Prince of The Abyss

The bar had been livelier than it had ever been. Almost all the seats were filled, and all the tables had at least one drink on them; there was so much laughter that it made your ears buzz. It was a great joy to see as a bartender.

To be full was an achievement not many could say they reached, and he was so close to it.

Preparing a drink for one of the men, the door suddenly opened. Hearing that sound made him smile every time, yet this time it was a bit strange; he had never seen the person at the door before.

He was wearing a mantle over himself, one that cast a very dark shadow over his face, making it impossible for anyone to see him. He was confused; after all, why would anyone want to hide their face?

There was something wrong with him; the only reason people wear something like that is that they don’t want to be seen.

The figure walked over to his counter, sitting on one of the stools before taking his hood off, which surprised him, since what even was the point of it if he was going to take it off.

Yet, even after, he had no idea who he was.

It was a male, one with silver hair and eyes; it wasn’t an appearance you saw every day, and if he had to be honest, it was captivating. It reminded him of a knight, with his eyes sparkling with honor.

”Hello there, first time here?” He said, cleaning a mug.

The boy nodded, a small smile on his face. ”I am. I’ve heard many great things about this bar, so I’ve come myself. Hope I’m not intruding.” The bartender scoffed.

”Of course not!” He chuckled, while another man approached to order a drink. He moved to serve him, but his gaze lingered on the boy when he had the chance. ”Everyone is welcome, well, everyone but Reader, but you get the idea.”

The boy nodded. ”Of course, that’s obvious.”

Finishing the other man’s orders, he turned fully to the boy, resting his elbow on the counter. ”So, what can I do for you?” He tilted his head.

The boy leaned back on his chair, smirking. ”I’ve heard news of some new region coming to Wonderland. And I also heard there’s something a bit strange.”

The bartender paused for a second, pinching his cheek while thinking about it. After remembering a story, he quickly let go and nodded. ”Yeah, I’ve heard it’s... an interesting place. It’s supposedly the same place the Readers are from and shares the same system as them, but they have never had the ability to enter stories or anything like that. It’s the second time a region like this has manifested; it’s interesting. You want to visit?”

The boy chuckled, scratching the back of his head. ”Is it that obvious?” Letting his hand fall on the table, he leaned forward. ”I’m an explorer, of course; I would want to learn more about such a place.”

The man behind the counter sighed. ”An explorer? At such a young age? What do your parents have to say about it? It’s dangerous, you know, and more importantly, Wonderland is filled with dead bodies.”

The boy’s smile dimmed slightly, but it was still there, more gentle. The command had clearly affected him, and it was clear the bartender panicked, scared he might have touched a sensitive topic, but before he could apologize, the boy chuckled.

”I know what I’m doing, and that’s the most important thing. I take responsibility for my actions.” Slowly sliding his stool, he waved at the man. ”Thanks for your information. I’m in debt.” He said, putting his hood back on and heading towards the exit.

...

...

...

Once outside, he moved into the shadows, taking off his hood. There was no smile on his face anymore, no emotion, really. His hand moved to his face, almost as if gripping something, which was weird, since to the naked eye, there was nothing there.

Except there was. Aether took off his mask, returning to his normal self.

It was annoying, but his face and name were already known throughout Wonderland; he even had a bounty on his head, so it wasn’t a good idea to go around with his face showing. His mantle was also known, which did hurt him a bit, since people did try to attack him, only stopping after taking his hood off and showing Elpis’s face.

Three months have passed ever since he had entered Wonderland. He had traveled more in these three months than he ever had, more than he had in Demon of Dread; every day he was on the move.

Trying to just find anything. And he had had no luck; the shadow also did not help him even a bit. Inky had been the most helpful of all; with its scouting ability, he was able to find some towns and villages when he needed to, but nothing important.

He had also found... people, but he stayed away from them; after all, he didn’t want to get them killed. It was also weird, seeing his face on a poster in every town he went to; it was ironic, since a while back, he had wondered what it would be.

And here he was.

It was also sad to see how some of them had been ripped, meaning they had been claimed... which meant that more and more people died daily. He had no idea how many people from the rebellion were alive, and neither did he have any idea if reinforcements had been sent.

He was completely oblivious to what was happening around him, and everyone else was clueless about what he was doing, which was a nice thing... since it meant he could do things like this...

’A region similar to Frozen Crown... what part of the past will this one be?’ He said, sighing.

The chances of finding someone else from the expedition there were high; after all, the news about the region had not been kept hidden very well.