Prince of The Abyss

The Abyss raised his arms in defense, staring at Aether, who had drawn Voidpiercer at him, pointing the tip at him, his God. ”Wow, calm down there, you wouldn’t want to hurt me, would you?” Forgotten continued to smile, but his smile faltered as Aether continued to point his blade at him.

He squinted his eyes, putting his finger on the tip of the blade, and moving it aside while not breaking eye contact.

”There, now we can have a normal conversation, God to Vessel.”

Aether frowned, Voidpierces slowly crowing back in his chains at his command. He clenched his fists. He wanted to punch the bastard in the face, but with it having the same appearance as him, wouldn’t that be like punching himself?

”What are you doing here? What on earth could you want now? And care to explain...” He pointed to his black eyes and the eye that was once normal. And he had a very good idea who had been the one to change it. ”This?”

The Abyss chuckled nervously, looking slightly to the side. It clearly had hoped that he wouldn’t mention it. Which only made him even more curious.

Until now, he had mostly seen the Abyss act cocky and childish, so seeing it suddenly turned dead serious... it had caught him off guard to say the least... his gaze lingered, unsure why the sudden change.

”The eye is supposed to represent my presence, us working together... to say it more simply, the eye is meant to show that I am helping you.”

Aether blinked twice. What the hell was it saying, it, helping him? Hadn’t it already done that, and didn’t he do it in exchange for a favour? Why would it still be helping him?

”I’m lost.”

...

”I failed Aether, I failed my part of the deal. I was supposed to help you win, but I wasn’t able to do so. So in the end, I never finished my part of the deal. And so, until we finish this trial, I’ll be helping him.”

Aether squinted his eyes. There had to be something about it; there was no Abyss that everyone would actually do something like this.

”Like hell, stop lying, you bastard.”

The Abyss sighed, clearly irritated by Aether’s attitude.

”I am not! For once, I am not! Even i, respect a deal.”

Aether was taken aback by the Abyss’s reaction... it was actually telling the truth? It is not helping, and it lying to him has become something that he was so used to that when something happened, he automatically thinks it is lying.

...

So for once, will he actually get some help?

...

Well, either way, it was time for him to explore the city.

...

...

The city emerged slowly from the thick, bluish-green mist, its edges jagged but deliberate, as if carved from the seabed itself. Towers rose like sharp coral, uneven and spiraling, their surfaces covered with pale streaks that glimmered faintly under the pervasive glow. Buildings were not uniform; some leaned at impossible angles, others stood perfectly straight, but all seemed alive with the strange geometry of a place untouched by conventional design.

The streets, where they existed, were irregular, paved with black stone smoothed to a dull sheen, interrupted by jagged cracks or the occasional pit filled with glimmering water that reflected the greenish haze. Small canals ran through the city in uneven paths, shallow but wide enough to suggest something once more functional, carrying a faint, restless current that whispered underfoot.

Buildings were a patchwork of styles. Some looked like ancient fortresses, with towering walls and narrow windows, while others resembled residential blocks, stacked haphazardly with overhanging balconies that twisted like roots. The surfaces of the walls were not plain; they were etched with faint luminescent patterns, some geometric, some more organic, tracing spirals and lines that pulsed subtly, as if marking the heartbeat of the city. Vines, black and glossy, crept along stone and metal, sometimes burrowing into cracks, sometimes wrapping around corners in tight coils, adding a strange skeletal texture to the structures.

Here and there, colossal statues of armored figures stood at intersections or near gates, frozen mid-motion. Their faces were obscured, sometimes cracked, but their proportions were perfectly human, each exuding a presence that dominated the nearby buildings. Some had hands outstretched as if to stop intruders, others held weapons, now dull and partially fused with the stone they rested on. The light caught on their surfaces at odd angles, creating shadows that stretched impossibly far into the streets, giving the impression of depth far beyond the actual size of the city.

Above it all, spires pierced the mist, some glowing faintly from within. They were connected by what looked like bridges of energy or glass, thin filaments that curved and twisted in impossible shapes, reflecting the pale glow of the atmosphere. From a distance, the city appeared both immense and unnavigable, a labyrinth of stone, water, and light. The walls surrounding it were irregular but high, seamless in places, jagged in others, with no obvious gates or entrances. Yet in its heart, a faint, steady light pulsed, promising something alive within the stone and mist.

The whole city seemed suspended in a strange, silent rhythm, half-built and half-formed, as if layered between reality and dream. It was precise but alien, structured yet chaotic, a place that seemed designed to awe and intimidate simultaneously. Aether’s gaze swept over it all, realizing for the first time that survival here would require more than skill; it would demand understanding, careful observation, and perhaps the courage to step where no one had gone before.

...

The first people Aether noticed were a pair walking ahead of him. Their clothes looked built for survival, not style, long, heavy coats with reinforced stitching along the sleeves, belts strapped across their chests holding pouches and tools. Their boots were thick and metal-tipped, leaving dull scuffs on the stone as they walked. One of them carried a long pole with a hooked blade, the metal tinted a pale, unnatural green. Their faces were mostly covered by half-masks that wrapped around the jaw and nose, leaving only the eyes visible.

A group of merchants rested nearby, gathered around crates stacked on a low cart. They wore lighter outfits, layered shirts, fingerless gloves, and scarves wrapped loosely around their necks. Their clothing had mismatched patches of leather and cloth, each piece clearly repaired multiple times. One man’s sleeves were rolled up, revealing strange ink markings running from wrist to elbow, thin lines forming circles and sharp symbols. A woman beside him had several piercings along her ear ridge, small metal rings that clicked softly when she turned her head.

There were younger residents, too, not children, but teenagers around Aether’s age. They wore simpler clothes: tunics with short sleeves, belts tight around the waist, trousers tucked into boots. One carried a basket with a coiled rope and metal hooks. Another had a bandage wrapped around the side of his head, slightly stained, but walked casually like it didn’t matter. They lingered near the street’s edge, talking quietly.

An old man crossed in front of Aether. He had a long coat made of thick, layered fabric stitched with worn patterns. His beard was trimmed short, and his hair was tied back with a metal clasp. He leaned on a cane with an iron tip that tapped sharply each time it hit the stone. Hanging from his belt was a charm made of small bones bound together with wire, rattling softly as he walked.

Finally, a patrol of hunters passed by, five of them. Their outfits were mismatched but clearly meant for combat: chestplates reinforced with dark metal, gloves with claw-like extensions, thick collars to protect the neck. Each carried a unique weapon: a chain-blade, a hooked spear, a short axe, a crossbow with rotating parts, and a staff capped with a crystal sphere. Their expressions were hard, and every movement they made looked practiced, efficient, like they were used to fighting in tight streets.

...

”Followed them.” Aether raised one of his brows at the Abyss’s sudden claim.

”Why? Do you know anything about them, anything that might help us?”

...

”No?”

...

What great help he would be having inside this journey of his, he couldn’t have ever asked for a companion better than the Abyss. He sighed, yet the sigh felt as if it was filled with disappointment, something the Abyss noticed.

”You don’t have anything better to do either way.”

...

Well, it was right, as much as he wanted to say it wasn’t. He had nothing else to do, no other lead on what to do, how to get out, after all, he had a faint memory that when he came here, he was in another kind of world, meaning that there was another world than this.

He had to get to it, but he had no idea how to do that.

...

’I guess this will be my first lead.’

Walking inside the shadows, Aether began following the hunters in hopes of a clue.

’I just hope I won’t regret this later.’