Abyssal Awakening

  There, in the middle of the Arena, between Blade and Raiden’s bleeding bodies, stood a rift. A rift to the Abyss. The events that happened later blurred together.

  ?The Overseer was seething. She was already pissed enough a scratch had befallen her, even if it was healed immediately, but to have to live with that shame and witness her greatest asset be defeated by someone? She might as well have been stabbed in the back by all this humiliation.

  ?“Get those two immediately! And make sure nobody leaves here alive. No one will live to remember this humiliation!”

  ?The guards, who were shaken from the display, quickly got their act together at her indignant voice. The outer guards blocked each exit, while the main ones went to apprehend the two on the ground. Yet they suddenly tensed as they saw Blade move.

  ?It wasn’t so much movement as it was a slow drag across the ground. He couldn’t lose consciousness, not yet. The world darkened around him, yet he continued to drag his body, even as it felt like each drag was ripping his limbs off, until he finally reached Raiden, who was conscious, but had lost too much strength to move.

  ?After some struggle, he managed to get high enough to see her exposed core, visible amidst the bleeding. It was cracked far worse than expected, he had to give it to her that she truly had stayed determined to the very end.

  ?Yet when he looked closer at her core, he noticed it had split—divided into three, no longer able to keep together.

  ?Picking up two of the pieces, he felt his legs finally give up on him. It wouldn't be long before the rest of his body followed suit.

  ?As he fell back on the ground, he leaned in close enough to whisper something in her ear before the darkness took him. Raiden didn’t respond verbally to his words, yet Blade believed he could hear a silent thank you before his senses dulled in the dark.

  ?The guards continued standing there, a mix of stunned faces and bewilderment, yet that all ended when the Overseer's feet touched the ground, gracing them with her presence.

  ?“Useless, all of you, I guess. I’ll have to do it myself,” she said, going up to the lying bodies before suddenly being blocked by a force field. She looked momentarily stunned, touching the shield before slamming on it.

  ?“You cannot be serious? Are you seriously protecting this... boy!?” she said, continuing to slam into the barrier as she continued. Meanwhile, the Abyss was seeping out of the rift, lifting Blade and drawing him in.

  ?“We had a deal. I’m saving this realm from the incoming darkness, and you want to go play house!?” She felt this was nothing but ridiculous. Hadn’t she been through enough already? This is more and more ridiculous with each passing second. Why was everything against her?

  ?“Tell me! Talk to me! Why are you choosing to protect this man over your home!? Do you not care? Have you become complacent with your place? Tell me, sister!”

  ?Yet the Abyss stood uncaring of her words, continuing to drag Blade in, until he was fully consumed and the rift had been restored. Just like that, they were gone, and so was the barrier as she stumbled in front. Having nowhere else to turn her anger, she stomped over to Raiden and began kicking her barely conscious body. Letting her rage take over as she continuously beat on her, before dragging her up to face her.

  ?“You damned bitch! Do you know how hard I worked? How much I have done for this ungrateful world? Yet all of you continue to mess it up. Do you want us all to die?” she said, throwing Raiden to the ground, before straightening up after a pause.

  ?“Find that boy, and everyone related to him, and slaughter them. Do you understand?”

  ?“...”

  ?No response came back, despite the fact Raiden was still very much capable of speech. This only served to infuriate her more.

  ?“Answer me, damn it!”

  ?“...I am capable of killing. It’s most of all I know... but I refuse,” Raiden whispered.

  ?This was her breaking point, as the Overseer tried to lunge at Raiden, having lost all form of grace, as her guards had to hold her back. Yet Raiden’s stare was blank as she continued.

  ?“...Weird, isn’t it? I was never afraid of being a murderer... What scared me more was rejection... yet by following you, I only fell further into that hole of suffering... I’m done... thank you for everything.”

  ?“So you are just going to leave me!? You have nowhere to go. What will your life amount to if you’re not serving me?”

  ?“Nothing... I’m fine with that... but Xuria, tell me... isn’t it cold?”

  ?It took a moment, being stunned Raiden would actually use her real name, but the moment that cleared, she jumped back.

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  ?“Convergence!” Was the last word of Raiden, as the cold sparked into lightning, before spreading across the Arena, causing a deliberate cover for the audience escaping and opening the below to reveal a ravine she fell into.

  ?She would stay there for three days. If nobody came, she wouldn’t mind. But it was the time she was willing to give herself to be redeemed. More than anything, her greatest desire at the moment was to apologize, but if the world wouldn’t let her, she wouldn’t blame it.

  ?Meanwhile, Blade was still unconscious, yet he got quite the surprise, even if he expected it. Seeing the darkness around him, he was sure where he had ended up, and the voice all but confirmed it.

  ?“You’re back, human.”

  ?To Blade, it still felt a bit weird being called human, but he didn’t mind. He felt assuring hands on his head.

  ?“He... lo.”

  ?His words were fragmented, but he still managed to get them out. And the voice understood as she greeted him back.

  ?“Hello. I’m glad to see you again. Quite the stunt you pulled off there.”

  ?“You... watching?”

  ?“Yes, though I do wish I could be a part of your adventures. To be by your side...”

  ?To her words, Blade sensed the sincerity behind them, and it made him wonder how it was like here, if he truly was her only companion.

