Ebony recalled memories from her past life, back when she was in the middle of an exclusive event for participants in the tournament of her favorite game. There, they showcased previews of their future plans, and in the middle of it all, a cinematic appeared on the giant screen of the stage.
One where a woman in a white dress began singing without showing her face, but when she turned to face forward, her eyes for an instant seemed to be those of a cat.
That visual effect didn't last even a second, and then it showed her brown eyes. Her face was beautiful, her lips had a light but intense red lipstick, and her black hair highlighted her pale skin.
Then the woman began to narrate a story with a melodic tone of voice, as if it were the song of an ancient tale.
"There was a time when nothing lived but the curiosity of a restless god who saw eternity give birth to a world where man began to walk. That god was destined to see the world be born and walk until its end," the girl sang with a sweet voice as her dress moved and gave way to an animated sequence of lights and shadows.
"The god of curiosity was named, the god of cordial gestures was praised, the god of tricksters was feared, and thus the god of gods was not named. When that happened, the god who gazed upon eternity was left in solitude." The animation continued, showing human representations of these gods as they began to drift apart.
"At that moment, mankind began to approach its final stretch. Nothing could avoid its fatal destiny, but the god of curiosity began to cry. He did not wish to see that end, so he decided to remove his own eyes so as to never see his beloved home come to an end." The figure of the god knelt amid flames in the animation.
"Whether unknowingly or with full intent, the god of curiosity ended up breaking his destiny and that of his beloved home, for without anyone to witness its end, it could not continue." The flames surrounding the god began to fade away.
"Hearing how peace arrived through his act of cowardice, the god decided to flee his home. He chose to be forgotten, forgotten by his temples and his prayers. Not even the other gods could remember his form or his friendship." The shadows in the animation began to advance, as if a civilization were forming.
"Centuries passed, and his eyes, which he had left behind without a second thought, were found by a civilization full of knowledge and devoid of kindness. They used their power, they used their curiosity, and by gazing upon eternity, the lives of their people were devoured without mercy."
The civilization in the animation was destroyed by a rain of fire.
"Those eyes, which were the key to the beyond, the key to the here and now, the key to always and never, were then separated by land and sea. One ended where fire breathes, and the other ended where the blizzard cries at night." Following the path of one of the eyes, the video showed it reaching a pyramid.
"Under the sky that burns and the land that freezes, where immortals die and the dead are born, there lies the eye of the forgotten god. One eye watches the beginning and the other watches the end. Join the two, and you will see eternity," the sweet voice said before the cinematic ended, followed by the animation's credits and the game studio's logo.
When the tale ended, the entire audience couldn't have been more excited. Ebon himself stood up from his seat to applaud loudly, even whistling to show his affection for that world he already longed to explore.
"That was insane! I asked for a promotional video, not a piece of cinema that incredible! A round of applause for the animation studio…" the presenter said while clapping nonstop.
But at that moment, the sounds became muffled, and Ebony's mind could no longer remember anything else.
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The blonde moved her head, unable to hold it with her hands due to a sharp pain in the back of her neck. Then, a system warning appeared in front of her.
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Danger!
Your memory is still suffering imperfections due to the clash between your memories and the body. Residual memories from the body have been detected. A deeper analysis is required. This may take time. The Piece is advised to refrain from recalling memories for too long, or a collapse may occur.
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Ebony, after reading this, let out a sigh and resigned herself to not remembering any more, at least for the moment.
"Look, the eye of the forgotten god is to the north of the continent. It's in a pyramid. It'll surely be hard to find the exact place, but we'll manage," the blonde said as she tried to stretch her neck to hide the pain.
"If that pyramid exists, it should have already been found… Someone must already have both eyes and has already summoned the god. Maybe it's even the Demon King," Lucian questioned the blonde, arms crossed.
"That… is possible… But if that were the case, the Forgotten God would have already made an appearance. And from what you've told me, people think it's just a children's tale, so I don't think anyone has found them yet, or there would already be an uproar in the world," the blonde replied.
"The dwarf is right… But then to get there, we'd have to pass through either the kingdom of Draxtonia or the fairy kingdom. Neither of them is friendly to foreigners…" Daniel said with a worried expression.
"I don't even know what countries you're talking about, but I do know how we can get there. Right now, I can't give you details, my system is malfunctioning, but I promise I know how to take you there. We just need to find two more members for the group," Ebony said with a determined look, first at Lucian and then at Daniel.
"I understand. I suppose we don't have any option but to try your plan… But actually, speaking of plans, I need you to pay attention," Lucian said as he scratched his head, trying to think clearly.
"Listen, Russel offered me a large sum of money for a contract to deliver a package to Sapphire Port. It's to the north, so it fits us perfectly. But if we accept this job, we'll have to leave tomorrow at first light," the elf said, each word filled with seriousness but also a hint of doubt.
"That sounds good, but we haven't stopped traveling. If we keep going like this without training at all or learning our abilities, we'll be easy prey in other hexes. We barely survived this one…" Daniel said, looking worriedly at Ebony.
"So what do you think, Ebony? I vote for taking the job and traveling. Daniel prefers taking some time before heading out that far again," said the green-haired elf as he looked at the blonde, seeking her decision.
At that moment, Ebony sat down cross-legged. With a wave of his hands, Lucian freed his companions, who no longer tried to harm each other.
"Well… Those are good arguments… Leaving like this without proper rest or reorganizing is risky… But the pay is good… I… I vote for…"