Shadow of the Abyss

Whisking through the forest bed with seven ethereal blades blacker than the deepest of nights hovering behind him, Altair, attended by Reina, Zagreus, and Thanatos, followed at breathtaking speeds, blurring into long ribbons of multicolored light.

Suddenly, from the skies, they came howling like crazed demons; seven Bappetts struck the earth, crushing the land as though it were made of clay; shockwaves reeled through the forest, snapping trees as large as seven men like twigs.

Name: Winged Bapett

Race: Demon(Half-Blood)

Str: 898

Dex: 350

Con: 656

Wis: 754

Char: 175

Mana: 102

UnoNovelFireed by the shockwave or the aura billowing from off the demon flesh, Altair flickered like a flash, with the aid of Sovereign's Gale, and was before it, his finger already pressed on its brow before it blinked.

"Enma," He channeled, and from the tip of his fingers, it came, a beam of iridescent light devouring the top half of the Bapett before it could echo a scream, shooting through the forest, withering life to nothing.

[Bapett Felled. Exp Gained]

[Soul of Bapett Devoured]

[Level Up]

Reina emerged with her great sword 'ice,' and for a single instance, her long obsidian hair turned a fiery red; as [Infernal Rage] nearly tripled her stats, she flashed in a prismatic beam of light, cutting a single Bapett in half. She was on the move after Altair as his Dark Moon Blade began to carve through the bodies of the others.

They zoomed through by when arrows came piercing towards Altair's head. Lord Blackwood didn't bother to defend against the attacks that his Almighty Resistance pushed away.

"I got them," shouted Zagreus, kicking into the air. He began platforming off magical circles as though they were solid earth. He flickered through the air, arriving towards a small squad of vagabonds gripping arrows.

"Wha—"

Sword light came like a shrieking bolt of light, carving through the bodies of the seven archers before they could blink. Their bodies erupted in flames, later transfigured into ash by the Aspect of Ash.

[Level Up]

"This is hella fun!" Zag screeched, leaping back down to Altair's side.

The Prince grinned, summoning six of his main shadows, and without needing to be told what to do, they flashed like demons themselves. Infernal Lighting came like a great tide through the forest, conjuring great pyres of fires that billowed toward the skies.

Howls of demons raged on for miles.

Baelfire rose across the Heavens, storming down towards Altair as the wyverns and dragons began breathing fire in defiance of the Heavens and Hell.

Thanatos whirled to meet the fire of hell when the sigil of the crest of his scythe illuminated itself within his eyes. He pointed his scythe forged of night and invoked his spell.

[Devour]

Darkness came like a great flood from out of the tip of his scythe, devouring the raging flames, trees, grass, and demons alike, transporting them deep within the world of darkness to wonder about for all eternity.

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"What type of spell is that?" Asked Altair, barely able to catch the spell before it faded.

"It's a level four spell." Said Thanatos. " Why fight when you can just banish your enemies into the Shadow Realm? It's an easy spell to dodge and get out of if you're adept with the school of Abjuration. Though you might have to physically dodge." he added, hurrying along before demons began appearing.

It had been roughly two months of constant battle with various demons waging war against them as they hurried towards the center of Yarwin using the very map that marked Altair's location.

During this time, everyone was his enemy. Whether they be from the military or Babels Tower, he hadn't met anyone who wasn't trying to kill him. The only time he had to rest was when he donned his mask to eat or rest. But even then, demons prowled these lands.

[Divine Being, 'She Who Hunts' puffs her cheeks at your refusal to use her blessing.]

[Dvine Being, 'Piercing Owl,' nods in agreement.]

With a charming smile, he looked toward the bleak skies. "I would have used it, but my companion blocked the Baelfire." He said, laughing at the two sisters that seemed to be brooding. "I—"

He stopped glancing towards the corner of his eye towards the glint of a rifle a few miles off. And in a single moment, two things happened. Shadowclaw slashed through the bullet that arrived faster than a bolt through the heavens, and his Dark Moon Blade arrived at the sniper, plunging through his head and exploding out the back before he could perceive his death.

"What was I saying? Oh, whatever," said the Prince, snickering; he glanced at Thanatos. "How's your reserves?"

"Twenty-Five Percent." Said Thanatos plaintivly. The Last spell had really drained his reserves. "But I'll recover the more I kill. So it's fine." He added as his inky Mana began to branch out, gnawing at some intangible force Altair couldn't quite understand.

There was much he couldn't understand about Thanatos and Zag, but they didn't quite use the same Mana he did. It felt similar but different at the same time. Though, he knew that they were powerful. Despite having lower attributes than him, they made up for it with raw skill and knowledge.

"Zag, what about you?" He shouted, glancing up to Zagreus and leaping down from his platform of Mana.

