Stella sat, her head hanging low as she rested her arms on her knees. The sun had begun to peer through the few openings in the warehouse walls, casting faint beams of light into the dim space.
She had not slept for a second, and neither had most of the people that had entered the warehouse the previous night.
Only two people managed to get any rest and even then, it wasn’t voluntary.
Caleb, who was dragged in by the furious duo that were Anna and Alex, passed out during their trek to the warehouse. He might’ve passed out due to exhaustion from his fight with Eric or he could’ve passed out from having part of his leg severed. The most likely scenario is that it was a combination of both.
Lydia, on the other hand, had collapsed mid interrogation. She and Stella were taking turns leading the questioning, with occasional interruptions from the others that were present, when, without warning, Lydia suddenly passed out.
There wasn’t a warning of any sort. One moment, she was standing in front of the three captives, mid-question, and the next, she collapsed to the floor.
The others quickly retrieved her, examining her. Through their amateur and uneducated examination, they concluded that she was only sleeping, a deep sleep but sleep none the less.
Having confirmed Lydia’s wellbeing, they began to ask even more questions of the three people that were tied up. But it didn’t take an expert to see that they were as surprised as everybody else by Lydia's sudden collapse.
Stella lifted her face, fixing her gaze on the three for a second and then quickly shifting it toward the still unconscious Caleb.
Her gaze wasn’t just piercing—it was dangerous. After a night of relentless interrogation, the three had not uttered a word that could help figure out why they did what they did. This made Stella’s attitude turn from a desperate one into a dangerous one.
As she stood there, memories from her childhood began to crawl to the surface. She and Eric being taught things that their parents deemed necessary for survival.
She rubbed her thigh, tracing the scars that she knew were there, just underneath the fabric of her jeans. Every scar was placed with precision, carefully hidden in spots that would never raise questions from others.
“You might as well serve a purpose,” she muttered, her voice carrying a weight that had been buried for years.
She began to remember what they did and how they did it. She sifted through her memories, searching for one that was within the realm of her possibilities, considering her current resources and situation.
Stella had refused the very idea of torture when Connor suggested it. She said it was because it was ineffective. She said that not only to Connor, but to herself as well.
It wasn’t like she was lying; torture had proven to be ineffective. More often than not, the captive would just say whatever they thought would get the pain to stop, whether it was true or not.
But now, with fatigue clouding her judgment and frustration boiling within her, that logic seemed distant. She began to explain away the reasons not to do it, and began to amplify the reasons she should do it.
“I just need one of them to speak,” she muttered, her voice tired and tinged with her desperation. “Just a little a push.”
Stella stood, her gaze firm but murky as flame began to gather in her palm. Normally, she wouldn’t feel any of the flame’s heat, but this time she did. The warmth that she felt was quickly becoming a dangerous heat that would burn not only her target but her as well. Still, she didn’t care. She needed answers.
Before she could take a single step toward the three captives, a sudden force yanked her back, stopping her advance before it even began. A small amount of relief washed over her.
Naturally she thought it was Marcus. She considered that if anyone had caught on to the turmoil that had been going through her head, it would have been him, and she was right but only partially.
Marcus had noticed the whirlwind of emotions that Stella had been going through, but he reacted one step too late.
As Stella turned to face the one who had stopped her, she saw Marcus standing with Connor beside him, his hand still tightly gripping her arm. Though tired, Connor’s eyes bore into hers with a silent warning, while Marcus’ expression was full of concern.
“Don’t,” Connor said firmly, his voice conveying a deeper meaning. “That’s what I’m here for,” he added, his eyes full of reluctance but determination to do what was needed. He gently pulled Stella back as he advanced toward the three.
The three met eyes with Connor, who was now only eyeing them. Their conviction remained as unwavering as it had during the entire night. They hadn’t flinched, even as the weight of their situation pressed down on them. Whatever Connor planned to do, it seemed unlikely to change their resolve.
“Stop,” Lydia said amidst grunts as she slowly awoke, her head pounding. “I have answers,” she added as she winced from the pain she was feeling.
