"Everyday feels different. I'm sure someday you'll see her again, I know it." A voice said in Ven's head. He felt like he was dreaming, like he was floating in a sea of nothing and everything.
"Where... Am I?"
He called out, but before he knew it, he shot up from the floor. He looked around, dazed and confused as he was supposed to be... Well, Dead.
"Hello?" He yelled out, trying to stand up but was tugged down by something by the neck. He tried to get up again but fell on his ass again, much to his annoyance.
"Am I on a chain or something!? WHERE THE HELL AM I? WHY AM I NOT DEAD!? AND WILL SOMEBODY TELL ME WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED!?" He yelled to himself. He took a deep breath and looked around, only to realise he was still in the lab, deep underground.
He frantically looked around the room, seeing that none of his crew was there, not even Mementis and Moria's bodies were there. He felt behind his neck to see what was tying him down, only to feel the cold rubber of a wire, like it was plugged into his neck.
"What the hell!?" He said to himself as he began to pull it out. He tugged at it for a good few minutes, but just as he went for the final tug, a feminine voice rung in his head.
"NO, WAIT!"
He pulled it out and stood up with confusion, wondering if he finally went crazy. He sighed and stretched a bit, feeling more bony and stiff then usual.
He saw that his gunblade, Heartbreaker was leant on a wall just next to him, like someone left it there for him.
He looked around the room, noticing it looked more decayed and ruined then what he remembers.
"The hell happened while I was out?" He sighed, scratching his head, but as he did he saw that his clothes looked more ripped and musty. Ven grabbed his blade and turned on its torch, running his eyes along his hand to see his once somewhat pale white skin had become a decayed grey colour. He dropped his gunblade in surprise.
"The hells!?"
He quickly ran over the computer that was now a ruined mess of shattered glass. He use his torch to reflect a light source to see himself.
His skin looked decayed, his clothes were in tatters, His eye that was blinded was replaced with a cybernetic one and the most bizarre of all was were his heart should be. His heart was replaced with one of Eden's, much to his confusion.
"The hells happened to me!?"
"I think you died..."
Ven screamed in surprise when a second voice spoke out, the same one he heard when he pulled out the tendrils.
"Who's there!? I'm armed and veeeery dangerous!"
A robotic young woman appeared out of nowhere in front of him, causing him to fall over from surprise.
"W-Who the hell are you!?" He yelled aiming his gunblade at her, only for her to walk through it literally as she leant close to his face with a cute smile.
"I'm Eden Project Sub-mind 4: Test 3819. Nice to meet you, Mister Misa!" She said as she put her hand out.
"I'm sorry... Did you say "Eden sub-mind"?" He said with a cold glare as he stood up.
"Yep Yep Yep. You're now my host since the Eden Main host body is now out of commission indefinitely."
"Did you say that Eden is Dead?"
"Yes. Sadly our main body was destroyed about... 283 years ago."
Ven stared, stunned at how long he might have been dead.
"I've been dead for nearly 300 years!?"
"Oh. Yes, Ven Misa. You are now among the undead. I am sorry for that." She smiled, walking around the room and scanning objects for something of use.
"The hell are you anyway?"
"I am a digital construct in your head, since you are now the proud owner of my heart." She played a small tune that sounded like a video game's victory jingle.
"I mean, I just wanted to rest in peace... Now I'm stuck as some evil AI's personal body." He groaned as he walked around the room, searching for anything as well.
"Hey, Tid-Bit of info. Were are my Crew's bodies?"
"Tid-Bit? I like that... Oh yes, your crew was used as a host for the rest of Eden... And that's sort of why I brought you back... I need you to get the other parts of Eden back so I ca-"
Ven interrupted, saying in a pissed of tone: "What? To end the world again!?"
She looked stunned, and a bit offended, despite being a digital construct. "No, I need to get my siblings back so they can't end the world! I am going to make sure that Eden is kept in check this time and is kept safe, away from humanity."
Ven rolled his eyes, walking over to the ruined doors and climbing over them with a sigh.
"So, you want me to get back the 'Sub-minds' of Eden and then you'll let me be dead in peace?" He said as he put Heartbreaker over his shoulder, staring at her with a half smug look.
She nodded with a smile on her digital face, teleporting right in front of his face. "YES! You can be dead, and I'll get to be with my family, it is a sweet deal, as you say."
"Have... Have you been reading my memories?"
"Oh yes, they were quite fun, I have watched your entire life over 15 times. I love it!" She said with a giddy smile and hugging her digital arms around Ven, who simply sighed and began to look for the exit.
Ven, now along with Tid-Bit, walked through the now unfamiliar halls of the abandoned lab. The overgrown vines reminded him of his team and the times he spent with them.
As he managed to get to the ground floor, he began questioning Tid-Bit what she knows of the outside world.
She says that Humanity is currently rebuilding, with some parts being more affected by Eden's awakening then others, but overall it is getting better. Ven just found it unhelpful, as he just wanted to know where the nearest town was.
As the two started to bicker as Ven reached the exit, exit door was smashed open as a large man with a bushy beard wearing a blue Merc outfit. Ven used a portal to quickly hide behind cover as the man walked in, seeming to be searching for something. he pushed on an ear piece and seemed to be speaking to someone on the other end.
"This is Captain Uma, reporting... No Miss, there are no signs of life... I'm checking, I'm checking... Well Miss, you searched for the best who was cheap... Shut up, you know I'm a good merc... Okay, fine, I won't talk back."
