Abyssal Awakening

"Ahaha why so serious? I\'m just asking if you have the power of a Goddess. We haven\'t seen you fight often and with you sharing your authority with the Abyss, it\'s only natural to be worried right?" Enris shrugged and raised her hand in surrender.

All three of them knew that Velouria\'s condition was deteriorating. Yet for her to be able to show this much power when she\'s essentially on her last leg was… Incredible!

For one person to have all this power was simply unfair. Compared to the surface, where the three of them share the space, Velouria had access to the Abyss all by herself.

\'I want it.\' Was all Enris could think of at this moment.

But fighting right now would yield no benefits for her. In fact, it could even cause her own death.

"*Sigh~ If you joke like that even I\'ll get offended okay?" Velouria pouted while snapping her finger.

In an instant, the realm returned back to normal as though nothing happened and the chains disappeared.

Sitting back on her seat, she had a smile on her face along with a silent warning in her eyes to the other two who simply watched.

Meanwhile, Alice felt speechless.

\'I don\'t think that was a joke…\'

If Velouria couldn\'t prove she had the power befitting that of a Goddess, the other three would no doubt jump her like ravenous beasts, hungry for food.

Sitting back in her seat, Enris glanced at Solaris and Lumiria since it was their turn now. She\'s done her job, it was up to them now.

"Sorry about that. Enris took that a bit far but we were worried about how the Abyss was affecting you. Since you share its Authority, you should know that it\'s been expanding faster than ever. At this rate, your body won\'t be able to hold up since you don\'t have a physique like us." Lumiria explained with a small smile.

Hearing that they already knew about her deteriorating condition, Velouria contemplated silently for a moment before opening her mouth.

"I have some other methods to keep my body intact while the Abyss does its own thing. But I must say, the three of you seem rather curious about this expansion. Do you perhaps want to suggest a method to stop this expansion?" Velouria replied while waving her hand dismissively.

"We have a few ideas but even to this day, the Will of the Abyss is something we don\'t understand. As the closest being to the Will, we\'ll need to ask for your opinion." Solaris replied.

"How do you feel about trying to track down this Will? We know it has its own plans but none of us know what it is. Perhaps it\'s time to see who\'s pulling the strings behind the Abyss." Lumiria offered.

Raising her eyebrow, Velouria was silent.

There has always been a silent acknowledgement from the Abyss towards her.

A mutual respect and understanding.

In the past, it had never done something that would cause her too much burden yet recently, it has been expanding aggressively. Not only that, but she had also received a premonition of her own death and now a successor.

While she may be a memory, she too wanted to know how she died. To have some answers before her final moments. In front of Alice, she may seem knowledgeable. But she too was in the dark right now.

\'I guess I should play my role and go along with this farce. I\'m simply an actor on this stage that the Abyss has prepared for dear Alice.\' She thought inwardly with a smile.

"I can\'t say I\'m not interested. But you realise the risks that this carries right?" Velouria rested her chin on her hand.

"To go against the Will of the Abyss is akin to waging war in its home. Even if I am the Goddess that shares its authority to some extent, this is crossing the line."

"We\'re not suggesting that you fight the Abyss nor are we suggesting for you to betray it. But rather, to get an audience with this Will and find out its goal. No one moves without a goal. Even those who claim to be moving on a whim will have a goal of some kind. An outcome they wish to see." Lumiria shook her head.

"We want to see what this Will of the Abyss seeks through expansion." Solaris clarified.

\'You also want to see if you can claim some of its power for yourselves. But I suppose speaking that out loud is shameful even for you.\' Velouria thought with a smirk before opening her mouth.

"I suppose in this regard, we\'re not so different from humans then. A fear of the unknown. So how do you propose we meet the Will of the Abyss then? As you know, Terminus is the deepest pit of this realm. And it\'s a layer the Will has repurposed as a prison. Unless you mean to say there are layers we haven\'t seen yet."

"We\'ll need to conduct some research in the Abyss if you\'ll permit this. We need to track down where this Will is residing through interacting with the edge of expansion." Lumiria explained.

"But wouldn\'t that leave your domains empty?" Velouria paused in surprise, not realising that the three of them were planning on standing in the Abyss.

