"Guess that means we are done here right? I can't wait to get out of this hellhole." I sniffed.
"You do realise that even if you get out, you are still on your way to death and if these gentlemen fail," He said pointing at the three souls being him.
"You will soon be back here." He smiled.
"Well, guess they better not fail. Cause if they do, I'll make sure to pay them a visits here again." I said with a devious glare.
The Fool grinned in return before taking a large final sip of his grisp.
"Ahh! That hit the spot." He exclaimed.
"Time to go home little godling." He said, standing up.
"Now, open the portal."
"…"
I shifted in my seat, my eyes blank.
"What do you mean open a portal?" I asked nervously.
"Exactly what it means. You will open a portal to the world of the living." He replied with a gleaming smile.
"And how do I do that?"
"Using the eyes of the forgotten."
"Elaborate?"
He frowned. "Must I do everything?"
"Yes?"
"Oh dear heavens. What would you do if it weren't for me." He exclaimed, wiping of a fake tear.
"I mean I kinda wouldn't be here in the first place if it weren't for you."
"Oi oi oi. Don't go putting the bla—"
Cough… cough…
"Would you gentlemen be kind enough to save your quarrel for later?" Said the bartender, his voice deep as he adjusted his coat.
The Fool grinned, stepping forward with exaggerated courtesy. "Ah, apologies, my good sir. My little godling here is a slow learner, you see. First time opening a portal, and all that."
The bartender's eyes, cold and analytical, shifted to me. "First time or not, this is no place for amateur theatrics. Open the portal quickly. You've already drawn enough attention."
I tensed. Drawn attention? My gaze darted to the edges of the bar, where shadows seemed to ripple and stretch, as though the darkness itself was leaning closer. The souls who had been drinking and laughing moments ago now exchanged wary glances, their movements stiff and tense. Even the hulking figures behind the bartender shifted uneasily, their translucent forms dimming slightly.
"What does he mean, drawn attention?" I hissed under my breath.
The Fool leaned toward me, his voice light but edged with something colder. "The World of the Lost is not without its watchers, Cairith. The moment you tore the fear essence from those poor souls, you marked yourself as a player. And players, little godling, attract predators."
"Predators?" My throat tightened, my eyes darting toward the flickering shadows again.
"Focus," the Fool said sharply, his grin vanishing. "You need to open the portal now. The longer we stay, the worse this gets."
I took a deep breath, trying to push aside the creeping unease that clawed at my mind. "Fine. How?"
The Fool gestured impatiently to his own eye. "The Eyes of the Forgotten, remember? They're not just for sightseeing, little godling. They're a tool. Focus on your destination—on the world of the living—and pull. Just like you did with the fear essence."
"That's it? Just… pull?" I asked, my voice shaking slightly.
"Think of it as ripping a hole between two curtains," the Fool said with a shrug. "Simple, really. Unless, of course, you mess up. In which case, well…" He trailed off, his mismatched eyes glinting with malicious amusement.
"In which case what?" I demanded, my nerves fraying.
"Oh, nothing too dire. Just eternal fragmentation. A piece of you here, a piece of you there, scattered across the void forever." He waved a skeletal hand dismissively. "No pressure."
I glared at him, my hands curling into fists. "You could have led with that."
"And ruin the fun?" he replied, his grin returning. "Now, go on. Show me what you've learned, little godling."
The bartender cleared his throat, drawing all attention back to him. "I'd advise you to hurry. The shadows don't wait for anyone."
I swallowed hard and closed my eyes, trying to focus. The essence inside me swirled like a storm, chaotic and unsteady. My left eye burned faintly as I concentrated, the tether at my back pulsing in response. The world around me faded, and I focused on the god plane—the feel of its air, the distant warmth of the sun, the sound of distant voices.
"Pull," I whispered to myself, reaching for that faint, intangible thread that connected me to the living world.
At first, there was nothing. Then, a spark—a sharp, searing sensation that made my left eye feel like it was on fire. My teeth clenched as the spark grew, expanding into a jagged tear in the air before me. The fabric of the World of the Lost ripped apart, revealing a swirling void of violet and black. The portal trembled, unstable and chaotic, the edges crackling with raw energy.
