Chapter 34: The Abyss Within

Cade composed himself and took a deep breath. He inhaled deeply. Then, he exhaled sharply.

Okay, it's not all bad...

He tried to console himself, trying his best to find a bright side to the things that had just unfolded at the foot of the statue.

Like hell, it's not all bad!

He couldn't just simply calm down. He just couldn't. This was just too much to take in. For all he knew, he had just been Corrupted!

He got up from where he had been sitting on the ground. The Scavengers had made a sort of circle around him. As he moved, no creature attacked him. He reached the edge of the clearing made by the Scavengers. His path out of the circle was blocked by the hulking abominations.

"Just move..." Cade muttered under his breath. This was strange behavior on his part. He knew that the Scavengers were mere Beasts and didn't possess a shred of intelligence, so, there was no point in trying to ask them for a safe passage. But he was tired, he was exhausted, and he was barely able to keep his legs from giving out due to the aftereffects of the pain.

Cade was the type of person who longed for a good battle, for a worthy opponent. But right now, he was in no mood to fight over twenty Awakened Beasts. Not after what had just happened. But if he was forced to, he would have no choice but to. So, he focused inward and began to summon the Voidfang once more.

However, before the Memory could materialize, something strange happened.

The Scavengers... dispersed.

They watched him for a couple of seconds through their slit-like eyes, but after that, they apparently lost all interest in trying to kill him, and simply... walked away, seemingly indifferent. They didn't go into a frenzy as soon as he moved, and didn't attack him for no reason, like they were supposed to.

Just what in damnation happened to me? Cade thought, stunned. But he continued on his way.

He had dismissed all his Memories after the pain had hit and he had only summoned his armor back, yet. Walking away from the dissolving horde of Scavengers, Cade summoned the Tidemark Whisper. He was in desperate need of some kind of mental relief right now.

And just as the Ebonveil Plate had woven out of Darkness, the locket also materialized itself from a flicker of Darkness. That Darkness seemed to emanate from within Cade himself. Also, the Whisper had... changed.

It was no longer the translucent tear-drop shaped locket that hung from a braided silver cord. Instead, it was shaped like a fang and that fang was, in its entirety, completely and utterly devoid of any color. He would describe it as black but that didn't seem to do it justice. It was just too dark, too ominous. It also hung from a jet black cord that seemed to be made out of True Darkness itself.

However, its effect had not changed. It still had the same soothing effect on his mind. It wasn't much, but it was better than nothing.

Cade reached the other side of the statue and made the climb to the top. There was still some time left before the storm hit. The wind was blowing softly, and the artificial sun was shining brightly in the sky. No one would suspect a storm. But Cade knew for a fact that there would be one tonight.

He hadn't bothered to collect the soul shards from the twelve Scavengers he had slain. He remembered the Spell telling him that his soul core had been destroyed. For all he knew, soul shards had become useless to him, just like they were to Sunny.

Alright, let's take a look at things for real, he thought, steeling himself.

Then, he dove into his Soul Sea.

However, he didn't end up in his Soul Sea.

Or anywhere, for that matter.

Because as soon as he reached inwards and tried to enter his Soul Sea, the part of his consciousness which always entered the mystical space, began to fall. He tried to scream but no sound left him. He flailed his arms and legs around, almost as if he were trying to fly, but in vain.

But he quickly realized that his speed was not increasing, no matter how long he fell.

This is like that time when Sunny was descending into the Sky Below, he thought. But at least he had a platform, something solid to put his feet on.

He suddenly paused his train of thought. Then, after a few seconds or minutes or maybe an entire eternity, he thought: But this isn't the Sky Below. This is my fucking soul! Or what's left of it, anyway! In any case, I am in charge here. So, I'll stop whenever I want to stop.

With that thought, he closed his eyes and willed himself to stop. And when he opened his eyes, he was hovering in the air, standing on top of and in the middle of... nothing.

He looked around, trying to catch a glimpse of... something. But there was nothing. There was literally nothing here. It was an abyss. A literal void.

Is this my core? he thought, stunned by the absurd thought. The Spell said something about a new core being formed. Is this it? Am I on the inside of my own core? This is crazy...

He waited a little and then tried to summon his runes. They appeared right in front of him. He sighed.

