Shadow of the Abyss

"Master?" said Raven, her voice filled with concern. "Are you alright?"

Altair gave no response. The Sword of the Heavenly Raijin had been a technique that predated his current era, stretching back to a time when Mana or Ether had not been the primary source but rather the Qi of Heaven and Earth. The energy had a striking resemblance to Mana yet was different on a fundamental level, relating more to Vale Qi than Mana.

Manipulating Vale Qi felt different, requiring different types of pathways through the meridians than he was accustomed to.

Raven had taught him such pathways before, but there had been a disconnect due to his relation to Mana clouding his perception of how things were intended to be.

"Yeah… just tired," Altair admitted. I guess learning God-level swordsmanship is harder than I imagine, even if my proficiency is on a mortal level." He felt sick, wanting to sit, but pride held him up. Two weeks was not nearly long enough for a training session compared to back in the Lake of Ro,t where he\'d train for six months without so much as breaking a sweat.

Raven winced when she saw her master\'s pained expression. "Is the Vale Qi too much for your body?"

It wasn\'t. Altair felt it in his very soul that no matter how much his dantain grew, his body would hold. Even his mind felt twice as strong ever since he started learning the Sword of the Heavenly Raijin.

[Sword of the Heavenly Raijin]

Grade: F → F+

Proficiency: 0% → 98%

Altair forced a smile. "The Vale isn\'t the issue. In fact, I think it\'s strengthening my body. I\'ve gained nearly a hundred Attributes in all areas. I just feel heavy."

Raven craned her head to the side, studying her Master. She could feel the essence of the Vale threatening to push itself out of his body. But that wasn\'t something odd. One of the Vale\'s many natures was its ever-expanding attributes. Much like the universe that continues to grow, so too did the Vale.

She touched him beneath the navel, a few inches below where the Dantain resided, frowning before giving him a full look over.

"I think it\'s mental Master. Are you stressed?"

Tasha\'s ears perked up then. "Stress?" she said in a mischievous tone, the one that said she\'d try to sneak into Altair\'s bed chambers again. She\'d done so before catching Altair and Syris locked in their prenuptial activities. "I can help with that."

Altair scratched his sweaty head. "I don\'t think it\'s that after my enlightenment. The control I have over the Soul of the Indomitable surpassed the Ninth Form. I don\'t know why I\'m so exhausted. My empire is growing each day. Zelos came through and has been making a killing.

We\'ve got so much money I can survive on Genisis for an entire year without worry."

Just then, Morrigan returned from one of her daily strolls, a dark scowl lingering across her face.

"Varis is back,\' she said. "He finally climbed to the top again."

"And?" Altair wondered.

"He\'s looking to challenge you to combat," Morrigan continued nonplus. She\'d sensed the Gaint\'s power but hadn\'t been impressed. A bloodline that wasn\'t fully awakened was not worth her time. Her name had never made it to the Omnis Ranking, but that didn\'t mean it didn\'t deserve to.

\'Even in this lesser form of mine, killing that twat would be as simple as a snap.\' when she thought of killing Varis, she grinned. She was so bored. Training was not something she had ever enjoyed. Not when one could train on the battlefield through oceans of blood.

"He asked me to relay the message."

Arching a brow, Altair asked, "Is he threatening you?"

"The only one who could threaten me is the Goddess of Rot," Morrigan said, approaching her prayer mat. She sat, yawning a weary yawn. "I report only to her. Not some Elder. I only told you because I\'m bored as hell."

"Then maybe you should head to Avenos. The eternal war there is quite… fiery." Tasha said.

\'How do you think I got the title Goddess of Slaughter?\' Morrigan wanted to say but held her tongue, deciding to meditate instead. The memory of it was still fresh in her mind. The bloodshed of demon and devil blood across her skin. The warning of the Kings and Princes of Hell as she sought to face the Fallen Angel of Death.