All eyes turned to Lydia. The sun’s rays had entered through the high windows and were hitting her and only her. There was a golden glimmer within the sunshine that was hitting her, making her appear otherworldly, as though she were something more than human in that moment.
Lydia clutched her head with both hands, exerting as much force as she could, as if trying to keep her skull from splitting apart. After a moment of her just grunting and applying even greater force against her head, she opened her eyes.
What greeted everyone were no longer her piercing brown eyes, but ones the shone with an ethereal gold. Her eyes were only visible for a second, because as soon as she opened them, she quickly pressed the palms of her hands against them.
“Agghh!” she groaned in pain. She quickly began to massage her eyes thoroughly and after a while, cautiously reopened them. As her sight came back to her, what greeted her were multiple gazes full of curiosity, staring at her intently.
The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.
With a heavy sigh, Lydia knew she had a lot of explaining to do. But just as she prepared to speak, a barrage of system windows flooded her vision, intensifying her headache.
You have unlocked a new class!
Class changed!
You have acquired the skill: Eyes of gold level MAX.
Congratulations! You are one of the first to change your class on your planet. You have earned the title: Lead by Example.
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“So, none of this was their doing,” Stella said, her frustration boiling over. “Three people died! You can’t just say it wasn’t their fault. It’s somebody’s fault!” she exclaimed, emphasizing each word as anger was added to the mix of emotions.
Lydia had a somber expression. “Not all of them, just him,” she said, pointing at the still unconscious Caleb. “That book was influencing him. It wasn’t supposed to, but it did.” The way she spoke had changed, she now spoke like a doctor delivering bad news, with care and understanding. It was a sharp contrast to her usual manner of speech which was direct and to the point.
All four friends frowned, the weight of Lydia’s words hanging in the air, each wanting to voice their thoughts. But Anna was the first to break the silence.
“Where does Eric fit into all this?” Anna asked, forcing herself to sound calm, though her trembling hands betrayed her. “Why would the book influence him,” she gestured to Caleb, “to do whatever it is that he did to Eric?”
“That,” Lydia began, her expression a bit pained, “was intentional. It was part of the original function—”
Before she could finish, Anna swung her sword, which had recovered a great deal since last night and brought it to Lydia’s neck. The edge stopped just short of piercing Lydia’s neck, drawing a thin line of blood. The speed of her movement had caught everyone off guard, even Anna herself. She had not wanted to harm Lydia, but she wouldn’t back away now.
“Anna, wait—” Connor started, but Stella stepped forward, her eyes locked on Lydia.
Stella, completely ignoring the fact that Anna had harmed Lydia, almost forgetting the weeks they had worked together, stood firmly before Lydia, her gaze unwavering.
“What do you mean it was intentional?” she said, her voice now firm, having found the strength and resolve to continue. “Was everything that happened just to get rid of Eric?” Stella asked as she began to think clearly once more. “So, the three dead people were just casualties that weren’t accounted for? Why? And more importantly, by who?”
Inside Lydia’s head, something broke. Before her stood someone she could not deny. Stella didn’t speak in an authoritative manner or anything remotely similar, but Lydia couldn’t ignore her presence.
She reminded her of Eric when he gave his speech, a force that commanded attention without raising her voice. Not even Connor could help her; he, too, seemed ensnared by the air surrounding Stella.
Connection with God of Abundance has been severed.
The skill: Eyes of gold, has degraded. Now, Eyes of gold level 1.
Lydia shook her head, almost as if she had been in a dream just now. She had been aware the entire time, but it was almost like something had been overlayed on top of who she was. It wasn’t forceful and she even remembered that she had accepted knowing what would happen. But now, that layer had vanished.
Somewhere far away, in a field full of golden flowers, a young woman winced, a little girl frowned, and an old, hunched lady smiled curiously.
“What did you do?!” Lydia asked, exasperated. “What did you do?!”
“I asked first,” Stella replied, her expression unchanged. “Who?”
Lydia felt compelled to answer by Stella’s casual tone. “G-Gods,” she answered, with a stutter.
Marcus, completely unaffected by Stella, asked the question that was now on everyone’s mind. “What do gods have to do with anything?”
