Jayr POV - Jayr's Soulbouory - 2013

  I remain stunned on the spot because no one else should be here, and the only ued voice that I could hear is that of Culture, but therainy voice tinues, "The Holy Cup became even more strong and alive, I clearly feel its preseg over us all..." that makes me wake up from my stuate.

  So I turn around to see the one who just spoke, but all I see is the huge Treant behind me, but even so, something about the Treant seems different almost wrong, and as I focus on the huge tree, I once agaihat strangely young tiny voice that says, "Lord, where are you looking? I'm down here."

  And following the voice, I see a 40 cm tall pnt-like young girl, she has grass-like long green hair, branch-like horns ing out of her head with a smaller version of the fruit that grows oreants on each side, big blue eyes, caramel skin tone, and bark like mark on her forehead in the shape of a circle surrounded by 2 rings.

  Overall, she looks fairly human, at least part of the upper body, because the rest of her body is clearly a tree trunk, looking at this small being pure smile, I lower my guard, and at the same time, I realize what is wrong with the Treant, it lost all his o, but as I focus my senses even more, I realize that I'm wrong, it isn't that the Treant lost his o, but that this small creature has it all, moreover, it is clearly ected to the Treant, 'No, it's the Treant, it is basically one being in two bodies... Moreover, it has a fully developed soul aience... It has evolved!'

  (Image Here - Evolved Treant)

  Spoiler

  [colpse]Realizing this, I kneel down and say, "You don't have to call me Lord, calling me by my name is fine... You are the Treant, right...?" but the small girl shakes her head and says, "Noope! Not anymore, the Treants are a race of ugly and bad monsters... I refuse to be associated with such beings... And you ARE our lord, yht us to this peaceful pce, made us grow, and evolve... So you are our Lord and as such, I ask you to give our race a new name...Pretty Please?" at the same time, she use the ultimate on of all cute things, the puppy eyes.

  Uo withstand that terrifying on, and seeing some truth in what she just said, I think about it for a few moments before saying, "What do you think about Nymphs, in a Greek folklore they are minor female nature deities regarded as personifications of nature..."

  Hearing that, the small pnt girl's eyes start sparkling before she nods, then she yells, "Did you hear everyone? From now on we are the Nymph Race!!" at the same time, I hear many girlish voices arouhat say, ""Yay!!!""

  I look around me ahat in front of all the former Treants, there is also a smaller Nymph, all with different hair and eyes color, but with the same skin tone as the oanding in front of me, but I also notice that these seem smaller reag around 30 cm of height.

  Then I look back at the bigger Nymph and ask in an uain tone, "So... it appears that you are the leader of your race...?"

  Hearing that she nods and says, "Yes! I was the first to be pnted in this pd be bathed in that awesome energy that allowed us to ge and start evolving..." which makes me nod, then I say, "Well, I 't tio refer to you as "You"... What do you think of Meliae, it is the name of the Ash Tree Nymphs in Greek mythology, and your hair kinda reminds me of the leaves of an ash tree."

  Hearing my suggestion, her smile grows bigger as she nods and says, "I like it! From now on my name is Meliae!!" then Meliae looks at me and says, "Well, it is better to leave you alone, we have to still to adjust to these new ges... Once again thanks for making us evolve from the feral monsters we were before!" and after saying this she disappears into the ground, but I clearly feel that she just went bato the tree as now her o and Magic Power are once again joiogether.

  After this small episode with the new race that lives in my territory, I focus bay Cloth, which with a simple thought, move and equip itself on my body, and I ow feel the difference even more clearly now, 'It's amazing, Crateris is now a css of Cloth on its own... Before, the Cloth only unicated with me through o, but now it is a lot more active, in fact, it is tellihat it help me with using spell and teiques in fact, it cast spell in my pce, but it also warm me of ining danger before it happeer than before, as its ability to see the future got a lot stronger, of course, to see the future I still o see it reflected ier poured into its steltion Form, but now during a fight, it also warn me kinda like a spider-sense...'

  And those aren't the only ges, the Cloth became a lot harder, in fact, it is harder than a Gold Cloth, it is almost parable to the Sagittarius God Cloth, moreover, it ow also be used with Magic Power, but the most important ge is that now it turn into a God Cloth without using Saori or anod's blood, I just have to reach the 8th sense aer in my ana state, and we will enter in what from now on I will call God Mode, in fact, from what it tells me, with the Crateris God Cloth I don't have to worry about the unlimited energy produced by the ana state as the excess energy will be absorbed by the Cloth to make it even more durable and in case of damage to restore it.

  Another little perk is that it tains noiey soul, so that be used in case the main one is destroyed to fully restore it.

