Shadow of the Abyss

It had started to rain as Altair led Athena up the serpentine stairs of the Palace of Sunset towards the spire that overlooked all of Zamphis; from north to south and from east to west, they stood, taking in the ruined city that had barely recovered from not that long ago. Still, even on fire, the city looked encompassingly beautiful.

As they sat down at the table, which had been prepared, Altair faintly smiled as he looked at the Goddess of Wisdom. She looked uncomfortable, although he was sure that was just an act—a trap to play to his ego. She'd used such tactics before.

"I'm thinking of turning the Twelve Acolytes into nobles that work beneath me," Altair said, and a spark of surprise pulsed from those amber eyes of hers. "What do you think."

"They tried to kill you."

'And you didn't just now?" Altair responded.

"I did no such thing,' Athena admitted. "I tried to take you and your people along, but the instant I tried, some strange force interruption disrupted me. If you died, then I'd have no champion to herald us towards the future."

Altair saw her point very clearly, yet something was off. Even if that had been the case, wasn't Athena a God? It made little sense to claim some unnamed force allowed her to stow away the acolytes but not him or his people.

Could there have been some resonance between the Vale and his Shadows that afflicted Athena's helping hand? But what of Morrigan and Atelia? They weren't shadows. Yet they were unaffected by the aftermath.

Athena felt his withered gaze and added, "The force was strong, pushing me away as my will grabbed the acolytes. By the time I was aware of it, all I could do was take away the twelve acolytes."

Altair frowned before shifting the topic to something about which he would actually receive definite answers. "You never answered me. What do you think of me taking on the Twelve Acolytes as nobles?"

"They'll never agree to it," Athena said. "Unless you can convince my family."

"Convince, you say." Altair smiled cruelly. "The Gods will either agree to it, or they shall be killed and raised as my Fallen Shadows."

"Their souls have already been claimed by—"

"I took the soul of creature sired to Asteroth, Fallen Angel of the Heavens. Demons for the Hells are now my thrall. Do you truly think you all can stop me from stealing their souls? The simple fact is Athena. When it comes to Death, my Authority outstrips even the Angels."

Athena went silent then, her lips thinning. "You can't kill Zyran," she said solemnly. "He is special."

"Which one is that one?"

"The Acolyte of Lightning. He is Zeus's disciple."

Altair adopted a humorless smile. "And that matters why?"

Athena sucked in a deep breath. "Long Ago, my Father had been sent to the Hells to be tormented. For countless Dao Cycles, he experienced the Torment of the Nine Hells. When he was finally resurrected beneath the Pact we had with the Silver Devil, something had changed within him. He had changed… Time, if you are not aware, works differently in the Nine Hells.

A second on the material plane, depending on the type of torment, could be anywhere from a dao cycle to a chaos cycle in length. Zeus, however, experienced multiple Dao Cycles. By the time he returned… he was a shell of his former self. I still think he was lucky. Compared to what the Second Monarch of Hell did to Sif, he was fortunate."

"Sif?" Altair asked.

"Thor's wife. These events happened long ago. Chaos Cycles ago. But Sif never recovered. Arsene shattered her. Broke her will to live, then the will to die.

All she is now is a husk, drowning in fear and misery."

"When we ascended through the Myriad Heavens, Zeus was broken beyond our means to control. We are very cautious when approaching him now. At times, he is very poised, and at other times, he is cruel and violent. Kill Zyran, and he'll break the Shadow Proclamation and bear the consequences. I'm not sure who you have behind you.

But I ask, do you think your backers will support you if they learn an infringement God is after your head?

"What are Infringement Gods," Altair calmly asked.

Athena hesitated. "I… I can't tell you. Information on such would go against the Shadow Proclamation."

Altair rolled his eyes. "You've interfered quite a bit, creating a Spatial Isolation barrier and all."

"Technically, I didn't do anything. To escape my isolation, all you had to do was walk out of it. If I actually trapped you guys, then that would infringe on the Laws of the Shadow Proclamation.'

'Infringe, she says,' he caught on, discerning meaning in her words.

"Zeus can resist the Shadow Proclamation?" He then asked.

