Abyssal Awakening

Not only that but also the way she carried herself. The aura around her was all too familiar with Alice.

\'You\'re my \'hunger\' aren\'t you?\' Alice thought in her mind hesitantly.

\'Hunger? Hmm… I wouldn\'t say hunger. More so… Desire.\' \'Alice\' shrugged nonchalantly while peeking over Alice\'s shoulders to look at the other two.

\'Say, what do you think would happen if we ate a piece of their soul? You know that we take souls when we drink someone\'s blood. If we were to drink Griselda\'s blood, I wonder how many souls we\'ll be able to obtain.\' \'Alice\' narrowed her eyes before licking her lips.

\'Stop that. You know we won\'t be able to.\'

\'What\'s the harm in trying? Who knows they might say yes.\' \'Alice\' scratched her hair before looking back at Alice.

Just looking at her face caused \'Alice\' to frown in displeasure.

\'You are simply disgusting to look at.\'

\'What do you mean by that? We have the same face.\' Alice furrowed her brows while the other Alice leaned forward.

\'I mean that smile of yours. That passive nature. Take charge dammit. All you do is listen and act to what the others say around you rather than taking the lead. Think about it, Velouria has made you her successor. Cayla has given you her power and Allura and Kaden are trying their best to train you.

\'Yet all you do is be passive and let the current take you. Is that not disgusting or what?\' She sneered, glaring at Alice.

\'So what do you want me to do about it? Or are you just here to talk sh*t to me. Nanna said this was to observe and understand my core but you\'re just here to mock me.\' Alice didn\'t retreat and glared back.

Silence ensued between the two as \'Alice\' slowly curled her mouth up into a grin.

\'That\'s more like it. Why can\'t you show a little more aggressiveness normally? Why does it always have to be in battle.\'

\'Just seems exhausting no?\' Alice shrugged. There\'s been moments where she\'s \'displayed\' her hunger outwardly but afterwards, she would always feel exhausted.

\'That\'s because you\'re not accepting who you are. Of course it\'ll be exhausting to keep up the act. Heck even I\'m exhausted just looking at you. Anyways, what I\'m saying is that maybe, just maybe, you should listen to this hunger inside you more often.\' \'Alice\' snickered as she tapped her finger towards Alice\'s chest.

\'It\'s the truest part of you. You know it, I know it. Your father and brother certainly know it with great familiarity and hate.\' Giving Alice one final mocking grin, she disappeared.

All that remained was Alice\'s reflection that showed a cloud of darkness and nothing more.

\'Tsk.\' Clicking her tongue in annoyance, Alice couldn\'t help but contemplate the meaning behind her last words.

The truest part of her, her \'hunger\', a side that her family knows with familiarity and hatred.

Scratching her hair, Alice sighed.

As annoying as it was, she had to admit that her reflection was right. She has been holding back.

Her excitement after training with Shiera and Arax was a sign. The way her excitement burst forth, preventing her from keeping a neutral expression that she was used to keeping. She could feel herself wanting to let loose, to try out new ideas and be praised for her progress.

Especially by Allura and Kaden.

Subconsciously, her hand began reaching for her neck.

Back in the Zenia prison, the more reactions she showed, the more aggressive the experiments became. So long as she kept a neutral expression, they would lose their original fervour.

Not only that, but after years of monotonous experiments and torture, there was no need for her to display any emotion that would incite more pain.

Thinking up to this point, a small smile appeared on Alice\'s face.

After meeting Allura, she was exposed to a myriad of experiences and invoked emotions she thought was long dead inside.

From happiness and excitement to annoyance and anger. Each day she spent outside brought forth more reactions.

Perhaps she was scared of these feelings to some extent. A deep rooted fear that feeling these would cause more pain to befall her. But no more.

Her reflection wasn\'t wrong, perhaps it was time to be true to herself and the thoughts within. To accept that this \'hunger\' was not only a by product of the beast within but also a reflection of her own desires.

To let loose and no longer restrain herself. To enjoy the freedom she\'s been given fully.

\'The least I could\'ve done was be honest with myself. Why did she have to keep insulting me.\' Alice sighed with a helpless smile.

Turning around, she saw a hint of surprise in Griselda\'s gaze while Nanna had a smile on her face.

