A terrible imbalance.
Rutherford’s brow furrowed at the strange, unpleasant sensation that washed over him.
For over hundreds of years, nearing a thousand, he had existed by borrowing and parasitizing one body after another. Even as his soul had weathered away and the name Vandor had grown faint, this one feeling from the Sea of the Abyss remained branded in his mind, impossible to erase.
What name should be given to an existence where all else vanishes, and only a loathsome sensation remains? Defeated by a despair, terror, and powerlessness that made him feel as if the Sea of the Abyss was his own self, Rutherford had wept for a long, long time.
A long, very long time.
“Lord Rutherford, are you alright?”
“Th-this is the rift?”
“Good heavens, what in the world is the Sea of the Abyss…?”
“Don’t stray too far! We must not be separated from Lord Rutherford! Everyone, form up and gather close!”
“Some of the corpses came through with us!”
“Leave them to drift. Only the living will follow Lord Rutherford. The dead will do their part from beyond death. This way, hurry!”
“Dammit, where did all the treasure go?”
“W-what is that? Something is approaching!”
“Fall back! I said fall back!”
Rutherford, who had been lost in thought, slowly opened his eyes. So, this is the Sea of the Abyss. That bastard Ian, with his half-dead body, managed to set the coordinates surprisingly well.
He glanced back to see one of his subordinates being dragged away, captured by a vision.
“Guaaaaah!”
To those who stood a step away, it was but a faint shape, but to the man himself, it must have been a vivid hell unfolding before his very eyes. Whether it was from the shock of seeing him thrash in agony, begging for death, his other men began to back away from Rutherford, huddling together.
“Wh-what was that?”
“The personal hell that exists for each of you. The Sea of the Abyss is where all those hells have gathered and submerged.”
“Th-then how…”
“Leave him be. At most, he will go mad. He will not die. More importantly, how many mages do we have left?”
“Including myself, f-five, I believe.”
“And usable mana?”
“We expended too much in the Imperial Palace. We are nearly depleted.”
“Hmm.”
Rutherford pushed his hair back and considered his options.
They were now in the Sea of the Abyss, beneath the rift. Since they had not fallen here due to forbidden magic, escaping was not an impossible task. Just as Vandor had done in the past.
‘However, a problem arises if we do that.’
He could lose the body of Rutherford.
When Vandor had escaped the rift, he had awoken in the body of a stranger and been trapped in an eternal cycle of death. What guarantee was there that the same would not happen again? After countless reincarnations, the cogwheels of a fate that had always been misaligned had finally, perfectly, clicked into place. If he were to lose this moment, this body, and face death once more to awaken in another time, he truly might not be able to endure it.
“Lord Rutherford. What did you do back then?”
“Yes, please tell us! The way out of here!”
The mages surrounded Rutherford, clinging to him. Their eyes were filled with a blind, absolute faith.
It had not been a lie. The Sea of the Abyss beneath the rift truly existed, and the one who had returned from it alive was their master, Rutherford. Could anything be more magnificent? For a moment, they were afraid of the unknown world, but soon, the mages began to look around the Sea of the Abyss, which they felt must be connected to their own fundamental existence, with curious eyes. They did not, however, stray from each other’s side.
“…Back then?”
At his men’s question, Rutherford recalled that faded day. He couldn’t remember the exact moment. But he remembered the voice of God that had, out of nowhere, flashed through his mind.
‘Your cries have flowed to me.’
It had been a voice like a ray of light, but instead of rejoicing, Vandor had only hurled back bitter accusations. Am I truly one who is close to God? If so, how can you leave me like this? How could you be so indifferent? It was a grievance born of deep resentment.
“Lord Rutherford?”
“Ah.”
When Rutherford said nothing, the mages grew impatient and grabbed his collar. It was something they would never have normally done, but the pressure of this new environment was immense.
Rutherford gestured with his head to the side.
“The Sea of the Abyss is a place where space and time are entangled. There is no up, down, left, or right as you would normally think. If you wander and wander, you might eventually reach the rift, but—”
“The rift, you say?”
“The place between the lands of Gaia and the Sea of the Abyss, where the monsters are born.”
Escaping the Sea of the Abyss was not the end. They would have to survive within the rift, what could be called the birthplace of monsters. The mages’ faces darkened as they realized the road ahead was longer than they’d thought.
“Be careful not to be captured by the visions. Especially the mages. If a problem arises, you must help each other escape. Death here means the death of the physical body.”
“Wh-what do you mean?”
“You will lose your mana. Like me.”
Hearing this, the mages frantically checked on their comrade who had been caught by the vision. Fortunately, he was not a mage. They didn’t know what had happened, but he was unconscious, foaming at the mouth.
“Then our first priority must be to safely travel from the Sea of the Abyss to the rift. Is there a path? Or must we simply wander?”
Please, tell us that isn’t the case.
Rutherford, reading this unspoken plea, let out a small sigh. It had been that way for him, but it would not be so now. He would not allow it. If God were to give these men the same chance he had been given, the unity they had forged under the name ‘Rutherford’ would shatter.
“No. We can leave at once.”
“Of course!”
“The portal Ian opened. It is impossible to return to Gaia, but we can ascend one level, from the Sea of the Abyss to the rift.”
So, who would like to try and open it? Rutherford urged the mages on with a leisurely glance.
The flustered mages just looked at each other, holding up their hands to show how little mana each of them had left.
“I have truly nothing left.”
“Same here. I used it all fighting the palace mages. I’ll need at least two days to recover.”
“Two days. Does the concept of a ‘day’ even exist here?”
“Isn’t it a bit bright right now? There’s light all around.”
“Wait, so none of you have any?”
“A portal from the palace was already pushing it. And even if we could open one, the next step is the problem. Above the Sea of the Abyss is the rift, which means we’ll have to fight monsters.”
