Abyssal Awakening

Chapter 306: Faux Heart

"Who made the second heart?" Velouria asked while scratching her hair.

"I'm guessing that's a huge issue right?" [Alice] furrowed her brows as her hands clutched her chest.

"It goes beyond being a huge issue but yes, you're right. Having two Hearts of the Abyss means that there could be potentially two Goddesses of the Abyss. Perhaps, there might already be one. The Crown was broken and Cayla was split in half.

"And if you have another heart then the real heart is out there somewhere along with the other fragments of the Crown and the other half of Cayla. Given the situation, it's very likely that just like how the Will is placing the burden of expansion on me, the burden of authority may be redirected to you if someone else collects all three." Velouria explained with a frown.

She had always thought that Alice was the only successor, even if the Eye and the Crown were damaged. But upon discovering the faux-Heart, she knew that this was done intentionally.

Either Kaden and Allura couldn't recover the complete Eye and Crown due to the final battle, or someone deliberately took shards before making the second Heart.

'But why would the Will be so happy with Alice then? If there are two successors, why Alice?' Velouria thought to herself. Perhaps it was because Alice had great adaptability? Even if the Heart grants the power of storing abilities from the Abyss, using it and remaining unchanged was something else.

Her own Divinity allowed her to remain unchanged in the face of the full power of the Abyss. But Alice? She lacked this divinity.

'Then… Is it because of [Alice]? The other self of Alice acts as her Spiritual Heart. She acts as an anchor for Alice, stopping the Abyss Blood from reshaping her outline and preventing the Will from bending her to its desires.

'Then the faux-Heart doesn't only act as the core of the three key objects but also a protective net for Alice who doesn't have my blessing.'

But even with this realisation, Velouria understood that she lacked the information to make an accurate guess at the truth of the matter. The only thing she could do was help Alice along this path of hers and ensure that she was as safe as possible.

"A slight change of plans. When the fight breaks out, try and take as many 'souls' as you can. Since your access to powers is limited by what you've consumed rather than the Abyss, you'll need to work on expanding your 'collection' of abilities.

"Another thing, when you entered this memory, what was it like? Don't leave anything out, even the smallest detail might be able to give me a clue on what's happening." Velouria asked as [Alice] handed control back to Alice.

"Hmm… When I came into the Inverted World, I heard a heartbeat. Originally, I was meant to be transported to a different area, a place where it was being monitored by the Academy. But after hearing this heartbeat next to my ear, I was sent to this place instead." Alice recalled as Velouria crossed her arms.

Despite having a faux Heart, Alice still heard the true heartbeat of the Abyss?

'Could it be that her heart isn't complete? Is the Will trying to push the true Heart to the next level using Alice's faux Heart? If she was to gain the real Heart as well, Alice would become a perfected vessel. A being capable of withstanding the powers of all three objects despite not being a God, giving her more room to grow.

'Perhaps the Will could even plant more Abyssal Objects in her body outside of just the Crown, Eyes and Heart.' Velouria thought with a frown.

When the Abyss made her a Goddess, these three became the core objects of her being. They were also the only three that she could wield to their full potential.

But if Alice's faux Heart allows her to withstand all of this without needing to establish a Divinity then all the Will needed to do was to let her find more objects of the Abyss on her own. To let Alice shape herself into a perfect vessel without interference.

Smiling bitterly, Velouria understood why the Will was in such a good mood now. This memory, it was to see what kind of vessel Alice could become in comparison to the original. By constructing everything to perfection and even allowing these memory fragments to think and act on their own, the Will has given Alice an environment where she could grow however she pleased.

This world of memory is an archive of information and treasure for her, a place to learn, grow and adapt. To see the truth of the matter and for her to gain an improved understanding of the objects granted by the Abyss by the only one who was able to use them at their full potential.

'No wonder it didn't care if we go off script. No matter what happens, Alice will reap rewards beyond what is possible in her time and perhaps even more if the Will allows us to do whatever we want. The end result will not change. I will die, Ayr will fall. Kaden and Lua will be heartbroken, Nyer will hate the other Gods and so will Alice.

