Chapter 5: Human Warmth

O Man! thou pendulum betwixt a smile and tear.

Without wings, above all, within all, that thought which soars is nameless and eternal.

— Byron

A wicked flash gleamed from the blade of the Variant Scythe.

With its wing-blades still unfurled, the Dyaus Pita wore an expression of pure shock as its head and torso were neatly sliced into three—like a fish prepared for a meal—before it finally expired.

Sweeping its right arm, the massive, blue-black dragon-like Aragami retracted the scythe—which appeared to be a God Arc—and began to feast upon its freshly killed prey. Other Aragami loitered nearby, hoping for scraps. When the dragon tossed them a few morsels of meat, they swarmed the pile with predatory joy.

Umu. Meat again today. Delicious.

The stronger the Aragami, the deeper and richer the flavor becomes with every chew.

Where should I hunt next? The small and medium-sized ones run away immediately, making them a chore to chase. The large-scale ones, however, are brave enough to challenge me, so I hunt them down relentlessly. That has become my daily routine lately.

As I was wandering around in search of prey as usual, I happened upon a human.

He had Armlets on both wrists and carried a God Arc.

An Adaptive God Eater—an AGE.

It had been a long time since I’d seen a fellow "professional." It was a rare sight this deep in the Ashlands.

But something was wrong. He was covered in wounds. He was huddled on the ground, battered and weakened to the point where it looked like he might die at any moment.

I see. He must be hungry. That’s why he has no strength left.

Alright, for the sake of a fellow God Eater, I’ll bring him some food.

As I stood before the slumped AGE to observe him, he noticed me and looked up with a face full of terror.

Well, his surprise is only natural. He probably never expected to run into a human—let alone another AGE—out here in the Ashlands. Honestly, I’m just as surprised as he is.

I turned on my heel and left the area.

Just wait a bit. I’ll bring you some fresh meat right away.

I tracked down a few Aragami that I knew tasted relatively good, hunted them quickly while humming a tune, and brought the meat back to the man.

Again, he looked at me with a stunned expression.

Hmm? What’s wrong? Aren’t you going to eat? I went out of my way to pick the tasty ones.

Ah, I see. His wounds hurt too much to eat. I get it. Being injured is rough.

Poor guy. I guess I’ll have to feed him myself.

I approached the exhausted human.

Wait... hang on. Is my body actually huge? Or is this God Eater just tiny? Comparing the two of us, our sizes are completely different.

Ah, I’ve been eating so much... I might have become incredibly fat. Plus, my skin is blue-black and looks totally unhealthy. And after I went through all the trouble of making such a cool and cute female avatar, too. If I look like this, people will be repulsed.

Aha... so that’s why he was so surprised? Because I’m a giant, hideous woman?

...Even I hate the sound of that. I have to do something.

I want to go back to being the slim, "nice-bodied" beauty I used to be. Do I have to go on a diet? But I don’t think I can resist eating—Aragami are just too tasty. What should I do?

Hmm?

Suddenly, my body began to shrink.

I wasn’t sure how, but I continued to contract until I was roughly the same size as the AGE. My arms and legs became slender yet firm and supple. My skin turned into the bronze tone I had chosen during character creation. There were still a few blue-black scabs scattered across my body, but I had become delicate enough that it wasn't a problem.

Oh! My golden-brown "Buster Vines" are bouncing and making their presence known. Yes, a truly magnificent pair... er, I mean, a perfect balance. As expected of my top-tier avatar that I spent so much time crafting. I couldn't help but wag my tail back and forth like a happy dog.

Oops, the AGE is still waiting and hungry. His face was pale, looking like he was on the verge of death. Was he really that starving? However, the man seemed unable to move his body, let alone reach for the Aragami meat.

Can't be helped. I knelt and pulled him against my chest. To be honest, I usually dislike men, but I didn't get a bad vibe from this one.

He had a hollow look in his eyes. At this rate, he wouldn't be able to eat or chew properly.

I cut my own fingertip and let the overflowing blood drip into his motionless mouth.

I remember seeing this in a manga once. A scene on a battlefield where there was no water; when there wasn't even horse urine to quench a comrade's thirst, a soldier would cut themselves to share their own blood.

I don't produce urine, you know? My body stopped excreting anything a while ago. And even if I did, I wouldn't give him that! And obviously, no "milk" either. I don't produce that.

Instead, I’d let my blood quench his thirst.

Hehe, it feels like I’m taking care of a baby.

It was a truly surreal sight—a middle-aged man with a beard sucking on my finger. Strangely, I started to find it a little cute. Could this be maternal instinct?

Eventually, the God Eater closed his eyes gently and began to breathe the peaceful sighs of sleep, using my chest as a pillow.

Honestly... being nursed by a beauty like me. You're a lucky old man, even if it is a bit "shameless."

Hmm... I feel like I've seen this guy with the cross-shaped scar on his forehead somewhere before. I just can't remember. Oh well.

Now that the old man was asleep, I had some free time. I started snacking on the Aragami meat I’d prepared, passing the time by tugging on and stroking the man's beard.

That was when the Aragami started gathering around us.

Small, medium, and large—a regular buffet.

I gently laid the man down so as not to wake him and stood up. I figured I might as well hunt them to kill time and restock my food supply.

I raised my right arm. From it, I manifested my partner—my God Arc, "Renshinryu Scythe"—and leveled it at the approaching horde.

Alright, let's keep it a bit restrained.

I had to protect the sleeping old man so he wouldn't get caught in the crossfire or eaten. Besides, now that my body was slim again, I needed to get a feel for how to fight in this form.

These guys would make for perfect practice partners.

Let me show you how a God Eater fights, you monsters.