“Right. Without enough mana, it’s a massacre. We don’t even know what kind of creatures are there.”
“Lord Rutherford. How about we wait until our strength has gathered, and then ascend to the rift?”
The mages, having reached a consensus, fell silent, awaiting Rutherford’s permission.
Their leader wore a strange expression. Not of affirmation, nor of denial. An ambiguous emotion.
“If you remain submerged in this sea for too long, you will surely encounter unseen dangers. It is best to flee before that happens. If you don’t want to end up like… that.”
Rutherford pointed to the ‘husk’ of the man who had succumbed to the vision. Limp and unconscious, it drifted eternally, like the body of a drowned man.
Then what were they to do? As the mages fell silent, as if begging for an answer, Rutherford flicked his fingertips.
Saaak.
Golden, molten lava bubbled up from them. The dripping globules hardened, forming an Idgal. Rutherford laughed, as if he couldn’t understand what they were so afraid of.
“I may not have mana, but I have this. What is everyone so afraid of?”
“But, if we don’t recover, we cannot even make the attempt.”
“Use the forbidden magic. Which of you will be the sacrifice?”
“……!”
Rutherford stared at the Idgal sinking to the floor of the Sea of the Abyss and murmured.
“With the sacrifice of one, all can ascend to the rift. This place is another world, one we can always reach. If you wait a while, I will come back for you. The fact that we are here, and that I have been here twice—all of it is proof that it is possible.”
Excluding Rutherford, who was not a mage, a volunteer was needed from the remaining men.
But no one stepped forward easily. The ones who would have given their limbs for Rutherford in the palace were all dead, and this place was foreign and dangerous. To be left alone here, with nothing to see but a body floating mindlessly through the void? It was not an easy choice.
“Is there no one?”
His voice was thick with disappointment. Rutherford remained silent, his eyes scanning his surroundings. A world where silence swirled heavily.
“…It is not my will. It is the will of God.”
Rutherford was the one who communed with God and orchestrated the world. As proof, God had sent down the substance known as Idgal to make the mages submit, and had bestowed upon Rutherford a portion of the authority over life and death, which only God should command.
Just as King Damon had, just as Rutherford had until now, so too would they in the future. A life that would be reborn, and reborn again, and continue on and on.
“I… I will do it.”
One of the mages, after some hesitation, raised his hand and volunteered. Faint sighs of relief escaped from those around him. Rutherford patted his shoulder with the hand that held the Idgal.
“It is forbidden magic, but since this is the Sea of the Abyss, its very destination, there will be no problem, correct? I… I trust that you will return for me, Lord Rutherford. You must…”
Rutherford simply smiled, as if to say, Believe.
In truth, he had no idea how to bring back someone left behind by forbidden magic. And he certainly had no idea what would become of someone who used forbidden magic within the Sea of the Abyss. But that sort of trivial detail was not important to him now, was it? The flow of time was vastly different between the Sea of the Abyss and the outside world; his entire plan was to return quickly and continue his great work.
“Just trust in me. I will carve your sacrifice deep within my heart.”
“…Yes. I will accept it as an honor. An honor.”
The mage drew a dagger from his belt and sliced open his arm. As the blood dripped, his eyes flashed gold. The other mages stepped back, and soon, a black substance began to surge up around him.
Zzziiing! Ziiing!
Shwaaak!
“Guaaaaah!”
“Oh, dammit!”
This was not the perfect, neat black moon that Ian had shown. It was like a black stain, warped and soaked in water.
The mages looked to Rutherford, wondering if it would be alright. He took the lead and stepped forward. If we can just get through this, we can ascend to the rift without the hardship of before. If that happens, we can escape without a single death. No problem.
Shhh.
In that instant, a strange current. Even Rutherford, who had no mana, could sense it. It was only natural that the mages noticed it too.
They all looked in one direction, their brows furrowing.
Far in the distance—
“Lord Rutherford!”
Something enormous was rushing toward them.
Was this what it would be like to see a streak of light with the naked eye? The mages could only follow the rapidly passing mana with their eyes, whipping their heads around.
BOOOOOM—!
CRACK! CRACKLE!
An attack, condensed with incredible pressure, struck down.
The portal summoned by the forbidden magic cracked, then shattered all at once, exploding into pieces. Black fragments scattered around them. A shocked Rutherford searched for the source.
‘Ian?’
SHWAAAAAK!
Ian was approaching at an incredible speed.
Rutherford gritted his teeth and let out a great roar.
“Ian—!”
He would not tolerate any more interference. That lump of flesh that God had spoken of—there was nothing more to be done with it now. He would rather kill it and bring back the tattered pieces than let this continue.
Rutherford tried to activate the contract magic, to seize his heart.
Shwaaaaak!
But as if the true name held no power, Ian was upon him in an instant.
Rutherford’s hair briefly obscured his vision. When it cleared, he was face-to-face with a man with platinum-blonde hair and blue eyes, his gaze filled with a murderous light.
“…How dare you speak my name so freely.”
“You—”
Ziiing! Ziiing!
In an instant, the blue eyes flashed to gold.
Rutherford recognized that form. It was the soul that had been inside the bastard Ian. Is the contract broken? Did his body die in a vision? But how? How can he still maintain his mana even after dying?
Grip.
ZIIIIING!
Ian seized Rutherford by the hair and unleashed his mana. Become a cold corpse and drift in this Sea of the Abyss. May your limbs be scattered, and may you wander for eternity.
Ian smiled faintly, almost unconsciously, and studied his own reflection in Rutherford’s eyes.
“Rutherford, you wondered who I was.”
The image in the man’s eyes grew clearer.
The form of the Emperor of Bariel, Ian Verocion.