Shadow of the Abyss

Chapter 383 The Hunt II

A/N: Warning: Dark Chapter

"So you and my Father were enemies..." Altair said, floating aimlessly through the Vale. His blood-red eyes slowly alternated between a mist of black and red.

"Your Uncle Zariel, I considered to be my enemy, though through no fault of my own. Fate decided that." Aldrich replied softly. "Once I became a thrall to the Silver Devil, I was predestined to die."

"He hated you?"

"Hate is a powerful word, Vale Lord. Zariel loathed my existence, but I was nothing more than a pawn—a tool bound by causality to wage war against him. That was the oath we took to return to the land of the living. I can say for certain he did not hate me. Respect maybe. But hate?

No. Not Zariel, that was reserved for someone else."

Altair's arms folded across his chest, and his lips twisted to mirror that of a childs pout. "Then you'd be against returning with me as my Shadow."

"Without running the risk of being utterly annihilated in a way I cannot fathom, I would say no. And I would be no help to you, my Lord. I am from the Lower Realms. My perception is far too lower when compared to—"

"That won't matter. All my Shadows possess my perception." He threw his head up, mulling the matter over. Tenebrae had always mentioned that a True King needed to carry himself with pride. If he were to ask again, it would be no different than begging. And he was no beggar.

"I could force you, you know."

"Then I would forever resent you..." Aldrich said softly. "I lost... Zariel Snow bested me. I haven't the will to return nor the face to look him in the eye."

Altair stood up, flushed with rage. "I—" He stopped, covering his mouth, recognizing his action was unbecoming. He couldn't even understand why he felt so offended.

"You're still in a state of Soul Exhaustion," Aldrich explained. "It's a nasty affliction, but the Vale is somehow protecting you. Your memory is also still absent in many places. Give it time."

"It's frustrating. You obey me, yet you refuse me."

Aldrich laughed. "I cannot refuse a command. Your authority binds me. If you really wish to revive me, I would have no power to stop you. None... I just hope you don't."

"Was your defeat so bad?" Altair asked.

"In one-on-one combat, I have never known defeat. When I fought against the Silver Devil, the clashing of our blades brought forth Dead Laws, tore asunder the wall to the Thirty-Three Heavens, and ruptured fate itself. Iluthath burned. The Twelve Realms were torn asunder, and the Seraphim and Kings of Hell were forced to act lest we annihilate everything. In the end, I was defeated.

I, Aldrich, the Eternal King, who faced Seven Chaos Lords to a standstill. Who once clashed against the King of the Hell, Amara Ardens Asmodeus, as an Empyrean-born for my right to escape the Hells, fell to a boy less than a chaos cycle."

"Age has no place on the battlefield."

'No... it doesn't. You sound just like him,' Aldrich said, a dry laugh escaping him. "But that defeat shattered me. If Zariel had merely killed me, I might have accepted it. But I was made to watch his ascent through the Thirty-Three Heavens. I watched him combat creatures my mind couldn't even fathom.

All the while, I longed for my end. And to die to all things an Incarnation of a Demon within the lower realms. Pathetic. I've lost the will, Vale Lord. I haven't the will to continue. Leave me to the Vale.

Let me rest in peace. I've earned at least that."

"I..." Altair's voice trailed off as he looked down at his hands fading back and forth. He frowned, suddenly taken back by a force pulling at him. "It looks like my time is up. Aldrich! This is not over. I'll be back."

A bolt of fiendish red lightning split the skies as if to anoint the ritual below. From north to south, east to west, the winds howled, snapping trees like twigs. The land trembled as hundreds of thousands felt the hairs on the back of their neck stand on end.

Trow within the region knelt, feeling the power of Deathless King fall upon the realm. One by one, they raised their heads, shouting for the Eternal One's Blessing.

"Muardral!"

"Muardral!"

"Muardral!"

Isgar trembled. The runes on his eyes illuminated the night beneath the rain as he lowered his head in recognition.

Blood rose from above Tasha's head as she spun towards the Sisters of Sepith being savaged. Gram flashed into her palm as she sauntered over. The men making way before their new Master.

"Your soul might belong to Ariandel, but Master has a special Authority over the dead. So it doesn't matter who the soul belongs to. In the end, once it's calmed by my Master, it will rightfully be his. So don't be surprised when you enter the Hells. You three will make perfect whores. Good luck."

The three looked confused, their lips opening as they said in unison. "Cock?!" like fiends on drugs.

"Lovely," Tasha said, gliding Gram through their flesh in one sweeping motion, staining the mud red. Gram devoured their souls only to deliver them to Tasha, who offered them to Muardral.

Another bolt lit the skies ablaze, sprawling across the clouds like tendrils.

"Grant thee thy blessing, oh Deathless King!" Tasha shouted, raising Gram towards the heavens. It blazed shadowy flames of Vale Qi.

As if the heavens acknowledged the words of the Lilm, a bolt of infernal light pierced the veil, striking Gram. Tasha drained of color as blood trickled down her lips. Seven Runes of Calamity formed across the blade spine, illuminating Ravine Fort with a scarlet light so radiant it appeared to touch the skies.

Tasha grimmed, bowing her head. "I thank the Rider of the Pale Horse. May you one day find Primal Death."

Name: Gram

Race: ??? [Unnamed]

Str: 150 → 635 Enjoy new tales from empire

Dex: 150 → 635

Con: 150 → 635

Wis: 150 → 635

Chr: 150 → 635

Mana: 100 → 410 → 500

Skills:[Unbreakable], [Attribute Share], [Infernal] [Seven Circles of Calamity (New)]

Soul Rune: 25 [+ 25 Points To All Attributes per day]