Shadow of the Abyss

"Smile?" He looked up at his Mother.

She nodded, a dotting hue in her serine stare. "A smile is a dangerous tool, whether it\'s your emy, ally, or me: Whether you\'re happy, sad, weak, or defseless, you must carry a warm yet unfamiliar smile." She said, reminisct of the year the little slave girl brutally died.

"Ev to the people I hate?" He asked, unsure whether he could face—

"That is correct, but do not mistake the smile as anything but a mask." She assured him.

Altair fell into deep thought. He\'d wanted to bow his head but refrained from doing so: \'A king must never bow, if ev towards the heavs.\' He recalled, peering dead ahead without expression.

"Mom…" Altair asked, turning to his Mother. "Wh will… Wh will I become fully awaked? You said last night."

"Oh! That\'s my bad." She muttered, scratching the back of her head. "I did say that. In the d, I started teaching you about proper etiquette. I should have taught you this at birth, but… "She turned to him, smiling with starry eyes. "You were just so cute!

Mama couldn\'t help but give you kisses all day long!"

He smiled, a giddy ssation gathering in his chest. "Mama is the best. She\'s ev walking me to school."

"School? Oh yeah… Naw! We are skipping that!" she carelessly said, shooting the young Prince a most glorious thumbs up. She nodded.

"Eh?"

"Yup. Mama did promise to awak you. So let\'s do it. But you did make a promise to meet up with Syris." Tebrae mtioned. "Part of being a King… No! Better yet, part of being a man is keeping your word, ev if you didn\'t mean for them to have meaning.

As both a King and a man, your words carry weight."

He stared at his Mother with uncertainty.

"For example, If someone hurt your most precious mother, what will you do."

"Kill them!" He coldly said, scrunching his brow.

"Good. Th I will hold you to those words for all eternity." Tebrae said. "Ev if you don\'t understand what it means today, you will one day. Mean everything you say, and never agree to anything you are hesitant about. EVER! understand?"

"Yes! Mommy!" The boy promised, leaping into her embrace like a little spider monkey.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH~ My baby is so cute!!!!! Let\'s go to town! Screw these Aros asshats!!!!" She childishly squealed, swinging little Altair a, a faint blush over her sere expression. "We\'ll take a teleporter into T—"

"You two seem quite ecstatic." The Reverd Mother, alongside Syris, said, eyeing the mother-son duo, an amused chuckle held in. "Quite a pair you to make."

"Morning Revy! Morning Syris!" The young Prince said. A charmingly innoct smile on his lips. "Did you sleep well?"

\'Revy?\' The Reved Mother thought. "I have a name, you know.\' She smiled beath her porcelain mask and said: "Altair do you know who I am? What, I represt?"

"Master, he—" Syris tried to explain, but the Reverd Mother raised her hand, silcing her.

Altair tapped his Mother to place him down, which she did. A tinge of expectation in her eyes.

"Was I overly familiar?" The young Prince asked, his tone poised, regal, rather than apologetic like most would expect. "If so, th it shall not happ again." He said, reaching for his Mother\'s palm, ready to take his leave.

The smile the Reverd Mother carried instantly faded as she noticed rather than an apology. He acknowledged a mistake he\'d had no inttion of apologizing for.

\'This child…\' She thought, shaking her head, and spoke: "No, that\'s not it, Young Altair. But Reverd Mother is merely a title. I do have a name: Please call me Karis. After all, you and my disciple here will be spding more time together."

"Really!" He turned to Syris, who grinned.

"Yup!" She said. "I get to kick your ass until you cry to your mot—"

"Syris, language." Karis snapped her expression behind her mask like a frigid storm. She shook her head and turned her atttion to Tebrae. "I do hope that\'s Ok? While I won\'t be here. Syris and her Sev Master will spd the next t years on Earth."

\'How fun!" Tebrae said and shifted her gaze to the young Syris. "Earth has many fun things, especially if you wish to journey into Babel Tower. They say that everything you seek resides… for a price within Babels tower."

Syris pursed her lips. " Price? I thought all you needed to do was get strong too—"

"How young you are," Te interrupted. "Everything has a price there." Her eyes narrowed with a devilish glint. " I\'m sure a… \'young woman\' like you can understand that."

She stirred, nearly quivering wh Altair\'s voice resounded. "Mom! Let\'s go! I want to awak! And you! Just wait, Syris!

I\'ll defeat you!" He pointed, glaring daggers at Syris with a bright grin." I\'m going to awak today and defeat you with a single finger."

Tebrae couldn\'t help but giggle. " See you, Reverd Mother, you too, Syris."

The Reverd Mother watched them leave, and her gaze slid down to Syris. "Shall we—"

"She knows Karis." Syris coldly said, her once cyan eyes a blood stain scarlet, whirling with the flames of the Hells. " That woman… knows. She knows what I am… " her fingers clched.

And she thought, "How! My mask has never once brok! Ev with that little monster! How could she…?! "

\'My que… \'The Reverd Mother started, falling to one knee, spreading her awaress to sure there was no one prest. She continued in a whisper, barely audible within the forest. "That\'s not possible. No one aside from me knows of your resurrection. And if they did, no one would believe in reincarnation, at least not like what you did. There\'s simply no proof.\'

The winds rustled to and fro, leaving only a coldness pinching at the Que\'s heart. She gritted her teeth. \'Young… Woman. That\'s what she called me. Th there was the commt of \'Price\'. There\'d be no reason to tell a child that.\' Syris told herself.

\'Could she be a Transcdt? No. Earth is barely a tier-one planet. There is no reason for a Transcdt to be here like in Gesis. And there\'d be no way for a Transcdt to know about me. I\'m missing something.\'

The icy winds whirled a Syris, colling her mind, if only for a momt, as she felt her chest tight against her heart.

"Karis… we\'ll maintain the ruse. That mysterious woman, Tebrae, doesn\'t seem interested in me. That\'ll buy me some time while I investigate." She said, somewhat doubtful.

"Is that wise, my lady? While I, too, am curious of Tebrae we—"

"We have to assume she knows who I am." Syris grimaced at the very words. " And I am too weak to do anything, as I am now. My Astral Qi is in hibernation. Earth is our best bet for me to grow. These towers and dungeons will do as well. Especially after I awak.

I\'ll keep you updated on the Duke. But I don\'t have much hope in him."

"On the contrary, my lady. It\'s greedy m like him that will surprise ev the gods," Karis mtioned a thin veil grin upon her lips. "I\'ll handle the rest. You just keep training. You\'ve yet to get accustomed to moving your body."

"True… Although, I\'m no fan of the name. Syris… I sound like a man."

Karis giggled. "My lady, you picked the name."

"We\'ll. I like my original one better." Syris moaned, puffing her cheeks. She sighed."You head out first… I\'m going to go catch up with the boy."

"Of course, your grace. And may Soloman\'s Wisdom guide your path. "