I decided that Dongung will learn the truth, it should be primarily beneficial but I also have a condition. My limited perception is quite tiring and since this thing has control over the monotone voice that gives me my skills, I desire... Eyes. I tell this to Dongung and Untou.

Dongung: "It said it's fine as long as one of us learns the 'truth of our form'.... Listen, sweetie, whatever you do out there, make sure you're the best version of you."

Untou: "Ma, let me learn the truth with you. Everyone is talking about this like you're gonna die... It's just getting some info"

Dongung: "Yes, just some information. But only I should know, you know that don't you?"

My intuition tells me that learning the truth isn't something as simple as that but we need to make a decision and this hurries us along. I want extra insurance however, this 'Admin' seems like one to trick and beguile with its words. I want my eyes now, or no-one is learning the truth and I will silence their minds so that they would not be able to make their own decisions. I relay this to Dongung and I could feel a tinge of fear cross her as she speaks to the 'Admin'. The next moment, I could feel each flower head in my Posy grew a single eyeball allowing me to see further from all angles and when my many eyes blink, I am back in the box with a feeling that Dongung has left the Posy for I cannot hear her thoughts any longer.

Untou: "Mama?"

"Major Passive Skill: Many Eyes has been gained"

That sounded surprisingly feeble for being a thought, most of their thoughts until now have been decidedly neutral sounding. Nevertheless, I felt rather... Off after I gained this skill. Perhaps because it's my first Major skill? It feels as though my vision had increased... No that's too undescriptive, it feels like I could peek beyond the veil of this reality for just a few moments at a time. A chaotic swirl of strange buildings and creatures who've, now that I notice them, they notice me. It was very odd, 'odd' is the best way I could describe this feeling since the switch between seeing this alternate reality was involuntary and distractingly frequent.

Untou: "What... is going on? Where's mama?"

I suppose we will have to search, the question still remains of how we're getting out of this box. Suddenly, my many eyes saw the walls of the box split from themselves and fall to the floor. There was no warning or indication that it would happen, it simply did, is this the power of that 'Admin'? Nevertheless, we are free and I get to see the room in its fullest. It was a large white room with padded walls and steel plated floors, a long limping machine hanged above me with some sort of dim green light emitting from the tip. Simply looking at the light made me feel vulnerable so I averted my gaze, the room was scattered with dead bodies, some in armor and some in lab coats but besides that, it was rather featureless with only a door and a long glass window pointed horizontally beside it.

I made haste, making note of the bodies beside me and their strange injuries. My vision flickered briefly to that alternate reality where I can see the dead bodies were turned into long dark figures hanging limply from the ropes bound from their necks to the ceiling. It was a jarring sight and I could feel Untou become nervous, I too became rather unnerved as despite their dead appearance, I could feel the gaze of those hanged creatures upon me. My vision shifted back to the lab and I approached the door with haste, breaking it off its hinges being surprisingly weak compared to the other door I tried, was this also due to that 'Admin'? Possibly, ether way, I went inside and found a sort of observation room. There were computers on top desks and terminals below or beside them, a monitor displaying various stats and numbers that I hadn't the ability to understand but I knew the subject was about me. It seemed almost as if my mind refused to acknowledge these numbers no matter how hard I tried to read them so I decided to ignore these for now. In front of the desk slumped on their chairs were two other dead bodies, looking back on it, something strange happened to these people. There is no blood or sign of struggle, it's like they simply died where they sat. I recall back and think it was similar to Tyler's death. Despite similarities, it was off putting to see the aftermath in front of me.

This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

I looked around and decided to go into the ventilation above the computers. I comfortably plant my roots into the ceiling soil and go through the path as I heard voices that sounded like Victor and Stephany echoing through the walls. Through Untou's messy thoughts, he relayed to me that they seemed to be moving in the same direction as we were. Victor spoke with a serious calm while Stephany sounded nervous.

Stephany: "Damnit! What in the world is an Apostle doing in this facility!? I thought they were nothing more than a children's tale!?"

Victor: "They've released all the stage 5 monsters from containment. It won't be long until they reach the stage 4 containment area."

Stephany: "Damn already!?"

Suddenly I heard a loud booming sound along with a crash followed Stephany's scream. I found a steel gate to see what occurred under me and I looked into the hallway below. I couldn't see Victor and Stephany from my angle but I could see that the wall was broken down smoke briefly covering the monster that breached the walls. My vision shifted again before the smoke revealed its form, now I simply saw a round sphere with a face made of gray stone, a smiling face carved into its rock as it floated inches from the ground. My vision remained this way for a while, as the sphere-like monster approached whatever forms Stephaney and Victor took in this reality. I saw a bolt of fire flicker through the air and plunge itself into the sphere. Calling it a 'bolt of fire' would be somewhat incorrect, it was more like a ray of moonlight in this reality. A hole by the ray was visible through the sphere and it's face frowned as it burst into radiant light disappearing before my eyes.

I couldn't understand what was going on anymore, reality was shifting too frequently for me to keep my thoughts coherent. The vent around me in this reality was made of a black and gray rock with shallow holes within the walls and floor. The gate was made of the same material but it was illuminated slightly, the same illumination that came from the ray that killed the sphere. Luckily, my other senses remained the same as I heard Victor and Stephaney once again.

Victor: "Apostle spawn eliminated"

Stephany: "Good shot, you didn't tell me you could use magic!?" Her voice echoed with surprise and relief

Victor: "I was close to being an Arbiter in elemental magic before I worked for you."

Stephany: "Alright, I'll be counting on you then! We need to lock down stage 4 containment before this 'Apostle' causes any more damage."

I continue down the vent as they continued forward, my vision flickering back to normalcy as I do. I got to briefly look at their appearances before they rushed past. Stephany had red hair, round glasses, and a moderately slender figure. She also had a handgun held in her hands with a finger near the trigger. She looked rather mobile and quick on her feet while Victor seemed to be the opposite. He had a large frame and a weathered face, his arms were bulky yet moved with an unnatural swiftness. He had an odd stick in his hand which I couldn't quite look at clearly as he was out my sights before I could look at it any longer. Both wore white lab coats but I could see padded armor fit underneath Victor's coat. I went forward trying my best to stick in their direction, they seemed to know a lot more about the situation than I did and could possibly lead me to an exit.

Victor: "Shouldn't we call the Moonshield department? They would know how to deal with an Apostle."

Stephany: "Afternoon activities shut down in the station an hour ago, it'll be a miracle if we still had any still on site. We just gotta do what we can to mitigate damage and get out of here to call the monster extermination team. The extraction team were called earlier for a lesser breach so hopefully they'll buy us some time."

I could hear their footsteps move further away from where the vent allowed me to traverse and as such, I was forced to drop through a nearby gate to continue tailing them.