Love of the Abyss

  ?“There is one more thing I would like to ask you, Aira.”

  ?She looked at him, blinking slowly, before nodding for him to continue.

  ?“You told me you have been watching. Since you have, you probably know how I have been fighting to get the two Authorities of my friend, and now that I have, I was wondering if you knew how to bring them back.”

  ?Aira stayed quiet for a moment, contemplating the options before saying.

  ?“I can help you. Give me a couple of minutes, and I will prepare the necessary stuff. Though, I would like some things in return.”

  ?Blade was happy that she could help him and didn’t mind giving her something in return. It was probably not an easy task reviving someone, and so having to reward her for it was expected.

  ?“What do you need?”

  ?Aira looked at him, noting his happiness at the prospect of his friends coming back, making a small smile quickly play at her lips, before quickly removing it.

  ?“I will need someone who knows them a lot. A relative, close friend, anyone. The more they know, the better.”

  ?Blade understood that she asked because he didn’t know enough about them, but nobody came to mind. Or at least at first, but after some more contemplation, the thought became obvious.

  ?“Are you limited to the Abyss?”

  ?The question was not what she expected, yet she nodded nonetheless.

  ?“I have a person in mind, so can I bring her here?”

  ?“This is my home. Since we are married, this is your home too. So you are welcome to bring anyone, especially if you find use in them.”

  ?Blade smiled at her words, getting up as he was ready to leave. Aira though felt a bit of sadness at having them separated again, yet it was washed away by his next words.

  ?“Thank you. When all this is done, maybe we should try doing some normal couple things... even if I don’t know what that entails,” Blade said, a bit sheepishly. Even if he was clueless in some areas, he was sure about his feelings, even if he didn’t completely understand them. Yet because of that, he wanted to do this, even if it would take only a step at a time. And the smile that appeared on her face reinforced his ideals. A smile now softer, warmer even, than any he had seen before.

  ?Waking up on the ground, Blade quickly tried getting up, only to feel enormous strains in his body, and the feeling of being pushed right down. Looking up, he understood that his head was resting in Severance’s lap, yet looking at her made him properly realize how badly he himself was hurt.

  ?Severance’s body mirrored his. She felt the pain he was feeling. She was simply an extension of him, and now that Blade looked at the bruises that covered her body, the cuts that were spread across her, and the burn covering her skin, it woke him up to the damage that his own body had sustained.

  ?“So you are awake? I’m glad...” she said softly, making sure his head was resting properly.

  ?“Severance, are you oka—” Blade wanted to make sure she was alright, yet got cut off abruptly.

  ?“I’m fine. Other than the fact I was worried about your health, I’m fine.”

  ?Her words made Blade realize how much stress he must have put her through. He was very much killable, and so continuously throwing himself in danger was probably worrying. Taking the moment of silence that appeared between them, he took the time to steady his own breathing, but she was the one who initiated the conversation.

  ?“We are in the Abyss, since you are wondering. When she first brought us here, she made this island for us to rest on.” She looked at him half worried, half grateful, yet decided to focus on his survival, firmly pushing Blade down as he tried getting up.

  ?“I can’t rest yet, we are so close to getting done. And Aisha, what about her?” Blade responded. The fact they were so close to getting done, to have the chance of bringing Indra and Iris back. But the more pressing issue was Aisha’s situation. He had no clue if she was alive, if she had managed to escape, or where she was. And the uneasiness of the situation gnawed at him.

  ?“Aisha escaped,” Severance responded as she gently, but firmly made sure all Blade’s attempts at getting up were futile. She continued on with.

  ?“I do wonder. How much did you think before you went on in that fight? Using all that Mora? Pulling off moves you have never done multiple times? Going through two different awakenings?”

  ?“Awakenings?”

  ?“Remember that authorities are closely tied with our core. And the core is the convergence between body, soul, and mind. When one’s core desires and Authority or Mora align, one might get an awakening—a flash of power where you get temporary access to 200% of your potential.”

  ?Her words aligned with what Blade had felt before. The euphoria he got before he had killed the Selector, the sudden excitement that befell him when he was figuring out more about his Authority against Raiden, and then the last attack he hit her with.

