Chapter 94: The Abyssal

Akira walked toward a grand hall filled with inventions of all kinds. Strange machines, ancient tools, and magical devices were displayed throughout the room, each sealed behind glass as if they were priceless treasures.

"Whose inventions are these?" Akira asked as she followed the Majica member through the hall.

"These are old relics from the past that our original founders obtained. They are the inventions of the great lizardman who revolutionized the entire world. Wias."

"Really? Wias really was ahead of his time, huh? To think he was able to make things like these."

Akira approached one of the glass cases and stared at the strange device inside. Even though she had no idea what it was supposed to do, the craftsmanship alone was enough to make her curious.

"It’s not all of them. I’ll show you something later."

The two continued walking for several minutes until the Majica member suddenly stopped beside a strange decoration attached to the wall. He reached toward it and pressed one of the bones embedded within the decoration.

A faint click echoed through the hall.

The wall slowly shifted, revealing a narrow staircase descending into darkness.

"Where are we heading?"

"You’ll see."

Akira followed him down the mysterious staircase. The deeper they went, the quieter the surroundings became, and strange patterns began appearing along the walls, glowing faintly as if they were responding to the magical energy surrounding them.

After descending for several more seconds, countless small lights suddenly appeared throughout the darkness. They floated through the air like distant stars, illuminating the path ahead.

Eventually, they reached a massive door covered in unfamiliar symbols. The Majica member placed his hand against it, and the entire door opened in a single fluid motion.

"Is this really worth it for me to see...?"

Akira stepped inside.

"Woah!"

A brilliant flash of light filled the chamber, forcing Akira to shield her eyes. When she finally looked again, her expression froze.

Floating in the center of the enormous chamber was a strange stone radiating a gentle blue glow. It slowly rotated in the air, while several smaller stones and mysterious fragments orbited around it like celestial bodies surrounding a miniature planet.

Thin streams of magical energy constantly flowed from the stone, twisting through the air before disappearing into the surrounding darkness. The entire chamber seemed to breathe with its presence, and the deeper Akira looked, the more she felt as if she were staring into something far beyond her understanding.

The Majica member spread his arms proudly.

"Behold, the Abyssal Seed of the World."

"The Abyssal Seed of the World? What’s that?!"

"This is a special stone developed by the scholars of Majica, following the instructions left behind by the great inventor, Wias."

Akira stared at the floating stone with fascination.

"What does it do?"

"Wias discovered something extraordinary during his research. The deeper you travel beneath the surface of the world, the stronger the magical energy becomes."

He paused for a moment before continuing.

"Of course, reaching those depths is extremely dangerous. Most people who attempt to travel too deep will never return. This is hidden knowledge, known only to the highest scholars of Majica."

The scholar gestured for Akira to come closer.

"Here. Come over."

Akira hesitated before following him.

The moment she stepped closer to the Abyssal Seed, an enormous amount of magical energy surged through her body. Her eyes widened as she felt the power surrounding her, almost as if she had stepped into an ocean made entirely of magic.

"What... is this?"

The scholar smiled.

"This will change the continental war."

He looked toward the floating stone.

"This is the object that will change the tides."

Akira looked downward.

Beneath the floating stone was an enormous pit that descended so far into the earth that its bottom could not be seen. Darkness swallowed everything below, while faint blue particles of magical energy continuously rose from its depths.

The scholar pointed toward it. "Every day, for centuries, we have been digging into this pit and making it deeper. We don’t know its exact depth anymore, but it has become incredibly deep."

He paused before continuing.

"And the deeper we go, the stronger the magical energy that emerges from the earth becomes."

Akira slowly looked back toward the Abyssal Seed.

"These are only one of the few natural abysses found throughout the world. There are craters, fissures, and trenches that reach depths far greater than this."

"The studies conducted over hundreds of years have led us to believe that these places are one of the reasons magical energy exists throughout our world."

The scholar turned toward Akira.

"And that is why I brought you here."

Akira remained silent.

"We believe that you, Akira Prosei, along with several other individuals, possess the potential to change the tides of this coming war."

He gestured toward the enormous chamber.

"Stay here. Become accustomed to the magical energy. Strengthen yourself beyond what you thought was possible."

His expression became serious.

"Become stronger, Akira Prosei."

"Because you may be one of the people who can change the world."

---

Akuma stared at the figures standing before him. His eyes were filled with confusion, but for the first time in a hundred years, there was a faint glimmer of hope within them.

"So... the gods didn’t leave me? There is still hope?"

He lowered his head, his hands trembling. "But what about the suffering that I went through? Does none of it matter?"

Trias looked at him silently for a moment before taking a step forward. Her expression was gentle, yet there was sadness within her eyes.

"Akuma, a tree can burn even when its roots are filled with water. The sky can be covered by endless clouds, and the sun can disappear behind them, leaving the world in darkness."

She slowly raised her gaze toward the endless space surrounding them.

"But does that mean the tree was never alive? Does the sky cease to exist when the clouds cover it? Does the sun lose its light simply because you cannot see it?"

Trias looked back at Akuma. "The tree may burn, but the life it once carried does not simply disappear. The clouds may cover the sky, but they will eventually pass. The sun may not shine upon every corner of the world, yet even the smallest ray of its light can give life to something that would otherwise perish."

She walked closer to him.

"Your suffering was real, Akuma. Your pain was real. I will never tell you that a hundred years of loneliness was insignificant simply because something good came from it."

Akuma’s eyes widened slightly.

"But while you were trapped here, the people outside continued to live."

"Your friends lived. Your teachers lived. Your fellow students lived. The people you fought beside lived."

Trias’s voice became softer. "You are the reason they were given another chance to see tomorrow."

"A hundred years may feel like an eternity to you, but compared to the lives of those who would have died without your sacrifice, what does that time truly mean?"

She placed a hand against her chest.

"If they had died, their stories would have ended. Their families would have lost them. Their friends would have lost them. The lives they could have lived would have vanished forever."

"But because you were here... their time continued."

Trias looked directly into Akuma’s eyes.

"You are not the hero because you suffered for a hundred years."

"You are the hero because, even without knowing it, you gave everyone outside those hundred years the chance to keep living."

She smiled faintly. "Your time stopped, Akuma."

"But theirs didn’t."