Abyssal Awakening

With some new platina in her coin pouch, Alice had a skip in her step and a wide grin on her face.

On her way back to the Inn, she even spent some money on food for Alyss. Since they were by the sea, most of the food here was different methods of making seafood.

From grilled to steamed and so on. While Alyss enjoyed it to a certain extent, she still preferred meat skewers. Something to really sink her teeth into and chew.

The closest that came to claiming her stomach was the grilled squid skewers but it still lacked that final step.

'Don't sulk now, I'm sure we can find something interesting for you to eat. Plus, didn't you hear the traders? The chefs from the East are specialists when it comes to making food. Whatever the spice, whatever the meat, they'll make it into something edible.' Alice tried to pacify Alyss but she refused to budge.

The food looked absolutely fantastic, raising her hopes only for it to crash down on the first bite.

Her disappointment was immeasurable.

While trying her best to pacify Alyss, Alice opened the doors to the Inn.

"I'm back~" Alice grinned but paused when she realized that Tristan wasn't by the counter.

"Ohya? Are you taking over the counter today Arwen?" Alice asked.

The girl panicked around for a moment before nervously nodding her head.

Something triggered inside Alice as she gained the intense desire to tease the girl in front of her.

Revealing a smug grin, Alice sat by the counter.

"Is Tristan busy? I can't believe he'll leave the entire place to you. Don't you think it's a little unfair?" Alice asked while resting her chin on her palm.

Opening her mouth a few times, Arwen hesitated before shaking her head.

"You don't think it's unfair? I think the Inn is bound to get popular, even if I'm the only person here right now. It'll get tough from now on, don't you think?"

Once again, Arwen didn't say anything. She simply shook her head before nodding.

"Are you… struggling with talking?" Alice asked curiously.

Thinking back, Alice hadn't heard Arwen speak once. She's been using only gestures to communicate, even if its with Tristan.

Scratching her cheek, Arwen gave an embarrassed smile before nodding her head.

"Hmm…" Tapping her finger on the counter, Alice couldn't help but wonder if that'll pose an issue when Tristan eventually has to leave.

He mentioned it himself, he couldn't stay forever. If Arwen struggles with speaking and wants to open an Inn, it'll be difficult for others to understand her never mind the customers.

"I'm back." Tristan's voice rang out as Alice glanced back and saw him returning with some groceries.

Seeing him return, Arwen's eyes brightened up as she ran over and gave him a hug.

Returning the hug, Tristan noticed Alice sitting by the counter.

"Sorry about that, we ran out of a few ingredients since I've been busy repairing the building these days. I hope you weren't waiting for long." Tristan apologized as he handed the bags to Arwen to brought it to the back.

"Don't worry, I only came back a little while ago. So, if you don't mind me asking, why is Arwen struggling with speaking?" Alice shook her head before asking.

Hearing this question, Tristan paused before looking towards the kitchen.

Pausing briefly, he let out a soft sigh.

"It's… It was an accident when we were travelling. We were desperate and she was injured so I bought whatever healing blood I could get my hands on. Unfortunately… That vial was Dreamweaver Siren." Tristan revealed a bitter smile.

'Dreamweaver Siren… Dreamweaver Siren…' Alice frowned before looking up at Tristan in shock.

"Seems like you know of it. The side effects includes enhancing the voice into one that lures other people. It's a… hypnotic effect that not even the user can really control. If it was Hunters, they could resist. But the same can't be said for normal civilians.

"After I gave her the blood, she's stopped herself from talking around people she's unfamiliar with except for me." Tristan shook his head while going behind the bar.

He could still remember her fear as the people they were travelling with suddenly began running towards her with a strange fanaticism. No matter how she called out for them to stop, they wouldn't. In fact, her voice only drove them closer to insanity.

Had it not been for him, something dire could've happened. He possessed a resistance to charm effect that he didn't notice before. Perhaps it was a blood he drank when he was younger or an innate ability, this charm made him practically immune.

