Eros furrowed his brow, the weight of the realization settling on him. A god mistaking someone? That sounded implausible, even absurd. But if it was true, what did it mean for him?
The black-haired girl, now visibly excited, pressed on, her eyes sparkling. "Come on, tell me! You must have seen the master, right? Otherwise, there's no way you'd know her name!"
Eros hesitated. After a moment, he decided to come clean—but only partially. "I… encountered someone. A god, apparently. She called me 'Alicia.' I didn't understand why at the time, but now it seems she might've mistaken me for our ancestor."
The girl froze for a second, her expression unreadable, before breaking into a soft chuckle. "Mistaken you for the Alicia? What a riot." She paced a few steps away, then turned back, her demeanor more thoughtful. "But… gods don't make such mistakes without reason. Maybe there's more to you than even you realize."
Eros rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly, feeling overwhelmed. "If that's true, then what does it mean for me? Am I just… carrying her essence or something?"
The girl tilted her head, pondering. "Could be. The master was unparalleled, after all. Her essence wouldn't just vanish entirely, even across generations. It's possible a fragment of her power—or even her spirit—lingers in you."
A shiver ran down Eros's spine. The thought of carrying even a trace of such a monumental figure was both awe-inspiring and terrifying. "So, what happens now? Do I… inherit something? Responsibilities? Powers?"
The girl smirked, her playful demeanor returning. "Oh, you're already reaping the benefits, kid. I'm here, aren't I?"
Eros blinked, then pointed at her incredulously. "Wait, are you saying I just… get to use you? Like, for free?"
"'Use me?' Watch your tone, mortal!" she huffed, crossing her arms. But her playful smile betrayed her mock anger. "Let's just say… you've inherited access to my abilities. You scratch my back, and I'll scratch yours. Simple as that."
Eros's lips curled into a sly grin. "So, what you're saying is… I just got a legendary artifact for free?"
She rolled her eyes, muttering, "You mortals and your obsession with 'free' stuff…"
But deep down, Eros couldn't shake the feeling that this "gift" came with strings attached. He just didn't know what they were—yet.
Chapter 15: The Free Artifact
The black-haired girl didn't answer the question, seemingly by default. She continued to study Eros suspiciously.
"This is strange. Why does your body carry such a strong trace of the master's presence?"
Eros was confused and replied curiously, "As a descendant of the ancestor, isn't it normal for me to carry the ancestor's presence?"
"No, that's not it. Your elders don't carry the master's presence. When I woke up earlier and sensed your aura, I almost thought the master had returned," the black-haired girl countered, shaking her head.
Eros frowned and seemed to realize something. He hesitated and tentatively asked, "Is the ancestor's name Alicia?"
The black-haired girl's eyes lit up, and she looked pleasantly surprised. "The master's name has long been shrouded in the veil of secrecy through divine concealment. There are very few left in this world who even know her name. How do you know it? You must have met the master."
Eros fell silent. He recalled how that elven deity had addressed him as "Alicia." At the time, he didn't understand the meaning, but now it seemed that the deity mistook him for his ancestor.
But could a deity really mistake someone's identity?
"It shouldn't be possible!" Eros thought to himself. "But I was from another world in my previous life, and I've retained my memories in this one. I couldn't possibly be the Night Goddess. Besides, the ancestor was female, and I'm clearly male. How could that be?"
He thought harder, and his expression grew increasingly puzzled. After a long while, he hesitantly explained, "The elven deity told me, but she seems to have mistaken me for the ancestor."
The black-haired girl's eyes widened in disbelief, her delicate mouth slightly agape. "You, a mere descendant, could possibly be the master? How absurd!"
Her reaction was like watching her idol fall from grace, her face full of denial and struggle.
Seeing her reaction, Eros felt a bit awkward and coughed lightly. "That's why I said she must have mistaken me for someone else."
The black-haired girl pursed her lips and fell silent. While she, too, felt it must have been a misunderstanding, she couldn't help but wonder—could a deity truly mistake someone's identity?
After a long pause, she spoke again. "Hey, descendant, form a contract with me."
Surprised and delighted, Eros couldn't help but ask, "There's such a good deal? I get to bind an artifact for free?"
Though excitement nearly got the better of him, he maintained a shred of caution and carefully asked, "Why would you choose to contract with me?"
"My power was exhausted millennia ago while searching for the master, and since then, I've been in slumber, waking only briefly on rare occasions."
