Chapter 99: Book 3 chapter 1

Eryl let out a long sigh as she tapped on a terminal, a strange mixture of disappointment and pride swelling in her as she hit another wall blocking her from taking control of the system.

    “Mother Eryl,” the terminal flashed a crimson red as it spoke, “I regret to inform you that without returning to your realm or acquiring a key to the system, you will be unable to establish yourself as administrator.”

    “I am aware of the protocol, I am the one who created it.” she replied, though her voice was even, Overseer could feel the rising annoyance behind her words. “However, given the changes to the system brought about by X47, I would be remiss if I did not at least attempt to gain access before mutilating a soul.”

    “There is another option available if the idea of removing the key from either Hecatolite or Himari is…”

    “Non-negotiable.” Eryl shook her head, “I understand that you were formed from fusing Hecatolite’s soul with a fragment of an older system however, I will remind you that the system’s main purpose is to protect souls not carve holes into them”

    Overseer flashed an annoyed yellow as it replied, “I am aware of the purpose of the system, Mother.”

    “Yet you managed to weld not one but two system keys to two separate souls.” Eryl’s ears drooped as she argued with the system, the only tell of her annoyance as her monotone voice remained flat. “I understand that maybe Hecatolite’s influence on you may have warped what you believe the capabilities of an average mortal soul can withstand, but even still, you must understand that ripping the system key from Himari would likely damage her beyond repair.”

    “And Hecatolite? I estimate it would be little more than an inconvenience to her.”

    “As long as she remains in the egg, I do not wish to risk it.” She looked back up the beach to the spot where she cast the form homunculus spell. Normally it forms a protective shell around the body that “hatches” the moment the spell is done as it had done with Amethyst; yet nearly a month X47 remained in status. Overseer can confirm her soul is still inside the egg, yet it cannot be sure as to why she hasn’t hatched yet. “That, along with the possible repercussions to all those connected to the “bloodline ability” that is supported by the system key within her soul… its simply not worth the risk.” 

    If she were being honest, she would likely have considered it more if not for the simple loophole the Lapidary family had found in their ability. Eryl had not considered the family would simply “hand” someone a terminal. By simply handing someone a physical terminal they could grant someone “limited access” to the system as long as they had the physical terminal in their hands. With this, anyone they gave a terminal would be able to access any notes along with the library of Babylon the skill housed. Which in Eryl’s hands, was more than enough for her to pry into the system much to Babylon’s dismay, was enough to see the world log. She couldn’t adjust anything but with Himari’s help they had been able to correct many of the nearly endless errors that had been formed over the last few years.

    “Though unlikely, I cannot deny the possibility of adverse effects on the Lapidary family.” Overseer flashed again; an annoying habit the system seemed to have developed, one which Eryl could not understand. 

    Eryl had a long list of… concerns, about the strange systems she found herself with. Despite Overseer’s explanation of how and why the system was split, Eryl still found it unnerving that her system was so easily hijacked by something within X47’s soul. After attempting to force her way into Overseer’s system, she found that though the odd system was clearly structured around her original skill, it was much more than it claimed to be. Despite its claims to be nothing more than an “enhanced” version of the bloodline ability, Eryl knew the system was much more powerful than it presented itself to be. 

The simple fact it formed a “pseudo soul” to act as Babylon’s core was proof of that... She knew that Mother used such a spell to create an admin soul like herself but for someone else to simply create even a false soul was… forbidden. No, it wasn’t simply locked. It had been erased completely from every system. Eryl attempted to locate the spell in Overseer and was met with overwhelming resistance, even having Himari attempt to find it in Babylon had yielded nothing but error messages along with a resounding, “it’s not possible to create a soul core.”

Babylon, despite the evidence to the contrary, refused to yield on that deduction of the spell; assuring them it was simply not possible and stating that it must have been a fluke that it gained consciousness though whatever tomfoolery Overseer had performed.  Much to Eryl’s bewilderment, she couldn’t find out why Babylon would think such a thing without prying into its system herself, an act that had proven impossible given that system's strict adherence to her original programming.

Where Overseer seemed like a loose “interpretation” of her system, Babylon was nearly an exact copy... minus the personality. Overseer had no problem “bending” the rules for a purpose, most of the time stretching the definition of “helping” to its limits before being forced to yield to the much stricter programming of Babylon.

That’s where the pride came in, Eryl was proud of her system. The fact that she had programmed it beyond her own abilities to “break into it” filled her with confidence that no one else would be able to either. Taking solace in the fact that even without her at the helm, the system would be safe… just as0 long as X47 didn’t change anything else in it.

“But there is a simple solution for gaining access to the Babylon skill.” Overseer continued, breaking her line of thought. “Simply become a mate of the Lapidary family and you would…”

“I…” she paused; it would be possible yet there were several obstacles. The main one being Eryl’s own feelings on the matter; She had bonded with humans before while acting as the sage, as a form of comradery and such… but even then, there was no emotional attachment, nothing remotely close to the level of commitment that would justify her as a “mate” in the system. 

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That, and the problem of not one, but two of the family members becoming divine souls. If she formed any form of emotional bond with the family, would she be able to remain unbiased in her duties as the administrator? “We… will see what develops. I feel once X47 hatches we will be traveling together for some time.” She couldn’t deny that it would be the fastest way at this point without risking anyone involved, and after working with Overseer, she was sure if she happened to even share a physical bond with anyone from the family, it may attempt to force the matter regardless of the requirements of “mate”.