"To a certain extent. Which is—"

"Then let him try to kill me. I will not act based on fear over some unhinged bastard. If Zeus seeks to court death, then he'll find himself in the Nine Hells once again." Altair declared, sneering. He waved off Athena's concern and asked, "Now tell me about this Sif."

Athena frowned. "Aren't you dismissing this too early?"

"When your, Emperor, you get to do so," he said, smiling.

Athena sighed, shaking her head. "How arrogant. I'll try to convince him but don't expect much. As for Sif… I don't really know much. She's entered the wheel of reincarnation over a thousand times to wipe her memories, but whatever torment that afflicted her was so deep it reached the core of her being."

Now Altair was curious. "Thor… is the Norse Pantheon, right?"

Athena nodded. "Yes. Why?'

"Think you can send her a message? Tell her I can wipe her memories. Of course… it'll come at a Price."

"You are just a mortal, how could you—-"

"Ever heard of the Vale?"

Athena went silent.

"I'm sure you've heard it before amidst all your spying. I've said it plenty of times."

Athena hesitated. "I've heard you speak of it… but I'm not aware of what exactly it is."

The Emperor stood up. "Send the message to Sif. Let's see if she takes the bait. But I am a little disappointed. I'd have thought Arsene would have shattered her hope."

"Sometimes hope can be the greatest form of torment. It'll keep you going, pushing you so high up that when you fall, all that'll await you will be a sort of hell that'll leave you more broken than you ever were. "

***

The dungeon within the Palace of Stygian was dark. Devoid of sound, it pooled with a profound darkness that ate away at the concept of time.

Zyran didn't know how long had passed, but no matter how loud he yelled, the echo of his voice never returned. It was as if he were within a vacuum. It left him cold and shivering as he recalled the reason he'd attacked Altair Blackwood in the first place.

'We were foolish to listen to that bastard,' Zyran thought, clenching his fist as he sighed bitterly. The instant he had seen when the other Acholytes approached the crack, he should have known it was a trap. 'Damn that—'

As if the shadowscape of darkness that had been his prison before him had been nothing more than an illusion, Zyran blinked, confused. As his eyes adjusted, he realized that he was chained to the wall, with thick iron chains around his arms, feet, and neck. The chains were tight, and the metal dug into his skin, making it impossible for him to move.

The dungeon was poorly lit, and the flickering torches on the walls cast eerie shadows around him.

It struck him then. He didn't even remember being chained.

"What is—" He stopped looking at the young man before him, studying him with a cruel smile.

"Mr. Arcemas," The Emperor started, his eyes narrowing. "How do you like your cell? comfy?"

"H-H-How did I get in here? No… how long have I been here."

"Talia, can you bind his mouth? He's a talker."

As Zyran's eyes scanned the dimly lit room, he suddenly locked onto the sight of a girl with striking yellow eyes skipping inside. With a sense of impending doom, he immediately began struggling against his chains, but it was all in vain. The girl bounded towards him, a sinister smile on her face, as she quickly gagged his mouth with a filthy cloth.

"You will blink, once for yes and two for no; if you cannot follow directions, I will begin cutting off some body parts. Do you understand?"

Zyran glared but nevertheless surrendered with a single blink.

"Good. Now then. Do you want your freedom back?"

Zyran blinked once.

"Freedom comes at a price, Mr. Arcemas. Athena thinks your life is important. But I'm inclined to have you killed now simply to lure Zeus to his death and be done with the matter."

Zyran looked at Altair as if he were mad.

"Yes. I know. But it's true. So here are your options. You'll be given land, freedom, and a noble title to my Empire; however, you'll have to serve me for an entire Dao Cycle. As a Godling, that is the entire length of your life span unless you achieve godhood." Altair said, smiling.

"I've already given the others the same pitch as it stands right now. If your god doesn't pay the ransom on your life. I'll kill you and raise you as a Fallen Shadow. If they do pay, well, the only way you get out alive is if you accept my deal. Ransom or not. Either way, you're fucked.

Do you understand?'

Zyran, with a crestfallen expression, blinked.

"Good. Then I shall wait for your answer in a few days. Do enjoy the darkness of this realm. I hear it really gives a man time to think,' Altair said as the shadowscape once more filled Zyran's eyes, sealing him in eternal darkness.

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