The once vibrant leaf began to blacken.
The bright greens becoming a dark brown. Mottled patches of decay appeared quickly all over its surface, changing the smooth, shiny texture into something dull and dead.
But, just as the boy had anticipated, the decay did not spread.
"Hmm, I guess I was right; my power only works on living things. It also doesn't seem to spread too far from the initial point of contact... Now the next question is, How the hell do I increase it?"
The young boy would have to make the area of effect much bigger if he wanted to turn his whole body into that of an adult.
At first, he tried biting from different angles, then using different portions of his gums; however, each attempt bore the same result.
"Damn it! I can't keep on testing the same thing, I'm running out of leaves."
Age acceleration was arguably one of the most crucial abilities that the child would have to learn. After all, if he made himself too old, then he might just blow away in a cloud of dust, never to be seen again.
Thankfully, Finnian had inadvertently already found the solution for controlling the level of age acceleration.
Pressure.
The harder he pressed down on the leaf, the more he accelerated its age, and the softer his bite was, the weaker his power of age acceleration.
Looking back at the other leaves, the child saw a pleasing sight.
"Perfect. So that's working how I'd expect it to as well, very nice."
The other leaves were now turning back to their original forms, no longer under the influence of Finnian's age acceleration.
Now it was time for the real test.
Himself.
Finnian opened his mouth and prepared to bite down on the exposed flesh of his leg. However, just before he had the chance to do so, he was rudely interrupted. Fionnlagh and Kerian were back, and they were carrying with them the biggest book the child had ever seen.
The reason why the two left in such a hurry previously was to find information that might help them discern what exactly the baby was, along with the origin of the child's mysterious powers.
And the best place to look for such information was none other than the library.
The library was likely the most well-managed area in the whole of the church, though it was only Fionnlagh that frequented it.
It expanded across two floors, each connected by four ornate spiral staircases of wrought iron and mahogany, with the central dome soaring sixty feet overhead.
The walls featured a few framed artworks and religious artefacts, complementing the quiet atmosphere of the room. Despite its size and organization, the library remained largely empty, with only Fionnlagh's and Kerian's footsteps echoing softly as they moved among the shelves, seeking out the knowledge contained within.
"So, old timer, what exactly are we looking for?"
"Shhhh, not so loud," the old man whispered.
"Wha... What are you talking about? We're the only ones here, or do you have more demonic babies lying around ready to eat me? What is the next one going to turn me into, a baby or something?"
"Look, how was I supposed to know that was going to happen? Not to mention the fact that you were asking for it."
"I was what!?"
"Shhhhh! Quiet! And yes, you were asking for it. You put your hand in front of a baby and you think he's not going to bite it? You put a fully loaded trebuchet in front of a kid that's teething, and he'll chow down on it like a gourmet meal."
"... Alright, listen here old timer, I'm sure I don't have to say this but, my problem was not the fact that he bit me, my problem was the fact that he HALF TURNED ME INTO A SENIOR CITIZEN!"
A loud creak emanated through the halls of the library, only increasing in volume as time went on.
"Now you've done it, kid!"
The creaking came to an abrupt stop, or rather it now changed, going from one elongated groan to spaced out periodic crunches.
The sound soon decreased, not in volume, but distance.
Whatever the sound was, it was moving, and it was moving towards the pair.
"What the hell is that, old timer!? So what, you do have more demon babies down here? Did they all combine into one giant monstrosity or something?"
The calm and cool expression the boy was known for was now nowhere to be seen. All that remained now was a thinly veiled façade, poorly hiding the scared face of an eight-year-old child.
"We gotta go," Kerian was now struggling to catch his breath, lungs constricted by fear, "that thing is coming—"
"No."
Fionnlagh stood defiantly and walked towards the oncoming clamour.
"Run away if you must, boy, I don't blame you. However, I do not have the luxury of fear."
"Why the hell are you talking like a damn knight all of a sudden? Come on, let's go, it's almost here, we gott—"
It was too late.
A gigantic, grotesque figure towered over them, its presence both imposing and unsettling.
With arms and legs that extended far beyond the limits of normal proportion, the body of the creature bulged and swelled like an amalgam of welts. A broad, open mouth full of rough teeth showed an ugly grin, and tiny, pointed eyes blazed with a light that flicked back and forth between the two forms before it. A feral halo of wild hair ringed its head, falling down its back in dark vines, and it had an oversized, ragged robe draped loosely about it, hardly covering its mass. The stooping, hunched old man looked up with a kindly face, and the young boy stood gazing with wide eyes, clutching at his chest as though he was looking for sanctuary.
The young boy was unsure of what to do in the face of this threat. Fionnlagh, however, knew just what to say.
"Hello, Edna. Sorry about that, we didn't mean to wake you."
"Ah, Father Fionnlagh, it's been such a long time since I saw you last. How have you been?" she responded.
Yes, what stood before them was not a monster, or more accurately, the monster that now stood before them was human.
"Excuse me, uh... ma'am?" The child said with trepidation, "May I quickly have a word with the father?"
"Of course, child, go right ahead, I'll just wait here."
There was a surprisingly motherly tone to the woman's voice. If you were to close your eyes, the woman seemed almost charming. On top of that, even in that brief moment, Kerian was able to tell that she was kind; the young boy would have felt sympathetic if he wasn't so scared.
"All right, old timer, what the hell is that?" he whispered.
"It's Edna, you know Edna, I've told you about her before."
