“I don’t under—” My eyes widen.
“Good. You’re starting to make connection.”
It’s Moe who speaks next, arranging all my chaotic thoughts into a coherent sentence. “Whoever created this realm wants to become the Abyss Primordial.”
“Indeed. And he will eliminate anyone he thinks might be competition.”
“You know him?”
Lis doesn’t answer. “In a manner of speaking.”
“And the souls?” Moe interrupts. “Where do they go? Does this Abyss Domain holder consume all of them? Is that how he means to become the Primordial.”
I give her a satisfied nod—she always has the best questions.
“Yes and no. He is strong, but notthatstrong yet. Some of the souls power the system that runs Aimaxion. The rest…” she trails off. “The rest are harvested, as per the original purpose of this realm.”
“Harvested?” I frown.
“The wraith should have told you during orientation. If you die here, your soul is exterminated. That is because it is converted in energy.”
“For what purposes?” Moe asks.
“That is as much as I can say for now. But heed my warning, Nykander. No matter what, donotlet anyone know you have a second domain, or that it is the Abyss Domain.”
“For how long? Forever?” Surely that’s a little extreme… I don’t think I can be careful and live in fear for all of eternity.”
Lis’s eyes flicker a pure white.
“Until the door to Tartareia closes.”
53
The same open stretch of ruins dominates my field of view as Moe and I join Lis for another afternoon training session.
This time, however, Lis forgoes the battle exercises—a surprise, really, considering how much she enjoys knocking me to the ground—in favor of a more theoretical lesson.
“As you are aware, there are plenty of devices that can read an immortal’s energy signature and determine both their level and domain. Should you be subjected to such a test, you do not want it to reveal that you have double domains, nor that one of them is the Abyss Domain,” she starts.
Moe and I are reclining against a half-broken column as we watch her pace in front of us. Hands behind her back, she carries herself with the same air of confidence as always, but this time, she seems more generous with her words.
Perhaps it’s her way of showing me that she’s become as fond of me as I have become of her. Or, perhaps, she’s just reached the conclusion that I’mthatstupid, and therefore require the extra words for comprehension.
“Pay attention carefully to what I’m going to say next. It is important you do exactly as I say.”
“Yes, master!” I dutifully agree.
She rolls her eyes, then clears her throat and continues. “To successfully hide your energy signature and conceal your domain, you will need to reach the Apex Level.”
“That’s level ten,” Moe whispers to me.
Great, even my female thinks I’m an idiot.
“Your Abyss level is one. Even at your accelerated rate of growth, it will take you a long time to reach level ten in it. That means you must reach the Apex Level in your Shadow Domain, which will then help you cover the energy signature of your Abyss Domain, too.”
“Didn’t you say I should be wary about the Shadow Primordial?”
“Yes, that is a concern, but only after you reach Primordial Levels.”