Lydia, feeling her exasperation fade, recognized that her frustration was more because of her disorientation than from any severed connection with the god she had chosen to aid. She took a step back, rubbed her neck where she was bleeding, and began speaking again, her tone much calmer now.
“Eric kept them away somehow. I think his very presence made it impossible for them to enter into Solace, and they had some interests here,” she explained, wiping the blood from her neck. Her golden gaze was dimmer, but it regained its piercing intensity.
“That doesn’t make sense,” Alex interjected, brow furrowed in confusion. “A god came and took Eric’s eye. How was he keeping them away?”
“It wasn’t really a Q&A, so forgive me if I didn’t get all the details,” Lydia replied. “What I do know is that Eric is alive. The gods behind this are mostly aligned with life—at least, that’s what I understood.”
“Again, who?” Stella said, pressing the issue.
“She called herself the God of Abundance.”
“So, the gods wanted to enter Solace because they had interests here, one of them being you, I’m guessing,” Stella said, pointing at Lydia. “But you said that a voice guided you here, right? Assuming it’s the same one, why wouldn’t they have stopped you from coming here in the first place? Did they not know that Eric would stop them? Or—”
“They wanted the protection that this place offered,” Alex interjected, continuing Stella’s train of thought. “If we take what they told Lydia at face value, they had no reason to stop them from coming here, they probably encouraged it.”
“Does Eric stop all gods or just some? What about their influences?” Anna asked, pointing at the book still strapped to Caleb’s side. “That was created by them, right? And I don’t remember seeing him with it when we met the first time.”
“Oh, someone from the city brought it,” Lydia said, quickly providing an answer. “I don’t think it matters who, though. Their job was only to get it inside, and it would eventually end up in the right hands, which were Caleb’s.”
“That means that they have other interests here other than Lydia,” Alex said, putting the sequence of events together. “And they knew they would come here. Why else would they create the book in the first place, unless there are similar places?” he asked, turning to Lydia who only shrugged in response.
“Then what about them,” Marcus asked, pointing at the three bound captives. “Did the book influence them?”
Lydia shook her head. “No, I don’t think so. They’re just fanatics.”
Stella furrowed her brow. “Then what was that whole thing about the future and saving world?”
“Incomplete prophecies,” Lydia replied, she had been expecting the question for some time and would have brought it up herself eventually. “It has something to do, with planning around Eric, since they couldn’t even see him in their visions. That’s why the corrupting force was so easy to integrate. Whoever messed with the book, filled the gaps with things that could drive the owner mad.”
“Wait, then that means it was definitely meant for Eric and only him,” Alex said, as realization dawned, seeming to have completed the puzzle. “Why else would the prophecies focus only on those around him?”
“I thought that was established,” Marcus said, confused at Alex’s words.
“Forget what I said,” Alex answered, shaking his head as if to dismiss his own thoughts. “I was just answering my own question about there being other similar places.”
“That’s not the only thing,” Anna interjected, rubbing her arm, trying to settle her racing thoughts. “Why the prophecies at all?”
“What do you mean?” Lydia asked.
“They only needed to remove Eric, so why the prophecies?” Anna asked, pressing the issue, the intensity in her voice increasing.
“Yes, why?” Stella added, her eyes narrowing. “Especially when he is involved in a lot of them, at least by association. His family and us.”
“To convince the user” one of the captives interjected, his voice shaky but filled with conviction. The certainty with which he carried himself began to falter as the conversation continued.
They all turned to him. Alex speaking first. “Doesn’t make sense, how would incomplete prophecies convince them to cooperate?”
“Because—” The captive said, but another voice interrupted him.
“Because if Eric is missing, it kind of seems like all the victories only happen because he isn’t there.” Caleb said, his voice barely above a whisper. His entire being was too exhausted to even sit up from where he was.
Alex rushed over only to find that Caleb had once more passed out, his contribution to the conversation seemingly being too much for him to handle.
“Caleb!” Alex shouted, trying to shake him awake as he knelt beside him. Then, he was interrupted as banging came from the door, followed by screaming.