"That's Edna? 'The sweet old librarian lady'?"
"Yep, that's the one."
"Wha... I don't even know what question to ask... How did she even happen, or what happened to make her that? Was she born that way?... Don't tell me one of your other demon babies did that to her."
"No no, nothing like that, and he's not demonic, he's divine, we've been over this."
"Yes, okay, heavenly baby, what happened to create... that?"
"Well, if you want to know so badly, why don't you ask her yourself."
"Edna dear!" the old man shouted, turning his face to view the towering goliath.
"Wait, no, don't do it! I've already been eaten enough for one day, please!"
"What is it that you need?" Edna responded.
"Well, the young boy here was just wondering about the reason behind your condition, that's all."
The woman's eyes shifted to look at Kerian. As they did, all that they could see was the boy's tousled chestnut hair staring back at them, with the boy's eyes firmly fixed to the ground.
"Ah, I suppose I am quite scary now, aren't I, child."
Upon hearing this, a wave of guilt rushed over the young boy, causing his head to rise in remorse.
"No, it's not that, well, I mean, it kind of is, but, well, you see... haha."
His nervous laughter told the woman all that she needed to know.
"Well, yes, it's only natural to be afraid, isn't it? I am almost the size of a kaiju, after all. Well, where should I start... I guess I could tell you my whole story, but that would take far too long. All you need to know is that I am something called a failed Kaiju."
"A failed Kaiju?"
"Yes, we are women that were supposed to become kaiju, but instead of the increase in Ruhk turning us into kaiju, it simply turned us into bigger, more monstrous humans. Since us failed kaiju don't have any of the defences or resistances that normal kaiju have, we are much easier to kill. I wouldn't be surprised if I was the only failed kaiju in the whole of Tarth. That is why I stay down here, to keep myself safe from the core and any other rogue hunters that would want to kill me."
The boy still had a look of confusion on his face; it seemed as if the woman over-anticipated the amount of information he currently possessed relating to kaiju. Realising that this was the case, Fionnlagh stepped in, expanding on her ideas.
"Well, Kerian, kaiju are created when certain women, who are cursed, take in enough Ruhk from their surroundings to change into kaijitos. These kaijitos look like humans, but they have special abilities that set them apart from regular people. For example, only certain weapons can hurt them. They also often have small, bug-like creatures that float around them. We call these creatures echoes. When a kaijito gathers enough Ruhk, it changes again, this time from a kaijito into a kaiju."
"So how did you fail at becoming a kaiju?"
"No one knows." Edna responded, "People have their own theories, but no one has confirmed anything. After all, most people would rather just kill us than spend time to study us."
The more the woman spoke, the more human she became. The feeling of fear that once held Kerian captive was now replaced by an odd feeling of normalcy. The situation felt like nothing more than a calm and relaxing conversation with a motherly woman.
"So then," the woman said, breaking Kerian out of his contemplation, "what were you two looking for?"
"Demon baby books."
"Demon what, my dear? Sorry, I didn't quite get that."
"Ignore him, Edna, we are looking for books on anything related to age acceleration magic."
"Hmm... That's a very particular thing to be looking for. Did something happen to you two?"
Kerian then explained the situation that he was just in, painting Finnian in as bad a light as possible.
"Ah, I see, well, I should be able to give you a good explanation of what happened. After all, I have read all of the books in this whole library at least once."
"Damn, I don't think I'd be able to survive being that bored all the time," the child said under his breath.
"Now then, from what you just told me, it sounds like this 'demon baby,' as you call it, was able to open your Ruhk nodes and suck Ruhk out. However, since your Ruhk nodes were still open, the Ruhk was able to reenter naturally."
"Wait, what? I thought that only kaiju had Ruhk. Don't tell me he cursed me as well, I swear I'll gut that demon baby if he did!"
"No no, dear, nothing like that. You see, everyone has Ruhk. Before, in a time period known as the Era of Ruhk, before the curse existed, people were able to use magic, utilizing the Ruhk in the environment by manipulating it, being able to turn the Ruhk particles in the environment into almost any object they desired. However, now if someone tried to use Ruhk manipulation, nothing would happen because there is so little Ruhk to manipulate in the environment. What the baby did to you was consume some of your internal Ruhk."
"Hmm, so what you are saying here is the baby is magical?"
"Well, if what you are telling me is true, then somehow that baby is able to steal Ruhk from living things. Don't worry though, the ability only affects a person's Ruhk level, not their vessel... Since I'm sure you are going to ask me this anyway, a vessel is where your Ruhk is stored. The older you get, the smaller your vessel becomes, meaning it can hold less Ruhk. But, if Ruhk is taken from your vessel without your vessel decreasing in size , then you will just absorb that lost Ruhk from the surrounding environment."
"So the baby is magical, but harmless?" Kerian questioned.
"Yep, that's about right, magical but harmless, likely the last known magic user in the entire world."
"As I told you previously, Kerian, the baby is divine." the old man reiterated.
"What exactly about stealing people's Ruhk comes across to you as divine, old timer?"
"Ah, the ignorance of youth. Divinity must also be just, punishing those who attack them."
"Oh, so this is my fault somehow."
"'Oh, I just held a knife to a baby's neck, what did I do wrong?'"
"Hey! Don't mock me, old—"
"Why don't you just ask him?" Edna interjected.
"What do you mean ask him?" Kerian responded.
"The boy is right, dear, he is too young to be able to speak."
"Well, boys, who said anything about speaking?"