Abyssal Awakening

While Tristan was fixing the roof, Alice occupied herself by experimenting with the new set up.

There was still some time before the switch wore off so she couldn't experiment with her first Sigil just yet. However, that was going to be her main priority once she was given the chance.

Her first focus was the Sigil of Duality.

Her understanding of this Sigil was… a little lacking. So far, the only thing she has achieved with this Sigil has been reversing motor controls and inverting energy control.

With this Sigil being a more… conceptual Sigil, there was a lot more that Alice could achieve if she had the right mindset. The key being the mindset.

'Duality… Duality… What else do you think we can do with Duality? We didn't see much of her performance in the Inverted World. Do you think that maybe it's because there wasn't much else to see?' Alice asked.

Her theory was that in the original timeline, The Lord of Duality didn't have any trouble killing the Lord of Corrosion and her fight ended then and there.

Naturally, this meant that her capabilities weren't fully expressed and with the Lord of Corrosion suddenly gaining the upper hand, this surprise was enough for her to die before recomposing herself.

Had it not been for the sudden contract, the fight wouldn't have ended so fast.

But setting aside how she got this Sigil, Alice focused on its uses.

Depending on the title of the Lord, their abilities undergo certain changes. The more 'conceptual' the title is in nature, the better.

An example being Allura's title as the Apostle of Severance. It was an upgrade from her title as Lord, that being Execution.

With severance, it wasn't as simple as being able to cut anything. No.

Using her powers, Allura was able to cut away a person's thoughts, emotions, senses and even their connection to the world. That was the apex of conceptual titles.

Therefore, titles such as Ice, Inferno or the likes have a more… Limited potential when it comes to utilization.

Whereas titles such as Duality, Time, Apocalypse, Death have more freedom when it comes to interpretating their potential.

Closing her eyes, Alice sensed the flowing power of Duality.

There were only two paths laid out before her. One was physical and the other was energy, both of which she's tapped into so far. She had to adjust her thinking on a fundamental level.

Duality.

What is duality? It's an instance of contrasting concepts. The observation of opposing objects perhaps. Linked yet so very different in nature.

But Duality could then also be split further into simply having 'two' parts.

Inverted physical movement and normal movement.

Inverted energy control and normal control.

With this in mind, there is the thought that it had to be two concepts that can be flipped.

But Alice didn't think it needed to be limited to this.

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For example, her blood.

Right now, in its base form, she is able to fend off the influence of the Abyss. What about the opposite of this?

Would the opposite of her blood enhance the Abyss? To make it more potent?

Then comes the question of her and Alyss.

They are no doubt a 'duality'.

Two parts of the same being, two souls in one body.

One prefers casting and the other prefers hand to hand.

It was easy to observe the dual nature of their existence.

But to put it into an ability was far more difficult than what Alice had expected.

To fully visualise her ideals, her theories into reality. To reject the rules of what's been placed onto her… Difficult and challenging yet it spurns the heart!

Alice couldn't hold back the smile on her face as she opened the windows and took a deep breath of the cool night air.

While she may have 'borrowed' this Sigil from the Lord of Duality, she was fully intent on making it her own.

To make use of the fragment of the soul she stole from the Goddess of the Moon.

While Alice was basking in the cold wind, clearing her mind and putting her thoughts in order, Cayla stopped reading her book and glanced up at her master.

Now that she was awake more often, there was something she'd been keenly aware of.

That… adaptation.

It isn't just a case of adapting to the rules of this world, the rules of her abilities, her bloodline.

No, rather than adapting… It was far more accurate to call it cultivating. To cultivate her knowledge of this world, allowing it to grow and become the foundation of her understanding.

Despite having all of Alyss's memories, Alice was still technically a being of a blank slate. An empty canvas that breaks the fundamental rules of this world.

She takes the outside influence and moulds it into her own, to paint her own picture.

