Pain. Disorienting, brutal pain. The world spun as Eydis slammed into the wall, Etherium shards raining down like icy confetti. Ozone seared her nostrils, mingling with the phantom ache radiating from her back. "Power surge," she rasped, pushing off the wall, divinity surging through her like a healing balm. "Again."

Astra rushed to her side, amethyst eyes blazing with concern. "Melissa's power?"

Eydis shook her head, a taut line around her mouth. "No... something different. More... potent."

Astra clenched her jaw, the amethyst glint in her eyes intensifying. "Whatever it is, we can't afford to play God's pawn."

A fierce nod from Eydis, their hands intertwining as a silent vow. "Then what are we waiting for? Let's find the source."

"Can your crystals guide us?" Astra asked, urgency etching lines on her face.

A confident smile played on Eydis's lips. "Only one way to find out. Shall we?"

Damien, who had watched the exchange with silent intensity, rose to his feet. "Let's go. Priest Indigo, please keep an eye on Lady Melissa."

Indigo nodded solemnly. "Take care, all of you."

The trio weaved through the market, now disguised as unsuspecting commoners. Unlike the vibrant energy of Terravale's market, Silverkeep's felt strangely subdued, the frosty air keeping most citizens and visitors indoors. Only a few brave souls huddled around steaming hot chocolate stalls.

"Odd place for experiments," Damien murmured, unease prickling his skin. "Too exposed."

Eydis stopped abruptly, hand outstretched towards a seemingly ordinary manhole cover. "It's here."

Damien nearly sputtered, almost crashing into her. "Here?" he echoed, confusion etched on his face.

"Not exactly dungeon-esque, is it?" Astra grumbled, but Eydis was already tapping the manhole cover with her foot, her gaze fixed on Damien. 

The knight sighed, a hint of amusement in his eyes. He crouched down, the rusted metal groaning as he lifted the cover. A wave of putrid stench assaulted them, making Astra wrinkle her nose. "Seriously?"

Eydis leaned down and planted a light kiss on her cheek. "Don't worry, love," she whispered, her voice laced with amusement. "Even in sewage, you'd smell like… cherries to me."

Astra blushed, the memory of the cherry incident flashing across her mind. "Charming," she replied, a touch of sarcasm lacing her voice. "Now hurry up, the stench is winning."

Damien sighed, a hint of amusement tugging at his lips. "Anything beats another cringeworthy love scene." He descended, disappearing into the darkness. The girls followed, the stench worsening with every step. The cramped tunnel pressed against them, the only light filtering through the grate above. 

**

The guttural bellow echoed like a death knell, "Intruder!" A cloaked figure materialised, arcane energy thrumming around her hands. Before Damien could blink, a wave of molten flame roared towards him, aimed to consume him whole.

With inhuman reflexes honed by years of training, Damien summoned a shimmering shield of ice, deflecting the inferno in a burst of steam. His frost-kissed blade materialised in his hand, a blur of cold steel. He lunged, the blade singing its deadly song, and with a single, precise strike, disarmed the woman. Her scream choked into stunned silence as the blade pressed against her throat.

"Seems we found the right welcome party," Astra muttered, pulling her lavender scarf tighter against the acrid smoke. Her violet eyes flickered with a hint of amusement. "Shall we proceed?”

Descending deeper, the tunnel narrowed, the oppressive darkness intensifying. More guards materialised, but these foes posed no threat. One by one, they crumpled silently, green darts embedded in their necks. Damien glanced at Eydis, who offered a nonchalant shrug, a smirk playing on her lips. 

"Sorry to bring a gun to a magic party," Eydis said, but the mirth couldn't mask the underlying unease in her eyes.

The ground shuddered beneath their feet. Vines erupted, skeletal fingers grasping for them. Rats with eyes burning emerald fire flooded the passage, their chittering a symphony of hunger. Astra's hand crackled, violet flames erupting as she incinerated the vermin in a heartbeat. Yet, deeper roars echoed, thundering footsteps charging towards them.

"S-Class beasts! Stay here!" Damien roared, his ice blade already forming, charging into the darkness.

"Astra, help him!" Eydis yelled, but Astra shook her head, a fierce light in her eyes mirroring the unsettling green glow.

"Not leaving your side!" she retorted, her voice held a steely resolve.

"I can handle this! Go, help Damien!" Eydis urged, her voice laced with desperation. 

Doubt battled determination within Astra. The deafening roars swelled, a wave of S-Class beasts surging towards them like a monstrous tide. With a ragged sigh, she relented, the air thick with tension as she squeezed Eydis tight before reluctantly following Damien.

