The whispers continued.
Everywhere.
From the streets.
From the buildings.
From the darkness between the ruins.
Thousands of voices.
Thousands of lies.
None of them completely understandable.
Yet all of them felt familiar.
Too familiar.
Abraão tightened his grip on his sword.
Lia moved closer.
Neither liked what was happening.
The lantern's light flickered violently.
The shadows stretched unnaturally across the ancient city.
Then—
the whispers changed.
They became clearer.
Much clearer.
And suddenly—
Abraão understood one of them.
"You could have saved him."
His entire body froze.
The voice sounded distant.
Yet it reached him perfectly.
Another whisper followed.
"If you had been stronger…"
Then another.
"Elias would still be alive."
His grip tightened.
No.
Not again.
The city was doing the same thing as before.
Digging through his memories.
Searching for weaknesses.
Searching for wounds.
Searching for lies he wanted to believe.
The whispers grew louder.
"You failed."
"You abandoned him."
"You weren't enough."
The words echoed from every direction.
Lia suddenly grabbed her head.
Her face turned pale.
Immediately.
"Stop…"
Abraão looked at her.
"Lia?"
She staggered backward.
The lantern almost slipped from her hand.
"Make them stop."
His stomach tightened.
She was hearing them too.
Different whispers.
Different lies.
But hearing them.
The city wasn't targeting only him anymore.
It was targeting both of them.
The temple stood ahead.
Massive.
Ancient.
Watching.
The closer they got—
the worse the whispers became.
Every step felt heavier.
Every breath became harder.
As though the city itself didn't want them advancing.
Then—
something moved.
A figure appeared in the distance.
Standing in the middle of the street.
Motionless.
Watching them.
Abraão immediately stopped.
So did Lia.
The figure didn't move.
Didn't speak.
Didn't breathe.
It simply stood there.
Covered in a dark cloak.
Its face hidden.
Its body unnaturally thin.
The same kind of creature they had seen earlier.
Only larger.
Much larger.
Then another appeared.
And another.
And another.
The rooftops.
The alleys.
The broken towers.
They were everywhere.
Watching.
Observing.
Waiting.
Lia slowly drew her weapon.
"We're surrounded."
Abraão nodded.
Unfortunately—
the creatures didn't attack.
And somehow—
that was worse.
Because they were waiting for something.
The phone vibrated.
DING.
MISSION UPDATE
The Eye of Lies is awakening.
Estimated Time Until Activation:
00:19:34
The countdown had almost reached zero.
Nineteen minutes.
That was all.
The realization hit immediately.
Whatever was waking up—
it was happening now.
Not tomorrow.
Not later.
Now.
The entrance of the temple finally stood before them.
A massive stone staircase.
Hundreds of steps.
Leading upward.
The whispers intensified.
The creatures continued watching.
The countdown continued falling.
00:18:57
00:18:56
00:18:55
The atmosphere felt suffocating.
As if the entire city were holding its breath.
Waiting.
Then—
Abraão heard footsteps.
Footsteps behind him.
Slow.
Familiar.
Impossible.
His body froze.
No.
Not again.
Please.
Not again.
Slowly—
he turned.
And saw her.
Elara.
Standing in the middle of the ancient street.
Smiling gently.
Exactly as he remembered.
His grandmother.
Alive.
The lantern slipped from Lia's hand.
She saw her too.
The old woman slowly approached.
No monster smile.
No cracks.
No distortion.
Nothing.
She looked completely real.
Completely normal.
That made it worse.
Much worse.
"Abraão."
The voice was warm.
Kind.
The same voice that had comforted him as a child.
The same voice that had raised him.
The same voice that had died.
His chest tightened.
The city became silent.
Even the whispers stopped.
As if the entire Hollow Moon wanted to watch.
Wanted to see what he would do.
Elara smiled softly.
"You've grown."
Abraão couldn't move.
Couldn't speak.
Couldn't think.
For one horrible moment—
he wanted to run toward her.
The temptation was overwhelming.
The desire to believe.
The desire to undo reality.
The desire to see her one more time.
The Eye of Lies understood exactly what people wanted.
And it used it perfectly.
Elara slowly extended her hand.
"Come."
A single word.
Simple.
Gentle.
Dangerous.
Then—
Satoru's warning echoed once more.
The most dangerous lies…
are the ones you want to believe.
The illusion waited.
Patiently.
Confidently.
