Among human beings no one is happy…

Phil had pulled Eris into his cabin, shocked and confused. She was covered from head to toe in blood - who knows where and what it had come from, but she seemed unphased by it, almost delighted. Phil's reaction didn't bother her; it fed her with the attention she thought was deserved.

She had been at a loss for something for too long, and the sweet release by killing someone was just the thing she needed. And yet she knew she shouldn't have done so, the act chipping further away at something at her core.

But that's how gods were. Despite not being a real god, she was still called one and now more than ever it drove her to the point where she thought nothing could ever stop her.

"Alright, time for you to explain what's going on!" As enraged as Phil sounded, Eris still smiled at him, taking a seat on one of his chests. She played with the fur of coat that, just like her hands, was drenched in blood.

Everyone had their dirty little secrets that they held in their closet, but in Eris' case, the closet had overflown. She was no longer ashamed of them, and yet she still decided to keep them there, keep them deep inside that closet where they belonged.

"I have no clue what you're talking about."

"Eris, where and why did you leave? You once again left with literally no word, and It's finally time I hear the answers to my questions. Why did you leave then and why now?" He was harsh with his words and it was just enough to knock a little bit of sense into Eris for her to look up with the same expression she had given him a long time ago.

That same expression made Phil soft in a moment in which didn't deserve that softness. He truly cared for her and in this situation, it was his weakness, and that weakness allowed Eris to retreat back into herself.

"I left because I don't wish to be associated with people who are soft. People who place their relationships and feelings over their ambitions," she remarked and left Phil stunned right there, in his cabin, all by himself.

It wasn't always like this, she never thought of people like this till the moment the fear and confusion plaguing her mind turned to something much darker. Back when she lived with Phil, back when he had first rescued her, they would go on trips, explore the lands and travel to beautiful locations all around them and have fun along the way. Phil was the closest thing to a father figure in her life, as she'd been separated from her parents at an early age. She could not remember them nor did she wish to. Phil was enough and she was proud to say it.

So was it a certain greed that now plagued her or something worse? She had always had reasons for doing the things she did. Eris was happy living in the middle of nowhere, being raised in this snowy place that she grew to love, but the idea of someone depending on her, caring for and trusting her - it made her paranoid.

She had thought about leaving for a while, but there never was a clear reason to do it until Will visited one night and, to her shock, confessed to her. Being already scared of people getting too close, this was her final push. She didn't want Phil or Will to be brutally killed like the loving boy she grew up with, so to leave and not tell either of them was the only option she had seen.

Her plan was to earn a living with what Phil had taught her, but she hadn't expected that to be the thing that drove her onto a path of self-destruction. She had once hoped to live a peaceful life, and after coming back to Phil, she once again hoped it would finally happen, but the past follows everywhere you go, and that past was looming over her now.

But after the harsh exchange and the tension now building between Phil and her, she stood in Techno's house with all the others and listened to Techno explain the plan for a fight she was requested to be a part of once again. She did not care for the finer details as all she knew was that she would have to be in her best element - scout out the situation, report and attack. Just like always.

"We head out tomorrow as soon as the sun rises," Techno announced and with that, everyone dispersed, leaving her all by herself with Techno.

They hadn't been alone for a while; every day weeks ago was spent together training, doing chores or exploring, but that was no longer the case. Techno looked out of his element, tired, he stood over the chest on which a map was carefully placed for everyone's display, but since everyone had left, he started cleaning up - ignoring or not realizing Eris was still standing there, still looking at him.

She had washed herself and the clothes from all the blood before the meeting. Her new fur coat, which was a gift from Will, decorating her shoulders and body. She did, however, miss the feeling of dried up blood clinging to her skin like a reminder that the thing she killed had once drawn breath, a living being that didn't even get a proper funeral. Not that she cared for the fate of another corpse.

"You don't seem all that well. Have you slept?" she finally asked, incurious. As always, she was trying to find an excuse to fill the silence.

He sighed, finally acknowledging that she had not left and he had to face the thing that haunted him for days, "I was just worried about you."

"Why's that? You think I'm not capable of taking care of myself?" she inquired, but there would not be an answer waiting for her.

He simply brushed off her remark, and after cleaning up, was making his way out of the cabin, out of the conversation, away from her. The little trust she had in him was slipping away with every second and as soon as he reached the door, it had almost vanished into thin air.

