Hunting season of predator

In a jungle, A'malther's portal opens, altering all the animals in the wild jungle environment. And from the portal, A'malther goes out along SCP-682 (Titanus), and then, the portal closes behind them.

A'malther: "Alright, my dear Titanus. As my killer pet, I must take good care of you. But do not worry, go and enjoy of hunting, as the predator you are."

SCP-682 (Titanus) growls deeply in acknowledgment, its glowing eyes scanning the jungle for potential prey. Without hesitation, it leaps into action, moving with a terrifying blend of grace and ferocity, its immense form tearing through the undergrowth as it begins its hunt. The jungle itself grows silent in its presence, the animals sensing the arrival of an apex predator far beyond their comprehension.

A'malther started to walk, enjoying his surroundings, while SCP-682 (Titanus) continued hunting. The jungle continued reacting, as the animals continued running away, in an attempt to flee and survive.

As A'malther continues to walk, the jungle begins to change around him. Trees grow taller, flowers bloom in unnatural hues, and the air becomes heavier with divine energy. The transformation attracts both awe and aggression from the jungle's inhabitants, creating a surreal, almost mythological atmosphere.

And after a short moment later, the sky above the jungle shifts rapidly, darkening as a violent storm brews. Thunder cracks loudly, and rain begins to pour in thick sheets, making the environment more treacherous. A'malther observes calmly, unaffected by the chaos, while Titanus thrives, using the storm as cover to ambush larger prey.

Then, once the storm starts, the jungle itself begins to warp, fracturing like a broken mirror. Strange portals to other realms or realities appear, opening and closing instantly, spilling out bizarre flora and fauna. A'malther notices this anomaly as something beyond natural laws, potentially linked to his own presence in the area.

While A'malther continues observing what is happening to the jungle, Titanus encounters a creature that challenges its dominance. A colossal, unknown apex predator emerges from the depths of the jungle, possibly another anomaly or a previously undiscovered species. The ensuing battle shakes the jungle, taking down trees, what could make the jungle stop existing and affecting all the fauna inside.

After a moment of observing, more and more trees fall down by the battle, and A'malther stumbles upon ancient ruins, partially consumed by the jungle. The air around the structure is dense with energy, hinting at something anomalous buried deep within. Glyphs on the walls glow faintly, and the temple seems to react to his presence, inviting exploration—or perhaps challenging it.

A'malther stood before the ruins, his glowing eyes scanning the glyphs etched into the ancient stone. The energy radiating from the structure pulsed in time with the storm, as though the ruins and the chaotic environment around him were intrinsically linked. The air was heavy, charged with an otherworldly presence that seemed to acknowledge his divinity.

Behind him, the battle between Titanus and the colossal predator raged on, the deafening roars and crashes of falling trees echoing through the warped jungle. A'malther, undisturbed by the chaos, placed a hand on the crumbling surface of the ruins. The glyphs reacted instantly, glowing brighter and rearranging themselves in a fluid, almost sentient manner. A deep, resonant hum emanated from the structure, as if it were awakening.

As he pressed further, the jungle's warping intensified. Portals began to stabilize for longer intervals, and strange creatures—some elegant, others grotesque—spilled out, observing A'malther with an almost reverent curiosity. The jungle, now on the brink of collapse, seemed to bend toward him, as though drawn to his presence.

Meanwhile, Titanus continued to clash with the apex predator, their battle growing fiercer with every passing second. The predator, a towering, serpentine creature with crystalline scales that refracted the storm's lightning, was unlike anything A'malther had encountered before. Titanus, relentless and evolving, adapted rapidly, but the predator seemed to do the same, turning their fight into a cataclysmic display of survival and power.

A'malther, aware of the jungle's impending collapse, spoke softly to the ruins as if they could hear him. "Reveal yourself," he commanded. The glyphs responded, their glow intensifying as a hidden passage opened beneath his feet. A spiral staircase descended into darkness, lit faintly by the same glowing symbols that adorned the ruins' surface. The storm seemed to quiet slightly around him, as though the ruins demanded his undivided attention.

Glancing back at the destruction behind him, A'malther reached out with a gesture, and a barrier of blue energy enveloped the ruins, stabilizing the immediate area.

A'malther: "Titanus," he called, his voice carrying through the chaos. "When you are finished, find me below."

Without waiting for a response, A'malther descended the spiral staircase, his skeletal armor gleaming in the faint light of the glyphs. The deeper he went, the more the energy around him intensified, resonating with his divine aura. The staircase eventually opened into a vast chamber, its walls lined with carvings that depicted the rise and fall of civilizations, gods, and worlds.

