The deeper Raen traveled into the Devourer's Hollow, the more the Abyss began to shift—from terrifying to utterly absurd.
Trees grew upside down, dripping black mist instead of sap. The air trembled with soft, irregular laughter—disembodied and directionless. Somewhere far above, an island spun slowly in the sky, defying gravity with theatrical flair.
Raen narrowed his eyes. "This isn't natural."
[Warning: Madness Zone Detected.][Source: Class A Beast — Codename: Jester Wyrm][Risk: Emotional Destabilization. Personality... volatile.]
Hollowfang growled under his breath.
Despair Maw let out a low groan, curled into itself, and refused to move forward.
Even the System's voice dropped a tone:[User discretion advised. This one is... a handful.]
Raen pushed forward alone, hand on the chain-hilt of his blade.
Then the mist parted like stage curtains.
A throne made of broken instruments stood atop a mound of bleached bones. Atop it coiled a serpentine beast—long and lean, with mismatched black-and-purple scales that shimmered like oil. Its body looped in chaotic spirals, and it had three dragon-like heads, each facing a different direction. One head grinned, one scowled, and the last spun slowly in a circle, muttering to itself.
And on top of its middle horn… sat a party hat.
Raen blinked. "…No."
The middle head suddenly snapped toward him. "Yesssssss! A visitor! Someone with a face!"
The Wyrm twirled in the air like a ribbon. "Tell me, are you here to fight, flirt, or philosophize?"
Raen kept his expression flat. "Are you the Jester Wyrm?"
"All three of me, darling."
The left head joined in, voice gravelly and sarcastic. "He's got the brooding look. Bet he's here to monologue."
"Quiet, you hack," the right head hissed. "He hasn't even laughed yet."
Raen ignored them all. "You're a Class A beast?"
"I'm a Class F soul in an A-rated nightmare body," the middle head quipped. "But yes. I was once holy. Then I made the gods laugh... and they buried me for it."
Raen's hand tightened on his blade. "You talk too much."
The Wyrm twirled again, forming a glowing halo made of dripping paint and broken piano keys. "And you think too little! Now—if you want to tame me, answer my one question!"
Raen arched a brow. "Which is?"
"Tell me a joke."
Silence.
Even the air seemed to hold its breath.
Raen slowly stepped forward. "You want a joke?"
"All three of us do," the Wyrm's voices chorused. "If you fail, we'll eat your legs."
Raen tilted his head. "Fine."
He raised his blade, stepped into the Wyrm's shadow, and said:
"Your existence."
The Jester Wyrm paused.
A beat passed.
Then it howled with laughter.
The ground shook as the creature collapsed, laughing so hard its scales began shedding confetti. "OH! OH, HE'S SHARP! HE'S SHARP! That hurt!"
Raen raised his hand.
[Bonding Option: Unlocked.][Warning: Beast's mind fractured across three consciousnesses. Stability unpredictable.]
Chains erupted from Raen's palm.
But the Jester Wyrm didn't resist.
Instead, it twisted its massive body around him like a scarf and cooed, "Yes, yes, yes. Bind me, Beast King. Tie me down and make me yours."
Raen grimaced. "Don't say it like that."
[Bonding in progress…]
Images flashed into Raen's mind. A once-beautiful temple. Children laughing. A priest telling bedtime stories. A forbidden ritual gone wrong. The Wyrm had once been human… before being consumed by the madness of memory.
Beneath the jokes… was pain. Unspoken. Endlessly looped.
The chain seal snapped shut with a final clang.
[Bonding Successful.][New Beast Added: Jester Wyrm — Rank A][Traits: Madness Pulse | Confusion Aura | Laughing Curse][Passive: Immune to Despair. May cause chaotic boosts to allies.]
Raen exhaled, sweat trickling down his temple.
The Wyrm hovered before him, smaller now, slightly coiled like a ribboned dragon around his arm.
"You've made a mistake," the left head said.
"You've made a legend," the middle head said.
"You've made a friend," the right head whispered.
Raen blinked. "...We'll see."
Later that night, Raen sat by the violet flame of his makeshift campfire. Hollowfang dozed nearby, snoring like a thundercloud. Despair Maw curled into itself, whimpering softly. The Jester Wyrm sat beside Raen, flicking embers into the air.
Raen spoke first. "You were a priest once."
The Wyrm didn't laugh.
Only one head spoke. "I was a healer. I told jokes so the dying wouldn't cry. But one day… the gods didn't like that I made them laugh. They cursed my tongue. My mind broke. But the jokes stayed."
Raen looked into the fire.
"Pain doesn't leave," he murmured. "We just learn to walk with it."
The Wyrm smiled gently. "You're funnier than you look."
Raen said nothing more.
But inside, a strange feeling pulsed.
Not power. Not triumph.
Connection.
Three beasts now stood with him. A wolf who feared abandonment. A maw who devoured hope. A jester who laughed so he wouldn't scream.
They weren't just tools.
They were fragments of something larger. Something older than gods.
Raen Tiberis didn't know what he was building yet.
But he knew it would be monstrous.
And he would stand at its heart.