They had just made it above the clouds as Jake felt a ping by Villy. “Hey, Jake, can I borrow you for a second?”

“Sure, what’s up?” he asked.

“No, I mean in a more literal sense. Can I borrow your body to do something?”

“I guess?” Jake kind of agreed.

“Great!”

Jake felt the Viper descend. It was like Jake’s aura got mixed with something else, and he then felt a third presence enter, confusing him even more. At that moment, was very happy that he had a strong soul before he felt the sheer level of pressure upon it as he channeled but a fraction of the Viper’s aura. Sandy also noticed as the worm stopped in mid-air before asking him in a confused tone.

“Uhm, I just got some weird pop-up, and I think it might be a scam?”

“What is it?” Jake asked curiously, soldiering through. Had Villy decided to bless Sandy? That would actually be awesome, and he was mentally slapping himself for not having thought of giving the worm one earlier.

“You see, I got this Blessing thing offered like you have, right?” Sandy asked with doubt.

“Yeah?” Jake asked. So it was Villy giving a ble-

“And… well, I just feel like if you have to include that something is True in the description, isn’t that kind of red flag that it isn’t? Like, if it is real, why do you need to put so much emphasis on it you know?”

Wait, what? Jake asked himself, utterly perplexed at what Sandy was asking. Include True? Did it maybe say something about it coming from someone with a True Blessing?

“Can you explain what it says in detail?” Jake asked Sandy.

“Okay, it asks if I want to talk to this god or something about receiving a True Blessing? It is very weird,” Sandy answered.

Jake, even more confused, asked: “What is the name of this god?”

“The Boundless Hydra.”

Who the fuck is that? Jake asked himself for a moment before a lightbulb went off. Sandy: likes eating stuff. Snappy: likes eating stuff. It all suddenly made sense; they were a match made in heaven.

“Hey, Villy, is Snappy really offering Sandy his True Blessing?” Jake asked the Viper.

“Yes, but an emphasis on offer. It will be up to them to reach an agreement if your wormy friend agrees to a conversation on the topic,” Villy explained. “You will have to function as a conduit during this process, and it will be a bit straining, but you should be fine.”

Jake nodded, totally fine with that, before talking to Sandy: “Yep, I know who the Boundless Hydra is. The offering is a True Blessing, the same as what I have but from a different god. I would recommend for you to have this talk with the guy, okay?”

“Oh, okay,” Sandy agreed. “As long as it isn’t a scam.”

Villy’s presence intensified as Jake felt the god channel power through him. He allowed it all to go through as he got a slight headache. Jake closed his eyes as Sandy had also completely frozen in the real world as the Hydra and Cosmic Genesis Worm spoke.

--

Snappy had disappeared and returned to his own realm for the conversation. Forever true to tradition and all that. Then again, giving a True Blessing could not be done the usual way. The two souls had to meet as the transference was more intimate and intense than any other Blessing. Doing it in the divine realm of a god was the easiest for both parties.

Vilastromoz smirked as he wondered what kind of monster he was helping to create.

Worm and Hydra met.

The Lord Protector – also known as the Boundless Hydra – had assumed his true form. A mass of heads too difficult for a mortal mind to comprehend appeared before the insignificantly small Cosmic Genesis Worm. The Hydra soon collected its form to only be a nine-headed hydra.

Two figures simply existed for a few seconds before the worm opened its mouth and began sucking.

“This place tastes weird.”

“You are within my divine realm, and what you are consuming is my energy. I am known as the Boundless Hydra, Lord Protector of the Order of the Malefic Viper,” the Hydra spoke.

“Wow!” Sandy said, impressed. “That is such a long name! I am just Sandy, pleased to meet you, the Boundless Hydra, Lord Protector of the Order of the Malefic Viper.”

Silence followed as neither spoke for a period after. Sandy just sucked in some more of the atmosphere and looked around, clearly unsure how to act or what to do. The Hydra, on the other hand, just observed.

“Tell me, Sandy. Why do you travel with the Chosen of the Malefic Viper?” the Hydra asked the worm after a few minutes.

“What a silly question,” Sandy scoffed. “We’re friends!”

“That is now. The Chosen of the Malefic One will keep walking a Path of conquest and power. He will grow in power without end, and his true stage is not your small planet but the multiverse as a whole. Are you willing to follow him that far? Are you willing to do what is necessary to remain someone useful to him even as he soars towards the apex?” the Boundless Hydra asked.

