Shadow of the Abyss

Weeks later, over the Eastern Seas of Korea, south of the mainland, stood the imperial fortress, surrounded by a towering wall fitted with armed gunman, archers nest, and turrets well over two thousand years old. It stood surrounded by ocean for miles.

Altair woke in the medical bay groggy and weak. Toobs lined his mouth and arms, pumping air and fluids. Confused, he began pulling them out one by one, standing to his feet as the world began to spin.

"Ren…" He weakly called, nearly tumbling over.

When the doors to his room opened, a nurse stepped in, wrinkled and shriveled, bearing a bony face and hollow eyes. "Who said you could get up? Bed, young man. Bed. Now." She said, pointing to his bed. "And here we thought you'd be asleep for another month."

Altair nearly collapsed. "Eh… Wait. Where is Ren? My Wolf! Where is—"

"If you want answers. You'll get back in bed and eat something of substance." The Elderly Nurse said, frowning, her bony fingers pointed toward where she wanted him.

Altair winced but didn't refuse as his witt began to return to him. He sat down, brooding.

"I am the Lieutenant Commander, Kim Su-ho," She began, taking Altair's pulse. She nodded, allowing her Mana to tread through the boy's Mana Roots. Finding nothing abnormal, she reached into her pocket, taking out her Comlink. "Altair is awake. Inform the Admiral and send in a meal."

Throughout it all, Altair glared, unable to remember what happened. While Su-Ho did not bother to make conversation, she found Altair's feisty behavior more adorable than anything else. When the food arrived via Drone, Altair felt his stomach rumble when the scent hit his stomach.

The Lieutenant Commander didn't even have to command Altair. The moment she blinked, over half the food was gone. "Goodness. Slow down, or you'll choke." She said, chuckling, finding a seat. "Well… a promise is a Promise. Ren… that little wolf pup is with the Admiral.

After you fainted leaving the Aros compound, you were—"

"I fainted?" Altair asked, with a mouth full of rice and kimchi.

"That tends to happen when you overuse your Mana," Su-Ho said dryly. "Were it not for that little wolf of yours, your situation would have been dire. We've never seen anything like it."

And it was then everything came crashing back, as he recalled.

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"Hellish Rebuke and Dimensional Rift took everything I had." He thought, slowing down. Altair frowned. ' But three weeks. Isn't that a little much?'

'Apparently, your body constantly absorbs Mana. It's a ravenous physique." Lieutenant Commander continued. "We were lost for words, but when your pup placed a Hearthstone in your mouth, we became amazed when your condition stabilized. Your one expensive soldier." She rose, taking the tray from Altair, just as the door opened up, and a howl echoed.

Ren lept into Altair's embrace, nearly knocking on his butt, licking at his cheek with an angry look as if to why he kept fainting. And the moment Altair saw her face, he understood.

"I know. I know. I'll stop fainting. Sorry, Ren." He laughed.

"You know it's customary to salute when a higher-ranking officer steps in." Admiral Vaiga Blackfire said, arching her pursed lips. She singled for Su-Ho to stand at ease. "Well? How is he?"

"Physically? Perfect. Oddly so." Su-Ho said, looking at Altair as if he were the perfect specimen. "His body maintained a perfect perpetual state without a single ounce of muscle loss despite no movement for three weeks. Given his rank… that should be impossible. Yet here he stands."

Masking the alarm of Su-Ho's words, Altair disguised his response behind a silly smile. "It's the sweetness. What can I say."

[Divine Sin, Daddy has never been more proud of you.]

'F-off, old man,' the prince bitterly thought.

Vaiga narrowed her eyes, filled with suspicion, which quickly vanished. "Well, it matters not. Altair is fine. That's the best news I heard today." She said, rustling his hair, when a thought entered her mind. " Oh, right. Your mother vanished."

"Eh?" Altair lifted his head, startled. "Oh. I see. Well, I'm sure I'll see her soon."

"I'll bet. Now, how are you feeling? Give me an accurate report?" Vaiga questioned. She had already read the boy's chart but wanted to hear it from his mouth.

"A little stiff and hungry, but I'm good enough to go into battle." The boy said, sensing his Fallen Shadows within his shadow.

Vaiga's violet eyes glistened with amusement. "Then shall we greet the team? You can eat later. Come along"

Before the boy could retort, Vaiga left the halls, herding Altair by the arm through a narrow hall and down a few flights of stairs to a large training ground, blistering with Mana. Not nearly as much as the Serpents Outreach, but enough Altair didn't feel stifling. He'd noticed it the day he returned to Earth, but the Mana was far lower than he had expected.

