LEVEL EVERYTHING UP in my Eldritch Tribe

Lyerin stood before the flickering screen, the weight of his fabricated story settling heavily around him.

He closed his eyes for a moment, taking a deep breath as if drawing strength from a memory that wasn't real.

When he opened them again, his gaze was faraway, as though lost in the haunting recollections of a painful past.

His voice, when it came, was slow, deliberate, and soaked in raw emotion.

"It all started years ago," he began, his tone fragile yet steady, as if he were confessing to a truth long buried.

"I wasn't alone when I discovered the path to awakening a spirit. I had a team, a group of individuals who were as passionate and driven as I was.

"We had been hearing rumors—whispers of an ancient cave hidden deep within the heart of an old, forgotten land. They said that in this cave, there existed something beyond anything we could imagine. Something that could give birth to spirits in the real world."

Lyerin paused, his eyes glistening with the weight of the tale.

"We were all intrigued, of course. Who wouldn't be? Spirits were something out of legends, myths passed down through generations. But we wanted to believe.

"We wanted to see if the stories were true, if we could somehow unlock the power of the spirits for ourselves. So, we gathered every resource we had, every bit of knowledge we could find, and we set out on a journey that would change our lives forever."

He exhaled slowly, as if the memories were painful to relive.

"The journey wasn't easy. The deeper we ventured into that cave, the more we realized just how dangerous it was. There were traps—ancient mechanisms designed to kill anyone who dared to come too close. We lost people along the way. Good people. Friends."

His voice cracked, just enough to convey a genuine sense of loss.

"It wasn't just the traps. There were creatures… things that we didn't understand. They were monstrous, guardians of the cave. We fought for our lives at every turn.

"Blood was spilled. I watched people die right in front of me—people I'd known for years, people who had trusted me. But we kept going. We had to."

Lyerin's eyes turned distant, as if the horrors he described were replaying before him.

"We finally reached the innermost chamber, and there it was—the scroll. The fabled scroll that could awaken a spirit in the real world, that could bind the essence of the Earth to a tribe or a family. But the cost…"

He let the words hang in the air for a moment, as if the cost had been too great to bear.

"By the time we had the scroll in our hands, only I was left. My team—my friends—they were all dead. Sacrificed for this one chance at power.

"I should've felt triumphant, but all I felt was guilt. I had the scroll, yes, but at what price? And the worst part? I had no one to share it with. No one celebrates the victory."

Lyerin's voice dropped to a whisper, thick with emotion.

"But I knew… I knew what this scroll could do. It could awaken a spirit for a tribe, for a family, for a community that needed protection. It could turn the tide for anyone who possessed it. And yes," he added, a bitter smile twisting his lips, "I used it for my tribe—the Stonehooves Tribe. That's how I brought them the power they now wield. But… it wasn't meant just for me.

I had always intended to share it. To give it to those who needed it."

He paused, letting his next words settle in with gravity.

"But why mention the Borgias Family?"

Lyerin smirked, as if letting the world in on a secret he had kept for far too long. "Because my name… is Lyerin Borgias… No- was my past name."

Yasira, still standing beside him, blinked in shock at this revelation.

The screen flickers slightly, capturing her stunned expression as she glances from Lyerin to the monitor and back again.

"Yes," Lyerin continued, his tone now more deliberate, more controlled.

"I'm a Borgias, but not fully. I'm a halfling. Do you know what that means? It means I was never truly one of them. To them, I was little more than a pet, a curiosity. A half-blooded mongrel, raised under their watchful eyes but never accepted.

Never truly welcomed."

His voice became quieter, tinged with bitterness.

"My mother… my sweet, dear mother. She was good to me, but even she was part of their game. The reason she treated me kindly was simple: because if I ever had a child of my own, a pure-blooded offspring, the family would take it from me.

"They kept us under constant surveillance, always watching, always ensuring that we never became a threat."

He shook his head, the look of heartbreak on his face almost convincing.

"I knew my place. I knew what they thought of me. And yes, I hated them for it. But what could I do? They had my mother, and that was the one thing that kept me from tearing them apart with my own hands."

Lyerin paused again, his gaze softening as if caught in a painful memory.

"I was nothing more than an outsider to them. A tool, something to be used and discarded. But that scroll… that scroll was my gift to them. I wanted to give it to them out of loyalty, out of respect for my family. But over time, that loyalty faded. My hate grew.

And now…"

He lifted his gaze to the camera, his eyes cold and calculating.

"Now, I hope someone destroys them. If they are wiped out, if someone puts an end to the Borgias Family, I would be glad. Let them perish. They have no place in my future."

Yasira shifted beside him, her expression unreadable as she absorbed Lyerin's words.

His voice softened once again, now tinged with a dangerous edge.

"But make no mistake—I know their weaknesses. I gave them the scroll, but I also know that the Borgias Family is far more dangerous than anyone realizes.

"They play games with power, with ancient knowledge, and they have no qualms about manipulating anyone who stands in their way. If you're going to take them down, you'd better be prepared."

Lyerin exhaled slowly, his tone measured and calm as he finished his story.

"So, yes… I know their secrets. I know their strengths. But more importantly, I know their weaknesses. And that is something no one else has. Not even them."

The screen flickered once again as Lyerin's words hung in the air, leaving the watching audience with a sense of awe, disbelief, and fear.

Yasira, still reeling from everything she had heard, stared at Lyerin in stunned silence.

Lyerin, however, merely smiled, his eyes glinting with a mixture of satisfaction and quiet menace.

He had sown the seeds of doubt, and now all he had to do was wait for the chaos to unfold.

"So yeah…"

He added.

"If you all really desire to win or at least survive against my wrath, my Stonehooves Tribe wrath, you need to awaken your very own spirits!"

Then, Lyerin's face comes close to the screen and whispers, "But don't worry, I'll give a clue on how you all can take it from them as promised!"