Abyssal Awakening-Chapter 955: Black Chains

Alice took a deep breath.

Making an exchange with Monika wasn’t something that can be done casually.

Whatever she does, she must do so with a certain level of certainty. To know the answer without giving more than what is necessary.

She is someone who sees the physical manifestation of fate. Should Alice divulge more information than intended...

Alice stared at the grinning woman.

"Before we start, shall we ask about price? Because I know you’re not about to give me information for free." Alice narrowed her eyes, causing Monika to let out a charming laugh.

"Of course~ What is an exchange without a price? And in the first place, I doubt you’ll trust the information I give for free... Right?" Monika whispered directly into Alice’s ear, shocking her.

Turning around, Alice frowned when no one was behind her and Monika was still in her seat, letting out an elegant laugh.

"But let’s see... Information is never valued the same you know? Something important for you might be trash to me. And vice versa. Pricing fluctuates based on need and perception." Monika snapped her finger, creating a stand to rest her staff against.

She tilted her head, amusement dancing in her eyes.

"So..." She continued lightly.

"Rather than me naming a singular price for the whole package, why won’t we go by an information by information system?"

Alice didn’t answer immediately.

Monika was someone who enjoyed observing people. To see their reactions and the outcomes of their choices.

Any hesitation she shows now, any fluctuation of emotion, Monika will no doubt pick it up.

Closing her eyes for a moment, Alice reset herself to zero.

This is a simple exchange, in front of her is an information broker with an unknown price.

"Let me turn the question back to you, then. For the kind of information I want... Do you even have it?" Alice narrowed her eyes.

Monika blinked her eyes. She was about to laugh with a response before pausing.

The cogs around Alice were trembling.

An invisible trigger was activated but she didn’t know where it led.

After all, Alice herself was hiding the cogs. She was a veil of mist that prevented her eyes from seeing further.

A small smile appeared on her face. How rare it was for uncertainty to present itself before her.

Monika’s fingers brushed against the lip of her teacup.

Butterflies landing on the side of the table.

"Heh~ Information you’re not sure if I have huh?"

Monika crossed her legs and leaned forward. Her eyes were properly evaluating the girl in front of her.

"You know of my power to observe the cogs. The invisible hands of fate are connected to all things in this world. And yet you wonder whether or not I have the answers you seek?" Monika’s grin widened into a creepy arc stretching from ear to ear.

"So that means you’ve considered the possibility that I don’t have the information. Or..."

She paused.

Tapping her finger, black chains whipped around the table.

"That I can’t say anything about it."

Alice stared at the chains with a neutral expression.

It was different to the golden chains that bound Alyss.

These ones were... different.

Ominous.

And in a way...

They felt alive.

The binding was strange as well. There was only one thought passing through Alice’s mind.

Never, NEVER let herself get bound by these chains.

"I suppose these are consequences of knowing too much?" Alice asked.

She recalled Caelan who, despite being very powerful, have rules that he must abide by.

But who can even bind someone like him?

So having seen these chains, Alice understood one thing.

There are bindings in this world that can bypass the very concept of power.

"Heh~ You have good instincts little flame. And yes, you’re right. These chains are the leash placed upon those who... Let’s just say step a little out of line." Monika winked.

"The Cogs have their own priorities. And if someone seeks to destroy order, these chains will be placed upon them, thus sealing their fate in stone. Try as they might, they’ll never be able to escape these bindings." Flicking her finger, the table shattered to dusk as a new one took its place.

"So let me ask you, are you sure you want to strike a deal with me? What if I see enough of your fate that I place these chains around your neck?" Monika leaned forward, her eyes burning with an insanity Alice hadn’t seen before.

And when paired with the creepy smile, Alice had to admit that she was a little spooked.

However...

"You said it yourself. The cogs have their own priorities. I can’t see them but I damn well know one thing. I’m too involved with the fate of this place. Nyer, the gods, the connections I’ve formed. My future." Alice matched Monika’s gaze.

Reaching out, she grabbed Monika by the collar with one hand.

"Placing those chains around me isn’t as easy as you make it out to be."

Not only that, but Monika was more of an observer than a meddler. She’ll make sure the pieces are in place so that she can observe but won’t interfere once the performance begins.

