All around, the battleground of some lost planet burned endlessly. A singular heavenly city of mythical proportions that once covered this world in its entirety, now reduced to flaming ruins as this once glorious civilization met its bloody end. Billions of lives, silenced in a rampage they had no hope of surviving. Trillions more hid away, only to extend their meager lives for a few moments more. Nothing, no one, could hope to save them from extinction.

This world was doomed. Were the destruction which fractured the planet's crust not clear of this then the countless monolithic bodies which rested lifelessly upon the city were.

Dragons and demons; eldritch terrors and abominations, all could be counted among the numbers of the deceased. Cosmic forces which had spread terror for eternity; now torn apart by some beast. Their stomachs were torn clean open. Their innards were pulled free and feasted upon. Bones were snapped to get to the marrow inside before being consumed as well. Dozens upon dozens had fallen here. An army of the divine that should have been able to face the impossible.

A roar pierced through the sky and parted the clouds; a signal that another monstrously powerful being had fallen. A shadow fell over a portion of the city, large enough to cast several of the fallen in darkness. They fell to the earth with such force that the whole planet seemed to shake.   A pale beauty whose presence brought death wherever she traveled. Death to the stars, death to the space between them. She could even bring death to the air itself, riding a planet of the quality to create life. A magnificent power that was now useless as their own death was upon them.

A god. A true goddess of death who, with but a thought, could silence billions. Now they were defenseless, only moments away from the same fate she had delivered upon countless of souls.

Before they could rise, this goddess of death's head was struck with such force that it was by simple luck they had already passed before their skull caved in. An explosion of gore rained down upon the ruins, dousing the flames but replacing one disaster with another.

A wave of crimson that worked to wipe away a handful of lingering survivors by flooding whatever safe havens they had made for themselves. No prayers of theirs would be answered, not even those who prayed for death. All that would come would be further ruin.

Within the remainder of the goddess' head, a wild beast thrashed maddeningly, tearing away at chunks of gray matter and bone, occasionally taking bites to satiate their hunger. Their bloodlust.

A horrific beauty whose normally blur hair was now dyed red thanks to the dried blood of those she had slain. Wounds and scars littered the horror's toned body, but it bothered them little. Whatever pain they felt was minimal compared to the sheer joy they were experiencing. Their armor was shattered a hundred times over, and yet still this butcher continued to fight. Even as the battle expanded beyond several days and nights, they did not stop.

No, this terrible beauty would not cease in her rampage until all the forces who dared rally against her were crushed. No, worse than that. She wouldn't stop until their bodies were nothing more than mountains of gore from which she could dine on.

So it was that when the air surrounding the butcher grew thick she looked towards the sky. Dozens of adversaries yet remained. Monstrosities of the Depths. Soldiers of the Heavens and dwellers of the Underworlds. A force of now a dozen each from a different territory, yet all hear to end this rampage. They all looked upon her with a sense of hatred that could hardly be described even by their respective races. But behind all that hatred and bitter spite, not a single one among them was able to cease their fearful shaking.

The butcher leaped from what was once the head of a goddess of death before landing upon their chest. The soft flesh of the skin’s surface was tantalizing, even more so given the location. The beast's mouth watered at the sight of the feast before her. They’d rest in between the mounds of the lifeless goddess were it not for the forces which surrounded her. She fondled at the titanic breasts, enjoying how they molded to fit in her clawed hands. They felt so soft underneath the feet that served as a suitable replacement for her tail. Already, they've snuffed the life out of thousands.

The sensation of feeling the fragile bodies of this world's populace pop beneath her soles was indescribable. The ultimate ecstasy was to feel their puny hands push uselessly against even her smallest toe. They were so weak, so helpless, and it was her natural right to extinguish their lives. Just as it was her right to butcher those who rallied against her.

She couldn't resist. The beast tore at the skin before her so that she could get to the muscle beneath. They plunged their claws into the flesh, allowing them to get caked in blood before pulling them free.

