### In the Abyss
"It sure has been a long time since I remembered that memory," Ashura whispered to himself, eyes locked on his prey with predatory intensity. He could feel the thrum of excitement coursing through him. "Well then, it's time to begin the hunt," he declared, his voice low and steely.
With a swift movement, Ashura leaped from the rocky cliff above the abyss, descending towards the monstrous Gorgaroth below. As he plummeted, his mind centered, and his lips parted to form the ancient incantation.
**"O Nyx, guardian of shadow and night,
Imbue this blade with thy endless might.
Let starlit edge through darkness rend,
To pierce the heart where shadows blend."**
As the final syllable left his mouth, Ashura unsheathed the sword that hung at his waist—the blade glimmered with a beauty that echoed the moonlight itself. He gripped it tightly, feeling its power surge through him.
With a graceful extension of his arm, he aimed for Gorgaroth's outer neck. The sword plunged deep, and Ashura could sense the beast's immediate gasp as its life force was threatened. The momentum of his fall had lent strength to the strike, a calculated advantage he had anticipated.
Ashura released the sword as he arched gracefully off Gorgaroth's back, landing deftly on the ground. In a seamless motion, he drew out the dagger concealed along his right arm. Gorgaroth, preoccupied with extricating the blade embedded in its neck, finally turned its enormous, furious eyes upon Ashura.
Seizing the opportunity, Ashura charged forward. His focus was razor-sharp; he aimed directly for Gorgaroth's eyes—the monster's weak point. In a battle of sheer strength, he knew he would stand no chance, but quickness and precision were his allies.
Without hesitation, he lunged at Gorgaroth, wielding the dagger with lightning speed. "Let's see how you fare against the darkness!" he growled, determination etched onto his face. Ashura aimed for the beast's glaring eye, hoping to immobilize it and tilt the odds in his favor.
Gorgaroth roared in pain as Ashura's dagger struck true, landing a direct hit on its eye. The beast thrashed, a surge of hot blood splattering across the ground, but Ashura stood firm. He had breached Gorgaroth's defenses, but the fight was far from over.
"Your strength means nothing now!" he taunted, dodging to the side as the monster swung its massive head in a frenzied attempt to shake him off. As Gorgaroth's attention wavered, Ashura readied himself for another strike, determined to exploit every moment of weakness in the colossal creature before him.
In that moment, Gorgaroth imbued the abyssal energy into both of his arms, striking the ground with an immense force. Even Ashura, who was usually quick on his feet, found himself momentarily pushed back by the sheer power of the strike.
"I expected no less from a Level 13 abyss monster," Ashura remarked, wiping the blood from his cheeks. His gaze sharpened with determination as he shifted his movements, now darting in a zigzag pattern. The erratic motions made it difficult for Gorgaroth to track his attacks. Realizing he had no other choice, Gorgaroth began channeling the abyss energy into his feet, preparing to leap.
"You think I will let you?!" Ashura shouted, launching his dagger at Gorgaroth's ankle with precision. The blade embedded itself deeply, showcasing the sharpness of Ashura's perception.
A chilling laughter escaped Gorgaroth's lips, a sound that sent shivers down Ashura's spine. "Kekekekekke!" The foot that was supposed to spring him into action grew still, and instead, Gorgaroth's body began to swell. His torso opened like a monstrous flower unveiling its petals to absorb the sunlight.
Ashura, caught unawares and too close to Gorgaroth's expanding form, had no time to evade. In a flash, Gorgaroth unleashed a torrent of energy, channeling it into a devastating beam. The force was astonishing, powerful enough to obliterate even the sturdiest of rocks upon impact.
"Kekekekekek!" Gorgaroth cackled with sinister glee, convinced of his triumph in this battle.
But suddenly, a voice emerged from behind him, cutting through the heavy atmosphere. "You abyss monsters sure know how to be disgusting, huh?"
Gorgaroth froze, shocked for a fleeting moment, the sudden sense of danger catching him off guard. Before he could react, a strike landed squarely on his core, a devastating blow delivered just as his body opened wide. As he felt the threads of life slipping away, confusion washed over him. Who was this human? How had he managed to strike him with such accuracy? The beam he had unleashed was surely unavoidable, yet here he was, only suffering a hairline scratch on his cheek.
For the first time in his existence as a predator, Gorgaroth felt the unsettling sensation of being prey, hunted and cornered by an unexpected adversary.
As Gorgaroth's body fell, Ashura, clutching the core in his palm, finally began to smile. '"After countless tries, I finally beat it," he said, his voice carrying a hunter's edge. In his hand, the core was like a dirty, tainted orb, reeking with a foul stench and stained with dark, sickly marks.
