[Excerpt from Mythical Beasts & Monsters: A Gentle Guide to the Curious and Cursed â Volume II]
Entry #112: The Weeping Slime
This creature has long been dismissed as myth, a fabrication to frighten children or amuse bored scholars. It is often described as a translucent blob, no larger than a dog, that quivers as though weeping. It shakes. It shudders. It imitates helplessness.
But the Weeping Slime is not helpless.
It is not sad.
It does not feel.
What it does, it does with purpose. It mimics sorrow not for attentionâbut for survival. Travelers report that it will appear near corpses or ruins, taking the shape of a crying child or wounded animal. When approached, it will tremble and pulse, seemingly terrified. It will let itself be cradled. Carried.
And when the moment is rightâ
It consumes.
Some scholars suggest that it mimics not just sadness, but our sadness. That the more pity you feel, the more perfectly it reflects what you long to protect. But it cannot love. It cannot mourn. There is nothing behind its eyes.
Just hunger.
I A V A I
Nysera : ( Ar'cens Mother )
The capital loomed in the distanceâunchanged.
Still crowned in stone and steel. Still wrapped in walls that stretched toward heaven. Still as proud and cruel as the day I left it.
Nothing had changed.
But that was the problem.
People never change. They respect and fear you when youâre at the top. But the moment you fall from grace⦠they remember their hatred. They bare their teeth.
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Let them.
Let them scream. Let them pretend theyâve won.
I will not flinch.
I will not fall.
Because my Moonpetal is watching me. And I still have to get her through this alive.
I A V A I
Ar'cen
We mustâve been riding forever. At some point, Iâd curled up on Momâs lap and drifted off.
I dreamed of sun. Sand. Laughter.
Then someone yelled.
"OOH, I can see the capital!"
"Finally!"
Just like that, my beach day was gone.
I sat up, rubbing my eyes. âWhere are we?â
Mom didnât answer at first. She just stared ahead, arms wrapped a little tighter around me.
"...It's the capital of the demon kingdom," she finally said.
I followed her gazeâand just stared.
The city looked like something out of a myth. Walls like mountains. A castle so tall it stabbed the sky. Spires twisting like claws. It was beautiful. Terrifying. And nothing like the stories.
The closer we got, the more uneasy she looked. So I stayed quiet.
The guards didnât stop us for long. They took one look, asked who we carried. The answer made the air freeze.
âThe Bloody Shadow.â
The soldier didnât even blink. He just left and came back with someone more important. No questions. Just orders.
âEscort them to the palace.â
Thatâs when the stares started.
At first it was just side glances. Then whispers. Then anger.
âTraitor.â
âMonster.â
I didnât understand. Why were they so angry? Why did they look at her like that?
A rock flew from somewhere. Hit Mom square in the head.
I gasped.
She didnât flinch. Not even a wince.
But her hand gripped mine just a little tighter.
I A V A I
Nysera :
Iâve taken blades through bone.
Iâve swallowed fire and poison in the name of war.
Iâve walked through hell and crawled back smiling.
But seeing fear in my daughterâs eyes?
That hurts more than anything.
That rock was nothing.
The word âtraitorâ? Empty breath.
But Arâcen trembling beside me, looking at me like she didnât understand why they hated meâthat carved deeper than any blade.
I will endure.
I must.
Because no matter what the world sees when they look at meâ
She still sees her mother.
And I will not let that change.
I A V A I
Ar'cen :
We passed through the gates. The city opened like a wound.
Shouting. Trading. Laughter. Demon kids chasing each other. People arguing over vegetables and prices.
It looked⦠normal.
Just like a human town.
Until they noticed us.
Until the whispers returned.
Until the stares stuck.
And somehow, this time, I knew they were talking about her.
Mom kept her eyes ahead. Calm. Steady.
But I could feel it.
The tension in her arms.
The weight she carried alone.
So I pressed closer to her side.
And I didnât ask anything more.