In the midst of a cacophony of sounds akin to bones twisting and reshaping, a remarkable transformation unfolded from a cloud of dust. Twelve symmetrically aligned black limbs sprouted and extended from Shirleyâs body. As this happened, a dark, bone-like armor began to envelop her, its surface adorned with razor-sharp spurs that gleamed with a sinister, blood-red hue. This was Shirley, yet again, metamorphosing into her formidable demon form, one that was shadowy and fearsome.
Shirley was mastering the art of toggling between her two distinct forms with a speed and ease that was nothing short of astonishing. This process of adaptation seemed less like learning anew and more akin to reawakening a latent, deep-seated knowledge as if her brain and limbs were merely recalling a long-forgotten skill.
With a subtle shift of the additional limbs that now aided her movement, followed by a rotation of her hands and feet, Shirley assessed her new form and nodded in approval. âIn such a dangerous environment, this demonic form is definitely more reliable,â she remarked, a sense of satisfaction in her voice.
Dog, gazing up at the now towering figure of Shirley, suddenly found himself engulfed in a swirling cloud of dust. Within moments, he had seamlessly blended into the shadows that lay beside Shirley.
Quietly observing the entire scene, Duncan waited until Shirley fully adjusted to her new form before stepping forward. âI had half expected you to resist embracing your demonic nature,â he commented, his voice tinged with a hint of surprise. âFor most, such a radical transformation would be an affront to their very sense of self.â
Shirley, casually prodding the ground with one of her newly sprouted limbs, replied with a detached tone, âUnder this situation, do appearances even matter? I consider myself realisticâmy immediate concern is survival, and living comfortably comes later. This demonic form is really well-suited for the challenges of the abyss. The only real issue is its tendency to absorb the essence of fallen demons automatically without my intention⊠Now that I think about it, it is still somewhat revoltingâŠâ
Before she could finish, Dogâs head emerged from the shadow. âYou know, I actually find that it tastes quite good. Shirley, are you sure you donât want to try the bone I brought you?â
Shirleyâs response was immediate and decisive: âNo, thank you. Itâs repulsive!â
Duncan, who had been silently observing the exchange, finally allowed a smile to cross his face.
âSo, our next objective is to locate the âNether Lordâ,â he said, steering the conversation back to their mission. âThis realm is a vast expanse of floating islands, far larger than we initially imagined. Dog, can you pinpoint our exact location?â
Reemerging from the shadows, Dog scanned their surroundings with a serious expression. âWe seem to be in the upper region of the Wasteland Belt, closest to what is known as the âStarry Sky.â If Iâm not mistaken, our path leads downward.â
Duncan asked with intrigue, âDownward?â
Dog nodded in confirmation. After a brief exchange with Shirley, he approached the edge of the desolate terrain and peered into the endless, chaotic darkness below. Æreewebηoveâ.com
Beneath the floating islands in the vast void, the dim starlight that peppered the chaos seemed to grow even more subdued. Through the murky gloom, one could barely make out additional islands, each drifting haphazardly in the darkness. Yet, at the very depths of this shadowy expanse, a faint, twinkling light could be discerned, offering a glimmer of something different.
Initially, Duncan mistook this distant luminescence for another fragment of the âstarry skyâ, perhaps suspended at the abyssâs nadir. However, he soon realized that these faint lights were actually emanating from a structure of immense proportions. This structure, barely visible in the enveloping darkness, had lights flickering dimly across its surface.
They sketched out a pattern of winding branches and a central âmain trunkâ. The lights on this trunk were more concentrated, pulsating slowly as if part of a living entity.
Standing at the edge of the fragmented landscape, Duncan peered into the abyss, trying to decipher the enigma of these lights. He could not estimate the distance to the bottom, nor could he ascertain the true scale of the âentityâ these lights belonged to. Yet, even from this limited perspective, he could sense the sheer enormity of whatever lay below.
âThat is the Nether Lordâthe âMotherâ of all demons and their final resting place after death,â Dog explained from the shadows, its voice carrying a mix of awe and unidentifiable emotion. âAt the very bottom of these shattered islands, Its limbs extend to the furthest reaches of the abyss. What we can see of Its body is already comparable to dozens, perhaps hundreds, of city-states. The invisible parts, the tips of Its tentacles, pierce through the abyssâs floor, reaching into subspace, defying any conventional mathematical logic.â
âEvery second, the dark abyss generates countless demonic essences. Like ethereal smoke, they rise from the âbottomâ, carried on erratic winds through discontinuous spatial layers to the floating islands above. There, they materialize, consuming each other in endless battles. The fallen demons disintegrate back into dust and mud, eventually returning to the abyss below, either swiftly or after an extended period. They are absorbed by the Nether Lord, perpetuating an eternal cycle.â
âI have escaped this cycle⊠but my absence is but a drop in the ocean for the abyss. The cycle of consumption among demons continues unabated, and the âoperationsâ of the âNether Lordâ persist endlessly.â
After Dog finished, Duncan nodded slightly, processing the information: âSo, we just need to head downward?â
âThatâs where the challenge lies. âDescendingâ here is far from straightforward,â Dog raised its head from the shadows, locking eyes with Duncan, âDo you recall a particularly strange and troublesome âfeatureâ of the abyss?â
ââŠSo, youâre referring to spatial discontinuity?â Duncan mused aloud, his brow furrowed in thought. âI recall our discussions about it. In the abyss, âtraversingâ from one location to another isnât straightforward. Here, directions and distances are entirely unpredictable. But we havenât really encountered this issue on our journey so far, have we?â
âThatâs because weâve been confined to the islands,â Dog clarified. âWithin the bounds of a single floating island, spatial dimensions adhere to the continuous structures weâre familiar with. But the moment we step off these islandsâŠâ
As he explained, Dog emerged fully from the shadows. It casually picked up a fragment of stone from the ground, held it between its teeth, and hurled it into the vast, enveloping darkness that lay beyond the boundary of the floating island.
