Abyssal Awakening-Chapter 982: Power Of Origin

Pain.

Not sharp.

Something deeper.

As if her mind had been pulled apart and then stitched back together with unsteady hands.

Selen groaned as her eyes opened.

Light flooded in.

Blinding.

Far too bright.

She squeezed them shut immediately. A dull pressure pushed against her skull, throbbing behind her eyes like something inside them had shifted.

Inhale.

Exhale.

Slow.

She forced herself to breathe.

She was back.

Back in reality.

Not the endless void.

Not the final white room.

Selen paused. Her fingers twitched.

That’s right, Miralith.

What did she do? What did she sacrifice?

’Miralith? Miralith?! Where are you?’ Selen called out through their link but no one answered.

Selen gritted her teeth and opened her eyes again.

The ceiling above her came into focus piece by piece.

She was back at the camp. Someone must’ve brough her back.

Either Caera or Egil.

But before she could think further, her vision started to distort.

At first she thought she was dizzy.

Then she saw them.

Cracks.

They were faint at first, barely visible hairline fractures crawling across the ceiling like scratches in glass. White and pale blue lines stretching across the ceiling.

She blinked again but these cracks didn’t disappear. They started to multiply.

Connecting, getting bigger.

They branched across the room, moving like a thunder strike in slow motion.

Confusion filled her face as she glanced to her side.

The table next to her bed started to manifest these cracks, flowing across its entire structure.

What was she looking at?

Did something go wrong with her ascension?

Her eyes traced one of the cracks and in that moment, flashes of light appeared in her mind.

The history of this table. Where the materials had come from.

She couldn’t stop the vision. And as the scenes finally finished, there was a single blue orb at the centre of its being. One that she could just reach out and...

Touch.

It’s Origin.

Every thread began somewhere. Every existence had a starting point.

And what she was looking at...

Was the core essence of this table. Of its existence.

Selen’s gaze drifted across the room. The longer she looked, the more she could see the Origin of this room.

Walls, the floor, even the pillars holding this place up.

Countless cracks filled her vision as she could feel her eyes straining under the pressure.

The headache only grew.

She leaned against the table to stabilize herself.

But the moment her hand came into contact, even without touching the Origin, the cracks began to glow and the table split apart, causing Selen to crash onto the ground.

Selen inhaled sharply, forcing her eyes shut as the pain in her head continued to slam against her skull.

Carefully, she pushed herself upright and sat on the bed.

Outside, a person knocked on the door before stepping in having heard the commotion.

Light footsteps.

Not Egils nor were they Caera’s.

"Who is it?" Selen called out.

"Is me. How you feeling?" Alfva asked. She had deep bags under her eyes while chewing a small white stick to invigorate her spirit.

Though it did little to help.

"A bit rough." Selen smiled helplessly after hearing Alfva’s voice.

"Tends to be the case. Lord Sigurd mentioned that newly ascended might find it hard to adapt to their new authority. But it seems to be especially bad in your case." She shrugged, glancing over to the broken table.

"Erm... Did you see a blue haired girl and someone who looks like royalty?" Selen asked after a brief pause.

"Nah. Caera mentioned the two of them left while she had Egil carry you back. Said they wanted to explore the world or something. But honestly, what is there to even explore? It’s a bit of a sh*t show right now." Aflva grabbed a chair and sat down opposite Selen.

Green energy shimmered from her body as she scanned Selen, making sure everything was okay.

A frown lingered on her face. 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

"They left huh?... Not even a goodbye." Selen smiled bitterly.

But at least they were still alive. Her worst fears have disappeared.

"Anyways that’s enough of them. You’re the main focus. Can you open your eyes for me?" Alfva asked as Selen paused before nodding.

The moment she laid her eyes on Alfva, her body fractured instantly.

Cracks spreading across her body, splitting her form into layers.

Flashes of her past, too fast to fully digest yet the pain didn’t care.

Selen flinched. Her eyes widened and at the centre of Alfva’s being, a small sphere started to converge.

She quickly shut her eyes, fearful of what might happen if she stared too long.

"Hm... a tis a tricky one. You’re constantly funnelling energy into your dominant sense. In this case, sight. Can you turn it off?"

"If I could, I wouldn’t be closing my eyes now." Selen sighed.

Alfva was about to reach out when Selen flinched backward.

She raised an eyebrow before turning to the table, realising it’s probably best not to touch Selen right now.

