Abyssal Awakening

Sera froze. Upon seeing the split-haired girl with the mutated right eye, it felt as though she had just been transported back in time.

A soft smile appeared on her face as she pulled Alice into a hug.

"How have you been, sugar plum? Didn’t expect you to visit so late into the night." Sera chuckled.

"Mmm, I had a few things on my mind, so I figured I’d go for a walk. Though I didn’t expect to be so close to the docks and I remembered the kind lady who gave me my first outfit."

"Haha, I’m glad you still remember me. But look at you go! So much time has passed that you can speak so eloquently now. How’s Allura? Is she still being a moody one?" Sera asked, ending the hug as she grabbed a chair for Alice and Cayla.

"Well, if I didn’t get better at talking, it would be quite the hassle, wouldn’t it? But Mum’s doing fine. She’s still smoking and grumbling about Kaden."

Seeing the softness in Alice’s eyes, Sera couldn’t help but smile. It’s clear that the journey she took had allowed her to mature greatly, experiencing the different joys that life brought.

When Allura brought the tiny girl to her before, Sera could see a tiny rabbit fearful of the world around her.

But now? That rabbit had become a confident woman who didn’t seem scared at all.

"Gosh, you’re making me feel old now. Anyways, shall I fix your outfit up for you? Though considering what you’re wearing now, I doubt you’d want this old woman’s handiwork."

"Nonsense. I can’t forget the favour you did for me before Sera. This outfit will forever hold a place in my heart."

For Sera, this was the best kind of reward she could ask for as a tailor.

Most of the time her Hunter clients would rarely come back, yet here Alice was. A part of her had accepted that she either forgot or had died. And seeing an unknown noble appear with her outfit in hand had all but confirmed that.

So one could only imagine the relief she felt when Alice appeared from beneath that disguise.

"Alright, alright, saying sweet words like that won’t get you a discount. That was a one-time thing. Let me take your measurements." Sera waved her hand.

The two chatted idly while Sera did her work.

Alice introduced Cayla as her friend while going over her adventures across the world. Omitting certain details that would shock the poor soul, of course.

"Goodness, what is Allura even feeding you? You’ve hardly grown at all!" Sera pursed her lips as Alice simply laughed.

"I’m already a grown woman. I doubt I’ll grow any taller than this."

Enjoying this moment of rest, an hour passed by quickly as Sera brought out the newly repaired outfit.

Just as Alice was reaching for her pouch, Sera shook her head.

"It wasn’t a difficult job. Just a few threads and it was done, no trouble at all." She waved her hand dismissively.

"But—"

"No buts. If you really want to repay me, bring some high-paying clients with you next time you visit," Sera grinned.

Hesitating for a moment, Alice revealed a helpless smile as she nodded her head.

"Alright, I’ll make sure you get some good clients in the future."

"Good. Now make sure you eat well out there. Don’t face anything too dangerous and say hi to Allura for me. That woman’s been a moody one the entire time I’ve known her. But if she’s looking happy recently, then I’m glad." Sera leant against her table with a soft smile.

"I will. Look after yourself, Sera; I’ll come visit in the future again." Alice gave her a wave.

"You’d better."

Having left the store, Alice gazed at her very first outfit with fondness and placed it into her pouch.

"I wasn’t expecting you to meet an old friend. But did that help at all?" Cayla asked.

However, Alice simply shrugged her shoulders.

"Not really. But it was still good to see her. Lilia, Allura and she were the first taste of kindness that I had since leaving the prison. I’m glad the shop was still around. If something had happened... Let’s just say I might’ve gone on a rampage again." Alice stuck out her tongue as Cayla chopped down with her hand.

"We’re here for a walk, not to cause trouble."

"Yes, yes, I’ll try my best not to cause any trouble." Alice skipped ahead as Cayla let out a deep sigh.

Their next destination was the coliseums. Not because Alice was planning on destroying it but rather to visit the sealed Lord beneath the surface. A burning curiosity she couldn’t hold back.

Of course, despite a part of her wanting to free the slaves, she also understood that destroying a system like this was never going to be easy.

Freeing them here simply meant more will be kidnapped in the future. In fact, they might even kidnap more than what was lost.