Finally, something to look at, he thought, relieved. Now, show me what the hell happened to me.

He decided to check his runes from the beginning: 

Name: Arcadius. 

True Name: Shroudkeeper. 

Rank: Dreamer. 

Abyssal Core: Dormant. 

Fragments of the Abyss: [201/1000] 

Cade let out a breath of relief. Still a Dreamer, and my core's still Dormant... even if it is an Abyssal Core, he thought, his brow furrowing slightly. That's something, I guess.

His gaze drifted to the string of runes that had until recently shown the number of his soul fragments.

Thank the Gods I managed to keep my fragments. But I see that they've been transformed somehow... He narrowed his eyes, mentally counting. Wait, this number's not quite right. Huh, I must've gotten fragments from those twelve Scavengers too. Which means soul shards aren't the source anymore.

That realization hit like a jolt. Now I get them instantly, right with the kill— like how Sunny gets Shadow Fragments. But still, how does this number even make sense? The Abyssal Core wasn't even formed yet, when I killed those twelve.

He was a little curious as to how this all worked, but he had better things to worry about. He wasn't sure if these Fragments of the Abyss were a blessing or a curse. There was something unnerving about the way the Dream Realm twisted even the simplest of rules.

Good thing? Bad thing? I have no clue whatsoever...

He rubbed the back of his neck, pushing the thought aside. Anyway, I'll figure it out later. One problem at a time.

He moved his gaze to focus on the runes again:

Attributes: [Spawn of the Forgotten], [Fated], [Battle Master], [Otherwalker], [Sliver of Profanity], [Stygian].

These last two Attributes were new. He'd not had them before, and had acquired them during his 'transformation'.

He also remembered the Spell saying that his [Otherwalker] Attribute had evolved. Its name had not changed, and when Cade checked its description, he found that that, too, had remained unaltered.

So, he had no idea as to what the evolution of the strange Attribute meant. In fact, he didn't even know what curses and blessings it had encompassed before its evolution, let alone the ones it did now.

In truth, he wasn't really interested in the weird Attribute, anyway. He was sure that it would reveal its secrets in due time. He was much more eager to know about the new ones. So, he focused on the [Sliver of Profanity] Attribute:

[Sliver of Profanity] Attribute Description: "Every shadow is born from a flicker of light, before being consumed by an eternal darkness. Somewhere deep within your being, a faint glimmer dies, consumed by the profane, encroaching abyss."

Cade's mood grew somber as he read the description.

Well, shit... he mused. I was a little bitter when I didn't get an affiliation with divinity during my First Nightmare. But now... now, not only do I have no connection whatsoever with the divine, I'm actually meddling with the profane! How the hell did it come to this?

He shook his head and focused on the other new Attribute: 

[Stygian] Attribute Description: "You are Stygian— a being intertwined with the abyss itself. The darkness doesn't follow you; it emanates from within— an ancient, formless weight that bends the world to its quiet will. You belong to the darkness, not as its master, but as its vessel. You shape it and it shapes you, until one can no longer tell where the darkness ends and you begin."

Hmmm, Cade thought. This one increases my affinity towards True Darkness. I wonder what changes my powers have undergone as a result of this. I'll have to look into it, I guess...

He continued studying his runes:

Aspect: [Abyssbreather]. 

Aspect Rank: Unholy. 

Cade frowned. I guess it wasn't a trick of the light, after all, he thought. But why the hell did it change Ranks? Is it because of that [Sliver of Profanity] Attribute? Up until now, I was ascending towards divinity but now, I've started descending into profanity? Is that why the Ranks were changed? That's the only explanation I can think of...

He sighed and then took a look at the runes describing his Innate Ability. Those hadn't changed at all. That calmed him down somewhat. Then, he glanced at his Aspect Ability:

Aspect Abilities: [Unlit Mist]. 

Aspect Ability Description: [The Abyss within you houses a reserve of True Darkness, a precious gift.] 

Darkness Saturation: [10%] 

The description of his Aspect Ability had changed slightly. Before, it had read 'your soul houses...' but now it read 'the Abyss within you houses...'

Cade didn't know how to feel about that. His soul core was destroyed and his Soul Sea had been replaced by... whatever this place was. So, technically, he didn't have a soul anymore.

