Abyssal Awakening

Alice walked in the dark. Countless strands of energy filled her surroundings.

There were some that she recognised and some she didn't. Power from the Abyss, her Violet Flames, her Sigils, the Heart, Crown and Eyes of the Abyss, Bloodline Release. The energy from her strange constitution created by Nyer, hints of Velouria's fallen divinity.

And finally, the foreign strands that appeared.

The power that belongs to the Void. These strands were… Strange. They moved differently from the ones she has control over.

Strands from the Abyss are dominant, volatile and aggressive. Her Violet Flames are greedy and vicious. The energy from her Sigils is passive, weaving themselves with the other strands and hardly seen on their own.

The trio of Abyssal relics are all encompassing. They act as a foundation, a land for her other strands to reside on. Bloodline release was similar to the strands of the Abyss except they're less volatile and aggressive.

But the most dominant of all, is the energy from her constitution that now holds hints of Velouria's divinity. It's the glue that holds everything together, the chains that bind the contradicting energies and stopping it from tearing her body apart. The safety net that keeps her safe.

And finally, the energy of the Void.

Ephemeral yet strangely persistent. It bobs and weaves through reality, leaving behind its mark before disappearing. It's both there and not there, a paradoxical energy.

People harness the power of the Void to bring it into reality. But that's…

"Inefficient." Alice couldn't help but mutter.

After her Artificial Resonance, she synchronised herself with the energy of the Void and understood its true properties. The Void isn't meant to exist in reality for an extended period of time. It simply cannot sustain itself that way.

By forcing it to manifest in reality, whether that be for her artifact forms or creating large portals, the cost of the skill increases exponentially.

The key essence of the Void is to keep it in short bursts. To retain its ephemeral nature and utilise its properties in that split moment where you have control.

The reason why Alice hasn't been able to fully bring out the powers of the fourth Sigil despite thinking that she has, was because she's been trying to control it over a long period of time.

Unless she's in the Void realm, that's the incorrect way of using her power. Even the Seraphim only used the Void in short bursts.

In order to 'swallow' that meteor, what Alice should've done was expand the portal in a single instant. A single moment of pure concentration and power. Only then, would the Void manifest itself true and obey her orders fully before disappearing.

Had she done that, she wouldn't have needed to send everyone into the Void forcefully. But it worked in her favour. The moment before impact, the split second where she had to make a singular choice, Alice managed to tap into the power of the Void fully for the first time.

It allowed her to perform the astonishing feat of sending everyone and even Keira into the Void.

Ideas flooded Alice's mind, ways of utilizing her abilities to the maximum. The awakening that she experienced without knowing had lifted the veil in her mind. The only thing she wanted to do right now was to test out her theories and ideas but she was trapped in this space.

She didn't know why she was here or how she could get out. All she could do was observe her energy.

"My my, so many sources of energy. The human greed knows no bounds, don't you agree?" A voice rang out, shocking Alice as she immediately jumped away and turned around.

She could see a featureless figure except for a wide grin on its face.

The Will of the Abyss.

Furrowing her brows, Alice wondered why he was here.

Letting out a chuckle in amusement, the Will strolled through Alice's internal world without caring that Alice was observing him.

Stopping in front of the energy that represented her constitution that held hints of Velouria's divinity, the Will gave it a gentle caress.

"It's good that you're greedy. If you weren't, I'd be disappointed. But don't overestimate yourself. After all, despite all the work Nyer has put into you…" The Will trailed off before turning back to Alice.

"You're still incomplete."

Before Alice could question what he meant, the Will waved his hand as Alice was flung from her internal world.

"ARG!!!"

Sitting up in shock, Alice looked around her in a panic. Right after her shock, confusion filled her mind as all she could see was the infinite expanse of the Void.

"What the…" Furrowing her brows, Alice saw that she was alone on an island. Closing her eyes, she tried to look for Alyss and Cayla but found the two sleeping while sprawled out on the ground in pure exhaustion.

