—You're going too, right? —Leslie asked while staring at me intently. Her eyes were extremely cautious, her hands were on her hips, and she was a little closer than usual. She crossed her arms— Where have you been? —she frowned, slightly annoyed.
It makes sense. I've been missing for several days. I know that, especially, Leslie is much more attached to me. Not seeing me during those days must've put her in a bad mood. Letting out a sigh, I said:
—Well, it's a bit complicated to explain, but in short, I made a kind of exchange for this —I opened my hand, and a small blue flame appeared— The process was very long.
Leslie raised an eyebrow and remained silent.
—I promise, it's true. Besides, considering the attack you all already know about, I couldn't move and had to stay with Her Majesty Brynthia.
Everything I said was true. Leslie looked at Daniela, and she nodded, confirming my words.
Mentally impressed, I thought they really played along this time. Luckily, I told the truth. There's nothing to hide anyway. And about the trip to the Abyss... things are actually quite simple.
Leslie let out a sigh.
—Sorry, I was just upset —she turned her head slightly, cheeks blushing.
—It's fine. I didn't know anything about this either until I arrived here —I laughed slightly— But there's no need to be angry. Now we have to deal with other things.
—Abyss… it's the first time I've heard that word, but it sounds way too sinister —she got a bit nervous— But traveling with Mom is exciting —she added shyly.
Evelyn came closer and tugged at my shirt.
—New food? —she asked with a hint of curiosity in her dull eyes.
"Great… There's no one normal in this place," I thought to myself. The Abyss was taboo, and supposedly no one knows about that place. It's normal for them to be so calm, even excited in their own way. Thinking about it…
With Seraphine, nothing bad should happen, unlike Elizabeth, who's always trying to stir up trouble… In a way, I'm excited too. The Abyss is a mysterious place in itself, but it's extremely dangerous because of the thousands of Fallen who wander aimlessly there.
—So, when are we leaving? —Leslie gave an adorable smile as her eyes sparkled with excitement.
—Right now —I said as I gestured for them to follow me.
—Isn't it a bit too sudden? —Daniela asked with concern.
—There's nothing to worry about, you'll understand soon enough —I said, waving my hand dismissively— You won't even notice the passage of time… literally.
—Why do you want to take the children to the Abyss? —Emilia asked while frowning. The Abyss was a much more dangerous place than Hell. Though in Hell there were cities and rules you had to follow if you didn't want to die, and there was a certain control over demons, it was still equally dangerous for any human. But it wasn't completely insane. On the other hand, the Abyss was a lawless place: thousands of fallen angels roamed through the complete darkness without direction. They seem calm at first glance, but if you get too close, they won't stop until they kill you. They have a deep resentment toward the living and especially toward demons.
Emilia, likewise, had already been to the Abyss a long time ago, but never crossed the limits of exploration — or rather, what was considered the safe zone. Beyond the darkness, she understood that there was a fallen throne in a deep sleep, affecting reality and creating a kind of realistic illusion. The problem with this illusion is that it traps many extremely powerful fallen beings who try with all their might to escape. The pressure from the profane divine energy has made the place terribly unstable.
But here's the issue: the energy needed for fission is located in that place. When the fragment is sensed, the sleeping throne awakens, unleashing the illusion that kept everyone imprisoned.
—The illusion trial will be of great help to the children —Seraphine said while moving her hands in the air. Golden runes formed a circle in the sky, creating a kind of invisible door.
—But they could also get lost in the illusion —Emilia still wasn't fully convinced— Getting lost in the illusion is the same as dying.
—You're right, but it's a unique opportunity for Leslie and Evelyn. Maybe with this, a part of them will finally awaken —Seraphine spoke calmly as she continued creating the portal to the Abyss.
Emilia stayed silent for a few moments before looking at Elizabeth, who was extremely quiet.
—I really don't get it —she clicked her tongue in frustration. She focused all her attention on the runes Seraphine was creating, trying in vain to understand them. The idea of having her own portal to the Abyss was too tempting, but, to her bad luck, she couldn't understand any of it.
Seraphine chuckled softly. She had done it on purpose. Giving Elizabeth too much of a treat was a big mistake, so she made the runes much more complicated.
—What could go wrong? —tilting her head— With big sister around, nothing unusual will happen.
Emilia thought for a moment and looked at Seraphine again.
—Did you tell her about the visit?
—Of course I did. She said she was very excited to have visitors again after so long alone —Seraphine put on a dreamy smile— Don't worry too much. Everything will be fine.
—And your daughter? —Elizabeth asked curiously.
—Once I purify the divine energy, I'll be able to give it to her in large amounts. It will be of great help to my little one —she answered calmly.
—Ugh… —Emilia held her temples as she sighed— I don't understand why you do all this.
—Isn't it obvious? —Seraphine laughed lightly— I do it because I care about them! —She kept staring at the multiple runes in the sky for a few moments— I'm taking you because we need to reinforce the seal. I wonder what will happen to it…
—I see —Emilia nodded with a cold look— I need a bath —with those last words, her body completely disappeared.
—The seal, huh? —Elizabeth stroked her chin with a mysterious smile on her lips— It's going to be fun.
Seraphine chuckled as well.
—I think it really will be.