Overseer did not reply as she took the terminal in her hands and started working again. Despite its reminders that she needn’t physically interact with the terminal to operate it, Eryl found the act of typing on the terminal… comforting opposed to simply speaking to it. After a while of prodding the system she leaned back, rubbing her eyes as she looked up at the broken red moon in the sky. 

Though she didn’t need to sleep, lately she couldn’t help but feel… tired. Himari and Amethyst had been a great help, informing her of what had happened in the years of her enslavement but… “You know, I had expected X47 to cause trouble. I expected Valor to try and take control of the system. I even planned for an all out war.” She shook her head as she whispered to herself, “I never could have expected this though.” 

“Eryl?” a voice called as something shifted behind her. “You know, Hecatolite will be upset if she went through all that trouble to rescue you and you catch a cold before she wakes up. Why don’t you come sit by the fire?”

Eryl couldn’t help but let out a small laugh as she looked back at Amethyst, the thought that someone would even worry about her health after learning what she really was surprised her more than the fact Amethyst truly didn’t seem to care what she was… a lot like her sister really. “You know, as a homunculi, we won't be able to get ill the same way as a human do.” 

    The small woman simply shrugged, the fact she only wore pants showed that she at least understood what was said to her. “The need to be warm and the desire to not be cold are two different things. Just because I don’t need to eat doesn’t mean I can’t enjoy food.” She said with a wisdom beyond her years as she turned her back to Eryl, the proof of her newfound inhumanity flashing as Eryl looked at the woman’s bare back.

    Amethyst’s body came out nearly flawless, looking almost exactly as their old one had with one glaring difference. Running down the girl’s spine was a strip of short black fur that ended in a nub-like tail. The tail itself was only a few inches long, barely enough to be noticeable if she were to tuck it into her pants, yet since her “rebirth”, Amethyst has left it completely on display; apparently finding the addition of fur on her back to be uncomfortable while wearing a shirt. Himari had tried to comment on the girls’ indecency but Amethyst reminded her that they were stranded on an island stating “We are all girls here anyways, the moment we see a boat I’ll get dressed, I promise.” The childish statement seemed odd once Eryl had gotten to know the newly minted “Deity”.

    If she had to describe Amethyst, she would say she was “abnormally calm” given the circumstances. She blacked out in the beginning of the fight with the heroes, woke up divided from her sister, lost her “humanity”, became a divine soul, and found herself stranded on an island with two strangers. Despite the seemingly overwhelming situation, Amethyst simply shrugged and said, “so… just a normal week then.” And proceeded to start gathering supplies.

    Eryl feared she had gone insane and attempted to speak to the girl, only to find out that in Amethyst's eyes these things just happen when Hecatolite is involved. She did state that “everything seems so… quiet now. It's creepy.” She stated she was surprised by the tail but didn’t dislike it, though she was worried what her parents would think once they found her new race was ““Error” human homunculus”. Babylon explained the error being a large portion of X47’s soul that was left behind when they split, also explaining the soul fragment left inside of Amethyst was likely the cause for her body being… off slightly. Though Eryl found it odd as the spell should have formed a body based on her and Himari’s own design. 

    Eryl also noted that though Amethyst will venture away from the egg, she always returns to it, choosing to sleep curled up next to it and often speaking to it, though that was to be expected. The same could be said about the strange “quietness” she’s experiencing, having spent 5 years with another person living in her mind, it would take a lot of adjusting to get used to being “alone” in her own mind. Despite all of that Amethyst had acclimated to her new body quickly; able to move around like normal after only a few hours much to Eryl’s surprise as she recalled the first time she had entered a homunculus, as it took her nearly a week to walk properly… maybe it’s because of all the time she spent inside the body while not “driving it”, as the two girls called it.

    “You coming?” Amethyst called back, “I have the feeling Hecatolite is going to wake up soon and she’s going to want you there when she does.”

    “What makes you think that?” Eryl asked standing to follow Amethyst.

    “She talked about you a lot… well tried to, anyways.” Amethyst chuckled before clearing her throat, turning to Eryl as she mimicked what Eryl assumed was Hecatolite’s voice. “Eryl is super smart you know;” or, “if only I could call Eryl, she would know what to do about this”, or my favorite, “Oh… Eryl won’t be happy about that,” that one normally was followed by something no one would be happy about.” Amethyst paused to laugh to herself, clearly remembering something her sister had done. “Your name was basically her catchphrase, it’s right up there with her threats towards Babylon, which normally ended with sending it back to you in pieces.” 

    Eryl paused for a moment, she knew Hecatolite had compiled a list of questions to ask her, but she did not realize that she apparently held her in some sort of… high regard? The thought… confused her. X47 had always argued with her when they spoke before, though never hostile. She never thought Hecatolite would spare her much thought once they separated, even less so given the creature’s fractured mind yet…

    “Your ears are red, you know.” Amethyst teased, appearing beside Eryl.

    “Really? Maybe I should sit by the fire for a while, the cold must be getting to me.” Eryl replied in her usual monotone voice as she continued up the beach.

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