CHAPTER 26: ALICE’S ABYSS II

(A/N Big thanks to

Talvin_Shiji

ayush_Rahane

For the power stones, they mean a lot. As usual, please don’t hesitate to comment or drop a review. ENJOY)

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After making sure he was properly dressed and ready for the wedding, Orion and Isolde left their condo in search of Alice.

They’d have waited and left with Erevan. As the duke, it would have been appropriate for Erevan to arrive last and for the event to commence, but his dear father was nowhere to be found.

"Where is Zurvan?" He asked.

"Right behind you, young master," He heard.

Orion turned to see Zurvan staring at him with a smile.

"Well, that is certainly creepy," He said aloud, but internally ’I couldn’t sense him, he thought.

He wasn’t surprised, no matter how fast he improved, for now, he was still just an acolyte. He was weak.

"I’m guessing you also have no idea where my father is," He asked while walking.

"None," He replied calmly, keeping pace with Orion.

"Very well, I hope he doesn’t offend his friend by missing it," Orion said.

"How exactly do weddings go?" He asked, so far he’d never bothered to ask how exactly weddings went here on Velastra.

Though it might differ, he’d like to believe that was from race to race. Most weddings were heavily dependent on religion.

He hadn’t seen any sign of religion, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist. He was curious.

Zurvan was just about to reply when "I have never seen an Ivory wedding, but I reckon it wouldn’t be that dissimilar from a Chronos one. It’s simply a celebration and a declaration of vows in the presence of a priest."

"A priest?" Orion asked.

"Yes, a representative of the church of Nevil," She replied.

’Ahh, thought as much,’ Orion thought.

Orion was just about to ask what god they served when he saw Alice.

She was wearing a pure white straight gown, with flower petals adorned on it. Small light blue heels on her feet and her glittering bracelet. All these, coupled with her snow white hair tied in a bun, made her look out of this world.

Her beauty wasn’t the attractive type; all it screamed was innocence and protection. Orion had to hand it to them; Velastra was generous in the genetic aspect.

He was just about to call her out when he saw another boy his age speaking to her; they looked like acquaintances. He had short golden brown hair, his face still had the baby fat signature of his age, and his dressing suggested nobility.

He could tell the boy was trying to make her smile, and he was succeeding. Now that was strange. Were boys his age already interested in the opposite sex?

Orion’s face held a complicated expression; he wasn’t sure if the boy was attempting what he thought or if he was simply overthinking; he had no interest in spoiling whatever was going on.

Isolde noticed his silence and was wondering whether he was hesitant to interact with them, but that didn’t sound like the young master she knew.

"The Wickle family, a count family under the jurisdiction of the Ivory family, they are known for their affinity with fire. I believe that is their current heir," Zurvan said behind him.

"Thank you, Zurvan," Orion said before walking forward.

"Mrs Abyss," Orion said aloud after getting closer, causing Alice to turn towards him.

"Orion! You are finally out, I thought I’d have to come and drag you out myself," She said with a pout.

"If I didn’t know any better, I’d think you are the one being wedded today," Orion said with a smile.

"Oh, please, save your compliments, they won’t change the fact that you are late," Alice replied with a small smile.

"Orion, I’d like to introduce you to Michael. Michael, this is Orion Chronos." Alice introduced them both.

"It’s a pleasure to meet you, Michael," Orion said to the boy with a smile, bringing his hand out for a shake.

"Chronos, Chronos, The Chronos..." Michael said with wide eyes.

"You are the duke’s son..., It’s a pleasure to meet you, I’m Micheal Wickle, seven years of age, male, love meat, hate cabbages and books, and the greatest fan of duke Chronos," Micheal said in one lengthy go. While shaking Orion’s hands with vigor.

"That is..." Orion was visibly stunned and overwhelmed. He turned to Alice for support.

"Michael, you are making him uncomfortable," She said with a giggle.

"Oh, I’m sorry, I’m just so excited to meet a Chronos. I have read a lot about your family and their deeds, and I just have to say I think you guys are the greatest, your history, your strength, your contributions to humanity, no other family comes close. The advent of the teleportation circle was simply brilliant...I really hope we can become good friends," Michael said, stopping himself from going further.

Orion could tell he was really infatuated with the Chronos family; his face literally screamed, ’I have so much more to tell, ’ and he was surprised. Why would anyone adore them this much?

"I hope so, too, Michael," Orion replied with a smile.

"It’s nice that you both are getting along, but I think it’s time we head to the venue; it’d be problematic to get there during the rush period," Alice said.

They both smiled and headed to the garden while passing by servants and maids who were moving around for any last-minute preparation.

They got to their seats next to each other as requested by Alice, nobles soon started filing in, all engaged in random discussions.

Orion noticed more than a few eyes turning towards his direction, most curious. Some tried to approach, but Zurvan’s presence made them hesitate.

"Hmmm..." Orion turned around, looking in all directions.

"Is something wrong, young master?" Zurvan asked.

"Did you feel anything strange?" Orion asked with a frown.

"No, I don’t believe so," Zurvan replied.

’That’s weird, I could swear I felt something disturb my mana,’ Orion thought.

He’d learnt from the field fang incident not to take his senses for granted, yet there was nothing he could do now, the event was about to start.

"Kra-splrrchhhhh"

A towering piece of ice had jutted out of the floor and bisected the priest into two, with his organs and innards spilling out for the world to see. The couple was covered in the priest’s blood, both still connected by their kiss.

There was silence for a second before all hell broke loose. Nobody knew where it came from, but a loud high high-pitched scream rang out among the guests, probably from a person not used to seeing something like this.

Orion’s eyes never left the ice, shock written all over his face, and then the ice cracked open, releasing frigid air. By now, the blood and innards were frozen solid from the sheer drop in temperature.

Someone was in there, coming out. He was squinting his eyes to identify who would dare try something like this in a Marquis’ home, who would display such a terrifying thing in front of dozens of powerful nobles. He didn’t have time to digest the situation when he heard an explosive sound.

BOOM!!!

The marquis blurred off his seat in a terrifying display of agility. One second, he was swinging his fist; the next, a terrifying bone of far greater magnitude than the ice had formed. The cone-like bone structure surged with unimaginable power, its sharp end tearing through the wind with destruction in mind.

No hesitation, only judgment, the Marquis didn’t care who did such a thing; he only analyzed their strength and dealt the required attack to end them.

Orion was about to see the result of the collision when everything went blank.

’Not this again,’ He thought.

He could feel himself tearing through the fabric of space, his innate affinity giving him a picture of what was occurring. He willed his mana to resist, employing temporal distortion to sabotage the shift, but it felt futile, like trying to move a mountain.

He had no idea where he was going, but it could never be good; the attack was an ominous sign.

He felt the shift stop and opened his eyes; all that greeted him was empty, it was barren, the ground was parched, deprived of water, and the sun overhead was harsh.

’Fuck’

(A/N Fight scenes coming up in the next Chapters. I was dissatisfied with the field fangs fight, I felt I could do better so I did my research and worked on making my fight scenes better, I’d love your opinions on the upcoming battles.

On another note, please comment what you think about Micheal, I’d love your input.)