Shadow of the Abyss

Thrown before his feet like some common wench, Sif lay sprawled over the bailey, powerless to stand, much less raise her head. She wasn't injured, that much Altair could see, yet the look in those pale silver blue eyes of her's carried a look he had seen in many dead men.

"This is Sif?"

It was Freya who nodded. "Yes, a family friend, if you will," and with a smile that didn't reach her eyes, she said, "one whom we gave our demon infantry to play with for… Gods, how long was it?"

"You're asking me?" Arsene scratched his cheek. "I can't remember what I did yesterday."

"That would be me," Freya said in an alluring tone.

"Not at the table," Aurelia mouthed off, leaning over on Zariels shoulder, half asleep. She yawned, muttering, 'Feed me,' to Zariel. Who promptly ignored her.

"Sif was so in love with Mighty Thor that Master ensured that every demon that would take her would be perceived through her perception as her husband. Master shattered that love real quick and promptly forgot all about her. The demons could only do what their master had instructed, so they kept playing with her for… a very long time. So long, in fact, it corrupted her soul.n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

So no matter how much she forces herself into the Wheel of Reincarnation, the curse remains, as do the memories."

"How could you forget about such a thing?" Altair asked.

"Have you seen Lilith? I was climbing those legs." Arsene shamelessly admitted. "And honestly, Sif did some fucked up things for Thor. It was well deserved. Well, I might have taken it too far, but it was deserved nonetheless."

Altair scratched his head. "Wait, so you own the Norse Pantheon?"

"Yup. Impressed right. Well, if you want it. You'll have to fight me for it… Well, you'll have to fight Freya for it. Shadowfell vs. Sha—"

"Forsaken," Zariel said calmly.

"Excuse me?" Arsene and Altair looked at him.

Zariel shrugged. "Those Shadows… are Forsaken, at least a new branch of it. It's a bit strange that I didn't make the connection before; it's infinitely similar to the Forsaken Clans. Did you perhaps awaken something… Aha Rebirth.

"How did you…"

Arsene rolled his eyes. "Zariels eyes allow him to see everything. Just as you know everything, he can see everything, but on a deeper level."

"That is an oversimplification. I see the Weave and can interact with it in ways no one else can. Your Omniscience works by listening to the thrumb of the Weave. This is how I can see your system and all that it contains."

"That's broken!" Arsene and Altair mumbled. They fist-bumped almost instinctively without looking.

"One is fucking the literal Abyss, possesses the highest attunement imaginable, while the other is the embodiment of our final resting place. And you say I'm broken. Piss off." The silver Devil rolled his eyes, cutting his steak into perfectly symmetrical bitesize chunks. "As for your Rebirth Skill, it appears it's an ability that pulls directly from the Vale."

"What are you trying to say?" Arsene asked solemnly.

"The Forsaken was a race broken into Twelve Clans that the Almighty created, considering 'mistakes.' Why he did so, I cannot say, though I am getting a better picture as to why. But Altair's shadows are, without a doubt, Pure Blooded Forsaken."

"That would mean the Forsaken came from the Vale," Arsene gaped.

[True Knowledge of the Vale has been Aquired]

Zariel nodded. "That seems to be the case." he glanced at Altair with a half smile. "Things are going to turn interesting in the Myriad when this truth gets out."

Altair raised his hand. "What are Forsakens?"

"Right…" Zariel muttered. "That's a little beyond your time. They are a group of people, one of the first pioneers of the Myriad Heavens, before the creation of High Humans. They are younger than the Ilvarians, whom Mephisto nearly wiped out, but a tad bit older than High Humans.

"They were strong?" Altair asked.

"Your Father is part Forsaken, possessing the ability of rejection. Any material sword or weapon that isn't made of energy, no matter how powerful, turns to atoms in his presence. Stronger Forsaken of that bloodline has made it so it's impossible to hit them with any physical attacks. And that is just one clan. There are eleven more."

Altair looked at his father with fascination. "How do people fight you then."

Smuggly, Arsene said,' They don't. They just die."

"There he goes again, bragging," Aurelia mumbled. "Didn't I kick your ass just yesterday?"

