The dungeon carried a heavy burden; no one dared enter, except for him, as they knew what rested inside might as well be worse than death. And yet, it wasn't something, but someone, if you could even consider him a human.

The air was thick, carrying the cries of all that had died because of it; only he could stand and hear them, because the voices in his head were louder.

He opened the door to the dungeon, the darkness beyond it devouring the little in seconds, but it was better for a monster to hide in the darkness than to show itself to the light; that way, no one saw how horrendous it looked

The moment the doors were opened, he heard a hysterical laugh welcoming him.

"Your majesty, what could be the occasion for your visit? Food? I'm really hungry, you know."

His tone had changed near the end, from childish joking to bloodlust. He knew that if the chains that bound it were broken, it would definitely not last a blink of an eye before he was attacked.

"I thought that those who have fallen don't need food or water, please, don't forgive me."

Cain, the Vessel of the Fallen.

...

...

The fourth god, and one of the most dangerous, and his vessel was the same, he was found hidden inside the Withered, where he was born, by his son, the prince. And he was lucky that he was the one who had found him.

Since...

He was already a Seeker beast, close to becoming a Bearer.

And even then, it had been a hard battle, even with his son being two classes higher than him. His power made him extremely strong, the complete opposite of what Iris's did.

He was the last of the four vessels that he didn't hold under his command, and he had no idea how to finally convince him; after all, he hadn't fed him in a week, drowned him in utter darkness for a whole month, and tortured him.

They have tried to use collars that hurt him whenever he obeyed, but the damn devil got stronger whenever he was hurt, so it never worked. Even with his Truth, the ability he got whenever he became a Breaker, he hasn't been able to make him fall.

But he wasn't here for that now.

"We have gotten reports of something bad happening in the Withered. I wanted to know if you have anything to do with it, and if not, then are you going to do anything to help your home?"

The King stared into the darkness, awaiting an answer, but it never came, at least not in words, since silence was also an answer.

'So he doesn't have anything to do with it, then this makes things harder.'

He opened his mouth, but as he was about to speak, he heard some footsteps descend into the dungeon. Frowning, he wondered who dared come to such a place, who had the guts to face this monster.

Summoning a blade, he awaited, surprised to see a long white beard coming down.

He sighed, his blade disappearing into the darkness.

"Avius, you should announce your coming, even with your importance to the kingdom; you know very well you aren't allowed in this place."

The old wizard appeared laughing, massaging his long beard, and with his long staff, hitting each stair at a time.

"Well, you see, my king, this is a very important visit, I have news that has to be told, nothing has the right to delay them, as even one second can cause the death of many."

The interest of the king piqued, staring at his old professor, who had now become his daughter's teacher. He gestured for him to come closer, with a grin on his face.

Something important, coming from someone like him, well, it couldn't be anything boring. The last time he said something like this, it was because of a very important and powerful relic. But even then, he has never dared enter the dunegeon. What could it be?

What kind of relic has he found this time?

...

...

"The Abyss has found a vessel."

...

...

It was not the surprise he was awaiting, but it was very important news... terrible news.

The king cursed, gesturing for Avius to continue.

"While exploring the Withered, I have come across a hidden mark drawn on a wall. From my past, I have recognized it as the mark borne by the members of first members of the Abyss."

"Meaning that somehow the present vessel is somehow aware of the past of his kin, maybe in the worst case, he also bears this wicked mark."

The old wizard nodded, making the King think deeply. The whole situation in the Withered had gotten a lot worse. Not only was someone destroying the marketplace that brought powerful relics for cheap for his district, but also, that person may very well be the Abyss.

The worst part was that they knew nothing about him. Not how he looked, his age, his knowledge, and most importantly, how powerful he was. After all, the Vessel of the Fallen had almost reached the Bearer class before he was caught, so who said someone with so many tricks like the Abyss couldn't already be a Harbinger?

He knew that there, he wasn't a Breaker; his presence would have been felt, and he doubted he could have already found his truth. But the Abyss, being a harbinger, couldn't mean anything good.

"Is that all you know?"

Avius sighed and nodded deeply, sorry.

"Yes, we have unfortunately not had the chance to find anything about it. But, I will be going back to the Withered soon, which is also why I'm here...

...

I wish for companions, my king."

A search for the Abyss, it would definitely not be easy, and such, some weak knights could never suffice; it wouldn't be disrespectful to the gods to send Seekers and Readers after the vessel of the God they had to team up against to beat.

"Who do you wish for?"

...

"While I was not the one who had trained him, I think Keres is fond of me, and not only that, he is one, if not the strongest, in your army. If there is someone who can battle against the Abyss, it would be him. Besides him, I only wish for some awakeners with affinities related to scouting."

If he remembered correctly, he had a few knights under his command who had that kind of affinity. And when it came to his son, he mostly had his own command, so if he wished to come, he wasn't going to stand in his path and stop him. After all, he was right, if there was someone else than him that could beat the Abyss, it would be his only son.

But at the same time, he wanted to give one more to Avius.

He turned to the Vessel of the Fallen with a confident grin on his face.

"You hear that, Cain, your home is being destroyed by the Abyss, do you not wish to protect it, and even more, an end to the Abyss?"

...

The silence was broken by something that was the combination of what seemed to be a laugh and a cry filled with longing for its home.

"I do, and yet, The Fallen speaks to me to not kill the Abyss, but rather help it."

The sound of chains rattling as he tried to escape from their grasp disgusted him.

"You're making a grave mistake. This was the only chance I'm giving you."

But seeing that the will of the beast wasn't budging, he sighed, looking back the the old man.

"I shall be handpicking the members of your expedition myself, so do not worry."

Avius nooded, pleased by how the events turned out.

...

"I thank you, my king, but at the same time, I also wish for something else."

...

"What?"

...

"I request that your daughter, Iris, also join this journey."

The king's eyes widened at his request. It had not been one that he was expecting; he knew that Avius was wise, and such knew better than anyone how dangerous it was to make Iris come with him. If something happened to her, they would lose the Vessel of their kingdom's God, the heir to the throne, and more importantly, his daughter.

"Explain."

Avius laughed, knowing how absurd his request sounded, and that he was jumping the fence with such an extravagant wish.

"Do you believe in fate, my king? Well, I do. And I think that if there is someone who has the best chance of finding the Abyss, it would be none other than the Vessel of Praise herself."

...

"And you think that sending Iris is going to help you find the Abyss? Are you for sure? Can you promise that risking my daughter's life is going to ensure that the Abyss is found?"

"I cannot, but I can ensure that Iris will come back alive. And if she doesn't, then I shall let the Abyss devour me whole for my sins."

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