Abyssal Awakening-Chapter 1008: Verona’s Dream

"What the f*ck???" Renna felt her mind shatter as Alice suddenly gained the aura of a Lord.

Even Faust found himself almost falling over in shock.

This...

This was impossible. Inconceivable!

How does one even achieve this?

"Wha- Huh? How?!" Renna asked, double checking, triple checking and even quadruple checking to see what she saw was real.

And no doubt, Alice right now was a Lord with no authority!

No... That’s incorrect. Alice had one...

"Is that... my authority???" Renna widened her eyes.

"Yep~" Alice grinned, sticking out her tongue.

"If I drink the blood of someone, I can temporarily gain Sigils equal to them. So if I drink someone with nine Sigils, I gain nine Sigils. Then, I can choose to either keep their abilities or replace them with my own." Alice waved her hand.

In that moment, the aura of duality seeped out.

"Wait... so you can access the Sacred Grove?"

Alice tapped her chin.

"Somewhat. If I trace your memories thanks to my sixth Sigil, I can. But previously, I couldn’t. I needed to know what you’re able to do before I can use it fully."

Turning her gaze back to the two Lords, she grinned.

"So what do you think? Useful right?"

"Useful!? That’s beyond useful. It violates everything we know!" Faust collapsed in his chair. His mind was spun as it felt like all of his prior knowledge had just been erased.

"How is this even possible?" Renna poked Alice in the cheek, wondering if what she’s seeing is even real.

Surprisingly... Alice’s cheeks bounced like delicate jelly as Renna found herself unable to stop.

"Dunno. It’s just something I’ve had for as long as I remember."

Meanwhile, Faust realised something.

Had they fought... and Alice drank his blood...

"So while I’m here, if you ever need something to be dealt with, just give me a shout." Alice showed a peace sign with her fingers.

With Alice revealing that she can easily achieve the status of Lord, they decided to scout out the situation for now.

Faust had Lab take his place once more while Renna was focused on ensuring the World Tree was stable.

On top of that, there was also the issue of tracking down Feris.

Alice was only going to stay as long as needed for Suyin to get her materials.

Once the Memory Device was finalised, she’ll be able to speed up her travels significantly.

Sitting in her room, Alice glanced out at the city, then towards the sky where Faust had sealed the wound for now.

With this city being one where you can choose whether or not you want to enter the Nightmare, Alice could sense the invisible door that would allow her to dream.

She’s helped resolve the Grand Cathia Nightmare to some extent. The rest was up to Miki.

As for this city... well, she was planning on leaving soon anyways.

The only thing she wanted to check out was her own Nightmare. The one connected to the north during the time of famine.

Taking a deep breath, she leaned against the wall and closed her eyes.

Entering the Nightmare through this method was different to the feeling you got when being dragged inside.

First of all, Alyss and Cayla weren’t forced along with her.

Second of all, it felt more akin to submerging yourself fully in hot water than being dragged through a maelstrom of dreams.

After a brief pause, Alice felt the cold biting against her skin. The howling of the wind and the lifelessness of the north.

"As expected. Now that I’m away from Grand Cathia, I can’t access their Nightmare anymore." Alice mumbled, opening her eyes.

But just as she was about to stand up, she paused.

In the boss arena before her, where she should have been preparing to face the red knight, something had changed.

A young girl rested in his arms.

Cradled with such care as though he was afraid the world would harm her. A stark contrast to his brutality when fighting.

The red knight sat motionless amidst the snow, his greatsword resting at his side, angled low yet close enough to be raised in an instant against anyone foolish enough to approach.

Snow gathered on his armour. Frost clung to the edges of steel. The girl remained tucked against him, small and fragile within that monstrous embrace, as though he were trying to shield the last remaining ember in a world that had already frozen over.

The wind screamed around them, yet the two sat in utter silence.

Staring at this...

Alice couldn’t help but frown.

To her, it felt as though the two of them were against the entire world.

But most of all...

The girl reminded her of someone.

That aura... that appearance.

Even the faint traces of divinity that lingered. A little corrupt and damaged but unmistakable.

Verona.

Why was she here? Better yet... How was she here?