Pulling away, Eydis spun to face the source of the cacophony. Her heart lurched, hammering against her ribs like a trapped bird. There, bathed in an ominous green glow, stood Elias. The friend she knew had vanished, replaced by a terrifying reflection. His scar pulsed like a malevolent beacon, and his voice, warped and unrecognisable, boomed, "MORE! FEED ME MORE!"

With each distorted command, waves of S-Class beasts materialised, a twisted response to his corrupted will. A flash of silver and violet erupted from the tunnel as Damien and Astra dove into the fray, engaging the monstrous onslaught. Lurking in the shadows, bloodthirsty wolves snarled, their echoes amplifying the cavern's oppressive atmosphere. They circled Eydis, their hunger fueled by the warped power radiating from Elias.

The brunette didn't hesitate. Her rifle flashed like silver lightning, each shot a heartbeat defying the encroaching darkness. But more appeared, driven mad by Elias’s command.

"Elias, please!" she screamed, her voice raw with desperation. But her plea was drowned out by his twisted laughter, the entity within him fueling his fury.

Elias waved his hand, the wolves' eyes glowing brighter, saliva dripping from their hungry mouths. Ignoring the snapping jaws behind her, Eydis launched herself forward, her rifle transformed into dual blades, shards catching the sickly green light like malevolent stars.

She danced into the fray, a whirlwind of silver and deadly grace. Divine energy crackled around her, her eyes glowing with an inner fire. Her blades, infused with Ethereum’s magic, sang a deadly song as they sliced through fur and bone with chilling ease. Sparks flew, the metallic tang of blood filling the air. Yet, for each beast she felled, two more seemed to take its place, driven mad by the warped power radiating from their twisted leader.

Desperate, Eydis launched herself forward, aiming for Elias. He snarled, the green light intensifying as he raised a hand, conjuring a wave of emerald vines. Eydis instinctively crossed her blades, forming a shimmering shield. They slammed into her, the force throwing her back against the wall, pain exploding through her ribs. Yet, the blades, infused with the battle's potent energy, pulsed with white light, incinerating the vines and the monstrous wolves lunging at her.

Gritting her teeth, divinity coursed through her veins, mending her broken ribs in an instant. She stood tall, her gaze unwavering, locked on Elias.

Their eyes met, a flicker of recognition battling the madness within him. "Elias, fight it!" she cried, her voice cracking with emotion. "Remember who you are!" But his expression contorted into a cruel smirk, and another wave of energy erupted, laced with the chilling laughter of the entity.

Eydis dodged, launching herself from the boulders towards the hovering Elias. She rocketed towards him, the sickly green light bathing her vision in an acrid glare. A swarm of butterflies, their wings shimmering with an eerie emerald luminescence, danced around him, obscuring his form like a living shroud. Their luminescence pushed her back, the chilling laughter echoing from within like a mockery of her friend. The sound sent shivers down her spine, devoid of any warmth or recognition.

Desperate, she needed a new tactic. With a battle cry, she whipped her Ethereum blades together, transforming them into a single, shimmering silver chain. With a surge of adrenaline, she flung the chain, aiming for Elias's leg. It arced through the air, propelled by her unwavering will, and snaked around his ankle. Ignoring the searing pain in her muscles, she yanked with all her might, hauling him down through the swirling butterflies.

He landed before her, his face contorted in a mask of pain and twisted power. The green light crackled around him, threatening to consume him whole. "Elias, fight it!" she pleaded, her voice raw with emotion.

But his eyes, once warm and familiar, were now empty voids, glowing with an eerie green light. His distorted voice echoed, laced with the chilling laughter of the entity within, "Power... so much power... it's MINE!"

Terror coiled in her gut. This wasn't the friend she knew. He was corrupted by God, but how? Yet, a flicker of recognition flickered in the depths of his eyes, a silent plea for help.

Golden energy pulsed from her palm as she touched his head, her divine power surging through him, a desperate attempt to push back the darkness. He gasped, convulsing violently as the battle raged within. His muscles strained, his body a battleground between two warring forces.

The green light intensified, pulsing with a sickening rhythm. The laughter within Elias grew louder, more deranged. Cracks began to appear in his skin, glowing lines spreading like a malevolent map across his body. It was happening too fast, the transformation consuming him with terrifying speed.

Eydis gritted her teeth, pouring every ounce of her power into the connection, willing him to fight, to remember. The golden light flared, momentarily pushing back the green, revealing a flicker of pain and hope in Elias's eyes. But then, with a blinding flash, the golden light itself was consumed, replaced by a swirling vortex of malevolent energy.