"You cheated and used Seraphine!"

"Excuses."

"Anyway…" Zariel intoned, glancing at Sif. "If Altair were to make Sif into a Forsaken, then the curse Arsene placed on her, as well as the tormented dreams, should vanish with rebirth. Though I recommend you just wipe her mind. Those memories would only serve to distract her."

"Y-Y-You can free me?" Sif said in a hoarse voice, looking up for the first time, one pupil larger than the other.

Altair ignored her for now. "What if it doesn't work."

"Then we throw her away," Arsene said as a matter of fact. " We're not running a charity here."

"You two could have broken this curse, couldn't you."

"We could," Arsene admitted. "But what would be the point? Sif, if I remember correctly, tormented the Aesir Gods. She often drugged and manipulated the memories of many of those she called friends to have them raped by Thor. This folly went on for countless Dao Cycles. She abused her power merely to please Thor, and this is the price she paid."

"I can't imagine you would have done it out of some righteous reason," Altair said, unable to imagine it. His father did not seem like that type of person.

"Hell no. That didn't mean anything to me. It was just happenstance, I found out. Sif got in my way during my quest with some of the princes of hell back in the lower realms, and this was the result."

Altair glanced at Sif's hollow eyes, which seemed to have found a spark.

"Sif has lost all her divinity in her quest to reincarnate. She is nothing more than a mortal Godling. But she was a talented warrior nonetheless," Athena said softly. "And a grand schemer."

"Her schemes got her where she is today," Altair said coldly. "I'm reluctant to take someone like her in, but…" he glanced at Arsene and Zariel, bored expressions. "I'll not throw such a gift away." He looked at the sullen wench trembling like a frightened fawn. "What is it you can offer me that a devil can't?"

Words failed the fallen goddess, leaving only bloody tears to trail from her eyes. She didn't know. She didn't know anything. All she wanted was for it to stop.

She shook her head, lowering her face into the soil, to weep.

"You'll not be able to have a conversation with that one,' Freya commented. "From the reports I got, when she first mentioned reincarnation, the Demons laughed, allowing her to do just that, only to cut her out of her mother's belly to have their way with her. That was how she died for the second time in her life."

"... I did not need to hear that. What the fuck, dad."

"Don't look at me. I had forgotten about that." Arsene admitted.

"That makes it even worse!"

"I'd like to plead the fifth. I was ignorant of my Demons actions back then."

"As you can see," Zariel spoke up. "Your father is rather irresponsible."

"You're no different. I heard of the screwed-up shit you've done. Don't be a hypocrite."

"But I at least remember my victims."

"How is that better?"

Ignoring the two brothers' arguments about who was nicer, Altair stared wordlessly at Sif. He made a decision when he saw Aurelia's honey-gold eyes meet his. For some reason, he felt his indecision fade into determination.

"Fine… I'll do it." Opening his palm, Altair called forth a sword that embodied the blackest of night. "Fall on—"

Before he could finish, Sif lunged on the blade, impaling herself through the heart with a feverish look.

[Fallen Goddess, Sif felled. Exp Gained.] Continue reading at empire

[Soul of the Fallen Goddess Sif Acquired.]

Altair closed his eyes, reaching into himself to release a soul that didn't have much worth within his Soul Space, allowing Sif to replace it.

Holding her soul in his mind, he shuddered at how bare it felt. It was as if someone or something had stripped the flesh from it, leaving it raw and sullied. He simply could not imagine the levels of torment she had been subjected to.

Silently, he gave a wordless prayer before channeling Fallen Necromancy into her soul to wipe away the pain, memories, and sins. His Vale Qi poured in to bring forth Rebirth.

The process was longer than he expected, as even after lunch with his father and uncle, Sif's soul had not been purified. Still, he wasn't worried, spending time with family he never knew he had.

"All that's left… is to get Tene, Lilith, Crowe Jin, Iza, and Vesyrn at the same table. Little Art, we believe in you," Arsene said with a smile.

"Wait, why is it on me!" Altair couldn't help but ask. Half the names on that list he never even met or knew on a personal level.

"..."

"..."

'Good luck, son!"