The Absolute
A cold sensation brushed against my cheek.
"...Huh?"
I slowly opened my eyes.
Or so I thought, but the world remained shrouded in darkness.
"Where...?"
The moment I tried to sit up, a rippling sound came from beneath my feet.
Cold liquid wrapped around my ankles. Looking down, I saw shallow water stretching out endlessly.
The ink-black surface drew gentle ripples with my every movement, waves spreading infinitely into the darkness.
"What the hell is this place?"
My voice fell into the empty void.
Not even an echo returned. The sound simply scattered into the air and vanished.
I was definitely coughing up blood and collapsing...
I wiped my mouth with trembling hands. No sticky blood, no metallic tang.
My body felt impossibly perfect.
That made it all the more eerie. I'd depleted my black magic in the fight with Azellia and taken internal injuries, yet now I felt better than before the battle.
A strange lightness, as if the weight of my flesh had vanished.
I took a step forward.
Splash.
The black water spread in concentric circles. Another step.
Splash.
The monotonous water sounds were the only thing breaking the infinite silence.
"Ascaros?"
I called out urgently.
"Ascaros! Can you hear me? Answer!"
But only silence answered.
My heart began to race.
Ascaros was bound to me. He had to respond to my call—that was the absolute rule of our contract. Even if he didn't want to, he had to obey my will.
But now...
No response at all.
"What the hell happened...?"
An anxious sigh escaped me.
At that moment—
Splash, splash, splash.
Ripples suddenly rose, independent of my footsteps.
They started small but grew, forming endless concentric circles.
And then, the astonishing happened.
Crack—
The black surface split open.
A straight fissure formed centered on me. The water parted to both sides, revealing the floor beneath.
A smooth surface like wet obsidian.
"What is this...?"
The crack widened, extending far into the distance like a path.
The black water halted, parted by some invisible force, as if someone had cleaved the sea to make way.
Thump.
My heart pounded hard. Instinct told me.
This path was leading me somewhere. Or more precisely...
It's inviting me.
I hesitated to step forward. But in this endless darkness, it was the only change.
No other choice.
I cautiously placed my foot on the parted path.
Tap.
A cold, firm sensation unlike water transmitted through my sole.
One step, then another.
The surrounding darkness seemed to thicken as I walked.
And finally—
A massive door appeared.
Carved from a single block of obsidian, it loomed overwhelmingly before me.
Unknown runes etched its surface pulsed faintly.
"You've finally arrived."
A low voice came from beyond the door—
Boom—!
The heavy doors parted in an instant.
The speed made me step back involuntarily.
Then I stared, speechless, at the space revealed.
A vast hall.
The ceiling vanished into height, floor and walls all obsidian.
An oppressive weight crushed me, like being swallowed by a colossal beast.
And at its center sat a throne.
Or rather, a crude chair roughly hewn from a massive obsidian chunk.
Yet its rough surface exuded primal intimidation.
And upon it...
"Interesting."
A man with my exact face sat there.
Propped on one hand, legs crossed, looking down at me.
"Took you long enough. I got tired of waiting."
He rose from the chair.
Languidly.
But I couldn't tear my eyes from his every slow motion—like a mouse watching a serpent.
"What... are you?"
"Who do you think?"
His lips curved up.
"What? Where—"
In an instant, he vanished from my sight.
"Here."
Cold breath grazed my nape.
He stood right behind me, chin on my shoulder, whispering.
"Who do you think I am?"
Fuck, what the hell is going on?
Goosebumps erupted across my skin.
I pass out from internal injuries, and suddenly a guy who looks exactly like me appears, resting his chin on my shoulder.
Not a woman, but this creep with my face doing this—it went beyond discomfort to outright revulsion.
"Get off."
I growled low, but he pressed his face closer instead.
"Why? Uncomfortable?"
He sneered, then stepped back.
And...
I gritted my teeth.
For some reason, I can't use my Supernatural Ability or black magic.
My body was fine—no, lighter than before—but all my power felt dormant inside me.
"What's wrong? Can't use your ability and it's freaking you out?"
This bastard can read my thoughts?
Shock crossed my face for a moment.
Then I realized: my emotions were plain on my face now.
Normally, the Domain of the Absolute would make any expression emotionless, but here they were raw and exposed.
"Feels strange, doesn't it?"
He walked slowly to my side, that enigmatic smile still on his—my—face.
"First time showing your real expressions."
"..."
"Your ability doesn't work here."
"Why?"
I asked warily. He shrugged.
"It wasn't yours to begin with."
My heart seemed to stop.
Wait... no way.
"Figured it out, huh."
He muttered with satisfaction.
"Right, I'm that 'being' from the legend. The one the tales speak of."
He circled me slowly, continuing.
"The ability you call the Domain of the Absolute? Just my remnant. What you have is a mere fragment of my power."
"..."
"Oh, my name won't reach your ears anyway. Our levels don't match. Just call me... the Absolute."
Arrogance laced his voice, mingled with a strange loneliness.
"So."
I steadied my trembling voice.
"Why'd you summon me here? Wait... I heard you were sealed. Why are you here in my face?"
The Absolute chuckled.
"Sealed? Yeah, my main body is. But I'm..."
He pointed to his chest.
Faint darkness pulsed there.
"I told you. A remnant. I'm a consciousness formed from the Absolute's remnants. Same as the ability dwelling in you. Just... more complete."
"What does that—"
"You woke me, Astra."
He stepped closer. Space rippled with each footfall.
"When your black magic surpassed its limit, your mind came here on its own. To this inner abyss where I reside."
Then it happened.
Space rippled like water.
Obsidian walls flowed like liquid, the Absolute's form blurring.
"Already...?"
He muttered with regret.
"Faster than I thought. Your mind's still too weak to endure here long."
His figure dissolved like mist. But his voice remained clear.
"Next time you come... don't make me wait so long, Astra."
With those final words, everything melted into darkness.
"...Gasp!"
My breath caught.
I gulped air like I'd been pulled from water.
'Are you alright, Master Astra!'
Ascaros's urgent voice echoed in my head.
Relief and worry mingled in it.
'You're alive... thank goodness.'
His relief flooded me.
No wonder—he existed through my black magic. If I died or vanished, so would he.
I opened my eyes. Night had fallen, stars gleaming coldly. Around me, only battle scars remained in the emptiness.
"Ascaros..."
My voice cracked.
My throat was parched like a desert.
"How long... has it been?"
'Six hours. I kept calling, but no response.'
Thick anxiety laced Ascaros's voice.
'What happened? Your mind was completely cut off.'
I rose slowly.
No post-battle fatigue or pain.
"...Nothing."
As I stood, I sensed something odd.
'My body's condition... it's too good.'
Not just recovered. Every sense sharpened, clarified, like being reborn.
And even more astonishing...
'What is this?'
The black magic pulsing inside me was on another level.
Impossible to measure precisely, but at least double. Maybe more.
The flow through my veins was vividly clear, like a mighty river swirling within.
'Master Astra... something's changed in you.'
Ascaros had noticed too.
'Something deeper, darker... emanating from within you.'
"I gained enlightenment."
A short, vague answer—the best I could manage.
'Enlightenment...'
Doubt tinged his voice, but he didn't press.
He, who'd lived millennia, knew some experiences defied words.
I pondered in the cold night wind.
Who the hell is the Absolute...?
Perhaps...
One possibility flashed through my mind.
Ridiculous at first, but increasingly plausible.
Could it be that me entering this game world...
Was the Absolute's doing?