Chapter 5 - Chapter 5: Eyeball

As LuXie wandered through the forest, she suddenly felt her body freeze, a strange voice calling out to her.

"LuXie," a faint voice whispered.

It was the same voice she'd heard during her battle with the worm, so she strained her senses to find where it was coming from.

"Strange, I can't sense anything," LuXie said, confused as she looked around.

"LuXieeee!!" The voice called out again, sounding more urgent.

Suddenly, long dark vines shot up from the ground and grabbed LuXie's leg.

"Shit," LuXie cursed, cursed as she used her water spikes to attack the dark vines covered in a layer of black green mana, but it caused no damage.

She then tried her dark slicer to attack the veins once more, but it didn't do anything either.

As her vision blurred, LuXie saw a small eyeball with wings staring at her before passing out.

______

When LuXie woke up, her body ached with pain, and the air around her felt heavy with mana, making it hard to move.

LuXie looked around to see that she was in an enormous cave with lots of dark energy surrounding the place. Inscribed on the walls were ancient texts which LuXie couldn't understand so she didn't bother herself to read them.

She looked up on the roof to see a drawing of a being that seemed to be eating a large ball with glowing dots around it that seemed like stars.

"Is that a planet?" LuXie stared it confused, but as she wasn't understanding it she sighed and stopped looking and moved on.

"I need to leave here as soon as possible, this place screams danger." She mumbled as she stepped on a skeleton and noticed there were several around this place, all of different shapes and sizes.

LuXie forced herself to get up and walk through the cave. As LuXie walked, she could see the same vines that captured her crawl on the walls of the cave, but it didn't seem to want to attack her.

After a while of walking, LuXie reached a strange part of the cave to see a huge dark marble floating there with a thin layer of darkness surrounding it.

"This is absolutely beautiful." LuXie laughed in amusement as she got closer to the dark ball floating in the middle of the cave.

LuXie touched the dark marble, which first gave her a cool and refreshing feeling, but a moment later black lines and symbols appeared on her hand that connected to her eye, which shocked LuXie.

"You've finally found me," LuXie heard the eerie, childlike voice again as she turned to face the ominous dark marble before her.

The marble burst open, unleashing a wave of dark energy that enveloped the room, causing LuXie to feel extremely nervous.

She suddenly felt an agonizing pain shoot through her body as the strange mana pierced her skin.

"Argghhhh!" LuXie screamed, curling into a ball as the dark mana seeped into every vein, and every nerve in her body. LuXie would hear her bones cracking from time to time, which caused her to scream more.

"I shouldn't have touched that cursed ball!" LuXie yelled, regret coursing through her as she realized the consequences of her curiosity.

"So, this is when I die huh, well it wasn't a terrible life though," she thought, unable to endure the pain any longer before darkness consumed her consciousness.

When the dark mana was done reforming LuXie's body, the rest entered through her breath and reformed her breathing. After that, the dark mana slowly faded as it teleported her away from the cave which collapsed into many pieces, burning whatever secret was hidden there.

"Ughh," LuXie groaned, awakening in the forest, her mind muddled with disbelief causing her to doubt if all that happened was real. "The pain is gone," she mumbled.

"Hello, LuXie," the strange voice echoed once more, jolting her senses as she instinctively conjured dark mana around her fist.

"Wait, it's just me," a peculiar eyeball with crimson eyes and black wings fluttered before her.

LuXie eyed the eyeball, its size akin to a football cautiously.

"I'm done with this fantasy bullshit, I need to think of a way to commit suicide and reincarnate into a better world,' LuXie thought to herself as she sighed in disappointment.

"No, LuXie, don't think of such thoughts," the voice pleaded within her mind as the eyeball flapped its wings frantically.

"You can hear my thoughts?" LuXie's surprise on her face as she regarded the strange creature.

"Yes, we share a connection," the voice affirmed, a hint of relief evident.

"Interesting."

With a resigned sigh, LuXie turned to leave, intent on returning home, " Well good bye."

As she sprinted, she noticed some new changes to her body, especially her speed and flexibility.

"It probably has something to do with that dark mana." she muttered, recalling the chamber she had encountered earlier. "It was probably real I guess."

Glancing back, she found no sign of the eyeball trailing her, causing her to sigh in relief.

"I know everything about you, LuXie," a childish voice interrupted, prompting her to halt and scan her surroundings, only to look left and see the flying eyeball, which made her make an ugly expression.

"What the hell do you want?" LuXie demanded of the strange eyeball.

"I just want us to be friends," the eyeball replied.

"Well, I don't have friends, I have puppets."

"That makes us similar. Similar people find it easier to understand each other," the eyeball said hopefully.

"Hah, well I don't want to be involved with you. You seem to bring bad luck," LuXie grunted, squeezing her face.

"Oh, come on, please let me be with you. It's the least you can do for me after I gave you a new life," the strange eyeball pleaded.

"What did you say?" LuXie gasped in shock.

"Yes, who else did you think summoned you here?"

"Well, some god, I guess," LuXie answered.

"Well, they are not the only ones who can, hmph," the eyeball grumbled as it flapped its wings furiously.

"So what are the benefits if I keep you next to me?" LuXie asked the strange eyeball.

"Well, there's a lot. I can teach you magic," it replied.

"Magic, like the ones in TV shows and anime? I've got a grasp of it, but it's good to have an experienced person teach me," LuXie muttered to herself, smiling lightly.

"So what else?" LuXie inquired.

"Well, that's all," the eyeball answered bluntly.

"Huh!"

"That's all."

"…" A sudden silence filled the area as LuXie frowned again.

"You're saying that's the only benefit I get from you?" LuXie said, unimpressed.

"I'm sorry, I'm just a newborn who was in a semi-sleep state, but I watched you."

"But to be sincere, I just hatched from my egg when you found me, so I know nothing about this world," the strange eyeball said as tears welled up in his eyes.

"You're completely useless, you know that!" LuXue yelled at it.

"It's not my fault," the eyeball cried.

"Then why didn't you monitor someone from this world instead of me?" LuXie asked, confused.

"Well, beings here are idiots and I felt something unique from you," the eyeball answered.

"Is that your only excuse?" LuXie raised an eyebrow, looking at the strange eyeball.

"But your world is so much more interesting than this one," the eyeball whined.

"Arggh!" LuXie grunted.