  Overall, the Crateris Cloth became what be sidered a cheat code, as it grants me, infinite health, mana, stamina, and respawn, to truly kill me now, one has to totally erase, my body, soul, and Cloth at the same time, after firming that everythi well, I'm about to return bay vil with the Pandora Box when the Crateris Cloth tells me to leave it here as it likes the Nymphs' pany but to pick it up whe out as it wants to experiehis world.

  I nod with a smile thinking, 'My partruly became more alive, well I don't have to worry about its possible betrayal, no matter how alive Crateris bees, like me, it's loyal to Athena and her belief, and most important when I equipped it before, the Crateris Cloth used Spirit Magi its own to bind a piece of its soul into mine, binding our fates together even more...'

  Then with a smile, I walk bay vil and mutter, "Maybe one day it could take a human form like Enkidu from the Fate Franchise..."

  Jayr POV - Tortus, See Snowfield - 2013

  An o of clouds glistening in the sunlight is all I see above us, basically, it covers the whole sky, at the same time, all around us there is only an endless expanse of snow and ice.

  While I was admiring our surroundings, I hear Freid's voice as he says, "Well, there you are. This is the See Snowfield a heavy snow field, which is covered in cloudy weather throughout the year so that even during periods when it doesn't snow, the earth remains smothered in snow and ice. It is located between the Sea of Trees and the demon try of Garnd... This is as close as I lead you guys, after all, as Miledi and the others said even reag the Labyrinth itself is part of its trial. Now I'll go back ten... Have fun!" and I turn around just in time to see him flee bato the gate opened by the spell ic Rift.

  The reason why Freid is in so much hurry is quite simple, he wants to stay as far as possible from the tense and heavy air geed by a clearly upset Eri, and the glowing Tio.

  The cause for such tension, isn't what happened between Tio and me, because Eri has already aowledged Tio's feelings for me as genuine, and gave me her silent albeit slightly relut approval, he reason she is upset, is because this m Tio came to our room and started to service me with her big melons, waking up both of us, then she said something like it is her duty as a sve to give her master what the lover 't, obviously enraging Eri, and ohio another, and I found myself in a threesome where Eri showed her sadistid dominant side, to the immense joy of Tio, that enjoyed every moment of it, so much that it started to call Eri, "Mistress."

  And as a result, now Tio doesn't bother only me with her perverted requests, but also Eri, making her regret the fact that she lost trol.

  And so while Tio begs Eri, hugging her and rubbing her cheek on her face, "e on, Mistress! Let's do it again tonight~. You humiliate, insult, hit, and spit on me while master ravage this one ass~ Ahh~ only thinking about how you guys manhandled me makes me wet..." feeling the familiar weight of the Crateris Pandora Box on my shoulders, I focus once more on our surroundings.

  The interior of the snowfield houses a siderably rge ge, likely formed from the id the snow, and from what Freid told us the st of the Great Labyrinths should be at the tip of the ge, the Frost Caverns of See, but even if we don't have Freaid to guide us and don't know the exact position, we still easily find it using the pass of Eternal Paths.

  As why I'm using this instead of the Mana pass I built, is pretty simple, the pass of Eternal Paths is way better, it is a cept Magic Artifact, while to cost of magic power to use it is still very demanding, this pass is not only it points at the dire I want, but it also gives me a sense of the exact location and distance as well, in fact, I tested to see if it also poioward the Saint Seiya Universe something that my Mana pass 't do, and indeed with it, I was not only able to see its dire and coordinates but also able to feel its general dire, something that I firmed using the 8th sense in my ana state and sensing Saori's familiar o.

  While I'm holding the pass of Eternal Paths, Tio asks, "Master, this is the first time this ohou holding that metal box that tains that strange cup... now that this ohinks about it, why do thou have that cup in your dimension and care so much for it, is it some kind of artifact?"

  Hearing that, I realize that I have never expio Tio and Eri about the Cloth, so I reply, "Well, this is more or less right... You see, this "cup" true fun is that of an armor that protects and enhances our trol over o..."

  Then, I tio expin to them that the humans in my Universe are very simir to the ones in this ohey have a very fragile and weak bodies, and after that, I told them a brief history of Cloth and their creation.

  Hearing my story, the way Tio looks at the Pandora Box ges as she says in an impressed tone, "Amazing to think that this Cloth is so old and strong..."

  While this is happening, we tio move toward our destination, when all of a sudden, Tio timidly asks, "By the way, master... Since we are finally... when all this is done... I would like t you to my home, the Dragonma Vilge, to meet my grandfather and receive his blessing... What do you say?"

  Hearing her question, I smile and reply, "Sure, in fact, if yrandfather and the others want they also e to live in my Soulbouory when it gets big enough, or even my home Universe..."

