Deep beneath the earth, in a mine long abandoned and left to rot, forgotten by all, a mother and her babe hid in a tight crevice barely large enough for the two of them even with the babe held close to the mother at all times. They were deep, deep beneath the earth, having first run, then walked, before finally being forced to crawl through ancient tunnels so long and winding that it would take a concentrated search effort years to find just where they had gone without powerful tracking Magic or Enchanted Items. Had there been anyone left who even cared about their existence, they would almost certainly never have been found before the searchers gave up. The perfect place to hide. To regain strength. To try and survive. That had been the goal. This deep into the earth, there were things one could hunt, lichens and fungi to scavenge, even if it was near tasteless and danger was ever present. They both could have lived had things gone just slightly differently.
Life was not so kind however. The mother had been wounded days ago by an Enchanted blade with a most insidious effect, to inflict a Magical poison that would require specialized treatment to survive. Specialized treatment that she could no longer receive, and she hadn’t realized the true severity of the poison until far too late. The two of them would die down here, in the damp darkness in the bowels of the world. This she knew for certain, and she could no longer bring herself to move. There would be no final sunset, no comforting words from friends and family. Not even the jeers and taunts of enemies. They would die, forgotten and alone, and there was simply nothing she could do. As she brought her baby to suckle, she could only hope that the poison would pass from herself to her infant, to save it the pain of starving to death over days. With her youth and weakness, the poison would almost certainly burn through her in less than a day. As her soul departed her body, she only wished that something, anything, had happened even the slightest bit differently.
Had there been anyone versed in the ways of Magic down there with them, they might’ve seen the way that Magic started coiling around the infant upon her mother’s death. And if one versed in the ways of the Gods was there, they might’ve seen the deluge of Divine Power blessing the infant. But there was nobody, and thus, none would know what had transpired here until it was far, far too late to change the course of history.
From Magic the infant gained a Title and a mighty Curse, from the last breaths of the Human Gods she was blessed with everything needed to hold the worst aspect of the Curse at bay, so that their avatar of vengeance from beyond the grave would not simply be another Monster to be slaughtered. No, they were far too petty to allow such a fate. Thus, while their few remaining Divine allies hid their final act from the other Gods, they tore themselves asunder to give unto this child the last Blessings Man would ever see. Each God giving their Blessing with the final breath, each giving a piece of a puzzle they would never see finished out of spite for the world which had brought them low.
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From the Goddess of Fertility and Love, the infant was given the ability to make more of herself, so that she would never be outnumbered. From the God of Knowledge and Wisdom, she was bestowed the ability to think, so that the Curse would not strip her mind bare as they were wont to do. From the Goddess of Family and Home, she was given the ability to split her mind, so that she would never truly die. From the God of War and Battle, the child was given the strength to crush steel and shatter stone, for the bowels of the world were dangerous. From the Goddess of Life and Beauty, she was bestowed with the ability to mold the essence of Life itself, so that her body would always adapt to her needs. From the God of Harvests and Hunting, she was gifted the ability to consume anything if given the time, so that she would never truly go hungry down in the sunless depths. From the God of Cities and Forging, she was imbued with the desire to build, explore and expand, so that the last remnant of Man would not remain stuck under the earth and forever forgotten. As each Blessed the child, they ceased to exist, the very last of their lifeforce extinguished. Had the other Gods of Man survived to bless the infant, perhaps the child could’ve been something even greater, but it was not to be.
As these changes were given to the child, she cried out for her mother as both the Curse and the Blessings twisted her flesh and mind. The Curse bestowed upon her the endless need to simply survive and an endless, bottomless hatred for something she had no concept of. She would know when she saw it. It was this endless need to survive that saw her bite down on her mother’s dead breast once she grew hungry again, sharp teeth having broken through her gums when the Curse took hold. With a ravenous appetite the infant devoured the corpse of her mother one bite at a time, unnatural strength infused her limbs as she moved to eat more flesh, crunch more bones, slurp more blood. When there was nothing left of her mother, she collapsed into a deep sleep so that her body could finish its transformation. Had there been anyone in tune with Magic for it to give them information about what they were looking at, it might’ve whispered to them something like this.
Selina, The Last Child of Man, The Hive Queen. The eradication of Man and Man’s Gods has Cursed the world with this creature's very existence. Avenge them all. Let none who assisted in the crime survive. Perhaps then, the Curse may be sated.
