Prince of The Abyss

Chapter 378: Before Winter Comes

His schedule was really annoying to deal with. Lilith sighed, heading to the castle. Who knew being strong came with so much responsibility? Not only did he still have to attend the Academy... well, it didn’t matter if he did or not; he would still pass, but still, it was something he should do. After all, there were records to break, places for his name to be put in. And he was going to chase them.And outside the Academy, he had all the Wonderland work, which would only get harder in the Winter, as the expedition would get even bigger, from one team to each member of the former team having a party to themselves. Including him, he needed to find five people to join him until the end of winter. He had thought that Iris would be in it, as his support, but after a lot of thought, he wasn’t so sure about it. The fact that Iris is a Seeker and can’t protect herself was a big reason why he was against it.

Was he still a Seeker? Close to Bearer, but yeah, he still was. He was strong; he could hold his own and run when he needed to; Iris couldn’t. And while he could have tried to get someone who was a Bearer to be his support, he would want that. Even if he was a Vessel, they would think it was disrespectful, that a Seeker was making a Bearer their support. It would be as if he was telling them they were only good enough to help someone below their class.

So he was against that.

But the support role was the most important one, so he needed to fill it.

...

That was when he thought of Aether.

The main reason his mind came to him was what he did in the Rebellion, surviving with both Keres and Avius alongside a heck of a lot of scouts was insane, his ability to survive dangerous situations was what he needed, someone he didn’t need to protect all the time, that was why he was different from Iris, it didn’t matter that he was a newly awakened.

And above all, he had survived their battle; he didn’t know how, but he had survived a lethal wound that he wasn’t meant to survive. And he knew that because he made sure he wouldn’t survive, but not only was he alive, but also a Seeker now.

But he couldn’t just choose him because of that; he needed to know if he could actually support him; that was why he had picked him... and it had worked above what he expected. Not only did his ability to talk to shadows make it so he didn’t have to look for a scout, but his manifestation worked perfectly with him. His biggest weakness was his charging; he needed to time it, then to actually hit his opponent, but stronger beasts were smart and learned from him; with Aether restricting their movements, it gave him enough time, getting rid of his weakness.

And it wasn’t like he couldn’t fight on his own.

He hadn’t expected it to work so well... for Aether to be such a good fit... to be such a good support overall. He would go as far as to say he might be more useful than other Bearers... of course, only because of the fact he was also a scout.

But at the same time, he didn’t know if he should choose him because of their relationship. With Iris, the girl would listen to him, but with Aether, he doubted it.

Lilith sighed, entering the castle.

He was going to have to give it more thought, but for now, he needed to see what the King had called him for.

It was always something important when they had to meet face to face. Though, as he was making his way to his room, he came across Keres. The prince looked at him with a smirk. "You’ve finally arrived; I have to warn you, he’s not in the best mood." He laughed.

Lilith smiled, unbothered. "And it just means something even more important than I thought... and since it called me, shouldn’t I be honored?"

Keres slapped his knee. "You’re something else, you know that." Then his smile fell slightly. "Also, I heard you didn’t pick Iris in class; did you two fight or something?"

Lilith sighed, shaking his head. "No, It’s nothing like that... I’m just being responsible; I can’t take Iris with me in the Wonderland, so I’m looking for a support; that’s why I didn’t choose her."

Keres’s eyes lit up, nodding. "I see, good. Don’t worry about Iris, I’ll talk to her..."

And after that, Keres left.

...

Reaching the room, the King rested; he entered.

Yet, glancing at the King, he really did seem to be in quite a bad mood. He had an obvious frown on his face, a deep one, and his whole face looked dark; his elbows were on the table, with his hands intertwined, resting his chin.

His eyes widened for a bit before his smile appeared again, sitting on his chair.

"So, what is it that you’ve called me this time-"

"Cain has escaped."

...

’Well, that was unexpected.’ Lilith cleared his throat, caught off guard by the sudden reveal. "But didn’t you say you had completely broken him?"

Silas’s frown deepened. "I had... I even made him swallow the key, the only thing that could make him free, and yet... that was my biggest mistake."

He sighed, letting his hands fall on the table. "If I have to say, the bastard had swallowed the key not because he was defeated, but the exact opposite. After I left, he threw it up, and used it to get out. Insane, but something he would do..."

And he had thought that maybe he could use Cain as one of his party members; after all, he had the strength, and since he would be broken, he would listen to him. He would have had both the Fallen and the Abyss under him.

But I guess the boy had other plans; still, it was insane to think that this demon had spent so much time without any food or water, being tormented day after day, week after week, month after month, and yet he was still not broken.

But I guess... for someone from the Withered, was it that different? Being starved was probably something he was used to from his childhood, and by how much killing there was in the Withered, he wouldn’t be surprised if Cain had gotten used to pain.

It was harder than they thought to break someone who had already fallen.

Lilith sighed. "So what do we do?"

...

The King’s face lit up. "Well... I got a plan, of course... and you are the main part of it."

Lilith smirked, rolling his eyes. Of course he was; he always was. The King used him more than anyone else, even if he was only a Seeker.

The King laughed. "The chances of Cain going back to the Withered are almost definite; it’s his home, and a place he’s harder to find. He needs time to heal, to get his powers back... You’re going to go and hunt him?"

Lilith froze, for the first time. He wanted him to go... and fight Cain... but would he be able to win? He had been training for a while to do so, but he wasn’t sure he had surpassed him yet... his rival. "Why me?" Lilith said hesitantly, for the first time; even the King was surprised by it. "Why not Keres, why not a Bearer; they would definitely be able to beat him... what if I can’t?"

But the King continued to smile. "Why? It’s a theory of mine, one that started with Aether. It works like this... if you beat him, Cain will be overpowered by another Vessel... just like Aether had been, and after you beat him, he changed, and here he was in the Academy... I think the same will happen to Cain; being beaten by you will crush his hope." Was his theory proven? Not really, since you can’t take one person for granted, and after all, he wasn’t sure if it was really what made Aether come to the Academy, but it was worth trying, better than capturing him and doing the same thing they have been.

...

Silas looked at Lilith’s nervous face, sighing. "I know you don’t think you can do it... after all, it wouldn’t be the first time you’ve fought and lost. But you have to understand, Cain is severely weakened, and hasn’t gotten stronger since you last fought, while you have. You will win, trust me."

...

Lilith sighed, his smile reappearing on his face. "Fine, I’ll beat that guy, and I have to do it fast, since I still need to get my team for the Winter."

The King’s eyes widened. "So are you trying to say-"

"I will beat and have Cain back before Winter comes."