Shadow of the Abyss

Ser Flinn stared dead ahead at the scarlet arcs crackling over the sand and grimly signaled for his men to hold their ground until the dust settled.

When it did, a twenty-meter-large crater shone, and within it, a child, barely of age, stood with a small blue-haired pup on his head. Grinning with his hands high in the air. "Hi, Ser Flinn. Remember me?"

"A-A-Altair?!" Flinn shouted, sending many into a state of alarm at the presence gathered around this boy. A fine sliver of sweat coiled down his chin, unable to believe such an aura came from a child he saw a little over a year and a half ago. "Y-Y-Your alive!"

The small wolf pup on top of Altair\'s head howled as if to be acknowledged.

The Prince smiled, scanning his eyes around the coliseum to the pale faces of the normal humans. He frowned and revoked his presence. And as if a mountainous weight was pulled off their chest, gasps resounded like drums through the air.

"Capture him." Viscountess Maylar shouted. She had risen the moment the scar appeared. Leaping down through the glass, Vaiga exploded.

The Knights exchange glances among the ranks. They thought back to the Presence the boy carried and dared not move lightly despite being a few circles higher.

"I don\'t believe we\'ve met," Altair said, hopping from the crater in a single bound, meeting the woman\'s eye. "I\'m Altair. \' He said, feeling the need to come up with a new Surname. If he wasn\'t allowed to use this Father\'s, then Altair wanted to create his own. " Why am I being arrested? I don\'t believe I\'ve committed a crime."

"You illegally entered a dungeon without permission."

"Hmmm. I\'m pretty sure I was kidnapped." Altair shamelessly said, his eyes glowing wet as he began to tell his version of events. "I\'m sure there was a video of a lady with snow-white hair. She kidnapped me. We tried to ask the Aros members guarding the Gate to help, but before we knew it. They fainted." The boy\'s throat began to crack.

"That\'s when she said that…"

"Enough of your nonsense!" Maylar shouted. The graveness in her tone was like shards of ice. "Look around you. Do you think anyone here will believe such a tale!"

"I believe it." Marquess Eli said, with his daughter in hand. "How else could a ten-year-old enter and exit a dungeon in such a manner? He\'s a hero."

"So do I," Leon, bearing the brooch of Sagittarius on his chest, said. He smiled down at Altair, his long, curly gold hair fluttering beneath the sun\'s rays."Altair is but an innocent child. Who barely escaped with his life. And we are so sure he is innocent. The God of Fire is willing to offer Altair. Housing, schooling, and a lawyer if the need arises."

"For once, we at Scorpio agree." A young red-haired man added. He shot Altair a wink and glanced at his rear to the various other men and women approaching. "Then again, seeing that all twelve Members of Zodiac are here. I think are all in agreement.

Maylar grew visibly pale, watching the various Lords approaching. The Twelve Zodiac Saints made themselves known, leaving various corpo buildings either in Genesis or on Earth, for Altair sake.

Mayler went red, turning to Altair. " What did you do!"

Feigning ignorance, Altair teared up, adding bits of mana to his voice for all to hear. "Aunty, why are you yelling at Art? How can you be so cruel? Is it because I saw your Breeding Farm within the Serpent\'s Outreach? Altair has a neuro-link, so he can pull it up if you don\'t believe me!" Altair masked his smile behind a teary face as House Aros secretly herded the various onlookers out.

"Enough!" Duke Garel declared in a booming tone that sent rippled across the land. His Presence gathered like an iron mountain on those present, quieting the stadium. Strutting forward past the knights, his eyes consumed with authority snapped to the young child.

Altair felt his chest tighten at the duke\'s ruthless aura, but he wouldn\'t allow this much to break his mask. He wiped his fake tears and puffed out his chest. "I\'ve proof!"

"You have nothing, boy. Now, be silent." The duke commanded. "And turn yourself in. Your lies are—"

"NO!" Altair shouted, with a mischievous gleam in his eyes. "You\'re going to kill me just like that man I let live! Aren\'t you! Captain Smith." He grinned devilishly. " I know you had him killed."

"Now that you mention it!" Leon said calmly, stepping toward the Duke with a peculiar gleam in his eye. "I did hear that a  soldier came out of the serpent\'s outreach about a few months ago consumed with PTSD. Oh my…. Garel, don\'t tell me… You  killed that boy, didn\'t you."

A plethora of whispers filled the air, all of them concerning Altair and the Duketom of Aros. And it was then Garel realized why so many upperclassmen attended his tournament. It wasn\'t to measure Laros but to find Altair.

When the duke turned to Altair\'s smiling face, understanding sunk so deep his eyes turned red. "You—"

Suddenly, without reason, a dark wisp whipped past the Duke and Leon, leaving the duo unable to even speak, as the Viscountess\'s fingers pierced towards the Prince, ready to skewer him. But just as her fingers traced Altair\'s skin, light arced into a wisp of flames.

