Chapter 8 – Goddess
"This is dangerous!" One of the hooded men bellowed at Océane, who stood in front of the Fractured Land's portal looking at them with determined eyes.
"And you think I'm not aware?" She grated, eyebrows knitted tightly together.
She couldn't make out their faces, the inside of their hoods looked as if shadows were partaking in some ceremonial dance, hiding everything within.
Océane pursed her lips and took a fighting stance.
"Don't stop us." The voice was male, coming from the one standing ahead of the other two. "We were ordered by Lady Morgan to look after the Young Master inside this Fractured Land. I don't need to tell you what happens if even a scratch is found on his face."
"No need." Océane said. "I know the Desdemona's habits well."
"Then—!"
"But I can't do anything about it." She shook her head. "Your Heiress ordered you to help my Heir. But my Heir ordered me to let no one inside."
She smiled thinly, without humour. "Do I need to tell you where my loyalty and obedience lie?"
"What if he gets hurt, then?" He pressed, voice cold, the shadows around him deepening sharply. "Or even, what if he d—!"
"Watch your tongue, servant of shadows." Océane warned, eyes narrowing. "Speaking of a Desdemona's demise, regardless of the circumstance, is punishable by death with your bloodline eradicated alongside you."
She cocked her head to the side, her eyes as cold as death itself.
"Do I need to remind you of the integrity of the Desdemona's rules?"
The other two flinched at her tone. The man knew he had overstepped, feeling his heart quicken with the realisation. He gritted his teeth beneath his hood, unable to decide what to do.
Either way, he was doomed.
Enter by force and hurt the Youngest Heir's maid — he would die. The Youngest Heir gets hurt or worse — he would go through something far worse than death.
'Gods below… why make it so difficult?' He cursed inwardly, but neither spoke nor moved.
Océane watched with quiet relief. It was short-lived though. Now it was her turn to weigh her own life.
'I hear, I obey. Yes, that's what I was taught since I was young in that Vorn-cursed place. But I don't like this, Young Master.'
She frowned, thinking of his safety.
'Come back alive.'
If not, Desde City would be smeared in blood and swallowed by shadows worthy of Vorn's most wicked pleasure.
…
Cassius looked around him, taking in the landscape encasing him on all sides.
He stood on a black raft, the splashing of water trickling into his ears peacefully, a comfortable breeze brushing against his skin.
As far as his eyes could reach, nothing existed but an immaculate expanse of clear water. So clear he could see the grass underneath it, ruffling gently with each wave.
But he could also see something else.
Fishes.
Not ordinary fishes. These were circular and looked like wrinkled human brains, one eye sitting at the centre of their backs. Their mouths were sewn tightly shut.
The sight was disturbing. Cassius reined everything inside of him to keep from throwing up, or making a single movement.
He must not move.
These fishes, from his knowledge of the game, detected intruders through soundwaves and disturbances in the water.
'And these are not ordinary fishes.' Cassius thought, eyes fixed on the ugly creatures.
[Brain Fish Voids.]
That was their name. A Mind Eater type monster — called Voids — that fed on the memories of those they came into contact with.
Cassius had always found Voids the most annoying type of monster to deal with, compared to the Flesh Eater type — Ravagers — or even the Emotion Eater type — Wraiths.
The power of these particular fishes might be limited at Tier Six, but it was more than enough to cripple Cassius completely given how weak he currently was.
'But I am not here to fight.' He mused, steadying his heart, eyes moving to the System notifications.
[Condition of Success: Fish three Brain Fish Voids without having any memories stolen.]
[Rewards: Random Knowledge, Mind Barrier (Artifact — Tier 7).]
'Random Knowledge…' His attention fixed on that. He remembered how in the game, Isolde had managed to obtain a deeply life-changing piece of knowledge through this very Fractured Land, something she had confessed to Emrys much later in a moment of weakness.
A knowledge that had taught her the Offering Ritual of the Goddess tied to this place.
'But it was useless to her.' Cassius thought. 'The Goddess refused Isolde's offering, finding her inadequate.'
What about him?
'Probably the same.' He chuckled inwardly. 'But unlike Isolde, I have things — or rather, I know things — the Goddess will actually want.'
He grinned and began going over the offering ritual step by step from memory.
'I only have 2 Essence. Meaning only one try.'
This was madness. But it needed to work. Because the moment he attempted this, even turning to stone wouldn't stop the Brain Fish Voids from swarming him and feasting on his memories.
He exhaled slowly and took out from his space ring the materials he had requested.
Rat brain. His own blood. A needle and thread — the needle and thread being a Tier Seven artifact.
Which was scarce. Artifacts were mainly obtained by killing monsters and clearing Fractured Lands. Few could create them outright.
'Okay. Focus!'
He shouted inwardly, his heart beating so fast his chest was visibly trembling. For a brief moment he feared the monsters would hear it and attack.
So he moved carefully, placing the three components on the raft in a triangular formation. He linked all three with the thread.
He knelt in front of it, held the thread in his right hand, took one more breath, cleared his mind, and pushed his Essence outward.
His hand glowed a faint blood-red before the colour spread, dangerously slowly, through the thread.
He clenched his jaw.
His Essence dropped from 2 to 0 in an instant, and a sudden wave of exhaustion gripped his entire being.
'Bloody hell, now!' He hadn't expected the drain to hit this hard.
The threads glowed. Then all three materials with them. A blinding light erupted alongside a cloud of threads, swallowing everything in front of him. The threads churned and danced, shifting from one shape to the next without rest.
Hurriedly, Cassius parted his dry lips, face drenched in sweat.
"I, Cassius Desdemona, humbly request to meet [The Lady Who Reads The End] in exchange for my offering."
The world shook on all sides. The water erupted skyward, spraying everywhere, the Brain Fishes screaming through their sewn mouths, eyes fixed murderously on Cassius.
He didn't mind them. He couldn't anyway, too busy forcing his mouth open one more time.
He barely managed.
"In addition to these…" he lifted his head toward the sky, feeling a piercing gaze settle on him from above. "I offer Three Knowledges."
He raised three trembling fingers, forcing a smile out of his pale face.
"Knowledges you will find nowhere else in this world. That I promise with my Bloodline as wager, O You who know the secrets whispered in every heart."
The world halted. Even his breathing stopped, the air itself seemed to refuse his lungs.
Cassius's eyes bulged. He clutched his chest, an intense, piercing pain stabbing through him, tears running freely down his face.
He opened his mouth soundlessly, trying to draw air in. Nothing worked. Only groans escaped.
It felt like the world itself was rejecting him.
Slowly, shadows began to cloud his vision, darkening everything.
'Oh, c-curse…'
His consciousness began to slip.
And yet at that moment…
[Hidden Condition completed.]
[The Lady Who Reads The End watches your pitiful state.]
[The Lady Who Reads The End feels the truthfulness behind your arrogant words.]
A brief, tense pause. Then…
[The Lady Who Reads The End accepts your request.]
—End of Chapter 8—