Chapter 74: Eyes can fool you

Maya cannot stop shaking from the pressure exhibit by Phanes 

"Accept the time that has been assigned to you!"

"No!" Maya shouts, "It is not fair!"

For so long, she has waited for someone to come into the city, and she has finally found her home. There is no way that she will just let that pass her by. The humans she used as her life force are greedy beings. They only come into the dungeon to clean out her treasures. How can she be the greedy one? She asks for one thing. ONE THING.

"Not fair?"

Maya bites into her lower lip. The eyes of the remaining statues that surround the magic circle turn red again. Her eyes also change into red, and the metal doors open. The cry of millions of souls rings in the gods' ears. The souls that used to be pure from the color of essence are now tinted in dark purple. Many of them have been held back in this world, corrupting their souls from grief and indignation. They long lost their shape and only resembled something with hollow eyes and a crying mouth. 

Millions of those shapeless souls gather within the pit, packed and on top of each other. They scream and scream without ceasing.

"I have repented! I am sorry!!!"

"It hurts… It hurts in here!"

"Save me… I beg of you!"

"I have been mistaken!"

"Let me go, please!"

Phanes, with horror, turns her head towards Maya. However, the eyes that she encounters from Maya are empty. Those screams do not affect her at all - it's like she does not hear them in the first place.

"I do not want to repeat myself, Maya! You are letting these souls go!"

"NO!" Maya screams with her high pitch childlike voice. The souls gathered in the pit, like a raging sea, begin to swirl like a hurricane.

The sorrow of the souls resounded louder and louder as Maya extracted more essence out. The essence from those corrupted souls gathers into a sphere on top of the pit and then shoots towards Maya, engulfing her. Then, like a water balloon, it pops, showing off a more matured version of Maya with her skin tinged with patches of purple throughout her body.

Phanes closes her eyes for a few seconds. Her brows furrow as she squeezes her eyes. Then, she opens them with a decisive glare towards Maya. She extends her arm, and golden particles gather together, creating a staff with a golden cube floating on the top.

Erebus, who has been quietly watching, steps back. Phanes takes Erebus's action as a sign of approval. Another god supporting her decision calms her mind further, so her heart stops wavering.

"I will provide justice to those souls."

Phanes lifts her staff, and the staff shapeshifts into a spear of light. Feeling the tremendous energy clashing in the air around the spear of light, Maya plans to run away. However, her shadow suddenly wraps around her, refusing to let her go. She turns to Erebus, who is restraining her in place. 

Her struggling becomes all futile against the strength of a god. Her knees collapse onto the ground as she refuses to be tied down, but the shadow tightens more each time she persists in freeing herself. Phanes steps widely, leaning her body forwards as she throws the spear of light towards Maya. 

Tears flow down from Maya's eyes as she locks her stare on the spear of light flying towards her as it splits the air on its path. At the moment of impact, she closes her eyes. 

'I just wanted someone to share my joys…'

The clash of the spear of light grumbles like thunder. It pierces through a metal door, all the way into the cave's walls to the outside. The spear lands on the grounds of the forest, drilling all the way deep into the ground.

Loud heartbeats resonate in Maya's ears. 

'Did I die? Why do I still hear my heartbeat?'

However, she notices that they are not hers. She shoots open her eyes and looks at Kyrie, holding her in his arms while Ian shielding both of them with his sword drawn out.

Phanes purses her lips to a line. The spear of light flips back to Phanes's hand as she continues to stare at Kyrie without taking away her gaze. Maya has escaped from her attack with the help of Kyrie, grabbing her at the right time. If Kyrie has not stepped in, Maya would already turn to dust. 

Looking at the pit filled with captured souls, Kyrie understands why Phanes decided such drastic measures. Like any enchantment created, the mage has to either do it voluntarily, or the opponent has to kill the enchanter. To free them, Maya has to sever her bond with the essence that circulates into her body. However, when the essence is cut, Maya would crumble and cease to exist. Since Maya refuses to cut her bond, Phanes decides to destroy her. 

"Just hear her out first," pleads Kyrie. 

Although at first, Kyrie would have just looked at Maya as a good addition to his team, now, after hearing about her daily life in this fake city alone, he stops looking at her as a weapon. Rather, she is just a little girl who waited endlessly for someone to appear. 

"There is no situation that could justify this," says Erebus.

He finally breaks his silence. His eyes turn towards the pit that the metal doors lead to. 

"Can't you see what she did?" Phanes gnashes her teeth in rage. 

Are they blind or deaf? Can they not see or hear the souls that are trapped?

Ian moves his gaze towards Kyrie. He tightens his grip to the hilt of his sword because his heart is also wavering at the sight of those trapped souls. Their cry prickles his consciousness. However, he has decided his side. Kyrie always do things with a good judgment, and that alone gives Ian sufficient faith to stand by his side.

Kyrie lets Maya back to the ground clumsily. Now, Maya is slightly taller, so his eyes have yet to get used to her change. He puts his hand on Maya's head and shuffles her hair to brighten her mood.

"Phanes, do you really believe that Maya could plan this all by herself? Do you really believe that Maya is that kind of person?" asks Kyrie while piercing his gaze towards Phanes. 

His eyes then follow towards Erebus, whose eyes open widely like he understood something.

His eyes might have fooled him.