"We\'ve already made preparations for that if you agree to have us here." Solaris smiled.

Seeing no reason to reject, Velouria was about to reply when Nyer approached and whispered something into her ear.

Nodding her head, she glanced at Alice before turning to the other Gods.

"I don\'t see why not. But I have a favour to ask of you if you\'re wanting to stay here." Velouria grinned.

"Oh? What kind of favour?"

"I need some help in training young Alice over here. So since you\'re staying here, why don\'t you have your Apostles help out with the training?" Velouria suggested while Alice froze up in shock.

She was already receiving training from Allura and Kaden. And now Velouria wants her to get training from the other Apostles?!

\'Would the other Gods even agree to this?\' Alice thought to herself.

After Alice\'s name was brought up, Allura understood what Nyer and Velouria wanted to do and gently pushed Alice forward to the meeting table.

At that moment, Alice felt the pressure of having three divine beings scanning her from head to toe.

"I suppose I get why you want to train her. She seems rather weak to be part of your family." Enris scratched her chin after understanding Alice\'s level of power.

Three Sigils.

Everyone in this room was above the level of Abyss Lord yet this little three Sigil gal was here with them.

Feeling their gaze, Alice broke out in a cold sweat while cursing Allura in her mind.

"As you can see, she\'s not exactly strong right now. Since my time will be devoted to helping you locate the Will, I\'ll be too busy. Which is why I need some help in training her." Velouria smiled while Solaris examined Alice and nodded.

"I can have my Apostles help then. Since she\'s rather weak, I\'m not sure how much she can take away from the training so it depends on her." Solaris offered.

He won\'t train Alice personaly since that felt insulting as a God. But having his Apostles help is a good middle ground.

"What kind of fighter is she? My Apostles are more the casting type." Lumiria asked while Velouria glanced over to Kaden.

"Alice is a hybrid fighter right now. She focuses on blade work while using her Sigils to help assist her movements. However, her main finishing attacks are casting based." Kaden explained.

"Hou~ Pretty greedy for someone so weak, aren\'t ya? I like it. Alright! My Apostles can teach her how to use a weapon properly." Enris grinned. Out of all the Apostles, War and Famine have the most practical blade work that was forged in battle.

Clapping her hands with a smile, Velouria nodded her head.

"Then I welcome you to stay in the Abyss for as long as you need. In the time that we\'re trying to locate the Will of the Abyss, Preservation and Protection will teach Alice defensive manoeuvres. Spirituality and Immortality will teach her how to cast. War and Famine will teach her how to use her blade. I trust that there are no issues with this arrangement?"

"""None."""

Seeing that all three were in agreement, Velouria gave Alice a secret thumbs up.

"I will have accommodations arranged for your stay and plan out a schedule for Alice. That way it\'s easier for us to organise when Alice will get her training. But for now, I believe there is nothing else for us to discuss. Let us rest and speak about investigating the Will tomorrow." Velouria concluded the meeting as the other Gods agreed.

Opening their own portals, they left the room.

"What the f*ck." Was all Alice could say while Allura laughed.

"This is a perfect opportunity is it not? They want to come stay in the Abyss for a while so we may as well get some benefit out of them." Velouria chuckled while Alice simply felt a headache.

Training from all of the Apostles!

As great as this sounded, it may cause her more trouble than what it was worth!

"Plus, it was Nyer who suggested this so don\'t look at me." Velouria glanced up at Nyer who simply shrugged his shoulders.

"Kaden and Lua are working hard to train young Alice under your orders Master. I simply thought that if it is your wish to help young Alice become strong then using this chance to learn from others will be the next step." Nyer smiled.

"They\'ll be underestimating you since you are weak. But use that to your advantage and take as much as you can from them. This is an opportunity to learn from the strongest beings in the realms aside from the Gods. Treasure it." He reminded as Alice could only nod her head.

Indeed, being trained by all of the Apostles is an opportunity that should normally be impossible, especially with their difference. But thanks to Nyer\'s suggestion, the impossible has become possible!

After the training, she\'ll become the only person in the world who\'s received guidance from every Apostle.