Tower of Heaven

A week passed. In this week, Horus and Artemia melded into the village and experienced its culture. Atlas spent most of his time indoors, but he also joined them on occasion.

The Harvest Festival was a tradition of this village for a very long time. It was both a way for them to praise their God and a way for them to celebrate the growth of their crops. The fact that they could even farm underground was a miracle that couldn't be achieved through normal means, but they didn't seem to question it.

The simple-minded villagers were only happy they could eat. They were more than willing to celebrate such a privilege.

Artemia and Horus were both foreign to this kind of environment. Most of Horus' upbringing wasn't in the Mortal or Immortal Realms, but the God Realms. As for Artemia, she spent most of her life in Vanatos under the care of her clan.

Both of them were relatively sheltered people who hadn't seen the smaller things in life. They became immersed in the environment quite easily.

Atlas had to admit that the people here were extremely human. They perfectly emulated the quaint and cozy atmosphere that a normal village would have. It was to the point where one could forget that the entire village was underground and connected to a dungeon.

'In the end, they are still Replicas.'

In the end, they were not humans. Atlas knew that well.

Because that was one of the implications of the absolute truth.

'Replicas are not real people.'

However, Replicas "were" real people. At some point in the past, everyone in this village existed.

'Then, they were torn to shreds by the Tower's descent. Their souls and egos were sucked into the formation of this great structure, and they themselves became nothing more than tools for its function.'

It was only a hypothesis, but Atlas found it easy to believe. Otherwise, there wasn't a way for illusionary people to be so similar to real humans.

'However, if these Replicas are created with the souls and egos of those who passed, then can they be considered living things?'

Could becoming a Replica be considered a second life?

It was a complicated matter, far too complicated for someone like him to ponder about.

'Because, no matter how much free will they have, they will always be at the whims of the Tower, following its every direction.'

The Harvest Festival was approaching, and the behavior of his two companions was becoming concerning.

'Do I tell them, or do I leave them to learn completely on their own?'

Atlas looked out of the house's window and into the village beyond. He could see Artemia in the distance, but Horus was nowhere to be found.

In the end, he shook his head.

'They are inquisitive kids. Even if I don't say anything, they will realize the truth on their own.'

Atlas opened the door and left the house discreetly, making sure that he didn't attract any attention.

He was fine with leaving the two of them alone, but if there really was something dark taking place in this village…

…then he wasn't going to stay uninformed about it.

***

The village was beautiful. It was a kind of beauty that one had to search hard for, but once it was found, it could only be appreciated.

'The village people have such a harmonious atmosphere. If only…'

Horus shook his head and sighed as he thought of his own twisted family. It was the kind of place where everything looked perfectly fine one day and people were betraying each other the next.

The village people, on the other hand, stuck together. Everyone knew everyone and everyone got along. They ate from the same crops, happily enjoying the smallest joys in life together as they remained each other's only connection to humans.

It was a bit strange that they never answered any questions regarding how they ended up underground, but it made sense. If it was some sort of traumatizing circumstance, it was normal to not want to mention it.

Horus had been getting close to one family in particular. The husband's name was Inku and the wife was named Kii. They had a small daughter named Kunii who was no more than six years old.

When he was first exploring the village, they were the ones who reached out to him and invited him into their home. They fed him the staple foods of the village and told him of its history, welcoming him wholeheartedly.

He had always refused their invitations, as he didn't want to be rude. But, they didn't take it to heart. Instead, they took him around the village to see for himself where all of the foods came from. He was able to try vegetable medleys and stews straight from the source.

There were no animals in the village, so the people found other ways to fill meat's place in their diets. Somehow, they were able to pull clean water up from the several wells strewn about the village, and though they lived underground, their lives were quite fulfilling.

As for culture… Well, not much could be expected from such a small population, but they had their quirks. They were extremely prideful about their harvests, and they were prone to gathering for large feats spontaneously.

Inku and Kii's constant invitations were also a part of that. As they'd taken a liking to Horus, they wanted to show him their sincerity through food they'd harvested and cooked themselves.

This could be considered his first time actually entering their house.

After so many invitations, he could no longer reasonably refuse. He entered their home happily and awkwardly, sat himself at the table with Inku, and talked to him and Kii while she cooked in the kitchen.

However, he couldn't ignore the irritation he felt in his eyes. Even from the very moment he walked in, it was there, ruining his perception of everything.

To be specific, the [Sun God's Eyes], a trait he inherited from his uncle, were reacting.

He frowned. The Sun God's Eyes were mainly used to decipher things and see with pinpoint accuracy. For the most part, they couldn't be used in non-battle situations unless the goal was to search for a needle in a haystack.

However, there was one thing the Sun God's Eyes would never fail to sense.

'Blood.'

The strong aura of blood coming from beneath the house.

Horus felt shivers all over his body.

'Atlas said that we shouldn't get too attached.'

And Atlas was not the kind of person to speak for no reason.

"Is anything wrong?"

Kii raised her voice from the kitchen. When Horus looked up, the entire family was staring at him in concern.

He smiled slightly, shaking his head.

"It's nothing. Perhaps I am still a bit tired from my journey."

"See, what was I telling you? It's better if you take some rest instead of running around helping people like us. Honey, is the food almost ready? We can't let him go home on an empty stomach."

Inku patted his back as he spoke, and Kunii tugged on his shirt, forcing him to prove that he was okay while rustling her hair.

They truly were a harmonious family.

They were a harmonious family, right?

Then…what was that rotting stench coming from beneath their house?

And why…

Just why did their smiles feel so eerie?