At the center of the chamber stood a pedestal, atop which rested a spherical object, pulsating with energy that seemed to mirror the storm above. The object was ancient yet alive, its surface shifting with glowing, incomprehensible patterns. As A'malther approached, the air grew heavier, and a voice—neither male nor female, but an amalgamation of countless tones—spoke directly into his mind.

"You, who walk as divinity yet seek more... What do you desire from the Vault of Ascendance?" 

A'malther paused, his gaze fixed on the sphere, while the battle above raged on, and the jungle continued its descent into chaos.

A'malther: "I do seek everything I can. Power, knowledge, value as myself... Being honored... Remembered... Respected... Loved... I do seek everything I deserve and more... And I will obtain them all, no matter what."

The sphere pulsated violently in response to A'malther's declaration, its glow intensifying to an almost blinding radiance. The carvings on the chamber walls began to shift, depicting A'malther's journey—his rise, struggles, triumphs, and the chaos that surrounded him. The Vault seemed to recognize his resolve, acknowledging his claim with an almost sentient curiosity.

The amalgamated voice returned, resonating through the chamber and into his very soul.

"To claim all that you desire is to bear the weight of eternity. You seek power without equal, love without conditions, and honor without end. But such things do not come freely, even to gods. You must prove your worth, not through might alone but through your understanding of what it means to hold dominion over existence."

The energy in the room surged, and the sphere lifted from the pedestal, floating before A'malther as if judging him. The chamber around him began to warp and expand, its carvings transforming into depictions of choices, consequences, and the delicate balance between creation and destruction.

The voice continued. "You will be tested—not by strength, but by the resolve of your soul. What you claim, you must justify. What you desire, you must sacrifice for. Step forward, A'malther, and let the Vault of Ascendance judge whether you are worthy of everything you seek."

The chamber darkened, leaving only the sphere's pulsating glow and the faint hum of power. A'malther's reflection appeared within the sphere, his form shifting between his current divine state and fragmented versions of what he could become—a ruler loved and revered, a tyrant feared and despised, and countless other possibilities.

The voice issued its final challenge. "Speak your truth. Declare what you would sacrifice to claim the legacy you seek. Only then will the Vault reveal its gifts—or its wrath."

A'malther stepped forward, his skeletal armor gleaming in the sphere's light, ready to confront the trials ahead. Above him, the storm raged on, and the jungle's chaos continued to echo through the collapsing world. Titanus, having defeated its foe, prowled the ruins above, guarding its master's path from any who dared interfere.

A'malther: "... What is what you do expect me to sacrifice? As if is something I do not want to sacrifice, I will challenge you in a direct confrontation. But first, do tell me an answer, and what is exactly what resides as treasure in here."

The Vault pulsed ominously, its glow dimming and flaring as if considering A'malther's words. The amalgamated voice responded, calm yet imbued with an unfathomable weight:

"To sacrifice is to prove the depth of your desire. What I expect is not for me to dictate—it is for you to decide. What would you relinquish to ascend beyond what you already are? Your power, your pride, your ties to others? Or will you deny sacrifice entirely, defying the natural order of all things? Such defiance has its price."

The sphere descended slightly, its glow shifting to reveal ancient glyphs in its surface, each one shifting to display images of incomprehensible beauty and destruction. As the light danced, the voice revealed its secret:

"The treasure within this Vault is not gold or jewels—it is a fragment of the First Flame, the primordial spark that ignited creation itself. It is the essence of possibility, the seed of limitless potential. To claim it is to hold the means to reshape all that is, was, or could be. But such power is not bestowed lightly. Will you prove yourself worthy, or will you take it by force, risking annihilation of all you seek to protect?"

The chamber trembled as the Vault awaited A'malther's decision. The ancient ruins around him whispered faint echoes of lost gods and civilizations, their failures etched into the stone as warnings—or as fuel for his determination.

A'malther: "... I will prove myself worth of it. But it will be not by sacrifices, as I do not know what can sacrificed, apart of what I have, and I am not willing to sacrifice any of that. I am not going to sacrifice what I did obtain. After everything... I will not let ANYONE or ANYTHING, quit what I did obtain... If that means I have to erase existence... I will create after then..."

The Vault pulsed once more, its radiance intensifying, casting long shadows that seemed to ripple with silent judgment. The amalgamated voice returned, now sharper, more challenging: 

"You dare to defy the ancient principle—that to gain, one must lose? Your arrogance is profound, yet… your determination intrigues me. Very well, A'malther. Prove yourself not by what you give, but by what you endure. You claim to be unyielding—unchained by the laws that govern all. If you wish to possess the First Flame without sacrifice, you must conquer the trials of essence, where your resolve shall be broken and reforged." 

