Abyssal Awakening

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Leaving Verona’s dream, Alice found herself in front of the boss arena. Like before, Verona and Aldric were sitting in the centre. There was no reason for Alice to hunt them since this worked as a gateway to their dream.

Resting by her branch, she decided to give Plume a visit.

However... going there could risk seeing Monika.

"I suppose I might as well ask her about the Void and see what she thinks about the situation." Alice mumbled before closing her eyes.

Honing in on the branch in Plume’s room, Alice teleported over.

Opening her eyes, Alice paused, unable to quite comprehend what she was seeing.

"Ehh??? But I need this..."

"You can’t keep taking garbage with you! It can be tracked!" Monika tried to pull a bag of items away from Plume.

However, Plume only grabbed the bag harder, refusing to let go.

"Boss will track us down anyway if we go. I don’t see why we can’t just stay!" Plume complained while Monika held back the urge to smack the girl over the head.

They soon noticed the new arrival as Alice gave a slight wave.

"Yo..." Alice’s smile twitched, unsure what she was even looking at.

Monika cleared her throat before summoning her staff. Sitting on it, she crossed her legs.

"What brings such an esteemed guest here? Last I checked, you were in dear Verona’s dream."

She leaned back slightly.

But even if she tried to act nonchalant, the image of her struggling to tear a bag from Plume was already ingrained in Alice’s mind.

"I was planning on asking about the wound in the sky, but... if you’re busy, I can come back later. You seem... occupied." Alice tilted her head, glancing toward Plume, who dragged the bag back into the corner of her room.

A lot had already been packed up. They were clearly planning on relocating.

"No, no. Let’s talk. We might as well take this chance to discuss a few things since..." Monika paused before smiling.

"It’ll be a bit more difficult for you to contact us from now on."

Alice raised an eyebrow.

A table and chairs formed and she took a seat.

"I don’t suppose it has anything to do with you moving out?" Alice gestured toward Plume as Monika nodded.

"Things are changing. I’m sure you’ve noticed. The realm is evolving in a way that... I can’t exactly guarantee mine and Plume’s safety. So we’re bailing." Monika stuck out her tongue.

"Bailing? You?" Alice tapped her finger in surprise. She had always thought Monika would observe until the very end. Not leave so early.

"Yes, we’re bailing. Yvael died because she got too greedy with what she could see. I’m not about to make the same mistake, even if I’m just a fragment of her." Monika chuckled.

"I see... I’ll admit, I’m surprised. Where do you plan on going? Do you even have a physical body?"

"Who knows. And I’m sure you understand why I can’t say too much."

"Cogs?"

"Cogs."

"Jeez... what a pain." Alice clicked her tongue. "You’re not even bound by special rules like a certain someone, yet you still can’t say sh*t."

The answers were so close yet so far. Always within sight yet out of reach.

"That’s the problem with knowing about the Cogs. A price everyone pays once they see too much. Fate doesn’t like being changed. Especially once it’s been observed." Monika smiled before clapping her hands together.

She created two teacups and offered one to Alice.

"But even if I can’t tell you everything, there are still things I can do. I’ll simply continue working from the background, as I always have."

Alice smiled helplessly.

"Take care of yourself, okay?"

She reached for the teacup and drank it in one go.

Monika blinked in surprise.

Alice knew what drinking it meant and yet...

She had gone from denying it to drinking without hesitation. Was it because this might be their last meeting? Or something else?

Monika didn’t know.

She simply sat in silence and watched as Alice finished.

"Not bad. Honestly, if it wasn’t for the cog stuff, I might drink this more often. Though... mead is still better." Alice grinned.

Smiling softly, Monika refilled her cup.

"Don’t worry. I made sure these ones won’t let me peer into your fate. I don’t want to see something I’m not supposed to. Especially when you’re involved."

Alice’s eyes shimmered as she took a second sip.

"The Nightmare will remain for less than a year. The foundations are almost complete. Soon, everything will converge and a battle to determine the fate of this world will begin." Monika spoke as Alice glanced up.

"The Sun, Moon, and Eclipse will all be involved. As with the guardians of old and the forces of the new era. Are you confident you can survive something like that? Or rather... are you prepared to make sacrifices?"

She wasn’t reading Alice’s fate this time. She simply wanted to hear her answer.

Alice tapped her finger.

"The Sun will be replaced. Solaris has overstayed his welcome. Gwen will fight, she has her father and her aunt behind her. But if she needs more, I’ll help. I’m sure she’d do the same for me." Alice smiled fondly.

"The Moon will fall. Lumiria is clearly going after Arwen and Tristan. Then there’s Isolde. She hates, and I mean HATES, the Moon. But I don’t think she wants the throne, so we’ll need to find someone else."

She doubted Tristan wanted to replace Lumiria either. He would rather live quietly with his sister than carry the weight of a God.

"And the Eclipse..." Alice sighed. "That one is probably the hardest."

She leaned back.

"A lot of people absolutely hate the Eclipse. Even if Enris is helping us now, the sins that cult has committed are too severe to simply overlook. But I also can’t deny that the Eclipse serves a purpose. Without something to gather the world’s sins, they’ll simply spill out into the streets."

She exhaled.

"Which is why I think a fourth force is necessary. Something to keep things in check. But that’s all future talk. I can’t think about overthrowing Gods until I actually have the power to do it."

Monika listened with a quiet smile. There was one thing she found interesting, however.

"Sounds like you don’t plan on reviving the Abyss. Aren’t you the successor?" She rested her chin on her palm.

Alice scratched her cheek.

"I just... don’t think I’m ’Goddess’ material, you know? Tell me, when you look at me, do you see a God? Or do you see a cutie pie you’d catch skipping through a city?" She struck a pose with a peace sign.

"I’ll admit, you lack a certain level of elegance for a Goddess. Solaris and Lumiria may fall short as divine entities, but they at least carry the presence of one." Monika nodded.

"Right? I’m just not suited to leading people. I won’t reject the mission I’ve been given. Reviving Ayr, saving the world, I’ll try my best at all of that. But..." Alice smiled bitterly.

"There’s a big difference between saving and leading. Killing a threat can be done. But leading people to a better future isn’t something just anyone can do. And I know my limits. How can someone who’s only seen the world for a few short years lead anyone?"

In the grand scheme of things, it hadn’t been long since she left that prison in the Zenia family. The world was still a mystery to her.

To ask her to lead everyone was simply impossible.

"And honestly... I don’t want to. If I lead, how can anyone relax around me? Leaders are lonely. They wear masks to reassure the people around them and carry burdens that never go away. I just want to throw myself into a bar and laugh the night away with strangers who share the same hobbies."

Standing up, Alice placed a foot on the table and rested her elbow on her knee. A grin on her face, one hand on her hip.

"Free of worries. Free of regrets. Free of responsibility and free of enemies. That is how I want to live once everything has settled."

She laughed.

"With a desire like that, how could I ever lead properly? A leader worries about the safety of their people. A leader regrets the choices they didn’t make. A leader is buried in responsibility and surrounded by enemies. Isn’t that the opposite of everything I want?"

Monika nodded.

"Seems like you’re starting to understand your own desires. Despite being a creation of Nyer, your actions are beyond his control. You’ve surpassed your own design."

Through her experiences, through the world she had touched and the people who had touched her back...

The experimental existence created by Nyer had solidified into something he never intended.

A being with a soul entirely her own.

The human, Alice Agnelia.