Considering the risks she was taking at the end, it didn't surprise Alice as she allowed the two to sleep.

Standing up, Alice felt a flow of energy that she never felt before. A connection to the realm around her and a constant stream of power going through her body.

Just as she was looking down, a pair of fingers opened her eye wide and Alice could see a woman observing her.

"You've really gone and adapted to this realm. Has anyone told you that your adaptation is rather impressive?" She asked.

Registering that someone was able to appear in front of her without her notice, Alice swung her leg out of instinct but the woman disappeared and reappeared on a shard of crystal nearby.

"Who are you?" Alice frowned.

The energy coursed through her body as she prepared to fight if needed.

"Tsk, why do all of you youngsters prepare to fight the moment I appear? Do you always break into someone's house and demand to know the owner's name?" The woman scoffed in annoyance.

Hearing this, Alice's smile twitched.

"Do old people just like to touch others without their consent and appear two inches from them without a warning?" Alice clapped back as the woman blinked her eyes.

"Feisty little sh*t aren't you? I preferred it when you were half conscious."

"Can't exactly help it when I don't know what's going on and who you are." Alice shrugged, ready to activate her Sigils at a moment's notice.

"I thought I told you that already. This is my house, my realm. And I'm its owner." The woman's voice rang out beside Alice's ear.

"!!!" Alice's pupils constricted in shock as she kept her eye on the woman without blinking but she still traversed that space in an instant. It wasn't speed but more so teleportation.

Just as she was about to swing out of instinct, a pipe tapped against her hand, preventing it from moving further. It felt as though Alice was trying to move a mountain.

"So you're the owner of the Void? Then I must apologise. I assume you want me to leave immediately." Alice forced a smile as cold sweat dripped down her back.

Just one short exchange told Alice everything she needed to know. This woman outclassed her!

"Naturally. I'm a woman who enjoys three things in life—peace, sleep and food. As long as these three aren't missing, I'm content. However, your little stunt dragged quite a few disturbances into my realm so I would indeed prefer it if you were to leave. However…

"I don't suggest that. At least not for you." The woman shook her head.

Hearing this, Alice frowned.

"What do you mean?"

"Are you perhaps familiar with being exiled from a realm?" She asked, surprising Alice who paused for a moment then nodded her head.

"That makes my job easier then. I don't know how you did it, but you were slowly being exiled by your realm. With such a gap 'inside' you, you then filled it by resonating with my realm. Now, what do you think would happen if you were to go back into your own world?" She asked, taking a deep breath of her pipe.

"Bang~" She exhaled.

"A collision of two realms because of what you did, tearing a hole through the barrier and allowing the energy of my realm to flow out into your realm. Naturally, as the person in the centre of that, I don't have to explain what kind of effect it'll have on you." She smiled.

Seeing Alice's shock, the woman nodded in satisfaction.

"I'm only joking. You won't break the barrier if you were to go back but you should've seen your face."

Alice's smile twitched.

'Is this woman serious???'

"But I still don't suggest going back. The first half of what I said is partially true only that it'll affect your body rather than the realm. You have the essence of two realms inside you, going back now would only cause one side to be torn out. You won't die but it won't be pretty." The woman shrugged.

"And you're telling me this because?" Alice asked, understanding that she must have a goal if she was being this patient with her.

"You're one smart little cookie. Here, have a treat." The woman clapped her hands lightly as a piece of rock flew into Alice's mouth before she could react. Just as she was about to spit it out, the rock began to melt and an assortment of flavours flooded out.

One would think these myriad flavours would conflict with each other but strangely, it was harmonious and complimented the different tastes. Alice couldn't put her finger on what it tasted like either. Sweet but not quite sweet, sour but not quite sour. Spicy yet mild. A contradiction like the state of energy that flowed in this realm.

This burst of flavour caused Alice to ignore the fact that this woman practically read her mind.

"While you're waiting for the right time to go back, I want you to deal with the little annoyance you brought with you. Do that for me and I'll patch you up and send you back, how about it?"