Shadow of the Abyss

Chapter 415 Transcendent Comprehension

A month. So many things had dropped by his table in such a short time that Altair felt less of a human but more of a palatine through and through.

He had taken over the Dutchy with permission of the Dutchess, albeit all documents had to go through her still; she wasn't much of an obstacle but a pair of eyes he deemed acceptable, foreseeing issues or the men's of hearts he could not read. A useful tool. Read latest chapters at empire

The Duchess had a head on her, Altair had decided. She wasn't a simple woman, though a bit too cowed in his opinion. As much as she tried to hide it, fear curdled in her eyes. Even the plebians might have noticed if they dared raise their heads in passing.

Her fear was rather interesting to the Young Emperor. It seemed natural. Yet why didn't she flee? The dutchess, The lady, Corsant Delmur, was of the old blood, dating back far to the first king of Almore, said to have entangled themselves in the Ironbloods. She certainly had the power to survive on her own. So why stay?

Was it love? Hope. Greed. The woman was a hard one. Altair could see it plain as day when he was not in her presence, reviewing the time stream through his omniscience.

She accepted failure without a change of expression and victory without so much of as a smile. She never allowed outsiders to see her true face, though against him, it seemed different.

"Why am I so different?" he had not realized he had spoken until the Duchess said, "Excuse me?"

Altair glanced at the woman in a simple white blouse peeking through the velvet coat she wore over. Despite being nearly a thousand years old, possibly older, Corsant appeared no older than he did, possibly a bit older, though that was her doing rather than cultivations.

"It's nothing... mindless thoughts carrying out," Altair said, carrying on with his work. Truthfully, he had completed it hours ago and had been working on the various holograms Aurora had sent him via his Neurolink. Every so often, he often flared his omniscience to grasp the various moving parts of his kingdom. In a way, he knew it better than Aurora, though he didn't dare tell her that.

Fidgeting through a report, the dutchess finger paused at one. "You're spreading rumors; why?"

"I'm not spreading rumors; it's more like bolstering them." Altair gently said, finishing up a document about a prisoner transfer. Strange how such a thing had to through him. "You will be surprised at the stories a man can make up on his own. I simply picked out a few and allowed them to spread."

"To what end?" Altair lifted an eye toward her. The woman wasn't going to let it go. "If it were simply rumors, I wouldn't have cared, but most is about Raven. What are you scheming?"

Altair made his smile as innocent as a devil. "Mother, please, you're embarrassing me. What will the Maids think if you say things like that?" He ignored the fact that there wasn't a single maid in the study.

White knuckles popped along the dutchess palm, crumbling the paper she held, then seamlessly, her anger faded. "What are you trying to do to Raven? There are quite a few nasty rumors about the girl. Some I fear would make even the devil blush."

Altair doubted the last bit. "I need a monster. A name that needs to be entangled by fear that children ought to explode into fits of terror at the mention of her name. Raven will be such a character for me."

Yes, he needed a monster. Raven was certainly strong enough; all she lacked was a debut. He would give her one. Both on Terra and on Almore. Hidden beneath that, however, lay something else. A trap.

A scheme to anyone seeking his life.

Success: ???

Time Limit: Two Years

Altair blinked, then frowned. "It's playing like a story. If it continues like this, I'll have to kill a vampire lord." he stroked his hairless chin before strapping his saber to his sword belt. "It matters not. I've six months until I reach Vastroph. Enough time to finish my training."

Out the door onto the lawn where his Forsaken awaited him, huddled around three carriages, he glanced at Raven reigning Cloud in and approached. "I'll be with Master. Act as a decoy in my carriage."

Raven nodded like a solemn veteran, and Altair tried not to cringe. He hated the girl like this. She used to be so cheerful. Now was as strict as a soldier and as icy as winter. He sighed.

He found Iliana in her carriage with a bottle of wine that he quickly snatched from her. "Oh, hell no! You're not drinking until you black out again!"

"I did not blackout last time!"

"Like hell, you didn't! I have a picture!"

Iliana blinked in scandalous disbelief. "You would take a picture of your master blacked out drunk! How un—"

"I lied. I just wanted you to admit it."

Iliana coughed into her palm. 'Very good disciple. Very Good. You've learned so much." Though her eyes never left the bottle, she added, "What else would you like to learn today?"

"Everything my body will allow me. There are Nine Circles of Magic, each grade doubling in power based on one's Mana attribute. I want to finish my Arcane lessens. Yesterday, I tried flying. A Third Circle spell and was able to do so without issue. If I had mastered such a spell long ago, I would have had fewer problems back in Yarwin."

Iliana, half frown, told him he was wrong."Flying is easy. Any idiot can do so, even in this refined world. What you need to do is learn to fuse flying and your elemental abilities. Right now, you possess a high enough comprehension of Infernal lightning to do so. The Arcanes are the building blocks of reality. When I move, I use the concept of destruction to erase space.

That way, I can be anywhere I want instantly."

"Doesn't that interfere with... I don't know reality. Law and Order?"

"Who cares? Leave it to Zariel to handle. That's his job, anyway. He'll fix it. Be a little selfish, disciple. Stop thinking of others.

Now. Shall we start? Today, we are learning about the School of Evocation. And how to make it your bitch."