Abyssal Awakening-Chapter 910: Four Aspects Of Time

"Are you sure this’ll work? The statue doesn’t exactly look... operable." Selen furrowed her brows.

The statue was missing like half the pieces from the head and torso and as for the energy hidden within the core, it was one breath away from disappearing for good.

"It’ll work. These statues didn’t require a lot of energy to begin with, nothing like the fraudulent shamans of this day and age." Caera chuckled, leaning against fence with a grin.

Seeing her confidence, Selen could only shrug and place her hand against the statue. Closing her eyes, she linked herself up.

Immediately, she felt herself transported to a strange black void. She couldn’t see the ground yet she was standing perfectly fine. No light source yet her hands and body was still visible.

Turning around, Selen paused upon seeing the illusionary silhouettes floating in the sky.

"Heh~ That’s quite the selection you have. A few Old Lords to choose from too." Caera’s voice echoed out next to her as Selen looked to the side in surprise and saw Caera with her arms crossed.

"What the f*ck?"

"Don’t worry about it, linking myself to you and the statue is easy. It’s something you get the hang of after experimenting with Velouria’s stuff. Now then let’s see... Nope, not this one. This one is horrible for you. Not this, oh god, definitely not this one." Caera waved her hand and started to filter out the list for Selen.

There was a slight hint of Eldritch energy that helped Caera anchor herself to this place, thus allowing her to help Selen with her selection.

Before she knew it, there were only four beasts left for Selen to pick from.

"These are the ones with the most potential and probably most likely for you to kill. The others give abilities that are too weak or niche ones that you can’t interact with at all, even with your perception manipulation." Caera explained.

Out of the four, two were rather human like while the other two were bestial in appearance.

The first and biggest of them all was a colossal whale that hovered in the sky. There seemed to be a myriad of worlds anchored upon its back as waterfalls created celestial silken bands around its flippers.

Lined along its body were countless eyes that seemed to peer into a space beyond them.

"The beast of a thousand paths. Not a sealed Lord but one that might give you some good potential in your Sigil. One of its powers are the ability to peer into alternate choices and bring that possibility to reality in a moment.

"Say you are faced with a choice, to open or not to open. Should you choose one, he will be able to manifest the other. An attack you dodged might in fact pierce your body, an attack that landed might have missed.

"His power is one of potential." Caera explained.

"They say his powers are dictated by the eyes lined upon its body. I think that’s only partially correct. But if you were to gain the Sigil, you might be limited to two selections with your eyes. Who knows? No one has ever killed this beast but with your power of perception, I think it’s rather possible." She shrugged as Selen turned to the second option.

"Lady of the Promised Tomorrow, she who seizes the future." Caera spoke.

The second option was a woman with long flowing hair and spikes lined across her body. A dragon like tail that whipped behind her and an elegant dress.

Even without seeing the target in person, Selen could already feel the pressure emanating from this woman.

"An Old Lord, one that peers into destiny not unlike a certain witch of the past. Her powers allow her to perceive the future. Similar to the ring that Sigurd gives you only her sight is not one based on predictions and habits.

"And once she sees your future, she can bring certain consequences to the actions you will take. Again, no one has managed to kill her since she was a Sealed Lord. But with her unsealing, she is now roaming these lands.

"But what good is seeing the future if your present can’t react? She’ll be slightly harder to kill than the whale if what you desire is the power to properly observe the future."

Caera flicked her finger and the third option presented itself.

A giant serpent that seemed to be veiled in smoke. Its body flickered between transparent silhouettes of itself that seemed to be delayed from its actual movements.

"The moebius serpent, a beast that doesn’t live in the present but rather feeds on the past. His powers allow him to force the projections of the past upon all who fight him. Actions you made seconds ago manifested as a shadow.

"If your past is destroyed, the present ceases to function. A weapon destroyed in the past will crumble to dust in your hands. The disappearance of cause thus the effect fades.

"When fighting this beast, you make sure you dodge the present while keeping it away from your past. For the moment your past is devoured, your origin will disappear. But killing it once wouldn’t do. Far from it.