  Hearing my answer, a bright smile appears on Tio's face, as she lu me yelling "Master...!!" and hugs me shoving my head in her huge valley, this tinues for a few seds before Eri sps Tio's butt with her staff and yells, "Calm down, you Eron!! There is a time and pce for ag like this!"

  Tio lets me go and with a perverted smile on her face, she says, "Yes, Mistress~" and starts to hug her, making Eri once mroan at the new form of intimacy developed between them.

  After walking for only a few seds, I realize that the Labyrinth's trial is finally starting as we are instantly enveloped in a snowstorm cold enough to freeze our thick clothes.

  Soon Eri and Tio start shivering as they hug each other and Tio says, "That's certainly severely cold, as Freid said, that is not this one's forte..." and Eri adds, "A-aher is mine..."

  Meanwhile, I tinue walking as if nothing is wrong even while I still wear a simple t-shirt, and ask, "Really...? I find this temperature quite mild..." but Eri scoffs and says, "We aren't like you that swam in the frozen water of Siberia naked..."

  And realizing the truth in her words, I grab some of the neckce artifacts, I made to protect them from cold and gave it to them, making them easily withstand the freezing cold of this area.

  After that, we tinue walking through the snowstorm using the pass of Eternal Paths as a guide and finally, we reach our destination, where the entrao the Frost Caverns of See should be located.

  However, upon reag the end of the ge, the cave entrance is yet to be seen, and Tio asks, "… Nn? Does it end here? The pass says it's still further ahead, right?"

  But Eri using the gsses given by Oscar is the first to notiething, then she points at one pce where the width of the ge apparently narrows up ahead, and says, "Over there...!"

  Looking at where she is pointing I see a pce where the id snoiled up, creating a huge domed passage, leading towards the inside, seeing that I lead them toward that point.

  We tio move forward as we are attacked by rge swaths of snow ing up into our faces as the snowstets fiercer, so I stand in front of the to act as a barrier as the simple artifact I made only keeps their bodies warm so that they aren't ued by the cold, it doesn't protect them from such attacks.

  As we tinue walking, all of a sudden, I notiething and warn my panion, "Be careful! We are standing over the entrance, and the ground is about to colpse!!"

  And quickly I leap back pulling Tio and Eri with me as the ground we were standing on a few moments ago colpses f a massive crevasse that opens into a deep hole.

  Seeing the deep ravine in front of us, Eri ents, "Oh e one! I lost t of how many times something like this happened!!" and Tio adds, "I seems to be a stant of the Great Labyrinths... So are we gonna leap?" I nod in respoo Tio's question and without hesitation, I say, "Okay pals, let's do this..."

  And after taking a deep breath, I leap down yelling, "Leeroooy Jeeeeenkins!!" soon after, I seio and Eri following after me, at the same time, I hear Eri yells, "Let me go you Eron!!! I could've jumped on my own!!!"

  After falling for a few seds, I safely nd and look up for Tio and Eri, ahat Tio is hugging Eri as they fall, and just as they are about to nd, I jump up to grab them ahem with their nding.

  After that, we tinue moving following the pass of Eternal Paths, everything in the surrounding area is covered with id snow, eveemperature got a lot lower than before, and lumps of id icicles that seem to grow from the ground appear more and more the farther we advahe wind also seems to blow stronger, and the temperature tio drop lower and lower.

  Tio and Eri are having more and more difficulty moving through this cold wind even with the help of the artifacts, so much so that Tio ents, "This is a little troubling." then Eri looks over at the pass and says, "It should be within 500 meters. It's dangerous with the snow fluttering around and obstrug our views. Tio, you please disperse the wind?"

  At Eri's request, Tio says, "Uood." and gathers her magic to disperse the wind to the left and right making our advance easier, as a wind barrier envelopes us, and as the snow and wind hit the barrier, the power is dispersed and thrown to the side, softening it to a gentle breeze.

  With the storm averted, we start to move much faster and finally reach our destination, in front of us there is a crack with a beautiful isosceles tria the tip of the dead end, in that crack there is the entrao the Labyrinth, a really dark cave whose darkness seems to swallow everything.

  Seeing this, a fident Tio says, "It looks like we're here, but Master…" followed by Eri who simply utters, "Uhn..."

  At the same time, she takes a guarded stance, I notice the same thing and prepare for the fight, but seeing that Eri is still fused, I say, "Eri, prepare yourself. Something is ing!" at the same time, I sehe presence of 5 enemies ing from the dark cave in front of us.

  We don't have to wait for long as they make their appearance as they let out some strange creepy yell, ""Ggigigigigigigi"" and soon they e out of the cave moving around fiercely.

