=== POV Eris

 

I was in deep darkness.

"Hello?"

My voice echoed in the dark. I expected and didn't get an answer.

I walked, clueless ahead, and my footsteps echoed through the darkness.

A red flicker appeared in the distance without making a sound. I couldn't see what it was, but I decided to approach the flickering. I ran, and every single step echoed.

I came closer and closer to the flickering, but suddenly a grid wall opened up in front of me and blocked my progress.

What is this?

Suddenly the red flickering came near to me, and before I knew it, it was right in front of me, on the other side of the grid wall.  I initially saw only one red spot flickering, but there were actually two, and, to be precise, it were two bright red eyes.

"Hi, there!"

A deep and scary woman's voice came from the being. Besides, her voice was already terrifying, but on top of it, her voice didn't echo in the void.

"H-h-hi."

Did I stutter from her strength? From its strength?

"Oh! Look at you, so young, so... innocent.”

I felt like she was talking about a meal instead of another individual.

"Don't worry. I won't eat you."

Yes, of course! The hunter always announces that he will hunt the prey, did she want to kid me!?

I stepped away from the grid.

“Well, let me put the fun aside. Let's talk about what's in front of you.”

Her voice actually lost that dangerous undertone, which made my breathing immensely easier.

"What do you think? What's in front of me? ”

“Oh, you little fool, good that Tyche didn't tell you anything! You would have made this more boring. ”

She smiled and kept talking.

"Say you have lost your eyesight, even your friends, they are all worried about you. Your heart moves the masses, but with one eye, your journey will be visibly more difficult. I could offer you a possibility with which you not only become stronger but can get back your right eye. How about it?"

“Sure, and what do you want for it? My soul?"

"Soul? HAHAHA! Good joke, but it was the right answer. I think your friends are waiting. You should go and pray that we will never see each other again.”

A distance drifted between us.

"Wait! Who are you?"

"Should you meet me one more time, it will be our last meeting, when the time comes you will know who I am."

 

===¹It wouldn't wonder me if anyone of you thought of Naruto because this situation resembles a particular place from Naruto, but I need to say I never had Naruto with it in mind.
Also, this part is more or less the bridge to Tyche's storyline.

 

I opened my eyes and straightened my body.

"Yo! Where am I?"

I just shouted on it without even looking around.

"Eris"

I heard Relena's voice and saw her body flying at me. She threw herself at me and buried me under her.

“I was so worried! Your eye…"

She hugged me tightly in her arms. Her voice was weak and sad.

"Everything is fine. See, I'm alive, that's the most important thing for now!”

I patted her on the back gently. I looked up when I saw a person approaching me.

"Why are you crying?"

"I... I... I'm just so glad you're fine."

Dario was right in front of us with a tearful face.

"Fool!"

I laughed at him.

How can I let someone else be more worried about me than myself?

Of course, I covered up my worries, how could I do otherwise. Now was not the time to sink into self-despair.

"What is the situation on the battlefield?"

I wanted to distract myself because it was so strange to be able to see with one eye. I noticed how I tried desperately to view spatially.

"The last status update was a while ago. Some enemies have long fled, the remaining one guard the entrance to the underground vault."

Dario reported what had happened during my absence.

"OK! I will go too.”

I was about to slip out of Relena's embrace when she tightened her embrace again.

"No! You are hurt!"

She didn't want to let me go.

“It's not about wanting or being able to. I have to!”

I carefully freed myself from her arms and got up.

"Wait! I w-”

I interrupted Dario.

"Dario! Don't try to stop me!”

“I wasn't going to do that. Have a look at me.”

I turned to him and looked up into his eyes.

"And?"

I asked monotonously.

"This one!"

He pulled out a bandage.

"I'm going to tie your right eye socket, that should distract you from the missing eyeball."

I rolled my eye.

"Well... well."

He came to me and started covering my half face with the bandage.

A few minutes later, he was finally done. He took a step back and spoke to me.

“Eris, you are a little sister to Daria and me, and we are worried about you, but not only we both but also Relena and Isaak, the elder shapeshifter or even Viktor and Sarna! Take care and return safely and best with a smile on your face!”

I missed the words and just brought a small "Thank you" out of my mouth.

 

===

 

I flew over the crater and approached the entrance of the vault. I found some people I knew in the crowd that I knew. It was Athem and Andro, with Athem and an unknown young woman supporting Andro from each side.

He's losing too much blood!

I saw the massive hole on the right edge of Andro's stomach, and every average person would have been dead a long time ago.

"Athem!"

I took a dive and landed right in front of them, the whole thing wasn't quite complete, and my landing was a bit bumpy.

"Eris! You're awake!”

"Yes! I feel like a newborn! But... that doesn't matter, what is with Andro?”

I looked worriedly at Andro.

"Not good... Irono and I want to take him to Relena and Dario, but..."

"Irono?"

I looked in amazement at the girl who was supporting Andro's left shoulder.

"She says that she is happy that you are fine, and she thanks you."