The glyphs on the Vault's surface rearranged themselves, forming intricate spirals of light and shadow. The chamber's trembling ceased, replaced by a suffocating stillness. Suddenly, an enormous surge of energy erupted from the Vault, striking A'malther directly. The room warped around him, dragging his very soul into an endless void filled with challenges. 

The voice followed him into this dimension of trials, colder now, yet infused with a sense of ominous curiosity: 

"If you will not sacrifice, then endure. Prove you are the one worthy to wield creation's spark without compromise. But understand this—should you fail, what you have fought so fiercely to protect will crumble, consumed by the same defiance you cling to." 

Within the void, the trials began, each one threatening not his possessions, but the very fabric of his existence: his strength, his resolve, his sanity, and his identity. The path forward demanded nothing less than perfection in every way—no weakness, no hesitation, no doubt. A'malther stood alone, the weight of the cosmos bearing down upon him, as the first challenge emerged from the shadows.

A'malther prepared himself, stretching his head, but then, everything shakes for an instant, before everything collapses. A'malther reaches to quit everything up of him with ease, and sees the temple completely destroyed, and all be only debris.

The fight of Titanus against the predator was going further beyond control, and it needed his assistance, but then, A'malther noticed a slight flame coming from the debris of the Temple, deep inside. He had to choice if save what remains of the jungle, or sacrifice and obtain the flame in cost of the jungle stop existing, causing a disaster to those animals who used to live in harmony in the jungle.

After a short look of the flames, A'malther decided to assist Titanus. Using his blasters, his help allowed Titanus to take down the predator, and then, SCP-035 changed A'malther's view, making him see every entity's soul nearby.

A'malther got surprised for an instant, but quickly, placed his hands together, and a cosmic aura started increasing in intensity in his hands, and then, he threw at the predator a cosmic star of sparkles. After reaching the predator, it pierced through, reaching it's soul, creating a black hole attack shattering from inside it's soul, what made everything around them shatter for an instant, as reality broke and repaired itself.

A'malther turned to look at the debris of the temple, but there was no flames anymore. Yet, he tried, starting to throw away the debris. After a short moment, Titanus started helping A'malther, taking down with destruction the debris.

As A'malther and Titanus continued clearing the debris, the ruins of the temple revealed more than broken stone and shattered glyphs. Beneath the layers of destruction, faint traces of energy still lingered—embers of the First Flame. Though the flame itself appeared extinguished, its essence remained, faintly resonating with A'malther's cosmic aura. 

Titanus, with its sheer destructive force, uncovered what appeared to be an intricate metallic core embedded in the rubble. The core pulsed weakly, as if it were the flame's last remnant. A'malther approached it cautiously, SCP-035's heightened senses detecting something unusual within the core. 

The mask's voice echoed in his mind: 

"That is no ordinary artifact—it contains the echo of the First Flame, trapped in a vessel designed to preserve it should the temple collapse. Its power remains dormant, but with the right touch... it could be reignited." 

A'malther placed his gauntlets on the core, feeling the faint warmth of the dormant flame seep into his hands. The core seemed to test him, resisting his influence, as if the trials he had refused earlier were still woven into its essence. But with his unrelenting will and Titanus's protective presence, A'malther began to channel his energy into the core. 

The jungle around them remained in chaos, animals scattering and habitats destroyed. Yet, the faint hum of life that lingered in the jungle seemed to synchronize with the core's awakening. The flame wasn't merely a tool of destruction; it was a source of balance—creation and annihilation entwined. 

As the core started to respond, glowing faintly brighter, the storm from earlier began to subside. The skies, once torn apart, started to clear, as if recognizing the restoration of something sacred. Titanus, ever the predator, let out a low growl of satisfaction, its role in the jungle's survival now fulfilled. 

A'malther held the core aloft, its light growing steadier. The flame's echo had been preserved, though at the cost of the temple. The jungle, while scarred, still stood—a testament to his decision to prioritize life over unchecked ambition. 

SCP-035 chimed in again: 

"Interesting, isn't it? You've salvaged what you could, yet the price remains. This jungle will heal in time, but the flame's full potential is now tied to you. Shall we see what it can truly do, or will you let it remain a faint whisper of what it once was?" 

A'malther turned, his cosmic aura illuminating the core. He nodded to Titanus, and together they prepared to leave the jungle, the First Flame's echo now a part of his ever-expanding dominion.

A'malther closed his eyes, and then, did create an intense flame from his gauntlets, making the core bun with intensity, feeding the flame inside. Then, the flame was back to life, but for how long?

A'malther: "... I will not only make it remain... I will improve it... Make it better..."

A'malther then opened a portal, and going back to his voidful domain along Titanus, and then, the portal closed behind them.