  The monsters have an appearance simir to a goril covered in white fur, they stand three meters tall and walk on two legs, in fact, they kinda look like Yetis.

  But before I could do anything, I hear Tio and Eri t at the same time, "Soul Shock!!"" and a pale white wave hits all the Yetis at the same instant, and all of a sudden, the Yetis fall to the ground dead, then I hear Eri say, "Let's move on, this is the st Labyrinth, after this, we only have to deal with Ehit, and then you finally bring me home to meet your parents and girlfriend, then we marry!"

  Ao her, Tio nods and adds, "That's right! But remember that Master also his one grandfather's blessing... Well, it isn't really important, after all, this one already belongs to Master."

  I shrug my shoulder and say, "Okay the's move and quer the st Labyrinth..." but at the same time, I think, 'Well, I have to admit that at this point we are kinda over-leveled for this challenge... the only difficulty is the trial itself, not the danger... In fact, with only Soul Shock, a Spirit Magic that bypasses all defense and strikes the soul directly, Eri and Tio wipe out most of the enemies without breaking a sweat...' and without hesitation, I lead the girls into the Frost Caverns of See.

  Jayr POV - Tortus, Frost Caverns of See - 2013

  The st of the seve byrinths, Frost Caverns of See is like a house of mirrors.

  The passage ihis rge byrinth is a siderable area, rge enough for ten people to stand side by side, the walls made from ice possess the transparency of crystal, and thanks to the refles one could easily bee fused as to the number of people present increases, the e is a fusing and mysterious internal structure.

  Although ahing could be said to tribute to this mysterious feeling, within the cave, snow is always falling, of course, being a cave the snow doesn't fall from the ceiling, the snow is blown through the cave, moving along the wind, however, it isn't blown in from the entrance, but blown out from within the recesses of the cave.

  Moreover, this isn't the normal kind of snow, if it touches a part of the body it causes instant frostbite, but such a thing isn't a problem for us siio is using both her wind and fire magic to create a barrier around us that blod melts this dangerous snow.

  While walking through this cave, my gaze stop on the corpse of a man buried among the wall of ice with closed eyes like he was sleeping, he seems to have sat down after being tired with his back to the wall and then bee frozen there, 'There isn't a wound on the body he died of Hypothermia, lost all his body heat and stamina and died as he fell asleep...'

  As I was cheg the corpse, Eri says, "Jayr, that isn't a normal corpse... it is a reanimated one... right now there isn't any magic power c through its body and wall, but for me is clear as day that it is just in its inactive state..."

  I look closer and notice that what she said is true, the corpse is almost swallowed by the wall, no to be more correct became oh the wall, and while it still has the appearance of a corpse it is in fact just made of magic ice at this point.

  Realizing this, I ask, "What do you say, should we destroy it?" but she checks something with her gsses Eri, then shakes her head and says, "It is useless, from what I infer, even if we destroy the corpse, it will be regee using the surrounding ice, the only way is to find the core aroy it..."

  Hearing that I nod and say, "Well finding it won't be a problem...", and once more pick up the pass to find the position of the core.

  As we tio move forward, Eri suddenly asks, "By the way, Jayr, I noticed that you appear as clueless as about some of the things that we find in the Labyrinths... Shouldn't you already know this? After all, you told me that you have read our inal story...?"

  Hearing that, I scratch my cheek in embarrassment and reply, "Well... it is true, I have read the novel... until the protagonist started to quer the Haltina Labyrinth, then I was too busy with my work and other things in my life and didn't read it anymore, and just looked at the spoilers in the end to satisfy my curiosity... So some details are unknown to me..."

  Hearing my ao her question, Eri looks at me and says, "So that is why..."

  After that question, we tio advahrough this plex cave with many brang paths, but thanks to the pass, we are able to move without hesitation and take the right turn.

  Along the way, the walls are littered with a lot more corpses trapped in the ice wall, and Tio ents, "… 50 people so far, most demons... if all these bee active and regee almost endlessly this could be annoying to deal with..."

  But Eri quickly reassures her, "Don't worry, if it is about numbers we won't lose, my puppets are more than the five hundred, and sihese are mostly made of ice they seem to be quite weak..."

  Tio then realizes, "I see! Probably their scope is only to dey us and make us exhaust ourselves so that the cold finish us off... Quite nasty as usual..."

  While we were talking we tio advail we reach a 4-way interse with a teer width a.

  And as soon as we step inside, I sehat the frost corpse finally starts to move, and so I say, "It seems that the first trial of this Labyrinth has truly started... Be ready the corpse are ing... from all four sides!!" at the same time, they hear my warning, Tio and Eri also prepare for taking on the first obstacle standing in the way of our byrinth quest.

  Odyin