More often than not, these gaps will close on their own. Churches will find themselves without a pastor. A shopkeep will forget why there are two names above the store's door.įarmhands will wonder why someone hasn't harvested their section of field. Parents will ask why they have boy's clothes but only one daughter. The false hydra's song soothes the minds of their victims, coaxing out the memories of their prey in the same way it hides the false hydra, but it is not a perfect defense. And as more and more join the false hydra, the more it grows, the more it's neck stretches, and the more its influence grows. The false hydra's victims become a part of the creature, and thus the creature's song erases all memories of him. In any normal circumstances, the victims of the false hydra would have family, or friends who would notice their absence, but the false hydra's song massages their mind, smoothing the wrinkles in their thoughts. Thus, the first stage of a false hydra infestation is often the longest, as it waits for a lone victim to drag away into a basement, sewer, or small cave it has excavated for this purpose. In the beginning of its life, while it only has one head, though, eating presents a challenge. The false hydra eats flesh, of course, and its favorite prey is humanoids. The false hydra must bide its time to find the right moment, as when it eats, it cannot sing. It is not invisible: it simply sits in our blind spot, its song creating gaps in our memory while it watches its prey go about its day, waiting until a safe moment to strike. While the false hydra sings, it is ignored. And then, when it has reached the surface, it sings. Or through a broken cobblestone in the street. The first head slowly pushes its way up through the dirt, breaking through the soil in the basement, beneath the stairs. As it grows, it develops a fleshy, flabby torso, which serves as a "root." It is from this root that all further heads grow. It finds itself buried deep beneath the earth near a settlement, and it grows. This head, however, is pale, and hairless, with wet, eyeless sockets and a large mouth filled with broad, flat teeth. The false hydra begins its life cycle as a head, with roughly the same proportions as an average humanoid's. The few who believe in and attempt to study this creature have found little information about it, only aware of three things for certain: the false hydra sings, the false hydra grows, and the false hydra eats. Some say they are the last vestiges of a curse from a fallen goddess, who sent them as punishment to the mortals who so conveniently turn their backs on inconvenient truths. Others say that it is almost like a vicious fungus, a mindless life form that knows nothing beyond devouring and surviving. Some say that is similar to a plant, that it grows from the ground like a sprout with no seed, that it germinates on lies and dishonesty. It is an abomination, seen by few, and survived by fewer. No one truly knows when or how the false hydra came to be.
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