Abyssal Awakening

Chapter 298: Restraint

Groaning softly, Alice once again found herself in the empty space that is her mind realm. A space that she shared with Cayla and one that she'll visit to get her new Sigil.

However, there was something strange about it this time.

A cold eerie feeling dominated Alice's mind as she glanced around in confusion yet she couldn't see anything that was wrong.

The eye that represented Cayla is still missing and no one was here to greet her.

Strangely, the options that should be present for her choices regarding the Sigil were missing as well.

Standing up, Alice dusted herself while wandering around the realm.

"Hello? Is anyone there? Are you going to give me my Sigil?" Alice called out while walking at a leisurely pace.

No matter how far she walked, nothing changed in this realm.

Silence.

'Can I not get a Sigil after all?' She wondered.

Ayr was just a memory within the Inverted World. Perhaps the laws here worked differently, yet Alice was sure she could feel a connection being made before she passed out.

In this desolate void devoid of life, Alice continued to wander with no goal in sight.

After a certain point, Alice couldn't help but wonder if she'd gone insane and if this was simply a product of her own mind.

But there was one thing that reaffirmed the notion that she was not alone and that was the feeling of something watching her.

A gaze fixated on her position no matter what she did. And every time she turned towards the source, the gaze would disappear before reappearing elsewhere, silently observing her every action.

Unable to take it anymore, Alice scratched her hair before letting out a deep sigh of annoyance.

"Who the f*ck is it? Don't you know it's rude to keep peeping on a lady?! At least say hi if you want to keep watching!" Alice shouted out.

Hearing no response, she could only huff in anger before turning around to resume her aimless journey.

"!!!"

The moment she turned around, she saw a 'blank' person standing inches away from her. The only features that could be seen were a pair of eyes that stared unblinkingly at her.

Despite not having a mouth, Alice could tell that it began to smile the moment she saw it. Its lower eyelids pushed up from the cheeks as its uncanny gaze continued to stare into hers.

But Alice couldn't move.

She couldn't take a step back nor could she talk.

All she could do was simply stare at this being.

*Krrr

Blood began to form around its mouth as its blank skin started to tear apart, revealing a hollow smile arcing from one side to the other.

Slowly, its hand reached above Alice's head and grabbed the crown without any issues.

Looking at this fragmented symbol, it revealed a disdainful smirk before repairing the crown and turning it into nine star-shaped shards.

Glancing back at Alice, it raised its spare hand and manifested a familiar collar.

Alice's pupils constricted in horror at the sight of this collar. After all, it was the very same collar that haunted her during her time in the Zenia prison.

Gritting her teeth, Alice managed to take a single step back but it wasn't enough. The star shaped shards shot towards Alice, piercing into her neck.

"!!!"

She could feel the fragments digging into her flesh, carving a space between her flesh and permanently imprinting itself upon her body.

Seemingly satisfied with their handiwork, the being began to fade away while keeping its gaze on Alice, silently taunting her.

Once the being disappeared, Alice regained control of her own body as she immediately reached towards her own neck.

Gritting her teeth, she attempted to tear the restraint off her body. But no matter how she clawed at her own neck, this new 'collar' refused to leave.

In front of her, paths began to form as a familiar sight manifested itself.

A choice between all of the Sigils yet Alice wasn't in the mood to indulge in this. All she could think of was the collar around her neck.

At first, all she could feel was anger. But as time passed, all that remained was hopelessness.

In the Zenia family, the collar was a physical object that could be removed under the right circumstances. But this crown? It was bound to her.

"I need to get out of here…" Alice muttered as her emotionless eyes glanced over to the different paths open to her.

Once she chooses an ability to act as her fourth Sigil, she'll be expelled from this space.

Following the original plan, Alice reached for the sixth Ability.

[Void Born Manifestation]

This Sigil allowed her to overlay the powers of the void to every attack. Not only that, but it could also grant her control to a certain degree. Meaning she could replicate the powers of the Seraphim to a small extent such as teleporting attacks.

But for tasks such as teleporting herself, it'll require far more focus and power to achieve.

Her first Sigil was located on her arm. Her second, the left side of her face. As for her third, it was on her back.

