Abyssal Awakening

Standing in silence in front of the now lifeless body of Nyzel, Ria clenched her fist.

She could tell.

That last attack. . .

Nyzel held back.

She chose death.

If she carried on her attack, she would've died.

Looking up at the sky, Ria could see the lightning clouds fading away as a rain began to fall.

Perhaps the maiden of rain was weeping for the first of the guardian beasts.

But what's done is done. There's no going back now.

Ria could feel the dizziness approaching as her body will no doubt adjust to the changes brought forth by the Sigil.

However, before she passed out, there was one last thing she needed to do.

Kneeling in front of Nyzel, she closed Nyzel's eyes.

Burying Nyzel in front of her own grave, Ria glanced at the two gravestones next to her before deciding what to etch.

[Here rests Nyzel, the Sky Sovereign. First of the guardian beasts.]

[She carried with her the memories of the dead, to bury each and every one of them with care and the love she showed in life. May you find peace.]

It wasn't long like the ones that Nyzel wrote for her family as in the end, Ria didn't know much about her foe.

But this was the respect she had to show her, for the life that she spared.

Fighting off the dizziness, Ria finished the final carving before stumbling back as Luke quickly caught her.

"You can rest now." He reassured as Ria nodded her head.

She couldn't fight off the dizziness anymore and allowed herself to pass out.

Picking Ria up, Luke glanced back at the three gravestones once more and offered a silent prayer.

It wasn't because of her past or the details they might've found out in this city.

The prayer was a simple thank you. For the woman in his arms was still alive thanks to Nyzel's mercy.

Picking up Ria, Luke made his way out of the city.

After a long moment, Rosalyn appeared in front of the three graves.

She stood in silence before turning around. As a beast, she couldn't comprehend Nyzel's choices. The time she spent burying the people around her, the carvings that she made and to allow Ria to kill her at the end.

All of these decisions. . . Rosalyn felt as though she'd never make the same choice.

Regardless, she'll pay her respects to the dead.

###

". . ."

"Got nothing to say? After I gave you such a nice gift as well kekeke~" Enris chuckled while sitting on a table with her legs crossed.

There was a devious grin on her face as Ria could feel her anger rising.

"If anything, you should be thanking me for giving you that bounty. Did you know that Solaris was actually planning on having one of his followers kill her? Nyzel was quite the menace. Even though she killed quite a few innocents, most of her attacks were still targeted at Solaris' operations in the east.

"How else do you think the Cult managed to take over so much of this place?" Enris laughed while clapping her hands.

"At that point, it's better for someone like you to get her Sigil than one of Solaris's lackeys."

Letting out a frustrated sigh, Ria opened her mouth.

"So what do you want? And why are you even here? I thought I'm meant to be getting my Sigil."

"Don't worry, you are here to get your Sigil. I'm just here to give you another option since this is a sponsored bounty after all. You can either choose one of Nyzel's powers or go for my blessing." Enris waved her hand dismissively.

Clenching her fist, she opened it to reveal a black and red Sigil that seemed to flicker with crimson lightning.

"Nyzel may not have realised it. But after she went mad, I gave her a little gift of my own. So long as her vengeance burns, she'll keep fighting no matter the wound. Of course, there's a limit to that blessing. But if it wasn't for me, she would've died a while ago.

"And since you hate me and my cult so much, why don't you inherit it? Go on, take it. Make sure you don't die until you try and come claim this head of mine." Enris smiled, holding out her hand.

However, Ria only gave her a disgusted glare.

"No thanks. You can keep your sh*tty blessing to yourself. I have no need for it." She spat, turning to the side and walking towards the different Sigils that was made available.

"You can't run from it Ria. Eclipse is in your veins, chaos is your instinct. You WILL accept the doctrine of the Eclipse sooner or later. It's unavoidable." Enris jumped off her table and stood up.

"Maybe. Maybe not. But I know that if I ever stray from this path, Alice will smack some sense into me. And. . ." Pausing for a moment, a smile appeared on Ria's face.