The butcher licked in between her fingers and savored the iron taste. A flavor that was almost as enjoyable as the taste of victory. They could hardly believe that this is what they've missed out on for most of their life. The Depth's had its fill of war, it was far too quiet now for this butcher's liking. But the surface? The Heavens? The vast cosmos? There was so much fun to be had out there! The whole of creation was just begging to be slaughtered by her! Her time in the Dark Wastes was over. Now was the time to carve a bloody bath into the great beyond.

"Gilah, of the Depths! Your crimes are many, your sins unforgivable!" A symphony of voices rang across the planet's surface and beyond.

They shook the very foundation of the remnants of this planet as the figures before Gilah spoke with one voice, one mind. They all shared the same goal. Bringing about her death.

"You, monster, have slaughtered more than one of your station has allowed. Your actions bring ruin to the tapestry of creation and if left unchecked can bring devastation to its entirety. Before, you have been coddled and kept safe through the grace of the Ruler of the Depths. That no longer is the case. Your actions have forced the hands of her peers. Your sentence is erasure! The end of body, mind, and soul!"

There wasn't an ounce of worry on Gilah's face, even after being threatened in such a fashion. Had the Rulers wished to do so they would have erased her long ago.

No, the all-powerful tyrants of the cosmos were unable to erase Gilah; just as these remaining foes of hers were unable to kill her.

She licked her hands clean, only paying mind to her enemies once she was certain she had gotten rid of every last bit of godly ichor. Gilah’s gaze softened to an almost peaceful expression before a smile stretched across her face. Her serrated teeth were stained red from those she had devoured. Still, she hungered for more. Not just for their flesh but the desire to battle. She wanted everything her foes had to offer. Their wrath. Their fury.

She wanted all of it.

Gilah's body tensed and tightened, growing more defined, as her skin shifted into a darker color. Her normally pale skin and grey scales turned pitch black as, all around her body, Gilah's great many scars turned an incandescent blue. There were hundreds, if not thousands of scars from countless battles and scrapes with death.

Gilah's grin grew even wider, her magenta eyes glowing brighter while the slits that were her pupils only shrunk.

"Well?! Weren't you going to kill me?!" Gilah roared in defiance of those who had sentenced her to death. "LET'S GET ON WITH IT!!!"

They would not be the end of her. Rather, they'd just be more names added to the list of the millions she's already killed in her short life.

Gilah’s foes charged forward, each fully aware that this may be their last day alive. She returned the favor, roaring in a manner only a mad beast could. She lunged towards the remnants of this once mighty army, claws ready and eager to give this battle the finale it deserved.

"DON'T DIE TOO QUICKLY!!! MAKE ME WORK FOR MY MEAL!!!"

***

Gilah's eyes fluttered open as the memory of the ancient battle began to fade. Even now she could taste the blood of those she had killed. She could still feel the rush of pleasure as she watched the light leave their eyes. They were so volatile back then, so bestial. Gilah couldn't bear the thought that she was such a monster.

"Damn this curse." The leviathan clutched her head in pain. She hadn’t had a decent night’s sleep in months now. Ever since she and Jason had returned from the surface, this had become the norm for her. In place of dreams and even nightmares, Gilah was forced to face her most gruesome of memories. Points in her life where she held the greatest regrets. This was Cathay's punishment for her. While her human lover was given manual labor, usually in the form of pampering the Ruler’s titanic body alongside those under her ‘care’, Gilah was left to wallow by herself. She was allowed to see no one save for either Jason or Cathay herself. She was not allowed the luxury of leaving the Depths’ lowest point, nor was she allowed to hunt for food. All the leviathan was allowed was the chance to rest, something she greatly dreaded each time her eyelids grew heavy.

