Shadow of the Abyss

Altair had been awoken by the sudden scream that had somehow managed to pierce his state of enlightenment, awakening him to his surroundings. He nearly toppled over at the sight of Varis screaming like a boy, clenching the stub where his arm once was.

He'd wanted to ask what was going on but stopped as the event of all that occurred came into being across his head as if he'd experienced it all firsthand.

He froze.

[Would Master Like To See Through the Eye Of Raven To Experience This Event Closer?]

The voice that echoed across Altair's mind made him jump. It sounded childish but familiar at the same time. It was his voice. Back when he was a child.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

"What the…"

[>_<]

[Master, I'm your Omniscience!]

In lieu of the many questions rattling Across his mind, Altair said," explain."

[Kay! Due to the Astral nature of the Vale. I was created in your sea of consciousness through your Authority, which affected your System as a virus.]

Altair recalled. "I remember getting the notification." He said, glancing at Raven, then his feet. " What I don't understand is why now?"

[I was learning, Master. As your Omniscience, you are privy to almost all information to the endless now. 99% of that is saved in your Astral Sea, while the other 1% is processed as knowledge retained. Due to the limitation of your soul due to the Origin System on higher beings, it took longer to process all that information.]

Altair scratched his head. "Then do you know everything?"

The system voice laughed.

[No. I only know things at present that are relevant to the distance of your domain. So if you touch something, you can glimpse its past for up to 300 years, so if you were to touch Morrigan or have her in your domain, You would be able to see her entire life.]

Altair's eyes widened. "That's… broken."

[I can also teach Master any and every spell he's come across during the last 300 years.]

"I wasn't even alive.]

[Correction, you weren't born. But you existed inside Mommy Tene's belly. All that she did in that window was provide information you could potentially wield.]

Altair frowned, touching his chin. "Would that work? Wouldn't she have tried to hide herself from others with the same ability? I'm sure I'm not the only one with Omniscience."

[I cannot say if you're the only one who possesses Omniscience, but you do share a bloodline connection with Tenebrae. By stimulating your awareness of the past through the shared bloodline you and Tenebrae possess. You'll be able to see the past through her eyes… if she allows it.]

"Eh? Isn't that like… Time Travel or—"

[It's Time Manipulation, Master, based around Omniscience.]

Altair scratched his head. "It's confusing, that's what it is… So would Mother know that I'm observing her?"

[Yes, she'll not just know. But she'll be the one controlling what you'll see and hear.]

"And I can do this as much as possible?"

[ ^_^ Yup, although, if you abuse this ability, you might experience soul exhaustion.]

Altair gulped, suddenly finding it hard to breathe. "Show me…"

[╰(*°▽°*)╯]

With a sudden jerking motion, Altair slipped to one knee, finding his consciousness beginning to move through a strange nexus in his mind.

"Master!" Raven shouted, lunging towards him. Her eyes were marred with fright. "What's—

Altair couldn't even speak before he found his consciousness being pulled towards that strange nexus within his mind.

****

"Kyaaa! Are you here to watch Mama work again?" Tenebrae exclaimed, clutching her swollen tummy. She was beaming, kicking her feet back and forth in her office. "Your Father is quite busy, so it's just me and you today. Kisses! What shall mommy teach you today?

Yesterday, we talked about how to manipulate darkness. But thinking about it. That might be a bit too advanced for you. Since you are about to pop, you might not be so powerful yet. Still, it's good to know you're alive. It seems Lilith hasn't found you yet."

"Let's talk about hmmm. Magic. I—"

Just then, the door to Tenebrae's office was flung open, and Iliana strutted in frowning. "Zariel said to go away."

Tenebrae couldn't help but laugh. " You tried fighting him again, didn't you? You realize you're a clone, right? And I sent you to talk to Aurelia; why are you speaking with Zariel."

"He happened to be there. What else was I supposed to do? Apparently, it was family time. Little Jin was there, too. That little monster is terrifying."

"Jin?"