"Seems like you\'ve reaped quite a reward from seeing the reflection of your core."

"You could say that." Alice admitted while scratching her cheek.

"Say, why don\'t you reconsider my offer of joining the Church of the Moon. Not many undergo a change like this on their first interaction with their core." Griselda smirked while crossing her arms.

"Once again I\'ll pass. Sorry to say but my allegiance lies with Ayr and its Queen."

"So be it. Nanna, I think you\'re more suited in training her." Griselda shrugged before turning to Nanna who nodded her head.

"Understood. But I don\'t think there\'s much I can do." Nanna glanced over at Alice.

If she went by her original plan, they would\'ve taken this entire period to help Alice understand her core yet she\'s already made quite the considerable progress alone.

Even though she may not show it, as Apostles who are deeply connected to concept of souls, they could tell the change that occurred within.

They risked going against the orders of their Goddess if they attempted to teach more.

Realising that she must\'ve progressed too fast, Alice coughed awkwardly. It was a silent understanding between them that the Apostles can\'t teach too much. They will however, offer a little guidance and that\'s exactly what they\'ve achieved.

"It\'s fine, you\'ve helped me understand my core and that\'s more than enough. I still need time to digest this knowledge otherwise I wouldn\'t get the full benefit." Alice shook her head, leaving out the fact that she could also sense the tether connected to her Spiritual Heart now.

Once she\'s accepted that the hunger was part of her own desires, it seems like a new channel was opened and she became aware of the connection between the beast, her Spiritual Heart and her physical body.

If she could refine this understanding in her own time, operating the Violet Flames will become far easier than before.

A tacit understanding formed between the three of them as Alice bid them farewell and took the initiative to leave the training realm.

Once Alice left, Griselda frowned and let out a sigh before scratching her hair.

"She\'s a freak isn\'t she?"

"Agreed." Nanna nodded her head.

After signing the Law of Agreement, they let Alice know that they couldn\'t see her core.

However, that wasn\'t the case for the general outline and actions. During the time that Alice was talking to her own core, a second sentience glared back at them. Its gaze locking them in place as it didn\'t look towards physical forms but rather their spiritual side.

For Griselda, this second sentience managed to locate the true core of her being despite being surrounded by countless Spiritual Hearts that acted as a decoy. Nanna on the other hand, could feel the gaze locking onto her being that floated in an invisible realm.

For the first time ever, except for their Goddess, someone managed to locate their true self.

A deep frown formed on their faces as there was far more to Alice than they originally expected.

They hoped it was just a case of Alice being gifted in towards the Soul but on the chance that it wasn\'t, they may have to take care of her early.

"Our Lady is correct as always. Even though her soul is so young, its far more menacing than even the souls of the other Apostles." Griselda narrowed her eyes. It would\'ve made their job easier if Alice had agreed to join the Church of the Moon.

Regardless, they had to make the report.

###

Upon leaving the realm, Alice sighed in relief. Due to Griselda\'s and Nanna\'s authority regarding souls, it was very hard to hide much from them. Had it not been for the Law of Agreement, Alice doubted whether or not she would be willing to go through with the training.

"Then again… I suppose calling it training is a little far fetched." She muttered.

All she did was observe the core of her being and have a small talk. Compared to trying to learn Zone Stance, this was rather easy.

"Only took an hour too."

Pulling out the third key, Alice wondered what kind of training awaited her with the Apostles chosen by Eclipse.

Knowing how the Eclipse Cult operated and their mentality, she guessed it would probably just be a standard spar.

\'The Eclipse God mentioned that their fighting style was honed during battle… Unless there\'s something special about the way they perceive things, they probably won\'t show me new things.\'

Shaking her head, Alice stopped delaying and stabbed the key into the air.

A new door opened and even though she hadn\'t stepped through, her body was already on full alert. Every fibre of her being was calling for her to run!

A fight or flight response just from seeing the door.

Swallowing her saliva nervously, Alice hesitated for a moment before opening the door.

Stepping through, she saw a lone figure standing in the middle and a forced smile appeared on her face.

"You\'ve gotta be kidding me…" Alice muttered in disbelief.

While the other Gods had sent their Apostles to \'train\' Alice, the Eclipse God chose a different approach.

She decided to see what Alice was about personally!