But what more could she do other than sleep and lament her past actions? While there were a great many things the Ruler of the Depths could force Gilah to do, none could compare to having to face their demons. "At this point, I almost want to challenge Cathay to the right to leave, if even for a day. Anything would be better than these memories.”

Gilah rose from her rest, a massive crater she had formed herself. Aside from Cathay, she was the only other Depths' born beast who lived at the absolute lowest point. They had to find some means of offering Jason comfort, of course, but even with him around there was often nothing that would dare disturb them.

Unfortunately, that also meant there was nothing to distract her from her most recent memory. As was her punishment, Gilah was forced to relive her most despised memories. And her rampage upon what was once a beautiful world was perhaps her most loathed. A key moment in her life that contributed to sending her down a path where she suppressed her violent nature.

How could she be so cruel to have annihilated the civilization, a beautiful planet-wide kingdom? She brought their entire empire to ruin because of her bloodlust and her desire to draw out ever stronger foes. And those who came to challenge her only brought further destruction to what may have been salvageable in the end. But what did she do as she was beaten and gored? Did Gilah learn from her mistakes that day? Did she finally feel regret for all she had done? Had she finally come to her senses and understood that her actions had consequences?

No. All she did was laugh and laugh even as those who tried to stop her fell one after the other. She was too focused on the battle to give anything other than the blood split a thought. Even if her whole body was wracked with pain, she did not care at the time. It only would have truly hurt had she not been having so much damn fun.

And here she was, forced to endure such mental torture because she couldn’t learn from her mistakes. Had Gilah given it some more thought, had she better planned on how she could have had Jason visit the surface, then those people upon the pier would have never gazed upon her, nor her eyes, and fallen into madness. But there was no going back for them. They were stuck here, likely to die of old age as the world above forgets that they had ever existed.

There was nothing more painful than ruining something that was once beautiful. Whether that be a magnificent city or the meager lives of humans, it did not matter as to the scale of that which was lost. Size mattered not when something was taken and could not be replaced.

Gilah felt…tired. Not from exhaustion, she’s slept more than enough. She just felt drained. Lost and in desperate need of answers to questions she didn’t even know existed.  Were clarity a luxury that was allowed to her then she may have found a solution to her demons ages ago. But life, even for a creature as powerful as her, was never that simple. And she had so few to go to for advice that often she only had herself to rely on when pondering such things.

It wasn’t as though she could go to Cathay for advice, considering how she’s in something of a poor standing with the Ruler. Even then, Gilah wasn’t certain the Tyrant of the Deep Wastes could offer her sound advice that didn’t involve a massacre here or there. Really, there was only one person she felt she could go to that would lend an ear to hear her worries.

“Where’s Jason when I need him?” Gilah wondered aloud.

“Currently, trying to get comfortable.” The small human replied back, much to the leviathan’s surprise. She searched around carefully before finding them resting against her chest; her left breast to be more specific. Despite its absolutely massive scale compared to him, Jason held no sense of the danger he was in. Or perhaps he did but simply did not care, as he held complete trust in Gilah even as she slept.

“Did you know you mumble in your sleep? It’s actually kind of soothing.”

Gilah felt her cheeks run red. She had assumed her dear human was still working through the ordeal Cathay had placed upon him. With how large she normally was he should have at least been working for a few days. Perhaps even more if the Ruler wished to make things difficult for him, which more often than not she usually did.

“You couldn’t have finished this early.” Gilah reasoned, even as Jason continued to get comfortable, a task now made much easier as his gigantic lover remained still for his safety. Even if he has changed since living down in the Depths, Jason was still human. Yes, he could survive now without the need for oxygen, as well as endure the crushing pressure of the deep sea, but were Gilah to roll over on top of him there’d be no way for him to survive that. At least not for long. That was why when they slept she always had him at a safe distance.

“I got off for good behavior” Jason joked. “Actually, Cathay let me go earlier than normal after I finished giving her a pedicure. It was a lot of hard work and she probably thought I’d collapse if I kept on going.”