"As a beast that lives in the past, each death will only make it retreat further into the stream of time. Each death will make it lose power until it fades from time itself." Caera explained with a chuckle while Selen blinked her eyes.

Caera wants her to kill a beast with this kind of power???

"Oh don’t look at me that way. The beast has a perverted power for sure but the rest of its abilities and physical capabilities are lacking. It’s merely a gimmick. For a beast that fights in the past, it struggles with the present. You’ll be able to kill it just fine."

With that kind of explanation, Caera flicked her finger to the final option.

Immediately, Selen pulled out her weapon. Fear that struck her core, the gaze that bore into the essence of her being.

This last option...

Was the most dangerous! Everything about the target was telling her to flee.

"Hou~ So even as just a silhouette, it can invoke such effects upon you. As expected of the Tyrant controlling Time." Caera raised an eyebrow.

"This one will no doubt be the hardest fight for you. Even with Egil’s help. An Old Lord who governs over the present.

"I have shown you the whale who perceives possibilities, the woman who observes the future. The serpent who devours the past. And now, I present the king who controls the present.

"His powers are similar to your abilities of perception. Only he erases the time of the present. A desynchronisation where actions are carried out without knowledge. A master of assassinations. Much is unknown but what little is known makes him the best when it comes to time related powers.

"And... Here’s a little bit of a history lesson for you." Caera smiled.

She knew the origin of Selen’s ability. The sealed Lord Miralith, the Old Lord of Time.

"In the past when the Old Lords have yet to be sealed, there ruled a kingdom who’s king was tyrannical in every sense of the word. The King of the Present. Because to him, ruling the present meant unyielding power.

"The past cannot be changed, the future will turn into the present. Thus only the now mattered. His word was Law, his ability unmatched. A king that even Tiamat, the Queen of Apocalypse gave her respect to as people of power.

"Then one day, he found a strange beast lurking around the edges of his domain. A beast that was feasting on the very essence of his power.

"Intrigued, the king didn’t order the beast’s death. No, it decided to take it in. He allowed the beast to feast upon his power day in day out. He fed it the essence of time itself, to allow the beast to adapt and grow.

"Little by little, the beast grew. Its mastery over time has become something that even the king praised. It was the king’s pet yet it was also the king’s friend." Caera chuckled.

"Thus was born the closest retainer of the King who ruled the present. Miralith the Old Lord of Time."

Hearing this, Selen froze.

The sealed Lord whom she made a contract with... was the king’s retainer?

Then this fourth target that Caera wanted her to kill...

"If that’s the case then isn’t my power going to be useless against him?" Selen furrowed her brows.

"Not quite. Because despite being the closest retainer to the King, Miralith was also the one responsible for his sealing. A tale unknown to the world where only those involved understood what had truly occurred." Caera shrugged.

Out of the four choices, the last was definitely the most powerful and beneficial if Selen wanted to be a strong Lord who governs time.

However, the difficulty is by far head and shoulders above the rest. Even for her, killing the Lord who controls the present wouldn’t be an easy task. Only winning due to the nature of her Eldritch contract.

But such abilities were impossible for Selen and Egil.

Unless...

Miralith intervenes.

As a Hybrid that’s contracted with Miralith, communication between the two are possible to some degree. Hell, she could even summon Miralith’s phantom if desired.

And that would be the key she requires if she wanted to kill the king.

Selen furrowed her brows, she looked at the selection presented before her.

She already knew the choice Alice would pick if she was in her place. Alice would no doubt pick the fourth even with the odds against her.

But unfortunately, Selen wasn’t like that. There was too much uncertainty involved.

The whale who perceives possibilities was interesting but she didn’t think that kind of ability would help them.

The woman who observes the future is also strong. But what use is looking to the future if she can’t influence the present? Then there’s the serpent who devours the past.

If she were to choose this serpent, she would be able to control all three aspects of time to some degree.

However...

"How much time can we afford? I need to think about this." Selen creased her brows.

Caera grinned.

Selen was considering the fourth option.

"As much time as you need."