Destroying an industry like this required years of hardship, rules changes and ensuring that people actually followed those rules.

There’s no telling what might be happening beyond her gaze, and most importantly, if she was too forceful with her methods, it may cause the common man to lose their freedom of action instead.

And so, there was only one thing for her to do...

###

"Do you understand what I’m asking you to do?" Alice chuckled ominously while sitting on a chair with her legs crossed.

One foot was on the ground while the other was pressing against a man’s face.

Around them, countless guards groaned in pain, with a few still being restrained by chains.

"Ye-Yes! Of course I do, mistress!" The man nodded frantically as Alice smirked. Floating just in front of the man’s eyes was a blood dagger. Its crimson edge gleamed dangerously as sweat rolled down his face.

The woman in front of him stormed into the main office without care, knocking out all of the guards and releasing an aura no different to that of a lord.

With that kind of danger, what could he do other than obey?

"I’ll make sure the slaves are taken care of properly with the extra funds!" He tried to bow, but with Alice’s foot in the way, it was rather difficult.

"Good. I don’t expect you to destroy this whole place since another would simply replace you. However, ensuring that they have the basic human rights should be important, right? It’s not like you don’t make any profit at all." Alice spun a dagger around her finger.

"With all of your betting and gambling, I doubt you’re short for cash. Just make sure the slaves are fed and looked after. If they get injured, let them rest. Don’t force them to drink anything. If the guards are seen abusing the slaves, deal with it. Just think of them as free workers for your coliseum, yeah?

"And even workers need a good place to eat and sleep, even if you don’t pay them a single coin." Alice released a sliver of killing intent as the man’s entire body trembled.

This was the best thing she could do to ensure that the slaves are treated well here.

So that in the future, if there’s another Lilia, they won’t be forced to drink bad-purity blood just to survive.

"Of course! Anything you say, mistress..." The man bowed. Fear took hold of his heart, but clearly he wasn’t a big fan of the situation.

"Since you are willing to follow anything I say, why don’t we make it a contract? These terms will follow you, your next generation and whoever takes over this business. Even if you move elsewhere, a contract will re-establish itself. Think of it as... a curse. If you think it’s unfair, feel free to walk around and find as many owners as possible. I’ll make sure the others are under the same conditions so you don’t run out of money." Alice winked.

A contract mixed with layers upon layers of triggered casts. Modified so that it didn’t need Alice’s direct input to maintain.

With this, the slavery situation should improve somewhat, even if it wasn’t completely abolished. The slaves will at least get certain rights and be looked after rather than just being abused.

With the cast now prepared, a burning string of Sigils coiled up the Owner’s arm, turning into a shape reminiscent of a dragon. Its maw was opened directly over where his heart would be as the owner paled.

With a sadistic smile, Alice let out an elegant laugh.

"Now I’m sure you can figure out what might happen if you were to break this agreement."

Kicking the man away, Alice stood up and walked out of the room.

Behind her, the man quickly barked orders over the communication device as he wasn’t sure how much leeway he was given before the dragon started to move.

Of course, it was simply a lie. The dragon wouldn’t actually kill him, but it might as well do it. The pain he’ll suffer is one that goes beyond just physical, as it also scarred his soul.

A pain like no other that he wouldn’t want to experience.

Casually walking through the coliseum, there were a few eyes turned towards her. People who wanted to question what she was doing, but when they sensed the aura around her, they immediately backed off.

It didn’t matter if the location was off-limits when your opponent was a lord! They were criminals, yes, but they weren’t suicidal.

"Look at them, afraid of a little aura. Though I doubt they want to test to see whether or not I was a true Lord." Alice giggled as this aura was simply a product of her disguise. Not that she needed such a thing to prove how dangerous she was.

There were a couple of six-Sigil hunters guarding the owner, but their actual combat levels were relatively low.

Grunts that she could handle without even breaking a sweat.

"Only someone like you would even consider something like that." Cayla rolled her eyes.

Taking a few winding paths, the two entered an elevator and descended into the depths of the Colosseum.

Towards the sealed Lord beneath the surface that Alice had laid eyes upon with Lilia...