Looking at him closer now, Gilah saw that the small human was indeed exhausted. While he wasn’t skin and bone like the others Cathay had to serve her, she tried to feed them but they only cared for their work and not their health, it was clear that Jason was hardly able to get any sort of rest and keep up with Cathay’s demands. Gilah was certain the Ruler would allow him to at least rest, even if only for an hour or two. But it was plain to see that Jason was pushing himself well past his limits. Even the clothes she had fashioned for him, an incredibly difficult task given her size, were ruined due to the exertion he placed on himself.

His own addition to the punishment that already was a tall order for someone as small as himself. Understandably, Gilah was worried that her little lover was taking things too far but reframed from saying anything. Just like her, he blamed himself for what happened on the pier. Had he not mentioned his woes to her then she never would have had a reason to go top side. They both went against the commands of a tyrant and needed to pay for the crime.  

Though the events of the past still rattled Gilah’s mind, warning her to distance herself as far from Jason as she could, she could not stand to be alone at the moment. Gilah wanted, or rather she needed the company. She wanted to give him something to cover himself with, but there was nothing Jason could use to wrap up if he got too cold next to her. Normally, Gilah would place her finger softly upon the human’s body, his new durability at least being able to withstand that. Sometimes, even just the tip of her sharp nails was enough.

But because of her memories, she wasn’t willing to take any sort of risk. At least not at this moment.

“Come here instead.”

Gilah curved her body slightly until her hair fell and floated around the human, surrounding him in waves of blue brighter than the clearest of days. Jason could feel the temperature rise exponentially as a titanic pair of lips came to a stop by his side. He worried that Gilah would be uncomfortable, given the awkward position she was in. She didn’t seem all too bothered by it though.

“Rest on my cheek instead. I’ll be sure to keep you warm.”

Despite the comfort of his current position he couldn’t deny the allure of some much-desired heat. The Depths’ held some beauty were one able to find it, but nothing ever helped to do away with the unbearable cold that was all too common. And unlike Cathay or Gilah, he was unwilling to stay near a deep-sea vent just to heat up.  

Though not as soft as her breaths, even the scales upon Gilah’s cheek were comfortable when she allowed them to be so. And the warmth she provided was without compare. Before Jason knew it, he was feeling the lids of his eyes grow heavy.

“You poor thing, you must have been so tired.” Gilah wanted so badly to place Jason upon her lips and kiss away all his problems, all his pain. Fear prevented her from doing so. Images of ancient ruins flashed in her mind, each filled with countless of lives almost as small as her human lover. She’d brought them all to a tragic end and feared she could do the same to him.

On a whim she looked down to the lower half of her body, hoping to find the familiar sight of her tail. Instead, she found herself staring at a pair of legs. The very same which had once trampled upon the weak and defenseless with reckless abandon. They must have taken shape while she slept. An action that required no conscious effort on her part. She could have changed them back just as easily, had that been her desire anyway. This was perhaps the first time she’d seen them since her last trip on solid ground, more than a few centuries prior to meeting Jason.

Seeing them now, she had forgotten how shapely they were. Well defined. Powerful. Perfectly matched to fit the body of a warrior. That was what Gilah was, after all. No matter how hard she tried to hide or fight her nature, she knew who she was the moment she tore herself free from her mother’s womb. Gilah was a butcher. Perhaps the greatest butcher the Depths had ever seen. But if, even for a few years, she could pretend that she was anything but she’d gladly accept that. If she could at least be given that meager amount of time then she just knew she’d be able to cherish it. Now and forever, with someone she held very dearly to her heart.

“Jason? You awake?”

Though his movements were minor Gilah was successful in rousing the human. “Am now, love.”

She still had questions that desperately needed to be answered. For her own sake if anything. Reassurance that things could get better.

“Would…would you like to go somewhere when you wake up? We won’t leave the Depths, I just wanna show you something. Something I think you need to see.”

