Shadow of the Abyss

Zyran Arcemas, Acolyte of the Mighty King of the Gods Zeus, stood at the heart of the city of Zampis, his eyes fixated on the Spear of Indra, the legendary weapon he held in his hand. As he gazed upon it, he felt a sudden jolt of energy, as if the spear was alive and pulsing with the power of the Primal God of Thunder and Lightning. Yet his arm was shaking.

The Spear of Indra, a weapon forged from the bones of countless gods, was shaking.

Had it felt something to constitute such a reaction of fear? Yet what could cause the Spear of Intra such turmoil?

In the annals of ancient lore, there have been stories of Indra, the primal god of thunder and lightning, who created a weapon of immense power and destruction. The Spear of Indra, as it was known, was forged from the very bones of the Ancient Gods of Old, imbued with their strength and will.

It was said that the spear was created to battle the devilkin of the Nine Hells, the Asuras, who threatened the very fabric of creation.

The Spear of Indra was a weapon of incredible potency, capable of unleashing bolts of lightning and thunder that could rend Time and Space. It was a weapon that had seen the deepest depths of the Hells and had returned, stained with the blood of countless Asuras. So much blood had graced its edge that it had gained sentience, becoming a living thing with a will of its own.

Zyran hadn't been sure why the Spear of Indra had chosen him despite rejecting both the Gods of New and Old, but as his fingers had curled around the spear shaft before the eyes of his Master, he had managed to awaken the Spear's spirit. He'd felt a might that seemed to defy the very laws that govern the realm. An Authority that blazed brighter than any God of the Heavens.

Yet such a Spear was now shaking.

"Thaeon!" Zyran shouted, snatching the charging Acyolyte of Fire by the shoulder. He pulled, his heart thumping in his chest as the translucent image of the Three-Eye Raven flared its mighty radiance. A rending sensation of panic flared across his heart.

"Back! Back!" He hurriedly screamed, hurling the unsuspecting Thaeon back.

As Raven opened herself to the Vale, her glaive moved in a lithe path to her ankle, its tip aimed down. She took in a breath and exhaled, a fine mist of Vale Qi enveloping her in a black cloud of energy. Raven closed her eyes and focused her mind, feeling the power of the Vale flowing through her veins. With a sense of calm and purpose, she opened them.

[Fallen Blade of Nine Rivers]

"HIT THE DECK!" Altair roared, instinctually commanding Vaiga to protect Atelia. "ATHENA GET THEM OUT!"

In a moment that seemed to last several years, Raven's glaive only needed to cross space once for the City of Zamphis to turn vaporous beneath the maelstrom of spear intent. The spatial isolation barrier surrounding the city shook violently, warping under intense pressure as the elements themselves were consumed by the storm.

The Vale Qi was unlike any energy source known to Creation. It was akin to the manifestation of Primal Death. Its power was so great that it seemed to tear at the very fabric of reality. As the maelstrom raged on, Raven's glaive hummed with otherworldly energy before dissipating into nothingness, unable to hold out beneath the will of the Vale.

For what seemed like an eternity, the storm raged on, twisting and warping the very fabric of space-time. The sky turned dark, and the air grew thick with the energy of the Vale. Finally, with a thunderous roar, the storm began to dissipate, leaving nothing but a vacuum the size of Zampis behind.

"Master…" Raven muttered, blood trickling down her nose as she swayed back and forth before allowing the weightlessness of the vacuum to hold her up. She fainted.

Altair wasn't sure how he was alive, looking down at his arms and feet. The moment that black Vale touched him, he felt only a gentle breeze that left him taken back. Athena, at least to his awareness, had pulled the acolytes from her Space but had left everyone else.

'That bitch left me to die,' He thought, glancing over to see Vaiga, Atelia, Hilda, and Morrigan floating soundlessly in his gaping void.

They all had the same look that mirrored the Emperor. Disbelief

"Where alive," Vaiga said, though her voice did not travel far in the vacuum of space. When her eyes swayed to Raven.

Had her control allowed them to survive? But how did she manage to create such a feat?' she wondered. 'As far as I can tell, Raven should be as strong as Master. But that attack. It felt… inescapable.'