In an instant, the stone vanished from sight. Just a few meters from the islandâs edge, it seemed to dissolve into nothingness.
Alice, who had been observing intently, saw the stone disappear and couldnât contain her curiosity. âWhere did the stone go?â she asked, her eyes wide with wonder.
âI donât have an answer for that,â Dog replied, shaking its head. âItâs highly unlikely it just âfell down.â In this void, any direction, any distance, any possible destination is a gamble. That stone could be endlessly falling through this star-speckled space, or it might have abruptly landed on some unsuspecting demonâs head. Itâs even conceivable that it ended up right on the Nether Lord itself. Movements in the âvoidâ between these islands are that unpredictable.â
Duncanâs expression turned into a frown. âThen the âcyclesâ you mentioned earlier, the endless cycle of demons moving between the floating islands and the Nether Lord, are governed by this randomness too?â
âExactly,â Dog nodded in affirmation. âItâs all a tapestry of uncertainty. A demon emerging from the Nether Lord might spend centuries before materializing on a floating island. Conversely, the remains of a demon cast into the void after its demise might drift aimlessly in darkness for millennia before reaching the abyssâs deepest reaches. This âdescentâ can occur in any conceivable directionâŠâ
Dog paused, casting its gaze towards the dark, star-filled horizon.
âConsidering the vastness of the abyss and the infinite number of demons within it, itâs entirely plausible that some original demonic essences that split from the Nether Lord are still adrift in the darkness, never having materialized. Similarly, there might be remnants of the earliest demons, those who perished in battles long past, that are still enduring their descent, a fall spanning ten thousand years or more, without yet reaching the bottom. All of this is within the realm of possibility.â
Duncan and Alice were left to contemplate this realityâa universe of uncertainty and discontinuity, underpinned by a âchaotic cycleâ operating on a grand scale of randomness. The sheer strangeness of it all was almost beyond comprehension.
Duncanâs expression conveyed deep contemplation, his brows knit together as he tried to conceptualize a world âorderâ that defied all known logic based on Dogâs detailed descriptions. After a moment of thoughtful silence, he ventured a comment, ââŠBut initially, the Vanished plummeted straight through the abyss without deviation.â
âThatâs precisely whatâs most alarming,â Dog responded, its eyes glinting with an eerie green glow. âMore astonishing than the notion of being struck down by a meteor from the sky is the fact that something could descend from above and assuredly reach the abyssâs bottom. This certainty in trajectory is what truly astounded the demons of the abyss. While demons may lack sophisticated intellect, they have adapted to the chaos of this realm through instinct. The sudden arrival of the Vanished, breaking all known rules and norms, presented an enigma so irrational, so against the grain of the abyssâs laws, that it drove many demons to madness instantly.â
Dog paused, its voice taking on a gravely serious tone: âDo you grasp the significance of this? In the context of the abyss, the concept of âan object falling from above and consistently reaching the bottomâ is an unthinkable, unspeakable violation of the natural order. The descent of the Vanished didnât just obliterate several islands and exterminate hundreds of thousands of demons; it fundamentally âpierced throughâ the very fabric of the abyssâs order.â
Pondering this, Duncan mused, ââŠSo, for the sake of the demonsâ mental and physical well-being, I should avoid causing any more such âfallsâ?â
âItâs not about preserving the well-being of the demonsâthey hardly live in what weâd call âhealthyâ conditions,â Dog corrected with a shake of its head. âItâs about maintaining the âhealthâ or stability of the abyss itself. This place is teetering on the brink of instability. Triggering another fall could very well cause its complete collapse.â
The source of this cđžntent is freewebnĂžvel.coɱ.
Duncan stroked his chin, lost in thought for a moment.
While he was deep in contemplation, considering the challenge of navigating the spatial discontinuity beyond the floating islands and devising a strategy to reach the âbottomâ where the Nether Lord resided, he suddenly felt a gentle tug on his arm.
Turning, he was met with Aliceâs wide, expressive eyes.
The doll held up her hand, revealing a dark object: âCaptain! Stone!â
Momentarily caught off guard, Duncan responded with a hint of confusion, âUh, Alice, this isnât really the time forâŠâ
His words trailed off abruptly as he recognized what it was â the stone in Aliceâs hand⊠it was the very same one Dog had thrown into the abyss earlier!