Eva sat, silently staring at the crackling fire. The sun was going to set soon, and with it, she would have to put out the fire. She scooted closer, its warmth was all she had. Outside of Carmen, and maybe Milo.
'No, I don't think Milo is trustworthy... Everything is off about him. Why did Nether pick him, of all people?'
Nether, this elusive daemon she hadn't even seen the true form of. He had plans to break Fate, or to combat against it at the very least. How was he supposed to do that? Destiny was a weaker force then Fate after all. Cassie had shown that in the Forgotten Shore, her choices didn't change Fate.
Well, just involve an outside force from a higher dimension. Which meant pulling two people from Earth and dropping them into this demented version. Now, why did Nether choose these two people?
He wouldn't tell them, but that blasted fool took two amateurs who didn't even finish catching up with the novel! What were they supposed to do? Eva had barely even gotten to the beginning of the eight volume, and Carmen reached the beginning of the tenth.
Eva only had access to that information however, the actual talented Carmen with the genius and passion was long dead. Somewhere out there he died in the vast expanse of the Dream Realm accomplishing his set of assignments.
One of those assignments was to create care packages around the Forgotten Shore for Eva to pick up. Only one was really necessary, the rest could be abandoned if necessary, but no way was Eva abandoning those valuable care packages.
Soul shards, Memories of convenience, supplies, tech that worked in the Dream Realm.
"Most importantly, the one carrying the Aspect."
Eva summoned the Proof of Cooperation and pressed a button on the side. The small lapel pin changed and expanded into a small circle the size of her palm. A screen appeared, multiple options laid out to choose. Eva used a scroll wheel to go through each one, eventually choosing the Forgotten Shores.
What was then laid out was a collection of everything Carmen had planted, all the knowledge he had archived. Monster databases, maps of both the Dark City, Bright Castle, and the Labyrinth. Most importantly, the locations of said care packages. Each one marked with a red dot on the green display.
Eva looked up from the map, the sun was setting. She grabbed the pieces of meat she left to cook and took a bite. Milo had passed out soon after Eva had her breakdown, which saved her a lot of trouble. Considering he was in pretty bad shape, he probably needed it.
She just laid the piece of meat next to him on a small piece of seaweed. After that, she put out the fire... what was her name back home? Nether had stolen it from her, or maybe she just truly forgot after being called Eva. Her memories were disappearing, her flaw was taking its toll.
She had to hurry up and accomplish her goal, if she was lucky she would go home. For her goal, she needed Milo to change his Aspect. Yet he refused to, why? She knew for a fact his Aspect wasn't divine.
She needed to convince him, or force him... this guy didn't even really care for himself. If he wasn't lying, then he wouldn't hold anger or hate against her, or rather he couldn't.
Then why did he deny the offer? Why was he making things so difficult for her?
Eva let out a sigh. She needed to gather her head, she couldn't lose her cool again.
'Get the care packages, get Milo to evolve his Aspect, break Fate, then get the hell out of here.'
Eva looked over the Forgotten Shores. She needed to keep her wits about her. She was real, she existed in reality, all of this was fiction. She was above this, She had to get out, no matter the cost. She would sacrifice anyone, everyone, even Eva herself. After all she was not Eva, Eva was not her name, this wasn't even her body. Just the body of some Outskirts girl who was supposed to die after being infected by the Nightmare Spell.
Eva took a bite out of her piece of meat. As soon as she was finished, she would wake up this weird doll of a person and tell him it would be his watch shift.
***
Milo was shook awake.
"I left some meat for you, keep watch for about 3 hours will ya? I'm exhausted."
Eva backed away and laid down. Quickly falling asleep. Milo stretched his arms in the air and sat up. He grabbed the piece of meat in front of him and quickly ate it. It wasn't the best, but it had a unique taste to it.
Milo looked at his new found idea generator, Milo wondered what she was thinking. She was trapped in a world that wasn't hers, and she didn't like it one bit. It was fascinating, he was going to take advantage of this as a Forger for sure!
Well, as soon as she woke up. At least, it was important that he got stories and details down to a tea, which he could only get if she was fully rested.
***
The next few weeks were slow. For Milo at least, he was being dragged around. Eva had said that it worked out well either way because he needed time for his leg to heal, which was very much true.
She went around collecting different care packages while killing these weird crab creatures, apparently they're called Carapace Scavengers.
She also didn't share what she got from the care packages, except for a nice set of armor.
