One-Eyed Monster

”No, no, you can help me,” the Spirit said emphatically.

”How can I help?” Igor shrugged. He didn’t even know what the Spirit looked like, let alone how to help him.

”...” Suddenly, the Spirit didn’t know how to answer. Igor’s direct approach caught him off guard. The Spirit had prepared a whole lot of buildup, only to find it completely unnecessary.

”See, you don’t even know how I can help you. How am I supposed to help then?”

Igor was baffled. The Spirit had barely spoken before he implored for help, but now he was lost for words on what exactly Igor should do. Was this some kind of a joke?

”You say you need help but can’t explain how. Are you messing with me?” Igor was getting a bit angry.

”No, no, no, Igor, from what I can see, you’re the only one who can help us.”

”Then just say it.”

”Well, if I blurt it out all at once, you probably won’t understand,” the Spirit seemed hesitant.

”How will I know if you don’t say it?” Igor found this hilarious. Is this Spirit an idiot?

”Uh…”

”And you kept saying time is short! But now you’re just dragging this out. This is a complete waste of time!” Igor added. He found the situation unbelievable; it truly was a waste of time.

”I...” The Spirit wanted to respond but couldn’t find the words.

”If you don’t speak, I’m leaving. My friend needs my help outside.” Igor dusted himself off. He wasn’t planning on wasting any more time here. He’d already heard the story once and didn’t want to hear it again.

”Wait, it was hard enough to get you here. You can’t just leave.” The Spirit was getting anxious.

”Then you should tell me what’s going on.”

”Well, actually, it’s my friend who needs help. But it relates to our mutual balance, so some things need to be explained clearly.”

”Your friend? Spirits have friends?” Igor found it strange. From what the Spirit had said, they awaken and then sleep repeatedly. There seemed to be no room for friendships in that cycle.

”When we are awakened, we communicate normally. While we don’t interfere with each other when we sleep, things are different when we’re awake.”

”Spare me the details; get to the point.” Igor was amused. The Spirit kept emphasizing how time was short, yet it continued to stall, rambling on about trivial matters.

”The Awakened Ones, that’s the key point.”

”...What does that even mean?” Igor grew more confused; he had no idea what this fellow was talking about. What about the Awakened Ones? Are their numbers so few that any one of them encountered must be forcibly assigned a mission?

”Are you trying to say that because there are few Awakened Ones, every Awakened individual must have a certain understanding and contribute to maintaining the balance between the two realities?” Igor, reluctant to accept this, questioned the Spirit directly.

”Ah, if all Awakened Ones had your level of understanding, the two worlds would indeed be much better,” the Spirit remarked thoughtfully after Igor finished speaking.

”Let me be clear, I’m not that noble. My friends are waiting for me. I don’t want to abandon them just because of this ’noble mission’ you’ve proposed,” Igor said hastily.

”Eh, you’re misunderstanding; it’s not what you think. I’m just trying to tell you something. Once you know it, you’ll know what to do,” the Spirit hurriedly explained.

”So you’re saying you also don’t know how I can help you, is that it?”

”Not exactly. I need you to help my friend outside, but as for how to do that, I’m not entirely sure,” the Spirit admitted honestly.

”Well then... since you put it that way, how do you know I can actually help you all?”

”That... we have a premonition. My friend thinks you can help them.”

”Your friend?” Igor had a hard time imagining that this friend, supposedly in need of help, could still communicate with him.

The Spirit realized Igor’s confusion and explained, ”I know you’re puzzled. But even though my friends reside in your world, they can still communicate with me. It’s a complex matter that we can explore further when time allows. For now, the crucial thing is for you to understand the full story.”

Igor suddenly felt the world was extremely unfair. He had originally come to this Inner World seeking ways to help his own friends, but now, through a peculiar turn of events, he was being asked to help others...

And before that, he would have to listen to another story...

Igor’s face fell in disappointment.

”Don’t worry, Igor. You’ll soon discover that everything is connected. Helping my friends is, in essence, helping yourselves. I can guarantee that. Your enemy is a powerful Awakened One, and you need to be fully prepared,” the Spirit reassured him.

Igor tensed up; those words truly struck a chord. To be honest, they had yet to even glimpse the intruder’s true form, having only battled its Summoned Creatures and shadows. If this continued, the intruder would eventually wear them down completely.

Hopefully, it would be as the Spirit said this time.

Igor gathered his thoughts. Since he was already here, he might as well see it through. Leaving now would mean gaining nothing; it was better to stay and observe.

He resolved to be patient.

”You have to understand, we know nothing of your world. Although you know nothing about us either, your spirit of exploration always astounds us…”

The Spirit’s story wasn’t as long as the previous one. Many details had already been included in that lengthy tale, so he didn’t repeat them.

The gist was simple: the Awakened Ones in Igor’s world were a mixed bag, ranging from great individuals with noble aspirations to petty, profit-driven scoundrels. These people, to varying degrees, influenced the Spirits they had awakened. Consequently, some Spirits gradually lost their original nature, causing the entire Spirit World to destabilize. Fortunately, individuals with such ill intentions were few and were gradually suppressed by the more virtuous ones.

If it were merely a matter of guarding against those with ill intentions, it wouldn’t have been a major issue. The Spirit World had more or less established its own system to maintain proper balance, and a few such individuals couldn’t cause significant disruptions.

However, an anomaly has now emerged. Certain Awakened Ones have appeared who, instead of influencing Spirits, seek to mislead them. They lure Spirits into a kind of trap. This transforms the naturally complementary relationship into one of mere employment, based entirely on an agreement…

This was an exceedingly rare phenomenon, yet it caused a huge stir in the Spirit World.

Because some of the Spirits who hadn’t entered slumber had disappeared…

And the ones Igor needed to help were those vanished Spirits.