The girl's hands were shaking, her entire body trembling as she knelt on the splintered wood, her fingers digging into the wet planks as if she could anchor herself to something solid, anything solid, because everything around her was falling apart, her crew was dead or dying.
Her ship was sinking, and the blue haired knight who had fought so valiantly was gone beneath the waves, consumed by the darkness that seemed to swallow everything it touched, she had never felt so alone, so powerless, so utterly abandoned by a world that had never given her a reason to believe in anything.
And yet she found herself praying, not to the twin moons that hung in the sky like indifferent witnesses, not to Mother Fate who had woven her destiny with threads of suffering, but to a name that surfaced from the depths of her memory, a name she had heard in whispered stories told by merchants in dimly lit taverns, a name that carried weight and power and the promise of salvation for those willing to pay the price.
Mercyros, the Monolith of Commerce, the god who presided over all transactions, all trade, all exchanges of value, the one who could reshape the very fabric of reality if the price was right, she had heard stories of him from her father, a merchant who had traveled the scattered realms and seen things that would break a lesser soul.
He had spoken of Mercyros with a mixture of fear and reverence, a being who could grant wealth beyond imagining or reduce a kingdom to dust, all depending on the transaction, all depending on what you were willing to give, and now, in her moment of greatest need, she called out to him, her voice raw and desperate.
"Oh Mercyros, the Monolith of Trade and Commerce, I beg of you please descend down, I seek your help as a humble merchant, the world is cruel, help my town get rid of famine, get rid of hunger, OH MERCYROS!"
Alice stopped a distance away, her green eyes narrowing as she watched the girl's desperate display of faith, something flickered in her expression, curiosity perhaps, or maybe contempt, she could not quite decide which, but she found herself pausing, waiting, observing, because there was something about this moment that felt significant, something that transcended the mere desperation of a dying mortal.
"You dare to pray to another besides the one standing in front of you," Alice said, her voice cold and formal, carrying the weight of divine authority, "such insolence..."
She clenched her hand, and the girl felt a squeezing pressure around her being as if she was about be crushed by an unseen force in minutes, but she did not stop praying, she could not stop, because stopping meant accepting death, and she had never been able to accept anything without fighting first.
Suddenly the sky split open, a golden light descending from above like a blade cutting through the fabric of reality itself, the clouds parted, the storm stilled, and a figure emerged from the heart of that radiance, tall and majestic, his form composed of light and gold and something that seemed to transcend the very concept of physical existence.
He wore golden runes that gleamed with the brilliance of a thousand suns, and his eyes, his eyes were pools of molten gold that seemed to see everything, know everything, understand everything, he descended slowly, deliberately, his feet touching the wreckage of the ship with a gentleness that belied the power radiating from his being, and when he spoke, his voice carried the weight of ages, deep and resonant, echoing through the very air like a bell tolling across a great distance.
"You have called me, child," Mercyros said, his voice echoing through the crumbling space.
A voice resounded in the air.
[Event Synchronisation 75%]
The girl's eyes widened and she smiled, a broken desperate smile that held no joy, only the flicker of hope that had been denied her for so long, she crawled forward, her hands reaching out, her fingers brushing against the hem of his golden robe, and she felt a warmth spread through her body, a warmth that promised salvation and safety and everything she had ever wanted, she looked up at him, her tears mixing with the rain that still fell from the broken sky.
"Yes, Mercyros, please save me, please save my town, please save my remaining comrades!"
He extended his hand down toward her, his fingers long and elegant, each movement carrying the grace of divine purpose.
"Then are you willing to make a transaction?" he asked, his voice carrying no judgment, no emotion, only the cold logic of cosmic commerce.
She nodded frantically, her head bobbing up and down as she reached for his hand, her fingers wrapping around his, and she felt a surge of power flow through her, a connection to something vast and incomprehensible, something that existed beyond the boundaries of mortal understanding.
"Yes.... yes..." she repeated shakily, her voice breaking with each word.
"Offer me your name, your body, and your thread of fate," Mercyros intoned, his words carrying the weight of cosmic law, and she felt the contract forming, the agreement being sealed by forces that had existed outside physcal boundry.
Her eyes flared with frustration, but a dawning understanding crossed her features, that all things had a cost, that nothing came without sacrifice, and she remembered her father's words, spoken so long ago in a different life, "Everything has a price, child, everything, the question is not whether you can afford it, but whether you are willing to pay."
Alice observed her, thinking that if she was not brave enough to go through with the idea then she was nothing more than a lamb, and mortal lambs needed someone to guide them.
But as if to answer her thought. Something in the girl's expression changed, something hardened, something that resembled resolve that went beyond mere desperation, and even Alice found herself shocked by what happened next.