Ashura opened his mouth. Unlike a human's, his teeth were subtly sharp across a full set, hinting at something predatory beneath the surface. Just opening his mouth was enough to reveal that this was no ordinary man. Without hesitation, he placed the core in his mouth.
Creak, creak, creeeak.
As the core crunched between his teeth, Ashura's eyes gleamed with satisfaction, as if he were tasting food after a long day of fasting. He swallowed the crushed core, savoring it fully.
'"Alright, I need to hurry back. The sun should be rising soon",' he murmured, glancing at the horizon. With swift, precise steps, he moved toward his next destination, already set on the goal he'd chosen after finishing Gorgaroth.
When he arrived, the scene looked like a massacre from moments before. A river flowed with a putrid stench, stained red like blood. Dead trees lined the path, their gnarled faces twisted into eerie, tortured expressions. A faint, maddening laughter echoed in the distance. But Ashura walked on, indifferent to his surroundings, his focus fixed solely on his target: a rare herb that only grew in the abyss.
As he continued, he felt a subtle energy radiating from nearby, accompanied by a calming hum that felt almost narcotic. His instincts sparked instantly.
"There it is",' he whispered. The Abyssal Siren.
He quickened his pace, following the trail of the seductive aroma. Finally, he found it: a flower of haunting beauty and unsettling allure, lying in wait like a predator. Ashura took in the sight of it with an appreciative grin.
"There you are, Abyssal Siren",he said, his voice low as he stared at the flower.
The Abyssal Siren lay before him, delicate yet unearthly. It resembled a water lily with translucent petals in hues of deep sapphire and obsidian, edges shimmering with iridescent shades of teal and silver. The petals looked soft and inviting but were lined with needle-like hairs capable of delivering a venomous sting. At its center lay a shimmering, mirror-like pool, reflecting glimpses of memories—luring those who gazed too long closer. From the flower's base, thin, curling tendrils extended, anchoring it to the ground like dark, wiry roots."
Usually, for a human, it would be a mental challenge to handle the mesmerizing hum of an abyssal siren. However, for Ashura, it was as easy as pie falling from the sky. He quickly pulled out the item he needed and stuffed it into his potion pouch. Just as he completed his task, he began chanting an incantation.
**"Nyx, mistress of the eternal night,
Guide my spirit through shadowed flight.
By starlit paths and the moon's embrace,
Return me now to my rightful place.
Through veils of darkness and whispers old,
Lead me home where stories are told.
With dawn's first light and twilight's gleam,
Bridge the worlds, fulfill this dream."**
"Ritus Revertendi!" shouted Ashura, his voice echoing with the final word as his surroundings were enveloped in shadow. When he opened his eyes, he found himself back in his room. The candle flame had long since extinguished, and the magic stone he had placed in the cycle had turned to dust.
"Ugh, dammit, I'm so tired. I guess I'll sleep in class again," Ashura said lazily, feeling completely drained of energy. One might wonder if he was truly the same person who had hunted Hogarth before.
### In the Council Student Room
The air was thick with anticipation as Veramount adjusted the pendant hanging around his neck, its surface glinting softly in the dim light of the council student room. He held it up, lost in thought, a distant look in his eyes as memories swirled just beyond his reach. Finally, with a heavy sigh, he placed the pendant into a polished oak drawer—one that could only be opened with a specific magical code known only to him. The certainty of its safety brought him a slight sense of relief.
"Well, I guess it's time for us to meet," he murmured to himself, though to anyone else it might have sounded like a reluctant admission. He closed the drawer with a gentle thud, his heart heavy with the decisions still looming ahead.
Mers, another student council member with a playful smirk, leaned against the wall, arms crossed. His curiosity was palpable. "Ohhhh, it seems someone has a lot on his mind," he teased, a playful lilt in his voice. "I'm honestly kinda curious about your younger brother. What's he like?"
Veramount's eyes flickered sharply towards Mers, cold and piercing like shards of ice. "Do not waste your time on something so useless," he snapped, a faint edge creeping into his tone. There was an intensity about him that was unmistakable; it was as if the weight of responsibility pressed down on his shoulders like an unforgiving storm.
His gaze lingered on Mers for a moment too long, silently conveying the significance of his words. "Focus more on the work at hand." With that, the room fell silent, the air thickening as tension hovered in the space between them.
Mers raised his hands in a mock gesture of surrender, a grin still dancing on his lips. "Alright, alright. No need to bite my head off," he replied, though his eyes were bright with mischief, clearly undeterred.
Yet, in that moment, Veramount's mind was already elsewhere, grappling with shadows of the past and the uncertainty of what lay ahead. The council room, usually a hub of activity and camaraderie, felt isolating in his moment of contemplation.