If the world was a finished piece, beautiful and complete with all its imperfections, Alice was the canvas of a young aspiring artist. Inspired by the world, drawing down their ideas and moulding a realm of their own.

With this freedom of mind, there is no limit to Alice's growth.

But this in itself is what's abnormal!

This in its entirety shouldn't be possible.

No matter how free the mind thinks, there are limitations that the mind instinctively accepts.

To understand that they cannot perform certain tasks.

That is to perceive oneself as 'human'. But perhaps, Alice is lacking that critical aspect.

As an artificial being, ever since discovering the truth of her existence, Alice's growth rate has skyrocketed.

[Perhaps it's because of this that she can bypass the natural limitations that the mind places on the body. Nyer has given her everything she needs to become a true monster. A body that can withstand any experimentation and the free mind that could draft up even the most ludicrous theories and bring them to reality.] Cayla thought to herself with a frown.

And after all this questioning, there is only one last question.

Why?

If it simply wanted to create a vessel for Velouria, then this should've been more than enough. If he can create a being like Alice once, he can do it again. So what's holding him back?

What's stopping him from making a second Alice to resurrect Velouria or did something else occur to change his mind? Why did he allow the Zenias to take control of Alice?

What happened in the last few hundred years that caused this change to Nyer? A person working desperately using everything he got to fight against the laws of this world.

Cayla simply couldn't understand his goal.

The more she found out about Alice, the more bewildered she became.

If Nyer's goal was to simply create a being that had the potential to become the strongest, even perhaps reaching the realm of God hood then he succeeded. But that was only on the surface.

Secrets loomed in the darkness and Cayla didn't even know where to begin.

Alice has now seen two instances of Nyer. The first, in the Inverted World. A young Nyer who's only just felt the beginning of desperation.

His panic and loss of composure when the world crumbled around him was proof of such.

The second Nyer was the one who granted her the body she now has. A far more mature Nyer who calculates everything he does. Every variable, every possibility, he has prepared for it all.

Even knowing that he's simply a phantom in the Inverted World was enough for him to adjust his plans and make modifications on Alice's body.

To push this race closer to the finish line.

And in the 10 years since the last time he's appeared, there's no doubt that he must've undergone another change. Something that'll make him change his priority and allow Alice to roam free despite her being the perfect vessel.

'If you furrow your brows so much, you'll get wrinkles.' Alyss spoke up, breaking Cayla out of her focus.

Massaging her eyebrows, she smiled and nodded her head.

'So what's gotten you so worked up? It's not often I see you space out like this.' Alyss asked.

While her twin was focusing on her theories of duality, it was up to her to make sure that Cayla was feeling alright.

[Have you… ever thought of why Nyer created Alice? What's his goal? Why isn't he making a move? What's he waiting for?] Cayla decided to be blunt as Alyss scratched her chin and saw on the table.

'Honestly, even if we see him, I doubt we'll get to find out. We'll be at each other's necks immediately after all.' Alyss shrugged.

Hearing this, Cayla nodded her head with a chuckle.

[Very true. And allowing him more time to speak might be part of his plans. It's better to seal with him as soon as possible. On a side note, what do you think about Duality?]

'The only duality I know is my left fist and right fist.' Alyss joked.

However, as they were joking with one another, they didn't notice what Alice was doing.

Recently, there has been once case of… 'Duality' that she has been considering.

The after effects of her fifth Sigil, one that expelled her from this realm.

If the normal activation was one that rejected her from this plane of existence, what if she was to overlay it with the power of Duality? To inverse the phenomenon and rather than burning away her connection, what if she was to reinforce it?

To anchor herself deeper into this realm, to use its laws and the energy that flowed through the land?

She had already sensed what it was like to be 'expelled'. She simply needed to tap into the same sensation while under the effects of Duality.

If being expelled was akin to having her anchor removed, she simply needed to insert more anchors for the inverse. To lock herself into this realm.

At that moment, the ambient energy around her began to stir.