Shadow of the Abyss

Chapter 290 Sif

It had started to rain as Altair led Athena up the serpentine stairs of the Palace of Sunset towards the spire that overlooked all of Zamphis; from north to south and from east to west, they stood, taking in the ruined city that had barely recovered from not that long ago. Still, even on fire, the city looked encompassingly beautiful.

As they sat down at the table, which had been prepared, Altair faintly smiled as he looked at the Goddess of Wisdom. She looked uncomfortable, although he was sure that was just an act—a trap to play to his ego. She'd used such tactics before.

"I'm thinking of turning the Twelve Acolytes into nobles that work beneath me," Altair said, and a spark of surprise pulsed from those amber eyes of hers. "What do you think."

"They tried to kill you."

'And you didn't just now?" Altair responded.

"I did no such thing,' Athena admitted. "I tried to take you and your people along, but the instant I tried, some strange force interruption disrupted me. If you died, then I'd have no champion to herald us towards the future."

Altair saw her point very clearly, yet something was off. Even if that had been the case, wasn't Athena a God? It made little sense to claim some unnamed force allowed her to stow away the acolytes but not him or his people.

Could there have been some resonance between the Vale and his Shadows that afflicted Athena's helping hand? But what of Morrigan and Atelia? They weren't shadows. Yet they were unaffected by the aftermath.

Athena felt his withered gaze and added, "The force was strong, pushing me away as my will grabbed the acolytes. By the time I was aware of it, all I could do was take away the twelve acolytes."

Altair frowned before shifting the topic to something about which he would actually receive definite answers. "You never answered me. What do you think of me taking on the Twelve Acolytes as nobles?"

"They'll never agree to it," Athena said. "Unless you can convince my family."

"Convince, you say." Altair smiled cruelly. "The Gods will either agree to it, or they shall be killed and raised as my Fallen Shadows."

"Their souls have already been claimed by—"

"I took the soul of creature sired to Asteroth, Fallen Angel of the Heavens. Demons for the Hells are now my thrall. Do you truly think you all can stop me from stealing their souls? The simple fact is Athena. When it comes to Death, my Authority outstrips even the Angels."

Athena went silent then, her lips thinning. "You can't kill Zyran," she said solemnly. "He is special."

"Which one is that one?"

"The Acolyte of Lightning. He is Zeus's disciple."

Altair adopted a humorless smile. "And that matters why?"

Athena sucked in a deep breath. "Long Ago, my Father had been sent to the Hells to be tormented. For countless Dao Cycles, he experienced the Torment of the Nine Hells. When he was finally resurrected beneath the Pact we had with the Silver Devil, something had changed within him. He had changed... Time, if you are not aware, works differently in the Nine Hells.

A second on the material plane, depending on the type of torment, could be anywhere from a dao cycle to a chaos cycle in length. Zeus, however, experienced multiple Dao Cycles. By the time he returned... he was a shell of his former self. I still think he was lucky. Compared to what the Second Monarch of Hell did to Sif, he was fortunate."

"Sif?" Altair asked.

"Thor's wife. These events happened long ago. Chaos Cycles ago. But Sif never recovered. Arsene shattered her. Broke her will to live, then the will to die.

All she is now is a husk, drowning in fear and misery."

***

The dungeon within the Palace of Stygian was dark. Devoid of sound, it pooled with a profound darkness that ate away at the concept of time.

Zyran didn't know how long had passed, but no matter how loud he yelled, the echo of his voice never returned. It was as if he were within a vacuum. It left him cold and shivering as he recalled the reason he'd attacked Altair Blackwood in the first place.

'We were foolish to listen to that bastard,' Zyran thought, clenching his fist as he sighed bitterly. The instant he had seen when the other Acholytes approached the crack, he should have known it was a trap. 'Damn that—'

As if the shadowscape of darkness that had been his prison before him had been nothing more than an illusion, Zyran blinked, confused. As his eyes adjusted, he realized that he was chained to the wall, with thick iron chains around his arms, feet, and neck. The chains were tight, and the metal dug into his skin, making it impossible for him to move.

The dungeon was poorly lit, and the flickering torches on the walls cast eerie shadows around him.

It struck him then. He didn't even remember being chained.

"What is—" He stopped looking at the young man before him, studying him with a cruel smile.

"Mr. Arcemas," The Emperor started, his eyes narrowing. "How do you like your cell? comfy?"

"H-H-How did I get in here? No... how long have I been here."

"Talia, can you bind his mouth? He's a talker."

As Zyran's eyes scanned the dimly lit room, he suddenly locked onto the sight of a girl with striking yellow eyes skipping inside. With a sense of impending doom, he immediately began struggling against his chains, but it was all in vain. The girl bounded towards him, a sinister smile on her face, as she quickly gagged his mouth with a filthy cloth.

"You will blink, once for yes and two for no; if you cannot follow directions, I will begin cutting off some body parts. Do you understand?"

Zyran glared but nevertheless surrendered with a single blink.

"Good. Now then. Do you want your freedom back?"

Zyran blinked once.

"Freedom comes at a price, Mr. Arcemas. Athena thinks your life is important. But I'm inclined to have you killed now simply to lure Zeus to his death and be done with the matter."

Zyran looked at Altair as if he were mad.

"Yes. I know. But it's true. So here are your options. You'll be given land, freedom, and a noble title to my Empire; however, you'll have to serve me for an entire Dao Cycle. As a Godling, that is the entire length of your life span unless you achieve godhood." Altair said, smiling.

"I've already given the others the same pitch as it stands right now. If your god doesn't pay the ransom on your life. I'll kill you and raise you as a Fallen Shadow. If they do pay, well, the only way you get out alive is if you accept my deal. Ransom or not. Either way, you're fucked.

Do you understand?'

Zyran, with a crestfallen expression, blinked.

"Good. Then I shall wait for your answer in a few days. Do enjoy the darkness of this realm. I hear it really gives a man time to think,' Altair said as the shadowscape once more filled Zyran's eyes, sealing him in eternal darkness.