Abyssal Awakening-Chapter 998: Thalmyra

Thalmyra slowly came into view.

At first, it was just white stone in the distance. But as they got closer, more details began to surface, layering over that initial impression.

Greenery filled the city.

Not everywhere, but enough that it stood out even from this distance. Trees grew between buildings, their roots pushing into places they should not. Vines crept along walls, wrapping around the stone as though they had been there longer than the city itself. Patches of grass broke through the paths, uneven and stubborn.

It looked messy at first glance.

But the longer you looked, the less that felt true.

It was not wild. Not really. But it was not controlled either.

Somewhere in between.

The group could already tell this place was not built the same way as Grand Cathia. There was no single design holding everything together. No sense of uniformity.

Some buildings curved upward, smooth and deliberate, as though they had been shaped by giant hands before settling into place. Others were rough, stacked stone, clearly carved and reinforced without much care for appearance.

Elven work and human work.

Both sitting in the same space.

Not blending. Not clashing either.

Just... existing side by side.

Certain parts of the city felt organized, as though someone had actually planned them out. Others did not. They looked as though they had been added later, built wherever space allowed, without much thought for how it all fit together.

Thalmyra was not meant to be a city.

It started as a stop. A midpoint between the capital and the outer regions, somewhere people could rest before continuing on.

That should have been all it was.

But they gradually understood the value of the location. Because of its position, it was within traveling distance of several gateways into the Abyss. It was a good place to rest before determining the next stage of their journey.

Several elves stayed to maintain the land because there was a convergence of the World Tree’s roots. With such a dense network, convergence points like this were treated as natural altars of worship.

As for the humans, they stayed because of trade and travel.

With many hunters and merchants traveling along this route, it was the perfect place to make a fortune.

And gradually, more and more followed.

Hunters, merchants, information brokers like the Underground. People looking to profit, to survive, even people who did not have anywhere else to go.

There were so many intentions, yet no guiding voice. Thus, the city grew into what it is now. No ruler, no banner.

Too dangerous for any one group to take control without risking internal war.

Thus, this delicate balance between elves, humans, and brokers was the only way the city could survive.

"Lord Faust wanted to take over the city before, but the backlash from the other factions was rather... intense. Afterwards, he decided it was not worth the risk and thus decided to leave the city in its current state." Lab explained as they approached the gates.

Compared to their last... impromptu meeting, she was fully prepared this time.

Lab made sure of it.

Gone was the half-damp, panicked girl whom Faust had summoned so suddenly.

She now accompanied them in a formal uniform befitting someone of her status.

She wore a dark, militaristic outfit. The upper layer consisted of a long black coat that stopped around the waist in the front but extended to her ankles in the back.

A high collar framed her neck, with gold around the shoulders.

A belt sat around her waist, its square buckle centred perfectly.

Below, she wore a skirt that allowed for easier movement, along with stockings that concealed her legs and boots that reached her knees.

The Lab they saw now was a calm, collected, disciplined Handler.

"If the backlash is severe enough for Faust to reconsider, then..." Alice narrowed her eyes. "How many Lords are in the city, and how strong are they?"

Lab smiled.

Alice pinpointed the issue directly.

"The elves have two known Lords, with one in the city at all times." Lab reported. "They take turns, with one being inside and one outside. However, we have yet to identify whether there are any hidden Lords.

"The humans have one Lord who has taken residence inside the city. It is unlikely that they have additional Lords. And finally, the brokers have three Lords in total."

"Three?" Alice raised an eyebrow.

"They are not united, though. Lord Faust has ensured that would be the case." Lab chuckled. "If any of the brokers tried to team up to take over the city, he would immediately side with the elves or humans.

"And if the reverse were to happen, he would instead side with the brokers to stop the others from taking over."

Alice paused for a second before turning towards Lab.

Suspicion was written on her face.

"Didn’t you say Faust tried it in the past? And that the backlash was bigger than expected?" she asked.

Lab nodded.

