The thought churned relentlessly in Emma’s mind. Does this mean a deity is sealed here, just like I was in Frost Fall? A strange unease settled in her chest as she tried to piece together the implications. If a god was asking for her help—offering everything in return, even an eye—what could it mean? Was it a gesture of trustworthiness or the bait of a carefully laid trap?

Her eyes flickered toward the distant carvings, her fingers lightly brushing the cold stone beneath her. If it was a trap, wouldn’t I already be dead? Her train of thought was abruptly cut off as Maverick’s voice broke through the silence.

“Awake already?,” he said, his tone almost identical to what it had been in the previous loop.

Emma’s head tilted slightly as she turned to look at him, watching as he moved with purposeful strides toward the magical lamp he had left nearby. Questions burned within her, demanding to be voiced. She didn’t hold back.

“Maverick,” she said, her voice firm yet composed. “Would you spare a moment with me? I’d like to ask you a few questions.”

Maverick, however, didn’t stop. “No time,” he replied curtly, dropping the lamp and preparing to move forward.

A faint smile touched Emma’s lips. “If you keep going,” she said evenly, “you’ll die.”

The boy froze—not out of fear but her previous word when she called his name. Slowly, he turned to face her, his expression unreadable as always, though there was a subtle edge of curiosity in his gaze.

“How do you know my name?” he asked, his tone flat yet carrying the weight of suspicion.

Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

Emma remained seated, crossing her legs gracefully on the stone floor as if she were a noblewoman commanding the room. She gestured to the ground beside her. “Would you like to know?” she asked, the question laced with calm confidence. “Sit down.”

Maverick’s eyes narrowed, his sharp gaze evaluating her as if trying to discern her intentions. After a moment, he relented, walking over to sit a cautious distance away. “What are your questions?”

A hint of pride flickered in Emma’s eyes, though she hid it well. Finally, she thought, I’ve managed to tame this wild birdbrain.

Her first question came without hesitation. “Do you know anything about the gods of your clan?”

Maverick glanced at her briefly, then turned his gaze away, staring into the flickering light of the magical lamp. “There are two gods of my clan,” he began, his voice steady but detached. “Akanos, the God of Nightmares. He is one of the Destruction Gods.”

The name struck Emma like a lightning bolt. Her mind churned as she processed his words. Akanos... the God of Nightmares... a Destruction God. The term carried a weight of dread, conjuring images of chaos and ruin. The mention of Destruction Gods brought her thoughts back to the Deformation Period—a time of cataclysmic between the gods and otherworldly beings that tore through the world.

But Maverick wasn’t finished.

“And Erilania,” he continued, his tone softening slightly, as if her name carried a different kind of reverence. “The Goddess of Fate.”

Emma’s breath hitched. Erilania. Recognition sparked in her mind, a faint glimmer of familiarity she hadn’t fully grasped until now. The loop, Looping Fate, She's the one asking for help.

The pieces fell into place with a sickening clarity.

Her thoughts spiraled. She’s the one sealed here. The carvings, the loops, the spinning eye—it’s all connected.

Her voice dropped to a whisper, more to herself than to Maverick. “She’s here. She’s the one sealed in this dungeon.”

Her chest tightened as the realization solidified. A creation god—a being of immense power—was trapped here, reaching out for aid. And that god was none other than Erilania, the Goddess of Fate.

Emma’s thoughts swirled in a chaotic storm. For the first time in this dungeon, she wasn’t just confronting its trials or fighting for survival. She was standing on the precipice of something far greater.

A god was waiting.

And the choice of what to do next was hers alone.