Abyssal Awakening

Taking a deep breath, Alice glanced out at the city. After being cheered up by her twin and Cayla, she felt as though the burden in her heart had been lifted. As long as she keeps this feeling close to her chest, then she won't step down the same path as the Zenias.

That is enough for her.

Glancing towards where the Lords were fighting, she could see Frida struggling.

Depending on what Sigurd chooses, there are two things she could do. First was to assist to the best of her abilities. The second was to help out the other Warriors who were reaching their limits.

She had already given him an… Opportunity.

'What are the chances that he'll accept?' Alice asked curiously.

'Hmm… Pretty high I'd say. I don't know why the Queen still haven't made a move yet but it's safe to assume she probably wouldn't unless the city is literally about to be destroyed.' Alyss shrugged.

[It entirely depends on what he prioritises right now. He has impressive defensive capabilities from what I've seen but lacks the offensive power. If Frida was to die, he'd be able to handle two Lords without threat of death.] Cayla replied while going back to her notes.

She doubted that Alice wanted to turn the other Warriors into hybrids. Not to mention the fact that they'll most likely struggle with bloodline release.

Meaning, she needed an alternative method to 'fix' their energy reserves.

'I think he's probably going to accept.' Alice chuckled.

Right before sending Egil off to help Selen, she offered Sigurd an opportunity. A contract.

In order to fight against the two Lords who are negating what they're doing, Alice offered him the usage of her Violet flames.

After all, the source of the Hybrid's power comes from her.

In return, Sigurd would need to give her a sample of his blood. A small fragment of his soul so that Alyss could mark it down as a Sigil.

An even trade.

All that was left to see was whether or not Sigurd was willing to take this trade.

*BANG!!!

Watching a torrent of Violet flames rush up into the sky in the distance, a smile curved up on Alice's face.

'Seems like he took the contract after all.'

With Sigurd accepting the contract, the Sigils belonging to the Lord of the Forge were now open to her.

"As expected of the true successor. To bring a man back from the brink of death, invigorated by a new power and to offer a contract bearing flames of such potential. Simply remarkable."

A voice rang behind Alice as she furrowed her brows.

Judging from the aura that she was feeling, the woman behind her was no doubt someone stronger than the average Lord!

But there was something strange about her.

There was a lack of… Abyssal energy?

'If there's a lack of Abyssal Energy then why does she feel like a Lord?'

Right when Alice was about to turn around, a finger poked her cheek, stopping her from turning her head.

"Keep your eyes forward dear successor. If you don't mind, can I ask some questions?" She chuckled as Alice frowned before nodding.

Since the opponent got the upper hand right now, she decided to play along.

"How's Kaden? Is he still brooding and being depressed or has he gotten better? I want to assume he got better since he's taught you how to cast."

Hearing the woman mention Kaden, Alice's guard was immediately raised.

"Don't be so stressed now successor. I'm not asking because I want to do something bad to him. If I did, Allura wouldn't let me hear the end of it. That is if she finds me of course." The woman chuckled.

"Who are you?" Alice asked.

Energy was slowly converging towards her palm.

[Be careful. Even if she used to know Kaden and Allura, I'm not sure if she's a friend or foe. The only ones I know are friendly are Kaden, Allura and Nalem.] Cayla warned.

There have been moments when Kaden had to put down old allies because their objectives were changed with the passage of time.

Nodding her head, Alice waited for the woman's response.

"Hmm… me? Well… I'm just someone who wants to see if a second Velouria can appear. You sensed the divinity in this place, right? That's part of my doing." She chuckled.

"But you have some divinity as well. There's also Kaden's curse on your eye and the bracelet."

Lifting Alice's arm, she observed the bracelet.

"Yeesh it's a pretty heavy curse too. Not something that can be unsealed at will. Did you piss him off or something?"

"It's by my own request." Alice replied.

"Are you a masochist???"

". . ." With such a fast response by the woman, Alice was speechless.