"Though your ancestors offered spiritual essence to me, it was mostly taken by those two 'greedy brats,' leaving me barely enough strength to maintain this form."
When she said this, a faint blush appeared on her delicate face, but she continued, "It probably won't be long before I have to fall into slumber again. That's why I want to form a contract with you. Only by forming a contract can I draw on your spiritual energy to barely stay awake and avoid falling into slumber again."
Her tone became noticeably hesitant as she added, "And… I want to observe you. Even though I also think the elven deity might have mistaken you, the fact remains that your body carries the master's aura. By staying with you, there's a chance I might find the master."
When she mentioned that she, too, thought the elven deity had likely mistaken him, the black-haired girl's gaze wavered. She avoided looking directly at Eros, her expression betraying a flicker of uncertainty.
Seeing that her words elicited no reaction from the young man in front of her, the black-haired girl pursed her lips and frowned.
"So, junior, will you or won't you form a contract with me?"
"Huh? Of course, I will! Why wouldn't I?"
Snapping out of his daze, Eros was overjoyed. Just being observed? That wasn't an issue at all.
"But, uh, how do we do it?" he asked.
"Give me your hand," she demanded.
Obediently, Eros extended his hand. The black-haired girl placed her slender, pale palm against his, her fingers aligning perfectly with his. She softly murmured an incantation:
"With my form, I become your eye."
As soon as the words left her lips, her entire body began to emit a faint glow. In the next instant, Eros felt a wave of heat emanating from his left eye socket, followed by a sharp, stinging pain.
Jolting awake, Eros clutched his left eye tightly. If anyone had been there to witness the scene, they would have noticed that his originally vibrant, gemstone-like blue eye had turned into an abyssal black—so dark and profound that even light seemed unable to escape its depths.
The stabbing pain faded as quickly as it came. Soon, the pure, abyssal black in Eros's left eye vanished, replaced once more by the dazzling sapphire-like blue of his original gaze.
At the same time, a clear, melodious voice echoed in his mind—it was the black-haired girl:
"I'll take a nap for now."
And with that, she went silent.
Eros touched his left eye, sensing something different about it. However, he dared not experiment further, as his body still felt drained from earlier. Clearly, the side effects of recklessly trying out his new skills had yet to subside.
The room was empty. Eros glanced outside at the fading sunlight; the setting sun bathed the potted plants near the window with a golden glow, painting their leaves with flecks of amber.
It's dinner time, he thought, his stomach growling. So hungry. I really want to eat.
Yet, his body felt utterly hollow, too weary to move.
"Forget it," he muttered, collapsing back onto the bed. "I'll eat tomorrow."
Just then, the door creaked open gently. In walked Estelle, accompanied by two maids carrying trays of meticulously prepared dishes. The tantalizing aroma wafted through the room.
Eros's eyes lit up instantly, his earlier lethargy vanishing in a flash. Excited, he shouted:
"Estelle! You're the best! I love you!"
Estelle chuckled softly. She had long grown accustomed to her son's playful and somewhat dramatic outbursts.
In the quiet of the night, as the moonlight filtered through the curtains, Eros lay on the bed, his gaze fixed on Estelle, who sat beside him. His voice, soft and tinged with vulnerability, broke the silence:
"Estelle, I had a dream today… I thought I was going to leave you all forever."
This time, he didn't call her "Mom." Instead, he addressed her by name, a clear sign of how deeply shaken he had been.
He was, of course, referring to the dream he had of the tentacle creature. When he first saw that writhing appendage, his heart nearly stopped. It was the first time in his life he had felt so close to death.
What left the deepest mark on him was the sheer enormity of the creature he had seen in the dream: that monstrous entity looming over the sea, its grotesque eyes and writhing tentacles. The image was seared into his mind, impossible to forget.
Even though he later realized he had been scaring himself unnecessarily, that initial moment of terror was genuine. After all, despite being a reincarnator with two lifetimes' worth of memories, Eros was still fundamentally an ordinary human. His prior life hadn't prepared him for such encounters, and even in this one, he had only recently stepped into the world of the supernatural. Being thrust into a confrontation with a creature that could stand toe-to-toe with gods was nothing short of overwhelming.
Estelle gently placed her hand over his, lightly patting it as though to soothe him. Her voice was calm and tender:
"Don't be afraid, sweetie. Mommy's right here."
Under her comforting presence and the rhythmic motion of her hand, Eros felt his eyelids grow heavy. Exhausted from the day's events and the toll of forming the contract, he drifted off into a deep, peaceful sleep.