Chapter 4: Boxed In
"No! You got it all wrong! It wasn't me!" Chris yelled, arms raised, ducking behind a toppled chair as magical rifles and enchanted swords aimed at him.
Chaos had erupted.
The entire Relic Registration lobby had turned into a warzone of panic and mana surges, and Chris was at the center of it — still holding a mostly-invisible Eye that may or may not be whispering unspeakable truths into the air.
"I don't even know what's happening!" he tried again, his voice echoing over the alarms.
Some time later… in a magically reinforced holding cell:
Chris sat on the bench, arms crossed, a bit pouty.
"I told you guys, I don't know this thing or whatever. It just appeared one day. No glowing light. No divine prophecy. Just… popped into my room like an unpaid internship."
Across from him, two investigators stood behind a translucent barrier. One was clearly tired of this. The other was taking notes.
"Uh huh," said the tired one.
"So, where'd you get this thing?"
Chris dropped his head against the wall with a thunk.
"Oh man. Are we seriously back to square one again?"
The door slid open with a hiss.
Click... Clack... Clack...
Boots. Fancy ones. Probably expensive. Probably belonged to someone way above Chris's pay grade (which was zero, because he refused to get a job).
"That's enough," a voice said. Calm. Sharp. Serious.
"S-Sir!" the investigators snapped to attention.
The man who entered wore a coat that shimmered with woven runes. Eyes hidden behind arcane lenses. Definitely important.
He looked at Chris.
"So. You said this thing... is an Eye?"
Chris blinked, looking between the new guy and the Eye still hovering quietly beside him.
"Wait. You… can't see it?"
The man adjusted his lenses.
"No. Even with layered detection skills. It registers as blank."
Chris sighed and threw up his hands.
"Arghh, this is the worst. Can you guys just take it already? Study it, seal it, launch it into the void. Whatever. I just wanna go home and nap."
The room fell quiet.
Then the man nodded.
"If you're fine with that… we'll proceed."
He motioned to the guards. One of them stepped forward, holding something.
A box.
Small. Smooth. Beautiful.
It glowed with seven distinct colors, constantly shifting and flowing like liquid light. Ancient runes shimmered around its edges.
"Whoa…" Chris muttered.
"What's that?"
The man smirked faintly. "You have the [Inspect] skill, don't you? If you really want to know... go ahead."
"Well, it'd be rude to inspect something without permission," Chris said, tilting his head.
"But if you insist."
He raised a hand and focused.
[Inspect]
[Box of Seven Wonders]
Can seal up to Mythical-class ArtifactsConstructed from the combined cores of seven lost dungeonsEach color represents a different elemental attunementCan suppress spiritual consciousness and isolate corrupted manaOnce sealed, the object cannot be interacted with by external forces unless the box is opened by its SealerWARNING: Cannot seal items classified above Mythical-tier or imbued with Primordial Essence
Chris blinked.
"...Wait. What was that last part?"
The box shimmered softly, resisting the proximity of the Eye.
"Cannot seal items... imbued with Primordial Essence?"
The Eye suddenly pulsed.
Chris's status panel flickered. A line appeared that hadn't been there before.
[Eye Of ???]
Holder of one of the Primordial EssencesEntity is bound to HostCannot be removed unless Host ceases to exist
Chris looked up, pale.
"Sooo... new problem, guys."
The lead investigator leaned forward.
"What is it?"
Chris gave a weak, helpless laugh.
"Uh... Apparently this thing's stuck to me until I die."
Silence.
"...Welp."