  ?“So that feeling is called an awakening?”

  ?“Correct. If that was it, I wouldn’t mind, but have you forgotten I just repaired your body? With how you were using Mora, it could have ruptured your body or left permanent damage.”

  ?The silence that followed became deafening, but gave Blade the time to contemplate, before he finally asked.

  ?“Severance, can you be fully truthful with me?”

  ?Caught a bit off guard, Severance's eyes widened momentarily before returning to normal. She debated the question, understanding what Blade meant in his words.

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  ?“I’ll try to answer what I can.”

  ?Accepting the response, Blade asked away his first question.

  ?“What is the Origin Realm, and the Abyss? And is this truly the end?”

  ?It was a question Severance had expected eventually, even if she struggled to answer.

  ?“The Origin Realm... no, it’s not the true end, and neither is the Abyss. The Abyss is a... gateway, you can say...”

  ?He understood there was a lot she was keeping from him, but he was honestly just glad he got some more information, letting out a sigh he didn’t know he had been keeping.

  ?“I see... Well then, can you tell me why I was able to kill Leo and his family when I first arrived, and why I have never heard of Mora before?”

  ?The principle behind Mora was simple. combining mana and aura. There should be no reason why it was unknown, he himself had used them both simultaneously before. Yet the difference between using the two and using Mora was like heaven and earth.

  ?“To use Mora, you need a core. Think of our core as a... nuclear reactor, you could say. It’s what allows us to mash mana and aura together, and thus create Mora. Or, in short, it’s the same reason you have never heard of Absolute Authorities. Everyone is too busy being holed up in their own reality or multiverse. Who would believe it all had an origin somewhere?”

  ?It made sense, even to Blade, so he continued asking.

  ?“Well, why could I kill Leo and them?”

  ?“Because you were using me. I am able to use Mora, forgotten? So since I could, you could too.”

  ?“Is that it?” Blade had expected it to be a bit more complicated, but hearing it be so simple was a surprise.

  ?“Yes, it truly is. The only way to even hurt someone here is to either be able to use Mora or be able to hurt at least two of the three aspects that make up a core simultaneously. Since everyone here is born with a core and by extension Mora, a baby can hurt one from this place, just like how a human baby can hurt another human from your world.”

  ?His knowledge so far helped him here. Remembering back to the existence limits different realities had. He found it strange how a baby could technically destroy a weak enough reality, and how someone who wasn’t strong enough could simply be killed if they arrived here. Yet it made him ask.

  ?“Then how did I survive here? I wasn’t strong enough to beat the Selector, let alone do anything. I was simply a strong human in my reality, but pathetically weak here.”

  ?Severance thought about it a bit, before answering.

  ?“Well, your body was destroyed, but don’t you remember a special encounter you had before you came?”

  ?He tried thinking back to when he first got here, looking through his memories before the glint of his ring made him remember. He had met Aira before transferring. He had been completely healthy when he first arrived. So she must have healed and reconstructed his body on a level that could at least bear to be here.

  ?“Okay, then I only have one last question. How do you know so much about all of this?”

  ?It was the question that had gnawed at him the most. He wouldn’t stop trusting her, but all her information, knowledge, and guidance was something he was curious about.

  ?“I guess I reached the limit. You are correct, I am not from your world, nor the Origin Realm. I am from beyond that...” She suddenly fell quiet, obviously conflicted on how much more to reveal, yet Blade simply let out a sigh of relief, saying.

  ?“Thank you. I don’t need to know everything, just enough. When you believe I’m ready, I will gladly listen, but till then I’m fine waiting. Now do you mind telling me how long we have been here?”

  ?Severance smiled at his acceptance, before saying.

  ?“Two days. You have been asleep for two days.”

  ?Two days? Remembering back to what he told Raiden, he knew he was falling short on time. Though he wanted to immediately go and look for Aisha, finding and talking with Raiden took priority. Yet this was also when he remembered his phone. Bringing it from his storage, he opened it and checking his contacts, he saw that Aisha had put herself there. And when he opened it, he saw she had sent him multiple messages.

