Abyssal Awakening

"You might not know this, but your final Hunt actually affects the title you get quite a bit. Far more than most people realise." Astrelya yawned while sitting on her cloud.

Next to her, Ria listened carefully.

"It isn’t decided by what you hunt. But rather, what you’re most compatible with at the moment. Though most people like to simplify things a little too much. When you become a Lord, you gain two things." She held up two fingers.

"First is your Sigil ability. You’re familiar with this one. It’s the ability you steal from whatever you hunt. The second on the other hand, is the Authority. The power granted to you through the title you earned.

"For me, that’ll be the authority over stars." Astrelya flicked her finger and starlight converged into a constellation that hovered near her.

"You may certainly think of this as the prelude to your third Resonance. Granted you actually kept all of your Sigils to be the same type.

"Now, the real question is whether or not you know how to increase your chances of getting a good title. I’m sure you want a powerful title that grants you control over storms of something of a similar scale rather than... static shocks." Astrelya chuckled while Ria raised her eyebrow.

"I get to choose? I thought I was granted a title?"

"Of course you get to choose." Astrelya shrugged. "You’re thrown into a strange realm, and at the end of it, you make a decision. One that you can actually handle. Choose wrong and..." She paused for a moment. "Well. You might just blow yourself up."

That did not inspire confidence.

Ria frowned.

"What feels powerful isn’t always useful," Astrelya continued. "Some titles carry overwhelming presence but end up being complete garbage in practice. You can’t just chase what sounds impressive. You have to trust your instincts. Pick something you actually resonate with."

She folded her arms.

"In the past, I’ve seen Lords aligned with the Eclipse choose titles that felt grand. Something worthy of fear. Only to end up with abilities that were... underwhelming."

Astrelya clicked her tongue in annoyance recalling that incident.

"I don’t even remember his full title. I just called him the Lord of Paper Cuts because of how sh*t it was."

"He made a big show of it. Declared an impressive title only for his attack to barely break skin. When the fight started, I had a small cut that didn’t even draw blood."

Ria’s smile twitched.

A Lord that should be someone impressive yet remembered as... The Lord of Paper Cuts?

Not only that, but he barely damaged Astrelya in a fight. But could you even call that damage? It didn’t even draw blood.

"You’re joking."

"I wish I was." Astrelya shrugged.

"So anyways I killed him after that."

". . ."

"But that’s not what’s important. What’s important right now is for you to understand a few things you can do to increase your odds of getting a good title." Astrelya closed one eye.

"What you experience during the seventh hunt and your experiences leading up to it will dictate the quality of your title. Your resolve. How you adapt under pressure, the choices you make and what your heart desires when pushed to its limit.

"When I became a Lord, my heart yearned for the great beyond. That perhaps out there, somewhere, there is someone or something that could fulfil my desires." She pointed at the sky and leaned back.

"This is also where your mentality will shape your future. How you’ve lived up to this point will condense into titles that best suit your personality.

"Say you have a coward who only knows how to run. Or someone who crumbles under pressure. When they get a title, that title will reflect that habit. In other words, even if they become a Lord, they’re a waste."

She turned her body, looking at Ria.

"So you have to ask yourself, what do you desire and what kind of life have you lived."

Ria exhaled slowly.

Allura was always talking about mentality being important for a Hunter.

It seems like she had been preparing her for this moment specifically. For the moment she challenges for the seventh.

What kind of Lord did she want to be? What kind of power did she desire?

What did she wish to accomplish.

Erasing the Eclipse was simply one step along the way. After that...

"You know I’m not asking you to figure out your life right? If someone as old as me can’t do it, what makes you think a young lil’ sh*t like you can?" Astrelya smirked as Ria held back the urge to smack the Lord on the head.

"What I’m telling you to focus on is your strongest desire. The burning fire in your heart that drives your every move. The stronger the emotion, the easier it is to find a suitable title."

"Strongest emotion huh..." Ria mumbled.

Killing Enris was a priority but... Not to the point she was willing to discard everything.

If killing Enris wasn’t her main goal then...

"Cleansing this world." Ria mumbled.

Astrelya blinked her eyes.