Pushing his way towards Raven, Altair caught her, a little taken by how fragile she felt. The meridians across her body were all but shattered. If she were a normal human, she'd either be dead or crippled for life. Even now, he wasn't sure how long it would take to recover from such a backlash.

"Hells. Tasha, get us out of here." Altair said, communicating with the devil on the outside through Aurora.

As he spoke, Altair did not react much when space shattered, shifting in a way that left them once more in the streets of Zamphis, untouched by the madness Raven had unveiled.

Altair did not regard the Twelve Acolytes; rather, he directed his attention to Aurora, who was side by side with Tasha. "Have Raven committed to the Medical Ward. She's badly injured."

Aurora bowed, accepting the young woman into her palms, as she took off towards the palace.

"Tasha, Vaiga take the acolytes. All except the acolyte of the Hunt. She has free reign over the Sunset Palace. The rest… you can kill them if they try to resist. Morrigan. How many members of the Golden Crucible are here?"

"Hundreds," Morrigan said, remembering. "Why?"

Altair looked at the eleven ugly faces of the acolytes and said, without emotion. "The Olympian gods will surely send envoys to take back their disciples. Have some of your members kill them before they arrive at my palace."

"And if there in the Ninth Circle?" Morrigan asked.

"I control the Entrance, too, Babels Tower," Altair told her. The Goddess of Rot will be sending you back up, especially now that I've allowed Gaia and Earth to fuse. Control of such a power like Babel's Tower is not something one can just pass up. She'll help me secure myself on Earth or, rather, her organization here. Ninth Circle, Transcendence, and Gods alike are sure to be cut down like weeds.."

"Then I shall inform her, Majesty," Morrigan said calmly before she took her leave, her eyes lingering on the eleven Acolytes' faces. "It was stupidly arrogant of you all to challenge this man," she said before leaving.

The taste of using the Golden Crucible had left a foul taste in the Emperor's mouth, but it was a necessary evil. He had to strike lest Azura took drastic action against his blatant disrespect for Salizar's dismissal. Allowing more crucible members to run amok on Earth was not something he could stop, but by asking for backup through Morrigan, Altair was giving Azura the respect she deserved.

Ophelia's eyes narrowed as she glared at her captors. "What are you going to do to us?" she demanded, her voice laced with a hint of defiance.

"Next time she speaks out of turn, cut her fucking tongue out and send it to Athena,' Altair commanded Vaiga, lifting Atelia into his arms. The little girl looked like she was going to start crying anytime now. He kissed her cheek, pacifying her turbulent emotions.

"Is Big Sis Raven going to be alright?" Atelia asked in a weak cry.

"Of course," Altair assured her. "You've nothing to worry about." He looked towards Vaiga and then the Acolytes. "You all are now my prisoners. I've no idea why you believe you could kill me when I've shown to kill Soul Kings. But there will be a price paid. If you're, God cannot account for your behavior.

You will be killed and made into Shadows. Take them away."

"Which Palace, my Lord?" Vaiga asked.

"The Palace of Stygian. Where their gods can't find them."

The Sword Maids were both bowed, curling their essence around the horrible faces of the Eleven before they were whisked away before they could resist.

'Athena… you've truly disappointed me, ' Altair thought, smiling. 'At least have the means in which to control your Acolyte. What good is a tool if it can't be used? But I wonder… were you trying to kill me with that stunt, or were you just curious?'

He shook his head, a gallant smile rising as he looked at the single Acolyte left behind. "What is your name, my lady."

"Asahi," she said, bowing. "My Master warned that I am not to offend you. It was a piece of wisdom that I took to heart."

Altair nodded, engraving the image of her being across his consciousness. "She saved your life. Come along," he said, shooting that crack across his world one last glance before returning toward the Palace of Sunset.

He found Athena waiting for him at the gates, an uneasy smile on his lips. "Welcome back." She said.

"Go find Raven," Altair said, lowering Atelia to her feet. He lifted an eye towards Athena, a devilish smile rising across his lips.

"Your disciple is quite the handful."

"She is merely one of the countless acolytes of my parish," Athena explained. "I warned her not to attack you."

The Emperor chuckled. "I'm sure you did," he said, glancing at Asahi, whose knees practically began to buckle beneath the weight of Athena's presence. "My guards will prepare you a room. Athena… why don't we talk? There is so much we need to discuss."