The Broken Halo

Simon had expected to learn something from the two Shadow Eyes he placed on Sava and Ivara, but he had not expected that something to involve the Abyss.

Planting the eyes had been easier than he first imagined. Sava and Ivara had spent several minutes within a few metres of him, and the lamps inside the combat chamber cast their shadows across the floor from several directions.

During Sava’s attack, nearly all her attention had been fixed on Simon. Ivara had also been watching the battle closely, especially after Sava began using more of her strength.

Simon used those moments.

A tiny fragment of shadow energy and mental energy slipped into Sava’s shadow when she moved past him. The second entered Ivara’s when she rose from her chair. Neither Shadow Eye opened immediately. They remained compressed and silent until both demonesses were far from the chamber.

Simon had been worried one of them would notice.

Sava was a Supreme Greater Demon, while Ivara was a Half-Step Demon Lord whose true abilities remained unknown. If either possessed a powerful shadow sense, an artifact capable of detecting mental energy or shadow energy, or simply instincts sharp enough to notice the foreign presence in their shadows, the eyes could have exposed him.

To Simon’s relief, neither did.

And to his immense surprise, that small risk gave him information he could never have predicted obtaining.

The Abyss.

Simon had first heard of the organization from Merath and Jorra. They were a secret organization meant for Daemons, and he had killed one of their members.

Jorra.

Jorra’s corpse still rested inside his spatial ring, while Merath was still alive.

She had disappeared after swearing that she would take revenge on him. Simon had never forgotten that promise. Merath remained somewhere at the back of his mind, like a blade left beneath dark water.

He had often wondered where she was.

Whether she had grown stronger.

Whether she was hiding, preparing, or simply waiting for the right moment to appear behind him and attempt to kill him.

Unfortunately, Simon had received no information about her for a long time.

Now the Abyss had appeared again through Sava and Ivara.

’Is this connection limited to the two of them, or does it extend through the entire Eastern Faction?’

The difference was enormous.

If Sava and Ivara had been approached separately, then their relationship with the Abyss might have nothing to do with Black Banner or Crownless Dawn. It could be another secret they carried beneath their rebel identities.

But if the entire Eastern Faction had ties to it, Crownless Dawn was no longer merely a rebellion hidden inside another rebellion.

It might be one piece of a much larger design.

Simon’s fingers tapped slowly against the armrest.

’What role is the Abyss playing in Black Banner? Does the Eastern Hand know about it? Does the Old Banner know about it? Is Crownless Dawn meant to benefit the Eastern Faction alone, or is someone else waiting to use the second road once it opens?’

The chessboard had changed.

Until now, Simon had considered Black Horn, the Eastern Faction, the ruling powers of the Darkness Kingdom, and himself to be the major players surrounding the road to Earth.

The Abyss added another hand above the board.

A hand whose pieces Simon could not yet see.

The waters of Crownless Dawn were deeper than he had expected. What looked like a struggle between Black Horn and Black Banner might merely be movement on the surface, while something much larger travelled beneath it.

A thought entered Simon’s mind.

’Black Banner and the Eastern Faction have repeatedly obtained information they should not possess. The Seven Nails explain some of it... but what if they are not the only source?’

’What if the Abyss is one reason their information network reaches so deeply into Black Horn?’

It was only a possibility.

Simon did not have enough evidence to treat it as truth, but he would not ignore it either.

He also wondered what the Abyss actually wanted.

Merath and Jorra had been connected to it. Now Sava and Ivara were seeking approval to join it.

And for some reason, the two demonesses had considered presenting Simon before the being they called Him.

’Why do I feel as though I keep getting entangled with the Abyss without seeking it?’

Simon’s eyes narrowed slightly.

[Lilith.]

[What?]

[Are Sava and Ivara Daemons? Or do either of them possess a hidden Daemon bloodline?]

Lilith answered after a brief pause.

[No.]

Her tone was dismissive, as though Simon had asked whether two ordinary stones were divine treasures.

[They are normal Two-Horned Demons. Talented ones, but there is no Daemon bloodline hidden inside either of them.]

Simon released a quiet breath.

That answer removed one possibility while making another more interesting.

If Sava and Ivara were ordinary Two-Horned Demons, then the Abyss might not be limited to just Daemons. They might recruit other talented races as well.

The mysterious Him was another matter.

A being capable of deciding whether Sava and Ivara could enter the Abyss, identifying things about Simon that they could not, and receiving the reverence hidden in every mention of that title was unlikely to be ordinary.

Simon had no proof.

Still, his instincts told him that Him was most likely a Daemon.

And not a mediocre one.

The connection to his Shadow Eyes weakened as both demonesses moved farther through Red Sand Hall. Although there was the risk of exposure, he decided to leave the Shadow Eyes on them in case he got more interesting and useful additional information.

Silence returned fully to the chamber.

Simon looked at the fading crimson cracks Sava’s lightning had left across the floor.

”I may have to change parts of my plan depending on what happens next.”

His voice travelled through the empty room.

”But plans are tools, not chains. The world does not promise to follow the road one imagines. When the mountain moves, the foolish continue walking toward the cliff it leaves behind because they are too proud to turn. The wise change direction without abandoning their destination.”

Simon slowly stood from the chair.

”Those who cannot adapt call their stubbornness resolve. Then they lose everything and blame fate.”

There was no fear in his voice.

The appearance of the Abyss complicated the situation, but complexity was not defeat. New dangers also carried new information, new enemies, and new opportunities.

Simon walked toward the empty training area and sat cross-legged on the dark-red stone.

He still had time remaining on the chamber’s rental.

There was no reason to waste it.

He straightened his back, closed his eyes, and drew the surrounding wind toward him.

”I might as well use this opportunity to train and improve the Fury Tempest Art.”

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[A/N: Read the author’s note below. It’s VERY VERY IMPORTANT!]