"What?"
Xenos wasn't seeing things.
His mind wasn't playing tricks on him.
There, above the mural, he saw it... felt it.
A Goddess, Her presence leaning down on him.
She was watching HIM, smiling at HIM.
The clerks at the far end of the hall went about their work, and the Hierophants leaned on their spears, acting as if nothing was wrong. As if a GODDESS wasn't in their very fortress.
WHAT WAS SHE DOING HERE—A RANDOM HIERON STATION?
In the bottommost stratum, no less...
Xenos couldn't understand, his brain short-circuiting.
To the others, though, nothing had changed.
Nobody other than him reacted.
Only he could see her.
And to further heighten his surprise, the moment She noticed that he saw Her, She...
She flinched, Her smile instantly disappearing.
Eris stared awkwardly at him, seemingly as shocked as he was.
And so, God and mortal stayed locked on each other, as if daring the other to blink first.
Neither did, and nothing moved until finally, Xenos snapped out of it and stepped close.
"You..."
His voice was uncharacteristically quiet.
"Are you truly here, Goddess Eris?"
Slowly, She floated down and stood before him.
'Her' entire body was revealed to him, covered by the finest black dress he'd ever seen.
She opened and closed Her mouth a few times, yet didn't find Herself the ability to speak.
Instead, She found Herself nodding Her head, answering Xenos's stuttering question.
That had him look down and close his eyes, attempting to compose himself.
A flood of thoughts filled his brain, drowning out his surprise.
When a Runebearer kneeled before a Divine Mural, a 'Friend of God' would see them, and through this being, the God's Blessing would be given, passed down to the Runebearer.
Eris, the Goddess Herself, being here meant one of two things.
One, She currently had no Friend of God, a Third Class Runebearer in Her Rune Path, which was for good reason, as Her Blessing would only ensure Calamity, literally.
Two, She was bored and wanted to entertain Herself by gawking at the Followers of other Rune Paths, perhaps brewing in her self-pity, drinking, and eating away.
Because yes, the Eris he knew, at least from the game, was such a character.
A neglected Goddess...
The game only referenced the pantheon; they didn't care to be true to it... or perhaps it'd be more accurate to say that this realm held the true pantheon, or at least what remained of it.
Here, Eris was something of a mother figure, with Runebearers who wanted to monopolize her Path, Followers who had betrayed her and left her to rot.
There were only four Runebearers under Her, and Xenos knew that because Her build was something he abused quite a bit in the endgame, using the Calamity Her Trait brought to his advantage.
Usually, fanatical characters would be Blessed, as the Lower Gods found them easier to control, but Eris didn't seem to have gotten the memo, accidentally recruiting one villain after another.
Perhaps that was Her Calamity at play, but in any case...
This was good.
Yes, at first glance, She was pitiful, but She was truly a monster in strength.
'I can use Her...'
Xenos's grin returned.
'A Luck Calamity build would be incredible.'
It was something he always wanted to try, yet couldn't, as the game didn't allow for such mixing of Rune Paths, rather, what Xenos was planning to do was foreign in this realm as well. No one in their right mind would ever mix and match Runes, Traits, or Soul Glyphs from other Rune Paths, never mind their somewhat literal OPPOSITE.
But that didn't seem to register in his brain, as he finally spoke:
"I am Xenos, once of House Kharon, son of Veynar."
Putting his overstuffed rucksack beside him, he kneeled.
"Would you grace me with your voice?"
Eris looked at him for a few more moments before replying, Her similarly soft and beautiful voice directly reaching his mind:
'How... how do you see me, young man?'
Xenos trembled from that alone and took a few moments to adjust.
"I..."
He breathed out, calming himself back down.
"Not to worry, Goddess Eris. My eyes can behold nearly all there is to behold."
Her red eyes brightened for a fraction, and Her brows raised.
'You have two Soul Glyphs when you are no more than a Seeker?'
His grin turned into a smile, liking how easily She was caught in his trap of curiosity.
