Abyssal Awakening

Alice laid on the bed, staring at the ceiling.

If what Griselda said was correct, whenever Alice used her Sigils, she was essentially skipping the costs of her skills.

A zero cost casts.

Alice clenched her fist.

'Do you think it's Yvael's work? She mentioned a bunch of links connected to me too. Probably the inspirations I've been getting.' She sighed inwardly.

[Maybe. There's still a lot of unknown factors regarding the exact details of your birth. And I don't think Nyer would be kind enough to tell you the details.] Cayla nodded, her fingers tapping against some documents.

'Do you think this… persistence is what the Will is looking for? He mentioned that you'll complete the vessel regardless of what he does.' Alyss played around with her own hair.

She couldn't help but wonder…

How much of her family was dragged into this. The research with Abyss Blood, her father… If…

Alyss shook her head. There is no ifs. What happened has happened. What remains… Is…

She thought back to her brother. Albert. He found out the truth, he realised what had happened. And in his own way, he was trying to ask for forgiveness.

Would her father or her other brother be the same?

'Argh!!! My brain hurts. What the f*ck is going on…' Alice let out a cry of frustration.

Yvael, Nyer, Will, the Zenia's, Enris, Outer Gods and more. All of them were walking towards a destination that she herself didn't know about.

All of them were playing a chess game on a greater scale and she herself was nothing but a pawn, waiting for promotion.

To become the ultimate chess piece of their choosing.

Alice gritted her teeth.

What must she do in order to become a player rather than stay as a pawn?

Cayla couldn't answer. Alyss didn't know.

All three of them felt as though they were lost in the dark once more.

[Geniuses, traitors, Gods beyond gods and those who sit upon the divine throne not knowing what they want. Why don't we take one step at a time? The Zenia family in the south. Extalia. Why don't we make that our new destination?] Cayla suggested.

Alice sat up. Determination in her eyes.

Yes… It's indeed about time she dealt with the Zenai family.

Alyss clenched her fist.

'But Rosalyn and the others…'

[. . .]

'. . .'

'Do you think… We should ask Feris to help us?' Alice suggested hesitantly.

[Do you WANT her to kill you? I'm pretty sure bothering her would only make matters worse, wouldn't it?] Cayla raised an eyebrow.

Sure they needed help but asking Feris of all people…

*Sigh…

'Who else can we ask for help? Someone strong enough who can investigate the situation.' Alice's shoulders drooped.

Alice would've been tempted to say Kaden but… He's busy looking for Famine.

Allura and Gin… She still didn't know where they were.

*KRK!!!

Hearing cracks, Alice snapped her head to her left.

She saw fractures upon Griselda's barrier she placed around Gwen.

Inside, the fires began to rage, burning hotter than ever.

Yet despite the raging inferno within, the flame's warmth was surprisingly… gentle.

As the barrier peeled away, the flames faded to reveal Gwen hugging her knees.

Her eyelashes fluttered.

Slowly, she opened her eyes.

"Gwen…" Alice rushed over, worried about her friend's condition.

Gwen clutched her head as she looked around.

She saw the worried look of Alice and let out a small chuckle.

"Why do you look like you just saw me die?" Gwen smiled, leaning back.

Her entire body felt a little weak.

But little by little, her body was being filled with energy.

Like an empty vessel dunked into a lake, she felt power surging from all around her.

Was this what Lords felt?

The Abyss revitalising them.

"Anyone would be worried if their friend was passed out for a whole week. Do you even know how worried I was?" Alice sighed with a small smile.

"A week!?" Gwen widened her eyes.

She heard about the Lordship process from her father and Shiera. But it was a relatively fast even if you were weakened for a short period of time.

"Yeah, Griselda mentioned that your body was probably incompatible or needed some extra changes." Alice nodded.

According to Griselda, if a Lord's title and body didn't match, the transformation process would take a lot longer than usual.

"I guess it makes sense. A weirdo said something about becoming one of the few who broke out of the cage of the Divine thrones." Gwen sighed. She still couldn't get his visage out of her mind. A freaky featureless being with just a smile.

Hearing this, Alice frowned.

The Will spoke to Gwen? Why?

What did he want with her?

"He acted like you two knew each other."

Alice scratched her hair.

"It's a long story. But if he showed himself to you, then I might as well explain what he is."