'This predestined end will not change, though the path taken my shift, we cannot avoid what's already been confirmed in the past.' Velouria sighed softly.

Then there's only one choice for her.

"Alice, when the time comes, will you listen to one request of mine?" Velouria smiled.

"What request?" Alice tilted her head in confusion.

"It'll be no fun if I told you now. But you know what else is fun? The other version of you. Are you both called Alice?" Velouria asked while Alice nodded her head before explaining the reasoning behind it.

"I see… You are the same yet also very different. Wouldn't it be better to reflect that in your name? Alice and Alyss that's spelt A L Y S S. Sounds the same yet different, doesn't that suit you perfectly?" Velouria suggested as Alyss's eyes glimmered in surprise and satisfaction.

'She's not wrong, I do like this. This way I'm still 'Alice' but different.' Alyss crossed her arms with a grin. She was fine with just being called [Alice] but this? This was just as if not better.

"She says she likes it." Alice chuckled.

"That's good to hear. Now, can you swap places with her for a moment, I got something to ask her."

Nodding her head, Alice swapped controls with Alyss as the chains manifested once more.

"I assume you have a different taste in outfits compared to Alice right?" Velouria narrowed her eyes while Alyss felt a chill run down her spine.

Before she could even give back control to Alice, the golden chains tightened around her limbs.

"You can't run. Let's get you something that suits you." Velouria grinned.

###

While making Alyss's outfit, Velouria was asking them questions such as what kind of style she liked along with any functions she desired.

Since they didn't have much time, Velouria went all out from the beginning, only making one outfit for them.

For Alyss, she preferred to have a pair of short shorts, a pair of boots, a crop top and a long-sleeved long jacket. But unlike Alice who preferred the baggy sleeves, Alyss liked the standard sleeves.

The jacket reached all the way down to thighs as Alyss gave herself a twirl in the mirror and smiled in satisfaction. She thought that Velouria would've taken much longer to create this but it was over in the blink of an eye.

If it was always like this, she wouldn't mind a few more of these sessions.

Naturally, she didn't say it out loud since that'll just be inviting trouble.

"What do you think?" Velouria crossed her arms with a satisfied smile.

"I love it." Alyss nodded with a wide smile. Like before, there was the crest of Ayr but this time it was on the shoulder of the jacket.

'Isn't it too revealing for the legs?' Alice asked, seeing how much Alyss was revealing with the short shorts that barely covered her butt and the shoes, leaving her legs entirely exposed. And when paired with the crop top and lightness of the material, it was even more embarrassing than before.

'It's going to be covered in blood anyway. So what if we reveal them a bit? And plus, if anyone does get distracted looking at them isn't it perfect for us anyways? Use the chance to gauge their eyes out or cut their throat.' Alyss grinned menacingly.

Forcefully swapping controls with Alice, Alyss laughed seeing her twin squirm from the lack of fabric and exposed legs.

Biting her lips from the embarrassment, Alice activated her fourth Sigil and snapped her finger.

A swirl of blood gathered towards her, covering her body before disappearing.

Once the blood faded away, the new outfit prepared for Alyss was nowhere to be seen and instead was replaced by Alice's original outfit. Meanwhile, the new outfit was now placed on the side where her old outfit was originally.

'Did you just use your newly discovered teleport skill on swapping clothes?' Alyss's smile twitched as this felt like such a waste of potential.

Wrestling back the control, Alyss refused to get beaten and attempted to do the same.

However, she didn't quite understand the theory behind the teleport like Alice did and nothing happened.

Seeing that Alyss was bad at using the teleport, Alice had a smug grin on her face.

'What's wrong? Struggling with the teleport?' Alice taunted while Alyss could only gnash her teeth in annoyance as she repeatedly tried to replicate Alice's teleport to no avail.

Watching from the side, Velouria had a smile on her face seeing Alyss trying to replicate Alice's trick. Both of them had their strong points and weak points. While Alyss may be the faux Heart, Alice treated her as a person rather than a source of power.

Velouria wished she could talk to the Will like this but knowing what they're like, this was impossible. They will forever be enemies.

With Alyss's outfit now sorted, Velouria finished off the step of the barrier and now it was time to meet the other gods.