"I dare not share this with you, Goddess. We are to initiate a Rune Oath, binding our Runes together before death, for that to ever happen. Do excuse me for this insolence."
Eris frowned.
'Stop talking like that, Seeker Xenos. I've already been caught in your trap; there's no need to bait me further.'
He chuckled.
"I understand."
She nodded at that and continued:
'If you do, then, instead of a Rune Oath... how about you become mine?'
Xenos mimicked surprise, somehow widening his eyes.
"Become yours?... But..."
'I understand your hesitation; it's one I've seen on many...'
She looked down, her red rubies downcast.
'But maybe you can help me...'
'Help me regain my position and status.'
'Retain my Higher seat in the Pantheon.'
'And if you do so, I can help you become a Saint.'
'My Saint.'
...Huh.
Eris just did everything for him.
She reached the exact conclusion he wanted.
Was this his Luck or Her Calamity? Was it both?
Or had She picked up on his act?
Xenos didn't know, and well...
He didn't care.
"Sure, but I've got a condition."
She tilted her head.
'Which is?'
"I will be yours, but I won't follow your Rune Path. I'll create my own, and you must accept that. You must accept that I'll be a Player and not a Follower like the rest of this lot."
Eris nodded slowly.
'I see that you perceive the world differently than most... fine.'
Her soft smile returned to grace Her face.
'I accept.'
The moment She agreed—
Ding!
A stupid, cheerful little noise rang in his head.
—
╔════════════════╗
║ NEW QUEST RECEIVED!║
╚════════════════╝
[Subquest: Rise of House Eris]
[Objective]
[• Establish House Eris as an official, recognized Noble House.]
[• Spread Her name throughout the realm, from the Third to the First Stratum.]
[• Restore the Goddess Eris to Her rightful throne as a Higher God.]
[Sub-Objectives]
[- Secure recognition and legitimacy for House Eris.]
[- Recruit followers and ensure their loyalty.]
[- Defend against rival Houses seeking to suppress Her return.]
[- Reach the First Stratum and proclaim Her dominion.]
[Rewards]
[★ Divine Favor: Eris's Blessing]
[★ Divine Favor: Eris's Protection]
[★ New Soul Glyph: Father Of Calamity]
[Failure Penalty]
[✖ Divine Wrath: Loss of Eris's Favor]
[✖ Goddess Eris will further crumble into obscurity.]
──────
[Yes/No]
──────
Xenos's grin widened to an extreme degree.
No, it was beyond that, making even Eris flinch.
What he was missing was now completely fulfilled.
This gave him something beyond mere benefits.
A goal.
Yes, he had an actual goal now.
No longer was it just becoming strong.
No longer was it just 'breaking the world.'
Sure, he hijacked it from someone else.
But the moment he'd think, 'Yes,' it would be his.
House Eris would be his House; he would be what stood for its Saint.
Xenos was glad he came here today... really glad.
'YES.'
But the second he agreed—
Ding!
That annoying sound echoed again.
With it came a new screen, this time flashing red.
—
{ANOMALY DETECTED!}
[Thanatos, of House Hades, son of Plouton, Lord of the Third Stratum, has detected your existence.]
[Anake, of House Khronos, daughter of Aion, Lady of the Second Stratum, has detected your existence.]
[Hyperion, of House Etherion, son of Ouranos, Lord of the First Stratum, has detected your existence.]
[WARNING, WARNING, WARNING!]
[YOU ARE BEING HUNTED.]
Xenos's grin froze on his face once more.
He knew those names well, and he knew exactly how... damned he was.
The three rulers of this realm's Three Stratums... none of them were the kind of people you wanted knowing you even existed, let alone marking you as a target.
Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath and opened them again.
"Well..."
He slung the rucksack onto his back.
"I guess I got what I asked for."
And with that, began Xenos's journey...
"Everything's going to be a lot more interesting."
The journey of him going against all odds and becoming a Saint!