Athem spoke for her.

"Likewise. Nice to see you healthy again.”

"I have something here for you, Eris."

Athem took two items from his coat and threw them into my hands.

I caught them both and looked at them with my eye. It was my “Golden Spark” dagger and a magical core, the core from Sim.

“I saved things for you! I hope they help you because we have to get Irono's grandfather out of here quickly.”

Athem and the other two disappeared before I could realize what Athem last words implied.

Irono is Andro's grandchild, does that mean she is Darwa's daughter!?

It wasn't worth worrying about. Before I knew it, the core took my full attention. My attention wasn't so much on the core. To be more precise, my focus was on what was in the system window about the core.

(Should the Core Eater eat the psychic shapeshifter core? Y/N?)

If I were to eat this core of Sim now, I would not be able to eat another shapeshifter core.

Fuck it all! No matter if it's irrational! YES!

The core began to glow in my hand and sank into my hand like tiny particles. The core got smaller by the second. I literally felt my strength increasing every second.

A system window opened.

(Some skills have mutated. Two new skills have been learned. Title obtained: Solid Mind)

The window closed, and two new ones opened. The left window was the information about the title.

(Title "Robust Mind": Awarded to those who have both Appraisal or True Sight and Block at least level 5.)

The window on the right showed me the new skills I got from (Core Eater).

(New Skills (Block) and (Psychic)

(Block) blocks the use of (appraisal) on oneself as well as mind attacks.

(Psychic) ​​allows the user to move objects with its thoughts.)

Wait! I can move objects with my thoughts now!? Psychic!

I tried to move a small stone, but nothing happened.

Why is nothing happening!? Tyche? System?

A window opened.

((Psychic) ​​is blocked. Reason: The required core must be used by (Core Eater).)

Damn it! I would have loved to try it!

Using a new core and possibly getting a new shape was far too risky, so I had to postpone everything.

I should go on, uh, I meant to fly.

I pushed myself off the floor and continued flying toward the entrance to their headquarters.

Unbelievable how quickly I could learn to fly!

"Huhu, Eris!"

Isaak had spotted me in the air and waved me over. He was standing near the entrance to the HQ, next to him was Daria and Sarna. The ax fighter from Viktor's group was also with them. He bent over a lifeless body.

I landed in front of them and looked around.

"How are you?"

I grinned and made a peace sign.

""Eris!""

Daria and Sarna jumped at me and hugged me. They squeezed my face with what I didn't have...

"You are monsters!"

Offended, I pulled a pout and freed myself from their embrace of death. Both looked visibly disappointed and dismissed all guilt.

"And what is the situation with you?"

I looked at the ax fighter who was leaning over Lars. I couldn't see it in the air, but here I saw it, the body at his feet was the archer Lars.

“On our side, we have reported a loss of 20 shapeshifters, from the initial 94.”

Isaak briefly summarized the situation on his part.

"With us, the search party, there is only one loss."

Sarna looked over at the ax fighter.

"Only three of us guards are left."

The Elb guard pointed to himself, and two guards who pushed the bodies together and partially stacked them.

"What are you waiting for? Aren't you going to finish it?”

I was amazed that none of them did anything.

"We can't, the gate has been sealed, and we can only enter if we know the password."

Sarna said it and looked over at Isaak with the corner of her eye.

"A password?"

This time Sarna and I looked at Isaak.

"Well, we're working on something, but... it's complicated."

"What is it supposed to mean complicated?"

I was confused by the way he said it.

"Well, Xavon, a shapeshifter from our village, is a professional when it comes to gathering information, but the interviewee doesn't talk."

"Are you talking about torture when you said "gather information?""

I asked him directly.

"...Yes."

“Tell him to stop. I have a better idea.”

I went to the closed gate.

"What was the word he used... ...Eleftheria."

The gate began to creak and opened.

"How did you know the password?"

Sarna asked, startled.

“Sim, the shapeshifter who led me to the village and later captured me, took me with him here and led me through this complex using this password.”

Sarna stroked her chin as if there were a beard.

"Interesting."

I went ahead, straight through the gate.

*BAM!*

I turned in terror, just to see that the gate had closed right behind me.

"Sarna! Isaak! Can you hear me?"

I knocked on the gate and called for them. It took a moment for Isaak to answer.

"Everything is fine with us. What about you?"

"With me too, can you open the gate again?"

"No! A glyph has appeared that forbids to reopen it.”

"Damn!"

I cursed.

"What do we do now?"

“I will try to deactivate the glyph. Can you look for a possibility from the inside?”

I turned and looked into the empty corridor.

"I'll try it. See you later!"

I turned away from the closed gate. No sound came from the chambers to the right and left of the hall. I peeked into each room to see if anyone was inside or was hiding their presence from me.

In one of the chambers, there was a ladder that led steeply down.

Climb down or search everything up here?

I weighed what would make more sense and decided to descend because if someone were at this level, they would be too strong because he could hide from me.

I started descending the ladder into the darkness.