Not only that, but from their previous conversation, Alice understood that setting things in stone are the last thing Monika wants.

She loves the thought of possibilities, lusts over it even.

Just like how Astrelya lusts over a worthy death, Monika lusts over the thought of possibilities and paths opening up.

In the instant this thought crossed Alice’s mind, she felt a chill.

A pair of eyes from beyond this room, this realm.

A crescent smile like no other.

It felt as though something was looking at her through Monika’s eyes.

"Hah-! HAHAHA!!!" Monika started to laugh, creeping out Alice as she released her grip.

The witch laughed, clutching her stomach as her laugh echoed through the room.

Plume covered her head in fear with her blanket.

After a moment, Monika finally stopped as her smile calmed down to some extent.

"Yes, you’re right. These chains can’t be placed easily. Certain requirements must be met before they’re placed. Requirements that can be achieved by setting the cogs into place." Monika wiped away her tears.

"But whether or not my target activates these cogs are another question entirely. I can’t force them to bypass the cogs after all."

Resting her chin on her palm, Monika stared at Alice with a soft gaze.

It felt like another layer of her mask had been peeled away.

"There are so many cogs waiting for you to trigger. So many connections keeping you on the right track. Even if I place down the triggers, even if you trip them, the chains won’t bind you. For you are still travelling towards the end of all things." Thinking about it for a moment, a smile appeared on Monika’s face.

"Tell me, do you know about the prophecies told by a certain someone?" She asked.

"Not that I’m aware of." Alice shook her head.

"One who shall tread the trodden path not as daughter but as the great divide.

"The fifth boundary will wane, the sixth will weep.

"Beyond the seventh veil, what is bound shall blink." Monika started to speak.

"Blood not born, yet burdened. Thread not spun, yet sovereign.

"Three times shall the one bleed what is not theirs." Her smile widened, revealing her teeth.

"Once for the living. Once for the dead. Once for the chained.

"The weeping star shall rise thrice and fall once. One who bears no beginning shall step upon the path lined with sin."

Alice felt goosebumps across her skin.

"A name forgotten shall bloom in silence. Three veils torn by your hand.

"The Eye that Watches. The Mouth that Whispers. The Womb that Devours.

"Beware the boundary that sings. Beware the ruins that listen. Beware the child who does not blink."

Monika clapped her hands together as the lights in the room began to flicker.

"At the Seventh Threshold, you will tread barefoot in blood. At the Eighth toll of the bell, you will speak words not meant to be heard.

"Then comes Nine.

"Neither number nor ending. A face turned backwards, the breath after death."

After this line, Monika finally paused.

"So tell me little flame, how much of that prophecy do you think refers to you? These are lines spoken by Yvael long ago, a vision she glimpsed upon decrypting the future hinted by the cogs."

Alice’s pupils shrank.

"How much has been achieved? How much has yet to come true? Ah~ but let me tell you a little something. A gift for piece together a few truths." Monika chuckled.

She tapped her finger and fog rolled in.

"You have yet to bleed thrice. And...

"We are already in the Womb that Devours." Monika’s smile turned her eyes into arcs.

If this was true...

Alice realised that the end of the prophecy was approaching.

But what did it mean?

The seventh threshold...

The eighth toll.

Then comes nine...

The breath after death.

"This is usually where I start trading information with you. To give you pieces of what you want while receiving my payment." Monika’s smile faded.

"But things are no longer so simple. Do you want to know why?"

Alice shook her head.

"Because history is changing."

Alice tilted her head in confusion.

History? Not the future but history was changing? How?

"Yvael’s state is a special one. She is nowhere yet everywhere. In the future yet speaks from the past. No longer in the past yet laughs beyond the future. Some of her prophecies are changing. Cogs are breaking, new connections being formed."

Pausing for a second, Monika pointed her finger at Alice.

"There are three possibilities in which this prophecy is split. The ending verse waiting to be spoken. These three possibilities hinge on how you decide to act."

With a flick of her wrist, three cards appeared.

"A path to heaven.

"A path to earth. And..."

She placed the final card on the table.

"A path to hell."