Shadow of the Abyss

It was annoying trying to understand why it was so hard for Reina to seek assistance from Altair. She could have aid, yet despite the days that followed, all she did was map the interior of the Temple of Sepith, only accessible to the Heralds of Ariandel.

Three days before, they had managed to invade the temple under the disguises of two young Novices who had barely begun their journey within the Temple. Reina had not told her much about who she was after. She had outright refused to even name the group, even in a Soul Whisper. She was certainly being excessive. Reina had even prevented her from gutting the two Novices, claiming that their souls might be registered into the Temple of Sepith.

It was all a rather tedious endeavor, if not insufferable, especially since neither she nor Syris was proficient in Rune Inscription; if that wasn't bad, as novices, they had to seek purification every morning for eight hours.

Stripped down till they were nude and made to gather in a white stone Acropolis that held a hot spring at its center. The waters were scorchingly hot; unfortunately, as Novices, neither she nor Reina held the authority to resist.

As Awakeners, she had initially believed that no sort of water could burn through their bodies, especially their Almighty Resistance, Altair's lineage granted, but the moment she submerged a single toe to test the water, a terrible pain suffused their being, seeking to erase it from existence. The pain was unlike anything Syris had ever experienced, yet no matter how she looked, there simply was no sort of blister or wound.

"Purify the Evil," One of the Apprentices, Torna had said upon the dais. To her rear, an Accepted Sister of Sepith watched on with a cool expression as if all the pained faces of the various women had nothing to do with her. "The Greater the Sin in your heart, the Greater the Pain."

Reina did not appear to have to endure any sort of torment. Her expression was one of utter serenity, as if she walked such a path. Suddenly, a flash of shame colored her cheeks, realizing how much weaker she was compared to her Sister.

The purification part of being a Novice of Sepith was all rather difficult. Those that supposedly held too much Sin in their hearts and could not endure the pain were forced into the water by two Aprenteses and held as they kicked and screamed as if her firstborn was being killed before her eyes.

None of the other novices had bothered to help, at least not after the first day since they arrived. There was a young girl who tried, but after the second day of purification, after being ignored, she had not moved a single muscle to assist. She didn't even appear to have heard the screams for aid.

Syris herself had begun to notice a slight change after the purification process. It was as if her sense of desire had begun to fade. What was even worse was the feeling of utter euphoria that came with her clear mind. That had frightened her more than anything.

"You might have noticed it by now," The Accepted behind Torna, a fair-haired woman with moss-green eyes, spoke in a cool voice. "But the act of absorbing Mana is futile in these waters."

She had noticed, but even Reina had no idea how it was possible. What was even more confusing was that Spells typically lost their power the moment they entered Purification. The only exception Syris found that wasn't bound by such truth was Reina's Seraphine, whatever that was, and her Vale Qi. That was how their spell to imitate the look of the two novices they captured still remained in effect.

"Absorbing Mana of Heaven and Earth is a sin onto the Lord, for it is no different than stealing. By purifying the mind and body, Mana will naturally suffuse your being without the need to be absorbed. Not only is such a practice faster, but it's safer. Until you've been fully purified, all forms of Magic will be temporarily inaccessible to you."

Syris could cry. Any more of this torment, and she was sure to have all her worldly desires burned away. Such a life was not something she wanted to experience.

'I hope you find whatever the hell you're looking for,' Syris said in a Soul Whisper to Reina. The other woman only nodded slightly, unbothered, if not unaffected.

***

With a forehead full of sweat, Altair threw his head back, gasping for breath. Dual Cultivation was always such a terribly good experience that he found the simple act of experiencing fatigue all the more enjoyable.

Reaching for a cup of water beside the nightstand, he gulped it down before looking down at Ashara sprawled out on her belly across his bed, his seed pulsing from between her legs. It was quite the sight, especially when he took in her elven features.

One of the unique things about Succubus, Lilms, and a few types of Incubus was their ability to morph into other races they have seen. Most interestingly enough, it wasn't a spell but something their bodies just did, down to the molecular level. For all intensive purposes, Ashara was a High Elf.

Apparently, a few Devils had tried experimenting on the idea and learned that any Succubi impregnated while Metamorphed or going as far as to use Bio-fusion where they merged various races together, in this case, an ability reserved for Lilms, would produce a child of that specific origins, with a hidden affinity towards the Hells, that could be activated on with enough talent or if assisted by an infernal creature, turning them into a devil or demon.

Ashara languidly turned her head to him, a silly smile on her face, "Master~ruined Ashara's~insides."

He grinned but held himself back, channeling the Sin of Sloth to fight against the Sin of Lust. It was a very crude, unrefined practice, but the more he used it, the more Altair found all the skills he had developed over the years could be merged with the various sins, each creating a unique style.

Using the Sins required the use of his soul to function, a small tidbit that could be ignored. The Sins didn't do much but change a few things, yet each change did bring massive change, especially when it came to power scaling. Iliana had told him he was a Grandmaster, while Ashara had told him all Devils and Demons in the Hells are born in the Realm of Master; if they went by the metric of the Old Era, how such a thing scaled in their current era was a mystery to the both of them.

Mana Circle: [Sixth Circle: 97% → 98%]

"Dual Cultivating with you is always the best," Altair said, giving her fine ass a slap. The thing jiggled as if it were jelly. "I'm about to be a Sixth Circle."

"Did Dual Cultivating with Alyssa help?"

"With Mana, no," Altair said, slightly surprised. "It did, however, help manipulate Vale Qi better. But let's not talk about that. You good to stand?" Her silly smile told him she was not. "Well, it doesn't matter. How are things coming along."

Ashara swallowed hard before she spoke, "Great. It's been about three days, but the city is practically abuzzed by the news. It won't be long before it hits the Palace if it hasn't already. That said, a few of my girls have personally laid eyes on a few spawns. They are indeed getting braver. One of them attacked one of the whores in the gentlemen's club. Funny enough, they did it during the day."

"Don't Spawns burn during the day? Hmmm, I guess there are wardings to protect them. Did they leave evidence?"

The Lilm licked her lips, her eyes angling to catch a glimpse of his cock. "They left tons. Shall I send it to the Palace?"

"Yes, though keep house Nier out of it. I don't want people to think that our family is involved somehow. What about the others?"

"One of them spotted Atticus."

Altair's brows jumped. He was happy. "What tavern is he staying at."

"Not tavern, a Villa, and guest who the Villa is owned by?"

Altair laughed. "The Black Tower?" That had been the simplest solution. "I'll have Therion keep an eye on them. Does Raven know this?"

"Yes, and she's not very happy about it," Ashara said in an amused tone. Altair could imagine. Anything that gave that girl extra work annoyed her. She was solely focused on training. If she wasn't on patrol or with him, she was training. He had suggested she had a day off, but the girl nearly bit his head off about him being in enemy territory.

"Then she has everything in control," Altair said, squeezing Ashara's thick ass. "Then shall we continue? I want to complete the Sixth Circle by the end of today. And you better not hold back. I know your Mana is far purer then mine."

Ashara's lips puckered. "You could die, Master. I try to limit my Mana Purity to always be a hundred points ahead of yours."

"Make it two hundred," He ordered with a calculating grin. "My body is as strong as a Ninth Circle. I can take it. I want to be in the Ninth Circle by the end of the year in a few months. Mephisto said that, as a recompense for not using that power again, I would not face any type of block. I'm ready to abuse that authority."