"Welcome to the Imperial Forces, Third Fleet, Earth Base," Vaiga announced, turning to the star-eyed boy, watching the soldiers ahead dressed in pattern skin-tight uniforms, wielding G-Weapons, and battling large hordes of goblins, Altair's mind went wide, noticing his lack of ability to sense life form these creatures.

"Holograms?"

"Oh…" Vaiga gasped. "You can sense it?"

"I don't sense any life… and my Perception is quite high." He responded, noticing the fever in which Vaiga looked at him.

'Master! This pretty woman wants to eat you!" Talia angrily shouted from within his shadow, glaring with vengeful eyes.

'EH!!!!" Yelped Kirr, "Humans eat each other!"

"... Are you stupid?" Talia inquired.

"No more than you."

"..."

Ignoring his Fallen Shadow the best he could, Altair noted a familiar face within the mix of soldiers. A couple of faces. "House Aros?"

She nodded. "It would look strange to just take you, so we took a few members. Alongside a few others form the various families to meet a quota." She said, resisting the urge to roll her eyes before her men.

"Genisis accepts Earthlings so easily?"

"No. But there is a quota. Being a part of the Republic of Genisis, Earth, like many other smaller worlds, demanded that Genisis recruit a few from their planet. This serves to—"

"Promote tourism from various other worlds while enhancing Earth's talent pool through mating. Can I assume I'll have to marry an earthling if I am to join the Imperial Galactic Army?" Altair inquired without much thought.

"Since you're weak, that is correct," Vaiga said darkly, "I'm sure that the King and Queen will send you a few fertile women for you to consummate with. Lucky you. You'll have the pick of the litter."

"I've no interest in such things," he assured her.

"Well… It's up to you." Vaiga said without concern. "But I, too, know the struggle. There have been more men I've found trying to sneak into my bed than I can count. One thing you'll learn is that Humans are relentless."

"As is my blade. Speaking of which, where is my sword?"

"That monstrous Blade? Gods, who gave you such a thing? Our scientists are researching it as we speak. Of course, not for free. You'll be compensated if you allow them to." She added, a little hopeful he would agree. She hadn't much say when it came to matters regarding research.

"Three Tier two monsters core a day, my own private room, and they can continue it," Altair said as quickly as Vaiga had finished. He had the Dark Moon Blades, and for now, they would work. If Earth didn't supply enough Mana, the Circle of Gulttony would begin eating away at his lifeblood. NovelFire-exclusive

"Deal," Vaiga replied when the eruption of phoenix flames filled the hanger, swallowing the squad of goblins until nothing was left.

"Warrant Officer, Laros Aros!" A loud booming voice barked, bearing down on a young lord sweet with sheens of sweat. "What did I say about using your flames? This exercise is meant to temper your swordsmanship and ability to adapt. All of you drop and give a hundred! Not you, Laros. You watch."

Laros all but went red, clenching his fist, feeling his comrade's eyes land on him filled with venom. Shame pierced his heart like a knife as he tried to look away.

"If you can't follow directions, Warrant Officer, your comrades will pay." Commander Borris shouted, folding his bear-like arms over one another. "Don't look away. Or I'll increase the gravity."

Ren, resting on Altair's shoulder, suddenly barked, seemingly alerting Borris of their presence. "Admiral!" Borris saluted. "Is he for me?"

Vaiga nodded. " Yes. He just woke up and is in need of instruction". She smiled, glancing down at the confused boy. "We can get the paperwork settled later, but as of now, welcome to the military, Ensign!"

Started by his rank one level higher than a Warrant Officer, Altair didn't have time to think when Borris's voice boomed! "

"TO ME, ALTAIR!!!!"

He glared at Vaiga but said nothing and ran towards Borris when he noticed a strange occurrence within space. He frowned as gravity began to increase the closer he approached.

"Drop and give me one hundred," Borris commanded.

Altair looked around at the men and woman, and when his eyes landed on Laros, he frowned. Unsure where he had seen such a face. He dropped and began to follow suit, pumping Mana through his Mana Roots to help better temper his body. He had learned long ago that the body would grow beneath the breath of Mana. That all it required was control.

In the following minutes, Altair was done, unbothered by the gravity. But when his eye landed on Ren beaming gleefully. He pulled her off his shoulder with a smirk. "You do it, too. You're not about to laze around me while I slave."

Borris frowned but did not comment on it. Rather, he grew shocked by the way the pup groaned before following the same regime as the men around him. He smiled.

'What an odd pup... Cute too.'