Alice began to recount the tale of Velouria. Ayr, the Will's involvement and even now, how he's waiting for her to complete a vessel.

There were… some parts that Alice omitted. Mostly keeping tale focused on the Will and what he was doing.

The more Gwen listened, the more she frowned.

A dangerous individual with an unknown goal. The way he's expanding the Abyss while waiting for a vessel…

"You're involved with something a lot more dangerous than I expected huh…" Gwen massaged her eyes.

"Yep. And it's been that way for the… Past year or so give or take." Alice chuckled. She wasn't exactly keeping track of time but from now to the start of her journey, it has been a long and arduous walk.

"But let's not talk about the boring stuff. What kind of power did you get as your Lordship title?" Alice asked with a grin.

She had to admit that she was rather interested.

What kind of power caused the Will to show up personally?

Gwen curved her lips up into a smile.

Snapping her fingers, a radiant fire burst out from her finger tips.

"My title is Abyss Lord of the First Flame."

[The first flame?!?!] Cayla shouted in a mix of shock and confusion.

'First of all, ouch my ears. Second of all, does it warrant such a reaction?'

[Yes it does.] Cayla took a deep breath.

[The first flame is older than every other fire. Older than the stars, older than the Sun. It's the ember that carries life in its warmth and the spark that can set everything ablaze.] She frowned.

[Even Solaris… You are aware that Gods have legends and myth's tied to them right? Solaris is said to be a fragment of the first flame. A spark born to be a God. So if Gwen is the Abyss Lord of the First Flame…]

Even without Cayla finishing her sentence, Alice realised what she was trying to say.

If Gwen was able to push this power to the pinnacle then… Wasn't it possible for her to replace Solaris?

And if Solaris found out about her title…

Alice showed a face of worry.

Gwen was no longer safe in Church of the Sun.

"Gwen you proba-"

"Probably shouldn't stay in the Sun right? I could feel it ya know? When I got this title, this power. I felt the blessings of Solaris burn away. It holds a power that even the lazy god would be wary of and that's fine by me." Gwen shook her head.

"It's what I wanted. I will still help the Sun fulfil what it promised to the people. I'll make myself radiant so that people can't look away. With this power, I'll help my father." She clenched her fist with a confident smile.

"Because once we earn the trust of the people, unless Solaris wants to discard all pretences, he can't deal with us so easily."

[Reckless as it is, she's not wrong. Make a God falter and have act in ways he shouldn't, the myths and legends begin to lose their potency. While Gods are powerful, the faith of the people are important components to that strength.]

"So a calculated risk then." Alice smiled as Gwen nodded her head.

"What about you? We're finished with the bounty so it's about time for me to head back. But you're different. I doubt you'd want to be so close to the Sun."

Alice scratched her cheek and nodded her head.

"Mnm. There's a lot of things I want to deal with but I'm thinking of starting in the south for now. There's something I need to investigate."

"So we're splitting up then…" Gwen smiled sadly.

She had enjoyed her time with Alice. The talks, the spars, the moments of rest when they could just be themselves.

Gwen had finally made a friend yet now they needed to part.

But not all partings needed to be sad. With their brief meeting, Gwen was certain that Alice was an ally. Someone whom she could trust her back.

And…

Someone she could count on to bring a better future rather than a false god like Solaris.

Taking a deep breath, Gwen looked at Alice with eyes of determination.

"Take a portion of my soul with you. That's how you duplicate powers right? I'm not sure how much of my power you can use but it's always nice to have options isn't it?" Gwen smiled.

Alice blinked her eyes, not expecting Gwen to offer it like this.

In fact, they've only known each other for a short time but…

'It's a leap of faith. Faith towards the you that she's come to know.' Alyss smiled.

Alice nodded her head.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes I'm sure Alice. Just promise me you won't go after my dad okay?" Gwen joked.

"I would neve-!!!" Alice choked on her sentence.

She hadn't told Gwen that she's the one who killed Kazira yet.

"I figured it out but didn't want to say anything. One of the requirements for this bounty was to kill or summon Solaris when I see the one who killed Kazira. But after attaining Lordship, the first flame burned it all away." Gwen laughed seeing Alice's response.

"So go do what you need to do and I'll do what I can from my end too. Take my power so I know that I'm helping in a way. Even when we're apart."

Alice was silent.

Then, after a brief moment, she carefully made a small cut on Gwen's arm and drank the blood.