A faceless figure of pure energy materialised from the vortex, its form shifting and contorting like smoke. It roared in defiance, its voice echoing through the tunnel, a chorus of twisted laughter and raw power. "This... power..." it boomed, its voice resonating with untold hunger and malice.

Silence descended, punctuated only by the chilling laughter of the entity, echoing through the tunnel, "VON ROSENFELD!"

A ripple of energy seemed to emanate from Elias, engulfing them both in a blinding white light. Eydis felt a strange tingling sensation, as if the very fabric of reality was shifting around her.

When the light finally faded, the oppressive darkness of the tunnel was gone, replaced by an endless expanse of white. Not quite snow, not quite mist, it lacked texture, form, everything. 

Eydis blinked, disoriented, finding the familiar weight of her weapons replaced by a chilling emptiness. Glancing sideways, she saw another Eydis, mirroring her movements with a concerned frown instead of her usual smirk. The maid brushed nonexistent dust off her plain black dress, an oddity in this featureless landscape.

"You just had to dig into his mind, didn't you?" Maid-Eydis deadpanned, her voice laced with annoyance. "Now look, God's crashing our minds party."

Hacker-Eydis groaned, clutching her head. "What else was I supposed to do? Kiss him awake?" A mischievous glint flickered in her eyes as she noticed Maid-Eydis's comically horrified expression.

A booming voice, deeper than a kraken's bellow, resonated through the sterile landscape: "Von Rosenfeld!" A blinding light materialised, solidifying into the imposing figure of Emperor Ares, golden spear glinting like a celestial scalpel.

"Let's settle this, once and for all!" Ares boomed, his voice surprisingly soothing for someone wielding a weapon that resembled a dentist's drill. "Even with you so close, I see only shadows, a void."

Hacker-Eydis grinned, her voice laced with defiance. "Maybe it's because you're looking with your godly arrogance instead of your actual vision, sunshine. Try humility, it's all the rage this millennium." The Maid rolled her eyes, the theatrics hidden under her ever-present bangs.

Their playful banter was silenced as Ares lunged, his spear aimed at Hacker-Eydis. She dodged with the grace of a seasoned acrobat, conjuring a whip of crackling energy that lashed out at him. Ares met each strike with his spear, the clashes resonating like thunder within the mental landscape.

"Who said you could interrupt our riveting ladies' chat, God-Thing?" Hacker-Eydis quipped, a hidden fire blazing in her eyes. Maid-Eydis, her golden eyes mirroring the fire, transformed her broom into a shimmering spear. Flanking Ares with her doppelganger, they searched for weaknesses in his shimmering form.

The battle raged, each blow charged with fragments of memories and emotions ripped from Eydis's mind. But Ares seemed indestructible, his laughter echoing ominously through the white void. His spear grazed Maid-Eydis's arm, drawing a bead of blood that shone like a beacon in the white void.

"Couldn't you have chosen a more combat-ready outfit?" The hacker grumbled, a flick of her wrist conjuring shimmering diamond armour for both of them.

"Didn't know I had to fight a battle in my own head, fashionista!" Maid-Eydis retorted. "And I told you to stop using your divine powers that way! Dig something else, someone else instead."

Hacker-Eydis raised an eyebrow, mischief dancing in her eyes. "Wouldn't you like to see?"

Ares roared, his anger turning the white void a sickly shade of amber. "Silence, mortals! You dare ignore a god?" With a flick of his wrist, his spear morphed into a swirling vortex, pulling at the hacker like a hungry maw.

"AMELIA!" Maid-Eydis screamed, hurling her own spear, creating a shower of sparks as they collided, momentarily disrupting the vortex.

“Amelia… Kruger?" Ares stammered, his golden eyes widening in shock. "No… It can't be!"

The hacker seized the opportunity, materialising her rifle with lightning speed. Remembering Astra's description, she aimed for the being's core. A deafening crack resonated as the energy weapon struck true, shattering Ares into fragments.

"Love to chat about your familiarity with my name," she muttered, "but gotta wake up... before she… worries, again."

Maid-Eydis caught her arm. "Wait, Amelia! This isn't over. We only faced tiny fragments within our mind."

"I know," Hacker-Eydis said, her voice strained. "But I need to…" Her eyes flickered with urgency. "Talk later. Need… to wake up!" With a dazzling flicker, she vanished.

Maid-Eydis stared at the empty space, a multitude of emotions warring within her. Disbelief, confusion, and a sliver of hope she hadn't felt in… ever? 

"Love sick fool," she muttered. "And maybe, just maybe, you could change everything again, Amelia Kruger. Who the hell are you, my ancestor?"