Memory: [Metal Shell]
Memory Rank [Awakened]
Memory Tier: I
Memory Type: Armor
Memory Description: [A shell created for a certain candidate by an elusive figure]
Enchantments: [Sealed] [Unsealed]
[Sealed] Enchantment Description: [Reina]
[Unsealed] Enchantment Description: [Eva]
Milo thought the enchantment descriptions were strange, when he questioned it, Eva just said it was to show who it belonged too. When he asked who Reina was, Eva didn't seem to know.
The armor itself reminded Milo of the exo-suits worn by the military, bulky and all encompassing suits of metal. It took on a scratched grey texture like it had seen combat before, and some parts stook out like pockets meant to hold something and a black visor.
Milo and Eva continued through the sea of coral. At this point, Milo was completely in fighting shape.
He was interested to fight one of these Carapace Scavengers. He could take their some of their shells or pincers and make some mundane weapons out of them. Milo was so caught up in his thoughts he failed to notice the heavy skittering happening to his right.
Eva quickly shoved Milo out the way as a pincer came crashing down between the two.
"Goddammit Milo, I need you alive!" Eva shouted in frustration
"My bad." Milo responded. His prosthetic shifted into a keen blade. Meanwhile, Eva had gotten some new weapons from the care package, yet she still insisted on using that weighty stone sword and shield for some reason.
Milo pressed forward, from what he was told, Carapace Scavengers had three weaknesses. The joints, the space where their torso and carapace met, and the back near their eyes. The first two were non-lethal but heavily damaging or reduced mobility, the last one was a kill shot.
Milo would open the path for Eva to get the finishing blow. He immediately tried to slice at one of the exposed joints in its leg. His path was intercepted by its pincer, not only did it smack away the blade, but it nearly made Milo fly into the air as he stumbled back.
'Ah, I got cocky.'
Milo didn't mind that fact too much, there was nothing wrong with confidence after all. His Innate Ability said so. With this reassurance in mind, he quickly charged in again, blocking the sharp end of a pincer and jumping on top of the pincer.
Milo ran up the arm, screw clearing the way for Eva, he wanted to kill this thing himself. Milo struggled to get steady footing on its back as the Carapace Scavenger tried to shake him off. That was until the right side fell down. Eva had managed to do something.
Milo didn't miss the opportunity to find the weakness
'Back of the eyes, discolored cavity, between several armor plates.'
Milo found the spot and quickly thrust his blade in. For good measure, he turned his prosthetic into a makeshift woodchipper within the Scavengers head.
The Scavenger began to collapse, and Milo jumped off the things back a safe distance away.
[You have slain an Awakened Beast, Carapace Scavenger]
Milo dismissed his prosthetic, then summoned it back again, all the azure blood that was on it was now gone.
Eva was cutting into the Carapace Scavenger for the soul shard, while also slicing off strips of meat. Milo helped in the process, and while he did, Eva asked him.
"Can you pay attention to your surroundings? I know you probably can't feel cautious or nervous, but at the very least being aware is a positive thing right?"
Milo cracked off a piece of the chitin and knocked on it lightly. "I guess you're right. I just get lost in thought thinking about what I can create you know."
Eva stared at him. "You've asked me about what it was like back in my world right?"
"I have." Milo responded, smoothing out a piece of the chitin and fitting it on his shoulder to see if it would work.
"What did I tell you?" Eva reached the Soul Shard, tossing it to Milo. She had mentioned part of the care packages were a ton of soul shards to strengthen herself.
Milo caught the soul shard in his prosthetic and crushed it
[Your soul tempers]
. "About your world, how its not too far in the past. Exact same continents and countries. No mind breaking technology, that wasn't nice to hear. That's about everything important you told me."
Eva looked at Milo, then she nodded. "Good, at least you remember it. Tell me more about it later."
"Alright." Milo found the little exchange strange, but maybe she just didn't want to repeat herself. The two were moving at a faster pace after all. Her world sounded peaceful, there was no taken over North America or nuked Europe. Apparently Eva lived far away from any life threatening issues. Her dream was to become a software engineer.
Milo pondered the idea, it didn't seem half bad, he had always been more interested in forging after all. Even since when he was a kid. It was one of the reasons he was so excited when he got the Nightmare Spell.
That's how it was right? He could hardly remember the emotions tied to it. He hadn't felt them in months after all.
The two reached the destination of a towering statue depicting a knight with a sword. Eva grabbed yet another care package, this time she actually shared some of the contents! What a nice young lady.