“What do you mean when you say do what is necessary? I am just doing what I do. I eat stuff, grow and get stronger and better at eating stuff. I am not doing that to be useful to him; that would be super silly, wouldn’t it?” Sandy asked in return.

“Does that mean that you intend to abandon the Malefic’s Chosen if you find it convenient?” the ancient god asked the mortal worm.

“Maybe? Who knows? We are friends, and Jake says that friends don’t owe each other anything. They help because they want to, not because they have to. Also! I remember him once saying never say never, so I am never going to say never. Wait, I did just say never a lot of times… anyway! Jake is my friend, so that is that. Stop talking about silly stuff like abandoning others. If anything, he was the one about to abandon me just now!” Sandy said with much gusto, not a shred of fear within the worm.

The Hydra fell silent for a few seconds, seeming to contemplate the answer. “Would you give your life for the Malefic’s Chosen?”

“No, I am pretty sure that would kill me, and I wouldn’t like that.”

“If you are given the choice of betraying and backstabbing the Malefic’s Chosen for a tremendously powerful treasure, would you do it?”

“That sounds like a dumb thing to do and also super impractical. How do I even stab him when all my teeth are gone?” Sandy perfectly answered. “Also! I am pretty sure I wouldn’t be able to stab him in the back even if I had teeth. He is mega good at knowing when something is trying to hit him from behind.”

“Do you ever think you will be sated? When will you be satisfied with devouring treasures? Is it truly a Path you want to follow for eternity? A never-ending cycle of consumption?” the Hydra kept questioning.

“Maybe not? Sometimes I also like to lay around and digest and stuff. But after that, I will definitely need to head out for a snack. Why would someone not want to keep eating stuff? Eating stuff is the best. Oh! And I can even find different ways of eating things, like making food-making stomachs and stuff by eating living things! That is infinite food right there. Doesn’t sound boring at all,” Sandy once more answered without hesitation.

“Now! Why are you the only one asking me questions? So, why are you called the Boundless Hydra? Did you use to be bound or something?” Sandy asked.

“My Path was similar to yours, and in my pursuit of power, I expanded every part of myself and grew. We Hydras tend to be more powerful the more heads we have, and my goal was to reach the apex. Turns out the apex is realizing there is no limit, only one’s abilities holding one back,” the Lord Protector answered truthfully.

“Cool! I am fine with only one head, though,” Sandy made clear.

“I would assume as much. But we do share the Path of consumption, even if there are differences. Nevertheless, my Records do compliment yours. So, finally… would you, Sandy, the Cosmic Genesis Worm, have the honor of becoming my Chosen?” the Lord Protector asked the C-grade worm.

“Chosen… oh! Like Jake and his friend Villy!? Yeah, we can totally be friends if you want to! You seem like an okay Hydra.”

“Friends… yes, you can view it as that,” the Lord Protector chose not to argue. “With it will come responsibility and power. It will allow you to go further, but should you fall, it will, in turn, harm me. It is both a responsibility and a privilege. You will come to possess an Identity that will be recognized in the wider multiverse too. It is truly no decision to make lightly,” the Hydra made very clear.

“Sounds like a lot of things just for becoming your friend, but I guess all that stuff is fine. Though, actually, can you explain it all a bit better? Jake did also mention that only idiots don’t properly take their time to understand an agreement before accepting it. That is how you get scammed, and I am not here to get scammed. So! Details, please?” Sandy did ask, showing a bit of doubt for the first time.

“Gladly,” the Hydra answered in a pleased tone.

Jake felt damn weird; no two ways about it. He felt his body flooded with the two presences as Sandy’s body had gone entirely limp. He instinctively knew their soul had been projected elsewhere, probably into the realm of Snappy.

Considering Jake was unable to move or do anything, he just had to ask Villy how things were doing.

“So, are those two having a nice chat?” Jake asked the snake god.

“That is between them, and not even I can forcefully listen in. Sure, Snappy would just allow me to, but I won’t,” Villy answered. “But I will share a bit. You are probably wondering why Snappy is suddenly here talking about giving away a True Blessing. Snappy has not given out his True Blessing for many Eras by now; he has barely given any Blessings out, in fact. Firstly it is not really part of his Path, and secondly, there is risk and responsibility tied to having blessed ones out there. Snappy has been cooped up in the Order ever since I went into seclusion, and I believe it’s high time he begins to get a bit more out there.”

“Doesn’t exactly explain why you want him to give out a True Blessing, especially not why Sandy would be a good candidate. Like, I see it kind of, but have you not talked repeatedly about how giving a True Blessing is a huge commitment?” Jake asked.

