Shadow of the Abyss

Warning: Dark Chapter

Outside, Altair stepped towards the entrance of the Wall and crossed the drawbridge with reservation in his step. Remaining outside would only open them to an opportunity for attacks from whoever lay hidden in the forest.

It had been silent beneath the shadow of the Wall, eerily so, with the only sound being Altair's footsteps echoing over the stone. He stopped outside the threshold of what appeared to be a factory of sorts. It was different from what he'd imagined. On the outside, Altair saw a castle, but on the inside. What appeared was a factory lined with light fixtures as if to welcome someone in.

Unease prickled the young lord's spine in the form of knives as he paused. He couldn't sense danger, but his stomach churned as he stared into the empty abyss ahead. He could smell it. He could smell something foul that made his skin crawl and his eyes wet as if held hostage by a bleeding onion.

"What is this feeling?" He asked himself, hoping for an answer.

He shook his head, re-hoisting Riena in a better position, and continued forward when lights lit up one after the other, revealing a large glass cage-like prison: housing no toilets, no beds, no books, or anything that would lead him to believe that any humans lived there, the young lord froze. "It's… not a prison." He told himself as the sense of foreboding grew deeper with each step.

"What in the world is—" Through the automatic sliding door of the empty corridor, Altair mind blanked as the foul scent of depravity whipped over his eyes, reeling down his spine with ruthless abandonment.

Locked in cages like dogs, he saw children merely a few years older than him, grunting and moaning as they lay into the opposite gender. They were naked, wet with drool unfolding from their mouths as they showed no sense of joy, no sense of sadness, much less pain.

His bloodshot eyes swayed to find dozens of broken slaves eating away like dogs from a bowl, barking and grunting without intelligence as if words didn't exist. Others stood in the corner pissing and shitting before making their way back to their partner, either still feeding their newborn or—

"What… What… What is this!!!" The stammered, trembling as tears filled his eyes. "LUNA! LUNA!!!!"

Howling as he glared at the utter madness, acid slipped up his throat and out his mouth, spilling over the ground as disgust flared like a storm, laying waste to bits of humanity the boy carried

[+1 Madness]

[Heart of Darkness gently stirrs]

[Divine Being 'She Who Hunts' is horrified]

[Divine Being 'Piercing Owl' covers her mouth in disgust]

[Divine Sin 'Archeon' bellows in laughter!]

[Divine Sin 'Archeon' raves in wonder, pondering your dilemma.]

Teeth clenching, Altair wiped the vomit off his lips and the tears that rolled down his eyes. He listened to the screams of the infants suckling at the mother's tit. Counted the needle marks around their arms that kept the slaves 'docile.' He sucked it all in, coming to a drowning conclusion.

"It's a slave factory… Why buy slaves… when you can cultivate them," he said coldly. "I'd heard of it. Mother had spoken of it… but I'd never…"

His heart dropped

[DING!!!]

[Sudden Mission]

[Objective: Divine Being 'She Who Hunts' demands you kill every man, woman, and child, for only death shall set them free.]

Reward: True Strike

[Divine Sin 'Archeon' sneers at Divine Being' She Who Hunts' mission parameters]

[Ding]

[Alternative Mission]

[Ojective: Divine Sin 'Archeon' seeks you to take over the Breeding Factory]

[Reward: Soul Coin]

***

The Prince grimly stared at the two choices, his arms trembling as rage pooled over his violet-black eyes. Mana began flaring like a winter's storm-cracking glass as he raised his head.

"You want me to take over this hell hole!" He shouted towards the Gods.

DING!!!

[Divine Sin 'Archeon' forcefully opens Chat]

[Divine Sin Archeon: Yes, or do you think life is so simple?]

"They are still humans!!!" roared the Prince.

[Divine Sin 'Archeon' folds his arms upon his Throne of Brimstone, "He who seeks power needs to learn sacrifice. A Soul Coin can grant you any wish. It can make you immortal. It can release your mother from prison. It can grant you any skill, any object… It can even revive all these little insects.]

"M..M…Mother is in prison?!!" He stammered, with a tearing sensation emanating from the back of his throat.

[Divine Being, 'She Who Hunts' frowns at this information.]

[Divine Being, Piercing Owl: has entered Chat]

[Divine Being, 'She Who Hunts'has entered Chat]

[Divine Being, Piercing Owl: Do not be fooled by this Devil! One needs a dozen of Soul Coins to revive someone from the dead.]

[Archeon: Have you ever known a devil to lie? Perhaps if they were Gods, Altair would need more coins, but these slaves are mortals. One will suffice]

Altair trembled, unable to stop his mind from flaring with thought. He'd spoken many times to his mother during his journey within the Serpents Outreach. But… What if Archeon had told him the truth? What if…

"Is it true?" He demanded in a chilling tone.

[Divine Sin 'Archeon' grins menacingly, " Kill one slave, and I'll tell you. A devil's promise.]

The boy trembled, snapping his bloodshot eyes to a nearby slave. Ready to take that step. Ready to stain his sword red. Yet… Just as his foot moved, he froze.

"... Mother is a God. She isn't in any danger."

[Divine Sin 'Archeon' smiles at your intelligence]

"I decline," said Altair coldly. "No way I'm enslaving these people, nor will I slaughter them."

Divine Sin, 'Archeon' shakes his head in disappointment. "Freedom to the mindless is a far crueler alternative. Give a man hope, and he can fall into the deepest pit of Hell. I shall await for reality to set in.]

[Divine Being, 'She Who Hunts' nods in agreement]

[Divine Being, "Piercing Owl," approves of your decision]

In a matter of moments, Altair moved forward. He'd seen enough of the madness around him. Enough of the cruelty of humanity that left a chill racing down his spine and a vicious tug at his gut. The more he stared at those mindless eyes, listening to their meaningless moans of grunts and cries, he felt his heart break.

"It smells funny," Reina whispered, trembling upon the boy's back.

Dread raced through his mind as the words left his mouth: "Just go back to sleep."

Reina moaned beside his ear-twisting stomach as he tried to hold back the seething anger. She yawned, her muscles still vibrating with a fiery intensity. "Wake… me… up… danger," she muttered, slipping into unconsciousness.

And with a long sigh, Altair toured the building, making sure to memorize the layout. Before he made his way back into the residential quarter that looked barely lived in, he laid Riena on the bed, covering her with the bed sheets at hand.

[Divine Sin, 'Archeon' grins at your dilemma.]

"Why? Who are you?" Altair asked with a lifeless expression.

[Divine Sin, 'Archeon' shrugs and says, 'Just your friendly neighborhood devil.]

The Prince gave a quick snort: " And what would a devil want with me?" But no response came as he sighed, unable to stop himself from thinking of the slaves below.

[Divine Being She Who Hunts: Please kill those slaves. They have no minds. No hope of escape. Their bodies have been pumped with toxins to wither their minds. They have no future prospects. They are, by all means, animals.

Death would be a mercy.]

"... I can't…" He whispered, clenching his fist as he recalled what happened with the black mamba. He'd be no different from them if he absorbed their soul, just like he did the three Black Mambas.

The thought made the Prince's throat dry as he curled onto the ground.

"What do I do?" He asked himself, his voice cracking as the screams from below tugged at the deepest reaches of his soul.