"Not bad," the Fool said, his tone almost impressed. "Though I'd rate it a solid six out of ten. Could use some polish."
The bartender stepped forward, inspecting the portal with a critical eye. "It'll hold. For now." He turned to the hulking figures behind him, gesturing sharply. "You three, move."
The spirits nodded, their translucent forms flickering as they stepped toward the portal. One of them hesitated, his hollow gaze turning to me. "This better work, godling. If we die—"
"You're already dead," I snapped, my voice colder than I'd intended. "Just do your job."
The Fool chuckled softly. "Oh, Cairith. That spark of ruthlessness suits you."
The spirits stepped into the portal, their forms vanishing into the swirling void. The bartender crossed his arms, his expression unreadable. "They'll handle your problem. For now."
"For now?" I repeated, my stomach sinking.
"This is the World of the Lost," the Fool interjected, his voice dripping with false cheer. "Nothing is ever permanent here. Not alliances, not victories, not safety. You'll learn that soon enough."
The portal flickered, its edges beginning to destabilise. The Fool stepped forward, his expression hardening. "You need to seal it now."
I hesitated, unsure of how to close something I'd barely managed to open. "How—"
"Focus," the Fool snapped, his tone unusually sharp. "You ripped the curtain open. Now stitch it back together. Unless, of course, you'd like to leave a doorway open for something else to wander through."
That got my attention. I focused again, channeling the essence back into my left eye. The portal shuddered, the edges slowly knitting back together. It felt like pulling a thread taut, the tear shrinking until it disappeared with a faint pop.
The room fell silent, the air heavy with the lingering tension of what had just occurred. The bartender stepped back, nodding faintly. "You did well… for a first-timer."
I exhaled slowly, the exhaustion hitting me all at once. The Fool clapped me on the shoulder, his grin wide and infuriating. "See? Easy peasy."
A few minutes of walking through what looked to be literal chaos, we finally reached the edge. A large gate. A doorway of sorts.
We entered the door as white light flashed almost blinding me.
When I snapped my eyes open. I was back inside the cage. The ruthless chatter among the soldiers still going on.
One of them banged at the cage with his lance.
"Oi, don't tell me you bit your tongue and killed yourself fucker." He spoke out.
"Of course not." Another one chuckled. "He doesn't have the guts. If he did he would have done it the second we captured him."
"But still. He hasn't moved or said anything for quite a while."
The two of them continued to stare inside.
When I finally came to my senses. I instinctively looked around, only to see one of the soldiers fall to the ground. His mouth gaping wide.
"M—M—Monster…" he said before passing out. Just then my left eye burned. Excruciating pain filled my head. I clutched it in pain, looking to the other side searching for The Fool, but for some reason all the soldiers backed off. Fear etched into their faces.
"Over here little godling." The Fool's voice echoed from above me.
"What's up with these soldiers?" I said looking up.
"Ahh… can't really blame them." He said with a twisted face.
"Seems like your eyes of the forgotten haven't subsided yet."
"Huh? What do you mean?"
"Well what I mean is currently your left eye is currently replaced by a dark void."
I looked at the metal bars trying to catch the faint reflection of my eye. Heck! It didn't even look like an eye. It was a swirling void, an abyss of violet and black that seemed to stretch endlessly inward. Purple fog oozed from its edges, curling and twisting like living smoke, and wherever it reached, the air grew heavy, oppressive.
The soldiers' gazes locked onto it, their expressions twisted with fear as if the void had consumed something inside them.
"Well, I am sure it will go back to normal on its own. Deal with it for now. We have bigger issues." Said the Fool.
My stomach churned as I stared at the void in the reflection. This wasn't just a mark of power—it was something alive, something beyond me. I wanted to scream, to claw it out of my skull, but there was no time. No one cares what a dead man's eyes look like. I swallowed my fear and turned to the Fool, forcing my voice steady.
"Time to escape."