Shadow of the Abyss

Through the gleams of moonlight glistering through the lone cave, Altair stared down at the pool of blood he'd created with his bare hands when he slaughtered the two slavers. He silently glanced at the track marks of the creature that had dragged the body.

"Interesting. So I'm not alone." He told himself, stepping deeper into the darkness. Altair did little to hide his presence as he pulled Mana from Heaven and Earth into his body, cycling the Mana through his Mana Roots before delivering it to his Circle. The sensation was one Altair couldn't put into words. The more Mana filled his Circle.

The more Altair felt his senses grow, brightening the world around him. The more intoxicated with Mana he became.

The sensation that came with Mana was as enthralling as it was seductive to his young mind. It warmed his gut like wine. It touched his flesh, similar to how Reina shared a bed with him. In a way, it felt like meditation.

It had barely been an hour since he started pulling Mana from his surroundings, and the more he drew, the more he felt he didn't wish to stop.

[Mana has started to refine your Mortal Body.]

[Ironia's Ale will assist refinement]

[Your strength has increased by 1]

The Circle of Gluttony spun, devouring all Mana within five meters into the young Prince, turning his skin pink and then red as the hours ebbed by. And as the hours came and went, Altair found new ways to cycle Mana. Rather than allow his Mana a single cycle within his body, The Prince found the more he completed a single cycle around his Mana Roots, the more purified his Mana became.

[Your strength has increased by 1]

[Your Mana has increased by 2]

[Circle of Gluttony has Decreased by 1%]

Blood spewed so quickly from his mouth, and the noise Altair could barely react, tumbling to his knee, coughing up a mouthful of blood.

Name: Altair

Mana Circle:[Second Circle 1.1% → .1%]

Class: Young Prince Lv 5 [First Awakening]

Strength: 2 → 4

Dexterity:4

Constitution:4 → 6

Wisdom: 12 →14

Charisma: 12 →14

Mana: 7→ 9

Sweat streamed from his brow as he forced the Circle of Gluttony from devouring more Mana. He had been too hasty, too careless. His mind was very much attuned to the flow of Mana and how it behaved, but his body had yet to adapt to the change. The purity in which Mana grew within him had developed too quickly with each refinement cycle.

"Three cycles seem to be my physical limit." He coughed up bits of blood, his mind calm as a still lake, but his eyes completely filled with dark light. "But at least I know how to refine Mana. I'm sure no one with F-tier Mana Manipulation can do what I just did." He took solace in that. Standing to his feet that buckled with weakness. He wiped the blood from his lips, taking in a long breath.

[Divine Being, 'She Who Hunts' wishes to emphasize patience.]

[Divine Being 'Piercing Owl' praises your ability to court death but warns of your safety.]

[Divine Sin 'Archeon' distains your lack of risk.]

Altair coughed more bits of blood into his palm. "Archeon… didn't you try to kill me?" he pointed out.

[Divine Sin, 'Archeon' claims it was a test.]

"More like a way to sever my ties with the Aros Family," Altair grumbled, continuing on his way through the cave that began to narrow. It hadn't been a random thought the Prince held as to why he believed Archeon employed Tania. Nor was it his second thought.

[Divine Sin, 'Archeon' grins]

He grimaced, speaking no more of it. He pulled at his furs, undoing them with the rise in temperature the longer he continued. Every so often, recasting Dark Moon Blade every hour when it would fade.

[Dark Moon Blade Proficiency Increased by 10%]

[Multiplyer: 4x]

[Proficiency: 36% → 76%]

It hadn't taken long for his pores to sweat after a day's journey, forcing him to disrobe. The boy had torn off everything but his tunic, leaving his immature chest bare. He could sense the intensity of mana intensifying and grew more wary.

[Divine Being 'Titan Fall' is perplexed at what is hidden within the depths of the Fractured Realm.]

Altair held a step as the mighty roar of some manner of beast alerted his senses. He went low, dropping his bag pack, and instinctually opened his palm. "She Who Hunts… the Bow"

At his word, a flash of golden nodes gathered at his fingertips, intertwining with the moonlight piercing through the ceiling. And from the light came an exotic bow. The upper and lower limbs of the bow curved like two scimitars, carrying a razor-sharp edge. At the center, where the Riser stood, was a beautiful oak engraved with silver.

Altair marveled at the craftsmanship. The bow held a balance that seemed surreal. It was as if the bow automatically balanced itself, depending on how he held it. He stared at it for a while, finally taking note of the lack of string.

[Divine Being, 'She WHo Hunts' suggests you feed it a drop of blood.]

The Prince followed her suggestion, cutting his finger over Endymion; he smiled brightly as his blood dripped over his bow.

[Ding]

[Weapon has been Soul Bounded]

[Bow of the Hunt]

Attribute: Wind

Grade: E

Skills: Auto Aim, Steady, Auto Balance, Penetrate, Mana Arrow, Mana Circuits [E]

Description: Embuid with the Light of the Goddess of the Hunt. Whomever shall hold this bow shall never miss, no matter how arduous the shot.

Altair mind went wide with shock when suddenly the bow dissipated into flecks of golden light; his mind panicked when a visceral image emerged in his mind. The Bow of the Hunt appeared once more. Stars flickered through his eyes filled with childlike wonder, bringing a bright smile to his face, especially when a blueprint of the entire weapon engrained itself into his mind.

"How?!" He exclaimed. "How is that possible? No… Is it in my soul? Or blood? It has to exist somewhere." Altair weaved the bow around, noting the black string formed of his Mana, and quickly gasped. "You might be my new favorite weapon," he said, twisting the grip in half, separating the bow into two scimitars.

He laughed childishly, weaving them through the air, amazed by the freeing sensation each scimitar granted.

They felt different from Endymion. The scimitars glided through the winds as though they were the elements themselves, caring a ferocity he did not sense in Endymion.

He was satisfied.

[Divine Being, 'She Who Hunts' rejoices at your words.]

Altair reconnected the two scimitars back into a bow through the mechanism on the pummel of each blade, regaining his earlier focus. He sneaked forward one step at a time over the ball of his feet. The boy soon found a gruesome graveyard of bones from various beasts sprawled about. He stopped, placing a finger on the Mana String of his hunting bow.

The boy surveyed his surroundings as he entered a mid-size plain hidden within the cave.

The churning of bones emanated beneath the Prince his feet. He nearly cursed at the foolish mistake as he looked up from his feet, finding a small hill a few meters away littered with bones carrying a vile eroma. The bones were festered with rot, caring bits of meat plagued by a furry substance.

The Prince shifted uncomfortably, neither sense nor seeing any manner of beast. He frowned, stepping over the bones sprawled about. The scent of spoiled meat churned his stomach. "What a mess. What type of beast is this? There is so much chaos I can't even tell." He said, eying the multitude of battle scars sprawled over the cave.

He stood there for a moment, still. The Dark Moon Blade hovering to his rear, glistering moonlight and his two arms poised for action should the need arise. The rumble of bones and insects stirred the Prince's instincts. His hands move quickly, nocking his arrow of pure Mana shimmering a vibrant light, leading many to believe Altair wielded an arrow of black flames.