Milo was given multiple soul shards, and after he had consumed all of them he checked his soul fragment count.
Soul Fragments: [73/1000]
It was sitting at a pretty comfortable number now.
The two climbed the statue. Arriving at the top, Milo sat down and relaxed. Eva seemed much more tense however, like she was preparing for something.
"Did something happen, Eva?"
"Nothing, just kind of far up, not a fan of heights you know?"
"I could see why, it is a pretty big drop from here."
"Activate mode, Reina."
Milo suddenly felt the armor he was wearing lock in place and push him down on the round.
"Eva? What is this? What are you doing?"
Eva started over slowly to Milo.
"Don't worry, its not going to do anything bad to you. Just this next process would normally be very painful, but that isn't a problem for you, right?"
"Not particularly, no."
"Just trust me, Milo. It'll be over before you know it. You said you had something that won't let you die, right?"
"I do."
"Summon it."
Milo summoned the Dreamer's Hope. He could desummon the armor when he wanted either way, he just needed to see where this went.
Eva summoned a bright orb that seemed very unstable. Milo recognized it, the orb was similar to the piece of his soul core that he had in his prosthetic.
Eva approached Milo, and a piece of the armor popped out. Perfectly shaped for the orb in Eva's hands. She inserted it into the spot, and it moved back into the armor.
[Your Aspect is ready to evolve. Evolve Aspect?]
'What? No'
The prompt didn't disappear, and Milo heard something cut open his chest. He felt the blood run down his body. No pain, but the anguish he felt was something far different.
[Your Aspect is ready to evolve. Evolve Aspect?]
'I refuse, no!'
Milo tried to dismiss the armor to no avail. Milo tried to struggle, his prosthetic attempting to break through, to no avail. He turned to Eva.
"Eva! Let me out now! Please, Eva!"
Eva met his eyes for a moment, it was like she was looking into his soul. Speaking of his soul, something was being forcefully shoved into it. It was much too big to fit, there was no space to welcome it, and yet the foreign object made his soul its new home.
Milo continued to struggle, his Innate Ability wasn't getting rid of this fear, he felt scared. How long had it been since he felt scared? This fear turned into despair, and as he endlessly struggled countless memories of that cabin came back to him. That fear of death, of failure.
"Eva I'm begging you! Don't do this to me!"
[Your Aspect is ready to evolve, Ev0!#2]
[Supreme Aspect Fanatical Smith is evolving...]
"No! No, Stop! I didn't ask for this! Stop!"
Milo felt something irreversible change in his very soul. It was becoming much grander, as if accommodating for the foreign object.
Milo struggled against the exo-suit. He had been taken advantage of! Eva knew he couldn't harbor negative emotions including suspicion, was that why she had asked?!
Milo's prosthetic shifted, trying to stop the passing of the foreign object. But then he felt something.
It stinged, running through his entire body, filling him with... pain.
He was feeling pain, it hurt, it hurt. It hurt. IT HURT.
Milo's breath became shallow, he tried to grasp at his chest but he was locked in place. The hole in filled him with unimaginable pain. This was torture.
It hurt
It felt
IT EXISTED
Milo felt tears welling in his eyes. It stung, it hurt, he hated this. He hated everything, why was he here? Where were his parents, where was his sister? Why did they have to leave him?
'Why couldn't they have lived for me? I lived for them! Why didn't they wait for me?'
Milo sobbed and screamed and sniffled in pain, in anger, in sorrow, in grief, in guilt, in embarrassment, and in shame. In every negative emotion that had been held back by his Innate Ability, all of it was now gone.
All of it had been building up for months without release, and the dam had removed entirely. It was overwhelming, all the memories.
Milo felt something churn in his stomach. He had to hold it back but he couldn't, this was too much.
Milo felt himself heave and heave. Acid building in the back of his throat, it burned.
His nose was stuffy and he couldn't catch his breath. He was drowning in his own bile and tears.
"I'm begging you... stop, please I'm begging you Eva. Stop this, please!" Milo sobbed, and she seemed to realize something. She turned from his eyes. Walking as far from the scene as possible.
"Eva! Don't go! Let me out!" Milo screamed. She just looked out into that boundless dark. Ignoring his pleas like he wasn't even a human being.
Milo laid there on the cold floor, a sniffling, sobby mess. He felt undone, violated. Eva just took the one thing he had left! The only thing that gone right for him in this shitty world!
