One Last Time

When Endyr opened her eyes, she was slightly pissed off. She had only met the Almighty twice, and hadn't actually explored much of, well, much of anything here but she was already fed up with the so-called "Golden Age of Humanity". The Almighty seemed to be a pompous prick, the people were just dumb sheep and while the golden shine looked beautiful at first, it became more and more tacky the longer you look. Everything here felt...fake, like someone was desperately projecting an ideal paradise without actually giving it any substance. 

'At least I have an idea on how to get to that eye without being caught. Heh, who says I need to rush there right away? I'll just stay here for a couple hours until the festival is over and everyone's gone home! Unless the Almighty doesn't believe in worker's rights, "He" should send people home at night. Then I'll just have to deal with a fewer security guards at most...Much easier than sneaking past those two Supremes again.'

Smugly confidant in her plan, Endyr looked up at the sky as the distant sound of flapping wings drew closer. Moving with practised ease, she walked deeper into the canopy of trees, settling down in the shade and listening attentively as Belgemir went over her and landed at the citadel. Satisfied that he hadn't detected her, Endyr closed her eyes and let the mental fatigue that had accumulated over the runs flow off her. As she swayed on the border of sleep, she posed a question towards the System. "The Almighty is a Greater God, isn't "He"? That's why "He" is so much stronger than the modern Gods and could also detect you."

[...Correct. The Almighty Primordial somehow broke past the limiter that Orvonia placed on its inhabitants and Ascended to Greater Godhood. How this happened is a mystery to us too so don't even bother asking. However, the cosmic war currently ongoing is believed to be a definite factor. For your information, the Almighty is currently a third of the way through the Greater God stage.]

"Hmm, that does sound quite interesting. I thought Orvonia was a peak Medium World to produce so many Gods, but if it could support a Greater God then it should be a High World instead. You mentioned a limiter Orvonia placed on Ascenders? How exactly does that work."

[Host does not have sufficient Authority to access this information]

"Tsk. I thought you said I could use some features for free though?"

[Host can use features they are authorized to without paying the usual fee, yes, but not access features Host hasn't unlocked in the first place. Host's Authority is too low to breach this topic. Please work harder to earn more Achievement Points.]

"By following your little prompts and Quests? In case you haven't noticed, I'm in this situation by doing exactly that, so no thanks. Just tell me everything I am qualified to know."

The System fell silent for several seconds, like it was speechless at her audacity. Endyr herself was mildly surprised at her attitude but swiftly discarded it. She was a Denizen of Infinity, not some underpaid intern of the System. She acknowledged the System's power, but did not have to respect it. That was the natural attitude of a Denizen.

[Due to its nature of being a mobile planet, Orvonia has always been a bit more peculiar than other worlds. It has to allocate a significant amount of Mana for transportation, leaving less for Ascenders to make use of. However, the Almighty Primordial somehow gathered enough Mana to break through the entire God stage in one go and become a Greater God. This has severely depleted Orvonia's Mana reserves and caused the Abomination's assault to become much harsher. After all, Orvonia can no longer flee as fast as before.]

"Heh, so the Almighty has caused millions to die and suffer because of "His" greed for power? Not so benevolent after all then."

[It is not certain that the Almighty chose this path. From what little data the System has gathered, the Almighty was pushed towards taking this path by external factors. Whether or not "He" is even aware of the consequences of being a Greater God is also ambiguous.]

Endyr left the conversation at that and allowed herself to drift off into slumber. Her dreams were surprisingly peaceful, though she had the vague feeling of someone observing her from far away. When she awoke, the light had dimmed considerably and the forest had fallen silent. Stretching her limbs with a satisfying pop, Endyr walked back to her original spot where she could see the valley and city. 

The city looked the same as it did during the day, apart from less shiny and more picturesque. She appreciated this side of the city much more than the gaudy daytime, where the wealth and abundance was forced in your face. Following the stream downhill, nothing changed from her last run. She had to be gentler with her landings once she reached the wall because the houses were now occupied, but that wasn't much of a hassle. The biggest change was the presence of patrols on the streets, groups of five wearing chainmail and holding swords. They didn't need torches because the golden light never went below a certain level, and moved with casual boredom. Clearly, incidents were few and far between in the City of Hope. 

Endyr certainly had no issue dodging around them, sticking to the shadows and back alleys as she made her way towards the temple, having memorized the route by now. Once the golden pagoda appeared in her vision, she entered through the window she now felt quite fond of pushed down the temptation to rip up the lavish carpets or knock over some busts. 'You can do it afterwards' she appeased herself. 

As Endyr crawled through the halls, she knew she had made the right choice in waiting. There was nobody around, and only lit candles pointed to the fact someone was in the building. Probably a janitor, or some sort of caretaker. Not someone Endyr needed to be concerned about, in other words. In a matter of minutes she had arrived at the giant door depicting the Almighty's achievements...which was now closed shut. "Fuck!" she cursed softly, running her hands along the slightly-warm gold in frustration. There were no handles or grips for her to open the door with that she could see, and she knew it wasn't a push door. 

'Do I need some sort of key or item for it to open automatically?'

Chewing her bottom lip, Endyr decided to try something else. Putting both hands on the door, she closed her eyes and focused on the Infinity energy swirling inside her. Picking up a few strands, she slowly guided them through her body and into the door, sensing some sort of mechanism within it react. Simultaneously pushing her Mana out (a process she failed in multiple times due to their conflicting natures) Endyr created needle-thin strands of energy that she forced through the mechanism. After straining for several minutes, she heard a click as the door groaned and began to swing open. 

Panting heavily, Endyr dismissed her Mana and stepped into the room. The Almighty had claimed to have detected her previously, and the door had let out a noise when opening, so she didn't want to stick around. Hurrying over to the altar, she opened the secret compartment, uncovering the eye. Flinching as her left sight vanished again, she raised her hands in front of her and stepped back, but nothing else happened. Realising she would not be subjected to the visions again, she relaxed and grasped the container. The eye floated inside it, staring directly at Endyr in a manner that unnerved her. 

It's not still alive, right?'

[No]

"Well then, what do I do know that I have the eye?

[Put it back where it belongs]

"...You mean I should-"

[Host needs to stick it in their eye socket]