Abyssal Awakening

Walking through the dark streets of Zadash, Alice was once again surprised by how few people were out. There were no day and night cycles due to the sky always being covered by darkness and the glow of the moon.

Yet, people have established a cycle of their own, for themselves.

Those that venture out late seem to be up to strange business as a few gave Alice a weird look before ignoring her.

Making her way to the bookstore, Alice was surprised, but relieved, to see that it was still open.

Pushing through the doors, she saw Nalem sitting in his chair while reading a book, like always.

"Quite a surprise visit in the dead of night, don't you think? Was your hunt for the Charger fruitful?" Nalem asked as he glanced up from his book momentarily.

"Unfortunately, no. Cultists interfered. We didn't see the Charger at all." Alice shook her head.

However, the mention of Cultists seemed to have piqued Nalem's interest.

"Oh? Cultists? I believe the only group deserving of that title right now is the Cult of the Eclipse. If they interfered, then something must've happened." Nalem frowned slightly as he closed his book.

"Are you staying for long? If so, I may as well prepare a cup of tea for you." He offered, gesturing for Alice to take a seat.

"Yes, please. I'm also looking for some information on Old Abyss Lords, the giant beasts locked beneath certain places." Alice nodded.

She wanted to know why they were locked away, what locked them away, and what it meant to have something be born from the corpse of one. Alice wanted to know the danger that the White Death brought with its birth.

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"Very well. I shall get a book from my collection regarding the history of these lords while I prepare some tea. Please give me a moment."

Watching Nalem open the passage once more before disappearing into the darkness, Alice was left on her own. To pass the time, she gazed at the window.

Despite knowing many stories and being taught a little before she was locked away, the Abyss still held many secrets that even Hunters did not know about.

Closing her eyes, Alice entered the realm of the Eye once more. Glancing behind her, she noticed the Eye was closed. She could feel it slumbering in silence.

Alice had memorized the feeling of when it forced her out before and figured she could replicate it.

As expected, her mind was brought back to reality with a simple thought.

Now that her entry and exit were both secured, Alice was able to use the functions that had been opened to her. Namely, the filter function where she could see the size of whatever beast she desired to hunt.

Entering the realm, she wanted to see if the White Death was registered. However, upon filtering through the masses, there was not a single projection that matched what she saw that day.

'Why is the White Death not registered? Considering the Eye seems to house the records on everything in the Abyss…' Alice frowned as she was unable to get any information regarding the White Death from the Eye.

Testing to see if it actually worked and was not failing just because the Eye was asleep, Alice searched and found the Spectral Hunter and Kata Charger. Yet, there was still nothing regarding the White Death.

Furrowing her brows, Alice sighed and decided to do one more search. One for the Blood Wyrm that no one seemed to know the origins of.

She figured that the Eye should know of this beast.

However, the moment she filtered the selection, she did not expect to see what was presented to her.

Alice's mind short-circuited.

It was a beast that reached as far as the eye could see, its head barely visible as it loomed over the realm. A storm seemed to follow it around with lightning striking down wherever it stepped. A mixture of flames and blood erupted from the gaps of its elongated body while two large crimson wings unfurled themselves, covering the entire realm in its shadow.

It had no arms or legs, but large crystal spikes decorated the length of its body.

The Blood Wyrm, a beast far larger than even the Old Abyss Lord she had seen beneath the surface of the Slaughter Docks; just being in its presence caused Alice to feel short of breath.

'I'm going to drink the blood of this… beast?' She thought to herself in awe.

Swallowing her saliva, it seemed as though something was triggered inside her. A thirst and hunger for that beast, a desire to consume and obtain its power.

Shaking the feeling off, she left the realm and took a few deep breaths to calm herself. She had noticed that ever since she started to drink more Abyss Blood and indulge herself during the fights, there was this urge that kept creeping up on her.

Moments where she would lose herself in the fight and act out of desire.

"Sorry for the wait. Here is your tea." Nalem smiled as he placed a cup down in front of Alice while setting down a large book with a solid cover.