Sure, he could feel bad that he apparently no longer had a soul. But this had certain advantages too. For example, without a soul, he was no longer vulnerable to soul attacks. That was some reassurance. However, he was more interested in his Darkness Saturation.

Did I lose ninety percent or did my reserves swell to ten times of what they were? he asked himself. He couldn't explain why exactly, but he felt that it was the latter rather than the former.

After all, the Darkness he had breathed out at the base of the statue hadn't simply disappeared. It had retreated back into him. So, he was more or less sure that he still had all of the Darkness he'd had earlier but his reserves had grown immensely vast. That was... a very good thing.

Finally, something worthwhile! he thought, happy to find at least one bright side to things.

Then, he took a look at his Memories. There was no way of knowing whether the Ranks of his Memories had switched as well. All of his Memories were of the Awakened Rank and that Rank was common to the divine and the profane.

Well, Cade thought, smiling wryly. Not all of them...

Memory: [Arcane Keystone]. 

Memory Rank: Unholy. 

Memory Type: -unknown- 

Memory Description: [-not available-] 

Cade's mood dimmed slightly. He had felt excited to take a look at the Keystone. He'd guessed that whatever had happened to him would have made it possible to summon the Memory into the material world, but that didn't seem to be the case. The runes representing the Arcane Keystone were dull and lifeless, just like they'd always been.

Bummer, he mused. I guess I shouldn't have gotten my hopes up. In any case, if this one's changed, then the others must have as well. That's why they were materializing out of Darkness, instead of light. And why they became so creepy all of a sudden.

Finally, he decided to take a look at his Flaw. He could've skipped that, because Flaws were a part of one's being and thus, remained unchanged, but he decided that since he'd already checked all his other runes, taking one look at his Flaw would just make the inspection feel more complete.

He tiredly gazed at the runes, reading the description and was left... completely speechless. The name was the same but the description of his Flaw had changed significantly:

Flaw: [Ragebound].

Flaw Description: [Fueled by your powers, the storm within you rages unchecked, tearing through all— yet in the harmony of kindred echoes, its fury wanes.] 

But how? Flaws aren't supposed to change... he thought, stunned. But then again, nothing that had just happened to him, was 'supposed' to happen either. But it had, anyway.

Well, it's not like I never expected something weird happening to me... he mused, slowly coming to terms with his strange 'transformation'. After all, the description of his Aspect literally read: 'your being, an anomaly of void and nothingness, defies the rules of this world.'

So, he should've given up trying to apply common logic to himself immediately after his First Nightmare. But stubborn and stupid as he was, he'd decided to ignore the description of his Aspect completely.

Still, even if the change was completely unprecedented, he had an inkling as to why his Flaw had shifted.

His [Otherwalker] Attribute had evolved. And according to its description, that Attribute made him immune to many blessings and curses of this world. And in the world of Shadow Slave, where 'imperfection' was a universal law, Flaws were the most prominent of curses, maybe second only to Corruption.

So, the evolution of his [Otherwalker] Attribute had caused a significant change in his Flaw. He wondered whether his Flaw would undergo further changes, if the Attribute continued to evolve. Also, he shuddered to imagine what kind of blessings the Attribute had stripped him of. But right now, he was more worried about the change in his Flaw.

What the hell does that even mean? he asked himself inwardly, a frown creasing his features. The Spell seems to have put a kind of exception to my rage. Kindred echoes? Beings like me?

He tensed slightly. Don't tell me... does that refer to Nightmare Creatures?

That was a sound argument. After all, like them, he seemed to be descending into profanity, as well. Even those Scavengers had not attacked him at the foot of the statue, like they were supposed to.

He sighed in resignation. Did I actually just become a Nightmare Creature? I sure don't feel like one. I'll have to see if the Flaw really does exclude Nightmare Creatures. That'll confirm or disprove my suspicions.

He let out a sharp breath, dismissed his runes, and retreated from his... Abyss Within? he thought, confused. Can't exactly call it a Soul Sea anymore, can I? I'll have to think of a name.

He sat atop the stump of the Knight's severed head. When he opened his eyes, he felt a strong wind brush against his hair. The storm was coming. He steeled himself and got ready to brave the storm. He would think more about what had happened to him tomorrow. He'd had enough 'bizarre' for one day, to last him an entire lifetime.