Prince of The Abyss

Aether found himself back on the bridge, holding his stance firm, not to get blown off the bridge. Really, if things continue like this, he might begin to be scared of height, and not to the point he was a little scared, but to the point he wouldn’t want to be off the ground.

And it wasn’t just the Tides, the giant border between the two Kingdoms he stood on when he decided if he wanted to go back to being a prince, or continue to be a rebel who wanted to destroy the Blue Rose... and... well yeah, wanted... since he had failed to do so. And quite miserably.

But he and Heights go even further back. In Frozen Crown, he had stood on a bridge that technically was infinite, so you could say he didn’t, and there was one thing with all of the instances he was high up. They were all bad, or at least led to a bad time.

The infinite bridge let him fall, and having to fight a damn Harbinger monster who was probably Abyssal, let’s not also talk about the fact that he did hit the ground, and while the height he did fall wasn’t that much, he still had.

The border moment led to him and the Rebellion being absolutely destroyed by Lilith, and to him entering this damn Trial in the first place in search of finding a way to survive!

And now with the palace... did he even have to say it? He almost died and had to wait three whole months to rest. It was, in a way, a good memory.

This bridge he was on let to everything related to hunting those damn statues, which he in no way had a good time doing. I mean, he almost died so many times while trying to do so.

And he wasn’t even going to talk about getting the heart...

All the time he was up high in the air, he almost died.

Was it a sign?

He sighed, finally walking again.

...

...

Finally reaching the other side, Aether was relieved that the man was still here, since if they weren’t and he had done everything for nothing, he would have been angry, really angry.

But no, they were here, doing nothing. I mean, these guys had one of the most important pieces of information ever, and they weren’t doing anything with it. Like what the hell?

As the guys saw him suddenly appear, their eyes widened, as if they had never expected him to be able to kill one of those monsters in the first place.

As they weren’t expecting him ever to return.

The man who had made the oath with him approached him, pinching his cheek.

”You... are alive?”

Aether’s face darkened as he frowned, slapping the man’s hand away from his face.

”Of course I am? What did you expect me to be beaten by, some big rock? I beat a demigod, do you know?”

...

”And I even got this.” He smiled smugly as he took out the amethyst heart.

The man stared at the rock for some time before checking it, trying to see if this was a trick, and this wasn’t really real. But with time, his skin only became paler and paler.

”...This is actually real... but...”

He turned away from the rock, looking Aether in the eyes.

”If you really managed to defeat one of these guys... You might actually have a chance...”

He smiled, his eyes looking softer than before.

”You said you wanted to know how to Denial, well, tell you, but first let us introduce ourselves.”

The man stepped back, clearing his throat, as if realizing just now how strange it was to speak so casually after everything Aether had just done.

”Names first,” he said. ”Seems only fair.”

He gestured to himself with a thumb. ”Leo.”

Leo was broad-shouldered, older than the rest, with a scar running from his jaw to his neck like a careless signature. His posture was relaxed, but not loose. The kind of man who had learned how to stand so he could stay standing.

He motioned to the one beside him, a tall figure leaning against the wall, as if the Tides were nothing for him.

”That’s Jasper.”

Jasper nodded once. His hair was tied back, dark and neat, and his eyes never left Aether. Not suspicious, not hostile, just measuring. Like Aether was a problem he had not decided how to solve yet.

A third man raised a hand in an awkward wave. ”Finn.”

Finn looked younger than the others, though not by much. There was dried blood on his sleeve that no one seemed in a hurry to clean, and his smile was quick, nervous, and a little too wide. He kept glancing at the amethyst heart, then away, like it might start beating again if he stared too long.

The fourth man straightened, smoothing out his coat before speaking. ”Oliver.”

Oliver’s voice was calm, practiced. His clothes were cleaner than the rest, his boots less worn. He looked like someone who thought before acting, and then thought again about how it would look afterward. His eyes flicked briefly toward Leo before returning to Aether.

The last man had not moved at all.

”That’s Silas,” Leo said, lowering his voice slightly.

Silas stood a few steps apart from the group, hood shadowing his face. When he finally looked up, his gaze felt heavier than the rest. Not sharp, not cold, just deep, like something watching from the bottom of still water.

Silas spoke last. ”You came back.”

It was not a question.

Aether’s gaze moved between them. They were an interesting bunch.

”Aether, Aether Moriai.”

He said... since he also weirdly hadn’t introduced himself. Strange knowing all he had done for them until now, without even knowing their names, and them not knowing his name?

”Well, Aether... you said you wanted to learn about Denial, right?”

Aether face turned serious as he nodded. Finally, after so much time of waiting, after enduring so much, he was finally going to learn how to harm this guy.

Leo sighed, walking over to a table and lying on it.

”Denial is an interesting guy. With his whole thing about not having a physical body, and everything going through him. It’s what makes him dangerous.”

That was right, and he had never seen something like it before. He hadn’t faced an opponent with such an ability before. Sure, those monsters in the infinite staircase that were made out of Abyssal matter were close, but it wasn’t it. Abyssal matter is physical; even if things go through it, it’s because most times it’s a liquid.

”Its a great ability, amazing even... but no ability is perfect...”

He paused.

”You have been in the illusion right, since you said you challenged the trial, and got out by... jumping or whatever.”

Aether nooded.

”Well then, you must know that to do it, he has to make you look into his face, his usual way is by grabbing your chin... but if he doesn’t have a physical body... how can he do that?”

He got back up on his feet, going closer to Aether and whispering into his ear. After all, this information wasn’t for everyone to hear.

”When making contact with something, that part of Denial’s body gets a physical form you can touch.”

...

...

Aether frozen... how had he not thought of that?

It made perfect sense, after all.

He should have figured it out a long time ago, after he realized the inconsistency with the whole not having a body, but being able to touch things.

Leo stepped back.

”That’s how you beat Denial... It’s more of a test of endurance... of will, ironic. The only way to harm him is when you get hurt yourself, and you have to time it to, since the moment he isn’t making contact anymore, that part turns back into whatever the rest of his body is.”

Well, the whole trial was designed to make you lose your fire. So of course, the last test would do exactly just that, and try to get rid of it. An exchange of hits with that guy? It almost made him shiver... but there was something he didn’t understand.

”If you guys know all of this, then why don’t you try?”

...

Leo’s eyes looked to lose some of their spark, almost as if he had reminded him of something terrible.

”It isn’t Denial we fear, but the illusion. You know it, you’ve been through it, and somehow got out. But the thing is that Denial can put you inside of how many times it wants... And not only that...

Its body heals inside it.”

...

...

”The only way to defeat Denial is to do it blindfold.”

...

”But the thing is, because his body isn’t physical, you can’t hear or smell him. So you can’t use any of your senses to try and get an idea of where he is.”

...

”That is why there are so few that manage to get back their lives, or why so many just accept that this is their life now, and try to live as humans here.”

Aether bit his lip.

...

What was he supposed to do now?

...

With the corner of his eye, he noticed a shadow.