Abyssal Awakening-Chapter 1004: Renna’s Title

Renna slowly opened her eyes, and immediately wished she hadn’t.

The room was spinning in slow circles, and she clutched her head in pain. The headache felt like several Lords had taken turns punching her in the skull.

She groaned, trying to sit up, only to realize she wasn’t on stable ground.

Instead, she found herself sitting on a chandelier.

"What the hell," she muttered, confusion flooding her mind as she tried to recall how she ended up here.

Trying her best to sit up without breaking the lights, she glanced down at the room.

Strangely... it felt as though a hurricane had passed through the main hall with several holes littered along the walls.

Broken chairs and tables.

She’s gotten drunk before yes. But never like this. Not to this extent anyways. Pinching the bridge of her nose, she a green energy flooded her body as she gave herself a quick cleanse.

Only to stumble, immediately realising one use wasn’t enough.

Cleansing herself twice, she looked for her drinking partner last night.

Alice Agnelia.

A strange girl with a love of mead that rivalled her own. For the first time, someone had been able to keep up with her drinking.

A sigh escaped her lips as she flipped down from the chandelier, landing softly on the floor.

She began to pick up the wreckage, tidying the hall.

Strangely, she didn’t see Alice anywhere.

’Did she go back to her room?’ Renna wondered, glancing around.

That’s when her gaze caught a shadow moving outside.

She poked her head out of one of the holes in the wall, and her smile froze.

Alice was there, repairing a fallen tower next to the inn.

Stacked neatly on the ground was a pile of materials she’d gathered early that morning. Above, Alice hovered on a floating piece of metal, blood threads weaving together the broken pieces, fixing everything one piece at a time.

"Hm? Oh good morning." Alice smiled, noticing Renna and gave her a slight wave. "You look surprisingly fine for someone who drank a bunch."

"So do you. Do you have an Ability or artifact to help you cleanse poisons?" Renna asked curiously.

The reason why she can even function after drinking so hard was because of the ring on her finger.

One specially designed to purge her body of poisons. An elven artifact gifted to her by an old friend who was also a drinking buddy.

"Why would I have that? I just shrug it off." Alice blinked her eyes.

Renna visibly recoiled at that reaction as though she couldn’t believe what she just heard.

"Anyways, care to help me repair this? I wasn’t the only one who decided to punch it down after all." Alice chuckled.

"Ah! Right." Quickly stepping out of the inn, Renna kneeled down next to the tower as the ground started to tremble.

Then, one at a time, trees began to grow around the damage. Their branches intertwined and wove together, repairing the fallen tower faster than Alice had been able to do.

In no time at all, the tower was restored to perfect condition, even better than before. Not only that, it was decorated with blooming flowers and lush greenery.

"There we go, much better." She smiled while Alice stared at her.

"Your Lord title wouldn’t happen to be something like Abyss Lord of Building Repair now would it?" Alice asked while hopping down from above.

Taking a few steps back, she observed the building.

"How rude. I’ll have you know, that as a once proud member of the King’s Guard, my title is nothing stupid like Building Repair." Renna grumbled in annoyance.

"Then what is it?"

"Hmph, listen up and listen carefully." Renna puffed up her chest as she folded her arms. "I am Renna, one of the King’s Guard and my title is the Abyss Lord of the Sacred Grove."

She grinned, closing her eyes expecting gasps of wonder and awe.

Only to be me with...

"Wait... that it?" Alice sounded unimpressed.

Renna felt an arrow pierce her heart.

"What do you mean ’wait... that it’??? It’s a Lord title you know? One that’s involved with the Sacred Grove of all things!" Renna’s smile twitched.

She wasn’t sure if she was feeling anger, dejection or just pure sadness from Alice’s reaction.

"I mean... I heard and seen some rather impressive titles at work." Alice shrugged. "I’ve seen Execution, Shadows, Tyranny, Apocalypse, Time, Life, Death and the list goes on. You see why something like the Sacred Grove is not exactly impressing me?" She blinked.

Renna almost collapsed onto her knees, wanting to cry.

’Sis! You’re telling me to compare my title with freaks of nature! How do you even get the title that governs Life!? That governs Death!?’