With the addition of the fourth Sigil, Alice could feel a knife carving into her body once more. The location of the fourth being the centre of her chest.

A swirl of darkness surrounded by six wings.

###

Sitting by the table, Allura couldn't help but have a worried expression on her face. A while after bringing Alice back to the house, they noticed her crown breaking and turning into stars that stabbed into her neck yet no blood was drawn.

As for Alice, she began to claw away at her neck to the point she dug up pieces of her own flesh. Unable to wake her, the only thing they could do was to stop her from shredding up her own neck in her sleep.

Sighing in worry, Allura couldn't help but be concerned with the things that Alice gets herself involved with. What would've been a normal training session became a fight against a God.

What would've been a normal Sigil made her claw her own neck.

Just as she took a sip of her drink, she watched as Alice slowly sat up.

Her fingers tracing along her neck.

Before she could even greet Alice, Allura watched as she ran towards her and hugged her tightly.

Widening her eyes, Allura returned the hug and noticed that Alice was trembling.

"Deep breaths. Everything is going to be okay. Just take deep breaths, I'm here for you." Allura whispered while patting Alice's back gently.

She didn't know what happened but this was the first time she's seen Alice in this state.

Glancing over to Kaden, Allura pointed at her own neck before gesturing for him to find their Master.

While she didn't know the exact relationship between Alice and Velouria, she knew that the two of them were rather close surprisingly. If anyone might know what's going on, it'll be Velouria.

Nodding his head, Kaden left through a portal while Allura continued to hug Alice until she had calmed down.

"Sorry…" Alice apologised softly while Allura continued to pat her back.

"There's nothing to be sorry about. Can… you tell me what happened?" Allura asked hesitantly. If Alice had such a strong reaction towards whatever happened, then it might not be the best for her to pry. Yet she wanted to understand why Alice reacted like this so that she could help.

Nodding her head, Alice told her about how she was locked up for 10 years. How the Zenia family stopped her from dying. How they restricted her freedom and movements.

And finally, how this strange being within her mental realm created this new collar.

Listening to everything silently, Allura had to restrain herself from shouting out in anger upon hearing what had transpired in the Zenia family. She wanted nothing more than to rush to the surface and wipe that family out for good.

But right now, Alice needed her presence. Allura realised that Alice saw her as a pillar of support and she was more than happy to be that pillar.

Once she was calm, Alice released her arms around Allura while looking at the floor.

"Are you feeling a little better now? Do you want some cake? A drink maybe?" Allura asked as Alice nodded her head slowly.

Her fingers still tracing the collar around her neck.

At this point, she could no longer feel the shards in her flesh nor could she feel its weight. But she knew it was there and that a permanent marking was left behind.

Placing a plate of cake and some mead next to Alice, Allura felt her heart ache seeing Alice like this.

Before she could say something, a portal opened as Kaden stepped through with Velouria behind him.

Kneeling next to Alice, Velouria saw the marking on Alice's neck and sighed.

"Lua, Kaden, can you give me a moment with Alice?" Velouria glanced over as the two nodded.

Allura's gaze lingered on Alice before stepping through the portal with Kaden.

Sitting opposite Alice, Velouria took a deep breath before sighing.

"So you've met the Will. They're… Annoying to say the least." Velouria forced a smile as Alice glanced towards her.

She saw a similar mark on Velouria's neck, a mark showing where the crown was resting.

"When it granted me the crown, it took my deepest fear and manifested it on my body. My fear that all the beasts in the Abyss would be enslaved to those from the surface. Myself included and be treated as nothing but their playthings and hunting targets." Velouria smiled bitterly while caressing her own collar.

"I can only assume you have a similar fear. Unfortunately… Since the Will interfered directly, I can't change things. Just know that it's not a true restraint. I suppose a better term would be to treat it similar to a Sigil marking?" Velouria tried to comfort but she wasn't sure how to.

"Is… there no way to change the placement?" Alice asked. She was fine if it was anywhere else on her body.

But her neck? She hated it from the bottom of her heart.

". . .It could be possible if you manage to convince the Will. But it's going to be hard. Thankfully, you'll be able to see it again soon so your chance might come faster than you think."

Hearing this, Alice glanced up in surprise.

"They've found a passage we can use to locate the Will."