"And if I'm beyond saving, I know that she'll finish me off if I request it."

If she truly loses herself to the Eclipse, to commit atrocities, she'd rather meet her end than continue down that path.

Letting out a chuckle, Enris began to fade.

"I hope you remember those words Ria. Because when you face that final turning point, I will be there. Watching your choice. And I will laugh when you become the very thing you hate."

"Then keep watching you creep. Assuming you survive long enough that is." Ria didn't turn around.

"I welcome it. By all means, please come claim my head if you have the power to do so."

Without responding, Ria observed all the different Sigils that she could pick.

There were two that tempted her.

One was the halo that she saw manifest behind Nyzel during the fight and the other was the power of creating a realm.

Yet strangely, Ria couldn't find any Sigils that would've helped Nyzel create her three fold, four fold, five fold and six fold lightning attacks.

'Was it a technique rather than a Sigil? To create after images and charge it upon collision.'

If it was a technique, then perhaps there was a chance that she could achieve the same with enough time and practice.

With that in mind, there was only one choice that she could go for. And naturally, it was the one that Rosalyn suggested.

###

"Hm hm~ So that's her choice after all." Enris muttered with a cheerful smile.

She was currently sitting on a wagon kicking her legs back and forth while looking up at the sky.

The option for her blessing was silently sitting by the side but Ria never once gave it an extra glance.

Though it was a good choice that she didn't.

After all, if Ria had picked it, it was akin to going for an all or nothing. A path where only vengeance can be allowed.

If her belief was to ever falter or worse, extinguish, all of the wounds that would've killed her would all hit at once.

The moment her target of vengeance is killed and her desires fulfilled, only death awaits.

What she didn't expect was for Nyzel to give up her fury for this world.

Enris was always there, in the corner of her mind, amplifying the feelings of hatred. But she gave it all up and accepted her death.

Looking at the lightning feather in her hand, Enris shrugged and lifted it into the air, allowing it to shatter.

"I suppose meeting Ria was good for you isn't it Nyzel? Had you persisted, your soul would've been mine as we had originally agreed. At least now you get to meet your family in the next cycle." Enris muttered, watching the fragments disappear.

She knew full well the feeling of losing a dear friend. A family even.

Velouria was many things to her.

A friend, a rival, an enemy, family. Even the target for her affection.

But once she disappeared, the world became ever so dull. Nothing could move her heart anymore.

But now. . .

A turbulent era. Outer Gods, the Will of the Abyss, vessels worthy of reaching the divine thrones.

So many factors all happening at once.

Enris felt like a child on her birthday.

The more chaos there is, the happier she becomes. Maybe at the end of it all, she'll finally forget the void in her heart. Maybe at the end of it all, someone will claim her head as a God and bring a new vacancy to the three divine thrones.

Oh how she waited in excitement.

"My head is all yours if you can take it Ria. Don't disappoint me." Enris leaned back as she closed her eyes.

###

"Well? Is this vessel satisfactory? The degeneration of your flesh tissues are. . . . still progressing but its within acceptable limits." Voruth'Zal asked as he observed the woman in front of him.

There were stiches around her body along with special cuffs to keep things from breaking apart.

Clenching her fists, Kazira furrowed her brows before taking a deep breath.

Pulling her arm back, she gritted her teeth and punched towards the wall.

*BANG!!!

Unable to stop her punch, the wall shattered apart but Kazira was dissatisfied.

There were still cracks on her fist as it wasn't able to contain her power.

"Not enough! How do you expect me to fight with a fragile vessel like this?" She berated but Voruth'Zal simply shrugged.

"I never said you can fight with this. Simply that we wouldn't need to keep finding vessels for you if this one can last longer than most. Seeing as how you have the energy to shout at me rather than scream in pain, I'd say it's a resounding success."

Watching Voruth'Zal record the data before walking away, a vein bulged on Kazira's neck as anger filled her chest.

Just recalling the humiliation she felt turned her eyes bloodshot.

Once a suitable fighting vessel is acquired, war will descend once more on the battlefield.

It is there where she will regain her lost strength.