As if it already knew the outcome.
Abraão slowly closed his eyes.
Then opened them again.
His expression hardened.
And for the first time—
he stepped backward.
Not forward.
Backward.
The smile on Elara's face froze.
For a brief moment—
something dark moved beneath her skin.
Something inhuman.
Something ancient.
The illusion flickered.
Once.
Twice.
Three times.
Then her face cracked.
Like broken glass.
The city trembled.
The creatures surrounding them suddenly became restless.
And deep inside the temple—
something opened its eyes.
The countdown continued.
00:15:00
00:14:59
00:14:58
And whatever was waiting beyond those doors…
had finally noticed them.
Chapter 8: The Hollow Moon (Part 9)
The whispers continued.
Everywhere.
From the streets.
From the buildings.
From the darkness between the ruins.
Thousands of voices.
Thousands of lies.
None of them completely understandable.
Yet all of them felt familiar.
Too familiar.
Abraão tightened his grip on his sword.
Lia moved closer.
Neither liked what was happening.
The lantern's light flickered violently.
The shadows stretched unnaturally across the ancient city.
Then—
the whispers changed.
They became clearer.
Much clearer.
And suddenly—
Abraão understood one of them.
"You could have saved him."
His entire body froze.
The voice sounded distant.
Yet it reached him perfectly.
Another whisper followed.
"If you had been stronger…"
Then another.
"Elias would still be alive."
His grip tightened.
No.
Not again.
The city was doing the same thing as before.
Digging through his memories.
Searching for weaknesses.
Searching for wounds.
Searching for lies he wanted to believe.
The whispers grew louder.
"You failed."
"You abandoned him."
"You weren't enough."
The words echoed from every direction.
Lia suddenly grabbed her head.
Her face turned pale.
Immediately.
"Stop…"
Abraão looked at her.
"Lia?"
She staggered backward.
The lantern almost slipped from her hand.
"Make them stop."
His stomach tightened.
She was hearing them too.
Different whispers.
Different lies.
But hearing them.
The city wasn't targeting only him anymore.
It was targeting both of them.
The temple stood ahead.
Massive.
Ancient.
Watching.
The closer they got—
the worse the whispers became.
Every step felt heavier.
Every breath became harder.
As though the city itself didn't want them advancing.
Then—
something moved.
A figure appeared in the distance.
Standing in the middle of the street.
Motionless.
Watching them.
Abraão immediately stopped.
So did Lia.
The figure didn't move.
Didn't speak.
Didn't breathe.
It simply stood there.
Covered in a dark cloak.
Its face hidden.
Its body unnaturally thin.
The same kind of creature they had seen earlier.
Only larger.
Much larger.
Then another appeared.
And another.
And another.
The rooftops.
The alleys.
The broken towers.
They were everywhere.
Watching.
Observing.
Waiting.
Lia slowly drew her weapon.
"We're surrounded."
Abraão nodded.
Unfortunately—
the creatures didn't attack.
And somehow—
that was worse.
Because they were waiting for something.
The phone vibrated.
DING.
MISSION UPDATE
The Eye of Lies is awakening.
Estimated Time Until Activation:
00:19:34
The countdown had almost reached zero.
Nineteen minutes.
That was all.
The realization hit immediately.
Whatever was waking up—
it was happening now.
Not tomorrow.
Not later.
Now.
The entrance of the temple finally stood before them.
A massive stone staircase.
Hundreds of steps.
Leading upward.
The whispers intensified.
The creatures continued watching.
The countdown continued falling.
00:18:57
00:18:56
00:18:55
The atmosphere felt suffocating.
As if the entire city were holding its breath.
Waiting.
Then—
Abraão heard footsteps.
Footsteps behind him.
Slow.
Familiar.
Impossible.
His body froze.
No.
Not again.
Please.
Not again.
Slowly—
he turned.
And saw her.
Elara.
Standing in the middle of the ancient street.
Smiling gently.
Exactly as he remembered.
His grandmother.
Alive.
The lantern slipped from Lia's hand.
She saw her too.
The old woman slowly approached.
No monster smile.
No cracks.
No distortion.
Nothing.
She looked completely real.
Completely normal.
That made it worse.
Much worse.
"Abraão."
The voice was warm.
Kind.
The same voice that had comforted him as a child.
The same voice that had raised him.
The same voice that had died.
His chest tightened.
The city became silent.
