Abyssal Awakening

The three of them woke up roughly around the same time with Alice recovering from her injuries the fastest, Ria who got used to the pain and Luke who was still hurting from the beating.

Getting the three to sit in front of him, Kaden pulled out a notebook from his shadow.

"I'll add some additional lessons to your new curriculum and have the principal take some lessons out for extra time if you want. Luke, you'll be focusing on ways to keep yourself alive in a fight. Ria, you'll need extra lessons from me to deal with your issues.

"And as for Alice… You don't really need lessons outside of calming your mind and reflecting properly on what you see. You have the tendency to go fast without care. It's not bad but it's not great either." Kaden explained while flipping through his notebook.

"In general, I suggest you work on your foundation."

Closing his book, he teleported Alice and Luke away while Ria was left behind.

"We need a quick talk since this is tied with your extra lessons." Kaden said seriously, surprising Ria since he's not usually this serious.

"What do you think when you think of death? Not the authority that your grandfather wields but rather when you come face to face with your own death. What do you see? What do you think and what do you feel."

Closing her eyes, Ria imagined what it was like to face death.

She's faced 'death' several times already but there was one that stood out the most. Her time in the Eclipse Cult.

Furrowing her brows, she opened her eyes and Kaden was squatting in front of her.

"Don't look away from that death. Do you want to know why Alice is strong? Sure she is supported by all of her abilities but it's her attitude towards death and her experiences that make up her foundation. If you don't want to get left behind, look that death in the face.

"To understand death, to understand your own mortality and to understand your own weakness. That's the first step you need to take." Kaden explained.

"Are you willing to go through that kind of pain to get stronger?"

Biting her lips, Ria nodded her head.

Even though her gaze was determined, Kaden could still see the hesitancy hidden deep within. She may be a strong Hunter now but deep inside, there is still the scared little girl.

"I'll give you a taste of what's to come. Reflect on it, think hard then come talk to me once you think you can handle it."

Placing his hand against her forehead, a burst of shadows erupted around her, drowning out her vision as she closed her eyes out of instinct.

At that moment, she felt a warm liquid rising from below. Her pupils shrank as she was familiar with this viscosity, this temperature and this humidity.

Her body began to tremble as she didn't dare to open her eyes.

But her body continued to move.

It didn't listen to her. She could feel her hands digging into something hard then soft. The burst of warmth from within and the next moment, she brought it to her mouth.

Retching at the feeling she so desperately wished to forget, Ria broke out of the illusion and turned to the side before vomiting.

Seeing the tears in her eyes, Kaden was silent.

The path of a Hunter was not an easy one. Everyone has their own circumstances but they need to be able to face it head on.

Just like how he watched Allura's life teetering on the line between life and death during the fall of Ayr, how he cursed his own weakness. Ria needs to be able to face her past.

"Think about it long and hard, it's not an easy choice and it should never be an easy choice." Kaden patted her on the shoulder.

"Use this when you better and ready to head out. I'll talk to Alice and Luke so they don't worry."

Placing a raven feather next to her, Kaden teleported out of the space while Ria sat in silence.

Looking at her trembling hand, flashes of blood and the countless deaths of people around her repeated in her mind.

###

Both Alice and Luke was confused where Ria was when Kaden appeared letting them know that she's taking a moment to clam down.

Getting Luke to go talk to his Head of Department Xinbei regarding the new change in curriculum, Kaden was about to leave when Alice stopped him.

"What is it?"

"Allura's injury. How bad is it?" Alice asked as Kaden paused.

"Don't worry about it. I'll sort it out." Kaden reassured before leaving.

But Alice knew the extent of her injury from the time in the inverted world. That wound which doesn't disappear even with the death of Famine.

'Seems like I'll need to do more research about my blood.' Alice thought to herself.

'If it's a side effect of Abyss Blood I think it'll be more probable but this is the Blessing of an Apostle. I don't think our power reaches that far.' Alyss frowned.

[She's not incorrect. While I don't know how the powers of Famine has changed over the centuries, the fact remains that it's outside of the Abyss's influence. It's a power that tainted Allura's essence of being.] Cayla interjected as Alice sat on her bed with a sigh.

[But it's not impossible. I have a theory but I'm unsure of how we can proceed with this.]

Hearing this, Alice sat up in surprise as she gestured for Cayla to explain.

[When Famine attacked, her blessing was largely targeting what Allura has linked to her Blessing of Severance. Her Sigils from the fourth onwards and her status as a Lord. Going by what Alyss is capable of, replacing your Sigils, do you think you can help Allura swap out her Sigils?]

'I'm not sure. But how would getting rid of her Sigil change things for her?' Alyss frowned.

[Because with the death of… Velouria, the blessings she granted upon both Allura and Kaden fade with each use. Not only that, but the passage of time reduces the blessing's potency as well. In due time, the Blessing will disappear and they will be back to being standard Abyss Lords just with more power. Allura will lose her status as the Executioner since her attack is tied with her Blessing.

[But this is where you come in. her Sigils are tied with her Blessing and her Blessing is tainted by Famine. Should her Blessing disappear, the only thing left tied to that would be her Sigils. If you are able to replace the Sigils, it should be easier for you to heal the wound left by Famine as there's nothing left for it to latch on.

[Of course, the centuries that have gone by would've left its mark on her but it'll be far better than living with Famine's curse constantly eating away at her.] Cayla explained as Alice contemplated the possibility of this and an excited light appeared in her eyes.

'Right… There's this method too! If I remember correctly, my second Sigil brought out the power of my blood. Are there more Sigils we can find that'll help enhance this?' Alice asked excitedly while Cayla held up her hand.

[Once again, this is all just speculation on my end. We don't know what kind of effect swapping out Sigils could place on Allura and if we can even do it in the first place. She doesn't have a physique like you and what if Famine's Blessing latches onto the new Sigils? How long will the Sigils last?

[This is merely a possibility o' master mine. I don't wish to fill you with false hopes only for it to come crashing down.] She warned.

'It's fine, I know. But just having the possibility is enough for me.' Alice smiled, standing up as she had another idea of what she wanted to do.

She wanted to go to the research department to better understand the nature of her own blood and powers. Combat Department was nice but what she could learn there was limited. She had many ways to enhance her combat power such as being trained by an Abyss Lord.

But in terms of researching her own blood? The Research Department seems to be the best.

'Speaking of which, who else survived the fall of Ayr? I know that Nalem is still alive and so's Kaden and Allura. Or did the Will curse them now that Velouria isn't around to maintain the rules she placed?' Alice asked as Cayla nodded her head.

[After the fall of Ayr, the Will removed the rules which Velouria placed upon her ascension. Of course, not all of it could be removed properly but the influence it holds has largely diminished. 98% of the citizens that used to belong to Ayr have all been turned to beasts that roam these lands once more.

Only those who held great power managed to hold off against the new curse but not without problems.

[Nalem, for example, has been cursed with a type of immortality that came with sacrificing a lot of his power. I'm unsure of the exact details but I know he's a shadow of his former self, cursed to witness the passing of time within this world.]

'I see… What about Caera? I know that she's extremely gifted when it comes to research. She's the one that made the gateways through the Abyss after all.' Alice asked.

If Caera was still alive, there's a possibility she could be of great help.

[The last I heard about her was when she got taken by both the Church of the Moon and the Church of the Sun. Her whereabouts are largely unknown though and even then, this information is centuries old by now.] Cayla shook her head as Alice sighed and nodded.

Regardless, the main thing for her to do now was visit the Research Department and change her course. That way, she could learn more about her own blood and abilities with greater focus.