  ?Checking the messages, they ranged from her location, the village he had found her in, to increasing worriedness about his wellbeing. Replying that he was alive and they would find each other in a few days, he was finally allowed to get up, as he turned to Severance.

  ?“I need to go and find Raiden, it’s important. I know you probably don’t want me to, but—”

  ?Yet Severance cut him off as she shook her head.

  ?“I know. Just try to avoid danger. You need to rest more before you fall into any more battles, okay?”

  ?Blade nodded once. He wasn’t planning on fighting and hoped it could be resolved peacefully. Looking around, he noted how there was no apparent exit, or really entrance either. A brief moment of thinking gave him the answer as he asked out loud.

  ?“Aira, could you let me out around the Arena?”

  ?At his voice, the Abyss slowly dripped before forming Aira, who only raised her hand as an exit appeared before Blade.

  ?Smiling, Blade looked at his two companions, noting the bit of awkwardness before he decided to introduce the two.

  ?“Ehm... Severance, this is my... wife, Aira. Aira, this is Severance.”

  ?The two looked at each other for a moment, before Aira took a step forward. Then another, until she finally reached Blade. When he was within range, Aira kissed him before taking a step back and waving him by. It took a few moments before Blade’s mind caught up with the actions.

  ?Looking momentarily stunned, he caught himself before waving back as he went to the exit. He looked back at Severance who answered.

  ?“I’ll come soon. Just give me a minute.”

  ?Blade nodded back before stepping through the portal.

  ?As Blade vanished, the two remaining turned to each other in silence before Severance finally let out her thoughts.

  ?“So you haven’t told him?”

  ?At her question, Aira gave her a glance before responding.

  ?“I hardly do see how that concerns you.”

  ?“It will affect him too, you know. The darkness won’t spare him. You should have told him,” Severance argued. She was by no means fond of the information Aira had decided to hold away from Blade.

  ?“If it truly was of such importance, you could have told him yourself. I do admit I don’t like holding him in the dark, but it is for his own good. I would prefer not to burden him. We both know that if he knew, who knows how his mind would spiral. He wants to save, that is not an ideology fit to fight that.”

  ?Aira’s tone was calm even if her manner was cold. Yet the message was clear. She would eventually tell Blade, yet the time was not ripe.

  ?“That much is fine, but what about your past? Will you tell him? He does deserve to know.”

  ?“I don’t need you telling me that. I myself want nothing more than a happy life with him, yet the world won’t accept such a fate for either of us. This is the best I can do.”

  ?She herself was less than satisfied with the outcome, but accepted it. Severance, though, wasn’t completely convinced.

  ?“So what then? This is the second time now. Will you send him to a new world for another eight years?”

  ?“Did you think I wanted that?!” Aira suddenly shouts, letting her emotions burst for a moment before cooling herself. Calming down to continue.

  ?“I was a coward and an idealist. My love for Blade is pure, in this life or the previous.”

  ?“And his lack of memories?”

  ?“An unintended consequence. Though I’m glad he still seems to remember me, even if he hasn’t truly realized it,” Aira said, a hint of warmth as she held her ring closely.

  ?Severance looked at the ring, saying.

  ?“It looks like the previous one. I guess that’s where you got the design?” She said before tossing something at her, that Aira quickly catches. Opening her hand, she finds a ring, similar to hers and Blade’s yet much plainer. More normal, even.

  ?“... You kept it?”

  ?“To the current him, it is probably nothing more than a ring, but I do know it’s the last remains of his past. And I noticed you imbued his with your original.”

  ?“Thank you,” she said, clutching her hands with a truly grateful smile on her face as she combined the rings, making no noticeable change in the ring in her hand, yet made it feel all the more important.

  ?Severance watched her, standing up herself, as she walked to the portal.

  ?“Do take care of him for me,” Aira said as her parting words.

  ?Severance found it amusing but complied.

  ?“Very well. Just make sure he stays whole,”

  She said, waving off as she left through the portal, ending their encounter with Aira.