Chapter 345: Abyssal Fragment

Kai was aware now that the Nightborns had different reasons for hating him.

Most were envious of him for growing, while some were naturally hostile.

But those two reasons did not fit the Ending of Impersonation. Its reason for hating him was entirely different than the others; Kai could see it. And before he finished it, he decided to give it another chance to tell him the reason.

Considering the Ending of Impersonation’s hostility, he held little hope.

It would probably curse him one last time.

Surprisingly enough, that wasn’t what came out of its mouth.

"I don’t hate you..." It rasped; its voice came from deep in its throat. "I hate you for what you are."

Kai’s frown deepened.

He stared at the Ending of Impersonation in utter confusion. He opened his mouth, about to demand that it explain what it meant, but it had already let out its last breath. The tornado devoured it until there was nothing left.

Even as the tornado dispersed, Kai kept staring at where the Ending of Impersonation was.

Inside, his mind was reeling.

"Hate me for what I am?" Kai muttered silently.

Kai knew that he had sisters—somewhere in the House of Night. He also knew that they were extremely dangerous; even the Goddess warned him so. At his current strength, he was like a baby to them.

For the last few months, he had met with Mallory several times.

But the two talked about menial things, never talked about the other sisters.

Kai didn’t press for more information, either, as his attention was fixed on deepening his bond with Mallory in order to finish the quest. Regardless, he was under the assumption that all of the Children of the Primordial Night were hostile towards each other. Towards him.

It was a given—not surprising at all.

Just the existence of another would be dividing the night’s attention even more.

Now, he wasn’t so sure.

Are they hostile towards the Nightborns, too?

Recalling how the Goddess treated the Nightborns—he shouldn’t be surprised that his sisters would also treat Nightborns like they were nothing. Just tools to help grow their strength over the night.

Nothing more.

However, talking with Mallory had given him another impression.

She didn’t seem to be the type to treat Nightborns badly.

At least, she didn’t seem condescending towards him, whom she believed to be a Nightborn.

"But maybe that’s because she didn’t know my name yet," Kai muttered silently and pinched his temples with his hand, massaging them. "Just like courting a woman—one would need to be extra good. Past that stage, then it wouldn’t really matter that much."

Kai glanced at the sea of Nightborns, still kneeling before him.

His frown only deepened even further.

"I don’t understand... Nightborns could betray and could be coaxed—by another Child of the Night. Treating them badly would be really bad in the long run—no? Am I reading the Ending of Impersonation’s wrongly?"

A sigh escaped his lips.

Even after everything, there were still too many questions that he didn’t have the answer to.

And worse, the only way to get the answers he wanted was through meeting his sisters.

Mallory is his only way to get the answers.

As for his other sisters—the Goddess would not allow them to meet them. She sounded really stern about it, too, so it’s not a good idea to push his luck. "One at a time. One at a time." Kai said under his breath, recalling what Bella taught him. "No need to be in a hurry when I don’t have to."

"Son of the Night," Kaelmorath called from below.

Kai descended and stood before him. "What is it, Kaelmorath?"

"Something is in there." He pointed at a spot not too far to the side; there was a sizzling smoke that danced silently. Considering the concentration of raw power from the gathering of these Nightborns and Kai’s presence, the darkness was pushed back, but this one remained. "I saw it forming right after you erased the Ending of Impersonation."

Curious, Kai nodded and stepped toward the sizzling darkness.

It swayed like the dying residue of a campfire.

Kai squatted down and inspected the source of this sizzling darkness.

Even through the shin-high mist—he could see something glistening underneath. He reached out his hand and took it out of the shallow water. It was a pale black crystal fragment, and there was a thick black vertical scar on its surface.

Just then, a notification flashed into view.

[You have obtained an Abyssal Fragment 1!]

[Abyssal Fragment One: Gather five fragments in order to forge an Abyssal Stone used to elevate a domain to the Second Floor.]

Kai’s eyes immediately lit up.

Because of the Ending of Impersonation, both Perion and Kaelmorath had been wounded. He wasn’t strong enough to heal them—no, that wasn’t it. Strength wasn’t the problem. The night simply refused to listen to him.

It only responded when he got hurt, not the Nightborns around him.

Just like the Goddess, the night also adopted a less than impartial attitude toward Nightborns.

Beyond that, Kai wanted to begin exploring the Second Floor—which he could right now. But he refused to leave Perion behind. Perion’s Ending of Stone helped him survive—through the Blood Rite.

He was too attached to the big golem because of that.

So, he wanted to help Perion’s domain to reach the Second Floor as well.

He had asked the Goddess.

