a growl that said he was only half listening.

Yesh seemed to recognize that his time to explain the circumstances behind Apophis' win were waning more and more with every second.

'Apophis' victory was caused in part by the unique circumstances behinds conception. He was originally made to be the familiar of Abaddon's first wife. Meaning he has access to her magical reservoir should he tap into his connection with her. '

"… I see." Izanagi conceded. "I was not aware of that.

For the first time, Yesh seemed to have a sudden thought that caused his brow to wrinkle.

'No…I suppose you would not be, would you…?' Yesh muttered; lost in thought.

Abaddon finally stopped trying to brute force his way through the shield. Find exclusive content at m.v.l.e.mpyr

Retracting his arm, he shot Izanagi a final warning glance before he left. Begrudgingly allowing him to hold onto his life for another day.

Izanami and Nyx had joined his wives and son's back on the ground.

Yesh realized that this was his best opportunity to facilitate a peaceful transfer; and he didn't waste it.

"So it has been, so it shall be rewritten."

When Yesh actually spoke out loud, his voice was like rolling thunder and brought pain to the ears of everyone who was in attendance.

The entire domain was bathed in light, and reality saw another reset…

-

November 14, 2024. (United States of America: Baton Rouge, Louisiana)

On a well known college campus in America, a lecture was soon to start taking place at 10:30 in the morning.

Students filed in one after the other, either dressed in sweats and pajamas or in some form of designer clothing. There was absolutely no in between.

By now, they were at the point in the semester where mostly everyone had a friend group of some sort. But there were always a couple of stragglers who seemed to sit alone and focus purely on academics.

One random young woman seemed to be the latter of the two.

This class wasn't really all that significant for her, just as it wasn't for a lot of the other students. After all, it wasn't like any of it was real, was it?

"Alright, alright, settle down…"

A professor walked in at the very last minute before class was scheduled to start. He wore a simple suit jacket over a black t-shirt and jeans.

His brown hair was slightly frazzled, and his glasses were covered in smudges.

"I know we're all still reeling from having our asses handed to us last Saturday, but let's try to bring our minds back to the present, yes?"

Several disappointed whimpers of shame could be heard in the room. Especially from the football players who sat in the front.

"Welcome back to Introduction to World Mythology. I'd start things off by discussing your last assignment grades, but since the university may frown on my drinking this early, we're just going to dive right in to the next unit."

Several students grimaced while the rest, who knew that they did well, remained unphased.

The professor pulled up a slideshow for his lecture and the title was displayed plainly across the screen.

The Mythology That Spans Them All: Nevi'im.

"This unit will be a fair bit more complex than others, so for all of my struggling sunflowers out there: take notes… Or don't. I get paid either way. "

The professor clicked on the first slideshow, and an image of a cave painting where a great monster and something like an angel were depicted.

"The Nevi'im texts were first discovered in around 1776, but the belief is that it is one of the world's oldest religions.

Texts were shared by a nomadic tribe of Africans with red hair and domineering physiques.

These texts were discovered in China, Japan, Northern Europe, India, Egypt, and Greece.

Each one had a different story inscribed and was passed around amongst the local people, but never anyone else. As for why they didn't share it, your guess is as good as mine."

The professor tapped the board and the display zoomed in to provide extra clarity.

"But it's clear from our research that what they had was only the endings to some larger stories. But the beginning starts with this big guy right here."