"Lordship and crap like that are outside of my expertise. I’ll call Caera over and you can talk to her instead." Aflva stood up as Selen nodded.

"Much is appreciated."

With Alfva leaving the room, Selen finally leaned back and let out a sigh of relief.

She truly didn’t want to imagine what might’ve happened if Aflva touched her in that moment.

This... power...

This authority...

It was beyond what she had expected.

Being able to trace back the history of anything she was looking at then finding their starting point.

In a sense, it was similar to the King’s power when he used the sword.

To bring forth the past and cut it.

Only this was far more oppressive.

If...

If she set aside the obvious problems, then the questions remaining will be how can she utilize this power properly? What were the limitations? How long does it take to activate?

And most importantly, can she even handle it?

Just using this ability on the room, table and even Aflva briefly felt like she had just fought several battles back to back.

The headaches that accompany this power was not something she wanted to happen during a battle.

On top of that...

Does this mean there was nothing she couldn’t kill as long as she had time?

As long as she could trace their origin without interference, she’ll be able to erase them.

"Ah..." Selen frowned.

What about her other skills? Could she still use her perception manipulation with these eyes? Or was that now unavailable since she couldn’t keep her eyes open for long periods of time.

Letting out a sigh, she felt a presence enter the room.

Not from the door but...

Above her?

A pair of hands wrapped around her eyes.

"!!!"

"Peekaboo~ Guess who I am~" A woman grinned while Selen let out a sigh.

"What are you doing Caera? I’m sure Alfva told you about not touching me right?" Selen asked with a frown.

But if Caera was ignoring that warning, then she must’ve been confident that she wouldn’t get hurt.

"Oh I’m aware. But~ Even if you were looking at me, you’ll lack the power to trace my origin and blow up your eyes instead." Caera let out a laugh.

Yet the subject of her sentence was rather... grim.

"So you know what authority I got." Selen exhaled through her nose.

"Somewhat. I’ve heard of it but it’s more theory than actual possibility. However, the King and Miralith did give me a briefing of what’s possible." Caera chuckled.

"What I can say confidently is that you should be careful with how you use your eyes now. Get used to them, adapt to them. You can’t turn them off much like how the King can’t turn off his visions of the past present and future.

"And speaking of him, he left you another gift. Something he used in the past to control his powers." Caera reached for her vault and pulled out a single strip of white fabric.

Getting Selen to sit up straight, Caera tied the bandage around Selen’s head, covering her eyes.

"You can open your eyes now. How is it?"

Following her instructions, Selen opened her eyes. The world was now obscured by a faint layer of white. Not enough to block her view but enough for her to notice.

But the most important part was that the cracks were forming very slowly. And if she looked away, they’ll start to fade.

"He said this cloth was a special one in that it blocks ocular abilities. He originally wanted to hire the craftsman to make something that allowed him to fully control the eyes but that was impossible.

"So he settled with a compromise and that was this bandage. And he also gave you a message along with this present." Caera chuckled, resting her chin on her palm.

"Girl who now wields the Origin. I bestow upon you one of my great treasures. Use it however you see fit. And most importantly, I grant you the permission to worship this bandage for it has been personally used by yours truly." She relayed the message as Selen couldn’t help but laugh.

"It sounds just like him."

"It does. Truly makes you think how Miralith can even cope with such an arrogant King. Honestly what does she even see in him." Caera waved her hand lazily.

"And... don’t worry about them. The King didn’t want to linger around a reminder that he gave up his powers so he left and Miralith followed."

Selen glanced down and nodded with a smile.

Even now, after helping her out in the Origin of Time, the King still bestowed a gift to help her.

He’s harsh with those he’s unfamiliar with. But once you prove yourself to him, he will grant you the finest treasures.

###

"Are you sure you wish not to bid farewell to the girl? Didn’t you see her as a daughter of sorts?" The King asked, resting lazily while sitting on a boat. A pair of brown eyes looked out towards the horizon as he now saw neither past or future.

Only the present.

"If I did, she would’ve noticed wouldn’t she? And once she does, I don’t think I’ll have the heart to leave." Miralith chuckled.

"Plus, didn’t I promise you already? I’ll observe the world with you." She smiled while the King closed his eyes.

A smile hung on his lips.

"You finally set your priorities straight. About time."

"What’s a little bit of waiting for the King who sealed himself." Miralith stuck out her tongue.

"The audacity."

Miralith let out a laugh before leaning against the King.

The whole world was now open for them to explore.