Prince of The Abyss

”You know, I shouldn’t judge people from appearances, but this time I’ll take up upon that sin. You remind me of someone I don’t like... so I don’t like you either.”

He chuckled, looking smugly at the black figure standing in front of him. As much as he wanted to think that he wasn’t evil or dangerous to him, as much as he tried not to hate him instantly. He just saw Denial in him, or rather, he felt the same thing he felt when he first saw Denial.

There was a big chance that the two of them were somehow connected.

Yet there was something that threw him off, how their colors were exactly opposite, made him wonder who this figure was. What would be the opposite of Denial?

Acceptance?

It made sense; this whole place reeked of good energy, a place where you could come and speak of your darkest sins, where you could lie down and not feel like you’re in danger.

Yet at the same time, he just... didn’t believe it at all.

In a world like this one, there couldn’t be a place like this.

”Tell me, this waterfall, it’s all an illusion, am I wrong?” He asked, gritting his teeth slightly.

Yet the figure didn’t respond; he just stared at him, well, he didn’t have eyes to stare with, but he could feel his gaze linger on him. It’s watchful gaze, examining every inch of his being.

He wasn’t enjoying this interaction all that much...

Aether let Voidpiercer fall from his mark and into his hand.

”One last question, and then I’m leaving... You should know well that I’m not someone you can keep in these false worlds of yours, so if you wish for me to stay longer next time, respond honestly. Who are you?”

He never intended to stay longer. Yet at the same time, he was getting quite annoyed by getting rejected or vague answers when asking this question, so he thought that if he made it look like a deal, it might work. But now that he has said it, he realizes it came more like he was threatening him.

And yet even with it, the black figure never responded, actually, since appearing, he had never moved an inch, almost as if he wanted to anger him, as he knew exactly what he didn’t like, which was the truth being kept from him.

”Man of no words, I see, and of little brain cells too. I would call you a clown, but because of how disobedient you are, even a circus wouldn’t take you.”

Aether held Voidpiercer steadily, prepared to throw the blade at the world whenever he wished to; he just wanted to see how the bastard would respond. But just like he had guessed, he didn’t move at all, just continued to stay put as if he didn’t care in the slightest if he left or not.

And he knew that he was doing it to anger him, but because he knew that, it infuriated him even more.

He sighed. ”I guess I’ll just have to answer that question myself, aren’t I, Anger?”

...

And for the first time since the black figure had come out of the waterfall, it flinched, maybe from shock, or confusion; it was hard to tell what someone without any facial expression was feeling, but he had really staggered, which only proved his theory to be correct.

”What? You think I’m a stupid, it’s not like it’s that hard to figure out.

Aether let Voidpiecer slip back into his marks and grinned.

”I have never seen you before, and since you look like Denial, I figured that just like he was, you are part of me somehow, that’s how my brain knows you, and why you could get in my dream so easily. But at that time, I didn’t know what part of me you were. But you quickly made it obvious.”

Aether looked around, at the water flowing quietly, how calming and relaxing it was, he looked at the water that stood at his feet, feeling as if it was playfully hugging him.

”And this place, a perfect place for relaxation, where you are the calmest, where your thoughts are pure. A place fit for something like exceptence, and yet, instead of it, Anger appeared, since it’s the only person that could destroy this peace.”

...

And after that, he should have expected that Anger wouldn’t keep the waterfall.

The calm vanished like it had never existed.

The world lurched, and Aether’s footing disappeared as the ground dissolved into roiling water. He landed hard against damp wood, the impact knocking the breath from his lungs as the boat screamed beneath him, boards creaking in protest. The sea was endless and furious, waves rising like walls before crashing down with a violence that felt personal. The sky was choked with black clouds, split open again and again by jagged lightning that lit the world in brief, merciless flashes.

Rain hammered down, cold and sharp, soaking him through in seconds.

The boat was small. Too small. It rocked violently, tossed around like it had no right to exist in a place like this. Every wave threatened to swallow it whole, and the sea did not feel mindless. It felt offended by his presence.

Across from him, the black figure stood.

No, not stood. He leaned.

One elbow pierced his thigh, his head resting lazily in his palm. He did not brace himself against the storm. He did not sway with the boat. While the world howled and raged, Anger looked bored. Lightning flashed, outlining his shape in stark white for a heartbeat, and Aether felt it then. This sea was not attacking him.

It was listening.

The waves crashed harder, closer, water spilling into the boat, yet Anger did not move. His head tilted slightly, as if watching Aether struggle amused him. The storm screamed what the waterfall never could. Resentment. Frustration. Every word left unspoken, every injustice swallowed down until it had nowhere else to go.

Aether looked around at the raging sea. He leaned against the boat, looking overboard inside it.

But he could hardly see anything, the water was darker than any he had seen, as if it was never meant for someone to look inside of it and see what horrors it was hiding.

And yet, squinting his eyes and staring deeper, he noticed something, a gigantic beast swimming in the sea. A little horrifying to think, since it definitely wasn’t the only one, and there wasn’t any land in sight, just water.

Aether quickly leaned back in the boat, his eyes turning towards Anger.

”A fitting place, if I must say. You are making it quite obvious now, well, it’s not like it was ever hard. I mean, you were trying to anger me, you knew exactly what I didn’t like most, and target it; who else would know that, then my own anger? So yeah, it wasn’t that hard to figure out who you are.

Anger.”

Though even if at this moment he was cocky and confident, inside, he wasn’t. He was lost, he didn’t understand how this guy was alive, he understood how Denial was alive, i mean, the Tides themselves were made from denial, so of course the one guarding the last level before you got out was your own Denial, and the Tides were made by the Demon of Dread, so at least Denial had an obivous way for how he came to live, he was created by the big man himself.

But Anger... why was he here? This was a dream in the real world, so how?

Was he also created by the Demon of Dread? But why?

Yet Kael did say he was going to have to beat his Anger first before he could train him, so was that what he meant? Did he know that this would happen?

...But how...

Though master Kael did say that most people who come from the Tides were overrun by Anger, so maybe that was how he knew it was going to come for him, because it had come for others, too. He had also said that most people from the Tides don’t survive, getting consumed by their anger... was this what he meant?

Was this guy standing in front of him, the one who consumed so many people?

Aether frowned, looking at the bored expression of Anger, as if he saw him as just another one of his prey.

He finally understood.

Denial wasn’t the final level of the trial.

While defeating Denial gave you your life back, you had to defeat Anger for your life to truly be yours again.

That was why Kael didn’t want to train him, because if he got consumed, in the end, it wouldn’t lead to anything.

...

Though... it did annoy him.

That he saw him as just another person who somehow survived Denial.

In his eyes, he had already lost.

...

In both Kael’s and Anger’s eyes, he was just another person who was going to lose himself.

...

No one believed in him.

...

’Well, it’s not like it’s the first time I’m alone.”

...

He leaned back in the boat, smiling right in Anger’s face.