"Now, I believe you wanted to ask about the Old Abyss Lords, right? What do you wish to know about them?" Nalem asked while taking a seat himself.

"Their history, why they are imprisoned beneath, what imprisoned them, and what it meant for something to be born from their supposed corpse." Alice asked as Nalem furrowed his brows for a moment before returning back to normal.

"Alright, let's go through your questions one by one."

Opening the book, he flipped to one of the early pages.

"As you know, every Abyss Beast that appears from the Abyss is unruly and has an innate thirst for violence, blood, and death. They cannot be controlled. In the ages long past, there are historical carvings that depict an era of war where no peace could be found. Meaning before the Abyss was discovered by the surface, it was in a war of its own.

We don't know who or what made these carvings, but they are studied by the scholars who desire to learn about the history of the Abyss.

"In these old carvings, it is said that individual beasts started to make themselves known to the world of darkness. Beings of strength and power that could not be rivalled by the standard beast. Each one could reshape the mountains, sunder the lands, and control the fathomless Abyss Waters.

They are the Old Abyss Lords, Rulers of the Beasts." Nalem explained, displaying a carving of large beasts standing above a mass of smaller ones.

"They say that the Old Abyss Lords were blessed by the Abyss. They were granted a special power that allowed them to rule at ease. Unbeatable, unrivalled, and uncontested in power. The only ones that can defeat an Old Abyss Lord was another Abyss Lord. It is also the source of the esteemed title we grant to those we see at the pinnacle of human power.

While they may be granted the title of Abyss Lord, we do not know if they are in the same realm of power as those of old.

"With the appearance of Abyss Lords, an era of peace descended to the chaotic world of darkness. Armies were created, but not for the sake of fighting. Perhaps the Lords grew discontent with the peace, or there may be another reason we do not know about. We have yet to find carvings that depict what happened in the end, but another war broke one.

One that would forever shatter the Abyss and render the Lords confined below the earth, sealed in history.

"That was, unfortunately, an era of mystery. Knowledge and inheritance permanently lost to the flow of time. No carvings depict the disastrous events of the war, only the results. The war ended, the Lords fell, and a new era dawned.

One where the Abyss revealed itself to the surface of our world, an era where Humans descended into the Abyss." Nalem closed the book and sighed, feeling sentimental about the loss of data belonging to an old era.

"You see… the book does not state this, but it is impossible to kill the Old Abyss Lords, at least by conventional means. There have been Abyss Lords of our era that have tried to kill the Old Lords, but their bindings are far too strong and their life force has continued to persist. Perhaps, it was a punishment for them to slowly wilt in their chains.

But the punishment does not end early for these lords. However, you said that something was born from the corpse of an Abyss Lord. Please, tell me more about that." Nalem asked as he wished to find out what Alice knew of an impossible situation.

"I don't know much. But apparently, a beast was born from the head of an Old Abyss Lord deep beneath the surface with a ritual or something. I just know that it's not as big as an Abyss Lord. It is still bigger than an average beast, though. As for its description…"

Explaining the visage of the White Death that she saw herself, Alice watched as Nalem went silent and the frown on his face slowly increased.

"Strange. Very strange. Can you tell me where you saw this happen? I may need to take a small journey myself and close this store for a little while."

"Inferno Tower Ruins, that's where I saw it. Though its not there anymore. Ria said there were many paths leading deeper into the Abyss, so I think the ritual site might be in one of these paths. I don't know where it was exactly, sorry." Alice apologised as the Eye had shown her the vision and she saw the site in person.

"That is fine. Just knowing the area is enough and the information you have provided me was very valuable. I cannot simply take this for free to allow me to offer you a small gift in return. Please give me a moment to collect my belongings." Nalem smiled as he stood up and made his way down once more.

Drinking the tea, Alice thought about the history of the Old Abyss Lords and their ending. What kind of war did they fight for this to be the result? For beings of such power, this result was unthinkable to her.