"Yes!" the girl screamed, her voice raw with emotion, "Mercyros, take everything from me, my heart, my soul, my will, I want my town to live for one more day!"
The tall figure with its golden aura looked down, and for a moment, something flickered in his expression, surprise perhaps, or maybe recognition, because he had seen many mortals make desperate bargains, but this one, this one was different, this one was willing to give everything, this one was willing to give up everything for the interest of her people. Holding nothing back, and that was rare, that was precious, that was the kind of faith that could reshape the world.
"Very well," Mercyros said, his voice carrying a note of genuine curiosity, "then show me the essence of human will and faith, I yearn to understand it, I long to comprehend what drives mortals to such desperate acts of trading their remaining dignity."
His hands enveloped her entire form in a cocoon of shimmering light, and she felt herself being taken apart, her memories, her hopes, her dreams, all of it being consumed by the golden radiance that surrounded her, she felt her name being stripped away, her identity dissolving, her very existence becoming nothing more than fuel for a transaction that would save her town for one more day.
She took out a Relic she had stolen from Shenzhou it was ring rumoured to be worth a lot of diamond marks, it had the capability to revive, people objects and entire concepts... It belonged to a monolith in a distant land that formed a contract with another one... She couldn't quite recall why but if that monolith was Mercyros... she could break the contract of a certain monolith and reverse the world's course...
But alas none of it matter as she entered the ring in her finger. Her selfish ambitions had led her this far, and her selfish ambitions had her entire soul ripped apart.
"Please," she whispered, her voice barely audible, "let them live."
[Event Synchronisation 95%]
For a moment she felt herself break in tears... This brave mortal led to such action, such blind devotion all in the name to serve her people in the best interest.
In a sense she mirrored him.
Looking down at his body she hugged herself, the edges of her lips curled upwards hinting at a smile. A coated in desire.
Suddenly piece by piece, the water lines broke in to cubes. Everything faded into a golden white haze.
Alice watched as the world started to fall and break apart, the rift collapsing as it reached its original conclusion, she sighed and closed her eyes, feeling Lucid falling through the void, his body drifting through the dissolving reality, she could feel his pain, his confusion, his desperate struggle to hold on to consciousness, and she found herself admiring him, despite everything, despite his stubborn refusal to accept her help, despite his determination to walk a path that would lead to his destruction.
He was pursuing a goal that seemed useless and impractical, trying to achieve something in Port Vexis that would probably never matter in the grand scheme of things, and yet he kept going, kept fighting, kept refusing to give up, and that, she realized, was what made him so extraordinary, that was what made him worthy of her attention, her affection.
But one day all creations would have to return to their former creators.
And Alice couldn't wait for that fated day... if it would arrive.
[Verifying, Event Synchronisation Integrity...]
[Event Synchronisation Complete]
The system voice announced in its monotonous tone, the words echoing through the empty space where the rift had been. Alice could see a white shadow materlise in the endless dusk as dark letters fell into place.
[Trial concluded]
[Objective: Alter the Event]
[Trial rank: C+]
[Performance: Miraculous]
[Vanquished foe: 325 Humans and 65 Vestiges]
[Duration: 4 hours]
[Reward: 84 million Fate Essence.]
[Ascension: Error... Cannot awaken nor ascend.]
[May your journey lead you toward enlightenment.]
She smiled.
But there was something more.
[The Chain of Heart] B >>> E
[The Pierced Spine] C >>> F
[The Silenced Throat] C >>> F
'This cursed Specter, it would seem even the Gods cant control it,' she said in a mocking tone.
***
Enlightened Title: The Divine Maiden
Name: Alice
Rank: Primordial
Fate Essence: ∞
Trait: [The Chain of Heart] ███▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒
Description: Lost in time and space... Error... Error... This message cannot be revealed further.
***
She focused further, her fingers danced along golden threads, pulling, tugging, twisting — until the form buckled and broke, warped beyond recognition, yet stubbornly refused to vanish entirely. As a result it made the white cloud swirl even further.
***
[ Cummonion: ███21.48▒▒▒23▒▒▒▒88%▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒ ]
***
'interesting... he is about 21% devoted to me...'
'How disappointing.... Love is not enough....' She tilted her head in amusement.
Suddenly she winced not feeling quite alright, his body was involuntarily stirring rejecting the very idea.
Sensing something was wrong she leaned forward to the white shadow, she tapped at the Specter.
"Soon... I just need his complete devotion..."
Suddenly it vanished after it rippled, something was wrong with her Specter she didn't understand why. There were categories that were missing vital information that were missing.
Suddenly she felt drowsy.
'Oh... looks like my time is up...'
And with that darkness consumed her and him as well.