It wasn't just charm either. 'Debuffs' overall were less effective on him. Curses, charms and even rituals found it difficult to latch onto his 'soul'. Read exclusive adventures at empire

This was the reason why the Moon Church recruited him.

"With that kind of condition, it'll be hard for her to open an Inn. You know that right?" Alice asked with a frown.

"I'm aware. But she had always wanted to open an Inn and I didn't want to deny her of that dream. Thankfully, the Church is sending someone over to help with managing the place. While I don't want my job to be tied with my personal life, it'll be difficult for her dream to come true without the church's intervention." Tristan admitted before asking Alice what she wanted to drink.

"Give me something smooth today. And…" Alice trailed off before shaking her head.

She was tempted to see if she could do anything to help but perhaps this isn't the right choice.

If she was in his place and someone she barely knew said that she might be able to solve her sibling's issue, Alice wouldn't trust it one bit.

Instead, she decided to go with an alternative route.

"Are you aware of what's been happening out at sea?" Alice asked while Tristan was mixing up a new drink.

"You'll have to be more specific with that." He chuckled.

"About someone who was seen in the Underworld and even at the beach. A strange woman that fired off an attack that lit up the night sky."

"Ohh, yes. I'm aware of that person. There's been talks between pirates saying that she managed to push back Minerva during one of their confrontations. Though it seems like she's working for the Underworld. Makes you wonder why she sent an attack out to sea doesn't it?" Tristan nodded his head.

The Goddess was also curious about that woman considering her power held traces that should realistically belong to the Moon Church.

"I've heard some… Interesting rumors about her. I'm not sure if you want to give it some thought or not. Apparently, she holds a strange kind of miracle medicine. One bite and her wounds can just, disappear in a flash.

"They say that during the fight with the Pirate Queen, some saw her arm get blown off before regenerating after she threw something into her mouth. Do you think that medicine might work for your sister?" Alice asked, giving Tristan a non existing rumor that holds some truth.

Hearing about this medicine, Tristan's actions paused momentarily before resuming.

"Arwen's condition is a side effect. I've already tried to get the Moon Church to help heal her but it's not possible without modifying… Well, it'll do more harm than good to get rid of it." He shook his head while pouring a luminescent blue drink into Alice's glass and placing a lemon slice on the edge of the glass.

"Thank you~" Taking a sip, Alice shivered from the smoothness of the drink. It was both light and smooth with a soft alcoholic hint to it in the background. It wasn't enough to disrupt the nature of the drink but strong enough to let you appreciate the flavor.

"Well you never know. Progress is being made everyday after all. It's up to you if you want to give it a try or not." Alice shrugged before paying the bill.

She praised his drink before making her way to the bathhouse in the back.

[Do you think you can resolve the side effect?] Cayla asked curiously.

While Alice had indeed helped those in the north, it was directly tied to what the Zenia's tried to do.

It was a reaction based on their modification of her blood which was why she could 'undo it' to some degree.

But this wasn't the same.

It was a side effect caused by drinking Abyss Blood.

A modification of the soul/spiritual heart. This wasn't something that Alice had even attempted before.

'I had a theory that could've worked. Even if it didn't, it wouldn't cause Arwen any harm. But what he said just now gave me a new idea. You heard it too right?' Alice smiled, relaxing her whole body in the bath.

Tilting her head, Cayla wasn't sure but Alyss spoke up.

'He said it'll do more harm than good to get rid of it. It wasn't that it was impossible or that he couldn't achieve it. But rather the cost outweighed the good. It's possible to get rid of the side effect.'

'Indeed. The moon is focused on spirituality and immortality. Meaning, their method is most likely the modification of the Soul. With that in mind and using the information I have on the Spiritual Heart, I do believe it's rather possible for me to remove the side effect with minimal harm done.' Alice smiled confidently.

While Alice was bathing, Tristan cleaned the glass in deep contemplation. He stared at his own reflection before silently making a choice in his mind.