Dungeon of Pride, Laplace

This is the main reason why not many high ranking demons are willing to take risks by bidding for items like the Eye of Enigma whose value is incredibly difficult to assess.

What's more, the shady way the merchant had introduced the eye, they had all the more reason not to bid. Oswell too had similar thoughts; however, when he saw the Eye of Enigma end up from Famoon to Simon as if the item was choosing its master, he couldn't help but believe that it was a genuine article.

Though that said, Oswell had no intentions for the item. Since the Eye of Enigma ended up in Simon's hand, he believed that the item had chosen him.

"Master, here" Theodore passed the Eye of Enigma to Simon.

Looking at the container that had the mysterious Eye of Enigma, Simon's heart started pounding in anticipation. As he gingerly extended his hands, he couldn't help but wonder if the Eye of Enigma had really chosen him as his master.

Simon reached out and held the container, his fingertips brushed the smooth surface of the glass prison. As he looked at the eye floating inside, he couldn't help but inadvertently get drawn towards it.

The eye looked so enigmatic, so mysterious, like a piece of art that it was hard for him to look away. Simon was observing the eye in a trance when suddenly he noticed the eye move.

It turned towards him and reflected his countenance on its pupil. Immediately afterwards, a mysterious energy started leaking out of the container and latched onto his hands.

A jolt shot up his arms causing him to recoil momentarily. Shocked, Simon immediately snapped out of his trance. He instinctively tried to move his hand away from the container; however, to his surprise, he realised that his hands were not following his commands.

It was as if they got frozen the moment they came in contact with the container. It was not only his hands but his entire body was frozen still, leaving only his mind to work as usual.

What was going on? Simon turned his eyes towards the people around him only to realise that they too were frozen still just like him. The breeze, the swaying of the grass, the falling leaves, everything had come to a halt around him as if the time itself had come to a stop.

What was going on? Simon didn't know. However, what he was clear about was that it was definitely the doing of the Eye of Enigma.

Simon shifted his attention back to the eye floating inside the container. At this moment, the mysterious energy that had latched onto his hands, was now coursing through his entire body, rushing through every corner and cell of his in search of something.

This continued for a while before there was a sudden resonance between the fragments of pride lying deep within him and the Eye of Enigma.

The resonance started intensifying, reverberating through the vast expanse of this space and causing the very ground under Simon's feet to tremble. Beads of perspiration formed on his forehead, his heart raced and his grip on the container tightened, the muscle in his arms straining against the mounting force.

He could feel the eye yearning for him, beckoning him to release it out of its containment. The thing inside was no mere artefact; it was an entity unto itself, alive with power and purpose.

The fact that it resonated with him and was beckoning him, did it mean that it had chosen him as its master? Simon steeled himself with an unyielding determination for what was to come next and destroyed the container.

With a sudden, explosive burst, the container shattered into a thousand fragments, casting shards of glass in all directions. A blinding light erupted from within, engulfing Simon in its brilliance.

As he instinctively closed his eyes, he suddenly felt a searing pain in his left eye socket causing him to let out a guttural cry of agony.

Something had pierced his left eye and was now trying to tunnel through. The pain was unlike anything he had experienced before, it was so excruciating, radiating through every fibre of his being.

It felt as if a thousand fiery needles had pierced his flesh, tearing apart his senses and leaving him screaming and gasping for air.

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Outside his time space, where everything was moving normally, the group around Simon was shocked by his sudden screams.

"Master!!" Concerned, Theodore and Maybell called out to Simon. However, he did not respond as if he couldn't perceive them. His body seemed to have been frozen mysteriously and droplets of blood trickled down from his closed left eye.

What just happened? In one moment, he just held the container and the next second he was letting out deep cries of agony. Why did the blood come out of his eyes? Who attacked him?

Just as the group was getting anxious as to what was going on with Simon, Prime who was hiding inside Simon's pocket, suddenly jumped out.

"There is no need to fret. This brat was chosen by the Eye of Enigma and is now currently experiencing what is called the 'Temporal Stasis'. I'm sure that in his time space, everything around him is frozen still thus the reason why he is unable to perceive us".

"This moment is extremely important for him as it is related to his twisted destiny, so do not disturb him during this timeframe" Prime explained.

The group finally calmed down after they were told that it was the doing of the eye. However, when they looked at the container, they couldn't feel anything out of the ordinary. The container was still intact and the eye was floating inside it as usual.

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Back inside his time space, Simon was currently enduring an excruciating amount of pain. His body trembled with anguish and a vision with a kaleidoscope of vibrant colours and swirling patterns, swam inside his head.

Simon heard a voice sound inside him [The Eye of Enigma reveals itself in front of you. The Primordial Eye, Celestial Ocularis has chosen you as its master].

Right after that voice, the vision in front of him started becoming clear. Simon found himself standing at the foot of a once-mighty tower that stretched towards the heavens.

It was a colossal structure, now reduced to crumbling ruins and echoing with the whispers of forgotten glory. The tower's spires, once reaching for the sky, now drooped with weariness, a solemn reminder of the passage of time.

In the vision, eight shadows stood near the tower, their forms cast against the backdrop of twilight. They emanated an aura of ancient power, each possessing a distinct silhouette that hinted at their unique identities.

Some stood tall and imposing, while others appeared graceful and elusive.

"This is…" With eyes wide open in surprise, Simon recalled that the vision in front of him was the very same dream he had about a year ago, during Cecilia's birthday.

Something that he thought was just a passing dream, why did it appear in front of him in the form of a vision once again? Baffled, Simon looked around.

Just like in that dream, the Eight Shadows were locked in a fierce battle with two shadows, their powers colliding with a cataclysmic force overturning the very heaven and earth and causing unnatural phenomena to occur.

Amongst these eight shadows, Simon's gaze was drawn towards one of the figures that was very much familiar to him. It was none other than the adult looking Cecilia, the Forest Spring Royal Spirit.

Those emerald green hair, fairy like beautiful face, those mystical speckles of light that always followed her. The two figures resembled one another so much that Simon couldn't help but associate them together.

He had his own conjecture as to who she was; however, his attention wasn't on her this time, rather it was on the distinct silhouette next to her.

Standing regally among the group, was a diminutive figure no taller than a fairy. With gossamer wings that glimmered in the fading light, it radiated an ethereal beauty that contrasted with the desolation surrounding the tower.

The tiny figure wore a crown upon its head, resembling that of a fairy king, marking it as a being of authority and reverence.

Just as Simon tried to observe the figure more closely, the vision became tumultuous. A gigantic eye opened in the sky and stared at him. That eye that looked like it existed since the beginning of time, was the eye of enigma or in other words, the Celestial Oculairs.

As soon as the eye appeared in the sky, the vision dissipated in the recesses of his mind leaving him disoriented and breathless. The pain began to subside and Simon found that he was finally able to move his body once again.

He lowered his trembling hand and looked upon the scene before him. The Eye of Enigma, no longer confined, had embedded itself deep within his left eye socket, its mystical gaze locked with his own.

The eye that once belonged to him had been replaced by the pulsating, mysterious eye called the Celestial Ocularis.

Simon extended his hands and touched his left eye. Weirdly enough, he did not feel any discomfort from it anymore. On the contrary, he felt warmth from his newly acquired eye.

His vision, once clouded by agony, sharpened with an uncanny clarity, allowing him to see the world in a different, more profound light. The eye had chosen him, he had forever become bound to its enigma, linked to its inscrutable power.