Iliana nodded. "He saw through my existence with a single glance. He definitely got something from Zariel's lineage. His eyes, maybe."

"Well. I was just teaching little Arty how to perform magic like a Fell God." She touched her belly, unable to help but blister up with a smile. "Wanna help?"

"If I must," Iliana said, shooting an eye at Tenebrae's belly. "But will he understand it?"

"Rune Magic is quite simple. That will be especially true for a genius like my Arty." Tenebrae nodded at herself, holding her belly tighter. And for a moment, she seemed a little bitter, unsure she'd ever get to see her boy become a man. "Anyway, let's start.

"Oohhh~! I want to help, too!" a vibrant voice echoed through the office as a golden-eyed woman appeared like a ghost. "Let's teach him the Origin Runes."

Tenebrae made a face. "Aurelia, what did I tell you about entering my office without knocking? And don't you think Origin Magic is too much?"

"Hell no. Let's do it." Aurelia said, grinning. "Little Art here is going to help me steal the Throne of the One."

"Sweet Baby Heavens… Are you still on that?" Tenebrae asked.

"Of course. Dumb-Dumb can always save me if I'm about to die."

"I swear you are abusing your husband," Iliana said, clasping her hand over her head. "Didn't he get struck by the Almighty One three times already?"

"Four," Aurelia admitted, passing her hands through her strands of silvery gold hair. "But he doesn't mind. I think he likes learning from it."

Tenebrae sighed, studying Aurelia. Despite so many cycles passing, her beauty, much like her Father's, seemed only to deepen like fine wine as time progressed, or perhaps it was the Dao of Perfection she'd inherited from the Silver Devil. Either way, the more Tenebrae studied Aurelia, the more she found herself entranced by the beauty that seemed to transcend her understanding.

"Oh! Guess what little Jin told me today?" Aurelia suddenly exclaimed. "He said he wants to marry a woman as pretty as me!" She flashed her pearly teeth. "He's so cute. I want to just eat him up."

"Why don't you two have a play date? Jin has always loved his Aunty Tene," Iliana suggested.

Aurelia shook her head. "I would love to, but Jin is still a kid, and Lilith always visits to play with him, so that's not a good idea. He might reveal Altair's little existence. Let's give it a few hundred years."

"Jin is in his adolescence, right?" Tenebrae and Aurelia nodded, glancing at Iliana. "He's practically a man. What responsibilities have you given him?"

"Dumb-Dumb just made him the Crown Prince, so he'll have partial relations to some of the monarchs of hell. That said, I do have concerns about Moloch and Belphegor. Those two seem to have taken interest in Jin."

"They are family." Tene mused.

"And I don't like Moloch. Neither does Father."

"Lucifer doesn't trust anyone. Not after Mephisto banished his lover into Arcadia for shits and giggles." Tenebrae continued.

"Was it really for such a petty reason?" Iliana asked. "That just seems…"

"Fucked up?" Tene finished. "I don't really understand what Mephisto wants with the Snow family, but he's quite fixated on that entire lineage. And for some reason, no one is exempt."

"But Zero pulled a fast one over on Mephisto, creating secret clones," Ilana added. "That's quite the accomplishment."

Aurelia smirked, remembering the look of realization when he'd shattered the Twelve Realm to create the New Order. "That was worth it. That's especially true since he wasn't too mad about it."

"He got what he wanted out of it," Tene said. " Mephisto isn't one to be petty."

"Bullshit," Aurelia said. "That bastard is one hundred percent petty incarnate. He just isn't malicious about it."

They all laughed before returning to the conversation at hand. Aurelia said: "But I really think Altair could benefit from Origin Magic. If he can merge it with his Sigil, he'll be able to cast Infringement Spells in no time."

"Why not? I've shown him so many other things already." Tenebrae said. "But what would be the best spell to show him?"

"No spell," Aurelia said. " Just the principle behind it. If he can grasp that, he'll be on his way to mastering the Seven Schools of Magic. He might even create the Eighth. You never know. Zariel said that his perception might rival his own when he was a child."