She knew some of the these titles while others were unfamiliar to her. But just hearing them was enough to make her realise how outclassed she was!

Apocalypse? Execution?

What’s her sacred grove going to do when the sky falls down? What can she do when the opponent is the literal controller of the death sentence?!

"The Sacred Grove is important too you know... to us elves at least..." Renna mumbled, her pride shattered to pieces.

The fact that Alice didn’t look like she was making those titles up only made her pain worse!

"Really?" Alice tilted her head.

"You don’t know what it is do you?" Renna sighed as Alice shook her head.

"Have you been living under a rock? Anyone living in Extalia or even the nations outside knows about the Sacred Grove."

Alice looked inward, towards Cayla who shrugged.

[I know. But... Kaden’s evaluation of it might not be helpful. In his own words, he called it the elven drug shack.]

Alice almost choked on her saliva hearing that description.

From Renna, she could tell that the elf respected the location a bunch. Yet in Kaden’s words... it was nothing more than a drug shack.

There was no elegance in that name whatsoever.

"C-can you tell me more about it?" Alice forced a smile.

Since Renna was now a drinking friend, she at least wanted to give her the chance to redeem the Sacred Grove.

As for Renna, hearing Alice’s curiosity about the Sacred Grove, her ears wiggled as a sparkle appeared in her eyes.

"You see, to know about the Sacred Grove is to understand the importance of the World Tree to us elves.

"The World Tree is not merely an old tree that grew larger than the rest with roots piercing through Extalia. Rather, it is one of the oldest living things of this world. It has stood since the old age where... this is a secret by the way." Renna winked.

"There were four gods rather than three." She grinned.

Alice held back a laugh.

"Enris of the Eclipse, Solaris of the Sun and Lumiria of the Moon. Then there was the fourth. Velouria of the Abyss.

"The World Tree has watched the changing of eras, the fall of gods and even the creation of nations that stand to this day. The reason why it can do so, is because its roots passively absorb energy from all realms. Surface, Void and Abyss.

"The roots that touch the realms become a corridor that prevents them from drifting apart. It is said that the World Tree is the reason why balance exists between the three realms.

"Why they can exist side by side without shredding one another to pieces or drifting too far apart." Renna explained, turning her gaze to Alice.

"Do you understand why it’s important now? Excluding the cultural reasons, the World Tree helps stabilize the realms."

"So like a scaffold?" Alice made an example.

The comparison was a little crude but not inaccurate and Renna nodded her head.

"To some degree, it does function that way. Now that you know about the World Tree, let me tell you about the Sacred Grove.

"When I say I am the Lord of the Sacred Grove, I do not mean I command a patch of woodland from the forest.

"Rather, the Sacred Grove is the land where the World Tree rests upon. The grove that surrounds the trunk connected to the three realms.

"It is not simply a forest. It is a sanctuary. It’s hard to put into words for someone that has never seen or experienced it. But the air there is different. For elves, being in the Grove is akin to being in the presence of our mothers if not greater.

"It’s a warmth that submerges our entire body and relaxes our mind. To us, the Grove is paradise. It is safety incarnate constructed by the balance of realms. Within the Grove, beneath the World Tree, all abilities ranging from these realms are enhanced should the tree give you its blessings. Abyssal, Holy, Void.

"But the opposite is also true. For the World Tree is sentient. Hostility towards the Grove will instead be met with punishment that weakens the use of these powers instead." Renna chuckled. It served similar to a defensive mechanic to protect the Grove.

"So when I say I am the Abyss Lord of the Sacred Grove, what do you think I can do?" Renna smiled.

Alice thought about it for a moment.

If the World Tree, and by extension the Grove, is something connected to all three realms and can even enhance the abilities that come from those realms...

"Is your ability based on enhancement?" Alice asked curiously, wondering if Renna was the supportive type.

Renna shook her head.

"As the Lord tied to the Grove, I can summon a reflection of the Grove wherever I go. I can enjoy its boons and most importantly, I am its guardian. Should the need call for it..." She narrowed her eyes and crossed her arms.

"I can even tap into power rivalling that of Realm Rulers."