"Lord Faust tried, and every faction turned against him. So in retaliation, this is how he is operating now."

"Ah, so it is just a massive middle finger to them." Alice rolled her eyes.

If anything, having one side win would only benefit Faust, since he could then take over the city easily.

But if he was actively keeping the balance, then something must have been up.

Turns out it was simply pettiness.

"They tried to stop Lord Faust from taking this stance before, but they could not root him out entirely. And if they tried, Lord Faust would instead attack their supply lines using the resources of the Underground. In his words..." Lab cleared her throat.

"Let them lay down and take it like obedient b*tches. How dare they stand against me in the first place."

*COUGH!!!

Elias choked on his saliva as he heard those words.

Even Alice’s smile twitched, as Faust seemed to carry himself with a certain level of... composure.

Yet these words did not sound as though they had come from him at all.

"I know what you are thinking, but these are indeed Lord Faust’s words. He gets rather... heated when people annoy him." Lab chuckled. 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

"I see..." Alice turned her eyes back to the city. "Speaking of which, how much about the Nightmare do you know? I assume accessing this information should not be out of my authority."

"Of course. Due to our agreement, and my appointment as your Handler, you hold authority equal to that of a High Elder. We understand the general structure of Nightmares, as they are typically divided into two broad types.

"The first is the personal type, where each zone is unique to the dreamer. Their placement is scattered, depending on how many times the dreamer has died or how deeply they are submerged in the dream.

"The second is the regional type. Much like the Grand Cathia Nightmare, these are shared zones that anyone within the region may access. If you are pulled into a Nightmare within one of these zones, and you have been residing in the city long enough, a branch option will appear, allowing you to enter it."

"And what type of Nightmare is Thalmyra?" Alice asked. Depending on the situation, she might have to ask Miki and Suyin to deal with this place.

"This place doesn’t have Nightmares."

"!!!" Alice’s head snapped back as she stared at Lab.

Elias did the same.

Yet Lab stood with a composed smile.

"It does not have a Nightmare in the traditional sense, in which people are dragged in every two days." She clarified.

"The Nightmare here is in a similar state to the one in Grand Cathia. The people here have been able to choose whether or not they wanted to enter from the beginning. My Lord believes that this place served as a testing ground of sorts."

"A testing ground?" Alice frowned.

"Indeed. You could even say it was meant to determine how humans would react to this kind of sudden change. What would they do if a realm were to suddenly appear that granted them strength? They could choose whether to enter from the very beginning.

"Would they fear the unknown? Or would they be overcome by greed? Or perhaps something unexpected. This is simply one of many testing grounds that have appeared."

Alice folded her arms.

’What do you take from this, Cayla?’

In her mental realm, Cayla had a deep frown on her face.

Her finger tapped against the table as she flipped through her notes.

[Nyer is probably figuring out the world’s laws when it comes to divinity. What can be allowed, what cannot be allowed. Due to what happened in the north, it is safe to assume that making a mistake would cause the Divinity to become a corrupted false divinity that spawns something evil instead.]

’It is only recently that he has started to make big movements, after all. And like you said, the North is a good sign of that.’ Alyss nodded.

’So he does not want to fail this time, huh? Taking his time to cover as many variables as possible with the new realm.’ Alice narrowed her eyes. ’He is trying to properly integrate it into the world outside of just Extalia, right? Otherwise, it would not be a true Divinity, since the Three Gods hold influence in all realms, not just the surface.’

Of course, their authority in the Abyss was to a lesser extent, but they could still bring forth their own realms to enhance their abilities as Gods.

Sanctuaries that bolstered their innate authority.

However, the Nightmare was a little different. Its pull was limited because its birth was very recent. But if left unchecked...

[It is safe to say that this is his final gamble. The culmination of his work.] Cayla warned.

Alice could feel it too. The convergence of variables towards that singular future.

To determine whether or not his desires came true.

Taking a deep breath, Alice forced herself to calm down. She could not let the nerves get to her.

After checking in at the gates, the group entered Thalmyra.