  ?“Lonely?”

  ?It took a few seconds before he got a response.

  ?“Yes, quite so. You do make it worth it though.”

  ?Blade wished he could have a normal conversation with the voice, to alleviate some of their loneliness. Yet it took all his might just trying to push out worded sentences. He didn’t know if it was because he was weak or if it was similar to how he had been when he first got to the Origin Realm.

  ?“Can... see?”

  ?“You want to see? There is nothing here to truly see.”

  ?“You...”

  ?It made the voice pause. He wanted to see them? Blade felt his body be held tighter, as if he was curled into something soft. As he couldn’t see, he was unsure, but he believed they were happy.

  ?“I can give you sight, if you want.”

  ?The words were steadfast, but they paused, as if unsure if they wanted to give Blade sight.

  ?“Yes.”

  ?Yet at Blade’s confirmation, they relented. Placing a hand on his face, when she took it away, Blade opened his eyes to see the face staring down at him. It took him a few moments, maybe seconds, before he caught himself staring.

  ?A woman looked down at him, her black hair spilling around them as she was quite close to his own face. Her eyes though were what truly intrigued him. pure black eyes with a glowing lilac minus symbol. He only came back to his senses by the sound of her voice.

  ?“What do you see?”

  ?What he saw? Blade had a lot of answers. A lot he wanted to say, but the one that felt the most fitting was.

  ?“I finally see you.”

  ?He was so surprised he did not even realize that he was able to talk in proper sentences again. No immediate response came from the woman, and Blade got time to realize they were sitting on a throne, with Blade draped over her, his head in her lap. She was absentmindedly stroking his hair, before speaking.

  ?“Curious... do you find me pleasant to look at?”

  ?“Yeah... is that bad?”

  ?“...No, just some passing curiosity,” she said, though her voice sounded warm. Not like she was hiding a secret, but more like she was locking away a tiny whisper of blush.

  ?“Can you tell me your name? Last time we met you told me it wouldn’t be of use to me, but I still want to know.”

  ?He remembered back to their previous conversation, on how she had decided to share her name. Now that he could ask, he wanted to hear her name.

  ?“My name... my name is of no relevance...”

  ?Her voice was strained, sounding and looking conflicted. As if she herself wasn’t really believing her words.

  ?“I don’t need it to be relevant,” Blade said, shaking his head as he sat up, faster than he even realized, almost headbutting her as they were now face to face.

  ?“I know there is still a lot to learn, but I know that my curiosity is something I can trust,” he said, almost rushing his words before calming down, softly placing his hands on her shoulders.

  ?“I know I’m a mess... I’m a flawed human, so arriving here has made me question a lot. But the one I have questioned the most is myself... I don’t know why I came here and I don’t know my purpose here, or if I have a purpose at all... but I want one, and I searched. And was lucky enough to find one beside those I learned to care for...”

  ?Calming down even more, he finally managed to formulate what he had been struggling to find words for.

  ?“I don’t know you, and I barely know myself... but I want to believe in these feelings lingering in me. And to do that I have to ask... will you marry me?”

  ?A confession that took the woman by surprise. She had not expected this at all, yet she looked somewhat alleviated, maybe happy even, as she gently grasped Blade’s hands.

  ?“Normally, you begin with dating the girl you love… but yes. I would like to marry you... My name is Aira. Can you tell me yours?”

  ?Blade didn’t know why he asked for marriage instead of a date or something similar. He knew what it was, even marriage was something he was more knowledgeable on. Yet something had just made him ask. Maybe a lingering memory, or maybe just the whisper of his own curiosity. No matter what it was, he did not regret it, saying.

  ?“My name is Blade. I’m glad you accepted.”

  ?This was a new chapter for both of them. Neither, especially Blade, knew how to properly proceed after the proposal, yet Aira managed to pick up the reins, conjuring a ring on both their fingers.

  ?A pure black ring with glowing, almost pulsing, purple crack marks adorning it. Cracked like themselves. The ring carried a silver diamond on top, a bit rough yet equally refined. A mix of expensive and inexperience, signifying their relationship. Nothing about it could be called conventional, from the designs to colors, and that was the point.

  ?“It’s really nice,” Blade said, admiring the ring. It made a mix of familiarity and new feelings rise in his chest. The ring design was slim and simple, yet so unique none of it mattered.

  ?“It’s our reinvention,”

  She said, offering her pinky to Blade. Though not fully understanding, he mirrored her gesture, only for Aira to lock their pinkies.

  ?“It’s a promise then.”

  ?To her words, Blade smiled softly, feeling happy with the development. He had never believed he would get someone to call a lover. Let alone propose. Yet it felt right one way or another, but he didn’t mind it. For now, this feeling was enough.

  Character Card:

  The one who gave up destruction in favor of guarding her world. Both punished for love, yet repeating the cycle of loving the one she could not.

  Name: Aira

  Age: Unknown

  Race: Origin

  Mora: Purple

  Absolute Authority: Abyss

  Title: The Gatekeeper

  Appearance: Aira is a woman with paler skin than normal. She has pitch black hair, and black eyes with an intricately made glowing white circle in it.

  Unlike her sister, Aira wears a simple black dress with a grey undertone.