Tid-Bit seemed interested, walking over and listening in, since she was invisible to everyone but Ven.
"He's talking to people! When do we get to talk to people!?" She yelled loudly, despite only Ven being able to hear her.
"SHUT UP!" He yelled before quickly covering his mouth. The merc, Uma quickly pulled out a large mini gun and trained it at the wall Ven was hiding behind.
"Come out with your hands up, before I shoot."
Ven sighed and reluctantly went out with his hands raised in surrender. Uma stared at him with a stunned look.
"You're undead? Hmm... Boss would probably love to meet someone that's undead... That's not a Decaynine."
"If I go with you, can you tell me where the nearest settlement is? I mean, I don't want to stay here all my life." Ven said with a smirk. Tid-Bit stared at Ven with a smile before reaching her hand into his head and using Ven like a mouth piece.
"We will happily come with you!" 'Ven' said in a female voice that confused both Uma and himself.
"The hell?" Both said at the same time. Tid-Bit just laughed at Ven with a grin.
"I mean, we are basically the same person now, so of course I get to speak through you!"
Uma sighed, growing tired of Ven's weird behaviours and casually threw him over his shoulder, carrying him away.
"Why are all you undead so weird?" He muttered to himself with a small laugh.
Uma carried Ven outside, revealing the once luscious forest looked more like a desert, with barely any life in it. Ven and Uma casually talked about stuff like the weather, much to TidBit's boredom.
After about an hour, Uma reached what looked like a ruined church with broken wood painted white. He dropped Ven, letting him face plant in sand.
"Ugh... I think I got sand in my brain..." Ven groaned as Tid-Bit laughed.
"Just walk over to the church, my boss will meet you there."
Uma sighed and stood a distance away to eat a sandwich. The Rabbit and AI both shrugged, heading towards the church.
As the two reached the church, they could hear a female's voice talking loudly on the roof.
"Look, Pan. I know you're still pissed about what happened at Desires... But don't get rid of my chosen replacement. She's perfect. Hang on Hun, I got a Rabbit I have to speak with."
Before she hung up, there was a loud scream of "DON'T HANG U-"
The woman threw her phone to the distance and stood over the duo with a grin, having brown skin, long white hair in twin braids and a cute pair of Rat ears. She waved to them before jumping down.
"Yoooo, you must be my new mates Uma was tellin' me 'bout."
"Uhm... Yeah, Mate?" Ven said with an awkward smile.
"So, what's your names? I'm Rat, Just Rat."
"Ven Misa... Miss Rat." He said with an even more awkward smile, causing Rat to laugh. Tid-Bit couldn't help but laugh too.
"What about your little friend?" She said as she pointed at Tid-Bit, causing the two to freeze in place.
"You can see me!?" She said with a big smile, waving her hand in front of Rat's face.
"Yeah, I've got tricks to see shit like that, I mean, a merchant always has tricks up there sleeves, right?"
"You... You're a weird one." He laughed, scratching his head with a smile. "So, what did you want from me and... Well I guess my life support."
Rat grinned and wrapped her arm around Ven's shoulder as she lead him into the church. "Well, my dear sweet Rabbit Demi Human... You are holding onto something important in that little non beating heart of yours. I think I have the grand plan to fix both yours and my problems..." she said as she lead him towards a large statue of a valinet hero in armour.
"Venny. Do you know who this woman was?"
"Uhm... Mollia Chordarum. The hero of the world I guess?"
"Yep. Now, have you ever heard of the city she helped found?"
"I mean... I heard of a city were Monsters and Humans could live together. I thought it was bull."
"Well it isn't. It is right beneath our very fucking feet!" Rat said with a big grin. Tid-Bit looked excited, shouting: "IS THAT WERE THE SUBMINDS ARE, MISS JUST RAT!?"
"Exactly, my dear sentient Robit. So, how about I, the great morally grey Rat, Take you there?"
Ven looked considerate, walking in a circle, muttering to himself. But before he could answer, Tid-Bit took over Ven and loudly proclaimed: "We're gonna accept, Miss Just Rat!"
"Kid, just say Rat..." She facepalmed before laughing. Rat walked over to the door and shouted to Uma to get in the church, which her hurriedly dashed over to.
"So, how are we getting there?" Ven asked as he sat on a broken church seat. Uma sighed as he sat next to Ven.
"Hold onto something."
"Hold onto something? Wh- OH FU-" Ven got interrupted by Rat who had pulled the sword down on the statue causing the entire Church to drop like an elevator.
The church fell so quickly that Ven was floating lightly out of his seat, with Tid-Bit swimming in the air around him, laughing her AI mind off.
"Ven look! I'm swimming like human people do! And sea monsters!"
"WAY TO FAST, WAY TO FAST, HELP!" Ven yelled as he clutched the chair tight, being surprisingly afraid of falling randomly. Uma and Rat were laughing at Ven as he over reacted to something so ordinary as... A church lift.
Once they reached the bottom, Ven slammed on the floor with a loud thud, causing even Tidbit to laugh at him.
"Come on, let's go already." Rat said with a smirk as she helped Ven up.
And so, the trio (or 4 if you count Tidbit as her own person) stepped out of the church to see in the distance a large city that lit up the entire underground with bright neon lights bursting like a beautiful crystal with light shined upon it.
"Damn... That is a city." Ven said with a smirk as they began to walk towards their new residence.
Pandora's Tears.