Shouldn’t this Nightmare be her’s? Why was she here?

And...

Alice glanced up at the woman overlooking the arena with a deep frown.

Her eyes narrowed and she summoned her weapon, ready to fight if needed.

"My my, such hostility." Enris chuckled, crossing her legs and elegantly flipped her hair in the northern winds.

"Who wouldn’t show hostility? I’m sure the relationship between the two of us need no explanation." Alice scoffed.

But Enris wasn’t even bothered. In fact, she welcomed people to be hostile like this.

The more hostile the better.

"Fufu~ That’s true. But tell me, what do you plan on doing with the girl and her cherished knight hm?" Enris stood up.

With a twirl of her body, she appeared behind Alice, stepping out of her shadow.

"Verona, oh poor Verona. A girl who watched her parents die then forced to make the hardest choices. To sink deep into sin. Then, when the knight saved her from her despair, when he showed her a better path forward..." Enris’s smile twisted into a sick grin.

"He dies, leaving her all alone in this world. No one else understanding the suffering she had to go through. The pressure placed upon a little girl’s shoulders, for her to become queen. Then, when she tries to reach divinity, she falls short and now her life hangs on a thread."

Alice had a frown on her face while listening to Enris.

The God took pleasure in this suffering.

"The people she vowed to protect... dead. With very few left to protect, how could she face the knight?" Enris asked as she was about to rest her hand on Alice’s shoulder.

But with a blade pointed at her throat, she simply chuckled and leaned in closer.

When the blade tip pierced into her flesh, when blood started to drip, her smile only widened, causing Alice to click her tongue.

"Why are you here?"

Enris wouldn’t show up without reason.

She was here because she needed something.

"Hm~ What if I told you..." Enris paused, wrapping around and cupping Alice’s cheeks.

"I want to see your choice?" She asked.

Alice tried to push her off but Enris was slippery, weaving around her movements while violating her private space.

Lifting a strand of Alice’s hair, she brought it up to her mouth and gave it a slight kiss.

"I don’t know what Velouria saw in you to consider you a friend." Alice sighed in frustration.

"Veli... Dear Veli. She tried to see everyone as a friend. She wanted everyone to get along, even when some of us were clearly hostile towards her power. Now... I’m sure you understand what that poor man Nyer is trying to accomplish. A fool trapped in delusions of the past." Enris leaned back, falling into her own shadow before being spat out.

This time with her male form.

"Honestly, I don’t see why he is so enamoured by Veli. Don’t you agree? People like him should just look towards the future." Enris cackled, swooping below Alice and trying to pick her up.

But Alice refused. Flipping her body, she slashed towards Enris’s eyes and created some distance between them.

Regenerating his wounds, Enris grinned, licking his lips.

"So let me present you with a different case. Perhaps we, and by we I mean you, can get a better idea of Nyer." Enris stepped to the side, motioning towards the two stuck inside the boss arena.

"Though this current Nightmare is a product between, you, I and her, she is now adrift in her own dream. Living the life she hoped she could’ve gotten. I do wonder... Wouldn’t it be cruel to take that away from her?" He asked, leaning against the door.

With a snap of his fingers, their surroundings started to shift as he forcefully dragged Alice into Verona’s dream.

###

Alyss blinked her eyes.

With Alice in the Nightmare, the control of the body naturally fell to her.

The golden chains were still present yes.

But they felt... loose?

It was a strange feeling. It lacked the pull to forcefully rip her control away yet was still present.

If anything, it felt like clothes that were a little too tight.

Giving her body a stretch, she let out a slight exhale as she decided to change her outfit for now.

Alice and her taste in clothing varied quite a bit after all.

While Alice preferred cute outfits, she enjoyed the more revealing ones. Ones that allowed her a sense of freedom.

As for why she was taking the initiative to control Alice’s body... Naturally, it was because of a job Alice wanted her to do.

Changing into something that suited her tastes better, Alyss opened the window and glanced up at the sky.

The chains around her hummed as a grin appeared on her face.

As expected... Like their body, that wound in the sky was an amalgamation of energy.

A combination of all four that exists in a paradoxical harmony.

Cracking her neck, Alyss jumped out of the window.

"Time to get to work."