After finishing off Ego and the unknown threat, Erik let out a deep sigh of relief.
The system screen flickered into view in front of him, displaying a notification:
[Notice: The celestial being stored in [Beelzebuth's stomach] is sufficient to repair some parts of-]
Before Erik could finish reading, another screen appeared, overlapping the first:
[Notice: The unknown being and celestial being stored in [Beelzebuth's stomach] is sufficient to fully repair the system and upgrade all skills!]
[Do you wish to sacrifice the unknown being and celestial being for the system repair and upgrade of all skills? Y/N?]
A smile crept onto Erik's face.
Without hesitation, he nodded in approval. 'Go ahead, repair yourself, my helpful system,' he thought, mentally selecting "Yes."
Wanda, who was levitating behind him. "Is it finally over, Erik?"
Before he could answer, Cindy's panicked voice cut in. "No, no, no, no! Why did you say that?! Wanda, you just raised a flag!"
As if on cue, the cave began shaking violently.
Erik chuckled, waving off Cindy's concerns. "Ahaha, don't worry, Cindy. Ego and that unknown thing are dead. The planet's collapsing because well... we literally killed the planet. We should leave now."
But just as Erik said that his vision blurred. In the air, he stumbled, his face straining with confusion. "What the...?"
Wanda's expression shifted to alarm. "Erik! Are you okay?" she shouted.
Before he could respond, his body went limp, and he fainted.
Cindy's heart jumped into her throat, but she tightened her grip on Erik's back. Thankfully, she was still clinging to his back. "I've got him!" she said, shooting her webs to a flying leviathan just above them.
Wanda sighed in relief, enveloping them in a shield of chaotic energy. She guided them quickly to their damaged stealth ship, alarms blaring red as they entered.
The ship had clearly taken a beating during the battle, but it was designed for quick escapes. Despite the damage, they managed to break free from the collapsing cave and leave the planet.
As the Chitaurian army regrouped, ensuring their forces survived the battle, Wanda and Cindy focused on getting Erik to safety. Parking the stealth ship in the mothership's hangar, they rushed Erik to the medical bay.
Helen met them halfway, her face streaked with tears. "What happened to him?" she cried.
"We don't know," Wanda said, her voice tinged with worry as she kept her gaze on Erik's unconscious form.
Cindy pressed a series of buttons on the medical pod, checking his vitals.
After a moment, she twisted her brows, "It says he's completely fine. He's just... sleeping."
"Is that so?" Helen sighed, "I guess, he's just exhausted due to battle."
But Cindy shook her head, "No, that's not the case at all. This battle was nothing compared to the battles he fought in the past. It's something else..."
Wanda nodded, "Yeah, that's true. I'm going to dive into his mind to find something."
Saying so, Wanda put her hand on Erik's forehead and then closed her eyes.
When Wanda entered Erik's mind, she was met with an unsettling sight.
Darkness stretched endlessly in every direction, a void so deep it seemed to swallow all sense of time and space. Flowing through this darkness was a strange, living gold, moving like liquid, shimmering softly in the otherwise empty abyss.
She paused, her brows furrowing. "This is... odd," she murmured. Though she had ventured into Erik's mind many times before, she had never encountered anything like this.
The place was eerie, yet strangely familiar. Despite its unsettling nature, it gave her a sense of reassurance.
"He's alive, that's for sure," she thought, her steps slow and deliberate as she explored the void. "And it's still him. That much I can feel."
The golden fluid pulsed faintly, almost as if it were alive. But no matter how far she walked or how long she searched, the scenery never changed. There were no memories, no thoughts, no emotions—just endless darkness and the ever-moving gold.
After what felt like an eternity, Wanda decided there was nothing more to find. She closed her eyes, focused her magic, and withdrew from Erik's mind.
Back in the medical bay, Wanda took a deep breath, her eyes meeting Cindy's worried gaze.
"So? What did you see?" Cindy asked urgently.
Wanda shook her head slightly. "It was... strange. His mind is completely dark, with nothing but this living gold flowing everywhere. I've never seen anything like it before."
"Gold?" Helen asked, confused.
"Yes," Wanda said, nodding. "It's not threatening—it feels like a part of him. He's alive, and it's definitely still Erik. But there was nothing else there—no memories, no thoughts, just... silence."
Cindy frowned, biting her lip. "What does that mean? Is he stuck in there or something?"
Wanda hesitated, then nodded. "It's possible. My guess is that his consciousness or... soul is either recovering from something or... adapting. Whatever happened inside him, it's far from normal. It's just a gut feeling, but I'm certain of one thing—he'll wake up. We just need to give him time."
Helen let out a shaky breath, clutching her chest. "Thank goodness. At least we know he's still with us."
Cindy, though still anxious, nodded in determination. "Then we'll stay by his side and make sure he's safe until he's back."
Wanda placed a reassuring hand on Cindy's shoulder. "We will..."
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In a domain surrounded by swirling colors, cosmic energy, and infinite angular mirrors showing the events occurring in different universes.
The Watcher, an ancient race of cosmic beings, observed the events occurring in Erik's universe.
"After defeating the Living Planet known as Ego and the mysterious multiversal threat called the 'Parasite,' Eirikyr—known to his loved ones as Erik—collapsed lifelessly," he said, his tone calm but carrying an air of gravitas.
"Hmm... Fortunately, Erik's companions ensured his defenseless form was taken to safety. They have concluded, for now, that he is 'safe'... and perhaps recovering or adapting to something unknown."
The Watcher waved his hand, and the wall of mirrors shifted, aligning to show the moment Erik's soul first arrived in this universe. The swirling scenes played out like a living tapestry.
"Perhaps Wanda Maximoff is correct," he mused, his brow furrowing slightly. "Perhaps Erik's soul truly is healing from the damage inflicted when it was transported to this reality."
He focused on the final moments of the Parasite, watching as it muttered in its dying breaths, revealing fragmented truths.
"The Parasite showed an unusual animosity toward Erik—animosity that seemed personal. Yet, in its final moments, it spoke of justice and revenge, for a fallen master and another being... someone called Rimuru from whom, Erik had stolen his powers.... It appears Erik has forgotten a crucial bit of his past, which raises a fascinating question."
The Watcher leaned forward slightly, his piercing gaze scanning the mirrored events.
"What was Erik before he came to this world? Was he someone noble, a hero who fought for others? Or was he a villain, bringing harm to those around him? Perhaps, worse still, he was neither—a man driven only by selfish desires."
"But such questions, intriguing as they are, remain for this universe to answer. For his actions now—and their consequences—are his own to decide. And the fate of this reality lies in the hands of its people."
He stepped back, the mirrors fading into a swirl of cosmic energy as he folded his hands behind him. His voice grew firm, carrying the weight of his timeless duty.
"And the fate of this reality will rest in the hands of its people, as it should. For I do not, will not, and cannot interfere. I am the Watcher."
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