The abyss

Atlas re-entered the flat. His mind was in chaos as he saw two moons in the sky instead of one. 

He felt strangely empty and desolate. While the thought of being in another world away from his family and acquaintances plagued him every night before he went to sleep, somehow seeing the moons made him feel extremely depressed.

But he didn't show it on his face and simply sat on the couch across from Thyme. If he had learned anything in the month he had been in this world, it was to keep a stoic face.

Finally Thyme looked at him and asked: "Are you ready?"

Atlas nodded and scattered the bad thoughts from his mind to listen to the cat.

"Well, first you must understand the history of the last 100 years"

Atlas tilted his head in confusion and asked: "Does the context of my eyes go back that far?"

Thyme nodded looking at him with her green eyes.

"More than that actually, but more importantly it started 100 years ago. Back then everyone lived in peace until at some point the earth opened up and what we know as the abyss revealed itself to the world"

"The abyss?" asked Atlas.

Thyme was momentarily silent and sighed.

"This is going to last longer than I thought"

As Thyme had said, 500 years ago the age of heroes ended. That era was highlighted by powerful mortals who defeated the monsters from the abyss, a separate dimension where such creatures lived, ending the war, and bringing peace to the world.

But then, those mortals who flattered as heroes suddenly turned against humanity and destroyed centuries of civilization and technological advances. Then, these heroes disappeared without a trace.

Then, centuries after their disappearance, exactly 100 years ago, the abyss against which the heroes had fought so hard reappeared.

"What does all that have to do with me?" asked Atlas, not understanding all the historical context that Thyme was telling him.

The cat snorted: "I'm getting to that part"

The abyss was inhabited by beings considered monsters, which had nothing but destructive instincts towards humanity. However, it was not only these monsters that came from the abyss.

Like a virus, people who came into direct contact with the abyss lost all sanity and became bloody murderers who slaughtered everything in front of them without mercy.

All beings infected by the abyss had silver eyes. Naturally Atlas had been born in an ordinary birth and had never been exposed to the abyss. Even the color of his eyes were natural and completely normal.

As black and brown eyes were more common than green and blue eyes, silver eyes were even rarer, but they existed even before the abyss existed.

So children who were unlucky enough to be born with silver eyes were simply seen as a bad omen.

Neither Maroth nor Daron had silver eyes, Atlas did not know his grandparents who might not even have the same eyes, but perhaps he was unlucky enough to have the silver eyes gene even if for many generations it did not occur.

Perhaps they were not even genetic, and just conditions of birth. Yet cursed children at birth were treated like freaks... some even being sacrificed to appease the gods.

Atlas touched the skin under his eyes and sighed. He really had possessed a very annoying body.

"Aryn doesn't seem to mind"

Thyme began to lick his paw after the explanation and replied without looking at Atlas.

"Because it's just a superstition. Only the most idiotic people trust superstitions"

'I guess like black cats are bad luck... although it seems that in this world they don't believe in that' thought Atlas looking at Thyme.

Atlas had learned quite a bit from Thyme's explanation, which had not only given him an understanding of what the problem with his eyes was but the dangers he would have to avoid while getting the codices.

'The abyss...'

Two moons in the sky. The abyss where monsters came out and infected people turning them into bloodthirsty psychopaths. Magic and powers. 

Atlas sighed wearily and leaned back on the couch. His mind was full of new information, and he needed to process it all. 

Then, a new day came, and Atlas went back down to the workshop to continue creating potions. 

Aryn had gone out to pick up the meat and core she had ordered from Skorslor and had said she would be back later. After an hour, she returned just as Atlas finished a batch. 

Aryn set a bag on the table and looked at Atlas.

"Put that down and come over, I want to show you something"

Atlas nodded and stopped grinding plants heading towards Aryn. Finally, she reached into the bag and pulled out a perfectly circular ball the size of an eye. The ball was completely red and didn't really stand out at all.

"This is a lower core, the lowest level a core can be" Aryn reached out and handed the core to Atlas.

He received it and looked at it curiously, suddenly and without warning, the system spoke inside his head.

[Would you like to consume lower beast core?]

Atlas was momentarily taken aback by the system's message.

'So I can consume them?'

He wanted to check what would grant him to consume the core, but he couldn't just absorb it in front of Aryn. Maybe the core would simply disappear or lose its value, then he couldn't explain it to Aryn.

With a silent sigh, Atlas handed the core back to Aryn.

"What's it for?"

Aryn smiled and sat back as she reached for some materials.

"They really do have many uses. They serve to make artifacts or serve as energy. Though it also has multiple more basic ones as well" Aryn placed several plants inside a stone mold where she ground and then stuck the core in. "It is also used to make certain types of potions"

She crushed the core and a reddish liquid spread through the mold as if it were water.

"What is that liquid?" asked Atlas approaching Aryn and taking a closer look.

"Mana" replied Aryn as she finished grinding.

Atlas looked at her in surprise.

"Mana?"

"Mana condensed to be more exact... it's harder to explain but that's essentially it"

Many thoughts came to his mind, but Atlas finally asked a single question.

"Is it tasty?"