Chapter 438: The Abyss Problem
Damian sat cross legged inside the carriage with his back against the cushioned seat, one leg resting over the other as he stared blankly through the window.
Rah was practically clinging to him, her body pressed against his side as she rested her head comfortably against his shoulder with a faint smile on her lips. She seemed perfectly content simply being beside him, and Damian had long since stopped trying to understand how quickly she had become comfortable with him.
Several seconds later, the carriage door opened from outside and Alice stepped inside.
She wore a transparent blue scarf draped over her head, the delicate material falling around her shoulders and partially obscuring the features of her aquatic face. She moved without hesitation and quietly took the seat beside William. There was no visible nervousness in her posture, but neither was there any of the subtle excitement Damian had become accustomed to seeing from women who spent prolonged periods around him.
She was somewhere in between. That alone made Damian’s eyes narrow.
Alice’s desire for him was surprisingly low. It wasn’t nonexistent, but compared to what Damian had experienced from almost every other woman who had been around him, it was practically negligible.
More interestingly, the feeling didn’t seem to be suppressed attraction. Alice genuinely wasn’t particularly attracted to him.
If Damian were simply another man without the overwhelming presence of the Prince of Lust attached to his existence, he suspected Alice might not even notice him in that way.
And beneath that indifference was something else.
Resentment.
"Ooh?" Damian slowly pulled his shoulder away from Rah, causing her head to lift as he leaned forward slightly.
His narrowed eyes settled directly on Alice, and the sudden attention immediately caught everyone else inside the carriage. Rah blinked while William’s gaze shifted between the two, clearly wondering what Damian had noticed.
Alice eventually noticed it herself.
"Is there a problem, Your Majesty?" she asked calmly.
Damian stared at her for another moment before leaning back against his seat, a small smile forming on his lips.
"Your father does not resent me, but you resent me."
The carriage became noticeably quieter.
Alice didn’t deny it. She also didn’t agree. Instead, the young woman maintained her composure, adjusted the transparent blue scarf resting over her head and calmly cupped her fists.
"Sire, shall we speak about this later in private, at a more appropriate time?"
Damian’s eyebrows twitched. This bitch was as slippery as a fish.
He had practically handed her the accusation directly and she had somehow managed to dodge it without answering anything at all. Even worse, she had done it politely enough that Damian couldn’t accuse her of disrespect.
He let out a defeated sigh and leaned back.
"Fine."
Alice lowered her hands and relaxed slightly, while Rah glanced at Damian with an amused expression. She clearly understood what had just happened, but wisely chose not to interfere. William remained just as silent, although Damian could almost feel the old Chamberlain suppressing whatever thoughts were passing through his mind.
As the carriage continued through the capital, Damian’s attention slowly drifted away from Alice. He had already learned what he wanted. There was something complicated between her and the situation surrounding him, and eventually he would find out exactly what it was.
For now, he had something else to check.
Damian closed his eyes and allowed his consciousness to sink inward.
Swoosh!
His spiritual body descended through the endless darkness before his feet finally approached the ground of his Sea of Consciousness. Yet the moment Damian’s eyes opened, his expression changed slightly.
Something was wrong.
The desolate land stretched before him, but it had expanded far beyond the boundaries he remembered. The barren ground extended into the distance like an infection that had consumed everything around it. Even the region surrounding the enormous gates that imprisoned Asmodeus had changed.
Previously, those gates had stood over an endless body of water. Now they stood upon dead land.
Thud!
His feet touched the ground, and almost immediately he felt a powerful presence staring directly at him. There was no need to search for its source. The sheer hostility radiating toward him made its location obvious.
"You stupid piece of shit!" Asmodeus snapped from behind the enormous gates. "If you lose any more of your soul, this bastard is going to start running the entire place!"
Damian tilted his head in surprise and Asmodeus continued cursing him.
The demon’s voice echoed through the desolate landscape with enough fury that Damian eventually raised a finger and casually rubbed his ear.
The gesture did nothing to calm Asmodeus initially, and the ancient demon continued throwing insults at him for several moments before finally running out of steam.
Only then did Damian lower his hand. His gaze moved toward the darkness beyond the enormous gates.
Three pairs of violet eyes stared back at him.
They were barely visible within the darkness, but Damian could feel the presence behind them.
Damian didn’t seem particularly interested. He turned away from the gates and looked toward the Abyssal Tree.
The sight immediately made him pause.
The Abyssal Tree had once stood so far away from the Lust Talent Tree that Damian needed to travel a considerable distance to reach it. Now, however, the surrounding landscape had changed so dramatically that the two territories seemed considerably closer.
Damian’s calm gaze eventually moved beyond the tree. Behind the dead forest, those familiar crimson eye remained visible.
But even the forest itself had changed. It was noticeably thinner.
The dead trees that had once formed an almost impenetrable wall around the Abyss had become sparse enough that Damian could see deeper into the darkness beyond them.
A faint smile appeared on Damian’s face.
"I see things have been going pretty well for you since I lost consciousness." His tone was almost conversational.
The Abyss immediately frowned. That reaction wasn’t what it had expected.
Damian was losing yet he stood there looking at everything with the calmness of someone inspecting a garden he had neglected for a few days.
That bothered the Abyss more than an outburst would have.
"Soon, what is left of yours will become mine, and you will become me." The Abyss hissed from beyond the dead forest. Its voice carried the cold certainty of something that believed the outcome had already been decided.
Damian looked toward the crimson eyes and he nodded once.
"Alright. Have at it."
For the first time, the Abyss seemed genuinely confused. But Damian didn’t bother explaining. He hadn’t come here to fight.
He had come to inspect his Sea of Consciousness and determine how much damage had been done while he was unconscious. Now he had seen the changes for himself. The Abyss had expanded, the dead forest had receded and the desolate land had spread significantly.
Damian turned away from the Abyss and looked back toward Asmodeus.
"As for you."
Asmodeus’s expression remained furious.
Damian casually waved his hand toward the ancient demon. "Relax. I’ll get everything back in a single breath."
Asmodeus stared at him.
Damian’s eyes shifted briefly toward the enormous gates before returning to him.
"The only one who will kill you is me."
Asmodeus’s expression twitched.