"Ah forget it. I'm not one to judge. So how well do you know Ayr? Do you know the different departments and what they're responsible for?" She asked with a chuckle.

"To some extent."

"Oh~ This makes it much better then. Have you heard of the research department of Ayr? The home of geniuses."

Alice could practically hear the grin on her face as she recalled her time in the Inverted World.

Out of everyone in the research department, there was only one who made a big impression on her.

Caera.

The genius who created the teleport gates through the different layers and someone many struggled to understand.

Rather than replying with words, Alice raised her right hand and created a blood mirror.

A familiar experiment, one that she used to show Caera her understanding of the gates in the Inverted World.

Creating a dagger in front of the mirror, its form twitched for a moment before disappearing while the reflection in the blood mirror remained.

There was a long silence as the woman grabbed Alice by both of her shoulders and turned her around.

There was a glimmer in her eyes along with a wide smile.

Seeing the strange eyes, and the vibrant hair, Alice let out a chuckle.

"Nice to see you again Caera. Though I suppose this is more of a nice to meet you than anything." Alice greeted.

"Oh my oh my~ Successor are you out to steal my heart? How long has it been since someone understood what I do?" Caera squealed as she lifted Alice up and spun her around.

"You get how my gates work, don't you? They're a little out of energy but with the right stimulation you can still activate them and punch a hole to the different layers." Caera laughed.

"Ah, but what do you mean by nice to see me again? Did you meet a version of me in the past? A spectre? The only way that can happen with the amount of knowledge you have can only be… Inverted World right? How many of them still exist? And even if they do, how did you even get one to link you back to Ayr?

"Oh the mysteries you carry~" Caera let Alice down while circling around her.

"Ah I'm getting carried away. Almost forgot what I wanted to talk to you about." She coughed before kneeling down in front of Alice.

"Dear successor, do you know how Ayr fell?" She asked, looking up at Alice who was silent.

There's a sadness in her eyes as she recalled the death of Velouria, the state of Kaden and Allura in the past and the army of the Gods.

She remembered Nyer's betrayal and him stealing the power of the Apostles.

"Yes, I know."

Seeing her reaction, Caera's heart began to pound against her chest.

"Dear successor, may I ask what you intend to do? You who have inherited the divinity of my fallen Goddess and the hopes of those that survived Ayr?"

Glancing up at the sky, Alice paused before looking down at Caera who was kneeling in front of her.

She could see the expectations in her eyes.

"I want to rebuild Ayr. It might not be as good as what Velouria once created but I still want to rebuild her home. A home for Allura and Kaden."

Clenching her chest, Caera couldn't suppress the smile on her face.

"Ah~ And what about the fate of the traitor who caused the fall of Ayr?"

There could only be one traitor. The man who started everything. From the fall of Ayr to the creation of 'Alice' and the blood that flows in her veins.

There was only one fate in store for him.

"Death." Alice replied with a coldness in her eyes as Caera's body trembled in joy.

'I'm glad. I'm glad the successor is everything I thought she is. I'm glad that she will become the blade of vengeance that cuts down the traitor and the will.' Caera thought to herself.

If Alice proved lacking…

She might've had to do something that both Kaden and Allura would've hated.

But if they can make one successor, they can make another. All so that they can get vengeance for the death of their Goddess and the fall of their home.

To achieve this goal, no line was too low for Caera. Even if she has to stoop to the levels of Nyer, she'll get the revenge she desires with every fibre of her being.

"For you, my master, I give you my everything. The knowledge I have accumulated, the tools that I have created, my genius, my soul and my body. For my new master, I, Caera, will offer all that I have. So that Ayr may rise once more. So that the traitor be granted the most painful death." Caera bowed down.

She will help refine the blade of vengeance that both Allura and Kaden have found. To help Alice walk down the path of destruction and create the city of Ayr from the ashes of the new civilisations.

A culling WILL commence. She will make sure of it.

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