Unexpectedly, she declined to help, but she did hint that it could be done.

Now, he got a clue on how to do that.

"Abyssal Stone..." Kai muttered as he read the description—the item required to fully elevate Perion’s domain to the Second Floor. "Erasing Nightborns would grant me Abyssal Fragments that could be merged to become an Abyssal Stone. It shouldn’t be that much of a hassle.’

Kai put the Abyssal Fragment 1 into his pocket and turned his attention to Kaelmorath.

He paused for a second, looked at his hand, then pointed it forward.

Kaelmorath staggered backward, confused as to why Kai’s hand was pointing at him.

But before he could ask, Kai already called for the night.

Swish—!

A thick black strand slithered down from the sky—coiling through the air like a serpent made of shadow and will. But instead of guiding it toward himself, as he had done countless times before, he directed it toward Kaelmorath.

Just the sight of the incoming strand stiffened Kaelmorath’s body.

His massive frame went rigid as the darkness wrapped around him.

Every instinct screamed at him to resist, to pull away, and Kai could see his panic.

But then again, after seeing Kai shred the Ending of Impersonation into nothing, it was natural for him to be afraid. Only when Kaelmorath saw Kai’s eyes did he finally relax, deciding to trust him.

Kai focused.

His will commanded the night, directing it to heal Kaelmorath.

Just like when he tried it the first time, there was resistance from the night as it was unwilling to heal a mere Nightborn. But with Kai’s demanding will, the night finally obeyed, and then a notification appeared.

[Do you want to heal Kealmorath, the Ending of Reckless Ruin, for 2,000 usable exp?]

[Yes] [No]

Kai wasn’t surprised.

He simply clicked the yes button with his mind.

Almost instantly after the payment, the night seeped into Kaelmorath’s skin.

It was an unnerving experience. Kaelmorath could feel the darkness moving inside him like a forceful snake, threading through his wounds and knitting flesh and sinew back together. He had been wounded all over—the Ending of Impersonation has lethal claws.

Deep gashes, fractures, and even internal damage.

He had hidden it well; his face betrayed no pain, but the wounds had been severe.

Just that he was a tough Nightborn, so he looked like he was completely fine.

And then, the itch came.

It started at the back of his waist, where a deep gash had been carved. He raised his arm and looked—the severe wound was closing rapidly. The flesh was knitting itself back together, the edges pulling inward, and the blood drying and flaking away.

He twisted, checking other places—his ribs, his shoulders, his thigh.

Every wound was regenerating, and soon, the pain disappeared.

Kaelmorath exhaled slowly. His posture relaxed as he no longer needed to endure the pain.

He hadn’t realized how much he had been suffering until it was gone.

Kai had been watching the process intently, and he nodded inwardly once it was finished.

Now, my mastery over the night had reached a point where I could command it to heal others. Though it still cost usable exp, it didn’t matter. As my control over the night—and raw power grew stronger, I’m sure the cost would diminish. One day, it would disappear entirely.

Finally, he turned his attention back to the other Nightborns.

Kai floated up again, hovering above like a God with both hands behind his back.

"I accept your pledge of loyalty." He said with an imperious voice. "Stay loyal to me, and you will rise alongside me. But for now, return to your homes, and I will come to you one by one."

He had promised them to make their domains a little bit better.

Naturally, he was going to do it.

A man’s worth is dictated by his words; that’s what Bella told him—so he will never make an empty promise. Once they got their command, the Nightborns bowed deeper again before the gathering slipped into the darkness.

"Come on," Kai said, turning around to leave. "I need to heal Perion, too."

Of the two, Perion was in a worse condition, so he wanted to quickly return.

Midway, Kai made an abrupt stop.

Kaelmorath also stopped, turning to look at him in confusion.

Even without asking, he could tell that Kai sensed something troublesome.

A voice rang inside Kai’s mind.

It was a familiar voice, one that he had already grown accustomed to over the past months.

He turned, looking over his shoulder, and uttered the name in his mind.

Mallory.

Since they had met several times in the last few months, Mallory was closer to him now, and she normally thought of him to call out to him without knowing his name. It was a convenient method.

But the strange part was that her voice sounded lighter than normal. Thinner.

Kai shook his head and turned to Kaelmorath. "Stay put."

And then, his body dissolved into the night.

He materialized an unknown distance away, the darkness parting around him like a curtain drawn back. And there, in the distance, he saw her.

Mallory.

She was walking slowly, but Kai could see that she was slightly hunched forward, like she was holding back pain. Even from a distance, he could see the way she favoured her left leg more than her right.

Something was wrong.

"Did she get hurt?"