"Me? I'm about seventy-five percent full." He said, smirking at his half-brother. " Bet you won't fight me now, eh?'

"Piss off," Said Thaan annoyed.

Zagreus laughed and attempted to trip Thaan, who reacted almost immediately, leaping over his foot. He flicked his wrist, weaving his scythe forward with every intention of decapitating Zagrues, who ducked beneath this blade.

The two brothers gave smiles at one another, filled with killing intent.

"They're at it again." Said Ren, drooling. "I wanna join."

"So they can kick our asses? Pass." Altair muttered, not needing [forsight] to tell him that it was a losing battle. Whether it was experience, skill, or knowledge, Thanatos and Zag outshined him in every aspect aside from raw power. He was sure if their attributes were on par with his, they'd taken him down in a few strokes.

"What we really need to focus on is getting me a dragon," Altair said, glancing at a few in the distance, channeling spells in the distance. "Look at that! They can cast, and they—"

Looking up towards the skies stained black with a magical circle, he sighed a bitter smile and glanced at Ren. They'd be horrified if this wasn't the first time it had happened. Watching hundreds of pillars shriek from the skies, decimating the area and reshaping the landscape.

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM

***

With his mask on, Altair lay over a tall mountain of rubble of stones, trees, and demons. He Aimlessly looked up at the skies blanketed by demons from a crater lined with countless numbers of faces etched into the stone around him.

"Ren?" He called, and from the mountain of stone that buried her, her small head, matted with bits of blood, popped out. Soon, Thanatos and Zag, followed by a few of his shadows who lived through the blast, emerged.

"Can we have a break?" Zagreus asked, pulling himself from the rubble, holding his arm bent in odd directions. He gave it, jerked, and snapped the bone back into place, but the bone was still fractured in many places. He helped Thantos up, who seemed pale but fine.

Altair looked around, finding a small entranceway from where two stone faces were stationed into the wall. Pulling himself up, ignoring the ache of his shredded muscles, he staggered a head into the entrance.

When everyone had entered, he smashed the entranceway with his fist, allowing the rubble to block the path.

I'm sleepy AF," said Zagreus, bellowing a yawn as he slumped over his brother's arm. "Carry me, Thaan."

"get off me,"

"come on, big bro~."

"Zag, I will castrate you. "

Ren laughed at the two brothers only to wince. She touched her side where two broken ribs sat. "You two are brothers, right?"

"stepbrothers," said Thanatos, laying down inscriptions to mask their location. The stone corridor in which they lay was empty but bore the scent of the dead. "My Mother, Nyx, the Goddess of Night, married his Father, Hades, Lord of the Underworld. Though, it was Hades who raised me and who gave me a mission. A mission I found quite dear to my heart."

"Reaping souls," Altair remarked. "It doesn't sound fun."

"It's not." Zagreus was quick to point out. "Nothing in the Underworld is fun. It's all tedious. And mind-numbingly boring. The best part of my day is testing new ways in which to kill myself."

"Seriously?"

"In our domain," Thanatos began, "it's impossible to die unless you use Almighty Qi. Which Zag can't do yet."

"piss off," said Zagreus angrily. "I'll get there. If Melinoë can do it, so can I."

Altair had many questions but now wasn't the time. "Get some rest, guys, " he slowly cut in, noticing some tension at the mention of Melinoë. "I'll stand guard, you guys rest."

Conjuring Nia, she bowed. "Yes, my Lord?"

Ignoring the frost in her voice, Altair spoke, "Go scout ahead… and take Kirr with you."

"right away, my lord," she said, vanishing and emerging with Kirr. They were gone after a few minutes.

"looks like she's still angry," Renia said, nestling into Altair's lap. She purred, enjoying his warmth, swallowing her whole.

"Well… I did kill her in cold blood," Altair admitted, cycling his Mana to aid in his recovery. "I'd be mad too."

Ren narrowed her eyes dangerously. "maybe," she whispered, closing her eyes as she began cycling Mana as she slept.

Arms wrapped around her waist, reaching into her tunic to bare flesh; Altair smiled, finding what he sought. He closed his eyes, entering a state of meditation that allowed his mind to recover but also kept him alert in case of danger.

His eyes opened the moment Nia returned, looking very somber. "Zombies, my lord. Powerful ones, too," she said, on one knee.

"Do you hate me, Nia?"

The Fallen Shadow lifted its amber eyes that shone like liquid gold.

The Prince smiled at her silence. He gestured her over, cupping her cheek as tears filled her eyes.

"Nia, I won't apologize for what I've done, but I'll never order you to do something that goes against your bottom line. I hope you know that. I might be a monster… but to those who bow to me, I am their light."

Confused, Nia met her Master's eye, which felt so warm and cold at the same time.

"yes… my master."

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