It was probably unfair to ask Jason anything while he was half asleep. But Gilah felt as though this were something that couldn’t wait.

“Yeah… We can go out. Anywhere you want to Gilah.”

She should just let him rest. He certainly needed it. Gilah didn’t know exactly what it was Cathay had those serving her do, only that it was far more than the human body should be able to take. Even an enhanced body like Jason’s had a limit. One that he clearly pushed past. It wasn’t her right to keep him awake to satiate any questions she might have.

“Do…you think I’m a monster?” and yet still she asked.

Jason sat upright, pushing himself away from Gilah’s cheek so that he could better see her. Even if his position only allowed for him to see just one of her magenta eyes it was still enough to fill his entire field of vision. Often her forgot how truly massive his girlfriend was. Yet not once did he ever feel as though he were in any sort of danger. Despite her size and her power, Gilah was so very gentle. In spite of her terrifying and ferocious appearance, she was perhaps the sweetest soul he knew.

He wasn’t a fool. Jason knew Gilah was dangerous. He saw it in her claws, on her teeth. In her eyes most of all. She was a predator. The most dangerous type there was. Gilah was feared across the Depths, for reasons the human mind could never even dream of. But even with all that looming overhead, Jason couldn’t help but see his Gilah as anything but a kind and gentle beauty. A soothing spirit anyone would be fortunate to know.

“Gilah…” she wasn’t even looking at Jason as he spoke. That didn’t stop him. “Gilah, you are incredible. What happened at the pier…that was more my fault than yours. If you’re going to blame anyone for that then blame me, okay?”

Finally, she looked down.

“Even if it’s only been a year, you’ve shown amazing restraint in how you’ve handled our relationship. Before meeting you, if anyone asked me how a relationship like this could have worked I wouldn’t be able to come up with a clear answer. Now, I can. And that’s because of you. I can’t even begin to imagine how I would have accommodated you were our roles reversed.  You aren’t a monster. I’ve never seen you as one nor will I ever. You’re my wonderful girlfriend, and nothing can change how I see you.”

Gilah said nothing. She didn’t know what it was she could even say. Jason was so very…foolish. That’s how best someone could describe his actions. He was acting so very foolish to put so much faith in someone like her. Her past aside, it wasn’t like she could exactly watch her weight were she to make a mistake. Being so much larger than a human, and even some of her own kind, there were more than a few ways Gilah could seriously harm or even outright kill Jason.

And even knowing that, knowing the danger she posed to everything around her, Jason still loved her. Were it not for the water that surrounded them Gilah would have certainly teared up. Instead, her eyes only glazed over as she thanked the fact that Jason wouldn’t see her cry.

Instead, he saw as she forced a smile. Soft and gentle, just as he believed her to be. With her index finger, she softly pressed the human back against her cheek, offering the closest thing she could to a hug. His most minor of movements forced a chuckle from between her lips.

Already she was beginning to feel a little better. “You have no idea badly I needed to hear that.” She wanted badly to give him a kiss. A real one and not the small pecks they’ve been forced to endure. But there was no way Jason would survive that thus she had to restrain herself. “Truly, thank you. You have such a mighty heart for someone so small.”

“And you feel so very human for someone so large” Jason replied as he got himself comfortable once more. “Whatever you’re going through Gilah, just know that I’m here whenever you need me. Now and forever.”

As he rested against the Leviathan once more, Jason believed he felt something rumbling from within her. Beginning in Gilah’s chest, the vibrations carried over to her throat, and subsequently Jason.  It was like she was purring. His whole body shook, but it wasn’t unpleasant. In fact, it was actually rather relaxing. Before he was aware of it his eyes were feeling heavy once more. Despite being stuck down in the Depths, being with Gilah was truly heavenly.

“Hey, Jason…”

“Yeah?”

“I love you~”

How could someone so sweet think of herself as a monster?

“Yeah. I love you too.”