The more I heard the being that took Erin's form speak, the more I felt convinced that it was either a trap, or I had stumbled on the most desired answer in today's times.
And it sounded somewhat plausible to me as well.
'Well, humanity sure did not find any evidence of the system being a scientific development or a neutral evolutionary cause. It just… appeared out of somewhere one day. And if the system and dungeons exist, I guess god can exist as well.'
Now, the only problem was—if that god was a friend or a foe for us humans.
"I can tell that you are trying to think too hard about something, but there is no need to waste brain power on questions our high priest would answer for you. So come and follow me."
The not-Erin spoke as he extended his hand toward me.
It felt like a familiar gesture, but the look I got accompanying it was not one I was familiar with. That calm and patient look of Erin was not for me, but for the people he genuinely liked.
I was just someone he was stuck with to babysit.
'Shit-! Now I feel bad and angry. I need to pull myself together.'
The sadness felt overwhelming, but Erin was not the first person I had lost in my short life.
'Tsk, if I start to write a list, I don't even know when I will finish…'
"We are here. Our high priest is inside. Please, enter all on your own from here on."
The not-Erin that led me here bowed before me and walked backwards toward the shadow.
Before he could disappear, I moved swiftly and grabbed his arm in a threatening manner.
"You want me to walk alone in what could be a trap? What are you playing at? Why don't you come with me so that I can throw you toward a trap first?"
I asked in a calm voice, but suspicion laced my words. I was not about to enter a possible death trap all alone.
The not-Erin sighed before he looked at my eyes and then at the entrance to the high priest's section.
He walked over to the section before he extended his hand toward the cave.
Instantly, his arm burned until I could see bones, and even they looked charred. The not-Erin pulled his arm back within seconds and then gave me a calm look.
"Don't be alarmed. This happened because I did not have permission to enter from the high priest. You have the permission, so you should be fine. Please, don't worry about it."
The not-Erin assured me, but I was not assured. It was clearly a trap.
'What the hell-! Just how stupid do these monsters think I am. I am—'
It happened in an instant—someone pushed me toward the dungeon entry, and before I could grab my balance again, something dragged me inside.
I braced myself, fully expecting to get hurt. But I passed through the cave opening without any effort.
The last thing I saw were sorrowful eyes looking back at me from Erin's grim face.
"We are sorry, but this is important. We all have staked our life and soul on you, so please, follow your destiny and help us out."
Those words felt heavy, but they were said to the wrong person. I no longer had a will to carry any heavy burden.
The pit I fell into was dark, with the gap between the ceiling the only source of light around. I decided to walk around for now to find an exit, but I soon hit a dead end.
I debated whether to use my powers to break free when I felt another presence behind me.
"You… finally made it here, the god's chosen one. Please, don't be alarmed and follow me. I am here to answer all your questions. Your very existence is the reason for my birth."
The soft voice called out to me from the darkness, and if not for the circumstances, I would have mistaken the soft smell all around me as another omega.
I turned around, only to see a beautiful siren looking back at me. The closed eyes opened, and pupil-less white eyes looked at me.
It could have been that the sirens had such pupils, but something about the person in front of me made me believe that they were blind.
I did not trust the siren, so I decided not to say anything. But the chance of getting answers about what I wanted was too big to pass up. So I followed the siren toward the clearing it was leading me to.
The place I ended up at was beautiful, filled with clear water and a lot of flowers. The single but huge light source over my head made the place glow with soft light.
"Chosen of the god, please sit down. There is a lot I need to tell you and a lot we need to discuss. I apologize for not being able to offer you any food or drinks, but I don't think you would be able to digest anything I give you anyway. But please, let me know what you want."
The being asked, and I decided to take the risk to speak up.
"You said you would answer my questions. So, start telling me—what is the system and what is this god you speak of? More importantly—what are these dungeons that threaten our world, and why are they happening?"
I asked it all as a jumbled mess.
My thoughts were somewhat sorted, but when I tried to speak them out loud, they seemed to get all over the place.
But the high priest of the monsters must have somehow made sense of what I was saying because he gave me a pleased smile.
"I see. So you are a curious one. Very well, I will tell you about the very origin of the universe—"
"Sorry to interrupt you, but I am not interested in that bullshit. I just want to know things related to humanity and myself."
I interrupted the high priest before he could go into detail.
After all, I was on a time crunch and I needed to head out before my absence was discovered… or so I hoped.
The high priest looked startled before he chuckled and patted the flower bed.
"You are right. I should make my explanation quick. Well, then let's start from the beginning anyway. That would make things the easiest to understand and also ensure you don't miss anything."
The high priest sounded convinced. There seemed to be no deterring him from telling me what he wanted.
'Ugh, fine. I might as well hear what he has to say at this point. Time is of the essence, but not as important as the truth. Maybe this will finally give me all the answers I seek.'
"Alright, speak up about the 'truth' of this world and the system. But I am warning you. Just because I am listening to you does not mean I agree with you or think you are not lying. I will form my own conclusions once we're done here."
I spoke with confidence, and the high priest just smiled back at me.