Even the whispers stopped.
As if the entire Hollow Moon wanted to watch.
Wanted to see what he would do.
Elara smiled softly.
"You've grown."
Abraão couldn't move.
Couldn't speak.
Couldn't think.
For one horrible moment—
he wanted to run toward her.
The temptation was overwhelming.
The desire to believe.
The desire to undo reality.
The desire to see her one more time.
The Eye of Lies understood exactly what people wanted.
And it used it perfectly.
Elara slowly extended her hand.
"Come."
A single word.
Simple.
Gentle.
Dangerous.
Then—
Satoru's warning echoed once more.
The most dangerous lies…
are the ones you want to believe.
The illusion waited.
Patiently.
Confidently.
As if it already knew the outcome.
Abraão slowly closed his eyes.
Then opened them again.
His expression hardened.
And for the first time—
he stepped backward.
Not forward.
Backward.
The smile on Elara's face froze.
For a brief moment—
something dark moved beneath her skin.
Something inhuman.
Something ancient.
The illusion flickered.
Once.
Twice.
Three times.
Then her face cracked.
Like broken glass.
The city trembled.
The creatures surrounding them suddenly became restless.
And deep inside the temple—
something opened its eyes.
The countdown continued.
00:15:00
00:14:59
00:14:58
And whatever was waiting beyond those doors…
had finally noticed them.
The temple doors slowly opened.
Not because Abraão touched them.
Not because Lia pushed them.
They opened by themselves.
Ancient stone groaned.
Dust fell from the ceiling.
The entire city seemed to tremble.
Watching.
Waiting.
The countdown continued.
00:14:21
00:14:20
00:14:19
Abraão and Lia exchanged a glance.
Neither spoke.
There was nothing left to say.
They had come too far.
Turning back was no longer an option.
Together—
they stepped inside.
The temple was enormous.
Far larger than it appeared from outside.
Rows of black pillars stretched into darkness.
The ceiling was invisible.
The air felt heavy.
Ancient.
Oppressive.
And at the center—
stood an altar.
A single altar.
Nothing else.
No treasure.
No army.
No guardian.
Just an altar.
And above it—
floating several meters in the air—
was an eye.
A golden eye.
Brilliant.
Beautiful.
Terrifying.
Its iris resembled a shattered moon.
Its pupil shifted constantly.
Watching.
Studying.
Thinking.
The Eye of Lies.
After everything.
After the ruins.
After the illusions.
After the city.
It was finally here.
The countdown continued.
00:12:47
00:12:46
00:12:45
Lia swallowed.
"…That's it?"
Abraão didn't answer.
Something felt wrong.
Very wrong.
Too easy.
The Hollow Moon had tried to kill them since the moment they arrived.
Why would the final reward simply float there?
Waiting?
No.
Something was missing.
Then—
the altar cracked.
A deep sound echoed through the temple.
Like stone breaking.
Like bones shifting.
Like something waking up.
The floor trembled.
The pillars shook.
The entire temple began vibrating.
And from beneath the altar—
something emerged.
A hand.
Massive.
Grey.
Ancient.
The size of a house.
Lia immediately stepped backward.
"What is THAT?!"
The floor exploded.
Stone flew everywhere.
A gigantic creature slowly rose from beneath the temple.
Its body seemed carved from lunar stone.
Its face had no eyes.
Only an enormous mouth stretching across its head.
Hundreds of ancient symbols covered its skin.
Symbols identical to those throughout the Hollow Moon.
The creature stood.
And kept standing.
Higher.
Higher.
Higher.
Until its head nearly reached the ceiling.
The pressure alone made breathing difficult.
The phone vibrated violently.
DING.
FINAL GUARDIAN IDENTIFIED
Designation:
The Hollow Keeper
Threat Level:
Catastrophic
Recommended Action:
Run.
"…"
"…"
Lia stared at the screen.
"Even the phone wants us to run!"
The creature roared.
The sound shook the entire temple.
Cracks spread across the walls.
Dust rained from above.
And suddenly—
it attacked.
The giant hand crashed downward.
BOOOOOOM!
The impact shattered stone.
Abraão grabbed Lia.
Both barely escaped.
The floor behind them exploded.
Fragments flew everywhere.
The Hollow Keeper moved again.
Far faster than something that large should have been able to move.
Its second strike came immediately.
Abraão raised his sword.
Instinctively.
The impact launched him across the room.
