Chapter 544: Angel Fallen from Hell

"What?" Aether asked, flabbergasted, but Voidpiercer just turned away, not wishing to answer any more questions, maybe because it knew it had already said way too much.

Returning to the real world, the cold embraced him once more, but in no way did he even notice it. After all, there were far more important things now.

He had never been this confused before; he didn’t expect Voidpiercer to break what he was one hundred percent sure of.

’But if that soul energy isn’t from the Abyss, nor its vessels, then it must be from the Daemon Lord... so how can it say that it isn’t his? Who else can it?’

But at the same time, what reason would the blade have to lie to him? It has never told him a lie, and while sometimes maybe it has been wrong, when it came to the past, or the Abyss, it was never wrong. Not even when it said absurd things he didn’t believe at first.

’So then, damn it.’ He said, running a hand through his hair. It was annoying; it really was. His theory had been completely broken down; the whole base he had established to make everything make sense was just gone.

’What other being has Abyssal powers...’

...

Well... he did.

Aether stood frozen for some seconds; as this possibility opened up to him, it made no sense, yet at the same time, nothing made sense... so could something as absurd as this really be it. Did the Soul Energy belong to him? Is that why his soul wasn’t affected by it?

’But how would it ever get there? I’ve never been to the Wonderland before, and I don’t remember living inside a cave... and I’ve never even seen it before...

Or... have I?’

Back in Demon of Dread, while fighting Denial, he saw a lot of memories that weren’t his, like the black desert that haunted him to this day; there were many... but if he remembered correctly, there might have also been a cave, one pretty similar to his one.

So... had he been to it before, and doesn’t remember?

’No, that still doesn’t work; it can’t be my soul. After all, it’s only a small piece, and my soul is not nearly as strong as the Abyss; a small fraction of it could never hurt the Abyss.’

But then if it also wasn’t his, but he had the memory of it, then... what was happening?

...

He wasn’t usually like this when making theories; he didn’t like connecting dots just to say they were, without any proof... but at the same time, he needed something to go after, so he had to be reckless.

Back in Demon of Dread, in the black desert, he had managed to get that rock with the insane class, and after getting it and escaping from Denial, Abyssal Matter covered him, and he was met face to face with The Angel Fallen from Hell, or whatever its true name was, since he didn’t believe it was telling the truth when it told him his name.

It was convenient that it had all happened after he had gotten that relic... maybe that was what it was; that relic had stabilized the connection between him and whatever that being was.

A being he knew nothing about, but that had Abyssal powers, and strong ones, strong enough to compete with the Abyss... it was the only thing he had left, the one person he could associate everything with.

...

He bit his finger. While the last part of his theory could be true, again, without any evidence, but could be... as much as he wanted to believe in it, the first part made no sense.

It still didn’t explain why he had those memories that didn’t belong to him or the Abyss. The same memories where the first found the rock, he could say that it had been the one to bring the Angel to him, but it would just be him trying to calm himself down.

He didn’t truly believe in it; after all, if it had that power, it would have said.

...

...

Rather, he had another theory, one much... worse.

The rock wasn’t the one that bound him to the Angel that day...

But rather, the connection had already existed far before it.

...

It would explain the memories, which belonged to the Angel... and it could also serve as a theory for the Daemon Lord’s words; it must have known the Angel, and that was why it had smirked; it saw him in his core.

’But.’ His face had gone a bit pale, slightly terrified but also disgusted. ’If that being is inside my core, does it have a soul just like the Abyss has... but then why wasn’t I affected by its soul energy?’

There was only one explanation he could think of, only one that made sense, and that also explained why the Abyss never said anything to him, how it never noticed the existence of the Angel.

...

His soul was merged with the angels, at least to some degree.

...

It wasn’t often he wanted to be wrong, and especially, he didn’t think he had ever wanted to be this wrong in his life. But it made so much sense; if their souls were merged, it would explain why he had those memories...

It also made him wonder: if he was right, then the voice before he awakened, was it not the Abyss, but rather this Angel?

What even was it to him? Did it want to protect him? Was it evil? If the Daemon Lord of the Abyss knew it, then his mind went to say he was evil, but what if he got this whole thing wrong, and they weren’t evil, and the Abyss was evil?

Aether frowned deeply. "Fucking hell... what am I even supposed to do now? Does he also have anything to do with why Sena said I was connected to the future, while the other Vessels were not?"

...

But then... was this Angel unique? Was there nothing else like it? There wasn’t, let’s say, an Angel for Praise?

...

’How powerful was he even’?

...