"Will said you're hiding something from me."

This remark made him stop dead in his tracks. The small part of her which had remained composed hoped, no, begged he would say no, he would insist that Will was lying and there was nothing but honesty between them, but his silence spoke volumes and it scared her. Eris's heartbeat was picking up pace with every moment he had decided to stay quiet.

"Do you trust Wilbur more than me now?" he asked, and just the same way as she was, he was hoping she would deny it, but both of their prayers remained unanswered.

They both stayed quiet for a moment or two, looking at each other. Eris was giving him a death glare while in his eyes there was more hope than anything. And yet Eris refused to acknowledge it and kept staring, almost like trying to kill him with just her look. The bruises from their previous friendly fight were stinging under his glance, but Eris decided to brush the uncomfortable feeling off.

"I'll tell you what, that man betrayed his people in the revolution of his own nation and then forced Phil to slay him. I have nothing against the guy, but that is the reason why you shouldn't trust someone like that."

And with that, he left.

Typical, she thought, while running her eyes over the main room of his cabin. She used to be fine with his monotone delivery and dry answers, but the fact he avoided the conversation entirely made her blood boil. How dare he say that and just leave, she thought, but the truth is that he left because he didn't wish to get in an unnecessary fight that would get them nowhere.

She knew that and, oh, how she wished her mind was how it used to be, and she would understand, but this was how she was now. She couldn't leave the conversation like that. So, she ran out of the house to find him and continue the argument but was stopped dead in her tracks as she noticed an unfamiliar figure standing on the bridge between the two cabins.

It was a boy she could not recognise. He was tall, taller than even Techno himself, and when he turned his head, Eris couldn't help but notice the other side of his body being void back. Flickering purple orbs like floaters in one's eye were flying all over him and his tail wagged in a slow motion to a song no one could hear.

As soon as they made eye contact, a green light reflected within his; the aurora was finally shining. Feeling the light flicker from the sky, Eris finally took a breath and calmed herself, taking up a spot next to the boy and looking up, just like she used to.

Everything seemed so chaotic and rushed that she had forgotten about Kristin's hellos and goodbyes. It was nice to stand where she always did and look up with no worry.

"Are you here for the fight as well?"

"No, just visiting," he answered. "I'm not really one to sign up for a fight."

Eris let out a feeble, dry laugh at that. Oh, how she wished she could be like that again, to live to her fullest, avoid any unpleasant interaction and live in the moment. She could remember the times she ran through flower fields and jumped into snow just because it was fun like that.

"I'm Eris, by the way."

"Ranboo," he almost whispered. "I have heard of you already, so there was no need for an introduction."

"Oh, how did you know?"

In response, Ranboo pulled out a book, a leather book that seemed to be scratched and burned but still held up its shape well. He skimmed through the pages and, for a second, she could see the writing in the little book. It was in the tongue of the endermen. He read over some of the lines and then quickly closed it, almost like he had found a memory he was looking for in his mind and swiftly stowed the book away for safekeeping.

"Phil and Techno told me, but I recall someone else bringing you up as well. Don't remember who, though."

Usually, she would question, she would press for an answer, but this didn't seem like the right moment to do that. Instead, she nodded and looked back up to the sky. The aurora was about to end and when it did, Eris knew her mind would once again leave her, just in time for the battle.

A long time ago, before her life and the world were so complicated, when Eris was living in the flower field, she felt happy.

She could recall the first time she had killed something - it was a pig, wandering around in the woods. She killed it with a handmade sword that was good enough for a kid and dragged it home to boastfully present the achievement to her friend. However, to her disappointment, the boy turned away in disgust as he attempted to look at the poor animal as little as possible.

"Eris, why did you kill it?" He had shouted

"For food, silly! We can't just live off of greens. How will you grow up big and strong? You said you wanted to protect me in the future!" She had hoped he'd be proud of her, but the disgust on his face left her empty.

However, it wasn't the dead animal itself that disturbed him, though it would never dawn on Eris why the boy would shudder at the sight of its still eyes, staring back at him.

She, still in hopes of calming the boy down, dragged the pig outside and rushed back in to hug and comfort him. Despite not being able to understand, she still cared for him and wanted for them to share security with each other. So she held him tight, as tight as she possibly could, and when the boy had finally calmed down, she let go.

"You need to wash yourself, you're covered in blood," Techno whispered.

"Okay."