Abyssal Awakening - Chapter 903

Capítulo 903: Formless One

How did Caelan get a hold of the Formless One’s energy? How did he know she was contracted to them?

Countless questions rushed through Caera’s head but she had no answers.

Unlike the ordinary Outer Gods, the Great Ones are held back by rules that completely prevent them from interfering with the main realm.

Rules that were set since the dawn of time, rules that completely bind these Gods from ever attempting to destroy the realm with their own power.

Hence why each of the main factions sends out their retainers to gather more icons and spread their influence.

To inject then cultivate the cancer inside the world. And once that is done, only then would they be able to harvest this realm in its entirety.

Velouria discovered their plans in the past and put a stop to it. But once she disappeared, Nyer struck a deal and welcomed them back in.

It was also during this time that Caera decided to make a deal with the devil in order to strike back at Nyer.

However…

Even if Caelan was alive during that period, this was something she had never told anyone. There shouldn’t be any traces nor witnesses as the Formless One made sure of it.

To the ordinary eye, whenever she uses her powers, it’ll simply look like strange Abyssal abilities or an alternate form of the power that Outer Gods use.

But he saw through that disguise, pinpointed which Great One she was bound with and even sent over some of its energy.

Caera began to bite her nails.

There were going to be questions if she ever sees Caelan again. Questions she’ll force the answer out of him if he refuses to cooperate.

He may be immortal but there are methods she can use.

###

Sitting behind his desk, a smile formed on Caelan’s lips as he sensed the energy he sealed into the dagger fade away.

Rosalyn has successfully delivered the package that would help them escape Terminus.

However, as an added bonus, he now knew which Outer God Caera was contracted to.

After all, the energy within the dagger was uniquely modified for this purpose. A ‘blank’ slate that would adapt and change to whoever unseals the artifact.

With Caera being the one to do it, the energy has successfully mimicked whatever power she uses.

And of all the candidates, he did NOT expect her to have actually get in touch with one of the Great Ones.

He knew she had defected from the Abyss to gain Eldritch power. But to think that was the Formless One…

Caelan leaned back and scratched his chin.

When it comes to the contract between humans and Outer Gods, the minor ones are negligible.

But when it comes to the Great Ones, even the simplest contract can have dire effects on the realm.

What did they do to disguise the contract?

But most importantly, what did they trade?

Tapping his finger, Caelan wondered if he should intervene…

But as this thought crossed his mind, black spiked chains manifested around his neck, wrist and ankle, holding him in place.

“Just a thought. I know what I can and can’t do.” Caelan smiled bitterly.

Yet despite his words, the chains continued to tighten.

A warning.

He has been making lots of moves lately, darting on the edge and weaving through loopholes.

A deep frown appeared on Caelan’s face as he clenched his fist. Little by little, the chains began to fade away as his wounds healed up.

He’ll need a method to find out more about the situation and give Rosalyn a warning.

Even if Caera is an ally, becoming an Icon of one of the Great Ones automatically sets her as an enemy of this world.

Letting her live…

Cannot be allowed.

###

Alice had Suyin work on the prototype for the chip for now while she and Elias got busy with something else.

Yet her plans came to a halt when she tried to meet Karina again.

“Can you repeat that?” Alice furrowed her brows.

“Yggdrasil tea isn’t available anymore. Off the menu. I can get you something else if you want.” The bartender repeated.

Karina wasn’t available anymore.

And if she’s off the menu… She won’t be available in the future either.

With Karina now unavailable, Alice and Elias stepped out of the tavern.

“Do you think it’s because they’re realising what you’re planning?” Elias asked but Alice shrugged.

“No clue. But we can’t spend more time looking for her.” Alice folded her arms.

If Karina can’t be found, then all they can do is focus on making the memory chip and analysing the Nightmare as a whole. Blindly progressing it without finding out anything would be stupid.

“Looking for who?” A voice echoed out directly next to Alice’s ear as she snapped her head to the right.

She expected herself to come face to face with Karina only to see her sitting by a food stall.

Giving Alice a small wave, Karina gestured for the two to sit in front of her.