[New Aspect acquired]
[Aspect Rank: Divine]
[Aspect Name: M.I.L.O]
Milo couldn't care less. He had it all, he didn't have to worry about caring or grief or pain or betrayal or shame before! He was able to do things without concern. He found himself talking to people, taking risks, being confident! He didn't have to grieve his parents or find a way to figure out his situation, he had no worries! He found something to be passionate in! He found his only lifeline! The only reason to continue living after his family had died, forging! She couldn't even let him keep that!
Milo felt his sorrow turn into rage, and he tried to stand up. He still had a gaping hole in his chest, not to mention the armor was still holding him down. Then he felt an entirely new pain spread through him.
[Your composition is overflowing.]
[Your composition is taking shape.]
"Eva! I'll fucking kill you, I swear I will!"
Milo managed to get onto a single knee, it was pitch black, he couldn't see. The Dreamer's Hope was hidden under his armor which was sealed vaccum tight.
He did hear footsteps though, and Milo tried his best to retaliate in that direction.
"I wouldn't swing at the person who dictates whether you live or die, nor would I threaten them."
"I don't want to hear it from a whiny little bitch who was just sniveling at my feet three weeks ago. You said you didn't belong here. I don't believe that one bit, you're a psychopath! Milo suddenly felt a hand slap him.
"You don't know a single damn thing about me or where I came from. You would do the same in my shoes. If you truly understood what was going on here then-"
"Then tell me! Go on, I don't have anything to lose anymore! Tell me what's so different about this place that you wouldn't even treat me like a normal human being, you pretentious douchebag!"
Nothing, silence for seconds on end.
"I won't, and even if I wanted too, I can't. You don't get to complain here Milo, if it weren't for me, you'd be dead, you should've been dead. You should've died long before you met me. I practically saved you, not just once, but twice. I saved you from that terrible thing that made you less then human."
"Since when did you get to decide that?! Since when were you judge jury and executioner on what the hell makes me human?! I had nothing after I got back from my First Nightmare. My parents are dead and they couldn't even find my sister's corpse! I lost it all, and sure, I couldn't grieve them in sorrow. But all those happy memories I still had on me, and that kept me going just enough... to..."
Milo remembered all the subtle stairs he received at their funeral. At the time, he had been able to ignore them, but now... they were affecting him. He remembered the times he tried to cry, and yet he couldn't. He remembered the day he heard about his parents death, all he could do was let a single measly fucking tear fall down his face.
Milo felt the strength leave his body as he collapsed to the ground face first.
"Aughh... I-I don't even know anymore." Milo's voice was light, yet full of anguish.
"Every Flaw messes with everyone in some way. Luckily, we tried our best to engineer that Aspect to be the best for you, and for me too... but I doubt you'll want to hang around me much longer. I'll heal you, then I'll leave. Once I feel like I got a safe distance away, then I'll release you. Don't come looking for me, you might be my easiest way home, but you aren't my only way. I'll kill you if I have too."
Milo felt something revitalize him. He also heard the Spell speak.
[You have received a Memory: Frigid Cooler.]
[You have received a Memory: The Prototype]
[You have received a Memory: Proof of Cooperation Lite]
He couldn't see Eva, but Eva could likely see him. It made Milo reconsider every bit of surprise on his face.
"Consider it an apology if you want... I don't hate you Milo. I didn't want to do any of this either. I'm just desperate to go home. I was willing to beg cry with you because I knew you wouldn't judge me, and that was the last time I can ever do something like that."
Milo didn't respond. He turned onto his back, staring into the dark. Reliving hundred of memories. His cries weren't loud anymore, they were silent and shameful.
Night turned into morning, and Milo hadn't gotten any sleep. Eventually, he saw Eva. She was dressed in a new armor. It wasn't that weighty grey stone but instead a sleek cobalt armor that resembled a serpent.
She looked at him. "Bye Milo, don't die out here. It'd be a shame if all our hard work was for nothing." She began her descent, Milo continued to wait and wait and wait.
The sun had began to descend again by the time he was finally released. The weight of the world was lifted off of him. He could finally breathe. He immediately dismissed the armor, that thing... what a sick tool. Milo looked at his chest, there was no injury, yet the dried blood still remained.
Milo immediately checked his Soul Sea.
It had changed vastly. No longer was it the scorching depths of a forge. But now it was a calm digital blue expanse. Different wires and constructs of varying nature occupied his Soul Sea. The most noticeable ones were the two spherical constructs with large bundles of wires running through them.
"Are those... soul cores?"