Altair Blackwood

Class: [Prince of the Vale II Lv 150]

Mana Circle: [Forth Circle 98% → 99%]

Strength: 1640 → 1740

Dexterity: 1745 → 1845

Constitution: 1920 → 2020

Wisdom: 1920 → 2020

Charisma: 1920 → 2020

Mana: 300

[Master…]

Altair froze, staring at the System Message. He\'d heard a voice—a child\'s voice echoed from the System. It was faint and muttered, but he was certain this time. He wanted to answer but held off in front of Tasha and Morrigan.

Instead, he took out his Holocube connecting to Syris.

"Is the Soul Blossom ready?"

"It was ready the first day you called. Oh, and…" Syris paused. "How do I say this? Your dad is here?"

"..."

"..."

"on Terra or the Serpents Outreach."

"Terra. He said hi. Then left, accompanied by a silver-haired woman. She was pretty."

Altair suddenly began to sweat as the feeling of catastrophe began to burn within his mind.

He gulped, hurrying out the cave to be alone. The mask Iliana had given him flashed onto his face. " How long ago."

"One Hour." Syris tilted her head to the side. "He seemed scared. The woman, however, only smiled outside the sunset palace. I have a video if you\'d like to—"

"Send it," Altair demanded, leaping into the skies like a bolt of lightning. Where he placed a Rune of Silence written in Enochian, he paled when he saw the woman\'s appearance as a knowing echoing down from his marrow came into being.

"The Abyss!" he yelped, clutching his heart tightening in his chest. "W-w-why is she here?"

\'Does she know!\' Altair wondered. \'No! Father would have warned me. Suspicious maybe? No."

"Art?" said Syris. "What\'s wrong? Is this woman an enemy or something?"

"..."

"Fucking tell me. Your Father sent me a message about dinner. I can\'t refuse a Monarch of Hell."

The more Altair heard, the paler he became. His chest was burning as the realization of what was to come settled over him.

"Refuse him," Altair said in a panic.

"I can\'t," said Syris." or rather, I won\'t."

"Syris… that woman…. She isn\'t like my father or anyone else you can imagine."

"he has information on the demon who—"

"She is the Abyss! The Avatar of the Abyss!" Altair barked.

Syris went still. A coldness that wasn\'t present before was now visibly there. "Altair, I will not have anyone stand in the way of my vengeance. I will kill that bastard that tormented me. That fucker killed my mother before my eyes. He gorged out our eyes.

Skinned us with his talons, and… And…" She was in tears by now, glaring at Altair with as much hate as she looked at her Father. "You will not stop me."

Teeth clenched, Altair wanted to break something. She was right. He had no right to stop her, especially with no clue what Lilith was after. But such thoughts did help to lessen his concern. The knowledge of Lilith hadn\'t come from Raina\'s bloodline but his. He knew what she was… and, in many ways, had an inkling of how she came to power.

"I\'ll go with you."

"Art…" Syris\'s voice went soft. "It\'ll be alright. None of us know what this woman will do. We just have to… hope."

\'Hope,\' Altair muttered. The words were like ash on his tongue. He hated the idea of hope. Hated that he felt so powerless.

"Maybe she\'s not that unhinged. After all, it was your father who invited me, not her."

"Lilith is my Father\'s first wife. She is the woman he told me to stay far away from," Altair said, remembering. He sighed.

"I\'ll be fine, Art. It\'s just dinner. Open a dimensional rift. One of our acolytes will deliver you the Soul Blossom. Make sure you consume the peddle when you\'re done. Ava said it\'ll add a protective membrane around the soul to act as a defense.

Love you." She said, disconnecting.Nôv(el)B\\\\jnn

"Fuck…Fuck… Fuck… What the hell is going on." Altair muttered, biting his lip. "First Azura and Cain, now Lilith. Why is my life so—"

"There you are!" Varis\'s voice thundered as he soared up towards the Emperor. "Did you think I wouldn\'t find you!"

In no mood for words, Altair ignored Varis coming at him, ready to return to his cave to sulk. He grimaced at the man blocking his way.

"I\'m in no mood," Altair said, sensing the dystopian hellscape of the Ninth form flashing through his eyes.

Varis sneered. "In the Golden Crucibles, challenges are required. You have to accept the challenge or else—"

"Or else what," Altair snapped, looking at the copper-skinned man. "Or else what!"