[Hellish Rebuke]

Without warning, death came like a heavy gale over the Colosseum as the Flames of Hell blazed with all of damnation at its tail. The Souls of the Damned shrieked, bearing their ghoulish faces through the flames.

Maylar was devoured by the Flames of Hell, her body barreling through the knights that dared to stop her descent. Altair watched before his laughter resounded through the battlefield, sending a chill through the air, hanging those who prepared to move up by a noose. His childish image faded, leaving only a demon before House Aros.

[Hellish Rebuke(F) proficiency has Increased by 2%]

Type: Infernal Warding

[Proficiency: 0% → 4%]

[Description: Invoke the Infernal Rune and turn your enemy\'s attack into a counterstrike.]

Altair mindlessly listened to Maylar\'s shrieks, curiously watching her as she tore her arm off desperately to extinguish the flames that grew stronger and stronger the more she tried to kill the flame with mana. Altair nodded and dusted himself off. He looked towards the crowd, looking back with mixed emotions.

"Was that enough to prove my worth?" He calmly asked, not bothering to bait anyone with his earlier childishness. "What you saw was a mere rune attack given to me by one of the Gods interested in me. Not to mention… I\'ve awoken an Aura. I needn\'t tell some of the stronger ones what that means, right?"

Ashen, Maylar gritted her teeth, glaring at the flaming arm she severed. She whimpered and recalled that bone-chilling heat that stole her soul from her body. And dared not attack again.

"I\'m going to the military to serve my years." Altair continued. "But I\'m quite interested in what you all have to offer. I\'ve heard of the Twelve Zodiac\'s Corpos of Genesis. And I\'m sure some of your Gods have mentioned one of the effects of my Aura. A times two multiplier on all skills."

The crowd went silent at this new information, and their hearts shuddered as the news of Altair began to stretch across the various sectors of the Myriad Heavens. In seconds, the chimes of Comlinks began to sound from those without neuro-links while others began to review the various emails sent to them.

"So, ladies, Gentlemen." Altair began once more grinning as if to say checkmate. " Can I have your… business cards?"

Swarmed by the dozens, Altair couldn\'t tell his left from his right.

"Linx Internation is interested."

"Damian Global, can we have a word?"

"Vendetta Cross…"

"Omega…

"Delta…"

Flooded by hundreds, Altair accepted each card with a bright smile without intending to join any. They were merely tools to get him out of House Aros. Ones that were easy to manipulate without promising anything.

TAP TAP TAP

Taken by the sounds of clapping, the young prince turned to a beautiful woman with raven-colored hair wielding violet eyes to match her approach. The army of Corpo\'s parted, allowing her to pass.

"Beautifully executed. Simply beautiful." Vaiga said, grinning, with a sparkle in her eye. "House Aros can\'t do shit. Not unless they want to anger any major group." She said, glancing at the fiendish grimace across the duke. She returned her gaze back to the boy. "I am Vaiga Blackfire, Admiral of the—"

"I\'ll go with you," Altair replied without hesitation.

"Eh?" Hundreds of eyes went wide as Altair laughed.

"Seeing everyone part like the Red Sea. You must be important. Or scary. So I\'ll go with you. Plus… Blackfire. If I remember, you loathe the Aros Family.

"He said, glancing at the duke. "So I\'m sure you\'ll get a kick bringing me out here as they watch."

Vaiga\'s eyes went wide with shock. "You\'re an evil little one, aren\'t you? I like it." She smirked with the twist of the mouth, resisting the urge to laugh. Vaiga glanced around at the various Lords and Ladies, "If there isn\'t anything else. We—"

"No." Duke Garel said. His words were low, but they echoed like thunder. "He\'s not leaving."

The Prince chuckled. " I wasn\'t asking for your permission, my Dear Duke." He stepped forward out of the crater. The knights raised their weapons, preparing to strike. But Altair did not care. He stood near Vaiga. " Can we go?"

"We have your Mother. You will come with us, or she\'ll—"

the-place-MVLeMpYr

The Duke hadn\'t finished before Altair\'s icy voice stormed the Colosseum. "You may try… however. Should my Mother inform me of any impropriety, House Aros will experience what it means to be a slave. There are far worse things than death. Every man, woman, and child will serve the cosmos as toys to be abused. You have my word that I\'ll swear to the fucking heavens too.

Let\'s go, Admiral. "

Vaiga looked at him. "We could rescue—"

"Gods don\'t need help from mortals like us." He told her, taking his leave as his words resounded through the earthlings like the toll of the dead. Leaving everyone with a single thought.

Tenebrae was a God?