Prince of The Abyss

Lying down in his cage, Aether looked into the darkness. He heard many breaths, others talking, some even crying. Sitting inside the dungeon allowed you to think of everything, so most probably just now realized they were going to die.

But why would anyone feel mercy for them? They chose this? Right?

It’s hard to know, since you have to know the whole story, since, while in some situations you can have multiple choices, but none do anything except one, that being the bad one, the most dangerous one. In this situation, it is joining the arena.

Many people join the arena for money; that way, they could survive, an example of the boy he had killed.

He looked towards the bracelets on his hand.

Really, he didn’t know how he was going to break it to his family; he had no idea how to react.

Since it was the fact that their son had left to save them, to get them money so they could live. In this situation, you can have two types of people: those who expect their son to already be dead, and while breaking the news to this type of parent would still be awful, it was bearable, since they expected it to happen, they had already grieved over it, and they were ready to accept it.

But he didn’t think the boys’ parents were like this; after all, they wouldn’t have made these bracelets.

They were probably waiting for him to come back alive, and not only that, but with money to help them survive.

It was a sad fact... really, it is going to be hard to face them with a straight face, and say that he had killed their son.

Though the least he could do was give them the money, he didn’t need it after all. While it would help him for the time being, in the end, he would only be here until he finished the book.

He had said this is Frozen Crown, that it’s not a good idea to think of the people inside as humans. But it’s a lot harder to do than say, after all, who says they aren’t humans? Even if their life starts when readers appear, and ends when readers leave.

They still harbor memories of past events and will make more for the future.

It orbits around the question of what defines a human.

A question he didn’t know the answer.

Ironic when he talks this much about human nature and acts like he knows how they would react and act.

Defining a human is truly a hard thing to do.

And it’s funny, since it’s more of a subjective thing, so you would expect it to be easy, just saying what you think being a human is for you.

But then problems come.

Is it the flesh and bones? Animals also have that.

Is it the Soul? People inside books have souls, monsters have souls, actually, everything has a soul.

Then, is it memories or emotions? Humans aren’t the only people who bearthese things.

So then why are people inside books... not human?

And it wasn’t just for the books you enter?

If you were to write a character inside your mind, why would he be a human?

Because it’s your creation, and he doesn’t have a choice? Sure, but does he know that? When he does something, he doesn’t know that someone else chose that for him.

Who says that we aren’t also controlled by someone else?

And he really wished to give an answer to this question, but the time had not come for him to truly understand it.

As he doesn’t even know himself, whether he is one.

And if not, how to become one.

...

...

”So what is next on your plan?”

The Abyss crossed its arms

Aether groaned, letting his head fall back.

There was a lot to do, really.

He wanted to improve his swordsmanship, which was the main point he got in this place, yet at the same time, he wanted to somehow destroy the Crimson Ledger, and at the same time, maybe even stop this whole place. So that way, people would stop risking their lives.

Yet he questioned if that was a good idea.

After all, while this place had taken a lot of lives, it may have also saved some people who were in need of money and were able to survive, and plus, it gave hope to the poor, even if they didn’t join, at least they had a plan B.

So there was a lot to do and think about.

...

His main focus should be on himself.

”Probably just... take another fight.”

...

”I wonder when you will notice...”

Aether raised his head up, tilting his eyebrow, but the Abyss was already gone, as if it had never been there.

What did it say?

’When will I notice... huh?’

What did he miss? I mean, he had paid good attention to most things in his place, after all, he probably knew how things worked here better than all, having asked many shadows. Yet somehow he had missed something, but what?

And he didn’t think the Abyss would be lying, it didn’t feel like it was messing with him...

Then what?

...

...

A Reader Fragment, that was the power level of the enemy that he was facing at the moment. He had decided to drop a little back in the rankings, after all, his last fight had been a little tough, but also because it had triggered the Crimson Ledger to go after him, which was also why he had chosen not to pick a rookie from them this time.

Maybe it would calm their anger slightly.

Taking his stance, Aether looked foward, at his opponent, a man that didn’t look to be a fighter, so it was not going that hard of a fight, which also meant that it probably wasn’t a good idea to continue fighting people of the Shattered rank, as by what it seems, it will never led to anything when it came to making his style better, and helping him understand it.

He had wanted to dash first, but the man had made his decision faster, but it wasn’t like he was mad about it.

He gripped his blade with his left hand, waiting as the small knife of the man came to his, as if it came, his blade robbed the knife, drifting it off its trail. Yet the man smiled.

With his other hand, he grabbed another knife from his pocket and tried stabbing him with it.

...

’A style that revolves around freedom, and that doesn’t only utilize the blade... one where instinct is everything.’

...

In a fraction of a second, Aether raised his right arm next to the man’s head... that way, when he summoned Voidpiercer, the blade would instantly pierce his head, and come back before anyone could notice it.

And it had worked.

...

When the man’s body fell to the ground, Aether sighed.

’Should have known something was wrong when a swordsman uses his weak hand to hold his blade.’

He says, moving the ruby blade from his left hand to his right again.

...

Taking one last glance at the crowd, he headed towards the hallway, but before he did, he heard the Abyss.

”Pathetic, truly pathetic. So ignorant.”

...

Again, what was he talking about?

He had to be talking about something related to the fight, but what? Was it his style, did the Abyss see something in it, did he already figure it out? But he didn’t seem very interested in it, so it probably wasn’t the case, so then what? Did he do something to the man?

Or maybe his death.

But what was so different from another’s death?

From the usual routine.

What was different about the man’s death and the boy’s he had fought?

...

The fight started, he waited, he did a trick and killed him, then the Codex-

...

’Huh.’

Aether froze, looking at the body again.

...

It didn’t make sense; he had to be mistaken, right? I mean, he had killed him, Voidpiercer had pierced his head, so there was no way for him to be alive. But then what other explanation would there be?

He had to somehow be alive, but how? It didn’t make sense for him to be alive; he wasn’t some powerful warrior with an ability to help him, or a strong durability, and even if he was, it had gone inside his head. It wasn’t something you could survive. So then what the heck had happened?

There had to be something else behind this; there was no other way for this to happen.

And how did he not notice until now, how had he been this... ignorant.

It was something so simple and yet so confusing.

And to think that if it wasn’t for the Abyss, he would have probably never noticed...

...

That he hadn’t gotten any shards.

The Codex hadn’t even announced his death inside his ears.

The only time it had done so was with the boy.

...

But what was so different with the others...