CRASH!
He smashed into a pillar.
Pain exploded through his body.
His arms felt numb.
His vision blurred.
One hit.
One single hit.
And he understood.
They couldn't win.
Not directly.
Not against this thing.
Lia rushed toward him.
"Abraão!"
"I'm fine."
He wasn't fine.
Not even close.
The giant moved again.
Another strike.
Another explosion.
Another shockwave.
The temple trembled.
The city above trembled.
Everything trembled.
The countdown continued.
00:09:03
00:09:02
00:09:01
The Eye of Lies remained floating above the altar.
Unmoving.
Watching.
Almost amused.
Then Abraão noticed something.
The creature wasn't protecting the altar.
It wasn't protecting the temple.
It was protecting the Eye itself.
Every movement.
Every attack.
Every step.
Centered around it.
The realization struck instantly.
They didn't need to defeat it.
They only needed to reach the Eye.
"Lia!"
She looked at him.
"The Eye!"
"What about it?!"
"That's the objective!"
For a brief moment—
understanding appeared in her eyes.
Then she smiled.
A reckless smile.
The kind of smile that usually led to terrible decisions.
"Now that's a plan."
The next few minutes became chaos.
The Keeper attacked relentlessly.
The temple continued collapsing.
Pillars shattered.
Walls cracked.
Entire sections of the ceiling collapsed.
Yet little by little—
they moved closer.
Ten meters.
Eight.
Six.
Five.
The Eye grew brighter.
Brighter.
Brighter.
As though it knew they were approaching.
The whispers returned.
Louder than ever.
Thousands of voices.
Thousands of lies.
Thousands of promises.
All speaking at once.
Then—
the countdown reached zero.
00:00:00
The world stopped.
Everything froze.
The Keeper.
The whispers.
The dust.
The air itself.
Time seemed to halt.
The Eye opened.
Fully.
For the first time.
And it looked directly at Abraão.
The golden pupil narrowed.
Studying him.
Judging him.
Choosing him.
Then—
a voice echoed inside his mind.
Not from the temple.
Not from the city.
From the Eye itself.
Ancient.
Endless.
Dangerously calm.
"So…"
"You finally arrived."
The Eye slowly descended.
Toward him.
Toward his left eye.
And suddenly—
Abraão understood.
The mission had never been about finding the Eye of Lies.
The Eye of Lies had been waiting to find him.
The world stopped.
The Hollow Keeper froze.
The dust froze.
The whispers froze.
Even Lia froze.
Everything became motionless.
Everything except the Eye.
The golden Eye slowly descended from above the altar.
Watching.
Studying.
Judging.
Its shattered-moon pupil narrowed.
Focused entirely on Abraão.
The voice echoed inside his mind once more.
"So…"
"You finally arrived."
Abraão tightened his grip on his sword.
"What are you?"
The Eye remained silent for several seconds.
Then—
it laughed.
Not loudly.
Not cruelly.
Just… knowingly.
As if the question itself were amusing.
"A lie."
"A truth."
"A possibility."
The answers made no sense.
And somehow—
that felt intentional.
The Eye moved closer.
Closer.
Closer.
Until it floated directly before him.
Its golden light illuminated the temple.
The city.
The darkness.
Everything.
Then the voice spoke again.
"Tell me, Abraão."
"What do you want?"
The question hit harder than any attack.
Because answers immediately appeared.
His parents.
Elara.
Elias.
A normal life.
The things he had lost.
The things he could never recover.
The Eye remained silent.
Waiting.
Patient.
As if it already knew every answer.
Abraão lowered his head.
Then slowly looked up.
And answered honestly.
"I want to become strong."
Silence.
The Eye stared.
Then—
for the first time—
it smiled.
The golden light exploded.
BOOOOOOM!
Pain consumed everything.
Abraão screamed.
The Eye shot forward.
Straight toward his face.
Straight toward his left eye.
The impact felt like fire.
Like lightning.
Like molten metal.
Like his entire skull splitting apart.
He collapsed immediately.
The temple disappeared.
The city disappeared.
Reality disappeared.
Only pain remained.
Endless pain.
Unbearable pain.
Then—
the visions began.
A city.
The same city beneath the Hollow Moon.
But alive.
People filled the streets.
Children ran through markets.
Warriors walked beneath silver banners.
Life.
Thousands of lives.
Then—
another vision.
A man stood before a crowd.
