Shadow of the Abyss

Chapter 72: [Bonus chapter]Eye of Sacrilege - ???

When he rose, his brow wet with sheets of sweat, his legs trembling, Altair steadied himself, drawing long, elongated breaths to calm his turbulent heart that did not seem to steady itself no matter what he did.

An emotionless voice from the great beyond echoed. One unfamiliar to the Prince's ear. "I shall grant you the Soul of Indomitable Flame to shield you from your Madness."

The voice stirred Altair's mind. Noticing this, Luna shook her head. "Madness cannot be blocked, but it can be appeased for a short period. But in the end, we all fall to Madness. No matter how powerful a god might be, they too will fall."

"Then what is the point?" Altair argued his voice cracking, knowing his fate was sealed. He would forever be the Broken Prince.

"To retain the self as long as possible." The voice from beyond said calmly. "For when the Madness comes, you will wallow in despair, for this is the sin of cultivation. The curse we bear for immortality."

"Madness isn't something to fear but embrace," Lunafreya explained, not to pacify his fears but to allow reality to set in. No God can escape Madness, no matter how strong they believe themselves to be. Madness was inevitable, just as is Death.

Tired, for an inexplicable reason, Altair bore a weary smile, one that soldiers held returning from war. "I see... Can I ask who speaks?"

"Your uncle, Your Father's younger brother, Zariel Snow, The Lord of Absolution," Luna informed him.

Altair scuffed. "How many family members do I have? Do I have an Aunt, as well?"

"You do, and she's the youngest of the three children your grandmother gave birth to. One I don't suspect you'll see any time soon." She said and returned to the matter at hand. "Now. Will you accept the challenge?"

He clenched his fist and nodded his answer.

Luna closed her eyes and vanished without sound, leaving behind nodes of light that faded back into the darkness around them.

Altair stood alert, poised for action, one sword over the pommel of Endmyian, the other by his waist. A ripple soon came from beneath, and Altair lept back, slashing at the lake with alarm.

Water spooned like waves upon the shores, shaking as it began to pull itself up, twisting into form. And as the moonlight struck the strange creature, Altair saw himself in its reflection... a perfect image, from the sword to the blood-stained furs Luna had given him. Even his left eye, which shone a blazing red, seemed to reflect his image.

"What the hell is that?" Altair questioned vigilantly. Off put by the creature that bore his likeness.

[Celestial Doppleganer Lv 14]

Altair took a stance, and the doppelganger mirrored his. The feeling left an unpleasant taste in his mouth. But then, without any indicator of movement, the doppelganger suddenly shot towards the Prince with exuberance in a downwards thrust. The blow came quickly, faster than Altair anticipated, as he parried, stumbling back a few steps with a shaky arm.

The doppelganger followed up with a quick flurry of blows. Each of which Altair parried, slowly growing enraged as he became on the receiving end of Grave of Night.

Her expression was pale, as if she'd seen a ghost. "Altair... "she began, unsure how to place her words. "You... What are you?" She asked him. "This domain is meant to replicate the past to perfection. This clone was supposed to be the perfect you. That includes your intelligence, not this imitation."

"The perfect me? It's dead." He pointed out, amused. "The only thing this creature seemed to master is the art of dying."

"Shameless wanker..." she held herself back, gritting her teeth. Twice, she failed to push Altair to his limit. And it was slowly getting under her skin. "I swear you're becoming more and more like your Father. Arrogant and shameless."

Altair felt a fester of pride at those words, enough so he puffed out his chest. He didn't know much about his Father but knew he was powerful. More so than anyone he knew.

Luna rustled his hair, unable to keep her anger towards her cute brother, much less her frustration. She was too old for that, too old to give it any more thought. "Your victory came as a shock to many. But we learned something. Your mind is something special. More so than we originally thought.

It's good to know that you can't be copied even by someone at my level. What a shame, though. I'd love to keep a mini Altair by my side." She patted his shoulder, grinning. "Either way. A promise is a promise."

[Ding]

[Baptism of the Moon has been engaged.] see-more-MVLeMpYr

[Warning]

Without forewarning, Altair was pulled by a mysterious force out of Luna's arms, plunging head-first into the lake. Flames of icy water filled the boy's lungs, pulling his consciousness away as he thrashed around, trying to regain control of his faculties. But as if his body had a will of its own. Darkness came.

The last thing filling his eye was Luna's panicked expression as she reached for him, alongside the webs of darkness casting him into oblivion.

"ALTAIR!!!"

[Baptism of the Moon has begun]

[Presence of the Vale detected]

[Warning]

[Warning]

[Wa!$ING]

[ER$#R]