"F*cking hell, okay tyrant. I expected something wild but not like that. What are you going to do? Rain lightning on anyone you don’t like? If you’re going to do that then you’re not compatible with the Eclipse than I thought. And that’s coming from me of all people."

"Wha- No- I didn’t mean it like that." Ria pinched the bridge of her nose.

"By cleansing I meant getting rid of corruption."

"What corruption is to you might not be for someone else. I think corruption as literal corruption. But what about emotional corruption? People doing evil in politics or something along those lines. Sh*tty nobles who sacrifice others." Astrelya rolled her eyes.

"Well... yeah. That’s kind of what I meant."

"Then what about a brother who sacrifices himself to save his siblings? Or what if they do something out of desperation. Are you going to smite them too?" Astrelya eyed Ria who was at a loss for words.

"Obviously not. Why would I do that?"

"So you’re going to judge them on a case to case basis? Jeez just thinking about that feels exhausting. See what I mean? I said desire something reachable not delusions. Cleansing the world isn’t that easy kid, otherwise people would’ve done it already." Astrelya reached out, flicking Ria on the head.

Clutching her forehead, Ria let out a frustrated sigh.

"I just don’t want others to suffer like I did. Do the things I did. Is that too much to ask for?" Ria pouted.

Astrelya nodded her head.

"Of course it is. You can’t get rid of suffering without getting rid of human nature. If your desires come to pass then congrats, we’re all just blank slates that can’t evolve. You can hate it but you can’t deny that suffering is part of human history." She sighed.

"Do you know how stupid of a thing you have to say for ME of all people to lecture you on it? A Lord belonging to the Eclipse, someone who’s willing to commit atrocities to get a good death. I revel in chaos and disorder, laugh in the face of madness and genocide. Yet even I know what you want is too f*cking far fetched girlie. Dreaming is nice but make sure it’s achievable."

"Then what? What else am I supposed to wish for. I just don’t want more people like me to appear in this world." Ria sprawled out on the cloud, looking up at the sky.

"Suddenly I look like a therapist to you? I have my own problems to deal with." Astrelya clicked her tongue.

Ria held back her curses.

"Don’t dream too big. Just focus on what’s in front of you. At the end of everything, what do you truly desire? Something that makes you happy. A dream that brings warmth to your heart. Rarely are these desires ever so grand yet the simpler the desire, the harder it is to achieve.

"Do you think ’cleansing the world’ like a tyrant will give you happiness? Satisfaction? Eclipse is all about self satisfaction. And as someone who’s spent her whole life pursuing that moment, I can say you won’t reach it through this method."

Ria stayed silent.

The land beneath her flicked past as the two of them travelled through Terminus in search of a communion point. A potent one that’ll expand the selection of targets for Ria’s hunt.

This time, Ria was silent.

She thought long and hard about her desire.

A simple desire.

Yet... a part of her still longed to help this world. To make it a better place for those who come after.

A stubbornness that she couldn’t change. After all, it stemmed from her own pain. Her own experience.

Now that Astrelya had truly put her desires into perspective, Ria didn’t know what she could even say to defend it.

Indeed, how could she cleanse the whole world? To eliminate suffering... what kind of consequence would that even bring? Just like trying to erase misfortune, life simply doesn’t work in that manner.

It is through misfortune that they find fortune. Without one, how can you tell the other exists?

Ria thought deeply.

The simplest desire that she wanted to achieve...

"Strength." Ria creased her brows.

"I want strength to save the people in front of me. I might not be able to save the world but I can at least try my best."

"Should I praise you or should I tell you about the flaws? If you want to save the people in front of you, does it involve your enemies? From a different perspective, those people also want to be saved." Astrelya chuckled.

Yet Ria’s response surprised her.

"If they are redeemable. Then yes, I will give them another chance. For them to atone and do as much good for the world as they can. An apology to the dead."

Cleansing wasn’t simply a case of killing. No, she had to make sure the world is better than it was yesterday.

A smirk appeared on Astrelya’s face.

"My my... How greedy. If you want that kind of power then the beast we have to Hunt is one that can accommodate such a desire. And I think I know just the one."