“What are you doing out here?” Alice asked.

She didn’t think they would meet so soon, especially since she ‘quit’ her job.

“I’m just enjoying my favourite meal in this city before leaving. Anything wrong with that?” Karina chuckled softly, taking a bite of from the dumplings skewered on a stick.

Swaying from left to right, she enjoyed herself happily while occasionally throwing some dumplings into her abdominal mouth.

Alice stared at the woman in front of her.

“You met Monika again didn’t you?” Karina spoke while enjoying her food.

“I did. Told me about anchoring bosses and so on.” Alice nodded.

“Figured. She’s just doing whatever she wants at this point, not caring about the rules. Guides aren’t supposed to tell you this much. Only after dying to the boss and seeing a new one take its place, is a Guide supposed to teach you about anchoring down a boss.

“You’re supposed to find clues scattered around the zones. Whether that be on rooftops, deep ravines or even the sewage areas. And once you know what the boss is, you’ll be able to anchor them down.

“For us who desire your death in the Nightmare, this is one of the easiest ways to rack up early deaths. After all…” Karina trailed off.

“Those that dislike exploration will simply keep bashing their heads against an ever changing boss no?” She chuckled.

“So why are you here? Considering you’re quitting your job, is it because of something Monika did or…”

Thinking about it for a moment, Karina smiled.

“Because I’m needed elsewhere. How about this, let’s have an exchange of information. You tell me what Monika has told you, and I’ll exchange with some information of my own.” She offered.

Narrowing her eyes, Alice understood that this was probably their internal politics at work.

Monika doing whatever she wanted meant that the others have to keep her under control.

Since that was the case, getting some free information on her side was appreciated.

“She mentioned the rejection of the realm. Sentinels that will take care of anomalies. How dreams and reality will become blurred and if I don’t know my way out, I’ll be stuck in a maze of my own perception. How time flows differently.”

Karina blinked her eyes and let out a sigh.

“Again, she’s just telling you everything. You didn’t happen to have seduced her now did you?” Karina asked helplessly while pointing a skewer at Alice.

“Why would I want to seduce her?”

“True. Gaining her interest is one thing. But gaining her love… that’s a death sentence.” Karina flicked her finger, tossing the skewer into the bin not far away from Alice.

“Alright, as agreed upon, I will give you some information of my own. In fact, I’ll give you two considering what your friend managed to accomplish in one night.” Karina narrowed her eyes as Alice was instantly on guard.

‘They know about Suyin!’

“First, I’m leaving this place because the Nightmare is done here. There’s no need for me to remain an overseer in this location. It will carry on its own without my assistance.

“Second, pray that your friend never gets dragged into the nightmare. She has been marked by the one who roams. If she was to gain insight into the Nightmare and become capable of ‘seeing’ the ones who hide in dreams… The ending would be rather bloody.” Karina held up two fingers.

Finishing her skewers, she stood up and reached into her stomach.

Pulling out a card, she placed it on the table.

“This is a gift. If you ever fall into the nightmare again, use this and you’ll gain one of the authorities afforded to guides. Though I say it is a gift, it is beneficial for both sides.

“For you, it reduces the time you waste. But for us, it increases your connection to the Nightmare. So use it if you wish, or toss it away. Regardless, I will now bid you farewell, Lady Zenia.” Karina gave Alice an elegant bow.

The instant Alice heard the word Zenia escape her lips, she flicked her left hand and sealed the space around them.

Theoretically, Karina shouldn’t escape.

And yet…

Her body faded to the same fog that filled the dreams.

She managed to escape.

“So they know…” Alice frowned.

But it wasn’t too surprising.

While she may be in disguise outside of the Nightmare, in the Nightmare, her form was laid bare. They can see her true face as well as her split hair.

If they’re working with the Zenia family, it’ll be no surprise for them to know about her.

Letting out a sigh, Alice massaged her eyes and had a look at the card placed on the Table.

It was metallic silver with golden etchings across the surface.

A description of the authority Karina was gifting to them.

A guide’s authority of teleportation between branches.