“It is, which is why I am not the one deciding if he chooses to bless the worm, and he may just decide on only giving a lower-level Blessing. What I did suggest to him was that maybe the worm was worth gambling on. So yes, it is a massive gamble, but one I think is worth taking for him. Plus, it will give him a stronger connection to the outside world,” Villy explained.

“I guess,” Jake semi-agreed.

He had to admit it, but… Sandy was not exactly the kind of being Jake thought of when someone mentioned a Chosen. Not that he was, either.

“Think positively, with any Blessing from Snappy, that worm will gain a huge boon,” Villy said. “Okay, finally, I will admit that I want to see what exactly a Cosmic Genesis Worm can turn into as it grows in power. It is an interesting beast and one I think can be useful to you for a long time if it can keep up with you. A True Blessing from someone like Snappy will help with that tremendously. More than that, the guidance of the Boundless Hydra would prove invaluable.”

“As long as Sandy also wants it,” Jake said.

“Jake, you are the only one I know that cannot renounce a Blessing, and also the only one I know who would not instantly jump at the opportunity of a True Blessing. Anyway, the worm can just choose to throw it away if it turns out to be something they don’t want,” Villy reminded him. “The bond between a Chosen and their god is not one of equals but is closer to that than any other Blessing.”

The two of them didn’t get much more time to speak before Jake felt a change. The presence of Snappy intensified to an entirely new level, forcing Jake to metaphorically grit his teeth. It was as if his insides were burning, and the epicenter of this presence was Sandy.

Seconds passed before it subsided, and Jake felt Villy and Snappy both retract their auras as Villy spoke in a joking tone. “All hail Sandy, Chosen of the Boundless Hydra, the Devourer of Dimensions.”

Jake did not pay it mind but instead focused on Sandy. The first thing he noticed was how the worm’s aura had changed. Grown. Not by a small margin either, but significant growth. Jake knew this had to be the titles added by being blessed, along with the bonuses of the Blessing itself.

“So… Sandy, how are you feeling?” Jake asked the worm.

“Huh? Oh, hey there, Jake! That was so wild but also kind of fun. I made a new friend with the super big Hydra guy, and we agreed that I would get Blessed by him and stuff, so now I am a Chosen too! Isn’t that cool?” Sandy asked with glee.

“Moreover! I am faster and even more durable now! I got boosts in all stats, and my tummy ache is entirely gone after that. Definitely a nice Hydra.”

Jake felt genuinely happy for his wormy friend but had one burning question in his mind.

“You also got a skill, right?”

“Yep!”

“Great. If you don’t mind me asking, what rarity is it? And could you tell me what it does, at least for me to get an idea?” Jake asked. He knew it was a lot to ask, but he was damn curious. Jake had a strong feeling there existed a rarity beyond mythical but below divine, and he wasn’t sure if Sandy would get a Divine skill as Snappy was no Primordial.

“The skill is divine, and as for what it does…” Sandy said, really dragging it out for dramatic purposes.

“Yes?” Jake asked, prompting the worm.

“It does so that…”

Jake felt like smashing something.

“…I can not tell you what it does!” Sandy said in a loud and cheerful tone.

“What?” Jake asked.

“Yep, my new friend told me not to tell anyone. So, sorry. Your fault for telling me that friends have to keep promises,” Sandy said, still annoyingly cheerful.

It was not a discussion Jake wanted to take up as there was no winning. Instead, he would focus on moving forward. Or, well, upwards.

“Well, anyway, that was a nice little intermission to our journey,” Jake said, changing the topic entirely. “Are you ready to truly go and explore what resides in the upper layers of our planet’s sky and hopefully allow us to travel together for a bit longer?”

“Yeah, that was definitely a fun time,” Sandy agreed. “And also, yeah, let’s go! Oh, but one thing first.”

Sandy spat Jake out as he appeared a bit confused in the real world. Sandy then seemed to focus before spitting out a small sphere that looked like a mix between stone and metal, giving off odd energy. It was about the size of Jake himself, and he could only stare at it with bewilderment. Especially as it contained Sandy’s presence, meaning it was part of the worm.

“Can you keep that with you? It can go in your spatial storage,” Sandy asked.

“What is it?” Jake asked.

“I made a promise not to tell, but I need you to keep it safe, and it will be super useful even when I can’t follow, okay?”

Jake stared at the stone and shook his head as he stored the item that was clearly a product of the newly gained divine rarity skill.