His eyes glowed gold.
The same gold as the Eye of Lies.
He spoke a single sentence.
Abraão couldn't hear it.
Yet the crowd believed him.
Instantly.
Completely.
And reality changed.
The sky itself changed.
The impossible became possible.
The vision shattered.
Another appeared.
War.
Fire.
Blood.
The ancient city burning.
People screaming.
Golden-eyed warriors fighting each other.
Using lies as weapons.
Using belief as power.
The world breaking apart around them.
The vision shattered.
Another.
A lone swordsman.
Standing atop a mountain of ruins.
Satoru.
Older.
Tired.
Bleeding.
His broken sword rested beside him.
His expression carried no victory.
Only regret.
Then he spoke.
Not to the world.
Not to history.
To whoever inherited the Eye.
To Abraão.
"I failed."
The vision cracked.
Fragments of light scattered.
Then—
darkness.
Complete darkness.
A final voice emerged.
Ancient.
Older than the city.
Older than Satoru.
Older than memory itself.
And it whispered:
"Be careful what you make others believe."
Silence.
Then—
the voice continued.
"A lie believed by one person…"
"is merely a lie."
Images appeared.
People telling stories.
Rumors.
Deceptions.
Harmless lies.
Then—
the visions changed.
Thousands of people.
Believing.
Following.
Accepting.
Reality began bending.
Changing.
Shifting.
"A lie believed by many…"
"begins to shape reality."
Abraão's heart stopped.
The implication was terrifying.
The voice continued.
"And a lie believed by the world…"
"becomes truth."
The darkness shattered.
Abraão's eyes opened.
The temple had returned.
The city had returned.
Reality had returned.
He was lying on the ground.
Breathing heavily.
Sweat covered his body.
His head felt like it had been split apart.
The pain remained.
But it was fading.
Slowly.
Very slowly.
The first thing he saw was Lia.
She immediately rushed forward.
"ABRAÃO!"
Relief filled her voice.
Fear too.
She dropped to her knees beside him.
"You scared me to death!"
Abraão tried to sit up.
Immediately regretted it.
His head spun.
The world blurred.
Then stabilized.
"What happened?"
Lia stared.
For several seconds she simply stared.
At his face.
At his left eye.
At something he couldn't see.
Finally she spoke.
"…your eye."
Abraão froze.
His hand moved instinctively.
Touching the left side of his face.
The eye felt different.
Warmer.
Alive.
The phone vibrated.
DING.
MISSION COMPLETE
Reward Acquired:
Eye of Lies
New Ability Unlocked
Eye of Lies
Status:
Dormant
Synchronization:
3%
Side Effects:
Unknown
The message vanished.
Immediately afterward—
cracks spread through the temple.
The Hollow Keeper roared.
The city trembled.
The entire Hollow Moon began collapsing.
Lia immediately stood.
"NOW IS NOT THE TIME TO READ THAT!"
Abraão couldn't argue with that.
The escape was chaos.
The temple collapsed behind them.
Buildings shattered.
Ancient towers crumbled.
The whispers became screams.
The Hollow Moon was dying.
Or perhaps—
finally being allowed to die.
Neither looked back.
They ran.
Through streets.
Through corridors.
Through ruins.
Toward the gate.
Toward freedom.
Toward the surface.
Then—
light.
The gate.
The archway.
The forest.
The real world.
They crossed it just as the ruins behind them collapsed.
Silence followed.
The Hollow Moon was gone.
Only the forest remained.
As if nothing had ever existed there.
Hours later.
Near dawn.
The mountains finally came into view.
And at the edge of the trail—
someone waited.
Mahina.
Exactly where they had left her.
Arms crossed.
Calm as ever.
Though the moment she saw them—
relief appeared in her eyes.
Briefly.
Very briefly.
Then it vanished.
Lia smiled.
"We're alive."
Mahina nodded.
"I can see that."
Then her gaze shifted.
Toward Abraão.
Toward his left eye.
And for the first time since defeating Sasuke—
Mahina looked genuinely shocked.
The silence lasted several seconds.
The morning wind moved through the mountains.
The thousand moons slowly faded as dawn approached.
Finally—
Mahina spoke.
One simple question.
A question that carried far more weight than it seemed.
"Abraão…"
"What did you bring back with you?"
The golden eye reflected the light of the rising sun.
And for the first time—
Abraão wasn't sure how to answer.